Recap of the Last 5 months

Haven't posted since July. Holy cow, has time really gone by that fast? I mean I just found out I was pregnant and now Christmas is almost here.

It's been that busy, seriously. Time...what's that? I have no idea anymore.

A lot has happened since I shared my news. Good things. Well, I think they're good things, we'll see.

Recap:

July - pregnancy announced. Getting pregnant with Sophie happened very fast. I mean first month we tried I was knocked up. This time around we had been trying since February. Like my first I took a test before my LMP (last missed period) because I felt funny. And sure enough 4 days before I was supposed to get my "friend" the test came back positive.

I decided to wanted to continue running while pregnant. With the doctor's blessing of course.

Me at 17 weeks. I ran 7 miles that morning and that's the farthest I have run since. After that run all my joints ached for days so I decided to scale back to avoid injuring myself.

September - At about 18 weeks we decided to do a 3-D ultrasound to see if we could determine the gender a little early. We never did this with Sophie just had the 20 week ultrasound at the doctor's office. So without further delay, we found out we are having a BOY!!

Very excited to be having a little boy and Sophie is super thrilled to be having a baby brother. It's what she wanted to whole time.

So at 20 weeks everything looked great and ultrasound tech confirmed that it is indeed a boy:

Name we picked: Owen Thomas. Can't wait to meet you little guy!

October - November was spent working, taking care of a very dramatic and crazy 3 1/2 year old and growing a baby. Not to mention trying to get a nursery together for a boy, getting rid of baby girl clothes (a sad day) and getting ready for the Holidays.

The cutest little girl I have ever seen. Her school picture:

December - Getting ready for Christmas and currently 32 weeks pregnant as of December 17th. Everything is going great with the pregnancy. I am measuring right where I need to be and have only gained 23 pounds so far. Very happy with that as I gained about 45 with Sophie.

I am still running but only managing about 3 - 4 miles every other day. So about 10-11 miles a week. That's nothing compared to some women I read about but my body is starting to reject running all together. My hips ache, my joints are starting to ache and there's a ton of pressure in my nether regions when I run. I have to stop and pee every mile.

Most of my running has been on the treadmill. I am still getting up at 4 am during the week and running Saturday mornings. I need at least one rest day in between exercising or I feel completely drained.

Again, I am happy for what I have accomplished so far but I am mentally not ready to stop running. Then again just when I think I am done I pound out a 4 miler and feel like a rockstar. So I will attempt to run and if it ends up that I just walk to move to the elliptical then so be it.

I am still weight training but starting to lighten it up only because my muscles get so fatigued so easily.

In other news, I am quitting my job to become a stay at home mom. Yep, my wish has finally come true. Tomorrow is my last day at work. I am going to take the last month or so and relax and hang with my girl. We still have a bunch to do around the house to get ready for Baby Owen's arrival but I won't have the stress of work, the commute from hell and being rushed.

I will admit I am nervous to stay home. I've worked since I was 15 and the thought of 1 income scares the hell out of me. But I know it's the best decision for us right now. Two kids in daycare cost too much for my salary and then with all the gas I pay to drive here, well it wouldn't be worth it.

I will eventually go back part time once Sophie is in Kindergarten, something that is closer to home.

I am eager to start this new chapter in my life. Stay tuned, it will be interesting!

Big News!

So much has happened the last few months as I touched briefly on my Hiatus post. My little girl turned 3 (going on 13).
But the biggest news of all is that I am expecting!

My ultrasound at 7 weeks, 3 days

It finally happened after about 3 months of trying. Which really isn't that long to try but with my first I got pregnant right away, like the first month we tried so this time around I was a little shocked that it didn't happen right away. I had hopes for a November baby, I love the fall, favorite time of year.

Ironically my due date is February 11th, February is my least favorite time of year so now I have something to look forward to! This could potentially be a Valentine's baby. Sophie was 9 days late so I'm really hoping that this baby comes around the due date, that would be nice for a change. 9 days late was brutal and I had to be induced, which really worked out well for me, but still! I was so tired of being pregnant.

Today I am 10 weeks and starting to finally feel better. About week 6 I started feeling queasy 24-7. Morning, afternoon and evening. No appetite, yet if I didn't eat I would not feel well. The other problem I was having is that I would get full really quick and not feel well. On top of that I was tired ALL the time. If I could have laid my head down on my desk for an hour and sleep I probably could have.

This is a little different than my first, with Sophie I didn't really have morning sickness but would go to bed at like 7:30. Now I still have Mommy duties in the evening and only play the pregnancy card when I have to. My husband has been pretty good about the days when I just need to go lay down. After working all day and then coming home and still taking care of a 3 year old, I'm exhausted.

I'm still running, not as much and mainly that's because it's a million degrees here in South Carolina and the air conditioning is on the fritz at my gym. It's the stale, stagnant air...well basically no airflow and it's been difficult to run in it. I still manage anywhere from 3 - 5 miles but I stop after every mile and guzzle water (which in turn makes me have to pee) and then I'm pouring sweat. I need to be careful and stay hydrated and not over heat so it's been a challenge. I'm doing what I can so if I can't run then it's elliptical and weights.

For example yesterday I could only manage 2 miles before I had to stop. Just wasn't feeling right so that's when you know not to push it. Makes me mad because I really want to continue to run as long as possible but this heat and the damn gym AC are making it difficult. Oh and I have called to complained and they assure me that "it's going to get fixed." I call BS - they said that 3 months ago.

I have gotten a little slower but am still under a 9 minute mile. I am happy with this. I could probably run a tad faster but with the heat, just taking it easy.

So far I've only gained about 2 - 3 pounds. I say 2 -3 because I have been a tad bloated here and there so it depends on the day. I gained 45 pounds with Sophie so I'm trying to keep the weight gain about 25 - 30 pounds. I realize that my body is going to do what it's going to do but I want to stay healthy and not eat all the crap I did first time around (I'm talking about you pizza and mac and cheese).

It's true what they say, you show sooner with each subsequent pregnancy. I'm 10 weeks and getting bigger by the week. Pants started getting tight about 8.5 weeks. My dilemma is that my maternity clothes are HUGE!! I weigh a good 7 pounds less this time around so everything is a size medium. However my regular clothes are getting tight and uncomfortable so I'm in between, making the best of it.

 Sophie is seems to be excited to be a big sister. Every time we ask her if she wants a baby brother or baby sister she says baby brother. We'll find out in September! I say boy but then again I said that with Sophie so who knows. Either way it doesn't matter, I hope for a healthy baby!

Charlotte Race Fest Half Marathon

Oh Monday, I was not looking forward to you today! I'm tired today. It was a tiring weekend. But a good one. 

Friday I left work about 4:00, picked up Sophie, and we hit the road to Charlotte. I stopped to get her a happy meal but I was waiting till I got to my parents house to eat dinner because I didn't want fast food. Her fries were tempting and I might have taken one or two....

I got to my parents house about 7:15. Sophie immediately wanted to play which gave me a chance to bring in all our stuff and eat dinner and chat with my Mom. She picked up my race packet for me so I didn't have to worry about it. What a great Mom.

Then it was off to bed to be well rested for the race. Well as rested as you can be with a bed hog. I swear for such a little girl, she takes up the whole bed. I slept decent. 

I was up at 5:50 to start getting ready and we were out of the house by 6:50. My dad went with me to the race and my mom stayed home with Sophie.

It was the perfect morning. The sun was out, the temps were cool. Far cry from last year's torrential downpour and severe thunderstorms. 

I think there were a lot more race participants this year because the start seemed extra crowded and it took us all a while to break apart when the race started. 

Even though I didn't get to train for this race, I was still hoping that I would PR or at least break 2 hours for a third time. However, when the gun went off and we started running, I immediately knew that this was going to be a long race. My legs were just tired and stiff from the get go.

I felt pretty good after the 1st mile but the miles seemed to go by slow. 

Mile 9 was the hill from hell and I had to walk! So frustrating but I wanted to save my energy (or lack there of) for the rest of the race. The last few miles had a bunch of hills and that just drains me after a while. Again, I didn't get a chance to do any hill runs so I felt a bit out of shape.

At mile 11 I realized that if I sucked it up and sped up a little I could still finish under 2 hours and I really wanted to do this.

I put on my "fast" songs and just ran up those hills with all my might. 

The finish line never looked so good and I crossed at 1:58:44, chip time. Woot!

I'm happy overall because I have a feeling this is the last half marathon I will be running, probably till next year. Kind of sad but it's time to move on to my next quest. Baby no. 2. 

I know I keep saying that, hopefully it'll happen this month.

Rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with my family, a little bit of shopping, and eating. My mom is the best cook. 

Sunday we packed up and hit the road and I was home by 2:00. Only to still have to get everything ready for the work week. I was tired last night.

This morning I managed to drag myself out of bed and run 3 miles and do a leg workout. I am still coughing a bunch at night and even though it's getting better, I still can't get rid of this tickle in my throat. Very annoying. 

So far it's been a stressful Monday so I hope that doesn't set the tone for the week. 

One month till vacation!

Sleep! Finally!

All it took was a small dose of NyQuil and I was out cold. From what my husband said this morning, I didn't cough once. Thank goodness! It was starting to get really annoying.

I took less than the recommended dosage because I wanted to be able to get out of bed in the morning and not be groggy. It worked. I was able to get up at 4:20 for the gym but still felt a little out of it. Luckily I had some caffeine and I was good to go. Mostly.

Now I just have to make it through work. Leaving a little bit early to get my daughter and get on the road so we can get to Charlotte sometime around 7:00. I'm sure I'll have to stop for her to go potty and get some dinner. I'll eat when I get to my folks but I know she won't be able to hold out that long.

I'm sure she'll be wound up and wanting to play when I'm ready to go to sleep. My race starts at 7:30 so I'll have to be up probably around 5:45 and leave about 6:45 to get there and walk to the starting line.

Course map for anyone familiar with the Charlotte area:

Starts and ends near SouthPark Mall. I might, just might, have to sneak in after the race and walk around. Charleston does NOT have good malls and shopping. You go to a mall here you run the risk of getting shot. Seriously, it's happened. A few times.

Pretty sure that Sophie will just stay at home with my mom and dad while I run. Which is fine with me. This isn't a big huge race or anything. It's just nice to run around in my hometown. I miss it.

My sister and her boys will be coming over at some point tomorrow to hang with Sophie and play. It's going to be a really nice weekend, not too hot, so I'm sure we'll be able to let them run wild in the yard.

Looking forward to a nice weekend with my family while Ricky slaves around the house :) Just kidding. I wish he was coming too but we have to take advantage of time that can be used to get things done. Plus we're having Sophie's birthday party in our backyard in a few months and our backyard needs some love.

Running in a Sauna

The gym was open this morning, thank goodness. I mean who am I to complain about it not being open if I'm not going to go right?

Really I had some assistance waking up this morning. A thunderstorm rolled in about 3:15 this morning and a little doggie of mine was all snuggled up next to me because she gets scared of thunder and lightning. 

So I listened to that for about 30 min until I finally fell back asleep, only to wake up 30 min later when my alarm went off.

My run went well, I'm 99.8% over my cold but still coughing up nastiness here and there. 

To say it's warm in my gym is an understatement. I started sweating like a pig within 2 minutes of my run. I was right under the air conditioning vent too. They really need to fix and soon because it's only getting warmer here in the South. 

Except for Friday. Both my husband and I have the day off and were planning on taking Sophie to the beach. Yeah, it's going to be 60 degrees, barely, on Friday. The only day of the week that it's going to be that cool.

I'm sort of bummed because we were going to meet friends there and hang out. 

I mean I guess we could still go and walk and pick up shells and stuff, bundled up in a sweatshirt but that really takes the fun out of a beach day. In my opinion. 

I was shooting for 7 miles but was running low on time and wanted to get a quick weight work out in. So I managed about 6.25 miles and then did quick legs, chest and back. You would have thought I took a shower in my clothes. I was dripping. It was gross.

Tomorrow I'm thinking about "sleeping in" and doing a quick workout at home. Only because I've gotten up the last two mornings and am pretty tired. Friday I'll run since I have the day off and the Saturday I'll attempt 10 - 11 miles before my half marathon next weekend.

If Friday beach day doesn't happen I'm going to attempt to work more on Sophie's big girl room. The room that's not even half done because I don't have time to do it. So maybe this cool weather day is a blessing in disguise.

The Long Run that Wasn't

I'm running my 6th half marathon in just under a month and "training" did not start off very well this past weekend.

All I can say is sangria is evil. It goes down way too easily and before I knew it most of the bottle was gone! I blame the 80 degrees and friends over for a cookout.

Me, Jill and Rachael - mom's of girls = sangria and lots of it :)

Kinsey, Kendall and my girl Sophie - best friends!

We grilled out for St. Patty's Day and invited our good friends over for an afternoon of letting the girls run around together. As I mentioned I had about 1 - 4 glasses too many of sangria and I felt like going to bed at 8:00.

Then I woke up in the middle of the night dehydrated and didn't sleep well so when it was time to wake up and get my run on, I laid on the couch for several hours instead, drinking water and hoping my motivation would come.

It didn't really and by that time it was sunny and 70 out so I knew it would be miserable. My mother in law wanted to take Sophie for a few hours so Ricky and I do what any normal married couple would do when their kid is gone for a few hours. We went to the gym together - something we haven't gotten to do in a long time.

By the time we got to the gym it was warm (I mean it's the South, crank that air UP!) and smelly so after 3 miles I was done. Sweating profusely and still not quite right, I did weights instead. Then we went home hoping to plant a bunch of shrubs we bought at Home Depot but the thunderstorms rolled in and nixed those plans.

Lesson learned: easy on the booze because I'm a light weight and nothing good ever comes from it.

So Saturday I will have to knock out 8 - 10 miles before the wedding we have to go to. Race is still about a month away so I'm not concerned. I'm just kind of running it and hoping for the best, no real goal for this one. Mainly because I'll be traveling to Charlotte just me and Sophie and I might be a little stressed and tired but I want to get one more race in before I (hopefully) get pregnant - I say that a lot lately.

The weather has been beautiful here lately, minus the afternoon storms that pop up, but we're used to that all summer long.

I hear the beach calling my name soon, just need to get through a wedding this week, baby shower next week, a birthday party the week after that, Easter, race, and THEN beach! Free time? What's that?

Flowertown Festival Run

Yesterday I ran in the annual 5 and 10K race in our town. It's a pre-festival race called the Flowertown Festival Run, or I guess they just call it the Flowertown Run now. Every Spring right when the Azaleas are in bloom, our town has what's called the Flowertown Festival where local vendors come out and sell things, there's food and games for the kids.

To be honest in the 6 years I've lived here, we've NEVER been. How crazy is that? Actually it's not crazy at all seeing is how I've heard how crowded and expensive it all is. But now that Sophie is getting older it's one of those things we will eventually start taking her to. Starting this year, I think.

So anyway this run is put on by the local YMCA. It's actually a really nice run through our town (the 10K loops twice) and a lot of people do come out to support. It's very well organized for such a small race and we even got tech shirts this year!

Of course it being in our town we participate. My sister has come down the last 2 years to run it too. Ricky even runs, and he is not a runner. So it's fun.

We had perfect weather, except for the small wind gusts that like to keep you in check (I hate the wind).

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on getting faster. I knew I wanted to run this race fast since I didn't get pregnant last month. I'd been training for something faster than an 8:15 pace, my time last year was 51:28, my fastest 10k. It was something that I needed to prove to myself, that I could run fast (fast for me) since the last 5 months were spent training slowly for the marathon.

The plan was to start out slower, about an 8:30 pace and then speed up every mile. Well, I started out fast, I couldn't help it, I saw a guy that I see at the gym a bunch and the competitive person in me said "I will beat him."

Mile 1 - 7:59
Mile 2 - 7:54
Mile 3 - 7:57

By this time I was feeling really good, even though I was running fast, but before long I started feeling like this was too fast and I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up. I passed the guy (yay!) but I started to slow down due to the cramp in my side.

Mile 4 - 8:20 (ugh!)
Mile 5 - 8:11 (guy passed me, crap!)

At looked at my watch and realized that if I sped up I could come in under 50 minutes and that truly was my goal the whole time. Unfortunately as I approached Mile 6 I felt like I was either going to hurl or pass out (maybe both) so I slowed a bit and then picked up the pace.

Mile 6 - 7:59
.2 - 7:48

Time 50:18 - so close!!!!

I was bummed that I didn't come in under 50 minutes but I ran my heart out and beat my best time by 1 minute and 10 seconds. Plus I ran 4 out of the 6 miles in a 7:50 something pace, I haven't run that fast.....in a long time, maybe even ever? It felt really good.

So I've signed up for my next race in April, the Charlotte Race Fest half marathon.

I've honestly been enjoying these shorter distances. Maybe it's the lack of pressure I feel to run and do my day to day life. I don't have these crazy long runs to do anymore. I mean I have a decent base that I don't have to go and really "train" for the half, but I will do a few longer runs between now and April 14th.

Race season is coming to an end for the Summer, which is kind of sad seeing as how I might be really pregnant in the Fall, but that's OK, I will continue to run.

Where I've Been, What I've Been Doing

Well I can sum this post up in a few short sentences.

I've been here, in Charleston and doing the same old, same old.

Working.

Being a Mom.

Running.

Projects around the house.

It never ends, all the above. Actually I've not been bored one bit. I've been extremely busy the last month or so with husband out of town, nephews birthday, husband's birthday (he turned 34 over the weekend - old man!!), projects at work, raising a sassy pants of a little girl. She's cute though, I love her. I think I'll keep her:)

Now on top of everything I'm planning a baby shower for my good friend! There's a co host so I don't have to carry the burden of doing it all myself but the crazy person that I am I seem to be having a hard time delegating duties.

I designed the invitation myself. Bought the graphics for like $5 at an Etsy store called Coca Mint and put it all together in Photo Shop Elements. I LOVE doing stuff like that. I might have to look into doing something like that if and when I get to become a stay at home mom. 

5x7 invitations will print 2 to a sheet of standard 8.5x11 card stock

Reason I did this is because I could not find what I was looking for until I stumbled across the clip art store and realized I had to ability to create my own. I'm happy with the final product. So is Pam and that's all that matters.

I'm also doing a whole printable party package including door signs, food labels, a banner and other decorative items to help keep costs down so we can splurge on food and I am going to do a diaper cake for the centerpiece. 

Random: This is what happens when your daughter won't take a nap:

We get a little goofy! Actually Sophie was making a funny face in the picture above. Good times when it's Mommy and Daughter day. Daddy was skeet shooting (Redneck! Just kidding!).

Random #2: From Sophie's daycare:

I'm glad I made it into the suitcase along with the lizard

Not sure where the lizard came from but at least Mommy is included. May is her stuffed turtle that sleeps with her every night so that's a given.

In other news I'm not knocked up yet. We officially started "trying" this month but I don't think it took. I'm not that person who does ovulation kits and tracks it, takes her temperature and all that stuff. Yes I might have done an online calendar once or twice but ultimately it'll happen when it happens. And without getting down to the nitty gritty but it's hard to "try" when you work, have a kid, and are completely exhausted at the end of the day. So I'll just leave it at that. It'll happen when it happens. 

In the meantime if next week's test comes back negative or the "time of the month" comes we won't "try" in March because we do not want a December baby. So we'll resume in April and see what happens.

If that ends up being the case then I'm thinking about running this race:

I ran it last year. it was the second half that I ran and loved the course. Lots of hills but that's Charlotte. Still up in the air, I have until March 16th to register so that's plenty of time to decide. Free place to stay, grandparents see Sophie and everyone wins!

On the running front things are going well. I have been enjoying not doing long runs and keeping them short and sweet. I'm working to improve my speed for the 10k I have in a few weeks. I really want to either break 50 minutes or just beat my fastest time which is like 51 minutes. 

I feel very strong, hardly any foot pain and I just feel good overall. Sunday I ran 8 miles and I felt good the whole time. I haven't done double digits since the half marathon I ran early this month but I'm currently OK with it. I have dropped two pounds since my marathon training so I'm happy and content with what I'm doing. I've been doing more weight training and speed work but am going to get back into the long runs (keep it 10 - 15 miles) once my life starts to calm down. My husband had a big business trip this month, his annual skeet shoot and then a "man weekend" coming up so I've been full time Mommy on the weekends. It's fine though, I get my runs in during the week and take the weekends to enjoy time with my daughter. I feel very balanced lately. That's good right?

Heading Out of Town

OK so 7 miles did not happen this morning. I was lucky enough to make it out of bed at all. I reset my alarm twice and seriously considered sleeping in.

My stomach was feeling funky but I was wide awake.

So I went to the gym but I did not have enough time to get the 7 miles I wanted to do in. I had planned on doing at least 4 but I was feeling tired, slugish and my stomach was still kind of rolling. So I did a 5k on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical and some abs and lunges and called it a morning.

Actually I wanted to do some upper body but looked at my watch and saw that it was time to head home and get ready for work. The other morning I went past my time and ended up running late so I wanted to avoid that this morning.

Still, I felt like I had a good workout so I'm happy I made it out of bed. I knew if I didn't then I would have regretted it since we'll be out of town this weekend and I don't think there will be any time for me to workout. Plus it's going to be raining and the trail I would normally run at my parents house floods when it rains so it's just not looking promising. I'm sure I could find another route but since I'm not really training for anything I will take it easy and visit with my family.

If we make it home in time Sunday I'll try to make a quick run to the gym but it's all good if it doesn't happen. There's always Monday morning.

So this weekend we'll be in Charlotte for my nephew's 2nd Birthday party (his birthday is actually in the 26th along with my husband's). It's at an indoor water park which should be interesting.

So glad it's the end of the week! Even though the weekend will be a whirlwind of driving and visiting with family, I love the weekends. And as much as I miss being able to run and workout, I embrace my rest days because it's rare that I get to relax - and by relaxing I mean my husband will be driving there and back :)

What a week it's been.

It all started last Thursday when my husband had to go out of town for work for 4 days, his sales meeting in Orlando, FL. So that left Sophie and me at home for the weekend. 

Which meant no running or working out, unless it was an exercise here or there at home. Brutal!! 

But it was a much needed rest. I would not have taken the time off had he been at home. The plan was to take the whole 4 days off but I cheated and got my mother in law to watch Sophie on Sunday so I could hit the gym and grocery store. She was happy to oblige and Sophie was stoked to play with Gigi.

I had a great run, working on getting a little bit faster since my marathon training left me slow and worn out. I have a 10k to run in a few weeks and I really want to beat my previous time of 51 minutes (and some change).

I have to admit it's been kind of nice just focusing on my shorter runs lately. The last long distance I did was my half marathon almost 2 weeks ago. I won't to keep up the long runs, to a point, but I knew Feb heading into March would be busy so I'm really not sure when I'll get the time.

This morning I did a tempo run and tomorrow morning, provided I can make it up, I will aim for 7 or 8 miles on the treadmill. 

I have also kicked my 5 hour energy habit in preparation for possibly getting pregnant in the near future. It was brutal but I have overcome. Now that doesn't mean caffeine all together, yet!

I have a busy month coming up. Still working full time and still trying to get Sophie's big girl room put together, my husbands birthday is coming up, my father in law's 60th birthday, this coming weekend we are out of town for my nephew's birthday party, my 10 k race March 10th, AND I'm throwing a baby shower for my good friend. 

So I'm happy that I got the marathon out of my system because if I thought that was difficult training through the Holidays, this next month takes the cake. 

I think I've convinced my husband that we need a treadmill for our house, especially if there is another baby in the picture. One the look out for one on Craigslist. Anyone know a good brand to look out for? 

I was sent this picture from the Save the Light Half Marathon I ran on Feb.4th

If you happen to click and get a larger picture you can see the amount of sweat that gathered on my forehead. I take such goofy pictures :)

Recent Race and Today's Run

Saturday I ran the Save the Light Half Marathon on Folly Beach, SC. It's considered a "no frills" race. They don't use timing chips, you tear of the bottom of your race bib when you cross the finish line, the amount of people running is pretty small. There just aren't a whole lot of extras.

To me that's OK because it's for a good cause and the scenery was pretty. Can't beat views of the ocean.

Two good friends of mine are trying to break into the running thing and wanted to do the 5k race. So we decided to get a room at the Tides Folly Beach Oceanfront Hotel.

They had a special rate for one or two nights so we decided to stay Friday night and wake up and be right at the starting line for the race.

(Rate for one night was $122, split 3 ways, about $41 a person. Not bad).

I admit I was worried that it would turn into a booze fest, three mommas away from their hubbies and kids. But to my amazement I was the last one asleep and that was at 9:30.

However there was the loud obnoxious drunk girl a few doors down talking on her phone, speaker phone, at 12:30 am and then I had trouble sleeping the rest of the night.

When we woke up it was warm, like 57 degrees warm. I don't like being hot when I run because I tend to dehydrate so easily and the heat just seems to zap my energy so I was getting a little nervous that it wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be. Luckily I brought shorts and a tank so I was not overdressed.

Even though it was cloudy there was still a beautiful sunrise.

We walked all of 1 minute to the starting line waited about 10 minutes and then it was time for the race! Can't beat that.

Killing time:

Making fun of my fuel belt - Gatorade on one side and water/Nuun on the other.

Me (center) and the girls (Jill and Rachael)

Jill sporting her old school headphones.

Overall the race went well. I didn't expect a PR and it didn't happen. My legs felt sluggish and tired after 3 miles, and that's about when I was drenched with sweat and the sun came out.

For some reason the race felt long, maybe that's because we ran some of the same loops twice.

My Garmin time was 2:03:51, avg pace 9:28.

Not too shabby seeing as how the marathon was only 3 weeks ago and my legs have felt funky ever since.I am happy.

I took Sunday off to paint Sophie's soon to be "big girl" room, which took way longer than I anticipated so there was no time to go to the gym or running because then we went straight to a friends house to watch the Super Bowl.

I took Monday off because I was too darn tired from painting the day before and staying up late watching the Super Bowl to make it to the gym.

I made it up this morning and had a fantastic run so those 2 days must have done me some good. I'm trying to get my "speed" back because the last month or so I've felt very slow. Strong but slow.

Warmed up slow and then up'd my speed every mile. So I did 5 miles, avg pace about 8:26. I didn't have any leg or foot pain so I'm calling it a successful run! After the run I did circuit training.

I know I've talked a lot about trying for baby no. 2 after the marathon but it did not happen last month and that's because we weren't really trying. So it's a go this month!

I plan on running a 10k in March so even if I do wind up pregnant I will be very early on so I don't see it as a problem. Although I want to run fast so we'll see how that goes.

Not a Good Sign

My shins were killing me this morning while I ran. 

I even warmed up on the elliptical and stretched before I started running. 

But the shins hurt. The. Whole. Time. 

I set out for 4 miles and stopped at 3.1. A little frustrated but I decided to stop because running is not as enjoyable when you're in pain.

So the fact that I'm in pain when I run concerns me a little. 

It's not a fall down on the ground and cry pain but more like a grimace when I step. I'm pretty sure this is a sign that I need to take a break from running for a little while. My body is rebelling for some reason.

I will take a break, promise. Right after Saturday's half marathon. I'm debating whether I should try and run the rest of the week or just cross train and rest and see how Saturday goes. I'm going for the latter. 

I went through the whole marathon training without injuring myself (except for my nagging plantar fasciits) and I know that I probably didn't give myself enough time to recover but this is a little annoying.

First it was the tight calves and now it's the shins. 

Luckily in the up and coming weeks I will be forced to take a few days off to rest - no working out at all - due to my husbands job so that will be good for my body, but not my mind. No working out for 4 days!! What am I going to do??

Break out the P90X I guess. But then that's not really taking time off is it? Hmmm........

Anyway like I said, this half marathon coming up is not going to be a PR race even though I would love it to be. I just don't know if I have it in me right now. It'll mostly be for fun and that's all that matters.

Saturday's Long Run

It's been 2 weeks since my marathon and my legs STILL aren't quite right. I know I'm no spring chicken anymore but really? Maybe I didn't rest and recover long enough but I didn't want to take a whole week off of running because I have another half marathon this weekend.

I'll be alright, it's really not that bad, just some tight, REALLY tight calves and my darn plantar fasciitis flaring up.

I ran 10 miles on Saturday while my husband rode his bike. I'm generally a lone runner but I have been missing running with people lately. My good friend and former running buddy is 21 weeks pregnant and just found out she's having a girl!! So obviously she's not lacing up the shoes for the next 6 months at least.

The run started out pretty well. It was windy, yet again. I swear the wind is my nemesis. When I try to pick up the pace it starts blowing and I can't seem to get going. So it was sort of a slower run that I was hoping for but that's OK. I did 10 miles in 1:35 avg pace about 9:28. Not too shabby.

I was going to do 12 miles but decided that I was sick of getting my butt kicked by the wind so at 5 miles we turned around and headed back to the car.

Then we grabbed some lunch since our daughter was at her Grandma's house and we went to the gym for a weight session. After the gym we hit the grocery store and had the rest of the day to relax.

Sophie dressed up as a princess and did some twirling for our entertainment:

Yes that's chocolate on her mouth. And yes, I didn't clean it off seeing as 5 minutes later it was bath time.

We all had a case of the Monday's this morning. I think all 3 of us were less than thrilled to be up and at it. I'm not sure what kind of stay at home Mom I'll be but I cannot wait to not have to sit in traffic everyday.

We were going to "start trying" for another baby right after the marathon but that came and went and I started having second thoughts. Only because I still have many items on my to-do list and I was starting to get very overwhelmed.

So we decided to putt it off a month. I have a feeling by the time middle of Feb. rolls around I'll be ready. I just wasn't a few weeks ago. Now the opportunity is kind of passed so we have to wait until after Feb. 11th.

This weekend I'm running a half marathon. I signed up for it before I ran the marathon thinking "how hard could it be?" Well after the way I've been feeling the last week it's going to be interesting to say the least.

I have two friends that are going to be running the 5k so we decided to get a hotel room on Folly Beach since they were having a race special. Friday night we're going to grab a bite to eat and hang out and then roll out of bed on Saturday for the race. The hotel is the starting line. Can't beat that.

The only difficult part will be reminding the ladies that we do not booze it up the night before a race. See we all three have 2 year old girls, with in a few months of each other so we have a lot in common. Like husbands who were less than thrilled with the plan of us getting a hotel room. Sorry guys, mom's need a break too.

I think it'll be a fun night and will be nice to not have to get up super early and drive all the way down to the beach. I am honestly not running for a PR this weekend, although a PR would always be welcome. I'm just going to take it easy, enjoy what will be my last long distance race for a while. When I'm pregnant I'll probably only do the occasional 5k or 10k.

It all depends on how I feel come Saturday. Hopefully we'll make it to sleep at a decent time.

First Run Post Marathon

Hello legs!! Good to feel ya!

I made it to the gym this morning with high hopes of doing a 3 mile run. I'm happy I made it out of bed because I slept so good last night, which I haven't been sleeping well the last week.

When I get to the gym I see people standing outside. Uh oh, not good.

So yep, sure enough the opener is late.

Our gym used to be 24 hours then they wanted to change it to 5 am. I think a lot of people complained and they settled on 4 am. Which I think is perfect and believe it or not there are quite a few people that get there that early. I arrive anywhere between 4:30 and 4:45. I need that extra time to do my thing and make it home in time to get ready for work.

So I wait, talk to some guy that lives in my neighborhood. He leaves and it's after 5 at this point. Hey - I know people oversleep have something come up but when then cycling instructor shows up and is trying to call people, managers and no one answers the phone - that's a little annoying. I could tell she was getting mad.

I go and sit in my car when it starts to rain and tell myself that after 5:30 I'll head home because if they show up at 5:30 I can get at least 30 minutes in.

Luckily I waited till 5:40 and by that tome someone finally showed up.

So I got 2 miles in 18 minutes done. I'll take it, some is better than none.

Legs were really not cooperating so I took it slow. And even then my slow still felt like a lot of effort. After a while I think things were loosening up but at that point I had to stop and get home. Bummer but there's always tomorrow. I think maybe I'll call before I leave the house tomorrow, just to make sure someone is there!

Post Marathon Blues

I hear this can happen. You experience this amazing high from finishing your race, your training is over, and now what do you do?

I think I'm starting to experience this. No I'm not depressed or anything but I tossed the last of my training schedule and then I had this feeling of "now what?"

People at work are asking me if I want to do another one and YES I would however it's not in the life plan this year. Maybe next year but not this year. I think my husband is thinking I've gotten running out of my system, oh how wrong he is, but I don't think he's ready for me to dedicate my time to training for another one. I have to remember as much as I love this accomplishment, there's things we have to do and things that he wants to do, it's not all about me.

I'm having a mental dilemma: Get pregnant or put it off? The only reason to put it off is a selfish one. I'm not ready to lose all that I've accomplished these last few years. Not just with running but the weight loss and feeling good about myself. I'm not ready to lose my body again (sorry being honest). Like I said, it's purely a selfish reason. Oh and there's the thought of having 2 kids scares the crap out of me (again - honest). Then there's the chance I can finally be a stay at home mom but quitting my job and only having one income...scares the crap out of me! Two kids in daycare would be 90% of my paycheck so it would not be worth the stress of my commute. I would be the one to take kids to and from daycare while barely netting anything extra from my paycheck. Plus our tax accountant already told us it would be better if I stayed home. But still, it's very expensive to raise just one kid let alone 2.

On the other hand I'll be 32 this year (ugh!) and I've always said that I want 2 kids by the time I turn 32. I know 32 is not old but I can't imagine being sleep deprived being any older than what I am. It's hard. Sophie will be 3 this year and I would love for my kids to be somewhat close in age. She'll make a fantastic big sister. She's told me twice, when prompted, that she wants a little brother :) Ricky will be 34 this year and I think he's ready to be a dad again.

Deep down I feel this is our year to have another. I've already started taking my folic acid, now I just need to kick the caffeine.

This will also be the last kid. We even said before we got married that we only wanted 2 kids. I'm the third kid in my family and I remember that we were all a handful.

So this is where I'm at with our future plans. It's all on me to say "OK." I have one more half marathon I want to run in a couple of weeks and then it'll be time. If I get pregnant right away like I did with Sophie then we're looking at a November baby. Eww, that means I'll be pregnant threw the summer. Hmm....

The soreness is finally starting to dwindle. I'm still very tired and it didn't help that Sophie woke up at 2 am crying and scared. So I brought her into bed with us and it took her FOREVER to go back to sleep. She kept tossing and turning, hogging my pillow and then asking for water. So by the time we got back to sleep it was after 4 am. And to think I was going to attempt to go to the gym this morning. I guess it's a blessing in disguise because I could probably use another day to rest.

I did go to the gym yesterday and did 30 minutes on the elliptical and some light weights. Seemed to help with the muscle stiffness.

I want to try and run again on Thursday or Friday but for right now my body is saying "no."

I've read a lot of comments on facebook about what went wrong with the race. At the time I was still on my runner's high but I realize that a lot went wrong with the race and how unorganized it really was. There weren't a lot of porta johns along the race course, there was one every couple of miles, but I remember thinking "where the heck are the porta potties?" on numerous occasions. Then I heard the toilet paper ran out. They ran out of cups at mile 4 so people were freaking out that there wasn't going to be any water or Gatorade. Luckily I had my handheld so it didn't affect me and towards the end of the race I didn't have that problem either.

They ran out of medals for the half marathoners. Ouch, that's a biggie! They are sending them to the one's that didn't get one but for you to cross the finish line and not have one that's a big blow. Plus there was either no water or they ran out at the finish. I recall thinking "where's the water" but my husband had one he brought so I drank that.

Overall I didn't have any major problems with the race but I can see why people had problems. I hear that it's the same problems they had last year plus they even hired a race director who apparently didn't do a very good job. I would run this again in the future only because it's local but I think they are going to have a really hard time attracting people to come visit.

The course needs a makeover, more downtown Charleston, less nasty North Charleston, except the Riverfront Park is very pretty - get rid of that last 5 mile out and back, there is nothing motivating out there, need entertainment for those last 6 miles. In response to this course complaint, I read where the city of Charleston was not very good to work with (North Charleston is a separate municipality). Charleston's claim to fame is the Cooper River Bridge Run and they don't really want to be associated with this race. That's a shame, people are coming to your city and spending money. Support it! I don't know if that's true, just what I read somewhere.

I'm making my own medal display, just need my husband to drill some holes and then it's almost done! Still so proud of myself.

Santa Hangover

It's been a busy busy weekend. And it will be like this till the end of the year. We have something planned every weekend between now and New Year's Day. I'm going to be exhausted by the time this race comes around. I'm almost looking forward to being pregnant again so I can take it easy. However relax is not in my vocabulary, even when pregnant. 

Friday I finished all my painting. Well, not all. I still have other items I need to get done but the bulk of Sophie's furniture is DONE! Headboard, bookcase and a mirror. Whew! All I need to do is the clear coat but it's been a little humid with this rain that moved in, and I didn't want it to dry funky so the furniture is still sitting in the garage till I can do this last step. Pictures to come.

Saturday I ran 12 miles, 1:46, avg pace 8:54. Getting better with this distance. Would love to run just one more before I get pregnant so I can PR again. There is a 15k (Charlie Post Classic) at the end of January and a no frills half marathon (Save The Light Half Marathon) first weekend of Feb. that I'm thinking about doing. We'll see, I don't want to jump hard core into running after my marathon. Body would probably like to recover and we'll pretty much go from marathon to "trying" to get pregnant.

Sunday we woke up and got ready for a Brunch with Santa with a friend of mine at her neighborhood country club. It was a nice spread of food, they had a mini pancake station for the kids and I topped Sophie's pancakes with yummy strawberries, chocolate chips, whipped cream. She only ate the chocolate chips. And some bacon. Mom of the year, right here! 

We even got her to sit on Santa's lap for a few minutes. The look she gave him the whole time was priceless.

Not so sure about this guy. 

There's a high 5, she's warming up....slightly

After brunch we walked down to a little area near the clubhouse that was on a marsh to take some pictures. They actually turned out really nice and I have to credit my good hair day to my friend who spend 2 hours highlighting my mass of hair on Saturday. Actually my hair is not very thick, just long.

A rare moment - I'm usually behind the camera

My favorite! Love this little girl!! This is a keeper.

Another keeper!! Even if we all aren't looking at the camera we are all smiling.

My loves!

On the way home, little bit feel asleep so we sat through the Starbucks drive through for about 20 minutes. Apparently everyone in our town decided to go to Starbucks at exactly 12:20 Sunday afternoon. We got home and rested/relaxed for a few hours until it was time to head back out for the James Island County Park Festival of Lights. 

All the 6 years I've lived here and we've never been. Mainly because it gets packed, there's traffic, a ton of people and I hate all of that. I'm probably the world's most impatient person. But since Sophie is getting older I want to start doing traditions so I decided to suck it up and deal with the mass of people. And we went on a Sunday which was less crowded than Saturday. And we got there right when it opened so we didn't sit in too much traffic.

So basically you drive around the county park and look at all the light displays. The have a Santa's Village you can park and walk to. Includes fire pits for marshmallow roasting, a carousel, Santa of course, food and beverages and a climbing wall (??) Not sure about that last one but people looked to be having a good time.

Getting ready for the lights

Sophie got to ride on the carousel, almost caught my hair on fire roasting marshmallows. Again, letting my child play near fire = mom of the year. Actually she's becoming quite the Miss Independent so I let her try it out. Teach em young, that's what I say!

Fun with Daddy!

Waving at us every time she passed by. It was too cute and I'm so happy she loved it.

All good things must come to and end and she started getting upset and fussy and we knew it was time to go. Sleepy Sophie is not a fun thing to deal with. Luckily we made it back to the car, saw the rest of the lights, and got home before a full meltdown occurred. So I call it a success.

However this morning she was NOT a happy camper to be woken up. Thus I call it a Santa hangover. Poor girl could barely keep her eyes open and fell back asleep in the car. These are the days I feel guilty to be a working mom. Clearly she needs to sleep longer and I felt so bad having to get her out of bed. One day, one day I won't have to do this to her. Hopefully. That's the plan anyway. In the meantime there's money to be made and bills we gotta pay.

Because I didn't get to workout and do my cross training I dragged myself out of bed and went to the gym. Ran 4 miles, 33:49, avg pace 8:27 or something like that. Did some legs, chest and back.

It's a very rainy, cold and dreary day today so I'm anxious to get this Monday over with.

Let's Get It Started

Woke up at 4:30, on my day off, and ran 4 miles in 33:20 and did weights. Actually a stomach ache got me up at that time and since I was already up, hey why not go ahead and go right? Thanks stomach! I owe you :)

So now it's about 38 degrees out, which I find rather chilly, and I need to get started on my painting. I'm going to layer up and head out. Times like these I wish we had a space heater for our garage. Just don't normally need those things down here in South Carolina, but today it would have been nice.

Hope to have a picture of the finished product by the end of the day!

Music

Since my 20 miler I'm recovering well. I ran 5 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles this morning. I had planned on going to Body Pump tonight since I haven't been in two weeks but I decided to be a nice wife and let my husband go to the gym tonight. He hasn't gotten to go since Sunday and since he would be picking my daughter up for me to go, I will be picking her up so he can go.

Plus I wasn't really feeling it today. Maybe it's the PMS. Yep, it's that time again. Evil Jen is back. I hate this time of month, my hormones get all wacky and I get in BAD moods. Not fun. 

So I'm feeling sort of blah this week but trying to contain my emotions. That could have a negative impact, if I don't release it I'm going to have a breakdown. Yes, it gets that bad and no I DO NOT want to be on birth control or any other mood altering medications.

There are just some days where every one around you would be safer if you just stayed home. I'm kidding of course.

Luckily I have Friday off to refinish the furniture I bought for my daughters new room. Since I have to prime I'm going to do a coat first and then possibly head to the gym for a quick workout and then come back home to paint. There's two body pump classes I could go to in the morning that may work.

So I started thinking about the topic of music while running. I can't run without it. My iPod to be specific.

Music motivates me and distracts me. I've tried running without music and I just don't seem to have the same drive and energy level as I do with my tunes blasting in my ear.

I think anyone who can run without music is awesome. To be able to tune everything else around you out, I cannot do it.

I tired at the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon for a while, just to see, and all I could hear were people coughing, snorting, spitting, grunting, and farting.

Yep, that pretty much just did it for me. Ear buds back on. 

I've even tried to tough out a run when my battery has died and I could barely get 3 miles. 

I'm just not that runner and that's OK. It' whatever works for you.

The reason this popped into my head to write about is because there's a man I see at the gym and he's that guy that wants to talk to you. He'll talk to anyone.

Last week I was the only person on a set of treadmills and he got on the one RIGHT NEXT to me. That irritates me.

Well he got on the one right next to me so he could talk, loudly, to the woman on the next set of treadmills. They had about a 20 minute conversation. Why he couldn't go walk next to her is beyond me. I've stopped trying to figure people out. 

Anyway this morning I put my water and earphones on a treadmill and the went to the locker room to blow my nose. When I came out the a**hole guy, same guy, moved my stuff!!! To use that treadmill to talk, loudly, to the same woman as last week (poor woman).

So I got my stuff and gave him a dirty look and found another one. Of course after he comes up and apologizes for moving my stuff which I appreciate but seriously people! If I saw someone's water on a treadmill I would probably think someone was going to use it and find a different one.

Anyway, my little rant is over. Back to music, thank goodness for iPods!!!!! Music on and I'm rocking out 4 miles and I don't have to listen to annoying guy's hour long conversation.

Some of my favorite songs to run to:

Anything by Muse

Coldplay - loving their new song "Paradise." Anyone seen the music video? I thought it was hilarious.

I've got some old school like Pink Floyd "Run Like Hell"

I like the hard stuff, got some Tool, A Perfect Circle.

There's a guitar song by Rodrigo y Gabriella called "Buster Voodoo" that had an awesome beat and I like to do some sprints to this song. 

It's hump day and I'm looking forward to my day off. It's the last one till Christmas but, as always, I'll be busting my behind to get stuff done. Relax apparently is not in my vocabulary. 

However instead of cooking for Christmas Eve I'm going to suggest to my husband we got out to dinner. I really don't want to be stuck in the kitchen all day, I want to enjoy my weekend too and cooking, for me, is stressful. We'll see what he says... or what's open.

Catching Up

Since my last post I've barely logged onto a computer and happy that I've had some time away. I've been feeling very overwhelmed with life and this marathon training. I think last week was one of the first times that I honestly thought about quitting.

Then I woke up Thanksgiving morning with a sore throat and realized that this was the reason I was feeling so run down, I was getting sick.

Luckily someone in this world invented Airborne and after 2 days of eating those nasty chews I was feeling so much better. 

We went to my sister's house in Charlotte (well small town outside of Charlotte, Stanley to be exact). I did not brave the Black Friday crowds because I never go and I was feeling crummy. We did go out later in the day to a few stores but the spectacular deals were already over. 

I'm a believer in Airborne. I started eating the chews Friday night and by Saturday morning sore throat was gone and runny nose was not as snotty.

Saturday we drove home and went to friends house to watch the Clemson vs. Carolina game. I could care less about football but the hubby had fun, I caught up with some friends, and Sophie got to play. Everybody wins!

Note to self - puffer jackets make me look chunky.

I assure you the kids had a blast, even though it doesn't look like it on their faces.

Sunday I did 12 miles in 1 hour and 51 minutes, avg pace 9:11. Felt really good overall. It was a cool morning but I got warm quick!
Later I went to the gym to do some elliptical and weights. Kicked my butt and I was tired when I got home. And hungry. Like I hadn't eaten enough the previous 3 days.

Monday I had the day off so I:

1) worked out - ran 3 miles
2) Ran errands - shopped, went the the grocery store
3) put up Christmas decorations - still need to do the tree
4) cleaned
5) started my nephews dinosaur painting
6) cooked dinner
7) crashed

So a vacation day isn't really a vacation at all. I busted my tail and was exhausted when the day was done.

Back to work Tuesday, which is what I've been doing since. Not that exciting but I have been super swamped with end of year stuff, which is one reason why I haven't posted anything lately.

December is going to be a super busy month and I'm stretching myself really thin. I think maybe I'll get to relax in March. Hopefully by then I'll be knocked up so I'll have an excuse to rest more.

Saturday I have 20 miles! AHHHHHHHH!! So intimidating to say that but I'm ready to tackle it. Then I'll have to come home and take a nap because we are going out to dinner with friends that night. A night out with my daughter spending the night with the grandparents. Oh the possibilities. Honestly I see myself crashing early but I'm hoping as long as I take a nap and drink lots of water I should be fine.

Next week I'll be working on painting my daughters furniture to start getting her "big girl" room ready. I have a lot to do but she's 2 and doesn't care if it's not all complete at once.

Weekend after we'll be back in Charlotte to do "fake Christmas" with my family. That plus it's my mom's and nephew's birthday that week so it's Christmas and birthdays all in one.

Then the next week is Christmas. I might be able to relax a little because the only thing I have to do is cook something Christmas Eve and make breakfast Christmas morning. My new tradition is to make cinnamon rolls from The Pioneer Woman. I made these last year and they are so good.

So you see, there is no rest for the weary. I feel like I'm at the peak of training and I'll start to taper soon. 20 miles this weekend and then I'm going to do another 20 - 22 miles on the 23rd (I have off and Sophie will go to school that day for her Christmas PJ party). Then I'll taper off and be ready for the race.

In theory.

Getting nervous.

Getting excited!

I hope I don't die! - A little dramatic there.

Some Is Better Than None

So happy that Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to have a few days off of work. It's been crazy busy at my job the last week. Sales reps are trying to get those end of year orders in and sales reps can be very needy.

I decided at the last minute to take Monday off because no one else did and I just felt like I need an extra day. We are down one team member who's out on maternity leave but it'll be fine. Everyone needs a break now and then and I've been saving the last of my vacation in case Sophie gets sick.

I plan on getting some things done around the house, maybe a little more Christmas shopping (I'm almost done!) and possibly some Christmas decorating. I will be able to do this because I'm sending Sophie to school. I know, bad mommy but she'll probably have more fun there anyway.

This morning I was supposed to do 8 miles. Then I decided I only had time for 7.

I ended up only doing 4. I was tired and my legs were just not moving. Lead legs.

My body seems very tired ever since I ran 19 on Sunday. I rested Monday and ran 6 miles yesterday and I plan to hopefully get up tomorrow morning and do a quick 3 miles before we head to Charlotte.

I am not planning on bringing any running clothes with me, taking this time to rest, relax, eat and enjoy my family without worrying on when I'm going to get my run in. I will do my 12 miles on Sunday (we're getting back into town Saturday afternoon).

However if I don't make it up tomorrow then I will probably try to squeeze a run in Friday or Saturday. Haven't decided yet.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!