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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Don’t Be Afraid to Have Babies

Do you find that running with a Garmin is a mental game?  If I look at it too much, I drive myself crazy: “You should be going faster, pick it up.” Usually on long runs I have rules for how often I get to take a peek. Typically it’s after every mile or after every song, depending on my mood. Some days, I try to just ignore it.

Today our family was running a local 5K we do every year (Phishy Paul, where were you?). We woke up to wind. My running nemesis.  Also, since the run is mostly on a trail, I knew the 3” of rain/snow we got yesterday was going to make it a muddy mess.

Like all of you, I always hope for a PR, which would mean I would beat 23:44. I had myself convinced today was not PR day due to the conditions. My plan was to not look at my Garmin the whole way and to just run as hard as my body would allow and see what happened.

Our family of four decided we were all going to run solo. Every man for himself. Emma, my youngest (just turned 9) was fine with that because she knows this route well. At 12, Sam’s an old hat at races, so I don’t worry about him. We told Emma once we got through the finish line, we’d be back to find her on the course.

Things started out slow as they always do. I ran with my iPod because I am neurotic and had set up a playlist to cover my 5K time. Running balls out goes faster for me with music.

There was the major clusterfuck of people at the start including a woman running with her dog and people stopping to tie their shoes in the middle of the trail. I wonder if the dog needed to buy a bib or why he wasn’t wearing his race t-shirt. Why is it okay for him to crap on the course and not me?

Basically for the entire race I kept me head down and just pushed (that’s what she said). Between miles 1-2 Ken was with me using me as his wind blocker. He owes me something for that. Some kind of a favor. I kept my promise not to look at the Garmin. I only broke the promise once around mile 2.5 when I wanted to see my pace. 7:50. No way was I going to PR.

In the end I crossed the finish in 23:46. Yep, that’s right. TWO seconds off of my PR. I am hitting myself. I should have looked. I could have easily pushed slightly harder and come in at 23:40 or so if I had looked. Why didn’t I look?? Next time, I’ll look.

Final stats for the family?

Beth: 23:46 (7:39 pace) – 33/338 overall; 5/191 women; 1st in age group

Emma: 33:22 (10:45 pace) – 167/338 overall; 62/191 girls/women; 1st in age group

Sam:  27:35 (8:53 pace) – 86/338 overall; 66/147 men/boys; 10th in age group

Ken: 24:18 (7:50 pace) – 38/338;  31/147 men overall; 7th in age group

I know, I know. I was surprised as you are to see me in 1st for my AG. 23:46 is not typically a first place time. I am going to blame it on the wind and muddy conditions on the trail. I think everyone was slower today.

Odd/disturbing things we saw:

  • Woman running with a fuel belt. For a 5K. Really?
  • Puke in the finish chute. Don’t these people who over-exert know I have a vomit phobia?
  • Dog taking a crap

You can’t know how proud I am of my kids. They are studs. When I went to find Emma after I had finished, she was running her little heart out. She could have stopped, but didn’t want to.  You should have seen the look on her face when I told her she got 1st in her AG. Priceless.

I know Jillian Michaels doesn’t want to have a baby because it might ruin her manly figure, but Ms. Michaels is missin’ out. Okay, okay. And adoption is good too. Wonderful, in fact. Don’t get me wrong, if babies/kids aren’t for you, I respect and admire your decision (like you care what I think) because too many people have kids out of a sense of obligation. But, I wouldn’t recommend not doing it because of body image issues. If you really want them, I believe you can overcome those issues. In fact, I weigh less now than I did before having 2 kids (4 pregnancies).  And – I never ran a race until after I had kids. But, that’s another post for another day.

Anyone else racing this weekend?

64 comments:

  1. congrats to you and your kids. they are rockstars for sure!

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  2. Wicked awesome that you and your daughter got 1st in your AG's!! Congrats! Great job!

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  3. Congrats!! Oh how exciting to see the entire family running. My dream and wow, what an awesome little girl you have!!! All strong runners! I had to chuckle at the fuel belt comment! ha

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  4. Congrats to you!!

    5K this morning...didn't PR...but my 14 year old son took 3rd overall *bet those grown men were surprised* and took his age group.

    Motherhood is awesome isn't it?

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  5. wow! It may have been 2secs off your PR but that was a rough course! wtg! :) Congrats to your daughter too!! And a fuel belt?? really??

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  6. How cool! -- both the PR and the firsts in AG, although I know what you mean about the time. I agree with you about the babies -- my figure is different than pre-babies, but I can't imagine life without them (and I think a lot of the bodily changes have more to do with aging anyway). I weigh less than I did before I had children. There's also the reality that women who have never given birth have a higher cancer risk from the hormonal load.

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  7. 10k done in pouring rain this morning.
    Congrats to you and entire family with the race! That 2 second miss on a PR would be hard to swallow. (that's what she said!)

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  8. Awesome times for the whole family!!! I am still debating about whether or not to wear a belt for my half...wearing it for a 5K is just weird.
    Congrats on your PR!!

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  9. Awesome! I weigh less than I did before kids as well. What women really need to avoid is husbands. I put on 20 pounds from him!!

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  10. Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Girl! Why is it STILL snowing in Colorado???

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  11. That's pretty cool how your whole family can go out and race together. And do so well! I'm running the Cherry Creak Sneak 5k tomorrow and not sure yet if I want to race or enjoy. I'll see how I feel in the AM, though you reminded me to get a fast playlist onto my iPod tonight so I don't waste time playing around with it tomorrow. Def a Garmin freak over here.

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  12. Congrats to you and the family! Perhaps the lady with the fuel belt drank too much last night, and was dehydrated????? I feel silly using my camelback in a full marathon! Of course, I dont have dehydration problems, normally, either! And, as for kids? I think they keep us inspired to be who we are. I wouldnt trade them for the world! Jillian is just running her mouth again (dont get me wrong, I love her!)

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  13. That's awesome that your whole family ran the 5K today. My oldest daughter started running 5K's and have raced in two coming in first for her age group as well. I, like you, finish the race, can't help but try to PR every single time, as of now my PR time is 23:56 but next Saturday I'm hoping to change it, and then go back to find her and finish the race with her.

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  14. I love that you all ran together! I so wish my family would. I need to start workin' on the little ones now and get them pumped about running!
    Congrats on placing and I would love to hear more about that last sentence of yours!

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  15. Totally awesome that the WHOLE family gets involved. That is just so darn important - I commend you. Keep it up and I am really impressed with your time. Way to go.

    Enjoy and relax!!! Savor the victory!!!

    I appreciate that Jillian wants to adopt - but seriously - if you want children - don't let what it does to your body stop you. Duh!!!!

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  16. I'm not a parent (and not sure if I will be) but it seems silly to NOT have a kid just because you're worried about your body- just my opinion though :).
    Your fam did great on the race- congrats to all!

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  17. omg, girl - that wind was a howling like crazy today, I am impressed you guys all raced - and raced well! Congratulations to your awesome ag win, and to your entire family, that's soooo cool!! Thanks for the email, too - totally made my day to hear from you! HUGS!

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  18. excellent time ! love to hear how the fam runs together....yuk, puke and dog poop

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  19. Like mother like daughter! Congrats!

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  20. Congrats on the family 5k!! I'm running the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 mile tomorrow and hopefully one day my little one will race too!!

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  21. Wow what a fit family!!! That is awesome and I agree with the body issues! I was once hot stuff (or so I would like to think) after two kids, I would not consider my self hot stuff, fit, or anything other than kinda lumpy...but I am the happiest I have ever been and my two kids are my pride and Joy!!! Great post!!!

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  22. Ahhh so close on the PR! That is so awesome that your whole fam ran the race though! I am hoping that by starting my little guy off in the jogger he will catch the running bug someday :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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  23. I ran my first half-marathon today, so instant PR!

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  24. Congrats to your whole fam, & AG AWARDS to you & Emma! SUHWEEEEET!!

    Race belts during 5k's puzzle me as much as GUs before a 5k. I didn't think the race would be long enough to need all that.

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  25. Congrats to your whole family, but especially to your daughter. That's some awesome running on her part.

    I agree with your comments about Jillian. Seems like a pretty superficial reason not to go through a pregnancy. I'm like you, I never raced before kids and now I'm about to run my second marathon. Physicaly, I'm in at least as good a shape as I was before kids and mentally I know I'm much stronger.

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  26. Wow, how awesome to run as a family! You all did amazing, and you were 2 secs away from a PR on a windy day! COngrats!

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  27. What a cool thing to do as a family! You'll be my role models!

    The thing that sticks out to me though is the fuel belt.

    Great idea: show up to another 5k with a fuel belt, camel back, hat with the beer mugs and tubes, and compression socks- then power walk the entire thing sighing deeply and crying at the finish line.

    Just an idea.

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  28. Congrats to your whole family - I LOVE that you guys all ran the race, that's awesome.

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  29. Congrats to you and your family!!! :) sometimes i stare at my garmin too... but lately i've been focusing on other things- you'll get that PR next time when the conditions dont suck as much!!! :) way to go!

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  30. Congrats. Some days, time doesn't matter; it's all about how you finish. You and the family did great.

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  31. About the fuel belt... maybe this is a woman with type 1 diabetes, brave enough to be training/running, and she uses it to carry around her testing devices and sugar in case of a hypo, yes, even for a 5k run. Why not ? Somebody near and dear to me could be doing that. Just a thought.

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  32. I hope I one day weigh less than my prepregnancy weight, but right now I'll settle for just getting back down close to my prepregnancy size. I have 20 lbs. to go! As soon as my new sports bras arrive, I'm going to attempt my first run since about August. Woohoo!

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  33. Congrats to the entire running family.
    Jillian could be such a great role model for pregnant women. Oh, well.
    No racing for me. My Achilles tendon does not want to shut up and run. :) or rather :(

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  34. @miscellany above: you are right. This might have been someone with diabetes brave enough to be out there racing. I shouldn't be so judmental!!

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  35. How cool, a race for the whole family, and 2 1st place finishes!! I can't think of a better way to have some family time! Good for you guys!!

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  36. You guys are amazing! What a fit family...congrats on the two AG 1st place finishes...and congrats to the guys, who had great times!

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  37. Your 12 year old son runs faster than me and your daughter isn't far behind. I think I have some work to do!

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  38. Don't tell me not to be afraid to have babies! I mean - where'd they come out (or grow for that matter), what with all that male equipment of mine?

    And that's rhetorical. PLEASE don't answer that in another post, making me look even more stupid than usual.

    Nice PR, btw. Minivan big enough for all the family's trophies?

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  39. Congrats to you and your family! How awesome!!

    1. "what she said" - LOL, as always.

    2. dog poop on the run. As written by you - only funnier.

    3. Had to laugh at the fuel belt with a 5k. Sorry, I guess I'm judgemental too. I like it in your writing, it cracks me up.

    On an unrelated note, my friend and I did our first 10 mile run this saturday, and we both read your blog. Much of mile 7 was spent discussing your poo issues and our personal testament to the same. Rock on.

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  40. Congrats! So cool that you were able to share that w/ the fam. AG awards are pretty sweet too!!

    BTW - although, I am a guy and shouldn't have a say in the matter.... i totally agree with your last paragraph.

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  41. Ran Crazylegs Classic 8k in Madison, WI this weekend. Shaved 5.5 minutes off last year's time. Took up running as a Mom of 3 and at age 35. I am blessed with beautiful kids AND am in the best shape of my life.

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  42. in some races a 2 seconds PR is huge and takes several tries to get so be proud. congrats on a PR!! and 1st in AG!!

    ew...vomit!

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  43. CONGRATS! I'm sure that 2s hurts, but hey, you were trying something new. Me? I look at my Garmin every 5 seconds in a race and I am okay with that. :p

    Big congrats to the whole fmaily as well. I love that you all run!

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  44. Congrats to the whole family running! That's awesome! And congrats to taking first in your AG!

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  45. Hi there! I'm a newbie blogger / runner. I LOVED this post. I don't have kids yet, but really enjoy hearing the inspiring stories from all the running moms out there. I don't want body image freakout to get the best of me.

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  46. A good run indeed. I do a good job of not looking at my Garmin, but in a race situation where I am close to a PR - I am looking often!

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  47. That's awesome that your whole family is involved. I would love to do that with my (future potential) kids someday. My husband and I ran our first race together a couple of weeks ago and it was so fun to share that experience with him!

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  48. Great race for the entire family. Good run for Emma - go girl!

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  49. Congratulations to all of you! Way to go Emma! I ran my first marathon Saturday... so I pr'd. :)

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  50. Wow--your family tore it up! I am with you; kids are priceless, and this is from someone who waited a LONG time to come around to the idea of having them.

    And damn, I want to run my race this weekend sans watch. Now you've got me thinking twice!

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  51. Great job on the race!!! Oh, and I'm sorry, but I feel more beautiful because I'm a mom... stretch marks and 20 pounds overweight and all!

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  52. heck ya your family is going to be dominating all the local races!! I see soooo many people with fuel belts and using GU on 5K's I can't figure it out

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  53. wow, your family rocks. How inspiring!

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  54. You're amazing! How did you get your whole family to train and race with you?

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  55. First, thanks for your comment on my post today.
    Second, ROCK ON! Congrats on the AG award AND the great time AND rockin' the course after having tow kids AND inspiring them to run AND having an awesome running bod.

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  56. My Saturday 5K race this weekend was at 37:08 and I'm 39 (and that was a PR for me) -- your daughter is amazing! There is a young lady here who is around 11 years old I see at all the races who runs about 7:30 per mile. I almost don't hate her anymore ;)

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  57. Ugh, that Jillian comment was so weird.

    Great job! Wow. I know I have said this before, but I think it is SO SO cool that your entire family runs. It really is.

    I need to try that with the Garmin. I didn't realize I wasn't obliged to looking at it every minute ;)

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  58. I remember my daughter's first in age group like it was -- just last summer, cuz it was.

    The family run we usually do we skipped last week because my daughter had track Regionals all day Thurs and got home at midnight and couldn't sleep in due to school on Fri. The fun run was Sat so we thought it was too much. WHen she saw the times of who won she figured she could have won by a landslide and still felt fine afterwards. But sleeping in and taking care of her feet may have been worth it.
    At one race she won an AG mug. She thought that was dumb. But really mugs are just the right size for 2 scoops of ice cream.

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  59. It is so awesome you do this as a family. I definitely want to start active traditions when we have kiddies.

    Not going to lie I am a little bit terrified of what having babies is going to do to my body and fitness. I'm almost in the best shape of my life and we're thinking about starting our family this fall (eek). If I can come out with a rockin bod like yours and your speed I'll be so happy!

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