Down to the Ocean

High tide at Simpson's Point

Last week was pretty dismal running-wise, with me logging only 2 runs and 6 miles total, so I wanted to start out this week on the right foot (yes, my week starts on Sunday, doesn't yours?). Ryan was more than willing to watch Sam, especially as he had been away all day yesterday, so once the temperatures had warmed up a bit, I headed over to the Pennelville fields for my run. I wanted to get in 5 miles, so I figured a road run would be the way to go, as I hadn't run 5 miles in many months, and so why not run to the ocean when I had the chance? It was a bit windier than I had anticipated, but the skies were blue, and as I always love running out this way, I wasn't complaining. The wind and rain had created some interesting patterns in the snow-covered fields, and tufts of brown grass poked up through the crust, determined not to give in to hibernation just yet. Down at Simpson's Point, the sun sparkled off the water, and I stopped to take the view in. Beautiful. Always makes me happy!

As I headed back down the point, I knew I could backtrack to the car, or loop around. Backtracking would get me 4 miles, and the loop would get me 5. I figured one extra mile couldn't hurt that much :-) As I neared the end of the run, I could certainly tell that I wasn't used to running this far and my pace had slowed slightly, but overall I felt pretty good. I ended the run in exactly 45:00 for the 5 miles, and although my initial thought at 9-minute pace on such a flat road loop was to be a bit depressed, I do realize I'm just coming back from pregnancy, over 2 months off from running and the c-section, so really I am just happy to be able to go out and run 5 miles 9 weeks after having Sam! Still, I am looking forward to building up my base and mileage in the coming weeks and months and picking up the pace as I get back in shape!

In Sam news, yesterday during naked time/tummy time, she rolled over from her stomach to her back! Yes, our child is very advanced :-) Of course, who knows if she meant to roll over or was surprised that her movements led to such an action, and we'll see if we can replicate it today while Ryan is around, but who cares? :-) A roll is a roll!

Two Months

Smiley girl!

Sam is nine weeks old today. Amazing that more than two months have gone by already!

We had her two-month appointment this morning, and can now report all the important statistics that grandparents and great-grandparents wish to know :-)

She is weighing in at 9 lbs 8 oz, and is now 21 3/4" long. Her head circumference is 14 1/2". She is in the 25th percentile for height and between the 10th and 25th percentile (pretty exact, huh?) for weight. So, she is small, but we knew that. The doctor also said that we are in trouble :-), as Sam is a strong little girl and is already rising up from her stomach and lifting both her head and shoulders up straight, which is something that a 4 month old is more likely to be doing versus a 2 month old. This means she'll likely roll over and be moving around earlier than some. An active child who wants to move, and move now?! We wonder where she gets that from?!

We are also enjoying her smiles, new noises, and having her be more alert and awake more often. And, even better, we have moved her into her crib in the other room and she has been sleeping like a champ (knock on wood)! Last night, I fed her at 10:00, we put her down at 10:30 and she didn't wake up until 5:30. That was a nice stretch of sleep, let me tell you :-) We hope she continues with this trend!

As for me, I had hoped to get up and out for a run this morning after I fed her at 5:30 but despite the seven hours of sleep, I was still tired, so I went back to bed instead. And with the doctor's appointment, a few errands, and Ryan working the rest of the day, I will likely not get out in the next half hour before the sky gets dark. Ah well... I have to work on this whole 'get up early and get out after first feeding' thing! I think it is going to be the only way I get my runs in this winter. Maybe tomorrow morning before Ryan heads up to New Hampshire? If not, there is always next week...

Skiing!

Enjoying some early season skiing!

I was supposed to work today, but as the snow began to fall before 9am and the forecast was for at least 6" of snow followed by a mix of snow and rain, we all opted to stay home instead. Sam and I spent the morning watching the snow fall, and fall fast, accumulating on the ground and in the trees as a soft, pristine white blanket. I thought briefly about going out for a run, but ultimately decided against it. That being said, I was feeling a bit restless and so when a window of opportunity presented itself after lunch, I grabbed my rock skis from the loft, and headed out for a short ski. I put the skis on at the door and skiied through the parking lot, which had yet to be replowed after their first sweep through earlier in the morning, across the street and onto the high school road. My first thought was to head onto the powerlines, but the skiing was actually really nice on the high school road - plowed, but with an inch of two of fresh stuff on top of the pavement. Perfect for gliding in my beater skis! So, I decided to ski the 2-mile loop I had been walking late in my pregnancy instead, which worked out well. I was only out for about 25 minutes, but I am sure I'll be sore from using muscles I haven't used since last winter. Regardless, it was fun to be out enjoying the new snow and I ended with a smile on my face!

Misty Morning

I got out this morning for a nice 3 mile run. The sun was peeking through the rising morning mist above the powerlines, making for a pretty sight as I ran along. The ground was a funky mixture of clear rocks, snow, ice and sand. There was a slight dusting on the sidewalks in the Highland Green development, but the snow actually seemed tacky, and that made for easier running than on the cleared pavement which was wet and therefore was just icy enough to be sketchy. The run felt good, and it was great to be out on such a nice morning!

Here are a few photos from the day - one of Sam's morning smiles for me, plus one of Ryan and Gigi - just another crazy morning!


Smile!


Yup.... crazy cat, crazy man

Snow!

We had a great night last night at Jim and Shauna's. Thanks guys! It was great to see everyone, and Sam was a good girl. Of course, it helped that Shauna and Linda were so nice about holding her and keeping her happy :-) The snow started as we were on our way down to the party, and by the time we left, there was a healthy amount on the ground. First snow of the season!


Early morning view out back

This morning, Sam and I were up early, and around 9am, I passed her off to Ryan and headed out for a run to enjoy the snow. It was a gorgeous morning. The trees were snow-covered, making it look like a winter wonderland even with just the 3" to 4" of snow we received, the sun was shining and the sky had cleared to bluebird blue.

The roads were still a bit icy, and I was glad I had taken my screw shoes out of hibernation :-) I didn't get first tracks on the powerlines, as someone had already been out walking their dog, but I did have fun kicking up the fluffy stuff. Underneath the snow, the sand and dirt were still soft, so I got a good workout between that, the snow, ice and wind! It was a fun run and I was so glad to be out enjoying the gorgeous morning!

In Sam news, she is really starting to get strong! Yesterday Ryan was holding her on his lap and she was pushing up off his chest. She is going to be one tough cookie :-)


Holding her head up high

Double Digits

Today's run brought me to double digits for the week. Woohoo! Of course those digits are 1 and 2, but I'll take it :-) I had originally hoped to do a longer run today, but then realized that perhaps adding both a 4th run for the week and having that run be a longer run might not be the smartest idea. So, I ran another 3 mile run instead, which was fine with me. Ryan was nice enough to watch Sam, so I headed to the Commons for something different. I haven't run there in months, so it was a nice change of pace. Plus, it's trail running but mellow trails, which is really what I need right now as I continue to gain back my fitness. The woods were quiet, and I felt good as I ran along at a moderate pace. It was a good way to round out the week!

It's Just Not Right...

...to have been running today in shorts and short sleeves in 60 degree weather... It is December 3rd! What is up with this weather? While I don't need freezing cold weather in December, it should certainly be seasonably cold, and the ski areas should at least be able to make snow if there isn't any natural stuff on the ground. Crazy! And who said global warming is a myth? Yikes.

Yesterday Sam and I were up at work from 10am to 4pm, so no running for me. I still haven't perfected the "get out the door after first feeding at around 6am to get in my run" thing yet. I'll have to work on that one... Sam was great all day - awake and alert and happy. She didn't seem as congested either, so that makes us all happy! Today we went up for a few hours before lunch, and then when I got home, I headed out for a 3-mile run. I felt good, and am hoping to get in a slightly longer run on Saturday and actually hit double digits this week mileage-wise :-)

I haven't posted a photo of Sam in a few posts, so here is a cute shot of the three of us that Ryan's dad took over Thankgiving. I have a lot of photos of Sam but not many with me in them too, so it's nice to have a good family photo :-) Thanks Dana!

Frozen

Yesterday's run was in the rain, but this afternoon when I headed out, the sun shone brightly, there were blue skies above and the air was crisp. The ground along the powerlines had the variety of conditions so common this time of year - mud, soft sand, crunchy sand, a bit of hoar frost, frozen sand and mud - with the warmer days and cold nights. The standing water was covered with a light glaze of ice, which gave a satisfying crack and crunch when I hit the edge of the puddle as I ran by. Both runs felt good, and were a bit faster than last week. I'm getting there.

Unfortunately, today I returned home to a cranky baby. Sam has been congested since Sunday. Perhaps the 2+ hours outside was a bit much? We feel badly, and it doesn't help that she really dislikes the aspirator, which we've had to use to suck the snot out. Not that I can blame her! Hopefully she'll feel better soon - poor girl!

A Trail Monster in the Making

This morning, in preparation for Blackstrap Hell II, we got Sam geared up and ready to go... a Trail Monster in the making!

We had a blast hanging with Neighbor Kate and Ann at the finish line, and watching all the race proceedings. It was a beautiful day to be out and Sam was such a good girl! Sounds like the race was fun - muddy and wet - just as it should be! Thanks to Jeff for putting the race on and organizing the post-race pizza and beer! It was great to see all our friends and expose Sam to the crazy and fun world of trail running and the Trail Monsters :-)

Burning off all that Turkey and Pie

Thanksgiving morning Ryan and I got out for a run on the roads around his parents house. While Ryan had originally hoped to race a Turkey Trot that morning, he said a slow run with me was just as good... or hopefully at least less painful! :-) We left Samantha in the capable hands of her grandparents, great grandparents and aunt and uncle, and set off on our merry way. Skies were overcast and it was a bit humid, but we had a nice time, chatting as we ran through along and generally enjoying a bit of "us" time. The 3.2 mile loop took us 29:20. It is the first time I've run all on roads, and flat roads at that, since I've been back running, so I was happy with the pace, and even happier with the company :-) A great way to start off the morning.

Of course, we returned to hear that Sam had cried most of the time we were gone... Do you think babies know when their parents head out the door?! But luckily, no one was too upset about it, and she was a great baby the rest of the day, and very happy to be passed around from relative to relative. We gorged ourselves on a yummy turkey dinner, stuffed ourselves with pumpkin and apple pie, and then of course, went back for "snacks" around 8pm before bed. Ah, Thanksgiving!

Friday morning dawned rainy and nasty. A perfect stay-inside day. Except that I really wanted to run. But I put it off, hoping the rain might stop, or I might feel less guilty about not running as the day went on. In the end, I went out around 3pm, fueled mostly by frustration over the conversations about scheduling Christmas. Man, it is tough to try to make sure everyone sees everyone at the holidays! Anyway, a run seemed a good way to escape it all, and I ended up doing the loop in 27:47. Oops. Guess running to escape something means running fast (or at least fast for me at this point!). Saw a pair of hooded Mergansers on a small pond along the route, which made me smile, and calmed me down a bit. I came back soggy, and with a clearer head, knowing that it will all work out in the end and that I had at least burned off a few more bites of the pie and ice cream I had eaten with lunch :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

From Dreary to Happy

After the nice reprieve we have had from typical November weather, the dreary gray days I expect out of this month came back on Monday. Ryan was up at work all day, so it was just Sam and I. We did get out for a walk, but Sam was cranky the whole way and the overcast skies did nothing to boost my spirits. I could never live someplace like Seattle, where it is rainy and overcast a lot of the time! I seem to be really affected by the weather. Usually exercise will snap me out of it, but for some reason I was really feeling it on Monday.

Yesterday I was supposed to work, but my boss wasn't feeling well, so Sam and I just ended up going up to the gallery for a few hours in the morning to catch up, which was fine with me! It was quiet and I cranked through what needed to get done. When I got home, Ryan was just headed out for his run and upon his return, it was my turn. I hadn't expected to be able to run yesterday so it was a bonus workout! Hurray. I did the 3-mile out-and-back on the powerlines and felt pretty good. The gray skies only accentuated the bright red of the winterberries in amongst the otherwise barren bushes, and as I slipped and slid in the mud, I had to smile - it was good to be out.

The run also made me realize that despite November being my least favorite of the months, it does hold my favorite holiday. These days it seems like all holidays are simply one marketing ploy or another to get consumers to buy something, send something, spend something. And yes, while Thanksgiving has that aspect as well, it rings truer to me than a lot of the other holidays. There are no gifts, no costumes. There is always a Turkey Trot to run, and any holiday that involves running is a good one! There are family and friends getting together to laugh and talk and eat and drink and enjoy each other's company. I know that I often forget how much I have to be thankful for. It is easy to overlook how lucky I am and easier still to get caught up in the day-to-day gripes and worries. Yes, life is not perfect, but I am happy. I am healthy. I have wonderful family and friends. I am married to my best friend. And this year, to add to the list, I have a beautiful, healthy little daughter, who we stare at in wonder every day, even if it is wonder at how little she is sleeping or how much she is crying :-) How could I not be happy?

And so with that, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Wish us luck with our first long car ride with Sam later this morning! We're headed down to Ryan's parents for a few days. That means many hands to hold Sam ... maybe Ryan and I will even be able to sneak out and get in a run together?!

Maine Running Company Turkey Trot: Spectator Report

With Ryan's recent decision to race short and race often, we headed down to Cape Elizabeth this morning for the Maine Running Company Turkey Trot. Of course, Ryan didn't decide he wanted to run this race until Thursday, and we almost didn't get out the door this morning as we hadn't set the alarm and we're both still sleep deprived. Luckily, Sam woke up hungry at 6:45am and with that, Ryan looked at the clock, said "Oh s***." As I still had to feed Sam, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get out the door with him in time for him to get there to register, but amazingly, we were all out the door at 7:35am. Pretty good with a 6 week old who hadn't yet eaten when we woke up!

While Ryan registered and warmed up, Sam and I hung out in the car. It was cold, and she was sleeping and I wanted to keep it that way. I got her into the B.O.B. in time to go down and see the start, and as I was walking back up to the car, Kristen called and said she was parked across the street with Morgan. On a whim yesterday, I had told her we were planning to come down for the race and wondered if she and Morgan wanted to come hang out with me and Sam while Ryan raced. As we're getting into crazy holiday season and their weekends are going to be busy with the kids, she figured this was as good a chance as any to see us, so they motivated too and came to cheer Ryan on. It was fun to see them - thanks for making the trip over guys!

Morgan had fun at the playground while we waited for the runners to start to come in, and I saw Blaine, who was volunteering, and chatted with him for a minute or two before he took off to man the finish line.


Morgan enjoying the twisty slide

When we saw the winner round the corner, we walked over to the 3 mile marker, figuring Ryan would be coming within 5 minutes or so. We saw him right around the 20 minute mark and he was pretty far up there in the field. Go Ryan go! We cheered for him and walked over to meet him at the finish line. Morgan thought Ryan was pretty gross in his post-race state of snot and sweat and stink, but once he changed she had a change of heart and wanted him to put her up on his shoulders :-)

We all hung out for the awards as Ryan came in 2nd in his age group with a time of 20:19 and in 25th place overall. Nice! Sam was a trooper, and pretty much slept the entire time. She finally woke up when we stopped at Tim Horton's for some celebratory and much needed coffee and donuts! Of course, Morgan just ate the frosting and sprinkles off her donut but it was fun :-) All in all, a great morning!!

Saturday Double

OK, so by most people's standards, today's morning run and afternoon walk aren't really a double in the true sense of the word, but I figure at 6 weeks post c-section, I can get away with calling it that :-)

This morning, I headed out for a run along the powerlines. It has been a long time since I've gone farther than the rise just past Highland Green Road which was my walking turn-around late in pregnancy, and I had forgotten how nice it is down the hill along the lines before Topsham Crossing. It was great to squish through the mud, looking up at the fluffy clouds and blue sky above, listening to the chickadees, bluejays and robins chattering and chirping and the wind whistling through trees, bushes and brambles. Today's run was a bit tougher on me than yesterday's run, in part due to the rougher terrain but also as it was the second day in a row of running. Still, I was happy to be out on yet another warm and sunny November morning.

After Ryan got in his run, and we did a few things around the house, we set out to enjoy a bit of the afternoon together. We drove to the Skofield Shores Preserve in Harpswell, and after Ryan suited up with Sam in the Ergo (Thanks Sean and Kris!), we walked down to the water's edge and then along the trails that wind through the woods farther out onto the peninsula. Although the loop is likely only a mile or so, it is a beautiful walk - winding along the edge of several fields, through the pines, meandering by a saltwater marsh and then back along the ocean. The late afternoon light was hitting the golden marsh grasses and glinting off the water, and Sam was content in the carrier, sleeping away as we walked along. It was really nice to be out, with all three of enjoying the woods together!


Sam enjoying her ride in the Ergo


Beautiful November afternoon

6 Weeks

I had my 6-week appointment today. Things are healing up fine and I've been given the green light to do what I want to do provided I feel good. So, I am back to running officially :-) Hurray! Also am back to just 5 pounds above my weight at the beginning of the pregnancy, so I won't complain about that either!

Sam and I got a walk in yesterday afternoon while Ryan was down in Boston for the Boston Ski Show for work, and today I went for a run. I had intended to get out after I fed Sam at 6am, but it was still dark and I was tired, so I crawled back into bed instead. A little extra sleep these days is always a good thing :-) I woke up at 8am and after feeding #2, got dressed, ate a quick snack and headed out the door to run the same loop I ran on Sunday. Of course, by that point it was raining. Oh well. Luckily, it was warm, so the rain and wind didn't feel too bad. I did feel like I was working a bit harder than during Sunday's run, but perhaps part of that was doing battle with the wind both heading out on the powerlines and coming back on the road. I returned soggy but happy, having finished the 3.0 miles in 29:48 (I wore the Garmin this time out of curiosity to both confirm the loop's distance and my pace), and feeling like a runner again having gotten out despite the rain and wind :-)

In other news, Ryan took my car down to Boston, so the B.O.B., which has been living in the back of the car, has been parked in the entry way the past few days. Both Ronnie and Gigi have taken a liking to it, with Gigi curling up in the storage basket below the seat, and Ronnie settling down right in the seat, ready to go for a ride!


I'm ready, are you?