Welcome To My Pity Party

If you arent interested in hearing me whine about my sad life, you might want to skip this post :)

This weekend I had breakfast with Kevin, Beca & Bradley after their run. All of them are so excited and beginning to get into the double digits on their way to the Chicago Marathon. It seems they are all doing better this year than last, which makes sense because its the 2nd go-around for all of them. As they talked about their training, the upcoming race, and even their race apparel, I just found myself feeling jealous of them and sorry for myself. Its hard to have all of your friends be a part of something that you simply cannot do :)

Bradley & Beca
This year Bradley and Beca decided to try something new and are training through Chicago Endurance Sports (versus Team In Training). They both love the program and have actually switched to a run-walk versus straight run. Both were plagued with injuries last year and CES suggested they try something new this go-around. So far they are both ecstatic and have said that they feel great after each run and have had little worries about their old injuries flaring up, or new ones coming along.

Kevin
In midst of our training last year Kevin got offered a transfer to Tulsa...which he eventually accepted. He is now living in Tulsa and still getting used to the scene. Like everyone else he felt the need to "avenge Chicago" and couldnt figure out how to train by himself out there and get back here to run in October. He ended up going back to Team in Training, who has a Tulsa group, as a mentor. This means that he basically volunteers his time to help the other runners with things like fundraising (for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society) and providing a lot of emotional support for new runners. His runs also appear to be going well, though he is having to deal with the heat, humidity, and hilly terrain. Though his training might be a bit rougher...I bet Chicago is a dream to run after training out there ;)

Cara & Patti
Cara & Patti both stayed with the Chicago group of Team in Training, and are also mentors (like Kevin).


Cara appears to be doing great with her training (just like everyone else) and seems to enjoy being a mentor. Rumor is there might be a new man in her life, but she is keeping mum about the whole situation ;)




In addition to training for Chicago, Patti has been doing a bit of additional training. She continued while lots of us took a break, and completed the Big Foot Triathlon yesterday! I am so excited for her - she is the first (and maybe only?) of us to venture into the world of the triathlon. I havent gotten a full race-report from her yet and am really excited to hear about her experience.

Running While Pregnant
I am due 10/8 and the Chicago Marathon is 10/12. I knew from day one it wasnt going to happen, but I did intend on keeping up my fitness level throughout pregnancy. I even thought I would be able to run with my friends early in their training season. Boy was I wrong. In the first three months I was so tired I could barely walk up stairs. It was during this time I did the Wacky 5K run. Not only was the 3 miles challenging, but my body just felt funny. I ran a couple of other times with my friends, but each time had to walk a bit. Much of this, I believe, was due to the fact that I tried to keep up with my old pacing...which just wasnt possible. And since none of them knew I was pregnant at the time, I felt dumb asking them to slow down. So I tried to keep it up and just couldnt, and this made me feel pretty crummy.

As my pregnancy progressed I became more uncomfortable, and heavier! Running is not even appealing, and when I try it it feels awkward. I know many women do it - in fact Paula Radcliffe (who is obviously a super-hero and I am not comparing myself directly to her) ran until the day before she gave birth and was at it again just two weeks after her daughter was born! I know there is a huge mental element to all of this, and for the most part it was something I just quickly gave up on. My ultimate goal this year is to go out and cheer on my friends at the Chicago Marathon - with a baby due 4 days before I think this is a pretty good goal to stick to. So as long as the baby comes earlier or later than 10/12 ... I am going to do my darndest to be there to support my friends as they finally beat the monster-of-a-marathon. And after that I can start convincing them to think about next year, when I can join the fun again ;)