Week 14 (1/23-1/29)
I kept thinking that my energy would return this week but I still felt tired. Feeling tired and starting get a bit bored with treadmill running made for a not so great running week:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 4 miles (8:24 pace)
Wednesday: 5 miles (8:30 pace)
Friday: 5 miles (8:30 pace)
Saturday: 5 miles on the road (8:08 pace)
Total: 19 miles
My husband and I went to my birthday dinner Friday evening and my daughter had a sleepover with the grandparents. While I planned to do a group run Saturday morning, I just felt the need to enjoy the quiet morning. So, I woke up, had my coffee, read, and then headed out for an easy five miles on the road before it was time to get ready for our trip to New Orleans.
I figured I could run some easy miles Sunday afternoon. But after the awards ceremony, me and two of my former teammates (with our significant others) went out for a drink. Well, I just had a virgin drink but everyone else had a cocktail. We got home around 11:30 and were asleep shortly thereafter only to be woken up by my toddler at 5:15 who woke up and would not go back to sleep. So, by the time we got home Sunday afternoon, she crashed and took a long nap and I just did not have the energy for a run. So, I rested and vowed to start back fresh again this week.
I felt pretty good about my decision until I got a text from my teammate Sean (who met us out for a drink after the awards on Saturday evening after being up all Friday night for his 610 Stompers ball) got up Sunday morning and ran a 1:14 half marathon, barely placing second in the race. This was in the wind and on the levee which must have been a pretty boring course.
Ugh…made me feel like a slacker for my Sunday rest day. But, then again, I”m pregnant so I’m enjoying this time to take it easy on the running.
An exciting weekend and Collegiate awards…
This Saturday, my family and I are making the trip down to New Orleans because I am being inducted into the Loyola Athletic Hall of Fame.
Here is the write-up on my collegiate career:
“A graduate of St. Joseph High School in Baton Rouge, Legleu was named to the GCAC All-Conference Team all four years of her career. While competing for Loyola, the Wolfpack placed second in the GCAC Championships, and qualified for the NAIA National Meet three times. Legleu holds the school record for 5000 meters (established at the McNeese State Invitational with a time of 19:35), the 2 mile race (established at the LSU Invitational with a time of 12:22), and the 3 mile race (established at the Tulane Invitational with a time of 20:04). Also during her career, she placed in the following meets: West Florida Invitational, Loyola Invitational, Auburn Invitational, ULL Invitational, Rhodes College Invitational, and the Mississippi College Invitational. She led the 2001 Wolfpack to the GCAC and NAIA Region 13 women’s team titles. She was a NAIA All-Region selection in 2001. As a track athlete, Legleu holds Loyola records in the 1500m, 3000m, and 5000m. She was named Academic All American during her senior year.”
When I read this, I feel like such a running rock star! I’m so grateful for my collegiate experience and that I was able to experience the life of a student athlete where I could compete and participate in a sport but also focus on my grades. I knew I would never have a professional career in running so I had to focus also focus grades, graduate school acceptance, etc while competing in cross country and track. I am definitely grateful for having this opportunity to be a balanced student athlete.
I loved my experience at Loyola, my teammates, my studies, and everything about living in New Orleans. I feel extremely honored to be included in the Hall of Fame and be included among so many talented athletes.
Since my birthday is next week (Tuesday!) I’m looking forward to birthday dinner celebration/date night with my husband, a group run Saturday morning, and the award ceremony in New Orleans Saturday evening. It is going to be a busy, but wonderful weekend.
Here are some old team pictures. I will post some more pictures next week from the award ceremony Saturday evening.
Week 13 (1/16-1/22)
Well, tommorow, I start my second trimester. So, this was officially my last week in the first trimester. Hopefully, I will be feeling more energetic!
So, here is my weekly mileage:
Wednesday: 5 miles (8:22). Could not make myself get out of bed Monday and Tuesday so by Wednesday, I needed a run! Slept in once again and got in a run on the treadmill while my 2 year old napped. Usually by 1:30 or 2:00, I am ready to crash and burn but I felt pretty good on my afternoon run.
Thursday: 4 miles (8:22 pace) A little tired from just having run the afternoon before but got in four miles on the dreadmill.
Friday: 4 miles (8:24 pace)…ugh, lingering cold, toddler waking me up at 4:30 and my 5:15 alarm clock made for a difficult run.
Saturday: Decided to forgo my Saturday long run and enjoy the morning at home. Went for a run around the neighborhood at 5ish. 4 miles at 8:01 pace. I always run faster on the road.
Sunday: 9 miles (8:13 pace). The humidity has returned to South Louisiana and all I can say that was good about this run was I got my miles in. Had to make three stops for water/nuun and just felt ready to get this run over with the entire time. I know at some point my runs will slow down even more so I just stop for water when I need to and slow down the pace if I am feeling tired.
Total: 26 miles.
All in all, I still feel pretty good about getting 26 miles for the week at 12 weeks pregnant. I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep the 9-10 mile runs up but figured as long as I am feeling up to it, I’ll hold on to them as long as I can.
Pregnancy-wise, I am feeling pretty good. My food cravings have normalized and am eating my normal healthy foods (with the exception of my whole wheat bagel thins with cream cheese). Not the most filling breakfast but I can’t seem to give it up!
My toddler sleep routine has finally started to normalize. We tried giving up the nap but only found that she crashed and burned at 5:30 to 6:00 pm which meant for a very early morning. So, I think we will keep the naps for now and I can enjoy my mid-day break for just a LITTLE longer.
Overall, I am thankful for my health and for time to do something I love. I’m thinking a family of four sounds perfect for us so given this could be my last pregnancy, I just want to enjoy every moment. Looking back on my first pregnancy, I ran very little during my first trimester and stopped running completely after that. I’m not sure how long I will be able to keep up my running but am thankful for feeling healthy and being able to stay active.
Anyway, I have an exciting trip to New Orleans this weekend. More news on the blog to come later….
Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon
Well, I am finally sitting down to do my race recap. This is a little delayed but better late than never, right?
A little background, this was the inaguraul year of the Louisiana Marathon. Before I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to run this race. We have another small, local race, the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon but it is on a much smaller scale. I was really excited about having a new flagship race in Baton Rouge complete with a scenic course, fun finish line festival, etc.
The Expo:
I went to the race expo on Saturday for packet pickup. This was my fourth half marathon. With the exception of the Country Music Marathon (which has since been renamed the Rock N’ Roll series) this was the only other race expo I went to. The Rock N’ Roll expos are huge with many vendors, which is great but for me a little overwhelming! I loved the small expo, friendly staff, and being able to run in and out quickly to get my packet, shirt, etc.
While I was there, I stopped at the Gulf Coast Half Marathon Booth and had a chance to talk with Katie and @katierunsthis and Brenton @lsubeerunner!
The Race:
My in-laws were in town this weekend (well, they left Saturday evening), and we had a busy day Saturday so by the time I got home to finish watching the Saints game Saturday my husband was still at work and I was just too tired to cook. So, we ordered pizza. Definately not the best pre-race food but at least I got some carbs, right? I wasn’t going for a pr, I considered this more of a long training run so I took the chance.
My toddler never napped on Saturday so by 7:00 she crashed and was fast asleep. My in-laws headed back home and my husband headed back to work, so I had Saturday evening all to myself to read and watch the taped coverage of the Olympic trials. I rarely sit on the couch and watch tv so this was a treat.
By about 9:30, I was tired so I just decided to go to sleep. I set my alarm for 4:45 and was ready to go! I slept pretty well the first half of the night but the second half, my toddler woke up and needed some care to get back to bed and I just could never get back into a good sleep.
By 4:45 I was up, ready to get dressed, had my breakfast, hydrated and had a brief chat with my husband. He had a huge work deadline Monday morning so he never slept Saturday night. Yikes, he pulled an all nighter and still had to plan on working all day Sunday. So, I planned to run the race and head back home afterwards so that he could finish up his work.
I left the house at 5:45 and drove through a terrible fog to get to downtown Baton Rouge. All the parking garages were closed so I found a free spot on the street about a mile from the race. I made a quick trip to the restroom, checked my gear, and headed to the start to stretch.
At the start, I ran into some familiar faces, including @jamiecgary He was running the full marathon but we had done some long runs together with Varsity Sports so we ran the first couple of miles together, until about mile five or so when the marathoners split off from the halfers. We lined up with the 3:25 marathon group and I was feeling great on the first couple of miles, running just under 8 minute/mile pace. The first few miles took us through downtown Baton Rouge, where we had to cross an overpass and into the LSU lakes area, a place where I do my weekly long runs.
After the marathoners split off, the crowds winded down and I knew I would be running the rest of the race solo. So, I turned up my tunes, took my first chot blox and enjoyed the race. We finished winding around the lakes and hit the “hills.” Miles 9 – 11 were a gentle incline through a neighborhood and on the other side of a golf course, just past the lakes. After I finished the race, everyone was ranting about how tough the “hills” were. I had run this neighborhood over and over again when we used to do mile repeats for my high school cross country/track team, so I guess they did not bother me. I knew they were coming so I just relaxed and focused on keeping my pace even and my breathing relaxed.
Finally, in the last mile, we hit the overpass again on our loop back to downtown towards the finish of the race. By this point, my legs were a little tired and I was feeling the incline more but still felt great. I did feel for the marathoners having to run this incline at mile 25-26 on dead legs. Another reason I’m glad I did not run the full!
I kept my pace easy and crossed the finish with a chip time of 1:42:55. My chip time was a little over my Garmin time because I stopped for a couple of seconds to attempt to drink water. I can’t run and drink out of a cup. I’m just not that coordinated.
So, here are the splits:
- 7:51
- 7:42
- 7:48
- 7:47
- 77:52
- 7:47
- 7:55
- 7:52
- 7:56
- 7:55
- 7:47
- 7:47
- 7:44
- 56.3 (last .12 at 7:31 pace)
Total: 1:42:43
Yes, I think I am the queen of consistent pacing. I ran this without really looking at my Garmin (just checked it every now and then to see my mileage) because I was trying to focus on running by feel and not get wrapped up in the pace as I wanted to keep this run easy. And even with the “hills” every single mile was under 8 min/mile pace! My legs were tired at the end but overall, I felt great for running this race at almost 12 weeks pregnant.
Plus, I could not ask for better crowd support/fans, weather, or course! I did not get to hang out for the finish line festival but it looked like a great after party. I loved this race so much, I went ahead and paid the early bird fee and registered for the race next year. I could not pass up a race for $35! I’m not sure what type of shape I will be five months post baby but I figured if I could not run, I could always give my entry to my day and he can race it for me.
Alright, so this post is way too long and sorry I don’t have pictures to share. I never seem to remember to take pictures post-race. I guess I may have to breakdown and buy at least one of the sport photos from the race as a remembrance of my first half marathon as a mama to be! I’m sure baby #2 will be proud to know he/she participated in this race with me!
Week 12 (1/ – 1/15) and nap time struggles?!?
Well, in my 12 week of pregnancy, I finished my first half marathon as a mama to be! Technically, you are supposed to do a taper before a big race. I don’t think I really needed a taper since this was not a goal race, I considered it to be more of a training run. But, I found myself catching a terrible cold, so less mileage and extra rest the week of a race seemed like a good idea!
Here is my mileage for the week:
Monday: Easy 4 mile treadmill run (8:22) pace. Up a lot the night before with my sick toddler, so getting this run in was tough.
Wednesday: Still feeling sick/tired, so slept in and went for a run around the lakes with the jogging stroller. It was windy but got in an easy four miles and averaged 8:13 pace.
Friday: 3.5 miles on the treadmill (8:24 pace). Thankfully, feeling better but had an easy run.
Sunday: 13.12 miles (1:42:55) and averaged 7:50 pace. Felt great, beautiful weather, great course, etc.
Total: 24.62 miles
Thankfully, I am feeling less tired this week but with the extra rest from my cold, I slept as much as I cold this week and felt great by the weekend. I went to the doctor on Friday for a checkup and got to hear the heartbeat again! I was up three pounds (yikes!) but the baby’s heartbeat was strong and everything looks great. I got my flu shot, bloodwork, and the clearance from the doctor to run.
Last weekend, I had my in-laws in town which was a blessing because my husband ended up having to work the entire weekend. They were able to stay with Little Miss while I got my hair cut and ran to the expo. They left Saturday evening and my poor husband pulled an all nighter Saturday night and did not sleep at all from work. I came home Sunday after the race and he headed to work and I quickly transitioned from runner to mom.
I’m feeling much better this week but my toddler seems to be wanting to drop her naps. She is only 28 months and I feel like this is really early but if she naps, she is up until at least 9:00 at night. So, sometimes, rather than fight her on nap, I prefer to maybe just let her stay up during the day and got to bed early rather (7ish) than fight for a nap and fight again at night for bedtime. But wow, it is hard to keep a toddler busy all day. I’m worn out by bedtime!
How did you know when your toddlers were ready to give up their nap? Any tips? I’m a little wary of giving up the nap because it is really helpful to have some downtime during the day!
Okay, I still want to do a Louisiana Half Marathon race recap. But that is another post for another day.
I finished:)
I ran my first half marathon as a mama to be. Chip time was 1:42:55. Beautiful weather, great scenery, and a great course. Full race report to come. But for now, I’m going to relax and enjoy my Sunday at home!
The Taper
I log my mileage on Daily Mile. Since I do most of my runs solo, it is nice to have a group of local runners who also use Daily Mile to help motivate each other through workouts and runs. This weekend is the inaugural Louisiana Marathon. I signed up for this race before I knew I was pregnant and figured I would just run it easy if I was expecting baby #2. So, not that I need to taper but I figured an easy week after a few weeks running through my first trimester fatigue would not hurt. Several of my friends (on DM and in real life) are running this race. And I’ve heard grumbles from everyone this week about the taper.
I never thought I had a problem with the taper. I always thought it was nice to step back, log some easy miles, and rest/relax before the big race.
Until I realized that before every race during the week of my taper, I get sick!
Is it the taper? I can’t help but blame it on this. Or perhaps it is the lack of quality sleep I get. I tend to sleep better when I exercise so when I don’t sleep well, any type of cold or bug my toddler is carrying from preschool seems to get to me. Or perhaps some sore of mental self sabotage.
So, now at 11 weeks, almost 12 weeks pregnant, I have a scratchy throat, am hoarse, and feeling a little run down. I took it easy and slept in yesterday and today but can’t help wondering if it is okay for me to run Sunday since I am pregnant and have a slight cold. I certainly don’t want to jeopardize the health of my baby. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow so I will discuss this with her and be certain to get the clear from her regarding this weekend.
Do you hate the taper? Do you race even when you are sick? I will if it is a minor cold but no racing if I have fever, body aches, or a stomach bug.
Week 11 (1/1-1/8)
Okay, here is my eleventh week of pregnancy:
Monday: 5 miles (8:23 pace) with some inclines mixed in. Increased the incline .5 every quater of a mile until I hit 4.0.
Tuesday: easy 3 miles (8:23 pace) mixed some small inclines in to keep it interesting
Wednesday: 5 miles (8:16 pace). Ran 1 mile warmup, a quarter at 7.5 (8:00 min pace), followed by 200 meters at 7.0 (8:30 pace) for a total of 10X400s.
Thursday: rest
Friday: 5 miles (8:19 pace)
Saturday: 8.5 miles (8:11) pace on the road. Got in an early morning run so I could spend Saturday morning with the family.
Sunday: rest. Love my Sunday rest days for church and relaxing at home!
Total: 27 miles
This is my last week before the Louisiana Half Marathon next Sunday. I go to the doctor on Friday so if I get the clear, I will run the half just for fun, making sure to keep the pace easy and just enjoy the race! This week the naseau has died down and I feel good enough to eat vegetables again and have had a salad every day! Yeah for eating my veggies. Now if only my toddler would get her taste back for fruits and vegetables, all would be right in the world:)
But despite my desire to eat healthy foods agian, last Friday was the Epiphany, or what we refer to in South Louisiana as the beginning of Mardi Gras/Carnival season. So, bring on the king cakes. Just what I need to bring on the prego weight gain, ugh. King Cakes are the delicious cinnamon roll tasting cakes covered with frosting and filled with all kinds of yummy fillings, my personal favorite is the cream cheese. But with a win by the Saints last night in the playoffs, LSU playing Alabama in the national championship Monday evening, and the beginning of Mardi Gras season, it is a good time to be in Louisiana!
Week 10 (12/26-12/31)
Well hello 2012.
As much as I love Christmas, I am always happy when the holidays are over and I can return to my normal routine and get ready for a new year! The feasting is over and I can get back on track without the busyness of holiday parties, family gatherings, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love this time but my stomach can only handle so much indulgence!
Here is my week 10 of running during my pregnancy:
Tuesday: 5.5 miles (45:27) mixed up the pace to keep it interesting (between 7.0 – 7.5 on the treadmill)
Wednesday: 5 miles at 8:23 pace. Threw in some inclines/ladders to keep me from getting bored!
Thursday: 5 miles at 8:23 pace. Kept the pace steady on this run. Needed it after a very rich meal with my family Wednesday night.
Friday: 3.59 miles at 8:20 pace.
Saturday: 10 miles at 7:57 pace with the Varsity Sports group run. Really enjoyed running with a group today and kept me motivated to finish up my run!
Total: 29 miles
This week, despite feeling tired, I have felt really great. The nausea is much better but now I just feel hungry all the time. Nothing sounds good to me and then I will have a crazy craving that comes from out of nowhere and that is all that I can think about to satisfy my craving! Last week it was a shrimp po-boy, the week before, a loaded bake potato. Today, I was desperate for a Subway Veggie delite sub. I am not very rational about food when it comes to pregnancy! Overall, though, feeling good despite being more tired. I had this week off of work so I’ve enjoyed being home during the week and taking some time off for the holidays. We had a quiet NYE this year and cooked steaks at home. I did not make it to midnight on New Year’s. I guess there is always next year to celebrate and bring in the New Year with a bang!
Hope everyone has a blessed, and happy New Year!
a fun run..
Last Saturday, I ran a fun 5k race with my dad. It was an alumni race for my high school and since I raced my half marathon last weekend, I decided to go into a race to have fun and not worry about pace or times. I wanted to get some mileage in for the day since so I started out with just over a 5.5 mile warm up.
The race was not until 8:30 so I had plenty of time to get some miles in, hydrate, and fuel up before the race. The race was supposed to be a 5k but my Garmin clocked it a 2.97 miles.
Here are my splits:
- 7:15
- 7:07
- 6:24 (.97 miles).
Average: 6:59 pace
So, not my fastest race but it was nice to take a break from focusing on pace, splits, etc, and just run for fun. I finished up with a 1.5 mile cooldown, just over 10 miles for the day.
But the best part was that as the overall female winner, I got some awesome loot including $100 gift card to our local running store, a massage/spa package valued at $225, a $50 gift card to a local yoga studio and a Mignon Faget necklace!
It was like Christmas in November! As a stay at home mom, I always feel guilty forking out money for running shoes and I can’t tell you the last time I went to a spa. The package includes a manicure, pedicure, facial, massage and lunch. I can’t wait to have a morning to relax and unwind. After battling with my two year old, I spa break will be wonderful!
Yes, last week my toddler figured out how to get out of her crib. So, we converted her toddler bed. This has resulted in a huge resistance to going to bed or taking her nap. I have always heard horror stories about the terrible twos but I never thought my child would be so strong willed and stubborn! She is so sweet and loving but has a terrible temper which frequently results in terrible emotional outbursts. I am already anxious about the teenage years.
So, things have been a little stressed around our house trying to will our little one to sleep in her bed, get dressed, brush her teeth, etc. I’m going to need to learn to take some deep breaths…and keep running….
what happened to my motivation?!?
For some reason, after every big race/event that I train for, the high of acheiving a new personal record is followed by a period of running apathy. Yes, I think I left my running motivation in New Orleans after I finished the Jazz Half marathon.
It is not that I don’t want to run. I love my easy runs in the morning. But, the idea of stepping back into speedwork and hard running just does not sound very appealing. I don’t train with a group, so the only person I am accountable for to stay on track for training is myself. And sometimes, I can easily convince myself to just run for fun or take yet another easy day.
A month or so ago, I signed up for two races: the Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon (12/10) and the Louisiana Half Marathon (1/15). The plan was to take a week off after the Jazz Half to do some easy running and then step into another training plan (either Hal’s advanced half marathon training or an Advanced Plan from Runner’s World) with the goal to run the race in December for fun/training and focus on the half marathon in January.
Except when I got out of bed this morning I could not for the life of me fathom doing a tempo run at sub 7/low 7 min pace. So, I just decided on an easy six mile run:
- 8:21
- 8:04
- 7:51
- 7:42
- 7:41
- 7:42
Mileage Lows and Toddler Woes
I was looking at my mileage this week and realized I had a low mileage week. Ugh, what happened?
I look back and realize what a crazy week the last one has been. As I mentioned in my last post, my two year old has figured out how to climb out of her crib and we converted her crib to a toddler bed. Last week was a battle trying figure out how to get little Miss to go to sleep. Ugh, this is easier said than done. Who knew a little toddler could cause such grief and be so stubborn!
So nap time and bed time have been a lengthy process (up to 2 hours) of trying to get little miss to stay in the her bed/room. We have tried various methods. So far, the most successful method has been to continue putting her back in the bed without speaking or making eye contact. My husband and I take turns and stand watch outside her room so that when she tries to sneak out, we can quickly put her back in the bed.
Any other method seems to make her mad or results in her trying to manipulate her way into staying up later. She is a very clever two year old and is very good at finding reasons why she should stay up late. After reading several books, a nice dinner, milk, bath and diaper change, she still insists she needs more milk, books, etc…
“read book mama/daddy”
“more milk please”
“i’m hungry/thirsty”
or, in her words, she explains that she has a dirty/wet diaper.
The result has been a toddler who stays up later each night yet she wakes up just as early as normal in the morning. Less sleep = fussy two year old. Which of course, results in an outbursts of temper tantrums, most recently have been regarding her choice of clothing or lack of desire to put on any clothes in the morning. Yes, I was the mom who sent my two year old to school on a VERY cold morning without pants/tights because after two hours of fighting her, I just gave up and let her go to school without anything on her legs. Despite all our efforts my husband and I combined could not force pants on this little one. You can’t will her to do anything. It is only when she thinks it is her decision to do something that you can make her get dressed, brush her teeth, etc. I never thought I would be THAT mom but then again, things change when you have kids.
So while I should have been venting my frustrations and burning off some steam from this week by going for a run, I was just tired and unmotivated this week. After my race in NOLA and months of getting up before dawn during the week and on Saturday mornings to get my mileage in, my legs/shins were sore and my desire to get up and train was gone.
So, I took some time off, enjoyed a fun party/outing with my husband on Friday a wedding on Saturday, and hosted my in-laws this weekend. My husband and I had some much needed time to get out and now that that we are getting a better handle on the new sleeping situations, I feel ready to jump into a new week of training. The Louisiana Half Marathon is just nine weeks away and that gives me plenty of time to get ready for another half.
Now that my toddler is resting a bit better, the tantrums are less frequent, and my sweet toddler that I have grown to love and cherish is slowly turning back to her normal self…at least, for now….
getting back on track…
Ok, after my last post, I felt a little like Negative Nancy…so, I figured I need to put some more positive vibes out to the blogosphere.
On the Toddler front…
Little Miss is getting adjusted to her toddler bed. Last week it took over an hour an a half to get her fall asleep during nap-time/bed-time. We have shortened that period to about thirty minutes. She still wakes up early (6 am) but after talking to another mama friend who’s kiddos are waking up at 5:00 every morning, I’m not going to complain.
The tantrums are less frequent and she is actually cooperating as we get dressed and ready for the day. I’m sure the tantrums will continue to crop up during her two and her threes, but if I am able to get her dressed without a HUGE fight I consider that a win.
Running…
After some time off last week, I had a great five miler run this morning. My mileage has been low so I guess my legs are rested enough to pick up the speed because my pace was once again faster this morning. Perhaps all that speedwork is paying off? Or, I’m just not logging enough miles to warrant a recovery run.
I have nine weeks until the Louisiana Half Marathon. I did sign up for the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon on December 3rd but since we have a company party to go to the night before, I might scratch that one and just use it as a training run.
So, the goal is to keep my mileage up during the Thanksgiving festivities and hope that little Miss survives/sleeps during our trip to visit my in-laws next week for Thanksgiving. I’m really hoping to enjoy spending time with our family and it would be great to have a happy, well-rested toddler. I don’t think that is too much to ask?!?
This is her happy face after she gets something sweet!
ready for texas…
For Thanksgiving this year, we will be traveling to Texas to visit my in-laws. Thankfully, this is only a little over 4.5 hours otherwise my toddler might have breakdown from being in the car too long!
My in-laws live on a lakehouse in East Texas. It is out of the way from the main town and I always enjoyed this time to visit because we have a chance to slow down. We lounge in our pjs in the morning, eat a late breakfast, visit, rest, and enjoy spending time with family. We always consume entirely too much food. So much that my stomach usually is upset with me for all the overindulgence but that is typical of Southern hospitality. More food/sides is always better and you always want to be sure your guests have enough food.
After a while I get a little house crazy so I do step out each day for my daily runs to get my legs moving and enjoy the fresh air.
It is a bit early to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving but I tend to unplug when we escape to the lake house so I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that we have some time to take a break from our buys lives and be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for.
giving myself a break…
I had a wonderful, but busy Thanksgiving. We escaped to Texas for a couple of days to visit with family, rest, and of course, indulge in some Thanksgiving goodies. It was a whirlwind trip and we enjoyed the time away but of course, being the homebody that I am, I am always happy to come back to my own place.
Lately, I have been feeling utterly exhausted and overwhelmed with handing my willful toddler. She is a sweet, wonderful two year old but lately has decided she wants to make her own decisions about getting dressed, getting in her car seat, etc. After 45+ minutes of trying to wrestle her into her car seat so that we could make it to our weekly music class on Monday (which I teach), I finally had to call a sub because despite my best efforts, could not force her in. She buckles her body, becomes a rag doll and makes it impossible to get her in without hurting myself. Exhausted, emotional, and frustrated, I just gave up and decided to stay home.
Tuesday was my work and her preschool day. It was 30+ degrees outside this morning and my husband and I endured another tantrum in which she refused to put a coat/pants on. We wrestled for over an hour and finally decided just to let her wear stockings and packed her coat for her teacher to put on.
We have been fighting these battles for over a month now and I am beginning to understand why they call this phase the terrible twos. Between transitioning to a toddler bed and wanting to exert her independence, we have been fighting a lot of toddler battles. I know this is a phase but it is left me feeling just a little overwhelmed.
So…needless to say, running has been put on the backburner a bit. I always imagined as a stay at home mom that I would have time to cook meals every night, keep the house clean, get shopping done during the week, and perhaps do some crafts/orginizational projects around the home. I admire all those lovely Pinterest projects and think surely I can have time to get some of these items done…until I realize what an effort it has been just to get my toddler dressed, out the door, and contained long enough to shop for said crafts, then attempt to find the time to craft!
So, after feeling a bit hopeless I had a great conversation with my sister and who reminded me that although it is nice to get some of those things done, my real job right now is to focus on rearing a healthy, smart, independent, kind, and loving child. So, may house may never really be clean, I may never get to those projects until the kiddos are in college but I just need to take a break and do the best I can.
On a side note, I almost forgot that I signed up for the Baton Rouge Beach Half Marathon. My husband has his office Christmas party the night before so between the craziness we have had around our house and a later night before the race, I decided that I am going to run this race for fun. I am going to run easy, enjoy the course, visit with runners/spectators, listen some music and leave the Garmin at home. When life gets busy sometimes I just have to take a step back from running and just run for the pure enjoyment of the sport and step back from focusing on times, splits, speed, and personal records.
Christmas Came Early this Year!
So, my husband decided to suprise me with my Christmas present early this year. I know it is kind of silly to cry about a peice of equipment, but I did.
When busy season kicks off for him, he is gone early in the am and works long nights, making it difficult to find time to get out for a run. So, needless to say, I’m so excited to have a treadmill so that I can get my early morning runs in while he is gone in the mornings and little Miss is asleep! It has been really dark in the mornings and I’m don’t always feel safe running along in the dark in the morning so now I can have some time to run and still be safe. Yay, it is going to be a great year! It is being delivered this week so I can’t wait to test out my new equipment.
The Happiness Project
I know it is a bit early to start thinking about new year’s resolutions but I heard about this book on The Today Show a year or so ago and finally picked up a copy and feel inspired to make this part of my new year’s resolution.
Not that I don’t consider myself a happy person but often times I feel robbed of my joy as I get bogged down in the daily tasks of life that we all have to manage (work, taking care of the home, taking care of kids, etc.). This author of this book spends a month focusing on a element of happiness so that by the end of the year, you have completed all twelve tasks/attributes to contribute towards happiness and a feeling of well being. For example, January focuses on Energy, February focuses on Marriage, March focuses on Work, etc.
I’ve always been fairly good about staying active and healthy but tend to let those pesky task items slide which leaves me feeling overwhelmed my to do list (e.g., cleaning out those closets, organizing my file system, taking time to spend with friends and cultivate new ones, etc.).
So, each month I’ll focus on my efforts in each task. If you are interested, check out the book, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I figured I needed to jump start this year with some new goals and resolutions!
Week 7 (12/5-12/11)
So, I thought each week I would do a weekly recap of what it is like to train/run during my second pregnancy. I have no real goals other than to run as long as I can during my pregnancy, given my doctor’s approval. I figured I would throw in some races for fun but just enjoy running and not focus on times and pace. I start a new week of pregnancy each Monday so I’ll recap each week!
When I found out I was pregnant during week 5 (Thanksgiving Holidays), I decided to scale back the mileage and pace and just run for fun. The first two weeks you hardly even feel pregnant but this week the fatigue has set in….
Here is what week seven was like (12/5 -12/11):
Monday: planned to wake up and do yoga. Stayed up too late Sunday night and rolled over and slept in. I vowed to do some yoga when my toddler was napping but that did not happen either!
Tuesday: 4.5 miles – lovely cool morning run. Averaged 8:24 pace and am loving running in my new Brooks Pure Flow shoes. I decided to leave the music at home and just run.
Wednesday: 6.5 miles and averaged 8:36 pace. Cold and windy but felt motivated to run and realize that it helps my energy levels during the day when I get my morning run in!
Thursday: 3 miles averaging 8:31 pace. So cold and hard to get out of bed in the morning!
Friday: off
Saturday: 8 miles
Sunday : 5 miles on the new treadmill!
Total: 27 miles
Overall, felt great for the seventh week and despite feeling really tired and struggling to get out of bed in the am, I got some decent miles in. With my daughter still transitioning to the toddler bed, we have not had a lot of down time in the evenings and by the time she finally settles down after a day of refusing to nap (sometimes as late as 9 pm or later, I am exhausted!) Lately, it has been 1.5 plus hours of trying to get her to stay in the bed. We are still fighting getting her dressed in the mornings but she seems to be doing better with this even though the sleep situation does not seem to be improving. We finally broke down and put up a baby gate so she has to stay in her room but we don’t have to constantly put her in the bed. I felt this was a little less harsh than just locking the door but not as time consuming as the nanny 911 method of putting her back into her bed until she goes to sleep! She seems to make a game of this and we weren’t making any progress with this method!
Week Eight (12/12-12/18)
Week eight was a slow week as I battled the stomach bug of the century. Our whole house got sick!
Monday: 4.5 miles on the treadmill. Added some inclines (up to 2.5 max) to increase the resistance.
Wednesday: 5 miles on the mill
Friday: 5 miles on the mill with some inclines (up to 3.0 max!)
Total: 14.5
This week, the fatigue and nausea have really started to kick in. I’m so tired at night and it makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning to go for my run! The nausea is not terrible but just icky. Thankfully, it does not last all day and as much as I have been struggling to get my runs in, it does help with the energy level and queasy stomach! My toddler came up with a stomach bug this week and could not hold anything down, and I ended up with it too. So, between the naseau and stomach bug, this has been an interesting week. My toddler, husband, and I were all sick at some point this week. Naturally, my mileage was really low but given pregnancy and being sick, I’m just happy I got some runs in!
We did make it to our first prenatal appointment on Friday. I measured 7 weeks 4 days and my estimated due date is July 30th!
Here are my stats for week 8:
Fetal heartbeat: 148 beats/minute
Blood Pressure: 120/63
Weight: 120
Remembering that Girl…
I had to send in some pictures to my university for an alumni event I will be attending in January (more details to come next month!). This had me searching through old boxes to find a somewhat decent picture of me running. This is easier said than done as I always look tired, pale, and awful in race photos. Yes, race photos don’t lie!
I finally settled on these two:
These pictures were taken my freshman year of college and when I first pulled out these photos, I always get a bit nostalgic for my college days. I was starting out at a new school, in a new city with a whole set of life experiences ahead of me. Yes, living in New Orleans was a change for me but so fun and I loved every minute of it. Thankfully, I had running to keep me from having too much fun.
I feel a tad bit envious of my younger self, I was in great running shape, young, and had my whole life ahead of me. But then I also remember what a young, shy, insecure freshman I was. While I may not be as fast or strong as my 18 year old self, I know a lot more about who I am, what I am willing to fight for, and what I am willing to let go of.
While I do miss being fast, I would not trade that security for my younger, sub 20 5k self. And I have a feeling that if I take time to put in some training and hard work, I will see that sub 20 5k again soon, all the while living my balanced, fun, yet busy life!
Week 9 (12/19-12/25)
After battling my stomach bug, I finally started to feel better this week! I could eat foods and hold everything down and the naseau was better. I’m still very tired but that is expected. Here is my running for week nine:
Tuesday: 5 miles (8:13 pace)
Thursday: 4 miles (8:18 pace)
Friday: 5 miles (8:23 pace) – hoped to make this a six miler but ran out of time
Saturday: 10 glorious miles outside. Legs felt tired towards the end but great to be out in the cool, windy weather. Average 8:08 pace and felt great the entire time. Loved just running for fun and not worrying about pace.
Total: 24 miles
I had planned on a run Sunday but it was Christmas, we had a late night for Christmas Eve getting ready for Santa and I just wanted to sleep in Christmas day. A run post Christmas dinner was out of the question as I was so full and in a food coma! Overall, felt so much better this week but getting out of the bed in the morning when you are pregnant and tired is so hard. Ugh, must keep running!
Changes for 2012
Lately, I have been feeling the need to explain my slow pace and reduced mileage that I have been logging on Daily Mile.
I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and my husband and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our second child on July 30, 2012!
So, this blog will have lots of pregnancy and running related items over the next 31+ weeks. So, bear with me as I chronicle my second pregnancy. So far, feeling very well just a bit naseous at times and tired ALL the time. Let’s just say getting out of bed at 5:30 am to squeeze in my treadmill runs has been VERY hard. But the goal is to run as long as I can so long as I feel up to it and my doctor approves!
Here we go…I can’t believe we are going to soon be a family of four 
2011: a recap
An ex-collegiate athlete, I ran cross country and track in high school and for a small college. After college, I took a few years off and was a casual runner. I ran for fun and completed few half marathons and a marathon but never focused on time or pace. I just ran to burn off stress and stay healthy. After my daughter was born, I battled with several injuries as I tried to get back into running. It wasn’t until 2011 that I returned to racing and decided I could focus on building some speed again. My races and times are not fast but I consider 2011 the year I focused on running again. My mileage has been low and I could probably count on my hands the number of double digit runs I ran, but I was able to achieve some new personal records despite my low mileage, injuries, etc. I know with a new baby arriving in July that I will not see any new personal records or mileage highs in 2012, but I hope by continuing to run (which I failed to do during my first pregnancy) that I will be able to get back into shape quickly and with less injury. Of course, I’m sure actually finding the time to run with two little ones will be a bigger challenge but I have somehow managed it so far and know that I will make time for my dear sport.
2011 Races:
Mardi Gras Mambo 10k – 44:14 (2/5/11) – my first 10k in over 10 years!
Brother Eldon 5k – 21:03 (3/18) – I won! I nice local 5k supporting my dad’s high school
Corporate Cup 5k– 20:06 (4/2) – overall female winner and new personal record. Won this race despite taking over a month off due to injuries!
Fat Boy 5k – 21:50 (4/9) – I was sick for this race and my leg still hurt from racing the weekend before/injuries so just ran this one for fun!
Club South Runners 2 miler– 13:42 (7/28) – a trail race, it was hot, muddy, and challenging but fun to run on the old high school cross country course.
Twilight Classic 5k 21:16 – (8/13) – an evening race, I knew when I saw the temperature read 96 degrees (not including humidity that this would be tough for a race) but still a fun run and always good to get a 5k under your belt.
Loyola Invitational 5k – 20:35 (9/10) ran this as part of an alumni team. Ugh, hills and cross country races are hard but loving racing with my old teammates again!
Jazz Half Marathon – 1:37 (10/22) – first half marathon in over four years. Felt great and set a new pr. My teammate tells me I can run faster. I think I can do better next time.
Sticker Stampede 3 miler – 20:48 (11/4) – a fun alumni race for my high school. Ran this for fun as part of my long run as was the overall female winner. Great race prizes!!
Race Recap: Louisiana Marathon
Well, I am finally sitting down to do my race recap. This is a little delayed but better late than never, right?
A little background, this was the inaugural year of the Louisiana Marathon. Before I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to run this race. We have another local marathon, the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon but it is on a much smaller scale. I was really excited about having a new flagship race in Baton Rouge complete with a scenic course, fun finish line festival, etc.
The Expo:
I went to the race expo on Saturday for packet pickup. This was my fourth half marathon. With the exception of the Country Music Marathon (which has since been renamed the Rock N’ Roll series) this was the only other race expo I went to. The Rock N’ Roll expos are huge with many vendors, which is great but for me a little overwhelming! I loved the small expo, friendly staff, and being able to run in and out quickly to get my packet, shirt, etc.
While I was there, I stopped at the Gulf Coast Half Marathon booth (another local race series) and had a chance to talk with Katie and @katierunsthis and Brenton @lsubeerunner
The Race:
My in-laws were in town this weekend (well, they left Saturday evening), and we had a busy day Saturday so by the time I got home to finish watching the Saints game Saturday my husband was still at work and I was just too tired to cook. So, we ordered pizza. Definitely not the best pre-race food but at least I got some carbs, right? I wasn’t going for a pr, I considered this more of a long training run so I took the chance.
My toddler never napped on Saturday so by 7:00 she crashed and was fast asleep. My in-laws headed back home and my husband headed back to work, so I had Saturday evening all to myself to read and watch the taped coverage of the Olympic trials. I rarely sit on the couch and watch tv so this was a treat.
By about 9:30, I was tired so I just decided to go to sleep. I set my alarm for 4:45 and was ready to go! I slept pretty well the first half of the night but the second half, my toddler woke up and needed some care to get back to bed and I just could never get back into a good sleep.
By 4:45 I was up, ready to get dressed, had my breakfast, hydrated and had a brief chat with my husband. He had a huge work deadline Monday morning so he never slept Saturday night. Yikes, he pulled an all nighter and still had to plan on working all day Sunday. So, I planned to run the race and head back home afterwards so that he could finish up his work.
I left the house at 5:45 and drove through a terrible fog to get to downtown Baton Rouge. All the parking garages were closed so I found a free spot on the street about a mile from the race. I made a quick trip to the restroom, checked my gear, and headed to the start to stretch.
At the start, I ran into some familiar faces, including @jamiecgary. He was running the full marathon but we had done some long runs together with Varsity Sports so we ran the first couple of miles together, until about mile five or so when the marathoners split off from the half marathoners. We lined up with the 3:25 marathon group and I was feeling great on the first couple of miles, running just under 8 minute/mile pace. The first few miles took us through downtown Baton Rouge, where we had to cross an overpass and into the LSU lakes area, a place where I do my weekly long runs.
After the marathoners split off, the crowds winded down and I knew I would be running the rest of the race solo. So, I turned up my tunes, took my first chot blox and enjoyed the race. We finished winding around the lakes and hit the “hills.” Miles 9 – 11 were a gentle incline through a neighborhood and on the other side of a golf course, just past the lakes. After I finished the race, everyone was ranting about how tough the “hills” were. I had run this neighborhood over and over again when we used to do mile repeats for my high school cross country/track team, so I guess they did not bother me. I knew they were coming so I just relaxed and focused on keeping my pace even and my breathing relaxed.
Finally, in the last mile, we hit the overpass again on our loop back to downtown towards the finish of the race. By this point, my legs were a little tired and I was feeling the incline more but still felt great. I did feel for the marathoners having to run this incline at mile 25-26 on dead legs. Another reason I’m glad I did not run the full!
I kept my pace easy and crossed the finish with a chip time of 1:42:55. My chip time was a little over my Garmin time because I stopped for a couple of seconds to attempt to drink water. I can’t run and drink out of a cup. I’m just not that coordinated.
So, here are the splits:
- 7:51
- 7:42
- 7:48
- 7:47
- 77:52
- 7:47
- 7:55
- 7:52
- 7:56
- 7:55
- 7:47
- 7:47
- 7:44
- 56.3 (last .12 at 7:31 pace)
Total: 1:42:43
Yes, I think I am the queen of consistent pacing. I ran this without really looking at my Garmin (just checked it every now and then to see my mileage) because I was trying to focus on running by feel and not get wrapped up in the pace as I wanted to keep this run easy. And even with the “hills” every single mile was under 8 min/mile pace! My legs were tired at the end but overall, I felt great for running this race at almost 12 weeks pregnant.
Plus, I could not ask for better crowd support/fans, weather, or course! I did not get to hang out for the finish line festival but it looked like a great after party. I loved this race so much, I went ahead and paid the early bird fee and registered for the race next year. I could not pass up a race for $35! I’m not sure what type of shape I will be five months post baby but I figured if I could not run, I could always give my entry to my day and he can race it for me.
Alright, so this post is way too long and sorry I don’t have pictures to share. I never seem to remember to take pictures post-race. I guess I may have to buy at least one of the sport photos from the race as a remembrance of my first half marathon as a mama to be! I’m sure baby #2 will be proud to know he/she participated in this race with me!
