Marathon Mom

At the last minute I decided to register for a women’s only 10 mile race last weekend since it fit into my training schedule and I haven’t raced a 10 mile in a few years. I went to packet pick after an easy run with my team on Saturday morning to find out that once again women’s shirts means v-necks. Seriously, am I the only woman who hates these?! Race morning to avoid the parking crowds we took the train to the race, this worked great, no hassle with parking and with the stroller I was able to bundle up before hand and leave Matt with my extra clothes. I wasn’t sure how this day would go since I was fighting a cold that was making it hard to breath. In all the race information it said they would have pacers, so I headed to the start and pushed my way up towards the front to find the 1:15 pacer, but no such luck the fastest pacer I saw was 1:25 so I was on my own. The race started and I had the lead runner in my sight, probably meaning I was going a little too fast. This was co...

  I cannot believe my baby is 8 months old already. This past month she went on her second trip, spending a week in Alabama, started talking much more and waving good bye. She is turning into quite the climber and is always looking for new things/places/people to explore. She also discover peek-a-boo and will play and giggle for the longest time. After this last trip she got her first real illness, just a cold, but still along with teething was tough on her, Matt and I. This cold was then passed on to me and I am just hoping it is gone before TCM. At the age of 8 months, she is now the owner of her own US passport, wow I didn’t get my fist one until I was 25. After an entire Winter in the cold weather I will be back to my routine of leaving the country for a warm weather break. Her measurements (inaccurate) 16 lbs and 28”. It seems odd to not be going back to the pediatrician this month, no more every two month appointments.

I can now officially say I am a trail runner, I completed my first trail race on Thursday and had a blast. The race was held in the evening and it had been raining since the previous night, but had decreased to only a mist by afternoon. This race was 5.75 miles, mostly on trails with a short portion on paved paths. I went into the race with three goal 1) Don’t get injured 2) Don’t get lost 3) Finish under 50 minutes. The race started at 6:30 and the rain promptly returned making the grass extra slick especially the steep hills. I stayed with the group and spent a lot of time looking down to avoid injury. At about the halfway point I started running and chatting with a guy who had done all the previous races of this series. The conversation started as we navigated our way around and through a series of mud puddles. I’m not typically one to talk during a race, but since I was just doing this for fun and taking it easy, why not. Soon we caught up to his running buddy and the three of u...

A week in 90+ weather and sitting through disorganization all day, I survived without too much complaining and only a few glassess of wine. Too much of my time was spend sitting and consuming coffee to stay awake, but I have to say I did benefit from at least one of the days. Suturing of pigs feet, I&D of chicken thighs, and gross anatomy lab. It's been years since spending any time in an anatomy lab and the smell brought me right back to my undergrad days almost 15 years ago. On the positive side, you actually get spice to your food when you order it that way, none of this midwestern idea of spice. Ophelia on the other hand had a blast, playing in the pool, at the park, and at story time. Everyone at the hotel had to go out of their way to say hi to my little girl, she loved all the attention. And she chose this week to start really talking, I heard my first "mama". It must be a Southern thing, maybe someone can explain it, but she was called a "dandelion gir...

Any runner knows the truth behind taper madness, putting yourself in situations of stress and annoying people during this time is not the best idea. In the past 24 hours I have been on the verge of screaming multiple times and this is only likely to get worse until I am home on Friday. My grad program requires a once a year on campus week, so here I am sitting in an auditorium full of fellow grad students who like to hear themselves talk. In attempts to make the week a little easier my mom and Ophelia are traveling with me to decrease the pumping and transporting of a gallon of milk on the flights home. Luckily for me Ophelia flies well until you experience delays leading to a late bedtime. Yesterday’s layover that should have been 1 hour, plenty of time to grab a quick meal and continue on turned into a much longer time and a crabby mom and baby. We arrived late, had car seat issues and Ophelia was up until 11pm, the only good from this was she slept through the night for the first t...

I’m a little late on this update so it will be short. Ophelia is now 7 months old and is quite the little mover. She is developing such a fun personality and is quite inquisitive with no fears. In the past month she mastered crawling and has moved on to standing while holding things and has even started taking some steps. She has also discovered climbing: the stairs, people, her bouncy seat, the fireplace. Nothing is off limits to this kid which has resulted in a couple falls and bruises; I’m only the first of many. Baby proofing is in full swing around here. She now has two teeth and shows them off while she smiles. My measurements put her at 15lbs and 27” this month.