Four Mile Race Re-Cap

Well, I managed to survive the four mile race on Saturday without going into labor.

I half expected to go into labor during or after the race, but though I had a few contractions during the race, they didn't go anywhere- they were pretty much the same as the ones I've been having for awhile now. Sunday I had some contractions that were a bit more regular, but they didn't last either.

me waving at Mr M and LMS as we walk to the start line

Saturday I ran the four mile race for the fourth time (2012, 2011, 2010). Well, I didn't actually run the whole thing. I ran, ok, jogged, the first mile (mostly a slight downhill) and walked the rest, other than two other slight downhill sections and the last tenth of a mile or so, which was also a slight downhill.

me jogging to the finish line. yep, definitely no cute little pregnancy bumps for me

I finished the race in 56:44 this year.
     2012- 47:19
     2011- 43:55
     2010- 42:32
So as expected, I was slower than previous years, but I was also faster than I expected- I was anticipating 1:15:00 or 1:20:00. I  credit my fast walking pace, which was about 15 minutes/mile rather than the 20 minutes/mile I had thought I'd do.

This race always has a good number of walkers, which meant I finished with about a third of the participants still behind me. Not bad for doing this while 8 months pregnant.

I saw two others who looked about as pregnant as I am, but they were walking- guess they weren't quite as silly as me.

I'm a bit too competitive for my own good, sometimes. I just couldn't walk the whole thing, even though I knew there would be lots of walkers. The parts I walked, I walked fast- no sauntering for me.

LMS getting comfy while waiting for the race to start

Afterwards I wasn't as exhausted as I thought I'd be, though I did spend the rest of the day resting. My hips didn't hurt like they have in the past, but my pelvis was quite sore. I suspect that was related to increasing relaxin levels as I get closer to delivery. In any case, after resting Saturday and Sunday as much as possible, my pelvis isn't nearly as sore anymore.

4 hot air balloons off in the distance- the view we saw as we got Mr M and LMS settled before I started the race

Warning: Pregnancy TMI ahead

I was concerned about having to pee during the race- this week the baby has either dropped a bit or had a growth spurt, (I'm thinking he dropped since there's a lot less pressure on my ribs) and there's a lot more pressure on my bladder and an almost constant feeling of needing to pee, even if I just went. In any case, I drank some water first thing in the morning and then didn't drink anything more till during the race. I used the porta potty right before the beginning of the race, and while I did have the feeling of needing to pee, I knew there wasn't actually enough in my bladder to worry about. It wasn't too much of a problem, except when I had a contraction or the baby stretched- both put even more pressure on my bladder. I had considered using depends or some other incontinence product, but ultimately decided it would be too uncomfortable (running while wearing a diaper just didn't seem like a great idea).

----- TMI over now -----

Staying active during this pregnancy has been a huge goal of mine, and in some ways I have gone a bit overboard, but at the same time I've been able to do so much more this time around. I also feel so much better, despite being 7 years older.

This year I had a goal to run at least 6 races, so far I've done 5, with the last 4 being done while pregnant (I was just barely pregnant for the half, but I was still pregnant!).
New Years Day 5k
DisneyWorld Half Marathon
Mud Run 4 miler
June 5k
Women's 4 miler (this race)

That puts me one short of my goal for the year, but I don't see a problem reaching my goal. I plan on getting back in shape as quickly as my body can handle. I don't want to lose all the benefits I've gained by staying this active this late in the pregnancy. I'm not going to over-do it, but I also won't put off getting back in shape.

Possible:  Halloween 5k in October- I would walk this with LMS and the baby, I know I won't be ready to run it. It really depends on when the baby actually ends up being born and how the delivery goes. Mr M was going to do it with LMS this year, but he'll be out of town that weekend, so that's not an option, unfortunately, and LMS really wants to do the race again.

For sure:  Turkey Trot 5k- my goal is to run this one while Mr M walks with LMS and the baby.