Pancake is Cute

Pancakeiscute is moving...

2010-10-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

I am moving over to a wordpress blog. I've read Wordpress looks more professional and you can do more with it. My goal is to one day make Pancakeiscute a little more like some of the really well done blogs out there. I have a ways to go on both appearance and content, but I plan to keep tweaking it and hopefully getting something a little better looking and more interesting. Of all my hobbies, blogging has proven to be one of the few I can keep up, mainly because I can do it without having to leave the house.

So anyhow, it will take me a few days to move over what I want to and clean it up, so be patient, and don't say "I thought she said this would end up looking better, not worse."

So from now on, please visit Pancakeiscute.wordpress.com

Just like an elite runner...

2010-10-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am now a big fan of Kara Goucher. I discovered her blog and it is awesome!!! I feel like I could have written her last post. It seems like I just had the exact same run not so long ago...

Read it here.

2010-10-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have no new Jasper photos. We went hiking Sunday, and lugging the camera along was just yet another thing, so here is an old photo of Jasper and I having a pint at the Flying Saucer. He was the only one in the bar who had a stuffed rat at the table...

Our news for this week: the Owl is starting a new daycare in another week or so. I was a little nervous about some changes at his current daycare, and it prompted me just to investigate what was out there. A friend told me about a brand new, non-chain place right by us that turned out to be great. There is a huge sandbox, outside time everyday, snacks from a natural food chef, an effort to minimize plastic toys, they recycle, and lots of other cool things. Of course it costs a lot more, but I think in the long run it will be worth it. I will miss seeing Jasper everyday at lunch, but that was coming to an end anyway, as he was starting to cry when I left. So we are excited for a change that I think will be positive.

It is taper time. Like most runners I love/ hate to taper. On one hand it is nice to not to have a big run every Saturday, but I'll miss that big run every Saturday. We still have some good workouts and this weekend is still a decent run, but I've peaked. I had a fantastic run today dipping way below marathon pace for my miles....I'm bummed tomorrow is an off day, but I have to be at work so early running isn't an option, so I guess it's good to force me into a day off. I am already wondering what is next. Hopefully I will get to be an Austin marathon pacer in February, if I am not I will still run it, but other than that, I have no plans. I am thinking about either the Waco or Prickly Pear 50K in the spring. I also want to do some of the local fall/ winter races. The Decker half marathon and the 3M half marathon are both possibilities. No Rocky Raccoon this year though. I just can't justify leaving Jasper for a weekend to go to Huntsville, and I can't justify putting Mike through the torture of being in a motel room in Huntsville all weekend with a baby.

Oh, and in other running news I looked into protein powders for post run smoothies. Meredith recommended the Vega brand. I went to Central Market to get it and was shocked that it was $65. A single serving envelope was over $3. I've never bought food supplements before, so I had no idea they were so expensive. The cheapest protein powder there was still $20, which is a lot for a food I may think is gross and throw away. But, $65?!? That is a race entry, a really cute running outfit, a few nights of eating out....you get the idea. So for now post run smoothies will be greek yogurt, skim milk, a banana and a handful of frozen blueberries.

Ok, I'd better get to bed. Jasper seems to have a good night, which for him is about 3-4 wakes ups, and then a bad night, which for him is 10-12 wake ups. Last night was 4 wake ups, but I was so tired I fell asleep in his room when I went to rock him. Steve recommend a super awesome rocking chair, but I swear, I am so sick of spending time in that thing, and sleeping half my night in it, I may have to donate it to charity when the Owl starts sleeping through the night.

Not friends...

2010-10-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

As good as it gets...

2010-10-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the longest run for my first marathon as a mom. It was a little over 23 miles. I was worried about this one due to the Owl sleeping so bad all week. We had a full weekend too with Mike's sister and niece here, so I knew I just had to get up very early and get this run done. Mark was kind enough to meet me at 5am, and we were off.

Jasper slept as good as he is capable of the night before. 2 wake ups. That's it. That is huge for him, and I was so happy I wasn't trying to do the run on 2 hours sleep. I ate a little later the night before than I wanted, but tried to fret about it. Thai bean noodles with tofu. I had a banana and some blueberry coffee cake before I headed out...it was all we had. I left Mike instructions to make my post run smoothie at 830 to be ready for me the minute I walked through the door. Jasper stayed asleep while I got ready to go, always a good thing.

Ok, back to the run. We ran to meet the group at town lake. The 6.5 miles flew by, and a bonus for me, I had no bladder discomfort/ issues. Sorry for the TMI details, but for my new mom and mom to be friends, they'll understand. I still hit the bathroom, as I tossed by bottle to Mark to refill. I've developed a regular Indy pit stop now as I sprint to the bathroom and someone refills my water bottle for me. I had a GU, and we were off the the second part of the run.

Steve, Meghan and Frank joined us for the next 14 miles or so. The weather was good, and we chatted away. Frank had stashed water refills along the way, and I had the luxury of a Starbucks bathroom.

We left the group after a long pretty stretch down Shoal Creek Blvd. It seemed like we were really far from my house. For those from Austin, you understand that east Austin seems a world away. At this point we were almost done though. I really needed a third bathroom stop, so a slight accident occurred almost at the end. I just don't see how a post partum bladder can withstand over 3 hours of running and 3 bottles of watered down gatorade. I have been assured by Mark there are a lot of bathrooms on course at the Frankenthon though.

But, other than a little accident the run went as good as a long run could. I didn't worry about pace, as I just wanted to check the box that it was done. But we averaged 8:40s, and I did not stop my Garmin at traffic lights or water stops. I did stop it to run into Starbucks, but I think if we hadn't had lights, we easily would have averaged 8:30s. My nutrition was spot on. I know it's not as critical in a marathon as in an ultra, but it is still nice to run your final miles feeling good. We hit 8 minute pace at the end too, which was fantastic. My post run smoothie and cold bath worked well too. I still need to figure out a good protein powder, but for now I do a banana, a scoop of greek yogurt, skim milk and a handful of frozen blueberries. I drank it the minute I got home, so I think that helped too.

We later went to an Octoberfest about an hour away. I felt pretty good despite only having a beer and a potato pancake. I wouldn't have normally done that, but sometimes you have to go with the flow. I was pretty tired by 930 though, but I didn't feel that was unreasonable. I ran 23 miles, I was outside all day, I still was up a couple times during the night, and I had a 415 wake up. So, overall I was very happy with the final big effort for this race.

Today was an 8 mile danish run and I felt good. I was a little tight, but despite our big effort the day before, we ran well. I am happy to end the big runs on a confident note.

We are about to go for a little hike at McKinney Falls. So, I might get some cute new Owl photos. Until then, I give you another shot of the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

The Owl sleeps!

2010-10-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

Mike took all these cool praying mantis photos and they are the only new ones I have, so you get to enjoy them.

Jasper is doing much better. I reread my last post, and I hate that I sound so doom and gloom...but a week of just a couple hours of sleep each night will do that...especially when the 2 hours is in a few 30 minute increments. He gave me a couple 4 hour stretches the last 2 nights, and I feel fine on that. I did nothing different, so I don't think I will ever know why some nights are fine, and some aren't. I still look forward to the day I put him down to bed and it doesn't begin a countdown of "when will he wake up?", but for now, I will take the 3-4 hour stretches. Last night I had to get up 3 times with him, but that is a huge improvement from about a dozen times earlier in the week. I hope tonight is a good one for my 23 miler tomorrow.

And as far as daycare goes, I got a lot of good suggestions from folks, so I don't feel as bad. I would love for his current situation to work out, since it is right at my work, but if it doesn't I feel like I have a couple options to look into.

So, despite how I might have sounded, I have some good stuff going on. I won't lie, that there have been some tough times when I wish desperately for more time, as it is just hard to manage everything in 24 hours....but when you don't sleep I guess you get a little more time (haha). But our weather is good, I think summer is finally over. I had awesome pace runs this week, despite so little sleep (it was the weather, not me), and I still cannot believe I am about to do my peak run for my marathon training. A year ago I didn't think I would ever get back to being able to run that long.

Ok, gotta get ready for work, while the Owl sleeps :)

2010-09-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

What a week....and it's only Wednesday. Thank you to everyone for their suggestions to get the Owl to sleep. They were timely, as this has been our worst week yet. He's been up every half an hour to hour. Last night I swore if I didn't sleep I would lose it. I'll spare the gory details, but I ended up with 1.5 hours of sleep for me, at the end of a week of 2-4 hours. Work was painful today. This weekend I am going to really try and get to the root of what is causing this. There is a reason sleep deprivation is considered a form of torture, and I am convinced you could get someone to admit to anything once they are sleep deprived enough. It really messes with your head. On top of it we all have some version of the Owl's latest cold, so none of us are 100%, and when you add that to sleeping a couple hours a night, it makes for major grouchiness.

We also had some bad day care news that they want to move Jasper in with the toddlers on Monday. These kids have a rigid schedule and are 12-18 months old. They are moving him and one other baby to make room for more infants. I am pissed they gave me no notice, I have to pay for the next month on October 1, so leaving them for another daycare in such a short time span is unlikely, and I don't really have a choice. It could work, but an 8 month old is very different from an 18 month old, and I am worried his needs won't be met. I am looking into other daycares just in case. It was a big wrench thrown into our lives though. I thought I had reliable childcare, and now I don't feel like I don't. I've had a lot of suggestions from folks though, so I am optimistic that we will find something. I will miss how easy it is to have daycare basically at my work, but no convenience is worth it if they do not take good care of Jasper.

Anyhow, in better news I have a very good shot at being a pace group leader for the Austin marathon in February. Getting an email about it was the brightest spot in my week. I had so much fun in 2009, and it like reliving the feeling for finishing a marathon for the first time all over again.

In my own training news, when I am getting this little sleep, training is all about doing the best I can do. Pace and tempo runs are hard when 8 hours of sleep is my week total. I am out there every morning, but maybe not as quickly as I would like. This weekend Mark and I have a 23 mile route mapped out. I am ready to finish it and really know I am a distance runner once again.

So yeah, a bit of a down week. Once I can get the sleeping under a little control I hope to be a little more optimistic. On that note, it is 830, Jasper is asleep, so I am going to try and sneak in a little nap before we wakes up

Cupcakes make me happy...

2010-09-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

No, I did not eat all of these at once! I had to give a lot away or I would eat them all. I've had a Sugar Mama's gift certificate for about a year and a half now. I kept saving it for a dinner party or something, but finally admitted I would never make it down there and since we were there today with Mike's aunt and uncle, we cashed it in.

Today the scheduled called for 20. Mark suggested I run from my house and meet the group for a Scenic loop. It would be 18.5 and not 20, but it was a good compromise, so I did it. Running from my house alone at 500 to town lake was a little bit scary, but my motivation was that I had people waiting for me.

Let me back up a bit though....Jasper had some really, really bad nights this week. I spent 80% of my night in a chair one night and was still in the chair when my alarm went off. I cried. He is almost 8 months old. I shouldn't still be up all night. Something had to give, so we decided to try the cry it out method. Huge mistake. It only made a bad situation worse, once he had worked himself up to a point I thought was dangerous, it took a couple hours to get him back down. It made me feel beyond guilty and horrible that as his comforter and protector, I let him down and left him abandoned and frightened. We both calmed down and I finally got him to sleep. Just as I was getting my shoes on the leave at 455 am, he started crying, summoning me. I felt really guilty, but I told Mike I had to go or I would never make it on time to meet the group. I am so thankful Mike was willing to step in at that hour. It took me 6 miles to convince myself I wasn't the most horrible, selfish person in the world for leaving my baby and my sleepy husband to deal with him. But that is the nice thing about a run. You can work through just about anything as you run through the streets at 500am. I watched a lot of UT tailgaters getting ready, so I wasn't really out there alone, and once I hit Clarksville, there were folks getting out with their dogs. I had a nice 2nd part of the run with Steve and Meghan, Mark was out sick (get well soon Mark!). I got home and was relieved that Mike said Jasper was just ready to get up when I had left and they had been playing and walking around the the block. Ok, relieved he wasn't crying, but slightly disturbed he now thinks 5am is wake up time. That's my only time to myself right now!

So, I felt good on the run. I finished and felt like I had some more miles in me. I didn't get my high protein smoothie, I just had yogurt and I did not feel as good all throughout the day...a little tired. I am sold on an ASAP post run protein smoothie. I am going to research a little on protein powders and start keeping all the ingredients on hand, so I don't make sad little smoothies like last week's (greek yogurt, skim milk, banana....it was kinda milky). If anyone does recovery smoothies, please let me know what you put in them and if you use a protein supplement. This is uncharted territory for me.

So, a good run to work out some mental woes. Jasper reset his bedtime tonight and went down 2 hours later than normal, so I am hoping that means he'll go longer without waking up. Hey, that's all I can do....be hopeful. In baby yoga the instructor told me "The universe doesn't give you more than you can handle." Dang universe..quit thinking I am tough and quit upping the ante...let the poor Owl sleep!

2010-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Lots going on as always, none of it very interesting to anyone but me, but here goes.

After having terrible runs everyday last week, things finally are going really well this week (so far). I ran a marathon pace run with the goal being to feel relaxed and not like I was pushing. I had to keep telling myself to relax, but I hit my goal time. Today was a recovery run with Pancake. I pay no attention to time and just run. It was nice to see I ran my middle miles at marathon pace without trying. I am one month out from re-entering the world of distance running. Training for this run has been really fun. I get to experience the feeling of being a first time marathoner all over again, but with a little more confidence. At this point, I have no doubts I have enough endurance to cover the distance. It's just a matter of how fast can I do it. Anyhow, I am excited I can finally feel like I have a big race around the corner.

Poor Owl. He hasn't had good luck lately! First his UTI, then he had a couple bad days at school, now, thanks to Kitty, I found out his formula has been recalled because there were beetle parts and larvae found in it. Ick. He has a couple of bottles of formula every day, because he out eats what I can give him. I know he's a Tim Burton fan, but I that is truly Beetlejuice!

In more Owl news, he finally put it all together and can crawl and pull up. He did it all at once after months of crying whenever he couldn't figure it out. Only bad thing is now when he wakes up at night (he still hasn't figured out sleeping), I walk in his room to find him standing in his crib bouncing up and down half crying/ half laughing. He did this from 130 am to 230 am last night.

I have really been enjoying running podcasts at work. Check out runningpodcasts.org. Who knew there were so many? I really like Run Vegan Run, and Running to Disney. I still have a lot to check out, but if you can listen while you work, I recommend checking out this site. I recommend starting whatever podcast you pick at the first episode. I started a couple in the middle and it doesn't flow as well.

Up this weekend: 18-20 miler, car maintenance (yuck), brunch with some friends,and Curious George's birthday party at BookPeople for Owl.

Random thoughts...

2010-09-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

Jasper always gets put into pink accessories. At day care they supply the bibs, and I have picked him up countless times to find him in a pink bib that says "I'm not a boy." Poor Owl. And he seemed very fond of this pink party hat at Leah Garel's birthday today. I got him a bowl with owls all over it, but it is pink, so Mike got upset with me. I don't think it really matters, but think it is funny that the Owl always gets pink things.

I managed to run 15 today. I didn't try to reschedule my 20 miler, as experience dictates that rescheduled runs always seem to go bad. I just figured, flip flop the schedule and attempt it next weekend. I have to start by saying Mark and Steve are very good friends to accommodate my ever growing list of running needs. Mark meets me early, does a crazy back to back weekend, and always is willing to run my pace. Steve was willing to buy a $3 muffin so I could hit my second bathroom on the run, and brought water for Mark and I so we didn't die in the 90% humidity. It's nice to know they are on my side to help me see another marathon. I had a great run though, and no feelings of illness or IT soreness (another fun issue this week). I am totally embarrassed that I am super sore from yoga. I would go to this class pregnant and not get this sore. It seemed a lot harder than I remember. I guess baby yoga really isn't maintaining things for me.

At the birthday party today, the room was divided into those who have kids and those who do not. Those who do not all tended to be hardcore runner/ triathletes. I somewhat looked at them longingly and thought "that used to be by world, not any more." But was it, really? I've never really fit into the runner/ triathlete community here. I have some wonderful lifelong friends I've met, but I'm just not that good. It was just a hobby for me, and it's still just a hobby. Maybe years down the road I can do what I used to but for now I just don't know where to find the time, and I suppose that is ok. Our lives go through cycles and priorities change. Not really a new thought, it was just strange to actually see in front of me today.

Have a good week, everyone, and we're going to try and stay healthy around here.

2010-09-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Today's planned 20 miler did not happen. I thought it would be a bad idea to run after throwing up all day yesterday. To rewind....Mike's been sick, Jasper had his UTI, but I suspected something else, as he had 2 massive throw ups in day care. I felt off all week. I couldn't hit any times in my runs. I had little runs of aches and chills, and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I made excuses for all of: asthma, something I ate, taking too many ibuprofen but I finally had to admit defeat. I had the stomach flu. Something I haven't had since childhood. I've had food poisoning, bad morning sickness, bad hangover, but not puking your guts out with a fever and every bone in your body hurting. It really is super unpleasant. I tried to tough it out at work since if I went home I would have Jasper to take care of and I actually figured that staying at work throwing up was easier. Yes, I've hit a new low. But when I didn't make it to the bathroom in time (thank god for trashcans), I threw in the towel and left, driving home with a plastic bag in my lap and Jasper in the back. Luckily the day was about over, so Mike could come home and help me. Until about 4pm I still planned to run, "I'll just slam gatorade all night!" I thought. Finally when nothing had stayed in me all day and it was the early evening, I emailed out my cancellation from the group run.

Good news is I am much better today. I went very slow with food and really tried to hydrate. I am going to attempt to run tomorrow. I am hoping I'll be done with illness by then.

Yes, as per my last post, a lot can happen training for a race. While I place a high priority on running, the truth is it is down my priority list after family and work, so I can't be too upset. I kinda feel like I missed this whole week from training. I cut just about every run short. But, I think weeks like this will happen. I am getting exposed to all kinds of illnesses I haven't dealt with since I was a kid. This isn't the last time I am going to get sick in the midst of training. I took advantage of not running by going to a real, not with babies yoga class. It was my old Saturday class I was a regular at pre-Jasper, and never get to go to anymore. I forgot how awesome it is to leave feeling like every muscle in my body got worked and stretched. I really need to work on running less so I can do stuff like this, but it's hard to give up a run.

So with a little luck, and a little pasta I hope to keep down, I am going to give it a go in the morning!

Tired...

2010-09-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

When you train for a big race, unless you are a professional runner, you know life will get in the way, so you go into it just hoping for the best. A couple weeks ago I was on a roll, getting faster and faster. I seem to have stalled a little. Now nothing terrible is going on.....it's just all the usual, plus the Owl. Let's see....Owl was still sick all weekend. His lab results finally came in, confirming he has a urinary tract infection. I almost cried to think he went all weekend long in pain, before the results came in. Now he is on antibiotics, and he is starting to return to being the baby who never stops smiling. But, he was glued to me all weekend. I was so worn out by Sunday night, when I finally got him to bed, I had one of my periodic Owl breakdowns. To top it off, both Mike and I seem to be fighting off the virus everyone seems to have right now. Mike has it more than I do, but I've been hit with intermittent bouts of aches and chills. Chomping lots of tylenol is keeping things at bay, but on the last 2 morning's tempo runs, I was pushing as hard as I could, and coming up waaaaay short. I knew I had been knocked down a notch. Then there is just the regular old rat race....early meetings at work, errands to run after work, trying not to fall asleep while at work. Everything seems to have added up to just making me tired. Coffee and adrenaline have kept me going a long time, and now I wonder if the buzz is wearing off. But these things happen. I am hopeful the little slow down is temporary and in another few days I'll have my energy back. Today was already better than yesterday, but still not normal. Hopefully this weekend's 20 miler will go off without a hitch.

Still, I am thankful I am up to this point. Sometimes it seems like a long time ago I was meeting Meredith to power walk around Mueller since I wasn't running yet. Sometimes it seems like it was just a short time ago I was home with a new baby taking my daily walk. There was a time 20 miles didn't seem possible. Now I don't know how I ever ran a 50 miler or a 100K. That seems so far.

I forgot to mention on my last post I tried a high protein recovery smoothie. As soon as possible after the run, I made myself a smoothie with plain greek yogurt, a banana, a little juice and a handful of berries. Maybe it is the placebo effect, but I swear I felt much better the rest of the day than I did for the previous weekend's 18 miler. I've read a lot in different places about how much a recovery protein drink or meal can help, and just getting calories ASAP. I felt good enough throughout the day that I am going to do it again. Any little burst of energy, placebo or not is welcome when you have a little Owl to entertain all day.

20!

2010-09-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today was my first 20 miler in over a year and a half. 20 miles seems to be the mark that most runners declare as entering really long run territory. It is a run you must psych yourself up for the night before. You must prep with a good dinner the night before, and if you can, get plenty of rest. Well, I missed out on the rest part, but I started with a good dinner of tofu and butternut squash with couscous. Dark chocolate for dessert. The Owl is still sick, so as expected he slept like complete poo again. I wanted to cry when my alarm went off at 4:10, and I was still in his room, rocking him from his 3am wakeup. Anyhow, onto better things...

Mark was kind enough to meet me at 5am. The plan was to run to town lake, run the exposition loop with Steve, run home. Our route takes us through UT. It was the first home game today. I will not do this route again with so many tailgaters! I was totally humiliated to run through them with a ratty ponytail, shuffling feet, while slurping down a GU. More on that part later. It went quick to get to town lake. I still have to hit a bathroom every hour or so, and Mark and Steve were nice enough to wait for me. I can toss Steve my water bottle now, so he can refill it for me, as I sprint towards the bathroom. I am loving the new chocolate mint GU, and I slurped one down and we headed out towards Expo. Mark was feeling like he was getting sick, and decided to cut it a little shorter and head back towards home. Steve and I had a great run, it flew by, and after bathroom stop # 2, I was onto my last little chunk. For those who live in Austin, I ran the Jefferson loop backwards to Enfield, then took 15th to Red River, cut through UT, and then back onto Manor all the way home. Major hills!! I was not loving this route with hills, and lots of traffic at 715 am due to tailgaters.

Today I never looked at pace. I still haven't checked it. I told Mark it was just about checking the 20 miler box off. I tried to stay positive on the way home. I found Mark with a mile to go, and we kicked it in...as much as I could. I was tired. Last week I had a lot of energy still. This week not so much, but maybe it was do to weather. It was super muggy. It felt fantastic to hear the beep of my garmin at 20 miles. So that's it. I ran 20 miles today.

Owl sickness sucks...

2010-09-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

The Owl is sick. This time he is more sick than usual. He gets an upper respiratory cold about every other week due to day care. His nose runs, he's a touch fussy and it is over pretty quick. This time is different. Yesterday I had to get him a little early because he had a fever of 102.4. He had been very clingy and needy all weekend...kinda making it a little bit of a tough weekend. So it made sense something was wrong. Only he had no congestion or runny nose. I had to stay home from work with him and took him to the doctor. She thinks he has a urinary tract infection, so 4 people had to pin down the Owl so he could get a catheter. Needless to say, he was not happy, totally pissed off is more like it. So today we had his first and hopefully last trip to the children's hospital, but just for the lab. He clung to me like glue all day, and howled off and on. It's a pretty tiring way to spend the day. I couldn't really take him anywhere since he had such a high fever, and he gets bored at home all day. We watched The Muppets Take Manhattan, he hung out on me in the ergo carrier while I cooked, he sat on my lap a lot....I think I need a massage....the Owl is almost 20 pounds now. He was awake from 3am to 430am. I took at nap from 430 to 500 then went out for a run and got poured on thanks to hurricane Hermine. The little lake at the Mueller development where I run had flooded and water was up to the top of the picnic tables. My pace was all over.....I was really tired, so I had to push, but then I would hit a major water crossing up to my knees. I needed to go out knowing what the day would be like, and I was right. It took a lot of patience....something I am not good at, but working on. Poor little Owl. Nothing hurts me like watching him hurt and not being able to take it away from him.

So yes, despite coming off a holiday weekend, I am ready for the weekend! Mike is taking Owl duty tomorrow, so I am off to work. Hopefully by Friday the little Owl who smiles non-stop will be back.

The Lone Owl...

2010-09-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

Probably something only family members will be interested in, but here is the Lone Owl....

One down, three to go...

2010-09-05T06:49:00.000-07:00

...long runs until the Frankenthon that is. This weekend was the first truly long run. My ultra friends will probably laugh that I think 18 miles is long, but it takes over 2 hours, you need to take in calories to get through and not feel like crap, and on the roads, your legs will feel it when you're done. I started the night before by making an awesome pasta dinner. Whole wheat spaghetti, and I made a terrific sauce with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, fresh basil , and a dark chocolate covered banana for dessert. I made some banana bread to have pre-run too. Mark met me at 5am and we decided to run from my house to town lake, do most of Steve's run with him, and then head home when we got to Hyde Park. It was 18 miles exactly. Getting to town lake didn't take long at all. It's scary that it is at least a 20 minute drive for me, but we ran it in 1 hour and it was just shy of 7 miles. From there, mentally we both thought, "ok, from here on out just we're heading home." It went by fast. I didn't want to run too slow, but I also didn't stress about a time goal. We did the last part at around 8-8:20 miles, so that was good. Overall the average pace was too slow for Boston pace, so that was bad. I felt like we ran pretty steady, so I need to figure out where I lost time. Mark is very capable of running faster, so any faltering from the desired pace, is my fault.

I got home and tried to eat a little a stretch right away. The Owl was napping, so I had a little time. I took an "ice" bath (I just use cold water, I really cannot handle sitting in ice) and a shower. I ate some Irish oatmeal. I still ended up feeling a little tired/ hung over. Runners know this feeling....you're a little dehydrated, a little over-fatigued. Still functional, but you cannot say the run didn't knock you around a bit. We later went to Chuy's for the Hatch green chili days, and that helped. I got pretty sleepy in the afternoon, but by evening I was doing good. I guess I did something right, because this morning I felt fine.

Lessons from this one: I probably needed to fuel a little better post run. I also feed Jasper after a run, so that is a lot of fluid and calories leaving me. I think if I had done that I wouldn't have had a little down spell. Next week is 20 miles. My first 20 miler in over a year and a half! 20 miles kinda makes a true long run. I am excited, and anxious to see if I can keep up my pace. Another little issue from this run was I seriously need routes with bathrooms. We had one at mile 6 and then nothing for 12 more miles. I just can't make it more than an hour without some serious discomfort. That made the end an extra struggle. I run with guys, and I know they don't get it, but that is just how running is going to be for me from now on after having Jasper. Next week we will plan a slightly better route. Although, it was awesome to finish a long run at my doorstep.

Today we did the danish run (8 miles). I felt fine, but did run at a relaxed pace. It was a relief to not be sore though, so I either didn't push hard enough yesterday, or I am not too out of shape. Or maybe a little of both.

So, up this week: baby yoga today, hopefully free day of yoga tomorrow...if Jasper allows (all Austin yoga studios have free classes, I encourage everyone to take advantage), an 8 mile hill run, a tempo run, recovery run , and a Pancake run.

Happy 7 month birthday Jasper...

2010-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today marks 7 months of Owl. He celebrated by spitting up a lot and jumping every minute I saw him. And I don't see much of him Monday-Friday, just a couple hours a day.

Owl has made the summer fly by. I am always so busy, I cannot believe how quickly it went. It is still 100 degrees, but fall is right around the corner. We have Halloween coming up, and then time to start thinking about Jasper's first Christmas (I already know I want a REAL tree this year!).

Jasper is now a "big" baby as opposed to the tiny little 5 pounder he was at birth. He has a little tooth, and pseudo-crawls. He eats 2 meals of solid foods a day. He seems fond of sweet stuff just like his mama. He still breastfeeds, which means little sleep for me, aka mama. So, yes most nights he still gets up 3-6 times. He has a lot of excess energy and I already found out I can enroll him in gymnastics at age 1 (thanks for the idea, Mark). He needs to jump off his energy. He loves Sesame Street and Murray is his favorite character. He could still spend forever and a day in his exersaucer. His new favorite toy is a little mouse we bought at Ikea for $2. He sleeps with it (when he does sleep). He goes nuts if I toss him in the air and catch him, but he's heavy now, so my arm get a work out! He likes to play catch and will cracks him up. He still sees Pancake as something to pull, so we are working on that.

I can't believe I've been back at work for 4 months. I try and be as productive as I can despite fighting off sleep just about every afternoon. I also have learned not to even try and make up time....it I lose time on something, it's gone. Taking it away from Jasper isn't worth it. Our weekdays can be pretty frenzied, but I manage to make dinner most nights (we eat a lot of tofu stirfry...it's easy), hop on the computer from time to time, and occasionally I might even get to do yoga or work on stretching. We need to try a baby sitter again. We've only done it once, so only once in 7 months have we gone out together sans Owl...I think it is time to start doing more.

I am still working on a lot of "my" stuff. I don't see my friends enough, I still wonder how "ultra" moms really do it, I have about 10 new hobbies I want to start, and I miss doing things with Mike. It is easy to get frustrated, but then Owl will give me one of his smiles when I really need it, and give me his "reach-y arms" and things seem a little easier.

Happy 7 months, Little Owl.

2010-08-29T03:34:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible story! Please check it out. I can relate to fighting cut offs in a 100 miler. I don't know when I'll do another one, but I really hope I have a little more resolve now. I feel like I do, I just need a race to test it!

Yesterday was my longest run yet, and I realize I still need to do that speed work. We dropped it to 7:30 miles at many points, and those suckers are hard. They seemed effortless to Mark, but today my hamstrings are letting me know that I was pushing. I cannot believe I am starting the biggest training month. Every run in September is a biggie. Then it's time to start winding it down a bit. Heck, I just can't believe it is almost September. Not much longer of super hot weather.

I am about to meet Mark for the Danish run, and then actually get danishes. We meet at a bakery (hence the name), but we always finish before the bakery opens. Today we slept late and started a little later in order to get goodies. Except Jasper got up every hour starting at 1am, and at 4 I just stayed up. We had work done on the house, and we had to be out all day, and I think it made him kinda nuts. Then there was a lot of dust, so he was super congested all night. So maybe this one is my fault, but the every hour nights are the toughest!

Ok, off the sweat then eat a pastry....

More Rocky Mountain pictures...

2010-08-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountains..

2010-08-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

We are home from the Rockies. I jumped right on the computer, because Jasper is napping, and who knows when I will have my hands free again.

It was too few days of heavenly weather, as we were greeted by an "F-you, welcome back to Austin", 108 degree airport parking lot. Going to the Rockies is about more than the weather though. There is just something about being in a place that makes the fast pace of life vanish, and makes you feel so good. We left Thursday morning at 6am, and by 9am, we were looking at a mama and baby Elk foraging for some breakfast. Pretty awesome.

We have decided this is our summer destination. A quick 2 hour direct flight cannot be beat, and then about 45 minutes in the car. We got a cabin that was secluded, on the river, and had a wonderful patio (nothing like morning coffee on the patio in 60 degrees!), but terrible beds....including the Owl's pack and play, so he slept like poo and I would not call this a restful vacation. When we came here 2 years ago, we literally never stopped hiking, and as we reviewed park maps, we realized we had already done a lot. We knew this year with Jasper would be different. Last time we summited a 12000 ft peak, this time we knew the shorter easier hikes/ walks would be our main agenda. We also booked time with each other to watch the Owl, so I could run and Mike could play disc golf.

Shortly after we arrived at our cabin, I set out on a run on a trail behind it that eventually entered the national park. The guy in the cabin's office said "it's steep in the beginning, but don't let that discourage you." Steep is an understatement. It was straight up. I didn't want to start my run at a walk, and my ego got the better of me and I tried to haul my ass up as fast as I could. Then it went straight down, and I repeated the process. The trail forked and I thought that with no water and a little boy who needs his mama alive, it would be a bad idea to start taking lots of twists and turns where I didn't know where I was. There was a little road a ways off, and I hopped on it, and realized it just brought be back into town, but I knew where I was at least. I also realized I had destroyed my legs. Why had I run that hill as hard as I could? I knew pain was inevitable the next day. I also realized I was late getting back to Mike and I had to run as hard as I could. Sure enough, I spent the rest of the trip with completely busted quads.

After a great evening of making spaghetti in our cabin with yummy local IPA, I went out for a painful run. I turned a corner and on a ledge about 10 ft away was a beautiful, mature bull elk. I just stopped and stared. My poor writing skills don't allow me to put words to what it is like to see an animal like this in the early morning stillness. I continued onto the local hike and bike and there was another mature bull elk, with his harem of female elks around him. I could have easily petted them, but opted not to. What an awesome run!

We spent the next couple days at the park walking when we could in between Jasper's naps and eating, and when we couldn't walk we drove. We went up Trail Ridge Road to 12000 ft, for more elk watching, and amazing vistas. We picnicked by a lake. We did short walks/ hikes. We left the park for a trip to the Bald Pate Inn, for yummy pie on their deck. It is an almost 100 year old log cabin Inn that is so much fun. Jasper loved watching the humming birds.

We also spent a day in Boulder. Jasper and I shopped while Mike played disc golf. We then had my favorite micro brew at Mountain Sun brewery. We checked out the flatirons. That night we ate at the Boulder Tea Room which had a middle eastern feel, and incredible food that I had to eat in about 2 minutes thanks to a very sleepy Owl.

We did a lot, but we had a lot of down time due to Jasper. It was really about spending time together and just "being" somewhere beautiful. We cannot wait until next summer's trip.

Vacation...

2010-08-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. We loved and it and vowed to go back. In a couple days, we'll head out and Jasper will get his first mountain trip. This photo is from the very popular Bear Lake hike. Last time we went we did a hike where we summited a 12000 foot peak above tree line. This time we have a long list of short hikes to do, in case a certain little Owl decides he's had enough. He'll be going in the Ergo with me carrying him for all the hikes. We also plan on just hanging out at our cabin, eating pie at the Bald Pate Inn, and drinking good micro brew. There was a half marathon in Boulder, I wanted to do, but decided against throwing in difficult logistics. Instead I will enjoy a long run either in the park or around Estes Park, the town right outside the national park with a nice little hike and bike. Right now I am list making for the packing. Jasper has a lot of stuff....

Ever have one of those days you are sore head to toe for no good reason? I have one of those today. Had a 15 miler Saturday, and Sunday I only did about 6.5. I went to baby yoga which usually isn't much, but we did a lot of core work and some back bends. I also played with the Owl pretty hard all weekend while Mike was off winning a 2 day disc golf tournament (yay Mike!). Anyhow, I feel like a ran a marathon. Tomorrow is an easy day, and Wednesday is 8 miles of hill repeats. Ick... But it must be done. On workout days I tell myself "In order to run faster, I have to run faster."

So, hopefully I will have some pictures in a few days. I am a little nervous the Owl will not sleep there, but it's not like he sleeps here, so I guess it can't be worse. On that note, I am going to bed for a little nap, in case the Owl does his usual "I like to get up every 2 hours" thing.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Races!

2010-08-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ryan asked me what races I was planning, and I've been meaning to post on it for awhile. First off, I love racing. I have no trouble getting out and doing my runs if I don't have a race, but I love the ritual of it all, I love the challenge, and I love meeting other runners. I've done a couple little 10Ks since Jasper was born, but nothing where I had to really dig deep and push myself out of my comfort zone. I am looking forward to the race season in about 8 weeks or so.

In Texas, the racing "season" really starts in October and goes through abut April-May. Other than the Frankenthon marathon in October, I am undecided on what my goals are. There are a couple contingencies. 1. If I qualify for the Boston marathon, and if it isn't full, I would like to do that in April. 2. If I get invited to pace the Austin marathon again. that would be a priority. Both of those are big "ifs". I'll run Austin no matter what, but if I get invited to be a pacer, it becomes a little more of a time commitment with some of the practice runs. Other wise, I am not sure what I want to do. There is a series of races leading up to the Austin marathon called the Distance Challenge and one year I did it. I ran a great marathon, because I used each progressively longer race as a big speed effort. I might do that again this year. The only challenge of it is having all the weekends there are races free. The distances are really not challenging for someone who has done a marathon before.

I am enjoying running "faster" . That is a relative term, because I am by no means, "fast". But, I have been running a lot faster than when I was training for 50 milers, etc. Due to the fact that Jasper is so little, unpredictable on his sleep, still nursing, etc, this may be the year I just concentrate on the marathon and 50K distance. So, I will probably do either the Waco run or Prickly Pear run next spring. I would probably pick the one that more friends are going to, as both are about equal in travel time, fun, and both are well done. That is a long way off though.

I would like to make myself a race "schedule " though and schedule rest/ down time in between efforts. The huge time I took off long runs did teach me that week after week of really long runs was tightening up my back, and I think if I want to have longevity in this hobby of mine, I need to have some periods of lighter running from time to time.

The great thing is we have so many races in this area. You really could do something every weekend if you wanted to. Other than Boston, I will not be traveling out of state to any races, but there is so much here that is really well done, and challenging that there is no need to do out of town races. I am really looking forward to getting back to racing and I look forward to hearing my friends' plans. After watching from the sidelines last year, I can't wait to join everyone again.

A side note....the photo is from the Antelope Island 50K near Salt Lake City, Utah. It was 32 degrees and spitting snow. It was a fantastic race, but I was sooooo cold.

2010-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest side effects of having a blog is meeting people. I met awesome runners/ dads Mark, Derek, and Ryan this way. We've all become great friends and they have been so inspirational for me to work this balancing act of baby+work+running. Well, recently I met Jules, and she did an awesome post (and gave me a shout out!) about trying to keep up hobbies while you have an infant. Hello, the girl is trying to find time to run and ride her horse! How is that for being an active mama!?! I can sooooo relate. While I write a ton about running, I have about a billion other things I want to do that just don't happen any more. Just a few: yoga (well, I get some but not 3 classes a week any more!), riding PeeWee (my bike), mountain biking, hiking, taking photos, baking, reading (got 2 books right now I am dying to get into), multiple TV series, movies, well you get the idea. As a mom of an infant, the only time you can do anything productive is when that baby is asleep. Now I also like my house clean, so I tend to have a long list of chores I want to get too also. I also have the Little Owl in day care, so when I am home with him it is the precious little time that we have together, and I feel terrible if I am not spending it with him. And, oh yeah, I have a husband it would be nice to spend time with other than tag teaming the Owl.

So here's what has worked for me so far. And, I totally welcome tips from anyone on how to create a little more time for hobbies. Ok, here goes:

1. Pick a time of day when the baby sleeps that will always be your time. For me it is early, early morning. Really I think it is this or late night. And, on either one there is still the risk of baby waking. Now, both times are optimal for sleep, which most moms need, but I forgo some of it to get my run, which I have deemed non-negotiable. There are a lot of days I am exhausted, but I really want my run, so this works for me.

2. For other times, don't plan anything. Any time that comes your way is a gift, and you can enjoy it. But plans that don't happen get very frustrating, so why set yourself up. This took me forever to figure out. If I want more time to stretch, or answer friends' emails, I just have to get up earlier. If I leave it for the evening it may not happen. The only plans I make in the evenings now are feed the Owl, bathe the Owl, love the Owl. If he falls asleep easily, then any left over time is for Mike and I and a rare treat.

3. For my running, having a goal helps. My goal is to run a Boston qualifying time this fall. It keeps in line when I want to skip hard runs.

4. I try to make my chores into playtime for Jasper. I'll wear him in the Ergo while I cook dinner and sing to him. He really doesn't know that I am doing a "chore" and to him it's all fun. This way I get something I need to done without sacrificing time from him.

5. Finally, if at all possible, I try and do my hobbies with Jasper. So far this has worked for yoga, and I confess he has watched an occasional episode of the Tudors.

I welcome anymore tips. I confess there are times I wish I was a stay at home mom for selfish reasons. I would join a gym with childcare and hit the yoga and spin classes. But I don't feel like I can stick Jasper in anymore childcare than he already has.

Also, I have to constantly remind myself he won't be this little forever. One day we'll mountain bike together, go hiking together, bake cookies together, etc. Yesterday one of my coworkers told me that on his first birthday I can look back and say that I survived the hardest year of being a mom.

It's really not so bad...

Family photo attempt...

2010-08-09T03:21:00.000-07:00

2010-08-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Jasper is currently napping recovering from his getting up every 30 minutes last night. I seem to be unable to nap, so here I am.

So far it's been a good weekend of running. I am hibernating inside right now, as we've had a week of triple digits, and it never seems to cool off. A couple years ago, I was training for trail runs every weekend, doing long runs on the greenbelt in the full sun, and cooling off in Barton Creek. This year, I seem to do my runs earlier and earlier, and even a 2 + hour run gets done before the sun comes up, so I am not exactly getting a tan this summer. Mark was nice enough to meet me Saturday for a 15 miler starting in east Austin and heading into Hyde Park, thru UT, and then thru Cherrywood. We started at 5am, and once again it was nice to be done so early. My Garmin seems to be swirling the drain, so I have no idea what our pace was. I am trying to keep my long runs at race pace and not slow down as the mileage increases. Today I met Steve for a slightly modified Danish loop, and then I ran Mike's run with him, while pushing Jasper in the stroller. Then Mike was nice enough to watch Jasper while I went to a real yoga class. What a treat. I realize my runs are kinda uninteresting to construct a running blog around. Gone are the long, epic trail runs. Gone are the big races in amazing locations. Most my runs are practical solutions to getting in the training I feel need to achieve my goals, and they will be local goals. This is not a complaint. There are fantastic races in the Austin area I will get to do this fall. So, in case you haven't noticed, the focus of my blog is really about the challenges of balancing running, work, and most importantly a very active little Owl!

Back to back runs and the Owl back to not sleeping...

2010-08-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

I feel busy this week. I am not sure why. It's not different than any other week. Maybe all that the days now consist of is finally sinking in.

I am excited and motivated to be in full swing marathon training. Mike got me a cannoli the other day from Whole Foods and that was my motivation for the week. I LOVE going the the Italian pastry shops at the North End in Boston and getting a fresh cannoli. So if I ever want to do that again, I gotta get my butt moving faster. While I am not up to 20 milers yet, I do a back to back long runs of sorts on weekends. It's enough for me to feel it on Mondays, and not mind doing a recovery run on Monday morning. Tomorrow is my hill repeat day, so I am psyching myself up tonight.

And, speaking of nights, Jasper quit sleeping over the weekend. At first he just got up a couple times in the night, and then Sunday night he got up about every 30 minutes from 630 when he went down until 2 am. Then he fell asleep until 6am. Soooo uncool, Owl. Then last night he got up every 2 hours again, which is his usual pattern. I did stay strong and kept him in his crib, but I wasn't happy. I had mentally prepared myself he may backslide some, I just didn't think so much. I try my best to remain optimistic, but the realist in me says I may look back and refer to 2010 as "the year I didn't sleep."

Happy Half Birthday Jasper...

2010-08-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Jasper is 6 months old today. I really cannot use the excuse anymore of being a new mom/ having a new baby. As in: "Sorry I am late, I have a new baby." "Sorry I dosed off in the middle of the meeting, I have a new baby." "I know I have a bit of a gut, but I just had a baby." At some point, I cannot make excuses anymore. Darn.

Anyhow, happy half birthday to Jasper. I'll save the sentimentality for his first full birthday. For now I'll just celebrate with a glass of wine and a cupcake if I can get my hands on one by this evening.

Kickin' butt at 515 am...

2010-07-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

First off, as Mike and I like to say "the Owl sleeps". He did great all week. Overnight he started sleeping long stretches and willingly moved into his crib. I can turn over at night again! I spent the last several months sleeping in a little ball never moving, so I had one shoulder much tighter than the other. He does still wake up once, and the other night he did twice, but he will sleep 5-7 hours at a time. My life is much better.

I am so lucky I have a husband who helps me do it all.....but he's lucky too :) He has a disc golf game early, as he finally decided playing all afternoon in 100 degrees sucks. So I volunteered to move my run from Town Lake to home, and started early. I must give a shout out to Mark here: He is always so nice to meet me where I need to start, and he is such a good role model for me. He's a super busy working dad of two very active little boys, and he is a fantastic cook. He gets in his runs, and never takes time from his family. He's given me endless encouragement and advice on what it is like to raise a "cheeky" little boy (Mark's term....he is a Welshman). Anyhow, since he was meeting me today, I was a more willing to travel further from home in the dark. We did a great little tour of Austin for a nice 2 hour run. We took in Hyde Park, UT, MLK and Chicon (always a hopping corner), and finished up with a tour of the hills of Cherrywood. We both remarked how great it was we would be done before 730. I got home threw on dry clothes, said goodbye to Mike and took over Owl duty. He was in his usual jumping mood, when suddenly, a big yawn came....and another. The Owl decided to take a nap by 800, so I got to shower and eat. Now that is an awesome morning....

More good news today. A very nice co-worker friend offered to watch Jasper so Mike and I get to see a movie!!!! We have not gone to a movie together in over 6 months. This is pretty much the only activity that is impossible with a baby. We are going to the Alamo Drafthouse, so I am already wondering "Hmmm, do I get a milkshake, or a beer". Important stuff to ponder...

And keeping with the good mood theme, some happy thoughts: Mad Men is back on!, I am reading the Girl Who Played with Fire, such a page turner, the weekend was almost derailed by another freakin' day care virus...this one was truly a 24 hour deal though, and I am fine now, and the Owl is taking an epic nap.....looks like I get to clean the house too.

New York-New Jersey whirlwind tour...

2010-07-26T07:34:00.001-07:00

I just got back from my Uncle's wedding in New Jersey. It was my first time away from Jasper, and a total whirlwind of a trip...but very nice. I left Friday morning very early and kissed the family goodbye. I was meeting my dad and uncle Charlie at the Newark airport and we were immediately taking the train to NYC to eat deli food and sight see. Since Jasper was staying home and he is still nursing, I had to drag a breast pump everywhere. That part really sucked. It was awkward, heavy, and sometimes difficult to find a bathroom. But, I managed. NYC was insanely crowded and fast paced. It took us a while to find Carnegie deli, but then I achieved my goal of getting a piece of cheesecake as big as my head. We then headed to the Museum of Folk Art (since MoMA had a line wrapped around the block 3 times), and we went to the MoMA gift shop where I got Jasper and Mike presents...I could have spent hours and lots of money there. Then there was the task of getting back to NJ in rush hour. Let's just say Penn Station at rush hour is something out a cartoon...it was just unreal. I cannot imagine doing that commute every day!

The next day I went exploring on a run around our hotel and the wedding site. It was a beautiful area. Very New England country scenery. It was very green and lush. There was a beautiful residential area near the hotel that had huge old homes with huge yards, so I went running around there. When I travel, I just kinda give up the long run, and figure I can manage an hour or so without inconveniencing others. I just take it as a recovery week and don't worry about making the runs a workout. I had 2 days of really nice runs, and I found a yoga/ pilates studio 1 mile from the hotel, so I did a pilates class for the first time. It was one of those moments of "well, I thought I did core work, but THIS is core work." It was great, I am still sore, and I will be looking for a class here in the future. It was shorter than a yoga class which I liked. I am still a huge yoga fan, but since I don't seem to make it regularly, I figure mixing it up with whatever I can manage is good.

The wedding was beautiful and lots of fun. There was a lot of food and drink and no one could accuse me of going hungry this weekend. By Sunday, I was ready to go home though, so after one last drive through the country it was back to the Newark airport.

There were a couple hiccups coming home and I got in after midnight. I was so excited to see Jasper. He slept really good for Mike, so it seems I am part of the issue, if not all of it. He slept 6 hours in his crib last night. I think I need to give him more time to put himself back to sleep and not get up so quickly.

It was super hard to be away from Jasper all weekend, as much as it was nice to have the break. It was a very busy weekend, and I am glad I went, but still looking forward to my real vacation next month.

It's good to be home.

More inspiration...

2010-07-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

If you have a kid/ kids, if you run/ or are just starting, do yourself a favor and get this book. Or get it for a mom in your life. Does it really tell me anything I don't already know about running? No. But the authors give you every little tip there is to help you find running after baby, and there is a real life running while pregnant section (not just "prenatal yoga and walking are great!" type articles like lame-o Fit Pregnancy has). There is also a companion website and yours truly is one of the mamas listed (anyone can be...just send your info), and from that list are tons of cool blogs I've even yet to explore. The website has cool giveaways every week (I've yet to win, but keep trying). Anyhow...very cool stuff. Between this site and all its blogs, and all the cool cooking blogs out there, I could spend a whole day just exploring blogs. It's funny there are so many cool running mama blogs when sitting down at the computer and typing is a really hard thing to do. I can read stuff on the computer but the only time I can type is if Jasper is asleep. Typing with one hand just takes too freakin' long. So yeah, he is asleep now.

Speaking of sleep.....I have resigned myself to the fact that Jasper won't magically start sleeping. He sleeps no more now than when he was a newborn. There are have been little blips of 3 hour stretches of sleep, and one night only of sleeping through the night, but waking every 2 hours just seems to be what the Owl does. This weekend he decided to wake up every hour. I just ask him "Dude, why are you hazing your mama?" He just smiles his little toothless Owl smile. I've tried many different things and the result is always the same: more or less Jasper wakes up every couple of hours and more or less I just get to feel tired. I just tell myself he HAS to outgrow it eventually. Maybe not until he is a year, or even more, but at some point in my lifetime I should sleep again. Acceptance is really all I can do at this point...I tried breaking down and crying, but that did nothing to change things. At least with acceptance there are no surprises when I put him down at 830 and he wake up at 1000, just as I was getting into bed hoping to read. Yeah, I am kinda complaining here, but it's my blog and I gotta vent somewhere.

Anyhow....while the Owl currently sleeps I am going to get some stretching in!

Cutie...

2010-07-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

Once again, a video only family members will appreciate. I had a busy week and weekend. Jasper and I are currently both well. I had a fever almost up to 103, which I still cannot believe. No one tells you if you decide to breastfeed be prepared to pretty much go without any immunity, since you give every bit of it to a little cute parasite.

Got some good runs in...my first weekend of two long-ish back to back runs since I met friends Sunday and then ran with Mike,Pancake and Jasper. I am sucking big time on making it to yoga, but I realize I can't have it all. Maybe next week...

Ok, off to run. Up this week: my first time out of town away from Jasper :( lots of packing and stressing for that, and trying to do a long run before work.

How did I miss this?

2010-07-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

I always knew about podcasts on Endurance Planet, but for some reason I thought they cost to listen. Well, I was wrong. So, I've been listening all week at work. They are great! There are tons of inspiring interviews with elite ultrarunners and triathletes who are also busy moms, and they answer a lot of questions about how they fit it all in. There is a fantastic interview with last year's Western States winner, Anita Ortiz. She is a mom of 4 and works full time and manages to win one of the toughest races out there. She just says she gets up really, really early (like 3am!) to get her runs in. I am setting my alarm a little earlier these days. This week was challenging, as while the Owl is well, his mama is not. Yep, I am sick again. This one is rough with no real symptoms other than fever, aches and chills. I suspect I am just reacting to whatever virus made the Owl so sick over 4th of July. Anyhow, when I can walk across the room without my joints aching, I plan to let some of these athletes inspire me to get a little more in before the day starts, because as I have learned, once it starts, there isn't room for much else besides work and the Owl. I listened to an interview with a former triathlete world champ who has twins and she said if you stand at the finish line of an Ironman, the moms finishing never need IVs or to go to the medical tent like other finishers. It's because they know they can never be down for the count, and no matter how tired and wrecked they feel they have to keep on going, and something in them just never lets them get to the point of utter exhaustion. Ha! I love this story. While I definitely haven't done an Ironman, I think about how comical it is I'll come home from my long run, throw on mismatched dry clothes, sit down and feed Jasper before I get my water and a couple hours later finally get to shower and stretch a little. And, naps on long run days are definitely a thing of the past! I don't want to sound like I am complaining....sometimes I am just amazed we are equipped with extra gears I never even knew existed.

This is a picture of Pancake ignoring a stealthy Owl. Pancake had her teeth cleaned today and underwent general anesthesia. It is always a little scary to have a 10 year old dog go under. She did great though...and she's still running about 12 miles a week.

Ok...gotta get some sleep. I have a virus to get rid of, and an alarm set very early.

The Owl is well...

2010-07-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

I don't really have anything exciting to report, because the week quieted down by the end. Jasper is finally well. He is still hoarse, but acts normal. Yay! It was probably the worse sleep deprivation I've ever gone through. Wednesday I did my hill repeat day on about 45 minutes of sleep. I figured sleeping another hour wouldn't do much and I would be mad that I missed my main workout day.

Yesterday Mike played in a disc golf tournament in Bastrop we went out to see. I had to limit my long run a little, so I tried to follow up with a good run today. I feel like I am finally back to where I was running wise when I got pregnant. No, I am not doing crazy ultra stuff, but I feel I could bump up to 20 and be ok. I am still trying to be a little conservative in my mileage and not go out and run long just for the heck of it. One thing about having a baby is you never have the same body again, so I still feel like I am running with a different body than a year ago. It's hard to explain, but even though I lost the weight, I know I am not the same. I don't think I'll ever get my core muscle to meet back up...

Mark told me he signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 100 this winter. I questioned him about how he gets in the miles with 2 kids and a full time job. He had some good tips. He doesn't do ridiculously long runs, and keeps to the roads a lot, instead of the time sucking trails. He also mentioned scheduling with his wife so they each get to do their activities. I am trying to use some of the same techniques to keep up all I want to do. I am not sure what races past my October marathon are in my future. Right now I am just happy that after 5 months I seem to be back where I was a little over a year ago. Mike and I are getting better and better with our scheduling so that we both get to continue enjoying our hobbies we are quite passionate about and spend a lot of time with Jasper when we are not working.

Speaking of, the Owl is just getting so cute. He loves to splash all over in the tub, he has a lot of jumping games now (makes for a good arm workout!), and he's rolling all over the floor. He still likes to wake up a lot at night though. I am looking forward to going to my Uncle's wedding out of town, so I can sleep through the night for the first time since January. Yay!

Croup sucks...

2010-07-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here's Jasper and his cousin Cameron. Despite the huge grin on his face, this was our hardest weekend ever, and had me longing for the holiday weekend to end. It was unfortunate Jasper got croup when we had family visiting him, so they didn't really get to see him at his best.

We went to the Dr today, and as I suspected Jasper has croup. He has the saddest, weakest little cry ever. The Dr told me the worst is over. He also got a diarrhea bug on top of it. I could spend hours writing about sitting up in a chair two nights with a feverish baby, or sitting at home with Jasper while everyone was out having fun, or how ashamed and embarrassed I was loosing it in front of everyone when I felt like I just couldn't take another minute, or how awful it is to see you baby suffer and nothing you do seems to relieve him. But last night, after a dose of tylenol, we both fell asleep for about 2 hours, and somehow I knew that the worst was over. Mike was kind enough to let me go for a run in the morning, and while lack of sleep slowed me down, I reveled in cooler temps, and somehow knowing I had made it through the horrible test of patience and strength that croup proved to be. At one point in the night I told Mike I should sign up for another 100 miler this year, because nothing could be as hard as over 24 hours with a baby with a fever!

Mike was great trying to help me cope with a sick baby who was soothed by nothing except nursing and being stuck to mama...a lot. He brought me key lime ice cream from Amy's, he got me a new pair of running shorts, he let me go running every morning, and pushed me into yoga this morning (real yoga...no baby). He came home from the fireworks when I called crying that I couldn't take another minute. I am thankful he understood how hard the weekend was for me and was willing to help me through it. I am sure it was no picnic for him either. Tomorrow Mike and I will split the day working half days to keep Jasper home from daycare. We both want to conserve precious time off, and I am glad Mike is able to help.

I never thought I would look forward to going back to work!

I am optimistic I made it through the worst part and things will get better from here. At least I got to watch a lot of the Tour De France.

Up next: going to Mike's disc golf tournament, marathon training in full swing, continue to watch Netflix of Jasper's favorite show...Glee.

The long run...

2010-07-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Today's long run was what it's all about: good times with friends. We did 15 hot and sweaty miles through a very steamy Austin this morning. I felt great...although I should not have. Poor little Jasper has croup and barely slept, which means I barely slept. I was rocking him back to sleep at 4am, and laid down next to him to help him go back to sleep, then woke up realizing I somehow missed my alarm and was late to my own requested 530 am start (a big faux pas...if you request an early start, you gotta show!). I got a hold of everyone to beg for 15 minutes later. I also don't get ready as quick as I used to. Jasper eats, what Jasper doesn't eat must be pumped away, Mama must eat after Jasper feeds all night long to soothe himself while he had a horrible raspy cough. I barely had time to shove a banana down, but really needed to eat more.

So I arrived a little harried, but thankful my friends were willing to wait for me. I think on these crazy mornings I try and use Jasper as my inspiration, as no matter what he always smiles. Even when he is sick and crying if I look at him, he stops for a second and tries to give me a little smile. I had fun laughing with friends and catching up. Mark and I were cracking up remembering bad movies from our childhood.

When I finish a run now I rush home and throw on dry clothes and feed Jasper before I even hop in the shower. It hasn't been Jasper's best day ever. He sounds just terrible, and I can tell his little smiles aren't always easy for him since he feels so bad. So, it's a little bit of a challenge for me, but at least I got my long run in!

Real Ale Anniversary party, long run, and upcoming mountain trip!

2010-06-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Real Ale anniversary party in Blanco. Free pints, free barbecue, tunes, a beautiful setting, and 100 degrees (the only bad part). We left about 1030 to get there at the start so we could snag a spot in the shade. Some people may argue heat, music, booze and babies do not mix, but we tried our best to make it work. Despite tickets for 4 delicious pints, I just sipped a Fireman's 4, and later swapped it for the new IPA, and never even finished 1 pint. We sat in the shade and brought a lot of water. Jasper was a champ and did great. Still we knew after about 2 hours we should probably call it a day. Next year we'll bring more snacks and a tent, so live and learn. We are still proud of ourselves for even attempting such outings.

Prior to the party, I got up early and did 14 miles. It went fantastic, and I am ready to bump up another notch. It is easy for me to feel a little inferior to my "old" self, who could knock out 4 hours runs on the greenbelt. But when I stop and think about it...I ran 14 hilly miles hard, and I fed Jasper before I went, got home, threw on dry clothes and fed him again. How many runners can say that? :) I am also very thankful Mike was willing to watch him once he was up and his Mama was still out running. Thanks, Mike!

I am also thrilled that we will be spending a long weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park in August. I did not want to fly on a plane with Jasper as an infant, but a 2 hour direct flight at an absolute steal of a price, to a place with pine trees and temps under 70 degrees convinced me. We went 2 summers ago, and RMNP is just an unreal place....so beautiful and the hiking is fantastic. There are a lot of trails under 3 miles that will be easy to do with Jasper in his Ergo carrier. We are also staying a night in Boulder (where I would live if I didn't live here...and if I could get a job there). I found a half marathon going on while we are there. Gonna try and do it, but the logistics of one rental car may make it tricky, but if we can make it work, what a dream. I would love to race in Colorado!

Alright...time to get ready for baby yoga...

Coming up: I get to see a movie!, Jasper's aunties and cousins visit, more hill repeats and long runs continue...

The other Paula...

2010-06-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Most runners, and even perhaps non-runners know who Paula Radcliffe is. Marathon world record holder, fastest running mama in the world, and owner of abs just like mine (ha-ha...not!). But, you may not know Paula Deen. She is a Southern Martha Stewart type, but much sassier and funnier. Her recipes are simple and sinful. Hello, is Southern cooking known for being lowfat? I only make Paula's stuff when I feel like a really yummy and easy dessert. Since I don't have to worry about maintaining a world record producing, low body fat, body like Paula Radcliffe does, I can indulge in a Paula Deen dessert.

I've been craving buttermilk pie lately. Eastside cafe makes a really good one and tops it with fresh strawberries. It's a really easy dessert too. So of course Paula D's recipe was the best looking one I could find. I got off work, got Jasper from daycare, went and bought a week's worth of food at Central Market with Jasper in the Ergo strapped to my chest, got home inhaled my odd dinner of sushi, chicken salad, quinoa, and soup, and then got to work on a buttermilk pie. Jasper sat in his new high chair and we sang together while I got the pie going. After his bath, and some laundry the pie was ready to eat. I served it with greek yogurt instead of whipped cream (Paula Deen would never do this), and fresh berries and cherries. Freakin' AWESOME!!! This one will go in the rotation for sure.

Now, should I share the recipe with my friends and family? If I do, and I bring it to a party then you will know just how easy it really is, instead of raving about what a master I am at making delicious pies. But, it's such a good summer dessert, I suppose I can share....just follow the link:

Buttermilk Pie

Vegan cookies, Jasper is a foodie, day care crud AGAIN, and Mama does hill repeats

2010-06-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have asked me for the recipe for my vegan cookies. So here it is.....

1 good sized ripe banana

1/3 c canola oil

2/3 c sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine these all in a mixer, until mushy, then add:

3/4 c flour

2 Tbsp ground flax

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 c. oats

Mix it all, and add 3/4 c of mini chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate if you are a strict vegan. It is sold at Whole Foods and Central Market). The batter is pretty runny. Heap in globs on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cook at 350 for 7-10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Remove off the cookie sheet right away or they will stick. Enjoy.

Jasper started to sample little bits of food. He decided rice cereal blows, and went right for the sweet potatoes. I think he got my sweet tooth. He also has to have 1 meal of formula a day because he out eats what I am able to make. Slow down, Little Dude! He doesn't really eat much yet but 1-2 bites a day, but I may get a little relief from feeding him soon.

Speaking of, I have kicked off marathon training, and Wednesday is a workout day. The first half of the program is hill repeats, and then the second half is tempo runs. I ran a mile and a half to the Cherrywood neighborhood, and repeated a street appropriately named Hemlock. I had a nice audience of 3 kitties who were hanging out at 545 in the morning. Then I headed to Cherrywood St to repeat it a couple times. Ever run a hard workout after breastfeeding all night (sorry to my guy friends for having to read this)....well, it means a major bonk. I was STARVING. It made me get home quick. I was shaky by the time I got home. I may have to resort to bringing a GU on weekday runs. That's a lot of GU... BUT, I did hill repeats, on my own, leaving my house at 530. That was no easy feat.

Well, gotta run. The Owl needs a bath. Oh yeah, we both got another F-ing cold. This one is not near as bad as the last one, but this week off in between illnesses thing is BS. I seriously need to get some immunity.

Training talk...

2010-06-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have talked about how much I like the Marathon Talk podcast (more on that later). They have a sister podcast called Ironman talk. I listen to it occasionally at work, even though I do not do triathlons. Although, the hosts can be hard to understand (they are kiwis), the show sometimes has some good information that all endurance athletes can use. There was an excellent segment on training and goals with a new baby. Two pieces of advice stood out: 1. Accept that this may not be your year to do an Ironman (or in my case an ultra run). Do other challenges, and running "just" a marathon is nothing at all to poo-poo. A great tip...when your life changes 100% overnight, you might find doing 30 mile training runs just too much. There is no shame in marathon training! 2. Try and do all your workouts at one time of the day. Either all morning or all night, unless you are one of those rare people who can workout at lunch. Wow...seems so simple, but I was not doing this. Every evening I think, "If Jasper falls asleep at a decent hour, I'll do yoga." That seems to never happen, or if it does, I need to clean, do laundry, bake, spend the rare 30 minutes with Mike,etc. So, I never get my yoga in. If I just wake up 30 minutes earlier, I can add it after my run and then I am done for the day. The evening is strictly family time. Now, the challenge is getting up even earlier when already am only getting a few hours of sleep. So far I am not doing too good getting my yoga in after my run, so I will be working on it. I hope to make it a habit a couple mornings a week.

Next week's Marathon Talk has an interview with Scott Jurek...so check it out. I believe new episodes are posted on Wednesdays. I was indifferent to Scott until the Runner's World article. He really seems like an interesting, talented, but very humble guy. Runner's World online recently had Mark Bittner (NY Times Food writer) interview him, and it was a good little piece.

I have my marathon training plan taped to the fridge, ready to go. I ended up going with a Runner's World plan that didn't stress the midweek long runs so much. I had a hard time working those into my work schedule before Jasper, and now it would mean getting up at 330 am, which is just ridiculous to do then go to work all day. I am super excited to start.

Busy, busy, busy...

2010-06-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Had a crazy busy weekend , and now leading into a crazy week. Jasper is in bed, so I'll see how long this lasts and we'll see "if his sleep takes" as Mike says .

Saturday was the Lavender 10K in Blanco. I did this run last year, and it is a great little event. My only complaint is it isn't longer. This year it started at a different Lavender farm that I liked better than last years. Well, last year the treat was when I got home from it I found out I was pregnant with Jasper, and Stephanie had found out she was pregnant too, but I certainly didn't want to be pregnant this year...anyhow.... Once again I went with Stephanie and Teresa. Only this year, I got to get up every 2 hours the night before and fall asleep in a chair for about 2 hours of the night. The weather was great...it wasn't too hot in Blanco, the shirts were cute, the post race food was awesome (homemade mini quiches, salad with homemade vinagrette). In a run like this, most people do it for fun. It really isn't a race, because just a handful of people are trying to run fast. I just wanted to see how fast I could run a 10K, so I treated like a very pretty time trial. It was my favorite kind of course..paved country roads. You get the beauty of a trail race without worrying about taking a fall on a rock. I took off and felt good so I went with it. I managed about 7 minute miles until the turnaround, and then on the way back I hit a big head wind, so I slowed up. I ended up with a 45 minute finish, so about 7:25 miles. This is encouraging for my Boston qualifying attempt, but 6 miles is a long way off from 26. Another bad thing was I was on a major time crunch because Mike had scheduled an appt to for us to get Little Owl tattoos.

Here is a picture, it, but it remains uncolored....that is another appt. Mike's is finished and super awesome, but I will have to post a picture later. The whole appt involved some Jasper juggling, and dodging World Cup revelers at a nearby bar. Right after this we went and ate at Mandola's and got groceries, and Jasper just about blew up...he had enough of outings.

Sunday I ran the Danish run with Mark and Steve, then went to baby yoga, then went to work. I got home and did the laundry list of chores, and pouf!, the weekend was gone. It goes so freakin' fast.

So up this week: Jasper's 4 1/2 month Dr appt (shots, and we find out just how giant he really is), Mike's first father's day, mama gets to run a long run(well, kinda long at least), shopping trip at Pumpkin Patch to (hopefully) sell old Jasper stuff and get him some cute outfits.

Photo shoot...

2010-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Made it!

2010-06-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Low fat mini shortcakes with Greek yogurt, berries, and Rainier cherries. Yummmmm......

2010-06-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

A miracle has just happened. It is 8:10pm and Jasper is asleep. If he stays asleep, I will get what I want every evening: a couple of hours to use how I choose. Working on my blog, emailing friends, catching up on DVR shows, trying the new lowfat strawberry shortcake with greek yogurt recipe in Runner's World, the list goes on and on. I love spending time with Jasper. I get so excited every day when I get to walk over to the daycare to see him at lunch and I cannot wait to pick him up at night, but spending between 8pm and 11pm with him crying because he is overtired is not fun. Once he is finally asleep, I collapse into bed, and there went the whole evening. It would be nice to spend time with Mike again, where we are not switching off the baby who doesn't sleep. Tonight, I just pray I am not jinxing myself and that he stay asleep! Jasper really is a good natured baby, he never cries, he smiles all the time, and he is easily entertained. Until about 8pm, and then he becomes overtired. I would love for it to stop and to reclaim a little time for me.

I have been missing maternity leave. Yes, it makes me feel bad to take Jasper to daycare everyday, but I also miss maternity leave for selfish reasons. It's no vacation, but I miss just that little bit of time it gave me. I had lunches with friends, I walked Pancake everyday, my house was spotless, we always had a fresh batch of cookies. Now all that gets squeezed in a couple days on the weekends...if we don't have other plans. I like my job and I am thankful I have it, but there I times I can't help thinking how perfect working part time would be, but then childcare issues arise, there is no part time infant daycare, I would get a lot less money, etc,etc. The Buddhist way to look at my life would be to say the only perfect life is the one I have right here, right now. Maybe so...Jasper is curled up in my bed, Pancake is below in her dog bed and the only sound I hear is the water in my fish tank. Very relaxing....and nothing to complain about. When the going gets tough I try and remember that Jasper is only a baby once, and only for a year. The hard times will pass.

On a lighter note....please read my other blogs I have listed. Some are just so good! Sealegsgirl talks about my 2 current favorite topics: motherhood and womens' running. Great stuff. Alicia blogs a lot about motherhood and throws out topics to make you think. And, just for fun, the jello blog. Also, I have another new one, MamaSweat (thanks Margie!)..it is awesome.

2010-06-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

This week was one of the tough ones. I was completely wrong Jasper and I had escaped day care crud. We both got it 100%. I felt ok for a couple days and then it hit...hard. I got bronchitis and Jasper just completely filled up with snot making it impossible for him to breathe, and then impossible to sleep. This would have been bad on it's own, but we had to couple with putting on our conference at work. This meant leaving the house at 530 am, having a very long day, and then a dinner that night all with a sick, tired baby and an a very sleepy, sick, mama too. What little of a schedule Jasper had seemed to vanish and he was falling asleep at 1100pm all week and waking every couple of hours. I almost lost it. Yesterday seemed to be a turning point for us both though. He went to bed at 900, and it was uneventful. He seems to breathe better. We had company this weekend, Mike's brother Andy, and sister Jodi and family were all here, so I really did not want to have a feverish baby for the visit, but we seem to be ok.

So this week's running was all about just do the best I could manage. I did run, but made most days recovery type runs. I did have one awesome morning that all came together and I ran below 8:30s for my run....but that seems to be an outlier for the week. Most days it was a victory just to make it out the door. Friday I woke at 415, so I could be on the road by 500 at the latest.

This weekend's long run was going to be tough to squeeze in between all that we had going on. Mike's brother wanted to do something outside and take part in Pride week, so we thought the Pride 5K would fit the bill. I ran on my own in the morning, and then came home so we could all downtown together to run. I would push Jasper, and at the last minute Pancake decided she really needed to run a gay pride 5K, so she went too. It was all kinds of hot out at 9am. Many participants wore micro speedos and were taking advantage of the slip and slide at the end (the theme of the run was the beach). I decided not to ruin the boys' weekend by shoving myself into a bikini to run in, and stuck with my "Run like a mother" shirt. Along the course were the fairies to cheer for runners....cute 20 something guys in micro rainbow speedos. I got a "Go sexy mama", and "You go awesome mama." shouted at me by the fairies. This is probably the only time a cute, 20- something guy will call me a sexy mama while I am running. I suspect most the time I see a young guy on the trail he probably thinks "I wish this fat old lady would just give it up....I'm just embarrassed for her." Anyhow, I really need to pack the fairies in my suitcase and take them to my next out of town race for moral support. Jasper slept through most of the run, and I am puzzled that he can sleep through Lady Gaga blaring out of Oilcan Harry's, and fairies with bullhorns, but I let out the tiniest little cough at night and he wakes up. And despite my fears that Pancake would just be hot and miserable, she seemed to have the time of her life.

So this week the goal is to reclaim some type of schedule. To get back on track for my sleep, my yoga, and some healthy eating (no more conference buffets!). Jasper just passed out...so time to take advantage. Hope everyone has a good week.

Daycare Crud Part I, being a running mama, getting busier...

2010-05-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

This week I got to experience the phenomena of daycare crud. Lots of friends warned me if I stuck Jasper in daycare, expect to get sick. I went to bed Tuesday completely fine, and when Jasper woke at 1am, I thought WTF?!?! My throat was on fire, my ears ached, I had a fever, every joint hurt and I had chills. I went to work the next day feeling way sub-par, and bummed the 3 day weekend might be spent sick. It was a crappy day, running fever all day. I got home took tylenol, got in bed at 7pm with Jasper, who was pretty mellow, and the next day I felt a lot better. Even better yesterday, and today I feel almost 100%. Truly a 24 hour bug. Jasper seems fine, so I am guessing I am just more prone to getting sick now since he takes every nutrient out of me (you don't get to be 15 pounds at less than 4 months by eating light meals). Anyhow, a HUGE relief to not be sick this weekend, and I also know there is more to come. Every kid there has a snotty nose.

Jasper is snoozing now after spending a morning in the Ergo while I cleaned house. Before that I did my longest run yet!!! I am calling it 14, but I guess it just barely under. In the days before Garmins we would have called it a 14 mile run. It was steamy, but I held on. I've got my work cut out for me to get a Boston Qualifier. I can run Boston pace pretty easily, but with a couple stops to get water and a gel, and a bathroom stop(I love Jasper, but he did ruin my bladder), I was over pace at the end. I'll keep working on it, and this is just the beginning of my training. I also found this pregnancy blog. Another great blog from a pro runner running through pregnancy. Hopefully she'll keep it up through the comeback period.

Next week will be a busy one for me. We are putting on our national conference at work. It should be a very good conference, but will mean a lot of hours. We also have Mike's brother and sister and family coming. It should be fun, and it will be great that they can take Jasper while I am putting in the extra hours, so he won't be in daycare for 12 hours a day. So, this weekend we are just trying to get a lot of chores and errands done and enjoy any little downtime we get. I plan to run as much as I can, hit baby yoga and hopefully a real yoga class (this picture is Jasper doing his carseat yoga), bake some treats, and Monday night have a girls' dinner. I LOVE 3 day weekends (who doesn't?)

2010-05-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Owl and I had a nice weekend with my sister in law, Jodi and niece/ Owl's cousin, McKenna. Mike had a boys' weekend with a Ranger's game and disc golf, so we accompanied him to Manfield, and got to shop, eat good pizza and gelato, run, and see McKenna's swim meet although it was a little steamy...

I got to hit the Walnut Creek Linear Park...a paved trail connecting all the parks in Mansfield. It is an awesome run. I run about 3 miles to get there, then hit the trail. It is 100% shaded, and paved, so no worries about tripping and falling. Since I discovered it back in December, running in Mansfield is a real treat. I personally like paved trails. There is all the beauty of a hike, but no picking up my feet, and I feel like I can just fly. Well, as much as a run on a couple hours sleep allows me to.

The Owl did great while we were there, he just refused to sleep. As you can tell from the pictures, he never seems tired. I, on the other hand, never seem to find the energy to brush my hair or put on real clothes (not just running clothes) as demonstrated by the photos.

I am all signed up for the Frankenthon, aka my fall marathon, aka "I hope I am still a real runner". So in the next couple weeks I'll make my best attempt at real workouts. One of the toughest things about being a new mom is getting so little sleep. I see a direct correlation between my pace and the sleep I got the night before my run. I am going to do my best to do a tempo run, a long run, and some type of interval (gag) every week, plus a couple recovery runs. I know there are some mornings it may not happen, but that is my goal. I also will keep up yoga, as I feel it is essential to my running at this point. It is getting tough to go to anything other than baby yoga, but I'll make it a goal every week, but not beat myself up if it doesn't happen. My hierarchy is Jasper,Mike, and Pancake, work, then running. I kinda wish I could switch work and running, but I like getting a paycheck.

Speaking of work, I've been thinking of the pros/ cons to staying at home with your baby versus working out of the home. I love feeling productive and having a job that is very definitive of who I am. Of course I don't like seeing less of Jasper and have strangers care for him much of the day. I also really feel like I miss out on all the cool mom groups there are in Austin. I am sure some do weekend things, but that is usually family time, or time for me to squeeze in a little time to myself. I know there is a group from the baby yoga class. It's got to be nice to be in that type of network. It's just with my schedule, I don't feel I could add another thing. Maybe eventually I can fit it in.

Ok, the Owl is asleep...I better take my window of opportunity and see if he'll give me a couple of hours.

Just a moment...

2010-05-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am off today. We are going to Mansfield this afternoon, and the thought of trying to work all morning, then rush home and pack us all up was too much. The old Clea would have worked until the second we left town. The new me says I save up my days off for a reason, so I am going to make the whole process easier on myself. Plus, Jasper has been in daycare 3 weeks now, and I figure having a morning together is a good idea. We will get to go to baby yoga before we leave town. Right now he is in his Exersaucer playing and watching the Nightmare Before Christmas. I am so glad I made him a Tim Burton fan.
A few quick thoughts I've been wanting to put on here for awhile:

Running is going pretty good, although my build up has been a little slower than I had planned. The other day the marathontalk I listened to talked about the concept of thinking about your runs in terms of "what is this run doing for me?" If you have a goal, and gear your runs towards that goal, the idea is you are a lot less likely to just go out and pile on mile after mile, if you think of your runs as having a purpose to get to that goal. The really stress thinking of rest and recovery as "training". This concept is very helpful for me, as I am now forced into off days, light weeks, and limited time. I used to train for a big event by every 3-4 weeks taking a down week, where I did less. Somehow over the years, the sisterhood morphed into doing 20 milers every weekend, and we quit backing down ever...and I got slower. Well, that is no longer an option, so I am back to every few weeks dropping back a bit. I am hoping I benefit from this. This is going to be a drop back week by default. Today was 8 with Steve (my goal was to make it quick, but the steamy weather ate into our pace a bit). Tomorrow I hope for 10. Next week, I'll try and go back up to 13-14. I hope my ultra friends don't laugh at these miles, but reality is I am no longer an ultra/ trail runner, but a runner training for a fall marathon....like a lot of Austin runners are right now.
Yesterday was one of those days that being a full time mom and having an away from home job, and being the only food source for Jasper seemed sooo difficult. Overall, I think it is a small miracle we both make it to work on Thursdays by 630 am. I know there will be occasional hectic days, so I am not sweating it too much. I just try to think back to when he was first born and it took me until noon to go for a little walk, take a 2 minute shower and have a cup of coffee.

The pictures here are me and the Owl at House Pizza last week, a turtle he helped me rescue from the middle of the street, and evidence he's starting to get teeth. Oh, and that he will be a very active little boy. That toy he has is not meant to bend!

Cleanliness is next to Owliness...

2010-05-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures Jasper will hate me for someday. But I had to at least do one bath photo session. Lately I've been told Jasper is huge, so you be the judge. There's not much to write about, because life is pretty routine. It is nice to have a schedule after a couple months of not. I run, we go to daycare, I work, I visit at lunch, I work, we go home, eat, chores, maybe a little tv/ reading and repeat process. I've kept weekends pretty plan-free for awhile. I ran one of Austin's more popular routes again, the Scenic dr 12 miler. It felt fantastic, and I sure appreciate my chances to meet up with friends. Since I don't have as much time to run, I really try and make my runs quality, and I try and push the pace on the long ones (there was a time I didn't consider 12 long). I also got to go to my favorite yoga teacher Saturday, for the first time since Jasper was born. Now that was a treat.

My collection of things I said I would never buy continues to grow. We got Jasper an Exersaucer. It is a huge, plastic thing a baby can stand in and swivel 360 degrees, playing with lots of plastic, loud, and flashing toys the whole way around. They have one at his daycare and he loves it. I found one at Pumpkin Patch (used kid's stuff, but in pristine condition...a great place to pick up very nice stuff and clothes). He just got done hanging out in it watching Baby Einstein. I probably said I would never buy Baby Einstein either....but yet here it is. What you won't do for a few moments to have your hands free....

Today I ran with Stephanie, then with Mike, Pancake and Jasper. Man, summer is here! Jasper and I then went to baby yoga. Another shout out for baby yoga....I love getting a workout and spending time with Jasper...and he loves it. Next Jasper had to endure a trip to Petticoat Fair. Ok, another plug for a local business...I love this place. A couple more errands, and then we spend the afternoon making cookies and watching Baby Mozart. Now I am having my favorite dinner, good pizza, salad and wine.

All week I've been listening to marathontalk.com. Mark turned me onto this podcast, and it is so fantastic. While they have interviews with people like Paula Radcliffe and Ryan Hall, they also interview regular people. There is a great interview with a single mom who took up marathoning and how she finds time to train, work and raise her kids. There are also excellent training tips for regular people...those of us who just can't run 100 miles weeks. There are too many good tips for me to write about here, but listening to it makes me want to run, and train smart. I just can't recommend it enough. I've also been listening to Splendid Table, a podcast about food, so it makes me hungry for really good food, so after that I'd better listen to a podcast about running.

Never wake a sleeping baby...

2010-05-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here next to Jasper while he is sleeping in my bed. I confess I've been letting him sleep here since I started work to make my life better. I just couldn't take working all day in an office with no windows and no sunlight, staring at a computer all on a couple hours of sleep. It was the perfect storm to fall asleep on the job. I guess I'll worry about getting him out of the bed later. It does kinda make sense if you are breastfeeding since he still gets up to eat a couple times a night, but now he quickly goes back to sleep and he falls asleep much earlier. Babies don't need to go to bed at 1100! Plus, I can watch a movie or something while he is drifting off. I used to rock him and attempt endless failed transfers into the bassinet, and before I knew it the whole evening was shot. Lately I've been getting an hour or 2 of freedom after he is asleep. Last night I saw about half of an awesome documentary on PBS about the history of whaling in America. Sounds geeky, but it was fascinating. Tonight I watched Lost, which I compare to being in a bad relationship that one just doesn't have the will to get out of. If this keeps up with Jasper falling asleep before 10pm, I might be able to read again (a book, not just a magazine or a website).

Anyhow, the 40 day yoga challenge is over. It really wasn't a challenge to do a little yoga everyday. It was a challenge to go to real classes regularly. I suppose I added more to my day though. If I am watching anything on tv, I usually am on the floor stretching, doing yoga push ups, or still trying to master crow pose. Mike used to laugh at me, but now I think he doesn't think twice to see me falling forward in my pajamas while trying to master crow. Jasper often finds himself on my legs while I lower them up and down trying to reclaim some type of abdominal muscles. Those muscles do not seem to want to come back. I'll cut my running time by about 10 minutes to ensure I can stretch out a little when I get home. I don't ever want to throw my back out again, so I am trying to be very proactive! I have even taught Mike a couple shoulder opening poses to help with his disc golf. I have a long term goal of taking the teacher training someday. I don't necessarily want to be a teacher, but it would be great to learn more and improve. Maybe in about a year I can find the one night a week free it would take to do this. A girl can dream...

Well, I should follow Jasper's lead and get some sleep.

Happy Mother's Day...

2010-05-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I now know all about the hardest job in the world. You never get a day off, you don't get paid, and you don't always get a thank you. But somehow it's still all worth it. I rather sheepishly admit that until I became I mother I didn't fully understand what goes into it, and it makes me appreciate all mothers including my own a lot more.

Jasper gave me the gift of a long shower. He napped long enough for me to get full shower and not a 2 minute in and out shower. He also got me a bouquet of snap dragons.

I kinda did most my Mother's Day stuff yesterday. I ran 13 miles! (ok 12.8, but since Stratford Dr was on the course, I am calling it 13). It was such a treat to run with a group, run at town lake and run Stratford, which I really love despite it's difficulty. I had not done this route in a year or so, and believe me, if you run the trails and Tarrytown everyday, don't take it for granted. It is such a fabulous place to run. Oh, and Lance Armstrong just happened to cycle by us and said hello. I've never seen him in all my years here, so that was kind of wild. Also, Meghan brought me the cutest pink running shirt that says "Run like a mother" across the front.

Then I went and got my hair cut and colored which meant Mike watched Jasper a couple hours, so that was another treat. Then Mike went out with some friends and Jasper and I went to Rogue running and I got new shoes, and couldn't resist the 50% off rack, so some new shorts too. We then went out to the Salt Lick in Round Rock for Robert Czysz's (coz in law) birthday with a big group. Jasper and I left before everyone else went to an Express baseball game and went home and watched a documentary and fell asleep together by 900.

Today we went to Blue Dahlia to eat, then to baby yoga together and then went to get baby supplies at Babies R Us. Jasper probably heard a few f-bombs, because I hate that store, they seriously have the worst customer service ever, but their diapers are really cheap.

Then I got home and made a massive portobello, leek and spinach lasagna to make my work week easier by having a lot of food made. Now I am relaxing doing nothing which is really nice!

Anyhow, Happy Mother's Day to my friends and family. I know some of you work a lot harder at being a mom than I do and some of you have a lot more challenges, so I toast you with the glass of wine I am about to go drink. Here's to the hardest job in world, but also the best.....

This article is awesome...

2010-05-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

Go running mamas!

Jasper surviving daycare so far...

2010-05-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

As recently as 6 weeks ago, I said there was no way I could run, get ready for work, get Jasper ready and get him off to daycare. It seemed impossible. Well, we've done it so far all week, and we both survived.

I am very aware that commercial day care is not the ideal childcare....there is not a lot of individual attention. But the fact that I can go see him everyday at lunch makes it doable. The staff seems nice, but overwhelmed. I am sure it is not the cleanest place, but everyone there seemed to be doing the best with what they had. I cried the first day, but it's getting much better. He always seems happy when I go over at lunch, so I think we can stick with it for now.

The mornings are not as bad as I thought. The evenings are tough. There is so much stuff to bring, I am a little overwhelmed by it all when I have a hungry Jasper and a Pancake that needs to go out. I have the breast pump (sorry for my guy friends to read this), in a backpack on my back, Jasper strapped to my front, a lunch bag, and his bag with bottles and a change of clothes for the day. Every night I have to clean up all the day's bottles, make sure I have milk for new ones, and since I visit Jasper at lunch, I need to have a lunch packed for me. The mornings are not so bad since I to to a lot of trouble to do all this the night before. Monday night seemed so busy with making dinner, packing. doing laundry, but it has gotten better and better as the week went on.

And, soooo sorry to disturb some of you with this, but breastfeeding at a full time job is really hard. I had a 3 hour lunch meeting the other day, and I needed to go feed Jasper. It is hard to not put him first when I am at work. Then I have to take time later in the day to use the pump, so I have enough milk for him for the next day, and all of this cuts into my work time, which I am trying to limit to 8 hours a day for a few weeks while Jasper adjusts to daycare. But, add in the feeding, and my work time starts to get chipped away. I am sure I'll get better at managing my time, but for now I feel like I can never go to lunch with a coworker, or take a few minutes to hear about someone's weekend, or run to the coffee cart, etc. I feel like every minute counts, and it makes the work day a little stressful.

I have managed to run everyday but Thursday and that will be the norm. I can run for an hour, and depending on how fast I run, I can add a little extra distance here and there. I guess I am doing something right in my organization if I can do this. Thursdays I have a standing 645 meeting. The daycare doesn't open until 630, so I need to be there waiting by the door at 630 to make the meeting. I was pretty proud of myself I got myself, and a packed up baby out of the house by 6:10 am.

A nice side effect of daycare is so far Jasper is exhausted. He can't nap near as much as he used to. So, he had been sleeping great at night. He slept through the night the other day...sleeping from 10pm-4am. It was heavenly, and I felt so rested. Last night he almost made it again, but had a bad dream and woke up at 200, but went right back to sleep, so I am hoping that this trend remains!

So my overall assessment of daycare plus work is it is not as bad as I thought. It is not easy, but it seems to be doable. I now need to work on managing time to allow for a little down time with Mike in the evenings and catching up with friends, as that just did not seem to happen. We'll just have to see what the next week brings.

Heels and Hills Half Marathon = Total Bust...

2010-05-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

While I was pregnant I would often think how much I was looking forward to doing a race and having Mike and Jasper at the finish cheering me in. Well, that little fantasy will have to wait until fall. The weekend's half marathon didn't happen for me. There were plenty of hints all week not to race: I had bronchitis, Jasper was on a sleeping protest, it was my first week back at work and a little hectic, I took a hard fall on a run one morning and was sore all week, and finally Mike and Jasper both had a little cold, making them both congested.

We were using the race as excuse to visit Mike's sister, Jodi, and family in Mansfield, since the race was in Las Colinas. Friday night, Mike and Jasper seemed better, so we packed up all the stuff including a bassinet that Jasper needed and left early Saturday morning.

Jasper was pretty fussy once we got there. I think he was just tired of not sleeping well due to congestion and he was not as happy as he normally is. That is not saying much as he is a very good tempered baby, but if he's going to fuss, it just makes it harder when it is in someone else's home. So, that part was hard. I had to sit out a trip for yummy frozen yogurt because Jasper was fussy. I got him to sleep about 830 and he slept until 1100. Meanwhile, Mike had developed the worst congestion any of us had ever seen. It came out of no where. He takes every antihistamine in the house. There was no way he would sleep like that, so he sat in another guest room all night without any sleep. Meanwhile Jasper was up every 2 hours, but that seems par for the course these days and I didn't really fret.

The plan was for Mike to drop me off at the race, then go back to his sister's and gather everyone up to go see me finish. Only he felt like death in the morning, so despite being disappointed he and Jasper wouldn't see me run, I said I would just go alone. And then, another curve ball: as I am getting dressed I realize I have no running bra. Guys don't understand, but my girlfriends do...this is an essential item. I had grabbed my favorite one before I left, so I have no idea how it didn't make it into my bag, but it didn't. I only have nursing bras, and decide I will just wear the two I brought together to stay comfortable while I run. I'm sure 2 layers of lace won't cause much chafing....yeah, right.

So I google map the directions and head out. I don't know DFW at all. Sooo....when the directions take me to a country road and say it's a highway, I think there is no way that could be right and turn around. I call Mike, he says I should have turned onto the road. I go back. It's pitch black, no street lights, I turn, and after a couple miles realize I am southbound and need to be northbound. There is no where to turn around. I drive for a few more miles, turn around, miss the entrance to the highway or the country road, flip around, get on, and realize I have 20 minutes to make a 40 minute drive that I am not really sure where all I need to turn, I still have no packet or race number. There is no way I am doing this run. I call Mike, I start crying, and tell him I am coming back.

I immediately head out and run 10 miles. I spend the first couple miles crying. Not really over the run, but just that it is frustrating to feel like my freedom and control aren't there very much these days. The run is nice on a great network of trails, and everything is green and lush. My frustration melts away, and I think of how good natured Jasper is that even when he was sick all week, he constantly smiled. There's something to learn from this. I just can't get upset over stuff like this. I smoke the run, running sub 8 minute miles. I felt wonderful, despite a couple hours of sleep, and wearing 2 lace nursing bras, one over the other.

When I get back, Mike is miserable. He's sick to his stomach and cannot breathe. He lies down, I take a 5 minute shower and pack up the TON of crap we brought. This trip is getting better and better. I need coffee, bad. I hit a local place. I get a cup of burnt skim milk. Ok, this isn't funny anymore!

I drive since Mike is sick. By Hillsboro, I can talk again. I get a Starbucks and feel better. Mike feels and sounds better. We continue on.

By Austin Mike is 100% fine. Very mysterious. We think he had a massive reaction to something there, and taking multiple allergy pills with beer and thai food did a number to his stomach. I am relived he is alright, but do find it somewhat ironic.

So, that was my big race weekend I was looking forward to. I am over it by now. What can you do? Sometimes something is just not meant to be and clearly this race was just not going to happen.

After missing my alarm for my return to the sisters' run last week, and the snafus of this week, next I am hoping next weekend's run goes off without a hitch!

Up this week: Jasper goes to day care :( more work for me, and my first Mother's day.

2010-04-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well I survived week 1 of work, baby, and life. Work wasn't so bad. After about 3/4 of the first day, I felt like I had never left. It was very strange at first, but everything returned very quickly. By the 2nd day it felt totally normal. Getting out of the house in the morning wasn't that bad either. I ran everyday, and just started going in to work about 45 minutes later (means I have to stay later, but oh well), but it made getting out after a run, shower, and Mike showering pretty doable.

The rough part was I had/ have bronchitis. Jasper got sick too, although not too bad, but it has meant he refuses to sleep. He just never acts tired. I, on the other hand, lived off coffee. At least half of the week, he got up every 1.5-2 hours, after not going to sleep until 1100. Last night he wouldn't go to bed until midnight, and then got up at 3 and 500. I am doing my best to just deal, but it will be so nice when he sleeps. Maybe in a couple years?

The other part that could get tricky was life. I'd been doing chores throughout the day when I was off, and now that time is gone. I don't have the luxury of being able to start dinner at 400. I planned pretty good and we only ate out one night, but I didn't feel like I had any down time. It took me 3 nights to watch New Moon.

Mike and I switched off Jasper duties and still got to do our after work activities one night each...so I at least got one yoga class, and my core is paying for it, or lack of. I soooo need to rebuild those muscles.

So, it wasn't too bad. I survived with some wrenches thrown in. I was really worried we would not be able to go out of town this weekend, but Jasper seems well enough, I'm sure he won't sleep, but he won't sleep here either. So the half marathon is still on.

Next week we add day care, but I am thinking it might actually be better. I'll get to see him everyday at lunch.

Well, after driving to the airport and back just to get Jasper to sleep, he finally is. So, I am going to take advantage and sign off here for bedtime. I hope I get more than an hour and a half nap!

PS....I am having a rough time getting to my emails. I can read them, but I never seem to have my hands free to type a reply. I hope no one thinks I am ignoring them. Please call me if you need a response. I can talk if my hands aren't free.

PPS...Thanks to Mark for turning me onto the the Brit podcast Marathon Talk. This week was a very cool interview with Paula Radcliffe. I highly recommend it.

Beautiful spring weekend...

2010-04-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

It is nice to have a beautiful spring weekend for my last days of leave. It's kinda clouded by the fact I have major crud in my lungs, and I am on pins and needles worried that Jasper will get it. I REALLY want to run my half marathon next weekend and have Jasper and Mike out to cheer for me, and a sick baby would cancel that out. I am hoping the only reason I got so run down is my sleep deprivation, and hopefully the fact that I have given Jasper my immunity, instead of keeping it, will help him! Jasper has also decided not to sleep the last 2 nights. Good times. I fell asleep for 2 hours sitting up and then another hour later in the night. And I wonder why my neck hurts...

I had a wonderful weekend of running scheduled, that failed when my alarm didn't go off. So instead of running my first Scenic loop in a year, I ran my Cherrywood loop solo. It was still a nice run. I go by some great little neighborhoods, and the wildflowers are still rockin'. It may have been for the best I was solo. Ever have a baby 12 weeks ago, get bronchitis and a cough that rattles your whole body? Now try running an 8 minute pace. Let's just say you'd have to have one bladder of steel to withstand that combo. Thank god for black shorts...

Today we did our family run after I ran a few solo miles. I am getting better with the stroller. We'll see how sore my arms are tomorrow...

Speaking of sore, baby yoga is making me sore, as now Jasper is 12 pounds. I woke up sooooo sore Saturday after 2 classes in a row, Thursday and Friday. I also think the fact that 2 nights in a row I had slept half my night in a rocking chair made things worse, oh and the fact that I now had crap in my chest to cough up. I had a massage scheduled, and it was much needed. I had looked forward to it all week. Before my appt, Mike and I ate Pho at Pho Saigon in an attempt to get the crud out of my lungs. I swear that stuff is a health tonic. Then we went and got Taro and Green Tea Mochi. I love these little ice cream balls that are the perfect amount if you are a sweet junkie like me and need help to not overdo it. If you have not visited the China Center on North Lamar you really must. Every restaurant is incredible, and you can feast for very little money.

Just got back from today's baby yoga, and the rest of the day will be some housework and lots of food prep. Sometimes it's nice to have low key weekends at home. I predict we will have a lot of these in our future!

Up this week: back to work and trying to remember what in the heck I used to do there..oh, yeah, trauma registry, Mike's solo week with Jasper, and the Heels and Hills Half Marathon.

2010-04-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Blue Dahlia for happy hour for our dinner. What a great deal, and sooooo yummy. I like anywhere that has kitties wandering the patio.

Article..

2010-04-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the article on several women who made the Olympic Trials while balancing work and kids. Very inspiring.

Balancing act...

2010-04-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

I recently got these old photos of Jasper from when he was 3 weeks old. May 1 he will be 3 months old. I can't believe how little and skinny he looks here. Those socks that are floppy are now too tight. I guess time has flown as today is my "official" last day of maternity leave. We celebrated our last weekday together by going to baby yoga with Kitty and Baby Lia, and then grabbing a bite to eat. The out of control oak pollen has made me sick, so I am really just busy praying that Jasper does not get sick for my first week back to work.

So, now we start our balancing act. How will I make Jasper my priority and maintain work, training, and trying to do fun things as a family (Pancake too!!)....oh, and keep my house clean and organized which is a priority to me. I am not sure how I will do it. I just have to simplify as much as possible. A couple years ago, Runner's World had a great article on some Olympic Trials runners. Many were moms, and worked full time. I wish I had saved the article....because it is inspiration that it can be done. I don't think I'll be volunteering to take on big projects at work for awhile, I won't feel guilty about paying more money for some pre-made foods at the grocery store, and I have accepted I probably won't watch a movie in one sitting (more like 2-3 nights!). In other words, I'll take every conveinence and compromise I am offered in hopes of making the 4 of us happy (me, Mike, Jasper and Pancake!).

Part of my balancing act will be running quality miles, not quantity. I've got my training plan for the October Frankenthon from Advanced Marathoning. I will start in about 1 month. Until then I am just trying to maintain and slightly increase fitness. I will have to modify the schedule to fit my life, but having a schedule will hopefully force me to really run some quality runs, not over do it, and keep it motivating, since I now run most of my runs alone. It will also help me not get caught up in what my friends are doing, because I just can't do what many of them can do. I'll have too much on my plate, and having my own plan will allow me to focus more on just me.

I would love to hear tips from my friends about how they balance it all. I know a lot of you are doing just what I am doing, but with more than 1 kid. Share your tips for not going crazy!

Jasper's first Guinness...

2010-04-20T17:22:00.001-07:00

I've heard in England they give new moms a Guinness in the hospital to help aid milk production. Jasper asked me to give it a try, and who was I to argue?

I wish my Bento box would hurry up and arrive...

2010-04-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Update...

2010-04-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jasper was visited this weekend by his Cousin McKenna and his Aunt Jodi. It was nice to have company and an occasional extra set of hands. We suffered a little setback this week, as Jasper was banned from sleeping in his swing, per his pediatrician, due to its potential to turn the back of his head into a serving platter. So, I went from having him waking up one time a night and falling asleep within 30 minutes or so, to waking up every 1.5-2 hours and taking about 3 hours to fall asleep due to his distaste for his bassinet, aka the bed of nails. I admit it was frustrating to revert back to a state I thought we had left behind, and for going back to sleeping just a couple hours a night. Last night I slept for 2 hours upright in a chair (not on purpose, I just fell asleep trying to get the Owl to cooperate), and my neck and upper back are telling me to keep up my yoga. Ouch! Isn't there some famous quote "You can sleep when you're dead."? I guess I'll keep that in mind.

Anyhow, thank god for baby yoga. We went twice this week and did 2 DVDs at home and I continue to try and master crow pose. Baby yoga has proven to be a godsend....I HIGHLY recommend it to all my friends with babies who are not yet crawling. So the 40 day challenge is really working. I am committed to trying and making this part of my life everyday. I will not be able to run huge mileage for awhile, but I love the idea of still being in the best shape I can be in via other routes. One day I have a goal of taking the yoga instructor training. I am so convinced of its benefits. I also did my first bike trainer session this week too. Poor planning on my part led to a short session, and I mostly just spun my legs, but I am aiming to get back to 1 day a week of a spin workout.

And, my biggest news is I ran 12 MILES!!! Thanks to Mark for joining me for 8 (he was sick, so that handicapped him to my pace), and then Mike met me for 4 more. It went great, and I am so excited about my upcoming half marathon. I am only nervous about sleeping the night before at my sister in law's, which I suspect means Jasper will not sleep. I definitely see a correlation in my pace to how much sleep I get the night before.

All in all we are doing well. This is my last week of maternity leave and I am at a work conference for 2 days. I am trying to be very optimistic that once Jasper has a week or so in daycare we will adjust. I admit it is a little scary to take on this new challenge of a major change, when I feel like we are still adjusting to life at home, but I just tell myself a lot of other people get through this, so I should be able to also.

Mobile love II...

2010-04-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, probably only appreciated by family members, but here is another Jasper video.

Almost over...

2010-04-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am in the home stretch of my maternity leave. Never has 3 months gone so fast. I did overestimate how much I would do in these 3 months. I had visions of walking town lake everyday, and many trips to the Hill Country. The reality turned out that while doable, it is kinda a hassle to pack a baby and a border collie up to go walk a few miles. I found myself doing a lot of walks at Mueller, across the street from me (where all these pictures were taken). I did a couple Hill Country trips with family, as it is just easier with Jasper when I
other people to help me. I also thought I would get a lot more done around the house, but the downtime when Jasper sleeps can be limited, and some days I just did not complete my to do list. I am slowly learning that this is my new way of life, and I just will never get everything done. Today is a good example. Jasper got some immunizations this morning, and as the doctor said may happen, he has slept all day. That means I am tethered to the house, as I just don't think it would be very nice to drag him all over when he clearly doesn't feel good. I've had the chance to get
some things done around the house, and did a 1 hour yoga DVD for the 40 day challenge (more on that later).

The primary goal of taking 12 weeks of leave and not 6 was to spend time with Jasper, and that I did get to do. I got word today he starts daycare on May 1st, so my first week of work Mike will stay home with him, and that will help the transition. I am trying to work on simplifying my life a little more in order to remain sane when I start back to work. I am trying to limit my activities and plans. For awhile running may be my only hobby. I am doing the yoga challenge to work on really focusing on doing yoga at home because going to classes will be difficult when I start work. I remind myself that all this is temporary and things will keep getting easier and easier, AND, really we don't do too bad. Jasper and I have done a lot together. I could probably stand to simplify my life no matter what...Jasper is just a good excuse and he is my priority.

Mobile love...

2010-04-11T17:52:00.001-07:00

Mike took this little video of Jasper watching his mobile. This probably only appeals to immediate family members, but it is pretty cute!

Capital 10K...

2010-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here in Austin the Capital 10K is one of the markers of springtime. It is one of the biggest 10Ks in the country, and walking and costume wearing is highly encouraged. As a result, many "serious" runners in Austin do not do it. Kinda a shame. It is a hilly, gorgeous course, and a perfect tune up race for those running the Boston marathon. Since I am starting my racing at shorter distances, rather than do this as a fun run, I did want to push myself some and see what I could do.

If I was really serious I would have done a mini-taper and taken it easy towards the end of the week. Instead I did a killer yoga class on Friday. The girl who teaches Fridays is the most challenging teacher and anytime I do one of her classes, I am sore the next day. I woke up really sore Saturday, and ran 7 miles, meeting Stephanie part way in. Then I headed home, and Mike, Jasper, Pancake and I did a 3 mile run with the Bob stroller. Unless you have a baby, you've probably never heard of a Bob. It is apparently the Cadillac of running strollers, and makes running with a stroller much easier. We have been walking with it, but hadn't run with it yet, as we were told wait until Jasper is 6 months old. We have since figured the pediatrician didn't get that he's in his car seat while he's in the stroller now, so we thought it would be ok. It worked great....Jasper loved it, his head bounce seemed fine. It is just a major workout if you are short like me. It was hard to not scrunch my shoulders, and by the end of the run my arms were even more sore. Plus, I was pretty tired since Jasper decided to get up every 2 hours the night before. I ate a terrible pre-race dinner, and the only good race prep I did, was pin my number on my race day shirt the night before.

Luckily, Jasper slept great last night. He got up twice, which is really good for a baby his age. I still woke up sore as heck, but figured it was only a 10K. I met Steve at his house and we ran to the start, a little under 2 miles. My goals for the race were to run under 50 minutes and not pee in my pants (Steve told me to put that part in my blog...if you've tried racing a couple months after having a baby you will understand). The Cap10 is crowded, and a circus, but we still had fun people watching and lining up in our "corral". Steve protected me from the constant onslaught of beach balls, and didn't yell at me when I refused to do the wave. After a long wait, we were off....

With the crowds, our first mile was the slowest. We joked and shuffled along, and pushed a little on the hills. My garmin died, so I relied on Steve to tell me how fast we were going. We were dipping under 8 minute miles, which is great for me. The course is so pretty and it was so green...the race just flew by. We picked it up the last mile, and the clock said 50 minutes, but with the chip time, we made 49:29....whoo-hoo! My first postpartum race, and made sub- 8 minutes miles (I also did not pee in my pants. :) We had a nice cool down walking back to Steve's house.

What a fun race...even though "only" a 10K, but I suspect I will be sore tomorrow. Up next: Heels and Hills Half marathon, and more runs with the Bob (gotta figure out how to break a 10 minutes mile while running with that thing)

Update...

2010-04-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

We've been very busy with lots of family visits (Jasper met Grandma Helen and Grandpa Alex and Uncle Paul and Aunt Megumi). It's been a lot of fun, but I haven't sat down at the computer much lately.

Jasper made out like a bandit on the visit and got a ton of new clothes. He also just got a package today of a super cute whale outfit from one of the wives of the docs I used to work with. People are so thoughtful when it comes to baby gifts. He also got money and cards for Easter from his Grammy and his Grandma Sarah. He is one lucky kid.

I'm still on the 40 day yoga challenge, but I admit with the company, I've only managed little 10 minute sessions after my runs. I am hoping to hit it a little harder next week. I need to...with the company I did a lot of good eating. Trudy's and Rather Sweet in Fredricksburg. Mmmmm. Nothing like a brownie as big as my head :)

My running is going great. I am consistently at an 8:30 pace, and doing long runs of 10 miles. This weekend is my first postpartum race, the Capital 10K. May 2nd is my first 1/2 marathon, Heels and Hills in Irving (near my sister in law), and I am hoping to dominate the "New Mom" division. Can't wait! Then I get to start marathon training for the Frankenthon!!!

It's also Bluebonnet season, and we've been enjoying the great weather.

Up next: Jasper's first running Expo, a test run in the Bob stroller, a work conference for me, and my first postpartum race report!

What is your specialty?

2010-04-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Runner's World recently posted this little essay on marathons just not being enough anymore. I found it very applicable to many runners here in Austin, where we have a big running scene with lots of races. So many runners discover running through local road runs: 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon, etc. They master those, and now the trend seems to be jumping to ultra running.

Now, if you had the pleasure of running track in high school or college, you have a slightly different perspective. Higher miles does not always equal higher difficulty. Ever run a "real" 800 or mile? It's freakin' hard. Try training for the mile, like a real miler or 1500 runner. It's harder than any marathon long run I've ever done. And many track coaches swear the 800 is one of the hardest distances to race....tougher than the marathon.

Most of us aren't going to be out creating track teams for the middle aged, but ever race a road 5K? Another totally freakin' hard run. I do not do 5ks in general, because I am lazy. To really experience it and RACE, hurts.

My best couple years of running I raced a lot of 10Ks and half marathons. I got my half to 1:26 and my 10K to 40 minutes (these are the only times of mine I really remember). When training for the marathon, I did long runs every other week, and took an off day. I ran my best marathon. I pretty religiously followed a training plan for the marathon, minus track workouts, but I did tempo runs.

When I started doing ultras, I ran long every weekend. Really long. I quit racing 10Ks. I decreased my off days. I slowed way down.

My point to all this is longer runs don't need to define how good or tough you are as a runner. With my new time limitations, I won't be doing a 100 miler or 50 any time soon. There are other goals out there though. Getting faster at shorter distances is no walk in the park.

I also think most of us have a distance we are just better at. As much as I love long, long runs, my performances indicate they are not my specialty. I think I probably am better at the 10K-1/2 marathon distance. Now, I am not giving up my hopes of returning to ultra running someday. I just probably will not do one of the extreme really long, really rocky type races, which for me, are mostly power hikes. Unless you are a pretty nimble person, most runners do significant amounts of walking during these. I am sticking to ultras you can run. We have several in the area, in addition to more extreme events.

When I did my first 50, I had the goal in my head for many, many years. I would not have done it had we not had the Sunmart races here, which I had heard about for a long time, and they did not require lots of technical terrain training, just lots of miles. I think after that I did fall victim to constantly upping the ante. I am glad I did all that I did, but I am looking forward to creating some new challenges for myself that don't involve trying to get in 40 mile training runs in 90 degree heat going up and down hills.

So, I challenge my running friends to find their specialties. Maybe it is not extreme distance. I know the lure of ultras is appealing: running in beautiful places, doing what you did not think was possible, the wonderful feeling of achieving a big goal, and let's admit it, some bragging rights. But all those things are possible in shorter distances too.

Of note, today was the first day of the 40 Day Yoga Challenge. Too bad it wasn't yesterday. I went to a very challenging class. Today, no chance of a class, but I kicked it off with a 30 minute DVD.

Postpartum running...

2010-03-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

A couple people have encouraged me to write more about postpartum running. There is hardly anything at all on the internet. Most of what I found says it's ok to start walking at 6 weeks postpartum. No real mention of running. I will preface by saying everyone is different, and I by no means look down on someone who took more time off than I did. Also, be this topic probably doesn't appeal to most of my male friends, so you might want to quit reading.

I imagine there are others runners like me out there who balked at having to cut their running to get pregnant, or once they were pregnant. I really did think I would at least run half marathons while pregnant. My doctor always seemed uncomfortable with me running much at all, and it was very clear she didn't understand that this wasn't just a hobby, but a lifestyle. I could tell she got frustrated with me, and in attempts to be a reasonable patient, I did cut back my running considerably. There were definitely days I struggled while pregnant. I got down to about 10/11 minutes a mile without trying to, and there were a lot of discomforts off and on. But there were also days it wasn't too bad, and felt kinda good. I think it helped me keep my baby weight to a reasonable amount and mentally it helped me. I think I could have done half marathons, but not fulls while pregnant. But, at 35 weeks with no warning a back strain made impossible to even walk and just like that my running ended. I know people who run the whole pregnancy and others hit a point early on they just have to stop. It is very individual and I respect that.

I was fortunate enough to feel pretty good after I delivered Jasper. I had developed high blood pressure, but it did not effect my energy level. I was pretty anxious to get out and move very quickly. I started walking at about postpartum day 3 or 4. I felt a big difference right away...my energy level was much increased once Jasper was out of me. I increased my walking and started throwing in a few steps of jogging and increasing it little by little. After about 2 weeks I did my first real run of about 3 miles. Another 5 weeks goes by and today I ran 10 without any strain. But it's not all easy. I really wish I had Paula Radcliffe's phone number to ask her how things went for her after having a baby. But, I have more in common with Paula Deen than Paula Radcliffe.

A big surprise for me was that a vaginal delivery ruins your bladder. After months of having Jasper live on top of my bladder, I thought getting him out would ease the pain I felt while running. Wrong! Pushing out a baby quickly apparently ruins all the muscles around your bladder, so having to plan running routes around bathrooms doesn't end with having a baby. I have had other runners tell me they had the same problem and it slowly gets better...which I am experiencing with emphasis on the slowly part. I also am hesitant to bring a lot of water on my runs, because it just means more bathroom stops. But, breastfeeding and Texas heat, will mean I need lots of water this summer. I just wonder if Paula Radcliffe had such problems. For now I am just dealing with the inconvenience and keeping faith that things will improve and end by the 3-4 month timeline my doctor told me to expect.

Another issue is breastfeeding. I find it time consuming. Since you never really know how much your baby eats at once, there are times they may want to eat very frequently and some days I feel I get nothing accomplished due to a lot of feedings. If I want to meet someone to run, I need to do it around feedings and while Jasper isn't 100% capable of sticking to a schedule, sometimes I find him wanting to eat at times I don't want him to. I try and have him eat right before I run. The tricky part is if he decides he needs to eat an hour or so before I leave. Then he might want to eat again while I am out running and I am never sure if I should try and stuff him right before I head out the door or come home to him starving. When that happens, no matter what my state is I have to feed him. Be it sweaty, hungry, or in need of new shorts related to the above paragraph's problem. Then, I may not be able to eat or shower for a while. I think this will get better as Jasper gets old enough to maintain a schedule, but for now it is a work around for sure. Then there is the issue of extreme hunger. This morning I left for my 10 miler and 3 miles in felt major hunger pangs even though I ate a banana right before I left, but I had been up a good chunk of the night feeding Jasper. The simple fact is if you make all the food for a baby to gain 1/2 pound a week...it leaves you hungry. Lesson learned for me is any run over an hour I'll bring an emergency GU.

Another issue is sleep deprivation. I officially have not slept more than 3 hours at a time for 2 months now. Many nights it's more like 2 hours. In the morning it can take a lot of motivation to go run when I could sneak a little more sleep if I didn't. But, almost everyday it's run then, or don't run at all. I also see a big difference in my pace when I've had a little more sleep.

I have been fortunate and not had any pain. Even though I had stitches, in the beginning, they did not bother me when I ran. I also didn't have any more back pain.

My advice to other would be you just have to do what you are able to. I have to do some planning and a lot of compromise to run at the mileage I currently am (about 40 a week). I also have to have some patience because I won't totally ramp up my long runs until Jasper has a little bit more of a schedule. There are also a lot of factors that make running a challenge. It's important to me, so I have been willing to work with some of the challenges. I am curious how things will be in the future. When will I hit a point that I am running like I used to?

Finally, I do try and keep in mind, in the space of a lifetime, the postpartum period is still pretty brief. I keep telling myself if I am not quite where I would like to be now, I have a long time to get there.

Pancake has not been forgotten...

2010-03-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mike told me a needed to post a Pancake picture. This was taken yesterday. Her frisbee is still her favorite. It is a challenge, but everyday I try and do something just for Pancake: a walk, a run, a little session of doggie massage, or a series of frisbee tosses outside. She is still my best friend....even if she is a little crazy.

Who will have a faster marathon PR, me or Jasper?

2010-03-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

Here is Jasper in his running shoes. Hopefully he can join me soon (in his stroller at least).

The running is going well. I have promised myself no dedicated training plan for anything right now. I may start in May, as I know the Austin training groups do that for fall marathon training, and I could start a plan then. I usually do a Hal Higdon plan, or a plan from Advanced Marathoning. BTW, both are excellent resources. I have long suspected a local training group lifted it's marathon training from Hal Higdon. He has a 50 miler training plan too, which is very nice. There are not many of those out there. I have always found the mid week mid distance runs tricky to get in the mileage before work, so that is one aspect I have not always followed, but I have more or less done the long run schedule and it was nice to have something to follow. It also is a way to help force days off for those of us who tend to be compulsive.

Yoga pose suggestions...

2010-03-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Per Ryan's request for help with choosing yoga poses: Yoga journal has some nice sequences with pictures and descriptions of poses. I particularly like the ones listed for sciatica for runners to use. Because our hamstrings get overly tight, our back muscles get pulled on. I personally find many of the twisting poses very helpful for my back. Pigeon pose is another good one for runners, if held for a couple minutes on each side, as you get a deep hip opener. But, most of all, just take a couple classes, get some idea of some basics and how to do them so you really target the right muscles, then start to put together a couple things at home.

I did have one teacher tell me if you could only pick one pose, downward dog is it...and I think most people know that one.

The Challenge...

2010-03-24T11:01:00.001-07:00

YogaYoga sent out an email about the 40 day yoga challenge. Starting April 1- May 10, the challenge is to do yoga everyday. Doesn't have to be a class, but every single day you must do some type of yoga. I am in, and I challenge all my running friends to join in as well. If I could, I would go to a class everyday, but time and money prohibit that. I am still trying to go at least once a week, and that is a challenge. I really spoiled myself during pregnancy with classes 3 times a week.

So, if you can make it to a couple classes, go for it. On the other days, after your run, I challenge you to just throw in about 10-15 minutes of poses, and really do them...don't rush through them and try to focus. You will be a better runner for it. My current goals are to continue to increase my arm strength (which I have seen HUGE improvements it), regain some type of core muscles (since pregnancy ruined them :( , get to where I can do more inversions unassisted, and work on heart openers everyday since I spend so much time hunched over holding the Little Owl. Even if your experience with yoga is limited, I challenge you just to do a few down dogs and up dogs everyday for 40 days. I am so convinced that runners need SOMETHING to increase strength and flexibility. We all think we are in great shape, but it can be a real eye opener to do a tough yoga class. Try a vinyasa class.....your butt will get kicked. Anyone who thinks yoga is "too easy" or "just a bunch of stretching and chanting" does not have a clue. But, you can also make it what you want. If you need a little down time with some low key stretches before bed...try some restorative yoga. But, runners should take this challenge, you will be a better runner for it!

Of note...Pancake and Jasper are both joining me in the challenge. Pancake does down dog and up dog all day, and Jasper will do a couple poses everyday with my assistance. If a dog and a baby can do it, so can you!

2010-03-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was kind of sad. I had my final pregnancy related doctor appt. I am free now. I can do whatever I want without lectures of "take it easy!" I left with a feeling very similar of what I had when I graduated from nursing school. Something I had spent a huge amount of time on that was a major factor in my life was now over. I thought "what do I do with myself now?" Even though I was starting a new job/ career, and I had now a new adjective to describe myself, nurse, it would be strange to not be in school, and I was losing the "student" part of me forever. Same feeling now. All things pregnancy related are done and over. I am supposedly back to my normal self, and I add "mother" as another self-descriptor. While I complained a lot about being pregnant, and not being able to wait until I could train hard again, a little part of me is sad it is over. But like the end of nursing school, a whole new part of my life begins. And, I mostly have my old body back. I don't want to be pregnant again, I am glad I got to experience it though, and of course I cannot imagine life without Jasper, even though he's only been with me a short time. I'm sure in the next few days, I'll move on and forget about feeling a little sad. It's not like I don't have a lot of great things happening to me right now.

These photos have nothing to do with the above ramble. It's just wonderful food and company I had today at Blue Dahlia Bistro. It was a great day to dine outdoors with Stephanie and Amelia, and Jasper did reasonably well. Would have been nice if he slept the whole time like Amelia, but I am making peace with the fact I will have a very active little boy. That's ok...he doesn't tend to freak out too much...he just is awake a lot (well, not right now), and he likes to know what's going on. Good weather, good company, good food, and a good baby made for a nice outing.

10!!!

2010-03-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

More like 10.5. Thanks to Steve joining me, I got my first double digit run in since June!!!! Yesterday Stephanie was nice enough to join me in horrendous weather. It was cold, windy, and just pouring rain. I had planned 10, and ended up doing 7. It was crazy conditions to be running, and it was one of those runs where I stripped down in the garage and dashed right into the shower, because I was SOAKED. This morning, I took full advantage of having company, and did a great route through my 'hood that ended up being 10.5. I think I have a route to put in my regular rotation. A long run that doesn't involve any of town lake or Tarrytown. Not that I don't love running there, but there are other neighborhoods in Austin! And we ran hills too! I felt great, and could have kept going.

Now I know a lot of my running friends probably don't think much of a 10 mile run, and there was a time it would have been a short run for me...but as I ramp back up, it's like being a new runner, and each run feels like a new milestone. I feel like my running blog used to be a lot more interesting with all day trail runs, and races with long distances, and extreme terrain. Now, I take jaunts around my east Austin neighborhood and have no epic races on my radar. Well, having Jasper around really makes me appreciate things more, and each time I drag myself out to run on 3 hours sleep, and run along Manor Rd, for yet another day, instead of being somewhere more interesting, I tell myself, the best run I've ever done is the one I am on right now. Steve pointed out this morning, there's nothing wrong with just running. The races and challenges will come, but for now, I mentally feel like I just completed a goal race. I am back to long runs!

In the photo, dangling from his car seat, is Jasper's new friend, Calamari. It's hard to tell, but he is a brightly colored squid toy. I love squids (not necessarily to eat, but to look at), so when I found a squid toy, I knew Jasper and Calamari had to become friends fast. This photo was taken on one of Jasper's many walks. If it looks like he is bundled up, he is. Spring vanished for a couple days, but should be back tomorrow.

2010-03-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a secret I never knew until now. I can do just about anything I could before I had a baby....it just takes some planning and organizing. So to all the naysayers who told me I would never do this or that...look at me now! Now, there are a few things I can't do: like go to any of the SXSW day parties this week since it will be too loud for Jasper's ears, but I never really did much of that before I had him, being completely unhip.

To keep up my running, having Mike's help has been essential. I check with him on Sunday night, and figure out if there are any days he needs to be to work early, and that becomes my off day for the week. I also check if there are any days I need to change my start time...like if he wants to sleep in a little. I get up feed Jasper, and head out the door, knowing when I get home, I'll have to feed him again in my sweaty running gear, but at least I am getting my run! On weekends, I've been coordinating with Mike whatever he wants to do and picking a day a long run works, and leaving him a bottle of milk to feed Jasper. Also, on Sundays, Mike figures out a day in the upcoming week he can relieve me in the evenings so I can go my "real" yoga class (not the postnatal class I do during the day with Jasper).

Wearing a baby sling or carrier during the day has been key to getting things done. It sometimes takes me awhile, but I've been making dinner most nights, keeping a pretty constant stash of vegan cookies, and keeping up with lots of housework. If I didn't have my hands free, I would be tethered to the couch holding Jasper a lot more than I am. At dinner, I'll wear him in the sling, and Mike and I can enjoy dinner together without one of us having to hold him.

And, we are still consistently getting at least one outing everyday. Sometimes they are minor...a long walk, or just a shopping trip, but I am out of the house at least a couple hours everyday. I have found that 2 outings is my limit on my own. Mainly due packing and unpacking the car with gear. I had one day of 3 outings, and it kinda wore me out. But, in the evenings with Mike's help we'll go out to have dinner, or just to get a beer at a local coffee shop. There are a few places that the car seat stroller combo are tricky, but I've learned to keep the sling in the diaper bag for these situations.

Now there are modifications to everything I do. I am by no means saying it is easy.....but it's better than I thought. There are hard days (see my last post!), but I am trying to remain positive and enjoy the little time I have left until I go back to work.

It's also not forever. I often forget Jasper is only an infant for 1 year. Yes, I am aware each stage of his childhood will bring new challenges, but old challenges will be over, as many friends have assured me I will get to sleep more than 3 hours at once again. I also will get him out in that stroller for a run eventually, and won't have to plan every run with Mike. I also keep telling myself I have a lot of running years ahead of me. No, I probably won't do another 100 miler this year. But I have a long time to do another one. It will be so much more fun when Jasper can help crew for me. I am curious if it will seem easier after over 24 hours of labor.

And time does go fast. He is so big I cannot believe he was once under 6 pounds. I have a bag of clothes already that he has outgrown. He recently graduated out of newborn size diapers into size one. Even though it is exciting to see him grow, a little part of me is sad he is no longer so tiny....even though I look back to the very beginning a remember some of the challenges I've already completed.

Well, we are about to head out for outing #2....

2010-03-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

There are some days that are just harder than others. Today spring vanished for a bit and has been replaced with cold rain. After a long, semi-restless night, I headed out for my run in the dark. I got home to find out I had made Mike a few minutes late for work. I hate having to inconvenience him when ever I want to do something. Learning that I am not on my time, but Jasper's is hard. While Jasper sleeps in 2-3 hours stretches for the most part, here at week 6 of not sleeping more than 3 hours at once, I am a little less tolerant when he wants to sit up for awhile after a night feeding. A lot of being a new mom is trying very hard not to complain. It's like an ultra run....I signed up for it and I need to accept all that comes with it. Tears and bitching about the bad parts won't make it better. Does writing on a blog count as bitching?

I rushed to shower, inhale food, pack the diaper bag, try to get Pancake out in the rain and then make it to the postnatal yoga class. Jasper seems to love it, so I want to keep going until I go back to work. Why on such a cold, wet day, was the room at YogaYoga so dang cold?!? Jasper cried through all the parts of class that didn't involve him (the parts for my yoga!). His hands felt like ice, so I imagine it was just so cold he needed to be held. We left class and he seemed fine. I needed to shop for some basics at Target, and it was still pouring. I managed to forget half the stuff I came for.

One little treat though was I found this chai concentrate there. Since I've been on leave from work, I've become addicted to $4.00 Starbucks chai lattes. Being currently out of work, I have no business drinking a $4.00 drink several times a week. This chai concentrate is the same as Starbucks, and the whole thing is the cost of 1 drink there. Whoo-hoo. Thriftiness rocks.

Speaking of thrifty, Steve and I were talking about how most the races have switched from charity fundraisers to a moneymaking business. No need to mention names, but most of us in Austin are familiar with well known running stores/ clubs/ organizations that hold races strictly to make a profit. And, some of these races are quite expensive. It kinda got me thinking that I much prefer to do a run linked to a charity. I know we all need to make a living, but with money being tight for most of us these days, if I am going to blow $30-$100 on an entry fee, it would be nice to know some of it goes to a good cause. The whole discussion we had kinda had me re-evaluating my return to racing. Anyhow, I am pretty wishy-washy about my plans now. I'll just keep trying to improve, and my fall marathon is a definite, so I'll keep slowly working towards that.

Well, Jasper just dozed off on the couch, so that means I have 2 hands. Time to get off my butt and get some stuff done...

Mr. Czysz

2010-03-15T11:53:00.001-07:00

This jacket is courtesy of Melissa. I think it is pretty cute. I sooooo wish I was crafty.

Weekend...

2010-03-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

I started Saturday with my first trail run in about 8 months. Mark was kind enough to meet me at Walnut Creek, even though he probably could have gone 2 minutes/ mile faster. We did 9 miles, and Pancake was in heaven, running off leash the whole time. 9 miles is my longest postpartum run yet....almost to double digits. It was great to catch up with Mark too....we were running together weekly, until I hurt my back and couldn't run, so we were almost 2 months overdue to catch up.

Next Mike and I went to Wimberley for the afternoon. We wanted a short day trip to see how it would work to be out all day with Jasper. We didn't do much...just walked around, and walked along the river a bit, ate some really good pizza, and got lemon and fudge pie at the Wimberley Pie Company. Jasper did just fine, and it was a beautiful day.

When we got back to Austin I went to Kitty's house to meet baby Lia, born just a few days earlier. She was super cute, and it was nice to see Kitty after a slightly dramatic delivery, and see that she is doing better and we can start making plans to take the babies out!

I also chatted with Meredith who did and won the Waco 50K, one of the most fun and underrated races in Texas. Who would think that Waco would deliver and beautiful and challenging course. I hope to be there next year, but it was fun to relive it vicariously through Meredith, who made it home in one piece despite a major auto malfunction.

This week should be interesting. SXSW music festival will have the city very crowded, so we might be limited where we can go for outings. Still shooting for a couple lunch dates, postnatal yoga, and maybe some shopping. I have an Anthropologie giftcard burning a hole in my pocket.

Also, gonna keep up the running. I am trying to be conservative in upping my miles. I feel great, but I do keep trying to remind myself I just had Jasper 6 weeks ago, and I need to be patient. I have all summer to get up to long runs again. The good news is my pace does keep dropping. The trail run was pretty slow, but I did about half my road run today at an 8:30 or below pace. Not sure if I am going to do the trail series 30Ks. I was all gung ho, and then Mike (well, and myself) gently reminded me 6 weeks postpartum isn't that much. So we'll see. I am itching to race again, but I want to keep feeling good. At least the weather has been great for running lately.

Boog...

2010-03-13T18:55:00.001-08:00

Although Jasper is often referred to as "the owl" or simply "Owl", for quite some time now I've also called him Boog. Not sure why, it just happened. He is also known as Boog-poog. I've got to quit giving this kid nicknames.....

And, as you can see he kinda smiles now...

And, here is a video of one of many owl faces...

2010-03-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Steve sent me an article on "babywearing", so I thought it appropriate to put up another picture of Jasper in his sling. This allows me to be hands free around the house. Now that it is warmer, the Ergo carrier just gets too hot with the quilted insert that is needed for an infant. While he seems very content to spend his day this way, I am forced to not make him too content. This week the realization that my leave is half over set in. I will need to start attempting some work at home soon, to see if I can eek out another week to start back the beginning of May. In 6 short weeks though, Jasper will go from sleeping in a sling against me most the day, to being in a day care in a crib. I need to start preparing him for and getting him used to comforting himself. It doesn't seem fair to him, and I hate having to do it, but I also want the money that work provides to get him whatever he needs. It seems like an unfair choice to be forced to make. With a little accommodation, I could probably get away with wearing him in the sling to work, and getting a good chunk of work done, but that is not how our society works. Babies and kids don't mix with work. I get a lot of comments about how much time I have taken off. 12 weeks. It seems like a lot when you look on a calendar, but really it's not that long to spend with your baby before handing him off to a group of strangers. I'm sure the day care is good, and I can visit him at my lunch...but I guess today I started feeling a little sad about it, and I really don't feel like it's been that extravagant to spend 3 months of Jasper's life focused on him and not something else. For now we'll just enjoy the time while we can. Today we went on a long walk and then he sat in his little chair under a tree while I did some yard work. In between activities he eats and I catch up on one of my many Netflix instant watch shows I am addicted to. Right now he is sleeping in his chair, not his sling, so time to take advantage and do a couple things for me!

8 miles...

2010-03-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

No I am not referring to the Eminem movie where he wants to become a rapper in Detroit. I am referring to my new postpartum running distance record. I had a great run through the Cherrywood neighborhood this morning. Got some hills in, and the best part was I ran right from my front door. I am really on a quest to develop interesting and challenging routes that start and end at my house, all in the name of saving time. This route was a winner. I also found out the Rogue trail series is back this year, and the race dates are moved up. Looks like I have some new race goals. Yippee!!!

Here's a couple pictures of Jasper in his overalls. They kinda fit. And yes, Pancake is being forced to stay there....

Finally...

2010-03-06T11:08:00.001-08:00

...some time to type with both hands. It's been a busy week. As Jasper and I add more activities to our days, and as it takes longer to do simple tasks in between Jasper needs, I actually felt busy this week. Jasper had his one month Dr appt this week, and he is up to 8 1/2 pounds and 20.5 inches long. So in one month he gained over 2 and a half pounds. Since his only source of weight gain comes from me, I guess that would explain why I am hungry all the time, and still get tired here and there. Some of his clothes are getting too small, and some things there were way too big, are now starting to fit, like these overalls. While he seems like he's gotten really big to me, I still remind myself a lot of babies are this big at birth! Wow! I am glad I got at least a month of easily carrying him with one hand. One bit of bad news we got at the Dr was not to use the stroller to run with him until he is 6 months old. That seems so far away. We walk in it all the time....as seen in the picture. We take it off road, we take it around the block...it gets lots of use, but the freedom to put him in it and head out for a run without prescheduling with Mike won't be there for a while. Mike has been very helpful, getting up early to take Jasper while I run, but it would be nice to let him keep sleeping while the 2 of us went out together, not to mention it would be fun for Jasper, but I guess it takes 6 months for babies to get full neck control. So for now, we'll just keep up our walks.

Running is still going really well. I will be 5 weeks postpartum on Monday, so I still try to keep reminding myself it's ok if things aren't 100% perfect, buy I certainly cannot complain. I am running close to 40 miles a week again. I am looking forward to my 6 week postpartum mark, because I'll add the bike trainer back into my life. It will be a great option on the days Mike goes to work early, or there is some reason I can't get out the door to run. My run plans have pretty much solidified. There's a half marathon March 27th, I would like to do...but I am looking for a buddy (hint-hint , Stephanie). Then the Cap 10K in April, and then the Frankenthon Marathon in October with the goal of running a Boston Qualifier. After that, either San Antonio marathon or maybe the Warda 50K. A slight possibility is Rocky Raccoon 50 miler in February....that is a long way off though. And, I don't know how things will be when I return to work. I know I'll keep running, I just don't know how much free time I will have on weekends. There is also the possibility of DFW area races since we have family there that really want as much Jasper time as possible, and there are some great races in the area. The great thing is we have tons of local races, so I can do a lot still without traveling.

Upcoming projects/ plans: more vegan cookies, another postnatal yoga class, working on getting Jasper to sleep in his bassinet all the time (he sleeps very well, as long as he can sleep on top of me...we are getting better with spending the whole night in his bassinet though..), visiting Kitty with her new baby (hopefully very soon!), visiting Song's new salon, and trying Blue Dahlia cafe, a field trip to Le Boite pastry shop/ box, finishing season 1 of The Tudors.

Lastly, enjoy this great photo of a Blue Heron that Mike took at Town Lake.

Routines...

2010-03-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Here's Jasper in his nightgown. It's a cheater swaddle blanket...in the middle of the night when you're tired he's already swaddled, so no need to fiddle with folding a blanket. Anything to make the night easier...

We seem to have created a little routine now that we are on week 2 on being home alone. Jasper pretty much eats every 2-3 hours all night. He usually eats about 530-600am, so I get up after that and get ready to run. With feeding Jasper, Pancake feeding, making coffee, etc, I don't get out the door until 700. I run for an hour and then get home and hopefully slam a cup of coffee before Jasper eats again. Sometimes I get a shower before Mike goes to work, sometimes not. Once Mike leaves, I try and eat and finish getting dressed in between Jasper needing stuff. We listen to Morning Edition podcast during this time and check out friends' blogs. Then we prep for our activity. Everyday we try to book something. Today was postnatal yoga. It was fun. It was basically a regular yoga class but you were allowed to have your baby there. The second half of class was doing stuff with the babies, so Jasper got some stimulation. I wanted to wander after class, get a chai (my new addiction), go to the bookstore, but I learned the hard way not to go anywhere without a bottle of milk, so instead of wandering I had to go home so Jasper could eat. Once we're home from our activity, I do housework in between Jasper needing stuff and also try and play with Pancake some. I'll try and read a little or watch a show (now that the Olympics are over, I am doing Netflix instant watch for the Tudors). I cook dinner, and when Mike gets home we watch one of several series we follow, or maybe a movie. Before I know it , I need to go to bed. I also escape here and there when Mike gets home to go to yoga or run an errand, or maybe a second activity. Last night Stephanie and I had spontaneous bottle of wine happy hour. Notice there is no work in there....I need to gradually get more efficient with all my tasks to most of it can get done when I go back to work. Luckily I have a few weeks to figure things out....it seems to take me forever to get simple tasks done now.

Weekends are a different story. Mike has agreed to Jasper duty while I do a long run one morning, and I take Jasper so he can play disc golf one of the afternoons. We also try and work in one family outing where we all do something together.

Planned for this week: Jasper gets to visit Apple computers, Jasper's 1 month doctor appt, trip to the farmer's market.

Jasper seems to love the binky...

2010-02-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Lately all my Jasper photos are of him with his binky because that's when his eyes are open. Maybe I am creating a terrible addiction, but you do what you gotta do to keep a newborn happy.

I am happy today because I made it back to town lake. It felt incredible to feel like part of the running community again. I had not been down there in almost 2 months. I made it 7 miles, and I am up to an 8:45 pace. I felt like I could have run forever, but I don't want to risk putting my progress to an end by doing something stupid, as I am not quite a month postpartum. It's funny how now that runs are a little challenging to schedule, I savor every minute of them, and even a really sleepy, headachy run is something to enjoy. I plan on hitting the greenbelt soon with Pancake for her running nirvana. The last time I was there was probably last May, as the minute I found out I was pregnant, I quit the rugged trails. I cannot wait. If anyone who has been there recently could shoot me an email with a report on the water crossings, I would appreciate it. I won't go if I can't cross reasonably, and full body submersion in water while it is still cold out is not reasonable! It is actually kinda fun to get back into shape, as there is constant improvement, something I have not had in my running in years.

Jasper and I survived our first week home alone. There were some times it was hard and other times I thought it wasn't too bad. I learned I have to schedule activities as just doing a lot of house work gets old. It is really easy to have dinner made every night, and we haven't had to pick up food (which we try to limit, but some nights it would just be a necessity). Some tasks proved to be tricky and I am learning that when Jasper sleeps, I need to be productive, and throw in my yoga DVD, or vacuum, or take Pancake out, etc...basically do thing that are tough to do with him strapped to me. Even though it is tempting to sleep, I try and keep occupied.

Speaking of sleep...most the time it is not as bad as I thought it would be. I can sleep about an average of a 2 hour stretch, but I get 2-3 of those a night. It seems like my pattern is after a week or so, I start to feel it, and Mike will keep Jasper up with him until about 1am, and I'll get in bed at 930-1000, which gives me a nice 3-4 hour stretch. Last night I got in bed at 1000, and Jasper stayed up with Mike until 100 and then slept until 3am, giving me 5 hours, and this morning I felt like a million bucks. It made a huge difference. I still am looking forward to when Jasper starts to eliminate at least one night feeding, but it could be worse (easy for me to say at 1100am after having coffee....not always easy for me to say at 3am).

Up next: aiming for a 10 mile run and greenbelt return.

2010-02-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Day 3 of project home alone, aka maternity leave. This self portrait is how I am now spending a lot of my time....with Jasper strapped to my chest. Life at home revolves around Jasper's eating and times that he is content being strapped to me and I can move around freely. I am really looking forward to him getting just a little more neck control and then I can take him for a run. He already holds his head up on his own and if he's on my chest he already makes crawling motions, but he's not consistent enough for me to run with him. It will make things much easier on me and I won't have to plan runs around Mike as much.

Which brings me to this morning. I did not make it out. Now one thing I am terrible about is taking off days. I do not want to get injured as I make my comeback, so I know they are important, but I always hate to take them. When I was pregnant I rarely took them because I was always afraid each run could be my last and I didn't want to miss any chances I had to run. Now I fear each day something will come up preventing my run from happening, so I don't want to miss a day. I have a very narrow window to get out the door between about 630-830 (this includes the actual run). I also need to get Jasper fed before I can head out, and then Pancake typically asks to eat too, and the little things preventing me from getting out the front door start adding up. This morning after I fed Jasper I tried to get him back asleep for Mike to take over, and I ended asleep too...I woke up and it just would have been cutting it too close to Mike's 830 leave time. I figure the day off is a good thing in the long run, and today I get to go to yoga in the evening....yay! So, I do still get a workout, but those runs sure help the day seem better, so I hate to miss them. So, yes, running with Jasper is a big challenge. Feeding also figures in there too. Runs must be done right after a feeding as opposed to right before or the run can end up being quite painful. All I can do is stay positive. I am 3 weeks and 2 days postpartum, and I think considering that, the running comeback is not doing too bad.

Snow Day...

2010-02-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well, for only the third time in my 15 years here it is snowing. It is very pretty out, and it sure beats cold rain, but it means Jasper won't be going out today since it is so cold. I did get out and did my 6 miles in it this morning....it was NOT fun, and it meant coming home wet and cold, and then waiting a couple hours before the Little Owl was chilled out enough for me to get in the shower, but I guess these are the new choices I will have to make: Nice long shower, or go for my run. He is currently asleep on my chest in the Ergo carrier, so I am able to do stuff around the house. I've never done so much house work as I do since I've been home all the time.

It's been a weird transition to being busy all the time, to being home all the time. I am busy, but in a different sense. I think what makes it challenging, is it happens overnight. There is no easing into it. I went to work on a Friday, and by Sunday I was no longer a part of the workforce and every 2 hours or so I had to feed a newborn who I am completely tethered to. I have read breastfeeding is a "lifestyle" and I am starting to believe it. It makes for a lot of planning. No activity can last longer than a couple hours unless there is a pumped bottle ready for Jasper, or a trip home to feed him. I hope this passing on my immunity stuff proves to true....it is a lot more work to breastfeed than making bottles of formula. Not to make it sound all bad...it isn't. With Mike's help I've gotten out at least one hour each day, and some days I've done 2 outings. In a couple weeks, it will be springlike all the time, and we can come and go as we please. Wearing Jasper in a carrier allows me to do most anything at home. It's noon and so far today I have done laundry, dishes, vacuumed, make a couple beds, and made vegan cookies. All with Jasper strapped to my chest. It is challenging to change up my routine so much overnight.....I just wonder if I'll make it until the end of April when I go back to work. On one hand, I love having the time with Jasper, and not having him in daycare, on the other hand, there are moments of feeling not entirely productive.

I am learning to compromise my old indulgences though....I did a hour long yoga DVD yesterday instead of going to class (DVDs are only good if you have prior yoga experience in my opinion, otherwise you can't push yourself as hard), I've been trying to make the most of my 1 hour escape runs. Since my running time is limited, it forces me to make every run a tempo run....although my tempo isn't very fast yet. Last night I got myself a glass of wine and watched to Olympics and enjoyed it every bit as much as "going out." Also, I keep reminding myself Jasper won't be a newborn forever. We are very close to him being old enough to be out more.....and just in time for the wonderful Texas spring. I also finally stashed enough milk in the freezer that I can leave him with Mike a little more. As long as my legs let me, I should be able to do a town lake run soon, and let Mike watch him for a couple hours.

So, we're trying to our best to transition into a new life. I think we are doing pretty well. I don't feel frazzled..just a little tired. I am good at taking on challenges and finding a way to make things work, so I am confident I can mesh my old life with my new life to find a balance. I have some tentative 2010 racing plans I'll write about later that should be doable with Little Owl. So, life is good.

Surprise...

2010-02-22T07:58:00.000-08:00

I was in the living room and had Jasper on the bed with the baby monitor on. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the monitor and saw this:

I guess they just might be friends after all...

2010-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

I am currently starring at Jasper in his bassinet, hoping he'll take a little snooze so I can move from my spot on the couch and do a yoga DVD. He really is a mellow baby, and he's not crying, just awake. I don't always know what kinds of activities a newborn finds entertaining. Right now we're listening to the Into the Wild soundtrack. I am not normally an Eddie Vedder fan, but this is a very good album. I also keep spinning around his black and white mobile, but he seems like he could care less. I have started carrying Jasper in the Ergo . Sometimes he loves it, sometimes not. I think its tragic flaw is it gets hot. And I suspect when he's not loving it, it is because he is hot. It is nice to have him upright and for me to be handsfree while I am home though. Ok, he's now on my chest and I am using my one handed typing. But, I see hints of sleep. One of our big activities is walks. So far we've just done Mueller, Hyde Park, and lots of circles around the block. This week, weather permitting, I hope to venture out a little more. There is a paved trail at McKinney Falls, so we may try that.

Yesterday we did our first shopping trip. His aunt Jodi and cousin McKenna came to visit and we went to the Steeping room and the Domain. I am not normally a shopper, but I was so happy to be out in warm weather, and looking at non-maternity clothes for the first time in about 10 months, that I was loving it. Jasper did pretty good. I brought a bottle, so I had my first outing where we needed to stop so he could eat. I know none of this sounds like a big deal, but each little thing I add to our agenda takes planning I've never had to do before, so there is a lot of trial and error.

Ok, now Jasper is in the Ergo, sleeping, still no chance of me doing my yoga, but at least I have 2 hands again, and we can walk around the block a few times. But, despite all of the new challenges in my life, I try and constantly remind myself I am pretty darn lucky and to savor these moments...Jasper won't always be little enough to be strapped to my chest, fast asleep.

My running is going pretty good. My 6 mile loop seems a little easier, but I still am pretty slow. I feel a little stronger each day, and I am starting to envision a training plan. I don't plan to increase my mileage until 6 miles seems a little easier. I spent about 10 months getting my body out of training mode, so I suspect it will take more than a couple weeks to get it back. The last couple days the weather has been much warmer and that helps motivate me to get out. The damp 30 degree mornings, took everything I had to get out the door.

This week's goals are to get out a little more, and start re-stimulating my brain. I've successfully started exercising again, but since I am not working, my brain isn't doing much, and the fact I watch a lot of the Olympics and a ton of Netflix instant watch and DVR stuff, isn't helping. At work, I was a podcast junkie, so I am still listening to Morning Edition podcasts, so I have some some clue what is going on in the world, and I can think about something other than what is happening on Lost and The Office, but I need to start reading again and doing some activites that are a little mentally stimulating. I plan to hit the Blanton museum soon...maybe this week if the weather is bad. My booklist so far is the new Margaret Atwood, and then The Girl Who Played with Fire. Any book suggestions are welcome. I just gotta quit watching curling during the day...

Baby crack, 500 calories, more baby runs...

2010-02-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Jasper and his "baby crack". It is an all natural rubber pacifier. It's made out of real rubber from a rubber tree, and supposedly has a good taste. It is also molded as one piece so there are not little crevices to fill with bacteria. It also costs $9 (plus shipping charges), which is outrageous for a pacifier. I need to find someone in town who sells them, because Jasper loves it. He sucks on it like Little Maggie Simpson. I have used to it put him to sleep on a couple late night occasions, and have used it when the "You're not hungry" chant doesn't seem to work to settle him down. So, go ahead and call me a yuppie parent for getting my kid a $9 pacifier, but $9 is money well spent to have something that a baby likes and can be added to the arsenal of tricks to calm him.

Well, he can usually be calmed by a feeding, but that is not always something I am up to. I won't go into breastfeeding details, but it is kinda a pain in the butt, but I am seeing the benefits. One huge benefit is it allegedly burns 500 calories a day. Not sure if I totally believe that, but I will say I think it helped me lose my baby weight, and I am hungrier. Mike says I seem to eat a lot. I am still trying to eat just as good as I did when I was pregnant, and minimize the treats (well, I do treat myself with vegan cookies, and now an occasional glass of red wine). So, hopefully the weight will stay off....it is definitely a lot of work to be Jasper's food source!

I have run 6 mile runs for the last few days. Still a little slow. My doctor gave me the go ahead "to run, but take it easy." I had a few concerns about some postpartum running discomforts, and my doc said she's never had someone start running at 2 weeks postpartum, so it is not really reasonable to expect everything to be just fine at this point. So, I am trying to be patient, and hope that things continue to progress well, and by the 6 week postpartum mark, hopefully running will be a little easier.

Jasper is cute too...

2010-02-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Pancake isn't the only cute one in the house. Jasper is pretty cute too. Pancake still ignores him, but pays attention to me. Hopefully she'll come around soon.

I ran 6 miles today!!!!! It was far from perfect, and my 9:30 pace isn't quick enough to rejoin my friends for quite awhile, but it was a "real" run.

Running around Mr. Fuss-Fuss...

2010-02-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest round of Owl/ Fuss-Fuss/ Jasper pics. He met his honorary Uncle Steve yesterday for breakfast. Steve doesn't believe me that he is ever awake, but he is. Jasper has been doing pretty good at night, with 2-3 stretches of sleep, so I don't feel too sleep deprived.

Yesterday was a little tough to miss the marathon...we also had other things going on and never got to do Jasper's first town lake trip, an it got too cold in the afternoon. But the good news is I've had some promising starter runs. 4 miles yesterday and 4.5 today. They are slow, but a run is a run. My goal is to make it around town lake by the end of the month. I have a dr appt this week, and if all goes well, I will start making some spring race plans!

Happy Due Date, Jasper!

2010-02-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

The sun came out today...whew. So Jasper and I had a first...our first solo car trip. Granted it was not a long drive, but it was my first time to manage a car seat, stroller, and getting it all in and out of the car by myself. No SNAFUs, and Jasper and I met Meredith for a walk, and then continued on our own. This picture is of Jasper after his walk....it wore him out. I also did another solo outing this morning and went to yoga class again. So, hopefully I am keeping up fitness. Tomorrow I hope to get in a couple jogging miles, and we are planning a family walk at town lake. Life is much better when we can get out!

These flowers were a surprise Valentine's present from Mike. We never do Valentine's day, and I've been fine with that. I'm pretty thrifty and generally hate to have him spend money on gifts, but the flowers were a wonderful surprise. I'm in a strange happy and bummed out state at the same time. It's hard to have this be marathon weekend, and I'm out for the first time in 10 years, but on the other hand I am very happy to finally have Jasper here. The flowers were a nice surprise and really cheered me up...plus they are gorgeous!

Today is Jasper's official due date. I am so glad he decided to make his debut earlier.

2010-02-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

I realize this is a much better shot of Jasper's beautiful hand knit sweater. It is a definite keepsake item. Plus, I like that it has buttons and not zippers, as some of his jackets it seems like the zippers ride up and scratch his face. I am also realizing a lot of cute baby clothes are kinda a pain in the ass. Anything without snaps...forget it.

We continue to be a little bit stranded with the horrible weather. I know it will be warm before we know it, but I feel like's it's been cold and wet everyday since I left the hospital. I walked/ jogged/ trotted 4.5 miles this morning on my own. It went better yesterday, and I was a little frustrated. I am 11 days postpartum, which sometimes seems like a lot and sometimes it doesn't. Remember, I rode my bike and did a yoga class while in labor, so I feel like I should be bouncing back fairly quick. While my energy level is great, sometimes I feel a little discomfort from my stitches, and I feel the aftermath of a very quick delivery (long labor, but a very quick session to get Jasper out to the world). I also still need to get my blood pressure lower, but it seems to be going in the right direction, minus a couple outlier readings. I did go on my first real solo outing last night, and went to my old yoga class. I went to a fairly difficult class, and after doing it and some stuff at home, I realize doing all the yoga with the limitations of pregnancy has vastly improved my yoga. I was pretty shocked. I am not going to complain I got a lot better at something, but I would rather it have been running! So yeah, I am still just itching to run, since overall I feel really good....and I'm frustrated my layoff has been this long. I would appreciate hearing anyone else's experience with coming back. Especially if you were active the whole pregnancy...that is the hardest part, I feel like I am raring to go.

Anyhow, I have my fingers crossed for a little sun and temps above 40 degrees so Jasper can get out. He loved the one little walk I took him on, and it would be great if I could start him on some outings. Turns out tomorrow is his "due date". I can't imagine if I had to wait until tomorrow to have him!

Mr Fuss-Fuss...

2010-02-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Here's Mr Fuss-Fuss after another Dr appt, and modeling his beautiful hand knit sweater, courtesy of Melissa. Notice I never seem to dry my hair, but at least I am taking showers.

We had to take Jasper to the Dr today for a little abscess on his bottom. A normal person would not have worried about it, or probably noticed it, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and as a nurse I noticed it right away, and all I could think about was patients I've had where we drained a cup of pus out of what looked like a little pimple. It seems he'll be just fine...but I was very concerned, and felt pretty bad torturing him with a little needle poke in his butt to drain it, but we do not want pus! We also discovered he is now over 6 pounds! I guess the feedings that torture me are worth the effort.

The weather continues to be dismal, which makes things a little hard, as it keeps us homebound. I did a total suck it up walk this morning in 40 degrees and rain, but I did it. Keeps getting better and better, so I am very encouraged the running will happen soon. I've been wearing my Garmin and have logged 17 miles so far this week. I now own a blood pressure cuff and have to log it along with taking meds, but it seems to be drifting down...although I said that before, but I remain hopeful.

One year ago...

2010-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

I found this in my photo library, and it is exactly 1 year before Jasper's birth. I remember we went hiking at the greenbelt, as I wasn't running much that week, to try and recover before the marathon, after running a 50 miler the week before.

Now I would be happy to make it 6 miles. Well, I think I could....I just have a few issues holding me back. Today I walked 5 miles. I am actually a little sore, but it feels great. It is just disgusting out, being cold and damp, so there is no way Jasper can come with me. Last night I had a little melt down, as I didn't make it out for my walk until 6pm and it was cold and dark, and I just walked about a million circles around our very small block. I realize that may happen from time to time. This morning I was determined to have a better walk and got out early. While I am not cleared to run, I threw in a couple jogging steps, and it all seems to go pretty well....just a few little issues still that I am hoping are all part of recovering from delivery. I have to remind myself I've only been home from the hospital 1 week. Today I did a full yoga DVD too, I could have gone to my regular class, but I didn't quite feel ready to leave Jasper yet and be that far away. With the super foul weather though, I suspect it won't be long until full blown cabin fever sets in and Mike and I start alternating outings.

All in all things are going well. Sure, there are little moments here and there that are challenging, but I think we are doing pretty good.

I planned out my return to racing while I walked today. I think I will do the Capital 10K, because I figure certainly by April I'll be able to run 10K (I hope). There are other things that will just have to wait and see how the running progresses.

Oh yeah, and we got the Wii out to play today, and I weighed in on it. While I definitely need to tone up, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Yay!

"Running" update...

2010-02-09T06:28:00.001-08:00

Brisk 4 mile walk yesterday with Meredith in between rain showers (thank you, Meredith!!!) I actually broke a little sweat got my heart rate up!!! Whoo-hoo!!!! ALMOST ready to run.

This is what Jasper did during my walk. This is not the best way for him to do his marathon training...

Ok....new info...I just got back from my blood pressure check, and it is still crazy high. Ugggg....until it normalizes I can't start back up training. The good news is I am starting blood pressure medicine, so I hope that fixes it. I would much rather take a pill than lay in bed, and obviously that didn't work. While I am happy and thankful Jasper is a healthy baby, I admit I am kinda frustrated with sitting around the house when minus a little headache, I feel pretty good considering I am 8 days postpartum. I am anxious to get my baby weight off, and I don't see it happening with my current activity level, and I am pretty hungry since I am Jasper's primary food source...so I am not exactly eating salads. Anyhow, I like this plan better than going back to the hospital, and at least I can still walk, but as I am sure all my friends know, I have been dying to go for a run for over a month...and right now riding a bike trainer is not something I can do (ouch). I keep telling myself it could be much worse, and it won't be long. It's just a little tough for me to be on the couch marathon weekend, but at least I have company in the form of a tiny Little Owl.

The photos just keep coming...

2010-02-08T12:55:00.001-08:00

Food and flowers...

2010-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

We've been overwhelmed by how wonderful many of our friends have been bringing by goodies to eat. I actually had to freeze a couple things, because if I ate it all now, this baby weight would never leave me! It will be nice in a week or 2 when things slow down, to pull some homemade food out of the freezer.

I also got a couple of flower arrangements which have been nice to add some color to our house. Plus, it smells really good.

Finally, here is a picture of the Little Owl before our walk yesterday. We did another 2 miles, I bundled him up really good, but he still felt cold to me when I got home, so I might have to walk solo for a bit and leave him with Mike, but as we all know in Texas, summer will be here by April or so :)

"Running" update...

2010-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

As this is a running blog, gotta mention my running. I walked 2 miles yesterday, pain free!!! Little Owl came with me in his Bob stroller. It worked fine unless we got onto gravel, and it was a little bumpy for his head, although he seems to have excellent head control for a newborn. It was fun when a couple folks commented on how "new" he looked, and I got to brag that he was only 5 days old out on his first walk! I totally felt like I could run, but I swore to my doc with Mike there that I would not run until my blood pressure returned to normal. I think it's close though. We're going to walk again today, and maybe early next week I'll start running. Owlie definitely cannot run in his stroller for a while, so I'll have to run solo with Mike's help to keep an eye on Mr Fuss-Fuss (I am really into nicknames.... :)

Jasper's first real outing...

2010-02-05T21:05:00.003-08:00

He went to his first doctor's appt and mine, but his first "fun" outing was a trip to P Terry's for a veggie burger.