Lily Meets Her Great Grandpa

(Four Generations)

I’m a bit behind in keeping up with my blog, I apologize. I will try to get you up to speed in the next two blogs. I haven’t done any races recently so this blog is going to be about my adventure to Florida with Lilyana.

                In February my Mom, Lilyana, and I bravely got on a nonstop 6 hour flight from Seattle, WA to Palm Harbor, FL to visit my Grandpa who had never met his Great Granddaughter Lilyana. He is my only Grandparent left so getting Lily out to meet him was important. He will be turning 95 this year. The flight there left at 8:30am and surprisingly wasn’t too bad with Lily. Sure she didn’t want to sit still much and only took a 20 minute nap but with the help of lots of snacks and a tablet to entertain her we did well. I am not one to let her play with electronics but I figured busting out a new “toy” on a 6 hour flight would be a good idea. Before leaving I downloaded a bunch of toddler apps which turned out to be pretty enjoyable for her. One thing that definitely helped is the tailwind. We were in the air for just over 4 hours and got off the plane one hour ahead of schedule. I was pumped.

(Lily's very brief nap on the flight)

                The hardest part was probably carrying Lily and her big car seat through the airport to get to the taxis. I’m glad I chose to rent a crib from a company in Tampa so I didn’t have a Pack ‘n Play to haul around as well. Lily screamed a bit in the taxi as she didn’t want to be back in a seat but the drive wasn’t long and we were soon at my Grandpa’s door. Like Lily, I too had never been to FL so this was a nice time to visit. They were having a bit of a “cold spell” but for me coming from the Pacific Northwest the 60s and low 70s felt just fine. It took a bit of adjusting to the three hour time difference but by the time we left Lily was just about on Florida schedule which made for an interesting flight home.

(Great piece of baby gear. The high chair fit in my carry on.)

                Our trip was pretty low key. We spent time visiting my Grandfather and most days my mom, Lily, and I would venture to a park or local beach for Lily to explore and taste the sand, much to my dismay.  She loved trying to catch and kiss the seagulls. Unfortunately for her, they were too fast. I really wanted to see an alligator out in the wild but never saw one. I think it was too cold for them. There was one in the pond near my Grandpa’s house that the neighbors warned us about but he never made an appearance for me. My mom and I did have a little scare while walking on a very overgrown path at a local park. I was pushing Lily in the stroller and the wheels went over a big frond which flipped up into the bushes. My mom walking behind me gave a little yell which scared me half to death. We all stopped and I frantically looked around asking what she saw. We finally figured out it was the plant I ran over. lol

(Trying to catch the Seagull to give it a kiss!)

(Always a fan of the swing)

(Sliding with Mom)

     

                We stayed with my Grandpa for 6 days. Friday evening we caught a 6:30pm flight. Unfortunately for us, there is a headwind on the way back which caused us to be in the air just over 6 hours. I thought for sure Lily would sleep as it was her bed time during the flight but she fought it nearly the entire flight. I think she squeezed in a 20 minute nap. It was quite exhausting as she did not want to sit still and constantly fought my Mom and my attempts to keep her entertained. I let her walk the aisles but she would get furious with me when I wouldn’t let her walk into first class. I decided to stop the aisle walking as I was worried about disturbing the other passengers.

                When we landed in Seattle we had a bit of a delay getting my car seat which ended up on a different carousel than we were told but that was probably our fault as I think they changed the carousel last minute but we didn’t recheck until waiting over 30 minutes.

                It felt great to be home but the trip was well worth it. If you are doing a short trip (less than 3 days) with a toddler on a long flight I wouldn’t think it is worth it, unless you have a pretty chill toddler who can sit for 6 hours straight, but being there about a week made the flights worth it. It was great getting to be at the ocean with my feet in the water in February! 

(Enjoying a nice warm day at the beach)

(Lily likes sand)

Reflections on My Year as a Mother Runner

(Someone doesn't like her Reindeer ears)

I thought my last race of 2014 would end up being my first cross country race of the season as a baby with a fever caused me to cancel a later race and my husband’s work schedule did not work out for me to go to Club Nationals but I managed to sneak in one more, very low key race in December. I ran in Covington’s first (the race director hopes to become annual) Reindeer Dash 4(k) Food. The race entry was a food or cash donation. The race was not timed. But I still had a great time. I even ran it in Reindeer Antlers. My older brother Josh came in first and I was the second finisher overall behind him. It was a fitting ending to sum up my year of races, which I have two words for, whim and fun. Going back through my training journal I noticed most of my races I signed up for on a whim and my main goals were to enjoy the training and racing and have fun. I would say I accomplished this most of the time.

(Waving to Lilyana while racing)

                So with another year drawing to a close now is a good time to reflect on my first year back as a Mother runner.

                My mileage in 2014 was almost as low as when I was running while pregnant. I never would have guessed that. However, with all the running around I do all day caring for a baby my energy levels felt like I was running 2-3 times that amount. My highest mileage week was 50 that I hit once, almost twice. Besides that my mileage was consistently in the 30s no matter how hard I tried. I would get done with one week and think to myself the next week I will run more. But the next week would come and I would find myself still in the 30s. I did notice my better training came when I was running close to 40, and my faster times came at that level. I feel if I was able to be more consistent there, in time I would bring my times down to being more similar to what I have done before. I do not think mileage is always the key.

                One thing I learned was to really listen to my body. If I was rundown and tired from being up all night with the baby, I would often opt for a nap instead of a workout. This may not be the best recipe for racing PR’s if you do this all the time, but it is a great recipe for staying injury free and saner. For instance, today I was going to go out for a run but I was feeling very wiped out. My plan was to take Lilyana in the evening, just when it got dark, and run through the neighborhood so she could see Christmas lights. The weather was cold and gloomy but having the weather shield on the BOB makes for an enjoyable run for her. I just try to toughen up. Levi was working and the gym doesn’t have childcare after noon on Saturday. With great intentions to run, I laid Lilyana down in her crib, hoping she would take a 2^nd nap so I could lie down for just a moment. I expected Lily to entertain herself for 15 minutes or so before wanting out. The next thing I knew an hour had passed. We both had passed out and I missed my window to run as it was dinner time when we awoke, then bath and bed for her. The nap was much needed. My body needed it more than a run. You have to be flexible with your training.

My mother-in-law is giving me her treadmill and my brother-in-law is bringing it up soon for me. I think this will help me on weekends when my husband is scheduled to work and I end up in situations like today. Having a treadmill again will allow me to get more workouts in without having to try and fit them in the gym’s childcare window.

The next thing I noticed was feeling a bit burned out after my track season. I decided to take a break from workouts in August and just run. It worked for a bit, but what I noticed is without my coach sending me weekly workouts I started doing less and less. My mileage went down. My workouts became nonexistent and I couldn’t break myself from this. It got really comfortable to just go for runs as they take less time than workouts. I need to make workouts a priority again. One interesting thing I noticed, after a few months of just running I started feeling tired again. My mileage was lower and the intensity was much lower. I think doing the same thing day in and day out is not what is best for your body whether you are training to race and compete, or just stay fit. After noticing this, I decided to change things up. One day I did an easy run but followed it up with some quick pickups/strides the last mile, then plyometrics, handstands, and cartwheels after. That’s a great thing about having a baby; you can play for your workout without looking too crazy! I ended my run at the local track and took Lilyana out of the stroller. We jumped, rolled, and ran around laughing. I was quite sore the next day but the workout was invigorating and made my body feel alive.

(Dad's got the rest and play thing down!)

I could be writing my own workouts but I didn’t take the time to do this. My recommendation is to write out a weekly plan. You have to be willing to be flexible but having something written down will make you more likely to plan your day accordingly to fit it in. Or hire a coach to help guide you. For me, having my coach write me workouts again will get me back on track. Having the treadmill will allow me more freedom to run at different hours, and having my baby will allow me to train different muscles in a fun and new way.  

2014 was the year of the mother for me. I learned a lot about my body and training and it was a good year for me to give myself time to adapt and not force anything. There were days I broke down from being overly tired and a simple nap or rest week did the trick. I am thankful for my husband during my bouts of craziness and for helping me stay grounded during these times. His best advice being, “Here, take a nap and wear these earplugs.” What great advice for any Mother. It’s not always easy to fit in but I have found sleep to be the key to just about everything. Feeling grumpy? Sleep. Feeling run down? Sleep. Ready to cry at a moment’s notice? Sleep. Upset with your husband for no reason? Sleep. You get the point. I still have goals in mind with my running career but I am not in any hurry to force them to happen. There’s plenty of reward in the journey and I am looking forward to this trip. 

(Enjoying the journey with my family)

Regionals-A No Go

               

(Lilyana keeping me fueled with PowerBar during a treadmill run)

                My cross country season came to a sooner end than I expected. After looking at my husband’s work schedule and trying to arrange care for our daughter Lilyana, we could see Club Nationals was out of the question. I decided I would still do all the races I could and have my last one be at the Regional Cross Country Championships in Seattle, WA. The original plan was for me to drive to the race with my daughter and once Levi got off shift he would drive to Seattle and meet us at the course and take over baby duty. Well, as we know, life with a baby can be unpredictable and plans can change.

                The race was scheduled for Sunday. Friday night Lilyana was burning up. She had a 102 temperature but other than that was acting just fine. I hoped her temperature would go down Saturday but it didn’t. By Saturday night it was the same. She was waking more at night, probably due to discomfort but again was acting fine. I had to make the decision on whether or not to drag a sick baby to a race outdoors. The weather wasn’t going to help either. It called for winds, rain, and cold temperatures. I talked to Levi and told him if her temperature didn’t break during the night then I wouldn’t race. Sunday it was still 100-101 degrees so I told Levi not to meet me in Seattle. Looks like me cross season was short and sweet. One race and done.

                By Monday Lilyana was fine and a part of me feels she would have been OK at the meet since she was acting normal otherwise but the mother side of me didn’t want to risk it so I have no regrets. It is funny how things like that can change. I have become so much more flexible with my training and racing which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. I am still working on finding that correct balance between training and motherhood. Each day brings new changes as Lilyana grows. Some things get easier some get busier. So it is a balance I am sure to work on my entire life. 

(My silly girl)

PNTF Cross Country Championships

              

(My Club Northwest Teammates)

                I’m in the midst of packing for a trip to my home state of Montana so I’m going to try and get this off quickly before I leave. I’m trying to pack light but when you have a toddler I don’t think there is such a thing!

                This past weekend was the Pacific Northwest Track and Field Association Cross Country Championships held in Seattle, WA at Woodland Park. I wasn’t originally planning on racing. My last race was the Railroad Days 10k in August and to be honest, I have not been training much since then. I have been going for easy runs, taking many days off a week, and could count the number of workouts on one hand, or a couple of fingers. So as you might gather I have been in a bit of a training funk. After Railroad Days I needed a little break from workouts and the break was nice, the problem was I really struggled getting back into doing workouts.

                Without doing workouts, I wasn’t signing up for races. Usually the two go hand in hand, you are doing workouts, feeling fit, so looking for upcoming races. But when you are just running to run because you enjoy it, checking the calendar for upcoming races is not on your radar, especially with a toddler who keeps your mind on everything else but races. So that’s the position I have been in. I don’t know if it was all the changes, new house, new work schedule for Levi, Doctor appointments to figure out some issues with my Achalasia, lack of sleep, the changing seasons, I could go on and on.  

                The weekend before PNTF, my brother and sister in law came down to our place to watch Lilyana so Levi and I could go out. They stayed the night and the next morning, my sister in law Jane, got up to do a workout. I got home very late and Lilyana woke after a couple hours of my sleeping so when it was time to get up I was not at all ready to do a workout. Both my brothers were going to run the workout with her. She asked if I wanted to come. It was going to be 3x2mile at LT/Tempo pace. I hadn’t eaten and felt like garbage. But not wanting to pass up the opportunity to actually run with people I wolfed down a PowerBar and told them I would attempt to do at least one repeat with them.

(The inspirational Jane)

                I made the first repeat fine, same with the second, and actually felt good on the third! The total mileage was 10, the longest I had run in quite some time but I felt good. Running next to Jane helped. It was fun to feel like we were a team. Having my brothers in front breaking the wind was great. I loved seeing the looks on people’s faces as our group, decked out in Brooks apparel, blew by them. We got many words of encouragement and awe.

                After this workout I felt that I wasn’t too far gone and I actually decided to look into upcoming races for my Cross Country season. Being able to run with Jane helped me regain some confidence and remember that I like racing oftentimes for the sheer camaraderie of being with people. Pretty much the only race I would be able to do with traveling to MT was the next weekend. On a whim I signed up. The course is a tough one, lots of hills and unstable footing, probably not the best one to do for your first out of shape race but what was there to lose? I had never raced at Woodland Park but had heard plenty of stories to make me a little nervous.

                Race day came up fast. The night before the race I was wondering what had gotten into me to make me want to sign up? I ate way too much Halloween candy while at a late night movie with Levi and was not feeling all that great but I wasn’t about to back down.

                Race morning I did my typical post-baby warm up routine of jog some, talk a lot, jog some more, play with Lily, pee a lot, do a few leg swings, then realize I have 5 minutes to get my shoes on and get to the start!

(Over half done)

                The gun went off and I tried to be conservative but the first kilometer is pretty much all downhill. I felt out of control and was going too fast. Downhill’s can be deceiving. They feel easy but if you aren’t careful about your form they really can zap your energy with the eccentric muscle loading. I was definitely heel striking to try and slow down and was using a lot of energy to keep myself from rolling an ankle. Having extra bones in my feet and unbelievable pronation does not help on a course like this. I was in good position and feeling great. I was a little worried about how fast I went out and tried to ease up a little but falsely reassured myself I would be fine. There’s no going back so you have to go with the flow. Lap two I still felt pretty good but by the end of it I was wishing it was only a 4k. I tried to stay strong on the 3^rd and final lap but my legs were screaming and mentally I didn’t have the willpower to make it really hurt. I hate to admit this but it is the truth. There were 4 places within striking distance on the final lap but I think I became somewhat o.k. with my position and battled to make sure no one passed me. My goal coming in was to get top 5 on my team. With 400m to go I did try to pass a girl but did so on a 180 degree turn which was the dumbest place to try and go around. I shot way to the outside and it took a lot of energy to get back on course and she easily gapped me by a few feet with that bonehead move. I finished 8^th overall, 4^th on my team, in 22:21.

(Crossing the finish line)

                My body was spent when I crossed the finish line but my mind was reenergized. I was surrounded by my fun teammates, friends, and family. After the race we took Lilyana to John and Jane’s, set up her Pack n Play so she could nap, then headed out for a lunch date. It was the perfect way to end our day. I can’t remember the last time Levi and I have been able to go out to eat together so this was definitely a great weekend.

                I am now off to Montana for a vacation and some hunting. I know this will not be ideal for my training but I am going to try my best to get in some runs and maybe a workout so I don’t lose this new found excitement for racing that I have been missing.