Put one foot in front of the other

You may remember from a previous post, that I had begun training for a half marathon, when something happened that put a stop to my training.  Indeed, I haven't been on the treadmill, or done any kind of exercise since December!

I had already registered last fall, (before getting hurt), to enter the Salt Lake City Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in April. I wasn't planning on doing it at all, since I hadn't trained for it. But then my friend convinced me that since I had spent the money on it, I might as well walk it. I KNEW I could walk it, since I had done at least that, (and maybe more), 6 months pregnant.

I am always a little nervous the night before a half marathon, and frankly, this time was no exception. Doubt swirled in my head. Was I making a HUGE mistake? Maybe the medics would have to pick me up on the side of the road. Maybe it would take me longer than the 3 hour allotted finish time to walk it. I decided that I would at least try to run part of it. Maybe do a run-walk combo.

The morning of the half marathon, I did not feel ready. My Nike+ wasn't working, so I wouldn't be able to gauge my running pace. My iPod, though left on the charger all night, was completely out of battery. Aahh! I would have to forge a distance of 13.1 miles WITHOUT any music to pump me up?!? I did some stretches, and jogged a bit to warm up, but it felt half-hearted. I knew that no amount of stretching or warming up was going to ready me for a race that I hadn't trained for.

You can see the apprehension in my face

My thoughts were decidedly negative, but I didn't want my doubts to be a self-fulfilling prophecy and sabotage my efforts. I had no idea how fast a pace I could even maintain, but I saw a pacing leader holding a sign for a 12:35 pace, so I decided to join her. There have never been pacers at the Salt Lake Half Marathon before, but I was really glad they were there this year.

See, a race is more than just putting one foot in front of the other. There's a science to running, that I have never quite wrapped my head around. I have no idea how to make sure that I am running the same pace, or if my splits are equal. I have no idea how to do track repeats, or fartleks, so even though this was my fourth half marathon, I'm still pretty much a beginner. I've known friends who have gotten faster and faster each year. I have no idea how they do it.

The race started, and I stuck right by the pacer. I found I didn't need my iPod, as I engaged in conversations with the other runners in the pace group. Running with the pacer took all the guess work out of running. I decided that I would run with the pacer, as long as I felt good, and fall back to a run-walk combo only if I needed to. I found that I felt great at mile 1, despite seeing other runners who were already walking. At mile 3, I saw some runners huffing and puffing, and sweating profusely, but I was not even winded.

I kept on going, right alongside my pacer. I drank when she drank, I chewed Shot Bloks when she did. I usually start to feel a bit fatigued around mile 6, but this time, I still felt strong. I knew from previous years that the last 3 miles are the most difficult, especially because they are uphill. My pacer had plans for that. She kept us a little faster on the downhills or flat stretches. By the time we got to the big hill at the foot of State Street, we were 3 minutes ahead of schedule.

In previous years the hill just about does me in, and I end up walking it. This time I tried to keep on pace with my pacer. Having someone to run with, and even cheer me on made such a huge difference. I was able to run up the hill, until the last block. Then since I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule, I allowed my self to take a small walking break along South Temple, until about 50 meters from the finish, when I ran across the finish line.

Crossing the finish line is an emotional experience every year. Part of it is that I can't believe I actually made it. Part of it is elation that it is finally over. Part of it is pride in my accomplishment.

My official finish time was 2:43:43, and I am MORE than happy with that. I didn't train for the race, but I just kept telling myself, "You can do this, you've done it before, so you KNOW you can do it." "That's only minor discomfort, you can push past it." "You've got this." I believe our self-talk is a very powerful tool. How you use it is up to you, and can be the difference between success and failure.

Channel Z at Club 90--update!

In a previous post, I talked about how exciting it was to play at Club 90, because they are one of the biggest and most popular clubs in Salt Lake. The people there also LOVE to dance, and are right in the demographic of people who used to listen to the awesome 80's. It's also VERY hard to get booked on their line-up, since they book out months in advance.

When we played there, everyone LOVED us. They said they wanted to book us next year, and have us play every 3 months or so....

Guess what?! My band Channel Z was booked to play at Club 90 in March! So excited to be on their rotation!

Adventures in Babysitting

When I went back to work after my maternity leave, I never imagined it would be so difficult to find quality child care for Sunshine.

When Spitfire was little, we lived in Tooele. I used a free service called the Child Care Resource and Referral. This service matches you with both day care facilities, and in-home child care in your area, and tells you whether they are licensed or have a certificate. They also tell you whether there are any violations or grievances filed against them. They do not recommend one provider over another, nor do they guarantee the quality. I was really lucky, and was able to find 2 GREAT child care providers for her, whom I felt loved her and gave her the kind of care I wanted her to have.

This time, for Sunshine, my mom was unemployed, and she volunteered to watch her until she got a job. Sure enough, one week before I was to go back to work, she was asked for her references on a job she interviewed for. Aaack!

I logged onto the Child Care Resource & Referral website, and typed in my information. There were only 2 providers listed in my zip code. One was a facility daycare. I was sure I didn't want to take her to a facility daycare, because my fear was that she would be put in crib and ignored all day. I wanted someone to watch her out of their home so she could have some one-on-one attention. That left only one provider.

When I contacted this provider by phone to inquire if she had any openings for a newborn, she said she would have to get back with me. She was waiting to hear if another mother was going to start her baby. While on the phone with her, mid-conversation, she stopped to reprimand a child. "Don't interrupt me when I'm on the phone, you need to wait until I'm finished to talk to me! That's very rude to interrupt me!" she said. To me she said, "I'm not working today, that's one of my neighbor kids." In my head I was thinking, "I don't care whose kid it is, you're reprimanding them while on the phone with me, when I'm interviewing you for CHILD CARE?"

I decided to call her back another day, mostly because she lives so close to my home and it would be convenient for me. She still wasn't sure she had an opening, but asked whether Sunshine had any health problems. I assured her she did not. She then asked me if it was my first baby. "No," I replied, "She's my second. But I have a 10-year-old, so it has been a while." "So she's spoiled then," she said. I was very offended and taken aback by this. How dare she call my child spoiled! Besides which, can you really spoil a newborn baby? They're supposed to be held a lot, not left to cry!!! Needless to say, I wouldn't be using her. I would have to expand my search.

When I expanded my search to include providers in my city, there were 29 providers. Several of these were facility day cares. Many that I called had no openings for newborns. I made appointments to visit 3 family day care providers that were in North Salt Lake and Rose Park.

When it comes to finding a day care provider, it's a jungle out there!

The first lady I visited was Hispanic. She had several hanging spider plants all over the ceiling of her living room, making it look like a jungle on her ceiling. She hung little stuffed animal monkeys from the vines. It was very interesting, but I was trying to keep an open mind. When I asked her if she had any references, she said, "Yes," but then stared at me blankly. It was clear she did not understand what I was asking. I really wanted someone I could communicate with about my child, who could communicate with me.

I was early to my next appointment with another family child care provider. As I was parking in front of the house, I noticed a woman pull up in a van and go into the house. When I got to the door, the same woman was the one I had the appointment with. There was a four-year-old wandering around the house, and a baby asleep in the crib. I did not see any other adults present during my visit. This led me to believe that the provider had left the children unattended while she ran errands in her car.

The home was not only cluttered, but filthy, and dark. It also smelled of animal urine, despite the provider's claims that there were no pets. Because of this, I decided to turn this provider into the board of childcare licensing. As a side note, Sunshine cried at each of these places. Maybe she was trying to tell me something!

I couldn't believe these were my choices! I couldn't possibly leave my child with any of these people! What was I going to do? I only had two more days to find child care before returning to work!

I began wracking my brain for other options. My sister Dreamer couldn't do it, as she goes to school full-time during the day. My sister Skinny already has 3 kids of her own, one of which is a one-year-old, and she works part time as a massage therapist, so she couldn't do it. I have a friend who does day care, but she lives too far away from me.

Mr. Wright's sister has 4 kids under 6, including one under one-year-old, and she has a lot of health problems. I didn't feel comfortable asking her. Another sister-in-law would probably love to do it, but their house seems to be a breeding ground for strep-throat, since every time Spitfire visits, she comes home with it. My other sister-in-law lives clear out in Riverton, and works part time as a CNA. Mr. Wright's parents are in their seventies, and his father has a lot of health problems. It's been a long time since they've taken care of a newborn. You forget how much work they are. I didn't think they could handle her, and didn't feel comfortable asking them.

Starting to get desperate, I decided to check into the pricing at some of the facility day cares near my work. I was sticker shocked to learn they cost between $842 and $980 per month! I can't afford that!!!

I checked Care.com and Sitterfinder.com. Many babysitters or Nannies wanted $8.00-$10.00 per hour, which is still more than $800.00 per month!

Running out of time, I checked Craig's List and KSL classifieds. I must have called at least 30 people. Most had no openings for a newborn, or were too expensive. I left messages, but several people didn't call me back.

Finally, I got a call back from a woman who had an opening, was reasonably priced ($30.00 per day), and even better, she lived nearby my home and work! When I went to her house to meet her/interview her, her home looked like children played there, but was clean. She picked Sunshine up out of her car seat and held her and talked to her, immediately putting me at ease. Sunshine smiled at her.

She was also willing to take Spitfire on non-school days. She didn't mind that I would bring pumped breast milk to feed her. She didn't mind that Sunshine has reflux and spits up a lot. She didn't mind if I want to come spend my lunch break with Sunshine. She was a dream come true and I hired her on the spot. It's nice to know your baby is being well taken care of! Whew!