A brilliant idea

Tonight while on the phone with my brother I was explaining that I was burning up because I had just consumed a cup of decaf coffee. He asked why I was drinking coffee if it was making me too warm. I told him I'd brewed it because I was thirsty. His response? "You know, I've never considered coffee a thirst quencher. If it were meant to quench thirst there would be a coffee flavored Gatorade."

Why has no one thought of this? It's brilliant. Runners could still (sort of) have their morning coffee, hydrate rather than dehydrate, and get all of those electrolytes. Starbucks could cash in on this.

"What will it be this morning?"
"I'll have a mocha latte Gatorade, please. Hold the whipped cream."
"That will be $4.73."

I'm buying stock now. You'll soon find this in my Catalog of Obscure Running Gear, right after the maternity dry-fit clothing section.

Shout out, Nashville edition

Congratulations to Debby Rehn for finishing her first half-marathon this past weekend in Nashville!! Not only did Debby finish, she beat her goal time, finishing in 1 hour 57 minutes 25 seconds. Good job!!

As for my efforts, it isn't even particularly comfortable to walk much anymore. The baby has moved down as far as humanly possible, so there is a good bit of pressure from time to time. I will however be walking and/or doing prenatal yoga tomorrow. It's high time! In either case I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do, but it will feel good to get some exercise.

Shout out, Boston Marathon edition

A big congratulations to my TNT coach, Harley Johnson, for completing the Boston Marathon in 2:49:21! That's an average pace of 6 minutes 28 seconds per mile. Way to go!!

I also heard through the grapevine that some of my teammates are gearing up for their next races. It looks like one will be running Indy with Meg and me in October. A few are planning on doing the Chicago Marathon. Two of my former teammates are coaching the TNT fall team. I think they'll be great coaches. The fall team kicks off here in a few weeks. I can't wait to take my baby for early morning strolls and see the team while they train! All around, very exciting news from my little community of runners!

Sorry Mom, concerned members of the public

I just couldn't help myself. It was pushing 60. The sky was a beautiful blue with fluffy and lightly scattered clouds. Meg and I are both having light weeks (though admittedly, "light" means entirely different things for us). So we ran. That's right, I said we. We ran.

We ran/walked about 2.9 miles. We walked at least as much of it as we ran, and the running was not particularly fast. Following doctor's orders, I was careful and walked when I felt tired or too heavy. I have to admit, after the fact I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable, but it was worth it. Tomorrow I will do prenatal yoga and loosen my muscles back up again.

I apologize to my mother because I told her that "the last mile" a few weeks ago would be it. She worried about that mile even, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. To the concerned members of the public, I apologize because I know it's surprising and odd to see a woman 8 months pregnant running. I understand your confusion and concern and I assure you, I'm being careful and talking regularly with my OB.

Earlier this week I walked and did prenatal yoga. I'm still liking that combination in these final weeks. It keeps me active and maintains some muscle tone without making the muscles too tight. My doctor recommends prenatal yoga, since loose muscles make for easier delivery. Today may really have been the last running I will do; my hips really are not happy about it. Stay tuned though.

Article of interest

It's a really slow day at work, so I'm being rather naughty and posting to this blog. For anyone who cares, my work schedule is 100% flexible, so I'm not actually stealing "company" time. I'm not on a clock. Regardless, it feels sort of naughty.

I just saw this article on MSN and wanted to post it. When I started running in earnest, just about a year ago, I had concerns about my left knee. I had surgery on it in 1995 and was concerned that running would further tear the cartilage. I was concerned enough to talk to my general practitioner about it. She told me that many people have noisy knees and that it's no cause for concern vis-a-vis running. She said that if I start to get an ache, take some glucosamine and ice my knee. In the whole course of training for the CDC last year it never became a problem. As the article mentions, I hear a lot of people use this fear as a reason not to begin running. I'm encouraged that the article advocates responsible running and points out the dangers of sitting on the sideline.

In the world of Joanna, things are going well. I've been mixing walking, light to moderate weight lifting, and prenatal yoga. Never before have my muscles been as consistently tight as they are now (I'm at 34 weeks, for anyone who is curious). The yoga makes a noticeable impact by loosening up my legs, back, and arms. I feel like brisk walking is keeping my cardiovascular strength up somewhat, for which I'm grateful. My doctor gave me the best news of the week, though. As long as I slow down and am careful, I can still go run the occasional mile. Given what the nurse had told me at the last visit, and the fact that my ligaments are loose now, I had thought it was discouraged. There may yet be another mile or two left in this pregnancy. Now that the weather is turning toward spring, it's torture for me not to run a lap here and there.

And finally, I have some commentary on spring runners. When it's 55 or 60 degrees out, you do not need long sleeves to run. Regardless, it makes me happy to see everyone out putting in some miles, enjoying the spring weather.

The last mile

Well, today was the day. I ran my last mile while pregnant. Afterwards I saw a friend of mine. He asked me why today was the day, was I going to induce labor or was something wrong? The simple answer is that the baby now weighs about 4 lb. 5 ounces (I had an ultrasound today, which is how I know this), I've gained 20 lb., and my ligaments/joints are starting to loosen. I'm 32 weeks pregnant. Surprisingly, running actually felt pretty good and wasn't even slow. Part of me says that if I'm enjoying it, I should keep running the occasional mile. The mother in me (wow, that's weird to say) is saying that it's time to take more precautions. So, today was the day. As Meg said, it is sort of bittersweet. In this case, the sweet far outweighs the bitter.

After my mile, I walked for a few minutes then did some weight lifting. It's always awkward to lift in a gym that you're unaccustomed to. For instance, I usually do about 50 lbs. on the tricep pulldown at my regular gym (all I ever do on campus is walk or run. Brendan and I go to a local gym together, where I do other cardio and weights). On campus, I think I had 22 or 27 lbs. on the tricep pulldown. The tension is just different from machine to machine. It's also disorienting not to know where things are in the gym. I'm sure I'll learn the layout better over the coming weeks. It was nice that Meg could keep running and I could work on my upper body. It's a convenient setup.

For the next 3 months or so this blog probably ought to be called "Joanna Walks" or "Joanna Waddles." It's not that I plan to do nothing, it's just that the mix has to change. For a while, you'll get to read about my progress with walking, prenatal yoga, weight lifting (mild), and perhaps the elliptical machine. Yay for fitness during pregnancy! And hopefully the weight will come off afterwards without too much of a fight...

A great cold weather run

My husband and I just got back from a wonderful vacation in sunny Las Vegas. Just a few days ago I was lounging by a pool in a tank top sipping a milkshake. Today I was bundled up in a long-sleeved shirt, a zip-up hoodie, a scarf, gloves, and a winter coat. Needless to say, I'm anxious for spring. All that is beside the point, though.

Meg and I were scheduled to run today. Since today was officially the last day of my vacation, I slept in, left my house in time for lunch with a friend, then went to two meetings (I couldn't really miss them) on campus. In all of my vacationing, I failed to take a snack with me for the afternoon. Having neglected that, I was too hungry to want to run at 4pm. Consequently, we replaced our regular run with a different type of winter run....a drive to the coffee shop. Rather than run, we enjoyed warm beverages and baked goods. And it was great. Thank you Meg for a great "winter run" to end a great week of vacation.

Just for fun, here are a few pictures from our trip (to Vegas, not the coffee shop!). This is part of the south strip at night. You can see New York-New York, the MGM, and Paris.

Here we are basking in the sun!

I love this picture! I took it because I have a picture just like it, except taken during the day and in front of the real Eiffel Tower, from 2002.

Here I am with the Coke Bear, in the Coke Store on the Strip. The store is three stories of Coke merchandise. I know it sounds absurdly commercial, but they do have fun and sometimes whimsical things.

Our last night in Vegas we went to a French restaurant, Mon Ami Gabi, for dinner. We ate on the patio overlooking the Bellagio fountain so we could watch the light and water show. Near the end of our dinner I asked for more decaf. In response, the waiter picked up, along with all the other dishes, both my coffee cup and the cream pitcher. So this is me, clinging to the remaining sugar dispenser, mourning the premature loss of my coffee cup. He did come back with a "fresh cup" (his words) for me a few minutes later.

And finally, here is Brendan with the Bellagio fountain show behind him. What a perfect evening!