RACE DAY! (with a baby)
Todays race went well, I didn't make my goal time of 30 minutes, but I wasn't too far off: 33:20. Which means I ran 8:20 minute/miles, and considering the mile and half hill at the start of the race and the other hill at the two mile mark, I'm pretty happy with my performance (and I was the 5th female finisher...but there were only 65 runners). I thought the race would be flat, so the hills came as a surprise. And that wasn't the only thing that was a surprise to me today I realized that racing before having a baby and running races after having a baby are two very different things.
Evening Before the Race without a Baby:
-Relax at home.
-Paint toenails my traditional “racing orange.”
-Set out clothes for the morning.
-Successfully program coffee maker.
Evening Before the Race with a Baby:
-No time to paint toenails.
-Set out baby’s clothes for the morning and all her gear.
-Double check diapers and wipes.
-Program Coffee Maker but forget to set it to “Auto On” mode.
Bedtime pre-baby:
9:30pm
Bedtime post-baby:
10:45, 11:55 after multiple attempts to quiet a baby who now likes to sing at bedtime (in our one bedroom apartment). (Husband’s bedtime: 2am)
Estimated Hours of Sleep Pre-Baby:
10 hours (uninterupted)
Estimated Hours of Sleep Post-Babt:
Wake at 3:30am to pee. Wake at 5:56am to sound of baby vigorously sucking on thumb.
Total Sleep time: 6.5 hours
Morning of the Race before Baby:
-Don clothes that were set out ahead of time.
-Drink coffee and eat pre-race breakfast.
-Visualize race.
-Grab pre-packed bag of race essentials.
-Walk out the door to the car and leave.
Morning of the Race after Baby:
-No Coffee, thanks to my forgetting to push "Auto On"
-Feed baby.
-Change diaper.
-Change baby into her clothes.
-Fumble around in dark bedroom for running clothes (husband is still sleeping).
-Pack baby into car seat.
-Wake exhausted husband.
-Double check enough diapers and wipes.
-Leave the house with a sinking feeling that I have forgotten something.
Warm-up Routine before Baby:
-Jog for 5-10 minutes.
-4-5 sprints
-Stand in line at portopotty.
-Run a few more sprints.
-Head to start line.
Warm-up Routine after Baby:
-Feed baby in back seat of car (thank God for darkly tinted windows).
-Burp her quickly. (Not an easy task. Burps cannot be rushed.)
-Run to the starting line.
Post Race before Baby:
-Grab a water.
-Stretch out.
-Wait around for the prize for placing in my division.
Post Race after Baby:
-Kiss the baby and the husband.
-Go pee.
-No need and no time to wait around.
-No time to stretch.
-Get in the car and head home, the baby will have to eat again in an hour. Preferably NOT in the backseat of the car.
-Forget to grab a water.
