Tuesday's Ten

This morning, I ran 4 miles with Norah. It didn't go that great. Well, the run went fine...for me...but Norah, apparently, wasn't too happy to be along and for about a half a mile, she bawled and nothing could comfort her. Since she rejected all my efforts to make her happier (pacifier? toys?), I had no choice but to run her home as fast as I could. Thankfully, she eventually stopped crying and while she didn't sleep, she was at least content.

Then, this evening, I decided to put part of my new training schedule into action: some strength training. So, I pushed aside Norah's toys: And broke out this DVD:

10 minutes is about all I can handle for strength training. Any more than that and my attention starts to wander. I chose to do the upper body workout because my arms are currently like water pistols and I'd like them to be full-fledged guns. At the end, the workout ends with a few sets of push ups, and Scooter, sensing that I was on floor, came out to join me:

Afterward, my arms felt like limp noodles and I felt that the only kind of arm workout that I wanted to do for the rest of the evening was a 12 oz curl. Hmmmmm...choices, choices:

Decided to go with the Amstel, and lordy, my little string bean arm is havin' a tough time lifting this -- thankfully there's a reward at the end of this burn!

I might regret these 10 minutes of strength training come tomorrow morning when I can't lift Norah out of her crib!

Can't Think of a Title

Thanks for all the enthusiasm regarding "My Own 13.1"! Many of you asked to join me virtually, and I think that's a wonderful idea; however, I'm not hosting a virtual race. It just seems like a lot of work. But, as I said, I'd love it if others wanted to mark their calendars and run their own "race" that day!

That being said, I ran my first training run yesterday evening. I haven't run in the evening in a long time, but with the time change, after Norah was in bed and after we'd had dinner, it was still light out (granted, it was only 7:15 then, but still, the day does feel longer with that extra daylight). So, I don't know if it was running in the evening, running with the iPod, or running without the jogging stroller, but some unknown factor made me a bit faster, and I finished 3 miles in 27:40.

Ze Plan

After the Disney Princess Half on March 7th, I was ready for a training break. I ran 3 HMs in 3 months, and I was looking forward to a bit of down time in a training cycle. But after about a week, I began feeling dissolute without another immediate race on the forefront of my schedule, so for the past 3 weeks, I have been running, but as I mentioned earlier this week, it has felt less meaningful.

I have been scrutinizing the race calendar for South Florida for awhile and, as I said before, there's really nothing out there but 5Ks until October (and travel for race purposes is not within our budget this year). Granted, I could focus on the short distance races and perhaps work on a new PR, but truth be told, I don't feel much motivation to run a 5K, even for a PR try, and I feel even less motivated to pay $30 to run a 5K.

So, I was again feeling "meh" about the running schedule, but then the clouds parted, rays of sunshine beamed down upon me, and my mind was flooded with brilliance: Why not train for my own 13.1?

That's right. Set a date, select a route, create a training plan for it, and then, come "race day" go run my own 13.1!

I was immediately excited about the idea, so I set to outlining the specifics for myself: I decided on a date, I created a training plan, and while I haven't confirmed a route, I have a few good ideas and I am definitely keeping it close to home so there's no "race day" driving, parking, etc. I think I may even try to create my own shirt for it and I asked Jerry if it would be possible for him to either machine or laser cut a medal for me, and he said, "maybe," which I took for a "hells yeah!"

So, I proudly present to you Jess' 1st Annual:

My Own 13.1
When: Sunday, May 23rd
Start Time: 6 am
Location: Tamarac, FL
Entry Fee: $0
Registration: Open
Expo: Nope

Already, I feel more excited to run! Training starts tomorrow.

Food Revolution

So, I was gonna ask yesterday, but got distracted, did any of you see Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution on Friday night?

Normally, I don't like much reality television, but this was really good.

Oliver, as most of you probably already know, is a world-renowned chef (he has several shows on the Food Network), and in this show, he goes into this West Virginia town, which is supposedly the "unhealthiest" city in America -- the obesity rate among adults there is 50% -- and he attempts to influence how they cook and eat, and he focuses specifically on concerns centering around the town's children. I thought the parts dealing with his attempt to reform school lunches was particularly poignant. If you missed the show, you can watch the full episode on ABC's site here.

Friday night is kind of a bad TV night for a show (except for people like Jerry and I who certainly are home on a Friday night!), so I doubt it got the audience it should have, but if you think you might be interested, it airs on Friday night, on ABC, for the next 5 weeks.

More Snoozin

On our run this morning, Norah fussed a little about halfway through, but I think she was just fighting sleep because it was one or two irritated whines and then she was out. And, again, I am continuing to enjoy her stroller slumber: What's funny, though, is that after I got out of the shower, I discovered that Norah wasn't the only one takin a snooze:

Apparently, my run wore Jerry out as well!

Snoozin

Norah has never been much of a napper -- her sleeping philosophy seems to be a sort of "all or nothing" approach -- but she will fall asleep while in motion. Thus, the beauty of our near-daily 3 miler: If I'm lucky, like I was this morning, she continues to snooze while I shower and get ready. It doesn't happen every day (in fact, this kind of long-term-snoozin' is really the exception, not the rule), but when it does happen, man, it's glorious!

Rest Day

No running for me today. Why? No clean sports bras.

Do I see this as a problem indicating that I should do laundry more frequently? No.

I see it as a problem that indicates that I should buy more sports bras!

Single Parenting: Part Deux

Jerry is in Orlando for a conference for the next few days, so it's just me and the niblet until Friday......And I think she may already be ready to strangle me ;)

Thankfully, I again have the help of my trusty friends Erin and Ryan, who will be picking Norah up from daycare and watching her both Wed and Thurs evenings while I'm in class. If it weren't for them, Norah would be attending night class and learning about poetry! Actually, as a baby, she might enjoy the sound of poetry more than some of my students do!

Anyhoo...in Norah + running business, I have been keeping up with the runs as of late, but I've been keeping them short and have been primarily been running with Norah in the jogging stroller. Sometimes she falls asleep, but sometimes she stays awake the entire time but doesn't make a peep. Yesterday, it rained a bit on us during our run, and her barefeet got a little wet, but she didn't complain -- what a trooper!

But while I have been running, I feel like it's lost some of its purpose since I don't have a schedule right now and no certain race plans. I know that April-October are typically maintenance months for me here in FL, but I think I will still find a few 5Ks and try to put together some kind of schedule for the next few months that just helps me feel like the running has some significance to it. Most of you guys experience this cycle in the opposite time of year as I do; any suggestions for the off season?

Okay, Norah's in bed now, so I'm gonna catch up with some DVR'd shows that I missed last night (I was getting my ass handed to me in racquetball -- have yet to win a game of that), so toodles!

I Just Can't Quit You!

After doing some blog-contemplation over the weekend, I came to the following conclusion: I'm not gonna quit, nor am I gonna take a posting-vacation. Yes, I know...go ahead and take a moment to do your happy dance.

There, done? Okay, then you're ready for the second part: What will have to give is the amount of reading and commenting I do. I know, I know, some of you are thinking, "Jess, I have barely enjoyed your cute profile pic and witty banter on my blog as of late anyway!"

And I feel guilty about this; seriously, I do. But to keep up with everyone who I'd like to keep up with is just impossible for me right now. I know this means that I might lose some of you as readers, and that's perfectly understandable (a lot about blogging is the reciprocal give-and-take commenting aspect), but it's what I gots to do. Yo.

So, I will try my best to pop in and visit everyone as I get time, but don't be offended if I no longer appear with regularity on your blogs. Hopefully, this summer I will have a little more time for blogging, but for now, I hope you keep reading here.

Blog-cation?

So, you may have noted my absence on the blogospehere the last couple of days, and there's a reason for that: Frankly, I have been mulling over my blog and considering taking time away from it.

Honestly, the thought of quitting altogether has crossed my mind more than once in the past few months, and my reasons for this are simple: I don't have the time for it. Between my family, work, running, and all the various other aspects of life, I often find limited time to devote to this blog, and especially, limited time to devote to reading and commenting on your blogs. And, at the end of the day, when I find that I have an hour or so to myself, sometimes blogging is the last thing I want to do.

But, I am reluctant to quit altogether since I have invested a lot of time and effort into blogging (this blog is nearing 5 years old), and at its heart, I enjoy writing my blog and reading your blogs, and I know that if I just go and "retire," I might come to regret permanently leaving.

So...I'm contemplating a break: A vacation from blogging. However, I don't know how long this vacation would last or if I even really want to take a sabbatical in the first place; it's just a thought that keeps repeating in the forefront of my mind, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

I tried taking some cute pics of Norah in her shamrock tee for St. Paddy's, but every shot I got made her look like a drunk Leprechaun. But, then, I figured, maybe that's just as appropriate!

I think I've had this exact same expression the day after St. Paddy's in the past:

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone! Go light on the green beer!

Hair Cut

This afternoon, I got my hair cut. All of them, actually:Then I went and messed up the stylist's hard work by pulling it back in a pony for my run. Here's the gross, sweaty version:

As the sytlist was cutting my hair, she noted that some of my hair that I lost post-baby was now growing back in those short, whispy wings. I told her it was pretty terrifying to see so much hair fall out (about 4-5 months after Norah was born, my hair was shedding like crazy -- seriously, it was a bit worrisome), and she told me that she'd seen some women who had lost whole chunks of hair post-baby! Ack!

Anyway, this conversation led to her asking about Norah and what kind of hair Norah has, which just made me laugh because...well...you've seen Norah; she doesn't have much hair:

She told me not to worry, that Norah's hair will grow in eventually. I again had to laugh at this because it's never worried me. When I was a baby, I too had just fine, barely-there-hair and it wasn't until I was well into toddlerhood that it started to really grow, and even then, according to my mom it "came in all weird." Example, here I am at about 20 months old: Barely any hair up there! And, I have to agree with my mom: It looks a little weird.

Thankfully, by the time I entered kindergarten, my hair was perfectly normal.

So, I'm sure Norah's hair will eventually grow in. And, then -- if she wears it long -- I hope she pulls in back in a pony for running :)

Weekend Edition: Break's Over

Today, sadly, is my last day of spring break: Back to school tomorrow. Sighhhhh. Oh well, it was great to have the week off and we had a nice weekend to top off the break.

And today, we spent most of the day outside. We went to the park for a picnic and to the playground with some friends; here are some pics:

I did some running too over the weekend, but just kept the runs short and easy. I don't have a training plan right now and no races on the horizon -- this is the time of year when the race schedule begins to dry up in Florida -- so, for now, I'm just enjoying running "free" for the time being.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and adjusted to the time change just dandy. Don't you think the "spring forward" should happen during the work week so we have one less hour during the week instead of on the weekend? It just doesn't seem fair.

Victory is Mine!

Thanks to those of you who had inventive ways of getting my race pic that I was too cheap to purchase: Your ways of circumventing copyright laws were appreciated, but only Kelsa actually went and DID it for me and then emailed me the pic! I love it when you guys offer suggestions for help, but love it even more when you do the work for me!

So, if you look at my profile pic, you'll see that it has been updated with this pic. Yes, the watermark is visible, but I don't care. I'm just so happy to have that pic in my possession -- and for free! Thanks again, Kelsa!

Race Pics

So, normally, I don't buy official race pics because I always look terrible in them. But, I was browsing pics from the A1A Half from 2 weeks ago and was surprised to discover that I liked one. You can view it here.

But, when I went to buy it, I was shocked (shocked!) to see how much it cost. I was thinking I'd pay, like, a few cents, maybe a dollar for it. Nooooooo. If you went to the above link, you saw the prices. Absurd, I tell you, absurd! So, of course, I tried the illegal copy/pasting route, but the damn thing is copyright protected (damn you, federal laws!), so unless I want to fork over $15 (minimally), I don't get this pic.

Kinda pisses me off.

Have you guys ever actually purchased a race pic? Did you sell your plasma to buy it?

Seven Months

What better way is there to celebrate a 7 month b-day in the spring time in Florida? Playing outside in gorgeous weather, of course!Mom and Scooter dog also enjoyed the morning outdoors:Norah was a cool chick in her sunglasses and hat...and requisite drool:Too bad she really didn't want to tolerate the hat......and, she'd prefer to drool on the sunglasses rather than wear them. A very fun morning outside in the sunshine! Can't believe she's already 7 months old; time is gonna slow down at some point, right? Right?! Oh well, at least I get to have days and weeks like this to appreciate that fleeting time with her.

On My List

My list of things to get done during break continued today with the following: Note that I save the best for last :)

After all my chores, I rewarded myself with a 4 mile recovery run, and despite a little stiffness in the first mile, my legs loosened up fine and I finished the run in 39:22. So, now, I can add a little "check" next to that one! Ahhh, how satisfying is it check things off a "to do" list?

Now, I have about an hour before Jerry and Norah will be home so I think I'm gonn a go do the one thing that's not on my list: Relax!

Spring (Break) Cleaning

On my list of things to do this week was clean out my closet, and as it turns out, that meant sorting through quite a bit of running gear. For one thing, I had six pairs of running shoes, so I weeded out the four oldest ones and plan to donate those.Then, I discovered that I had five of these kinds of bags:

And, I certainly don't need all five, so I kept one, and put the others in the "donate" pile.

Lastly, there is, of course, the entire drawer full of race shirts. In years past, I have simply donated my excess race shirts -- many of them don't fit well, or are poorly desgined anyway -- but I haven't sorted through this drawer in about 2 years, so I discovered I had about 20 shirts. Here's a random assortment:

Some are good shirts: The Miami shirts and A1A shirt from this year are good for regular short sleeved tech tees; my Disney Marathon shirt is a good long sleeved tech shirt (very necessary since I only have three long sleeved techs all together); and my Colorado Colfax HM tee is one of my favorite "hanging around the house" shirts.

But, with those few exceptions, I don't ever wear these shirts, and most are too big for me. So, what to do with them? I don't really want to donate some of these since many of them are from memorable races. One idea is that I could have them made into a shirt quilt (but I would need to have someone do this for me since I don't have a crafty bone in my body). But aside from that idea, I have no clue how I could better appreciate and utilize these tees. Any suggestions?

Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Report

At the expo, on Saturday, I picked up this little beauty from Lift Your Sole's booth:Love it! And, of course, I got my t-shirt, goody bag and bib:

I had no expectations or real goals going into this race. After two disappointing times, first at Miami and then at A1A, I figured I would just go into this half for the fun of it. No goals. Nothing. I especially felt this way after I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat; I knew I was coming down with what Norah had, and this morning, when I got up at 3 am, my throat felt ragged and my nose was a bit drippy. I popped two Advil and figured I'd do my best.

Pre-race:
Can pretty much be summed up with: Cold as hell!

It was only about 38 degrees at 4:15 when we arrived at the start. I had decided to go with capris, a shell top and a long-sleeved tech over it. And it wasn't enough. I was wishing for a throw away sweatshirt topped with a parka.

I spent most of my hour and forty-five minute wait standing in line for the porta potties, which actually timed things pretty well: I peed with about 10 minutes to spare before the start, which meant that I had a completely empty bladder at the start of the race -- seems like a small thing, but after the past 2 HMs, it was a blessing. Also, I was assigned Corral A, which was the first one, bonus!

Race:
The race got underway with a typical Disney fireworks display, and because I was in the first corral, it only took about 2 minutes for me to cross the start. My toes were freezing from being out in the cold for so long, and running actually kinda hurt at first, but I was eager to run at that point so I could warm up!

The first mile was crowded (13,000+ runners), but it thinned out after that and was comfortable the entire way.

The highlight of the course was, of course, running through Cinderella's castle: The scenery was perfect, such a good fit for the princess theme, and the crowd there was amazing. Otherwise, I was disappointed that Disney's course for this race took us through virtually no parks; it was almost all highway. So, not too scenic (like the other races of theirs that I've done), but the wide asphalt was good for thinning out the crowd and it was, for the most part, flat.

After the first mile, I warmed up pretty well, but I never felt hot and I didn't shed my top shirt until mile 11, but despite the chill of waiting in such cold temps, to run in such temps was perfection, and the miles just went so easily for me. The Advil did their trick and my throat felt fine for the duration of the race, and my drippy nose wasn't unmanageable (besides, I was wearing sleeves for wiping!).

So, aside from the first mile's crowd, I set my pace and was amazingly consistent:

1: 10:19
2: 9:36
3: 9:29
4: 9:31
5: 9:32
6: 9:53
7: 9:36
8: 9:39
9: 9:30
10: 9:45

At this point, I knew I was headed for a PR; I just had to maintain my pace, and it would be in the bag. Of course, the last few miles were the toughest: Highway overpasses and then lots of twists and turns as we wound our way through the backside of Epcot, but I did well maintaining my pace:

11: 9:49
12: 9:35
13: 9:19
.27: 2:12 (yeah, lots of weaving early in the race added about .17 to my distance)

For the grand total PR of: 2:07:52!

So, I crossed the finish feeling great and got my medal:
Post-race:
This was the first HM in a long time where I finished and felt like I could keep going. In fact, I finished and barely felt fatigued. I think that's partially the cool, crisp air, but I also think that the past few months of training and racing have really just put me back into my former shape, and I felt great!

After the race, I caught a shuttle back to my hotel, showered and was on the highway home by 9:15 am. Which meant that I got home in the early afternoon and was able to spend the rest of the day with my family (who I really missed in the 24 hours I was gone). My sore throat this morning has now blossomed into a full-fledged cold, but I am at least thankful that my symptoms this morning remained minor so that they didn't interfer with my race.

So, all in all, a great race for me personally, but a good race overall. Gotta love Disney; they make those expensive race fees feel well worth it!

A new PR!

2:07:52!!

Princess Plans

Tomorrow, I kick off my spring break by heading up to Orlando for Sunday's Princess Half Marathon at Disney. I'm excited for this half since I'll be joined by a few friends, and because, simply, Disney knows how to do a good race.

But...

One dilemma and one drawback:

First, the dilemma:

It's gonna be damn cold at the start. Well, cold by Florida standards, and thus, cold by my standards. It's predicted to be about 4o degrees at the 6 am start (I know, I know, for some of you that sounds like a heat wave, but for me, that's gonna feel chilly); now, granted, it'll warm up some and, really, those temps are perfect for running: cool, dry air is way better than the hot, humid air that I've run every other Disney event in, but standing around at the start at 4 am in 40 degree weather is gonna be cold.

So, what to wear? Clearly, the ideal would be some kind of throw-away layer with a short sleeved tech underneath, but I really don't have any throw away sweatshirts or long sleeved tees. I do have one really old sweatshirt that I could probably part with via this means, but I'm a bit reluctant to do that. So, I think I may go to either Target or Walmart this morning and see if they carry any cheap, disposable shirts that may work well for this purpose.

That, or...wear a long sleeved tech over a short sleeved, and take it off and tie it around my waist once I get warm. This is a less wasteful option, but a more cumbersome one.

Or, there is always the garbage bag option; I'm just not that found of that one.

Any further suggestions or help? I'm open to other thoughts.

Finally, then, my one drawback about this race:

Jerry and Norah are staying home, so it will be my first night away from Norah. I'll only be gone about 24 hours, but still, I'm gonna miss her! But, maybe that will motivate me to run the race faster so I can get home to her :)

Three Things Thursday

1. Norah has a cold. At least, I think it's a cold. She's all boogery this morning, but she seems in good spirits.

2. It's 45 degrees here in South Florida this morning. That's pretty frigid for here, especially for March! And the high today is only supposed to reach the low 60s. Bet there are some pissed off spring breakers. Oh well, guess they'll have to drink to stay warm.

3. Speaking of spring break, after 9 pm tonight, I too will officially be on spring break! Wa-hoo! What sucks, though, is that I have about 100 papers to read over the break, but I don't care; I'm just SO looking forward to the week off. Norah's gonna go to daycare in the afternoon all next week and I'm gonna have about 4 hours each day to get shiz done!

Question:

What's tougher than running in to a 15 mph wind?

Answer: Running in to a 15 mph wind whilst pushing a baby in a jogging stroller. Uff-da!

Brisk BOB Run

It was another chilly morning here in South Florida, so for my run, I decided to don a long sleeved tech shirt, but still decided on shorts: For Norah, it was harder to decide what she should wear since she doesn't have the benefit of warming up by running, and she has the added breeze created by riding in the BOB, so I chose to err on the side of caution and bundle her a little more thoroughly:

By the end of the 1st mile, I was pretty warm and wishing I had chosen a short sleeved shirt instead; oh well. Norah seemed comfy and didn't make a peep (since she fell asleep) so I assume that meant she was neither too cold nor too hot. So, despite the fact that I was a little warm, it was still a good 3 miler, and for Norah, it was a good 30 minute nap.

And, before I sign off, I just have to show you Norah's shirt today; it's totally kick ass: She's Bat-Girl!

Sunday's Seven

This morning, I got out for a 7 miler, and it was brisk! Before this winter, I always thought that purchasing arm sleeves were a ridiculously extravagant thing for a runner like me in a warm environment like FL, but this winter, I've had about a dozen runs where I think sleeves would have been the perfect addition. At this point, though, it certainly wouldn't be worth it to buy them. Maybe next year.

Anyhoo...I ran in a tech tee and my arms were, as you can tell, a bit chilly, but I think I would've been too warm in a long sleeved shirt, and I'd rather be a bit on the cool side than vice versa. For the first half of the run, I ran into a pretty strong headwind, so it was tough work maintaining the following pace:

1: 9:56
2: 10:21
3: 9:52
4: 10:06

But, I turned around at 3.5 miles, and with the wind to my back, the going was MUCH easier:

5: 9:14
6: 9:17
7: 9:30

So, I wrapped up the run in 1:08:21, which I was satisfied with. And, even though my arms were a bit cold this morning, the cool, crisp air was great for running; it's so much easier to breathe this time of year!

Miami Zoo

Today, we went to the Miami Zoo to see the lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), as well as the gorillas, elephants, giraffes, camels, and pythons. We had a fun day, despite the fact that it was a little cool and overcast, but we beat the rain that started about 15 minutes after we got home this afternoon. And, it's probably better for it to be a little on the cool side, rather than on the hot and humid side.

So, perfect day for lots of pictures, right? Well, I had my camera, but...no camera battery. DOH! So, all of these were taken with my phone. The quality isn't great, but at least we got a few pics to remember Norah first trip to the zoo!

Here's Norah and Jerry in front of the orangutans: Norah and I petting a potbellied pig in the children's zoo:

Norah with the elephants:

And, lastly, Jerry and Norah with the camels:

Norah did so well at the zoo, and her favorite animal? The humans. Seriously, she was all about the people watching, especially those small humans -- fascinating creatures. My favorite? The giraffes. Oh, and the pygmy hippos. Jerry's favorite? The anaconda. Kidding, Jerry is terrified of snakes. His favorite were the gorillas.

Anyhoo...busy day! Now, it's pouring rain, I'm baking brownies, the Olympics are on, and we're all a little pooped.

This Afternoon's 4 Miler Was Sponsored by

Perfect weather: Mid-60s, clear, sunny, cool.

and a

Perfect Playlist that included:

"Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap
"Animal" by Neon Trees
"Quiet Little Voices" by We Were Promised Jetpacks
"Hell" by Tegan and Sara
"Heads will Roll" by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Gold Guns Girls" by Metric

The result? A 38:29 finish. It was awe...wait for it...some!

Bobrunning, Not Bobsledding

Trust me, Bobrunning is far more interesting to talk about. I'm sorry Winter Olympics, but Bobsledding pretty much sucks to watch. I will also add to that list: luge, cross country skiing, and curling.

So, on to the Bobrunning:

This morning, Norah and I went for a 3 miler. Well, I ran; she rode. Is it wrong to envy her?

By now, I'm definitely gettin' the hang of running with the BOB. It really doesn't need much pushing, so I generally run with just one hand steering it and allow the other to swing wildly at my side. That seems to make it a little easier. I know some people do this and trade back and forth with which arm is steering, but because I'm a rightie, it just feels easiest and most natural to always use my right arm to steer and to allow the left one its own free reign. Plus, it's kind of a hassle switching back and forth because you have to switch the safety strap, and that's just work.

Anyhoo, that's about all I have to report on the running front today. In other news, I am again woefully behind on reading blogs. I feel that for the past 3 weeks or so, I have been so busy with work, moming, wife-ing, and running that I have barely kept up with it all, so naturally, blogging has fallen by the wayside. I apologize. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though: I have a week and half until spring break! And then after that, "just" 7 weeks until summer! So, that means I'll get around to catching up with everyone sometime in May.

Six Month Stats

This morning, Norah had her 6 month check up and here are her current stats:

Height: 26 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz (30-something-th percentile)
Cuteness: Unmeasurable (100th percentile)

So, she's average in height, a bit below average for weight (but still perfectly normal), and off the charts in cute-ability.

Her growth has slowed in the past two months, which the dr. said is normal for babies to kinda level off after the first few months. And, let's face it: I'm a Smurf-sized person, so any "average" genes she has for height or weight come solely from Jerry's side. If she reaches an adult height that exceeds 3 apples high, it'll be a triumph of my family's genetic code.

Personally, I really hope that as an adult, she's at least average in height, but Jerry says that to him, it doesn't matter because he thinks small women are cute. Guess that's part of my appeal ;)

Anyhoo...Everything else checked out fine: She's healthy in all regards and on track for development. She does have very dry skin that comes and goes with severity and she does have a perpetually goopy right eye because of a clogged tear duct, but nothing can be done about either at this point, and both are superficial, so on the whole, just another basic dr. check up!

A1A Half Marathon: Long Version

Pre-Race

I had an "icky" tummy this morning and didn't even finish my one cup of coffee at home because it just wasn't sitting well. There wasn't any one particular thing wrong, but I just didn't feel "right." Honestly, as I was standing at the start, I was seriously doubting my ability to run the race, but I figured all I could do was give it my best effort.

Race

It was a beautiful morning: Perfect for running. I think that was my saving grace first thing in the morning. If it had been hot and humid, I know I would have felt worse.

In the 2nd mile, I had to stop and use the bathroom, and between standing in line and the actual bathroom use, I lost nearly a full 5 minutes of race time. After the bathroom, I was feeling pretty discouraged. I didn't feel great, I was already way off my initial time goal, and the Garmin kept losing its signal, so for the next few miles, my greatest hurdle was battling with negative thinking...and some heartburn. But, at mile 6, I started feeling better and I started to improve my outlook.

Why was I being such a grumpy goose? Sure, I wasn't gonna PR; I wasn't even gonna make my secondary time goal, but I was running along the beach at sunrise. It was a beautiful morning, and while I may not have felt that great, I felt good enough to be out there running, so I had plenty to be thankful for. After I made the attitude adjustment, the race really improved and I enjoyed the second half. So, even though the Garmin kept pissing me off and my iPod's battery went kaput at mile 10 (and I even had the fleeting thought this morning at the start, "When was the last time I charged the Shuffle?"), I was able to keep my chin up and plug away at the miles. And to my credit, I ran the whole thing despite feeling iffy for the first half.

Finish

Because the Garmin's satellite signal kept blinking in and out, I didn't have an accurate pace guide, but it still kept time, so I essentially had on my wrist an expensive stop watch, but until the chip time is posted, I have that to go by and I can say my finish time was 2:23:08.

I collected my medal, which was pretty cool this year:

And then I boarded a shuttle bound for the start. The shuttle system was kind of a clusterfuck, and I probably could have run the 3 miles back to the start faster than the shuttle got me there, but whatever. I still got to my car by 9:15 and was home by 10 am.

Post Race Thoughts

It's amazing how quickly negativity can compound when things don't start off exactly how I want them to. In fact, part of the reason I was feeling so dissolute this morning was that it felt like the perfect day and the perfect race to really have a fantastic race, so the fact that I wasn't having a great race really just plain peeved me. You'd think that with my race experience, I'd be mentally flexible enough to roll with such changes, but like I said, it took me nearly half the race to accept it as it was and just enjoy myself. So, I guess this race taught me a few things about the importance of letting go.

Every run and every race has elements that are out of my hands; I have to learn to accept that as a possibility with each running opportunity and look to get the best out of each experience instead of being completely derailed (mentally) when things don't go as planned or as hoped. Lessons that I guess I have to re-learn every once and awhile.

After I got home, Jerry, Norah, Scooter and I went to go picnic at the park, and we had a really fun afternoon, and it really was just a beautiful day today. So, after I had lunch digesting in my belly and I was sprawled out on a blanket with Norah and Jerry (Scooter had no time for blanketing; he had some serious sniffing to do), I had pretty much forgotten my woes over a missed time goal.

Sometimes, it just takes a little perspective.

A1A Half Marathon Race Report: Short Version

In short, this was not the race I wanted this morning with a finish time of 2:23:08 (according to my Garmin, official results aren't up yet), but as The Stones famously sang, sometimes it's not about what you want, just what you need. And I guess what I needed was to just finish.

I have more to say on this, but for now, Norah is demanding my attention. So, full report to follow later tonight.

A1A Expo and Race Intentions

This morning, Norah and I attended the expo for the A1A HM, and Norah got asked about half a dozen times if she was "running the half or the full?" Cute the first time, but after that, a bit annoying. (It's like the same question Jerry gets asked. every. single. time. he's in the grocery store with her: "What aisle did you get her in?" BTW, his answer? "Clearance.")

I didn't browse much at the expo since I had Norah with me; it was mostly an in-and-out affair, but I did pick myself up a pair of Rider Sandals; I've been eyeballing the pink pair for awhile and decided to go ahead and get them for myself today. I think they'll be comfy for after the race tomorrow.

Which brings me to my race goals:

Pie in the sky goal: A new PR. The time to beat? 2:09:45. If it's possible for me right now, it would be on this course which is where I earned that present PR. A1A is flat, an easy out-and-back route, and relatively small (less than 5,000 runners). All elements conducive to my kind of running. Also, we've been blessed with another cool spell here lately and race temps tomorrow morning will be in the low 50s at the start. About 30 degrees cooler than 3 weeks ago at Miami.

Realistic goal: A 2:15 finish. This was my predicted time when I registered. It would be a course WR for me, but I'd still be pleased with it. Especially after being sick all this past week. I haven't run since Monday, and the illness certainly dehydrated me. I have made a concerted effort to re-hydrate and re-fuel, but illnees just prior to an event such as this can certainly take its toll on the body and its abilities.

Bottom line goal: Finish with a smile. A1A is a favorite of mine: I like the course, the finish on the beach, the small(ish) crowd, and the relative proximity to my home. So, if I fall short of all time goals, I am still expecting to have a nice, beach-side 13.1 tomorrow morning and if that doesn't put a smile on a girl's face, I don't know what does.

Better

Kind of. Good enough to be at work again, let's just say that much.

Now, I have to really try and re-hydrate and consume some mass quantities of food before the A1A Half on Sunday. Nearly 3 days of vomit and the chocolate shotgun are not my typical idea of good race prep.

Still Sick

This morning, I woke from a pretty good night's sleep and felt like I was doing much better, but as the morning progressed, the ickiness kinda crept back in and by mid-morning, I was feeling thoroughly cruddy again. So, I took another day off work, took Norah to daycare this afternoon and then slept for about 2 hours.

The sleep seems to have helped, and I just ate, and that too seems to be helping. But I'm only cautiously optimistic right now.

Man, being sick stinks.

Caught a Flu Bug

Last night, around supper time, I started getting a not-so-great feeling in my tummy, but I thought I was just really hungry for dinner. Sat down to dinner and ate only half my meal before realizing: Nope, not hunger. Nausea. Minutes later, I was yakking up dinner.

And, the yakking pretty much continued all night, and was later joined by the mud butt around 1 am.

At first, Jerry reported that he felt fine, but a few hours after my initial barfisode, he too found himself hunched over the porcelein. Thank god for two bathrooms.

This morning, neither of us was feeling much better so we both called in sick to work and then called daycare and asked if we could bring Norah in for the full day because neither of us felt well enough to take care of her.

After Jerry took Norah to DC, I was able to sleep for a full 3 hours without puking or pooping myself, and I feel much better now. Still not in great shape, but I am currently keeping down water and Ramen, so that's good. This feels exactly like the flu I had back in October: I hadn't been sick like this in years and then I get it twice within 4 months! Yuck.

President's Day 3 Miler

This morning, Norah and I went for another 3 miler with her in the BOB and me pushing.

This time, I decided to take along the Garmin to see what kind of damage pushing the stroller did to the pace, and I was surprised to find that I could maintain a 10:30 min/mile pace, so I finished the 3 miler in 31:38, which isn't that much slower than what I'm normally capable of. It is a harder run pushing the stroller, but I figure it will just make me stronger, and, maybe, faster when I run without it.

BOB Review

For the past few weeks, I have been investigating running strollers, and after reading plenty of reviews and hearing what the sales people have to say, I decided that the only two brands to consider were the Baby Jogger or the BOB Revolution. So, on Saturday, I went to the baby stores and tested a few models out, and after those tests, I made my decision: The BOB.

The Baby Jogger is also an excellent product, but it is a little taller, and I am a munchkin, so the BOB just made better sense for a shorty like myself. But, also? I like the chocolate/pink color combo available for the BOB, and I know it's a superficial reason to base a purchase such as this on, but what can I say? I really, really liked that color combo.

So, I checked Craigslist and eBay to see if I could score a deal on a used one, but the pickins were slim, and even the used ones were going for nearly $300 on eBay (new, the BOB retails for $389). Today, I hemmed and hawed most of the morning about just going and buying a new one when, finally, Jerry said, "Oh good god, just go get the one you want!" Gladly, I drove across the street to Baby Love and made my purchase.

Jerry put it together for me: And, he asjusted all the straps for Norah and got her belted in:

And then we were ready for our first test run:

We went for a 3 miler, and I didn't take anything else with me: No Garmin or iPod. I figured the fewer the distractions, the better. (Oh, but I did take my cell phone because Jerry was nervous about the maiden voyage and he wanted me to call if "a wheel fell off or something" -- classic Jer-Bear the worrier.)

It was tough to get used to not swinging my arms, and it was certainly a harder run pushing the extra weight (the BOB is 22 lbs and Norah probably weighs somewhere between 15-16 lbs), but it felt great. It turned on a dime, and it was smooth and light, and the big wheels went over the divets and bumps in the sidewalks easily and didn't jostle Norah.

I loved the run and felt like the stroller was money well spent. I know I'll use it enough to justify the cost; plus, what it gives me is worth way more than $400:

1.) It gives me freedom! With this, I can go running whenever I want; I don't have to rely on Jerry being home. I mean, I'm still gonna run on my own (especially for long runs) and I'm sure I'll still have to fit in runs in the early morning or late evening, but having this provides me with more way more options and flexibility, and that makes it invaluable to me.

And, 2.)

No more explanation needed, right?

TGIF Ten Miler

This afternoon, I decided to switch things up a bit and do my long run today so that I could open up my weekend some. So, with the cool weather, I was able to head out around 2:30, and my goal was to try and complete the 10 miler within a 1:40 time frame, which means an average pace of 10:00 min/mile.

For the first 5 miles, I was more than on track with this goal:

1: 9:28
2: 9:22
3: 9:28
4: 9:37
5: 9:44

But, then I turned around. Into a 20 mph wind. So, the second half of my run was TOUGH:

6: 10:23
7: 10:41
8: 10:31
9: 10:34
10: 10:31

The wind was so strong, I felt like I was practically running in place, and I haven't had to work that hard in awhile. In the end, though, I just barely missed my time goal, finishing in 1:40:21. It kinda peeved me since I had reached the 5 mile turn around at 47 minutes and change and was well on track to finish my 10 miler far faster than my originally intended 1:40, but in the end, I was so worn out after that windy second half, that I was just happy to be done.

And now, that run is out of the way for the weekend, and I can just do a few short runs, which is nice.

Six Months

Today, Norah is 6 months old! A half a year, already!

And, it's been an eventful month for her: Rolling over, sitting pretty well on her own, and eating solid foods. Well, we use the word "eating" lightly since most of it ends up on her face, hands, highchair, and floor. But, she is starting to get used to it. And she especially likes the sweet potatoes because, well, they're sweet.

And while solid foods are exciting for her, they're even more exciting for someone else:

He just stands there and waits for some mushy tidbit to get dropped. His lurking is distracting since Norah loves her Scooter dog and as soon as he comes trotting over to her highchair, all she focuses on is looking down at Scooter and offering him her hand to lick. I foresee a LOT of food getting handed down to him in the not-so-distant future.

But aside from the introduction to the world of solid food, like I said, she is changing is other big ways, like sitting on her own:

(That's "Hugsy" -- her penguin pal -- he weebles and wobbles but doesn't fall down!)

She has also begun, recently, to "scoot" or "creep," meaning that she's learning to get around without really using conventional means, like crawling. So far, we've only observed her moving backwards and sideways; she's yet to learn forward locomotion. At daycare, they told us that she scooted herself backward into a cubby and under a chair, which is always the hazard of moving in reverse: You have less control over where you're headed. Right now, her ability to move is slow going, but I'm sure it won't be long until I put her down in one place only to turn around and find her in another.

Tuesday Tidbits

Tidbit Numero Uno: This morning, I did an early morning 3 miler, and it was perfect outside: about 60 degrees, low humidity, light breeze. Lovely. At the end of the run, I was wishing I had more time so I could go longer, but on these early mornings, I prefer to be back before Norah gets up and before Jerry gets up and gets ready to leave for work, so I had to just keep to a 3 miler.

Tidbit Numero Dos: I am woefully behind on blogs. So far behind I have no clue where to start in all the posts I've missed. I've just been incredibly busy in the past week or so, and I haven't had much time to keep up with everyone on the blogosphere. So, excuse my absence. Hopefully, tonight I can play catch up.

Tidbit Numero Tres: Did you hear the rumor that in Megan Fox's Moto ad from the Super Bowl (that I mentioned), she used a "thumb model"? Apparently, the actress has especially wide, unsightly thumbs ("toe thumbs" they're being dubbed) so it's been circulating on the web that the ad used a hand model for the close up shots of her thumb on the phone. Scandalous!

**Edit: Oh, and I almost forgot: Go check out my guest blog post at the other Jess' blog! I say insightful things. Of course.

Super Bowl Sunday

Bullet Point Style:

• 4 years ago, on Super Bowl Sunday, I was doing keg stands...
• ...tonight...I "splurged" and had TWO beers.
• We stayed home and made flatbread pizza.
• Delicious.
• My fav Super Bowl commercial was the Motorola commercial with Megan Fox, and that's not because I'm biased (Jerry works for Moto); I seriously think it was the best one. Tied for second place: The Bud Light "Lost" commercial and the Monster.com Casual Friday commercial.
• Thought "The Who" did a decent halftime show. I liked "Baba O'Reilly" and "Don't Get Fooled Again" -- however, I didn't need to see Pete Townsend's flabby middle every time he windmilled.
• Oh, and I was disappointed that Townsend didn't smash a guitar.
• Jerry said he's probably too old to do that; I say you're never too old to smash a guitar.
• I can't believe the Colts lost.
• Of course, it makes me feel a teensy bit better that MN lost to the Saints two weeks ago. At least we lost to the Super Bowl champs, I suppose.
• Time for bed now.
• Monday after Super Bowl should SO be a holiday. That, or the game needs to be moved to a Saturday night game.

8 at 8

Yesterday, I ended up getting my run in after all -- shortly after I posted, I got Norah back to bed and I still had time before Jerry left for work, so I was able to get out for a quick 3 miler. But thanks for all the advice on a jogging stroller, I definitely think we'll look around for one.

Today, Jerry got up with Norah, so I got to sleep in some (glorious!) and then I went out for an 8 miler around 8 am. My goal for the 8 miles was to finish in 1:20, and what was my time? 1:19:51! Woot! Beat my goal by 9 seconds! Needless to say, I was pleased.

And, when I got back, Jerry had made me a breakfast burrito, which was delicious post-run fare.

Not much else on the schedule for today. We're going to a Chinese New Year party this evening, but that's about it for excitement.

Not as Planned

It's 5:36 am and I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but...I wish I were running.

Because that's what I had gotten up at this early hour to do, but instead, I am sitting here in my living room with a baby is too awake for her own good. Normally, Norah sleeps until about 6:15-6:30, but she must've heard me up with my pre-run routine and she decided she wanted to be up as well. I tried several methods to get her to go back to sleep, but she's having none of it; apparently, she's decided that she's up and it's time to party.

Not cool.

I've been seriously thinking of buying a jogging stroller (we've held off in doing so primarily because they are big, we live in a small place, and storage is an issue for us -- so we've tried to not buy too many bulky baby things), and right now is one of those moments when I really wish I had one: I could toss her in there, go for my run and I bet she'd fall back asleep.

Hmmmm...perhaps it's time to go hop on Craigslist and see if I can find myself one.

Racquetball Report

The good news is that I didn't totally suck.

The bad news is that I wasn't totally awesome either.

I played like a person who hasn't set foot on a racquetball court in about ten years.

There were 4 of of us, so we started off by playing a doubles game, and I think it's safe to say that we were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off: None of us really had a rhythm and it's kinda crowded with 4 people on a court. So, after 2 games of that, we split off and played singles. I got crushed (15-0 and 15-6) in my singles games, but I felt like I was starting to rediscover my game and we had some good rallies. After 2 games of singles, we re-joined for one last doubles game (my partner and I won the doubles match, but that was largely due to his skill, not mine).

All in all, it was a really fun hour and a half of exercise, and I think if I started to play again regularly, I could get better. Which, I probably will get the chance to do if they keep to a Tuesday night schedule (although, I think Jerry and I might trade off since he'd also like the chance to play).

So, this morning, I woke up thinking I'd hardly have the use of my right arm, but I was surprised to find that while I could definitely feel the effect of those 5 games, my arm was surprisingly not stiff or sore.

This morning, then, I resumed my regularly scheduled form of exercise: Running. I got up early and went for an easy 3 miler (31:32). And I kicked ass at that :)

Racquetball

Tonight, I get to go play racquetball with some friends, and I'm pretty stoked to play; however, despite how eager I was to invite myself to play with them, I am now anticipating our game with some degree of trepidation. Mostly because of this short exchange between Jerry and I last night:

Me: "I'm really looking forward to playing racquetball tomorrow. I kick ass at that game and it's gonna be so much fun!"

Jerry: "You think you're gonna kick ass at it?"

Me (shrugging and thinking his question must be rhetorical -- don't I kick ass at everything?!):
"Yeah, I'll kick ass. I used to play ALL the time back in college."

Long pause...

Jerry has the decency to not say anything while I think about what I just said.

Pause continues...Simpsons episode is playing in the background...

Me: "Umm, but I guess I keep thinking that I was just in college. It seems like it was only a 'couple of years ago,' but I suppose, ummm, college was 10 years ago for me, wasn't it?"

He just laughed and said he was sure I'd do fine, but since that conversation, my confidence has been shaken -- could it be possible that I won't kick ass tonight? Yikes. I don't like to think of the implications!

Now, I think my racquetball raquet has about a decade's worth of dust to wipe off it, so I'd best go in search of it...it's probably buried beneath some Jewel CDs and "Friends" episodes I has on VHS.

Oh crap. I'm the one who's gonna get an ass kicking, aren't I?

Post Race Thoughts

Lots of you commented on yesterday's race report that perhaps I should corral myself further up in a race, and I maybe agree with you. Perhaps, when I predicted my finish time, I was being conservative, but I think I was fairly accurate: I predicted a 2:15 finish, so I think RDs corraled me appropriately (I most certainly don't deserve to be up with the fasties). Plus, I finished right smack in the middle of the pack (as I almost always do), so again, I think I was corraled in the right spot.

I think, therefore, that my pacing problem had less to do with how I was corraled and more to do with the crowd: It was just un-navigable. Plus, some people just don't seem to abide by race etiquette. I think that it's great that so many newcomers are signing up for races like the half marathon and the full marathon, but with such a new field of participants, this means that many people don't know the following:

• Run with no more than 2 abreast. You can't run with six people stretched out side-by-side across the road!
  
• Don't walk in the middle of the road! If you take walk breaks, that's fine, but move to either the left or right, so you're not in the middle of runners. And, absolutely, don't come to a complete stop in the middle of the road! If you need to stretch, vomit, whatever, move to the side.


• Walk through water stations, stay to the side while drinking your fluids (if you're still walking), and toss your cups to the side. Plus, remember that the beginning of any water station is gonna be packed with participants, but the end of it has plenty of fluids and no waiting -- so run a few extra feet, then move over to the aid station.


• Lastly, be polite: If you bump someone, or cut directly in front of someone, say "sorry." And ideally, say "to your right!" or "to your left!" before trying to pass a fellow runner.

Based on the above, you can probably assume that I saw runners violating all of the above etiquette, and this is what primarily made the congestion so intolerable.

Anyhoo...beyond my gripes: I felt good yesterday afternoon, and Jerry even made of fun of me for remarking, "I don't feel tired at all!" But, I really didn't. I mean, yes, I could tell I had run 13 miles that morning, but my legs, etc didn't feel all that fatigued. And today, I have some residual soreness, but nothing bad. In general, I hate to be blase about it, but I feel like I could go out and repeat the distance tomorrow. I think this is due in large part to the slightly slower pace, and is almost definitely a sign that I didn't get the chance to really push myself.

I'm hoping that chance arises in 3 weeks when I run the A1A Half in Ft. Lauderdale: Smaller race, flatter course, closer to home.