Blogging Challenge #7 Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th! Do you have any superstitions?

I'd like to say no. I am mindful of breaking mirrors, spilling salt or walking under ladders and the thought does cross my mind when a black cat walks in front of me but do I do anything about it...sometimes. I guess if I had to, I'd walk under a ladder or not throw salt over my shoulder, etc so if I don't do it I don't worry something is going to happen to me. So in a way I guess I kinda am but not really.

Cloth Diapering

With the new and improved cloth diapers, I figured I'd try it out this time around. This is the coolest program you can do to see what brand you like. Jillian's Drawer's has a diaper trial where you only pay $10 plus shipping to try them out. I kinda had an idea what I would like according to friends suggestions but it was great to try them out first to see if I would even like cloth diapering in the first place. I'm in week 2 of my trial and have found what works for me and will be ordering the brand I do like.

Being Chased

Everyone jokes that they'll run if they're being chased. Well, I was running and I was chased. It was not fun. I've lived in my neighborhood for 4.5 years, I love it, I've ran all times of day here and have NEVER felt scared. Unfortunately that all changed when I went for a run on Oct. 26th. It was my typical 3 mile loop that I run, I didn't get out till 6:30pm because I had to wait for my hubby to get home. It wasn't daylight savings yet so it was still somewhat light out. I grabbed my dog and headed out.
The funny thing is, while I was running I was thinking I didn't put my Road ID on my new shoes or bring my cell phone. As I was nearing home, probably about 0.25 miles from home or less, I notice two men cross the street ahead of me, heading in the same direction. My dog was off leash so I started to run in the street to pass them. I had headphones on but they were low. I thought I heard a whistle. I didn't know if it was for me or for my dog. I ignored it and kept going. Then I noticed my dog pick up her pace. I turned around and noticed the two men had started running behind me. Now these guys were not runners. They looked like they had just gotten off of work (laborer sort of job). I heard them panting hard behind me and picked up my pace. I lost them around the corner (I don't know if they stopped running or what). I sped home and talked with my hubby about the incident. He and I decided to call the cops to let them know what happened.
The police came and took a statement and said things I should do to be safe. (Run in daylight or with another person, carry cell, etc) I'm glad I reported it, I know a lot of people in my neighborhood that walk/run/walk their dogs and I would hate for them to experience what I went through.
From now on I'm more cautious. I hate that I don't feel as safe out there. I am now looking into getting a treadmill as a just in case so if I want to run and it is dark I have backup.

Blogging Challenge #6 If Money Was No Object

If money was no object, what would you do with your time?

I would travel...hands down I would be all over the world. I'd probably have to come back home occasionally, usually 3 weeks is my max from being away from home in another country so I'd come back for a few weeks and then head out to the next country or countries. I'd probably need a nanny while we're traveling so that sometimes my hubby and I can get out on our own.
Included in that travel, I'd compete in races in other countries. Even triathlons. It's so expensive to send your bike by plane as well as the costs of the race. I've drooled over a ton of races in exotic places, I'd love the opportunity.
And of course I'd stay home with my children. I might send my oldest to preschool part time because she enjoys it, but perhaps I'd volunteer there too.
Don't even get me started on if money were no object what would I buy...

Running Talley up to October

I've run a total 240.81 miles this year (as of October 31st). I'm getting really close to making my goal of 300 miles. In fact with the rate I've been running each week I'll surpass my goal.

Blogging Challenge #5 Halloween Candy

Favorite Halloween Candy of all time:
My tastes have changed over time. I'm a dark chocolate lover and have now started to dislike anything milk chocolate. Pretty extreme I know. But as for Halloween candy I have to say I have two favorites because I categorize them as chocolate and non-chocolate. The chocolates would be Reese's Butter Cups, Almond Joy, Mounds or Snickers bars. For non-chocolate my fav's are Nerds and Sweet Tarts. But I think my all out favorite candy from there would be Snickers with Reese's as second.
This year in fact I only bought the chocolate candy bag from Costco. The past few years when I've bought the non-candy bag too I ended up with a ton of candy not eaten. I can't wait to start handing candy out to the kids. I love seeing them dressed in costumes.

Book Reading Goal

I set a goal of reading 50 books this year. Last year I read 54 so I figured 50 would be doable. I'm on book 38 right now. Last month was a bit off for me, with two weddings and an engagement party to attend all weekends were booked and the book I was reading wasn't the greatest. The book I read was "Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner. It was a nonfiction book about a "grumpy" man looking for the happiest place on earth. It was a little dry, I got through it but it took me a full month. And for me that's a super long time. I usually read a book a week so that tells you something...
I'm now reading L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad, I picked it up because I'm a "Hills" fan. Let me tell you it's kinda lame. I'll finish it pretty quickly because it is an easy read but as of now I don't recommend it.
If you want to see a list of my books for this year check me out on goodreads.com. I'm Tri-reader.

Running Talley 2009

Goal 300 miles, 219.09 ran 80.91 to go.

Blog Writing Challenge

Do you enjoy reading? What do you read and when? What's your favorite book ever?
I love to read. I read all of the time. Mostly books and magazines. I carry a book with me everywhere (one of my criterias for purses is that it can fit a book) so I sneak in reading whenever I can. I mostly read at night before bed, or if I'm at work, at lunch. My favorite book ever...Little Women.

13 miles for my 13 week old (and almost 3 year old)

Sunday was the race. I wore a sign on the back of my shirt that said exactly the title of this post. I ran with my husband and running partner/friend. It was a beautiful day, perfect weather, entertaining and good company. I had run a 10 miler the weekend before and my pace was decent, a little slower than my PR but was totally ready.
We kept a pretty steady pace and finished in 2:23:36, under 2.5 hours which was my goal. I'm happy with the finish especially since we went a little faster than my training pace.
Unfortunately the race had two deaths, one I believe we saw at mile 12, a woman down and they were doing CPR. The other death my mom and friend saw, the man collapsed in front of them right near the end. The paramedics asked my friend to move my daughter so she wouldn't see what was happening. It's so sad. I can't imagine how their families feel. Of course this happening gives my mother fuel to her fire of not wanting me to work out.
Anyways, onto happier things...my running partner and I have to come up with a race we want to train for so we can try for an under 2 hour PR.

Just under 3 weeks to go

Just under 3 weeks till the race. I'm up to 8 miles on my long run, I have a 9 and 10 mile run planned before the race. It's not as high in miles as I wanted to go beforehand but it's not too bad.
I've been good about running each day my daughter has been in preschool. 3 days in a row is a little hard but it's the best time to squeeze it in. I also taught my first spin class post partum a week ago. It was good getting back into it. I miss spinning. I think perhaps in October after my race I'll start teaching a class a week...we'll see. What I really need to work on is my abs, gotta get some weight training in.
Sorry for the random post, this is just an update on what's going on with me now. Off to hit the trail!

I'm back!

I'm back...well in a way. I'm starting to get the miles in, consistently. The month of August I was able to log in almost 35 miles. And this is despite having mastitis (breast infection) for the 2nd time and catching a cold and being on vacation. I'm pretty happy that perhaps I'm getting a running routine down. 4. 5 weeks till my race, yikes!

On another note, today was my daughters first day of preschool. During the rest of my maternity leave she'll be going 3 full days a week. I'm hoping that allows me 3 runs during the week and my long run on the weekend. I have the single jogger set up for my infant carseat and ready to go. I'm hoping this afternoon I can get in my first single jogger run with my baby boy.

Awesome Book

I read a really good book. One of the best that I've read in a long while!
It was "Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford.
Truely amazing book that took place in Seattle during WWII. A love story between a Chinese boy and Japanese girl who was sent away to a work camp during that time. I can't even begin to describe how good it was. Just read it!

Running with a single stroller is so much easier than a double

Today I decided to do my "long" run which was only 3 miles. But it was a little easier since I took older child in the single jog stroller which saved me some weight to push. As my runs get longer I hope to free myself of the stroller but we'll see, it's hard to manage two kiddos and breast feeding as well as working out. Hopefully it gets easier.
Last week I was able to do two mid-week runs up to 2 miles each and then my 3-miler this weekend so I'm slowly building up. I have 9 weeks till the big race day. I read the greatest quote in this month's Runner's World last night which basically fits me to a T right now. The article was about running with little rest.
"Set Realistic Goals: If you have a newborn, it may not be the time to go for an ambitious PR. Scale back your expectations so they reflect your current circumstances. Remember, he'll grow up eventually."

10 Weeks

I have 10 weeks till my 1/2 marathon. I'm currently 3 weeks post partum, ay yi yi, how am I gonna do it?! When I signed up for the race I assumed my baby would be 2 weeks early like my first child was...nope...So from my due date I had only 14 weeks of training, but my baby was late so subtract come days and here I am, 10 weeks till 1/2. So my fear of being prepared for my race has caused me to try getting out there earlier than I'd like to post partum. At 2 weeks pp, I biked for a bit on my spin bike at home. That went fine. Then yesterday I attempted running. I went on my trusted flat trail with two parks along it (key for a 2.5 year old), pulled out my new double BOB stroller and went for a run. It's been exactly 4 weeks since I last ran (that was at 39+ weeks pg). I did fairly well. I ran 1.66 miles of the 2 mile section of the trail. That run consisted of stopping often to put the pacifier back in the baby, pulling out snacks for the older child and walk breaks every so often to help my bladder situation that occurs post partum. Other than that I feel it was a success so I will keep it up.

It's all over...the pregnancy that is

My little guy decided this time around he'll be 2 days late! That's a long wait for me since my daughter was 13 days early. Labor was just as I remembered it and recovery has been about the same. I'm hoping to be out hitting the pavement at 4 weeks post partum but with the lack of sleep of taking care of two children it may be a bit harder to do. I have 12 weeks till the race, yikes! I think I can do it, it'll just not be my best time.

As for total mileage this year, I'm up to 76.16 miles ran, 213.84 left towards my goal this year. The total mileage ran while pregnant was 177.65. My last day ran was at 39 weeks, 4 days pg. 4 days before I went into labor, 5 days before I delivered.

Pregnancy and Running Update

I have 12 days till my due date. Today I went for a run but make it a quick one since my dr's appt yesterday said I had high blood pressure. I was assured by my doc that I don't need to change anything up but I figured I'd take it a little easier today.
My running talley thus far is 6.6 miles this month. 216.59 miles left for the year and 174.9 miles ran while pregnant.

Running while pg talley

Each month my miles are getting lesser and lesser. This month I was only able to do just under 10 miles. But I have been doing a lot of cross-training, swimming, elliptical and spin classes. My running talley for pregnancy is up to 168.3 miles of running since I found out I was pregnant. And for the year, 2009, 76.81 miles completed out of the 300 mile goal I set myself. My last run on Friday was a little painful, I started experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions before I headed to the gym. I never experienced those with my first child so I decided to continue my workout regardless. I had to stop runnning at just over a mile but finished up with elliptical. We'll see how my run tomorrow goes, I'll be happy if I can make it with even 1 mile runs up to my delivery date.

And I think I have dropped a little. I noticed my maternity support band is harder to put on now, the velcro is pulling so I believe my belly has dropped. I have an appointment with my dr later this week so I'll have to confirm with her but all things are pointing that the end is very near.

Waterproof Armband

I found this waterproof ipod case for swimmers. It looks really cool but even though it says not bulky the pictures on people's arms look pretty big. This is found at http://www.h2oaudio.com/. I have a waterproof case (don't know the manufacturer, it was a gift from a friend) but I'm really frightened to actually immerse my ipod in water. I don't want to have to buy a new one if anything happens. If anyone has any experience with this or any other waterproof ipod case I'm interested in feedback.

Only 2 more spin classes left

I agreed to teach spin class up until I went on maternity leave for my day job. This means only two more classes left! It's crazy to think that I'll be taking a break from teaching (4 weeks before ideally and 12 weeks after). Fortunately the YMCA has been generous and will keep my membership active so I do have the opportunity to use the gym while on leave. Thank god since I still need the treadmill or elliptical to get my workouts in. And on another bonus I can take my children to the daycare for free. Finding out that good news today makes me want to take the sub request for this Saturday morning. So maybe that'll make it 3 classes left.

More Music

Since I try to be a good spin instructor and keep up with music I'm constantly getting new music for my classes. Here are a few new songs I picked up for my playlists:
Kids/MGMT
Poker Face/Lady Gaga
Gives You Hell/The All-American Rejects
Single Ladies/Beyonce
75, Brazil Street/Nicola Fasano vs. Pat-Rich

There is one song I'm dying to have, I heard it on vacation in the Dominican Republic. I've tried searching for it but I can't seem to find it. I've heard an instructor in another class use the song but I'm busy teaching my class during hers so I can't ask her for it. The lyrics go something like "Si, si, si" the song is in Spanish. I hope someday I'll find the song. Anyone have ideas?

Amazing!

Check out this woman's blog. She ran the Boston Marathon 2 months after she gave birth! Talk about amazing! This gives me hope that I'll be fine in my 1/2 marathon 14 weeks after my due date.
http://nannersbread.blogspot.com/

Wicked

My hubby and I went and saw Wicked last night. What a wonderful show! But we do love going to see shows. I had read the book (4 years ago!) and mentioned to my hubby that I wanted Wicked tickets for Christmas. Hubby liked the show, though he mentioned he wanted to know more about the spell book. The book "Son of a Witch" is out, maybe that explains a little more. We had bought the cd to listen to before we went saw the show and loved that Kristin Chenoweth from the show Pushing Daisies had played Glinda on the NY broadway show. We were bummed she wasn't doing the SF show. The woman who played Elphaba (was an understudy Sunday night) was awesome!! I'll have to get her name from my program but her voice was amazing!! I totally recommend the show and encourage everyone to see it.

On another note, my daughter loves the cd too, we've been listening to it in the car for the past week.

Running hiatus ended

As I posted before I was experiencing pelvic pain after a run I did a couple of weeks ago. Well last week after doing a couple of elliptical days I decided to try running again. First day I did 5 min of running (rest of workout was elliptical) and I had no pain. Two days later I did 10 min of running (rest of workout elliptical) and still no pain. This week I'll do a 15 min and 20 min run and see how that goes.
Hopefully this means I can go back to my 30 min runs 2x a week again.

Stupid Housing Market

I hate the housing market right now. We can't sell our house for what we bought it for but adding on is turning out to be not as cheap as we want it. (Who said contractors are starving?!) I don't think we could rent our house out as well as buy a new place without have big monthly bills. It just makes my head spin. I just wish decisions like this could be easier.

End of running while pregnant?

On Tuesday I went for my normal lunchtime run. 30 min on the treadmill, everything felt fine, I did run a little slower this time but not too bad. I go back to work and 2 hours later I feel really sharp pelvic pain. So bad that I had to walk really slow. The pain lasted all that night and the next morning I woke up with the same pain. I called Dr and they said it was common, they called it Round Ligament Pain but I had that early on at 16 or 18 weeks so I knew that wasn't the case. I think it was pelvic pain or Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction though my symptoms weren't that bad. My pain was only when I walked or stood. When I was sitting or laying down it was fine. On Wed night I was feeling a little better and my husband and I thought instead of cancelling my spin class that I teach I would go and go easy to see if that helps loosen the muscles. The spin class neither hurt nor helped the pain but it made me realize I just need to rest. It is now Friday and I felt a dull twinge twice today but that's it. I don't know if the running caused the pain or the bike ride I did outdoors on Sunday or whether it's the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. I'll see how this weekend goes and determine if next week I want to attempt another jog.

Running tally thus far:
235.44 miles left to go this year, 64.56 miles ran. 156.05 miles ran during pregnancy. 29 weeks, 3 days pg.

A mini triathlon at 28 weeks pg

A friend of mine called me back in Feb and asked me to compete in a triathlon with her (her first). She had forgotten I was pregnant and I questioned whether I could do it at 28 weeks pg. But as the weeks went on I knew I could do it, the tri was a super short sprint distance. But the 8 hour round trip drive as well as the entry fee just to show I could do it deterred me from actually signing up. But I still wanted to prove I could do it so I set up my own triathlon this past weekend and did fine at 27 weeks 6 days pg.
So my guidelines were to follow the exact distances of the aformentioned tri.
Here was their description:
Swim:
The swim will be 400 yards (16 lengths), in the pool at High School. Enter through the north side gate to the pool. After the swim exit the south gate into the transition area.

Bike:The bike is a flat fast 9 mile course out and back. Leave the transition area heading east on the access road. The bike turnaround is located at the Airport.

Run:The run is a 2 mile course mainly around the school campus. Leave the transition area heading east on the access road.

My idea was to swim at my local pool, jump out and bike and run in the neighborhoods near the pool. However I was worried about biking on city streets being pregnant. So I revised my plan and decided to have a long transistion time between swim and bike and drive up to a trail to finish my last two events. I had a friend of mine ride and run with me just to have someone there in case of emergency.

My mini tri stats: 550 yd swim-completed in ~12 min.
10 mile bike ride-completed in ~42 min (I have to check my GPS for exact times.)
2 mile run-completed in ~23 min (once again I have to see GPS)

I felt fine doing the tri, I was even clipped in on my bike. (That was another worry I had, being clipped in while pg but being on a trail and my riding experience helped.) I was exhausted by the end of the day though. :)

On a positive note, I looked at finishing times for the tri and I would have been around 5th in my age group with my times. Well, there was only 10 total in that age group, I told you it was a small tri. Maybe next year when I'm not pg I can finish in the top 3. :)

Workout Playlist

Everyone asks for suggestions on music for working out. As a spin instructor I'm always looking for new music and my favorites I add to a "Running Playlist" to inspire me while pounding the pavement.
Here are some of my current fav's:

Song Title/Artist (Songs in italics are my ultimate or current fav's)
Rebellion/Arcade Fire
Days Go By/Dirty Vegas
One More Time/Daft Punk
Girlfriend/Avril Lavigne
Hey Ya/Outkast
Shine On/Sunloverz
Temperature/Sean Paul
E/Drunkenmunky
Here it Goes Again/Ok Go
Dance, Dance/Fall Out Boy
Get Busy/Sean Paul
Gotta Get Thru This/Daniel Bedingfield
Ya Mama/Fatboy Slim
Jump N Move/Brand New Heavies
Read My Mind/Killers
La Grange/ZZ Top
Oh Timbaland/Timbaland
The Way I Are/Timbaland
SexyBack/Justin Timberlake
Big Girl/Mika
Love Today/Mika
Shut Up and Drive/Rihanna
Don't Stop the Music/Rihanna
Feedback/Janet Jackson
Calabria 2008/Enur
Harder Better Faster Stronger/Daft Punk
Forever/Chris Brown
Bleeding Love/Leona Lewis
Mercy/Duffy
Untouched/The Veronicas
The Anthem/Pitbull
Umbrella/Rihanna
Stronger/Kanye West
Closer/Ne-Yo
Someday/Strokes
Just Dance/Lady Gaga
Disturbia/Rihanna
Shake It/Metro Station
Face Down/Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Let It Rock/Kevin Rudolf
Hot N Cold/Katy Perry
An Honest Mistake/The Bravery
Breathe/Prodigy
X-Ercize 5/Ziggy X
Derb/Derb
Muzaik/Infernal
Don't Go/Andre Visior
Say It Right/Nelly Furtado
Just Like a Pill/Pink
Flathead/Fratellis
Another Life/Party Pimz
Krupa/Apollo 440
The Gutterati/Fratellis
World Hold On/Bob Sinclar
A-Punk/Vampire Weekend
Mr. Brightside/Killers
Little Sister/Queens of the Stoneage
Everybody Loves A Carnival/Fatboy Slim
Waterman/Olav Basoski
Born For This/Paramore
When I Grow Up/Pussycat Dolls
Break the Ice/Britney Spears
SOS/Rihanna
So What/Pink
Shadow of the Day/Linkin Park
Right Round/Flo Rida
Low/Flo Rida
Bleed It Out/Linkin Park
Our Time Now/Plain White T's

One of my favorite authors

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I've read many of her books over the years and I'm proud to say I was a fan before her big break with "My Sister's Keeper" came out. She has a certain writing style that keeps me intrigued but I can't read her books back to back. She really likes to write the story through all of the characters involved. And there is always a certain mystery to the book that I try to solve before the ending. I just finished her book Plain Truth for my book club. I've had this book sitting on my shelf for years, at least 4 years because I noticed my maiden name is written in the cover. This book was great, I enjoyed reading it and I figured out the ending (well pretty much). I'm now starting her new book Handle With Care and though I don't like reading her books back to back I don't have a choice with this since I was the first to receive it from the library and I know there are many holds behind me.
Anyways, if you haven't picked up a Jodi Picoult book I'd highly recommend reading one.

Ewww, Gym Etiquette

Yesterday as I was enjoying my treadmill run I noticed the guy running next to me get off the treadmill without wiping it down. It was sweaty and gross. I know he had to have seen it because the display was dirty and he had to push buttons on it to slow down/stop the machine. I now know who the person is when I see the display all dirty. I've taken to wiping down the machine before AND after I use it. Come on people! Follow gym etiquette, clean up after yourself.

Surpassed my goal!

I thought I'd make it to 50 miles this year and end my running until after my pregnancy. This was just an assumption based on my last pregnancy running stats. But lo and behold, my talley is 246.82 miles left to run, meaning this year I have logged in 53.18 miles so far. My total miles while pregnant is 144.67. So far I'm still feeling fine so I'll keep at it. I have found treadmill is sooo much easier than outside. I guess the extra weight I'm carrying makes it harder on my body hitting the pavement.

Am I crazy?

I just signed up for a half marathon scheduled for 14 weeks after my due date! And I'm hoping to make another PR. We'll see how that goes. Here's to hoping this baby is early and easy. :)

Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I read the book Confessions of Max Tivoli years ago. Talk about a fabulous book. Then along came the Benjamin Button movie. It sounded so much like Max Tivoli, I got excited.

But then I found out that Benjamin Button was an actual book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. So I picked up the book before I watched the movie. OMG, this book sucked! It's one of the few times where I can say the movie was soooo much better than the book. I definitely recommend picking up Max Tivoli if you liked the movie, it's a really great read.

Running Review along with some numbers

I added another 5 miles this week. It's getting a little more painful to run now. My underbelly gets a little sore during the run, even when I'm wearing the belly band. It's funny though, after I'm 2 miles in I feel fine, no strain. But I've only been going 30 minutes which comes out to be 2.5 miles with the pace I'm at now.

Running talley: 263.09 miles to go. Though I think my running goal for during the pregancy part of this year is 50 miles, only 13 miles shy of that.
And when I do my running talley, this only includes running, not walking, not eliptical etc. Only running. Total miles run after finding out I was pregnant, 128.4.

My beef with indoor pools

This weekend I had the unfortunate circumstance of driving to the pool early Sunday morning and finding a swim meet going on. I turned around and went home disappointed that I wouldn't be getting a workout in. Looking around on the internet, I found a YMCA near me that had an indoor pool that had lap swim hours all day. I hate indoor pools but they also had Family Swim from 4-6pm which meant, my hubby and daughter could go swimming too! What a fun activity for a rainy day!

So 4pm we all troop to the pool. Hubby and daughter take toys and go to the family area, I grab my swim stuff and head to the lanes. After eyeing the lanes I picked a Fast lane and jumped in. After 1 length I realize they're too slow for me. So I hop into the next Fast lane and was feeling pretty comfortable in that lane. There were 3 of us and we seem to be timing each other well during circle swimming. Then someone else comes into our lane. Oh boy, this guy was super slow! Did he not read the signs? I'd even wait till he got near the end of the lane before I started swimming and still caught up to him. So much for getting a good workout, at least I got a little bit of pool time.

So here's my beef with indoor pools:

• The people that swim at indoor pools aren't avid swimmers. Only hardcore swimmers would jump in an outdoor pool in the middle of winter in my opinion.
  
• Indoor pools are usually at a gym so people work out and jump in afterwards to cool off and the water becomes all sweaty and murky. Ewww.
  
• Indoor pools are smaller (less lanes) which means more crowded lanes, circle swimming and people inevitably picking lanes that aren't their speed.
  
• You get a lot hotter swimming indoors.
  
• People hit you from the other lanes. Since they are not avid swimmers at indoor pools, stroke technique is totally off and they end up hitting you even if you're swimming in a different lane.
  
• Circle swimming! It's fine when you're in the correct lane for your speed and even if you're not, know the rules! Move to the side and let the faster swimmer pass you if you are going slow. You know who I'm talking about. Don't just look at me and continue swimming your really SLOW stroke, let me through!

Don't even get me started on the summer swimmers. The ones that show up to the pool just on hot days! A lot of these same pet peeves apply to them.

I'm trying to persuade hubby to get me an endless pool, then all my pool troubles would be solved. I keep saying next time we have 25k laying around, this is what we'll purchase.

Ohh, look at this spa option. I bet he'd go for that.

My Workout Schedule thus far

It being winter (dark earlier and wet), and being pregnant, and having a 2 year old, my workout shedule goes as follows.
Spinning (I teach) 2x a week 1 hour each
Running 2-3x a week, 30 min each.
Swimming 1x per week, 45 min.
Not bad, I'm starting to miss my Saturday long runs. I miss running with my running partner for an hour/ hour and a half chatting it up early Sat mornings. So do I really miss the running or the company?

Running talley 2009.
31.91 miles down, 268.09 to go.

Running while Pregnant

This pregnancy I'm so glad I wasn't plagued with the bladder issue while running. In a nutshell, I couldn't run more than a quarter of a mile before having the dire need to use the restroom and this was during the first tri when baby is only a grape and not yet kicking bladder. I have since found out that it's common and many pregnant runners plan their runs with several bathrooms along the way.

This 2nd pregnancy I have been free and clear and running a few days a week. I've only been going almost 3 miles at a time. I have a 30 min limit to my running since I've been squeezing in my runs during my lunch at work. But I've been feeling good. There were a couple of days where I felt round ligament pain after running so last weekend I invested in the Gabriella maternity band. I have yet to try it but it was recommended on Baby Steps blog. I was hoping today to try it out but I'm so worn out and I believe I'm coming down with a cold. Hopefully by this weekend I can squeeze in a run and give a review.
As for now, 13.75 miles down, 286.25 miles to go. (300 mile goal for 2009)

Awesome Prenatal Weight Training

I'm so not a workout video person! BUT, I found a really good weight training video to do while pregnant. This Gabrielle Reece video was awesome. It was like having a personal trainer in your room as you workout. There is no cardio, just lifting. It does take a lot of props, resistance bands, dumbells, chair and balance ball but it is great! I started at 5 months but it would have been nice to have known about it earlier. And it has postnatal training that focuses on abs! Each month is a 15 min workout, I love that I can fit in a quick weight training.

Running Commandments

The 53 Runner’s Commandments by Joe Kelly

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don’t let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who’s missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner. “Singlets” are worn on warm days. “Tank tops” are worn to the beach.
18. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don’t always run alone.
20. Don’t always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.
27. Be modest after a race, especially if you have reason to brag.
28. If you say, “Let’s run this race together,” then you must stay with that person no matter how slow.
29. Think twice before agreeing to run with someone during a race.
30. There is nothing boring about running. There are, however, boring people who run.
31. Look at hills as opportunities to pass people.
32. Distance running is like cod liver oil. At first it makes you feel awful, then it makes you feel better.
33. Never throw away the instructions to your running watch.
34. Don’t try to outrun dogs.
35. Don’t trust runners who show up at races claiming to be tired, out of share, or not feeling well.
36. Don’t wait for perfect weather. If you do, you won’t run very often.
37. When tempted to stop being a runner, make a list of the reasons you started.
38. Never run alongside very old or very young racers. They get all of the applause.
39. Without goals, training has no purpose.
40. During training runs, let the slowest runner in the group set the pace.
41. The first year in a new age group offers the best opportunity for trophies.
42. Go for broke, but be prepared to be broken.
43. Spend more time running on the roads than sitting on the couch.
44. Make progress in your training, but progress at your own rate.
45. “Winning” means different things to different people.
46. Unless you make your living as a runner, don’t take running too seriously.
47. Runners who never fail are runners who never try anything great.
48. Never tell a runner that he or she doesn’t look good in tights.
49. Never confuse the Ben-Gay tube with the toothpaste tube.
50. Never apologize for doing the best you can.
51. Preventing running injuries is easier than curing them.
52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
53. Running is always enjoyable. Sometimes, though, the joy doesn’t come until the end of the run.

End of 2008

I did it. I made my 500 mile running mark and 500 mile (outdoor biking) goal as well. The downfall of running 3 miles everyday meant my shin where I experienced a stress fracture 3 years ago started acting up. My dad (a dr) thinks there still is a stress fracture there. Great!

As for my 2009 New Years Resolutions:

• Save more money.
• Remodel our house. (We need more room for new baby.)
• Fitness goals: Well with being pg and having 2 kids it'll be tough but I'll aim for 300 miles of running this year. Maybe squeeze in a 1/2 marathon in October/November. Maybe even a sprint triathlon. (We'll see how I feel come June.)