It's a Boy!

Well by now you may have guessed due to the lack of updates that our little bundle of joy entered the world.  Baby Z was born on May 20, 2012 at 1:38 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs 7 oz. And unless of course you follow me on Twitter and saw the news break when it happened, this is your first foray into my life as a father, among the many other roles I play in this world.  

Its hard for me to find the right words to express how blessed Rebecca and I feel to be able to begin a family.  So let's just say that we're grateful for the gift we've been given in Baby Z and can't wait to watch him grow as the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into months.  Already, after only 9 days, the little guy is starting to show some signs of some cute baby pudge.  Only 9 days in, and we're already seeing changes.  It truly is amazing to be able to experience this.

Life is definitely different though.  Along with the obvious decrease in amount of sleep Rebecca and I are getting each night, its really just a general change in how I view things.  I am no longer responsible for just myself and Rebecca.  I am now responsible for Baby Z, and more importantly, he is entirely dependent on us.  So while there will always be times where I think about what we used to do, thinking about how things are now brings a sense of fulfillment to me.  We have a purpose and a family.

Waiting In Limbo

Training these days is a bit of a challenge.  Not physically, but mentally.  Obviously, it is my intent to continue running and whatnot, but knowing that a major life event will be throwing things off for a bit, certainly has me lacking serious motivation.  Running is something I do on a regular basis regardless, so when I say serious motivation, I mean motivation to push myself.  I'm still getting out there 5-6 times a week and putting in miles, its just that without a grasp of what's next, it is hard to focus on training for something. 

And since we are truly in the final countdown, I often finding myself questioning whether it is "worth it" to go for a run.  I'm not signed up for any races at this point, obviously because I have no idea when this will happen and/or if I'll be able to race on a certain day in the not too distant future.  As a result, my workouts have been more or less running by feel and motivation.  Which means, mostly shorter stuff. 

Though, to combat those feelings, I've often been doubling up one day a week to serve as my long run.  That way, I'm still getting in the physical stress, but split so it is mentally easier to grasp.  Further, I don't want to ever be too far from home in case I get "the call" telling me that we need to go to the hospital.  So splitting the runs and keeping things relatively close makes sense.

Today is another such day where that is happening.  While I don't really have the time or will to go for a 2 hour run, I do have time to go for a 6 mile run in the morning and an 8 or so mile run in the afternoon.  So while I am not getting as much of a training benefit as I would be from getting in a 14 miler in one effort, I am still putting in a solid workout on the day, while also keeping it relatively easy from a mental perspective.

So until we meet our little new peanut, this shall be my routine...