Week 15

15 weeks

How far along? 15 Weeks  
Maternity clothes?  I wore my first pair of maternity jeans on Sunday.  They were a little big but they were so much more comfortable that my regular jeans with the belly band.  Hello for jeans feeling like yoga pants!  Now if only I could find pants for work that don't look like they are from 1970.  I've been to 2 used stores and struck out at both locations.  I think I'll have to suck it up and purchase new work pants at a real maternity store.  Blah.  I really don't want to spend the money but at the same time, if I can find work pants that look like nice work pants but FEEL like yoga pants, I might pay any amount.  And at this rate, I might give away my prized possessions if I could find a bra that fits but that's another story also.
Have you started to show yet:  It depends on what I'm wearing.  I think I look smaller in this week's picture than I did last week.  It also depends on the day.  Sometimes it looks a lot more obvious.  Also, as the day progresses, I swear I get bigger.  Morning time, not so big.   End of the day?  I feel very round.
 Symptoms: Heartburn, sore hips, crazy low back pain and a couple random nose bleeds.  That's fun.
 Activity:  I'm still struggling with this.  I got in that one lame workout and that's in.  :(  Part of the problem?  I don't have any races on the calendar.  When I'm not training for a race, I tend to fall off the wagon.  I might have to make up a race and schedule my workouts so I'm "forced" to get back at it.  A co-worker said she's train and do a "fake" race with me.  I may just have to take her up on that.
 Best moment this week: Realizing I have something the size of a naval orange....on the other side of my naval.  I'm easily amused.  According to the internet, baby is about 4 inches long and about the size of a naval orange.  We also went to a cloth diapering class that was great.  I think we are going to give it a try!  Spending $1500 vs. $4500 from birth to potty training sounds pretty smart to me.  
Miss Anything?  Sleep....I've had some CRAZY dreams this week that have woken me up.  I also miss being able to go more than an hour between trips to pee.  This is proving extra challenging this week as I am traveling for work and forced to sit through crazy long meetings...meetings in which I'm supposed to be taking the notes.  It's hard to take notes from the bathroom.
 Movement: Not that I've noticed.  
Food cravings: Luckily some healthier things have come back to my radar.  We were in Whole Foods on Saturday intending to pick up one thing...until I got sight of the produce and then I NEEDED every fresh fruit in the place.  $60 later we had a obscene amount of fruit for 2 people.  It was a carb heavy dinner that night.  I also ate my weight in strawberries on Monday night.  That's better than eating my weight in salt and vinegar potato chips I supposed.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing specific but I will get some random wave of nausea.  Luckily it usually passes quickly.  
Gender:  Don't know yet...should find out in April though.    
Looking forward to:  Feeling the baby move, finding pants that fit and I can wear to work!  Finding a sports bra that fits so I don't have a "containment failure" as The Pilot would say.
What I am NOT looking forward to: Growing more and more uncomfortable.  I'm already not sleeping through the night because of random aches and trips to the bathroom.    
Milestones: We picked a day care....probably one of the hardest decisions we've had to make since we found out I was pregnant.  Of course you don't want to spend an arm and a leg but you also don't want to leave your kid with someone not so great just because it's cheaper.  Except for one day a week...we opted for some free child care.  My mom.  Luckily she works for hugs and baby kisses.  And my brother and I are productive members of society so I trust her.  ;)

Sweating, Rocking Out and a Photo Dump

I finally dragged my lame, pregnant self to the basement!  I laced up my shoes last night after dinner and hit the treadmill.  I told myself that as long as I wasn't experiencing any "baby discomfort" I was going to stay on that machine for at least 30 minutes.  It's hard to believe that just over a month ago I did a 1/2 marathon and now I'm forcing myself to stay on the treadmill for a measly 30 minutes.  Sigh.  I think I'm mourning the loss of what my body was capable of at the end of 2012 but that's a whole different post.

To motivate myself to stay on the evil treadmill, I put in the DVD, Pearl Jam 20.  I blogged about seeing the documentary on the big screen a million years ago but finally "splurged" and bought a copy of the DVD for future viewing pleasure.  I'm so glad I did.  I popped it in, cranked the volume so I could hear it over the ancient treadmill and got my sweat on.  The Pilot wasn't home so I could sing along as loud as I wanted also.  Score.

So I rocked out to my PJ while trying to maintain a somewhat decent walk pace (15:30).  I didn't do too bad but the ache in my hips/lower back was constant.  I did a half mile warm up before testing the waters.  I haven't run a step since the 1/2 marathon last month.  I slowly increased the pace on the treadmill until I was shuffling along at 13:00.  And I proceeded to hang out for exactly....a quarter mile.  Sigh.  I could sense my heart rate was well on it's way to "baby discomfort" so I backed off and went back to a walk.  And was frustrated that it took nearly another quarter mile to feel comfortable again.  Sigh.  I did another quarter mile run with the same results.  I'm taking extra care to listen to every sign my body gives me right now.  Obviously as  a marathoner, I've conditioned my body to keep going through discomfort.  And that's just not an option anymore now that I'm growing a human.  While obviously I am ok with that, there is still a "mourning" process that I think I'm in the middle of right now.

On a complete tangent though, while rocking out to my PJ, I was reminded of one of my favorite PJ memories.  I was probably 14 or 15 and had heard a PJ concert on the radio.  They sang a song that I knew was a cover, I just didn't know who the original artist was.  It bugged me.  It bugged my BFF, Lauren (and fellow PJ junkie) also.  So one night we called the local rock radio station and sang the song to the DJ to ask if he knew who sang the song originally.  The song?  The Who's Baba O'Riley.  Before anyone gets up in arms that I didn't know that is was a Who song....it was somewhere around 1995 or 1996, and I didn't grow up with exposure to The Who.  I knew of them, but I wouldn't have recognized any of their songs (at the time).  Thinking back, I'm still a little surprised we actually tried to sing to a radio DJ over the phone.  :)

And on another tangent (because that's how the pregnant brain works)...here are some cell pictures for your viewing pleasure.

We've been wondering why the nursery is so cold.  And then we discovered why.  There is a rather large cat laying ON the register.  He's annoyed that we moved his cat bed to another room and now there are random crib parts laying around.

Meanwhile, I've been practicing "baby-wearing" with the other cat.  She loves to cuddle so I figured she would like the baby sling I got.  She loved it.  Hopefully cat lady = good baby mama. And hopefully old school cell phone doesn't = uncool baby mama.

I don't recall if I mentioned it by I had the sinus infection from hell last month.  While I could take antibiotics, I had to suffer through the symptoms for 2 weeks because I can't take any of the "good stuff" right now.  Anyways, on one of my 2 trips to the doctor, I found my pregnant self having to pee while I waited for the doctor.  This was in the restroom...

Looks like the lab tech has a sense of humor.

The cats were loving my first trimester fatigue AND the sinus infection.  That meant lots of cuddle time on the couch.  I think they were the only ones that were comfortable.

Speaking of comfortable...

When the cat is comfortable, you don't dare move her do you?  Not if you are The Pilot.   Figment was in his office chair when he wanted to do some internet-ing....but he didn't want to disturb her.  He's nicer than me.  I would have booted her off. 

Week 14

I couldn't decide if I wanted to blog weekly about my pregnancy or not.  While my blog isn't exclusively training related, I just couldn't decide.  I have used my blog as a journal of sorts though and writing in a separate pregnancy journal seemed overwhelming for some reason.  So I think I'll post somewhat regularly with baby news....especially for our far away friends and family who want to be involved.  And if you don't care, just skip any post that starts with "week" in your blog readers.  :)

So here it goes:

14 weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks
Maternity clothes?  I'm still squeezing into some pants but most are now unbuttoned and I have to wear a belly belt to keep from showing too much.  I have purchased a couple pairs of materinity pants on clearance and at the consignment store but they are too big right now.  I'm just in that awkward phase...
Have you started to show yet:  I don't think the casual acquaintance/stranger would notice but The Pilot has pointed out that things are looking different.  (He tries to put that delicately, thank goodness.)  Meanwhile, I feel like I look fat, not pregnant just yet.
Symptoms: Heartburn, sore hips, crazy low back pain and a few others than the internet doesn't need to know about. 
Activity:  I'm still plagued by random bouts of fatigue so I'm still not back into a workout routine.  I'm hoping this weekend will jump start some real activity (I didn't count the miles and miles I walked at Ikea last weekend). 
Best moment this week: I think I may have felt some flutters...or it was one of those unmentioned symptoms.  Hard to tell at this point.  
Miss Anything?  Sleeping well, having energy, my Monday morning Pepsi (I stopped drinking caffeine when I found out I was pregnant).  
Movement: Maybe?  That or it was GI movement.  Nice.
Food cravings: Salt and vinegar potato chips, cookies.  Both things that I would hardly ever eat pre-pregnancy.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not as much anymore but the smell of any onion product makes my stomach turn.
Gender:  Don't know yet...should find out in April though.    
Looking forward to:  Feeling the baby move, feeling pregnant instead of fat.  
What I am NOT looking forward to: Growing more and more uncomfortable.  I'm already not sleeping through the night because of random aches and trips to the bathroom.  
Milestones: Surviving the first trimester!

That place is evil...and wonderful.

I have a new belief that Ikea is the Swedish version of Target.  You go in looking for one thing and then this happens:

The Pilot and I made the 2 hour trek to Ikea yesterday looking for a dresser for the nursery.  We ended up filling the back end of my Honda Fit.  The car didn't get the memo that it's not a pick up truck.  The car will hold all kinds of stuff...you have to worry about popping the lawn mower tires on it before worrying about filling up the back end.

I wish I could say those were all parts to a dresser but they are not.  There IS a dresser in that mess but there is also a sofa table, a shoe cabinet, a plant stand, some storage bins, new cushions for an older Ikea chair I already owned, a new foot stool for that chair (there is some drama with that to share later!), a random baby item (pictures to come later), a plastic shopping bag holder (which we now refer to as the Italian Poop Bag Basket...anyone who has pets will get this) and probably something else I'm forgetting.  Oh, and we got a free lunch because we spent so much money.

No buyers remorse today (except for maybe the drama filled foot stool) which is good.  We were wanting all of these items (ok, except for maybe the shoe cabinet and plant stand)...maybe not all of them RIGHT NOW but Ikea makes you feel like you HAVE to have this stuff.  It's like the Disney World of home furnishings and we were certainly drinking the Kool-aid.

To make our Sunday even more romantic, once we got home and I started some laundry, we broke out the allen wrenches and started putting together our Swedish furniture...while watching a documentary on labor and delivery/prenatal care in the US.  We know how to party.

The Pilot: Becoming A Dad

To date, if there was a single moment I could freeze in time, it would be the reaction The Pilot had when I told him he was going to become a dad.  I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face. 

I had come home from work and The Pilot was cooking dinner.  I needed a few minutes to regroup (also known as taking a few minutes to myself to fully check my work at the door and switch to home mode) so I went upstairs.  It was a little early to be taking a pregnancy test but I was feeling a little "off" so I went ahead and took a test.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting anything because after trying for several months, I was preparing myself to be let down.

When a very faint positive came up I.....panicked.  Though this was very much wanted and planned, I was shocked.  And I panicked.  I texted my BFF and asked if I should tell The Pilot.  Since it was so faint, I wasn't sure if I had done the test wrong (really, it's not that hard) and didn't want to get him worked up if it wasn't really positive.  She didn't respond right away so I went downstairs but didn't say anything to The Pilot.  Suddenly she called.  I grabbed the phone and ran back upstairs....to the master bedroom closet.  There I was, hiding in the closet, talking to my BFF about my positive pregnancy test...before I told my husband.  (Don't worry, he knows this story and is amused by it...or at least I think he is.)

I think she got a good laugh and told me that a positive is a positive and I should tell him.  Knowing my sweet husband, I knew if I told him while he was still making dinner, we would end up with no edible dinner.  So I waited.  I'm not sure how I did it.  We ate dinner.  The second he finished his food though, I told him that I had something for him and then ran upstairs again.

A few weeks earlier I had come across a baby onesie online that was too perfect to pass up.  It said "I'm the new chief pilot around here."  A chief pilot is the boss of the other pilots at an airline.  I had it hiding in a closet so I threw it in a gift bag and ran back down the stairs.  With a stupid grin on my face, I gave it to him, telling him it was an early Christmas gift (it was a couple weeks before Christmas).

He pulled it out of the bag, looked at the onesie.  Then looked at me (I was still grinning like an idiot).  Then he looked back at the onesie.  And then his eyes went HUGE.  And they may or may not have filled with tears.  He looked back at me, all wide-eyed and I nodded and said that we would be needing that in the near future.

The rest of the evening was a blur.  We hugged a lot.  Stared at each other in disbelief.  I don't think either of us slept very well that night.  At least I can speak for myself when I say I spent much of the night staring at the ceiling feeling both elated and panicked at the same time.  :)

2nd Annual Run for Sherry

Last year I did an uneventful 30 minute treadmill workout in a hotel gym.  But it was so much bigger than just a workout.  It was the first annual virtual Run for Sherry.  Sherry Arnold was a runner from Montana who went for a run but never came home.

Sherry was the cousin of Beth over at Shut Up and Run and Beth has been instrumental in creating this virtual run, keeping it alive another year and not letting the memory of her cousin fade.  While I didn't know Sherry and I don't know Beth, the least I can do is get in a workout in Sherry's memory.

Athletes of all kinds should always look out for each other (and really, everyone should be looking out for those around them).  I am so thankful that I almost never have to do a workout alone.  And today was no different.

We all ran and walked for Sherry.  20 degree weather couldn't stop us!

                                                       Even The Pilot tagged along!

On a side note, today was my first workout since the 1/2 marathon.  As I finish up my first trimester, my energy is slowly but surely returning.  And I'm so thankful because I was starting to go a little stir crazy from all the couch surfing.

I Was Hangry

I was so hungry I could have eaten a pizza out of the back of a truck...

Something I've noticed since finding myself "with alien," is that when I'm hungry, I am HUNGRY.  Like if I don't eat RIGHT NOW, someone might lose a finger.

During my commute home from work recently, I was hungry.  Borderline hangry.  I already had a random craving for pizza when I got stopped at a train about 2 miles from home.  A looooong train.  And I was right behind a catering truck.  With a picture of a pizza on the back of it.  If that train would have been one car longer, I would have been knocking on the driver's window demanding some pizza from the back of his truck.

Don't worry.  My rational side kept me safely buckled into my car and I made it home and took my h-anger out on my poor husband.  Lucky him.

Stowaway

So yesterday I mentioned I had a theory as to why my wheels fell off during the Disney 1/2 marathon a couple weekends ago.  I blame the fact I hit the wall and that my hips hurt during the race on something called relaxin.  It's actually a hormone that causes your joints to stretch....and hurt.  Why would a woman's body produce relaxin?  When it's pregnant and preparing the body for childbirth.

The proverbial beans have been spilled.  The Pilot and I are expecting a baby.  I ran/walked/shuffled/cried my way through the 1/2 marathon with a stowaway.  I was 9 weeks pregnant during the race.

I wish I could say that bump was a baby but in reality it's more likely post-race puffiness from retaining water and slugging my way through a really humid race.

I trained like a beast but the first trimester fatigue hit me like a truck the week before the race.  And it still continues.  Luckily the nausea I experienced was always in the afternoon/evenings so that wasn't much of a factor during the race.  My Goofy Girls knew I was pregnant and I'm fairly certain that was their primary reason for sticking with me throughout the race when they could have easily finished a lot earlier had they taken the out that I gave them.  I had told my mom not to worry about me during the race because I'd have a doctor with me.  Never mind that Mary is actually a dentist.  Still, I did feel a lot better having two crazy strong women with me who have four kids between them and also are the best cheerleaders anyone could ever ask for.  When I wanted to quit, they propped me up and kept me moving forward.

So that's the scoop!  I'm now a little over 12 weeks pregnant and looking forward to getting some of  my energy back in the 2nd trimester so I can resume my workouts (even if modified).  I've spent A LOT of time on the couch the last couple weeks.  Creating a new human is no joke!  I am starting to feel a little stir crazy though.  At the very least I hope to have some more energy to at least LOOK at the treadmill in the basement.  Recently, the thought of even walking down the basement stairs has been exhausting.

Our little human is due in mid-August.  The first thing I thought when we found out the due date....it's gonna be one HOT summer!  The Pilot and I are super excited.  And terrified.  But that's all part of the experience I hear.  Our families and friends are over the moon excited.  Especially those who knew me before I met The Pilot.  I was pretty sure I didn't want kids so they are pumped!  Darn that amazing man for doing this to me!

I'm sure this blog will take a slight baby turn but ultimately, I am still a Gym Class Dropout who plans to do her best to keep active and fit while growing a new human.  And I'm sure there will be some (mis)adventures to share along the way as my marathon waddle turns even slower and more into a weeble. 

2013 Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon

On January 12 I completed my 9th half marathon. Coincidentally it was also my 9th consecutive year involved with the Disney World Marathon weekend (I've raced 6 times and coached with TNT 3 times).  So crazy how time flies.

While I obviously love the Disney races, I do not like the crazy early wake up calls.  2:45 am?  That isn't very magical.  The Pilot and I were in line for the bus at 3:30 am to make our way to the Epcot parking lot.

We hung out while waiting for my friends Mary and Lisa, who were trapped on a bus in traffic.  They made it and at about 5 am we started the mile walk to the start line.  The mile walk that takes about 45 minutes because there are so many frickin' people!   By the time we got to the starting area, the first 3 corrals had already started.  We were supposed to be in the 5th corral but as we walked by, we realized we were at the tail end of the 4th corral so we just hopped in.  Not something I would normally do but knowing from the pace charts at the expo, the people in that corral wouldn't really be running much faster than we had planned.  It turned out to be a smart decision.  We weren't being pushed by the crowd to run faster and while still crazy crowded, it wasn't nearly as bad as what I ran into last year.

It was so much fun to have running buddies this year!  For the Goofy Challenge in 2011 and the 1/2 marathon last year, I was on my own with the exception of the occasional Pilot sighting.  This year, running with Mary and Lisa made those first 5 miles tick by quickly.  We enjoyed the sights (costumes, men peeing in the bushes, lots of "what not to wear for a race" and the usual Disney race sights, characters).

By far, my favorite part of this race each year is making that bend onto Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom.  BAM!  There's Cinderella's Castle.  I love it.  I love it even more since The Pilot proposed in front of the castle right before the Goofy Challenge.  I get a little choked up each year when I reach that point in the race.

It was just after the castle sighting that I noticed I had a slight hitch in my giddy-up.  My hips were a little weird.  It was only about 5.5 miles into the race.  The pace wasn't too fast in my mind, so I didn't think we had gone out too fast, though Lisa made a comment that there was a lot of race left.   I brushed it off but did a little stretch of my hips, thinking that would kick it into gear.  Mistake #1. I had a Shot Block at this point and thought to myself, man that went so fast that I forgot to eat a Shot Block at mile 3 or 4 like usual.  Again, I brushed it off and didn't think much of it.  Mistake #2.  Did I mention this was my NINTH 1/2 marathon?  Obviously I'm not new at this and yet was making some rookie mistakes.

We kept plugging along until the girls needed a bathroom break.  By some stroke of luck, I didn't have to go so I kept going, knowing they would be able to catch up to me.  That's when I really evaluated how I was feeling.  It was just past mile 6 and I was feeling sluggish.  I waited too long to fuel.  So I made mistake # 3 by trying to catch up.  I had more Shot Blocks but that didn't sit well.  I took a walk break and saw The Pilot standing on his grassy knoll waiting.  :)  He camps out in the same place near the Grand Floridian hotel each year but he can't get right next to the course so he stands on a little hill so he can see better.  I waved and told him that Lisa and Mary should be coming up behind me shortly.

                              I'm having fun.  I swear.  Wait....I'm totally faking this.  Can you tell? 

Lisa and Mary did eventually catch up to me and I was still feeling really sluggish and my hips were irritated.  It seemed to alternate between each side.  It was also warming up.  It was already in the 60s at the start and into the low 70s as the sun came up.  By mile 7, I was starting to get annoyed.  By mile 8, I wanted to be done.  By mile 9, the wheels were falling off in a hurry.  It was taking all I had to keep moving at all.  I am not kidding when I say that I was trudging along, staring at the ground in front of me.  At one point, the only thing I could focus on where Lisa's pink compression socks right in front of me.  I knew she could and probably wanted to go faster and I gave them the chance to leave me but for some crazy reason they opted to stick with me.  As much as I wouldn't have taken it personally if they did go on without me and I really didn't want to hold them back or do anything to jeopardize their full marathon the next day, I have never been more thankful to have people with me.  I honestly think I may have thrown in the towel at mile 10 if they hadn't been there. 

We started taking more and more walk breaks.  And those walk breaks were slow.  And when it was time to run again, it took so much effort.  My hips were screaming.  Right before mile 10 and right before an evil hill (an exit ramp that is banked and killer on the ankles), I stopped at the medical tent and grabbed a handful of Biofreeze.  I didn't even care, I shoved my hands down my pants and slathered my hips with the stuff.  Within minutes my hips were numb.  I don't think it was just the hips that were holding me back.  I had lost all my gas.  I fueled too late and didn't catch up.  I had hit the wall and Lisa and Mary knew it.  My stomach was getting weird so I made my one and only pit stop while they waited for me (and probably contemplated making a run for it! I kid.)    When I came out of the nasty porta-potty, Lisa ended up wearing my Fuel Belt for nearly 2 miles.  Suddenly that Fuel Belt felt like it weighed 50 pounds.  If I had had it, I would have paid her serious money for doing that for me.    So when I say that my wheels were falling off, I was not exaggerating.  I was a hot mess.

As we made the last stretch (and hill) into Epcot, I found about an ounce of energy as there was more music thumping and lots more spectators on the course.  It didn't carry me far.  I alternated between one sloooow walk and a shuffle.  I'm sure I apologized a million times to Lisa and Mary.  I don't think Mary ever stopped smiling.  Lisa used her usual humor to amuse me and distract me.

Best part of the picture....the guy dressed up as Woody over Lisa's shoulder.  Only at a Disney race.

Finally!  Finally!  There was the gospel choir, then the last bend before the finish line.  I was so exhausted and out of my mind that I couldn't even scan the crowd for The Pilot.  Lisa and Mary looked and looked but the crowd seemed to be 10 deep all along the sides of the course.  I just focused on not tripping or passing out in the finish chute.  The 3 of us grabbed hands and ran (who am I kidding....shuffled) across the finish line.  3:08 and some change.  No where near a PR but it wasn't a personal worst either so I'll take it.

Don't be fooled but this celebratory pose....

Mary and Lisa are holding me up and dragging me across the finish line.  They are celebrating the fact that they are super heroes and dragged a lame duck for nearly 5 miles.

In my dazed state, I wandered to our designated meeting place and found The Pilot.  In that moment, I was completely over the entire thing.  I was uncomfortable, tired, cranky and ready to be laying down.  I thanked my girls for sticking it out until the bitter end and The Pilot and I wandered off to wait for our bus back to the hotel.

The shower and nap that immediately followed were glorious.  I was zapped.  Between the warm weather, the humidity and the stupidly difficult race, I had no energy left.  It took both The Pilot and I hours of laying around the hotel room before we were back in the land of the living.  I called Lisa to give an update and thank them for their help.  Both she and Mary agreed that they had never seen me like that.  This coach had hit the wall hard and there was nothing magical about it that's for sure!  I wished them luck for the full marathon and said I'd see them on the course at some point to cheer for them.  The Pilot and I did manage to get in a game of mini-golf and a walk around a new resort (Art of Animation) that evening but then it was to bed early for another early morning.  I'm sure I said multiple times that evening that I was so thankful that I wasn't going to do the Goofy Challenge.  Two years later, I still have absolutely NO desire to do that again!

I have a theory as to why the wheels fell off but I'll post more tomorrow as this is already a post starting to look like a draft of War and Peace.

My hard earned 9th 1/2 marathon medal....accompanied by a forced smile.