Training for races

In 2007 I decided to run in the Crescent City Classic again, such a great race. During the race, I was thinking and wondering just how fast I could actually run. I knew this would be something I needed to train for, but I decided then that I was going to see how fast I could get. I finished the Classic at 54 minutes. I started training a little harder running about 4 miles a day and sprinting during the runs. My next race was the 2007 Hale Boggs Bridge Run 5k. It was rough, but I pushed myself to 25.01 minutes. Next was the 5k Run for Excellence in Houma, 23:36, mistakenly I didn't take the ticket right away, I was a little ignorant about what to do if I was one of the front runners. I think I came in 4th or 5th, but I didn't have the ticket to show it. I just wrote my time on the paper, not sure what place it said. I still won something, though I still haven't picked it up. I started running longer and harder 6-8 miles a day. Anyway, from then on I was coming out in the top few runners, sometimes as the first master 40+, sometimes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd overall in smaller races. I was having a blast and loved it when my husband and 4 kids would be at the finish line cheering me on. Sometimes I had to race without my family because my husband works alot on the weekends, so the kids stay with ma ma and pa pa. I scored alot of not great, but really good times. My best was in the 2007 Crescent City Fall Classic at 21:42 - I came in 10th place overall - really great runners to compete with. I was determined to get faster and faster. My goal now was a 5k under 20 minutes. I ran Ole man River Half-Marathon at 1:45:53 and Mardi Gras Half-Marathon at 1:42:01. I also ran a couple of 10ks, 2nd place overall in one, and 3rd place over all in the other. The CCC 2008 was a blast running down Esplanade (where my parents and brother share a duplex). It was nice getting cheers from my mom, dad, kids, bro and sis. It was not my best 10k 46:19, but I still came in the top 500 and am still waiting for my poster. My last race was the 2008 5k Hale Boggs Bridge Run in Luling, La. The winner got $500. My best bet was to get 1st masters for $150. Oh, well, I came in 11th at 21:57. Going up the bridge was tough. I felt like I wasn't 100% and thought that my time should have been much better, because I was training for it. Well come to find out I am pregnant with my 5th child. I was planning on 4 kids before age 40, and was so excited to be free to train and run hard - with the help of my family. I was pregnant while racing the bridge run. The week before the race I did feel a little sluggish and new that there was a possibility of being pregnant. I was also planning on winning the 2008 5k run for excellence in Houma. So now I am 8 weeks pregnant sick as a dog and still running on the treadmill 4-6 miles a day, a lot less intense than before. I never feel like running, but I am determined to keep my body moving, a little at least. My mileage will probably go down as my stomach goes out, but I will always find a way to keep it going for as long as I can. I decided that I'll just have to embrace this gift of pregnancy and work on next year to compete. I am very happy about the baby, but I still feel so sick and have to pretend that I am not. Until next time...