Sort-of RWP - 31 Weeks

Hi there!

So I totally didn't update last week. I was out of town for most of week 30, and then I was only back in town for a few days before we headed out to Cape Cod for a long weekend. Also, there hasn't been much running or exercising in general in these last two weeks!

After my fall, I think I was hesitant to get back out there. I also had some hip/knee/back pain for about a week afterward - which is understandable. Around the time I felt like I was ready to run again, I went to Mississippi to visit family and have a baby shower with friends and family (more on that later). It was consistently 95+ degrees everyday I was there, which is WAY too hot for me to even think about running outside. Also, my parents live in the country, and I am terrified of the snakes/bugs/spiders/coyotes/aggressive dogs that I'd undoubtedly encounter. I did a couple sessions of prenatal yoga, but that was it.

I came back to Boston at the start of week 31. I had my first experience with wicked heartburn (damn you, airport sandwiches) and K and I celebrated our 8th anniversary (yay!). I also had a checkup with my midwife - everything looks great - my weight and measurements are right on track and he's still head down (stay there, little guy!).  I did finally go out for a 3 mile run on Thursday and felt really good - it was a slow slog with a few 30 second walk breaks, but it still counts! I do joke that if I get any slower, I'm not going to be able to call it running anymore!

I had a fabulous baby shower at my mother's house last weekend - she and my sister have really jumped into this whole Pinterest thing and they really outdid themselves on the "Ahoy, it's a boy" theme. I walked right into that theme, considering K is in the Navy, ha. I haven't lived in MS in almost a decade, so it was really touching to see so many family and friends there! I think we ended up having at least 30 people there - I'm glad we made a lot of food for them!

My mom made that banner. She is so talented!

Sister and Mom. Note - I am only 5'4". They are both pocket-sized!

Adorable (and delicious red velvet) cake

Nautical details - lifesaver napkin rings!

Anchor fruit skewers

We went to Cape Cod for the first time since living in MA! It was fabulous - such a change of pace from city life here in Boston. We walked a lot - our hotel was about a mile from Provincetown town center, so we walked 4+ miles each day. I also ate all the seafood and ice cream I possibly could! We took our dog, Darla, with us and she had a blast. Provincetown was voted one of the most dog-friendly cities in America, and I can totally see why! She was welcome in almost all the shops, restaurant patios, and beaches there. We relaxed and got a little time in the sun too - I even wore a bikini! I really didn't see the point in buying a maternity swimsuit that I'd only wear 1-2 times, so I just went for it. It felt good to get a little sun on my glowing orb of a belly. :)

Provincetown

Darla LOVES to chase the breaking waves

Poolside at 31 weeks!

Race Point Beach

And another photo share - we had our photos taken for marketing materials by my insurance company at 27 weeks - they were gracious enough to give me all the photos from our session! It was a gray day but they came out great!

RWP - Week 29 Edition

There isn't a lot to talk about in the way of running this week. There's also an explanation for that. I'll get to that later. I only had two workouts last week - yoga on Monday and a 3-mile run on Wednesday. The good news from this week: I passed the 2-hour glucose challenge on Tuesday with flying colors - and it didn't make me feel ill at all! Whew.

Late on Thursday afternoon, I decided I wanted to go out for a run. My husband had set out in one direction for a 6 mile run, so I decided I'd go the opposite direction and get in 2 or 3 miles. About .3 miles into this run, on a street I frequently traverse, I tripped on an uneven sidewalk and fell in a spectacular fashion. I wasn't going very fast (uphill and pregnant = basically speedwalking) but I flew forward and and turned and landed on my left side. My forearm and knee took the brunt of the fall. I was pretty stunned and just rolled onto my back and laid there for about 30 seconds to catch my breath.

Sidenote: There was a college-aged girl walking toward me who saw all of this happen, and walked right by me without even acknowledging me or even making eye contact. I mean, seriously? I didn't expect her to be able to do much, but if I saw a pregnant woman trip and fall, I would at least ask if she was okay. Cold! I hope she's never in my position, because it wasn't a good feeling. 

So, I got up, dusted off, and walked back to my house. My arm, elbow, hand and knee were pretty scraped up, but otherwise, I think it just shook me up. My husband got home later and we decided I should probably call my doctor, even though I didn't fall on my stomach. I called and talked to the doctor on call, and they asked me to come in. We ended up spending the next 4 hours at L&D for monitoring. Baby was totally fine - steady heartrate and spend a good portion of the night using the fetal monitors as kicking/punching targets! On a positive note, we got a preview of the facilities and the staff, who were all incredibly nice and accommodating. We were released to go home around midnight - and I thanked them, but told them I didn't want to see them again until baby K is born!

We had friends coming into town to visit on Friday, so I used the weekend to recover and not think about exercising. We did a lot of walking and pastry-eating and it was glorious.

The doctor on call was also a runner himself, and really encouraged me to keep going if I felt like it. I am still a little sore and bruised (I should probably visit the chiropractor, I'm having some upper back pain) so I will possibly revisit the idea of running in a couple days. My husband is very nervous about me running now (rightly so, I guess!), and feels like that I shouldn't run unattended anymore. He will run with me, so maybe I'll take him up on that offer.

I also bought a 15 lb kettlebell last week, so I'll use it more for my workouts. We have set of Powerblock adjustable dumbbells, but they are very large and I'm often finding them awkward to maneuver around my belly.

So, no running photo this week. But I promise I will make up for it next week!

RWP - Week 28 Edition

Hello, third trimester! I am feeling large and in charge these days. I seriously can't believe I have 11 more weeks to keep expanding (I will be 29 weeks tomorrow). Hold me, I'm scared.

So it was a somewhat uneventful week. We had friends in town staying with us most of the week, so I cut myself some slack and spent more time hanging out with them rather than working out. And I'm okay with that! 

I am definitely finding that it's getting harder to do everyday tasks. Putting on socks is a workout in itself - bending over to reach them compresses my lungs and sometimes I have to sit up to 'take a break' and catch my breath. My husband and I have switched sides of the bed as well - my side was very close the to wall (about 12") and it was getting really hard to shimmy out of bed for multiple bathroom breaks a night! And in totally pathetic news, I strained an oblique/side muscle just rolling over from my side to back while sleeping. Pregnancy: Expert level achieved. 

So last week was a little all over the place with workouts:

Monday: deep cleaned my house. This counts as a workout, dammit.

Tuesday: off

Wednesday: Ran 3 miles, 9:54 avg; 45 min yoga (Prenatal Vinyasa Flow)

Thursday: off 

Friday: 45 minutes bike trainer (est. 15 miles)

Saturday: Strength circuits, 30 min

Sunday: Ran 3 miles, 10:37 avg (some walk breaks, it was almost 80 degrees)

It was also INSANELY hot this week in Boston. 3 days in the 90s, and several others in the 80s - and humid. I would normally tough it out, but now isn't the time to push it and overheat or get dehydrated. I avoided exercising outdoors for most of the week for this reason alone. Last week's weather was totally nuts - the temps literally doubled in 5 days!

The few runs that happened last week went okay. There's some lingering ligament pain in my sides and right under my belly (which is sometimes more irritated by the support belt). My calves and shins feel a little better this week, so that's a plus.

28 weeks. Feeling large.

The bad news from last week is that I failed my 1-hour glucose test. :( I was 4 points over the cutoff. Blah. I go tomorrow for the 3-hour test, which is sure to make me super cranky - fasting is not pleasant while pregnant! Fingers crossed I pass this one.

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!

Boston.

I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said. As someone who calls Boston home, it goes without saying that I am deeply saddened and I am angry. Running is the best sport in the world because we are all on the same team - team runners. We live for the spectators at races. As said here,

"Without those people, a marathon would just be an exercise in self-abuse from a large group of crazies. But there is meaning in marathoning: the people who watch." - Erin Gloria Ryan

Marathon Monday is the best day ever to be in Boston. The entire city comes out to cheer on runners. Bostonians can be a crude, rude bunch at times (lovably so) - but on Marathon Monday, all of that is gone. Everyone is on "Team Runner." And for someone to try and take that away from us? It makes me so angry.

This is the only race shirt I have that still fits (i.e. isn't a midriff). I wore it yesterday to work. I have never had the honor of running the Boston Marathon, but regardless, I am A runner in Boston, and I WILL KEEP RUNNING. I will also never take any spectators for granted ever again. And I will spectate every race I can, annoying cowbell and all. 

No one can take running away from this town. #boston