RWP - Week 27 Edition

So I said this wouldn't turn into a pregnancy blog, but I guess it sort of has... oops. I mean, it's about pregnancy AND running at this point, so I think it counts. :)

This week was not as successful in the running department. We had a few busy days, and the fatigue hit me like a brick wall this week. I also had a terrible time with sleep this week, which didn't help either.

My fitness week:

Monday: 1 hour yoga
Tuesday: 30 min bike trainer
Wednesday: off - we were in CT most of the day, crap sleep.
Thursday: Ran 2.5 miles
Friday: off (crap sleep again)
Saturday: Lots of walking. At least 3 miles.
Sunday: Run to Remember 5-Miler - 46:12, 9:15 avg.

So as you can see it was a little light on activity. Also, I failed again at any real strength training. I'll try to work on this again this week. After a very cold and rainy week, we are forcasted to have a VERY hot week this week - potentially 3-4 days in the 90s! So I might have to take most of my workouts indoors this week - overheating while pregnant is bad news!

There were a few successes. I finally found some prenatal yoga that was challenging and made me break a sweat! I bought two videos from yogadownload.com - I bought the Power Prenatal (70 min) and Prenatal Vinyasa Flow (45 min). The Power Prenatal was fantastic. I loved that it included balance poses and challenges such as pushups and squat holds. I will definitely continue to use them over the rest of my pregnancy.

Then there was Boston's Run to Remember on Sunday. We had some really crappy weather over Memorial Day weekend - it rained Friday-Sunday and it was freezing. The temps at race start were in the mid-40s! But it was a REALLY fantastic race. I'd originally signed up for the half marathon before I got pregnant, but ultimately dropped back to the 5-miler (my husband did the half). The Run to Remember is in honor of fallen law enforcement - which as you can imagine, took on a whole new meaning this year after the Boston marathon bombings and the subsequent loss of MIT officer Sean Collier. It was incredibly touching to see a sea of people wearing bibs on their backs with the number '179' in honor of him. There was law enforcement there from all over the country, and the crowd was a sea of American flags, and Boston Marathon blue and yellow.

Squeezed into my Boston shirt. No hiding that belly!

I really got into the spirit of the race in general, and even though my legs felt weighed down from the bowling ball at my mid-section and my shins ached, all I could keep thinking is how fortunate I was that I COULD run. I got progressively faster with each mile and finished strong and felt really good.

My husband said that the Cambridge and MIT police lined Memorial Drive on the half marathon course. He said it was really inspiring!

And as always, it's really fun to see people's facial expressions and reactions to getting passed by a pregnant runner. :) As of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant - 3rd trimester! It really makes all of it feel more real for sure!

I wear non-running clothes sometimes. :)

RWP - Week 26 Edition

Another week in the books! I don't think I've ever counted weeks in my life until I was pregnant. I also have to remind myself sometimes that a lot of people don't even understand pregnancy in terms of weeks, so I find my terrible pregnant brain scrambling to count months (which usually involves counting on my fingers like I am 7 years old). I swear my brain is functioning on an amoeba level these days.

So this week was pretty successful in terms of running and exercising in general. I ran 3 times, walked a few times, and rode my bike trainer twice. I only got in one strength workout - I need to work on that this week. I used to be a morning runner, but I find it really hard to get going in the mornings these days - I seem to have the most energy to workout in the late afternoon. I am fortunate to now have an open schedule, so I am rolling with it. I am a lot more tired these days - many days I really want a nap, or to just lay down for an hour and rest, even if I don't sleep. Who knew growing a human was so taxing?

My week:

Monday: off
Tuesday: walked 2 miles, spend 30 min on the bike trainer (estimated 10 miles)
Wednesday: Ran 3 miles (9:22 avg), strength workout (30 min)
Thursday: 30 min bike trainer (10 miles)
Friday: Ran 5 miles (10:16 avg)
Saturday: walked 2 miles
Sunday: Ran 4 miles (9:48 avg)

So I sort of met my goal of 14 miles for my 26th week - although I would have to count a few of those walking miles to get there. My shins are still irritated (it appears this might be something I have to deal with until the end of this pregnancy) so for now the plan is to run every other day, and to cycle or walk in between.

I have downloaded a 70 minute "Power Prenatal" yoga video and will attempt it today. I have been totally underwhelmed by all the other prenatal yoga I've tried - I think I would have been better off if I'd just taken a nap. This one promised that "you'll feel it" so we will see.

This was a big weekend in our household because my husband graduated with a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering! I seriously don't understand 95% of what he does, but I know he's hella smaht. :)

Yes, those are light bulb cuff links.
He might be nerdy... and also wearing seersucker.
He's a walking contradiction.

Done!

No running pic this week (husband wasn't home to take one for me).
26 weeks, no hiding it these days!
Also, I am totally getting a haircut this week.

RWP (Running While Pregnant)

Running has been happening recently! So I felt like I actually could blog about it. It has been super slow and sluggish at times... but it's still happening.

22 weeks (that's a lot of red)

Top: lululemon (6), Capris: Nike (M)

23 weeks (that's a lot of neon)

Top: Faded Glory (Walmart) Maternity, Shorts: Under Armour (M), ProCompression socks

I am currently 26 weeks pregnant. Where did time go? It's crazy that I'll be in my last trimester in less than two weeks! I finished teaching fitness classes about two weeks ago (the semester ended) so I have had much more time for running. My current goal is to run in miles the number of weeks I have left in my pregnancy. For example, at 26 weeks pregnant, I am aiming to get at least 14 miles this week. I stay on track much better when I have a goal, and I thought this one was kind of fun!

Unfortunately, I have started having signs of shin splints. I have never really had them before, so it definitely caught me off-guard. I think it's a combination of pounding the hard gym floors for 4+ hours a day for 5 months, plus the weight gain and balance shift that comes with being pregnant. I'm managing pretty well - I pretty much live in compression socks/sleeves, and I ice my legs a lot.

I did manage to run 15 miles in week 25! It was my first week back really running in a while, so I tried to be super conservative and not anger my shins any further. I ran 5 days last week, each time around 2.5-3.5 miles. My pace is also conservative these days - around 9:15-10:00 miles. While I can't lie, feels really lame. But it's all for a good cause, right? :)

24 weeks (that's a lot of black, and not a flattering top at all)

Top: Old Navy, Shorts: Old Navy Maternity (they are the BEST ones I've found, bought online), CEP calf sleeves

We did go join a run club for group run last week at City Sports, and I definitely noticed one girl who could not stand being passed by the pregnant girl! I felt really good that day, and even managed a 8:15 mile during the 3.5 mile group run. She almost jumped in front of a moving car TWICE at intersections in attempts to get in front of me. She went into an all out sprint at the end, even darting into the street to get around the pedestrian traffic that slowed me down. It was hilarious. I hope she feels better about herself. :)

What's getting difficult is that I feel so different from day to day. It's hard to be consistent when you feel on top of the world one day, and the next day it feels like a chore just to climb the stairs. I have to remind myself that any exercise is good, and good for my baby boy.

By the end of week 25 my shins were screaming at me, so I took off Sunday & Monday, and rode my new bike trainer on Tuesday. I rejoined the running world yesterday with 3 miles at a 9:15 pace and felt great. I may go to alternating days of riding and running.

I have also purchased a maternity support belt, which helps out my bladder a LOT. It makes my bump look weird, but who cares? I don't have to pee at mile 0.75 now, so that's a big victory! I purchases the Pea in the Pod Ultimate Maternity support belt in small - I know a lot of people recommend the Gabriella, but as I felt like it was too big/wide for my short torso. I really like the one I got. I purchased some inexpensive women's compression shorts in a size bigger than I normally wear, and I place the belt over the top of those shorts, and then wear a pair of looser running shorts over them. I

25 weeks - back to the bright colors, and first run with the maternity support belt, total bladder saver!

Top - Asics Emma singlet (M), Shorts - Danskin (both pairs), CEP socks

I have also continued to strength train. I really don't want to lose all the fitness I worked suffered so hard for over the last 5 months! haha. I stopped doing supine core work about a month ago, but everything else was fine until the last few weeks. I've noticed how my hips and knees feel less stable (thanks, relaxin) so I've had to stop doing weighted lower body work - I am now just doing bodyweight squats and lunges. Pushups are insanely hard now as well - I used to have no problem pushing out a set of twenty on my toes, but with the extra weight on my belly I have been banished to doing them on my knees, and even those are way harder than they have ever been before! I have modified by placing my handing on yoga blocks to give me a little more space as well. This was yesterday's workout (20 reps each exercise, 2 rounds of each set):

The plan is to continue all this for as long as I can! We have an appointment for an ultrasound tomorrow - little guy was not being cooperative at the 20 week anatomy scan, so they need to try again to get some clear images of all his organs. Stubborn already in utero! He is also super active at night... I hope this doesn't mean he is going to be up all night when he arrives! :)

I have one more race left - a 5-miler next weekend. I'm pretty excited for it - I'm hoping someone else amuses me with the game of 'pass the preggo' again!