Marathon Monday: Favorites?

Back on the blog! It’s funny how I always have the best intentions to sit down to write and then it’s somehow 8pm and I’m exhausted. Except for tonight. Tonight was different (and not in a good way)- Izzy has been getting her two top molars in for the past two weeks (if you’re a parent of little then you know) and she’s been a total mess. So, cue an hour nap during the day, a 6:15pm bedtime, and voila! We’re back on the blog and it’s 7:30pm (I think I can still be in bed by 8:30 too)! We have been in ‘fake Spring’ for basically the entire first two weeks of February here in New Hampshire and now it’s basically going to snow this entire week. I LOVE snow, but I’m also so excited for warm days and summer nights enjoying our deck again (sans snow). We took the girls out sledding yesterday and while they were pretty confused by the whole concept, we had a GREAT time.

I’m not exactly in marathon training mode yet (I have my eye on at least one Fall marathon), but I’m always thinking about those 26.2 miles and snagging that BQ. So, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite things that have helped me run my fastest marathon last year and also successfully ran 10 26.2s I’m ((hopefully)) going to share my training goals for the year on the blog sometime this week, so make sure to check back if that’s something you’re interested in!

Fast Shoes:

The Nike Vaporflys are my new carbon fiber favorites

A GPS watch:

Still rocking my (slowly dying) Garmin Forerunner 235

Long Run tested (non-chafing) clothes (that make me feel fast)

Oiselle Pocket Joggers, Lululemon Align Crop Tops are my current favorites

A kick-ass running coach

Currently training with Coach Cara from Lift. Run.Perform! I’m also a running coach if you’re looking to start training for a race or wanting to make running a more consistent part of your life.

Cross training & strength

I would never have been able to run 10 marathons & several ultra marathons without adding in both strength training & cross training

Adequate Rest, Hydration, & Nutrition

I’ve dug myself into big holes when I’ve neglected any one (or all) of the above. Don’t be like me!

• What else would you add?!? Favorite post long run meal or ways to recover?

• —> I’m all about epsom salt baths, a protein shake, & putting my feet up the wall lately

2022 Less Is Inevitably More

I ran my lowest mileage year ever in 2022 (besides being pregnant for most of 2021) and somehow managed to get two new PRs- one in the marathon & another in the 10k. It’s absolutely crazy to think that I shaved 7 minutes off my marathon time when I followed a very short (10ish week) build-up.

I ran 1,067.8 miles in 2022. I biked way more than I ever have before, focused a ton on strength training, and really honed-in on my mental strength. I grew so much confidence in myself the second half of the year and also let a lot of little things (like missing a run) just not bother me. I also did my first-ever (and not last!) sprint triathlon.

I think taking a lot of the pressure off myself helped a lot. I also started running (run/walking) very minimally at 7 weeks postpartum. I raced less - one half marathon, one tri, one 10k, one 5k, and one marathon. After looking back, I’m super proud of how I managed to both get faster and do it on less mileage. I still ran the majority of my runs at slower than 10 minute pace and hired a coach for my marathon build (Coach Cara at Lift Run Perform).

So, I’m not sure if I can top last years PRs, but I’m certainly going to try to build off of it.

-continue building my mental strength

-sub 1:40 half marathon

-70.3 half Ironman

-get stronger!

-continue to focus on nutrition

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~What are your goals for the year?

~Tips for doing 70.3? I’m so excited AND terrified!

The First Year With Twins

I can’t believe that it’s almost been ONE YEAR since the twins were born. They turn one on the 15th and I didn’t think I would be as emotional about their birthday as I am. It brings back all the exciting and exhilarating emotions surrounding their birth, as well as so much disappointment and frustration. Disappointment manly in just how it came to an emergency c-section and frustration with not knowing when Charlotte might be discharged and her having to have been re-admitted after being released from the NICU. Excitement surrounding their arrival and finally becoming parents! We had no idea how long the inducement phase actually was (it was around 76 hours until my original vaginal birth turned emergency c-section) and I still look back on the entire experience as it was a complete whirlwind. I still have days where I’m shocked that we have TWINS and that they somehow both came from me.

Day that we were going to be heading to the hospital to be induced! Omg I already look so tired…

Trigger warning: this section talks about traumatic births and rape

It’s funny looking back at the entire birth experience and while I wasn’t planning on ever sharing too much information about it, I do think that it’s important to share because I know that there are other mommas out there that have traumatic births and for us to not feel alone (I work with a lot of mommas in the NICU who have these similar experiences). I will say that it was extremely traumatic to go from starting my vaginal birth and pushing, to having been told I was not fully dilated, to Charlotte having some decels in her heart rate and having an emergency c-section all within 2 hour time span. It was also so terrifying to be on the medical side of a lot of this (in that- I knew what was going on in both my body and the babies) and I knew prognosis was scary. I will also say that when you expect to hear two babies come out crying and only hear one (Charlotte came out not breathing and needed resuscitation efforts to help her get the hang of things)- it’s extremely traumatic. I also had always been extremely terrified of having a c-section - particularly being tied down and it wasn’t until I started therapy a few months ago that I realized I was terrified of it because it brought me directly back to my rape and having absolutely no control over the situation. So, if you’ve experienced any of these things- just know that I see you and I know what you’re going through. It’s taking me a lot of time and perspective to start to process all of these emotions. I still have a lot more to process, but I’m so proud of the growth I have had this past year (in so many areas)! Needless to say, that the girls didn’t have the most graceful nor peaceful arrival to the world that I envisioned, but they both came home (Charlotte 4 days later than Isabelle) and have been healthy (besides minor daycare germ sicknesses). Additionally- the c-section (and endometrioma adhesion removal and partial vaginal birth (Charlotte became partially stuck in my birth canal during my vaginal pushes)) recovery was tough. I remember being maybe 10 days post-birth and walking 0.25 miles seemed almost inconceivable. So, if you’re still struggling from your recovery know that it takes time!

So, we’ll move on from the labor & delivery part to things that I’ve loved/learned/wish I did differently with twins:

I’ve loved learning about their new personalities and having two little people to dress every day!

Izzy!

Charlotte!

In all seriousness- here are things that I loved during the past year and would also recommend doing for fellow twin mommas!

• Getting out of the house with both babies. Sooner than you would like. Start with drives. Then maybe to target for a quick trip. Just GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! It was (and honestly still is) a major struggle to get two little humans ready to go and out the door for something like a quick trip to the grocery store, but I was (and still am) determined to have these two little humans fit into our lives a bit more.

• Bouncing off the previous idea- don’t let babies schedules get in the way of your “me time”. Whether that’s reading a book, working out, cooking, watching your favorite show- get creative in the way that you can include the babies. I had seats downstairs next to the treadmill and would pop the twins in there if they weren’t napping while I got my workout in.

• Get a therapist that you love. This was life-changing for me in so many ways. Bonus if she’s also a mom too.

• Find fellow twin mommas. This one is hard to do, but if you can see that there is another one of you that’s struggling with getting the babies to sleep at the same time- you feel a bit less alone.

• Don’t feel guilty if you want to go back to work (or if you don’t). Going back to work was a game-changer for me honestly. I needed to get out of the house and have something outside of the babies to look forward to.

• Mommaroos. Especially when they were still preemies- they lived in them.

• Twin-Z pillow. I waited to get this until they were 6 or 7 weeks old and WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?!? Omg. We still use this pillow. We’ve brought it everywhere (literally everywhere) with us.

• On pregnancy- stretchy cotton pants that both looked professional, but also secretly was basically just glorified sweatpants (see above big belly picture). I lived in those pants and pretty sure they’re $15 on Amazon.

• Lactation consultants. I didn’t do this and honestly everything just felt overwhelming in the beginning, that I wish I had booked a consult before leaving the hospital. I never had any follow-ups and didn’t get around to reaching out to one (who was not helpful) until 6 months postpartum. From experience with working with mommas in the NICU- find a lactation consultant you love and plan to meet with them a week to a few weeks after babies birth.

• Breast pump you love and that works for you. If it weren’t for my Elvie breast pump, I wouldn’t still be pumping at almost 1 year postpartum. I wanted to quit so often and when the babies always needed something (at different times), it was nearly impossible for me to be hooked and tethered to a hospital grade pump. I eventually found a rhythm with my Spectra S1 (which I’m planning on doing a whole post dedicated to BFing) after 7 months and didn’t use the hospital-grade Medela one much (but had co-workers who loved theirs).

• Goals for yourself. Whether it’s wanting to read a bit or go outside for a walk/run or take a nap. Communicate with your partner and don’t forget to lose-sight of yourself. It’s super easy to do (especially with two)!

• Charlotte was sent-home on a program called the TLC clinic/Hope Grows At Home, where we had a very-close connection with a neonatology NP (GOALS!) and RN. Honestly- this was the best thing that ever happened to us. I sent them more messages and asked them more questions than our primary care PCP. We had to do a weigh-in for both babies every day for almost 2 months and send their weights to their office and then would have a telehealth check-in. It was super stressful, but also gave me so much reassurance that we had a reliable resource. If there is a program like this available to you, please reach out and ask if you can be included in it (more common if your babies have a NICU stay).

• Plan trips. Whether it’s just an hour drive to go visit relatives or an overnighter- have things that you look forward to and while the first few trips seemed stressful (and literally like we were bringing our entire house!), it got easier and we had things to look forward to (and childcare).

• I love sending the girls to daycare part-time (2 days/week). We were on a waiting list at my hospital for over a year (while I was still pregnant) and am so happy with our decision to send them. I book out one of their daycare days so I don’t work and get the day to myself. Selfish? Maybe? Necessary for me personally? Definitely.

• Four months of maternity leave. A part of me wish it was longer, but I was also ready to go back to work too.

• Grocery pick-up and target to go. We did this A LOT (and still do).

Things I’ve LEARNED:

• I’m not perfect. I’m not an amazing mom. I’m a GOOD MOM and I’m proud of that!

• It’s ok to be frustrated. Totally normal.

• We ran our dishwasher every day.

• It’s ok to follow your gut-instinct. Ask for help. Say no when you’re overwhelmed. You’re in-charge of two little people now.

• You can’t take care of others if you’re not taking care of yourself.

• You don’t need two of everything. Yes to cribs, bassinets, car seats, mammaroos/swings, stand-up seats (Skip Hop is our favorite). A stroller that does hold both babies is really nice (we love our Uppababy stroller (package that came with two of everything) and Thule double jogging stroller).

• There were so many diapers. So much laundry. Just things that you think are crazy when you add one tiny little human- double it. It’s a large learning curve (I think anyways) for adding one baby- it’s a huge learning curve for adding two babies.

• Milestones and doctors appointments shouldn’t be stressful. Find a PCP that you love. Ours is very down to earth, tells us how it is, and doesn’t harp on milestones (but is realistic and tells us when maybe we should be working on things more with the babies).

• Starting food is very messy. I just learned to embrace the mess.

• Any consumption of breastmilk is GREAT. Whether it’s only for a few days of the babies life, exclusive for a few months/days/weeks/years, or one bottle a day- all studies I’ve read suggest that some breastmilk give baby benefits. I wish that someone had told me this way back at the beginning when I hated supplementing with formula (originally for weight-gain, then with lower supply).

• SIDS is scary, but it’s multi-factorial and while I had every right to be nervous about it- there is only so much that is in my control. Once I know that baby is sleeping in a safe bassinet, with the correct amount of layers, in an age-appropriate sleep-sack, in our room, and non-smoking household- most genetic factors that underly it were out of our hands. I still worried about them- as twins- as preemies- a lot. No advice here, maybe just know if you worry about it too that you’re not alone.

• Two diaper changing stations (one on different floors if you have their nursery upstairs and living area downstairs) is necessary.

• Pelvic Floor PT at 3 or 4 weeks postpartum. Started early and I stayed consistent with it. It was also so nice to know that I would be getting out of the house every week.

Things I wished I did differently:

• Spoke-up more. When I thought things should be different. When I had concerns. When I needed a break. When I felt so confused and alone when trying to breastfeed.

• Actively found a therapist sooner than 8 months postpartum. I tried for months to find someone that fit. It’s really hard and expensive. I wish that was different too.

• I love where I work now (I switched from working in Hematology/Oncology to the NICU about 2 months after I went back to work), but I do wish the timing was different in some regards. It was stressful learning a whole new type of nursing (and still is) and the training was long- 6 months long, but I also grew so much confidence professionally and personally as a mom (helps when you work with new moms who are also just starting out). So not sure if I would change it, but just something to note.

• Did more skin-to-skin. I didn’t realize how many amazing benefits came from it. I did it a lot in the hospital, but less when we came home.

• Sleep-training and cry-it-out. Alex can’t let them cry-it-out, so we’re still soothing to sleep, but maybe someday we’ll get there!

Overall- this first year with twins was crazy. A total rollercoaster. They’re generally pretty good babies and keeping them on a similar schedule (thanks to them being identical) has really helped. I felt like I totally lost myself and have slowly (very slowly) started to find myself and my confidence again. I still don’t feel “back to normal” at 1 year postpartum. I’ve started to feel better just recently, but still not back to where I was. I’ve heard that it might take 18 months or maybe a few years. I think I’ll eventually get to my ‘new normal’, but we’re also trying to keep two little humans alive so it might take a bit longer than someone elses’ journey and that’s ok. I’m still not back to my ‘pre-pregnancy jeans’ and I’m totally ok with it because I honestly feel so much stronger than I ever was (mentally and physically). Goals for the next year: plan a solo-trip sans babies and sleep in a luxurious hotel bed. That sounds really really nice right about now.

• Twin mommas- what tips do you have?

• Things you would have done differently? Things you would have done the same?

Wineglass Marathon Recap

It’s only taken me almost two months to write this recap and ironically I’m gearing up to train for my next races! I’ve been planning to write this recap for a while, but also wanted a good amount of time to process it all. I still can’t believe that I ran a sub 3:45 marathon at 9 months postpartum. It feels absolutely crazy to me, but when I ran it and finished it felt absolutely given. My race mentality was so strong and there was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t attain my race goal/hit my race plan. My coaches (I joined the Chicago Marathon training group through Lift Run Perform) put together an amazing training program and I never felt like I was burnt-out leading into the race (and even during- which has happened often in previous training cycles).

I chose this race because it seemed easy to drive to with the littles (5ish hours), a hotel was within walking distance to both the finish/expo/start line buses, and it seemed like a well-executed race (spoiler: it’s my favorite race I’ve done thus far). We stayed at the Hilton, which was about a 1/2 mile from the finish and 1/4 mile from the race expo- which we walked to both. We also used my Hilton points, so ended up with a free nights stay!

The expo was at the Glass Museum which was so cool! It was smaller than I thought it would be, but the race swag that was included with our entry fee was amazing (a wine glass, champagne, & a 1/4 zip which is great quality).

We sadly didn’t do the tour of the museum (next year!), but we did wander around the gift shop and pick up some gifts for family. We also should have booked a suite at the hotel, but it was actually really relaxing because we got in so much nap time (thanks to the babies nap schedule). We got to the hotel on Friday night (I also started my 3-day carb load the day before- using Featherstone Nutrition’s carb load guide) and I packed most of the food I ate leading up to the race. Which happened to include lots of homemade pretzels!

The babies did so good on the drive there - we stopped around 3 hours to swap drivers and offer them bottles/diaper changes. They weren’t very interested in eating (too much excitement!), but they also lost interest in the drive around the 4 hour mark. We did room-service that night for dinner just to make things easy and we’re all in bed by 8:30pm!

Saturday was pretty uneventful- I did a short shakeout run around downtown that morning while the babies napped and then we walked over to the expo. My shakeout run was also the slowest pace I’ve ever done before a goal race! It was around 10:30 pace. We walked over to Wegman’s that afternoon to pick up a few groceries (it was right across the street which was convenient!) and a lot of Gatorade was consumed. We went to the pasta dinner and listened to Deena Kastor and Bart Yasso speak (they both didn’t speak much- which I was super disappointed about) and were in bed by 8:30pm.

I slept the best I’ve ever slept the night before a race! I think I got something like 9 hours of sleep. I really wasn’t nervous for this race because I was so confident in my training and race plan. I think this mindset helped me so much. I woke up around 5:45, pumped, and got ready for the race. I left the hotel around 6:30 and walked/short jogged to the start line buses (less than a mile away). There were so many amazing volunteers and runners around that I never felt alone going to the race!

Once I got to the start line, I did some dynamic stretches, used the bathroom, tried to do some self-release of the boobs (no luck- it’s pretty hard to do in a portapotty when you can literally hear people vomiting in the portapotties next to you… sorry if that’s TMI!). It was super windy at the start, so I hung on to my warmup clothes until 10 minutes before the final drop bags could be collected. Once I dropped my bag, I was able to find space in the warmed tent that they had at the start (so nice!) and just kept repeating my race plan in my head. My plan was: 8:45s through 10k, 8:35 through the half, 8:32-8:40 through 20 miles, 8:25-8:30 last 10k. Here’s what my race splits looked like:

Once I lined-up, I remember thinking how grateful I was to have 4 hours (by myself!) to just run ( LOL motherhood certainly brings about weird perspectives!). I also had the cheer tracker that the race offered, which turned out to be awesome. I highly recommend. It came across with each mile marker with my split and my expected finish time (which was really exciting to hear the ETA continue to decrease through the race). The weather was perfect- 50s and overcast. I kept my mittens (I threw those around halfway) and my buff as an ear warmer on for a good part of the race. I also took a Maurten gel (non-caffeinated since I was still breastfeeding) every 40 minutes and mentally- took the race one mile at a time. I also had scratch in my water bottle and took water at almost every aid station.

The race course and support was awesome. The water station volunteers were so supportive and the course only had a few sections where there weren’t any spectators. I ran with a few people and hung with them for a few miles, which was so fun (I hung with one runner for about 5 miles and she really helped me during a tough stretch around mile 18)! I kept staying positive- even when it felt hard and never strayed from my race plan (mentally). I remember hitting mile 24ish and wow - did I start to get emotional! I thought of my Dad a lot and of the babies and of every hurdle I had to overcome to get to where I was right then. I thought of all the support I got from Alex, my Mom, my in-laws, and friends. I thought of all the PTSD that my birth experience was overshadowed by. I thought about the babies and their families that I cared for in the NICU. And I thought about all those training runs that sucked, that didn’t go as-planned, that went surprisingly well, and those that had to be skipped. I drew strength from all of these thoughts and honestly they carried me until mile 25.5ish. This is where I passed by our hotel, crossed over the bridge, and headed onto Main Street (where I knew Alex and the girls would be!). I honestly didn’t think I could run any faster at this point, but somehow found another gear. I ended up running a sub 7:00 minute pace for the last 0.2 to cross the finish line!

I crossed the finish line both in shock that I actually did it and not surprised at all because I knew I could do it. I believed in myself so strongly that I had no doubt that I could execute this race well. The finish line feeling was so exciting and I still get chills thinking of it. The race medal (all glass!) is also so beautiful.

Seeing the babies afterwards was just… everything. I wanted to show them that you can be a mom, go through a completely difficult year, and still keep chasing your dreams. Just because I added a new title to my name doesn’t mean I have to let-go of those other titles and goals. I’m already looking forward to Wineglass 2023 😏

Wineglass Marathon Training Recap

Good MORNING! First off- I ran a marathon! And somehow managed a 7-minute PR! I finished in 3:44:19 (8:34 min/mile pace). I’m working on a full race recap, but wanted to recap my training up until race weekend because I actually ran the lowest mileage before a marathon ever (even before my first marathon) and didn’t have a super consistent training block (so many days with sick babies), but still was able to run faster than I ever have. I think it’s important to be transparent in training, how things get done (or don’t get done), and just keeping it real over here.

Let’s run through just some stats over my training block:

• Peaked at 41.88 miles

• Total mileage ran 411.57 miles

• Race PRs: 3 (10k, sprint triathlon (first one), marathon)

• Runs missed/altered: 9

• Milk produced: Unknown, but- So. much. pumping!

• Average days a week ran: 4

• Average days strength training: 2

• Sicknesses: 2 for me and what seems like an infinite amount for the babies

• Peak long run: 20 miles

• Run coach: Yes! I joined the Lift Run Perform team program where most runners were training for the Chicago Marathon

This was the least I’ve ever ran/ trained for a marathon and I somehow managed a 6+ minute PR! I modified/skipped a lot of runs (but tried hard to stay diligent on my workout days and just modify easy runs if needed)- which is something I also never used to do. I did, however, really focus on my strength before starting this training block/signing up with my training group. I loved doing the Tread Bootcamps starting around 5 months postpartum and would use those days as my ‘speedwork’. I also did one half-marathon at 5 months postpartum (just for fun) and ran a 1:58 in very hot/humid conditions for early May (I think humidity was 85% at the start line and temperatures were already above 60?). I had some of the best training runs that I’ve ever had and was the least anxious surrounding my runs than ever before (I think having basically no other free time besides my ‘window’ to run really helped with this one! #motherhood). Some workouts that I’m really proud of included longer intervals like doing 30 minutes at 8:10 pace (goal was 8:33 pace), 4 x 1 mile at 7:45/ 7:46/ 7:53/ 7:53 (goal was 7:51), and a long run of 15 miles with 3 x 2 miles at 8:25/ 8:19/ 8:24 (goal was 8:33 pace).

I also had a lot more cross-training under my belt during this training cycle to help me prepare for my sprint triathlon the beginning of July and just as a way to slowly incorporate running back into my training postpartum. I worked with a Pelvic Floor PT starting at 3 weeks postpartum (I made the appointment on my own rather than waiting to talk with my doc at my 6 week postpartum visit, but I did make sure they were ok with me seeing a PT that early). I also worked with a Pelvic Floor PT mid-training cycle to help make sure I didn’t have Diastisis Recti (separation of the abdominal muscles- which is common after pregnancy) or any other issues (I wasn’t having any, but always good to make sure)! The PT that I worked with in September really just helped me work through a lot of scar tissue that I had around my c-section (and honestly I still have a lot- so if you know what helped you with your scar tissue LMK)!

We took a few fun trips during this training cycle- mostly to Maine and our first-time camping with the girls! I love how I was just much-more laid-back with this training. I had a goal to honestly just have fun with it and that took a lot of pressure off myself. I still rode my Peloton bike once a week until 3ish weeks out from the race and took strength training away around 3 weeks out as well (I had always strength trained up until the week of the marathon)! I also somehow PR’d the 10k, which I just used as a workout. That got me really excited to see what I could do in the 10k if I didn’t follow a race plan. I was also still breastfeeding/pumping during this entire training cycle (I planned to be weaned/done by the time of the race), but we are still doing it over here. If you ask me how I managed to get it all in- I’m not entirely sure, but the girls started going to daycare 2x a week in August and that gave me a lot more flexibility (and for that month I worked part-time). Alex was also so great about watching the girls either on my days off for me to get a run in or have the monitor during their nap time while I snuck-out for a quick run. I didn’t use our treadmill for basically the entire training cycle (because our treadmill belt was broken/needed to be fixed) which I also thinked helped with my mental toughness because I went out in all of the weather conditions.

I also started to become more body-confident and wore more crop tops, which I think helped boost my confidence. And we can’t forget about my Nike 2% Vaporflys (a Mothers Day gift)- not sure if these made a difference, but they certainly helped me feel fast. Now- I’m going to start working on my Marathon Weekend Recap next!