Yesterday I had the chance to run in my 3rd 5K in the last 3 months. Even better, I got to run with my Shredhead, Central Valley neighbor, Jenn. Jenn suggested this race to me this past summer and of course, being the joiner that I am, I signed up. In all seriousness I am glad that I did. Signing up for the races that I have just seems to motivate me all the more. I mean, I have paid the registration fees, I’m going to get (at least) a t-shirt out of the deal, I’m running with other people who signed up with me. What else can I do but follow through? Oh, and there is the added benefit that I haven’t felt this strong, this fit and able to wear skinny(er) jeans in a very long time.

So early yesterday morning, I met up with Jenn and her family up in the foothills below Yosemite ready for another fun run. This was Jenn’s first 5K and I was only a couple weeks post H1N1 flu so all I was focused on was enjoying a fun Fall morning run with my friend and our families cheering us on. Jenn’s Dad was running as well as going on to compete in the rest of the duathlon events that were part of the 5K.

We started out in the back of the pack, even behind the old guys in the 70-79 years old division. There’s no shame starting out in the back. Besides there is a lot of truth in the old adage about slow and steady in a race.

The biggest difference for me in this race is where I run, in my neck of the woods, it is flat. Don’t believe the scenery shots in Sons of Anarchy, the Central Valley is relatively FLAT. Well, mostly flat. But up around Knights Ferry there are hills and there were some hills to run up and down in this race. I had a nice easy going pace going during the first part of the race through the covered bridge until I came up to that first hill. I walked up that hill. I knew there was no way I could run up it so I accepted it and walked. It’s a good thing that I have long legs with a rather big stride because my walk up the hill was about as fast as the pack that I was running with. Once I got up to the top I knew that the next 2+ miles were going to be okay. I picked up to a faster paced run and waved at the bikers hanging out at the biker bar at the top of the hill as I ran past them.

Whoo-hoo!

But what goes up does come down and it seemed that in some places, like the dirt trail, running downhill was even harder than trying to run uphill. I’m old wise enough to look down at the dirt trail and know that it is likely that I will fall so I walked down that dirt hill. I wasn’t worried about losing time because I would have to run past the bikers again and I would definitely keep a fast paced run past them as they cheered me on again.

I crossed the finish line at 34:15, 1 minute and 47 seconds slower than my last race but still I was very pleased with my first race with hills and dirt trails.

Jenn did GREAT crossing the finish line at around 40 minutes. I. am. so. proud. of. her. So are her parents and kids.

As they announced awards at the end of the race, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my fair showing was pretty damn good. How good? I was faster than the 3rd place finisher in the 40-49 year old women running that day. But wait…

Am I really 23? A 23 year old grandmother? Really? Amazing because that would mean I gave birth to Hazel’s mama when I was all of NINE MONTHS OLD! The race officials insist I registered as a 23 year old in spite of the fact that minutes before the race I signed yet another release form for them stating that I was 47. Whatever. Still they are trying to be fair and have yet to post the official race times while they check all of this out. But regardless of what they finally decide, I know I was the 3rd place finisher in my age division and that is so freakin’ amazing to me. Heck, if they don’t give me the medal I’ll make one myself.

Still, the best part of this race was sharing it with a friend.

Next for this running Shredhead? A Thanksgiving 10K Run Against Hunger followed a couple weeks later by a Holiday Run 10K with Karianna.

Overheard under the Big Top early this morning…

“Mom, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Blueberry pancakes.”

“Oh great! I love pancakes for dinner, especially in November.”

What? You didn’t know that blueberry pancakes are best served for dinner in November? Well, now you do.

I had The. Best. Cheering-section. Ever.

I ran my 3rd 5K race this year and it sure was awesome to cross that finish line to this smiling face. Details about how it went, how awesome is my girl Jenn (her Dad is a rockstar too) and my invisible 3rd place medal later. For now, I think I will enjoy a nice long soak in a hot tub and perhaps a glass of zin

Call me crazy but I can’t wait for the real cool, crisp-ness of Fall and Winter to come this way here in the Central Valley. Yes, that means the fog and the wind and the rain (that we so desperately need). But I am ready. I have boots and turtleneck sweaters that I want/need to wear. So today I say bring it on.

In two or three months, I’m sure I’ll be saying something else. Then you may remind me of today’s post.

Keeping Daniel’s face clean remains a hopeless endeavor. I can’t imagine there ever will come a day when his face will be clean. But I do have to admit that nobody in this circus wears chocolate chip cookie crumbs as well as he does.

For Daniel’s fans, you’re welcome!

As Hazel grows, I am amused with how she imitates her mama, her grandparents. She flatters us. Her latest imitation?

…the butt-sniffing-checking-diaper action

“What? You think I should change my baby’s diaper?”

Over at ModMoms Club today I am talking (in a round-about way) the idea of who should be the one to change the diapers and all the other child-rearing activities that come with it. Oh, and a little bit about Jon Gosselin because he needs to stay in the public eye even if he protests that he didn’t sign on for that.

If you have stopped by the Big Top here anytime in the last couple weeks you would know that I have been sick. I’m not the most pleasant, long-suffering sick person so I complained…a lot…here…on Facebook…on Twitter…at ModMom’s Club …at home…all the time.  I complained so much it was probably even more annoying than my over-use of the ellipsis. I guess that I’m just not the silently languishing in my illness kind of girl. But I did have a lot of downtime and with that downtime I had time to reflect on a number of things including the fact that my next race is just around the corner and how in the world was I possibly going to be ready to run?

I reflect on the really important things here people.

But since is the season of the colds and flu and so many of my fellow Shredheads and Tiarathoners are/have been struggling with more than their fair share of the sickies perhaps we should be asking whether or not we should be working out when sick. Nobody (that I know) likes to get sick. There are so many other things that we could be doing besides hacking up a lung or feeling like our sinuses are about to erupt. It can be all the more frustrating when one is in physical training and conditioning whether it is for a big event or just to get and stay fit. So, do you workout when you are sick? Should you? Are you just a wimp-ass if you don’t?

The general rule of thumb among health and fitness experts is if your symptoms are above the neck (sinus drainage, watery eyes, scratchy throat) you can go ahead and exercise—but only if you really feel like it and if you keep it completely aerobic and if your symptoms are below the neck (coughing, body aches) or involve a bacterial infection (sinus, bronchitis, walking pneumonia) then it is best to take a few days off and just rest. Along with this simple, basic rule of thumb also keep in mind:

• Do not ignore symptoms that could be attributable to the heart, including shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, fainting, chest pain or lightheadedness. See a doctor immediately if you have any question about the health of your heart.
• Remember to have reasonable and lowered performance expectations after you’ve been ill.
• Listen to your body and practice restraint. Wait to resume training until your motivation and health have completely returned. You have only one body, take care of it.

While it might be tempting to push through the fever, the body aches, the pain, it is important to understand what is going on with your body and why you should just take it easy, rest, drink your fluids and exercise another day. During an infection, the body becomes catabolic (the opposite of anabolic) and breaks down muscle protein. The degree of muscle catabolism and protein loss is related to the height and duration of the fever caused by the infection. Your muscles have many good reasons to ache when you have an infection. Skeletal muscle is the main source of catabolized protein, but heart muscle contributes as well. Skeletal muscle biopsies done in feverish people and laboratory animals during acute infections demonstrate microscopic evidence of muscle damage.  The same chemicals that initiate muscle breakdown during infection also inhibit effective muscle building and repair, making it virtually impossible to build muscle during any infection more serious than a cold. Unfortunately, you can’t even lose body fat while you are sick, as fat metabolism is impaired during infections. This causes the sick person to rely more heavily on muscle as an energy source than it normally would during times of physical stress (e.g., starvation or heavy training). So any weight loss during a febrile illness is generally lean muscle mass.

The way I see it, it just is not worth it to risk muscle damage. I mean I have worked so hard these last nine months or so. Why do I want to tear down what I have built up? I don’t. I also don’t want to set my body up for even more potential damage like viral myocarditis or Guillan-Barre Syndrome. While complications like these are indeed rare, their effects and damage is irreversible. A bad chest cold, a strep infection or the flu is temporary. For me, after considering the advice of health and  fitness experts, I will respect the body I have worked so hard on building up. The way I see it, it is so much more than my 47 year old self looking hot in a swimsuit. I am in this for the health of it all…my health.

Deciding to take a few days off and rest was the best thing but what about resuming my training plan? Fitness experts advise:

• Miss between one and three days of a training plan, just forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout, though with these modifications. You may need to cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more. If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
• Miss three to seven days of a training plan due to illness, forget about the days you missed and pick up on the next workout with these modifications. Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more. If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day.
• Miss more than two weeks of a training plan due to illness, you’ll need to go back and rebuild lost fitness. Go back and repeat the three or four weeks prior to the onset of the illness. Definitely cut down the time of your workouts by 20 to 50 percent. Do enough so that you feel good and leave the workout wanting more If you start a workout and feel worse as you get going, just stop the workout and try another day. Once you begin to do faster workouts, you may need to reduce the accumulated time of the intensity scheduled by 20 to 50 percent.

Finally, use common sense. If you are sneezing, coughing and carrying on with your illness, most people (including you, if the roles were reversed) would prefer you stay home until you’re healthy. I know I feel that way. As always, health (yours, mine, ours) first, performance second. Get well soon!

Daniel age 9 weeks, 31 weeks adjusted age

November just so happens to be the month that focuses on two of my most favorite concerns: prematurity and adoption. It’s a very good thing that they are both focused on in one month since these days I am just a little too distracted. I thought the anti-depressants were supposed to help me be better focused. Note how I refuse to accept that it just might be me getting older and just a tad feeble. But the fact remains that this month is Adoption Awareness Month AND Prematurity Awareness Month.

Today I want to share with you that prematurity awareness is not just my passion, but the passion of at least 252 bloggers all united to fight for preemies.

Our objective is a simple one: Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, too small and very sick ― half a million of them in the United States. In half the cases, we simply don’t understand what went wrong. We need to fight for answers. And, ultimately, prevention… prevention that is accessible for all. Over the nearly two decades of my practice as a neonatal intensive care nurse, many advances have taken place. We (I) have learned much about the support and care for the tiniest and frailest of babies. Babies I see born into our unit that I care for today I would have never imagined surviving when I first began my career in the NICU. Yet for a number of these preemies, surviving the NICU is no guarantee because their premature birth often remains still a life and death condition. It’s the #1 cause of death during the first month of life. And babies who survive face serious health challenges and risk lifelong physical, mental, emotional and learning disabilities. Children like my Daniel are indeed miraculous and lucky. While I won’t hesitate to celebrate just how lucky and rare he is as an ex-24 weeker, I still am very much aware that his challenges remain many. What I wouldn’t do to just snap my fingers and make them all go away for him. I can’t. But I can be here to support and guide him through as he faces them down one by one AND I can unite with the March of Dimes and other bloggers to make more people aware just how serious, scary and life threatening this can be.

This month I invite all of you to join this support and fight. Many of you are a fan of Daniel so I can tell you that you must join. Yes, you must. How?

• Learn about premature birth at marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies
• make a little time to check out one of the 252 other united bloggers
  
• Put a badge on your blog during November, Prematurity Awareness Month®
• On November 17, blog for a baby you love and to help others

We may not wipe prematurity and all of its complications out overnight but I do know we are moving forward, and trust me, every baby step forward counts.

No tricks, just treats. The best way to celebrate Haalloween. One thing I noticed, there were quite a few “nurses” attending the Halloween party Bill and I went to. Maybe I tried too hard. But then again, green is my color.

Thanks to a local Tweep of mine, Ruben Porras, I have a new adventure to add to my personal juggling act: a actual, real, paid writing gig. MY very first article is currently up and for your viewing pleasure. Because Sunday is the start of National Adoption Awareness Month I am kicking it off sharing a short list of famous and natural families. Go and check them out. You just might be surprised.