My First Mother's Day

I've always felt Mother's Day was kind of a sham. My mom never got into it, and I guess it rubbed off on me. I think it's funny when people treat it like a real holiday, as if it's Christmas or Easter. I never understood when people couldn't get together because they had to celebrate Mother's Day.

The weird thing is, I'm fiercely sentimental and emotional about many things. There are random times I get misty eyed just looking at Austin and realizing how much he's grown, or that these moments with him as a baby slip by so quickly. But Mother's Day, brings out nothing. I think because it's forced emotion, not that kind that occurs naturally, but something you're supposed to apparently feel on this Sunday in May.

Honestly, I feel like everyday is Mother's Day. I don't need flowers, brunch or jewelery to feel appreciated as a mom (and wife). I'm so lucky just to be a mom, that I don't think there needs to be a day to celebrate it.

That said, Ben listened to my request to do nothing, and treat it like any other day, and oh was it ever.

We started the day out as any other weekend, we went for a nice family walk.

Two Boys Ready to Walk

Then, we had to tackle a mystery smell from our garage. That's right, that's what happened on my first Mother's Day, I went after a nasty stink coming from our garage.

When I say nasty, you have to know, it was beyond awful, it was gag worthy, and I did gag a few times. Yesterday, I thought it was the garbage, so I cleaned out the garbage cans and recycling bin, thinking it could be something that spilled in there.

This morning, the smell was worse than ever, and spilling into the house, and I said to Ben, "I think something is dead out there."

And after some investigation in the garage, I spotted something, poop. Small animal poop. Yup, something was surely dead in our garage.

At some point, we decided to pull out the refrigerator in the back of our garage, thinking it could be coming from there. Fridge pulled out, but nothing to be found, then Ben said, "It smells like it's inside the fridge."

I started pulling up the bottom flaps that cover the electrical coils on the back of the fridge with my foot and suddenly, there it was... a huge, dead rat. The creature had obviously been electrocuted and it's huge eyes were staring out at me!!

When I saw it, I ran out of our garage screaming. A couple neighbors came over to see what was up after I went screeching into our driveway and I showed them the dead vermin.

In the best Mother's Day gift a man could give, Ben grabbed a couple garage bags, and he graciously pulled the rat out from the refrigerator himself and got rid of it. Thank goodness, because there was no way I could touch that thing, even with layers protecting my hand, bleh.

So there we go, that was my first Mother's Day.

I'm hoping Father's Day doesn't involve hitting a skunk with the car or something.

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Nike Women's Half Recap

What is it about the Nike Women's Races that kick my butt so badly? I guess because both races I've done of the Nike series were  true challenges, and I had to dig deep to finish both. The first Nike Women's event I did was the Full Marathon in San Francisco in 2010. It was my first, and at this point, my only full in 2010, here's my recap of that race.

This half last Sunday felt very similar to the full. Like running my first full marathon with an injury, I was trying to accomplish something that seemed nearly impossible at some points, completing a half marathon six months and one day after giving birth via C-Section.

I'll give away the ending right now, I crossed the finish line. I did it. It wasn't pretty, but I did it, and here's how...

Friday night, Lynne and I went to the expo to pick up our packets in Georgetown. It was an awesome expo. Free Luna bars of all varieties ran aplenty, samples of Nun hydration drink, and since it was a women's race, Paul Mitchell would do your hair, and Bare would do your make up.

This guy was really excited about his job with Luna

 Besides the usual traffic congestion that is Georgetown, the packet pick up and expo were seamless, and I'm glad we went on Friday night to avoid the Saturday crowds.

Sunday morning was the usual early wake up, 4:35 to be exact. I pumped, ate some oatmeal with berries and peanut butter, got ready and was out the door at 5:25 a.m.

Lynne and I met at a metro station, where we parked and took the train into the District. The train was efficient and got us to the starting line quickly, where I then had the challenge of finding where to drop off my bag, that was the only stressful part of this pre-race process. The streets were packed and they kept announcing that bag check was closing, making it even more stressful!

During the hubbub to find the bag drop, I did run randomly into my old friend Chantelle from Wisconsin who told me she would be cheering at the race, but I never thought we'd actually see each other!

Chantelle and I Pre-Race

After getting my bag dropped off, we stood in our coral, and watched the sun rising over the Capitol surrounded by 15,000 runners. It was awesome.

Lynne and I, ready to run

The race got started and was great, the first half felt wonderful, despite quick the congestion of runners for the first 1.5 miles.

There were many good things about the route, the cool feeling of running under the Memorial Bridge, and great sites throughout the course. There was were great crowds most of the race, fun bands, and many funny signs from spectators.

One pitfall of this race were the water stops at the beginning, they didn't have volunteers proactively handing out cups of water the first half, you had to go up to the table and get a cup, or go pour your own at the table--not ideal. I skipped the first water stop because of this, which was not a good idea in the long run.

About half way through the race, my body really started to hurt. My ankles and arches hurt (read: I need new running shoes) and my legs were getting heavy. Mentally, I felt defeated at several points after mile 11. My body was telling me no in every way. I couldn't keep any liquids down in my stomach after that point, forget any shot blocks or sport beans.

Then, around mile 12, I started to feel very woozy. I told Lynne I had to walk, running wasn't going to happen. I tried running a couple more times, but every time I did, I saw spots and sparkles.

With the finish line in site, I got the chills, not because I was excited to finish or feeling all euphoric or something, oh no, but because my body was freezing cold and I was shivering. I knew at that point, I was dehydrated. I leaned on Lynne, literally, a lot that last mile, because felt like I was going to pass out, but I had to finish.

At mile 13, I told Lynne we had to run it in the last .1 miles. And we did, and then as I crossed the finish, my body crumbled nearly in a heap on the ground, I leaned on Lynne again, and she ushered me to the Medical Tent, where I was placed on a stretcher, had some water, and then received half a bag of fluids through an IV. I felt better quickly and bounced out of the tent after about 15 minutes to find Ben and Austin at the finish line, and of course get my Tiffany necklace!

At the Nike Women's Marathon in SF they had Fire Fighters in tuxedos handing out the necklaces, at this race it was ROTC students from Howard University, which was kind of weird since most them were about ten years younger than me!

Looking back at the race, I didn't plan ahead enough for how many more calories and fluids I would need to consume during the race because of nursing, and that is why I believe I became so dehydrated.

Training for a race like this with a newborn is hard, and frankly, I was not trained enough for it because of all my commitments. There is a whole other post I will have to write about that, about HOW one trains when you work full time, and parent full time, but still have goals like this you want to accomplish. After all, you can't forget who you are when you have kids, and have to keep doing what you love.

In the end, I'm proud I ran this race. Proud of what my body can accomplish in so many ways. I won't be running another distance race for quite some time, but I'm glad that if I'm taking a break from longer distances, this was the race I went out with.

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Cherry Blossom Ten Mile: A Race Day Timetable

This weekend I laced up the shoes for my first big race since giving birth, the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in D.C. I signed up for this race on a whim about a month ago, using their bib transfer site and bought a women's entry who had to drop out (entries to this race are bought through a very high demand lottery held in December).

I wanted to run it because: 1. I had to defer to the 5K last year because of morning sickness. I walked it with my friend Kristin, but was sad to miss a race that's widely known as one of the best in D.C. and 2. As a pacer for my half-marathon in three weeks, because I wasn't sure I'd get the miles in on my own before the race (before Sunday's race, the longest training run I've done is 7.5 miles).

The logistics for running this were a mess. My husband was suddenly told on Wednesday he had to work, and had no choice Sunday morning. So, now, I was needing to get into D.C. by 7:15, find a sitter for my son, and get us all out the door quite early. Luckily, my friend Kristin (who I walked the 5K with last year) has a 9 month old son, and she lives on the way to the race, and she and her husband offered to watch Austin. Yes, I still had to wake a baby in the wee hours of the day, nurse him, get out the door, etc. but having her help made life ten times easier.

My friend Glen offered to pick me up from their place as well (I had planned to ride with him originally) so I wouldn't have to brave the metro to get into the race. That was a huge weight off my shoulders again.

Here's a timeline of Race Day:

4:45: Alarm goes off.
4:48: Peel myself out of bed, eat oatmeal with peanut butter and mixed berries on top, take the dog out.
5:00: Get dressed from the waist down and brush my teeth
5:05: Pack the car
5:10: Wake up sleepy Austin, feed him, and get him dressed
5:30: Get dressed from the top up (because of feeding), put my hair up, get Austin in his car seat, and double check the house
5:42: Pull out of the driveway
5:50: Empty interstate on the way to drop Austin off at our friend's place, he's fast asleep again in the back seat, and I'm feeling good about my morning schedule
5:55: Red and Blue Police lights come rolling up behind me. "Better get over and get out of their way," I think and move to the right. The police lights follows me as I go right, and I look at my speedometer and realize, "OH, they're pulling ME over," and proceed to receive my first race day speeding ticket (and only second ticket ever). 
6:10: Back on the road, $90 poorer, but back on my way into the District. Austin woke up because we weren't moving and is starting to fuss, and now I'm running behind. Great.
6:27: Arrive at Kristin's place, park and take Austin upstairs (who is back sleeping peacefully, thank goodness). Good luck is back with me again, as I found a parking spot easily, and right in front of their building.
6:30: My friend Glen picks me up from Kristin's place, we drive to pick up our friend Maria as well, and then pull into D.C. with less traffic commotion than I thought.
7:10: Drop my bag off at bag check, and get in line for Porta Potties with Maria. The line is moving slooooow, and from my pre-race half a diet coke and water, I do have to go.
7:30: Ditch the Porta John line and head to my corral where I meet my friend Lynne who I'm running with.
8:03: We finally cross the start line. The course for this race did not disappoint. Although the cherry blossoms were not in full bloom, with the majority of them in buds, I wasn't too torn up about it because my allergies are already acting up, and the blooming trees would have made them even worse. Conversing with Lynne helped during these miles, it was hard to get going, and around mile 2.5 I thought, "How will I keep this up today?"
9:15: At 6.5 miles, I can't hold it anymore after not getting to use the bathroom before the race. I see a REAL bathroom on the banks of the Potomac, where the wind had been whipping off of, and would for the next 1.5 miles, and have to leave Lynne to go. I'm so glad I did, it made me feel a lot better, but disappointed with the 5+ minutes it took to get done.
9:22: Back on course, and feeling so much better while jamming to my iTunes, I'm feeling a good pace. My body is starting to get sore, but I can handle it. I took ONE picture Sunday. Only ONE. And it's because when I saw this sign, I thought, "Holy moly, I'm really going to do this!" and knew I was going to complete a ten mile race 5.5 months after having my abdomen muscles literally cut in half.

10:15: I cross the finish line with my arms in the air. My stomach feels like I could barf for some reason, my legs are tight, and my abs like jello, but my pride is beaming. I see Lynne waiting for me and give her a huge hug after I cross. I DID IT.
11:15: Arrive to pick up Austin after then walking nearly an extra mile with metroing to get him. My legs are officially SHOT.

It was invigorating to run this race , and do something just for me. I love my son more than anything in the world, and he and our family are the center of my life, but I think it's important to still have a few things I own, myself. I think it makes me a better wife and mom to step away from those roles and not let them 100% define me once in awhile, and situations like this allow me to do that.

The achievement may have been mine, but as you can see throughout the day, many friends helped me get there. Kristin and Suni watching Austin, and texting me pictures of him during the race to assure me he was doing great, Glen being nice enough to give me a ride in to avoid the crowded metro, Maria standing in line with me for the porta potties when she didn't even have to go, Lynne running with me and keeping good conversation flowing to keep my mind off of miles and times, and my husband who encourages me to take every training run and is such an amazingly involved Dad.

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Tuff Butt April

 First off, Weight Check:

-1.4 Pounds

Current Weight: 158.0 lb

I'm officially at a lower weight then when we moved to Virginia and I was tipping the scales of unhealthiness. The thing is, I still feel bigger than I did then because having a baby has changed my body so much. It's insane what this "natural" process did to the structure of my body. 

We'll see if that 158 stands after an eating filled weekend for Easter (candied bacon pancakes at brunch, enough said).

There is no doubt about it, this April is nuts for some reason. Ben and I have something planned nearly every weekend, and that, plus normal life, will make for a fun month.

Two things on tap: The Cherry Blossom Ten Mile and Nike Women's Half-Marathon. I am very nervous and excited about these races. My first long distances in quite some time, and training has been less than ideal because of life happening, but I've made it out nearly every weekend for a longer run, and done at least one other workout during the week whether it's running, strength training or elliptical.  My longest run was 7.5 miles this past weekend.

That said, I've decided to adopt this calendar for April for some simple strength training that even those with hectic schedules can fit in.

Tuff Butt April, and I need it!  Iowa Girl Eats had it listed on one of her Friday Favorites as a workout, and I thought, why not? My friend Ashley is doing it as well, so we've promised to hold each other accountable.

This month, we're also headed to the Midwest for a quick weekend with family, which I'm really excited about. I've been getting a bit antsy, and I think the getaway will be great for all of us.

Yesterday, I had an amazing trip to Trader Joes that you can only have at that quirky little store. Where you find things that are random gems to spice up your diet. So, coming soon, the common blogger post of, "What I buy at Trader Joes." Get Excited. =)

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March Madness!!

-0.8 Pounds

Current Weight: 159.4 lb

Two week update! Let me tell you, I'm happy to see the 150's, soooooooo happy. 

Last week, I was actually 159.2, but with the week I've had this week, I'll take the only .2 pound gain. Because, as much as I want to lose this weight to be healthy and feel good, it's good to remember your body is here for a purpose and some days that purpose isn't getting in a workout, and some days you just have to make it through and a few cookies are the thing that help you do it. 

And that  you can't obsess over every piece of food you eat, because at the end of this life, no one is going to remember if I took an extra two months to lose the last five pounds of baby weight, but I'll remember the experiences I shared with my little family during this time.

That said, with swimming lessons starting for Austin in May, both Ben and I are hoping to be down at least another five pounds by then to feel more comfortable getting into bathing suits (Side note: I need to buy a new one piece suit. I've seen some Speedos at Costco for a good deal, but maybe just a cheap one from Old Navy??). Ben is doing weight watchers with me, and down about eleven pounds himself, go Ben!

Honestly once the first day of lessons arrives though, I think our self consciousness will go out the window. as we'll be dealing with the madness of getting a little guy, plus ourselves, ready for lessons in a locker room,  and we'll only be focused on the task at hand. I am so, SO excited to get Austin the pool, as he's already a water loving maniac in the bathtub at home.

Another big victory for me today was putting on a pair of per-pregnancy jeans. Yes, they're loaded with stretch, and I may feel like a stuffed sausage by 3:00 p.m., but I did it!

Rocking the jeans and both Austin and I rocking our Gopher gear to cheer on the U of M against UCLA in the big dance tonight. Tomorrow, we'll switch it up into Gonzaga gear for Dad's team.

Speaking of Minnesota, we have visitors here this weekend, and we're taking a shopping trip in Georgetown at some point. I'm already pumped to get a cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake (who has a lot of new gluten free varieties!) or Sprinkles. Whoever has the shortest line (I'm guessing Sprinkles).

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Weight Loss and Gain with Celiac Disease

More than anything else I've wrote about, I get a lot of e-mails from people who stumble upon my post about being diagnosed with celiac, and have either been diagnosed with themselves, or think they have celiac and have the atypical symptom of not being able to lose weight like I did.

Then I get the usual question, "were you able to drop the extra weight once you were diagnosed with celiac and stopped eating gluten?"

The answer is yes, and no.

As I spoke about when I first went on Weight Watchers early in 2012 before I got pregnant, I wasn't being great with healthy habits after I was diagnosed.

Initially after going gluten free, I lost the bloat in my abdomen, and from my what my GI doctor told me, it was because my intestines were no longer constantly irritated, although it would take quite awhile for them to be at a normal state like a non-celiac sufferer. I also lost a few pounds, and was feeling good.

However, I fell into a trap of eating quite a few gluten free substitute foods. Things I thought I HAD to try, because I couldn't have the normal version, so I needed to take advantage of having a gluten free option. There were a few things, I never would have eaten the normal version of anyway, but then felt the need to have the gluten free version because the forbidden fruit aspect of things suddenly made those foods more appealing. For instance, Glutino's version of Oreos and Fudge Sticks.

Gluten Free Snacks, Source

And, although many people mistake gluten free to = healthy, that isn't always the case, especially when it comes to sweets. These snacks are loaded with sugar and butter to make up for the lack of gluten taste, and often made with Rice flour, that has little nutritional value, but is a true belly filler.

The point of this post is to hopefully answer the question for people who do come to this space looking for answer on whether you do lose weight after a celiac diagnosis, and the answer is yes, you can. However, you still have to watch what you eat (unless you're one of the very rare, lucky ones, who never have to do that) and make good choices, and keep your activity level up. But, hopefully with a healthy lifestyle, and the right diagnosis, you can be feeling better than you have in a long time. 
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On the Verge of the 150's

-3.6 Pounds

Current Weight: 160.2 lb

This is a two weeks update, as I missed last week, not because I had a gain and didn't want to post (the opposite actually happened), but because I've just been so darn busy. Over the past two weeks I've lost 3.6 pounds, and couldn't be happier. Last week, I was surprised to see a .4 pound weight loss, since the week before I had lost 3.2 pounds, but something was working in my favor. 

I'm hoping to see the 150's when I weigh in this Friday, but we shall see. Baby Cush and I are both suffering from minor head colds that irritate us more when we're trying to sleep. I got in a run Saturday, while Ben walked with the little guy on the trails, of 3.2 miles, then walked another mile with them. 

Disappointing, as the last two weeks I've had invigorating runs on Saturdays, and this weekend my goal was to do five miles that day as I train for my Ten Mile and Half Marathon, but it wasn't going to happen with how I felt, even with gorgeous, 50 degree and sunny weather. Next week, I've committed to run six miles with Lynn to make sure I get it in, even if she has to drag me down the trail.

What's really saving my ass I believe, is meal planning. I pack my lunch nearly every day for work, and create lists for the grocery store based on meals I want to make. Plus, I have the best grocery shopping assistant!

He's become obsessed with holding things, so while navigating Trader Joes just him and I this weekend, and little room in the cart because of his car seat, I thought, "Why not let him check out the goat cheese and polenta?" He was eager to explore, and he'll be a little foodie before we know it, as he tried his first "solid" food with Oatmeal this weekend as well.

The above ingredients, helped add to this dish:

Polenta, Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage and Red Sauce, 7 Points Plus

In my usual fashion, I made a double batch of what I made for dinner last night, with a portion for lunch the next day to help make eating healthy and affordable at lunch easier. I have the attitude now that if I'm putting in the effort to cook, it has to be a portion for more than one meal. 

This was SO good, and pretty easy. I think I'll make it again later this week. I use the term "easy" pretty loosely, because meals that some people call easy, now that I'm working and parenting full time, are NOT easy at all on weeknights.

I'd love to hear others easy recipes, however, as I'm always looking to spice up my selection. I think I've started to reach my limit on eating soups and chili's that I make large batches of and freeze. 

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