100% Weaned

The day has finally come, Acalias has finally accepted whole milk. Grandma Nativa knew before arriving to West Virginia that she was expected to help me wean Acalias. She is a decisive 80-year-old woman and she took the assignment seriously, every time I wanted to give in she reminded me of her responsibility to help. I can't decide which was more difficult, the beginning or end of breast feeding. Both were very painful, physically speaking, but I'm proud that I didn't give in and give up. I have high expectations that my child's health will live up to all the statistics of  a breastfed child:)

So long to the crying child pulling my shirt off in public...hello to the tantrum and biting phase. Acalias is bouncing off the walls with energy, he's into everything. Although, I feel so depleted of energy by the end of the day, I'm really enjoying this age. He's trying to communicate with words more, I love walking in on him talking to Skofeild. He mimics our voice intonations to a T. I'll have to catch him yapping away on the phone with the camcorder, he paces around just like his dad.

We've been enjoying Grandma Nativa's company. She thinks everything Acalias does is so adorable, he couldn't possibly do anything wrong in her eyes.  Derek and I have been going on dates every weekend, we haven't really been out alone and it's so nice to go out alone. We miss him when were out, but it's nice to have grandma as our live-in nanny for several more weeks.

I've been trying to learn all of Grandma's rice variations and sell the recipie to the highest bidder in my family:)

 Acalias refueses to eat anything else!

Derek is completing his fourth rotation this week and will be starting Surgery rotation. He's been practicing his suturing, he's heard horror stories of how students get yelled at all day in the surgery rotation. He's doing well, he is impressive in his ability to recall information he's learned years ago. I know that he will become an amazing doctor, Acalias and I are so proud of him.

This week I'm tapering down my miles, I will be running my last official long-run race of the year. It's a half-marathon (13.1 Miles) Trail race at the New River Gorge. I don't know what to expect so my goal is to run it under my last race The Cinderella 1/2 Marathon Trail Run in California, at least under 3:00 hours. I've made a few running friends that I met from the local library Mother Goose Time . I'm currently deciding on which marathon to run (I'm considering this one, this one or this one. I hope to run 2 marathons next year with a hand full of 1/2 marathons and participate in my first triathlon in June (I need to learn how to swim first). I will run the Boston Marathon one day so I need to step it up and improve my race times. I'm currently running 9-9:30 min/mile, which is 6-7mph this winter I will train at 8:30-8:50 min/mile on the treadmill, I need to be at a 7 min/mile to run the Boston.

Here are few pictures from the last few races I ran, the Labor Day 5k Fun run (23:00-placed 1st in age/female category).

Valley Falls 10 Miler, it was a beautiful run but unfortunately I had to tap out. I started the race 20 minutes late (due to our dysfunctional GPS)and once they began removing the flags from the trail I was paranoid of getting lost forever in the woods. I sulked all day but I will redeem my self this Saturday:)

The falls. A perfect place for a family portrait.

It's a beautiful park, It was really cold and dreary that day.

We're excited to discover more of our new area.

Parkersburg, West Virginia 1/2 Marathon

My alarm clock went off at 5:00am on Saturday morning. I get so excited for races, the anticipation of it makes it hard to sleep. I made arrangements for a friend to pick up my packet so that I wouldn't have to get up at 4am. Parkersburg is an 1:20 minutes west of Bridgeport so we had to be on the road by 5:30am.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to the roads here, there are no lights and a lot of foliage so it's hard to see with the hovering mist of humidity. I'm such a bossy passenger, I'm so easily startled and I tend to be worse when I'm anxious to get to the race on time.

The race didn't start until 8am so we walked around with Acalias who loves to people watch. I'm not one to expend much energy running around the block to warm up like other runners do, maybe it would improve my performance if I did. I'm amazed when I watch the Kenyans stroll by with their fellow Kenyan runners, I think I speak for most runners when I say we are envious of how fast they can run. A 4-minute-mile would probably cause my heart to stop! I was excited for the race but annoyed that it started so late, it was already hot by 8:00 am. It was the first race I had been to where a lot of runners were shirtless. Weird. It's almost like being at the pool...old, young, thin, thick, it must be a trend that I didn't know about.

A few minutes before the starting gunshot went off.

There were over 1,000 runners in this race (2 mile & 1/2 marathon) and walkers as well, we were packed in on the streets. 

Me giddy with excitement to start the race already.

Wishing I had friends alongside me, I really need to join a running group,

it's nice to have someone to run with.

I uploaded a new play list for this race to keep me moving and grooving. I'm impressed with runners who run without music, the only time I did that was while I was on my mission. Last night after I organized the play list, I played the songs to help me visualize my pace. Acalias is so funny he would come wobbling in bobbing his rythemless body to the music. I wish I caught it on tape, he can definitely brighten up my mood on any given day.

Finally the gun sounded and I was on my way. I'm careful in the first few miles because I don't want to expend too much energy too soon. It's disheartening to see people walking by the 3rd of 4th mile holding a hip or their stomachs. Too much effort goes into training to be foolish and start off too fast. I set a goal to keep my heart rate at 170 throughout the entire race. I figured that if I kept my heart rate at 170, I would run a 9-minute-mile. The course looped throughout the country, I felt like I was taken back decades in some areas. One large man wore a pair of ragged overalls, shirtless in and old pickup truck blaring country music. Others sat around in their rocking chairs on their porches smoking cigarettes. Nothing like breathing in smoke while running up a hill. Good ole West Virginians, gotta love em.

I felt good throughout the race, my heart rate was at least 175-178 but as the heat increased around mile 6, I felt my head begin to pound. I thought to myself, I'm so hot I could melt into this asphalt! I should really train in various climates...but I really have no desire to...I can't stand the heat. I started drinking more water and Gatorade. I didn't pack any Gu because most races provide it along the course. I was hoping they would provide fruit, candy, anything!  I was let down every water stop. I'm ravenous by mile 8 but I figured Gatorade was my best option to get me through...thank goodness I ate the doughnut Derek brought me home last night too. By mile-10 I was at 1:34, I was so pleased with my time I thought I would definitely make my goal of 2:00. I began to push but by then the heat was so intense. Along with the water and Gatorade the water stations started offering ice and water sponges. I began putting ice down my shirt, in my sports bra and down my back. I should have put a few pieces in my thick head of hair...but I didn't think of that until now. I had my water bottles on my hydration belt filled with water and Gatorade so at each water station I began pouring water on my head, my face.

At mile 12 I see the LDS missionaries handing out water, it was so refreshing to see them serving in the community. I started running on my mission so I began thinking about the tips that all my previous companions gave me to keep me running hard.  I cranked up a fast beat song and pushed, onlookers had their hoses out so I paused a few seconds but kept on my way. My Timex beeped 2:00 and unfortunately I was still running. I saw the finish line at 2:03 and ran through it at 2:05:50. It was a bittersweet ending. I wanted to run it under 2:00 and I am still determined.

Not the greatest pics, but it's the real deal.

Me sweating and so tired.

More finish line pictures here, behind the runner with the pig tails and here,

I look like I'm raising the roof with my arms flailing everywhere.

I beat my first 1/2 marathon (in 2006) of 2:07 so that made me happy.

 I placed 20th out of 53 in my age group (age 25-29),

444th overall place out of 909 1/2 marathon runners. 

Mommy & Acalias post race picture.

We have one after every race that I've run since he was born, it's our little tradition.

Derek said he cried when he saw me running towards the finish line, he wanted to go to me right away.

I hope to run this 1/2 marathon (depending on Derek's schedule), this 5k Halloween Hustle (it'll be my first race in costume, so exciting!!) 5k Turkey trot to end this years running season.

I really do plan on giving you a tour of our home one day.

Running in Bridgeport

Skofeild and I have been enjoying all the routes in Bridgeport. We have sidewalks and wider roads to run on! I'm a little crazy and wake at at 5:30 am to get my runs out of the way while Acalias is asleep and his dad is still home in bed as well. It's a bit creepish with how dreary things look with the darkness and humidity but it's a whole lot cooler than running later in the morning.

Stroller + dog + intense heat & car exhaust= an awful run!

There are allot of killer hills in this area. Hills are not my strong point so I've incorporated some steep hills at least 4 times a week. Thankfully Derek has several days when he doesn't have to be in until 9am so it gives me more time to run.

The best thing about running so early is the quiet calm. Most people are still asleep, the deers are frolicking about and I get to witness the beautiful sunrises.

I'm nearing the peak of this hill of Ridgeway drive.

This phone picture doesn't do it justice, it's so much more amazing in person.

This is the real deal, I didn't edit any of the following pictures.

This is at the peak of Ridgeway/Shearwood road run. The pictures were taken on two different days. The second picture was taken this week when a cold front rolled in, it was 58 degrees! So glorious for a woman like me who sweats way too much.

This makes waking up early to run so worth it!

I spotted a deer from a distance, they are all over the place but Skofeild likes to scare them away before I could get too close. I snapped a few pictures from a distance, as we drew closer he didn't move so I took more.

I love this picture. Good thing he was on top of the hill, Skofeild didn't notice him at all.

This was at the end of our 10 mile run this past Saturday near the trail head at Bridgeport park.

Not such a glamorous picture of myself but who looks great after miles of running? I had to highlight Skofield, he's kid-tested, mother approved. He is a great protector, without him I wouldn't be able to run so early in the morning. Anyone or dog who has ever approached me is instantly put in their place. I have some fun stories of how protective he can be, we're lucky to have him.

This year my goal was to run 1,000 miles. It's still my goal but it's been a bit harder than I had anticipated. I didn't add sickness, stress, fatigue into the equation. You'd think that stress would help motivate me to run but if and when it keeps me up at night, I'm far too tired to get up in the morning to run. Acalias still has his bouts of sleeplessness in the middle of the night and I opted to pack and unpack the week prior and after our move. Some days I just don't want to run at all! That's when I strap on my Rollerblades or strap Acalias into the trailer and head to the trails near our home. To date I've run 511.4 miles, I'm behind so somehow I need to log 122.15 miles each month to make my goal by 2012. That is 10 miles more than the 20 miles per week that I had planned...I hate to set a goal and fail so I'm going to push harder.

Acalias and I frequent this trail near our home. If only I was into fishing, the lakes are stocked with trout so there is always several people there fishing. It's a nice scenic paved trail. We give it two thumbs up.

The Parkersburg 1/2 Marathon is this coming weekend. I'm so excited! I feel stronger and I hope to run in better time than my last paved road race (2 hrs 18 min).

Stay tuned. Next week I will give you a tour of our new home...

Half-Marathon

After a couple of months of training, I felt sufficiently prepared to run my first post pregnancy race. I trained with 3 other girls, it was nice because with out them my Saturday long runs would have been dreadfully lonely. Not to mention the Greenbrier river trail got eerie with the cold and the fog that rolled in from the river, people started claiming they had seen bears. We were accountable to each other and we'd often check in with one another during the week regarding our runs.

On Friday, we made our journey to Richmond,VA which is 3.5 hours away. We drove directly to the Expo to pick up my race packet. I like to walk around to find the latest items for runners. Each race I discover and purchase something new. I found both my Hydration belt (which I can not live with out) and running socks at pre-race Expos.

This year I found this:


Uh huh...I sure did spend money on these gloves (only $3.00) because I really do dream of being as fast as a Kenyan! How nice would it be to just glide through the finish after 26.2 miles and look like it was the simplest task ever?

After the expo we picked up some Greek food and went to our Hotel. Acalias for once looks tiny on this huge bed...actually, no he still looks like the very big boy that he is. A woman asked Derek if he fed Acalias bacon and eggs during breakfast. When he told her that he was only 4 months she gasped and said Acalias looked very healthy. We're used to that response. People want to tell us that our son is big in the nicest way possible as if we don't already know.


We were so giddy to take him swimming because he loves taking baths so much.



Our trip to the pool didn't last too long because the water was too cold.

I had a sleepless night as I typically have a night before the race. I get paranoid of sleeping through my alarm and missing the race. The morning of Derek dropped me off at the starting point and he went back to the hotel.

There were over 16,000 runners including the Marathon and 8K! We were all crammed on this street and it was impossible not to nudge or push others as you walked through the crowds. I imagine China and other heavily populated countries are similar to the crowd we were in, no room for personal space.

I ran with my friend Amy the entire time. It was nice to talk to someone. Along the route there were live bands, cheerleaders, choirs and radio stations blaring music and shouting inspirational things to keep us runners going. As the miles increased, my talking decreased. I had to put on my headphones to avoid hearing the pounding of my feet. Mile 12 seemed to last an eternity until we saw the finish line at the bottom of the hill. My last words to Amy was "Labor is much worst than this". I guess it inspired me because I was hurting at the time, not sure if it inspired her. Amy and I seemed to instinctively know that it was time to push harder the last mile towards the finish line. We did and it was so nice to hear the husbands cheering for us on the sidelines. Then we were done! It felt so good to be done. We were awarded our medals and offered pizza. I couldn't eat right away so I walked around and stretched.


All of us after the race.

We stayed to cheer on the first place winners of the Marathon... and yes, they were Kenyan.

Derek and I. Acalias was asleep in his stroller.


We had to take a picture of Acalias and I. Notice my bib, it says "New Momma!". I was so proud of it as you can see. Training for the Half-marathon helped me shed my baby weight.

I told Derek to zoom up on my bib, hence the reason my head got cut off a bit.


Love this little, big boy.

Just received my race results in my email, here they are:


There were 644 finishers in your age group and 5548 total finishers. Your overall finish place was 3962, your age group finish place was 441 and your gender finish place was 2084. Your chip time was 02:01:08 and your pace was 10:37.2 per mile.

Here are more photos from the Half-Marathon:
brightroom event photography

Quick weight loss update:

I received my 25 lb circle charm today.


My overall weight loss since having Acalias is 46 lbs, since joining Weight Watchers 26 lbs. I lost 5.5 lbs in October, this month my goal is 6 lbs. Monthly goals help me stay focused. I'd rather not get overwhelmed with how much more weight I need to lose.

I ran the 10 miler in 1:41

I did it! I finished my first race to kick off the season. When my husband drove me up Emigration Canyon to the start of the race, I was surprised at how long it was. I kept thinking "What did I get myself into?" The last long run I did was in 2005. I needed to run this race to motivate myself to continue training for a marathon.
a scenic run. The lake was frozen and their was still snow throughout the canyons, it was freezings during some parts of the run but I was bundled up in my dry weave running gear. I finished in 1:41. I honestly thought I was the last one because It seemed like everyone passed me up. Once I got to the finish line I notice that their was still swarms of people coming after me. That run has inspired me to train a lot more. I've just been working 60 hours a week so I haven't had as much time. Once May 2nd rolls around I'll be finished with my full time job and I'll have a lot more time to train.
I'm so sore today, hopefully it won't be so bad tomorrow.
Pictures to come soon.