Speed Trials

So, you know that whole rolling over thing? Yeah, totally old news. Nico rolls over from his stomach to his back, and from his back to his stomach, and can even manage to get down on his stomach from a sitting position without whacking his face on the floor – so that’s a thing!

So whereas I used to get away with leaving him unattended for a minute or two on the bed or the couch, now I’m entering into “constant monitoring” territory. Better get some gates and set up a “yes zone” for him SOON!

And also this week he had a growth spurt, feeding more often through the day and night. It’s also meant that most days when I dress him in the morning I say “Looks like it’s the last time you wear THIS sleeper”. I think he’s gained an inch in length since his last doctor’s appointment at the end of January, and who even knows what his weight is at now. All I know is that the boy is healthy, and will be crawling sooner than we think!

This week is Angelo’s reading week, so Nico has been benefiting from mega time with his dad, which he absolutely loves. Nico sure loves his maman, but he reserves for his dad a special kind of admiration and love that shines in his eyes every time he looks at Angelo. Those two are best buds, for sure.

Nico is still showing all signs of teething but still doesn’t have a tooth to show for it. I know it’s coming, so in the meantime he’ll just have to keep chomping on those fingers! (actually, I sometimes give him some Gripe Water when he’s particularly bothered by his gums, and it seems to do the trick.)

This sleeper from my little brother’s GF is my current fave. It’s pretty hipster, since it’s so skinny, but I’m a sucker for those pockets. SO CUTE! (too bad he’s outgrowing that one as well…)

Oh yeah, I can’t believe I almost forgot to tell you guys… The other night Nico was feeling bad on account of the teething, so we brought him into bed with us. He was fussing a little bit, but slowly drifted off to sleep. His eyes closed as he fell asleep, but then they slowly opened up again – while he was sleeping!!?!?! It was SO CREEPY! He was 100% asleep but his eyes were wide open. They looked, I don’t know, distant. I knew that he wasn’t seeing out of them. I was freaked out. I put my palm over his lids and gently closed them, but they opened up again. Ewww…. I instantly Googled it, and turns out it’s normal. I couldn’t find an explanation as to why infants sometimes do this, but apparently it doesn’t last and is nothing to be concerned about. Phewf. Thanks internets!

Today’s 10k race was really different from any other race I’ve run. I slept well the night before, I was on time for the race, and I really was not nervous at all about how well I’d do. Also, I had a REALLY good time running it, and I didn’t experience any low points (morally) in the run. And you know what, I ran a 53:40 (unofficial) and even though that’s technically the slowest 10k I’ve ever run, I was absolutely thrilled with the time.

So here’s a little recap of the day:

It actually started out at 5am, because I desperately needed to feed the kid. I actually had to wake him up, but he was happy to eat (when is he not??) and then I brought him back to our bed. I went into the kitchen and prepped the stovetop coffee maker and my oatmeal, put out my running clothes and then went back to bed for an extra hour of sleep. Of course Nico was wide awake at this point, but Angelo was nice enough to bring him out to the living room so I could get a bit more rest before the race. Thanks for that Ange!!

I drifted in and out of sleep until about 6:30am and then got up, turned on the oats and the coffee, and then put on all my gear. I quietly ate my food and drank my coffee and took a few shots of the kitty who was lurking behind the blinds! (like I said, I really never got into “race mode” this time around).

At 7:30 I left the house and jogged down to the race start – the Canadian War Museum. It’s pretty close to my house, and didn’t take too long to get there.

I made sure to keep the jog nice and light, because I didn’t want to use up too much energy. However, it did warm me up and I think it actually helped my overall performance today.

There were lots of people around for a mid-February race (over 1000) and that was great. I chatted with a couple of people, got my bib and swag bag, got my timing chip, stashed my swag bag in some random bush, texted Ange to let him know where it was so he could get it when he met me, and then got in place at the start.

The runners were running anywhere from 3k to a marathon (including relay teams) all starting at the same time (8:30), so the crowd was sizable at the start. And the race course was actually only one car lane wide, so it was definitely my most dense race so far. I was weaving and bobbing between people for the first 2k I would say. I thought that I was sprinting too much to pass people and that I may pay for it later on down the road. But I couldn’t help myself… I love passing people…

The elevation of the race was okay, there were some crests along the course, which meant uphills and downhills in either direction. I tried to remember the tiring spots on my first loop so that I’d expect them the second time around. I blew past the water station on my first lap. I was running pretty normally, but noticed my pace was pretty consistently around 5:00/km (30sec faster than my training runs). I was feeling good though so I kept it up.

I made it back to the Museum at about 27 min in, and the crowd definitely lifted my spirits. I thought it would be really difficult to head out into the course a second time when the finish line is RIGHT THERE, but it wasn’t too bad.

In the second loop, I knew that I could bonk, like I had the last time I ran a 10k, so I kept the pace at 5:11. I actually walked through the water station the second time, and that (and the water) was enough rejuvenation to keep me going to the end. Every time my Garmin would beep, telling me I’d completed another km, I’d say to myself “Only 4k left, I can keep this up for 4k.” “Only 3k left, I can keep this up for 3k…” I’d look at all the runners with red on their bibs (meaning they were running the marathon) and just think “Oh you poor bastards, I’m so happy I don’t have to do this loop 6 more times!” Some of those marathoners were in shorts and tank tops. Crazy!

When I got to the Museum grounds the second time, I felt great, and couldn’t wait to see Angelo and Nico. I picked up the pace a little bit (I think) right at the end, and as I was coming down the short finishing chute I heard “Go mommy!” and saw Angelo waving at me, with Nico in the carrier. It was a great way to end the race.

I grabbed my finishers medal and a bagel and walked to the picnic tables for a rest. Angelo and I didn’t stick around too long afterwards, though it may have been fun to watch the awards ceremony. I’ve never been to one, but hey, there’s always next time.

I again want to mention how great Somersault is at running these races. There’s always tons of friendly marshals and volunteers, and the races always run smoothly. Everyone on the course today was in a great mood, and yelled encouragement to all the runners. It was a really fun time and I can’t wait to run the Somersault Fall Colours Half Marathon in October!

We are three days away from my first race since giving birth, and I’m happy to be officially in taper mode. I’m checking the weather forecast for the weekend like a psycho, and I’m mentally preparing for the race route.

Remember how I said I wanted to run the course on my last long run? Well… turns out the course is going to be on a parkway and the race officials will actually close off the road to cars. So there was no way I could run the course ahead of time.

Also, I found out that not only is the race an out-and-back course (where you run to a certain point, then turn around and run the same course back to the start) but the length of the course one-way is 2.5k, meaning for my 10k I’m going to have to do the out-and-back TWICE. ugh, groan!!! I’m really worried about how this will affect me mentally. It can’t be easy to see the finish line and know that you’re only actually at the halfway mark.

But hey, at least I’m not doing the half or full marathon, because those poor suckers have to run that 5k loop 4 or 8 times before they finish. I can’t even imagine!!

Anyway, I had planned to run twice this week, but I only ran a 5k yesterday morning. And what I learned from that is that it is unwise to run 5k on an empty stomach after nursing a child three times during the night before. By the end of it I was seeing stars in the corner of my eyes. I was DEFINITELY running on empty, and it shows in my splits:

1 – 5:29
2 – 5:36
3 – 5:34
4 – 5:23
5 – 5:45 <- Slog!

I spent the last few days taking Nico out on long walks too, and I’ve really noticed that I DO NOT eat enough food in the day. I have to make more of an effort to have good food on hand, but it’s tough with this kid on my hip and sleep deprivation rearing its ugly head (which just makes me crave doughy things from the coffee shop).

My plan for the next two days is to rest, eat lots of good food, and to take an Epsom salt bath on Saturday. My legs are feeling tight and I don’t want my knees acting up before race day.

Eeek! It’s really happening! I’m nervous!!

One thing I’m really digging about Nico this week is his hair. He had a little bit of hair when he was born, but most of it fell out in his first month. Remember this picture?

One Month Old

Slowly but surely it’s been growing back in, and it’s finally starting to have some thickness to it. I mean, relatively speaking…

Nico with his big cousin Rio

Anyway, I’m convinced that Nico is on the verge of teething. He’s got the symptoms and I just have a feeling teeth are really close at hand. Did you know that baby teeth don’t actually cut the gums? They (the gums) simply dissolve to create an opening for each tooth. It made me feel better knowing Nico wasn’t going to go through something as traumatic as piercing his gums… Also did you know that there are 20 baby teeth and 32 adult teeth?

Nico has always been a really alert baby, and recently I’ve noticed that he doesn’t just prefer outside diversions, he actually thrives on them. So the bulk of our days now are spent outside the house. Even I feel way better on days where we see more than just the same four walls of our living room. And better days mean better nights…

What a nice day for 9k!

Today marks my last long run before the race. And it almost didn’t happen. I really didn’t want to go for a run today. Like for reals. I wanted to hang out with these guys:

But instead I put on all of my gear and headed out into that -14*C weather. It was pretty cold to start, but I still worked up a sweat. Here are my splits:

1 – 5:50
2 – 5:37
3 – 5:41
4 – 5:37
5 – 5:41
6 – 5:34
7 – 5:36
8 – 5:31
9 – 5:19

See that – I even had enough in the tank for a little sprint at the end. Actually, the whole run felt great and I went from being all *whomp whomp* before the run to being really amped by the time I got home. It was a good solid run and a nice end to my long runs. I’ll probably run a couple more times next week, but I’m generally going to take it easy and look after my legs. They’re a bit tight and sore in some spots, and I don’t want to risk an injury right before the race (or even on race day).

Other highlights from the week include a grueling skate along the Rideau Canal. I was pushing the stroller on a day that reached above freezing, so the canal was really soupy and it was tough slogging. I think I skated about 4k in total, and walked maybe another 3-4. On Tuesday I went on an ambling run around the neighbourhood, checking out houses!

I can’t help it, I’m obsessed! (not that I would give up our new house for anything, but it’s nice to see other people’s curb appeal…)