New Phases in Running and Raising

It is a good thing I decided not to train for the Kentucky Derby Marathon after all because Eloise has entered a new phase and this one is tough on her old mama!  She has reverted back to getting up once a night, and believe me, if you have a list of solutions in your head I should try, I have tried them.  Once in a while she will sleep all the way through the night but there is no rhyme or reason for this.  She wakes up crying and I have waited 20, 30, 60 minutes before getting her, all to no avail.  I've quit letting her cry because it doesn't work and it feels wrong to me.  So now I get up and give her a bottle (because she knows where I sit it and she looks for it) and within an hour she usually goes back to sleep...

Which brings us to the next new thing in this phase.  When I lay her down she wakes up!  Usually just twice, but the other day for her morning nap we did it 4 times!  I finally threw in the towel and picked up my running watch and said, "Baby girl, it is time to run!"  And run we did.  She fell asleep in the stroller and I had my longest jogging stroller run to date!  We got in 7 miles on the most gorgeous spring day, and she got a somewhat more decent nap.  In other jogging stroller news, I've dropped about 30 seconds per mile from my pace with that thing, which feels like a major accomplishment.  I have also discovered that I love taking her along. My pace may be slower, but it is a great workout.  I haven't run with music while pushing her and that makes for a peaceful jog with only the bird song and Eloise's noises to accompany me.  Pure bliss.

What she did for most of 7 miles.

A post run smile.

So Eloise and sleep are sketchy these days and I'm relieved that marathon training is not part of this equation.  Some evenings I feel myself losing patience with her wakefulness and I don't like that about myself at all.  I think I succeed in hiding it from her, but I also believe babies can sense such things.  I don't want to lose patience with my daughter, so I've immediately begun praying about and working on this.  With marathon training no longer in the mix, I don't stress about the next day's run if we are up 1-2 hours in the night.  I know I'll get in some miles and they will be what they will be.  I'm thinking that since the summer is upon us, I may try some short, fast workouts that will help with my 5k and 10k pace.  I'll hold a 10 mile base and when the summer draws to a close, I'll begin planning my next move.  By then Eloise will surely have started a new phase in her sleeping habits.

I find that I can survive pretty well on 4-5 hours of sleep.  I usually get a 2 hour stretch and a 4-5 hour stretch and so the next morning I shake it off, drink some coffee and try to fuel my tired body with foods that will rejuvenate and not drag me down.  I keep busy so I usually don't notice I'm tired until the late afternoon.  I've managed to get in 40 miles this week and that was with 2 days off, so I'm content.  I prefer to only take one day off per week, especially when my husband goes a little crazy with his Easter candy purchases.  

Anyway, with all new phases in baby raising, this one will come to a close and probably quickly.  My growing girl is crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything and enjoying getting her toes free of her footie pajamas on warm days.  I've planted some herbs and our raised garden is almost ready for my broccoli, tomatoes, peppers and squash. I am more thrilled with this than I can say!  It will probably get its very own post soon.  For now, spring is upon us and it is lovely here in North Alabama.  So despite this new phase of questionable sleeping habits, we are doing just fine.  And finally, Eloise Jane is 8 months old!

Yes, Eloise knows she's awesome and yes, we are Star Wars nerds around here.