Happy New Year

Thanks for the kind words on the last post. We are hanging in here and staying positive. I am kind of private when it comes to this stuff so please know I don't think I'll be sharing too much here, but I really appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and just kind words. Thank you. Stage 3 uterine cancer has met its match, and that match is a WHOLE BUNCH OF ZIEMNIKS. We don't take things lying down.

We had a little vacay visiting Matt's sister and brother in law in Charlotte, NC. Bug did a FANTASTIC job on the plane--WAY better than his Mommy. I seriously HATE flying. Literally almost pass out every time we take off and land. I know, statistics show, blah blah blah, but it's just the lack of control that drives me NUTS. But, despite that, we had a fantastic time hanging out on Lake Norman and relaxing. It was a nice way to spend the last few days before school.

Call me crazy here--I fully admit that I am--but I am kind of happy to be back at school. Check me in a few weeks, right? But it's been fun to have a new crop of faces and some old ones, too. I have a record number of AP kids signed up for History at the moment--57 to last year's 37--so we'll see if they can stick it out. I usually lose a few in the first weeks when they see the work load, but so far these guys are troopers! :) It hasn't been TOO hot, either, which is nice. I've been taking Bug to the pool after school so we get to pretend it's still summer. Awesome.

Being pregnant when you're used to training for long-distance events makes you really appreciate free time. It's been kind of nice that I have been able to do things that I don't normally get to do during training. For instance, I've had lots more time to read. I just finished In Defense of Food (very interesting), am currently working on The Other Boleyn Girl (slightly trashy--we'll call it history-trash), and next up on the docket is Escaping North Korea. I'm pretty excited for that one. Best Friend is trying to convince me to read all the Twilight books, and swears she is going to just drop them off sometime, to which my response is I AM NOT TWELVE. AND VAMPIRES ARE STUPID. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it, so don't even try to convert me. :)

Also, Best Friend and I have decided to start "Restaurant Club." She's super crazy busy, and I usually am too but have an extra 10 hours or so in my week until March, so we decided that one night in the last week of each month we shall have a meeting of the esteemed Restaurant Club. In this way, we know we have a friend date at least once a month. The rules are as follows:

1. NO chain restaurants. There will be no Applebee's here.
2. It must be in a developing area, like downtown, Ohio City or Tremont, and preferably locally owned, so that we can help give back to the local economy and
3. At least one of us can't have eaten there before.

So far we've tried Luxe and Momocho's. Luxe was AMAZING. I loved it. Momocho's was very good, but we both decided our husbands would not like it. However, it'd be a great place to have some drinks and chips with all kinds of gourmet guac. She's picking the next one, so I'll let you know where we end up! Cleveland area peeps, feel free to give suggestions!

And on a training front, here's the funny thing: I am not working out NEARLY as much as I did with Bug, yet have gained less. And that's what we call IRONIC. All kidding aside, I'm still focusing on eating as healthy as I can and trying to move 3-4 days a week. Running is getting slower, but is still happening (yay!) and swimming will happen as long as the outdoor pool is open for sure. It will be harder to get to the indoor pool on a regular basis but I will shoot for 1-2 times a week. I've been doing some strength training still (squats, lunges, light arm weights) because I think being stronger will help with the back pain that I already know is on its way in about two months. Plus, it can't hurt to be stronger for labor, either.

Lastly, I have a new goal: I am going to do the Rocky River Spirit Run in mid-October. It's a 5K, and will be later in my pregnancy than the last 5K I did preggers, so we'll see if I can actually run most of it or if I'll need to run/walk. Either way, HEY I HAVE A RACE COMING UP! And that's pretty exciting.

Now it's time to go enjoy a tasty bagel that Matt brought for me, and perhaps watch some Elmo until the sun comes out here soon. :)

Happy training and racing to all, and especially good luck and tailwinds to my awesome teammate Rural Girl tomorrow as she takes on IM LOU! Can't wait to follow her all day--GO RURAL GIRL!!