Annual 4th of July Long Run

Starting in 2010 (and maybe even earlier- I can't remember) I've done a long run on the 4th of July. I usually have the day off and I usually overeat at the 4th of July cook-outs so it makes good sense to burn some calories while enjoying a quiet morning on the lakefront path. I had hoped to continue this tradition this 4th of July but as you can imagine not all plans work out when you have a (then) 2 and a half month old at home! Mostly I was too tired to even contemplate a long(ish) run, plus the time it would take to get little Z all ready for a big day of seeing friends and family would have required me to start pretty early. I opted to get an extra hour of sleep. I think that was a good choice!

We had a very nice 4th of July with Adam's family and the Boyles. Z was well behaved (though a little overwhelmed by all the people to share too many smiles) and we kept her on a good nap schedule. On the ride home, the little stinker didn't want to sleep- we could hear he swishing around in her carseat. To keep her entertained, Adam sang 'The Rainbow Connection' in Kermit the Frog's voice which elicited giggles and smiles from our little backseat passenger which was awesome:)

But back to running. Despite only running 1 mile on the 4th, striving to maintain my 4th of July tradition (even though I failed at the execution) was a worthwhile endeavor. Soon after delivering in April, I made the goal of running 10 miles on the 4th, as a way to keep myself on target building up miles slowly but not too slowly. This worked well and I was on target, having run 8 the week before, at 10 weeks postpartum.

Today I ran 12. And it was absolutely fabulous which was reflected in my 8:37 min/mile pace which is FLYING for me on a run of this distance. To put it in perspective my PR for the half marathon (13.1 miles) is 1:56:44 which is a 8:54 min/mi pace. So 8:37 pace on a relatively slow easy long run is astounding. I know I will be very sore when I get up for the multiple middle-of-the-night feedings tonight, but it's totally worth it! Certainly, there is some degree of "baby doping" going on here, but I'll take it and hopefully I can continue at these faster speeds even as my blood volume goes back to normal over the next few months. As Z gets older my sleeping duration should be increasing so perhaps the two effects will balance each other out.

I must give a shout out to Adam and my Mom, who did not think anything of me leaving them with Zooey duty for a two hour run on a random week night. There's absolutely no way I'd be in this good of shape this few weeks from pregnancy without their support. I know there are folks who think it's crazy that both Adam and I still work out every single day with an infant at home but I truly believe it is better for us and therefore better for Zooey if we continue to maintain good health habits even though it means we see her a little less. We are role modeling that exercise is fun and an integral part of life, which she may not notice now but she will eventually. As she gets bigger she will be able to participate in more and more of our activities. I have no doubt we are doing the right thing by her by carving this time out for our physical and mental health.

And lastly, I want to pat myself on the back a little. I am tired. Having an infant who still doesn't sleep well or much is HARD. Pumping every 2-3 hours during the day and after every nightly feed is HARD. But I have been dragging myself through most of my workouts with the occasional pay out being a great workout like tonight. I have every excuse in the world to take some time "off" from training. But I will continue to fight that urge. One day I will not be able to run. TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY.

Three Months!

Last Wednesday, our dear Zooey turned three months old! It has been an exciting month with lots of milestones reached. She is more interactive and fun every day. Soon after her two month birthday she began smiling intermittently and now she has developed into a generally easy going smiley baby who can be distracted into a smile even when tired or hungry....most of the time. She also giggles which is awesome. Love the giggles.

HELLOO PEOPLE!!

I know something you don't know......

I think there is something to the theory I've read so much about that infants have a rough few days prior to acquiring a new "skill". Last weekend was really rough- she was so tired but couldn't sleep no matter how much we tried to help. Her eating was totally disorganized. She was withdrawn and not interactive probably because of the former two issues. I was really bummed because that was our last "free" weekend of the summer with neither of us working. But I think Zooey was hard at work developing hand/eye and foot/eye coordination because now she can swat at objects, and can spin the toys on her Baby Bjorn chair intentionally with her hands OR her feet! I don't see her all that much during playtime (which is a huge bummer, mostly I feed her and get her to sleep), but I don't recall much lead up to this. One day she's just staring at the toys, the next she's very clearly making them move. Crazy!

Still in staring mode here.....

Babybison continues to meet and visit with the important people in her life. Aunt Bonnie and Uncle David came in from Denver to meet her which was very special. We even went out to dinner at a nice restaurant and aside from 90 seconds of crying (just enough time for us to get the bottle out) she was an angel. Only two patrons even realized she was there! And Cousin Karin came back for a half marathon in Chicago and some quality Z time as well!

Getting to know Aunt Bonnie

Hanging with Cousin Karin

We haven't been on many adventures this month with me being back at work but we hope to get to the Botanic Gardens soon for a repeat photo shoot, this time with Zooey OUTSIDE of the womb. And we're getting to the point in her cuteness and interactiveness where we should think about our next formal photo shoot. Without it being planned, it's hard to catch us all not in our pajamas or work-out clothes!

Mom and Z

4th of July at the Boyles

We are so lucky to have my mom staying with us this summer. I hope she is enjoying it as much as we are! In addition to being the best possible caretaker to Zooey (Z is in much better hands with my mom than she would be with me!), she's is getting some great shots of our little girl. I'm so grateful we'll have her photos since we are way too busy to get many of our own!

Naked baby on the loose!

That's it for now! Life is too busy right now especially in the middle of the night. I look forward to the day when our little one acquires the "skill" of sleeping for more than two to three hours at a time on a regular basis. She had one glorious night when she was up only at 1 am and 5 am but otherwise she is keeping me up WAY WAY WAY too much. Thank god she's so darn cute!