Halfway There - {20-week pregnancy "race" report}

There were many days in my life when I truly felt that I would never be where I am today:  halfway through a healthy pregnancy and, more importantly, happily married to the love of my life. For those of you know {really} know me, it's been a rather messy road to arrive where I am today. I can say with absolute certainty, though, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be...and I've never been happier {or more grateful}. All of those things that I never saw the purpose in before brought me to where I am now. I am honestly even thankful for those trials. Without them, I wouldn't be where or who I am today.

Ok, ok...the sappy stuff is out of the way. Mostly ;).

Clint and I were married on a beautiful summer day - Saturday, August 1, 2015. The day after spending time with many family and close friends at our dream wedding we flew to Colorado and spent the next 9 days exploring parts of beautiful Colorado and Utah. We also managed to cover 100+ miles on foot during that time (running, hiking and general exploring/walking).

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah

Selfie after a morning long run (for him!) and solo yoga-session (for her!)

Shortly after returning from our whirlwind honeymoon, I was plagued by an irritating tooth/gum-ache on Thursday, August 13. After a scientific consult with Dr. Google, I learned that swollen gums could be a sign of...pregnancy. Ok, fine...anyone who has ever looked knows that pregnancy has a plethora of symptoms that also just happen to overlap with other maladies.

But...somehow I just knew.

I mentioned my findings to Clint over lunch that Thursday and we had a very casual conversation about the possibility. Based on my cycle/dates/all that jazz, the first day that I could take a pregnancy test was the following Tuesday. So, that weekend...I purchased a 3-pack of "early response" tests.

The next few days d-r-a-g-g-g-g-ed.

Saturday we visited my family in the Quad Cities and visited the Maquoketa Caves in Iowa. I remember getting REALLY tired and hungry that day (even more so than I typically do!) but didn't attribute it to anything...looking back, I think I know why :).

Such legit-looking spelunkers ;)...and apparently future parents!

Sunday morning I went out and did the 20-mile training run that Coach Clint had prescribed for me. At this point I was in the final throes of marathon training, gearing up for the Last Chance Boston Qualifier (where I hoped to run my first BQ) on September 12. We figured, pregnant or not, I might as well! Clint ran this training run with me and it ended up being a really great run. I was able to nail his prescribed paces with no issues at all. I comfortably ran 18 of the 20 miles at sub-9 paces and averaged 8:49 for the entire run.

Tuesday morning (August 18), I got up and immediately peed on one of those sticks. I expected it to show what I already knew...but I also didn't dare REALLY hope for it (if that makes any sense). Slowly...surely...two...pink...lines...appeared. I stared at the stick in my hand for a few minutes and then went back to our bedroom where Clint was still laying in bed.

I said something along the lines of, "Uh, Clint. Clint! I peed on a stick and, uh, I think I am pregnant." Without sitting up, he opened his eyes and said, "UGH! It smells like piss!!"* After hurrying back to the bathroom and sticking it in the trash, I layed down next to him (both of us in various states of disbelief). After a few seconds he said, "Why don't you take another test?"
*Clint has since apologized for this reaction ;).

Later that morning prior to heading out to work (it was the second day of our new school year!) I took a second test and the result was the same - Pregnant.

What now?! Well...a test later that day at my wonderful primary care physician's office later that day confirmed what we had seen that morning. Indeed. Baby W was on the way! Once things were confirmed by the doctor, we were tentatively elated. An excited Clint took a picture of my not-yet-growing belly that night so we would have a "baseline" as I started to grow.

Over the next few days, we sprang into planning mode. Wednesday we bit the bullet and bought a new vehicle after hemming and hawing all summer (my car had become less than reliable and needed a lot of money put into it in order for it to be consistently safe to drive again...doable but we decided to put that money toward a new car as opposed to shelling out money into my old car). We scheduled an appointment with an OB who came highly recommended from our friend Jillian for the following week. We told a few key people about the positive pregnancy tests. And...we talked about my Boston qualifying dreams.

We decided, right-wrong-or-otherwise, that I would keep up my training as long as I felt good. The first weekend after learning we were expecting I ran Baby's First Race...a grueling race appropriately dubbed "Painful Elimination." This race is held on the trails at COMLARA, not far from our home. It consists of a 4.25-mile loop that participants run once per hour starting at 6am. The race goes on for 12 hours, with a new loop/round starting on the hour each hour. So, if a runner finishes the tough 4.25 miles of trail (featuring a water crossing!) in 45 minutes...it means he/she has 15 minutes to rest/fuel up/visit the porta-potty, etc. before starting the next loop. I managed 5 loops for a total of 21.25 miles. Not going to lie, I was TEMPTED to run 6 loops (could've been my first "ultra"-distance!) but I decided to call it quits after 5 since I felt tired but still generally good. No use in pushing it TOO far. This was a really fun...though challenging...event that I was happy to experience with my friends AP and Tanya (sadly Clint had to work :(.)

I'm assuming this was taken during one of the first loops...we runners were pretty close to one another at that point before getting more spread out on subsequent loops. What's up water crossing?!

Run happy, right?!

Me with my two REAL trail-runner-friends ;).

Our first baby-doctor's appointment the following Tuesday (one week after the positive test!) confirmed once again that we were *still* pregnant for real and we saw the beginnings of the life within on an ultrasound. At the time...all you could see was a dark bean-shaped blob. They informed us that this was the gestational sac. Who knew?! They estimated that we were approximately 4 weeks pregnant based on the date of my last period and the size of the sac.
Pregnancy lesson here: counting the weeks of pregnancy starts with the date of the mother's last period...and conception typically happens around the second week. So...those of you who have "jokingly" commented about the baby coming to be prior to the wedding...bug off ;) (not like it really matters...but come on!)

Seeing those first ultrasound images was pretty cool, but not gonna lie...I was disappointed in just seeing the black sac. I don't know what I expected (clueless first-time mama here!!), but that didn't quite appease my need to feel like the pregnancy was "real." To me, it looked like an empty black hole ;).

Black hole or not, I started FEELING pregnant. Nausea (in the evenings, oddly!) and exhaustion began to set in and I quickly learned that I couldn't quite burn the candle at both ends work-wise the way I used to.

We ended up telling our parents the weekend after our first ultrasound...yes, we knew it was early but we just couldn't wait. Needless to say, we now have two sets of excited grandparents :). We also told a few close friends but for the most part kept the news on the DL for a while. I continued running...cautiously...and continued preparing (which meant tapering, really!) for my marathon on September 12. Things were going pretty well and we had a good doctor appointment on September 8 prior to the race...so we decided to give it a go.

Race day rolled around for the BQ2 race (Baby's second race!) and I had one of the best races of my life thus far. I was able to comfortably hold strong to my target 8:00 minute/mile pace for most of the race. At one point with about a third of the race left to go, things started getting a little hard (uh, it's a marathon...pregnant or not, it SHOULD'VE gotten hard :)). However, I told myself to keep going because I want to be the kind of mother who can lead by example and teach her child(ren) to keep persevering, even when things are tough.

Crossing that finish line in a 15+ minute marathon PR with a time of 3:33:16 (under my qualifying standard of 3:35!) felt amazing. Second, probably, only to crossing the finish line in the delivery room next April! ;) With that accomplishment behind me, I vowed to keep running and racing for as long as I could but I would back off the intensity (in both distance and speed).

October 23 when I was 13 weeks pregnant I participated in a little photo-shoot running-project with our friend Rachelle for a community "thing." Because...what woman doesn't want photos of her pregnant-running-self on display?! ;) I know, I know...I don't look very pregnant here. But, I also don't quite look like the "me" I had been used to...a good reminder that pregnancy means adjusting your expectations of yourself and your body (as well as a reminder to be grateful for all of the things you CAN still do!!).

I remember one of my roughest runs being at a Thursday Night Group run when I was between 12-14 weeks pregnant. I couldn't keep up with any of the group members and just felt miserable. I don't know why I put so much pressure on myself that night...but I did. I remember wrapping up 5 miles and just feeling rotten. I was down on myself for not being able to keep up (when under "typical" situations keeping up would be no problem). I was starting to feel "fat" and super-awkward and I was just really struggling with my personal identity. I know...this probably sounds ridiculous. But, it's honesty. Have I ever stopped being grateful for the gift of new life that Clint and I have been blessed with? Not for one second. But, there are moments when the human/unreasonable side of me does get a little "down" regarding the changes my body is going through.

All things considered, this pregnancy has gone very well. Our baby is healthy and is growing right on track. A potential issue that was spotted on the 16 week ultrasound appeared to have resolved this past week on the 20 week ultrasound. The nausea I experienced during the evenings of the first trimester dissipated between weeks 14-15. Some minor health issues (including a disgusting bout with the stomach flu!) that I had were able to be dealt with quickly with the help of our physician's amazing nurse Beth. Our family and friends have provided a lot of support and advice. We are so, so grateful for it all.

And...somehow, in 20 weeks Baby+Mom have managed to complete 9 races! Many of these races included age group places and one even included a top overall female finish! Of course the highlight was my BQ...sullied only slightly with the news that my time will not count for 2017 (had my race been completed one weekend later it would have been in the qualifying window for the 2017 race:)).

Baby's Completed Races:
(Click on each for race reports if desired)

1. Painful Elimination//8-22-15 (no race report)
2. Last Chance Boston Qualifier//9-12-15
3. Run the Woods Trail 8k//10-3-15
4. Chicago Marathon//10-11-15
5. Town and Gown/ISU Homecoming 5k//10-24-15
6. Allerton Park 5.7mi Race//10-25-15
7. Canal Connection 10k//11-1-15
8. Furrow Euro XC Race//11-21-15
9. Oglesby Turkey Trot//11-26-15

What's next, race-wise? I really don't know. If I am feeling decent...I would like to fit in a few more races. I mean...I don't want to end with an odd number ;). I need to get that list to at LEAST 10! Stay tuned.

So far, according to the data from my Garmin watch, this baby has run just over 350 miles with me (since 8/4/15 which is the estimated day that he came into existence :)). We are definitely slowing down (both in speed and distance!) but hopefully we will see at least a few more miles added to that total before he joins us on the outside.

We've learned that our baby is a BOY and have started working on our registries (thanks, Jillian, for accompanying me to Babies R Us to get that going!). We purchased a crib (thanks, Adelle, for the heads up on a great deal!) and a carseat (thanks to a big Amazon sale) and some other small items, including a little shirt in Colorado...as it turns out, this baby t-shirt we purchased on our honeymoon for our "someday baby" was some sort of foreshadowing of what was to be revealed to us shortly after the honeymoon :).

It's a BOY!

In addition to my running, I've also kept up with yoga. I still love my Monday nights with Kris (and Clint has been joining me for the past few months!) and have been adding in a second and sometimes a third class per week at Body in Bloomington. Yoga has been GREAT for my sore body, though I've noticed that holding up 20 extra pounds has gotten to be a challenge for one-legged balance poses! (Big thanks to Kris and to Tara (and the other Body instructors!) for their guidance and support as I somewhat-awkwardly navigate yoga with a pregnant body!)

Yes....you read that correctly up there. 20 extra pounds in 20 weeks. An important lesson I've learned (and trust me, this one has been a bitter pill for me to swallow) is to let go of weight-gain expectations. The Internet was telling me to expect a weight gain of 5-8 lbs in my first trimester (~13 weeks). Yeah, well, I gained 5-8 lbs in the first 5-8 weeks. My doctor and nurse have assured me that I am healthy and well within the range I should be. So, I must trust them...and let. it. go. And, of course, continue to be as active as I safely can and eat healthily {MUCH of the time :)}.

Speaking of eating, apparently pregnancy aversions and cravings are a thing...so here we go:

Pregnancy aversions:
-curry
-Anand (formerly one of my favorite Indian food restaurants!)
-the smell of any spicy seasonings
-rice
-green vegetables (SAD! I do force-feed myself these at times!)
-fish (thanks to a horrific cod experience)

Pregnancy cravings:
-sushi...this is a big one, but sadly has to go unquenched
-mashed potatoes
-pasta
-cheese
-(gluten free!) bread
-fruit
-orange juice
-Starburst jellybeans
-the "Cobbish" salad at Garlic Press in Uptown Normal
-Chipotle
-sour cream (ugh...this is one that I had formerly given up but for some reason love it again)
-yogurt
-peanut butter

Big thanks to our friends and family for all of the love, support and prayers as we embark on this new race (talk about an "ultra" ultra-marathon!) together. We are doing our best to navigate through things successfully but of course the journey is not without its challenges! Life is messy and not always as lovely as it might look on social media...we all have our struggles! However, we are both very much looking forward to meeting our little man and I am so grateful for the love and support of my husband now more than ever. He has the patience of a saint and has been my voice of reason daily. I couldn't do it without you, Cleent! ;)

Our little Yogi-love!

Ok...enough out of me! Bring on the second half of this pregnancy! :)
~Rachel

Furrow Euro XC Race {11-21-15}

Furrow Euro XC Race (3.1 miles)...

29:58...(9:39/mi pace)...3/7 in 30-29 age group...57/95 overall...Baby's 8th Race at 17 weeks, 1 day pregnant

This was my first experience with the "joy" :) that is the Furrow Euro Cross Country Race. Clint and some of the other team members (thanks, Mike, for the e-mail plugs!! :)) had been talking about this race for the past few weeks and I thought...why not?! It sure sound(ed!) like fun :). Stream crossings, hay bales...ingredients for a fun race, right? Seeing as my running focus has been more on FUN (and general fitness of course) and less on speed, I figured I could safely slow down and navigate my way through any obstacles without compromising the fetus.

And then...I saw the forecast for the Saturday of the race. The first snow of the year? Thirty degree temps? Sick.

Clint woke me up that Saturday morning and opened the blinds in our bedroom. Even though I am blind as a bat in the morning until I put in my contacts, I could see the vast white-ness that waited for us outside as I lay in denial under my warm covers in the snuggly bed. After refusing for a few minutes, I got up and ate a banana and got ready to go. Thank goodness most of my running clothes still fit...I pulled on a pair of my favorite winter tights that I've worn the past few years and my lavender Often Running top. Apparently someone (ANDY!) made a comment to my husband about me getting visibly bigger though...so clearly this shirt won't be fitting much longer ;). I may have to talk to you about getting a different shirt or two to borrow for a few months, Mitch :).

We left our apartment around 7:15 and made our way on the snowy roads to El Paso. Shout out to Clint for driving us safely on the nasty roads. Shout out to Mazda for making our new sweet ride...we recently got rid of my dying car and got an AWD SUV (something i've never owned or even driven before) and it seemed to be just great on the roads.

We arrived at the farm where the race was held a little over an hour before start time...perfecto. Plenty of time for us to pick up our bibs and for Clint to get in a good "warm up" with some other teammates while I continued my own style of "warm up"--sitting in the car with the heat on until the last possible minute :). We were informed that the stream crossings had been taking out of the race because of the fact that the water level was very high and it was likely not safe for all participants to attempt to cross. This news made me feel a lot better about my decision to run. Really, the water was the biggest concern...with my off-balance-self, I was worried about falling into the water and getting soaked and frozen. Probably not the best choice for a pregnant individual. 

Do we HAVE to do this?!

About 8 minutes prior to the start, we made our way to the starting line. Clint told me that when he ran one loop of the course as his warm-up, it was kind of hard to see at times due to the blowing snow. But, as he pointed out, I wouldn't be winning so there would always be someone to follow...so I would be fine. Whew ;).

It was fun to see Mitch there to support us at the starting line as well as the other team members and area runners who had come out for the crazy "fun." We snapped a few pictures, danced around to keep warm (maybe that was just me) and listened to the race director describe the course a bit. Two laps...no stream crossings...some hills/hay bales/general fun...

After a blow of his whistle and a gunshot...we were off! Over half of the field quickly ran up the first hill in front of me and I did my best to brush off my competitive thoughts of, "There are too many people in front of you! Hurry UP!" 

The cold air made my lungs burn a bit as I set off on my way on the first lap. Talk about a very rude all-or-nothing start to winter running! The first mile wasn't too bad, all things considered and my watch beeped in 9:21. I'll take it. My only *very-loose* "goal" was to stay under 10-minute miles.  As I neared the start/finish line and the barn where the end of lap one was, I saw Clint, Andy and Paul already well on their way on lap two....looking good, as always.

Running over the wooden structure (I don't remember where exactly it was in the loop, other than that it was toward the first half of each loop) was a bit precarious. Running UP wasn't as big of a deal as running DOWN...there was a rubber mat on the DOWN side that was quite slippery. On my second pass-through, there were some high school kids behind me that thought it was pretty awesome to slip and slide around (I am not denying the fact that it looked like fun ;))...only they all started falling and I was pretty sure one was going to take me out. I sprinted as hard as I could down that darn thing as visions of sprawling out on my belly danced through my head.  Thankfully, I made it safely down and soldiered on. I looked down at my watch and saw that I was nearing the 2-mile mark and that my pace was dangerously close to 10 minutes. I picked it up until mile 2 clicked off in 9:59. Whew. Just under my "goal" ;).

After two miles were done...I felt kinda done as well ;). Trudging through the snow/slush/yuck was wearing me out and breathing in the cold with my already decreased lung capacity was flat exhausting for this mama-to-be (WIMP!! :)).  I rounded a turn shortly after the 2-mile point up to my favorite part of the course: the area with the pine trees! Here the footing was more solid/sure (because of the bed of pine needles on the ground!) and the snow falling off of the trees was just plain beautiful. At this point I was trailing two people, a man and a woman, who I had been trading places with throughout much of the race. I would pass them on either a flat portion or an uphill and they would pass me on the downhills (I was probably overly-cautious on some of the slippery downward slopes!). I made up my mind here, though, that I would be passing them once and for all by the end of the race :).

I entered my least favorite part of the course, the switch-backs toward the end of the loop. This part would be fun...if I didn't happen to be carrying around an extra chunk of weight+a tiny fetus. On this portion of the race during the first loop, Merlin Anderson passed me with a verbal, "You be careful!" I remember seeing him turning around to check on me too. Nice guy :). Mile 3 ticked off in 9:41 and the finish line was in sight! I quickly made my move on the two that I had chosen to pass before the end of the race and successfully passed them as they chatted (him: "I'm really glad we did this race today. Thanks for coming out with me." Her: *silence* HA!). I fought my way up the final hill (cruel!) and crossed the finish in 29:58 (according to my watch...but the clock time had me at 29:40)...just under 30 minutes which is what I was hoping to be able to do. Hooray! 

Ok, ok...it was a little fun ;)

OR/Vitesse Runners!

Baby's 8th race...success. And, we got a sweet soup mug to show for our efforts/3rd place in AG! Later I had Clint check on how many were in my (large-span!) age group of 30-39. I was expecting 3 ;). There were actually 7!

Big thanks to Mitch for coming out and supporting us and for taking some great pictures. Thanks to the rest of the teammates for coming out and running this fun (crazy!) race! Thanks to Adidas for the great gear.

Dressed for the weather, as you can see ;)

We did it! And now...the reward of a warm car :)

Next up? Oglesby Turkey Trot/Thanksgiving Race Report!

Run warm!
~Rachel

Canal Connection {11-1-15}

Canal Connection 10k

11/1/15

48:05

(7:45/mi pace)

1/43 in 30-34 age group

23/353 females

95/676 overall

14 weeks, 2 days pregnant

{Baby's seventh race!}

This was my second time running this race. I'd always heard area runners talk about loving it but never made the trek up to Utica to run it until last fall when Clint dragged me along. After just one time running it, I was hooked! It's a beautiful course and it's fun how so many BloNo runners make the drive out there. It feels like we are at "home" yet we are in a fun, different locale.

I've kind of turned into a "weekend warrior" during this pregnancy and haven't been running much other than weekend races. I've never been a morning person, so getting up to run before work is just too much to ask. While I haven't been plagued by morning sickness, I have had a fair amount of "evening sickness"/nausea after work...so running after work just feels terrible and I usually don't do it (other than Thursday night group runs). However, this week I did manage to run on both Thursday and Friday evenings and I hit a morning yoga class on Saturday. Add in this race Sunday morning and this consecutive 4-day streak of working out is officially my longest work-out streak of this pregnancy. Kinda sad ;).

Sunday morning we carpooled with friends/teammates Gary and Amber. Somehow, I was entrusted with the duty of driving to the race and managed to get us all there in one piece in plenty of time. I also somehow managed to remember all of my parts and pieces (leaving my watch at home has happened more than once now). We left home around 8 and arrived in Utica a bit after 9. I visited the bathroom a few times while Clint got our bib numbers and then we hopped on a bus to head to the start in LaSalle.

While the rest of the team headed out for a warm-up, I hung out in the school near the start guarding the gear bags. Right, wrong or otherwise...I wanted to conserve every bit of energy for the 6.2 miles to come. I was feeling a little "off" that morning with some minor cramps and nausea so I just played it safe until the start.

Soon enough, it was time to head to the starting line. By this point in the day (nearly start time/10:30 am) it had warmed up to the mid fifties and felt GREAT! This race is not chip-timed, so I lined up with Amber in the second row right at the front. After the national anthem, we were sent off on our way. The first part of the race is a pretty significant downhill and I had planned to use this to "bank" some seconds (as I am sure everyone does!). My first few steps were a little awkward (creaky ankle!)...maybe a few warm-up strides really would've been a good idea ;). Oh well, no time to lament that! I peeked down at my watch as I descended the hill to see sub-7 minute pace. HA! Hadn't seen that for a while. Thanks, hill!

My first mile ticked off in 7:11. I smiled, knowing that my pace was about to decline significantly. My "goal" was to be under 8:00 or as close to a flat 8:00 average pace as possible at the end of the race. After mile 1, we turned to the right to enter the beautiful canal area. I had been warned by Aimee Dziekan and Kelly Ruiter (who had run the course backwards from Utica to LaSalle that morning to the start to make a long run instead of taking the bus) that the canal area was pretty muddy in spots and footing might be questionable. I made a mental note to be cautious. No need to scrape my preggo self off of the muddy canal because I got too crazy! ;)

Mile two was a much-more-reasonable-but-still-fast-for-my-current-state 7:40. For the most part, the first mile of the canal wasn't too messy. I picked a few runners to slowly pick off. One guy was really annoying (sorry...truth ;-)). He was running some really irritating intervals as he "raced"...I passed him as he was running quite slowly....and then after a minute or two he came screaming down the canal and passed me, only to slow down a minute or so later. This went on for much of the race. I really can't remember if he beat me or if I beat him. I vaguely remembered (at least I thought I did) someone doing this same behavior during last year's Canal Connection...but maybe I made this memory up.

Mile three was over in 7:47. Heck yes, positive splits! ;). Whatever...I was still safely under my target 8:00/mi pace so I was content. My breathing felt pretty good and my body in general felt decent. After the halfway point I remember thinking that I would've been just fine had this only been a 5k-distance race ;-), but soldiered on.

Mile four was 7:56. Somewhere around here, I saw a guy who runs in a cut-off shirt, tiny shorts and no shoes. I recognized him from Town and Gown the weekend prior. He was visibly in pain (uh, dude, the canal is ROCKY!!!!!) and was LOUDLY grunting with each...and...every...freaking...step. It was these loud, guttural groans that sounded just plain miserable. It was kind of annoying...but I did my best to concentrate on my own breathing and blocking his noises out. He was nearby me for the rest of the race, though, so it was a lot of concentrating on ignoring him ;).

Mile five was an even-slower 8:06. Eh, whatever. I was still under that 8:00 average!

As I started the final mile, though, I knew I could press a bit harder to finish it off. I knew I wasn't too far off of what I had run last year (which, believe it or not, is actually my 10k PR! I hadn't run another 10k since then). I saw Carol spectating as I turned right to make the exit off of the canal and back to the road (thanks for the cheers and the caution, Carol :)). I saw Karen as I rounded a corner to the final quarter mile (thanks for the cheers!). I saw Clint and a group of the rest of my teammates at the next corner as I turned to the left toward the finish. About that time, some chick decided to pass me. I didn't really feel like responding...but the *slightly* competitive part of me got the better of me and I dug in and passed her back (and Clint may or may not have shouted words of encouragement as well;-)). My pace for the final 0.2 (0.22 according to my watch) was 6:59...who knew, there was actually still something left ;). I beat the girl by a second...and it turned out she wasn't in my age group anyway ;).

I crossed the finish in 48:05....my average pace of 7:45 was fifteen seconds under my goal pace, so that felt good! I went inside to check the results and saw that I had managed to get 2nd in my age group. WOOT! However, turns out I actually got FIRST in my age group thanks to the first place girl in my AG being in the top 6 overall and therefore getting taken out of my AG. So...I was the 1st place 30-34 female back-to-back years! Wonder if I can manage a three-peat next Nov?! ;)

After I finished, I snagged some water, a banana and hot chocolate and went to lay in the grass behind the gym. It felt amazing to lounge in the sun for a while while everyone else did a responsible cool-down.

Big congrats to all of the other ORRT members and area runners who ran Canal Connection (lots of awards were taken home to BloNo!) and set PRs, etc.! Thanks to Mitch for the privilege of being part of this team. Thanks, Adidas, for the sweet gear. Thanks to Clint for coaching me through this new stage in my running "career"...uncharted territory!

Next up: Furrow Euro Race Report!

Look at that hot, fast, bearded runner! ;)

Nice job, Guy Savage

Drama.

Surprise 1st place in AG!

Race Love :)

ORRT Award Winners! :)

Run proud, all! :) Enjoy this beautiful, mild fall-winter weather (at least here in the midwest!)
~Rachel

Allerton Park {10-25-15}

Allerton Park Trail Run (5.7 miles)

10/25/15

50:03

(8:47/mi pace)

8/34 in 30-34 age group

120/360 overall

This was my second time running this race. Clint introduced it to me last October...and I loved it and had a blast. Allerton Park is beautiful, particularly in the fall. Ok, truth be told, I have never been there other than in the fall ;). But...I have to assume it is extra-awesome in the fall. In addition to being beautiful, this race is very well-organized and is just a whole lot of fun. Since it is around Halloween, there is a costume contest and some of the runners actually run in some pretty elaborate costumes. Last year a girl ran practically naked in a tiny flesh-colored top and bottom that was made to look like she was being "blurred" out or censored. It was pretty funny and I am sure it helped some people run faster (or maybe slowed them down as the case may be...). Anyway, I didn't dress up. I'm boring.

This year's race was on Clint's birthday. How neat is that?!  We left our home around 6:45 and headed to Monticello. Clint drove since I am (especially) useless in the morning. Speaking of being useless, when we were like 4 minutes into our trip I realized, "Oh crap! I forgot my watch!" Time for another blind race. When we arrived, we went to pick up our numbers and race shirts and saw a number of familiar faces (Joe, Karen, Carol, Tanya, Merlin, Meg, Dennis...hope I am not overlooking any names). We went back to our car, where I huddled for a while longer to stay warm and Clint headed out for a warm up.

After a while, I forced myself out of the car and into the cold morning air. I managed to leave my sweatshirt in the car even though it pained me to do so. I joined Tanya at the start and danced around for a bit to stay warm before the race director sent us off on our merry way! As soon as I started moving, I began warming up which was great. Oh I just DESPISE being cold!

I ran the first mile near Dennis Killian and we chatted a bit as we ran. He was just two weeks out from doing Kona (what a GUY!!) and said this was his first run since then. He introduced me to his niece Amanda (hope I remembered her name correctly :)) who was also running. He told her I had just run two marathons while pregnant and said that my baby had already run something like 7 races. She shared with me the fact that she also ran a marathon at 7 weeks pregnant (what I was when I ran the BQ2 marathon). Looks like I am not the only crazy in the world ;).  I slowed up a bit (ok, a lot) on some of the really root-y downhills. No need to bite it! I saw some poor girl fall face-down, spread-eagle right in front of me and had to jump over her left leg to keep from tripping over her. Thankfully she bounced right back up and seemed ok as she soldiered on.

I passed the first mile marker feeling good. I had no idea what my pace was but guessed it was somewhere in the 9:00/mile range. I really enjoyed this race...the cool temps felt great and the trees were just beautiful. I chatted with a number of pleasant fellow runners throughout the race as well, which was a welcome change from the weird triathlete from Champaign who ran near me for much of the race last year and shared his life story with me. Around mile 3.5 or so, a woman in a cat costume ran up behind me and we ended up running together until just before mile 5. We chatted a bit and actually ended up pushing one another to speed up. She looked down at her watch at one point and said, "We are running 8's! That's really great for a trail run!" I was surprised I was feeling as good as I was at that pace but went with it!

After mile 5, the course takes you out of the woods and into the darn meadow. There is a downhill portion that is riddled with uneven ground that is just enough to keep you from speeding up to a comfortable degree before it takes you UP a big ol' hill to the finish line. MEAN, I tell you!  I had no idea what my time would be for the race and saw the clock reading 49:xx as I approached. I crossed the finish in 50:03 which was just fine with me! This actually had me 8th out of 34 in my age group which is nice for being pregnant. Last year I was 4th in my AG. I am grateful I crossed the finish line in one piece and that I didn't take a spill like I saw three individuals do. UGH!

Clint got 10th overall and 2nd in his age group, which was super-awesome, but I guess I shouldn't steal his thunder and should let him tell his own story ;).

THANKS to Mitch for letting me be a part of the Adventures of the Often Running Racing Team, thanks to Adidas for the sweet gear, and thanks to the rest of the team for the friendship and fun. THANKS to Clint for being born on the 25th and for making that day even more fun with it being a birthday race-day. THANKS to Carol for the much-needed encouraging cheers on the course!!

Next up, Canal Connection report!

Run....crazy! ;-)

Chicago Marathon {10-11-15}

Chicago Marathon

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Chicago, IL
*My 12th time running 26.2*

So this past spring, I signed up for the Chicago Marathon with Easter Seals' charity team, "Team Believe." Team Believe was born in 2013 and started with a team of 10 marathoners running the NYC Marathon. I was part of this original group. The next year, Easter Seals secured charity spots for both NYC and Chicago. I decided to sign up with the team again, this time for Chicago (NYC was amazing...but in my opinion it is the kind of race that I only need to experience once in my life). Last fall, however, I was dealing with some irritating and painful tendinitis in my right lower leg and had to make the difficult (but logical!) decision to not complete the race. After that experience, I decided that I wouldn't put that kind of pressure on myself again over a race and wouldn't sign up as part of Easter Seals' team the following year.

Well...in April the Easter Seals team for Chicago consisted of 8 runners and they had 10 spots. They reallllly wanted to fill those last two spots because they didn't want to be at risk for losing charity spots in subsequent years. So, I gave in to "peer pressure" ;) and signed on as runner #9. In more recent months, two of the runners ended up dropping out because of injuries. Then...in August Clint and I found out we were expecting. After we made the decision that I would still try to run the September marathon I was registered for (Last Chance Boston Qualifier) as long as I was feeling good, we decided that I would just play October/Chicago by ear and make a last minute decision. I continued my fundraising attempts as if I was indeed running, though.

The week leading up to the race was ROUGH. This pregnancy has been largely uneventful and for that we are grateful. I haven't had any morning sickness (which is a true gift because I am TERRIBLE in the morning without that, just ask poor Clint!)...but I do get quite nauseated later on in the day (2-3pm and on until I go to bed). Some nights I have passed out on the couch before 8pm and eating dinner is a chore. BUT these are all things that are relatively easy to deal with. The Tuesday night prior to Chicago during my evening doctoral class, though, I started feeling extra-rough. I got home around 8:30 and was largely useless. That night, I tossed and turned and around 5am got up to request a sick day from work. No sooner had I sent the e-mail....and I was in the bathroom "getting sick."  Awesome.

Wednesday that week was spent trying to force myself to drink water and orange juice (keeping it down was not always successful), taking my temperature and texting my doctor's nurse to check in. While it somewhat steadily climbed throughout the afternoon, my temperature never got over 101 and by evening was almost gone...whew. That day was MISERABLE. I stayed home Thursday as well, but felt already vastly better than I had on Wednesday. Friday, I went back to work...though it was somewhat not-so-hot.

The hotel we had booked in Chicago was non-refundable, so we planned to go up on Saturday to the city and check out the expo and hang out even if I decided that I wouldn't run. But, Saturday morning I woke up feeling pretty darn great. I slept in while Clint went out for a run. We grabbed coffee and lunch in BloNo and got on the road. Clint started out the drive and lasted about 20 minutes before getting really tired ;)...so I took over for the rest of the drive (don't worry...he drove the whole way back :)).

We found our hotel after many detours due to roads being closed for the marathon...and waited in line for over an hour to check in. We finally made our way to our room and headed out to start walking toward the expo. Our plan was to walk a good chunk of the way and then catch a cab for the last half (it was quite a ways from our hotel downtown to McCormick place where the expo was held). After we'd walked a half mile or so, I looked into my purse and panicked because my wallet (ID, etc!) was gone. I couldn't remember if I had left it in the hotel room or if I had put it in my purse and left it open...and potentially someone had grabbed it out of there. 

So...back to the hotel we went (thanks, Clint, for your patience :)). Thankfully the wallet was on the bed...and we turned around and made our way back outside. We hailed a cab after just a few minutes of walking this time and rode peacefully to the expo. The expo provided a bit of sensory overload, as those things tend to do. We secured my bib and shirt and walked around for a while, sampling some products like different flavors of Nuun. I did find a great pair of Adidas shorts that I planned to run in the next day...my great purple Adidas shorts that I'd been wearing with my Often Running singlet are getting a liiiiitle tight :). Clint was able to see and chat with some different reps with Saucony and Asics that he knows from working at the shop. After an hour and a half or so, we made our way outside and got a cab which took us back to our hotel. Perfect timing...I was getting pretty darn tired and thirsty!

This is the picture we posted on Facebook to "announce" our Big News :).
I'm holding the bib that we ordered that I wore under my race number bib during the marathon.

We decided to grab dinner at Miller's Pub, a restaurant we saw on the same block as our hotel. I had a great omelet and some potatoes and Clint had a salad. Thankfully, I was able to eat a fair amount...as I said previously, dinner is sometimes rough for me. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for race morning.

I slept pretty well...and we went to bed fairly early, so waking up a little after 5am wasn't bad at all (for once! :)). Clint headed down to the lobby to wait in a ridiculous line for some Starbucks and I putzed around the room getting ready. When he finally made it back to the room, he gifted me with some amazing orange juice smoothie-blend thing that he had found that he thought looked like something I might like (OJ has been one of my big cravings). It. Was. AWESOME!! Perfect fruity pre-race fuel!

I was in corral F (apparently I didn't submit past marathon times when I registered or something...whoops ;)), but it was actually pretty nice because my start time was 30 minutes after the first start time (8am as opposed to 7:30). This made our morning walk to the start a lot more laid back, which was nice. We stood around for a while and people-gazed ;), took a picture together, and then I headed to my corral around 7:20. I easily found my place...in stark contrast to six years ago in 2009 when I had first done this race (which was also my first-ever marathon experience). I remember running around trying to figure out where the entrance to my corral is, only to have to climb a fence with a bunch of other runners...resulting in my capris getting stuck to the top of the fence and having the fence rip a small chunk out of the pants and out of my thigh! 

Gearing up for Baby's Second Marathon!

Soon enough, my corral made its way to the starting line...and we were off! My first few strides (my warm up! Ha!) were a little rusty, but I was soon able to find my pace and completed that first mile in a perfectly-executed 9:00. I planned to run the first half at or under a comfortable and conservative 10:00 minute/mile pace (kind of "funny" considering my target pace just 4 weeks prior was 8:00 minute miles :)). Following that first half, my plan was simply to do whatever felt best...and I fully expected that second half to turn into a run-walk situation. {Also, I gave myself the full liberty of bowing out if ever things felt TOO terrible!}

For the first half, I felt pretty good. My 9-10 minute pace was comfortable. The temperature was cool. I made my first potty stop at mile 5. I crossed the half in 2:10 (average per mile pace of 9:55). My splits were:

1- 9:00

2- 9:20 (**I saw Clint here around mile 2. I didn't know to look for him yet, but thankfully heard him yell! :))

3- 9:39

4- 9:18

5- 9:36

6- 10:09 (first potty break was in here!)

7- 9:35

8- 9:29

9- 9:31

10- 9:48

11- 9:36 (**I saw Clint just after mile 11! A definite highlight :). I stopped to get a kiss and to refill my belt with two gels :))

12- 10:09

13- 8:50

Clint snapped this pic when I stopped to say hi shortly after mile 11 and quickly stuffed two fresh gels into my race belt.
I was feeling pretty great at this point!

Keeeesses for my biggest supporter! :) Thanks, CW!

Total at the half (my watch was slightly over mileage-wise at this point, so I simply looked at what my watch said when I crossed the half on the course)- 2:10

After the half, my splits were NOT accurate. For example, my watch had mile 14 at 6:49. Yeah...I don't think so ;). Clearly the buildings started really messing with my GPS signal :). I did start slowing down considerably after the halfway point. I was definitely feeling tired and it was starting to get hot. I didn't want to ever get to the point of utter exhaustion/no return...so I played it safe.

When I got to mile 18....I walked. A LOT! Miles 18-24 consisted of lots of walking....lots of water (both drank and dumped over my head...it was really heating up out there!)...lots of checking-in with my body to make sure things still felt ok...lots of, "this race could be over NOW and I'd be fine with that" thoughts :). I had my phone out a fair amount and was "that" person who was texting during my "run." I had to keep my mind off of things somehow ;). This was turning into a LONG time on my feet!

As I neared mile 24 I told myself that I couldn't cross the finish line walking and did my best to pick it up. Miles 24-26.2 were slightly quicker than 18-24 and before I knew it, I was running up that darn ascent toward the finish line! Crossing the finish line and collecting my medal felt great. Sure, my finish time of 4:56:50 is really nothing to write home about compared to my other marathons...especially seeing as it is a whole 1 hour, 23 minutes and 36 seconds behind the marathon I had completed just 4 weeks prior (and with five more potty breaks in this marathon than the prior might I add! ;)). BUT...I still did it. I completed a 26.2 mile jaunt through an amazing city at 11+ weeks pregnant, just 4 weeks after running a BQ marathon at 7+ weeks pregnant. So, that's pretty neat ;).

Plus, the main point of this marathon wasn't my own personal accomplishment...but rather to raise awareness and money for the kids and families of Easter Seals. I didn't really get close to what I raised 2 years ago ($6600)...but I did raise around $500 and I feel good about that. We ended up having 8 runners toe the line at Chicago, including myself and good friend AP. We have a second team of runners who ran the New York City Marathon just a few weeks after Chicago. Though the efforts put forth to get this Team Believe business off and running seems a bit haphazard at times...all things considered, it's a pretty neat thing to be a part of and I'm hopeful for the sake of Easter Seals that it grows to be an even bigger "thing" in subsequent years.

AP was cold and I was hot post-race ;).

Glad we were able to locate AP after we finished!
Check out those sweet medals. Won't mine look great in the baby's room?! ;)

Now...on to my bigger, longer "ultra" marathon...gestating this sweet babe! We had the privilege of watching our little one via ultrasound bouncing around like a crazy-thing on the Tuesday morning after the Chicago marathon (at 11 weeks, 4 days). THAT was pure awesome :).

What's next (running-wise)? Clint and I ran the Allerton Park Trail race on October 25 and Canal Connection on November 1. Later in November I hope to run a Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving. I'll likely post race reports for those races at some point. I plan on continuing to truck along until I can't any more!

THANKS to Mitch for letting this pregnant lady still be a part of the Often Running Racing Team. Thanks to Adidas for the great gear and to my teammates for the laughs, support and all-around FUN times. Thanks to Clint for the advice and for helping me and supporting me through these adventures and for being the best daddy-to-be.

Today (November 12!) I am one month out from completing the Chicago Marathon and two months out from my 3:33:16 marathon at the Last Chance BQ race. Tomorrow we are 16 weeks pregnant and I have a hard time imagining how on earth I managed to run so much early on while pregnant! Yesterday morning I ran a slow-but-comfortable 3.1 miles before work and that was just plenty!  I'm probably going to run a 3-mile race on Thanksgiving but other than that I won't be racing much (if at all) until after the baby is here. I do plan to keep running as long as I can do safely and somewhat-comfortably, though, and will keep up my yoga as well.

Until the next adventure...happy running, all! :)