It ain't over yet

Well I'm happy to say that at 20 weeks pregnant, I still managed to run an easy 3-miler on Saturday with Justin. I even pushed Jarom in the jogging stroller. I have such a nice stroller that it almost felt like a crutch more than a hindrance.
I did feel like I might pee my pants for the first mile with everything pounding on my bladder, but I just kept saying to myself, "You JUST peed, you don't have to pee, you don't have to pee."
Eventually it went away and it felt so good to have the sun shining on my face and the breeze blowing on me again.

Holy moly, that felt good

So I don't post in months and now 2 in one day?
I just have to say that I did it, and it was good.

The sun was shining down on me, it was in the 40's (which feels like Spring in Utah), I had my "I gotta feelin'" song going, and I don't know... it was like all the stars aligned and I was happy again.

MAN I have missed running! Especially outside.
I felt like I was reunited with a long-lost friend, I kid you not.
I forgot things in the last few months... like the way my shadow looks with my stubby little pony tail, the way my pace changes with every song, the way I know the exact spot on a few songs I have to switch to the next song to avoid the bad part, the way it feels when you walk in the house and it feels like 100 degrees inside... I missed it all.
Can't wait to run again.

The pregnancy debate

My goodness, I'm so tired of debating this in my head. I'm tired of thinking about it, and I just needed to make a decision. So I have.

My doctor told me I could run, but not to get my heart rate over 145. Guess what? That's impossible. I tried running a 10:30 mile and my heart rate was still too high.

So I decided I wouldn't be able to run while pregnant. I would just have to settle for walking.

But I'm almost 13 weeks now, it's the middle of winter, and the motivation for me to get out and walk is very little. So basically, I haven't exercised regularly for my whole pregancy. I have tried running or elliptical a few times, but since I couldn't keep my heart rate low enough, I just gave up.

No more.
This cannot be healthy.
I'm gaining weight like crazy. My cardio level is going down the drain.
And I'm just not doing it anymore.
I have researched and researched and everywhere I see online, doctors have told their pregnant patients that they can run, just not to overwork themselves and just take it easy.
So that is what I will do.
Easy jogs. No race training. No sprinting. Just nice, easy runs.
There is just no way I can go 9 months with no cardiovascular exercise. THAT is not healthy.
So... yes when I get bigger, I will have to settle for walking, I know that. But while the baby is still teeny, I'm going out for a jog. Today.

Rut

Okay, confession time.
I haven't been running much.
Maybe once a week. Twice is really good.

It gets dark around 5.
Justin gets home around 4.
I work two of those weekdays and the other 3 are always just so dang busy.

Heaven knows I love to run.
But maybe I don't love it enough to work my life around it.
I will run when there is plenty of opportunity.
Summer is full of endless daylight and Justin is home so much to watch the kids.
But now, when I can't wake up early to run (it's dark), I can barely squeeze it in after Justin gets home, and I don't have a gym option anymore... holy cow, it's getting the better of me.

I need some motivation in a major way.
A race?
Maybe a turkey trot?
Or maybe a fancy gym membership?

Something has got to change.
I need help!

Oktoberfest 10k

So I went into this race with mixed emotions. I was glad to be running a shorter distance race again, and have it actually feel like a race instead of me just running really far for someone else to measure and give me proof that I did it.

At the same time, I was also feeling discouraged because I was disappointed that after a summer full of running, I could barely get under a 9-minute pace in my practice runs. I just feel like a more experienced runner than that so I was a little frustrated to think I might be in the back of the pack.

Well the horn went off and I took off at an aggressive pace (as my speedy friend Sheena taught me; it's a race tactic I never expected I would love). The temperature was surprisingly low- in the low 40's at the start. It's supposed to be 75 degrees today so I showed up in my little shorts and (thankfully) a winter running top. So needless to say I was freezing. My body felt like a running robot, very tight. But I was surprised to see that there weren't a whole lot of people ahead of me. Maybe 25 at that point.

Through the first couple of miles, not many people passed me and I was getting excited. Maybe 10 guys passed me throughout the whole race (which not to be sexist, but it bothers me less if a guy passes me) and 6 girls that I counted (hehe).

The miles really seemed to fly by. Every time I passed a mile marker, I thought, "Already??" I wondered if the markers were wrong (a girl who ran with a Garmin later informed me that they were right on). During mile 3, a very fit middle-aged lady with a Top of Utah Marathon tshirt passed me. I thought, "Oh well, she looks like a really good runner." But after half a mile passed and I was still pretty close, I decided this lady was going to be my ticket. I was going to ride her coattails to the finish. And that's just what I did for about a mile. We chatted off and on about races, she was super nice.

Then, out of nowhere, when we hit mile marker 5, I just felt like I wasn't pushing as hard as I knew I could at that point. I pulled ahead and my new friend pulled with me for a while, but before I knew it she was dropping back. I felt a little rude, but this was a race right? I saw the "one mile to go" sign and I gave it all I had. I ended up passing 5 of the 6 girls who had passed me during the race in that last mile. I'll be honest, it felt great.

I finished in almost exactly 52 minutes, for an 8:22 pace. Totally happy. I had been wishing I could get to a 8:30, but expecting more like an 8:45, so yeah, 8:22 made my day.

I'm not sure of all the stats, but I know I finished 4th in my 25-29 female age group (rats, one place away from a medal), and 35th overall in the race. I don't know how many people were in the race... maybe 150-200? So yeah, it was a good race and I'm glad I squeezed one more in before the end of the season!

Test Run

I ran a 10k practice run today. And the results are:
57 minutes 15 seconds total for an average pace of 9:12.
Uhh... I'm not gonna complain. Nine-twelve is okay, but if I can't get under a 9 minute pace in the race, I'm not gonna lie, I will be disappointed.
To my credit, I did run on hills and grass throughout my run, and I also held back a bit so I can get a long run in tomorrow.
I have one more weekend to get in a practice run before the race in 2 weeks, so hopefully each week I'll get a little faster. Time will tell!

So much for no upcoming races

I just registered for the Oktoberfest 10k in Highland on October 17th. It's the first year for the race and it sounds pretty good (flat course and a raffle at the end- they're even giving away 2 pairs of Mizuno's in the prizes, nice!).
I don't have a lot of time to work on my speed, so I know I'm not gonna break my sub 8-minute pace I got in that 10 miler by any means, but I do hope I get under a 9-minute mile.
It will be fun to run a mid-distance race before the running season ends.
So... so much for running for the sake of running, I've got another race to get ready for! Fun times.