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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Still Sick

Even though I thought I was feeling better yesterday afternoon, I spoke too soon. The puking and diarrhea resumed and continued through another rough night, so by this morning, I felt completely wiped out. At this point, I'm really not sure what I have, but actually hope it is food poisoning because I do NOT want to pass this along to either Norah or Jerry.

Unfortunately, this means we cancelled our Halloween party plans, and right now I'm just focusing on trying to hydrate and keep both food and liquids in me. So far, I have had some luck this morning with saltines, a banana, and some diluted Gatorade; cross your fingers it all stays down.

Hope everyone else enjoys a fun-filled Halloween!

Friday, October 30, 2009

Flu Friday

My case of "drag ass" yesterday turned out to actually be a stomach flu. I felt worse and worse as the day progressed, and by the time I went to bed last night I had a fever and was nauseous.

The barfing started around 1 am and continued through the night and early morning; then the 'rhea kicked in and I didn't know which end to put on the toilet. It was awful.

All day today, I have essentially been a pile of dehydrated goo, unable to keep anything down until late this afternoon. Thankfully, Jerry took the day off work so he could take care of Norah this morning, and this afternoon, he took her to DC.

I don't think I've been sick like this in years. Ughhhh...

Hopefully I feel better tomorrow for Halloween festivities. Which I think I will. I'm able to keep down Ramen and Ginger Ale now. Woo-hoo!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

A Case of Drag Ass

Everything about my run this morning indicates that I am suffering from a confirmed case of "Drag Ass." It's a real affliction. I swear. In fact, the Physician's Desk Reference has an entry for it:

A mental and physical inability to respond to necessity or demand. Those suffering from this condition may feel as though they are moving in slow motion, and despite being aware of their limited mobility and muted mental acuity, they are unable to improve upon either. Frequent sufferers of this condition include college students, those in their mid-20s who are often recovering from "last night at the bar," and those who are new parents.

See? It's real. And you can't prove otherwise.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Tuesday's Total Body in Ten

I got this video back in, oh, January or so, and I never even so much as ripped off the cellophane because...I was pregnant? Is that an excuse? Not really. But either way, I had never even opened this DVD before this morning; instead, it was just sitting on the shelf gathering dust for nearly 10 months.

Today is a running rest day, but this morning, Norah took an unusually long morning nap. So, after taking care of the necessary tasks (ie, reading blogs), I decided I had 10 minutes to spare to test out this video.

It has 4 10 minute segments, and each focuses on a different fitness aspect: cardio, upper body, lower body, and balance/flexibility. The DVD is set up so you could combine all 4 workouts into one 40 minute session, or you can break them up and just do the 10 minute segments.

Unsure of how long Norah would nap for, and not being particularly fond of workout videos to begin with, I opted to just stick with a 10 minute segment: upper body.

My upper body is seriously lacking in strength, and my little t-rex arms are only capable of the kind of hoisting and toting that is required to carry a baby around, so I figured this area is ripe for improvement.

The 10 minute workout had me doing everything from bicep curls to push ups in order to work the arms, chest and upper back, and even though it was only 10 minutes, I was spent afterward, and I can already tell that the arms are gonna be sore tomorrow. Personally, I thought it was a good mini-workout and perfect for a person like me who isn't that fond of strength training: 10 minutes was enough time to make me feel as though I worked some muscles but not too long so that I was bored with it.

Granted, the woman who leads the exercises has the disconcerting duplicity of porn star nails mixed with man arms, but the exercises themselves were good, and overall, I liked the program. Next time, I guess I'll have to test out one of the other 4 sections.

I'll probably get around to that sometime in mid-2010.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday Morning Q & A

Just as when I was pregnant and running, I am receiving lots of questions via your comments and email about now when I am breastfeeding and running, so I felt I should address some of these thoughts and questions. Apologies to the male readers if this has no appeal to you. However, it does involve the talk of "boobs," so maybe you do want to stick around.

Does running with nursing boobs hurt? Do you wear a special nursing sports bra?
I imagine it would hurt within the first week or two of breastfeeding, when the boobs get engorged and the nipples are sore, but I wasn't running then, so I can't comment on that. I began running again at 5 weeks post partum and by then, my breasts and nipples were used to the feeding, so I have never experienced any pain by running and continuing to breastfeed.

But, I do always pump beforehand, or if I run later in the day, I try to time the run right after Norah has fed, so that either way, I don't have full breasts when I set out for a run.

I do not use a special nursing sports bra. I wear my regular sports bras and they seem to work just fine, but there are special ones out there, and some doctors even advise women to double up on sports bras (I find this latter advice a little out-dated, but whatever works). I think the sports bra you choose would be partially dependent on your bra needs to begin with; the logic is simple: If you have especially large sweater bunnies to begin with, nursing is only gonna make 'em bigger, so keep that in mind.

How much do you eat and drink?
Personally, I have never been a calorie counter, so I can't say with any accuracy how many calories I consume a day, but it's probably a lot. Most literature advises breastfeeding moms to continue to eat as though they are pregnant since the extra calories are needed for milk production. Add to that the calories you expend during exercise, and a breastfeeding woman who is exercising probably needs at least 500-600 extra calories a day. But that's just a guess, and calorie needs would be dependent on how much/how far you're running, and to what extent your infant's needs are for breastmilk.

As far as drinking, basically the same prinicple as eating applies: You need a lot of fluid to produce milk; plus, you need additional fluids to replace those you sweat out. So, to be simple: Drink a lot of water. I drink about 100 oz of water a day. Plus, I have two cups of coffee in the morning, a glass or two of milk a day, and sometimes the occassional diet Sprite (oh, and the occassional beer -- you can have one drink and it won't affect your milk). My advice? Have a bottle of water on hand at all times and sip all day long. Just like any athlete thould do -- drink ahead of your thirst.

You're breastfeeding and running, you must be back to your pre-preggo weight already!
Nope. I'm not. I have about 4 lbs left to lose.

Despite the fact that I'm burning lots of calories with both breastfeeding and running, I am also consuming a lot. Many of you have probably trained for a marathon and gained weight, right? So you know that simply exercising is only one part of weight loss. But, I'm not particularly concerned with losing the remaining 4 lbs; I know it will happen gradually and I'm not in a hurry. My biggest concern is making sure I remain healthy and that my body has enough energy and calories to continue to produce milk, so if I hang onto a few extra pounds for awhile, it's okay.

Doesn't exercising while breastfeeding make your milk "sour"?
Nonsense. There have been lots of studies on this and the scientific conclusion is that ideas such as that one are hooey.

Any advice for a mom who is breastfeeding and thinking of returning to running?
I am no expert, and can only speak from personal experience, but I would say that my advice would be the same as anyone beginning to run: Eat plenty, hydrate, and get plenty of sleep. The last is probably most often overlooked by new mothers, but it is probably one of the biggest things for me. I need my Zzzzzzs. And, I'm lucky because for the past 3 weeks or so, Norah has been sleeping from about 7 pm to 7 am, so I can ensure that I get my full 8 hours a night by going to bed around 8:30 or 9 if I get up and run at 5 am. And truthfully, even on the days when I don't run, I allow myself to sleep until she wakes up around 7, so there are some nights when I too get about 10-11 hours of sleep. And trust me, I need it!

I know there are other breastfeeding, running moms who read this blog, or those who may not presently be doing this, but have done so in the past, so feel free to add to these comments and/or questions!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sunday Six

This morning, I ran a 6 miler at a pretty consistent pace:

1: 10:28
2: 10:21
3: 10:26
4: 10:33
5: 10:33
6: 10:21

Total Time: 1:02:45

So, I was pleased. And I felt that I justly deserved a McGriddle from McDonald's. Normally, I almost never eat fast food, but for some reason, the McGriddle was calling to me today (and it doesn't help that I passed McDonald's twice on my route), and because the Garmin told me that I burned 800 calories on my run, I felt I deserved the 500 calorie breakfast sandwich. It was delicious.

Lastly, as a funny domestic aside: This morning, when I left for my run, I left Norah in Jerry's care and she was still in her PJs and I told him that he could decide what she was wearing for the day. When I got back, she was just in a diaper. Nothing else.

So, I guess to Jerry, "clothes" = a diaper. I suppose next time I should be a little more specific with my instructions ;)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Racing Thoughts

This morning, when I started my 3 miler, there was a middle aged man who was running about two tenths of a mile ahead of me, and I judged him to be slightly slower than me, so I made it my goal to pass him. This was a little harder than I had orignally assessed. Either he was faster than he looked, or I was slower than I assumed, because I spent the first half a mile chasing him down.

Then, when I finally did pass him, he was close enough behind me that I couldn't slow up, so he actually provided me with the necessary motivation and momentum to finish my first mile in 10:20. The speed (yes, it's all relative, and right now that kind of pace counts as speedy for me) carried through in the remaining two miles, and I finished the 3 in 31:14, which I do believe is the fastest 3 miler I've had since returning to running.

And this is why I miss racing: Having other people in my sights to slowly pick off and pass provides just the right amount of motivation to push myself past my comfort zone. Granted, my targets are often the elderly and small children, but still, the satisfaction of passing a ten year old is priceless for the ego. And those old people can be surprisingly fast, so sometimes overcoming them can be a feat in and of itself.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

4 Mile Thursday

Day 2 of daycare went much better yesterday, no tears, and I think each day will get progressively easier. It helps to get the feedback that we do from the daycare providers that informs us of when she ate, slept, was diapered, etc, as well as comments about what she did during her time there (apparently, she really loves sitting in one of the bouncy chairs -- she likes to kick her legs and make it bounce), so we know that she's doing just dandy.

Today is my first day of actual class, and admittedly, it's gonna be weird stepping back inside the classroom after nearly 5 months off, but I'm looking forward to it. I really enjoy my job and the beginning of a term is always the most fun. I think that if my work were merely a paycheck to me, I would have chosen to stay at home full time, but because it's work that provides me with meaning and satisfaction, I feel more confident in my return. Plus, I am fortunate to have a job where I can work full time, but that enables us to have Norah is DC only part time.

But enough about my return to work and Norah's start of daycare; I feel it's all I have discussed this week. So, back to the running:

Yesterday, I took a rest day, which was nice, so this morning, I felt pretty fresh for my early AM run. I did a 4 miler in 43:40, so it wasn't speedy, but it felt good. It had rained at some point during the night; thus, the early morning air was incredibly humid, which made for a lot of Jess sweatiness, but the air temp wasn't too hot yet, so the overall effect wasn't that bad. Still, I pine for the weather we had on Sunday.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Back to Work and Daycare Report

Yesterday morning, I was pretty good all morning as I anticipated work and daycare; truthfully, I was busy with our normal household stuff, so I wasn't thinking about it too much. Then, as we were driving there, I could feel my heart pounding and my throat constricting, but I held it together.

When I got there, I was suprised to find that Jerry had walked down from his office to join me there. He figured it was gonna be tough for me, so he wanted to be there. I really appreciated such thoughtfulness, and it certainly was nice to have him there.

I got her daily stuff unpacked and put away while her teacher was holding her, and as I was giving some feeding instructions, I started to choke up, and it was downhill from there. I cried through my "goodbye" and cried as we walked out, and I was very grateful Jerry was there to help soothe me. I got in the car and cried pretty much until I got to work, and then I was able to compose myself and remain cry-free while I worked.

As far as working, it was kinda weird being back. In a way, it was nice: I'm dressed in regular clothes (not running shorts or sweatpants), I'm doing stuff that requires more thought and skill than what goes into changing a diaper, I'm socializing with my colleagues, and I have all this freedom -- if I need to walk across campus to the library, I just walk out my office and do it; no baby, stroller, diaper bag, etc! But on the other hand, I've gotten pretty used to being at home, so being back at work was a bit disconcerting, as if I had forgotten how to do some things (like all of sudden, I have to remember my code for the copier).

And the whole time, I was thinking of Norah, wondering how she was, missing her. And it didn't help that everyone was asking me, "How's the baby?" and I would tell them she's good, and "Today's her first day at daycare" and they'd reply with, "Ohhhh, how are you doing?" Each time, I managed to control my voice as I croaked out, "Okay."

Jerry checked on her once and then called to report that she was doing fine, so that was good. And it certainly is a comfort to know he's close by.

At the end of the day, I came home and Scooter greeted me at the door, Jerry was in the kitchen starting dinner and Norah was in the living room playing happily in her activity gym. And admittedly, it was kinda nice being on that end of our domesticity. Jerry reported that daycare had gone well with her, and everything went smoothly. Of course, when I picked her up and cuddled her, I cried again -- a mixture of relief and joy.

So, all in all, everything was fine (as I knew, logically, it would be). But...I woke up this morning thinking, "I have to do that all over again today?" So, I'm sure all week will be emotionally challenging, and getting into a new routine will certainly take some getting used to, but I'm sure that each day will get easier, and soon we'll be old hats at this.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

First Day of Daycare

This morning, I was up and awake for a 5 am 3 miler, but apparently, the Garmin was not. It kept losing its signal, so I have no digits for the run. But I swear I did it.

But, onto what's really on my mind today: D-day. My first day back at work and Norah's first day at daycare. Of course, I took a few pics of her to commemorate her big day, but this one is the closest I could get to a smiley pic: She looks like she's either stoned or has gas. It's hard taking pics of babies, or at least it is with my camera which has a few second delay from when you press the button to when it actually snaps a pic, so she could be bright eyed smiles one second, but by the time I get an actual picture, she looks like this:
Oh well. Maybe one day I'll splurge and get a fancy camera that actually takes the picture when I press the button.

Right now, I'm feeling surprisingly calm about the afternoon's drop off at daycare, but I'm sure the waterworks are waiting until after I drop her off. At least I know Jerry is close by and he has ensured me that he will stop in and check on her this afternoon. And afterall, she'll be at DC less than 4 full hours. She'll be fine.

Whether or not I will be okay is yet to be decided. Thankfully, today and tomorrow are just "duty days" (heh, I said "duty"), so I don't actually teach class, which is good because if I need to cry, I can do it in the privacy of my office and pretend I'm crying about hashing out my syllabus.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Doctor and Daycare

Despite my nervousness about this morning, things did go pretty well. Well...I did cry twice, but all things considered, that's not so bad. First things first:

Dr Apt
She checks in as a strong and healthy girl; here are her stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 9 oz
Height: 23 inches

So, she's doing her job: growing and gaining weight. Wish that were my job :)

In all other respects, she checks out healthy. The doctor was surprised to hear that she has been sleeping 11-12 hours a night, but he said that it's normal and healthy. She's just ahead of the curve a bit in that department.

She also got 3 shots today, and that's where my first crying spell came into play. Good thing Jerry can stand the shots, so he holds her while the nurse administers them and I stare at the wall. Still, hearing her cry made me cry, and frankly, I'm just a big wuss when it comes to my baby girl. Anyway, she's doing fine this afternoon after having the innoculations, and so far, she hasn't had any fever, crankiness, or fussiness due to them.

After the doctor, we headed over to daycare...

Daycare
Again, pretty good. Jerry and I unloaded all her stuff and got things squared away, then Jerry went to work (the daycare is at his work, so he just has to walk about 100 yards down the hall to his office), and Norah and I chilled with the other babies and the teachers.

Then, Jerry came back, and he and I went to security so I could get my daycare badge. His company requires that everyone who has access to the parking lots and the building have a security badge that opens gates and doors, so we had to go get mine. We left Norah in the care of her teacher, and we went to security. The process ended up taking way longer than we thought it would, so we were gone for about an hour. When we returned to the daycare, Norah was getting hungry and cranky, and while we had originally planned to go to lunch, I didn't want to leave her again for another hour.

This is where my second crying episode took place.

So, reasoning that it was just easier on everyone if we took her and left, I called it a day and went home.

Last Day of Leave

This morning, it's still beautifully cool out, but despite the cool air, I wasn't any faster than normal. I ran 3 miles in 33:37 for an average pace of 11:13/mile. Myabe it's the early hour; I just feel like I plod through these early morning runs. Oh well, at least they get done.

In other doings, today is my last day of maternity leave. I can't believe it's already over and that Norah is already 10 weeks old. It's gone by so quickly!

This morning, Norah has her 2 month check up, and then afterward, we are going to daycare to bring in our supplies, get her "area" all set up, and then Norah and I are gonna stay for a bit so I have the chance to interact more with her teachers and so that she can get used to being there (truthfully, the experience is entirely for me; they try to tell me that the practice day is in part for the baby, but let's be honest with ourselves, she's at an incredibly flexible age -- this test run is for me, not her). And then, I think Jerry and I are going to go to lunch and we'll leave Norah there for an hour so I can practice crying my eyes out for tomorrow's "real thing."

So, I really needed that 3 miler first thing this morning, slow or not, because I'm feeling pretty nervous about the test run at daycare today and I needed to have the run to start the day.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Cooler Temps

Last night, a "cold" front blew in and this morning it was a glorious 56 degrees outside, with only 42% humidity. PERFECT running weather! I didn't get out until almost 9 am, but it didn't matter, because it was still nice and cool; and with overcast skies, it really did feel like fall running.

I did 5 miles, and with the cooler temps, I was able to run a bit faster than I have been lately, and I finished the fiver in 52:20 with an average 10:28/mile pace. With such minimal humidity, I finished the run and felt as though I'd hardly sweat; it was awesome!

So, I didn't have to get up at the ass crack of dawn, but I still got it done early in the day; now, I can spend the rest of the day doing...well, nothing, I hope!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Running Routine

I know there are some people out there who can get out of bed, hop into their running clothes, and be out the door for an AM run within 10 minutes.

I am not one of those people.

For me, the AM run routine is about 30 minutes and the process is something like this:

1. Pump. No one wants to run with boobies full of milk. That would hurt. So, I first have to get up and treat myself to feeling like Elsie the cow.

2. Drink a cup of coffee. Whether it's 5 am or 10 am, I don't wake up until I've had a cup 'o joe. (And yes, you can still drink caffeine and breastfeed -- you just have to limit the amount of caffeine.)

3. Whilst I sip down my coffee, I read blogs for about 10 or 15 minutes. So, if you have comments on your blogs from me that are time stamped at o' dark thirty, then you understand what I'm doing.

4. Poop. A pre-run deuce is essential to me before a morning run; plus, afterward, I feel lighter and more athletic. And thankfully, I never have a problem with timing because of #2 on my list here (hee, hee, I made a pun).

5. Get dressed. Yes, finally we're at that stage. Getting dressed includes slipping on the running attire, but it also means pulling my hair back and applying Body Glide to the necessary spots.

6. Lastly, I snap on the iPod and affix the Garmin around my wrist: Then I'm ready to step out the door.

So, yes, this morning was another successful AM run with the above prep routine to ready me for it.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

More Race Plans?

So, I have just barely begun to think of races for 2010, but I got an email today from Disney announcing their new race for 2010: The Wine and Dine Half Marathon! It's the first weekend in October and it's at night!

I guess it's replacing the Race for the Taste, which just held its final 10K last weekend, so I'm glad I ran the 10K last year.

Anyway, I'm not saying I will for sure register, but it has all the elements I love in a race: an HM, it's Disney, it's at night, it's in the fall, and...and...there's a two person relay option, so maybe I can convince the Jer-Bear to run it with me! (Anyone want to watch Norah that weekend?)

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Back to Back

Last night, I went for a 3 miler at about 7 pm, and this morning, less than 12 hours later, I was back out there at 5 am for another 3 miler. So, here are my random observations about the differences and similarities between the two times:
  • It is cooler in the morning, but it's more humid. So, I think the trade off makes the temp about the same.
  • There's way less traffic at 5 am, so I really don't have to stop for lights, which is nice.
  • There is some traffic at 5 am, and I always wonder if people are just heading out for work at that hour or just heading home from work.
  • It is just as dark at 5 am as it is by 7:30 pm.
  • I am not any faster at either hour.
  • There are zero other pedestrians at 5 am.
  • There are school buses out driving around at 5 am, which makes me wonder what kids need to be picked up at that hour.
  • Neither McDonald's nor the gas station are open at 5 am, so if I ever have a bathroom emergency at that hour, I'm gonna have to squat behind a bush.
  • I can eat dinner and go run an hour afterward in the evening, and I can drink a cup of coffee and eat a granola bar 20 minutes before a morning run, and I have no stomach issues. Thank you, sweet baby Jesus.
  • Getting up and getting the run done at 5 am is nice because I know that it's done for the day and there's no worrying about how I'll fit it in or around the evening bath time/bedtime routine.
  • Running at 7 pm is nice because it allows me to de-stress from the day, and after a day spent with a two month old, sometimes that alone time feels like magic.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

3 Miler and Race Plans

Yesterday I failed at the early morning attempt to wake up and run, so last night, I ran 3 miles. It was hot, but otherwise uneventful. This morning was also a fail in the getting up department, so it looks like another evening run is in store for me tonight.

In other news, I've been contemplating a race calendar to fill out the end of 2009. I haven't raced a single race in this year so far, and I want to do something before the year is out. Of course, the problem this time of year is the plethora of races and my desire to do them all! So, I have selected two firm choices and one maybe. They are:

Key Biscayne Lighthouse 10K Saturday, November 14th
I've always wanted to do this 10K in part because it's one of the few 10Ks that's offered in the entire year that's close by. (The 10K seems to be an endangered species among road races.) This is also supposed to be a scenic run since the course is set within the Key Biscayne State Park.

Tamarac Turkey Trot 5K Thursday, November 26th
This is my favorite race of the year, mostly because the course goes right by my house, so I just have to walk out my door and down the block and I'm at the start line. It doesn't get any more convenient than that! Plus, everyone loves a turkey trot, don't they? There's no better feeling on Thanksgiving day when you're shoveling in your 4th serving of pumpkin pie and thinking it's okay because you ran a race that morning. (Never mind that a 5K will only burn about 300 calories!)

Weston Rotary Half Marathon Sunday, December 13th
This is my "maybe" race. I'm not sure if I can ready myself for an HM in 8 weeks, but this race has lots of advantages: the chance to run something longish before the year is out, it's cheap, it's close, and I am familiar with the course. My plan right now is to train toward it and hold off on registration until I complete a few longer distance runs. It's a small race so it won't fill up and even late registration is inexpensive.

So, that's my plan for the end of 2009, but I'm also looking ahead to the early months of 2010 as well since January, February and March are also chock full of races here in FL, and I think my plans will certainly include the Miami HM and the A1A HM, but beyond that, I haven't decided.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Swimming Sunday

Yesterday, while many of you were either running marathons in freezing temps, or just huddled inside to stay away from freezing temps, we went swimming. It's still record-breaking hot here (and is forecast to continue to be in the 90s this week), and yesterday morning seemed like a good day to go to the pool and chillax some.

Here's Norah in her swimsuit before we left the house. She looks stoked, right?
The pool was a comfortable temp, and she spent the time floating with both Jerry:And me:
Even though there are no smiles in the pics, I think she liked it. Or, even if she didn't, it wore her out and she took a long nap yesterday afternoon, which was nice.

The only bad thing about the pool experience was that as he was walking back, Jerry stepped in a hole and tore off a chunk of his foot. He was carrying Norah and managed not to drop her when he fell, but he really did hurt his foot and he's limping around today on it. I told him that he should have gouged a slightly bigger hole so that we could sue our HOA for some kind of negligence. Yes, when it comes to our HOA, I could quite easily be persuaded to be litigious. Even if I have to sacrifice Jerry's foot.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Two Months

As of today, Norah is two months old (I'm going by calendar months now). At this point, she's basically sleeping through the night; some nights are different from other others, but for the most part, she always has a long 6-7 hour stretch of sleep. This is probably the highlight of her development right now because more sleep for her means more sleep for me, and it's great to not be up every 2-3 hours.

She's certainly growing too (her 2 month check up isn't for another week so I don't how much she weighs or how tall she is at this point, but I can see and feel how much bigger she is) and getting stronger and more active. She hates tummy time, but when I put her on her tummy, she can lift her head and look around. And, as you can see in the picture above, when supported, she has good head control. Among her other developmental milestones: she can track objects for 180 degrees and turns her head to see something that makes sound, she is opening her fists more and will grasp objects if they're placed at her fingertips, and best of all: she smiles and makes all kinds of new sounds, so we have all kinds of good "talks"!

The best thing about this past month, is that I've really begun to see her personality emerge, and she is such a sweet, easy-going baby. Yes, she cries like all babies do and she certainly has her crab apple moments and we have our trials and tribulations, but they are few. For the most part, she's such a smiley, happy baby who even smiles sometimes when she's sleeping or nursing!

In the next month, I'll be returning to work and she'll be starting daycare, so we have lots to look forward to and I can't wait to see what the 3rd month reveals about who she is and who she's becoming!

Friday, October 09, 2009

I Know I Sound Like a Broken Record

But, it's true: It's not the heat; it's the humidity!

This morning, I got up early for another AM run and at 6 am, it was 81. Yeah, that's pretty warm, but it wouldn't be half as bad if it weren't for the fact that it was 82% humidity, with a dew point of 75, which means the "feels like" temp was 86 degrees. Let me just repeat that: 82-frickin-percent humidity! It's like running underwater.

Now, I know some of you who are forecast to receive snow this weekend don't want to hear me bitch and moan about 80 degree weather, but seriously, I know to expect temps like this in June, July, August, even September, but by October, it's generally cooling off some and it actually becomes somewhat pleasant to run here in South Florida.

Oh well, at least I got today's run out of the way this morning before it reaches back into the high 90s again. Plus, I suppose when I'm forced to consider the alternative, I am happy to settle with heat and humidity over snow...I'd probably have to wear more than just shorts and a sports bra to run in that, huh?

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Is it October?

Because it feels like August here!

This week has been sweltering, with highs each day reaching into the 90s. Not great running weather. On both Tuesday and Wednesday's runs, the "feel like" temp was hovering around 98 when I went out at 7 pm, and needless to say, both were very sweaty runs. And yes, it's a touch cooler when I manage to get out of bed and do a run in the morning, but on Monday's AM run, it was "only" 78...with 81% humidity. Yeeeeaaaahhhhh...

Today I'm taking a rest day, which is good timing because it's forecast to be another scorcher today with noon temps predicted to get as high as 1o2!

Anyone want to trade weather?

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Not Every Morning Can be a Triumph

Last night, Norah's sleep schedule was "off" -- not that she was crying all night or anything traumatic like that; she just woke up at odd times and it threw me off -- so this morning at 4 am when I was feeding her, the idea of going back to bed was immensely appealing while the idea of staying up and going for a run was NOT.

So, today I opted for sleep. Which means an evening run will be in order.

I figure I just have to be flexible with my running schedule right now since my days' schedules hinge on Norah's schedule and my sleep is directly related to her sleep, so I'll try to aim for morning runs, but if I have to move them to evening, it's no big deal. I'll find a way to work them in.

But speaking of evening, and having no other coherent way of transitioning into my last topic, why doesn't primetime start until 8 pm on the East Coast? Most nights it doesn't bother me that I miss half the shows I want to watch because the DVR just records what I don't stay up to see, but when it comes to Monday Night Football, this is a real bummer. The game doesn't start until 8:30 and it often runs until after 11 pm! I can't manage to stay up that late these days, so last night when the Vikings were playing the Packers, I didn't even make it to halftime before I had to hit the sack. And I'm sorry, but DVR'd football? That's no fun.

Jerry stayed up and finished watching the whole game, so I did learn this morning that Brett Fav-Rah and the Vikes kicked those Cheeseheads' ass, but I would have liked to have seen it for myself!

Monday, October 05, 2009

AM Triumph!

I hope you're sitting down for this folks: Yes, I actually ran this morning! I did 3 miles like so:

1: 11:26
2: 10:49
3: 11:05

Time: 33:21

A little on the slow side, but clearly, I am allowed to blame the early hour for that, right? The brain might have been awake, but the body was still like, "Um, really? You wanna do what at this hour?"

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Candy, Costumes, and Big Girl Pants

Yesterday, Jerry, Norah and I went shopping and ran some errands, and at the top on our list of priorities was to pick up some Halloween candy. Yes, I know that it's only October 4th, but dammit, it's a month of guilt-free candy eating, and we're not gonna slouch in that department!

We also shopped for Halloween costumes. Jerry, of course, has been planning his costume for months, so he's nearly done. He is going as "Alan" from "The Hangover." I couldn't find an image of him from the movie that I could copy (legally), but if you want a looksie, go here. So, Norah is going to be an accessory to Jerry's costume, but we also wanted to get her her own costume, so we found one for her at Target. She's gonna be a hot dog. Trust me, it's cute.

As for me? Yeah, I found zilch. Unless I want to be a Sexy Ho or a Skanky Eskimo or something, there's not much out there, and I am not feeling very creative this year, so I'm in a bit of a conundrum, so I am honestly thinking of recycling a costume from a previous Halloween. Unless you guys can offer me a good suggestion: Whatdaya think? What should I be this year?

Lastly, we went out to dinner with some friends last night to celebrate a friend's b-day, and for the occassion, Norah wore an outift that required her first pair of pants! Look at her, not at me, and no, this is not what I wore out to dinner -- I was still in the sweat pants and haven't-showered-yet phase.

Her first pair of "big girl pants"! Man, they grow up so fast!

Friday, October 02, 2009

4 Miler and Daycare Visit

Last night, I decided to break out of the 3 mile mold and do something a little extra, so I ran 4 miles instead of 3. And I wasn't necessarily trying to do them at a faster pace, but I still managed to get them all done at a sub-11 pace:

Mile 1: 10:55
Mile 2: 10:43
Mile 3: 10:41
Mile 4: 10:55

Total Time: 43:16

Yesterday, in non-running related stuff, Jerry and I went to daycare with Norah so we could chat with her teachers, get a sense for what we need to supply, what things will be like for her while there, see what other babies will be her compatriots, etc. We visited the daycare when I was pregnant, but going in with her now gave me a new perspective, and I actually had questions for them, so that was good.

The people there are very nice, and everything is run with efficiency and cleanliness, and it was fun to see that they have already labeled Norah's crib, cubby, etc with her name and appointed color. They answered all my questions and then some, and in general, I think that it's a supreme daycare. But, then on the way out, one of the women in the office asked me: "So, how do you feel leaving her in our care?" And I nearly started to cry. Then, when we got out in the parking lot, the water works really started.

I know she'll be in good care, and she will only be in daycare in the afternoon, for about 4 hours a day, so I'll still be home with her all morning, and Jerry will pick her up when he's done with work and be home with her for a couple of hours before I get home each evening. But, but, but...it's gonna be tough to be apart from my baby girl! I still have a few weeks before I return to work (my first day back is Oct 20th), but that date is already becoming a duplicitous deadline: I want to go back to work, yet I want to stay home with her. Ugh.

Anyhoo...on the 19th, I'm going to go back to daycare with Norah and bring all of her supplies with her and actually stay there for a few hours so that the actual drop off on the 20th isn't so stressful and sad. And I think that will help, but I still expect to cry my eyes out on the 20th.

On a funny note, though, when we were leaving yesterday, Jerry cracked: "So, there were some uggo babies in there, weren't there?" That made me crack up and feel much better after the tear-fest. And it was true; there were some babies in there with faces only a mother could love!

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Mornings 3, Jess 0

As you can guess by my posts's title, I did not run at the ass crack of dawn this morning. So, that means I will postpone the run to this evening. Eh, I'll get it done and one of these days I'll figure out this morning running business.

In the meantime, I got a kickass package in the mail yesterday from MCM Mama! I scored the loot in a giveaway she hosted awhile back, and I had completely forgotten about it, so I was thrilled to open my box of goodies: I got coffee, gels, and Nuun (which I'm stoked to try), and she also included a few things for Norah: the toy giraffe and the book pictured below.
Here's Norah's enthusiastic response to such thoughtful gifts:
Clearly, she can't wait to read her book and play with the giraffe! And I can't wait to consume all the products she included for me! Thanks again MCM Mama; we love our swag!