World's best nanny

Raising twins is hard ... really hard, I won't deny it. Juggling work with mommy time and trying to fit in runs and workouts here and there is logistics logistics logistics. To top it off, my company has re-branded and launched 3 new products since I've returned from leave, leaving me to work from 5am - 10pm almost daily (and ultimately leaving me feeling only soso - not a great feeling).Introducing, super nanny! Our nanny is amazing - the boys love her, and she gives Matt and I a bit of sanity. When the boys are awake our nanny is reading to them, teaching them English AND Spanish, helping them with belly time - you name it. When they sleep she turns into a magic woman cleaning the house and organizing - things we never seem to have time to do.

Travel with twins

Last weekend we went on our first overnight trip with twins - we went to Healdsburg and stayed at Gipson B&B. We've done brunches and dinners out, the occasional trip to Grandma's, but nothing overnight. As with anything twin related, our weekend involved a lot of logistics.

We had to plan:

• How many diapers to bring (we brought a case - overkill)
• Where they'd sleep (we brought the Pack 'n Play)
• Outfits
• Burp cloths (we brought 6 and went through all in a day)
• Feeding times and how it fit with drive time and the race time - we're trying to get into a better schedule for the boys for eat > play > sleep
  

What we didn't plan for was the fact that there would be SO much traffic on the way up (we had timed the drive so we could feed before we left and when we got there, but with the traffic from the Bay Bridge being down we had to feed on the road which means change on the road - tough!) What we also didn't plan for was the boys loving their Halloween costumes so much they turned into little social butterflies ... or should I say bees and spiders.

All in all the weekend was a blast, but definitely exhausting. The boys' nap schedule got thrown off and they seemed to hit a mega growth spurt going from drinking 4oz per feed to 5oz. They also decided nap time was for 3 month olds and they are "so past that" so they fought every nap.

Here's what I learned:

• You can only plan so much - inevitably, the twins will have their own plans
• Gotta go with the flow
• Outdoor dining is awesome
• Bring extra outfits for mom and dad AND the twins (we came back with a suitcase full of milk puke)
• You don't need EVERYTHING (we brought boppys, bjorns, strollers, a pack 'n play, etc. - definitely didn't need it all)
• Travel with good friends - we lucked out with Emily and Rob helping and hanging
  

Weekend Roundup: Healdsburg Half!

This weekend was the Healdsburg half marathon and it was a BLAST! I ran the half with my run club and we all dressed as bees - the boys dressed up, too.

I wound up running my PR by three and a half minutes coming in at 1:34:02 and placing 4th in my age group, 13th female (out of 941), and 57th overall (out of 1438) ... and it felt GREAT!!!

Traveling with twins was ... trying - much more exhausting than the race itself. More on that later - all I have to say is thank God for Rob and Emily who came, cheered at the race, helped with the boys, and "hung" - we were celebrating my and Emily's 30th.

The boys in their costumes (p.s. we did not make Wilson wear the spider hat - it was enormous!):

My favorite time of day

I have never been much of a morning person, but lately 5:30-7am has become my favorite time of day. Every morning I get up to get a start on work and enjoy a cup of black tea with honey and cream. I also treat myself to figs (something I've become totally addicted to). I love this time - the house is quiet and the city is still sleeping.

My favorite right now are the teas from Harney & Sons - maybe it's the tin, or maybe it's the fact that the teas go so well with good local honey, whatever it is, I'm sold.

And then I was 30...

The day has arrived - my 30th birthday, that is. It's crazy, when I was a kid 30 was a HUGE milestone - it meant old, "grown up," and serious. Well, it's here and I don't feel old, definitely don't feel "grown up," and I don't think I'll ever be serious. I'm thrilled for my 30s - I think these are going to be some of the best years. My goal for my 30s (warning, hippie blather alert) is to be healthy, happy, and beautiful mentally and physically. What does that mean? Time to give my body breaks ... and push it to the limit (that's right - I'm gonna try pilates AND do more races :) ), I'm going to continue to learn and teach, and I'm going to treat myself well (sunscreen and dental floss).

This weekend we rang in the 30s with style - Friday Matt and I enjoyed Burma Superstar (hands down, my fav restaurant in SF), Saturday brought walking with Nicole and the boys while Matt climbed and then an awesome tapas dinner up the hill, and today (aka B-Day) I ran with GGRC and then hoofed it home for a fantastic picnic in the park with friends.

The boys loved all the pretty girls picnicking with us:









A couple of my favorite things:
(finally getting to test my BOB (not run with it, though), amazing carrot cake cupcakes from Nicole, and Matty playing guitar to the boys when I headed out the door for a run)









And of course:

Just Did It! Nike Women's (half) Marathon

Race day - hooray! I missed race days - the adrenaline, the pain, and the enjoyment of plowing through a giant breakfast after a good run. Today was the Nike Women's Marathon and Half - I had signed up for the full, but opted for the half due to lack of training.

I wound up running 1:37:56 (last year I ran 1:37:27 which was my PR). Going into the race I had no clue how fast, or slow, I'd run - I haven't run further than 6-miles in the past 9-months.

Here's what I learned:

• I need to learn to pace - I started with 6:30 min miles, then went to 8s on the hills, and averaged out at ~7:30s
• Drinking water and running doesn't work for me - I nearly choked at every water stop
• Familiar faces are AWESOME on runs! About half way through when I was questioning if I should "really be doing this" I saw Molly, a good friend from TIBCO, and felt totally invigorated to finish it out (I didn't even know Molly would be there - it was terrific)
• Cow bells are really kind of annoying in mass at mile 11
• Drinking coffee 10min before the race ... mistake
• Sleep is golden - last night I went to bed at 9, only to rise at midnight and then 3:30am for the boys, then up again at 5:30am to prep, and out the door at 6:10
• There are no taxis in SF at 6:10am - I had thought I could cab it to the start - nope! I wound up walking 1.2 miles there - not bad actually, it was a good warm up

All in all, I'm pretty happy. Sore. Tired. And happy. I can't wait for my next race ... and I don't have to wait long! Healdsburg half on 10/31, here I come!
Update - results!
The Nike half marathon results are in and updated - I came in 11th in my age group (out of 2065), and am ranked 53rd (out of 13,439). Had this been one week later (on the 25th - aka, my 30th birthday (eek!)) I would have come in 8th in my age group! The 30s are going to be great, I think ...

The nerves

Tomorrow is my "first race back" - I was initially planning to do the Nike marathon but I'm opting for the half because I haven't been able to train nearly enough. Despite doing the shorter distance (13.1), I'm getting the pre-race jitters. These are the kind of jitters that start in the stomach and sneak into the chest leaving through the head with a chill. The kind I got the minute my water broke. The ohmyGod I'm really doing this jitters.

So there's a weird analogy - getting ready to race is like labor. Fear, excitement, and anxiety all hit at the same time. With a race I know what I'm getting into - but this time I have not trained, period. I know it'll be nerve wracking at first, then I'll go out too fast, then I'll hurt, then I'll realize there are still miles to go, then I'll go with it and have a ton of fun finally finishing with a feeling of accomplishment. Labor was different - I didn't know what I was getting into, but it was the same cycle (amplified by a thousand) spread of 36 hours - the finish was much better, though - no race can compare. Other similarities:

• With races I get runners high - in the hospital I got IV high
• Races take a long time (if you do the right ones - the long ones) - labor takes a long time (did for me anyhow)
• Races hurt - labor hurts
• When racing it's easy to hear other runners' stories and expect the same experience, it's never the same - labor is the same (I hear stories of 2-hour labors and then going to workout the next day ... HA)
• The finish line is awesome - when you meet the babies ... actually, that's way more than awesome - that's the best feeling in the world, the feeling words can't match

p.s. I'm going to run like a mom!