Not just another new year

It's that time of year, everyone is making plans for tonight and resolutions for the new year.  I'm finding myself doing neither.  New Year's isn't a big holiday for us typically, although it is the night on which Stuart proposed, which was ideal actually since I totally wasn't expecting it.  But I digress.

As I was saying, with just that one exception, it's normally a pretty quiet night for us.  Maybe a get together with another couple.  No big blowouts.  No massive January 1st hangovers.  And I typically don't make new year's resolutions, since I think that decisions about shifting your life in new directions shouldn't be made just because the calendar says so (yes, I appreciate the irony considering my current state!).

Even still, this new year's seems momentous.  I'm looking forward to being asleep well before midnight, partially because I know that I will see far too many midnights (and 2a.m.s and 3a.m.s...) in the months to come.  I still haven't made a "2010 Race Plan" like I have every year for the past five or six years since starting triathlon.  And I know that when I stop to think about the unknowns facing us not just in the next month but in the next 18+ years, it takes my breath away.  December 31st 2002 changed my life forever in ways I would have never foreseen when I willingly and happily agreed to become a wife and stepmother.  In the same way, the dawning of 2010 is bringing about a change greater than I can possibly fathom.  I stand on the edge of this year filled with excitement and fear, anticipation and nervousness, joy and the knowledge that there will be heartache, too.  

With only about 5wks to go, I think I'm about as ready as I'm going to get.  Stuart thinks I'm more ready - mentally, emotionally and physically -- than I realize.  I hope he's right!

Christmas 2009, 34wks pregnant

Pre-Christmas Blizzard

Less than 7wks until the McNugget's scheduled appearance.  That's like 48 days.  A month and a half.  I.e. practically tomorrow!!!  I'm still feeling great and very appreciative for that fact, so I'm not in "I hate being pregnant" mode despite getting very impatient about meeting her.  Random nervous thoughts regularly flicker through my head -- what if she's 10lbs and I've decided on natural childbirth.  what if we can't find good and affordable childcare.  what if the dogs don't deal well.  what if I never have time for another workout ever again.  what if we don't like being parents. what if. what if. what if.

I'm trying to be practical, and tackling the things that I can control.  Take this weekend, for instance.  DC-area got slammed by a blizzard.  Started Friday night and ended early Sunday morning.  We got about 20inches of snow!  As a general rule, I hate the cold and really don't like snow.  But I decided that being trapped in our neighborhood was a good excuse to make some progress on the list of pre-baby honey-do's.  And, there is something magical about a walk in gently falling snow, and there's something in the honest exercise you get from shoveling your own driveway and sidewalk.  Needless to say, I've never attempted either while 7-1/2months pregnant. 

The walk on Saturday morning was great.  At that point we had "only" about 8inches.  The dogs had a blast bounding through the snow, but the extra effort of kicking our way through it definitely got my attention.  I slowed, and took a few breaks on our walk as opposed to trying to race Stuart and the boy-dogs to the top of the street.

Later that afternoon and into Sunday, I was reminded that pregnancy is indeed a limiter as I stayed inside and washed baby clothes and baked cookies while Stuart did all the shoveling.  I did come out to provide moral support and snap a few photos!  The next session of prenatal yoga classes was cancelled, and we pretty much just hunkered down for a few days of getting into the Christmas spirit!

Birthdays and Swimming Shouldn't Mix

Well, I'm another year older.  Normally I'm one of those people who adores their birthday.  I mean, ADORES.  I believe in making it last for days and days, lots of cards and emails and preferably presents, too.  I think it should be a law that your birthday is a paid vacation day for you.  That's how much I love birthdays.

This year though, with so much happening surrounding the imminent arrival of McNugget, it sort of snuck up on me.  Stuart was wonderful, with gifts on both Saturday and Sunday, then waking me this morning with a very sweet card.  We left work early for our 32wk appointment with the OB, and got news that all is looking great for both me and the baby.  From there, though, Stuart detoured for my next birthday present. 

As he's been starting to get back into Ironman base training mode, he's been dreading his trips to the pool, and is convinced that he'd like it more if I started going again.  So, we headed for the local swim store to buy an extra extra large swimsuit.  The very sweet college-age girls who worked there were great, and helped me find something that contained all my roundness even if it didn't hide all the newly forming cellulite.

I probably did less than 1500 yards,  but it was my first time in the pool literally since August or September.  All those people who say that swimming while pregnant is great are nuts.  I didn't feel "weightless" and "free" and "unencumbered".  I felt like a walrus.  Granted, a walrus getting a workout, but a walrus nonetheless.  I'm not a great swimmer even when I don't have 25+lbs dragging me down.  No long sleek line in the water for me!!

All in all though, a good birthday.  I got the aforementioned calls, emails, Facebook postings, and presents, including a very awesome and thoughtful gift from my stepson if we can make it happen - entry in next year's Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon.  And my night is ending with a bowl of Coffee Heathbar Crunch -- the gold standard of all ice cream.  No wine with it this year though, but little miss Baby M kicking and squirming is a pretty good substitute for this year.

Is it bad....

...to say that one of my lessons learned from pregnancy is that I never want to be really overweight? I know it sounds obvious, especially probably to most of you who read this.  I mean, I'm worried enough about losing all the baby weight, and hopefully the ten extra pounds that I already had slowing me down pre-pregnancy.  But I mean, seriously overweight.  I. never. want. to. be. here. again. 

There are times when I forget this huge bulge that is my abdomen, until Baby M gets in one of her whirly swirly kicky moods and my abdomen begins to sway and bulge every which way (which is often!).  But, it also hits me when I drop a pen and realize that if I'm sitting down I can't just bend over and reach the ground to pick it up.  Or, if I park in a tight parking spot, I have trouble getting out of my car.  Or when I bumped into the door of the elevator because it hadn't yet opened wide enough to fit all of me.  Or when rolling over in bed takes energy and a vocal "oomph" as opposed to just blithely turning.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the fact that there are people who live like this every day.  Although I've gained a healthy amount of weight, if I weren't pregnant the standard BMI index says that I'm officially obese based on my height and current weight.  It saddens me to realize that there are people (including some close family members) who don't value their long-term health and short-term comfort enough to put the time and energy into being fit. 

My own motivation has occasionally lagged in the past, and it sometimes scares me as I realize that life is changing very very soon and how will I fit it all in.  But I know that remembering this experience of being plus-sized will spur me to somehow make the time and the choices to avoid living in a body this size ever again.

"That Girl" at the gym

Circulating out there on the web are all these sarcastic lists of the "types of people you see at the gym".  The meatheads, the sorority girls, the guy who wanders amid the machines for an hour but never actually lifts a weight.  You know the list I'm talking about...it's pretty funny since if you've ever spent any time in a gym you recognize these caricatures.

I worked a half day from home on Friday and then decided to jump over to the gym to get a little exercise in before family and friends descended for a fun weekend (GOTR Race and baby shower!).  Anyway, I think I became THAT GIRL when I walked in the gym at 2pm on a Friday.  Seven months pregnant, my non-maternity race t-shirt stretched tight over my belly, I strolled into the weight room like I would on any other day.  Never in my life have I ever felt so many pairs of eyes surreptiously peeking at me in the mirror as the 12 or 15 male denizens of the gym altnerated between shock and curiousity and probably some fear.  It was actually pretty funny.  Walking towards the water fountain in between exercises, one guy practically jumped trying to get out of my way. 

Despite the absurdity, I was actually laughing inwardly ...that's right all you big muscle boys....this is what happens when you have S-E-X!!!!  I was imagining the run on condoms at the local store before they all headed to happy hour later that night.  My little contribution to population control in Arlington County.

Yet another athletic first

This time, though, it's not one I'm proud of.  Those three dreaded letters that no athlete ever wants to see -- DNF.  That's right.  The Perry Township Rotary Turkey Trot 5K in Canton, Ohio humbled me into the realization that sometimes even your best just isn't good enough.  Or, isn't necessarily the smartest thing to do. 

Cold Ohio morning perfect for a Thanksgiving race.  We were signed up together with our nephew Brandon and his girlfriend Jennifer.  At just shy of 30 weeks, Baby M scored yet another race bib, although this time the race volunteers seemed a bit confused, "Um, do you need a timing chip, too?"  "No, thanks.  We'll just share one."

See me squeezed into a non-maternity running jacket.  I LOVE stretchy material!!

We lined up at the starting line and things were already feeling just "tight".  Not painful, but not comfortable.  I was surrounded by other walkers, and so know that I would have been right in the thick of things, but about half a mile in I just stopped.  Stepped to the side to see if the tightness in my abdomen would subside.  Thought about how I could just tough it out.  But, I'm 30wks pregnant.  Now is not the time for an ego and to "tough it out".  So, I did the toughest thing I've ever done in a race and something I thought I'd never ever ever do - I quit.  Head down, I trudged back toward the start/finish line and tried to get myself psyched up to watch for Stuart and Brandon.  Not too long after, I saw them both running shoulder-to-shoulder.  They weren't running in a "I'm going to kick your ass" kind of way, but looking like family in stride with each other.  Their finish times were 5/100ths of a second apart.  This was only Jennifer's 3rd race and she did great, too.

I'm disappointed.  There's no getting around that.  It has me thinking about the implications of this major change in our lives and its impact on how I define myself, but that's a musing for a whole separate post.  In the mean time, I put on my best smile, congratulated my family and headed home to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the family.   I know there will be other races.  But knowing that my last race for quite some time is already a month behind me is hard. 

Goblin Gallop Photos

Ok, I'm posting the link just because I'm laughing at myself in these pics.  Why not, right? 

 Goblin Gallop 5K photos

Goblin Gallop 5K

Not much to say, except that Baby's first 5K went MUCH better than her first 10K.  Cool morning with lots of sunshine.  This is a very family-friendly suburban race.  There were close to 2000 runners/walkers but that included people in costume (Wonder Woman, an electric banana, and a cat among them), people pushing strollers and even a dog on a leash or two.

We signed up for the Goblin Gallop as a way to do one last race together with Erin before she moves to Germany in December.  And, since none of us are going to be here for Thanksgiving, we knew we had to find something else.  E's been an amazing friend and support the past few months especially and we will most definitely miss her!  You probably can't read my hat in this photo, but it was a thank you gift from my boss for convincing her to sign up for her first triathlon.  It reads "Run You Mother!"

Once again Baby M scored her own race bib, this time courtesy of Nikki, #1600.  So we lined up at the start and I wished Stuart and our speedy friends well.  Not much to say, other than, dang it takes a LOT longer to walk 3.1 miles than it does to run them!  But, I managed to pass more than a few people during my lovely little jaunt and then of course ran the last 50yds to the finish line smiling for the official photographers.  Why not, right!?

Reporting in to my OB the next day got another look of amazement, but he was cool with it...and with the idea of a Turkey Trot at Thanksgiving if I'm still feeling up to it.  yay - race season still might not be over for me and the McNugget. 

Yowza! Getting bigger and bigger.  Here I am at 25wks together with baby daddy Stuart.

Working out without running - is it a workout?

As part of my new, non-running workout regimen, I decided that I should again give prenatal yoga a try. You always hear that it's the greatest workout ever for expectant women, but truth be told, I've never really seen your basic yoga as a 'workout'. And I don't expect that late in my second trimester that yoga dvd will be telling me to prepare to kick butt and work up a serious sweat! Nonetheless, it was cold and rainy out, so I spread my yoga mat, shooed the dogs away and popped in the dvd.

I was right, this wasn't exactly a calorie blasting, sweat inducing workout, but many of the stretches felt so much better than they otherwise do. Although I'm seeing my body change daily, I'm not always consciously aware of the impact that has on muscle tightness and my already pathetic flexibility. At one point, I felt like making sure I told our childbirth instructor that I was doing this - she'd be proud.

I also did a fairly good job of not feeling like I was in competition with the instructor to stretch further, breathe more deeply or hold a stronger and longer plank pose. Again, even for someone who isn't a star athlete, the lack of competition is another flaw of yoga in my book. This is part of the reason I avoid yoga classes, usually, it's not fun to compete when the others in the class don't realize that we're racing for the deepest downward dog!

The one piece of any home yoga workout that I don't get is the mental element. First, because I sent Stuart to the store while I did yoga, I got no less than four phone calls -- "Where are the frozen berries?", "Which organic yogurt brand do you want?", and my personal favorite "They don't have quinoa, can we use kiwi instead?" (although he was kidding on that one!). Second, is the aforementioned dogs. So, instead of making my way through the guided relaxation they proscribed, which involved me laying on my side, instead Ally the spaniel wandered over and plopped in my lap and we spent ten soothing minutes cuddling and petting. Definitely a relaxing activity, so I think it counts.

Overall, this wasn't as satisfying as a run in the rain with Nick the dog, but I'm going to try and make it a regular part of my week at least until Baby M makes her appearance.

Actual Conversation with my OB

Actual conversation with my obstetrician this afternoon...

Me: Hi, Doctor.  So, I'm still having this tightness in my lower abs when I stand or walk around.  Should I be concerned?

Doctor: Um, so could you tell me again why exactly you ran six miles on Sunday?

Me: Well, technically I only ran 2 and walked the other 4.  But, I'm a runner and triathlete.  It's what I do.  And, you said activity was okay.

Doctor: You're fine, nothing to worry about.  Baby's just adjusted position and you're getting bigger.  But, no more running.

Me: I can still walk, right? I mean, I have a 5K in two weeks!

Doctor:  sigh.  Yes, you can walk.  But no more running.

So, on the To Do list for this week -- buy my first ever pair of walking shoes.  Renew my membership at the swimming pool.  First of many sacrifices of motherhood!

Boo! Run for Life 10K

Baby M, aka the McNugget, has her first race under her belt!  We've got a 5K at the end of the month but a few weeks ago I was bemoaning to my friend Erin how much I missed racing this season since the less-than-satisfactory Kinetic Half Iron was my only real race of the year.  She promptly emailed me the link to the Boo! and together with Stuart and our friend Michelle, we got ourselves signed up.

When Stuart and I picked up our packets on Saturday I asked if they had a spare bib, but that McNugget and I would share a timing chip.  The volunteers thought it was adorable and handed me bib #740.  Coincidentally, when I was born my family's street address was 740 Vancouver Dr, so I took that as a good sign for my little one.

Sunday morning was cool but a beautiful sunny day for a run.  We snapped a few shots by the car before lining up at the start.

Me, McNugget, Erin and Michelle

Dad, Mom and Baby before their first race together

We all lined up, with Stuart and Erin promising to circle back and find me on the course after they'd each crossed the finish line.  Before I knew it most everyone was ahead of me although I knew there were still runners behind me.  My first mile was a not bad 12min/mile pace, the second was a bit slower 13:30.  But then my lower abs started to get a little tight.  As Erin pointed out later, I haven't exactly worked my core muscles in a few months and they were being forced to hold up a lot of extra belly weight.  So, I slowed to a walk.  It was still great to be out there, and the folks at the aid stations thought it was great.  Lots of thumbs up and silent cheers, at first I wondered why until I realized that they were all hearing impaired and out there volunteering as a group at the race. 

After another mile or so, I realized that a 5K might have been ideal, but maybe a 10K had been pushing my luck and I gained a newfound respect for women like Decaf Jen who are still knocking out half marathons at this stage in pregnancy.  I also gained strength thinking about my Super Star friend making her way through a 50K run down in Florida this morning -- a race I'd been seriously considering tackling with her until those two little pink lines showed up on a pee-stick one Sunday morning back in June. 

Eventually a woman began walking with me, and turns out she was a nurse in town from Fort Myers, Florida whose friends had signed her up for this race without her knowledge.  We walked together for the next few miles at a pretty fast clip until finally with less than a mile to go Stuart and Erin appeared.  I asked Erin to pace Rita in at a run to the finish of her first 10K.  Meanwhile, Stuart urged me on but my lower ab area was getting more and more tight, and I was a bit nervous.  Running was the last thing I wanted to do.  Blog moms -- have you felt this before while running as you got bigger? The same thing happened at my weekly womens run on Thursday so I'm thinking it's normal, but still... anything that feels unusual in that area can make you nervous, ya know?

Anyway, since I was now only walking eventually the last two women behind me passed us.  Yes, Baby M and I were officially going to be the last two finishers.  Stuart ran on ahead to make sure the finish line was still out and the announcer mentioned her name too.  The finish line was a little bit of a let down -- it was basically already disassembled, photographer and announcer long gone, but at least they left a timing mat out.  So with a big and humble smile, I crossed that line to the sounds of my cheering friends and the timing guys. 

Chatting afterwards with Erin and Leah, another =PR= running group woman I acknowledged that my contribution to our Thursday night runs might be limited to 1-2mile walks from now on.  The last few weeks I've been lagging behind finishing after sunset, and I refuse to run after dark for safety reasons.  So, I'll continue to show up, but am going to invest in a solid set of walking shoes to use for the next few months. 

Never fear, I'll be lining up for the Goblin Gallop 5K in two weeks, but am content to be at the back of the pack until little McNugget is in the stroller instead of inside me!

UPDATE: Deciding to be safe rather than sorry, I just spoke with my doctor. Glad I enjoyed the Boo! 10K, since I'm officially walking for the rest of my pregnancy. My running days are behind me for a few months, just to be safe.

On the Hunt...

Ok, any northeastern Ohioans out there in blogland? We're spending Thanksgiving in northeast Ohio -- nearer to Wooster/Massillon (as opposed to Cleveland) and the Turkey Trot I'd been planning on is no longer around.  So, I'm in search of a race.  Worst case scenario I'll take my almost 7mos pregnant self out on the trail near my mother in law's, but a race would be so much more fun!  I welcome any leads within a reasonable distance.  Akron/Canton work, Cleveland or Sandusky don't.  thoughts???

Family race weekend

One thing is for certain, I've definitely gotten to practice my spectating skills over the past year! This weekend was the Army Ten Miler, and my brother decided earlier this year that he'd like to take the leap into longer-distance running so we all signed up.  Stuart, Brad, Erin and a few other friends were all ready (more or less) for Sunday's race.  Brad's girlfriend Millie and I were on cheerleader detail.

Despite much protestation in the day or two before the event from Brad (along the lines of "well, SOMEONE has to finish last, right"), unsurprisingly they all did great! Despite nagging aches and pains, Stuart and Erin finished in 1:33 and 1:30 respectively.  Stuart stuck with Brad for the first six  miles before kicking it into gear, and Brad finished in an awesome first-time time of 1:47...much faster than his projected 2hr+ time.

Meanwhile, Millie got to experience the hard work of cheering for a crowd of 30,000 athletes.  I mean, if you're going to stand there for 2hrs, why just cheer for the 10 seconds that you see your loved ones.  So a million cheers and "looking strong"s and "there's better at the finish line" yells  to anyone I could -- DC Tri Clubbers, anyone with their names or colleges or military units printed on their shirts, wheelchair athletes, and the random people I knew and happend to be in the race including a sorority sister I haven't seen in 8yrs (Go Kappa!), a Girls on the Run mom and a former client.

Now it's time to get excited, though...my race season ISN'T over!! Next Sunday Stuart, Erin, Baby M and I will be toeing the line at the Boo! 10K in Washington.  Is there a special division for pregnant women...maybe I can win an award this time! As for Brad, he was moving a little slowly this morning as we took him to the airport...but I know there's a triathlon waiting somewhere inside his soul.  Give it time.  In the mean time, he and Stuart bonded over some brother-in-law naps that afternoon!

Alternatives

Well, I still miss my bikes.  Coraggio and Cristoforo are tucked safely in the basement, likely not to see the great outdoors until next April.  But, I did the second best thing and headed to spin class this week with Stuart.  As usual, Dave is big on hill climbs and sprints, so it was a pretty good approximation of what riding would actually be like....including the expanding belly getting in the way while in the aero position!

It was a good solid hour, and I felt gratified knowing that I could have gone longer. 

This weekend's the Army Ten Miler and Stuart, my brother and a bunch of friends are running.  Best of luck to everyone, and don't forget to head to our house for the traditional post-party!! 

Weekend getaway and a fun run

Knowing there's an extra set of female DNA growing inside me must have given me wings as I ran over 5miles at last Thursday's =PR= women's run.  Trish and I fell back from the main pack about half a mile in, and decided that the planned route was too damn hilly and so we made up our own.  Turns out we misjudged distances and went about a mile further than everyone else, not finishing until about 20min after sunset.  I pushed myself, my heart rate was higher than it's been in months.  Granted, pushing myself wasn't breaking any land speed records, and I had to walk a number of times just to pull the heart rate back down a bit, but it felt great to sweat and work hard.  Sadly for Nick, I'd left him behind since the planned route was on main sidewalks and would have been too tough since even after ten years he still wants to pull hard on that leash.  Maybe this week if he's good!

This weekend involved lots of walking and lots of eating, but no official workouts unfortunately.  It was Stuart's reunion at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and then to celebrate our wedding anniversary we had dinner on Saturday at the American Bounty restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America.  Compare that with the gray "minute steak" that we were served in the West Point mess hall for lunch that day and Baby M is getting exposed to a wide range of culinary masterpieces and misses even while still in utero. 

It was gorgeous up there, with the occasional yellow or red leaf, but we were a few weeks early to get the real fall foliage views, but that's okay it was still awesome.  For our anniversary, Stuart bought one of those wood burning fire pits for our patio (6th anniversary is "wood") so we're starting to think fall.  Between driving through the Poconos, watching football in Michie Stadium, and now having our own firepit, I'm getting ready for an exciting fall and the approach of a memorable holiday season.  And my present to myself....I've decided that I'm not done racing this year.  Stay tuned for more details. 

Girls on the Run takes on a whole new meaning

Nearly halfway through this adventure called pregnancy.  No need to publicly share photos of me quite yet(!), but we had some exciting times this morning at the ultrasound.  Despite my absolute certainty that this little guy was a boy, turns out he is a SHE!!!  So, we are now officially expecting a DAUGHTER in February.  wahoo! I'm excited and scared and overjoyed and nervous all at once. Is that even possible?

So, when I took my pups out for individual evening walk/jogs tonight to give myself some extra distance, it truly was girlS on the run as my baby girl and I checked out the trail.  Pictured here is the happy dad-to-be and a profile shot of his little girl.  Bring on the pinks -- but none of this sissy frilly pastel stuff.  I want fuschia.  I want raspberry.  I want visual cues for my strong and healthy and active child to know her self-confident place in this world!

Family's Other Newest Member

I never did take pictures to document the incident, but Stuart had a wicked bike crash a few weeks ago.  Over the handlebars, landed on his face, bike crashing into the guardrail and cracking the top tube.  Bye bye reliable Fuji Pro.

Although the expense outlay wasn't planned, living without a bike really isn't an option in our house, so within days we made our way to Conte's to see what kind of deals they could make us.  Ten days later, Stuart completed his latest century ride on his sweet new Pinarello FP6.  So, as the ugly black bruises finally fade to pale yellows, there's a smile on his face.  And one on mine too, as USAA has told us that replacement value is covered under our homeowners insurance.  yipee!

Group Running -- Good for the Body AND Spirit

As someone who has always valued being fit, but at the same time struggled with my own weight and body composition, this process of growing a baby can wreak havoc on my self image if I’m not careful. Yesterday was one of the bad days. Plans for this coming weekend include a trip to buy some maternity clothes as mine are either already outgrown or stretched to their limit. In addition, a visit to the OB earlier this week confirmed another pound or two on the scale, to which one family member responded with an email telling me to “get over it”. Day’s end found me crying first to my husband, then to one of my best friends that I didn’t want to buy “fat clothes”. Both were of course wonderfully supportive, saying all the right things to reassure me that I’m not totally crazy.

Finally, together with Nick the dog, I made my way red-eyed and sniffling to my Thursday night =PR= running group. Normally a devoted group member, I’ve been hit or miss in attendance this summer between fatigue and an aversion to the heat, so I perked up a bit when I got some cheery waves and hellos. (Although Nick quickly quashed that when he peed all over the floor of the store in his excitement at being back!)

We hit the road at 6:30 and I stayed toward the back. Trish and another woman (whose name I always forget!) willingly hung back at my slow pokey pace and commiserated with my topsy-turvy emotions. My body needed the exercise, but more importantly, my mind and heart got a much needed boost from the empathy and camaraderie of women already traveling the road of motherhood. They appreciated my frustration at my slower pace, my changing body, and reassured me that all would be well on the other side. I cut about .75mi off the run route so that I wouldn’t finish too far behind everyone else (I finally sent the two of them ahead), and reconvened with the group in the Potomac River Running parking lot at the end. Another wonderful woman and mom of 3 boys, Laura, emphasized that I’d better either buy a jogging stroller or better yet, tell Stuart he’s on baby duty on Thursday nights since exercise and me-time makes for better mommies. She doesn’t need to tell me twice! Yet another told me that this month is “Mommy Month” at the local Lululemon yoga store and encouraged me to check out their website for free prenatal yoga and other fun stuff. I got home in such a better frame of mind than when I left.

There’s a lot I’ve missed this summer – races, workouts, group fun. But with the weather starting to cool, I can at least put this important hour of my week back into my schedule and enjoy the company of these great women.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...sort of

Just when the world thought my blogging days had come to an end, I'm back! It's been over two months since my last post, and a lot has happened. And, when it comes to triathlon, a lot hasn't happened. But, there's a reason for that.

In just another few short months we'll be taking on a challenge bigger than a triathlon, bigger than Ironman, bigger than anything. Baby M is officially due on February 7, 2010!!! Yikes, I've posted in blogland, so that means it's really official.

We just got to see my stepson this weekend and tell him, until then we wanted to keep this fairly low key. Needless to say, he was excited beyond anything. "I was just saying last week how I always wished I had a little brother!" No promises yet that it will be a boy, but we're so happy that he is psyched.

Lots to say, lots to catch up on. But it was easier to be silent than to dance around the edges of non-existent workouts (too damn tired), skipping races, and generally re-evaluating what the next year or two (or 18!) look like.

So, strap in. Baby M is on his/her way, and it's going to be one exciting and scary ride!

Dextro ITU Triathlon in DC

So it was pointed out to me that my blogging regularity has dropped off. Shame on me! No excuse except that it's just too nice to spend much time sitting in my study crafting blog entries. Maybe one day I should try actually keeping a journal and that way I can just transfer interesting thoughts here.

Anyway, latest and greatest is that we spent Sunday downtown watching the only North American stop on the ITU Triathlon World Cup circuit. Originally we were slated to serve as a homestay for one of the foreign athletes and his coach, which had us pretty jazzed. It also meant that we decided not to register to race ourselves, since we'd be focused on being a good host family. Sadly, a few days before he was due to arrive, I got an email saying that he'd injured himself in a training ride and would not be coming to race. Bummer!

Sunday morning Billy and his girlfriend Allison drove out from Annapolis and the four of us hopped on bikes and headed downtown. We missed the start of the men's race and so headed straight for the finish line along Pennsylvania Ave. The bike and run were both multiple loops so we were in a great spot to see the triathletes race by again and again.

Billy, Allison and Stuart

Unbelievable to watch the peloton of draft-legal racing!

Here's Americans Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper headed out on one of the run loops. They were flying!

Andy was solidly in 4th place, so able to give some thumbs-up and ham it up for the crowd as he neared the finish line.

All in all, it was a ton of fun. Billy was jazzed for his second triathlon this coming weekend, and Allison now wants to try one. Once the men's race finished, we biked down to West Potomac Park to watch the start of the women's race. All of downtown DC was shut down, so it was awesome to be tooling along Constitution Avenue on our bikes. If only they shut the Mall down to traffic every weekend!

The current was brutal, the pro women looked so incredibly slow. Of course they weren't, but it was telling that all the spectators were commenting on how hard they were working on the up-river half of the two loop swim.

Afterwards we slowly biked home, but of course had to stop to make friends with even more wildlife! Here's Allison posing with her new pet turtle!