Hey San Francisco!

Goober with her sidewalk chalk

We are coming for you next week!!

Goober, Travis and I will be rocking the town of San Fran for a couple days.  Anyone want to meet up?  :)

In the meantime, just recuperating from a day of heavy cleaning, giving up my precious Lincoln Navigator and running after Goob....oh, and the Super Bowl.

How was your weekend?

The Friday Adventure with Goober

Sleeping Goober

A couple Fridays ago, I took Goober on the longest stroller run to date: 7.4 miles!  It was quite the accomplishment, and by the end we were both in need of a nap and coffee (or in Goob's case, a cup of milk).  We ran along the Soos Creek trail on an out-and-back course, and Goob was zonked out for most of the run.  We did a little exploring of an abandoned, burnt house on the top of a hill.  Of course we probably weren't supposed to go explore the old house, which had been torn down recently, but Kerrie & I have wanted to for a LONG time.  I was very cautious with Goob, and she didn't go near anything dangerous.  It was cool, but very sad, to see the remains of the house on the hill. :(  I wonder what happened.  Here are some pics:

Small road to the old house

The view of the valley (trail) from the house

What's left of the foundation

A broken kid's toy. :(

Goober keeping watch

The front steps, now adorned with graffiti

Foundation

Another view

So sad

Smoky, broken glass

A bathroom? Shower drain.

Pottery

Also along the trail was a bunch of dog bombs.  Not on the grassy parts along the side but ON the trail itself.  It really made me have to weave around the trail with the jogger, which is not easy, and I nearly escaped poo-free.  At the very end of the run, my arms were tired, and as I was weaving to avoid a huge dog dump I swerved into another.  Great.  Poo on the jogging stroller.  Gross.

I mean, who lets their dog take a crap on the middle of a popular trail???  

Speaking of dumps (heh heh):

Back on a run with Kerrie some months ago we came across a whole bunch of garbage dumped at the foot of a big hill.  We thought we saw a treadmill-like contraption, among other household items: clothes, sleeping bags, books, etc.  Well, looks like the city did something about it and put up a sign.

Then, speaking of signs:

So there are wild bundt cakes out here too?

There's a telephone pole that always has pictures on it, most in plastic baggies, and usually of birds spotted in the area.  This time around the sign pole held pics of baked goods, and on the back of the pictures were recipes.  Weird.  Was it a geocaching thing?  Dunno.

Anyway, I love having adventures with Goober...and there are many more to come. :)

Greek Geeks

Tall Mom Mel is right...us ladies are definitely geeky when we get together, but that's the best part!  With life, jobs, families, worries, race woes, health, and such, sometimes it's just perfect to be goofy.  Monday night Greek food with Mel, Kerrie, Jill and Chelsea was exactly what I needed.  My cheeks hurt so much from laughing!

These girls are a ton of fun...

My gangle arms for the win!  Me, Mel, Jill, Kerrie and Chelsea

Calamari. This photo is for Racing With Babes' TMB...

Wine! 

Jill and Mel cheesin.

The newly engaged Chelsea

Lip gloss

Jill & Mel

Um, yeah. We are strange.

Lip gloss for the other side of the table.  

Kerrie didn't cut off my head in this one! Nice!

Ha!  I love Chelsea's face... :)

What are some non-running things you do with your running friends?

Running While Pregnant

I wrote this post ONE YEAR AGO...and forgot to publish it.  Oops.  So here it is!

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Let's be honest here.  There are some things that I knew would happen during/after pregnancy, and some that were not expected.

8 mos. along

GUYS/GENTLEMEN/DUDES, you can skip this post.  It's all things girly and may be TMI for you...and I don't want you all thinking I'm weird (but it may be too late for that).  Well, I just need to get these things out there for others to know. Actually, I just don't want you thinking of my boobs.  There, I said it.  And now you are thinking of them.  CRAP.

Running:
First, my doctor was extremely supportive of my running habits.  He just advised me to tone down the workout intensity and to listen to my body.  Being a competitive and somewhat stubborn running individual, I had a hard time with this at first.  Slow DOWN?  I just started getting faster!  WTH?!  But, I soon discovered that I was just thankful to be able to run while expecting, as some people aren't allowed to even exercise.  Why did I still run?  It saved my sanity.  Being an active person kept me healthy (my cholesterol decreased and my risk of diabetes went down as well), and it made me have a more positive outlook on life.  Sure, the sport of running has its bad memories (ie my mum), but I needed to get past that and go on.  So, of course I didn't want pregnancy to stop me.  I was going to run, or hobble, as long as I could.


Things I didn't know I'd need/love:
Gerber NUK Disposable nursing pads
Hospital underwear
My coffeemaker and International Delight Creamers
Waterproof mattress pad - night sweats!
My maternity running skirt
Epsom salt soaks
SwaddleMe blankets...lifesaver!

I didn't know:
I'd bleed continuously for 7 weeks. UGH!
I'd sweat SO much at night to lose extra water weight.
My boobs would leak, and that's what caused the "baby spitup" smell that I couldn't find.
I'd love coffee that-much-more.
My outfit would revolve around how easy/accessible it'd be to nurse Goob.

Reader questions:
1. Did you need/seek out doctor permission to run while pregnant? 
Yes, before continuing with my training I made sure that what I was doing was safe for both myself and the little Goober. Before I had my first doctor's appointment, I just walked and took a tiny break from running. 

2. Were you nervous about "hurting" Goober when you ran during pregnancy? 
The thought actually crossed my mind, but then I remembered that she was in a snug, underwater environment and it made me feel better.  Running is more of an up/down motion, so at least I wasn't doing any hardcore flips and gymnastics...then, I might've thought otherwise.

3. Did you need to buy new shoes because of bigger feet?
I've heard that some women's feet get bigger during pregnancy, but mine didn't get any longer.  Of course they would get swollen on occasion (and you really should put your feet up at the end of the day), but it wasn't necessary to buy bigger shoes.  Although, with my love of shoes, I wouldn't have had a problem with that!

4. Do they make prego running gear? :)
Oh goodness!  This was a really really tough obstacle.  The ONLY thing I would run in is the Running Skirts' Maternity Skirt.  I honestly couldn't find any other maternity "running" gear.  The Maternity skirt was/is so incredibly comfortable and supportive.  The large "belly panel" really does help keep the tummy snug and secure.  I used it up until I was 8 months!

5. Which is harder, running prego or pushing a jogging stroller?
Since I'm a jogging stroller noob, that's a tough question.  I'm going to say that running prego is harder, because you can't "escape" that extra weight that a jogging stroller has.  Plus, your body is in a different place than it was when you weren't expecting, so you have to deal with new aches, fatigue and overall slowing down of your pace.  The jogging stroller, I've heard, gets easier with some practice.  But running prego is not that easy for the duration of the pregnancy.


6. When do you need to stop running during pregnancy (besides obvious things like pain or bleeding)? 3rd trimester? Certain weight? Belly size?  My doctor told me to listen to my body.  If it hurt to run (which it did at times because of the loosening of my joints), then I would stop and try something else.  For the last month and a half I took up water aerobics and swimming to take place of my running.  It definitely kept me sane staying active, and the water felt amazing with a big belly!  Sometimes I would even forget I was pregnant!  But, every woman's body is different, and you just have to remind yourself of this.

7. Did you need to have more doctor visits than normal to monitor for changes?
Nope.  I just had the regular visits just like a normal pregnancy.  I'm very thankful that I didn't have to go see the doctor more than what is recommended.  


8. Was your doctor supportive of your running? 
Very much so!  In fact, when I told him that I had been signed up for the Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon for months prior to becoming pregnant, he said that "as long as I was up to it" that I could participate.  And so I ran 13.1 miles while 5 1/2 months along with Goober.  I just scaled back my pace, took my time, and enjoyed the scenery. :)


Any questions?  Please feel free to ask.  I know it's been awhile since I was pregnant, but it's still fresh in my mind. 

On the Hunt

Where have I been?  My "daily" running adventures are not being well documented here, unfortunately, in the past couple weeks and that's because I'm on the hunt for a big-girl job.

Yes, I'm going back to work.

After staying at home with Goober for the past 15 months, I'm looking forward to contributing my knowledge and skills toward a grown-up atmosphere again.  Don't get me wrong, Goober is a great running personal trainer and BOSS, but the compensation (hugs/smiles/laughs/kisses/squeals of delight) doesn't pay the bills.  Bummer, I know.  Wish they could!

In my old cube, tending to my office
plant--an orchid named "Buddy"

So I've been sending out e-mails and status updates asking for possible leads at Seattle-based companies...and man, job hunting is stressful.  After I graduated from college back in 2005, I thought that surely I would get a decent job right off the bat.  Not so!  I went through months and months of interviews, screenings, resumes, applications and then finally settled on becoming an administrative temp.  The feeling of failure was always there when I would come in "second" place for a job that I really thought I'd have a chance at getting.  It took a toll on my self-confidence.  But, becoming a temp was probably one of my best decisions because I got to work for large array of business types, environments and with some amazing people...and I eventually landed a great job at an even better company.  AND there were a dozen or so people that could write me a good job recommendation letter.  When it all comes down to it, it really IS about who you know.

But I can't go back to temping because I think I can do better this time around.  I have the background, the experience and the drive to get what I want...and NEED.

Now, I just have to go out and do it.

The Storm Aftermath

Running on snow/ice is difficult, especially without traction.  Dodging fallen branches, trees and random crap is tough too.  Our community was hit with a crazy snowstorm, ice storm and THEN a wind storm to top it all off.  People up the street were without power for days, and it SUCKED.  There are trees all over the place that broke in half.  Poor trees!  Here are some pics of the damage from my neighborhood:

View of the tree in the front yard. It was heavily weighed down by thick ice, but luckily bounced back after a couple days.  The trees across the street were bent/broken permanently. :(

Flooded farm

Downed tree that hit a fence and house

Snapped

The "branch-slap" tree fell

Another huge evergreen fell. Good thing it didn't fall onto the house!

A bunch of marsh trees fell or snapped in half

The sidewalk I was running on. 

Quickly!

My Internet was restored yesterday afternoon! Yay! But I'm posting again from my iPhone because Trav is on the computer AND another wind storm is threatening our power again. *sigh*
The gusts outside are extremely loud, I'm surprised Goober hasn't woken up yet. Hopefully power will stay on this time (but it's been shorting out a half dozen times in an hour).
Treadmill hill interval workout kicked my butt, but it was necessary. A butt-kicking is always good for training, right?

Stay safe out there!