Myrtle Beach Marathon 2010

Friday, February the 12th brought the largest snow storm Myrtle Beach, SC has seen in 10 years. We got about 3 inches of snow around our house, other places got up to 6 or 7 inches. Basically, that led to the council of the City of Myrtle Beach canceling the Myrtle Beach Marathon at 10:30 pm because they thought the snow would still be stuck to the ground all day the next day....even though the temperatures never dipped below 33 and the high for Saturday was in the mid 40s. Shows how much these people know about snow versus ground temperature. The snow was completely melted off the roads by 9am in the morning. By noon the streets were bone dry even though there was still snow on the grass and everywhere else. They canceled the marathon 9 HOURS EARLY because they didn't know what the roads were going to be like. Ridiculous, no? They should have postponed the marathon a few more hours and reevaluated early Saturday morning, like 5 or 6am, in enough time to call it off if required.

People have been asking us if we were "bummed" or "disappointed". I laugh at that question. Are you really serious? I wish I was just bummed or disappointed. Livid or furious are better descriptions of my emotions. Countless hours were put into training by Brian. We figure he easily ran 700 miles just training for this marathon, not to mention the marathon he ran in the fall to gain more experience and running for THIS marathon. Usually, I say "we" when talking about training. This is because I sacrifice a lot too. I plan his meals so they are healthy enough for his training needs. I put up with him being exhausted and cranky when he has to get up at 3:30 in the morning to put in a 15 miler in the the middle of the week before work. Most people simply have no idea...no comprehension of the effort that is put into running a marathon when trying to qualify for Boston. Do you realize that Brian has to run a 3:10 to qualify? That about a 7:15 minute mile, FOR 26.2 MILES! I think most people would be glad to run just one mile at that pace.

What it comes down to is this, important decisions were made by idiots who don't know what they are talking about, and anyone that agrees with them obviously doesn't know anything about snow or running either. There was another marathon south of us that received similar snow falls and still went on, just with a 4 hour delay, with no problems. It could have been done, our city officials just are lazy and have no backbone.

So what now? I stayed angry most of Saturday and Sunday, and honestly I'm doing quite a bit better now. We had to make a choice. Either do a marathon 8 hours away in 3 weeks and spend some more money, or wait until the fall, do another training session plus spend all that money. We decided it was less risky to run in the Snickers Marathon in Albany, GA on March 6th. This way we can use the training he has done recently and travel with one less child. We are pretty excited!

I'm going to pray for good weather.

It's a......

BOY!

Meet Malachi Wallace Conary....


(4D of his face and hands)


(4D of his face and hands, mouth open)


(Profile with his feet by his forehead)


(Showing his position, folded in half)


(Profile)


(It's a boy :) )

Hypnobirthing

If you follow me on Facebook, chances are you have seen my posts about reading "Hypnobirthing: The Mongon Method". So far, I know personally two people who have used this type of natural birthing. Both were successful. My sister had this book when she was pregnant with her child (she didn't use the methods) and subsequently gave it to me when we started trying for numero dos. I have to admit, I was extremely skeptical. I've always said that epidurals are for me and if there was a way to painlessly have a baby, I was all for it! The problem was, even though I had an epidural with Brandon, there were still extreme amounts of pain because of complications that arose. There are always things you think about "next time". What you'll change or make sure happens. I wish I had read this book before I had Brandon because I have really received a lot of insight from it.

First of all, hypnobirthing is likely not what you think it is. No one is standing in front of you with a swinging pendulum chanting things, who also has all "control" over you. Hypnobirthing is self-hypnotizing through breathing and relaxation techniques. You become so relaxed and have complete control over your mind that you can teach yourself to sense no pain. Of course, this does not happen over night. It is not a miracle "drug". It takes hard work, time, and patience. I have always been a high strung person. I'm impatient and anxious. The principles this book teaches would even help the nonpregnant person to relax. So far, every time I practice I feel sleepy, and when I practice before I go to bed, I fall asleep. From what I've read and heard, that's a good thing.

I'm almost done with the book now. I'm convinced it works and if you work at it, you can have a painless and drugless labor and delivery. However, I'm not 100% confident in myself. I feel like my mind is weak and my anxieties will take over no matter how much I practice. I am unwilling to give myself ultimatums. I'm not going to say "I'm not having an epidural" or "I'm just going to get an epidural". I am open to options. At the very least, I'd like hypnobirthing help me through most of it. I didn't get an epidural until I was 6 cm dilated with Brandon. Let me tell you, 6 cm with no coping skills for those contractions is not fun. And I figure if I make it, that's awesome! Epidurals are expensive, and I'll get to pay 20% of the cost if I get one. So, more power to me, it doesn't hurt to try. Anyways, enough rambling for now. If you're pregnant, or trying to be, GET THIS BOOK! It will change your whole perspective on how your birthing experience should be.