Saturday, April 14, 2012

22 weeks and counting!

22 weeks and I can still run six miles without stopping.  I'm running more with this pregnancy than I did with the first.  I feel stronger and wiser the second time around.  This makes me more comfortable with knowing my running limits during pregnancy.  At 22 weeks I think I hit somewhere around 20 miles.  I also took a 45 min spin class during the week to change up the routine a bit.  I felt great during the class but definitely a little bit sore afterwards.  I don't know how cyclists get used to sitting on those seats.  They always seem to kill me afterwards. 

                                                             post 6 miles @ 22 weeks

Since I am running more with this pregnancy, I have to run with water and energy blocks.  I brought my water for a 6 mile run on Thursday but didn't even think about bringing the blocks.  I paid for it.  I was so hungry towards the end of my run that I was thinking about food and the more I thought of food, the more I wanted to quit.  But I didn't.  I ran it out and when I got home, I gobbled up my blocks.  I won't forget those again.  When you are pregnant and running, you burn so many more calories because you have a baby growing inside of you.  Plus you are running with extra weight.  You need to replenish those precious calories during and after runs or any exercise.  Tomorrow I plan to do a 6-7 miles stroller run with Stella.  She's a little over 25 lbs but I'm still pushing her even at this stage in my pregnancy.  I'll pack my water and blocks and try to head out the door early in the morning.  Temps are supposed to reach 80 degrees here.  What happened to spring?

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Back to Blogging

It's time to get back to blogging.  Too much has happened over the past 2 years to not blog about anything.  I'll admit, I've read and followed many blogs during this time; however I just never got around to updating my own.

Right now I'm 23 weeks pregnant with my second child and I'm still running.  My daughter, Stella, is 15 months and the most beautiful little person.  She is my world.  I run for myself and my family.  It keeps us sane and healthy.  Fortunately, I have an amazing husband who also loves to run.  Family runs on the weekends are our quality time spent well.

I see this blog as a journal of my life as a pregnant full-time working mother who is still running- running through life and the streets of NYC.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

NYC Marathon


About two weeks ago, my husband ran the ING NYC Marathon in 4:47. It was his first marathon and I'm so proud of him. 4:47 is pretty good considering his lack of training. Due to my husband's hectic work schedule, he didn't have the time to properly train. He ran a 16, 18 and 20 miler with a few six mile runs in between but that was basically it for him. I knew my husband would finish because he's determined and never gives up. However, what I didn't know was that he would finish in under 5 hours! Most people train to do the marathon in under 5 hours. He just winged it. I'm glad he finally experienced the full 26.2 miles and what better city to do it in than your hometown.


This was my first time spectating the ING NYC Marathon. I was fortunate enough to have received a finish line pass so I quickly made my way into the city before noon to catch the elites finish. I was pulling for Meb and although he did not win, I still became teary eyed when I saw him run past me with his USA singlet and cross the finish line. He's an inspiration.



I also witnessed Shalane Flanagan make her marathon debut and finish 2nd amongst the female elites. When I saw running in towards the finish, I got goosebumps all over. She did amazing. I screamed and yelled so loud when she walked past with the American flag draped around her. I think her smile says it all.






After the elites finished, I briskly walked across central park to make my way to First Avenue. I was meeting up wtih friends at the 16 mile marker. We thought we'd catch my husband but unfortunately didn't. I was afraid that we missed him, so we hopped on the subway and ended up on 116th and Fifth Avenue where we finally saw him! It was between mile 21 and 22 I believe and he was walking with a cup of water. As soon as he heard us call his name, he quickly threw down the water and started running again. After he passed, we made our way over to the west side to meet up with him on Central Park West. When we found him, he looked like he had been through hell. He was in pain but was happy he finished the 26.2 miles.

As for my NYC Marathon experience, it was fun but exhausting at 8 months pregnant. I wore my running sneakers because I knew I would be running/walking/waddling around the city all day long. I was so caught up in my marathon map and trying to find my husband that I forgot about my baby. By the end of the day, my braxton hicks contractions were more frequent and stronger and my legs were aching. It's a good thing I didn't go into labor while spectating! Watching the elites finish and the runners at mile 16 made me want to run another marathon right then and there. I was so envious of all the runners and it brought back all the wonderful marathon memories I earned a year before. However, seeing the runners at miles 21-22 reminded me of the pain and exhaustion that comes with the marathon. I don't know if I'll ever run another marathon again. Of course, a giant part of me wants to take on the challenge and set a pr. I loved the feeling of finishing and would like to feel that again. But another part of me doesn't know if I'll have to strength (and time) to train for another one since I'll have another little person to take care of in a month or so. Working full time and training for a marathon is one thing but add on taking care of a child and it's a whole other ball game. I will just have to wait and see what my marathon future holds.



Side Note: My husband ran for the charity Malaria No More. He and his team raised over $130k for a great cause. I couldn't be more proud!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Some Things New

Some new things have been going on in my life that have kept me from the blog world. I am fully recovered from my knee injury and back to running again only this time, I’m not running alone. I’m running with a little babe in my tum at seven months pregnant now. Preparing for baby has kept both my husband and I very busy.

We found out we were pregnant back in April and if you can recall, I was having a debilitating knee pain that caused me to lay off running for a bit. I believe it was tendonitis which was a result of the marathon I ran back in October 2009. By the time I found out I was pregnant, I was easing my way back into running with 2-3 mile runs at a slower pace. This ended up working out perfect for me because as a first time pregnant runner, I wanted to take running through pregnancy cautiously. Well, a couple of weeks ago I logged in 6 miles at 6 months pregnant! It felt amazing. I have managed to run all throughout my pregnancy. I have been fortunate to have an easy pregnancy. Running through pregnancy has been an incredible experience thus far. I’m impressed by how much my body can handle with a little person growing inside of it. It continues to amaze me each day.

More details on my pregnancy runs to come soon so stay tuned……

Monday, April 26, 2010

Cherry Blossom











As you know, I spectated the Cherry Blossom 10 miler a couple of weeks ago in DC. I spent the entire weekend with Dorothy and her adorable family. The morning of the race, we woke up before the sun and made our way into DC. I remember thinking to myself "Oh how I do not miss these 5am wake up calls". We arrived at the race with more than enough time. Unlike myself, Dorothy is prompt for her races. I'm always rushing before a race because I'm usually late. I think it's a nerves thing. Anyways, we met up with a bunch of other friends and took some pre-race photos. At this point, I was jealous I wasn't running. At least I had Dorothy's mother (Miss Lesley) to be my spectator buddy. After the gun went off, Miss Lesley and I walked to Starbucks, had a wonderful girl chat and then headed back to the finish in time to catch the elites. After the elites came in, we waited for Dor. I had totally forgotten about Lam. I was all caught up in conversations with Miss Lesley and other spectators. All of a sudden, Miss Lesley shouts "Hey isn't that your friend Lam?". Once I saw the bandana I knew and with that I excitedly shouted "Go Lam! Go Lam!". He was making great time. Unfortunately I did not have my camera ready. Not too long after Lam, Dor ran by. We shouted and I snapped away. She was looking good and doing great. Then came her husband and Amy and Sarah, who were ALL smiles. It was their first 10 miler and they looked like they were enjoying it. After the race, we went out to brunch to celebrate Dor's 28th birthday. Overall, it was a fantastic day- the sun was shining, everyone finished their 10 milers and I was able to have my morning mimosa :-)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Bad Blogger

Yeah I know I haven't been on here in a while but life got in the way of blogging. March was a crazy month for me and it was not because of March Madness. Aside for laying off the running for a bit, my husband and I spent two wonderful weeks traveling through Argentina. I promise to write a re-cap of the trip and post some amazing pictures soon. I have been running three miles at a time but only twice a week. I'm hoping to increase the runs to three days a week now that the weather is nice.




This weekend I will be heading down to Washington DC to visit my best friend and college roommate Dorothy. Not only will I be cheering for her on Sunday while she races the Cherry Blossom 10 miler, I will also be there to celebrate her birthday. What could be better than a PR on your birthday?? I know she will get it done and I will be there to take a million and one pictures to capture the moment. I will also, hopefully, get to meet Lam in person and cheer him on as well. I have been following his blog for almost a year now so I think it's about time I meet him in person. I'm looking forward to being a spectator/photographer at the Cherry Blossom race. I have never been to DC in April so this should be fun. I promise I will blog about my spectator experience when I return. If you are running the Cherry Blossom race, let me know and I will give you a shout out from the race sidelines...I may even take some pictures of you! Good luck to all you runners. May the PR force be with you this weekend.




Cheers,


Mishi

Monday, February 22, 2010

MIA

Yeah yeah yeah I know, I have been MIA from blogworld. Ugh my life has been crazy busy these past couple of weeks and unfortunately, it's not due to running :-( I decided to take two weeks off from running because my knee tightness just does not want to go away. I'm frustrated, angry and upset. The orthopedic surgeon said my cyst will go away on its own. I decided that maybe two weeks worth of rest will help it heal properly. I'm still not sure what is causing the pain.

Here is exactly what happens: I start running at a slow comfortable pace. Whether I stay at this pace or increase it, I begin to get a funny feeling in my knee at around the 20 minute mark. I try to adjust my stride and posture which seems to help for five minutes or so but the feeling still remains. Then the funny feeling turns into a tightening feeling. The feeling is on the outside of my knee just below my knee cap. It occurs where my collateral ligaments meet my fibula. If I try to run through the tightness, it just gets worse. Then the knee sometimes locks and eventually it becomes too painful to run. When I stop and walk, the pain disappears but not entirely. My knee feels bruised afterwards, especially when walking down stairs. It also becomes a bit stiff after sitting for a while.


I have iced it and stretched it. I endured a good two months worth of PT. My IT band feels pretty loose now. I have custom orthodics due to my flat feet. If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make this go away, PLEASE HELP!!! In the meantime, I will stay off it and try to get my running mojo back soon. Oh how I long for the day when I can run six miles pain free.