Returning to Running: Post Labor and Deivery

Wow. It has never been such a challenge to consecutively run 2 miles. However, I have to look at it like this: Rewind to October of 2012. Hand myself a 19 lb pack of meat. Throw in some hills. Weaken my muscles and make my legs a bit wobbly. Then run. I doubt I'd be able to run the 10 or so miles I was doing.......

Beautiful 2.26 mile run this morning at the LA Arboretum 

But really.....it is a whole new game running post delivery. A whole new body. Since delivery (6/23), I dropped 22 pounds but I have 19 still to go in order to get to pre-pregnancy weight. That 19 lbs is pretty significant when it comes to running. It is that much harder to get up hills, up steps, up curbs and frankly, to just keep going. My ankles and legs aren't as strong but that is to be expected after a 9 month hiatus.

At my 6 week postpartum checkup I got the go-ahead to get back into marathon training. Well, get back isn't really the right term here....lets shift that to "start-from-square-one-on-marathon-training".  While I have a couple of halfs under my belt (and tons of 10 and 5ks), a marathon is one that I have yet to do. LA 2013 was supposed to be my first but a quarter into the training season I found out I was expecting and due to health reasons and general common sense, I nixed any ideas of running pregnant. I know some women are able to sustain running, but it wasn't for me. Lord knows, I trip enough sans belly. I didn't want anything bad to happen...

So I have started to run. It has been so exciting to get back into it. Also very humbling in managing new limitations to a body that was capable of much more not even a year back. Well....capable of things related to running....having a baby was kind of the ultimate in seeing what amazing things we ladies are capable of! ;)

2 and 3 mile runs are where I'm at now after a couple weeks in. My goal is to be up to 4 miles by September 14 so that I can join the Pasadena Pacers for the start of the LA Marathon 2014 training season. I'll be jotting progress down here for me and anyone else interested in running post baby. 

Cactus and Succulent Show at the LA Arboretum

With my folks in town, I decided to show them the beautiful grounds of the LA Arboretum. Unbeknown to us, there was a cactus show on site for the weekend. It was a tremendous treat! My mom is even more into cacti than I so it really was a perfect way to spend the morning. Here are some highlights:

Chihuahua and Baby: Siblings!

Things have been very different around the house.....but in the most amazing sense. The three of us came home from Kaiser on Monday evening after a 27 hour labor and 24 hour recovery stay. The hospital story, littered with drama, is a post all on its own but I don't know if I am ready or able to share  it at this point. The emotionality associated is so intense and my writing skills are not in any position to pen the day in the way I experienced it. Perhaps later on........

Coming home we are getting used to new schedules, new routines and new feelings all due to a new little person we brought home with us. There have been unforeseen challenges as well as things being much easier than anticipated. While Frito seems to be curious of out little Daisy,  he has been great about not being too jumpy or frantic around her. I did snap some adorable shots of the two while we were all hanging out the other night. I think they like each other.......enough at least.

Welcome to the World......

Serious love arrived on 6/23/13.  I can't explain it articulately enough right now in order to give the moment the justice it deserves. We just got home last night so I'll be off for a few more days getting used to new feelings, faces and routines.......

Pregnancy Reading: Update

So as mentioned a couple weeks back, I had picked up 5 books at the Pasadena Library to keep me occupied (and from overdosing on too much television) during the home stretch of this pregnancy. With a delivery literally any day now, I am on currently on book three (Concrete Island by JG Ballard) but reading at a significantly slower pace due to preoccupation with the upcoming L&D.

I finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (only visit this link if you want a mega-spoiler!) a couple days ago.

It took me a bit to get into the story but once I did I was hooked. What initially drew me to this novel was reading about the premise...and at the time, I did not know it contained spoilers. However, had it not, I most likely would not have selected this book. The creepy factor of the novel piqued my interest but looking back, I think not knowing the reasons behind the characters stay at Halishaim would have made the unfolding of the story more surprising and therefore even more enjoyable.

In a nutshell and without spoiling the premise, the novel follows a trio of students at a boarding school in England. It is obvious that there is something more to their stay and as the story progresses, the reader begins to piece the clues together. It is a novel that is wonderfully written...so much in fact that it left me dazed in a funk of sadness after finishing......not in a bad way mind you, but in a way that reflected just how wrapped up I was with Kath and her story.......highly recommended.

Prior to Never Let Me Go, I finished Out. Out was a longer novel yet quicker to read through due to the  fast paced who-dun-it style of writing. The recipient of a Japanese Writers mystery award follows 4 women working in a bento box factory who get involved in covering up the murder of an abusive husband. The cover up eventually leads to the 4 women blackmailing each other. Enter suspicious debt collectors, strip club owners and detectives and you get a pretty intense, creepy and wild book to keep you hooked. The novel beautifully weaves the characters together a la Murakami without elements such as talking cats. And don't get me wrong...Sputnik Sweetheart is one of the 5 books I mentioned earlier.........there is nothing wrong with some Murakami magic!

I will post some more as I finish up my next selections.

Competitive Jump Roping?

I had no idea such a thing existed. We were just listening to the song "Double Dutch Bus" on the radio and after YouTubing some double dutch videos, I came across this gem:



Pretty cool if you ask me......

T +4 Days: A Visit to the Los Angeles Arboretum

It is weird....this waiting for the baby to arrive. I have been having moments where I was certain that "tomorrow this is going to happen" right to the flipside and thinking, "this baby is going to be induced".  With such a wide range of thoughts and feelings, my desire to partake in certain activities is also ever changing. Yesterday, I was dead set on staying home and even a routine trip to the grocery store proved to be exhausting. Today however, I felt a bit more recharged (lord know how only after 5 hours of sleep) and was ready to get off the couch and explore. 

The burst of energy sent me to the Los Angeles Arboretum. I had been wanting to check this place out for some time so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to go. And on a Monday no less? Arriving in the parking lot to find spaces within 50 feet of the entrance was both celebrated and unsettling. The celebration is obvious: who doesn't want a close spot while pregnant? The unsettling feelings....well they are a bit more difficult to explain. Entering a life where I now have weekdays to do errands/tasks/activities that were solely reserved for weekends is scary. The abundance of parking was a huge flashing sign that read, "YOU AREN"T WORKING ANYMORE". To be quite honest, I haven't yet fully embraced that notion. Probably because I have been so tied up in my career the past few years to the point where it was a huge portion of my identity. If I wasn't at work, I was talking about work, thinking about work or just plain exhausted from being there........ 

However, that could be a blog of its own. Let us get back to the Arboretum.  For 8 dollars one is granted entry for the day. The sprawling grounds showcase a variety of gardens and there are probably hundreds of micro climates! Greenhouses, rose gardens, shaded ponds, bamboo forests and cacti were some that I came across on my walk. There are dirt paths as well as paved roads that lead you through the facility. It seemed very self guided although I am sure that there is some sort of docent lead tour during the week. Seems like the kind of place. 

One of the highlights for me was to visit the Queen Anne Cottage:

You may recognize the beautiful building from television fame as the home on Fantasy Island.


The cottage is in impeccable condition and careful attention to detail is obvious. The colors are gorgeous and paint is pristine! They must touch this beauty up on a monthly basis! While you can walk around the porch and peek into windows, the doors were closed when I was there.

As I continued through the park, I came across several trees and bamboo shoots that had evidence of lovers' visits. I don't think I could ever justify marking up a tree myself, but I'd be lying if I said the preserved moments didn't bring me a bit of joy this morning.

The final highlight was to visit the greenhouses. Each greenhouse has its own theme. Orchids, airplants and I wasn't too sure what the third one was. All I know is that each trip inside brought me back to the humid jungle-y climate of our Costa Rican honeymoon last August.

All in all, it was a good morning spent walking, getting fresh air and more importantly, getting my mind off this past due date of mine.......