Are you prepared for victory?

I'm in the red zone
The last few seconds are ticking off the clock
A Finish Line just appeared around the bend

I recall seeing a sign 2 miles from the end of my marathon race in 2005 that said, "You are just a few steps away from finishing what you started!"

I feel really sore and tired most of the time, but I am still feeling much better than I did at this point with my last pregnancy.

I even swam 600 meters a few days ago. I felt like I was swimming through an oncoming current and it took me 21 minutes, which is quite slow even for me. But I am really close, so any exercise is just amazing at this point.

I am also working on visualizing my upcoming success in my most important race to date. Birthing my second child. I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor and IPOD and treat this like any serious race. The goal is a painless birth...a relaxed birth...a baby in my arms after hours NOT days. All this will happen.

I'm like Joan Benoit Samuelson, who I met once and talked to, although I can't remember what I said. I just read a recent article detailing Joan's Olympic Gold marathon race in 1984.

"Minute by minute, mile by mail, she forged onward past the barren landscape along the Marina Freeway, increasing her lead to almost 2 minutes at 15 miles. What fortitude enables a lone runner to hold form for more than 20 miles when she knows that behind her lay the greats, en masse, conserving energy, poised like a cycling peloton to overtake her? The answer came from Samuelson herself after the race, when she recounted her mindset. 'I said to myself, 'Are you prepared to deal with victory? I decided I was.'"

This will be me in just a few days! I am prepared to deal with victory.

Go Slow and You Get to Eat More!

I guess when you walk slowly in a race and weigh more, you burn more calories.
At least this calorie counter thinks so.

http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp

When I compare how much I burn when I weigh 200 pounds and take 57 minutes to complete a 5k-to when I weighed 150 pounds and it took me 30:30 minutes to complete a 5k, I get these two different numbers.

681 calories vs. 348 calories.

I guess the main benefit to being light and fast though is that you can get through a 5k faster, even if at the end you burn less calories.

This counter also says I burned around 4175 calories when I ran my marathon in San Fran. 2005, versus I'm guessing around 3030 calories for my fast and light brother-in-law Will to run his Chicago marathon. That means I could eat an extra McDonalds meal more than he did after the race! Two bad we didn't run in the same race at the same time, or that would have been fun to rub in. The slower you run, the more you get to eat.

I'm neglecting to mention that he ran his marathon in less than 3 hours, I ran mine in less than 7 hours. I think his feat is more noteworthy, but at least I get the extra burger for effort.

A 5k Walk, while carrying an extra 50 pounds

This morning my friend Betsey and I, as well as my Mom, two strollers, and three kids in the strollers, started out at the back of the pack of a local 5k. We ended at as the last racers as well. But if you can believe it, I was able to jog the last 1/4 mile even though I weight over 200 pounds (although my hips are hurting a bit now).

My final time was around 57:40, a pace of 18:34 per mile.

I usually finish 5ks in around 32 minutes, a pace of 10:30 per mile.

But I had loads of fun and enjoyed getting hilarious eye popping double takes from all the runners when they saw my HUGE 8 month preggo belly. I literal saw people's eyes pop out. When I won some running socks at the raffle afterwards everyone clapped for me like I was winning an Oscar.

This local running store does a 5k every 3 months or so far $5. I really just walked this one so that I can get a free T-shirt and award next December for competing in all four races this year of 2009. I should be able to expect a new PR at each race.

I was really motivated to at least beat the 1 hour time mark, and did. I might not have though if not for my friend Betsey who kindly pushed Lincoln in a stoller as I pumped my arms at a 3.5 mph pace. It is always great to have good company.

Only 24 days until my due date of March 3rd.
I'll keep this 5k time as my Personal Record for a 5k while 36 weeks pregnant. Not sure if I'll have test this PR so it might just stick forever.

My brother ran with his wife which was great for them. He is Mr. Skinny now and is trying to get under my weight before I have the baby, which is a bit frustrating for me since I'm 5 foot 4 inches, and he is like 6 foot 3 inches. Although I always weigh more then Nate when I'm barely pregnant, so weighing more than my tall brother shouldn't be too bad. But between you and me and don't think he will make it since he weighs 216 and I'm at 203, with only 24 days to go. But who knows. If I get up to 210 and he looses like 6 pounds in the next 3 weeks, we might weigh the same for like one day of our lives. We will have to take a photo on that day!

Fun!

I now weigh 199.5 pounds

Yes, with four weeks till lift off, I am only a .5 pound away from going over 200 pounds, which I've been fighting off like a lioness! Argh. I went to the gym and almost had to use that large weight on the 200 pound mark instead of the 150 pound mark. I was so mad I even yelled at the scale. Luckily, I still got to use the 150 pound mark. But I remember once being able to use the 100 pound mark in 2003, and I dipped to 149 pounds for like a day. I really want to get back there and quickly too!

A few months before this pregnancy I got down to 151 pounds, after lots of running AND a well-placed 48 hours flu bug. At any rate, I am not going to get down on myself, and may need to stop weighing myself at all till the baby comes. No reason to fret. I've lost weight before. I'm an active person. I will breastfeed and exercise, sometimes simultaneously until the weight comes off again.

Also, when I walked into the hospital to birth Lincoln I weighed around 230 pounds. this time I might weight closer to 205 pounds. So I will look at this pregnancy as a tremendous success. Perhaps it has something to do with not living right down the street from a MidWestern delicacy called frozen custard. Perhaps.

I did swim 10 laps today, and two days ago I spent a 1/2 hour on the eliptical machine and lifted arm weights. So really, my friends, you have no excuse to not get active this Winter, if I'm doing all that work while 8 months pregnant.