Last weekend was so cozy and felt very fall. After traveling almost every weekend for the last couple of months, it was a treat to be in Charlotte, and to have Finn with me. I am really loving fall this year…the cool weather, the colors, the food, the comfy clothes…all of it! We soaked up all things fall over the weekend.
This was also one of my favorite weekends of the year…Charlotte Marathon weekend! I participated in the Marathon Relay and had a great experience.
Here’s a recap of all of it. 🙂
FRIDAY
I woke up on Friday feeling like I’d been hit by a truck after Thursday night’s food poisoning episode. I thought that I would go straight back to bed after dropping Finn at preschool but after getting myself moving, hydrated and toast in my stomach, I rallied. It was a good thing because I had a doctor’s appointment that morning that I didn’t want to reschedule and a date to catch up with a friend.
My appointment went really well. I am so lucky to have such a caring doctor that I trust and respect so much. It can be hard to find with doctors and I’ve got a good one. I scooted over to Earl’s Grocery after to meet a friend for a very long overdue catch up. I worked on my laptop a bit before she arrived and alternated sipping on water, juice and coffee.
I picked Finn up shortly before 1p and got him home and straight down for his nap. He took a super long nap and I got some work done while he slept. The rest of our day was spent coordinating details for the Charlotte Marathon Relay. I had to go meet some of my teammates to pick up my bib, and I had to take a friend her bib.
SATURDAY
RACE DAY! This was my seventh time running the Charlotte Marathon. I’ve run the half five times and this was my second year in a row running the relay. I was really hoping to run the half again this year but several factors came together to cause me to decide it wasn’t the best idea a few weeks ago. Luckily, I got a last-minute invitation to join a relay team so I didn’t have to miss out!
Finn and I ran the fourth leg of the marathon relay which was miles 15-20. The weather for the race looked like it was going to be high 40s, rainy and windy so I was stressed about running with Finn! Thankfully, the rain held off and it was just super windy. I bundled him up and felt like he was pretty protected being nestled back in the stroller. He was happy to snack on graham crackers and do some people watching. He didn’t fuss once.
The first mile was the worst mile and I questioned my decision to run. My body was cold (like not warmed up cold), the headwind was insane and we were running up hill. I felt like I was running into a wall. We made a turn around mile 16 that took us away from the wind and it was all easygoing from there! Seriously, night and day difference.
I ran the fourth relay leg last year too and it’s a good one that takes you through NoDa and Plaza Midwood. Both neighborhoods had big community cheering stations where people were out brunching, cheering and having fun. It felt so festive! I did have to clarify multiple times that I was not running the full marathon with the stroller and only the relay as I got cheers from spectators. Can you imagine a full marathon with a stroller!? I would feel worse for the babe than the parent pushing the stroller! That’s a long time to sit in a stroller.
Before I knew it we were pulling up to mile 20 and passing on our tracking device to the final runner on our team. We finished our leg with about a 9:05 pace. Finn and I weren’t quite done running yet and had to run another mile back to where I had parked the car at Optimist Hall. I took it super slow and that mile was an almost 11 minute mile. We finished at 6.2 total so a nice 10K for Saturday morning.
Back at Optimist Hall, I transferred Finn from the stroller to the Ergo and headed in to walk around and grab something for lunch. First, we stopped by Pet Wants to get a treat for Zoey. We got her a big rolled beef cheek that she’s obsessed with. And then we stopped by The Dumpling Lady for some dumplings. I had been thinking about how much I wanted to try them since my first trip to Optimist Hall!
As you can see from the photo above, Finn was getting sleepy so I got my dumplings to go and ate them when I got home. I had the pork and chive dumplings and they were really good. I cannot wait to try more things from The Dumpling Lady!
Finn took a long nap on Saturday but he woke up crying about an hour and 30 minutes in and I had to go in to comfort him. I could tell he wasn’t ready to wake up yet so I scooped him up and ended up holding him in the rocker for another hour or so while he slept and I worked on my phone. I never do this and loved the extra cuddles.
Once he was up a friend brought her daughter over for a playdate. These two were just tooooooo cute! 🙂
Our final stop on Saturday was a small get together with three of my friends, their husbands and our littles for a pizza and s’mores party.
Perfect end to the day and we were home and in the bath by 7:30p.
SUNDAY
CUE ALL THE ANGELS SINGING! Finn woke up on Sunday morning at 5:40a and was inconsolable. I’m not sure if he had a night terror or what but I was not hopeful that he would go back down. He did and slept until 8a! When I heard him babbling away in his crib and opened my eyes and looked at my phone, I couldn’t believe it. He hasn’t slept this late in forever and ever. It was magical.
Saturday was busy but Sunday was low-key and close to home. We spent tons of time outside. We took a long walk with Zoey and played in the backyard. I also did some cooking and baking. It all felt so nice and homey. <3
And that’s all!
QUESTIONS
What’s your favorite race?
Have you run a race with a stroller? If so, what’s the longest distance?
Have you ever run a relay race? What did you think?
Last time you ate s’mores?
Good on you for taking Finn on the marathon relay run! I run all fall and winter with my baby who is about Finn’s age. If it’s icy or less than 30deg I don’t but any other situation we go together. I recommend the weather cover for your Bob, it’ll keep out the wind and drizzle (I even go in the rain) and get a bunting that attaches to the stroller. My baby is always super calm when we run, looking around and eventually falling asleep. We usually go 7-12miles but slower than your pace. Enjoy it!
Nice post. The smores look yummy. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you’re feeling better! It’s so good for kids to be outside even in less than ideal weather (a great book is There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather only bad clothes). Obviously, well dressed and for an appropriate amount of time. It’s great you did the race with Finn even if it was a bit chilly!!
The last time I had smores was after a Smores 5k I ran as a date night with my husband last summer. We’re doing a triathlon relay as another date in october! Never raced with a stroller but I’ve done many many training runs with the single, double (and even used as a triple ?) for two halves.
In case you haven’t tried…flipping the ergo onto your back so Finn rides piggyback essentially, is SO much easier on your back. Not sure if you’ve tried it and just doesn’t work for you but in case you hadn’t, it’s a life and back saver! Especially as they get bigger.
I SO agree on it being good for kids to be outside and it’s been a daily priority for us since he was a baby! We’ve walked through all the seasons and I actually like having to bundle up for walks. It feels cozy and energizing all at the same time.
YOU ARE SUPERWOMAN to use a triple jogging stroller. I cannot even imagine!!!
Not sure what my favorite race is, I do love the Avery 4k on the 4th, the course isn’t the greatest, but there’s a breakfast burrito bar and all you can drink Avery Brewing beers afterwards. So it’s a fun social thing and it’s always on July 4th.
We’ve done a 4miler with a stroller, but that was technically both my husband and I running with the stroller, we switched on and off. Usually my daughter who’s Finn’s age loves being in the stroller and just kicks back and relaxes and usually falls asleep by the end. We’ve done 4 races with her so far, mostly 5ks.
I’ve only done one relay, it was a half marathon relay, so just 3 legs. It’s called the Slacker Half because it’s almost all down a mountain, so you are flying… however, I was the last leg, so it ended in the town, which was flat and that was the hardest section! My legs felt so tired and heavy…
Last time we made s’mores was on a camping trip in August and then back in May. It’s my favorite part of camping!
That sounds like such a cool race!!!
I fully agree that s’mores are the best part of a campfire and camping! 🙂
Love this post!!! Good for you for listening to your body!!! I am so sorry you had FP!!! I was convinced Michael and I had FP 2 weeks ago, but it turns out it was a nasty stomach bug that we passed to my in-laws and neighbor who tried to help us with the baby 🙁 …. Baby never showed symptoms so we never knew we got it from her…
Pushing a baby in a stroller for a race is no small feat! I’ve only been brave to do 3 miles. Catherine loves being outside, but usually hits a limit within 30-45 minutes.
I did one relay race in Savannah. It was special and neat…. one of those races where you get to participate and enjoy, yet don’t over work your body and regret it later. It can be the best of both worlds!!
I’ve noticed my milk supply tanks after I run more than 6 miles in a day, so I’ve had to be careful and take it slower in general this season of my life.
Keep feeling better!!!
So wonderful to read your comment MC! Gah, those stomach bugs from babies are just the worse. So hard to take care of them when you are down for the count. I wondered if mine was something from Finn but he never showed signs of sickness so I assumed it had to have been something I ate, especially because of how my symptoms felt/presented. Who knows!? Just glad to be feeling better. I felt lucky that my milk supply never seemed impacted by exercise but I definitely took it slower in general during new motherhood because it just felt right! I’ve just gotten back to a pre-baby exercise level since Finn has turned a year old, and I still don’t workout as much as I used to and do a lot more walking. These little ones require a lot of energy 🙂