35 Before 35: An Unexpected Addition

You know how sometimes when you're busy making plans to do things like train for another marathon life decides to send you a curve ball and shake up your neat little plans? Well, that's exactly what happened to me. While I was busy chipping away at that 35 Before 35 list, the universe decided that D and I should be parents. Yep, I got a bit of surprise a few months ago when I discovered that I'm pregnant. The new family member is set to arrive in June.

It's weird to write that. I never thought I say (or write) those words and I was perfectly happy keeping it that way. But I'm slowly getting used to the idea and I know it will be an amazing experience, but at the same time, I'm a little frustrated with the timing when it comes to my running. I was just getting into a good groove with training and my speed was really picking up. And now, because of pregnancy, I've sort of leveled out because I've had to, and sometimes, I'm just plain slower. After so much hard work and so much progress, it's frustrating to not be where I should be pace-wise.

But, I've also heard (and witnessed) women coming back from pregnancy even faster, and I do plan to keep on running as long as I can through the pregnancy. I've also set a goal comeback race for next fall with the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon (half) in October. It's a beautiful course by the beach and it's a good place to PR, so we'll see what I can do next fall.

As far as my current training, I'm still chugging along and training as best I can for the Charleston half in January. I've let go of my PR expectations and just decided that the only goal is to finish. Yes, I've got time goals (want to hang right around the sub-2 hour mark), but if I don't, I don't. I'll be 5 months pregnant then, so any finish is a finish to be super proud of.

And of course, this throws a wrench into some of my other 35 Before 35 plans, like starting a second graduate degree or going to Disney World (who wants to go there if you can't ride the rides?). Besides, if we wait a few years, Disney will be awesome for a our tiny human. And probably the closest we'll get to a tropical vacation is hitting up Isle of Palms for an afternoon, but that's okay. There will be plenty of fun vacations to be had as a three-member family in the future.

So a bit of a surprise (okay, a total surprise) and a total adjustment in perspective and plans, but it's just another adventure on this crazy ride. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to check out baby jogger strollers. Because this kid? This kid is going to be a runner. We've already crossed several finish lines together and I plan to keep that up long after the tiny human arrives.