Isn’t she lovely

Alysia Montaño Runs USATF Championships Pregnant

Now, I know the human body is capable of incredible things but this is just another testiment to that.  I have the hardest time dragging my butt out of bed or off the couch to get a run in and this lady is motoring … WHILE MAKING A HUMAN.  I feel so lazy now……

Note: Pregnant ladies, check with your doctor first, always and consistently!

Seven months pregnant and running a half mile in slightly over two minutes and 32 seconds.  I can’t even.  I might be able to eat a meal in 0:2:32 if I was pushed into it.  When I ran the Marine Corps Marthon last year, there was a woman that was very visibly pregnant running the race as well.  Granted, she wasn’t running a Speedy Gonzales pace, but she was keeping a good 11-12 minute mile clip with her husband beside her.  26.2 with a baby on board?  Sheesh!  I see women with their swollen baby bellies gracefully striding on the dreadmill beside me at the gym.  I look at Alysia and women like that and think ‘Damn.’

Run, Momma, Run! (image from article)

Get it, girl.

Now I’m going to go drag myself to the gym.

Run, run, honey run on now

Today is the soft start to the 16 week training schedule for the Chicago Marathon.  What does that mean?

• I’m out running Tues, Thurs, Saturday and Sunday.  It’ll be a priority, so I will be lame and not stay out and party all night.  However, if I tell you “I can’t, I have to run.” Put me in my place and tell me to get my damned head and schedule straight.  Time. Management.
• Back to once a week limits for drinking.  This one is not really negotiable.
• Back to high protein, high veggies, low carbs with a once a week cheat.  And lots of feeling like the blerchy chub below.

all of the food (theOatmeal)

I’m breaking down, I feel it in my bones

June 8th was the Oddyssey Half Marathon through fairmount park. Thankfully, Rusty was a peach and picked up my packet for me while I was in AC.  One less thing to worry about, right?  On raceday, the weather was beautiful, though humid.  I met up with Skip and we crossed the start line together.

hey skipper!

He took off and I started with  my normal slow start pace (sub 11:30).  The race was actually pretty decent for being as hot as it was.  The course was similar, if not the same as last year’s:

over the river and through the woods….

elevation map and pace chart

Something had been nagging me leading up to the race.  Maybe I hadn’t trained enough (I hadn’t).  Maybe I was over doing it with the races (I was).  The night before I started feeling really anxious about the race.  I had this nagging feeling that I was going to get hurt, or I’d have an awful run.  I didn’t do any of my standard pre-race rituals (maybe that was it??).  I got to sleep late.  I didn’t roll before I got out to run.  I did stretch plenty, though.