Race Report: Carolina Children's Charity 8k

Also known as, our first race as a family of 4!


Wes and I decided to do this race for a couple of reasons. He had run it last year - I was supposed to but it fell the weekend after I broke my foot - and said it was a good course with a fun atmosphere. Also, we liked that it was a little longer distance than your run of the mill Saturday morning 5k. So, we woke Noah up early (he was really grouchy about that), stopped by Dunkin Doughnuts (because that was the only thing that would stop the whining from the grouchy 3 year old), and headed to the 8:15 start. I would love to say that the morning was crisp and cool and we got to run through neighborhoods of beautiful autumn leaves but, alas, that was not the case. Here in good ol' Charleston it is still in the 80's with high humidity and no autumnal foliage. The sun did stay behind the clouds instead of baking us though, so thank goodness for small favors.




We loaded Noah in the jogging stroller and we were off. Not fast, I might add because these days I am getting slower. Noah was initially in a snit because he did not hear anyone say, "On your mark, get set...go" but we managed to distract him with something else and he did really well the rest of the way. We had decided to stick together and run as a family and I am so glad we did. It was fun to run together and listen to the funny comments that Noah made along the way.


Surprisingly, I felt pretty good the whole way. I have really been feeling sluggish lately, possibly because of the heat (or that pesky baby I guess!) but this morning was better. I think it is because it always so much fun to race that I get distracted from any kind of pain.


About a 1/4 mile from the finish line we let Noah get out of the stroller and run it in with us. At first I told Wes that I thought it was too far and that he wouldn't want to run that whole way but I was way wrong. He grabbed Wes' hand and jogged the whole way with a strange little grin on his face that was a mixture of pride and I'm getting kind of tired but I don't want to stop. At the finish line people cheered for him and it was so cute. He ate it up! Plus, as you came through the finish chute they gave you a raffle ticket and somebody handed him one which he thought was so cool. I think he thought it was his prize for running or something because he made Wes pin it onto his shirt. I caught a glimpse of the clock at the end and it said 50:xx. I think we basically averaged about 10 minute miles with the exception of slowing way down to let Noah run at the end. Hey, I'll take it. I am just glad to be running at all right now and it was really fun to sit back and enjoy it with my family.

An Update

This week - well, tomorrow actually - I will be 11 weeks into this pregnancy and close to the end of the first trimester. Woohoo! I knew I remembered not liking this first trimester at all but I had forgotten how truly exhausting it is. Or is it worse this time because I have to chase around my Tasmanian devil of a 3 year old? Hmm.....yeah, probably!

I have been so tired and just "icky" feeling lately. No throwing up this time (thank you Lord) but lots of nausea and weird stuff regarding food. My taste buds are all messed up and the foods that I usually love have just tasted wrong lately. It is so frustrating, because I am trying to eat healthy but sometimes my body just screams, "No, salad is no good...you want a Big Mac!" It is totally bizarre because I never eat crap like that. I have been pretty good though, only giving in once, and when I went to the doctor I have only gained 1.5 pounds so far so I am guess I am doing better than I think.

Trying my best to keep up with the running. At first I was so tired that I just didn't have the will to do it, but lately I have discovered something. On the days that I fit my run in I feel a million times better than on the days that I don't. For example on Saturday I did 5 miles and felt awesome. I had all sorts of energy that day and tackled a bunch of house projects that had been needing my attention. So... the moral of the story? Keep running Kelly! I am really glad I have that half marathon the first of December because it will keep me focused and motivated through at least half of this pregnancy. I am excited to see how training goes. It will be interesting because my new goal will not be based on a PR but on keeping up with my changing body and just being able to get myself through the 13.1 miles with a smile on my face.

That is it for now. If I get really brave I may start posting belly pictures. I didn't take any with Noah because I really just hated the growing belly, but this time I kind of want to document it, at least as long as I am still running. Of course I will have to wait until it looks like an actual pregnant belly. Right now it just looks like I am bloated from an all you can eat buffet - and nobody wants to look at that!

Why I Want to Sleep All the Time

Well, the cat is finally out of the bag with the families, so I guess I can write about it on this blog...I am pregnant! Baby #2 arrives in April!

I am about 10 weeks along and experiencing all the junk that comes in the first trimester. Nausea, fatigue, blah, blah....none of it is fun. Honestly, running has felt like a chore. I was hoping it wouldn't be that way, because my goal is to keep running as long as possible, but so far it has been work. I have managed to stay between 10 and 15 miles each week - with the exception of the week with the sinus infection when I hit the big zero. I really have no goal other than to keep moving. I did nothing when I was pregnant with Noah and I want this pregnancy to be different. Well, I am a runner now so it will be different.

My goals are: #1) Run as long as possible.
#2) Complete the Memphis half marathon that I am already signed up for.
#3) Keep my weight gain to around 25 pounds.

That's the abbreviated version anyway. I am sure that I will have tons more to say about running pregnant in the next few months - and I am kind of excited to face the challenge - but for now all I have to say is this...I am tired!

Fall Is Here!

Sinus infection, we meet again.

About two weeks ago my allergies started acting up pretty bad and before I knew it, things had turned into a full blown sinus infection that completely knocked me on my ass. That is the second one this summer. I have never struggled with allergies before but these past few months have been terrible. Plus, I hear that fall is the worst time for allergies...great.

So, because of the fact that my head felt like it was going to explode and I couldn't breathe I have done very little running these past two weeks. About 6 miles that last week of August and...(gulp) 0 miles last week! Ahhh! I am trying to get back on track this week. I am feeling better and ran 2.5 miles yesterday and again this morning. I felt slow and completely out of shape but it was good to back out there. There were several things that made it a little easier.

First, fall is on its way! Don't get me wrong, it is still hot here. But, the humidity seems to have lessened, there has been a nice breeze and you can just sense that cooler weather is right around the corner. The sunlight has even changed - you know just a tiny little bit but enough that you know the seasons are transitioning. I love fall. It is my favorite season!

Also, I got some new shoes so that motivated me to get out the door even when I know I would be all slow and sluggish. I got a pair of Asics gel-cummulus.

They are super cushioned -especially compared to my gel-nimbus that I had been wearing since February and were on their last leg! They felt pretty good this morning and I can't wait to see how they do on some longer runs.

Finally, Wes and I have signed up to run the Memphis half marathon in December. It seems pretty random I know, but we have some friends who live in St. Louis and will be running in Memphis so we are going to take the opportunity to see them and fit in a good race while we are at it! I need to get on it though, because my longest run all summer has been 5 miles. So here we go....fall is here and it is time to train for another race!