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It's been a while since I've had a race to recap, and not by choice! This blog has so few races since I've been pregnant and injured pretty much the entire time I've had it. If you go back to my old blog (where I almost blogged everyday for a while) there are plenty of race recaps... I feel like a totally different runner these days because racing has been my weekend activity for as long as I can remember and this year just hasn't been that way... and maybe the future I'll have to choose races more wisely as well. My body isn't handling the harder efforts very well so I need to learn to be kind. Back to the recap:  The Holden Road Race: It's a tiny little pointless thing that families do on Thanksgiving, a local Turkey Trot. I only did it one other time, but ran so well I knew it would be a great place to compare my "peak self" to my... err... current... not-so-peak self. People say "comparison is the thief of joy" but I constantly compare and don't feel worse off for it. Comparison can be a great tool, and I use it often. I put the idea about racing in my coaches head somewhere around 3 weeks before the race, maybe less. At this point training was going really well. and my body was finally showing signs that it was healing whereas all the weeks of training prior to weaning Maebel were not that way. I was in constant pain and the only reason I got through what I got through was because I thought there was an end to the pain and if I just kept running every day I'd be further away from the date of delivery and closer to the day where I felt my body was whole again. Every time I ran would just throw a log in the fire of hell I was putting my body through. Anyway, that's in the past. Every day I am improving and healing, but it's still a delicate balance of two steps forward and an occasional step back.  Here are some Training stats for the 8 weeks leading up to the race
So I wouldn't exactly say I was well trained for a 5k, and I really didn't do many workouts to indicate what my time would be, so I figured if I used vDot backwards. My easy pace indicated that my race effort 5k would be somewhere in the 19:30 range. I was happy with that at first but my husband eye rolled at it and was like "you're going to run faster than that, you can probably break 19" I'm a damn good 5k runner so if there was any distance I could pull a time like that out of my ass it would be the 5k. However, I was actually leaning towards a slower time, I haven't run a race in over a year! I'm not exactly race sharp!... So I gave myself a big goal range of 18:59-19:59. If I ran over 20 minutes I was going to be pretty upset with myself. I've suffered through enough 5k's that I should be able to fake my way to a sub 20 effort 90% of the time... but I did prepare for the fact that if it happened, I'd just have more work to do than I thought. Race day comes and it's record breaking freezing, so bad we got emails telling us to keep kids home and spectators home and "run at your own risk" type of emails. I believe it was 8 degrees and real feel was something like -17 when I started. The race started before the sun had risen above the buildings and that made a big difference so it warmed up to a balmy -5 by the time I headed home. There was a thin layer of frost covering the roads because of how cold it was. I had a plan, but suddenly my plan was even stupider than It was prior to the weather report. I based my strategy completely around the elevation of the course. I'd run a baller first mile since It's quite downhill, and then recover before the first major hill, ease my way over that (it peaks around 1.5) bomb down to make up lost time, and then focus really really hard on the tangents in the neighborhoods (the only flat section of the course is turn after turn after turn) and then just slowly empty the tank in the nearly mile climb at the end, and bomb down the finishing hill. Starting balls to the wall didn't seem like such a good idea with freezing cold muscles (even after a warm up) so as I stood on the line I talked myself out of that plan and tried to devise a new one... which was mainly "don't start too hard, your muscles are cold... don't get injured you moron"  Mile 1. The gun goes off and I am passed by what feels like everyone... I look at my brand new watch and it says I'm running 7:00 pace... it felt easy but in that moment I also felt rusty... but I changed my self talk to "just be smart" and I decided to just take the first mile focusing on really deep slow breaths and low heart rate and wait to move until I had a better grasp on how my legs were going to a. respond to the hard effort for longer than 1:00, b. respond to the cold and c. both of those things combined. Mile 1 was super easy and I clicked it off in 6:18* but the effort was definitely easier than that.  Mile 2. Mile 2 I spent the most energy worrying about my pace in this mile. I really wasn't super happy to run a 6:18 on the easiest mile. I know it was the smart approach, but at this point I knew to run 19:30 I was going to have to crank the hills a bit more than I anticipated. This mile I had a really young boy drafting off of me really tightly. I didn't let it bother me, in fact I was pleasantly surprised that someone his age wasn't trying to pass me in utter disbelief that a girl was in front of him. I actually thought to myself that I was helping him, and it helped me charge up the hills a bit without putting much thought to it. The second half of this mile is the neighborhoods and those passed by really quick. I stayed focused on the tangents which distracted me from the fact that the hard effort was starting to get to me a bit, 6:21*  Mile 3. When I got to the start of mile 3 I was just so shocked to already be there. Honestly, I forgot how quick a 5k is! Again, I was a bit bummed to be heading into the hardest mile having not banked some time during the easiest mile... Now I would never advise the "bank time" method, because most of the time it's a bad idea. However, this is only a 5k and the course lent itself to a positive split finish and if you look at my effort, I could have certainly afforded to take off a handful of seconds in the first mile... but at this point I knew 19:30 was mine to achieve and I had to let go of a sub 19 today. Mile 3 is a long annoying climb on a road I drive every single day and I was moving up it like a champ. If only we could turn into the parking lot on the first turn instead of the second. The change in grade at the end of the hill is dramatic and I was starting to breathe heavier than I have in quite some time... but I can see the mile marker at the crest of the hill and just kept focusin on getting there, 6:21*  The last .1 The last .1 is down the parking lot entrance and finally onto a flat straight away. I planned to bomb down the hill but I was a bit afraid to run all out here... which was an unusual feeling. I gradually turned over and then did a much harder sprint to the finish once I got on flat ground where I felt my body would be more secure. I had a lot left in me, and was happy that as soon as I got on flat ground my legs recovered very quick and lactic acid was cleared... but not much real estate left at that point, however I passed two men! I crossed the line and saw 19:20ish... I didn't know if it was high or low but then my watch said 19:38... and then some results I saw 19:35, and then the results had a disclaimer on them about the clock freezing so they had to retrieve the proper results later from the computer... and that's when I saw I ran 19:21... I know I didn't stop my watch right away... because a finishing photo of stopping the watch is lame... but not sure what my exact last split was. It says 5:23 on my garmin, but it truly wouldn't surprise me if I was closer to 5:00 for the last .1... Whatever... I'm going with the official results because if Garmin doesn't count when it's faster, it can't count when it's slower either. 19:21/6:13 pace  Just before I started my cooldown I said to myself "you should only do a mile because it's freezing"... but then I thought "no! Your weekly mileage!" and then I thought "It's not that cold"... so I went for 2 and have quite a bit of regret about that now. My calf tightened up at 1.7 and I have been unable to get my training in this week. I really think this will be gone... maybe by tomorrow... but still an annoying reminder to not be a dumbass. I didn't foam roll after because a million and one family obligations, and then we left for Maryland Friday (10 hour drive!) for my husbands marathon and then drove back Sunday... so I really didn't do a good job taking care of myself post-race and am doing everything I can to get back to where I was when I stood on the starting line... and hopefully I'll have more race recaps with even better splits in the future! Categories All
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 THE CAUSE This Past weekend I ran the 4 Jakes Sake 5k. While I'm certainly proud of how I did, I'm more proud of the cause that I ran for. My team, The Sisu Project, has become very involved with this cause. My teammate David "Passion" Zanca has gotten very close with Jake and his family over the years and we, as a team, have as well. Jake Marrazzo was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy just before his 8th Birthday. This is a degenerative muscular disease. The onset is between 3-5 years old. 4 Jakes Sake is now a charitable foundation that helps families with the simple things that we take for granted. Creating a ramp just so a child can get into their house, for example! Offsetting any costs to make the home more handicapped accessible, giving kids independence and the ability to live each day they have as fully as possible. I remember going to a Gala a few years back to help Jake get an elevator in his house so he can get to his bedroom without being carried. Jake is now a teenager! Could you imagine being a teen and needing to be carried into your house or up into your room by your parents?! We all just want what is best for our children, and a little bit can go a long way for these families! Please consider donating to this cause! Click the link below! Donate to 4 Jakes Sake! Also, follow them on facebook!4 Jakes Sake on Facebook! THE RACE This is the first time I've been able to attend the race due to surgery and injury... but I wasn't going to let pregnancy keep me from the race. Matt was going to go to the Harpoon 5 Miler, he accidentally double booked himself... (I blame the time change in Switzerland) but since I had picked him up at the airport, my sister still had my car and we woke up totally forgetting that I did not have a car to get to a different race than he was at....and we didn't have enough time to get my car and then get where we both needed to go... SO Matt and I BOTH went to 4 Jakes Sake 5k... and I think it worked out for the best! I was in such a hurry that I forgot my watch! It was actually pretty nice to be free of that expectation and knowing exactly what mile I was at and how I was doing. It helped me to fully embrace listening to my body. I genuinely thought that racing with the stroller would keep me from getting too competitive, but that was NOT the case! ... I just can't turn that part of my brain off if I tried....It's okay though! Raea had fun going faster than turtle pace for once!! I started the race pretty far back to keep the stroller out of the way of other people (again, I thought I was just going to have fun....), so I spent the majority of the race passing people. Navigating the traffic, sidewalks, curbs, and participants with the stroller was tricky... I thought about navigating the world with a wheelchair... At times I almost had to come to a complete stop to get up and down sidewalks. I made sure to always put the safety of the three of us first at all times, but it certainly wasn't easy to get around! I got extra cheers for pushing the stroller... and on occasion someone noticed I was also pregnant, so the positive momentum generated from the extra challenges were nice! I assumed the water stop was somewhere near the halfway mark and I was still feeling really fresh. It came at a perfect time, just around the only "hill" in the course. Truth be told, this isn't a real hill... but 7 months pregnant pushing a toddler? It was a hill, today! Nothing like being in a wheelchair going up heartbreak hill... I had watched a lot of that just a month ago... but it was my own little challenge. The Braxton Hicks contractions kicked in so I went through the water stop real slow to let those ease off a little bit and then I carried on. It's an odd feeling because I'm way more fit than the pace I'm able to go. I'm hardly breathing heavy, the struggle is more... ya know... that big belly in my way messin' with my stride!... I talked to Raea a lot. She cheered for me and the others saying "go, go, go!" the whole time! She also pointed out every dog, cat, and car we went by! (there were lots of cars that go "vrrmmm vrmmmm!") I got to a section where there was a construction site which was only about 25 meters long. It put me in a tricky situation with the stroller. I had to slow my pace significantly out of fear I would get a flat... BUT From that point on I knew where I was so I began to pick it up. My breathing became a little labored, but still conversational. My lungs have less space now so it was more a discomfort of not getting the air in that I'm used to being able to get and having to work harder to take a full breath... It's a little different sensation than a full effort with lactic acid build up and a body that just can not process oxygen quick enough. I thought about Jake and others with similar disabilities. We take for granted the easiness of breathing. Our muscles just involuntarily do it. Matt and I recently watched a movie called Extraordinary Measures... it focuses on Pompe's disease. It's not the same, however there are some similarities in the sense that the disease progresses over time and it effects many muscles and the surrounding organs. These thoughts were fresh in my mind as one of the characters nearly dies from her lungs and diaphragm not being strong enough... I carried on. I heard my teammates and picked it up. I rounded the corner and could see the clock reading 22:50's and I pushed harder because I've missed too many barriers too many times in my life! Unfortunately I crossed around 23:01. I was disappointed as my last pregnancy race was 20:04...another time I just missed a barrier.... both were faster than I expected, but I hate those seconds hanging over my head! I later found out that since I started so far back my time was 22:56! I'm used to starting right on the line because USATF team results are scored based on gun time... so this was an unusual circumstance, but I'll take it! Raea, Matt, Baby Germain and I all came home with Hardware. Matt won first overall, I got second, and we also double dipped for age group prizes... PLUS the finishers medal! Raea wore it proudly and points to it saying "muma"... Melt my heart! It was a beautiful day and an amazing cause! People often ask me why I'm still running pregnant, what is the point? Well, the point is that I'm healthy, and that I can do it... and there are others out there who can not. Jake was quoted before the race saying "Mom, we are so lucky, nothing bad ever happens to our family"... It's all about perspective! From my perspective, getting out and enjoying my health is the best way I can honor my body and the gift of health that God has given me! Don't take the little things for granted! It's the little things that make the biggest difference! So DONATE a little to 4 Jakes Sake to make a Big Difference!!     I was very on the fence about doing this race. I wasn't going to be a scoring member of the team like I could have been for the 10 miler that Raea and I got sick for, and 13 miles is feeling annoyingly long these days... BUT after quite a bit of snow, if I didn't go, I'm not sure what I would have done. New Bedford got significantly less snow than we did. It was actually mostly melted... and this is a rare race where they actually shut down all the roads completely to traffic. My big concern was that the forecast called for freezing rain and I didn't want to be caught in the ice where I might be subject to falling or something worse.... The last place I ran pain free pre-surgery was New Bedford. I was doing a course review and slipped on ice at the waterfront... SO, I was a little overly concerned about falling. As the week leading up to the race went on the forecast changed from snow, to freezing rain, to rain, to just wind. It's always windy at Bedford, so I took the "just wind" as "just a usual day in New Bedford." My sister agreed to babysit for Raea at my house, so I was all set! My initial plan of running slow in my jacket changed as my adrenaline increased from just being in the race environment. "F*( |< it, I'm just going to wear my singlet and use this as a progression run." and that changed into "Maybe I'll beat my progression run time from last year" and then that became my goal. I tried to remember what I did before and emulate that. I ran with a group of teammates last year through the first half at roughly 8 minute pace and then I cranked as best I could. So, I tried to do that. Here is the mile to mile break down. Mile 1: Already looking for a bathroom. The line for the bathroom was too long and I figured since I wasn't racing too hard, especially in the beginning, I could hit up the first bathroom on the course. I figured there must be one in the first two miles. I feel like I see bathroom stops everywhere every year. 7:41 Mile 2: Still looking for a bathroom. Taking note of the unusual amount of wind in the beginning. In all the years I've run this race I've never noticed wind at this point in the course. It was a very strong wind. I'm not sure how the flag hung at the fire station (which was actually at Mile 1) stayed up there. 7:56 Mile 3: Some climbing, but I had bumped into Mel at this point (@fruitfulrunner) so it went by fast. Still need that bathroom but at this point I"m thinking it's at the 4 mile turn. There must be one in the first 4. 7:51 Mile 4: Last major climb until Mile 12, so I'm hoping to see a bathroom so that I can go before I plan to increase pace. Maybe it's all in my head and I don't need to go? .... No, I'm pregnant, I could go 3 times in 13.1 miles. I have to go. Gas stations everywhere... I'm seriously contemplating this... but they all look super sketchy. My ankle/arches are also starting to hurt. WTF. 8:06 Mile 5: This is the easiest section of the course, but having to go to the bathroom so badly at this point is not helping me out much. All I"m thinking about is where I can run off and relieve myself. Just at the end of this mile I tuck over to a gas station to go, They say there's no bathroom. SERIOUSLY I don't believe you. I plead that I'm pregnant, she points me to Subway across the street in the opposite direction of the course. NO. JUST NO. Lots of expletives. Police officer laughing at me but informs me there is one just a little down the road. 7:28 (not including failed bathroom break) Mile 6: BATHROOM! This is a big cheer section of the course, it's also the tail wind, and a slight decline. Easy section . I took note of all the people around me to make sure I caught up to them later. I 'm pretty sure I was first to use the bathroom. I'm not gonna lie, I took my time in there. I had cold hands and had to tighten my laces or I was going to have some serious problems with my right foot by the end. As any pregnant person knows, bending down to tie shoes is hard. I had a seat, I was keeping it until my shoes were tightened, no matter how unsanitary, I've been in worse. Judge away. 7:10 (but lost about a minute and a half in bathroom so closer to 8:40) Mile 7: Finally feeling better after the bathroom, taking full advantage of the downhill before the waterfront. I was sad when I blew right past the fuel station without being on the correct side of the road... I probably need the fuel more than most, but foolishly didn't plan ahead since I wasn't even sure if I'd race or run at all. Not fueling for a half wont kill me, though. 7:00 Mile 8: This section is normally a beastly winding section. The wind was whipping in all directions but sometimes even got a slight tail wind. It was manageable. Similar to previous years I've run if not a tad easier... But still hard, as expected. 7:28 Mile 9: I start to feel like "hey, almost half way through the water front and the wind is not so bad!" I can definitely beat last years time ... I later wanted to kill myself for that statement. 7:14 Sorry Global Photography This isn't worth the purchase anyway.... Mile 10: This mile. HOLY HELL. THIS MILE! The worst. ABSOLUTE WORST wind I've ever run through in my life.... and I've run through some hellish wind (usually in New Bedford... so that hasn't changed)... Looking at other people's splits, I actually held pretty well- most likely because I sandbagged the first half to ensure a strong second half. 8:00 Mile 11: Why are tall men following me? Why am I the one blocking the wind? Why did I decide to do this? I could have just done a long run spectating and avoided this. Why, Why, Why, Why, Why, Why, Why?!?!??! This mile took every ounce of strength to not walk and drop out. If there was a shortcut back, I would have taken it. I'm pregnant, I don't need this wind. 8:00 Mile 12: Shocking. Wind. At least only for about 3/4 of it. Then the final turn towards the final hill. Not much to say except I was super happy to be out of the wind and almost done. 7:39 Mile 13: The biggest climb of the course felt easy after all that wind. It seemed the hill was literally blocking the wind because as soon as you reached the top the wind was full force again. I checked my watch just at the start of this mile and realized if I pushed it a bit, I could break 1:40 (watch time- not including bathroom stops)... So I pressed hard for no reason other than pride. Nothing to prove, no PR on the line... 13.1: Tail wind for the last .1 just to get me to my goal. 1:39:57 watch time. I'll take it.
  This was a good race considering all the unusual circumstances surrounding it. First, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS (I hate you Daylight Savings) Second, When windchill was factored in it was below zero. Fun. Third, and probably most importantly, I am *18 weeks and 0 days pregnant. *For those following my weekly recaps, I include Sunday in the previous week even though TECHNICALLY Sunday is the start of a new week of pregnancy... But lets be honest, at the end of of this journey one day doesn't make a difference... how many kids do you know were born on their due date?.... its WAY easier for me to record my training weeks the way I do for my running log.... SO.... although this race was included in my Week 17 Recap, it's technically week 18. Getting Dressed: I'm registered to run for Team Sneakerama, I represent the local running specialty store for local races, so long as they don't also conflict with SISU Project USATF-NE team races. I have two singlets, one on the larger side, and one that fits non-pregnant-me perfectly. I couldn't find the larger one... and for some reason I was really stressed that I was wearing a shirt that couldn't cover or hide my bump... and I was also stressed it was pink. Afterall, I was here to have fun, right? I wanted my orange singlet so I could ALMOST be festive! Why this was so important? I'll never know. I'll just blame hormones.... but I eventually found the orange one and could move on with my life. I put on the green St. Patty's day socks over my tights, and tied a green bow in my hair. I thought I was overdressed with the long tights and Under Armour. In hindsight, I don't know why I thought that. Before The Race: I'm trying really hard to be chill. This is fun, Right?!, But I've never raced pregnant, and I'm really competitive. I'm thinking "can I get top 5?" "can I get top 3?" "Can I run under 21 Minutes?". It's a bit of a different vibe when I race for Team Sneakerama. These are some of my favorite people, but they are here for mostly fun and my husband and I are way too serious. In a weird way I get more nervous for these small races that I have an actual chance at placing in... USATF races are so competitive I know no one will even notice me in the field of amazingness. We get there an hour before the start but can't get our numbers until 10 minutes before because one of the members of the team had them, and like any normal person doing a Fun 5k on a freezing ass day, he didn't feel like waiting in the cold for an hour before the race. I didn't really worry about this too much, but it effected my warm up because I didn't want to be warming up and then not be at the meet-up spot once he arrived. I did less than a mile warm up... more because I was too cold to strip down and I had so many layers on I could barely move. I went to the bathroom a million times and contemplated camping out in a Port-a-John until the start... NO WIND IN THERE!  TThe Start: I stopped being a baby and I took my jacket, sweatshirt, and hat off. I freed my legs from the bulky sweatpants. I switched to sleeker gloves and put on a thin headband to cover my ears. I tied my On Cloud-Flow's up nice and tight for maximum ankle support. I did some strides... and I suddenly felt like I had arrived. I eyed the competition with my husband. I didn't see anyone for him to worry about, but I noticed Sonja Kent so I was relieved I wouldn't be racing for the win... She's regularly sub 18... so not going to even be close. I didn't want to kill myself for a local race. BUT this race kicks off the St. Patricks Day festivities in Worcester. It runs the route of the parade so LOTS of spectators come out... and many of them people I know! I like to do well .... Again, this is for fun, RIGHT? Mile 1: Well, all the fooling with my gloves had my GPS watch set to a different setting than normal, and there was no way I was taking my gloves off to change it. I planned to use the moving pace to help me keep my first mile at 7:00 pace. My plan was to start there and then do a progression run. All plans out the window, so my next plan was to let a lot of girls in front of me so I took myself out of the competition, and just make sure I had really stable and slow breathing. It's hard to know what pace I'm running because I've never done this before. I don't actually know how much pregnancy will effect me... and on regular runs I'm barely cracking 9 minute miles... So I assumed it'd impact performance a lot....?! I caught up to Megan Proux. She recognized me... and then I knew I must be faster than 7's. Split: 6:33 Mile 2: This mile has a hairpin turnaround since the course is out and back. I planned to break the mile into two parts staying at a steady pace until the turn and then gradually pushing it. At this point I realized 7:00/mi was way underestimating what I could do. Megan and I were still running together. We were 4th and 5th at the start of Mile 2 but at this point I thought maybe we were 6th and 7th? I was trying not to keep track. I didn't want to get competitive. I thought "I'll run with her till the finish and she'll out kick me... but at least she can help me keep a steady pace." We caught another runner just before the turnaround. I'm counting the girls coming back in the other direction. Sonja, obviously way out in front... and then one other making Megan and I 3rd and 4th. For the first time in my running career, I thought about the hardware. I know there's a plaque for top 3. I hit the turn and surged. Bye Megan, that's my plaque. I wanted it for the baby. The headwind was strong and not fun. Split: 6:36 Mile 3: The girl in second place was pretty far ahead of me... but I was a bit disappointed to see her struggling. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!! Damn you girl for making me get competitive! At this point I was happy with third.... unless I could get second... and seeing her struggle with a mile to go, I knew I could. Damn. I have to work harder than this. I had plenty of real estate to catch her even though she was pretty far up. I didn't need to do anything dramatic. So I just pushed slightly. Of course I caught up to her at the slightest incline... NOW, I would 100% classify this as a pancake flat course, but I'M PREGNANT! the tiniest bump in the road felt mountainous to me, I'm carrying some extra weight, and at this point I have to pee, my core is getting a bit tired so I'm not supporting my bump as well.. Yeah, that 4ft of incline was a hill to me. I pulled up beside a man who pulled up beside the 2nd place girl hoping she wouldn't see me and I could just coast by her... but the man didn't seem interested in passing her with me, so she responded with an amateur surge. Whatever. I checked my watch to see that I still have .4 miles to catch her... The finish looked closer than it was so I knew she couldn't sustain. So I waited until her surge ran her out of gas and then I surged past her. IN HINDSIGHT I should have just sustained the increase in pace, but I was trying to be responsible and not to put myself in the red zone (even though I was reassured several times that I was safe to race as hard as I could comfortably do without pelvic pain... it just felt weird to push to the point where I couldn't breath comfortably... even though it would be less than 2 minutes).. so I returned to my previous pace after the surge and just coasted. Split: 6:24  Last .1 At this point I was just not going to give up second... But I knew that I had enough in the take that if the other girl had a sudden last minute response, mine would still be stronger... I waited for her response, but couldn't hear any footsteps. The announcer said "Here comes the second place girl, followed closely by the third"... but I could tell from her announcement that she wasn't catching me, otherwise I feel it would have been "this is a close one" or something. I looked for the clock (weirdly never thought to check my watch for cumulative time... the settings were all messed up so I didn't know what I was looking at half the time)... But in the last few strides I saw the clock at 20:0x... and I was like "what?! Ahhhhgggghhh!" Mad at myself for not squeaking under that barrier. It would have been nice to say I broke 20:00 pregnant, but 20:04 is still pretty good (and technically I was pregnant when I ran 18:09). WAY better than 7:00/mi.  Lessons Learned: 1. Running postpartum was actually harder for me than running pregnant. This is me 7 months postpartum in ideal conditions running 19:46.... BARELY ahead of my now pregnant self. Granted, I had taken 2 years off of running for injury, surgery, and a baby.... but 7 months and still barely under 20! (I thought for sure I'd be under 19 by this point... I'm not the young chicken I used to be! Lesson 1b.)  2. The faster I run the less "pregnant" I feel... at least until my core gets weak. I think when I'm running slow I don't engage my core muscles as much, and because of that my core does not support my bump as well. This is why the last mile got a bit uncomfortable. While my breathing was still okay, the need to go to the bathroom and the extra weight were much more noticeable. It's not like 20:04 pregnant was easy for me... it was easier than I thought but still hard enough to cause some breakdown in form and fatigue. From here out I'll work on engaging core during regular runs even if they are slow. 3. No matter how much I hate it, I run well in the cold. Up Next: I'm considering running a progression run at New Bedford Half Marathon next weekend, but at this point in time it depends on weather and babysitter. What Matt does is more important than what I do, so I'm going to support him the best I can. For daily updates on my thoughts and emotions on runs you can Follow me on Instagram OR if you're more data driven you can follow me on Strava Special Thanks To Scott Mason for SO MANY awesome photos throughout the years. Finally bought one, I want to tell the baby about going to Nationals and running the Celtic 5k someday!  |
Hello!Welcome to my blog! I've been blogging for a long time on various platforms. My intention has never been to reach the masses, but rather to give myself a chance to reflect and journal. I feel it at least challenges me to be somewhat coherent, however you can expect ramblings and grammatical incorrectness here!
I've recently been diagnosed with CECS and fPAES and had it treated with BOTOX of all things... So I suspect to see more and more people looking for answers with that in the future and hope to continue blogging so there will be easy to access follow-ups as that was helpful for me. NOTE: Apologies that some of the pictures incorrectly load sometimes. I try to keep up with the glitches, but can't always! Hope it doesn't impact the blog experience for all the PAES visitors. 
My Past
June 2025
The Beginning |
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