Vegas, Natural Childbirth & 18 Miles on a Treadmill

Since the San Dieguito Half Marathon there has been quite a lot of excitement around here.

Let's start with last weekend.  I was in Vegas for a friend's bachelorette party.  Let me start by saying, this was my first trip to Vegas and it was instantly apparent that it's not exactly my kind of place.  The partying all night, expensive dinners, sleazy guys, and bottle service would be better suited for the 21 year old version of myself.  I swore I would get a run in while in Vegas, and I held true to that promise.  Granted, it was only 5 miles on the hotel gym treadmill - but hey!  It was something.  

I was supposed to fly home Sunday morning but when you stay out until 5am, it's pretty unlikely you'll wake up at 7am to catch a flight.  I slept right through my alarm and missed my darn flight.  I ended up having to buy a whole new flight for a whopping $200.  Needless to say, I had fun with the girls, but am financially in the hole after that weekend.  Luckily, I had Monday off for President's Day so I had a second chance to get a long run in.  Angela and I ran 16 miles in Mission Bay and I was still feeling the affects of the alcohol.  Whenever I drink, it makes me realize how clean my system is because alcohol acts like a poison and I feel sick for days. 

Work is my primary focus right now and to be honest, I haven't even thought about Boston in the last few weeks.  I am already supervising about 25 advocates at this point which equates to 50+ foster children and I still have so much to learn.  I worked until 9pm a few nights and visited with Angela's family that is visiting from Illinois in my free time.  Somewhere in there I ran.

Cut to this weekend.  I woke up early Saturday morning to head out for an 18-20 mile run but instead received a phone call that Dana (an amazing woman I babysit for) was going into labor!  That meant I had to throw on some clothes and head over to their house.  Dana was having an at-home tub birth and wanted me to take care of their 2 year old while she was in labor.  I spent the day with their little one going to the park and taking walks while Dana worked through contractions.  I was given a few hours of a break around 5:00, so what did I do?  I decided to attempt to squeeze in my long run.

73 laps on a treadmill.  Not my sanest moment but I have to say, I loved it!

Now, if only that calorie count was accurate!

I did it!  I managed to get in 18 miles in a few hours and headed straight back to Dana's without even taking a shower.  Gross, I know.  I returned and put little Miss Isabella to bed and chatted with Dana who was almost fully dilated.  I woke up to a text this morning saying their baby girl was born at 12:10 am.  Congratulations to the both of them!  She was so strong and calm and it was unbelievably inspiring.  Childbirth is the real marathon.  It makes 26.2 miles look easy.  I wish I could have been there for the actual birth because I find it so beautiful, but she had a very intimate at-home birth with her husband and midwives by her side.  

With my new position fully underway, Angela's family in town, a trip to Vegas and a baby being born, life has been anything but normal lately.  Marathon training definitely takes a backseat in situations like this but I find that doing what I can, when I can is sufficient.  When life is so busy you just have to squeeze in those runs whenever possible, even if it means running until 8pm and not showering for hours.  I don't feel like my training has suffered at all and I am determined to keep it that way.