April 8, 2011 33 weeks 5 days
The last few weeks have flown in a blur by since my last race...it's been a whirlwind of baby registry, baby shower, birthing class, attempting to create a nursery, and training. I don't think I really did a great job of tackling the baby registry stuff, but thankfully I have amazing friends and family that have guided me along the way and helped to explain what the heck I actually do with some of the things that I received as gifts at the baby shower. The birthing class was eye opening and interesting to say the least. Big take away...Say yes to pain killers..those that can do natural birth are nothing short of AMAZING! OK, I did actually learn some other things and got some clarity on some myths as well. Every woman's body and labor experiences will be different, but the fact is that we were actually designed to perform this crazy physiological act called giving birth and some how go back to normal physically and mentally forget all about the pain and torture because A LOT of people do it more than once! Watching some of the women in the videos go through natural labor instantly made me think of how I should change my workouts to better prepare and how important staying fit is during pregnancy.
Working out and running has been a little more challenging both because I am physically bigger and just more tired in general. Finding good sleeping positions has been very challenging. My running partner and I did one more longer run of about 6 or 7 miles, then she was told by her doctors it was time to keep it 3miles max. Which actually I am totally fine with. Running for over an hour with a 20lb bowling bowl strapped to you is starting to get a little uncomfortable. I run about 3miles 5 days a week, with some walks thrown in there for the dogs, swim and bike about 1 day a week when it's nice and sunny out, and lift weights about 2-3x a week. My last swim I started my warm-up and felt pretty good, so I wanted to see how long I could go without stopping...I did about 1500m in 30minutes without stopping. I was pretty proud of myself...so of course it made it think that maybe I could actually do a triathlon over 8mo pregnant. Then I attempted to ride my bike 20miles...that didn't go as well. I couldn't bend over my handle bars very well and the little one in my belly was kicking her feet right in my ribs the whole time. I only made it about 11 miles that day. Oh well, guess I'll be stuck on the trainer sooner than I hoped. At least I can't get passed by people in flip-flops on their beach cruisers when I am on my trainer in the privacy of my own home. Although I have good days and bad days I am surprised and happy to find that I can still run. Everyone keeps telling me stop or slow down with my workouts...except my Doctor! She loves how much I workout! And I know I NEED it to feel sane and somewhat physically normal as my body continues to do weird things. Things like tieing my shoe laces and shaving my legs has definitely become much more of a chore than before. I found myself slightly depressed after the class when I was hit with the reality the recovery process post baby...I also think it had to do with the fact that I didn't have any other events planned in the near future. I really need that to keep to focused and motivated with my workouts...so I think I have one more race left in me...maybe just a 5k though :)
Update 4/14/2011 34 weeks 4 days
Geez things change EVERYDAY.... one day I feel like I can't do anything...the next I feel like a champ. It might have something to do with the lack of sleep I guess. Up until this week I was able to run almost everyday...but have started to walk more because my body aches a little bit, which I guess is normal since I feel kind of like I am running with a 20lb bowling ball strapped to my chest. I haven't signed up for the 5k yet...that will be a last minute decision, and the bike riding hasn't gotten any better either. On a good note...I was able to do 3 sets of 5 pull-ups still! I better be super strong after all this working out with 20plus extra pounds on my body! And yes complete panic attack have started realizing that I have less than 6 weeks to go! It's a combination of the unknown of labor, recovery, taking care of an infant...and not being able to exercise for awhile! I am hoping that my "PLAN A" of a super EASY labor and having a baby that loves to sleep and hardly cries works out...Oh and winning the lottery would be nice too...haha.
