COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN

WOW...what a different take on the event this year!?!  I say event because with 44,000 people registered to run/walk, you can't really categorize it as a race (unless of course you are one of the elitist or in the seeded group). I am usually just a couple of corrals behind the start line in corral "A" or "B".  Even being front-mid pack can be challenging fighting through the crowds of people. Challenge got a whole meaning this year!! Because I ran with Addison in the stroller I was in corral "M"...at the VERY back.  The picture below is the wave start map (note corral "M" & the fact that they had 44,000 registrants this year).

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I felt quite nauseated as we approached our corral & I gazed upon the endless crowd of people. All I kept thinking was "how in the world am I going to get past all these people safely while pushing Addison?".  Although the pictures below are the front of the corrals (minus the elitists, who were already finished before the actual "waves" started), it gives a pretty good idea of how THICK the crowd is.

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The picture above is coming down the bridge.

So 54 minutes after the gun has fired & the race started; approx 25 minutes after Solomon Deksisa, wins with a time of 29:37...I cross the start & begin to fight my way through the crowd. FIGHT it was.

While I am incredibly thankful that they allowed strollers this year (they were banned in previous years) sticking us in the back with walkers is certainty not the best safety solution. Most people running with strollers are avid runners & in fact, faster than those without strollers. My average pace WITH Addison is under 7:30. I know not every person with a stroller runs that fast or even runs at all but most are truckin' it at a pretty good pace.  I can't be upset with participants walking in front of me because they registered as walkers.  It posed to be a great challenge weaving in & out of people trying to break away & get a decent pace.  It would be awesome if next year they have a designated lane or a corral altogether for runners (runners, not walkers or joggers) with strollers or a staggered start time towards the beginning of the corrals.  It's a lot easier to pass somebody with a stroller than the stroller passing herds of people.

Runners with strollers were designated the right side but that didn't matter to most people, probably 95% of people.  As I yelled, "there is a runner with a stroller coming up behind you", "runner with stroller to your left", etc. people would STOP walking or running altogether & turn around & yell at me. People yelled "running snob", "you are endangering your child", "you move", "strollers aren't allowed", "you aren't safe", "get off the course"...seriously I could go on & on at the things I heard. I had cups of water thrown at me by one woman as she yelled "I hope you trip".  As much negativity as I heard, I did hear "you're awesome", "holy cow she is flying while pushing a stroller", "i want to be able to do that." etc. At the end of the race I can't tell you how many people came up to me & said how inspiring it was to see a me able to run so fast with her.  I finished the 6.2 miles in 57:51 which isn't too shabby considering what breakaways I had to work with & how much starting/stopping there was. I only hit 3 peoples ankles....SO SO SORRY! All & all it was a success.  Addison had a BLAST & we both walked away safe & sound.

{pre race}

{pre race}

{anxious to start}

{addison getting a little antsy}

{post race on the way back to Mt. Pleasant to get the car}

{on the "stinky bus" post race}

I forgot to mention that the race started at least 45 minutes late. We had to wake Addison up at 6:45 so I could get her ready & feed her to get to the starting line by 7:45 (the race start was at 8:00).  She did amazing.  She dozed off a few times in the stroller but didn't get an am nap really. She was all giggles & smiles.

We stuck around the expo long enough to chug some water & snag some fruit but didn't even mess with any of the vendors this year.  I have to admit I was a little sad that we didn't get our usual loads of free stuff.  I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get back to the Volvo, get showered, EAT & enjoy the rest of the day in Charleston.

We have a NO chain restaurant rule when we travel.  Usually we plan ahead, reading reviews, talking to locals, etc. With Charleston being the "food capitol of the South" there is no short supply of good eats.  The problem is the herds of people in town & this year a much later race finish time coordinating with restaurant hours. I let Philip choose & we wound up at the Early Bird Dinner which was featured on "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives" (Philip's favorite show).  Philip got chicken & waffles which is what Guy ate on the show & I got a dish called "the mess".  It was a fantastically curried blend of veggies & eggs.  I tasted Philip's chicken & waffles & surprisingly it was great.

The rain held off sight-seeing...well really taking pictures of Addison in our favorite Charleston places & we decided to head home a bit earlier.

We had a nice, short getaway. I am glad I ran the race with Addison but will definitely stick to smaller races with her from now on & by smaller I mean less than 44,000 people, lol.  

THIS WEEK

{there is nothing better than sweet potato hash, garden fresh tomatoes & eggs for breakfast}

{note the face after tasting granny smith apples...oops, probably should have used a honeycrisp or a sweeter apple}

{she is so expressive}

This Week....

• Addison said "Da-da" for the 1st time (for real...she had been saying "daaa-daaaa-daa" for awhile but is constantly saying "Da-da"
• new "interesting" neighbors moved in next door...I will leave it at that
• Addison fell in love with carrots
• there was a lot of baking; almond meal & flax crackers, baked banana chips, date/fig/walnut protein bars with almond butter
• i got 5 baby shower invites in the mail...so exciting!?!
• Addison not only survived a 4 hour car ride to Charleston, SC but she was FANTASTIC
• we spent most our 6pm hour on either our front lawn or Paul & Shannon's with sweet Emma
• we went to the park & swung on the swings everyday
• Addison pulled herself up from a sitting position to standing using the couch
• I submitted my volunteer application for iChoose

FAIR SKINNED BABY

Addison is becoming well acquainted with California Baby Sunscreen. Unfortunately that toe head hair & gorgeous baby blues came with porcelain skin like her Mum.  That fair skin is a sun magnet so I make sure to slather her up if we are going to be outside for any length of time.  I get a daily laugh at her "dewy" skin appearance & crazy hair. 

see, she isn't bald.

At first she completely HATED me putting it on her but now since I do it so frequently I think she thinks she is getting an extra massage.  Ever since she was a newborn I have given her a little massage after her bath & she LOVES it.

Thankfully she keeps hats on because that is most definitely a necessity to keep that little scalp from burning.

I am so looking forward to our weekend.  We leave for Charleston tomorrow.  Addison will be taking part in her very first 10K & my favorite race, The Cooper River Bridge Run. I am nervous/excited about running with 42,000+ people with Addison in the stroller but I know it's going to be a blast. I am keeping my fingers crossed for good weather.

SPRING FEVER

I don't really every remember a winter as warm as this past winter in NC.  Because of that Spring has already been more beautiful than ever.  Addison LOVES being outside...LOVES it.  She crinkles her nose when the sun hits her face.  Whether we are running or it's just a gentle breeze in the air, she shakes & wiggles in excitement when the wind catches her hair.  She is mesmerized by grass.  She sweeps her little hand across it gently, completely amused by it's texture. 

The past week or so her evenings have been spent on our front lawn sitting in the grass with sweet Emma. We have fantastic next door neighbors with an adorable little girl named Emma. It's becoming part of Addison's routine to wait for Shannon & Emma to get home from work, it's precious.  I love that Addison loves to be outside!

WHOLESOME, DELICIOUS & HOMEMADE

Unfortunately the rain altered our weekend plans.  Addison was supposed to have an outdoor 6 month portrait session in Kernersville (outside of Greensboro). Since we were traveling almost 2 hours away we were going to make a day of it going to various parks & getting a trail run in at a new location.  It not only rained but it poured so we rescheduled for April 14th.  Fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate!

We headed to the Farmer's Market & Whole Foods to pick up some groceries for the week.  Fortunately all of the produce areas are covered at the Farmer's Market & we managed to stay dry.  Addison LOVES the hustle & bustle & all the attention she gets.  We picked up some tomatoes, rutabaga, turnips, kale, sweet potatoes, spinach, green onions & cucumbers.  From there we headed to Whole Foods for some mangoes, parsnips, mixed greens, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, figs, plantains, dates & spices.

{people watching @ the Farmer's Market}

I have a yummy menu planned for this week; non-dairy chicken tikka with curried cauliflower (one of our favorites), seared ahi tuna with avocado, kale tomato & asparagus salad, homemade marinara with spaghetti squash, eggplant & scallops, roast turkey with parsnips, turnips & squash & grilled chicken verde with plantains.

{favorite thing about Whole Foods; their spoons}

I am a sucker for Whole Foods salad bar & for some reason Addison is obsessed with their spoons so we grabbed lunch while we were there.  

Usually 1 day a week I prep as much as I can with our meals, washing veggies, portioning out meat, making homemade marinades, etc. so I spent the rest of the afternoon doing so. I decided to make some purees for Addison while I was at it.

So far she has had zucchini, butternut squash & avocado. (Totally thought the first food she had was avocado but it was actually zucchini. I mislabeled the bag avocado when it was actually zucchini, lol).  I figured it out yesterday when making more zucchini & avocado. It explains why she hated avocado the "2nd time" around...it was really her first taste.
This week it's carrots which she had today & LOVED!  I made mango, rutabaga, asparagus & plums & froze them. I think this week I might make apples, pears & parsnips. We have another crazy busy week on the horizon before heading to Charleston for the Cooper River Bridge Run.  It will be Addison's first 10k!!

THIS WEEK

This week....

• I read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" 81,736 times (slightly exaggerated)
• Ran almost everyday & I was able to maintain a 7:28 pace with the BOB
• Addison ate squash for the first time & LOVED it
• I drank way too much coffee (and Addison attempted)
• I bought a great baby food cookbook & immersion blender
• I painted my nails for the first time in FOREVER
• Addison has been trying to abandon army crawling & has been attempting to "real" crawl
• I joined Crossfit
• I went to Wholefoods
• We spent as much time as possible outside
• I had an awkward encounter/conversation with a neighbor about Addison's size
• Addison went to the gym nursery 
• I FINALLY did some laundry

NOM NOM

Addison was introduced to solids 3 weeks ago.  The first week she had rice cereal & last week avocado.  This week she is having squash. Holy moly she LOVES it!  She was so excited eating it, yelling & hitting her hands on the plastic on her highchair.  She'd lean forward with her mouth open waiting for more.  She was definitely a lot messier with the squash than the others but I think it's because she was getting so excited. I am going to make a trip to the farmers market this week to pick up some more veggies...not sure what to make next. 

eirinn go Brách

her stroller converts from a bassinet to umbrella & the piece that covers where the bassinet snaps in got left in the Volvo accidentally. 

We had such a great time at the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Raleigh.  The weather was perfect; a breezy 80 degrees. We were fortunate to find a place to watch the parade in the square with lots of shade.  Addison was a HUGE fan of the bagpipes & the Irish dancers. She was so animated! There was a cute little girl probably 14-16 months in front of us & in true Addison fashion she made friends with her quickly babbling away & laughing.  It was sweet.  Her outfit got her a lot of attention. My Gram sent her the socks before she was born & her Auntie Paige bought her the onesie.  Everything else came from her closet (green high tops from Zulily & jean shorts from 77kids).  I can't get over how grown up she looks in all these pictures!
 After the parade we ate at Blue Mango, an Indian restaurant.  I would HIGHLY recommend it. It was outstanding! From there we went to a surprise 40th birthday party for her Uncle Mike. It was a long & busy day but she was such a GOOD girl.  It's definitely making me less nervous about going to HI. Sunday was a nice family day with lots of relaxing & a couple of walks in the neighborhood. We have another busy week ahead ending with her 6 month pictures of Saturday.   

THIS WEEK

This week:

• i made a delicious roasted eggplant dip
• i ignored the laundry (again)
• addison tried avocado for the first time 
• we had a picnic in our backyard
• i sewed A LOT
• i caught up with a friend i haven't talked to in awhile
• addison had a play date
• UNC won
• we refinanced our house & closed on it
• spent as much time as possible outside
• Duke lost
• addison slept until 8:00 am
• we grilled & ate on the deck at a friends house
• i had some killer workouts
• i was feeling adventurous & dyed my hair brown
• i did some spring cleaning (minus the laundry)
• i felt inspired
• i made amazing Paleo stuffed cabbage
• we booked our tickets to Hawaii

 We had an outstanding week & have a fun filled weekend ahead, starting with the St. Patrick's Day parade tomorrow.  I am so loving this weather & being at home.  Only having 3-4 hours of sleep on Sunday (well really Monday) is totally worth it to get the rest of the days with her.  Did I mention Duke lost?