RnR Savannah - the race that never happened

Before Abby was born, I was given the opportunity to get an entry for Rock-n-Roll Savannah marathon.  At the time, I thought that 5 months would be plenty of time to train for a full marathon, with a baby, while nursing.  I mean, really, what could possibly derail my training for a full marathon? 

It sounded like a good goal at the time.

And then I had the baby.  I had a cesarean which required a little more healing time.  And when I started back to running, it was slow going - not just the pace, but well, all of it.  Running 4-5 miles was a HUGE success by about 2 months out.  There was no way that I was going to be able to build to a full marathon in such a short amount of time.  I focused on my training for the half in October in Ohio, thinking that I would keep re-evaluating as my training went on.  When I maxed out at 10 miles and couldn't walk comfortably for two days, I threw in the towel. 

I had heard from so many people different opinions of me thinking of a full marathon five months after delivering.  The majority of people gawked when I mentioned it and told me I was crazy.  There were a few who said I could do it with no problem.  In the end it bummed me out to set a goal that I couldn't achieve.  Could I have worked harder for it?  Probably.  But when it comes down to it, I needed to listen to my body and the reality was that my body was saying "whoa... not yet momma". 

I've heard it can take up to a year to feel 100% after a c-section.  I'm not there yet.  I'm not in pain that could cause medical help, but things aren't 100% yet. 4-5 miles are still fairly average runs for me these days.  This winter I'm focusing on some core work which will hopefully help with the longer runs and maybe next year I can have a second chance at the full in Savannah.

Ten Tidbit Thursday

1.  I'm 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  I can barely form a rational thought, let alone an entire blog post so forgive the top ten list style post.  It's the easiest way to keep my thoughts in one place.  And yes, this explanation actually counts as one of the ten things so I really only have to do 9. :)

2.  I have a feeling it's going to be a hot summer here in Georgia.  We lucked out last year with a relatively mild summer - aka, we didn't need the ac on all the time.  It's gotten to the point where I'm pushing my limit of heat tolerance within my own home.  As a very wise George Darden explained this past weekend "the South wouldn't exist if there wasn't air conditioning".  Amen brother!

3.  I sat in bed this morning watching my sleepy husband come to a living state (one of my favorite things to do).  It's usually fairly cute to watch as he sleeps so soundly once he falls asleep.  As he was coming out of the comatose state that he had been in, he rolls over and says something to the effect of "we are all dying.  Every day we die a little more".   I said "but Abigail will be born soon, not dying" to which he responded "the day she's born, she'll slowly start dying too". Well good morning my love and thanks for the positive start to the day.  I still don't totally know where that came from, but we got a little bit of sugar in him as his blood glucose level might have been a wee bit low and moved on with our day.We'll just leave it at that!

4.  This past weekend we had probably one of the best Memorial Day holidays we've had ever.  Saturday night we went to a place called Masterpiece Mixers where we painted canvases.  I have been eying the place for some time now and have always wanted to go which is ironic considering I have zero artistic ability in me.  Maybe that is what fascinated me.  So I dragged Tom set up date night with Tom (they do serve beer and wine so it wasn't a hard sell) and we went for a two hour canvas painting adventure.  It was awesome.  And I must say, for us having absolutely no artistic ability, the pictures came our really really well. 

I want to go back when I can drink and maybe bring some open minded friends who would be interested in going.  Then, on Monday, we went to Stone Mountain with Matt and Jen Smith, had a picnic, I showed off a little of my bilingual abilities, we walked through the woods, etc and then had a cook out that night complete with Kacie and George.  The 6.5 of us (Caffrey was there and although he's a person, he didn't participate much in the conversation) had such a great time.  Many many laughs which is just what I needed!  It was in fact a perfect weekend!

5.  It was like Christmas in our house this morning.  Around 9am, FedEx delivered a big brown box and then around 11, UPS followed suit.  Although UPS was just bringing me a breast pump (I'll spare you the pictures and details... trust me, it freaks me out too people), the FedEx guy was the one I wanted to hug.  You see, I'm part of the Brooks ID program.  And since getting accepted, my running has gone down hill (you know... baby + smuggling a basketball + hills = walking) so last week, after having a woe-is-me kind of day, I went shopping at the Brooks site.  It was glorious.  I had so much fun.  And really, it was all about motivation.  I ended up getting a bunch of swag - new shoes, a visor, three shirts and a pair of shorts. 

I of course can't try any of it on (except for the shoes and visor), but it's sitting there, staring at me and ultimately motivating me.  One of the things I miss most is lacing up my running shoes and just going.  I can't wait for that!  Thanks Brooks... you rock!

6. Speaking of running and itching to get back, I am.  Triathlon though, eh, not so much.  It's weird.  I get twinges of wanting to do a tri soon and then I think about the training and the logistics (which I've done a bajillion times) and I just get discouraged about it all.  I don't know, it's weird.  It'll come back I'm sure.  We were walking the other day and Tom says "so what are your thoughts on IMFL 2014?".  My response - "I would love to cheer for you there".  I have zero desire to do an Ironman.  None.  Zip.  Zilch.  But then the conversation went on to talking about what halves would be fun - maybe Gulf Coast next year.  Maybe hitting up a good ole' Deer Creek in Ohio (I love me some small flat racing).  We'll see.  Tom and I are sharing a bike right now (don't ask... it's not worth it) so that could determine some things.  Oh... and being a new parent.  That too.

7. (I'm stretching to make this Ten Tidbit Thursday... bear with me).  This.

This is a very important staple in my pantry right now (Heather, you will appreciate this, trust me).  I have two boxes waiting for me.  It's always been my "reward" meal after the Ironman.  I Love me some blue box mac and cheese (and all it's buttery goodness) but we know that there is zero nutritional value to it.  When the time comes, Tom's going to get word that he has to make this.  That will be the sign that I'm going into labor.  I was told to eat something carby (this after them telling me that childbirth would be like a marathon - hopefully more like a stand alone and not the one that is part of an Ironman and that I needed to have calories in me).  I know that when I get to the hospital, I'm allowed a luxurious meal of ice chips (don't be jealous).  Our hospital went on to brag about their ice machine which "makes ice chips just like Sonic".  Really?  That's a selling point?  Now if you told me they had a tater tot machine just like Sonic, then that's something to write home about. Ugh... What am I getting myself into?

8.  I love this guy:

 

In the 10+ years that I've known him, I've never seen him with a hat on.  The other night I walked outside and found him like this.  Doesn't seem like much, but it was memorial day weekend and this was his PaPa's hat.  I asked him why he was wearing it (it usually hangs in our garage with a pair of his PaPa's work shoes) and he said, "My PaPa was a vet and died 15 years ago". :)  Made me smile.  He wore the hat most of the weekend before hanging it back up.

9.  In the next two months, I get to see my mom and dad, my sister twice, my brother in law and my in laws.  That makes me smile.  (shut up, they are totally coming to visit Tom and I and not to see the baby)

10.  Don't forget that I'm fundraising to support Kacie, Dani and Camp Twin Lakes as they prepare for RAAM.  If you would like to make a donation, no matter how big or small, we would all REALLY appreciate it.  You can donate here.  I talked to Kacie a bunch this weekend and although I'm sure she's a tad nervous, these girls of Power, Pedals and Ponytails are going to rock it.  I'm so excited for them!!! 

That's all I got folks.  Life is a lot of hurry up and waiting right now for TK and I.  We're waiting on some job news (good thoughts please!).  We're waiting on a baby (prayers welcomed).  We're waiting on a Noodles and Company to come to Suwanee (oh wait, maybe that's just what I'm waiting on...)

What's new with y'all?
 

An ambassador, a marathon and an award

I recently received an email that I had been nominated for eCollegeFinder's Top Health & Fitness Blogs Award.  That's pretty cool.  Anyway, I accepted my nomination and found out yesterday that I was chosen for the award.  I'm honored to be listed with the others... it's an amazing group of bloggers, that's for sure.  For a complete list of the winners, you can visit  https://www.ecollegefinder.org/health-and-fitness-award.aspx.

So as you know, I decided to "retire" from the Rev3 racing team.  Tri's are kind of of back burner and with the babster coming, I didn't feel like I could give them what they deserved.  But, that didn't mean that I wasn't seeing out other opportunities that would fit me during AND after the pregnancy.  I was happy to be chosen as a BrooksID Ambassador for 2013.  I've always loved Brooks gear... I think everything I've touched from shoes to shirts, bottoms and accessories have been second to none so this was super exciting.  I placed my first order the other day and got this great RUN long sleeve shirt and a pair of the Brooks Pure Connect 2's. 

I've had to order large shirts to accommodate my growing belly and this one fits great and I think I'll be able to get a lot of use out of it even after the belly is gone.  And the shoes... well I haven't taken them off my feet.  They are amazing. :)  I can't wait to outfit myself post baby as I get back into fighting shape.  I think it'll help with the motivation as well.

Speaking of motivation, Brooks is partnering with the Rock'n'Roll Marathon Series and I'm excited that I was selected to run the RnR Savannah race in November.

I'll be honest in that I've not put much on my training/racing schedule for 2013.  There's just too much that's up in the air.  And while I'd ultimately love to just bounce back from the pregnancy in no time flat, that's not a total given.  RnR Savannah is in mid-November and I'm really going to use it as a goal.  For now, I'm planning on doing the full marathon.  That will be a huge accomplishment to be able to run a full marathon five months after delivering, but I think it's doable if I'm smart.  If I find that I'm struggling with things, I can readjust my goals a little.  For me, it won't be a PR race.  It'll be about me getting out there and showing that momma's can do it!  Plus I'll have extra motivation with Tom cheering for me (this will be my first alone marathon), holding our baby girl the entire way.  Savannah is an amazing city and is a special place for Tom and I.

So, do you think a marathon is doable five months after delivering?  Have you ever done one of the RnR races?