Spring, Summer, and Big News

Good morning, friends!  It has been a while!  I have intended to sit down and write a spell a thousand times and every time (until now) I've spent those moments doing something else. Back when I was a working woman, I used to think when I stayed home with my kids I'd have SO much more time to write. I'd be a writing fiend. And now... now I laugh.  I had lunch breaks at work!  Now I have nap breaks but I usually use those to clean, workout or nap.

Let's do a little recapping.  Spring leading into summer was wonderful.  Many fun races, good half-marathon times, planting flowers and veggies outside with my girl, trying new recipes, hanging out with family and friends, discovering the local splash pads, building a new swing set, raising butterflies, making cookies, and the list of fun goes on.  Everything seems exciting with a 1.5 year old who is doing so much of it for the first time and who is so very curious and interested in it all. It makes me feel like a kid too as I watch her play, explore, discover, make huge messes, laugh, run, jump, and learn.

Splash pad love. This girl can ROCK the splash pad!

Picking strawberries...okay, I was picking, she was sampling.

Jason and my dad built Eloise this swing set in our backyard. It has been a HIT ever since!

The last time I wrote in April, we were in the midst of all of it. I had just run the Seaside Half-marathon, finishing in 1:48 and I was on to Scottsboro in April and then Bridgestreet in May.  I had planned to take a minute off of each race and I succeeded in Scottsboro. It was hilly and rained on us the entire time, but I had a good run, finishing in 1:47 and winning first place in my age group.  Bridge street was in May and I was on target for my 1:46.  My PR was a 1:44, but I thought it too soon to make that big of a leap. Well, not only did I not leap to my PR, I leaped 9 minutes backward, finishing in 1:53.  I was so aggravated!  I knew I was trained, I knew I was ready!  The course was flat, the day was warm, but not too bad...  And it was in my hometown!  I knew it was all just a part of running and racing, and I knew I needed to let it go, but it took me a while.

And that seemed odd. Not only had I fallen apart in a race where I should have done well, I was overly upset about it.  The next day I made myself run sub 8 pace on the treadmill as a sort of... punishment...?  Now, I love running, training, setting and reaching goals as much as the next runner, but I'm usually able to have a moment of disappointment, shrug my shoulders and move on.  But this time I was frustrated!  Angry!  And I couldn't understand why I hadn't been able to make my 1:46 time.

Well. I got my answer a few weeks later when I took a little pregnancy tests.  Positive!  Of course, in the half marathon it was just a wee little tiny spec, but it was there. Or should I say HE was there.  Yep.  We are expecting a baby boy in December. I AM SO EXCITED!  I can hardly stand myself, I am so excited.  Secretly I had hoped the reason for my slow half marathon would be a baby, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I actually took a pregnancy test too early and it was negative. But all the symptoms were there. Not only was the half marathon slow and hard, ALL of my runs were. Maybe once a week I'd have a good run, but most were slogs.  I was hoping, but not daring to hope too much.

Jason knew all along. He even knew when the first test was negative.

We succeeded in keeping it a secret until that first 8 week appointment (where I was actually 9 weeks). After that we told our families and once I reached the second trimester, we told close friends and then anyone.  I'm almost 18 weeks now and I'm starting to show a little. I feel good mostly, and I'm glad the morning yuckies are gone. I never really got sick, but I usually felt yucky after eating breakfast each day.

Beach trip/work trip with Jason at 13.5 weeks preg

I had some good runs though!  We ran several races in which I did well and it was fun being the only one to know I was running with a little passenger. We ran a 4 mile race in Fayetteville, which was so gorgeous and fun.  I pushed Eloise in the stroller and it was HILLY!  Crazy hilly.  But I managed 4th female overall and 1st in my age group (it wasn't a super big race, but still.  A pregnant, stroller pushing win is a win!).

We ran two 10 milers, both in June.  The RC Cola Moonpie in Bell Buckle and the Firecracker Chase in Fayetteville. I won first in my age group in the Firecracker Chase, which was a huge surprise. I was taking it super easy in the heat, just enjoying being able to run 10 miles and feel good doing it. We ran the Firecracker 5k here in Huntsville on July 4th and I pushed Eloise in the stroller. We announced that day we were pregnant.

Just a family of 4 having fun on the 4th!

These races would be fun to recap, but for now I'll have to settle with a few pictures and a brief summary.  I can't believe it is almost August.  My girl will be turning 2 on the first and we are planning a little family cookout to celebrate. I'm looking forward to summer ending and cooler temps arriving so I don't have to get up so early to get in the miles (that is getting harder!), but I also don't want to wish away these golden summer days with just me and my girl. She is a hoot, and she brings me joy and laughter every day.  I'm pretty sure I have never done anything so satisfyingly wondering in this life as be her mama. And to be blessed with another little one of our own...well, I am so hugely grateful every day for such a gift.

That's all for now, my friends!  I'm going to try to be a bit more regular with my writing, but we shall see how that goes. Have a GREAT day!

Jogging Stroller Races and Records

There's been a lot of racing going on this spring, since the Seaside half-marathon!  While the weather has been a little crazy with the back and forth of cold and warm, we've managed to have some great days for racing mixed in, and my little girl got to participate as well.

Jason and I participated in two 5ks in March, the first of which was the UAH Shamrock 5k on his birthday!  This was a small, laid back, community event to support abused children.  Jogging strollers were welcomed, so we took ours along with us and I pushed Eloise in the race.  Well, I got a jogging stroller PR with a 25:35!  I realized I was on target after the first mile (which was mostly downhill) and so I tried to really push the rest of the way.  It was a sunny but cool day and Eloise was trooper.  She pointed out the ducks and a dog that was also in the race.  She occasionally said, "Weeeee!" causing any runners in front of us to glance back to see the source of that funny sound.  Many people cheered us on as we ran and Jason came back to get us about half a mile out.  He offered to take the stroller, but I told him I had to run the whole way with it. So he ran beside us and taught Eloise to say, "Goooo Mama!" (which she now says all the time at random moments even when we aren't running).

I was excited about my finish time and Jason ran a good race as well.  I think he finished in 17 minutes or something crazy like that.  We followed up our birthday race with a birthday donut from Dunkin Donuts, and I got in 5 more miles later that afternoon.

The next weekend we ran the Lead Me to the Cross 5k to support a dear friend and the local fire department.  I was aiming for another jogging stroller PR, planning to push hard from the beginning, but I met with some obstacles.  First of all, this race was much bigger than the Shamrock, so the start line was really crowded. When running with the jogging stroller, I always try to be super courteous and not get in other runners' way, so I stayed behind runners until an opening appeared instead of the usual weaving in and out until the crowd thins.  It got sort of annoying at times because runners would run side by side all the way across the road, but the road eventually widened and I was able to pass them.

rounding a corner in the last mile (I think)

 This course was also HILLY!  And usually I try not to let hills slow me down too much, but when pushing a stroller with a 25 lb baby in it... that is harder to do! I gave it all I had, though, and finished in 25:55.  Only 20 seconds slower than Shamrock, so not too bad!  

I had one guy say as I passed him in the race that it wasn't fair I had help. I thought he was joking until he came up to me after the race and said (with a smile, but still) that I cheated having all that "propulsion" in front of me... WHAT?  I smiled at him and just laughed, but I wanted to offer him a mile behind the stroller to feel the benefits of all this propulsion he thinks I had.  I think it might have been sour grapes because he got passed by the stroller lady or he's just... well... dumb.

Jason duked it out with a 12-year-old who beat him by 2 seconds. They finished in 17 something and the 12 year old set a state record for his age and in the 5k. 

It was an exciting finish for race supporters, and we had a good laugh about it when one of my friends said it was so nice of Jason to "let the kid win."  That's not how Jason runs.  No mercy!  But we had a blast running this 5k and seeing so many friends out there too!

Our team!  Everyone in this pick one an award (except for me).  ;)

Two great 5ks in two weekends, and we had a blast!  I love easy-going race atmospheres where they welcome jogging strollers. It allows Jason and I to both participate with no baby sitters or organizing schedules. We just hop in the car with our bright yellow stroller and our girl, and we run! 

The Benefit of Yelling at My Garmin

The other day I ran Eloise over to my sister's house, and then ran home solo while Eloise played with Julie and the kids.  This allows me to get in a few faster miles without the stroller.  I was aiming for 8 miles total and I was keeping an eye on my watch to see how far I'd gone so I knew what route to take back to my house.

As I was running around a familiar loop, I looked at my Garmin and the screen had changed to the time of day.  I couldn't see my mileage so I didn't know if I should take the longer route or the shorter route home.  I tapped it a few times and nothing happened.  It only beeped at me.  I tapped it a few more times as I ran before stopping all together and tapping it more forcefully.  I finally said, "Come on, Stupid," as I tapped tapped tapped and it beeped beeped beeped. 

And then I heard a voice.  "Do you want a running partner?"  I looked up and there was a girl working in her yard - the very yard I was standing in front of yelling at my watch.  I smiled and said, "Yes, I do."  She said, "Really?" as if she had not expected me to say yes at all, and a conversation began.  She said she had seen me running by often and that she likes to run but doesn't run during a time when any of her friends usually go, and I said I had that same problem.  She said her name was Amy but everyone called her Peaches.  She was/is a body builder of sorts and has won several competitions.  I told her I had family who did that as well and we continued to chat for a bit longer, getting to know each other a little.  I liked her right from the start.

She gave me her phone number before I continued on my way telling me to call her the next time I ran.  I was pretty pumped about this.  All of my runs lately have been mid-morning, usually beginning around 8:30-9:00 a.m. when Eloise starts to get sleepy, and because of this they are always alone (with a sleeping baby for company).  When my mom comes to watch Eloise, I still end up running about that same time and alone.  So the thought of having someone to chat with and distract from the mid-morning heat was a nice one.

The next morning I pulled out Peaches' number and smiled as I texted her.  I hoped she was serious when she gave me her number because I intended to use it.  She was game to join me and Eloise, so I ran a loop in my neighborhood before making my way to her house.  We had a GREAT run.  We talked the whole way and I did not give much thought to my tired legs, the challenge of running with a stroller uphill or the heat and humidity in which we were running.  I just ran and enjoyed getting to know my new partner. 

On our way back we picked up another runner named Charlotte and she joined us for a climb up a hill.  My legs were seriously burning, but once again I was distracted by my pals and our conversation.  Charlotte turned off into her neighborhood and then I dropped Peaches off near her house on my way home. She had gotten almost 5 miles and I was getting 6.5 total. 

I'm pretty pumped to have a new running buddy.  And what a funny surprise to find one while having a Garmin issue.  I laughed as I thought about her offering to run with the crazy girl standing in the road yelling at her watch, but I'm so very glad she did.

Two Races and One Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend has been so much fun.  It started Friday night with an actual date!  My mom came to spend the night with us so Jason and I could go on a date.  We've been to races, just the two of us, since Eloise was born, but we haven't really gone on what you might call the traditional date.  We had planned to see the new Star Trek or Iron Man but all were sold out, so we ended up going to Bonefish Grill and having a lovely dinner there.  It was so nice to just sit and chat with my fellow.

The next morning we all four went to the Our Kids 5k.  This was the inaugural race put on by a local church and they allowed strollers in the race!  This was my very first race with Eloise and it was so much fun!  As always, she was a trooper and didn't fuss at all - not even when she missed her morning nap!  I ran my fastest stroller miles to date with my splits being 9:32, 8:58, 8:24.  I finished in 28:06 and won first in my age group.  That was a fun little surprise.

Just finished the Our Kids 5k with my girl

The fam!

Mom and Eloise won first in their age group!

Sunday we took a much needed rest day and hung out at home until Jason's mom arrived to babysit Eloise for our second race of the weekend.  Sunday afternoon we went to the packet pick-up for the Cotton Row 10k which would be Monday - Memorial Day.  My goals for this race were as follows: A - beat my Run Through the Roses 10k time (51:53).  B. Beat my Cotton Row time from last year when I was pregnant (1:14:00). C. Don't lie down on the course.

All goals were realized and I had a wonderful time.  This race is such a favorite of mine because it is a huge community event and I always see running friends, work friends, church friends - everyone seems to come out for this event.  I ran hard, but probably not as hard as I could have.  I'm not sure why.  I started WAY too far in the back and that was my first mistake.  My splits were all over the place and the first 4 were not even close to what I wanted.  8:31, 8:11, 8:35, 9:00, 7:59, 7:40.  What in the world?  My watch time said 51:44.  My chip time said 51:31.  My gun time said 52:13 (ugh).  At first I was happy with all of that.  But since the race I have become more and more dissatisfied.  I expected more out of myself, in truth.

On Friday I ran 9 miles behind my stroller.  And before that I had 3 days of 7 miles - most behind the stroller.  I had a 45 mile week following a 43 mile week.  I just expected all of that it equal more than 52 minutes in a 10k.  But what am I going to do about it?  I'm not sure.  Jason says I need at least one workout a week that is fast - speed or tempo.  He's right.  But am I willing?  I usually am for a week or two and then I slack off.  I'm more interested in high mileage numbers, an hour+ of exercise a day, not wearing myself out too much so I can't be a good mom to Eloise, yard work, house work, new recipes...

In essence, when I'm not racing I'm content with my daily stroller jogs around town.  When I am racing, I'm aggravated that I couldn't/didn't/wouldn't do more.

And then I'm annoyed with myself for letting my 10k time put a damper on what was a wonderful, excellent, fun, special, amazing long weekend with my family.  What kind of ingrate am I for that?

We closed out the weekend with some BBQ from my favorite local place and Eloise got a little something fun to start off her summer.  Who cares about a 10k time when there is a precious bathing beauty like that in the back yard!

Oh the Places We Will Go

My little bambino and I have been busy!  We've been running (sometimes literally) around all over the place and we have had some wonderful adventures together.  If you read the previous post, you know we spent a few days at my parents' house while Jason was out of town last week.  Well, our travels did not stop there.  Jason got back into town late Thursday night, and Friday afternoon we left for Kentucky.  Our first stop was Louisville where Jason would run the Kentucky Derby Marathon.

Eloise's first race expo

This is what Eloise did while Jason was running

Jason is the tiny figure in red running around the corner across the street

The fam

 Jason did so well, finishing in 2:44:07 placing 9th over all and 2nd in his age group.  Eloise and I were proud of our fella as we collected him from the finisher's area.  We walked back to our hotel and Jason grabbed a shower before we checked out and headed to his parents' place, stopping by Cracker Barrel on the way.

We spent Saturday night at Jason's parents', went to church with them on Sunday and then headed home. Our baby girl was SUCH a trooper for this whole trip.  We didn't take the bassinet so she slept with us and while that was not the most restful, it worked out okay.  We were all three super tired by Sunday night, though, and I don't know about Eloise, but Jason and I were VERY glad we were all back in our own beds.

I will admit, when we arrived at the expo on Friday, I was a little disappointed not to be a part of the action on race day, but I knew it was the right decision for me.  We have a fun little racing streak ahead of us this summer and I get to be a part of all of it.  I know my marathoning day will come, and when it arrives I will be ready.

So after our travels to Tennessee and Kentucky, it was really nice to get back into our groove again.  Jason went back to work and Eloise and I got back on our schedule.  We resumed our jogging stroller runs and I continued the process of getting acclimated to the warmer temps and the mid-morning runs. 

On Wednesday we joined my sister, my niece and nephew, along with their homeschooling co-op at a local farm to pick strawberries.  This was SO FUN and Eloise was hilarious.  As always, she was curious about everything, wanting to be smack in the middle of it all.  And she was!

Ready to pick strawberries!

"Hmmm, what is this?"

Picking strawberries with my little strawberry.

The strawberry picking bunch!

Picking strawberries with Caleb.

EJ with her cousin Caleb.  She does love him!

Eloise gives it a try.

 

And she tries to give it a taste.  She stuck the whole thing in her mouth!

And my favorite picture, taken by my sister's mom-in-law.  My precious baby strawberry who is 9 months old!

As you can see, we had a wonderful time.  Eloise was a joy to have along, as always.  I absolutely love sharing all these new experiences with her.  She is so curious, so inquisitive, so interested in everything and I love watching her grow and learn.

I was going to take that day off of running, but the afternoon opened up before us and Eloise needed a nap.  I tried to rock her to sleep but she wasn't having it so we hopped in the stroller and rode to visit my friend Katie who had some puzzles for Eloise.  We ran 2 miles there, visited for a bit and then headed back.  Eloise fell asleep on the way home so I added in another mile and got in a total of 5 for the afternoon.  When we got home Eloise was still asleep so I sat on the porch and enjoyed the quiet, the breeze, and the sunshine on my feet and flowers while she slept.

A sleeping baby toting puzzles in her stroller.

I'm proud of my little garden this year.  I love all the colors!

My knockout roses make me smile every time I pass by.

It has been a great week being back home and back into our groove.  Eloise turned 9 months old on May 1st and I simply cannot believe how fast she has grown.  I love this simple little life with her and Jason, and I love our little trips and adventures together.  Blessed.  That is the word for the week, the month, this year... this life.

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.