Zain’s Half Marathon

Tomorrow I’m supposed to run 18 miles.  Eighteen miles and we’re expecting a hurricane to hit us.  Fabulous.  Since we don’t really know when the storm is supposed to arrive, I decided it was best to try to get my long run in today.  I thought about swapping this week’s 18 miles with next week’s – a recovery week – 10 miles.  Then I thought maybe I should give 18 miles a shot – with Zain in the jogging stroller.  I told myself I should run at least 8 miles then I’d just take it from there.  I gathered everything we both would need for the long haul.

Fuel for mama

I knew I wouldn’t need as much fuel as I brought for myself, but I brought it just in case.  I ended up only having 2 gels and one Honey Stinger Waffle (by the way, those are delicious!).  I had one bottle filled with water and one with Nuun.  I also brought an extra bottle of water which I used to refill my bottles about half way through.

Fuel and entertainment for mama’s running buddy

I was well-prepared to keep Zain entertained and content with snacks and water.  I brought some of his favorite books and a few toys.  Turns out the little man was worn out by mile 8 and he fell asleep.  Then I was just able to enjoy the added weight of his gear that he didn’t need.  I guess it’s good practice for when he gets bigger or for one day when I have 2 passengers .

Running is exhausting!

When we started our run, it was about 70 degrees and 89% humidity – lovely! By the end of our run, it was 81 with a heat index of 84 and very sunny.  It was too hot for me and I just knew I wasn’t going to make it 18.  I decided to push myself until I made it to 13.1.  That’s the farthest I’ve ever run with Zain (my previous longest run with him was 12 miles).  I know I’ll probably never be able to run a real half marathon with him since strollers are usually prohibited so I decided at least we can run a half on our own!

Done. Not the best pace, but definitely the best I could do today.

I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed I didn’t make it to 18 miles.  I’ve been beating myself up about it since we got back home.  I know I could have done it if it was like 10-15 degrees cooler outside, but the heat was just zapping my energy today.

Sleepy boy after just waking up when we got home

I know the 13.1 miles I did make it through were still great and I’m proud of making it that far.  When it was tough and I didn’t think I could keep going, I remembered why I’m running and why I have to keep fighting.  I’m running so I can make a difference.  I’m running for The Ulman Cancer Fund’s Team Fight.  Please support me in my fight!

When we got back inside, he wanted to get me some more water. Such a sweetie!

And now I will leave you with a sweet treat I made this week.  I was asked to make cake pops for a baby shower this past week.  It was a shower for 3 mamas-to-be – one having a girl, one having a boy and one having a surprise.  I’m putting all the money I made selling my cake pops toward my fundraising goal for Team Fight.  A sweet treat for a great cause!

Baby shower cake pops – filled with chocolate fudge cake

Pink, blue and green!

Happy running and stay safe if you’re in an area that will be affected by Irene!

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