Clair is almost at week 12. This morning she claimed that she is beginning to feel better. Is it possible that the famed second trimester is starting, and she’ll be feeling energetic and playful again? Please, let it be so. I’ve been doing well trying to comfort her, but I can’t compete with pregnancy hormones.

Also, Clair and I might be participating in the Monster Dash. It is a 5K sponsored by Team Ortho that goes around Lake Harriet. Ten minutes after the 5K starts, the Doggie Dash begins. Clair and Ninja would walk the 5K while I bust my ass to get under 30 min. It would be a good excuse not to get drunk at a Halloween party we’re attending the night before. Plus, we’d get some nice long sleeve t-shirts and Ninja would get a collar. Free stuff is great.

This morning I participated in my very first 5K. I ran the whole race without walking, although I had to stop when an ambulance came through the route near the beginning. Also, I finished in under 40 min. That was my upper limit. My final time was 35:14, which was about 1.5 min longer than the average time (including the walkers… argh).

I did learn a few things, though. I’m not as slow as I thought I am, so I should start closer to the front. I got stuck behind a lot of walkers at the beginning. In addition, when I saw the finish line on the horizon, I realized that I had a lot more gas left. It was weird. All of a sudden, I was sprinting through people for the last few hundred yards. If I would have used that energy reserve sooner, I could have cut a few minutes off my time.

I’ll probably run another 5K again. It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. It was a lot more fun than running alone or with our slow-ass dog. And as soon as I saw my time, I wanted to get under 30 min. I was in the bottom 20% for my age range. That doesn’t sit well with me.

The 5K was easier than the 41-mile bike ride I did last month. I hit a wall on the bike ride that I didn’t hit on the run. Also, the people around me annoyed me less on the run. Every now and then, I’d get funneled into some walkers and would have to find a way to get around them. No big deal. When I was biking and would get cut off by slow bikers, I always imagined a huge bike pileup and would get pissed. I didn’t get angry at all while running. I think I’m going to have to try running as a stress reliever.

Hey all—it’s my first ever post on a blog of any kind!  So today marks week 11!  According to one of the pregnacy mags, I read that 11 weeks is when the baby “officially” graduates to the fetus stage!!  Wa-Hoo!   I think I’m slowly coming out of feeling constantly icky.  I’m excited to get some energy back!    

Wow. Clair and I heard baby’s heartbeat for the first time yesterday. It was amazing. The heartbeat was so strong, fast, and clear. It wasn’t anything like I expected. You hear the clips on TV, and they sound like a motor whirring. This was a definite heartbeat. It was a HUGE reality check and confirmation that everything is going well so far. In 2 month’s, we’re going in for an ultrasound.