The Mommy Comeback to 26.2

Team Purple!

Sunday, February 14th, 2016, on my eldest child's 5th birthday, I ran my 8th full marathon! 26.2 miles! In Austin, my new city! It was my slowest marathon ever! But do you know what one's slowest marathon is? It's a personal record for the most continuous minutes of running EVER! Woo hoo!

The Good
I ran with my sister. We dressed as twinsies with purple shirts and black spandex. It was a blast. People on the sidelines love twinsie runners and they were calling us "Team Purple" and it made running by the spectators super fun.

Mile 18 shenanigans with the kiddos

Not having a time expectation (like my previous 6 marathons) took so much pressure off that I just smiled and waved and looked at the signs. The miles just kept coming by.

The weather was great - cloudy, not too hot, not too cold, no rain. Apparently some people thought it was humid but I felt great.

We drank just the right amount of water and Gatorade, took our energy gummies at just the right times, and I felt like I had just the right amount of energy throughout the race.

I ran the Austin marathon in 2009 and I remembered what the hilliness of the course was like. Everyone talks about this marathon in a scary way for this reason. For a native western-PA girl they really aren't bad. They are either kinda long but really not-steep, or short and kinda steep.

Seeing the kids and the husband and our parents at mile 18 was so much fun. It gave me such a burst of happiness to see them! I highly recommend running a lot of marathons, then not running marathons while having two kids over 6 years, then making a marvelous comeback to the distance and making sure said kids are there to cheer for you and feed you your gummies and offer you a sip of their birthday hot chocolate. It's very invigorating.

The Bad
I kind of pulled my hamstring/IT band in my last short/long run one week before the race, because I'm dumb and I was feeling good and wanted to try and run my 10 miles fast. So I did and I aggravated the ongoing injury. and so it hurt pretty bad during the race. However, since I wasn't pushing for a PR, I was able to take it easy. Also I took some ibuprofen around mile 20 that helped.

My 7th marathon was almost 6 years ago. That means it almost felt like my first marathon all over again, so I was suuuuper anxious leading up to the race. Anxious that I would fail, anxious that I would run super slow, or whatever.

My lowest mental point in the race was when we passed the 30K mark at around 3:38. That is my marathon PR (January '09) and seeing that we still had 12K left to go just made me feel really slow and like I will never get back to my pre-kids speed (Only time will tell, eh?), and what's the point in doing something if you're not getting better at it? (P.S. I mention this because it was my lowest point, but for most of the race I just felt really proud of myself for getting back out there after kids, and accepting the season I'm in and respecting the journey)

The Ugly
There was no ugly because I did my hair in a cute braid ponytail combo and it actually looked pretty good throughout the race. :)

Marathon hair

...I did sort of ugly-cry in an emotional way after we crossed the finish line. Marathon #8, and marathon #1 post-kids, is in the books, folks.

xoxo Phae

Austin Marathon 2016 Finishers!

Mama Daughter Dates



"I yuv Menchie's" (this wasn't actually a Menchie's but a similar chain)



One of the most delightful things is taking Zoe on mama/daughter dates. Now, of course we have a lot of 1:1 time, but most often it's doing chores, errands, or everyday life activities like making dinner and getting ready for bed.

Not that those things aren't fun! They are! We usually end up laughing and making a mess. But mama always has an undertone of stress during this "everyday" time together since we are usually trying to keep to some sort of schedule, and/or I'm trying to prevent the entire container of salt/cereal/juice from being poured into a toddler cup of milk and onto/into all adjacent surfaces/crevices/drawers.

That's why mommy/daughter dates are so awesome! We get to go do fun things on our own schedule. No agenda or timeline.  Mama is relaxed, so Zoe is relaxed.  We aren't in the house, so we can make a mess without me stressing about cleaning it up right away.  We get to enjoy new and old things together.  We may even have learning opportunities (one of our spots is Barnes & Noble) to share together!


Playing with the trains at B&N

Zoe's Whole Foods lunch that she picked "all by self"

I think it's super important to HAVE FUN with your child as they grow up.  I can feel the tendency in myself (and I can observe it in others) to just "be the boss" and command your child to do what you say.  But I do my best to fight these tendencies (unless it has to do with safety!!) in everyday life, and to give myself a chance to be Zoe's friend by going on these "dates" with her.  As they say, "the days are long but the years are short," - so I suggest you take a few hours every once in a while to move at your child's pace, loving them, appreciating them, and observing who they are at a given age.  "It won't be like this for long," says Darius Rucker...

What's your favorite "mommy kiddo date"?

xoxo Phae

Healthy Mama, Happy Family: My Favorite Yoga Poses While Prego

You may have heard the saying, "happy mama, happy family" - well, happy = healthy.  Especially this mama.  I am very sensitive to lack of sleep, poor nutrition, and exercise levels. It's a very conscious effort for me to accept the changes that happen to my body during pregnancy. I have had a better attitude the second time around - maybe I'm more mature? (Wait...one of my favorite things is to instruct Zoe to tell Mike "dada farted...dada stinks." Maybe it's not maturity after all...) Perhaps I am learning and improving on my newly articulated philosophy of balance, seasons, and perspective. I am never going to run like Kara Goucher or look like Mila Kunis, ever. I can, however, be the best mommy, wife, friend,.. that Phae Feaga can be. Provided, of course, that I take care of myself first, in the capacity appropriate for my stage in life.

Yoga is an awesome way to keep strength in your muscles during pregnancy, as well as a great way to stretch out trouble spots. This applies to non-pregnant life as well! Let me show you the poses I'm loving at 7 months prego.

Child's pose

Child's pose is a resting pose in yoga. However, you can make it lazy, or you can use it as a freaking awesome back stretch (turns out carrying a 15-lb bowling ball in front of your body 24/7 (oh and did I mention also carrying a 30-lb toddler?) kind of reams your back)
First, I modify this a little bit by spreading my legs out a little farther than normal to accommodate the bowling ball. Then I reach as far as I can with my fingertips to lift my elbows off the ground. Finally, I take big yoga breaths in and out - at the peak of the breath, I can feel my lungs expanding so much that they are trying to push my ribs out of my skin. Awesome! Repeat.

Cow Pose

Cat pose

Cat/cow pose is a dynamic pose, again targeting the back. Move fluidly from one to the other, holding each one as long as you want. I'm feeling better already!

Pigeon pose

Pigeon pose was my favorite before pregnancy because of running, and it remains my favorite as a pregnant person. Turns out both running and being "in my condition" are both hard on the hips. This is the best hip stretch I've ever found (and I have looked a lot.) I could hold this pose for like, 20 minutes a side and not get tired of it. In fact...I think I'll go do it right now...

Warrior III

Last but not least, warrior 3. I just like this one because you would think the balance poses would be harder with your center of gravity all wonky...but! they are not! Doing a pose like this makes me feel "normal" for a few moments, and it's lovely.

Namaste.
xoxo Phae