A Turkey Trot for this Pregnant Lady...

So today the gym was calling my name. The "wintry mix" outside wasn't looking too appealing and I was thinking about all those folks I know that were out there running a 5k in Palmyra, PA in the yucky weather - way to go guys!

So recently I had accepted the challenge of 2 of my favorite guys Anthony & Stephen. Check them out here... http://www.twogomers.com/. They challenged all their listerners to get out there on Thanksgiving and do something.

So even though I'm about to start the 8th month of my first pregnancy at age 34 I decided to try to get in a 5k today. I knew it would be slow, but I was hoping for the best.

Well, I put the Gomers new season The Under 5 Strive Episode 2 on my iPod shuffle and got started. Here's the stats if you are interested... far from impressive but I did it and the best part as I was finishing the Gomers said in my ears, thanks for all of you out there that got out there and did something - it was a great feeling.

Distance 3.2 miles
Time 57:46 minutes
Calories Burned 295
Feet Climbed 28
Avg Speed 3.32/mph
Avg Pace 18:02 min/mile
Avg HR 113

Hope you all got out there and did something too! Thanks for the challenge Gomers and one of these days I'll get my blog post up about these guys. Where it all started for me... with the Gomers.

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all remember how much we have to be thankful for.

The Hershey 1/2 Marathon: A Spectator's Race Report

Well, since at 5+ months pregnant I didn't feel ready to run this race, Baby K and I got up bright and early this beautiful fall morning and headed to Hershey. Today was the inaugural Hershey 1/2 Marathon in Hershey, PA.

It was a cool, breezy, sunny morning that got windy occasionally, especially at the finish line. It ended up selling out pretty early with between 2,500 - 3,000 runners (from what I've heard). I think HERCO (Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co.) did a good job with their first 1/2 marathon and I think overall the runners really enjoyed the race.

There were lots of great views on this race. The course went around and through HersheyPark, and by the following...

1. Milton Hershey School's Catherine Hall
2. The Giant Center
3. Hershey's Chocolate World
4. Down Chocolate Avenue under the Kiss Lights
5. The Reese's plant on 422
6. The Hershey Lodge
7. The Hershey Medical Center
8. Scenic Milton Hershey School property
9. Hershey Country Club
10. High Point Mansion, Milton Hershey's house
11. The original Hershey's Chocolate Factory
12. And so much more, finishing up with a run around the inside of the Hershey Stadium

It was great to see friends finish this race. One friend I grew up with in high school finished in 1:31. Very impressive! He's training for the Philadelphia Marathon in November. Another friend Tanya, who just returned from a missions trip to Africa finished in just under 2 hours.

My friends Amy & Jen, who also happen to be twins , and Amy's husband Brad finished well too. It was the 2nd 1/2 marathon for the 3 of them. I am super proud of them. Way to go guys! 

One other friend finished her 1st 1/2 today. Yay Jenny!
 

The medals were pretty light in weight and were adorned by a chocolate colored ribbon. The front sported a Hershey's kiss and the back reminded racers that they were a part of history running in Hershey's 1st ever 1/2 marathon. 

I'm really glad I was able to be there even though I didn't run.

Finally, something funny I saw as I was leaving and thought I needed to take a picture of...

The "Welcome to Hershey" on the hill just off Hershey Park drive in front of Catherine Hall was an interesting backdrop for all the porta-pottys at the starting line. Almost like they said "Welcome to Hershey, yes, in case you're wondering we have plenty of porta-pottys".

An announcement & An update

So you are probably wondering... "Heidi, where have I been??" Well, I have one of the best excuses in the world for my absence... my dear husband Nate and I are having a BABY!! I'm now in my 22nd week and things are going well. We're expecting the baby sometime around February 1, 2011. We are so thankful and can't wait to meet our little treasure. You can catch a glimpse of our cute little peanut below.

What does this little one mean for my running? Well, that's another great question. Unfortunately though, needless to say, I'm not accomplishing any running goals these days, not distance, not time, pregnancy has really thrown a wrench into the works. Not that I'm complaining. I feel very blessed.

The first few weeks of my pregnancy I ran. I can remember a certain early morning run with my friend Audrey, we did about 4.2 miles. It would've been late May. I remember wondering if I was pregnant during this run. I would have been. However, it wasn't until a good month later that I would find out.

And the week I found out, let me tell you, I couldn't manage any exercise. I felt very gross and was very tired for several weeks. I was napping after work and falling asleep on the couch before 9 pm every night. I was exhausted.

Thankfully those days are behind me, I have a lot more energy and I can't remember the last time I took a nap. However, I am well aware that I lost a good amount of fitness during those first weeks. I find myself out of breath at different times throughout the day and running up the steps isn't as fun as it used to be. My ever expanding size is something I'm noticing too.

I'm doing my best to keep walking and moving as much as possible. I've even gotten to the gym to lift weights a few times. Bottom line is I want to be strong for the marathon that delivering this baby will be. But knowing what I should be doing and getting it done is two different things.

This is definitely challenging but I am so thankful I managed the two 1/2 marathons in 2009. I feel like my body will be more resilient for what's ahead. I know it remembers how to get there again, I know it longs for the open road. I will get there again.

But in the mean time I'm going to enjoy this special season. My friend Kris always tells me there will be more runs, more races, we have many years left. And no matter how much time I have left, I am thankful. God is good, I'm am extremely blessed and I'll be back out there in no time.

But while I have this time, (I know all too soon, I won't have nearly the spare time I have now), I'm going to try to share some of these many thoughts and ramblings I have on running and life and loving every minute of it. I hope you'll join me as I continue this adventure we call life.

It's Been Too Long...

Hi Gang! Wow! Its been too long. But I had such a delightful night I had to write and tell ya about it.

This evening the heat broke here in Central PA and I got to enjoy a lovely dinner outdoors with an old friend who was in from way out west. We grew up together and have been friends for probably close to 20 years. I hope my kiddos don't get into the trouble she and I did, we turned Hershey's Candy Lane and Park City upside down with our hijinks back in the day.

We had a blast talking about food, exercise, kids and so much more.

Her amazing blog was one of the things that inspired me to start my own blog and I wanted to be sure to share it with you.

She started her blog because we found she was spending so much of her time thinking about and preparing healthy food for her girls. Being a bit of a foodie myself I love it.

You can find it at... Quinoa and Corn Chips. Enjoy!

And I'm hoping as my schedule permits I'll be posting a lot more than you've seen from me lately. I apologize and will explain some more in posts to come.

10 Hour Match and it's NOT Over!

So as an avid tennis fan I'm of course following Wimbledon this week. I don't get to play as much as I like but I love the game. Ever since I played with my dad when I was little. I'll have to tell you sometime about my trip to Wimbledon.

What has taken my attention since yesterday? The world's longest tennis match is in progress right now. Today in England at the Wimbledon grand slam a young American John Isner and a Frenchman Nicolas Mahut will continue for a 3rd day a 1st round match that has broken all kinds of records. Longest match, longest set, most aces - and it's not over yet! These guys just must be emotionally exhausted. It's like they've played 2 full matches already. The first 4 sets took around 3 hours and the 5th set more than 7 hours.

With no tie breaker in the 5th set the set is tied at 59-59 -amazing! When I talked to my hubby on the phone yesterday afternoon he asked what I guessed the 5th set would be at, I guessed 18, then 24 then 30 and to see they have played almost 120 games in the final set... this is historic! No one has ever seen anything like it!

If you get a chance today check out the stats or better yet the match on ESPN2. I can't wait to see what happens and in case you're wondering, I'm definitely rooting for the American John Isner. Go USA!

This just in, check out this great Today Show Interview with John Isner

Oh and while we're at it. Great job US Men's Soccer Team on your big win!!

Tonight's Biggest Loser Marathon

So on tonight's episode of The Biggest Loser the final four contestants did a marathon. I haven't been watching this season but was glad I got to catch the marathon coverage tonight.

This is the 3rd season they've done a marathon and each of the seasons, even if I wasn't watching the show, I managed to catch the marathon coverage.


Again tonight, I was blown away by the results. Michael, at 299 lbs. finished in about 6 hours. But that's not all. Daris, a 25 year old who has lost 150 lbs. finished in 4 hours and 2 minutes - AMAZING! That's 9:35/mile! I am so impressed.

And all I can think is... wow, if these people can do it... can't I??

We'll see gang. Someday...?

A Good Sunday Morning Ride

I had a great early morning ride today with my friend Jen. It started out a bit cool and cloudy but we had a great time riding through Lancaster County farmland, even passing by a covered bridge. We didn't experience much traffic and had no trouble with our bikes.

Jen is a great mom who I admire a great deal. She has 3 kids and her oldest is an amazing kid with special needs. I know all 3 kids keep her busy. In the last couple of years I've had the joy of seeing her finish her first sprint triathlon and her first half marathon.

She's become quite the athlete and she inspires me. She totes her kiddos in her bike trailer and get up early to train and I'm sure all the exercise does wonders for her health and her spirit and her outlook.

If I look back, I've been looking up to her and her twin sister since I was in junior high. I'm sure they both will continue to have many lessons to teach me.

Friends are such a blessing and so is being outside, getting some exercise and reflecting on a Sunday morning. I hope you all had a great one too.

A New Experience & a BIG disappointment...

On Saturday I had the opportunity to volunteer at Lancaster City YMCA's Race Against Racism.

My responsibilities included helping to set up the starting line & the finish line as well as clipping timing chips off of people's shoes.

I'm really enjoying getting to see all that it takes to put on a race. However, clipping timing chips, is not an easy job.

It's not easy if your scissors aren't sharp. It's not easy if the people made their chips too tight. It's not easy to avoid all the bodily fluids folks have lost at the finish line. But this experience made me even more thankful to all those who work so hard to put on these races.

What's the big disappointment you may ask? I volunteered at this race specifically so that I could be at the finish line for my good friend Stace's first race. The disappointment... I didn't see her once that day.

I didn't realize there would be over 3,000 folks participating so I didn't think about picking a place to meet up with her. And unfortunately she didn't have her phone with her. I'm glad though we'll both be running at a race together this weekend, the Turkey Hill Classic.

I was super excited though that my friend Julie found me after the race. Julie will be at this week's race with us too. The weather should be great. I can't wait.

A Lesson Learned...

On Tuesday after work I had a lousy run. Last week I ran several times. All of those runs were in the 5-6 mile range so when this Tuesday's 3 1/2 mile run went so poorly of course I wondered what was wrong.

So I wracked my my brain for what might have gone wrong. I came up with some good ideas...

1. I didn't eat anything before my run?

2. I didn't eat enough for lunch?

3. I didn't drink much water that day?

Yes, all good reasons for a lousy run.

So I went out yesterday after work to test my theories. I ate before I went out, a half a sandwich and something to drink. I had a better lunch and I drank more water throughout the day.

As it turns out I went 6 1/2 miles yesterday without any trouble.

Hmm. Reminds me I need to be more careful about drinking water and my diet. How about you??

What would I do without podcasts?

So I had a great afternoon run today. It's the longest one I've done in awhile and though it was no where near the longest run I've ever done it felt terrific to be out. I was out for a little over an hour and I'm so glad I had time to get out there today. There was a breeze, sunshine on the way home and temps of about 55.

But I think the thing that made it really enjoyable was what I was listening to. I'm telling you, I do not think I would be where I am today without running podcasts. I listen to several hours of running podcasts every week and I have learned so much. To give back just a little I'd like to begin sharing with you some of the stuff I listen to and what I think of it.

Today it was two of my new favorites, Running to Disney and Two Fit Chicks & a Microphone. I am already a big fan of Gordon (Running to Disney) and Carla & Shauna (Two Fit Chicks). Today I listened to Gordon in Episode 10 and the "Chicks" in Episode 2.

I don't know about you all but I really like to listen to podcasts in order. I enjoy hearing all their stories and really get to know the hosts.

Gordon is so really down to earth, he's down in Alabama, he's a professor and easy to listen to. I typically don't typically prefer the "run cast" type of podcast, but I think Gordon is inspiring. You should check him out. He's been podcasting a couple years I believe so there are plenty of episodes to listen to.

As a a female who runs, podcasts done by women are always a real treat. Carla & Shauna are a little newer to podcasting, although they are accomplished in their fields, Carla is a personal trainer and Shauna an author. The Chicks will be discussing a different fitness theme every episode. Today's theme was running. This episode as especially helpful to me. They interviewed Julia Jones, who I was unfamiliar with, but learned a ton from. She's run all over the world and trains hundreds of ladies to run in Italy. I look forward to learning more about what she does. She gave some great ideas in the podcast and will continue to serve as a "running expert" of sorts for the "Chicks". I look forward to hearing from her again. I also look forward to hearing about Carla's marathon training journey, especially as I'd like to run my own marathon someday.

These are just two of many great podcasts out there. I encourage you to check out http://www.runningpodcasts.org/.

I hope to share more with you in the future as well as insights I gleen from articles, books and life experience.

I love to hear from you and welcome any feedback you might have.

A Tales of Two IKEAs

So I found out Thursday that there are 2 IKEA stores in the greater Philadelphia area. And I'm really glad I did. Let me explain why.

I tagged along with my coworker Kris to IKEA to pick up some furniture for some rooms at work. It ended up being good for her that I came as we had many carts and boxes to load and maneuver. Thankfully they did all fit in the car, but for a few moments we weren't sure if they would.

As it turns out the first IKEA in Conshohocken (the only IKEA I knew about) didn't have everything we needed and since my friend thought originally we were going to the Penn's Landing (downtown) IKEA we headed there next. And that's when the unexpected really began. I knew I'd have a great time with my friend but I didn't expect to find inspiration and motivation along the way.

As we headed into the city, I couldn't believe how excited I was. I saw 30th Street Station where we always arrive. I saw the path along the water my husband and I had walked on two falls prior. And the Art Museum where Kris and I started and ended our first half marathon last September, the ING Distance Run, now the Rock & Roll Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon. We drove by the water and reminisced about miles 11 through 13. She was a great encouragement to me.

I didn't know we'd see any of that that day and it was such a treat. And it doesn't stop there.

We also got to have lunch and out of this world chocolate milkshakes at Chik-fil-A and a quick grocery stop at  Trader Joe's. These are two of my favorite places that we don't have near us in Lancaster County, PA.

The icing on the cake was driving through the city on Broad Street, where I had run my first distance run, the Broad Street Run in 2009.

Seeing all these familiar sights, now forever associated in my mind with running, just made me want to get out there and run. I can hardly wait to do another race in Philly. It's a great city for running and holds a lot of firsts for me. I highly recommend you check it out.

I miss the open road...

It's been a long, snowy winter in South Central PA. The first week in February brought 2 big storms. And even though March came in light a lamb and went out like a lamb, tax season has taken a toll on this busy accountant. Between helping my family with their taxes and an intense season at my full time job, I haven't been out on the open road nearly as much as I'd like. There were even nights I had to blow off exercising altogether. And I learned something this winter. I do not like running on the treadmill at the gym. Now I know why people call it the "dreadmill". So here's to a much improved spring and lots of time out there on the open road. I'm hoping too to let you know about my workouts and my running adventures this spring. I hope you'll join me and I'd love your comments and feedback.

Here goes...some firsts...

Well, here goes nothing. It's my first post.

This past Saturday I went to the first race I didn't compete in since last summer.

It was a good experience but it was different. Did I miss running? Yes!

Three good friends were running their first half marathon and I was so glad I could be there.

It was also the first time I volunteered at a race.

I'm so thankful to the amazing volunteers that have been there to help at all my races, from my first race Ben & Tim Day in Hershey, PA to my first long distance run The Broad Street Run in Philly one thing is certain, we couldn't do it without the volunteers.

I found the volunteer experience this past weekend though to be a bit different that what I've experienced in the past. The Garden Spot Village Marathon & Half Marathon benefits Garden Spot Village, a retirement community deep in the heart of Lancaster County. The fine ladies I worked with, just past the finish line, were significantly older than me, the majority of the volunteers were residents there. Like mother hens walking folks to first aid and making sure they were okay, they doted on every runner that would let them. While in my opinion most of the runners were fine, I chuckled at their compassionate and nurturing nature. I don't know what the runners thought, but all in all I think everyone had a good time.

It's my understanding the the Garden Spot Village Marathon is the only Marathon happening in Lancaster County at present. Last year they had around 300 runners and this year nearly 1,100. If you're in the area you might want to check it out next year.

So I guess that's it for my first post. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.