A Required Workout

I wasn't feeling it tonight.  I was tired, cranky and just wanted to be a vegetable.  But something just didn't feel right about that.  Not after the events in Boston yesterday.  As much as I wanted to deny it, I needed to get some kind of workout in. 

What I wanted most was to get outside and pound the pavement to let out some anger and frustration but it was storming.  Boo.  To the basement I went though.  I put on some Pearl Jam (the go-to when my head is all mixed up) and got on the treadmill.  I didn't have the energy to go very long but I stayed on just long enough to get my heart rate up and to break a sweat.  And just long enough to get some endorphins going which always seems to help clear my head (along with a side of PJ of course).

Baby bumpin' along

I'm having a really hard time processing the news of what happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday.  I'm feeling very much like I did on September 11 despite the loss of life and injuries being significantly higher with that event obviously.  Unlike September 11 though, I could put myself there in Boston.  I knew multiple people who were racing yesterday (all accounted for and safe).  I knew people who were in town to watch the race.  How many races have I done?  I've lost count.   How many races have I done with a larger race field than Boston?  I've lost count but it is in the double digits.  How many times have I been hanging around the finish line waiting for my athletes and friends?  Again, I've lost count.   I'm planning to stand at the finish line of a dear friend's 100th marathon next month. 

See what I mean when I say I can put myself there?  I'm having trouble processing that.  Just like with September 11 though, we can't stop living life just because something scary happened.  I didn't stop flying after September 11.  Obviously I kept living.  I married a pilot who spends 3-4 days a week flying.  I can't very well stop lingering around finish lines.  I'm not going to stop racing.  That doesn't mean its not hard to process and scary to think about.

My challenge tonight was that my head was swimming and I needed a workout but my body and baby were telling me something else.  I was just so tired.  I stuck it out for 15 minutes on the treadmill and then did 15 minutes of prenatal yoga.  It helped clear my head a bit.  Not as much as a good hour long run would have but for now, I'm thankful that I'm still able to workout.  My body is still cooperating for the most part.

I've even more thankful that I wasn't at that finish line yesterday.  Thankful that my friends are safe.  Thankful that while we live in a crazy world with crazy people, there is much more good in than evil.

Water Works

I didn't get out on the trails this weekend (baby was saying sleep in...you know, because 7:30 am is sleeping in now) but I did get a good workout in!

Lisa and I met up at the local pool for a great 45 minute swim late Sunday morning.  I was looking forward to feeling weightless for awhile, especially since right now on land, I'm feeling anything but weightless.  I've been reading up on ways to relieve pregnancy back pain and all the books talk about the magical powers of water and swimming.  I've always loved swimming (except when my coach was making me do puke-inducing sprints during the tri season) so it was just a matter of finding time when the pool had open lanes (darn those local swim teams for hogging the pool). 

I haven't swam (swum?) laps since last summer right before the triathlon so I was a little nervous about how I'd do after such a long swim hiatus.  Luckily I eased right back into it.  Right away I was able to swim a couple laps freestyle without too much trouble.  I was pretty confident that my arms and legs would remember, I just wasn't sure how my lungs would handle it since even going up and down stairs lately leaves me a little winded.  Amazingly though, I just cruised along. 

I did notice a bit of a hitch in my right shoulder though.  The books did note that the all of my joints are stretching in preparation for baby and to be careful not to overextend anything.  My shoulder only seemed to get cranky during freestyle so I just kept alternating between breast stroke, side stoke, freestyle and just kicking on my back.  Mixing it up gave the shoulder a rest.  One other benefit was stretching out my hips/back during the breast stroke.  And gliding along on my back while kicking only felt soooo relaxing. 

Hopefully I'll be able to fit in more pool time, especially as I grow more and more uncomfortable on land!

Week 21

Week 21

How far along? 21 weeks
Maternity Clothes?  I found another consignment shop in town that had some great things!  The other store I've been to twice now has a huge selection but everything in that selection must be from 1995 and has been worn by a mother of 10.  The tops are all out of style and faded.  Bleh.  I have gotten some pants and shorts though.  This new-to-me store had a much more limited selection however, just about everything was from the last couple of years.  I picked up 3 tops for less than $20...total.  :)
Have you started to show yet? No joke, The Pilot and I were standing in the lobby of the movie theater waiting to go in when I asked him if I looked pregnant or just fat.  Being the good husband that he is, he didn't even pause and said "Definitely pregnant, not fat."  Some days I feel fat and self conscious and other days I feel pregnant and I'm ok with that. 
Symptoms:  I didn't really notice anything new this week.  Still heartburn at night and the lower back pain, though this week was a little better which I contribute to the exercise, a pregnancy body pillow that is like having a 3rd person in bed, and a support belt that I wore around the house over the weekend.
Activity:  There were two really good workouts!  It's a start!  Yeay for getting off my butt!
Best moment this week:  The ultrasound....seeing something that actually looks like a baby was amazing.  I've never thought to much about miracles but conception/pregnancy has got to be the closest thing to a miracle I've ever witnessed!
Miss anything? Cycling.  The weather is finally warming up and I've seen a lot of cyclists out on the roads again.  And I miss it.  I would love to go for a bike ride but the belly won't let me get on a road bike, plus I've noticed a shift in my center of balance.  That and falling over while clipped into the pedals is always a risk.  So I'll be off the bike until next spring most likely.  I do have a recumbent stationary bike that I can use though so I hope to do that from time to time so I don't lose my bike legs completely...but I miss having the "wind in my hair (helmet)."
Movement:  This is getting more and more noticeable and consistent.  I notice the most movement right after I have eaten...and most recently, when I've laid down and I'm trying to sleep.  It still catches me off guard sometimes and it's very distracting.  How am I supposed to get back to work after lunch when I've got something jumping around in there??  I keep thinking I'll feel it from the outside but nothing yet. 
Food cravings:  My mom read my update last week and showed up on Saturday with a pound of strawberries.  I guess they were on sale so she got an extra carton.  The thing is, the day before, I asked The Pilot to get 2 cartons at the store since I ate last week's carton by myself.  So on Saturday, we had 3 pounds of strawberries in the house.  By Monday, there was only a pound left.  I'll leave it at that.
Anything making you queasy or sick?  Not really but I've noticed my appetite has waned.  Some days I just don't have an appetite and don't feel like eating (but I do anyways) and then other days, I want to eat everything in sight.  The Pilot and I met my parents for dinner the other night at a local pizza place that has a salad bar.  We ordered pizza, which was good, but for some reason the salad was the greatest thing I've ever eaten...and therefore I ate 2 large plates of salad while The Pilot tackled the pizza (and before you go thinking the salad was healthy, I doused it in dressing and croutons.  I've never found so much joy in croutons before that moment).
Gender:  We are 85-90% sure it's a boy...though a relative made me feel better for wanting another look because she was told a baby was a boy only to have a follow up ultrasound discover it was a girl.  And she did in fact have a (very cute!) girl.
Looking forward to:  Another ultrasound...hopefully baby isn't as modest as mama and will flash the goods a little more so I can be more convinced of the gender.  :)  Looking forward to a couple baby showers that are in the works.  I can't wait to see all my friends and family!
What I'm not looking forward to:  Waking up more and more in the middle of the night.  I know it's just preparation for after the baby comes but dang.  Between trips to the bathroom and being uncomfortable, I'm not getting much uninterrupted sleep.  I think this is the only thing that has really surprised me so far.  I just didn't expect this so early on.  I thought this was 3rd trimester stuff!  And everyone keeps telling me it just gets worse.  Oh boy.
Milestones:  I'm now harboring a pomegranate.  Say what?  I don't know that I've ever seen a whole pomegranate before.

85%

On Thursday I was a "belly model" for emergency physicians who were learning how to operate an ultrasound machine.  A friend of mine works for the company who provides continuing education for emergency physicians and when she found out I was prego, she asked if I'd be interested.  Basically it was getting paid to have an ultrasound.  I was in!  Bonus, The Pilot was home and able to go with me.  Going in, we knew we wanted to find out the gender if the baby would cooperate.

The last time we saw the baby, it didn't really look like a baby.  It looked like a gummy bear.  For real.  So this time, to see there is a real live baby with kicking arms and legs was a total trip!  Even more trippy for me was that I could SEE the baby move at the same time I could FEEL the baby move.  Weird.  I keep wanting to describe it as an out of body experience but that's not it.  As the movement increases and grows stronger, I keep looking around like someone else felt it or saw it, but of course they didn't (with the exception of during the ultrasound).

So the different doctors took turns doing the ultrasound under the direction of the ultrasound technician.  I could easily tell the doctors who were nervous or didn't have much experience with either the ultrasound machine or just pregnant women in general.  They were very reluctant to "get in there" when using the ultrasound machine.  But the technician kept directing them to push a little harder.  It didn't hurt ever...though one really wanted to find my bladder (for a landmark to know "where" he was looking) and he found it...if he would have pushed just a little more, I would have most likely peed my pants.  :P

Finally, in a break from the doctors, the ultrasound technician poked around trying to find the "goods."  She finally said she was 85-90% sure of what it was.  She kept hovering near the legs but I never saw anything.  The Pilot swears he did.  I was having a Rachel moment from Friends.  But they both thought they saw boy stuff.  And so we are 85% sure it is a boy.  Or I should say that I'm on the fence and The Pilot is 90% sure.  :)

To be honest, that's just a little too much room for error for me.  Especially since there never really was a clear shot.  I keep saying 85%, The Pilot is saying 90% is nearly 100%.  :)  I think I'm going to wait until our normal anatomy scan with my regular doctor (in a week) to see if we can get a better look and another opinion.  I've never been one for surprises and while I know ultrasound isn't an exact science, I'd just feel a little better with having my doctor take a peek.

It was such a fun experience and I'm so glad we did it!  It was a fun way to get to see the baby but also be helpful to the doctors who might need to use an ultrasound machine in an emergency some day.  And don't worry, I'll post another update after my doctor appointment.

Until then, Baby Gym Class Dropout is a boy...also known as Megatron to my husband. :)

Back in action

I finally had a more active week.  On Wednesday, this happened:

 30 minute run/walk on the treadmill

15 minutes on the stationary bike (yes, our basement is currently storage for everything including the kitchen sick...we are in the midst of a kitchen remodel)

It felt great to get my sweat on!

And then on Saturday morning, The Pilot and I met up with these lovely ladies.  I don't think The Pilot minds being the only dude to show up at these group workouts.  :)

The Pilot and I did a run/walk combo for 3 miles.  It was really cold out and between that and the running, I had to pee the entire time.  :(  I would have liked to go a a little further but by the end of 3 miles, I had to walk because every time I ran, I had to pee.  I have a feeling my days going on an out and back course are coming to an end.  I think if I am going to be out on the roads/trails, I'll have to do short loops (which I hate) so that I'm circling back near a bathroom.  Boo.  That sort of puts a damper on things.  But I'll take it!  At least right now I'm still able to run/walk/shuffle!

 I might be visiting a lot more of these as this baby gets bigger!

After this post, my co-worker suggested we train for a virtual race so that we would both have a goal to work towards to keep us moving but we wouldn't be out any money in the event I'm just not able to keep as active as my belly gets bigger.

I loved the idea!  So we decided on the 10k distance.  It will take a little effort/training on my part but also, she's never done a 10k before.  It's a win win!  We decided on June 8 for this virtual race.  I'll post more information later in case anyone is interested in "joining" us.  :)

Week 20

Week 20

Wrinkly shirt!  And see what I mean about being so tired last week?  I looked huge last week compared to this week...in my opinion at least.

How Far Along? 20 weeks
Maternity Clothes:  Yup...though I had to wear a suit yesterday for work.  I'm not about to fork over $$ for a maternity suit so I wore black maternity pants, a maternity top and a pre-pregnancy black suit jacket.  It wouldn't button obviously, not even close.  It definitely fits weird at the top but I only have probably 2-3 more occasions when I have to wear a suit during this pregnancy so I'm sacrificing some style/fit/comfort and opting for more cash in my wallet.  I'm sure The Pilot is smiling where ever he is at the moment.
Have you started to show yet?  I think so!  I think I've encountered a few people that are probably wondering but don't want to ask.  And sometimes my social awkwardness kicks in and it feels weird to just blurt out, "I'm not getting fat, I'm pregnant!" so I don't say anything.
Symptoms:  Road rage is still an issue.  Actually, just rage in general.  Why are people so dumb??  I lost my mind at Target last night.  I was none to pleased with their lack of customer service.  And I let them know.  How dare they 1) have inaccurate inventory counts?  2) Not have the ability to actually put a product on hold after you have already been to 3 different stores? 3) Not sell the kitchen drawer pulls I wanted on the internet.  4)  Not be willing to ship from one store to another, especially after I had a fit about them making me drive to 2 different stores that said they had the product but in reality didn't.  First world/pregnant woman problems.
Activity:  Still working on this...I'll have another post soon on my new game plan spurred by yesterday's post.  I did part of a yoga video this week.  I visited 5 different Target stores in a 4-day period so that was some walking.  See rage above. 
Best moment this week: Lots of movement (see movement below) 
Miss anything? Breathing while bending over.  So it's getting harder in general to bend over at the waist (bend at the knees!) but I can still do it....but I cannot seem to breathe at the same time.  I'm guessing when I bend over, my lungs get squished by the baby stuff, making inhaling impossible.  Is that weird?  Maybe.  Not something I plan to ask the doctor though.  I don't want to be the crazy lady asking about every weird thing...because there are tons of really weird things about pregnancy.  That's what the girlfriends are for.  If they had a similar symptom, I totally feel validated.  Like totally. ;)
Movement:  The movement is pretty consistent now.  It still weirds me out.  :)  It's definitely like having an alien in your abdomen.  The baby is still small (abut 10 ounces) so it sort of feels like little pokes...and sometimes bubbles.  It's getting stronger though so I keep grabbing my gut thinking I'll be able to feel something on the outside but not yet.  The other day I swear the baby punched me in the bladder.  And yes, I damn near peed my pants.  I love it...and am weirded out by it at the same time. 
Food cravings:  I ate a pound of strawberries on Monday.  No joke.  Better than a pound of french fries I suppose.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.  As long as I keep food in my stomach, I'm usually good.
Gender:  Just a couple more days!  The only thing keeping me from going totally bonkers with waiting is that one of my BFFs was overdue with her second baby and I had been anxiously waiting to hear any news.  She didn't know what she was having and it was driving me nuts because I couldn't wait to find out.  But the wait is over.  Her little boy arrived last night.  I nearly jumped out of my skin when I got the text message because I was almost asleep but that was SOOOO worth it!  Can't wait to see the little man!
Looking forward to: Obviously finding out the gender...and still getting excited for The Pilot to be able to feel the baby move.
What I'm NOT looking forward to: I've been reading pregnancy books and some of the symptoms coming my way do not sound pleasant.  I won't go into detail but mamas will know what I'm talking about.  There is some icky stuff ahead. :) 
Milestones:  I've reached the half-way point...give or take.  I think technically 40 weeks and a couple days is the true "full" term but really anytime after 36 weeks is still considered full term.  And probably the only people who know this are moms or medical professionals but have you ever done the math on 40 weeks?  That's about 10 months....not 9.  Tricked again!  So even though I'm 20 weeks pregnant, I'm only about 4.5 months along if I go by the 9 month theory and my due date.  Confused yet?  Yeah, I was at first and had to have my BFF explain it to me.

Listening too closely?

While training for 1/2 and full marathons, you learn to adapt to feeling uncomfortable from time to time (or all the time).  You learn to suck it up and push through pain.  You go train even when you don't feel like it.  You only half listen to what your body is telling you because you know half the time it's lying to you; telling you you can't run another step, another mile, etc.  LIES! 

When we found out I was pregnant, I made the decision to keep up my usual routine but I would listen to every signal my body gave me.  I would modify as needed.  If I was winded, I'd slow down.  If I was tired, I'd rest.  And I think that is backfiring.  I'm out of my usual routine and I'm having a hard time getting back at it.  One problem, I'm always tired.  I need to find the balance of sucking it up and working out anyways...and taking care of me and baby.

A struggle is that I'm not signed up for any races so there isn't a specific training goal.  I've never done well with working out just for fitness.  I need an end goal.  You would think not gaining a zillion extra pounds from baby would be goal enough but not so much.  I will say that goal is keeping my eating in check on the days when I want to stuff my face with nothing but french fries and cookies but it's not getting me on the treadmill or out on the trails.

My schedule has also been a struggle but that's not a good excuse.  It's never been an excuse before.  While my workouts may slack as I get busy, I never abandon them completely.  I've also slowed down quite a bit and that's somewhat annoying.  I can't keep up with people I normally can keep up with (heck, I've even had to call after The Pilot to slow down in the grocery store).  Lame. 

Here's a good example of my though processes lately:

Saturday: The Pilot and I could have easily gone for a walk/run in the afternoon.  The weather was beautiful.  But he was about to leave on a 4-day trip and we still needed to run a few errands.  So that's what we did.  No workout for either of us.  I would have never let that happen if I was training for a race.  The errands would have waited.  I probably could have done some of them on my own (though I did need his input for one) another day.

Sunday: I could have gone for a short walk on my own in the morning before the Easter festivities began.  I went to the basement to throw in a load of laundry and while I was down there, I decided I couldn't take the clutter for another minute.  I HAD to clean up the basement.  So at 8:30 am, instead of working out, I was calling my dad to confirm the difference between a wood screw and a metal screw (I actually had it correct!) so I could sort out a bin full of random parts.  I will say that I felt a lot better once the basement was organized but I also felt guilty because by the time I hung out with my family for Easter, cleaned the basement and did the laundry, there wasn't time for a workout.

Never underestimate the neurosis of a type-A pregnant lady who's nesting instinct may have kicked in a couple months too early.  At least all the screws, bolts and other random home repair type stuff has been organized....and labeled.  I have a problem.