Sitting in the snow... thinking about Disney Running...

On this snowy Central Pennsylvania morning, I'm thankful for time to relax and get some things done around the house today... but after a quick look on Twitter I'm just a little bit jealous of all my internet running "buddies" running this weekend at Disney. Just wanted to wish luck to VeganG26_2 & agyorke & gomer1. Have a blast, can't wait to hear how things go. Hoping one of these years my friend Kris and I will be able to join you all.

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.

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.

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.