Baystate Half 2018

I'm sure you've been dying to read this update, and here it is.  Not even a week late! Amazing. 
So I did run last Sunday, as I said I was going too.  Turns out I ran more than I anticipated, making it to around 7.5 before I started walk/running.  Pretty good considering 6 was my max and even that was a one time only training run.  Of course, I still had to stop at every porta-john on the course, but that's just something I'm going to have to embrace, for now, I guess.  The course itself wasn't too bad and the weather turned out pretty nice considering it was cloudy and drizzly when I woke up.  Wind was only an issue on the back side of the course on the Esplanade and on the bridges.  Other than that, it wasn't too noticeable.  Ryan and X came for the end but it was too cold for X so they ended up waiting in the car for me.  At least they made it to the end, last year, Scott and I went to meet Ryan and Brittany and arrived after they had finished!
Speaking of finishes, I suppose you want my stats now.  I'm going to give both Garmin and official stats because they're widely different.  Of course, every bathroom stop I paused my Garmin because I like to know runtime, not time elapsed.  And I'm sure you're all aware that the course time doesn't stop for you.  So my course time was 2:45, official.  My Garmin time was 2:26.  I guess I took 20 minutes worth of bathroom breaks! If there's one thing I would like to improve on now, it would be that.  20 minutes is almost enough time for another whole 5K! Unfortunately, I'm not really sure there's much I can do in the way of eliminating bathroom breaks, except let time pass.  At the end of the day though, I'm just happy I was able to finish the race and that I can reasonably expect to be able to continue running longer distances now. 
In a weird coincidence, this half was 11 weeks after his birth.  The Louisiana half, which was the last half I ran, I was 11 weeks pregnant.  For comparison, I ran Louisiana in 2:30, also with bathroom breaks.  But I was a bit more in shape then, considering I had been working out all summer and had just run a trail marathon back in November.  So that one was probably easier, though it didn't seem like it at the time.
So I was a bit sore the day after, but who wouldn't be.  It took a long time for me to not be sore after running a half and then I went 5 months without running longer than 4 miles once or twice.  So that's going to be something else I need to build back up.  Since I didn't want to run and make the soreness worse, I decided to at least go out walking this week.  We went all over the place this time, the bike path, the battle road, you name it, we went there.  Two of our walks were over 4 miles, the others were shorter.  Still, I feel better walking since I haven't been able to get to the gym.  Plus, stroller time is the only long nap X takes, so it's either go out walking while he naps or sit at home and listen to him cry every 30 minutes when he wakes and probably won't go back to sleep.  I'll choose to walk every time in that case. 
But now I need to make a choice.  Sign up for another half or just run for recreation.  Both seem like good ideas on any given day.  The biggest influence is the weather, which could ruin both choices.  If I run for recreation, I know I won't go when it's too cold, windy, snowy, etc.  If I have a half to run, I'm more likely to go out and run. However, I wouldn't want to run in that weather, so I just don't know.  Sometimes it's just hard to make a choice. 

On our way to the start

I will take a porta-potty picture every time.

Starting line---brrrrr

Finished. X is not impressed

Inspiring messages on the bike path. 

Only 5 days until Halloween.  So we wear our costumes out to stay warm.

On the Other Side

It's been 11 days since we grew to a family of 3.  Those first few days were a little bit crazy, but, as with any change, we're learning how to adjust and making our way in this new world.  So obviously the last few weeks I haven't been doing too much working out, due to a giant belly getting in the way.  But now, he's on the outside and eventually, I have to get back into it.  Today, for example, I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for 2 miles.  Now before you all freak out that it's too early, I took it very slow.  We're talking 20-minute miles.  Plus the Dr did say that I could walk, as long as I didn't go too hard.  So no running yet, but in a few more weeks, I'll hopefully get back up to that. 
In the meantime, it's a lot of work not doing anything but taking care of a newborn.  Obviously, babies require a lot of attention, but it's amazing how much time I spend sitting in the corner of the sofa feeding, pumping, or trying to get X to sleep.  I feel that the pumping is the most time consuming of all, but I'm not quite ready to quit trying to get him to nurse yet.  Ok, well, that's not true.  Most days, around 4/5 p.m. I am so ready to give it up, throw in the towel, and start making bottles.  But I haven't yet, because the LC at the hospital said to give it at least two weeks before giving it up, and we all know I ain't no quitter.  That being said, if we can't get a grip on this whole latching thing after our visit to the LC next Monday, then I might switch to formula. *GASP* *insert horrified mommy hating bloggers mean comments here*  Maybe I shouldn't give it up, but if this keeps up, the frustration between the two of us isn't worth the effort. 
Ryan, for his part, has done a great job as a father and a husband since X arrived.  He is everything you would want a partner to be when your entire life has suddenly changed and I am the luckiest for having him here.  That will make it a lot harder when he goes back to work full time and I'm here alone, so I guess there's a downside to that.  Hopefully, in the next couple weeks, we'll get it all figured out and him going back to work all day won't be such a problem anyways.  Until that happens though, it's nice to have a person to take the baby when he's extra upset, or when I just need a shower or a 20-minute nap.
So that's what we've been up to over here.  I'm sure working out and running is going to be completely different now, so be prepared for a much different type of blog from here on out.  Eventually, I hope to take X on longer runs in the BOB, but until he's old enough, I'm going to work on getting up to a certain amount of mileage again, and working on rebuilding leg and arm muscles.  If there's one thing I really let go during the last 3 months, it was muscle tone. 

The X man cometh

Unimpressed at 5 days old

40 weeks...he was really taking his time.

11 days post-partum. 

Never too late

Except when it is.  Boom. Logic drop. That's all I wanted to say.
Nah, I'm clearly kidding. Tomorrow starts the MCAS testing window so obviously I had to at least get in a little bit of blogging.  Even though this has nothing to do with MCAS. Except for the fact that I hate how much of my job is determined by a test that has to be taken by kids who don't speak or read fluent English, have major home issues, and sometimes just don't know how to read at the appropriate grade level.  But that's been a topic of discussion for years already and I don't see it changing anytime soon, so really, what point is there in complaining. Instead, here's a recap of my weekend.
I sat through the first time home buyers class so I could get the certificate needed to process the loan.  The class was ultra boring because it covered all the parts that we've already done.  It's hard to say if it would have been helpful in the beginning, because now I don't know what I knew from before and what I learned during the process.  But, I went and got the certificate, so hopefully everything's fine and we'll be moving next weekend.  Which, if that is the case, means we need to get packing.  However, we have friends coming in for this weekend, so it looks like the packing is going to get done at the last minute the week of the closing.  Ah well, it's not like we haven't moved before. Plus, we can come back and get stuff whenever, it doesn't have to all be taken right now, so that's making it a bit easier. I would like to go order a new bed for delivery by the time we move, but I think we're going to wait.
Aside from the house activities, track is going well.  Today we did hill repeats.  Right now my main goal is to get the girls to be faster at their miles.  I'm not entirely sure what a good mile time is for a high school female, but I'm fairy certain it's lower than an 8:30 minute mile.  Part of me thinks it would be a good idea to offer a reward to anyone who can beat my fastest mile time, which right now is a 7:10. But, what to reward? Also, I don't want to push the girls too hard.  After all, I know what my body is capable of handling during a run, but that doesn't mean that a teenage girl will have the same capabilities.  Especially if she isn't in top shape or hasn't been working out consistently.  For now I'm sticking to hill repeats and sprint intervals, with leg workouts mixed in. Then, of course, we do a core workout for the last 10 minutes or so of practice. But it's been really fun.  Maybe I should have been a track coach or a gym teacher all along.  Except I probably don't want to do that forever.  Even though it would be nice to just workout all day and get paid for it.  I thought by this age you were supposed to know what you wanted to do with your life. How come I still feel like I have no idea if I'm in the right grade, position, subject etc? Where's the easy answer button here? Seriously, who are these people that have it all together and figured out?  Sometimes I think I do, but then I change my mind.  Maybe someday I'll actually have it together....
And now, a picture of whatever I have in my phone.

Nala. Good enough.