Keepin' Austin Weird (5K)

Oh Blog - What a relationship we have! I think of you often, but never write.

Well, a quick update. I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my 2nd boy and once considered myself a runner - enough so to put a sticker on my car that says "Runner Girl." I love me a good long run. Only, I now define "run" as waddle-waddle-pee break-waddle-waddle-stop. I've gone from 25 miles a week to...uh...well, 2.5 on a good week.

Today, however, my 4 1/2 year old and I trekked out into the pouring rain to get WEIRD! The Keep Austin Weird 5k promised to be "the slowest 5k you'll ever run" and it delivered! I'm a month from giving birth...I felt that qualified as "weird" to see out on the trail.

We started in the back - my boy wanting to run rather than sit in the jogger - and we pretty much stayed there. He splashed through the puddles and I walked slow enough to make sure he didn't follow the rushing water down the street drains. After a mile, he was done and I could start to run. He crawled back into the jogger and we set off of doing 2:1s. While I was far from hitting a PR, we covered the last 2 miles in 27 minutes - nothing fancy, but hey, I'm HUGE and pushing a 48 lb boy in the rain.

Since this was Keep Austin Weird, after all, we switched places the last .1 mile: I sat in the jogging stroller and HE pushed me! I should have thought of that 3 miles ago!!! Overall, it took the two of us (well, 3 of us, technically) 50 minutes to do the 5k and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Now off to take a long, long nap!

"Race" Update

Hello All!

Crumbs here - Back from The Land of Fatigue and Heaving (a.k.a First Trimester) and happily gliding along through Celebration and Energy (well, relatively speaking!).  I'm 22 weeks along in my 2nd pregnancy and have a renewed love of running quickly-paced waddling.

I've never been fast, but My Oh My, just 2 months ago it took me 45 minutes to force myself to go 2.5 miles.  The agony!  All because of this weird addiction that seemed like it was going to promise me relief in my rough months of sickness.  Really - food was intolerable. Advil unadvised. And a Mojito with a floater? Highly frowned upon by the masses.  I knew I was allowed to run, though.  And when I run, I get a Runner's High!  Sweet - Hook Me Up. Only, I couldn't really make it through the first mile so easily without getting dizzy and feeling like a 7 year old was taking drum lessons in my head.  I guess only being able to force down 500 calories a day meant there wasn't much in the bank for added exercise.  This, it seemed, was going to be a very, very long 40 weeks.  Weekly milage went from 25 to...well, 3 (or 10, if you count running to the toilet).

Fast forward to this week.  

I had slowly reintroduced myself to running over the last 8 weeks - first with the treadmill and then out on the street - week by week adding a little more.  I even completed a 5 miler in just 1 minute/per mile slower than pre-pregnancy.  HOPE!  HOPE, I tell you!  

So I signed up for a 5k in my old stomping grounds of South Miami.  (I'm back in town for a little while and what better to meet up with old friends than at a race?!  It's a fun way to let folks know about the little one, too!)  Anyway - I knew I wasn't going to set any records but I couldn't believe that I finished a cool 2 minutes slower than I did last year - right around old running buddies.  Just 2 months ago I had lost hope of ever having my runner's high again.  But there it was:  Baby and Me waddling through at a relaxed pace, waving to familiar faces, enjoying the course, passing the finish line with a smile and energy to spare!

Each day I get bigger. 

I know every run won't be that smooth. 

BUT it's so comforting to know that, even when I hit rough patches (be it morning sickness or injury or burnout), I'll eventually get my groove back.

Happy Running All!

let me tell you something

Man - What a run!  Yesterday, oh around 3pm, I decided to sign up for the Keller Williams Run For the Water 10 Miler happening 7am today (Sunday).  You see, I'm running San Antonio's Rock & Roll Half Marathon next weekend and I needed to get one last 8-10 mile run in...only I knew I was going to be HIGHLY unmotivated to run on this morning if I went out on my own.  I haven't convinced anyone to join my See Mommy Run long run group yet, so normally I'm covering milage all by myself.  I'm tired of my thoughts.  I don't find myself witty.  

Plus, extinguishing what little ambition left flickering was the Dead Milkmen.  My FAVORITE Band for all those pivotal teen years, was putting together a reunion show on Saturday night in AUSTIN of all places.  How could I not go see them?!?!?!*  SO- a late night and a boring run didn't seem to add up to 8-10 miles in the morning.  

A race would be the only thing getting me through it.  And MAN what a run it was:  a long view of the lake, rolling hills, a few challenging climbs, and Jr. High kids dishing out sarcasm with the cups of water.

Of course, I drove the people around me crazy with my incessant need to talk (sorry!  I'm backlogged!)  I took it really easy, knowing next week I want to turn on my jets.  This was, after all still supposed to be just a training run.  Turns out, all those hill and speed workouts I've been doing are really making a difference:  I was taking my sweet time (and walk breaks) yet still came in 10 minutes faster than I expected.  Here's to hoping it's a good sign for next week!

*They lived up to my imagination and I'm not afraid to say jumping jesus on a pogo stick...i like you.

Hot Wheels

Check out my new (possibly changing) theory: My jogging stroller makes me faster.

Not just by conditioning through the resistance training; no, I mean, during races...while actually pushing my 45lb son. As I've said before, no one likes to be passed by a stroller. Even if they are close to having a heart attack or muscle spasm, they will push themselves as I push closer. It's like a wave in a pool: as the stroller approaches, the pace picks up, rippling through the area. So, as I begin to notice people going faster around me, my instinct is to accelerate, too. And although it's less enjoyable uphill, I find myself hauling tail to catch up with my runaway stroller on the way back down (even with the leash).

The stroller makes me faster. I have no other way of explaining why I've PR'd the last two races while pushing the stroller.

Thanksgiving 5k Run

Today was the Freeze Your Gizzard Cross Country 5k. It was a great morning for it, cold at 36 degrees but virtually no wind which was a real treat. After running in very gusty conditions yesterday, I was a bit worried about what today would bring.

The route was pretty hilly today. The "cross country" part was no joke. I ran the entire thing looking down at my feet worried about twisting an ankle. I like the cross country races though, the terrain takes your mind off of how far you've been and how far you still have to go!
Early on, I'd say about 1.5 miles in, I found myself directly behind two boys that couldn't have been a day over 15. They were all arms and legs. Long thin limbs flying around. They had creaky voices and were talking non-stop about video games. As much as I'd love to hear about the newest advances in X-Box, I decided to pass. There were a lot of runners and the course was pretty tight so it was hard to get by people but everyone was laughing and having a great time.

As I was nearing the finish line, I looked up ahead of me, I'd say about 100 yards, and spotted to young kids. I'm talking 7 or 8 years old. Just trotting along having a great time and here I was, behind them, breathing pretty heavy by now and thinking to myself 'I signed up for a half marathon (something I'm still kind of freaking about having signed up for!) and 2 8-year-olds are kicking my butt in a 5k?!' So I dug deep and found some more gas and managed to pass them just before the finish line. It wasn't until after the race that I found out there was a 1-mile 'Fun Run' for the kids and they were running in that one! Kind of a relief, I have to admit.

It was a good time and I'm happy I attended.