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

Long time, no talk, and there's a good reason for that...

Baby Boy K, arriving 08.20.2013

I found out that was I was pregnant less than two months after running the Baystate Marathon. So after taking a marathon-induced running hiatus, I did run 100 miles between Thanksgiving and Christmas, just as a personal challenge to keep running. Soon thereafter, I just felt out of love with running. This seems to happen to me every year - I have a 1-2 month time period where I just don't want to do it. I do love running, but not in a way that makes me want to run 30+ miles a week when I'm not training for something. I am goal-oriented, so when the goal disappears (i.e. races), I lose my focus.

I also agreed to teach 16-18 hours a week of fitness classes this semester - which in retrospect, wasn't my best idea. It is incredibly punishing to my body to essentially workout for 4+ hours a day. But I am stubborn, so I did it anyway. I currently have 3 weeks left of teaching, and it can't come soon enough. It was hard enough at peak physical condition, but carrying around some extra pounds (and all the other things that come with pregnancy) makes it especially trying. By the time I found my spark to run again on a regular basis, I don't have the energy for it after a long day at the gym. When the weekends come my body is begging me for a break, so usually I feel like running isn't the best decision. Another downside of spending long hours on hard gym floors? Shin splints. In my 5+ years of running, I have never experienced them, but after a few hours of step training and jumping? I have to come home and ice my legs every night.

Pregnant fitness ninja - 21 weeks

I did manage to run 3 races in March on 3 consecutive weekends - a 5K, 10K, and 15K. My own little race trifecta! It was fun and I'm glad I did it. They were all near personal worsts, but that doesn't really matter when you are gestating a human. I did run the entirety of all three races. I also felt like I had to pee the entire time I was running all three - there was even a desperate crawling-in-the-woods pee break at mile 6 of the 15K. Pregnancy is a pain sometimes! It seems like these days I could pee 2 seconds before running, and without fail, I will feel like I have to go again with a mile of my runs. 

Also, I found that I am a terrible pregnant race runner because I have a really hard time holding myself back from going all out. I would find myself desperate to pass people, and inevitably pushing myself too hard. That desire to 'compete' on some level doesn't just magically go away! And for this reason I decided that the 15K will be my longest pregnancy race distance. I registered for a half marathon in May (we registered before I got pregnant) but I will be dropping back to the 5-mile race that day. I don't trust myself to not overdo it! It is SO hard to watch my husband train for it though and know that I won't be doing it too. 

St Patrick's Day 5K - 26:08 (17 weeks) - SO COLD!

Malden 10K - 56:xx (18 weeks) - obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Also, I missed a turn (unmarked! grr) and ran an extra 1/4 mile in this race. D'oh!

Boston Tune-up 15K - 1:29:xx (19 weeks) - 17 minutes slower than last year. Ouch. Also, I look bigger in the photo than I do now at 22 weeks! Note to self, NOT a flattering top...

I am very fortunate to have had a very uncomplicated pregnancy to this point. At last check, I've gained a little less than 10 lbs. and I am still comfortable running, and I plan on continuing as long as I can. I recently read that 72% of pregnant exercisers give birth before or on their due dates, as opposed to 48% of pregnant non-exercisers. We are moving in the same month I am due - yay military life! - so for many reasons, I really need this little boy to come on time! I plan on getting a support belt when I need one so I can run as long as possible. My fitness classes end in a few weeks, and I'll have much more time to dedicate to my first love - running!

For the 3 of you that read this, I promise this is not turning into a pregnancy/mommy blog. You know me better than that! I've already registered for my BOB and everyone knows it's at the top of my wish list!

I can't wait to meet my little guy. And on a related note, I really miss wine. :)

Running? What's That?

Since October 21, I have run less than 30 miles. Total. I sort of forgot about running. I am still pretty active, considering I teach 14 fitness classes a week. And that is totally fun, but it's not the same workout as running. And I say that as an instructor who is really, really tough. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with running, I have to say, nothing really compares to the feeling it brings.

I did briefly consider changing my blog and twitter handles - but christensquatsandlunges and christendrinkswine didn't really have the same ring to them. So alas, it's time to run again.

I don't really have any races to train for at the moment. I am doing 2 5K's in December, but I've never really considered those something I need to specifically train for. My husband and I decided we would do something similar to what we did last year - run at least 100 miles between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. We are in luck this year - Thanksgiving falls early, so plenty of time to hit that goal. I created a dailymile challenge if anyone would like to do this as well!

Otherwise I'll probably be trying to run 5 days a week, with one day of speedwork and one day of tempo/inervals/something.

We ran last weekend while we were in Fort Worth, TX. I love the Trinity Trails there - it's a nice change of pace from city running.

We even did some trail running, which was great until the trail disappeared and the grass got taller. I am absolutely terrified of snakes, and all I could think was "rattlesnakes! rattlesnakes!". (I should add I never saw a snake, I just KNEW there might be one where I couldn't see it) I really started to panic - shallow breathing and all. Which doesn't really jive with running. Even though I didn't say a word to my husband (I like to pretend I'm a hardass, even though almost no one believes it), he knew I was freaking out and picked up the pace and got me out of there ASAP. What can I say, I'll never be an adventurer.

And then I didn't run at all for 8 days. I can't remember the last time I didn't run for 8 days. I kept intending to run, but somehow I always avoided it. We finally got out for about 4.5 miles yesterday, and I was happy to see I didn't lose much fitness in my break.

So this is the week I get my ass back in gear and put some miles on my shoes! And let's be honest, all those upcoming holiday treats aren't going to burn off themselves. And I really don't want to buy new pants.

Baystate Marathon Recap: Crash & Burn, Baby.

So I ran the Baystate Marathon today. This was my first marathon since the 2009 Chicago marathon.

I now remember why I swore off marathons. The PAIN. OMG, the pain! I have so much respect for those of you that can run them and not come away hobbled. I am not that person. I seriously just don't want to put my body through it again. Halfs for this girl from now on!

So, anyway, a proper recap. So I cooked us a feast of grilled chicken and sweet potatoes last night, and we went to bed early (about 9 pm). I slept well, only woke up to pee once, and got up when my alarm went off at 4:30. I drank my standard 2 cups of coffee, and ate two rice cakes with peanut butter & a banana. We got ready and left our house at around 6:00 AM.

We got to Lowell a little before 7, parked in a garage less than a 1/2 mile from the finish/start line, and lucky for us there were bathrooms in the parking garage. They were clean, had toilet paper, and there was no wait. Very nice.

We checked our bag, and stood inside the high school for bit until we went out to line up at 7:45 AM. This race only has 1500 full marathoners, so it wasn't a problem at all to line up in the corral. I realized when we got out there that I need to go to the bathroom again - but apparently they only had about 12 port-o-potties at the start line (for 3000 runners! WTF!) and I knew I'd never get in one, so I just sucked it up and ran. (It turned out to not be a problem., I never had to stop on the course)

Before the start, sporting throw away gloves. Jazz hands!

jazz hands again!

So we take off promptly at 8, and I crossed the start line only 10 seconds later. There was little to no crowding, and I was at racing speed in no time. The weather was perfect - about 50 at the start, and sunny.

I took off a little too fast - the first couple miles were around 7:45. I reeled it back in and found a 7:55-8:00 pace, which I carried for for the first 13 miles. I intended to run 8:10, but honestly, that's really not that much of a difference. I crossed the halfway point at 1:45:06 - which is a half marathon PR for me. (cue ominous warning signs here)

By mile 14.5, I was feeling the crash already. I walked a few times and even stopped to text my husband that I wasn't sure I'd finish (he was running too, but battling a sprained wrist, ankle, and badly bruised ribs from a soccer match last weekend, so had to slow down bigtime to compensate). I sucked it up at some point and mostly ran (albeit, much more slowly) until mile 20.

The majority of the race was limited to the shoulder of roads meant for vehicular traffic only. I guess I am spoiled, living in Boston - I always run on sidewalks or bike/run paths. By mile 20, by left hip was in excruciating pain from running on the uneven shoulder! I had to stop a few times to stretch out my hip flexors. From that point forward, I allowed myself to walk a few steps every mile. It was the only way I could see finishing.

In the last few miles, we were running on a divided highway, limited to the shoulder, with some STEEP banking. My hip was in agony! The worst of it was in the last half of mile 25, which hobbled me to walk again. We finally came back into downtown Lowell, and even then I had to walk a few steps right before we hit 26. I don't recall ever feeling that level of misery in my past two marathons. I knew I'd totally blown my chances at BQ'ing, but I was hoping to at least PR. That was dashed when I turned into the finish and saw the clock. I finished in 3:56:04 - 6 seconds slower than my 2009 Chicago performance. Honestly, I didn't even care, because I was so happy that I even finished. I was about 15 seconds away from dropping at mile 15.

We didn't die.

But I did get very upset at the finish - because the water/food/gatorade station was almost a half mile from the finish line!!! This was my biggest disappointment in this race. To me, it was just totally unacceptable. After running for almost 4 hours, as soon as I stopped running, I needed nourishment immediately. I could barely walk because my hip hurt so bad. I also was really weak. It took me almost 30 minutes to get to the food tent - I had to stop and sit/lie down at least 4 times because I was so weak. Race directors - DO NOT make marathoners travel so far to get nourishment at the end of the race!!!

And THEN, when I got there, I had to wait in line (again, WHY with only 3000 runners??)! I had tunnel vision by the time I got under the food tent and had to just grab the first thing I saw with calories - a can of Pepsi. I crawled down on the ground right by the tent and drank it (yes, I did look insane, and I didn't care). I finally started to feel a little better, and I got up and grabbed some orange slices. My husband finished in 4:27, and they were totally out of Pepsi by that point. Ridiculous. We got some soup and then headed home.

I have to say I have mixed feelings overall about this marathon. I love that it was so close to my residence, that I could sleep in my own bed the night before, and I love even more that the entrance fee was only $70. The on course support was very good, and I have no complaints. The course was a little... boring. But I knew that going into it. But the experience at the end was just not good.

Eh, but it's over now. And I guess at the end of the day I'm happy I finished and that it was at least under 4 hours. I am disappointed with myself that I wasn't mentally stronger and didn't try to tough it out, though. I wish I wouldn't have given up so easily! It makes me feel weak. But then I remember that I did traverse 26 miles today, which is no small feat.

I also realize that from now on, I'll stick with half marathons. Or 10 milers. Or maybe just 5K's and 10K's. :)

Reward time!