First 5.

Yesterday was my longest run since I gave birth: 5 miles at a comfortable 9:30 pace.

It was more-or-less a good run, except for the part where my ears felt as if they would freeze and fall off because I failed to wear a headband even though I knew there was a whipping wind. I blame it on a lack of sleep . . .

Anyway, my easing back plan is going well and my mileage is starting to creep back up. And, best of all, I have felt great each time out. Which means, of course, it is time for a plan! Not a major, serious plan or anything like that. I guess I'm thinking more of a guide. A guide that will get me back in to racing shape. You see, I've got a little 5K coming up on 12/4 and I'd like to run well. Ideally, I'd run it faster than the 27:11 I ran when I was 5.5 months preggo. Wishful thinking would be finishing faster than the 25:13 I ran in my first race back after Conal was born.

If I'm going to do either, I need to make a plan. Since my schedule is driven by my little one-month-old, I can't set anything in stone. So, I've decided that my plan will be to run 3-4 times a week with a progressively longer run on the weekend, one 3-4 mile fartlek or tempo run, and then another run or two at my comfortable base-building pace for about 4-5 miles. I don't want to push my body with intervals at this point so I'll hold off on them until after the new year. By then, I'll be three months postpartum so I should be able to handle tougher workouts.

So that's that. A plan is a plan.

Now, I just want to say a little something about the NYC marathon. I watched the broadcast yesterday and was, as usual, entranced. It was so exciting and I was really happy for Shalane Flanagan and her second place finish.

But I was even happier for a runner named Wendi Ray. She rocks, people. Rocks. Wendi is 37, works THREE jobs, trains in Wisconsin, and finished in 2:39:15 yesterday -- good enough for 22nd place overall and 6th among American women. She was recently profiled on the Running Times site and when I read about her I thought to myself, "Dang. I have NO excuse not to get it done."

No, I don't mean running a 2:39 marathon because that's just laughable. I mean making time for running. Getting back and running strong and well. If people much busier than I am can run to their potential, well, so can I.

And so I shall.

Did you watch the NYCM yesterday? Run it? Love it? Are you entering the lottery for next year? Good luck to those of you who are!

~ Felice

The postpartum postmortem part 1.

Earlier this year, when my pregnancy was still new and barely noticeable, I had this idea of summing up each of the three trimesters as I went along. I thought I would share some stories of my running exploits, maybe scare a few non-mothers away with my tales of fatigue, queasiness and never-ending Braxton-Hicks contractions. You know, fun stuff like that.

But, well, no. I never got around to writing the recaps but I continued to want to so -- lucky you -- I will recap my three trimesters now, from the vantage point of (almost) four weeks postpartum. I know! So exciting, right? Let's get to it.

Part 1: The first trimester

Here's the thing about the first trimester: You're tired. Really tired. Tired like you've never felt before. Imagine, if you will, a Mack truck of fatigue running you over 15,689 times and that's sorta what it is like. No exaggeration.

So, my first trimester involved that sort of fatigue but I was fortunate to be able to continue to run. I had to take a little bit of time off here and there and I had several low mileage weeks in the beginning (thanks, of course, to that Mack truck of fatigue) but, overall, my running was decent.

In fact, I ran 154.5 miles in my first trimester. That included a 10K race (51:24) and the marathon relay 5.7m leg (50:25). My race results buoyed my running spirits and helped me believe that I would be able to run throughout my pregnancy.

I knew that I would not be able to run at my pre-pregnancy level, however, so I decided to turn my focus outward and I started a running moms group to train new runners for their first 5K.  This was big for me. I mean, huge. And, I loved it. Also, mom runners rock.

Physically, I felt good during this trimester. I wasn't showing much, although I had begun to gain weight and my hips had widened right away, but I still felt normal. The weirdest symptoms during the first 13 weeks was that I couldn't eat lettuce or onions. For some reason, they skeeved me out like nothing else. That soon faded in my second trimester but, sheesh. Lettuce and onions really turned my stomach.

Speaking of stomachs, I was hungry all the time, a symptom that would continue until . . . well, it still continues so who knows when that will fade away!

And that's about it. My first trimester was exciting in that it was when I found out I was pregnant but, other than that, it was fairly uneventful -- and that's what you want when you're preggo! Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon . . .

~ Felice

Floating.

So, Run #2 = Success.

I ran again on Wednesday (shortly after posting about being bummed to have missed runs on Monday and Tuesday). Actually, I feel weird calling it a run because it felt more like a float. I honestly felt as if I were floating over my miles. Like my feet weren't even touching the ground.

It was a super run. I logged 4.1 miles -- 4.1 floating miles. How lucky am I?

Pretty lucky, for sure. I know that I've been fortunate with the whole pregnancy and baby thing: I had an easy pregnancy and was able to run through almost all of it. Then, I recovered quickly after delivery. Two weeks later, I started running and have not had a single ill effect from it. Instead, I've felt terrific. Not everyone has the same experience and I am grateful that I've been able to bounce back the way I have. I chalk it up to the miles I ran while pregnant. Those tough pregnancy miles were deposits in my big ol' running bank -- now I'm raking in the dividends in the form of floaty, easy post-pregnancy miles. Thank you, pregnant self! 

And now, it's Friday and I'm looking forward to a fun weekend -- hope you are, too! Big cheers to everyone running the MCM on Sunday, especially first-time marathoner, Amanda! Yay!

~ Felice

Things I'll miss.

Assuming I ever deliver this bambino (and, these days, that seems a little questionable), there are a few things that I will probably miss about being preggo:

1. The anticipation.
2. Butter, and smothering my food in lots of it.
3. A big ol' baby belly that makes my hips and butt look smaller by comparison.
4. No pressure racing.
5. No pressure running.
6. Considering a walk solid exercise.
7. Having a really good excuse for crying while watching just about anything on tv -- including Modern Family. Only a preggo could generate non-laughter tears from that comedy.
8. Kind words from strangers and friends alike (including all those from yesterday's post -- thanks! I appreciate them!)
9. Jelly beans.
10. Sleep.

Feeling wistful . . . but ready. More than ready!

Happy almost weekend, everyone!

~ Felice

PS: I have an EcoMom giveaway going on over here if you haven't checked it out.

Wordless Wednesday (the 40+ weeks version).

Today, 3:12pm. 40+ weeks.

September recap.

If you're interested, my due date has come and gone. Sigh . . .  Yep. Yesterday was d-day and yet the little guy apparently is in no rush to make his big debut. So, I'm still waiting.

Lesson learned: What all those diet and financial service ads say really is true: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. I thought for sure that since Conal was born 10 days early, this baby would come early, too. Ha! Ha! Joke's on me, huh? Yeah, guess so. And now I wait. I never should have expected this little guy to show up early. Or, I suppose, to even show up on time! Apparently that just wasn't part of the plan.

Well, since I'm just hanging out, re-stocking the fridge, re-cleaning the kitchen and re-catching up on laundry I might as well take a look back at the month that was. September was my last month of running. Actually, my last run was on the 20th -- at my 38 week mark. I'm proud that I ran for so long but I have to be honest and make sure you all know that the last two weeks or so of running was a mixture of running and walking. There were just some times when I was out on the road and couldn't keep up the run. So I walked. No biggie.


Anyway, here's what the month looked like:

September stats:

Running/walking (miles): 21.9
Cross-training (sessions): several, but didn't keep count

So, there you have it. I hope that the next time I post I'm a mama of two . . . but I'm not going to count on it!

Have a great week, everyone!

~ Felice

Tapering.

When you're waiting for something big to happen like, for example, the birth of your second child, you tend to become boring. It's a result of fixating on the big thing and all the whens, hows, and what ifs of that thing. All that fixating sorta takes over.

In my case, that means I can barely find room in my brain to think up a less-than-average dinner, I have repeatedly tried to put the milk away in the pantry and I've fallen behind on answering emails, blogging (obviously) and keeping up on the ol' Facebook.

But I am all kinds of on top of the grocery shopping (although my choices have grown increasingly odd and heavy on the cereal), laundry and other things domestic. In other words, I'm a (slowly) walking cliche. You know, the wack-a-doodle preggo lady getting the house all ready for the arrival of baby. Yeah, that would be me.

Only I feel like I'm just hanging out and waiting. The iron pills have boosted my flagging energy a bit and I'm still going for walks and enjoying my 30 minutes routines with the gals on Exercise TV. Other than that? I'm waiting. And waiting. And questioning every little twinge. Googling every symptom, real or imagined.

In other words, fixating.

To put it in runner terms, I feel like I'm in some sort of other-wordly taper. The pregnancy taper. Gathering energy for the big marathon of birth. And feeling antsy while doing it.

Like marathoners who ache to keep putting in the miles on rest days, I long to get going. I would love to head out for a long run or tackle some hills or nail a half-dozen 400s. But the body won't allow it and I know that's for the best and I honestly don't mind. I'm gearing up, people. Gearing up.

About a week to go . . .

~ Felice 

Is it bedtime yet?

You know what happens after months and months of chirping about how great pregnancy is?

You get your comeuppance. In my case, that means getting hit smack in the face with a big ol' plate of fatigue pie.

We're talking sheer exhaustion. Tired beyond belief. Tired that doesn't go away. Sure, I have some good reasons for why I'm exhausted -- I'm at the tail end of this here pregnancy, my son has decided that it's great fun to wake up in the middle of the night to pee and he needs me to take him to the bathroom every time, and I'm anemic. Fortunately, I can do something about that last one and ever since I found out about the anemia (OK, yesterday) I've been taking iron supplements.

But, come on! Do I really need to be this tired? Really?

I'm not complaining complaining I'm just, you know, complaining. I don't like being tired. I'm not one of those people who's normally tired all the time. Yes, I get tired. But, not like this. Not so I have to lie down and nap or else I will suddenly just stop functioning and end up standing in the middle of the room as if I were some sort of zombie woman who hasn't yet figured out how to move her limbs.

(I guess in addition to my fatigue, I've also gained a heightened flair for exaggeration in my 38th week.)

Grumble, grumble, grumble . . . 

On the more cheery-ho! side of things, my doctor -- admittedly based on very little -- has predicted that I will deliver prior to my next scheduled ob appointment, which is next Wednesday. So I've got that going for me. And I won a free housecleaning! Well, not exactly the whole house -- just the bathrooms and the kitchen, but still! I'm psyched! After all, I keep the house fairly clean (which could be why I'm tired . . . ) but I always feel as if I'm behind on the bathrooms. They just get yucky and, I admit, I don't give them the thorough cleaning that they deserve. Because they're bathrooms and who enjoys cleaning bathrooms? Especially when sporting a sizable baby belly?

So, that's my story these days. I may not be running and I may be all kinds of tired but you had better believe I will have a clean house.

Happy almost Friday, everyone!

~Felice

Walking is the new running

OK, for real this time. I'm no longer running. I haven't run in 10 days and that's cool. Walking, at 38 weeks preggo, is totally the new running. I'm so into it.

Well, not really. But I'm telling myself I am. When Conal hits the bed for his afternoon nap and I am dying -- dying -- to do the same? Oh, yeah. I tell myself I'm really into this whole walking-as-the-new-running thing. Sometimes it actually works.

But . . . hmmm . . . walking just isn't the same as running is it? Nope. Not at all. It's a fine substitute for the time being but I kinda can't wait for that postpartum day when I can lace up my running shoes, pull on two sports bras, squeeze into the largest running top that I have and hit the roads. It'll be awesome.

You know what else is awesome? Well, I'll tell you! I've got a giveaway for Brooks gear going on over here. Check it out!

Enjoy the rest of the day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

~ Felice

Still here.

37 weeks! Just 3 to go, unless the little guy decides to come early. Which, of course, I wouldn't mind at all.

And what of my running? Well, let's say it has mostly been walking. I've done a teeny-weeny bit of running over the past few days but nothing remarkable. Part of that is the pregnancy thing (go figure . . . ) and part is the go-go-go of the past week. I have a book project due this week and another due at the end of the month and I really can't be late with those because, you know, I'll soon have this whole new baby to take care of.

I've still been exercising and I'm trying to be diligent with my little squats/plies/lunges routine since I do believe that leg strength is important for a smooth delivery. Apparently, Conal doesn't go for this. The past two times that I have started up my routine he's said, "Be careful, Mommy."

"OK, I will," I respond and continue with my reps.

Yesterday, though, after he told me to be careful, he turned it up: "No, Mommy. You're going to get hurt."

"No, I won't"

"Yes," he said, shaking his head. "Yes, you are. You're going to get hurt deep in your legs and in the head and in the baby."

I stopped and told him I wasn't going to get hurt and that I did the same thing when I was pregnant with him so it was OK.

"Oh, yeah. I remember. I liked it and it didn't hurt."

And then he went back to his trains and I went back to my routine. He's easily convinced, that one.

So, that's that. I'm still here. Still moving. Still trying to get it all done between now and d-day.

Thanks for stopping by -- hope you all are doing well!

~ Felice

Off he goes!

It finally arrived. The day that had been looming in my mind for months: My little guy started preschool.

For the past several days I had been lecturing myself about the importance of not crying in front of him. Showing up at preschool with a smiling, happy kid and ruining the moment with sobs would not be cool. "No way, Jose," as Conal says.

So, I managed to keep it together, no thanks to the raging pregnancy hormones. Or his big boy looks:

How was this kid just a baby the last time I looked?

Yeah, so yay me, no tears. I had a whopping 1.5 hours before pickup so I treated myself to a real pedicure (first one in about 3 years!) and ran a few errands. Then I headed back to school to get my little guy.

He did great. He loved it. He asked me why it was time to leave. No worries about the transition for him.

So, overall, a success!

I had a lack of success with last night's run, however. About a mile in, I had to stop to walk because my lower legs felt oddly swollen and sore. When I felt around, they weren't really swollen, they just felt that way. Like they were full and there was a lot of outward pressure. Strange.

Anyway, I walked for about 3/4 of a mile and then ran again and the weird sore swollen feeling never came back so I'm not sure what it was all about. I'm going to be on the look-out, though, because I didn't like it one bit. Nope, not a bit.

Have any of you ever had that kind of weird lower leg thing (pregnant or not)? I'm curious.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Case of the crazies.

Apparently, being pregnant makes one slightly crazy.

In my case, I should have known. I've been preggo before but I suppose that the first time I was too busy with all those first time things that I didn't pay attention to the crazies. This time? This time I see what's going on. Oh, yeah. I do. But, that doesn't mean I stop it. Oh, no. Instead, I let my craziness run free by filling my freezer with many weeks worth of casseroles for after the baby is born. Because I guess Conal, Owen and I are going to have huge post-baby appetites . . .

Stocking up on the expensive baby wipes. Hey, they're chlorine-free and I got a good deal . . .

Crying at commercials. Eh, that's normal . . .

And Josh Ritter songs. Eh, probably normal too . . .

And Pearl Jam songs. OK, that's a little weird . . .

Repeatedly going through my closets, cleaning them out and donating my no longer wanted/needed clothes to Goodwill. And doing the same with my kitchen cabinets. And my pantry. And my bathroom cabinets. And the basement. And pretty much any place I can get my hands on. That's not nesting. That's weeding . . .

Then going out and stocking up on granola bars and Craisins. Because, again, I guess we're all going to have huge appetites and when we do, we're going to want to eat dried berries and grains . . .

Obsessing about Miki Gorman's stellar 1975 when she gave birth in January and then placed second in the NYC marathon in November. And she was 40! Like me! But probably in better shape . . .

And then obsessing a little more over the fact that Gorman went on to win NYC at age 41 and 42. And, oh yeah. She won Boston when she was 42 also. So what's my excuse?*

There are no doubt other examples but I'm sure you get the gist. It's craziness. And it will continue to be all crazy, all the time for a good month or two. So, that's where I am. Crazyville.

But! I'm also in week 36, which means I am getting close for real. For real! For really real!

Yikes.

Until then, I'm keeping up with the crazies. I ran again on Sunday -- same little 3.1 mile loop that I do. It's comforting, that loop. And I love that I'm still able to run it, without too much walking. Of course, I can't run two days in a row but if I get enough rest I'm A-OK with running every other day. Which means that I'm up for a run today. Lucky me!

Enjoy the week, everyone!

~ Felice


* Fear not, dear Reader. I have no delusions of winning a marathon. But I do think I could get a wee bit faster.

The one with the belly shot.

It's been a while since I've put my big ol' belly on display so I figured it was about time. You know, since I only have about a month left and I'm getting huge these days. So, lucky you! You get a pic!

But first, let's talk about yesterday's run. After a week of killer temps in the 90s, yesterday was a relatively mild day temps in the high 80s. Still hot. Still humid. But more or less run-able for me. And that's what I did. I went out for 3.1 miles in my neighborhood. It was hotter than I expected. And it more humid. Overall, a bit tongue-wagging:


Seriously, while I was pretty hot and sweaty after the run, I loved every minute of it. I had one of those days yesterday and really, really needed the run. My little guy was all about misbehaving yesterday and by the time Owen got home from work all I needed was to shake out my frustration with a good run.

Yup, I loved getting out there.

Here I am sweaty, red-cheeked and happy after my run:


Note the dead, pesky black fly on my forehead. There were tons of them out there last night. What gives? I don't know. I seem to have fly issues this year and they just gross me out. I was swatting them away all run. Yuck!

Anyway, with my run done, I enjoyed some pizza and a quiet Friday evening.

And now . . . I bring you my belly pic! Here I am at 35.5 weeks pregnant (one calendar month until my due date!):


I know, I look a little unsure about sharing my heft with the Internets but, what the heck, right? And, if I'm going to do it, I might as well share a photo with a weird angle. Yikes. Sorry, folks, it's all I've got.

So that's me these days. Lots of belly. But still moving!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'm wishing my running pals lots of luck in Monday's 5K. Woo hoo -- those new runners just keep on running! Go, mamas!

~ Felice

Down, doobie doo down down . . .

At my last ob appointment, my doctor confirmed that I have indeed "dropped" so the baby is no longer freely floating above my pelvis. Instead, he's locked, loaded and ready to go: Head down, engaged in my pelvis. Of course "ready to go" could mean that he'll make his way out right around my due date (less than 5 weeks!), in 3 weeks, in 7 weeks or who knows when! But I'll take it because what it mostly means is that he's cooperating and doing what he should be doing at this point.

It also means that way back when I thought I had to pee all the time, I knew nothing. Nothing at all. Because now? Now? Now I really mean it. Now since the baby is down low, this peeing thing has become something totally different. Who knew?

Well, I probably should have, considering this is my second pregnancy and all. But, people, let me tell you: You forget things. Holy cow. You think you remember it all but, yeah, you don't. You just don't. I'm sure labor will bring all sorts of lovely surprises . . .

Anyway, I blame the low lie on why my last few attempts to run have been walks. The bouncing from running along with a low-lying baby . . . well, let's just say they're not the best combination. No biggie. I have all those lunges, squats and plies to fall back on. When I feel like it.

Would you like to know what else has been going down? I'll tell you. It's my mileage! Yes indeed. I ran a whopping 26.4 miles in August. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! That's funny. That's an average of . . . what? 4.5 miles a week. Ha! Of course I did have the 10 days in there when I thought I was done with running before I Brett Favred it right back in to action. So, I really only ran 3 weeks last month, and my mileage was more like 9 miles for each one.

And that is fine. We're closing in on the end as it is. I have more important things to do than run -- like figure out a name for this little guy (c'mon!) and finish up my writing projects so I'm not stressing about them in the labor & delivery room.

So with that, I'm off to work! Have a great day, everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice



PS: I have a giveaway going on here. I originally posted it with the wrong ending date so I've corrected it and re-posted the whole thing.

Pants on fire.

That would be me. The one with the pants on fire. You know, as in: Liar, liar...

Yup, I'm a liar. I said I had hung up the running shoes. I said I was OK with it. Feeling good about it, in fact. And, at the time, it was true. So true.

Then I went for a walk on Saturday and, I don't know what happened but, before I knew it, I was running. And feeling fine. I had a nice and easy 3 miler and felt good the whole time. No pain. Just comfy miles.

Now, I am still more-or-less done with running but I figure that if I am out for a walk and my body wants to pick up the pace and run, I'm not going to say no. Provided I feel good, of course. We'll see what happens. Maybe Saturday was a fluke, maybe not. I just don't know. This is all new to me.

So, that's that. I feel better now that I've come clean!

Hope everyone had a good weekend. I've been a busy mama and have gotten waaaaay behind on blogs. I hope to catch up this week and get back to regular posting and commenting.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

PS: I have a cool giveaway up over here. Awesome maternity active wear -- be sure to check it out if you are preggo, thinking about getting preggo sometime in the future, or know any preggos!

Decisions made.

Thanks for all of your supportive comments on my last post! I really appreciate them.

I'm feeling remarkably at peace after writing that post. Making a decision can be liberating and that's just how it's been for me. Now that I've decided to fully listen to my body and hang up the running shoes until after I give birth, I feel free. No longer will I wonder if I can run today. No longer will I have extended internal debates about whether or not that twinge was just a twinge or something more. No longer will I be disappointed when my body tells me to stop when my mind wants to go.

Instead, I can feel confident going for walks, working out in my living room with Jillian and those other exercise tv ladies, or just doing my own thing. I think this will be good for me. (She says, just one week into this no running thing . . . )

My last walk was awesome. Felt great. Chatted with a neighbor. Woo hoo! My last weights workout was equally good. Felt strong. Chatted with . . . well, no one but that's just because I didn't feel like it was appropriate to start up a conversation with Kipper, Elmo or any of the other stuffed animals Conal had lying around the living room. I mean, I have some standards!

So, anyway, walking is my new running. Squats are my new speedwork. Cheers to that!

But, you: You, my friend, should go enjoy your run. And your weekend. Hope it's a good one!

~ Felice

What's done is done.

I had high hopes of being "that mom" who runs right up until the day she delivers her baby. High, high hopes.

My running had been going well. I ran four races while pregnant and put up some decent times. I logged up to 20 miles a week until well past the halfway mark of the pregnancy. I ran with friends, I ran alone. I enjoyed it. Thoroughly enjoyed running while pregnant. And that is why I had such high hopes.

And then those hopes were dashed.

Almost two weeks ago, I had gone for a super 4 miler with two friends and felt great. Two days later, I set out for another run and my body told me I was done. "You're done," it said. I swear! It spoke to me!

"I'm really not. Not done. Not me. I'm still in week 30. So. Not. Done," I said.

"No, I'm serious. You're done. I'm walking," my body replied. And that's what it did. About a half mile into the run it decided to walk. We walked on for another two miles and that was that. I figured I would accept the failed run, move on, and try again another day.

Which is what I did. Two days after Failed Run #1 I set out again.

"Um, did you not hear me the first time?" my body asked. "I told you we were done."

"But, well, yeah. I'm not ready to be done," I said, probably in a bit of a whine, while trying to push on.

Body laughed. We walked. Failed Run #2 was in the books.

The next time I set out, a few days later, I didn't even make it out the door. Nope, I just knew that it wasn't to be. I felt the twinge below my belly and the other things that are just more than you need to know and so I bagged it. Failed Run #3 didn't even have a chance.

"Thank you," my body told me.

So it is that at 32 weeks into my pregnancy, I have officially hung up my running shoes.

Consider me bummed. And I mean bummed.

But not despondent. Nope! I'm proud that I ran as much as I did and now I'll turn my focus to walking and getting back to those plies, squats and lunges that helped me power through labor and delivery for my first son. I'm going to miss running but I'm somewhat looking forward to the two months of cross training. Bring it on!

There you have it, folks. I hope you'll bear with me over the next 8 weeks or so. I'll do my best not to complain!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and is having a good week!

~ Felice

PS: I just posted the Somnio winner over at my other site and have a new giveaway posted, too!

4.1.

Another milestone last night.

My friends, Bridget and Janis, who just started running in March are training for a 10K in October. They've run two great 5Ks and now they've set their sights on the longer distance. So, last night, they wanted to run a 4-miler -- their longest distance -- and asked me to run with them.

We set out around 8:20 and it was still about 85* and humid. We were sticky by the time we reached .25 miles. Yuck! As the miles ticked by, the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped -- maybe a degree or two. Still hot but the humidity started to go away so it felt better.

By the end of the run, it was dark and we were a sweaty mess. Three hot (literally) mamas, 4.1 miles, one awesome run. It was the longest run that Bridget and Janis had ever done and they rocked it!

I know it was hard, and there were probably times when they felt like stopping. But I also know that they felt proud of themselves when they were done, as they should! I remember those feelings well: Struggling to extend my mileage and feeling totally burned out yet very accomplished at the end.

After the run, they made comments about not knowing how they'd get to the 6.2 miles but we talked about how they said the same type of thing when they were training for the 5K. They didn't think they'd be able to run 3.1 miles when they hadn't even run a full mile. And now, here they are running 4. Soon to be 4.5 and then 5 and then . . .

The funny thing (to me) about their training for this 10K is that it takes places 3 weeks after my due date. It feels weird to be talking about their race and how they will train and what the weather will be like and how they'll feel -- all while knowing that, at that time, my life is going to be so different. I may not yet be in post-preg running shape. I definitely won't be racing. Will I even be walking? Sleeping? Who knows!?! I may still be a hormonal mess, trying to just make it through the day.

Whatever, I'll be rooting for my pals on race day, whether in person or in spirit. Now, we've just got to stretch those 4.1 miles to 6.2! They can do it, I'm sure.

~ Felice

Packing it in.

It was a nice weekend around here. I packed in a few runs, including an awesome 4.5-miler Saturday morning before the heat and humidity (and the half-hour heavy rain storm) made it unbearable to be outside. I was happy to get out early for a change.

Owen went out of town Saturday afternoon for a friend's 40th birthday party so Conal and I occupied ourselves and I was able to get some solid work time in Saturday evening after he went to bed. I know, exciting Saturday night, huh? But, I did get a lot of work done and since I have two deadlines right before I'm due to have this baby, I need to work whenever I can.

On Sunday, I squeezed in a quick run after Owen got home and before we left to have a family dinner at my parents' house.

Overall, nice weekend.

Which led to yesterday and some more success. My mom watched Conal for a few hours in the morning, so I worked some more and, in a fit of efficiency, I also ran 2.5 miles. Woo hoo! Three days, three runs -- 9.3 miles total. Today, I'm off for sure and feeling very deserving of the break!

In other news, anyone need a gaudy suit of armor or decorative urn? Yikes.

And in even more (this time running-related) news, I have a super-cool giveaway coming up later this week at my other site. We're talking free shoes! It's very exciting. Almost as exciting as the giveaway I've been running all week over there. If you haven't entered to win the $100 gift card and read my ramblings, please check it out!

Well, I'm off to the beach. Hope you all have a great day!

~ Felice

Adjusted expectations.

Anyone who has ever had to deal with injuries, an illness, or anything that has kept them from running knows the power of adjusted expectations. To that list, I will add the pregnant woman. Specifically, the pregnant runner.

Adjusted expectations are the pregnant runner's friend. They are certainly my friend.

I started out running strong. I set a goal of running 17-20 miles a week and set my sights on a few races, and with training the new running group. No problem. I ran and ran and felt great -- some days better than others, but that's the case whether you're pregnant or not. Some days just rot. Others rock. That's the way it is.

So, I ran and ran. And then I started to fade. The weather got to me and I'm not foolish enough to push it in 90*+ temperatures, at least not while I'm carrying such precious cargo. I adjusted and, when I could, I ran at night when the heat and humidity had tailed off a bit. I also replaced more of my runs with cross training: lots of squats, plies and lunges; tons of push-ups and enough arm exercises to make them feel like cooked spaghetti.

The bottom line is that, recently, 17-20 miles a week of running has no longer been a possibility.

I've adjusted my expectations. Now, I'm happy with about 10 miles a week. My 2.5 and 3 mile runs make me feel like I'm still in the game. When I bust out a 4-miler, I feel like I'm on top of the world. And let me tell you, feeling awesome about a 4-miler sure beats feeling disappointed over a missed run or because my weekly mileage is getting lower and lower!

Adjusted expectations will likely be a big part of my running up until I give birth and probably for a good while afterward. I'm ready.

What about you? Have you had to adjust your expectations recently? Have you felt better after doing so? I really do think it makes a big difference!

~ Felice