Race Report: Wicked 10k

Date: October 27, 2012
Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)
Time: 1:19:46
Pace: 12:50 min/mile
Overall Place: 3538/7264
Age Group (F 30-34) Place: 313/791

Woke up at 6:30, showered, got into costume. Woke E up, got her changed, fed, and into costume. Packed up the stroller, walked out the front door of the hotel, and we were in our corral! Only had about 10 minutes before the race started, so we took a few pictures, and hung out in the back. Lots of fun costumes especially all the strollers with kids.

 First part of run was pretty calm. Once we turned on to the boardwalk it was a lot tougher - wind was in our face and we were getting sand in our eyes. Not so fun. Ran into the wind for about 2.5 miles. That was the hardest part, especially with the stroller. Had to walk a little with E during this part because she got fussy. We had a lot of people - especially kids - be excited about us dressed up as the Incredibles. Very fun. When we turned back onto the Boardwalk at 40th, it was better because the wind was at our back.

Skipped the beer and the candy stops during the race. Didn't seem like such a good plan, and I am not a fan of candycorn any way.

My wrist got pretty swollen during the run and really started to hurt around mile 3. It was wrapped, and I don't think I wrapped it loose enough, but didn't want to mess with it during the race.

Operation: Lose the Baby Weight

Ok, technically, I've already lost the baby weight, since I only gained 15 pounds while pregnant and lost 12 of that from delivery.  However, a dear friend has informed me that I'm allowed to use the term "baby weight" until she's about 5.  (This is how you know who your good friend are.)  As such, I've decided to put in the effort and start losing weight and getting back to running.

I am not nearly brave enough to post my starting weight on a blog.  No way.

But, I am logging calories and workouts in my training log at BeginnerTriathlete.com.  I've been a member there since 2004 (!) when I decided to train for my very first triathlon.  It's great to get to compare my historical data and see how far I've come. I've also stopped drinking soda to try to cut out empty calories.  Note: this is not a stopping caffeine thing.  I tried that while I was pregnant.  I got massive migraines and I was grumpy.  No one likes that.  Plus, let's be honest, I have an almost-four-month old at home.  I need coffee.

While I am weighing myself every day, I'm mostly paying attention to the Monday weekly weigh-ins.  That gives me extra motivation to be good on the weekend.  :)

I started running yesterday and was able to take the baby for the first time! Her pediatrician recommended we wait until she was about four months old and had better head control.  Here we are ready to go:

It worked out pretty well.  The first few minutes were filled with looks like, "Mommy? What is going on?" and "Mommy? Why are you breathing so hard?".  But, after about 8 minutes, she fell asleep, so I am taking that as a sign that she likes it.  We ran a mile in a little under 15 minutes.  Not too bad for our first run together!

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

January 2012 Knitting Projects

I knit about 1,130 yards this month on these projects.  Lots of baby knitting.  :)

Looking forward to 2012

My training totals for 2011 are pretty terrible.  I don't even want to post them here!  I managed to do one race - a triathlon as part of a relay - but I don't even feel that great about my performance during that either. Suffice to say, I am looking forward to starting 2012!

I am not yet cleared to run.  Hoping that I get the go-ahead in another two weeks at my 6-week post-partum checkup.  Right now, I am trying to take walks with our little one in the stroller and I just started the 100 pushups program (again).  This seem like great ways to ease into training again.

What do you have planned for 2012?  Hope it's a great year!

Craft Project: Tie-Dye Baby Onesies

This is my attempt at some non-knitting crafts. While my sister-in-law was in town last weekend, we tie-dyed some baby onesies.

I bought a kit from Dharma Trading Company and some Gerber onesies in sizes from 3 months to 18 months.

All of our supplies laid out.

Step 1: Fold and wrap with rubber bands.

Step 2: Soak for 15 minutes in soda ash.

Step 3: Prepare dye. It was a little tricky to get the dye dissolved properly, but I did the best I could.

Step 4: Apply dye to fabric!  Probably the most fun part despite me soaking my hands in dye.  Pro-tip: wear gloves.  Pro-tip #2: if you don't wear gloves, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser really helps get it out of your hands.

Step 5: Allow dye to sit in fabric overnight.  We wrapped each shirt in a plastic bag (the sort you get from a grocery store or Target).

Step 6: Rinse with cold water, then wash in hot water with textile detergent.  Again, wear gloves for this step.

Finished shirts!!!