thanksgiving day 4, er 6, miler

i was lucky enough to get the morning off on this beautiful thanksgiving day and decided to once again head out to the portland thanksgiving day 4 miler. it was cold when i woke up and there was frost on the ground and car so i bundled up (huge mistake). when i left the house i was in capris, sweatpants, long sleeve flannel lined running shirt, running jacket, north face fleece, fleece headband... you'd think i was going to alaska to run this race haha. but of course i shed a few layers before getting out of the car, and warmed up for a mile before heading inside to register.

i saw a few friends and made a quick trip to the bathroom. i was supposed to find melissa but we hadnt specified a place, which made it difficult in the crowd of people. i ended up finding my cousin kim and we walked up to the start, and 5 minutes before the race began melissa (and jamie) found us! it was a thanksgiving miracle :) i also saw jaymee, and we high fived before she darted off ahead towards the start line. i suddenly became jealous of her short shorts, knowing my capris were going to be a bit too hot.

i didnt have high expectations for this race, mostly just running for fun with great people on a day when i truly give thanks for the people in my life and my ability to run. the starting cannon scared the hell out of us and we took off. i learned my lesson from last year not starting too far back (it was SO crowded last year!)... it was still quite crowded but thinned out within a half mile or so. my first mile was about 7:50 which i was fine with, actually thought it was too fast for what i had figured i would be going.

then comes the hills. boooo. i felt good the first time around, but the course is two loops so we see the hills twice. barf. (for some reason i keep coming back to this race regardless of how much i complain...) mile 2 was a bit slower i think, closer to 8:10... i dont really remember mile 3 except that i was overheating big time... and i walked for about 30 seconds on the last hill before cruising down to the finish (a DOWNHILL finish whoooo hooooo.... my watch said 6:40 pace, oops).

finish: 33:18

overall 646/1748

i ran a mile to warm up before the race and ran a mile after because it was so nice out (and my car was about a half mile away). then i enjoyed hot chocolate and a coffee roll from dunkin donuts and washed my kitchen floor before heading to work. turkey dinner and the annual viewing of love actually to come tonight at my parents house!

(once again no pics from this race. something is clearly wrong with me lately... i have two more races left this year, ill be sure to improve on the pics...as in actually take some.)



as always, this is how i spent my night before thanksgiving

and were doing another family football pool again this year, unlike last year where i had my cat pick my teams i just went with random pics and numbers this year.

game 1: 12:30 houston @ detroit

 my projected winner: houston

 total points: 57
  **as its looking right now as i write this that houston might not win. shocking.**

game 2: 4:15 washington @ dallas

 my projected winner: dallas
 total points: 34

game 3: 8:20 new england @ new york jets

 my projected winner: new england

 total points: 42

the winner is whoever gets the most games right. but incase of a tie:

 closest to total points of game 3

 closest to total points of game 1

 closest to total points of game 2

definitely not holding my breath for the $20 to come my way.

as always, im so very very thankful for all of the things and the people in my life. the experiences i have had, the ones that are yet to come, and everyone/everything that makes this journey what it is... i truly appreciate it all.

happy thanksgiving to all!!

14 weeks

How far along? 14 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain: i havent gotten on the scale this week... and i just ran 8 miles so ill wait and weigh in next week if i remember
Maternity clothes? nothing new but i love lounging around in my sweatpants (some things never change... and my bday is next week incase anyone would like to add to my collection)
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: i feel like i have restless leg syndrome this week... and i definitely havent gotten enough sleep (worked overnight friday night, and half of an overnight last night...oof)
Best moment this week: had a fun weekend, fun 5k turkey trot yesterday, and so far this week is off to a great start with a solid 8 mile run this am
Miss Anything? i could use a bud light... or 5
Movement: no, but i saw the little one having the hiccups on the ultrasound... soon ill be able to feel it!
Food cravings: nothing new, but i ate pizza three times this weekend. wow.
Anything making you queasy or sick: i just felt sick friday night while i was working but that was due to being tired and not wanting to be awake at 3am im sure
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: i dont even feel pregnant right now... anxiously waiting at least a little bit of a bump so it will all seem real haha
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Mood: great!
Looking forward to: thanksgiving! pie! friends thanksgiving episodes marathon! christmas shopping! ALL OF THE THINGS! 

(please disregard the messy couch in the background, and my lovely "just woke up from a sunday afternoon nap" look)

turkey trot 5k

this race recap is gonna be short and sweet, with little to no pics because andy and i royally suck at remembering to take any. sarah bailed on us so it was just the two of us, we hit up dunkin donuts on the way, ran a mile to warm up, and got to the start line shortly before the national anthem was played. my friend jamie found us and we talked for a few, and before we knew it, we were off.

andys grand plan was to run stupid fast just so he could say he beat a pregnant lady running (nice guy, right?) little did he know my original plan was to switch his bib for mine (i ultimately didnt follow through with that plan... see, IM NICE!) but anyway, he took off and left me in the dust and i just put on my tunes and did my thing. i decided not to wear garmin and just run how on feel... i wasnt planning on breaking any records (i hate this course... who designed the last mile uphill?!) and i have a cold and havent been running a lot and and and... (i enjoy complaining...)

my other plan was to run slow anyway... no need to go fast anymore, been there done that :)

i swear this is what the sign said ;)

my mom and dad were at their normal parking spot at about the half mile mark... i pretty much have to jump on the car and do a dance for my mom to see me, but when she did she got out of the car cheering :) thanks mom! then its a nice downhill for a bit and onto a flat stretch into a neighborhood.

mile 1: 7:44

that surprised me since ive been running mostly 8:20s recently. but i knew what i had coming for me in the upcoming miles and just continued on. heading back onto the main road, up a small hill, then into another neighborhood shortly before mile 2... and i see a water stop! my throat had been killing me and the cold air wasnt helping, so i stopped and got water. who gets water in a 5k?! yup, me. delish.

mile 2: 15:50

another uphill... and another... and another (see what i mean about hating this course?!). i had told myself i would NOT walk up the last hill, and i didnt (although it definitely wasnt speedy). once i turned into the straight away towards the end, i turned it up a little and felt strong into the finish line.

mile 3: 24:40

finish: 25:20

andy met me at the finish, we got some water and went into the school where they had bananas, cheese, and cookies. i definitely took advantage of this "running for two" thing and had a cookie. ok i had two. organic means healthy, right?

andy spent the majority of the morning making as much fun of me as he could and then i stopped talking to him for an hour. worst hour of his life, im sure. then i went xmas shopping (see wacko pic below) and had lunch with my parents before taking a nap and watching football. love lazy sundays :)

can someone please tell me WTF this is?

a mermaid doctor holding a lollypop? some lucky friend will be getting this for xmas for sure.

hello 2nd trimester!

i dont want this blog turning into a baby blog... im a runner damnit! but, i think its a pretty cool super power to be growing a human so bear with me for the next 6 months with some of those details. im still running  though (albeit it a LOT less than i used to... i sure do miss those 40 mile weeks haha) and have a race this weekend... one that i have failed over and over again (damn mile 3 hill)... so i really have no high expectations for it. im sad i have to work on thanksgiving this year so i cant run in the 4 miler in portland!

pretty much since week 9 of my pregnancy i have been exhausted and not wanting to run at all. and when i did want to run id end up stopping after 2 miles complaining about something. or walking a lot. i did the eliptical a few times but its not the same and i felt i was never getting a good work out (and it hurts my knees, weird). finally this week for whatever reason i have found my love for running again. whether its the new trimester or the 65 degree weather, im not sure but i love it! i ran 5 miles yesterday (only stopping to wait for a few cars before crossing the street) at a sub 9 pace, and ran 8 today (i did walk up one hill). although i have loved being kinda lazy (i havent done that in a very long time), i definitely have missed running. i had big plans to run sat am before work and got up at 4:15... packed my lunch, got all my gym/shower/work stuff together and drove to the gym... only to pull in and remember that the gym doesnt open til 6 on saturdays. oof. baby brain in full effect! i forget everything... its terrible. im very happy i decided to do three marathons this year (instead of none like i had originally planned), and although im feeling good running again, i know my mileage wont be anything much more than 15-20 miles a week from here on out. other than sunday, i only have one more race on the schedule for the remainder of this year. im not sure what im going to do next year quite yet other than hoping to get into the beach to beacon 10k in august and im already registered for the mdi marathon in october.

so just a little back story since i kinda just threw it all out that i was suddenly pregnant... i found out at week 5 (or week 3... the whole counting weeks thing is weird, they count your due date 40 weeks from the day your period started... so for the first 2 weeks of those 40 youre not even pregnant. weird). but anyway, i woke up on the day of the lobsterman tri not feeling great. i wasnt sick or anything, just felt tired. i felt sluggish running. i came home to a dog that wouldnt cooperate and ended up crying hysterically and going to bed at like 6pm. and my boobs hurt. bad.

sunday i had to work and just felt blah all day. i didnt feel like eating anything (which is NOT like me at all). i came home and again went right to bed. monday morning i decided maybe i should take a test since my period was late (but i wasnt thinking anything of it since i had been late/missed numerous times this year due to running). as my luck would have it, the test i used was a "+" "-" type thing instead of a two line/one line deal... and i had thrown out the instructions. so it read "+ -" ... and i had to google the damn thing. oops. what am i like 15? who does that? i woke ty up and made him look at the google results too... and then before i left for work i took another test with the one line/two line. yup. pregnant.

whoa.

it wasnt a mistake or anything but month after month of getting negative test results really gave me some doubts. it still almost seems surreal, even after seeing the very baby shaped ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat.

so i up and stopped drinking a hundred gallons of coffee a day, and sadly gave up my bud light. at 7 weeks i ran the smuttynose marathon and felt great. at 9 weeks i ran mdi marathon and almost passed out (twice). i had to listen to my body, knowing it wasnt all about me anymore. with 3 miles left i considered not finishing, i was that nervous about what was going on. but all in all, i feel good now. a few bouts of dizzyness here and there and i get winded a little more quickly, but thats really it. and so far no weird food cravings (sorry to everyone who is betting ill want pickles!)

id be lying if i said i havent been wanting this for a very long time. i am thankful that i was not made a mom before now (there were many years i was definitely NOT ready), and i really think we are now ready for this crazy adventure (who am i kidding, ill never be really ready haha). im anxious, nervous, excited... everything that comes along with it.

holy crap im gonna be a mom! :)

How far along? 13 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain: 4 pounds, and since im not showing (much) i know exactly where these pounds are going (trust me im not complaining haha). even though i havent gained much weight, i am having some issues with body image and probably will continue to do so throughout. but im trying to eat healthy and maintain a gym/running routine which i guess is all i can really do. ive been able to eat what i want for so long due to running ALL THE MILES so thats quite a change for me.
Maternity clothes? nothing new... but why is everything striped?!
Stretch marks? no. should i start getting some lotion or something?
Sleep: sleeping good but still dont feel like its enough... although i have a LOT more energy this week than i have in the past few. i can finally sleep on my stomach again now that a certain area on my upper body doesnt hurt so freaking bad... but this probably wont last much longer.
Best moment this week: a great 5 mile run yesterday and another good 8 miler today. nothing like 65 degree weather in november! also making maple oatmeal bread in the bread maker and having french toast with it this am.... yum!
Miss Anything? ibuprofen... my poor knees hurt!!

Movement: nope
Food cravings: milk milk and more milk! (sometimes in a frozen form... with oreos)
Anything making you queasy or sick: not yet (knock on wood)
Gender: its a surprise! gonna have to get rid of this question cuz its not gonna change :)
Labor Signs: uh no
Symptoms: ive had this weird pain in my right leg that started last week... it moved from my shin to my ankle, behind my knee, up the back of my leg, and finally into my lower back. it wasnt a deep muscle pain though, it was more just to the touch (like a bad sun burn). i ended up getting an ultrasound done to rule out a blood clot (negative) and then my primary care doc said i was an "enigma". that sounded promising. but it slowly lessened over this weekend and really doesnt hurt much at all anymore. weird.
Belly Button in or out? in. this whole thing freaks me out.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Mood: had a bit of a rough end to last week but pretty much im smiling these days
Looking forward to: seeing friends at the turkey trot 5k this weekend!

worlds youngest marathon maniac?

race registrations: $155

miles driven: 468 miles

race miles run: 52.4

4am track workouts/runs: countless

hours spent running with a great friend, 17 minute PRs for each of us, and knowing there are actually THREE marathon maniacs in these pics: PRICELESS

(me, not sarah... in case there was any confusion haha)

 

baby sterling... coming may 2013!

How far along? 12 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain: 3.5 lbs
Maternity clothes? ive bought a few long sleeve shirts but havent needed any new pants yet... although i have come out one belt hole on one of my pairs of jeans (and lets be honest, i pretty much live in scrubs and sweatpants haha)
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: i want to sleep ALL THE TIME. three hour nap during the middle of the day? dont mind if i do! go to bed for the night at 5:30pm? sounds great!
Best moment this week: cassies wedding and our ultra sound/seeing & hearing the heart beat!

 

 

Miss Anything? sushi and ham & cheese sandwiches (i know you all were thinking this would say bud light and coffee, but surprise! im not craving those at all!)

Movement: no
Food cravings: i want broccoli and milk all the time (not together)
Anything making you queasy or sick: brushing my teeth made me physically ill during the first few weeks but thats subsided now. im very sensitive to smells but nothing has really made me queasy. thankfully ive made it through 12 weeks with NO morning/noon/evening sickness!
Gender: dont know, unsure if we are going to find out yet or not (ty wants to, i kinda dont...). im feeling like its a boy, everyone else seems to think girl. (fetal heart rate 160... so we'll see!)
Labor Signs: no
Symptoms: since the weekend we found out i have been SO emotional. were talking hysterically crying out of no where. emotionaly instability at its finest. and my boobs are sore. holy crap, dont even come within 2 feet. ouch.
Belly Button in or out? in. and im still on the fence about my belly button ring... ive had this same ring since i got it pierced in 1999. im not ready to get rid of it!
Wedding rings on or off? on
Mood: emotional
Looking forward to: thanksgiving :) mmmmm food.