Hello March!

Well, this March has definitely come in like a lion. I hope it goes out like a lamb!
The last three weeks have been ridiculous. We've had so much snow and ice it's been unreal. On one hand, I love it because I am a teacher and have loved the time off. On the other hand it has really messed up my training. Throw in being sick the last few days and it doesn't add up to a lot of miles.

This is what I saw last weekend on my run. When they plowed the cul de sacs in the neighborhood they just left the snow in mountain piles. I know its nothing compared to what Boston and that area has had to deal with, but to us southerners it is a lot.

We have also had the winter crazies around this house. Oh and add to that that the kitchen has been undergoing renovations for over 3 weeks now. No kitchen + stuck in the house + a toddler=so much fun.

Today was so much better. Despite being sick the last few days, I managed to get out the door and get about 5 miles done. At least I hope it was 5 miles. My phone charger stopped working so I haven't been able to plug my phone in at night to charge it and it died somewhere during mile 4. I at least know I got over 4 miles done. I ran without a jacket and even though it was windy, it felt so wonderful. When my phone died, I had to run without music and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Just me, my thoughts, and the spring air. It was peaceful. After my run, C had stuff to do so I took B to Panera for lunch, hit the grocery store and then came home just in time for his nap. After naptime we took a little walk up the street. B walked with me, holding my hand. It was so sweet. He picked up leaves and carried them for a bit and then tossed them into the breeze when he was done with them. Even though they are a lot of work, toddlers are also a lot of fun.

We also found a frog in the yard today! He was moving slow and probably should have stayed underground a little longer. In spite of all this snow and ice, maybe it really will be an early spring? That would be awesome.

B was not a fan of the frog getting close to him even though he was enthralled by it.

Only 3 more weeks until it's 10K time!!! I'm so not ready.

A GREAT Milestone!

You all know how hard I've been working to get back in shape since B was born almost 17 months ago. I cannot even begin to tell you how freaking excited I was when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw an amazing thing....I AM OFFICIALLY BACK TO MY PRE-BABY WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few months ago I was convinced that I would never see that number again. Then back in August The Today Show did a "detox challenge" with their anchors. Each person gave up something that was a vice for them, like ice cream, bread, wine, shopping, etc. This inspired me to do my own detox challenge. For the month of September I decided to give up my biggest vice: all those sweets. I said goodbye to cake, ice cream, cookies, brownies, and candy. I still ate things with sugar in it, like yogurt and granola bars, but I did my best to stay away from those big items that don't do a body good. C took up the challenge as well and gave up soda. How did we do? Not too bad. Out of 30 days, I had 5 bad days. And 3 of those days were tiny pieces of candy, so they really weren't so bad. We made ourselves accountable by drawing smiley faces on the calendar for the good days and frown faces for the bad. Even though I didn't make it all month, I am so proud of myself and have proven to myself that I don't need the sweets as much as my brain was telling me I did. And the best part was that I lost those last 3 annoying pounds!!

This weekend we have the Crawlin' Crab 5K and I am getting really excited about that as well. I'm really looking forward to it because I haven't run a race since July. I haven't been training like I would have liked to but I think it will still be good. Races are always a good time. It is also my best friend's first race! I am excited for her. More on this later.

This was a post I did not think I would get to ever write. Aren't these little accomplishments wonderful??

Summer Kickoff 2014

Summer time and the livings easy!

So happy that it is finally summer once again. It is my favorite season of all time for so many reasons: it's warm (hot) out, I can swim at the river, I can wear flip flops and shorts everyday, no work...it's so fun. 

This weekend we went to the river and although I was unable to get a run in there I made up for it today. This summer is going to be a little trickier than I thought with not having B in day care and also not having him on my gym membership. I'm not going to get to use the gym like I thought I would and that makes me sad but I'm going to do the best I can. Anyways today I actually got up early and went for a quick run. The picture above is of the trail that I run almost every time I go out because it is at the end of my street. I got up early because it was going to be so hot today. Not only did I want to keep the kiddo out of the heat, I didn't really want to be in it either. The weather was great and it was getting pretty hot by the time I finished around 7:20AM. Unfortunately my hip decided to act up. It hurt to run on it about half way through and I had to stop and walk a bit. Then I decided to limp-run which I'm sure was a sight. After a few minutes of that I was able to run again without pain. Not really sure what changed or why it worked but it did. Now the outside of my hip is really hurting. I guess it's time to really start taking those PT exercises seriously again. 

On another note, last Thursday night the hubby and I had a quick date night at a place down in the bottom called On The Rox. It is right across the street from Tiki Bob's and is owned by the same people. It is a bar though, not a club. They were having a special that night and they had Sly Fox beers on tap. Sly Fox is a micro brewery in Pottstown, Pa which is where my husband lived and grew up. One of the times I was visiting him we ate there and had a good time. On Thursday I had a beer with raspberries and blackberries and it was really good. If you are looking for a quiet scene though, Rox is probably not your place. It is more of a bar than a restaurant but we had a good time even though it was a bit noisy for us-I guess we are getting old??? 

My 2 guys over the weekend. Happy Father's Day!!

The end of the school year is always a little bittersweet, especially when you teach a resource in elementary school. As an art teacher I have the same students for 6 years. I get to see them grow from 5 year old babies to 11 year old big kids ready to tackle middle school. It is fun to see how they change and to get to know them. These flowers were from a student who came to us just last year from China. He quickly became one of my favorites. He learned English extremely quickly and is an amazing artist. He came up to me during his last art class and asked if he could come back and visit me in 10 years. I had to laugh, of course! 

I survived my first year as a working mom and now I get to enjoy this view for the next 3 months. It is going to be a great summer. 

Training Week 10: spot on

Saturday was week 10 of the training team. On one hand I am glad it is over because I won't have to get up early every Saturday again or run in the ridiculously cold weather. On the other hand I'm sad. The training team is always a good time and it has gotten better over the years since I first participated back in 2008. This year we had several different vendors stop by, the Y gave out a prize every week, we had bagels, donuts, coffee and tea, we were given signs to put in our yards, etc. Little perks seem to make things more fun.

Mmmm...

Coach John wasn't there this week so our run was actually 4 miles spot on. It was GREAT.

I've been very good these past 2 weeks about doing my PT at home and I feel like I have seen some improvement. I don't always get all the exercises in but I do get all the stretching and foam rolling done which Kevin said was the most important. I go back on Wednesday for my last session so I hope that he sees improvement too.

Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather this week. I really want to get out and run.

Also this past Saturday was one of my best friend's baby's first birthday party! We had a lot of fun. First birthdays are really just an excuse for adults to get together and drink. I'm pretty excited for B's now. I got a lot of good ideas and later figured out a "theme". I'm pumped. 

Yes I put a Cabbage Patch Kid wig on my child. My husband was furious. 

I'm excited to have the party but not excited about having a one year old. Where did the year go???


Next post: the 10K!

Training Week 9: no fleece pants on hot days

Yesterday was snow day number 11. I am so over snow. It was also my birthday! Everyone on Facebook was all, "hey you get your birthday off of work!" but I had already planned to be out and had taken a personal day so I was not all that thrilled. Plus I had all these plans for things I wanted to get done and none of that happened, except for my hair. I did get my hair done and I love it.
  

Uber cuteness!

Red ombré!! It's not quite that bright, the filter I used made it pop more. 

It was also nice to spend the day with my kiddo who was all dressed up for the occasion. I kept trying to convince myself to go to the gym but hanging out with him was way more fun. I did do Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and shoveled snow during his nap though so I got my workout in. I also stretched! 

Saturday was 6 miles (actually 6.7) and it went fairly well. I ran pretty much pain free and stretched really good at the end. Sunday I woke up and had no soreness which was awesome. I had to walk a fair amount and it was also really hilly and hot. Race day will be flat and I won't be as hot because if the weather is like it was Saturday I won't be wearing my fleece lined pants. None of my capris were clean, oops. :-/

Not much else to report right now. Just another year older. One more trip around the sun complete. 30 wasn't so bad. Motherhood made it an interesting experience. 31? Yea that number is kind of bugging me. 

7 month check up

I meant to post this when he turned 6 months but time totally got away from me, so here is my 7 month check up!

I can't believe my baby is 7 months old already! Time really does fly. No one lies about that.

It's been a good seven months, a bit stressful at times, but good overall. We have a really great baby. He sleeps through the night and is so amazingly happy. He has two teeth coming in and the weekend that they broke through was a little rough but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been-or so I have heard. He was just a bit more fussy than is normal for him. He chews on everything and is into everything. At restaurants he wants to sit up and look at everything and touch everything. He started crawling "army man" style-using his arms to drag his body. This week he started using a leg too. Seeing him grow and meet these little mile stones is such a joy. Being a parent is amazing.

I mean seriously, how do you get over that much cuteness??

He was a parrot for Halloween ;-)

How am I doing? I went back to work in mid-October and it has been an adjustment. Being at work is fine and it was a smooth transition since I already know all the students and most days it actually feels good to be back. The kids missed me and were so excited to see me, it made me feel pretty good :-) My body and brain can fully function with little sleep now and with the help of a cup of coffee I perk up pretty quick. Getting up early isn't so bad once you have the routine down. It is also nice to get adult interaction during the day that isn't limited to my husband or tied into baby things.

The hard part is not having time left in the day for anything else. It's a struggle to get normal things done like keep the house clean or do the laundry. And you can forget reading a book or a magazine, browsing the internet and running. I have been able to get out of work on time and head to the gym for a little bit here and there. I worked a little with a personal trainer and she gave me a good strength training routine that I can do on my own in the gym without being locked into a class time. Although I really enjoy the classes that my gym offers, I don't think I will be taking any of them anytime soon. My knee bothered me for over 2 weeks after the 8K. Of course I am thinking the worst but I really need to get to a doctor and figure out what is going on and make it better. I really want to avoid having knee surgery at any point in my life.

Speaking of the knee injury, because of it I have not been able to run. A big part of me is wondering if my running days are done and this gives me a myriad of emotions that I cannot even express. Running has become such a huge part of who I am, I cannot imagine who I would be without it. It would be like someone taking away my artistic abilities. I would be utterly lost.

So that's where I am at the moment. Gearing up for Christmas and hoping I can hit the pavement again soon. 

new header

Do you like my new header?? I love that I am finally figuring out how to use this new photoshop! I'm not 100% in love with the header, so it may change again soon, we'll see. 

I don't have much time to make a real post other than this because my son is crying for no reason. The evenings are fussy...this is seriously how I blog these days:

 

I just took this picture with my phone. I have to work mostly one handed.
Anyways I will be back soon with a real post I promise. I've got a recipe I want to upload as well as a new workout routine. Also going back to work in a week and you'll get my thoughts on that as well. See you soon!

OBX Family Vacay

For the first time in nine years of teaching and seventeen years of being a student, I did not start the school year this fall! Some people might feel odd not going back to work with everyone else-not me. It felt great to stay home and not rush back and away from my baby. I have two more weeks of maternity leave and then it's time to find a new routine for the family which involves me getting up way earlier than I am used to. The only time I've ever gotten up that early is when I needed to catch a flight and that involved taking a nap on a plane, not working with children all day and then coming home to a baby. I'll let you know how that goes...

In the mean time we decided to take advantage of the off season rates and go to the Outer Banks for a week. I loved it. It wasn't crowded at all and the weather was beautiful. It could have been a tad bit warmer for my taste, but the fall feeling in the air was refreshing and relaxing.

C would get up early in the mornings and go fishing on the pier that was next to our cottage. I stayed with B and watched the Today show and hung out in my pj's.

Jeanette's Pier

A few mornings we did go over to the pier to say hi to C. The little guy never lasted long in the Ergo though. One morning I let him fuss and went for a walk on the beach anyways with him strapped in and he ended up falling asleep in it.

After a storm came through on Monday it was too windy to sit on the beach so we over to Manteo and visited the aquarium. That was fun. B slept through the first part and then woke up half way through. It was fun seeing him watch the fish swimming around.

 

He seemed to like it :-)

 

We had a few good beach days, although my idea of what going to the beach means is going to be very different now. I am quite happy to set a chair down in the sand, read a book, work on my tan and take a dip in the water. This doesn't exactly happen with a baby. You have to keep them out of the sun but you can't put lotion on them. When he wants to be held you have to hide under the shade with him where it is cold. It was a fair amount of work. One day he crashed hard and took a nap in his little tent. I actually got to read an entire Runner's World magazine without interruption! It was amazing!

 

I'm cool and chilling on the beach!

 

One windy afternoon, the boys took a nap, so I snuck out and practiced my photography skills. I think I've come a long way from where I was. I love knowing how to use my camera properly.

 

The trip was a lot of fun though and a relaxing time. I wish I could always go in early September, but sadly it isn't so. Being a teacher you are locked in to taking vacation when school is out, rates are high, and places are crowded, but that's alright because I will get a large amount of time every year to spend with my son that I wouldn't get if I had a 9 to 5 desk job. It all evens out in the end.

 

On the beach with Mom and Dad!

 

How can you not want to squeeze that cuteness??

On another note, although I did not run at the beach like I had planned (I made sure to take my shoes but they never got used) I did get to the gym three times this week and went for a run today! This week was cycling and body pump and today I ran one mile in 10:50! It didn't even feel like a lot of effort either! The Wicked 10K is only a few short weeks away so I really need to get the training back in gear.

I have some other things I have gotten into lately, but more on them later!

3 month check up



This post is a little late, but better late than never right?

With B before going for a quick 2 mile run.

I'm 3+ months out from having a baby and things are going well! There are still several pounds left of baby weight but it takes time and honestly I haven't really been trying to lose it or worrying much about it. I'm just taking my time and am mainly concerned with just being happy. I think that's a good way to be a few months after having a baby.

I did join a gym again and I have been enjoying it but not using it as much as I thought/hoped I would. My mom has been helpful with Brody but it is hard to schedule time to go to a morning class when you don't know if you will be getting enough sleep the night before. We also move pretty slow in the morning. I'm lucky to get out of the house by 11AM.

That will change next month though. B starts daycare and even though I am still on maternity leave until mid October, we have to pay for it so I might as well use it. My plan to get our butts up and moving early so I can drop him off at daycare and make it to the gym classes on time, then run a few errands and go pick him up. I get a little break, use of the gym and use of daycare. This will also get me back into a routine for work...which is a subject I really don't want to talk about.

My little man at 3 months! It has gone by SO FAST. I want to spend every minute with him and that adorable smile.

Crabby butt :-)

The other thing I have been up to is photography. In 2010 I purchased my Nikon SLR but never really knew how to use it. I hate reading directions and although I love the camera, I've been frustrated with it. A Groupon popped up in my email one day for online photo classes so I started taking them. They have been great and so helpful! Especially the one I am taking now which is teaching me about the basics of the camera. Things I knew when I was in high school but forgot over the years and never knew how to do on the digital camera. Here's an example of what I did this weekend:

We were in PA and I went out on the four wheeler alone with my camera. There is a trail through the woods, so I took the picture above with the regular settings on the camera. It was taken at dusk.

Then I changed the settings, using what I have learned, and took the picture below. Whoa! Same shot, Big difference!

This is another one I took overlooking the property with the farmhouse and the barn. I'm enjoying taking better pictures.

Things are going good. Life is getting back to "normal" for us after surviving the first months with a newborn. They get SO much easier as they get older, and a lot more enjoyable.

My body is definitely better than it was just a few weeks ago although my lower abdomen is still sensitive when it comes to working it. We'll get there. Earlier today I was looking at some pictures from my bachelorette party 2 years ago and that was some good motivation. I was in the best shape of my life. I'm ready to get back to that, and back to running.

Glow Run RVA 5K at Maymont

This past Saturday was the first ever Glow Run RVA at Maymont. It was a 5K. It kind of kicked my butt.

I haven't run anything since last October and I thought this would be a good way to break back into races. It was a good way to start after being out of the game for so long, but I had forgotten exactly what makes a "fun run". Fun run means lots of walkers...and kids. Now I have no problem with kids, but they kind of get in the way when you are trying to actually run. The first mistake I made was to start near the back of the pack. There were no corrals since this race was so small, so everyone just clumped together and I actually had to walk to the start line and then past it before I could start running. The "glow" part of it was kind of fun too. We got glow sticks to wear and they had colored lights on the trees and along some of the paths.  Here's what I figured out during this race:

The good stuff:
-running through Maymont
-running in the evening
-it was short

The bad stuff:
-lots of kids
-lots of walkers
-kids stopping in front of you to pick up dropped glow sticks
-HILLS.


Walking through the start!

Overall it was a fun race but not one that you would try to set a new PR during. The hills in Maymont are killer and the paths are pretty narrow so you cannot pass people very easily. On the upside, if you are from RVA you know how this city loves Maymont and what it means to us and it was cool to see it in a different way. Also, one good thing is that you did not have to run down to the Japanese gardens and back up. That might have killed me.

My favorite thing about this race was my new fan! B came to his first race to see his mommy run! It was awesome to see B & C on the sidelines and it will be even more fun when he can see and understand what is going on around him.

My littlest fan!

I already signed up for the HCA 8K in the fall that goes with the marathon. After this past weekend I know I won't be ready to start training for a half in the fall so that will have to wait for the spring. I'm excited to take it easy though and to be running again!

Back in the saddle!

I just got back from my first post-baby run! Literally, the sweat is still running down my spine. Damn that felt good!

The weather is awesome tonight. I took B for a walk and couldn't resist leaving him with C after that and hitting the pavement.

I ran down the street as fast as I could and a huge smile spread across my face as I raced downhill. After months of giving up my body to B while he grew inside me, I've never felt so free. It was magical in it's own way.

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I ran one mile in 11:52. I've never been super fast. The fastest I've ever gone was 8 something, so to run this mile in under 12 after not running for nearly 6 months was pretty good.

First post baby race: Glow Run RVA!

A New Chapter

My life has been one crazy, exhausting, fantastic roller coaster ride for the past week or so. At exactly 38 weeks my son decided it was time to greet the world!

Introducing Brody Robert! Born at 12:42AM on May 5th, 7lbs 9oz & 20 inches long!

 It all started last Saturday morning at 4:30AM. I had a dream that I had the baby and woke up suddenly to discover that my water had broken! I jumped out of bed and said to C, "My water broke!" Needless to say he jolted upright half asleep and confused. The contractions started within half an hour and we made it to the hospital by 6AM. I had no idea what I was in for...

Not only did I have to struggle just to get pregnant with my son, we all know I like to be difficult and do things the hard way and getting him into this world was no different. I should have known...

First the nurse had to stick me 3 times with the IV before she got it in. If you've ever had an IV you know that it hurts a lot worse than a needle. I still have bruises all over my arms.

Proud Papa

Then I got my epidural as soon as I could. C had to leave the room because he doesn't do well with needles and things like that but he said he could hear me yelling "ow" all the way out by the doors to Labor and Delivery. I was MUCH happier after the epidural kicked in. Contractions are no joke.
As the day went on I labored for 20 hours. Then pushed for 2 hours. After awhile it became apparent that part of my cervix wasn't dilating the way it should and his head was turned in a weird way that was preventing him from coming out. After all that time and effort I ended up having a c-section.

It was one of the hardest and most amazing experiences of my life. I just wish that the c-section had been at 3 in the afternoon instead of midnight the next day after all that work.

Whatever way that your child comes into this world, you still get a great prize in the end.

We stayed in the hospital for four days and got to go home on Wednesday. I've never been so stiff and sore in my whole life. My legs were swollen before I delivered but they were 10 times worse after. Yesterday was the first day that I finally have my legs back, and man am I so HAPPY to have them back! The first thing I plan on doing after my 6 week check up is to go for a RUN.

Some tummy time with Dad, the night we brought him home.

Brody has been such a blessing. He is adorable (I'm a little biased but this is what everyone keeps telling me) and having a newborn isn't as scary as I thought it would be. Things are different when it's your own child and you get to do things the way you want to.

Mommy did this to me!

We've been learning. C and I have both had our moments but for the most part we have fallen into a rhythm pretty quickly. He has been so amazingly supportive while I have recovered from the c-section and struggled with breastfeeding and also been blown away by how fast I have recovered from the surgery as well as going through labor and delivery. He calls me his "rock star mama". :-)

We even had our first walk 2 days after getting home!

 After this experience I know I can run a marathon. Richmond 2014 here I come. Can't wait to have C and Brody cheering me on from the sidelines :-)

He's gonna be preppy!