The REAL reason I haven't been racing

Well, some people have noticed that I haven't run a race since my heat exhaustion incident on May 2nd. And, no, I haven't given up running. In fact, I ran 114 miles in July, which isn't bad considering I went on vacation to the Caribbean and spent a long weekend in D.C. My running philosophy is that when I race I want to see results. I don't like to just go out there and say I ran a race. Every time I hit the starting line, I expect and like to see a PR. Well lately my priorities with running (and the rest of my life) have changed. And the reason is.....


I am pregnant! Yep, 16 weeks to be exact! I figured that it is time to come out to to the rest of the world, although those close to us have known since we came back from vacation on July 18th. I found out on May 8th (Mother's Day). Aaron and I had the plan that we would start trying for a baby after the Boston Marathon in April. Well, let's just say that this is a Boston Marathon Baby as I conceived about a week after it. Our baby is due January 18th and so far, everything has been great.

People often say that I am a lucky person, and honestly, I have been extremely blessed with this pregnancy. I am sure many women out there will hate me, but I have not felt different at all since finding out. I never had nausea, fatigue, heart burn, bloating, etc, although my face is broken out like I am 12! I feel perfectly normal. I often forget that I am actually pregnant. I could say it is because I am in such good shape, but I know that isn't always the case. I know many fit women that had very hard first trimesters. In my first trimester, I actually lost half a pound (maybe I wore different shoes or something that day!). I had genetic testing, 3 ultrasounds, and everything looks good so far. I went for my 16 week appointment today, and I gained 2 lbs and the baby was so active they had a hard time finding the heartbeat. They would find it for 5 seconds, then lose it, then repeat! It's amazing because I can't yet feel a thing. I think I still look perfectly normal. I can still button my pants, and if you didn't know, I don't think you can tell. The nurse told me today that because I have good muscle tone in my abs that I may not really look pregnant til 20-22 weeks. I hope I am that lucky!

Yes, I have still been running. I am trying to get in 25-28 miles per week and have no trouble doing so. My doctor encourages exercise and as long as I feel up to it, I can continue. On hot days, I hit the treadmill and I now always carry a water bottle with me. I have been stopping halfway through each run just to make sure my heart rate isn't too high, and it's usually around 140-150, which isn't that high. I actually lent my Garmin to my father-in-law because I don't want to run by pace anymore. I have just been running by feel and taking it easy. I imagine I am running about 9:30-10 min miles (ok, 9:00 on the treadmill). Obviously, if I need to stop for medical reasons, i will, but as long as I and the baby are healthy, I plan to run the entire pregnancy. I have done extensive research on the topic (If interested, there is a great book by Dr. Clapp called Exercising Through Your Pregnancy), and there are many benefits for a baby whose mother exercises, so I am pretty determined. I know this is controversial, but I am confident in my decision and would never put our baby's health at risk. I am glad that times have changed and that it is now encouraged to stay active thoughout pregnancy.


I still hope to keep this blog running related, but the focus will obviously shift. If you read this for the training, there won't be much on the topic! This blog will now be a combination of running and pregnancy (baby). So let this new journey for Aaron and me begin!