12 Weeks

Not a lot to report today. I have hit the 12 week mark and we finally spilled the beans to both sets of parents. I'm still running 30 miles per week but it is getting tougher. I'm not sure if it is because I am pregnant or because it is so hot. I have to run before dawn or at sunset and it is still pretty warm. I do use the treadmill from time to time but I get so bored. I also know that within weeks that will be my only option so I'm trying to avoid it for as long as possible. I'm still running pretty well. I have a hard time warming up so my first 2 miles are very slow if I run in the morning. I'm fine if I run in the afternoon. Again, I'm not sure if that is pregnancy related or if my Achilles are just done after all that marathon training. They were bothering me before I was pregnant.

Symptoms wise, I feel pretty good. I've been tired but managed to avoid morning sickness. I have had a head cold that could do without but all in all, I've felt fine. I've been able to hear the baby's heartbeat with my doppler so that has been the best development in the last few weeks.


I'm still not really showing but I've gotten bigger for sure. I hate this stage. The fat but not pregnant (looking) stage.

1st Appt

Monday was my first appt. Brian took the morning off (I work a compressed schedule so I'm always off on Monday) so he could come along. The day ended up being a series of bad events starting when we tried to leave. We load Darwin up in Brian's car (the bigger, family car) and it won't start. We were right on schedule so we didn't have time to break out the jumper cables or anything like that. With no other choice, we load up into my car which is a Mini Cooper. Seriously, with 3 of us in there, it is basically no better than a clown car but at least it is running. We drop Darwin off and head to the Dr. The u/s goes great. Baby measures right on and everything looks perfect. My Dr. had 4 deliveries that morning so she was running behind and we ended up being in the office forever. By the time we got home, Brian needed to leave immediately so he took my car to work. I had to stay home with no car but it was only for a few hours and I was by myself so I didn't figure any big emergency would come up. Brian ends up having to stay late at work and didn't leave until almost 5. Daycare closes at 6 but it is only about a 20 minute commute so he should have had plenty of time. When he was getting ready to take our exit, he got rear ended! He was fine and my car actually wasn't damaged badly but it was rush hour and he was having to wait for the police to show up. With no functioning car at home, I can't even go pick Darwin up from daycare. As you can imagine, I was freaking out for a few minutes. Brian got on the phone and worked everything out. A co-worker of his that lives in our neighborhood and takes her son to the same daycare was able to pick him up for us. Brian got everything taken care of and it all worked out. Turns out that his car just needed a battery so we got that fixed and now we just need to get my Mini fixed. It was a stressful day to say the least, but in the end, Brian was fine, Darwin wasn't in the car when the accident happened and we got to see PeaPod on u/s. And finally, a pic for your viewing pleasure:

Double Whammy

About this time each year, runners start to wonder what is wrong with them. I'm probably one of the worst. The temperature goes up and my running suffers. Even though I know the heat is having an effect, it gets so much harder to run that I can't help but wonder if something is wrong with me. Am I getting sick? Have I not been training enough? Before the summer of 2007, I only ran sporadically so I never realized how much the heat could really get you. I started running year around in July of 2006. Since I was just getting started, I felt the heat but I didn't realize how much harder it made running. I just assumed that I was out of shape and that is why it was hard. When the fall and winter came around, I got a lot faster. Sure, a lot of it was training but I certainly got a boost from the cooler temps. After training consistently for 10 months straight, I was starting to get faster than I ever thought I would be. I was feeling pretty good about myself and then June rolled around. I suddenly had to cut 8 mile runs to 6 miles and forget about long runs. Yikes! For the first time in months I was struggling through runs only to find my pace was horrible. More experienced runners assured me that this happens every year and that I would probably have trouble all summer long but it would get better. The good news was that when fall rolled around, I would be rewarded for all that warm weather training with a new zeal for running and even faster times. They were right. Since then, I've gone through this cycle every year and even though I know what is going on, I can't help but wonder every year, if my running will ever be the same.

Well, it is that time of year again and, as usual, I'm hurting from the heat. Add 8 weeks of pregnancy to that and I'm suffering two fold. I also have to be careful as we've already had some days up close to 100 degrees (99 yesterday!). While running is perfectly safe during pregnancy, any kind of exertion in that sort of heat isn't. To combat this, I've been getting up before dawn to get my runs in. Normally, this really wouldn't be a big deal, but, being in my first trimester, I'm soooo tired. The alternative is to run on the treadmill. I really don't like the treadmill so I avoid it as much as possible. I work too early in the morning to run before work so I'm already stuck on the treadmill at least 3 days a week. Eventually, we'll probably have weather so hot that there is no time of day that it will be safe so right now, these early morning runs are my only option.

Currently, I'm running between 30 and 35 miles per week. Some days are better than others but for the most part, I feel pretty good. I feel strongly that I should stay active during pregnancy and running is my favorite activity so it is worth it to find a way to keep at it through these hot months. Because I had just finished marathon training right before this pregnancy, I came into it in really good shape. I'm 10 lbs lighter than I was at the beginning of my pregnancy with Darwin and I wasn't big then. I was also just recently running 65 miles per week where I was probably doing more like 40 or so before Darwin. With him, I was able to run at least 15 miles per week up until week 32. After that, I did run/walking nearly everyday right up to week 36. After that, I put lots of long walks in until I delivered at 39 weeks and 1 day. I had bad hip/pelvis pain at the end of that pregnancy and it continued to plague me for months after I delivered. Ultimately, that is why I had to stop running at 36 weeks. I'm worried that it will happen sooner this time around but I'm running strong now so I just have to be happy with that.



Here's a shot of me at 8 weeks. While I feel thicker, I certainly have no bump yet so we'll consider this a before shot.

Well That Changes Everything!

Ok so big change of plans as far as running goes. Turns out, I'm pregnant. Yes you read that right. I'll be 6 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow. Yes, it was unexpected but we were planning on trying in January so nothing really changes, we just fast forward all of our plans. If you are trying to do the math, yes, that means I was pregnant while I ran Lincoln. Just barely pregnant, but pregnant. Since we weren't planning for this, I didn't even remember when my LMP was. I didn't even realize I was late. Last week, I started thinking about when I should expect old AF. I racked my brain but couldn't think of when I started last. I knew it was either the 1st or 2nd week of April but, even after staring at a calender and thinking about all the events I'd been to in April, I just couldn't remember. I did remember having ovulation pain (this started happening after Darwin was born) but I also couldn't remember when that was. I didn't get too concerned until I realized that I had been here at home when I'd had the ovulation pain but the Lincoln Marathon was two weeks ago (three now, I've been working on this post for a week). That meant it had been longer than 2 weeks since I ovulated. When I realized this, I figured I was mistaken. I've gotten several side eyes from people when I tell them I can feel myself ovulate. Maybe it really was just the gas pain they suggested it was. Thing is though, I had a huge ovarian cyst that was very painful when I was pregnant with Darwin. This pain is in the same spot and feels very similar. Also, it happens around day 14 of my cycle so, I think it really is ovulation pain. Finally, it hit me that I needed to just take a pregnancy test. Brian was working a weekend shift so I loaded up Darwin and headed to Walgreens. He was out of infant motrin anyway. I grabbed a cheap store brand test and headed home. It dawned on me that it was the middle of the morning and I had already had about 32 oz of water. This would be diluted, far from first of the morning, urine. I gave it a shot anyway, I mean there was no way I was pregnant, right? Well, I could actually see a faint line. I know, they say a line is a line but this was so faint that I couldn't really trust my own eyes. Now I was starting to freak out though. Was it possible I was pregnant? I loaded Darwin back up and went to another pharmacy to get a better quality test. No way I would show my face in the same one and buy yet another pregnancy test. Too Juno. Besides, it is embarrassing enough buying one in the first place. Even though I am an adult and married, it just seems like such a weird violation of my privacy having to basically tell a stranger that I might be knocked up. Anyway,when I got home, I took it and it turned unmistakably positive immediately. I was standing in the bathroom while Darwin sat on the floor tearing up some junk mail. I was shaking. I couldn't believe it. I didn't even know how far along I was. I snapped a picture of the test with my cell phone and sent it in a text message to Brian. I didn't know what else to do. There was no way I could wait until he got home. I didn't trust my voice to call him. It was my only choice. He immediately texted back "What?!".

After a few days, the shock wore off for both of us. At least that initial, whole body shaking can't catch your breath, shock. I finally remembered when my LMP was and figured out that I was 4 weeks and 6 days pregnant and my due date would be January 15th. The Houston Marathon, which is being held in conjunction with the Olympic Marathon Trials, is the same day. Brian had already signed up for the race. He was waiting to hear if he got in. Talk about bad timing. Oh well, worst case scenario, we're out $125. Not a big deal in the long run. My running plans will obviously change. Again, not a huge deal. I'm so glad I was able to get a great marathon in before this pregnancy because with two small kiddos, there's just no way I could find the time to train. Not for a few years anyway. So, we are slowly adjusting to the idea of having another baby. I am a control freak and at first, I vacillated between annoyance that this didn't happen on my terms and being grateful for the surprise. Not getting to do a few of the running events I had planned actually made me tear up a little. Hormones. In the end, I've certainly settled on grateful. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't a big deal that I don't get to finish out the Grand Prix series, do another marathon this fall or run my XC 10K. Also, the clock was ticking. I'll be 35 next year and, while many women have perfectly uneventful pregnancies at that age and beyond, my risks do increase as my age goes up. Might as well take advantage of my "youth" while I can, LOL! Money wise we are good and even my leave at work looks like I'll be able to swing 12 weeks off after this LO gets here. It is still early and, due to my history of miscarriage, we are cautiously optimistic. I doubt we'll tell anyone IRL until at least the 2nd trimester. Maybe even longer unless my belly starts giving me away. There are a couple of you that read this blog that know me IRL and are Facebook friends. Please, keep this quiet for now if you don't mind.

Lincoln Marathon Race Report

Training for any marathon is stressful, at least for me anyway. There are lots of people these days that do several marathons per year but this is not my running philosophy. I'm obviously not anti-marathon but there is no doubt that it is tough on your body, so to me, it doesn't make sense to do more than 1 or 2 per year. Also, it takes a long time to prepare for a marathon. When you consider all the time spent and the fact that I've only got a couple of chances per year to do this, that's a lot of eggs in one basket so to speak. For Lincoln, this feeling was intensified by the fact that I had a child and hadn't done a marathon for over two and a half years. I also had a lot of mommy guilt because of the time I spent training. When my mileage was the highest, there were some days that I left home before Darwin woke up and got home after he was already asleep. Of course, I felt guilty because of time lost with my son but I also felt bad that Brian had to take up the parenting slack while I was running. He never complained and was more than happy to make sure I got my training in, but still. Throughout this training, I really felt a lot of anxiety. Given all the aforementioned worries, you can imagine the stress that ensued when I considered the fact that the race might not go well. Not that I thought the race would go badly. My training suggested that I was ready but marathons are tricky. The weather is a huge factor and you can't control that. Also, nutrition is always difficult and can be disastrous if you make a mistake. There is also the fact that sometimes, for no known reason, you just don't have it on race day. For the first time in my running existence, I started to wonder it it was worth it. Not if running wasn't worth it, but if putting 65 mile weeks in might not be worth it. The marathon is only one distance. I could still be a runner and do all the shorter distances. Maybe this was more my style now that I was a mom. Your life changes when you become a parent and maybe this was one of the changes I needed to make to be happy and keep my sanity. Anyways, I tell you all of this so you can understand all the baggage I brought to Lincoln. It really was overwhelming.

We left home on Thursday before the race, stopped in Northwest Arkansas for the night and then drove to Omaha, where Brian's parents live, on Friday. Darwin was a great traveler. I was so grateful as I didn't need any added stress. I started checking the forecast religiously (for real, like every couple of hours) and was pleased to see that it was going to be cold. The low was supposed to be in the 30s with a high in the upper 50s. For the race, we could expect temps to be in the 40s. To me, that is perfection. The only thing I saw that made me nervous was the wind. They were predicting 20mph wind from the NNW which would be the direction I was headed for the last 10k of the race. Not good. Fortunately, the number kept getting lower and lower as the day got closer but the direction of the wind never changed. We went to the expo to pick up our packets on Saturday and Brian drove me through the parts of the course that weren't on running trails. As we headed to our lodge (we stayed in a state park) for the night, the reality settled in. No matter how well you are prepared for a marathon, it will hurt. It will get difficult and you will have to push through physical pain and be mentally tough. All I could think is "why do I do this to myself?". I was so nervous.

On race day we got up at 4am. The race was at 7 and we had a little bit of a drive. I was jittery. Brian's parents came to watch Darwin and we headed for Lincoln. We parked and headed for the stadium. I couldn't believe how cold it was! Great for running, but not great for standing around beforehand. We checked our bags and got ready to warm up. Brian was running the half so he needed to run more than I did before the start. I only wanted to do a half mile. Also, he would be running a faster pace than I would so he needed to start further up in the corral than I did. He told me good luck and gave me a hug and we said our goodbyes before we warmed up. The half mile felt pretty terrible but I was determined not to let it get to me. I could only manage 9 minute pace which is weird because I haven't run 9 minute pace since I was about 8 months pregnant. I was hoping to do at least 7:39 pace for the race so you can imagine my concern. At this point, the race was only about 10 minutes away and I really needed to hit the bathroom again. No way I could do 26.2 miles without emptying my bladder one more time. The line for the bathroom was too long though. I considered heading downstairs to the locker room but my watch said 6:56 and I really needed to be lining up. About that time I saw 2 girls crouch behind a bush and I headed over to join them. Not pretty, but I had to do what I had to do. Now it was time to get serious. I took my long sleeved shirt off and lined up. Next thing I know, the gun went off and the race started. I was about a minute back in the corral and it took what seemed like forever to cross the start line.

My goal for the day was to break 3:20 which required 7:39 pace. The marathon actually provided a mile by mile break down of the race including how much time you could expect to lose or gain based upon the elevation profile. I used a base pace of 7:35 and came up with a mile by mile custom pace band. Brian thought it was a bad idea but I liked it because it allowed for more time on the uphills and took advantage of the downhills instead of just giving me one set pace to try to keep the whole race. Also, I like to use the first 2 miles as warm up so I put those in at a slower pace and had some of the middle miles at 7:30 to make up for it. If I was able to run the exact numbers I had on the band, it would get me to mile 26 in 3:17 and change. That meant that I had a little bit of cushion should I lose time somewhere along the way. Anyway, it was just a paper band so I could rip it off and throw it away if things weren't going my way.

The first few miles were uneventful. I went out at 8:02 pace which was planned for 8:00. No biggie. The next mile was planned at 7:45 and came in at 7:43 so I was right on pace as planned and ready to actually start racing. There was a little bit of a climb in the 3rd mile so I had planned for 7:40 but ended up running 7:35. For mile 4 I had planned 7:35 and did 7:33. Mile 5 was a 7:35 as planned. Here I took some Gu and hit a water stop. The water stops were great and featured cups with lids and straws. This made all the difference in the world. I could get as much water as I needed without splashing it in my face or choking on it. It was great. Mile 6 had the first real downhill. I wanted to run a 7:28 and came in at 7:27. Mile 7 came in at 7:25 and was planned for 7:35. I think the mile marker might have been a little off. Mile 8 was 7:35 as planned. Mile 9 was the first of the significant climbs. I did it in 7:40 as planned. Mile 10 was downhill and came in 2 seconds faster than the planned 7:28. I took my 2nd Gu. I felt ok I guess. Not great but certainly not bad. I hadn't done a marathon in so long that I wasn't sure how to judge it. It was now time to get into a groove and make up for my warm up miles. I planned to do 7:30 pace from mile 11 through mile 18. Mile 11 came in at a disappointing 7:38. I shook it off and clocked a 7:16 for mile 12. According to my Garmin, I ran them both at the same pace but mile 11 was long and mile 12 was short. Mile 13 came in at 7:24. At this point, the half marathoners turned into the stadium to finish. The field narrowed severely as the vast majority of runners were doing the half. I headed on feeling lonely but pretty strong. There were several volunteers that were on the trail yelling words of encouragement. Mile 14 was a 7:32. Mile 15 was 7:37. I took another Gu. Nutrition wise, I felt good. My stomach wasn't queasy and I didn't feel lightheaded or anything. I was a little worried that I wasn't keeping my 7:30s but soldiered on. Mile 16 came in at 7:28. Mile 17 was 7:32 and mile 18 was 7:34. I could have pushed for 7:30s but it just didn't seem wise. 7:30 felt like too great of an effort but I felt comfortable a few seconds slower. Mile 19 was the biggest climb of the race. I planned for a 7:40 and ran a 7:41. Mile 20 was planned for 7:40 and I did it in 7:45. The turn around came in the middle of this mile and was near a lake. The wind was very strong as soon as I changed direction and I was a little worried but I put my head down, pulled my arms in close and tried to be as slim as possible to increase my efficiency. I started passing lots of people. I hoped that turning out of the park and getting away from the lake would lessen the wind. I just needed to get back up the hill. I took my final Gu and prepared myself for the last 10k. I knew it would be a challenge with the wind but I was determined to do the best I could. Mile 21 was planned at 7:35 but came in at 7:41. Mile 22 was a 7:34 and was planned for 7:30. Mile 23 came in at 7:46. I can't remember what it was suppose to be but it was definitely slower than planned. I had about 5K to go and I was tired but not completely spent. I wasn't sure if a sub 3:20 was still possible or not. I hadn't given up but I was too tired to force myself back down to pace. I didn't feel terrible though and I was pretty sure that I would PR in the very least. I also felt good enough that I was confident I wouldn't completely fade at the end. Only once before did I run every single step of a marathon without walking and I knew that I would be able to do it now. I also thought about the weather. The wind sucked but it wasn't impossible to run in. The temperatures were as good as I could hope for so I just started saying to myself "if not today, then when?". Mile 24 was planned for 7:35 and came in at 7:45. Mile 25 was also planned for 7:35 and came in at 7:48. I now had 1.2 miles to go. I switched my Garmin from pace to total time. It showed 3:10 and change...a lot of change. It was actually closer to 3:11. That gave me 9 minutes and a few seconds to get the finish. I felt ok and knew I could do better than 8 minute pace. That left me a little over a minute to do the last 2 tenths. I wasn't sure how long it would take me. I couldn't do the math but I knew it would be close. I locked onto a runner in front of me and tried to stay with him. I drew a lot of energy from him and was able to do a 7:34 which was faster than the 7:40 I had planned. I turned into the stadium and checked my watch again. I wasn't sure how far away the finish line was and I hoped it would be close. I watched my total time click from 3:18 something to 3:19. Thankfully, as soon as I turned into the stadium, the finish was right there. I ended in 3:19:16. I did it!

I cried a little as I crossed the line. Breaking 3:20 was my lifetime goal and I had done it. The second I crossed the line I felt like I'd been beaten with a baseball bat. I wasn't tired as much as I was horribly sore and beat up. I hobbled off the field and started looking for the bag check area. It was crowded and confusing. I just wanted to get my bag and find Brian. I wanted to be in bed. I felt awful but I was very happy. Luckily, I saw Brian and Darwin waiting for me on the field. We got my bag and got out of there. It couldn't have been too soon. After a shower and then later an ice bath, I felt a lot better. I took the next day off and then ran 2 miles on Tuesday. I've run everyday since then and I'm feeling pretty good. I even did a 10 miler today so I'm more than on the road to recovery.

Here we are after the race.


I am so glad that the race went well. Not just for the fast time but to silence all the doubt and guilt I brought to the start line. This race changed everything for me. For the first time since I started running, I'm not burned out after marathon training. I'm ready to keep training. Looking forward to it actually. I even plan to do another marathon this year in either the fall or winter. I'm going to scale back my mileage for the next few months and focus on speed work and shorter distances. I haven't settled on a particular marathon yet but once I've decided, I'll plan for a similar 12 week plan since this one worked out so well.

The icing on the cake-I won my age group!

It Has Been Too Long

I have lapsed again and haven't blogged in forever. This time I have a good excuse! I have been running so much that I haven't had time. I mean that. So what have I been up to...where to begin...

I've had three big PRs since I last blogged. One of them came in February at the Run The Line Half Marathon (RTL). It was long overdue and I was starting to get a complex about it. Half marathon was my worst PR and I was really sick of having to tell people a time from back in 2007 that is incongruent with the rest of my PRs. I had hoped to break it in Memphis and should have been able to but I crashed and burned which happens to the best of us. At RTL I was feeling confident as I had just done a 15K at 6:59 pace. I figured if I had a good day I could probably pull off 7:08-7:10 pace. I took off at that pace and held it until mile 8 or so. Our weather here had been very cold, for Arkansas anyway, and this particular day in Texarkana was warm. It was sunny and got up into the 70s. The week before, a race nearly got canceled due to a big snow and the temps for it were in the 30s. Needless to say, my body was not ready for race day effort in 70 degree weather. Also, the last half of the course is hilly and the wind had the audacity to be blowing right in my face the whole time! I certainly faded a little in the last few miles but was able to hang on to a 7:15 pace and I broke 1:35! This means I PRed by more than 5 minutes. It was not my best race but I'm still pretty happy with it.

In March, I tried out my speed at a 2 miler. I'm training for the Lincoln Marathon right now so I certainly haven't been doing anything that would prepare me for a 2 mile race. My PR pace was slower than the pace I ran at the Valentines Day 5K so, even without speed work, I figured I could easily pull off a PR. I needed to beat 13:01 and I came in at 12:32! Not bad.

In April I ran the Capital City Classic 10K. This is the race that I ran 6 months after Darwin was born and had a time that was several seconds slower than I ran while I was 12 weeks pregnant with him. I pretty much hate 10K and I find that course particularly challenging. It is fast and flat which would normally be considered a good thing but it is so flat that you can see forever and ever. Mentally, this just wears on me. I find it hard to stay focused and I give up. This year was no exception. I did not have a great race. I faded in the last 2 miles and got out kicked at the end but, I still managed a 41:44 which was a 27 second PR. Given the fact that I am not working on short fast races, I have to be at least a little proud of this.

Marathon training has been chugging right along and I'm actually in the last week of my taper for Lincoln. My mileage topped out at 65 and I'm fine with that. One thing I did wrong in preparing for Chicago was to force myself to do all the weekly mileage, even when I was absolutely worn down. I did not do that to myself this time around. If I was dead at mile 12 of a 15 miler then it became a 12 miler. My tempo runs were successful and I did a good 22 miler just a few weeks ago. I also did a 16 mile race pace run that was very promising. For a race like a marathon, I set multiple goals because there are too many factors you must consider. Weather is one of the big ones. Also, sometimes you just don't have it on race day for whatever reason. My "pie in the sky" goal will be to break 3:20. My "challenging but realistic" goal will be a 3:25. And finally, the "I won't be too pissed" goal would be to break 3:30. I ran Chicago 2008 in 3:22 and that was with temps in the mid to upper 80s. Most of the time, I feel like I'm in better shape now but there are times when I'm just not sure. I keep hoping that Brian will reassure me, but he hasn't. He is very realistic about these things so if he isn't confident in it, there must be a reason.

It feels surreal to be a week away from running a marathon. The whole time I was pregnant, I missed being in that kind of shape. Once Darwin was born and I had a hard time getting back into running, I really thought I might never get here again. A year ago, I was still only able to run about 20 miles per week. No matter what happens in Lincoln, I am happy to be a runner again. One thing I have learned on this journey is that being a marathoner is no longer everything to me. The training takes too many hours away from my family and now that I'm older and I've had a child, it beats me up more than it use to. I really think I could run shorter distances and be happy. In fact, the next big race I'm going to focus on is a XC 10K in October. I've run it twice before and I love the course and the XC festival atmosphere. Once Lincoln is over, I'll be cutting back my mileage and running some short stuff over the summer.

I'm both nervous and excited for Lincoln. Part of me is terrified actually and a little freaked out that it is only a week away. Another part of me wants it to just get here already. I have done the training and now I want to show what I can do. Wish me luck!

I Won!

So Saturday was the Valentine's Day 5K. I haven't been doing speed work but I've recently done some races and I've done a lot of good tempo runs. My PR is 19:42 and I certainly didn't expect to run that but thought I might be able to do 6:30 pace. The course had a lot of ice left on it after a recent snow storm. It was warm Friday and Saturday so most of it had melted off but you certainly had to be careful. I went out slow as there was a considerable amount of snow and ice in the first half mile. Once we got to clear trail it was down to me and 2 college girls. We ran to the first mile marker together just a little slower than 6:30. I left them at that point and was all alone from there on. It got tough at the end but I was able to do a 20:09. Not too bad and it was exactly 6:30 pace like I was hoping. The race is held on a narrow wooded trail. In order to alleviate congestion, the women ran first and then the men. It was great to finish first in front of such a crowd! Brian came in 4th place in the men's race so we easily won the married couples division.


Darwin checks out my hardware at the awards ceremony.

This is only the third race I've ever won and it is the first race I've won since having Darwin. I will say that victory is sweeter when you get to carry your child with you to pick up your award. I really feel like I have it all now. I am a mom to a wonderful son and my running is pretty much where it was before I got pregnant. Life is good!

Grand Prix wise I picked up first place points and I'm now on the top of the leader board. That is somewhat misleading because the second place girl has only done two races and I've done three. Only 10 of the 20 races count toward your score so sometimes it takes the whole season for the leader board to shake out and accurately show who should really be on top. It is still very cool to see my name in the lead position.