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I thought after all those posts about running pregnant, it would be fun to see what that actually looks like. We actually had already finished the Team Joe run for the day, so these are a little staged..plus, my friend shown, Kristine, is actually an elite athlete. No way in hell I could actually keep up with her.

NYC Is My Backyard!

Betsy Chairman is a fast runner, a great storyteller; truly one of my personal favorite Team Joe "members" and now close friends. Betsy is a NYC public school teacher and also a writer. I can imagine how beloved she must be to her students. I wish my teachers had all been like her. I would have fallen under her spell of warmth, humor and inspiration to learn.

Lucky for your kids, if you have kids, Betsy and another NYC PS teacher have begun, last year, an educational and fun Summer day camp open to all kids 5-11.

http://mommypoppins.com/newyorkcitykids/nyc-summer-day-camps-new-2012-kids

In the above link, to Mommy Poppins blog for NYC moms, Betsy's program,

NYC Is My Backyard is considered one of the 10 best NYC Summer camps for kids.

Each week explores a different neighborhood of New York, empowering the children to own their city, to learn it's culture and history, and at the end of the week, each child creates his or her own book about the experience.

For more information, click on the sites above, or come to the next Team Joe run and get it from Betsy herself!

NYC Is My Backyard is a unique program for children in grades K-5, designed to improve their writing skills while honoring their adventurous spirits. Join us as we learn and play in the best backyard and classroom there is, New York City!

Birth Prep Class

This past weekend, we had 10 fun-filled hours of everything that could go wrong in childbirth, why not to do an epidural and bodily-fluids 101. Great class. I was a bit stunned. Still not ready to go there, though I sure hope I will be in T minus 7 weeks. I will be using my marathon mantras to get through. Those include good old standards like "one more step, one more step", and "I can do this". If you have any other inspiring ones, please comment below.

I realized very quickly in the class that Anthony and I have done more reading and baby prep classes than, well, pretty much anyone we have ever met. If only I was so keen on studying in High School! We have taken a baby cpr class, a baby sleep class, now a 10 hour prep class.

Besides this, we have read 3 books on sleep, 3 books on daily and weekly pregnancy changes, Bringing Up Bebe, a book about how kids are brought up in France, and have all of our What to Expect the First Year, No Cry Discipline Solution, countless magazines, etc. I really shouldn't even admit all this.

From what I have heard, as soon as the baby is born, one forgets pretty much everything and goes into emergency mode. As long as it's filed away somewhere, I am hoping it will be retrieveable in the long run.

Speaking of running, of course, my first question to the midwife at the Birth Prep class was, when can I start running again after birth. For me, as with probably all of you, being a runner is more than about exercize. It's a part of us as needing certain friends and family around, having a bedtime routine...Luckily I am still able to enjoy my mind-clearing jogs at this stage.

With all the extra weight, I am surely feeling it in my feet when I run. Poor little things. To thank them for their extra hard work, I have ordered new Asics! It's the least I can do.

Please comment with some of your inspiring mantras for long runs, cuz that's what giving birth really is all about. Stamina, mind over matter, and gatorade.