Things that Make Mommy Happy

So the question I get the most of course is if I crave anything. I haven't had any weird cravings like having ice cream and pickles at the same time but when I do want something I MUST have it now!!! Before if I wanted something and I didn't have it for a week or two it was no big deal but now I must have it that moment or at least that day. I find that very strange.

Honest Honey Green Tea


One thing that I become obsessed about though was a tea that I found I think at Noah's Bagel's one day. When I first got pregnant I was pretty adamant about not drinking soda and stuck mainly to water but that got old soon. One day I was getting a bagel and looked at the label on these tea's and decided that they were okay for me to drink. They were low in sugar which I liked, compared to soda, low in calories and they were green tea which you can have when you are pregnant. Of course I had to go and find a tea that was not cheap and that would be super hard to find at the grocery store because they are a popular flavor :( and they aren't a brand that all stores carry. So let's just say that I've spent many trips to different stores looking for the tea and I've even got our family and friends on the look out for it. When we do find it and it's on sale we buy it in larger quantities....LOL!! For example in this picture, they were about a $1 each and I bought out everything they had on the shelf.




Rocky made fun of me when I first told him about the tea's but he ended up reallly liking them also and now takes one everyday for his lunch.

Boppy Body Pillow

I had seen these pillows on other people's blogs and was hesitant at first about getting one but once I found out I could only sleep on my side and started having the knee/hip pain I decided to get one and try it out. I LOVE IT!! and so does hubby and so do the dogs, haa haa!! Everyone loves the pillow and well worth getting it. I don't even use my regular pillows anymore.

Storkcraft Hoop Glider & Ottoman




I knew that we would want and need a glider in the nursery room so I registered for this one and we got it as a gift last week. Hubby set it up and I really like it and have already spent a few hours in it and I know once the baby arrives we'll be in it quite a bit. It's the perfect size and it's really comfortable.

33 weeks

How many weeks? 33

From thebump.com
What changes are occurring with your body? You are one hot mama -- literally. A 20 percent metabolic rate increase throughout pregnancy can leave you begging for a cool breeze no matter what the weather is like. Distract yourself with an exercise in blind identification. Try to distinguish between baby's feet, fists, knees, and elbows -- all doing some major pushing and nudging inside of you.

What is happening with your baby? Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!


Doctor Appts? No doctors appts until 2 weeks but we’ve had a few classes. We started Childbirth class on the 13th and we have our second class tonight. We also had our breastfeeding class on Saturday which I’m glad we took cause it helped ease my anxiety about breastfeeding.

Weight Gain? 21 lbs

Stretch Marks? None

Belly Button In or Out? It’s sticking out just a little bit now but for the most part still in.

Maternity Clothes? Combination of both and now that the weather if finally warm I plan on wearing lots of dresses.

Sleep? NOT GOOD :( I’ve had some really bad heartburn/acid reflux/ indigestion and what I’m noticing is that it happens when baby girl seems to be shifting. I had it last month for 2 days and then it went away when she settled into place. I’ve got it again and it’s been so bad that I can’t lay down at all, not even at an angle. I have to sleep completely sitting up which means I don’t really get a good nights’ sleep :( I also had a bad cold/sinus headache this past weekend which didn’t help with sleeping. I’m feeling better today but still have a slight headache. The knee/hip pain continue only at night as well. Now I see why being in the 3rd trimester can be no fun. 7 more weeks to go :)

My favorite snack? At this point anything that doesn’t make me feel so full and icky from the heartburn.

What I miss? SLEEP

Baby Preparations? We are getting pretty close to having the room done. The crib arrived and hubby put it together, we ordered the mattress which arrived pretty quickly. I just need to get all the bedding in there. Hubby also set up the chair/ottoman that we got as a present and which I love. We went and bought a nice rug yesterday and I need to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and buy the curtains and rods. Last week we installed the car seat into my car and I took it to CHP to have it inspected and of course we had done it wrong….LOL! I’m glad I took it in and now I know how to do it right so we can do Rocky’s car and I also learned a few tips from the officer that we wouldn’t have known from just reading the manual. We had our baby shower last weekend and although it’s in an organized pile it’s still just in a pile all sitting on the bedroom floor so we really need to start figuring out what will go where and get it all organized. I’m still waiting for a shelf to arrive that will need to go up on the wall which will have more storage. We lack in storage space in our home so we’ve had to get creative in getting furniture that will look nice but will also provide storage area.

30 weeks

Can't believe that we are only 10 weeks away from meeting our little girl. For the most part I've had a pretty easy pregnancy and hopefully it continues that way.

How many weeks? 30

From the American Pregnancy Association:
What changes are occurring with your body? You may begin noticing that you become tired easily during this last part of pregnancy. This may be especially true if you are having difficulty sleeping at night. Some women are able to experiment with different sleeping positionsthat make sleep a little easier. If you are suffering from insomnia, and it is becoming increasingly worse, you may want to consult with your healthcare provider. During this later part of pregnancy, you may also experience mood swings. Some of you may have experienced this in the earlier part of pregnancy as well.

Your body is producing a number of different hormones that can cause your joints to become looser. This may result in your feet actually getting larger. Some women report that their feet grow one shoe size during their pregnancy. This is normally a permanent change.*

How big is your baby? Your baby has now grown to be about 15.15 inches long (CHL) and weighs about 3 pounds.*

What is happening with your baby? As your baby continues to grow, he/she takes up a larger portion of your uterus. You may not feel that your body can handle your growing baby, but it will compensate by allowing your uterus to extend underneath your rib cage.

Your baby’s eyes are becoming more mature, and now he/she can tell the difference between light and dark. Babies at 30 weeks can even follow a light source with his/her eyes. Once your baby is born, he/she will spend a great deal of time with their eyes closed. This is completely normal. Newborns only have the ability to focus on objects a few inches from their faces. While “normal” adult vision is 20/20, a newborn’s vision is 20/400.*

from thebump.com.......Baby's now the size of a squash!

As baby's skin smoothes out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn -- her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.

Doctor Appts? We had our hospital tour last week and it was a little weird to be there. We realized that the next time we'd be walking those halls in Labor and Delivery would be when we have baby girl. We also had an appt on Friday and her heartbeat sounded great and our doctor was kind enough to do an ultrasound. It's always fun seeing her.

Weight Gain? 19lbs

Stretch Marks? None

Belly Button In or Out? Still in and I did find a belly button ring that is made for pregnancy so I went into the tattoo shop the other day and had mine replaced.

Maternity Clothes? Still wearing a combination of both maternity pants and regular tops and some of my old dresses. I have an interview this Wednesday so I had to go out and buy an "interview" dress because none of my nice work clothes fit, luckily I don't have to dress up too much for work so it's saved me a lot of money.

Sleep? I have good nights and bad nights :( the knee/hip pain continues to be an issue at night.

My favorite snack? Still happy eating all foods :) and lately I've been having either ice cream or almond covered M&M's as my dessert!

What I miss? Bloody Mary's...LOL!

Baby Preparations? The room is painted!! YAY!! THANK YOU HUBBY!! The room is painted and just waiting to be filled with baby girls stuff. We have a dresser in there already and it's got a few outfits including her coming home outfit which I found at a local children's store. I can't wait for her to wear it. I also need to stay out of the store or I'll go broke, haa, haa!! The owner has some great stuff in there.

I need to buy some detergent the next time I hit Target so I can wash all her little clothes. We've got her car seat which we are going to put in the car soon and take down to CHP to inspect.

I still have not put our bag together :( but will for sure do that soon. I don't want us to be caught not having it ready.

Things are all slowly coming together and we are feeling pretty good.

The Bump

The baby bump has been growing slowly and thankfully this little girl has been good to me :) Actually I think all the hard work of working with my trainer Katie for a year and losing 35 lbs helped A LOT!! I've gained 19lbs which is right on track of where I should be and hopefully I don't balloon up like a house in the next 10 weeks. :)

8 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

26 weeks

today at 30 weeks

The Nursery

We are moving along little by little with getting the nursery ready. The biggest challenge is space in our home. It's small and Rocky and I have used every inch of space we had open. We had to come up with a clever way for us all to fit comfortably and for all of our things to fit as well.

The spare bedroom was our guest room/computer room/wii room/tri bag room/my closet and dresser room and now it's going to become baby girls room. We originally figured that we would get a smaller desk and leave Rocky in there but he decided to go ahead and let that be her room and he would move to our breakfast nook area.

We got curtains for the breakfast nook and we also put one of our other bookshelves in there and everything fit nicely. I think he's pretty happy with his set up. We still got him a smaller desk which we really like and hides all of the stuff so it's not all out in the open.

Then I started working on the rest of the room. We had to get our daybed out of there and store it away. I also consolidated the things I had in my dresser to just two drawers so that I can share my dresser with the baby. I still have to clean out my closet which I'm dreading. I've gotten rid of a lot of clothes but there is still a lot in there as well as my huge collection of shoes :( ick. Will work on that while I'm off the next few days.

The room is pretty much ready for hubby to paint :)

We've picked out paint from Behr, Gentle Rain.

We didn't want to paint the walls pink because we wanted a more neutral color and one that we won't have to change if and when we have a second baby, if it is a boy they will have to share so the grey will work for both would work nicely for both genders. We are going with grey walls and pink/white accent colors. The furniture will all be black since that is what we already have. I really liked the curtains I found for Rocky's new office so I think I'll use the same ones in the baby's room in white.

Our neighbor offered us her crib and we have decided to put her crib in our bedroom. I have always wanted a wrought iron crib if I ever decorated a nursery and I found one that I fell in love with and at a great price so we ordered it and that will go in the actual nursery. The crib will not be here until sometime in June which is fine, the room should be painted by then and ready for the crib arrival.

Since we are going with grey/pink/white and black we found the perfect sheets at Restoration Hardware Baby and I will be ordering those soon and we have a friend who'll be giving us her baby girls bedding so we are all set there....yipee!!

26 Weeks

YIKES, I can't believe that we are a few days away from being out of the 2nd Trimester. Time is flying by. Over the weekend my counter showed that we were 100 days away from meeting our little girl. We can't wait although I have to admit that I'm also getting nervous, it's becoming so real that we are becoming parents very soon.

I have been feeling great but the tiredness and fatigue I felt in the 1st trimester is slowly starting to creep back :( and I'm still having major issues with my knees hurting at night. I read some message boards where other woman have the same problem with their knees from having to sleep on your side all night long. It's not fun and makes for a sleepless night and of course the constant potty breaks. I'm pooped.

The bump didn't have much update on this week so I took it from the info this week from the American Pregnancy Association although I did still use the phot from thebump.com. We are in our 6th month and baby girl is the size of an eggplant :)

How many weeks? 26

What changes are occurring with your body? The top of your uterus can now be felt about 2 ½ inches above your belly button. During the remainder of your pregnancy you will grow about a ½ inch per week. If you have been watching your weight throughout your pregnancy and have been sticking to a balanced diet, your weight gain should be between 16 and 22 pounds. *

How big is your baby? Your baby is approximately 13.38 inches long and weighs 2 pounds.*

What is happening with your baby? The development that is occurring at this stage may seem small and insignificant, but it is very important as your baby begins to prepare for his/her entry into the world. The nerves in the ears are developing and allowing your baby to respond more consistently to the sounds that he/she hears. Your baby is also continuing to swallow amniotic fluid which is causing his/her lungs to develop. If you are having a little boy, his testicles have begun their descent into his scrotum. *

Doctor Appts? None this week, we had an appt about 2 weeks ago and baby girl's heartbeat sounded great. I also had a bunch of blood work done and it all came back great. Doctor usually checks for anemia and gestetional diabetes at this point in the pregnancy. All my results came back normal and I'm well within normal range.

Weight Gain? 14lbs

Stretch Marks? NONE..yipee! and hoping it stays that way.

Belly Button In or Out? Still in and I'm thinking that it may stay that way. I do have a belly button ring though that will probably need to come out soon.

Maternity Clothes? Wearing mostly maternity bottoms with all my regular shirts and had been able to wear all my dresses but I'm thinking that's not going to last much longer, they are starting to feel a bit tight.

Sleep? Not going so well :( the combination of having to get up to pee a few times a night and the knee pain is making for some not so fun sleepless nights.

My favorite snack? Greek Yogurt and Strawberries

What I miss? A good nights sleep

Baby Preparations? A few weeks ago we asked Rocky's cousin to come to the house and help me clean out our garage and shed. We needed to make room in the shed for our day bed and a table we had in the breakfast nook. We also needed to put a bunch of stuff from the garage in there. We worked like little worker bee's and got it done in about 2 hours and managed to fit everything we needed in there and still have room for other things if we need it later on. I have ordered our crib, picked out the paint and crib bedding. We also found a new spot for Rocky's "office" and have completed that transition already. I will do a nursery/office post in the next few days.

This weekend I am also going to get a hopsital bag ready for us to have ready. It didn't really hit til I was at the doctor the other day that we need to be ready because this little girl can arrive anytime she'd like. We hope that she makes it til my due date but of course with little babies you never know what their plan is so we should always be prepared.

We have also signed up for our next few classes and our hospital tour and we are all registered at Babies R Us and Restoration Hardware Baby.

Week 21 & 22

Last week we were in week 21 and the size of a banana. I also had an appt on Thursday to do more measuring of Baby Girls body parts and organs. Things are looking great and she's measuring right on track. We als confirmed that no extra body parts had grown and she is still a girl..LOL!!

I am feeling pretty good and have been back to walking again. I love that the weather is finally starting to warm up and be nice. Rocky and I took the doggies for a walk around Lake Merritt on Friday and we were back out there on Sunday for an official 5k. The doggies even got their own race numbers. We had a good time.

I have been feeling her move more and more now and although it's a strange feeling it's fun knowing she's in there and being active. My belly is still pretty small but you can tell now that I'm pregnant. Although sometimes I feel like I just look bloated and I had too many beers. haa, haa!

Today starts week 22, I can't believe that next week we'll be going into month 6. It all seems to be going by so fast.

How far along? 22 weeks

Baby's size? Per thebump.com……Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. Real estate within your belly is getting tight, with growing baby leaving little room for your lungs to...well...breathe. Expect the huffing and puffing to start soon. There's not much room for your belly button, either -- it'll pop out any day now.

Doctors Appt? None until the 21st

Weight Gain? 9 lbs.

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Still in

Maternity Clothes? Still wearing a combination of both. I bought a pair of Citizen for Humanity maternity jeans that I LOVE! So I’ll be wearing those quite a bit.

Sleep? Still going to the bathroom quite a bit!

Foods I am loving? Everything

Foods I am hating? None

What I miss? Being able to sleep on my back.

What I'm looking forward to? Cleaning up our spare room so we can start working on baby girl’s nursery.

Half Way - Week 20

Last Thursday we had a few appointments including a long ultrasound where the technician measures different parts of the baby to make sure it's growing right on track. They also look for certain things like defects in the heart and spine. All looks great :) The ultrasound technician is not allowed to give us an information so I'm not sure what size the baby is right now. We are waiting to hear from our doctor after he views the results.

We also got to find out the gender and we are having A GIRL!!! we are super excited. Baby girl is going to be one spoiled little girl :) Our neighbor came by on Friday with a bag full of clothes that her and her daughter had gone and picked out. THANK YOU Ingrida & Marion.

How far along? 20 weeks, we are at the HALFWAY mark…YIKES!! This seems to be going by so fast.

Baby's size? Per thebump.com……Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Doctors Appt? None, had 3 appointments last week which included finding out the gender :)

Weight Gain? 7 lbs.

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Still in

Maternity Clothes? A combination. I can still fit into most of my clothes and although I can fit into my pants they kind of hit me right where my belly sticks out so they can get uncomfortable. A friend of the family was kind enough to let me borrow quite a bit of her maternity clothes and I’ve been wearing those pants and wearing quite a bit of my leggings.

Sleep? Had a few great days where I didn’t get up so much to go to the bathroom and but the last few days have been bad and I’m up 4-5 times a not. NOT FUN!

Foods I am loving? Back to enjoying most foods.

Foods I am hating? None

What I miss? Being able to go like an energizer bunny. I get super tired and winded very easily.

What I'm looking forward to? Finalizing the babies name.

Week 18

How far along? 18 weeks

I can't believe I'll be half way through this pregnancy in just 2 weeks, yikes!!!

Baby's size? Per thebump.com……Baby's now the size of a sweet potato! Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel movements.


Doctors Appt? None this week but we have an appt on the 17th which I’m anxious for. Look forward to seeing the little one and hopefully finding out if it’s a boy or a girl.

Weight Gain? 5 lbs.

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Still in

Maternity Clothes? Have not had to wear any yet but I think soon I will. My bump is still small enough to fit in my own clothes. Although, even though I still fit into my jeans they are uncomfortable around my belly area so I now see why they make maternity pants with the stretchy band :)

Sleep? I have good days and bad days.

Foods I am loving? Not many, my taste buds seem to be out of whack! Although I’m really enjoying fruit so been having more of that and lots of peanut butter sandwiches. I'm back to being able to eat everything including beef & beans but I more just eat because I have to but not really enjoying foods. Hope that goes away soon.

Foods I am hating? None

What I miss? Having energy. Seems like I’m getting tired more easily and get winded easily as well.

What I'm looking forward to? Finding out the sex of the baby.

RIP Pa

On Friday, February 18th we lost my father-in-law unexpectedly :( we know that he is in a better place free from any illness but he will be missed.

People often tell me how great Rocky is and my response is always YES HE IS. I married an amazing man but I also tell them that his brothers are the same with their wives and they are like that because of what their dad taught them. I'm thankful that I got to meet Pa and spend the last 6 years around him. Family was priority to him and we spent a lot of time together as a family. I know that I and my parents will miss him dearly. I'm also sad that Pa won't get to meet our baby but I know he'll be watching and looking down on us and his memory will live on through his other 4 grand children. They will tell our baby of their Pappy! and he will always be in our hearts.

Rest in Peace Pa!

Rocky, Me, Uncle Bob, my mom, Pa and my dad

at the Giants Celebration Parade 2010

Week 15

Momma and baby are doing well and I'm so happy to be out of the 1st trimester although at the same time it means I only have two more to go...YIKES! I feel like August will be here so soon. I'm feeling great and not having many symptoms. I understand this is my Happy Trimester and then things will go downhill again in the 3rd. We will hopefully find out next month what this little munchkin is as I'm ready to start planning for the baby's room.

We had our pre-natal class on Tuesday evening and we learned a few new things and the rest of the class was more of a refresher for us on what we've read in the books so far. We were able to get in groups and chat with mom and dad's and it was good to see that we aren't the only ones going through the nuttyness...LOL!! Sometimes I feel I'm the only one feeling icky. I know I'm not though.

It has also been great being able to share this expirience with my sister-in-law who is also pregnant and just 2 weeks behind me. We text everyday and share in the misery :) and the fun. Our friend is also preggy and we check in about once a week to see how we are each doing. Our babies will all be born within weeks of each other and it'll be a fun summer of babies.

How far along? 15 weeks

Baby's size? Per thebump.com……Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.



Doctors Appt? Had a routine OB appt on Tuesday and all went well. Baby was moving around a lot and we got to hear a strong heartbeat.

Weight Gain? 3 lbs, right on track with what I was suppose to gain in the 1st Trimester

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Still going tink about 3 to 4 times a night :(

Foods I am loving? Chinese Chicken Salads and Taco Bell

Foods I am hating? Beef, beans and anything that is too sweet and apparently as of yesterday home cooked Chicken :( hopefully it was just a one time thing.

What I miss? Diet Coke, Salami and Sushi


What I'm looking forward to? March 17th, we have a 2 hour ultrasound and at the end we get to find out if it’s a boy or a girl. Hopefully baby cooperates.

Vote for Ironhubby

Rocky made a video and entered a TNT contest, vote for him and he could win a $500 Nike Gift Card.

Click HERE to vote

Changes

I'm back :) and now that our news is out I can blog without having to make up little white lies about why I'm not training...LOL!!

There are lots of changes happening, some that I'm not happy about and that are out of my control but that I just have to stay positive about and see the positive side of them. These are related to my job and career but I won't go into details since it's not good to talk about work on a public blog. So just keep me in your thoughts and hopefully things will all work out.

The other changes I'm super excited about :) okay, maybe not the part about gaining the weight I finally lost but at least this time I'm gaining it for a good reason. Rocky and I found out on November 28th that we are expecting our first baby and we couldn't be more excited. I'm feeling pretty good now that I'm entering into the 2nd trimester. As most pregnant woman, I've had the crazy symptoms but luckily not all hit me at once and not all hit me for to long. I'm ready for whatever is next.

I will try to update once a week on how we are doing.

Other than that things are pretty good. Rocky's training is ramping up quickly as they head into week 14 as well of Ironman training. He's loving it and I love being able to support him especially in the cooking and keeping him fed department :)

I stopped running/working out back in October and was finally cleared to resume a few weeks ago. Although I was told I could keep running I've decided not to for now. I've been walking a lot and I've been working out at home with all the various equipment we have. It feels good to work out again.

So here is a little update on the munchkin and I

How far along? 14 weeks

Baby's size? Per babybump.com the baby is the size of a Lemon and 3.4 inches and approx 1.5 oz.

Weight Gain? None

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Still in

Sleep? Sleep is much better than the first few weeks but I’m still getting up 3-4 times a night to go to the bathroom :(

Foods I am loving? Water with lots of ice, Chinese Chicken Salad, Frozen Yogurt w/Mango, Strawberries and Kiwi

Foods I am hating? Beef, beans and anything that is too sweet

What I miss? Diet Coke, Salami and Sushi

Milestone? Starting the 2^nd Trimester

What I'm looking forward to? Seeing our little munchkin next week and going to our first pre-natal class.

San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon - DONE!!

Well I better write about this now or I'll forget or I won't end up doing it. I've never done any of the Rock and Roll races and after having a great race in San Francisco I got super excited and decided to sign up for San Jose Rock & Roll to try to PR again since it was a flat fast course. Oh boy, did the race gods have something else in store for me. I know that every race is not going to be a great race but it's so hard not to beat myself up. I finished in 2:28:16 which is not a bad time for me but I was still a little sad to not beat my 2:18 PR time. There is always next time :)


My original strategy was to start out with the 2:20 pace group and stay with them and then speed up after the half way mark but that pace group was in the corral behind me in 10 and I was in corral 9 :( so I lined up in my appropriate corral and figured I'd just keep a 10:30 pace and speed it up later on. So I did and I actually was able to keep that pace until mile 8 and I was happy because things were looking good in the time department and if I kept the pace I would finish in 2:17.


In the meantime though the weather had gotten pretty muggy. In fact I had started to sprinkle at the start of the race which was a bit odd but that didn't last too long. It just got muggy and I started sweating like a piggy. At the San Francisco Half I had decided not to carry water and I would just use the race water and gatorade because it was spaced out perfectly that I didn't need to carry my own and San Jose was the same. I got the first water stop which I think was either right before or right after the 2 mile marker and at that point I was already pretty hot so I needed the water. I took a cup, I took a sip and OMG it tasted so gross :( I looked over at where the water was being poured, it was water from a HOSE and it tasted like hose water. I spit it out and went for the Cytomax, blech!!! that was nasty also. I think I could have tolerated the Cytomax but if that stuff was mixed with the hose water than it's probably why it tasted so bad. Well there goes my drinking water from the race and I'm in trouble because I'm not carrying any. Most races have bottled water especially because some water company sponsors them. I have no idea what happened at San Jose but you'd think with the amount of money they charge and make off these races they'd provide decent water for the runners.


Rocky, Olivia and Lindsay were going to be at the right side of mile 4 so I knew I'd be seeing them and I knew that Rocky had brought some gatorade for himself so I thought I'd just drink that and tell him to pick up some water for me and I'd just get it from him when I saw him again That never happened. I guess they couldn't get to the right side and they were on the left so I never saw them. I would not see them again until mile 12 :( plan b wasn't gonna pan out for me. **Update 3pm - I just looked up the water sponser and it was Arrowhead, where did the arrowhead bottled water go? cause it sure wasn't out on the course**


Okay, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and drink the nasty water. I took a Power Gel around mile 6 and drank some water with it at the next water stop, probably not enough though. At mile 8 I was starting to feel a bit icky. I knew I was dehydrated, I was sweating quite a bit and I could feel my belly rumbling from the icky water so I took two packets of salt. That seemed to help me a little but by this point I couldn't keep the 10:30 pace so I slowed it down a bit. Around this time the 2:20 pace group finally came up behind me and I was going to try to stay with them but I couldn't. I just got slower. I was starting to get a little anxiouse and worried about being dehydrated so I decided to take off my shirt and just run in my sports bra which I NEVER do but I needed to cool off. I took off my shirt and that seemed to help.


At mile 12 I saw Rocky, Olivia, Lindsay and Leslie and I smiled a very forced smile at them and kept on going, I didn't stop. I was grumpy and since I was so close I just wanted to keep on going. I didn't realize it but Rocky was running to catch me and when he finally did and I saw he had his gatorade I guzzled quite a bit of it down like I hadn't had water in years! It tasted so good and it really seemed to help out. I walked a little, ran a little, walked a little and then ran it in at the finish line! Hubby right next to me :) thank god he caught up to me because I needed that push and that gatorade :)


I feel super sore today and I think a lot of it was that I pushed myself pretty hard in those first 8 miles and then afterwards I think I was tense so my upper body is pretty sore too.


I've learned my lesson on not carrying my own water or at least in finding out before the race what type of water a race will have. Phil said RNR is known for using hose water. Wish I had known that before :( next time I'll investigate more. This race though is probably not one I'll do again. If I'm paying $100 for a race I expect better. The expo was very small. The race gear sponsor was Brooks but the stuff fit funny and they didn't even have the logos on straight. I'm not paying $50 for a shirt that fits funny and has a crooked logo. I was not impressed with the gear. The race shirt they gave us was also Brooks and it was HUGE!! a shirt I will never wear, I think it fits Rocky so maybe he'll use it and of course the hose water. Boo!!


On a good note. This is a race that a lot of TNT people do so it was fun being out there with a lot of our friends. Quite a few people were also out there just to cheer and it's always nice to have that at a race. It gives you and extra boost to see your friends/family cheering.


2010 brought me 3 new half marathon's I'd never done before and 1 PR :) I've had a great year and a lot of that is thanks to my personal trainer who's gotten me in great shape. Losing the extra weight and having a stronger body has made me love running again and being faster is just an extra bonus :) I am also glad with my decision to stick to doin half marathons and not full marathons. My body appreciates it and I just enjoy it so much more. I don't miss running those 18 and 20 milers. I'm happy with how this year turned out. I'm already looking at races for next year and I'm hoping to throw in 3 more new ones. My races will also depend on hubby's schedule for Ironteam 2011. I'll keep you posted on where me and my running shoes will be next year :)

Still Plugging Along

I'm still here and I'm still as busy as ever. WE are still as busy as ever. I've been enjoying having the hubby home and spending time with him. The nice thing that has happened is that as a result of all my training with my personal trainer and the weight loss I have gotten faster and can now actually keep up and train with Rocky. That has been a lot of fun.

We cleaned up my bike and took it out for a nice 25 mile bike ride two weekends ago. I was pretty tired and out of breath for the first 10 miles but the rest of the ride was really nice and I actually enjoyed it. I plan on getting on my bike as much as I can before winter. I'm really hoping to get an Olympic or Half Ironman done soon but that will all depend on the hubby's upcoming schedule :)

On Labor Day we ran a 5K at Lake Merritt which was a fundraiser for the East Bay Walk Team. They did a great job on setting it up and hubby even won 1st place. After the race we headed out to Shadow Cliffs and did a half mile swim. I felt pretty pooped on the first two loops but after that I got in a groove and felt pretty good.

So I've decided to keep it up and add the swimming and the biking to my running as much as I can til winter hits.

This week I also joined a spin class that's being tought by Rocky's Ironteam Coach at Sports Basement in Walnut Creek. He'll be doing it for 7 weeks and I plan to join them for the entire time. I wanted to puke on Tuesday during and after but it was a great spin and although I'm sore today I felt good doing it. Something new to throw into the mix.

Rocky has signed up for another race, Iromman Coeur dalene in June 2011. We are very excited and look forward to him racing there next year. So the fun of training will start for him soon and so will my cooking, laundry and support :) I'm really excited though and can't wait for him to get started.

This Sunday we are doing a short "training" Tri. It's 700 yards swim, 18 mile bike and 4 mile run. It nice and short and it'll be fun to get out there.

Next on the running race books is San Jose Rock and Roll Half for me and Nike for Rocky. I am really hoping to PR at San Jose since it's a nice flat and fast course. We shall see though how that goes.

San Francisco Half Marathon

I ran the 2nd half of the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday.

The 2nd Half Marathon covers the second half of The San Francisco Marathon™ course with a slight deviation at Mile 2. The race starts in at Spreckel's Lake in Golden Gate Park and finishes on the Embarcadero (near the Ferry Building). It passes through Haight/Ashbury, the Mission District, into Mission Bay, and passes AT&T Park, finishing just before the Ferry Building.

and for the first time since 2003 I managed to have a great and fast (for me) race :o) My final time was 2:18:19 which was a PR. My last best time was in 2003 at the Avenue of the Giants Race and it was 2:19:28. YIPEEE!!! The races after that have been 2:20, 2:30 and 2:40ish time frame. I somehow progressively got worse instead of better :o(

I fully believe that the cross training with my trainer is what paid off and what has made me a much stronger runner because honestly I did not train as well as I should have for this race. I was suppose to be running Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and that did NOT happen, I was mostly just running on Saturday's and going to the gym twice a week.

I loved the race although I think because there were 3 different races doing on (2 half marathons and a full) it probably wasn't the most easiest race to spectate, I'm not sure, it seemed like there were many parts where no one was cheering and it got quiet out there. The race itself was well supported with water, cytomax and GU. I'm also very thankful that Olivia convinced me to do the second half and not the first. It was a lot less hilly although there were a lot of gradual inclines and it also started at 8:30 :o) I didn't have to get up til 6am which was very nice. Hubby dropped us off at the start line and then him and my parents went to mile 6. It was really nice to see them there but I was feeling so good that I didn't want to stop. I waved hello at them and threw my long sleeve shirt at Rocky and then kept going.

I believe they tried to see us at 9 but missed us so we just saw them again at the finish line. We got lots and lots of goodies at the finish although next time they need to give us a bag to put them all in. I could barely carry it all. I'm very happy I did this race, it's one I hadn't done before and I'm so happy with the way I performed :o) YAY for a good race.

Next......well, next might be San Jose Rock and Roll which I have a few more days to decide on before the price goes up or I may just wait to do Nike in October. I would love to do San Jose because it's a flatter course and maybe I could even get a better time but we shall see.

THANK YOU!!! to my hubby for skipping out his bike ride to come cheer me on and to my parents for getting up at the crack of dawn to join them.

WHOA stop the time!!

When did it become July, weren't we just celebrating Christmas? GEESH!!

Life at Casa de Reyes continues to be busy as usual. My hubby is doing AMAZING with his training (read here). I can't believe he started this back in November and now his race is only a month away. I"m already getting excited and nervous and I'm not the one doing the race, haa, haa. I am incredibly proud of him and what he has done so far.

I also continue to do well with my training although I did fall off the wagon a bit after we went on vacation at the end of April. It ended up being a month of going to the gym by the time I went back but the good news is that I managed to maintain my weight. I am only doing 2 days a week this time instead of 3 because working out on Friday's before a run is tough. I don't end up getting enough time to recove for my Saturday runs.

I am not running as much this season but luckily all the hard work from the gym has paid off on the road and I'm feeling great during the days I do run which are mainly on Saturday. I am signed up to do San Francisco Half in July with Olivia and I'm looking forwad to it.

Other than that I've been keeping really busy with stuff around the house and having some fun in the sun (now that it's finally sunny and warm out) with the BFF. We did manage to go to Hawaii in April and we'll be taking a small trip in July for our family reunion but until hubby is done at the end of July we won't be doing much traveling.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July weekend :o)

The Yard - AFTER :o)

If you are facing the house to the left we had Succulents put in. Our neighbor, Ingrid, has succulents and we figured it would look nice to keep it all looking the same and she's done a great job over there already.

In the middle right in front of the house we put a Japanese Maple Tree (Fireglow)

3 Astilbe right behind the tree which look like this now

but will hopefully look like this

and towards the front of the tree we put 3 African Daisy's

and on the right side we put

3 Salvia Plants

5 Variegated Hebe which will have purple flowers that attract butterflies :o)

and 2 Golden Euonymus

I love our yard and can't wait to continue in the back yard :o)