Running. More than just a sport. A passion. An adrenaline rush. A time to forget everything else and just Run. Run. Until your heart is pounding so hard that it is all you can hear...
I love this time of the year. Normally i would be spending it in a condo on a ski hill with my family. When i say family its like brothers, sister, their kids cousins etc
This year with the new addition to my family it will be a quiet christmas, i wont be in a condo on a ski hill and i wont be skiing the next day but it will be a white christmas here in the Netherlands. I am looking forward to celebrate all that with little D.
Christmas day would mark the 5 weeks since the birth of baby D. I wonder if i should call him baby because i see a little boy and not a baby anymore!!
After having a c-section i really thought i would have to wait 6 weeks before i can do any activity. Sure enough being a little impatient and my eager to start running 6 weeks would not be an option. On week 4 post pregnancy i managed to run... That felt damn good! Somehow i felt strong as if i was never pregnant ... Or as if i was running with my pre pregnancy weight!
Well that is good news! Right? I hope it stays that way...
Baby D
Running while having a newborn at home is going to be challenging. Now it is somehow easy because we are both off from work but when hubby gets back to work eventually all depends on what time he comes home from work. All this has to be planned...but i have a feeling 2011 is going to be a good year!
Friday november 19 will never be the same. On this day my little angel Daniel is born at 8 15.
He is so sweet and cute. I barely hear him beside when its time to eat ... I am enjoying every moment of it because in my heart i know that in no time he will grow up. I love being a mom!!
It was so strange to come the 3 of us home instead of just 2...really life is like a miracle...i think i can go on i am full of emotion and still amazed of the birth of Daniel.
The really nice part here in the Netherlands that i get a certified lady to come and help me for one week at home. She teaches me how to handle Daniel, how to give him a bath how to feed him and at the same time she cleans the house , do laundry and get me something to eat. I feel treated like a queen :)
it is the only country in the world they offer this kind of service after the birth of a child. Im lovin' it!
Normally i love being in contol of things but at this point i have absolutely no control i am waiting for my baby to see when he feels like celebrating his birthday!! No signs at all that it would be anytime soon...
While waiting for my little man i had plenty of time to think of all the things i want to do and change once i become a mother. I got a chance to plan a draft of all the races i would like to run and of course the first one would be Rotterdam Marathon in April but the question is would i be ready for that race? Would i be all in shape and at my highest performance?
Running is of course what i love to do but i am very competitive with myself. So far every race has been a PR so what if i set an unrealistic time for the marathon and end up being disappointed???
A part of me i want to do the marathon in april and this will help me be serious and get motivated about my training as soon as possible and the other part of me i want to wait and gain more confidence before running a new course.
I will let this thought sink in before making any decision but at the very moment all i want is to hold and squeeze my baby in my arms!!! Come on baby we are all waiting for you !!
I am about 2 weeks away before i get to meet my little baby. I am super excited to be a mom for the first time.
Today i managed to run a 3 Km but to be honest i think thats it, my running shoes are going to be retired for a while.
Running for me is usually the moment where i feel free, light, peaceful, where i can forget everything and just focus on the things around me...like the POWER OF NOW.
Today running was not that much fun, i was scared. Being so close to have a baby i was worried what if my water break, what if the baby is so big now he is feeling uncomfortable... what if i fall now that i am 15kg heavier, all kind of worries were running in my brain, eventhough once i was done i felt so good. i felt powerful and proud!!
Ii am so ready to get rid of this belly and have my kido between my arms.
Last year like now I was so fit so ready to compete in every race possible. I had in mind to run the chicago marathon 2010, of course all the plans changed when i knew i was going to become a mami!! I am only 5 weeks away before I meet my little angel. Five weeks sound so close after everything i went through for 35 weeks but yet 5 weeks still a long time.
Today i managed to run for 45 min on a very easy pace. Running with all this extra weight is also very interesting but It felt great!! The reward of having a baby is much greater than finishing a race with a great time and having a medal on my neck.on the other hand reading about all those people who are going to run chicago marathon or other races makes me somehow wish to be among them.
I am so looking forward to have a baby and start running again. I set high goals for next year, I know it wont be easy at first especially that i have to get fit again!! I might not accomplish them all but just knowing they are there and i could meet all my goals by pushing my body and mind. Honestly it sounds crazy with the number of the races that i would like to run and yes Chicago 2011 is on my plate.
I run Half marathons but never a marathon, Rotterdam marathon 2010 was one of the races i was training for and one month before thats where the positive pregnancy test showed up :) So i couldn't run my first marathon.
I am so excited for next year, when you are deprived from something you end up craving it. Thats how i feel craving long run all the time... I am waiting for the day where i could just go out there, me myself and I feeling the pounding heel-soles embarking me on a new journey.
At the moment my excitement to meet my little baby in five weeks is only growing by the minute.
When running run through your veins and you really enjoy it so much, it makes you forget that sometimes you have to slow down and look after yourself... How many times in the past i went running when i was feeling sick or half injured thinking it will get better ??
Now that i am almost at the end of my pregnancy journey, nothing has been stopping me from running beside the few comments that my family and close friends have been making. Some people are very supportive some aren't and sometimes their voices especially my mom makes me feel somehow guilty for running while having a little baby inside of me.
My family is very athletic they spend every weekend or a day off skiing, hiking, playing tennis and so on...but when it comes to pregnancy they believe that it is a gift from god and shouldn't do anything extreme....like the other day mom calls me and i was on the bike, biking to town i picked up and when i told her what i was doing she said push the bike with an unhappy voice and she added call me when you are on your feet...it sounds very funny...but not funny to her...
Oh well back to running so i have been running like 2 or 3 times a week slow pace just enjoying the ride. Am i tired?? Yes always but the feeling i get after running is so satisfying that makes me believe being tired is just a state of mind that i could actually win over it by ignoring it. How many times i was so tired or lazy or sleepy i went running and came back much stronger, more awake, happy, energetic??? Many, many times...
On sunday sep 19th i run the 4Mrace at the Dam tot Damloop.
Sounds a little crazy why would i run when i am 32 weeks pregnant...??? Honestly nothing can describes how and what i felt just knowing i could finish this race. 6.4 km in 38 min super proud of myself i can't wait to show my son what he has been doing few weeks before he was born.
Honestly, i am not sure how time is flying! What i know i have 11 more weeks before i meet my cute angel. I have been feeling great, i am not tired or sick or whining :)
I have been managing to run about 8km twice a week. It just feels great to be able to run despite the extra weight. Recently I read an artice in the NewYork Times about Paula Radcliffe and Kara Gouche . They are both pregnant and due on the same day in September and they are both still running through out their pregnancy. They are both qualified for the London Summer Olympics ...Here is the articleClick here
They are such an inspiration, they train twice a day!!! Kara also has a blog about her running you can also read it here
For now my main concern is to stay fit and healthy I have also been going to the gym like 3 to 4 times a week to use the cross trainer and so some weights
I feel in shape, healthy and I have a healthy baby :))
One of the most amazing things i have done lately is a 3D echo. On week 27 I decided to figure out what exactly is happening in my belly.The whole time I had an echo i only see like the shape and still can't immagine a baby inside of me. The 3D echo shows as if it is like real laying on the couch... I was so impressed!!! I fell in Love with the picture below...
It is Boy and he is adorable, he was smiling at some point and almost crying at another point. he was holding his toe Foot at a moment and at another moment he was sucking on the umbilical cord...
I cant forget his face... I keep looking at him and i keep missing him. I cant wait to meet him!!!
Become a mother while living in the Netherlands i find it one of the most beautiful things. Too many advantages this country offers.
1) As an IT consultant you would think asking for part time means being fired at least in the US world. Well last week i asked if that is possible and there was no hesitation. At least here once you have a contract they can't just fire you or say sorry we don't support your needs. One of my good friend in the US had to quit her job since her company refused to let her work 80 % which is 4 days a week.
2) When i am at work and not feeling good it is my right to just go home and relax. I dont have to use my vacation hours or being unpaid for the sick days. isn't that wonderful!!!
3)One of the most beautiful things to be a mother in the Netherlands is the biking with kids. I always had a nice mountain bike or a road bike. For my Birthday my husband bought me the " MAMA FIETS" a bike for mothers...
I love my new bike and i cant wait to put my little one on it. I think it is amazing. the Creche where my little one will go to it is few km away from my house. How cool would that be to drop the baby at the creche while biking.... I wont install the rear seat yet but i have the option to have the baby car seat installed on my bike... So really i dont have to wait until my kid is old enough to sit on the bike in order to have a good time together on the bike.
4) On of the crazy things that is possible in the Netherlands it is the Option of delivering your baby at home. Sounds crazy and for sure it is not an option for me, but thinking deep about it, it sounds so cool.
Delivering a child while you are in your own bed....hmmm
I can go on and on about being a mother in the Netherlands. Being lebanese and living in the US for almost 10 years, i think i am blessed to have my first baby here and not anywhere else :)
Today I felt cooking one of my favorite recipes. When I used to run my long runs on sunday i used to have this recipe the night before. It really gives the same boost as pasta ... This is a popular, healthy lentil dish that can be found all over the Middle East. My version is Lebanese and i really recommend it!
Het is echt lekker!!
Ingredients
•1 lb black lentils
•3 Crushed garlic cloves
•16 onces chopped coriander or Fresh Spinash
•3/4 cup lemon juice
•dashes of Salt and pepper
•1 tablespoon dried mint, crushed
Directions
Put the lentils, garlic, coriander, onions and mint into the pot. Pour in enough water so that it is about 2 inches deeper than the lentil mixture.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. If soup gets too thick, add a little more water. Salt to taste. Lower heat and stir in lemon juice.
I dont believe i have been living in the Netherlands and married for 2 years. Honestly time flies, it is a little bit scary. There should be a way to stop the clock :) Last year we didn't really celebrate our anniversary because i was catching a flight to lebanon to run a 10 km race.
This year we decided to take a long weekend and go to Maastricht. Maastricht is one of the oldest towns in the Netherlands and has a long history as a strategically important location. Maastricht is on this strange peninsula of the Netherlands which juts out from its bottom right corner into what should be, by all
rights, Belgium. This peninsula is surrounded on the south and the west by Belgium, and by Germany on the east. There’s a distinct difference in the way Dutch is spoken here, much softer and without much of the throat-scraping and spittle-inducing consonants. In other words, much more Belgian.
The town has a more Belgian feel to it as well. It’s an old town with small cobblestone streets and quaintly off-kilter house fronts.
The town is amazing! We stayed a the BeauMont Hotel. A really nice Hotel, they have very comfortable beds :) We shopped till we dropped. I was so excited to buy new baby clothes.We also visited Magraten, i was speechless. The World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American military cemetery in the Netherlands. It was exactly what i usually see in movies, i couldn't imagine a more beautiful cemetery.
I am so blessd to have a wonderful Husband. We were remembering our wedding day, it seems like yesterday but at the same time we have done so much since that day!! Here some pictures of one of the best day of my life.
My Beaitiful Parents
Me and My Beautiful sister
The church we got married In
" Cathedrale St Paul"
Now i am 25 weeks pregnant ...time flies but at the same time i still have 15 weeks to go. At this moment I am really enjoying being pregnant but at the same time all these changes to my body could be sometimes overwhelming.
All my life i was a fit healthy lady and i always thought when i get pregnant i will just have a little bump but things dont always go the way we want especially when we dont have control over these things....
the first three months i was really sick, i had to eat every two hours and i couldnt do any activities... By the end of the 3rd month the weight started to pile up...from month 3 until month 6 my energy came back i mange 3 workouts a week....it feels great to be able to run or go on the elliptical and do something... Normally i workout to raise my heart rate and sweat and feel good but now it is a total different story... i workout to stay in shape and mainly to feel good about myself... Absolutely no intensity or working out till out of breath...While running or whatever exercise i am doing i ll be sure to be able to talk without loosing breath....
I thought it is nice to share some pictures. Here a photo of me before pregnancy.
And here another picture of me at 25 weeks....
Today i went to work with the cutest shirt on.... i post a picture below...
i cant wait to meet my baby and i cant wait to start running until i am out of breath :))) i miss running so much and i hope i will get the ABS i used to have before pregnancy ...
This week i had my 20 week echo. it was amazing to see what is inside my belly. I dont have a photo on my laptop but i will upload one in the next couple days. So they did a check from head to toes and if you think how complex it is and how many things could go wrong!!! Thanks god, my baby is in a good health....
The Baby is just sitting in my belly head down and once a while kicking me. The most amazing feeling on earth.
As terms of energy, i am feeling good, this week i went running, not for so long because it was too hot and i was drinking a lot of water and this was leading to WC stops. It is not handy to drink a lot and feel want to use the restroom all the time!! i am actually getting sore from the activities i am doing since the first 3 months i was just sick, nausea, vomiting all the time and i couldn't even walk or has the energy to do anything.
I am half way through pregnancy in the few coming weeks we will start preparing the baby room.
I cant wait!!
This weekend it is the final game Netherlands against Spain. I am so excited i hope we win the world cup, it would be the first time ever that Netherlands win in the world cup.
Amazing how time changes...the first 12 weeks of pregnancy i would describe them as a handicaped lady ....no energy, sick, tired, lazy, hungry etc...since week 12 till now i would say i am totally a different person. Energy is back sickness is gone and one word would describe my pregnancy "BEAUTIFUL". I workout 4 times a week, i do everything beside abs.
I honestly feel great.
This morning was the first time i felt something in my belly ;) the most amazing feeling knowing a little tiny thingy is inside my belly.
I am looking forward to know next week if it is a girl or a boy, eventhough most dutch people like to keep this as a surprise.
Tonight netherlands against cameron in soccer so i better go and start cheering for the orange
I am pregnant almost for 3 months. Between week 7 until now it has been a rough road for me. Morning sickness which were not only morning sickness but were a whole day sickness and especially in the evenings.
When I come back from work instead of having some energy to walk/jog/run outside i couldn't do anything buy lay on the couch. It is indeed a strange feeling when your body is used to run 6 days out of 7 and now you find yourself tired sick nausea headaches and vomiting....
I signed up to few races in the spring before i knew i was pregnant, one of the races I planned to run is the Rotterdam marathon which i had to pass on it. I don't want to experience my first marathon while pregnant and no way i could run the marathon knowing it could be a risk in the early stage of pregnancy even though I trained so hard for it.
Another race is the Zuidas run which originally I signed up for the 10Miles. I switched the distance to the 6 km now knowing that I am pregnant. Last year i finished 2nd in the 10EM so this year i was aiming to finish first because I was well trained. By Decreasing the distance all i was hoping for that Sunday 25th of April to wake up and not feeling sick(nausea, weak, headaches and so on) Lucky me I was feeling great!!!
Here I am on the start line I knew in my heart that i shouldn't even try to run fast. When the race started I was there running and unconsciously I wanted to run at 14km/h but to my disappointment my body was not helping me I felt weak I felt out of breath...It is a very strange feeling... It is so hard for me to see people passing me and not me passing them :)
My best time in a 6km is 24 min and here a photo of me in the white shirt crossing the finish line at 32 min.
The first thing i did at the finish line to cry my heart out. I felt out of shape i was disappointed with my time, thanks to my husband who believes in me who encouraged me and proved me that i should be proud for running while pregnant, especially he is the best person to know what i have been going through.
I have in mind to sign up to few races just because nothing can replace the feeling i get after each race despite the results. I will keep running until i am unable to run for two.
Today is a big day since finally i will be going to be checked for the first time after almost 9 weeks pregnant.
officially today i will be 1 week where i feel nauseous, sick, puking like all day long. It hasn't been a great week at all. Yesterday i was suppose to race at Jaarbeurs marathon but instead i was laying on the couch feeling sick.
Looks like sickness in pregnancy is just a normal procedure but it varies from woman to woman and i think i am the lucky one to get sick all day long. I am not able to work, i m not able to workout i just have the need to get my life and energy back. I cant wait the day where i wake up and dont feel sick anymore.
I feel all i have been doing lately is whining i cant wait to go to my doc appointment and just see that everything is going well in my body.
I will ask my doctor also if i can start running as soon as the nausea goes away. Next Sunday i also signed up for Rotterdam marathon i will ask if i can switch it to 10 km. I miss pondering my feet on the ground and running my heart out.
My relationship with running started 1 year ago and in this year we learned to be inseparable. I did about 5 10km races i did 3 1/2 Marathons i did 3 10 mile race and 1 race of 27.5 km.
Every race was better than the previous one time wise. I was able to run a 10k in 41 min and the last race was my 1/2 marathon where i finished with a time of 1 h 30 and won the race. I was training for the Rotterdam marathon but that exact next day after the 1/2 i took a pregnancy test and was positive.
I was and still super excised but mentally i feel i am enable to run anymore. My family keep repeating "Don't Run" maybe because they don't know how it feels to take away that relationship. I have to wait another week before i see a doctor and be sure that everything is ok and i could just run on a lower pace.
if all goes well i will try to switch my full marathon race by 10 km, and that is in 10 days. I miss just go out there and running my heart out and feel every step i take,
I hope i get the doctor blessing so i can keep running....
I figure out i am not as passionate about writing my daily life as much as running.
March 14 st just finished a great 1/2 marathon and my love for running keep increasing. The love of racing and pushing myself to the next level it is not something i can help. I already signed up for 10 km on April 5th and running the Rotterdam Marathon on April 11th.
I was looking forward so much to the Marathon, I really wanted to do it in Sub 3:30 even though i know i have like 3:10 in my legs.
The News was shocking(combination of Happiness and sadness) when i just realized i am pregnant. YEAH I AM PREGNANT!! It is too early yet to tell everyone and a long way is ahead of me. I am so happy to be pregnant Mr R and I have been wanting kids for a while. I am extremely happy from one side but from the other side i was so looking to run my 1st Marathong which is 15 days away. MY hard workout for the marathon went in vain...Dont get me wrong no workout goes in vain but i was so dedicated to my running, focused and determined . Now i am scared to do anything. the 10 km Race which will take place next week i am even scared to run it. I dont think I will...
I think i have to wait until i see the midwife and give me her blessings and reassure me that running while pregnant is not a problem. My body is already changing, i lost my flat AbS and i can feel i am SO Pregnant.
I am so happy and I really hope i can keep running all through pregnancy. I read so many other blogs about women running and pregnant. They are all doing OK and no one had issues.
I have signed up to few races end of April and May , i would be so happy if i could still run those races and finish with a bump on my belly. Running for 2 should be an interesting journey!
My dream of running a first Marathon has to be postponed to another year.
This year I decided to race in my own land the 1/2 marathon. I never run in Beirut just because it is so busy and it is not the place whee to see runners running everywhere.
we stayed in a hotel downtown beirut. The scenery is so beautiful. Beirut is one of the most beautiful city i have ever been. The day of the race woke up at 5 am had really light breakfast, dry fruits and nuts.
The start of the race was at 7:30 here i am at 6:45 at the start. Warming up right and left. The temperature was perfect, a nice breez coming from the sea but warm enough to run in shorts and t shirts.
Around 7 am while i was talking with another friend, a guy was pushing his Motorcycle between the crowd...and not sure why he had to go behind me and my left calve touches the exhaust pipe of that little thingy... and I scream so hard... i was in a lot of pain... i run to the red cross begging for help my race will start in 20 min.
they couldnt help much beside a cream anti_burning. I dry my tears and go to the start with a huge ugly thing on the back of my foot. The excitement of the race made me forget the pain and here i am cruising down the 21.1 km.
The total number of participants was about 300 people. The first 3 km i picked a good pace to just get me out of the crowd until i realized i had only one girl in front of me who was picking up speed. At the moment i set myself a goal to beat her and win the race. My time was not the main goal. I decided to stay behind her and keep her as close as possible until the 2nd half of the race. 3km to 10 km i was in a good pace and i felt i was getting closer and closer to the lady in front of me.... Between 10 and 12 i got a lot of energy and here i decided to over take her and lead race,..,.. Exactly as planned At 11 km i over take and i pick an awesome pace, i felt the power in my legs, the gorgeous view of the sea and the quiet morning of the city made me feel as if i was not present... just my legs running trying to finish.
The trouble started the last 3 km. they were down on a straight road, basically i could see the finish line 3 km away... and that was HARD!!! I kept running running and the finish line would not get any closer, i really think i lost a lot of the time in those last 3 km.... 200m away i hear my name Go GO and I heard the time of a person who just arrived it was 1h 29 min ...I know that i am going to finish in 1 h 30...i gave everything...absolutely everything...and I DID it i finished 1st with a time 1h 30 and that 3 min faster than my last 1/2 marathon.
A great award ceremony was afterward and now my goal to get my leg healed. I am looking forward to run my first marathon ever on April 11th. this week i took it easy because of my foot but Next week i am back in training...I know it is my first marathon but i have of 3h 15 min. Will I be able to do it? 21 days to go and i will let you know!!!
Today it was a special day! For the first time i run the distance of 27.5 km. The weather was perfect, not warm at all but not cold at all. The course itself was beautiful!!! A lot of woods and no cars and thats what I love the most. Running in the nature and looking around is such a nice feeling!!
This is a photo of the course
What i am so excited about that when i crossed the 21 K i was at 1h 34 and my PR in 1/2 marathon is 1h 33 so i am sure on March 14 th when i will be running my 1/2 marathon i should be able to set a new PR.
Today there were 285 ladies and i managed to finish 10th!! I am very happy about my result.
Now time to relax and take a 1 day off before i start my training again!
In 2002, My sister and I were members of the skiing Olympic team representing lebanon. Lebanon is not like what everyone thinks it is. Lebanon has beautiful mountains and the ski season starts in December until April.
Since the sea is only 45 min drive from the mountains, my parents took us every weekend skiing. We started racing at a young age and we traveled the world representing Lebanon.
My sister and I moved to the US to pursue our dream. I was a student at the University of Utah while she was still in high school. After my graduation, I decided that i would like to ski for fun .Skiing takes a lot of dedication, focus, time, motivation..
My sister in the other hand, she was still determined she joined the NCAA utah ski team. She was qualified to the Olympic games in Torino in 2006 and Now she is representing lebanon for the 3rd time in Vancouver. I am so proud of my little sister. She left home at a young age to be where she is now. That is a photo of her.
I will add some links below. A great interview of her in the US. And another link on Eurosport where they get to mention me as well.
It has been quiet some time where i didn't dedicate time to my Blog. My passion for running is just growing without any limit.
This year goal is to run my First Marathon. I decided to run Rotterdam marathon which means it is only 2 months from now " 11th of April" I have been training seriously for 3 weeks and i still have another 8 weeks.
In between i will be running a 20 miles race on the 21st of February and a 1/2 marathon on March 14th in Lebanon the country where I was born.
Training at times could be very hard, especially living in the Netherlands with all the weather tough conditions.
The only thing that keeps me motivated it is always the feeling after running... I feel on top of the world.
I am so excited and nervous fro my first marathon... I will do my best to keep updating my blog.
