16 days to go and my plans for 2013.

36 weeks pregnant.

I am officially 16 days away from my due date. Unless the baby decides to get here early, I will be going in for a scheduled C-section on February 8th. To make a long story short I had a C-section with my first born and I had the option to try again for a traditional birth but, I decided against that.

They say that each pregnancy is different, and I would agree with that statement.  I had much worse "morning sickness" with this pregnancy and my cravings for fruit and sweets were much stronger this time around.   Other physical symptoms that are new this time around include congestion and nosebleeds. 

Sleeping at night is getting much more difficult because of fluid retention. My hands are falling asleep and it feels like carpal tunnel syndrome. I also am waking up at 2am for no reason and it is hard to get myself to go back to sleep.


I think I may have begun nesting, I am always buying extra at the grocery store to stock up. I have washed all of the baby laundry, and I have organized things by size.  At work I am trying to tie up loose ends before I go on maternity leave.

In other news my little boy just turned 2 years old.   I'm a little worried that he may become jealous of the new baby. I'm also worried that he might freak out while I am away at the hospital. This will be the first time I have been away from him overnight.   A part of me is a little sad that he isn't going to be my "baby" anymore and that the dynamic between us will change when his little sister arrives. So, I am just trying to give him as much attention and cuddles as I can right now.

I realize that my life is going to be super hectic with a new addition to the family and eventually going back to work.  But, I am getting so excited about running again!!! I will have to fit it in one way or another.  I have been missing it so badly.  I plan to start out slowly with walking and then when the Dr. gives me the "OK" I will start with running a few miles at a time.  I was pretty ambitious about running after I had my son. For my birthday that year I wanted to be able to run 10 miles to celebrate.  I ran 10 miles and it wasn't pretty but, I liked the fact that I had set a goal and I met it.  I was about 10 weeks postpartum when I did that long run.  I don't think I will be able to run 10 for my birthday this year (April 3rd) I will be only about 7 weeks postpartum and I don't want to push myself too hard too soon. 

I have two half marathons latter on this year that I am starting to day dream about.  The first one is the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon it's at the end of October and the course is really fast.  The next half will be in December and it will be hosted by our local track club.  I will not be participating in the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon.  The race is way too expensive in my opinion and I do not like racing at night.

I hope to start posting again on a more regular basis. 

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane

At night when I am having trouble falling asleep, I try to relax my mind by thinking about running. I conjure up memories of previous miles ran and some of my favorite running experiences.  This method tends to work most times and I drift off falling asleep as I'm "running" free. 

I was looking through my keepsakes the other day and I came across two photos that made me smile. These photos were taken when I lived overseas and I was really having a blast with my running.



The photo above was taken at the finish of my second marathon.  I ran the Venice marathon for the first time in 1998, then I ran it a second time in 1999. For the first year  that I ran it, I followed a training program from a Running Times magazine. The following year I worked with a coach/mentor and he really whipped me into shape.This marathon wasn't even a "goal" race for me.  I had been training to run the ARMY 10 miler which had taken place earlier that month.  I didn't do as well as I had hoped at the 10 miler. This marathon was a total redemption run for me. I qualified for the Boston Marathon but, I didn't have the resources to run the race. It took me almost nine years to qualify for Boston again. 

This next photo was taken at the finish of Montefortiana. This was my first half marathon. It had taken place in January of 2000. The race was run in Northern Italy and I remember it being freezing cold.  It was one of the most spectacular courses that I had ever run. It went through quaint villages and beautiful farm lands. It was a hilly course with a mixture of roads and dirt trails.  I had finished 8th woman overall and I received a neat little backpack filled with treats and a bottle of wine.  

I hope someday to return to Europe to run one of these events again. 

27 weeks pregnant. Not much running going on over here.

I have reached the end of the road with running. My hats off to the ladies that are able to run through out their entire pregnancy. (I'm looking at you Hungry Runner Girl)

I was so looking forward to the weather cooling off so I could workout on my lunch break. It has cooled off but,  my motivation has taken a nose dive.  I'm happy if I get to go out for a two mile walk. Most the time I will find errands to run so I don't even bother with working out. The weekends are a little better. I'm going out for walks while pushing my son in the stroller and I get exercise from chasing him around the playground at the park. 

I tried running last week and I was super uncomfortable less than a quarter mile in. I just felt so much pressure on my bladder and the last thing I want to do is piss my pants while out on a run.

This is usually my favorite time of year when it comes to running. There are tons of races and the weather is perfect. I feel kind of left out. Earlier this year I was invited to be part of a fast Ragnar team for the Las Vegas Ragnar race. I had to give up my spot when I found out I was pregnant. To be honest I'm not a real big fan of Ragnar. The idea of spending 24 hours in a smelly van and running doesn't sound fun to me. I was super jealous though when I found out that the team I was going to be on won their division.



Nice Work Sin City Balls and Dolls

The Rock n Roll Las Vegas marathon is next month. I'm excited for friends that are running. At this point I'm daydreaming about future races and running goals for the future. 

 I'm going to take the plunge next year and I'm finally going to buy a Garmin. I'm happy that they have made a watch cheap enough to meet my price point. $129.99 is just about affordable for me.  I think having a new fancy running watch will light a fire under my ass to get me motivated to run. 

Feelings about pregnancy weight gain and a 4 mile run

A little over two weeks ago I went out to participate in a local track club race.  The weather is cooling off and the mornings are nice.  I didn't have any specific goals for this event. I just wanted to be able to run the whole way.  I lined up in the back and when the horn went off to start the race I took my time and made sure that I was careful. I kept my eyes focused on the ground in front of me and I kept my pace steady. My splits for each mile were 9:17, 9:23, 9:20, & 8:42.  Towards the end I had plenty of energy left over and I just wanted to finish the run. I'm happy with my time for sure. Since then I have been run/walking about 3-4 times a week mostly pushing my son in his stroller. 

Running is starting to feel pretty awkward. My body feels like it belongs to someone else. The baby is starting to sit really high up and it puts pressure on my lungs and it makes my breathing a little bit harder. My stride is changing because of the extra weight in my belly. I'm hoping that I can still run for a few more weeks but, I don't think I"m going to be able to run all the way through this pregnancy.  I'm getting worried because I'm afraid that I'm just going to blow up like a balloon once I stop running.  But, I can't force my body to do something it can't do.  I'm also really going to miss the endorphins I get from running. 

My priority is obviously the baby.  I found out that I am having a little girl. Her health and safety override any feelings of vanity that I may have.  Feeling her kick and squirm around really makes me happy. It seems like she is more active than my son was.  I think I am having a mini pity party today because I am so tired. Even though I got eight hours of sleep last night I could  put my head on my desk and take a nap right now.

92 degrees in Las Vegas is a really nice day

This last month has gone by in the blink of an eye.  I haven't been too motivated to blog about running much. I was really in a funk for about three weeks over losing my beloved dog.  If I thought about it enough I would start to cry.  I have a lot of good memories of her and I think I have turned a corner with my grieving.

Being a couch potato

This picture is from 2009 and is one of my favorites.

Flashback from 1996

In other news I just celebrated another year of being married.  My husband and I reached the 16 year mark last weekend.   We got married so young and we have grown up together over the years. Most people are shocked when they hear how long I have been married. We celebrated by going out to dinner while a babysitter watched our son. 

Since this is a running blog I will return to regularly scheduled programming and tell you about my running.  We are finally out of the dog days of summer.  The day time high out here is still 94 degrees but, when you go from 105 to 95 it really does seem a lot cooler. I have been running/walking with the stroller. It has gotten so much harder to push my son around. He weighs 27lbs and with the extra weight I am carrying it is much harder to run.  I was debating on weather or not to buy an actual running stroller or maybe even a double jogger. But, the thought of pushing two kids at the same time seems scary right now. I think my son may be too old by the time I'm ready to take the new baby out running. So, maybe I will just buy a single jogging stroller and take turns pushing each kid.

These mountains are so pretty

With my back to the mountains

I did manage to get a few solo runs in this month. At the beginning of the month I ran 5.5 miles around my neighborhood and it was wonderful.  It was pretty early so the sun wasn't out in full force. I took my time and I even took a few pictures.

The other day I went out for another 5.5 mile run. I had been getting discouraged because stroller running had gotten so much harder over the course of the last month or two. I was worried that  my running days were coming to an end until I deliver the baby and recover. Instead I was treated to a great run. I was able to run the whole 5.5 miles. I only had to stop at red lights and I only needed one bathroom break. I was also thrilled to be running at 9:30 pace.

Last but, not least I am now 21 weeks pregnant. I still feel pretty good and I'm trying to stay as active as possible. I'm starting to feel the baby wiggle around and it makes me so happy.

All Dogs go to Heaven



From her younger days

Her last photo. She was always so photogenic





Bella 2009



Bella as a puppy



I lost a very dear member of my family yesterday. My beloved Italian Greyhound passed away.  I had my dog for over ten years and I am so devastated



We purchased our dog at a time in my life where, I really needed a friend. My husband and I had moved to Phoenix, Arizona at the beginning of 2002, so he could attend a technical school. We didn’t have any family or friends living in that town. We were also ready to become pet owners.  We purchased Bella when she was just a puppy from a pet store. I was ignorant to the fact that most pet store dogs come from puppy mills. We just fell in love with how pretty she was and she would be a great apartment dog because someone would always be home with her and she wouldn’t be a very large dog.  We chose the name “Bella” because we had lived in Italy and it had such a pretty ring to it.

For the first couple of years she was a great dog to take along for a short run. She could handle short runs (3-4 miles).    She also enjoyed daily walks. Over the years the pads on her feet grew worn so she wasn’t able to run very far, she was a much better sprinter. Eating was probably her second favorite thing to do. She loved hanging around my son when he was eating in his highchair waiting for food to drop on the floor.  She also enjoyed sunbathing outside.

In 2008 we found a stray shitzu and she became a great companion for our Bella. 

I noticed earlier this year that she was losing a little bit of weight. Last month I took her to our Veterinarian/Groomer for grooming and her rabies shot.  During her wellness exam they had noticed that she lost over 3lbs in the last six months. That’s quite a bit of weight for her lean frame.  We were given the option to do blood work and an X-ray. My husband and I weighed the pros and the cons and we declined to do the X-ray and blood work. We figured that we would keep her as comfortable as possible.  We also were naive and we figured that she would live for another year or two.

Two weeks ago our girl started having trouble keeping her dog food down. We began feeding her small meals of scrambled eggs and steak.  These last few days she barley ate at all.  As her appetite diminished so did her activity level.  I began to worry when she no longer wanted to go outside to sunbathe.  It was heartbreaking to see her loose her beautiful muscle tone.  We knew it was time when she started to appear disoriented. We didn’t want to see her suffer anymore.  I made the appointment with the vet. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. My husband and I went to the veterinarian’s office with Bella and we were with her during her final moment of life.  I’m glad that she is no longer suffering but, I am shocked at how fast her decline in health and quality of life was. ..

 It seemed like just a month ago she was running around in the back yard chasing birds and begging for scraps from my son’s highchair.

August in a nutshell




Happy to be at a wedding

My August got off to a great start. I ran 5 miles on the treadmill on the 1st but, then it really went off the tracks.  The next day after my 5 miler I took a rest day and I treated myself to a manicure/pedicure. That night I felt tickle in my throat. I was looking forward to attending a wedding that weekend so I was determined to "push through" whatever cold I might have.  My husband and I haven't gotten dressed up for an event in months so, I was really looking forward to my friend's wedding.  

One rest day turned into two weeks of not being able to do much.  After the wedding my cold hit me full force. I went to  see my doctor and it turned out that I had bronchitis.  I was given antibiotics and I felt miserable. It's really hard to handle cold symptoms without over the counter medicine like Nyquil.  A week later I went back to the doctor for a follow up visit I had started to get better, but my sinuses were still hurting. I was almost positive that I had sinusitis as well.  The doctor diagnosed that I had a facial spasm on my right cheek. That spasm was causing the pain and not letting my sinuses drain properly.  I had been hoping that the doctor would be able to prescribe a pain medicine that was safe for me and the baby. Instead I received an OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine)  treatment.  I had never had this kind of treatment before and it was amazing. The best way I can describe it is that the Dr. worked on specific sections of my scalp, face, neck, and shoulders using resistance, and pressure release techniques.  The doctor worked on me for about 30 minutes and when I was done my sinuses felt much clearer.  I also didn't need any pain relievers or additional antibiotics.  By the next day I was able to get a light workout in. I ran 3 miles and stretched.  

My body is defiantly changing. I'm 15 weeks now and my belly has started to "pop".  Taking two weeks off from running was  a good thing. It gave me a chance to recover from my illness but, I really missed my endorphins.  Also my running fitness is starting to decline a little. I used to be able to knock out 5 miles at lunch time. Now I am happy to run 3 miles and run/walk 1 extra mile.   Over the weekend I was able to run 5 miles with a few walk breaks. It was pretty warm outside so  I didn't want to try to run any farther. I am so ready for the Summer to be over. 

If you would like to know a little bit more about Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, I have included two links below.

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment

AOA-American Osteopathic Association