2017 was such a unique year on so many levels, both running related and non-running related. Politics (need I say more?), pregnancy, my job, family emergencies (3 total this year), having a newborn, and learning what all of this means for my running routine have all added to the complexity of the year. I don’t mean this in a negative way, in fact, all of those things have made for a great year! Well, everything expect for politics – don’t get me started with that!
My goals for the following year are usually set in late November/early December, with my race calendar solidified before I even enter the new year. My husband and I started trying for baby #2 in November of 2016, so instead of locking myself into races, I left my 2017 race year open. The Chicago Marathon race lottery registration came and went, Grandma’s Marathon registration came and went, New York Marathon lottery came and went, and although a little piece of me died inside every time I saw a mention of these races, I knew I was going for something bigger for 2017. We were lucky enough to get pregnant right away, but with the pregnancy came my first hurdle for the year: morning sickness.
I didn’t have morning sickness with my first pregnancy, but it hit me like a ton of bricks with my second, and it started almost immediately. I was only able to muster up 26 miles of running during the month of December, which was my lowest mileage month since 2014 when my first daughter was born. I was also managing through morning sickness during the work day, at a job I had just started a few months prior. Nothing says, “Thanks for hiring me, I’m at the top of my game” like abruptly leaving meetings in the middle of conversation.
Meanwhile, I was put on a large project as the digital marketing lead in mid-December. It was a project that had started and stopped multiple times, and the product marketing team was frustrated with the lack of progress made throughout the year. Upon coming onto the project, I just couldn’t find it in me to agree with the direction the project was headed when I inherited it, but I knew the marketing team would lose their minds if I spoke up. However, I couldn’t keep silent and pretend I was aligned, so the first thing I did in January when we came back from the holiday break was say, “You guys, I think we need to pause and re-scope this project”, which was by far the most unpopular thing I could have said. My bosses boss is the one that originally scoped and made the digital plan, and nothing ruffles feathers faster than throwing upper management under the bus at a large corporation. Changing scope also means that all the work that was done on the project to date was basically worthless, and the dollars that were sunk into the project to date were all for nothing. But still, I really felt strongly that changing direction now would save us dollars in the long-run, as the current approach would just be redone within a few years, and the impact the plan would have to the business was too low for the effort. So, my first impression on upper management was obviously questionable. However, at my year-end review, I received a great amount of praise for the courage it took to speak up and do what was right for the business. The results spoke for themselves, and what I thought was career suicide actually turned out to be a really good thing for my rapport with my peers, and the way I’m seen by upper management. But, let me tell you, this was the most stressful way to start a new year, and remember I wasn’t running because of the morning sickness. Running is what keeps me from losing my mind, and with very few miles under my feet during this time, I was certain I was just going to spontaneously combust. =)
II started working with a new coach on January 1st. She ran through her pregnancy with twins, so I was confident that she’d be able to keep me running as long as my body would allow. With that said, my only two goals for the year were:
- Goal 1 – keep running through pregnancy as long as I can while still staying healthy and pain-free (ran through 30 weeks with my first pregnancy, my unspoken goal was to exceed 30 weeks)
- Goal 2 – Make a quick and healthy return to normal running after having Charlotte
I really wanted to keep a baseline of miles in hopes that my return to running would be easier. I also had a lot of back pain during my first pregnancy that I was hoping to keep at bay through strength training and just by staying active. I wasn’t a stranger to the health benefits of consistent exercise to both the baby and myself, and the benefits of staying in shape for the process of labor.
Staying motivated was honestly really, really hard. Every stage had its challenges. Morning sickness was the first challenge, the second trimester was generally ok, but the third trimester made up for the “easy” second trimester. I set out for each run not knowing what the next day would bring…every run could have in theory been the last run. When you’re pregnant, you wake up every day not knowing what your body is going to do to you. There were days that I swear I woke up noticeably bigger than when I went to bed 8 hours earlier, or days that I woke up with pains that I didn’t have the day before, and in some blissful cases, I would wake up without the pains I had previously had for weeks. Every day was a craps shoot! With that said, I knew that if I ever stopped running for a length of time, I might not be able to pick it back up until after my baby was born. I didn’t know what that length of time was, so I just kept running. I ran a total of 486 miles throughout my pregnancy, including a two-mile run the day I went into labor. So, with that said, I will place a large “check” next to my first goal for the year (keep running as long as possible).
In case you’re wondering how my year shook out, here is my monthly mileage:
- January – 48.27 miles; pregnancy weeks 8-12
- February – 55.05 miles; pregnancy weeks 13-16
- March – 80.78 miles (including a 10 mile race); pregnancy weeks 17-20
- April – 63.04 miles; pregnancy weeks 21-24
- May – 78.85 miles; pregnancy weeks 25-29
- June – 60.2 miles; pregnancy weeks 30-34
- July – 54.16 miles (also when I started run/walking, and it made ALL the difference!); pregnancy weeks 35-39
- August – 35.24 miles (Charlotte was born on August 1st)
- September – 72 miles
- October – 69.15 miles
- November – 101.68 miles (first 100 mile month of the year!)
- December – 106.64 miles
I will say though that you must have tough skin to run when you’re this pregnant. You will get judged, you will hear many comments about how awful running is for the baby (seriously people!?), and kids will make fun of you. But then there are times that other women will high-five you on the path and tell you how strong you are. Those are the comments and encouragement I chose to hold onto, and they truly made all the difference on those runs that I just felt like hell!
Family emergencies was also the name of the game for 2017. Actually, it was really only the name of the game for the Fall of 2017. As I’ve mentioned before, my oldest daughter Emily had an accident at daycare which resulted in her losing her two front teeth and spending the night in the hospital due to dehydration and a concussion. A week later, my father had a near-fatal heart attack when Charlotte was 5 weeks old, and my mom had an emergency surgery the week before I went back to work from maternity leave. The silver lining to all of this? My dad and my step-mom have never been healthier, and my mom has made a full recovery and is also as healthy as can be. The other silver lining to this is that my siblings and I proved to each other that when we are needed, we are all there, no questions asked and no hesitations. I’m exiting 2017 feeling more thankful for my family than I have ever felt.
Part of my bedtime routine with Emily is asking her “what was your favorite part of your day?” In the spirit of ending every day, or in this case year, focusing on the positives, here are my favorite parts of 2017, in no particular order:
- Emily had a Paw Patrol birthday party, complete with a giant bouncy house in the backyard that will now become a staple piece of her party (she LOVED it!)
- Charlotte was born (August 1st), and our family is now complete. Watching Emily adore her little sister is just the best!
- I ran a 10 mile race at 20 weeks pregnant
- I ran a 10k with two of my best friends 7 weeks postpartum
- Constant reminders of how wonderful the women are on the Oiselle Team – so much support and camaraderie both when I was pregnant (fast runners would run/walk with me in the back of the pack!) and postpartum. I’m thankful for this group of strong, supportive women
- We took a family trip to Estes Park in April, which included the most fun, silly hike through deep snow of all time. I literally almost peed my pants at one point because I got stuck in a snow bank and neither Emily or I could stop laughing =)
- Erik and I took a babymoon to Sanibel Island in February – we relaxed, we walked everywhere, we rode silly bikes, we went for runs, we swam, we took a sunset boat cruise…it was the perfect getaway
After this year, I’m left with a full heart and complete excitement for the new year ahead! Here’s to 2018!