Not Perfect

My last couple of runs have been exercises in futility.  Okay, maybe not that bad - but I just like that phrase "exercises in futility."  To be honest, I hesitate to call these runs...runs.  I actually have walked more than I've run on both instances.   Why?   I am out of shape and cannot get properly hydrated.  My calves tend to get fairly tight on these runs.  A lack-of-hydration tight that I haven't had since I first started running, before I'd learned about proper pre-run hydration.  I am becoming convinced that it is just not possible to properly hydrate for a run while nursing....but I'm still going to keep trying.


After the "run" on Wednesday night, where I ran 0.6 miles and walked 1.4 miles, I came home and wrote a post to vent my frustration.  I then elected not to publish it until I had time to come down from that frustration.  When I came home from the run - Mark and Avery were eagerly awaiting my return....

Really, they are dreaming about my return - honest.

On Saturday, my "run" consisted of about 1 mile total run time (in pieces), and the rest was walking.   I meant to do 3 miles instead of 2.84, but with the summer start spot for MiT, a run to the first water stop and back isn't 3 miles anymore...and I'd forgotten that.  This "run" although similar in style to the Wednesday night run didn't frustrate me as much.  I think because I also had the asthma card to play that morning...and because I'd remembered my iPod for when I was alone...so instead of beating myself up for the 1.84 miles of walking, I was listening to music.  The weather was perfect...and after the night before....I really, really, really, really needed the baby break.


What I am realizing about myself - is that I push myself VERY HARD.  I always have.  I usually set goals that are a stretch, but reachable.  Train for a half marathon (for example).  Sometimes, I get frustrated regardless of logic.  I.e. when I cried after I got an 85 on a Calculus exam.  I.e. When I'm frustrated that I can't run 2 miles (not even slowly) 5 weeks postpartum.


I quit running when I was 5.5 months pregnant.  I have been EAGER to get back out there and run again.  The fact that I've lost so much cardio conditioning is disheartening.  To need to put all that initial work back in...it's easy to get down on myself for failing to keep up the cardio during the 3rd trimester.


I know that this isn't reasonable.  I just pushed a baby out of my girly parts not even 6 weeks ago.  I should NOT expect to be running marathons....or apparently, even 2 miles.  That doesn't mean that I don't WANT to.  To go out for a run now is also so much more difficult.  I have to plan for where Avery will be while I do my run.  (She's still too little for the jogging stroller.)  The pre-run effort required makes it easier to get frustrated when things don't go the way I want them to, reasonable or not.  I suspect the more minimal sleep experiences these days aren't helping reason win out as well. 


I need to remind myself, constantly, that every little bit of exercise, strength training and cardio that I add back in is making a difference - even if I can't FEEL that difference yet.  That I have TIME to get back into shape and lose weight and train for marathons and mountains.  

Posing in my "weighted vest".

Baby Steps.  That's what I need to focus on.  (irony intended!)  I just need to find the time to do SOMETHING each day...whether it's walking with my weighted vest (BabyBjorn with Avery in it) or it's joining MiT for a short run or it's just running up and down the stairs at the house.  The important thing is get in these baby steps...and NOT TO QUIT.  


If I can't run 2 miles by the end of next month - THAN I can let myself get worried.  Right now, I need to just remind myself "baby steps."


Have you ever had to come back from a forced running/exercise hiatus?  What worked for you?  Did you have to deal with similar frustration?

Little Piglet!

Avery had her one month pediatrician appointment on Wednesday, Sept. 14th.   For the past week, we've been lovingly calling her a little piglet.  Why???  From the beginning, she takes about an hour to breastfeed on the breast.  In the last week, she decided she also needed to feed every two hours.  For those who don't know, you count time from when she STARTS eating.  So that meant - I only had an hour off each time.  I couldn't do it.  I just couldn't.  So, I made the gut-wrenching decision that I had to supplement with formula.  People can make you feel awful for doing that - but it's really no big deal.  Honestly.  I have also decided to pump in between feedings for time purposes.  After a couple days, I now pump enough that she can mostly still have breast milk and only about one formula bottle a day.  Awesome.


But, I digress.  At her two week appointment, Avery weighed 5 lbs 8oz.  She was in the 2-5% for height...and for weight.

2 weeks.  Tiny Tyrant.

On Wednesday - she weighed a whopping 7 lbs, 7 oz!  That's almost 2 lbs in 2 weeks!   Even the doctor was impressed!  Avery jumped up a couple of curves to the 10% curve!  She's still short at only 19.5 inches (5%).  But, she's doing awesome.  She even completely emptied her bladder on the exam table prior to the scale!  Ha!  Oh, and someone needs to tell this child that girls are not supposed to be able to arc their pee off the table...just sayin'.

1 month - Yeah, I pack a real punch now Mommy - watch out!

I now also know, that until Wednesday, I had not heard her pain cry.  Yay me! How do I know this?  She got a shot at her appointment and I got to hear the pain cry.  Oh wow.  A completely different noise!  

See her band-aide - Put down the camera and change my diaper woman!

Ok.  The funny part.  After her appointment, I called Mark to share the news.  I kept saying, "The vet said..." and then corrected myself..."I mean the doctor, the pediatrician..."   Um.  Can you tell that I've had pets longer than a kid?  Ha!


Similarly, the other night, Mark was talking about her "sharp claws" and how we needed to "clip her claws."  I was laughing, but finally managed to say, "they call them fingernails on humans dear."  Of course, in referencing myself, I often say "I need to clip my claws."  Ok, so we have issues!  LOL!

You see what I have to put up with?

Have you ever referred to humans by pet terms?  Funniest example?

Product Review: itzbeen

Product:  Itzbeen timer
Cost:  Approx. $25
Use:  Know how long it's been since feeding, changing, etc.
Bottomline:  WORTH EVERY CENT!


My blog is so weird with both running and baby stuff, thought I'd do both running product reviews and baby product reviews.  I'm adding a page to the main blog so that you can find a list of all these reviews with links in case you want to find something later.


The Itzbeen timer - I heard about this through a neighbor with a 4 month old.  We were out for a walk and as we got to talking, she started telling me about all kinds of things that made her life easier when she first had her baby.


First - I'm nursing.  Even if I weren't, newborns tend to eat every 3 hours.  Approximately.  How do you generally know when they last ate, peed, etc?  charting.  Mark and I had been hand-charting Baby Avery's food, wet and dirty diapers for 4 weeks before we learned about this timer.  BY HAND.   Now, to be fair, it is useful in the beginning to have the hand charts to be able to answer the pediatrician's questions.  (i.e. how many dirty diapers).  Once, it's established that she is regularly making enough wet and poopy diapers...who cares?  :)   Now, I just need to know - WHEN exactly did I last feed her, pump etc.


Enter the itzbeen timer.  Worth every penny.  You push a button on one of the four spots - and it starts counting up in minutes and hours.   I use the "extra" button for when I last pumped.  (or I use one timer for left breast and one for right).   We don't use the sleep one for sleeping at the moment. (she doesn't do it enough!  HA!)


This is awesome.  If Mark fed her a bottle while I was sleeping....he pushes the button.  When I wake up - I still know exactly how long ago he fed Avery.  (Mark was bad at charting after the beginning).   It'll be great for babysitters too (as my neighbor mentioned).  I'll know how long ago she was changed and fed.  AWESOME.


For anyone with a baby, I highly recommend this item!  It also has a clock, a button for back-lighting everything to see it in the middle of the night, and a night light button for if you need just a little bit of light with the baby.  Oh - and it has a left/right switch for those that are nursing to know which breast they nursed from last.


Apparently, at Target, you can get them in multiple colors, but I just got mine from BabiesRUs.


Bottomline:  Worth the $25!

Whatever mom.  Where's the milk in this dratted contraption?
I'm spitting it out in T-10 seconds if milk doesn't start coming out.

Product Review: Sport Beans

I'd noticed a few blogs where runners talked about using Sport Beans before their runs.  I decided that I needed to try these things.  I went to Fleet Feet, my go-to source for all things running.  Asked my MiT coach which one he recommended.  He said that they were all good and tasted like jelly beans.


Ok, truth time.  "Taste like Jelly Beans" is a bit of a stretch.  Yes, they are better than a LOT of energy things I've tried....but I must go for the more sugary yummy jelly beans normally.  Both varieties I tried (pictured above) were OK.  I'd rate them above Clif Shot Blocks for texture and taste.  But, definitely not up there with true jelly beans, just saying. 


A word to the wise - do NOT eat them after brushing your teeth.  The first half of the watermelon variety were AWFUL, because I'd brushed my teeth just before trying them!


My biggest issue with most energy things is a texture thing.  I have to give credit to these - as long as you like jelly beans - the texture on these is no worse than a normal jelly bean and very doable before running.


They definitely did the job as advertised.  I used one right before my strength training workout on Thursday - and had no energy issues during the strength training.  Used the other before my 2 mile run on Saturday with similar results.  Both varieties packed 100 calories with a bit of electrolytes and vitamins thrown in.  The watermelon ones are "extreme" and contained caffeine (50mg).  So, it had a warning about not recommended for pregnant or nursing women (as a disclaimer).  Personally, post birth, I need a cup of coffee in the morning now.  I skipped the coffee in favor of the caffeine in the sport beans and I had no negative results.  Every person is different and willing to take different risks though, so I would talk to your doctor before trying the extreme ones if you are nursing as I am.


Bottom line - would I use them again?  Yes.  I'll definitely try the other varieties as well.

DUE DATE!

Hello Avery's due date!!!  She can come out now.
Oh wait.  She already did that - 4 weeks ago.


What have I learned being a mommy for 4 weeks?

• Sometimes you have to let them scream so that you can eat.  See the video in this post as proof:  HERE
• Huggies diapers were made by the devil and no sane mother should ever buy them.  (Someone gave us a package of Huggies Preemies - The poop went out the leg and all over everything - including me. It put the swing out of commission for hours).
• Swings are life savers.  (Hence the Huggies are made by the devil).

Even Cassie agrees.  (She's thinking - thank god mom, she's quiet!)

• There is such a thing as the baby being too small.  Too small for clothes, for the car seat, for the strollers, for the Bjorn, for the Bounce Seat, etc.

Can you find the baby in the Bjorn?

• There is no such thing as too many outfits or too many burp clothes once you get past the first week.  Thank you Carter's double-stamp days. Oh. And cloth diapers make the BEST burp clothes.
• The first week is EASY.  Then the real work begins.
• Sleep deprivation has a whole new meaning with a newborn.
• The iPad is excellent for looking up the words to Hush Little Baby and Patty Cake. 

Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man.  Bake me a patty cake..

• Itunes is excellent for finding child friendly songs when you get tired of singing "Forget You", "Sugar we're going down" and "Fat bottomed Girls" to your newborn.  Note to self:  Running iPod is perhaps not the best thing to go to for songs to sing to the baby.
• Practice doing things one-handed pre-baby would have done wonders!
• There is no such thing as having too many diapers on hand!  On the same vein, buying an extra diaper pail so that there is one on each floor of my two story home = genius.
• Showering with the baby - with Dad in the bathroom to help - AWESOME.  I think Avery is destined to be a water baby - she loved it.  Plus, if she pees on me, conveniently there is water to clean it up.  :)
• It is never too early to teach them about school loyalty.

• Buy stock in diapers, laundry detergent, and get practice washing dishes by hand.  Hard to believe how the laundry quadruples with such a tiny addition!  We've washed more dishes by hand in the last 4 weeks than in the last 3 years.
• Even mommy needs breaks.  The few minutes when Mark gets home and I can pass the baby and step away for a minute are WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD!  It's amazing how 15 minutes can rejuvenate you and make the baby fun again!
• Support from friends and family is crucial.  There have been moments where I have just cried.  Because I was away from Avery too long, because I haven't been away from her long enough, because I can't figure out why she is crying.  Friends that will just hug you when you cry and not laugh too hard are absolutely priceless.  Thank the powers that be for each and every one of you!  Friends that bring you meals or adult conversation are equally priceless.

It's hard to believe that I've had Avery with me, outside the womb, for four whole weeks.  It's amazing how time flies when you're living in 2 or 3 hour increments between feedings.  I absolutely love being her mom...although there are moments where I jokingly ask why I did this crazy thing.

The best advice post birth from a good friend:  "Cherish the small accomplishments."  Today maybe it's getting a shower in.  Tomorrow, doing a load of laundry.  With a newborn - that's an accomplishment!

With enough moments like this though - it's worth it.  Of course, Daddy started video-taping once Avery started getting bored with singing and dancing with Mommy...so you'll get to see a bit of Angry Avery.  LOL.

Editor's note:  I just love how the dog and the cat are in the background staring at me like I'm absolutely nuts!


Anyone out there with additional advice/tips?  Any baby photo requests?  (I'm not putting her in other school outfits - so don't ask.  HA!).

Emerald City Recap

Race:  Emerald City Quarter & Half Marathon - I did the quarter
Distance:  6.55 miles  (although my Garmin said 6.72)
Date:  Sept. 4, 2011, 7:00am start
Finish time:  2:00:11


It was raining before the race started.  Note to self:  Bring extra socks or buy better socks before my next race.  (I'll explain that later).


This is one of my favorite races of all time.  The 1st annual Emerald City race was my first official race with a medal ever, so I'm biased.  Look here to see that medal.

It was so fun hanging out with my MiT buddies pre-race - even in the rain.  The race had a 7:00am start and they were monitoring the weather to determine if we were going to start on time.  Lots of crazy storms the night before.


Wet and humid weather conditions, but lots of fun.  Much more relaxed atmosphere than Cap City or Columbus.  Only about 2,000 race participants and no bands, music along the way.  We did have cheerleaders though!  This is a very laid back course through the "countryside" in Dublin.  The bit through the park was rather pretty!


I gave birth on August 10th, so my goal was to WALK this race with a bit of jogging here and there.  My friend Sara, had been given Doctor's orders to stay off her toe...but like me, she loves this race.  We stuck it out together!   We ran out the first 0.6 miles...and ran in the last 0.7 miles.  We walked in between, with a slow mile 5 (my fault).  By mile 2, Sara could no longer feel her toe.  We made quite the pair.  We had fabulous conversation though and it made the race so much fun!  I would have been miserable walking by myself - so being able to bond and share with Sara is something I will always treasure.

Me and Sara at the finish posing with our medals!

More of the MiT gang!

Me posing by the finish line - this was before my blister trip to the medical tent.

I've done many races put on by this company - M3S sports.  Every time, they seem to do a fabulous job.  And this time, Gatorade and water and not the nasty Ultima stuff!  Fun, if simplified race!


I did make a stop at the medical tent for band aides and advise from Dr. Bright on my blisters issue.  He offered to let me sleep on the cots for a few hours since I have a newborn!  HAHAHA!

Ok - the socks story.  Because my socks and shoes got SOAKED.  By mile 3, I started feeling blisters on the balls of my feet.  By mile 5, I was limping and positive they were the size of Texas.  How do they look today?

Right foot - blister wouldn't pop last night because it was too deep.

Left foot - was able to pop this one last night.

Maybe that's over-sharing - but dang those things hurt!  I was having trouble walking when I got home after the race.   Must get new socks!


I confess, after seeing a couple cross the finish line carrying their baby - I cried.  It was the longest time I'd been away from Avery since she was born.

She didn't miss me as much - and wasn't impressed by the medal, even if it is the size of her head!

I was more tired than I've ever been after a race...and bled later that day a bit from the exertion...but it was absolutely worth it!!!  Even now, with so many races under my belt, I learn something new each time.


Things I learned:

1. Moisture wicking socks.  Get them.
2. Flip flops or other athletic sandals (i.e. not sneakers) for wear post race - bring them.
3. Wear the hydration belt when nursing during race season.  So dehydrated.
4. Do NOT go to breakfast at the place offering discounts to runners.  The wait was crazy...and the food not so good.

Great time - can't wait to actually RUN it again next year!

Me and Avery - Mark took this after Emerald City without my knowledge.

Next up: Oktoberfest Meiler Vier (also by M3S Sports - they were advertising at this race).


What do you think of injury photos?  Yay or Nay?  LOL!

One Step Forward...Two Steps Backward

So, after my adrenaline filled jog with MiT on Saturday, I tried to do a solo run at home on Tuesday before Mark left for work.  I woke up, fed the baby.  Realized I was dehydrated, but also realized I only had about 40 minutes before Mark had to leave for work.  So, I grabbed my Nathan hand-held water bottle and went out the door.

Other than hydration - this time I did everything right.  I used my asthma inhaler, I fired up my Garmin and tuned in to my ipod.  Nonetheless - it was not a good run.  It felt like runs felt when I first started running - which tells me that  I've lost even more cardio-conditioning than I care to admit.  I ran a bit...had to walk....ran a bit more....had to walk.  Now, part of the problem was that I was going really quick (compared to my pregnant runs) on the running part - I'm talking 10 to 10:30 min/miles.  To compensate, I walked rather slow when I walked - about 19 to 20 min/miles.  For a beautiful average of around 15:30 min/miles.  UGH.


To add insult - my legs (calves) cramped ceaselessly due to my lack of hydration.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  And later that day - I spotted again.  (I'd finally stopped spotting post-birth).  Boo.  Boo.  Boo.  The next couple of days are air quality alert days - so no outdoor running for me.


I was supposed to start back into strength-training today with my trainer in the evening, but he canceled on me and kept sending me text messages about training in the morning...despite my clear indication that I needed a time when Mark would be home to be with the NEWBORN.  He doesn't have kids - and doesn't understand why I won't just get a babysitter.  Because I shouldn't HAVE to.  As much as I've loved my trainer and had intended to move in-house with him when my contract with the gym is up - I will most likely be asking the gym about training with someone else if we can't work something out....because who can leave this face?

On the positive side - my Amphipod hydration belt arrived today - I can't wait to try it and will post a review when I've done so.

I also have stumbled into the Emerald City Quarter Marathon this weekend.  I ran the 1st Emerald City Quarter last year and loved this race!  I'd been bummed that my due date was such that I wouldn't be able to do this race.  Now, I'm going to walk/run it so that I can say I've participated in every Emerald City race.  Hehehe.  It looks like the weather will not be nearly as nice this year - but I still can't wait - the medal looks awesome!


Until the next mile...