Merry Christmas!

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!

Merry christmas!

Welcome to the world Baby Daniel

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!

Below 2 photos of Daniel.

Time to meet My little baby

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 !!

38+ weeks pregnant still running...but this is it!

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.

35 weeks still running

        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.

Have a nice weekend!!

32 weeks pregnant ...run a 4M race

          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.

At 29 weeks

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 article Click 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 :))

Running makes me happy...Vive le sport :)