Preggo Week 27 Recap: MandaRUN & More

Preggo Week 27 Recap: MandaRUN & More

(November 19-25, 2016)

MandaRUN 1/2 Marathon

(November 20, 2016)

On Sunday, the rain poured in the early hours of the morning.  But, I bundled up and bundled my little one up and we went out to the Auburn Fair Grounds to run the MandaRUN 1/2 Marathon.  This would be my first race pushing Ellie in the stroller.  

MRTT group pic - pre race 

Ellie & I pre-race 

I thought this race would be a fun half since it's a point to point race from Auburn to Loomis.  Thinking it wouldn't be too tough of a course as it's a net downhill.  However, it turned out to be a lot more challenging than expected.  Of course, I know I made it extra challenging by running while 27 weeks pregnant and pushing a toddler in a stroller.  I did think this is like 3 x 13.1 so it almost felt like I was doing an ultra.  ;-) 

But, the course was tougher than expected.  Lots of hills!  I expected a few hills coming out of Auburn but I felt like half the race was hilly.  Also, hills with a stroller is extra tough, both on the uphill and the downhill.  And pushing a stroller, you're working additional muscles.  

The good thing is that the rain stopped for the whole race. I ended up warming up fairly quickly and stripped off my extra layers.  Good thing about having a stroller is it's easy to stash away extra clothes.  The country roads were really pretty too so that made for a pleasant run.  

Sweating pushing the stroller up a hill 

Photo credit: Leigh Arevalo

Around mile 10ish, my calves started cramping BADLY.  I was taking a lot of walking breaks.  Shortly after mile 12, my calves cramped so badly, I stopped dead in my tracks waiting for the cramp to pass.  Around that time, my friend Roxana sent me a text, cheering Ellie and I on.  That was some good encouragement to help motivate me to just get to the finish.

While I went a lot slower than expected, Ellie did amazing in the stroller!  She hardly fussed at all.  She enjoyed seeing the sights and napped for a few miles or so.  I only had to stop once or twice to tend to her (mostly to get her a snack or find her binky).  We did sadly lose her Big Bird toy somewhere on the course. 

Coming into the finish was fun seeing some of my friends cheering us on.  My legs were definitely ready to be done.  But, I'm happy we made it!  :)

Ellie was excited to get a finisher's medal!  She wore it all afternoon, even after we got home.  

Ellie- post race with her medal

Three things that went well

1.  Ellie behaved really well for being in a stroller for about 3 hours.  I'm glad she's a good stroller running kid.  I did well to keep her warm and have stuff to keep her entertained (toys and snacks).  But, I think I'm lucky that she seems to enjoy being outside and just cruising along, seeing the sights. 

2.  Seeing many of my MRTT friends and getting to run with some.  It was a fun race seeing many of my running friends from MRTT!  Many of them ran WAY ahead of me but I got to see a number of friends along the way and that was nice!  (Btw, congrats to those who ran good races and thanks to those who cheered me on during the race!)  

3.  Me, Ellie and baby made it the 13.1 miles to Loomis.  Getting us all to the finish is definitely something I would say went well.  :) 

Coming into the finish!

Three things that could be better:

1.  My calves cramped really badly.  The extra preggo weight and probably extra stress pushing the stroller made it hard on the calves. I had extra calf pain around this time of my pregnancy last time.  I think I need to do some more strength exercises as well as put extra attention to rolling the calves between runs.

2.  Fueling.  I think I didn't take into account the added effort of pushing a stroller and hills.  Should have fueled a bit more frequently.  

3.  I overdressed.  I had a tank, a long sleeve and a jacket on and within a couple miles, I was stripping off the extra layers as well as my visor.  I didn't need to wear all those clothes.  I know better.  I think I was worried about the rain too much.  I was lucky, I had a stroller to stash the extra layers into.  Otherwise, it would have been annoying to have to carry all those extra clothes. 

Three things about the race itself:  

1.  The course was marked really well and what a beautiful course!  

2.  It was a small race but the support was great.  Nice seeing many friendly faces along the course and everyone was so encouraging to me and Ellie!   They also gave me a great finish announcement.  

3.  Saw a lot of "Go Paul" along the course.  During the race, I wondered who Paul was.  Found out afterwards that Paul Robbins (from Fox40) ran the event.  I was bummed I didn't get to see him.  I'm a fan!

All in all, it was definitely quite the challenge but I had fun and so grateful I can share such fun adventures with my daughter!  :) 

post race baby bump pic

The Rest of the Week

After MandaRUN, I definitely took a few days for my body to recover, especially my calves.  I also tried to not let the work stress get to me too badly as it did last week.  

Other than that, my pregnancy seems to be going well.  Baby is squirming a lot more and I feel him kicking and moving around quite frequently.  He might be quite active like his sister Ellie!  :) 

On Thanksgiving, I started the Holiday Runstreak Challenge.  This challenge is where you run at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  I got a couple runs in to start the challenge.  I am definitely noticing myself getting bigger and running slower.  So, I've been doing more interval run/walks.  That's been helpful.  I just want to get through CIM (the marathon) in about a week.  Then, I'll just run for fun the rest of the pregnancy.  

Black Friday #OptOutside Kid Hike

On Black Friday, I joined a couple other moms in taking our kids for a little hike around the Auburn Overlook area.  

In the past, I have taken Ellie on many stroller runs and a few hikes where I carried her in a baby carrier.  This time, I let her hike herself for quite a bit of it.  I carried her for some but she was eager to hike on her own.  It was fun to see her enjoying being out on the trails.  Makes me a proud and happy mama!  

Miles for Week 27:  25.88 miles

Miles for this pregnancy: 605.85 miles

Preggo Week 26 Recap

Preggo Week 26 Recap 

(November 12-18, 2016)

This was not a good week of running.

Did get a nice stroller run with a fellow MRTT mom on Saturday.  

The rest of the week got occupied with work.  It's been extra busy and stressful.  On top of the stress of where my future career lies, I had a big case I had to deal with this week that caused a lot of added stress.  The stress was particularly rough on me.  I think it started making me feel sick: headache, nausea, light-headed-ness, low energy, etc. . . I did get one week day morning with the dog, which helped clear my head a bit.  Other than that, it was a tough week.  

I did keep with the Planksgiving Challenge in doing a plank each day and giving thanks for something.  I was mostly thankful to come home after hard days to a loving, snuggly toddler.  :)

 

Total miles for week 26: 7.83 miles

Total miles for this pregnancy: 579.97 miles

Preggo Week 25 Recap

Preggo Week 25 Recap

(November 5-11, 2016)

Having had some weeks with hardly any runs, I wanted to remedy that and get back into a good running groove.  I also wanted to be sure I got a couple long runs in for CIM training.  This week ended up being a big week of running.  I also got back to doing strength exercises more regularly (mostly planks, squats and push-ups) as well as getting back to doing yoga.  

Sweeping RDL

On Saturday, I swept the first 19ish miles of Rio Del Lago 100 Miler.  It was nice getting some long miles in and being part of the race still.  It was weird to think how it was a year ago, I ran the race (and became known for having nursed my 5 month old baby during the race).  

The run was pretty good though it ended up being a bit slow because we had to stop to pull down the ribbons (marking the course).  Whoever marked the course did a really good job as there was SO MANY ribbons that we had to pull.  I had a fun time running with my friend Kirk.  

After sweeping, I tracked my many other friends running the race.  And on Sunday morning, I went to the finish line to see many friends finish.  Seeing some friends come through made me teary eyed.  I love being at Rio del Lago.  Even though I wasn't running it this year, it's just fun being around that energy at 100 mile races.  I brought Ellie with me to the finish and she had fun cheering on runners too.  I am planning to run Rio del Lago again next year.  I'll need to run another Western States qualifier next year and it'll need to be later in the year since baby is due to arrive in February.  ;-)

Western States Lottery

The Western States lottery opened up this past week.  Of course, I entered the lottery again.  It'll my fifth time in the lottery though I'll only be a two ticket holder this year.  For those that don't know, I didn't get picked my first two lotteries but unfortunately, I got picked the third lottery when I was pregnant with a baby due in June (the same month as Western States) so could not run the race (and they do not allow deferments).  I also lost all my increasing entries so had to start back at square one in getting back in.  After having my baby, I continued in my pursuit in getting into Western States and ran a RDL last year to get another qualifier in for my fourth lottery.  I didn't get picked.  This year, I ran Canyons 100k for my qualifier so I'll be entering in my fifth lottery.  

If I get picked, the race will be about 4 months postpartum.  I have completed a 100 miler at 5 months postpartum so I know I can start the race and we'll see if I can finish it.  It'll be tough to train for it for obvious reasons but that's not going to stop me.  This has been a 5+ year dream to run this race.  I also have a feeling that because I'm pregnant again, I'll get picked because the lottery gods apparently don't want to let me in on a year that I can properly train for the race.  :P 

Now, if I don't get picked, I won't be too disappointed as it'll happen when it happens.  I already have my plans to run RDL 2017 to get my qualifier for the next lottery.  :) 

Treadmill Runs Watching The Crown

On Sunday and Tuesday, I ran on the treadmill while watching a new Netflix show "The Crown."  This is definitely a binge worthy show and helped make the treadmill runs go by easily.  I am restraining from watching the show unless I'm running on the treadmill.  A little extra motivation to get my runs in. ;-)

In addition to those runs on the treadmill, I did get a few other runs or evening outings with the dog. It was a good week of getting back into my running routine!  

Hilly Hike

On Monday, I took a sick day from work feeling a mild cold coming on.  After spending the morning cooped up in the house, I knew I needed to get some fresh air so I went out for an easy run/hike.  I ran down from Stagecoach and met my friend Johanna.  We then hiked up a big climb to the top of Foresthill Bridge (so steep!), crossed the bridge and hiked back down.  Then, I hiked back up Stagecoach to my car.  It was 7 miles and a ton of climbing!  

But, it felt great being out on the trails and I am so grateful that these amazing Auburn trails are in my backyard.  

Friday Long Run 

Today was Veterans' Day (thank you Veterans).  I had the day off work so I went and got my long run done today.  I ran nearly two loops around Lake Natoma.  My legs took a few miles to warm up.  I am starting to feel shin splints when I start some of my runs.  Luckily, after a few miles, that went away.  

I started running 4/1 run/walk intervals until my legs warmed up.  I later would run a mile then walk a minute.  Those little walk breaks were helpful.  

Overall, I felt pretty good on my run.  And what a beautiful day it was in Folsom!   My legs and hips felt pretty good.  I kept a pretty steady pace throughout the run so was happy with that.  The only issue I had was chaffing (and good grief, horrible chaffing).  The back of my arms apparently were rubbing on my pack, my heart rate monitor started rubbing a bit since my preggo belly makes it not sit flat anymore, and my support belt rubbed a bit on my back.  Learned that I'll need to make sure I put on lube during the race.  

I am feeling pretty good about CIM coming up in about three weeks.  This is my last really big run before the race.  I think I'll be able to get a pregnant marathon PR!  

So I'm happy with my training this week!  It also felt good to get back into my running and workout routine.  I need to try to not stress too much about work and focus on more positive in my life!  :) 

As for the pregnancy, I'm feeling pretty good overall.  I was lucky my cold was fairly mild and getting out for evening walks with the dog was helpful.  The baby has been wiggling and kicking more so that's nice.  

Ellie has been yelling "baby!" and patting my preggo belly which I love!  She's going to be a great big sister!  Also, earlier this week, I caught her trying on my running shoes.  I think I have a future runner here as well.  <3 <3 <3

Total miles for week 25: 75.89 miles 

Total miles for this pregnancy: 572.14 miles! 

Preggo Week 24 Recap

Preggo Week 24 Recap

(October 29 - November 4, 2016)

This past week was not so good running-wise.  I only got one run in for 5.4 miles.  

However, it was a good week because we were busy with various social engagements.  Also, it was Halloween, which is so much more fun now that I have a kid.  It was Ellie's first time experiencing trick or treating.  She also just learned to say "thank you!" (in a cute little squeaky voice) so when she got treats handed to her, she'd be all excited and say "thank you!"  

I also got to hang out with some of my MRTT running mom friends.  Went to a fun breakfast at one of the ladies' home on Saturday and saw some for a little Halloween get together before we took our kids trick or treating.  I need to try to spend more time with my running mom friends as it just peps me up being around them, even if I'm not able to run with them.  

For my one run, I did my monthly Maffetone test on the 1st.  

I did a warm up for one mile and then 4 miles keeping my heart rate at or under 144.  Here are my results:

warm up: 14:27

1 - 11:57

2 - 12:37

3 - 12:39

4 - 13:06

cool down

So, I ran slower than last month.  I think having not run too much the past few weeks has affected my fitness a bit.  I also think the added pregnancy weight is starting to slow me down as well.  It'll be interesting to see my results through the rest of this pregnancy.  

I wasn't able to run more the rest of the week because I started a trial at work.  So, I worked some really longs days on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, having no time to run. Trials are utterly exhausting, especially being pregnant.  It just wears me out physically and mentally.  

Before my trial, I had my 24 week prenatal appointment.  Baby #2 is doing well and I'm doing okay (have some mild issues due to the stress/anxiety from work but nothing of major concern).  My blood pressure is still nice and low.  I really pay attention to it as my pregnancy progresses since I got preeclampsia at the end of my last pregnancy and had to be induced.  

I noticed I up to 25-ish pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight.  I'm not one that's worries about my weight.  I was curious as to how much I've gained as I have been starting to feel my pregnancy weight on walks and runs.  Last pregnancy, I definitely could feel extra strain in my calves during my runs.  I've been trying to do a little extra strength exercises so I strengthen my legs to deal with the added weight.  I definitely can sympathize how heavier people have a harder time running!  

I also think the added weight may have widened my feet as my feet cannot stand to be in my non-Altra running shoes.  The sides hurt on the side of the shoes.  Thank goodness Altra shoes are designed for wide feet!  In Altras, my feet feel fine in them. I also recently bought some new Altra Intuition shoes.  They are road shoes.  I also like they are black so I can wear them to work (when I don't have to be in court).  

Total miles for week 24: 5.4 miles

Total miles for this pregnancy: 496.25 miles (ahhhh so close to getting to 500 miles!)