Made it to Friday!

Better yet, made it to naptime on Friday! Total score, 4 more hours and the husband is home and I'm off the clock :) Today started with a 5am wake up to make a 5:30 swim session. The same 3 people were standing at the Y entrance at 5:24, knowing they open at 5:30. Idiots, I chose the warmth of my car. Today's workout was killer, it's always a double edged sword to meet up with someone who you know will bring a workout. There was no joking today. 500 warm-up, 400 kick, 300 pull, 10-50m sprints, 100 kick, 500 cool down. Suddenly my 2 mile goal isn't seeming that far off. There was talk of me finally giving in and accepting the flip turn but the baby gut bought me a pass. I know it helps with speed and efficiency but somehow I always end up with half the pool up my nose. Home, coffee, breakfast and off to Fitness in the Park. I arrived and saw it was going to be a small group and pressed as hard as I could for a coffee break instead but off we went for an hour filled with lunges, squats, push ups and dips. The best part was watching the kid run through the leaves with his friends. I could listen to little kid laughs and screams of excitement all day (outside that is). This weekend will likely include Fitness in the Park on Sat, and a day off on Sunday. Next week is booked with swimming, Fitness in the Park, my very first (and possibly last aqua-jogging session) and pre-natal yoga. Trying to stay busy enough that I don't miss straight up running.

swimming goals

In sticking with my plan on getting out of my woe-is-me-rut I committed to a morning swim with no excuses.  And trust me the excuses started early: 1.       I have no one to meet me there.  Stupid b/c if you are swimming then you can’t really socialize. 2.       I have a 9am client so need to be at work for 8.  I like to be in for 8 but if I stop taking 25 minute showers at the Y then I can make it for 8:15. 3.       I’m swimming tomorrow and my arm muscles are sore from yesterday’s pushups.  Quit whining and remember the goal is to NOT gain 60lbs with this kid and get moving! So off I went and joined what is apparently old hairy man hour at the Y, 7:30 on Thursday mornings.  My stomach is not as trustworthy as it used to be so several times I had to close my eyes as I saw my fellow swimmers go by and remind myself that chlorine makes it all ok.  God it was gross.  Today’s plan was to just go a mile, and I did and shockingly it didn’t hurt as much as I anticipated and went much quicker than planned.  Given my type A personality I need some goals with this increased pool time so I think it would be great if I could get up to 2 miles by the time this kid makes an appearance.  Why not?  It was the first kid who got me to a mile and since then I’ve swum that distance and more countless times.  Other than boredom I have no reason to doubt it. Besides, it’s a good braggable amount and I’ll have killer arms…haven’t quite figured out the plan that will get me there, but will share when I do. Tomorrow we are on track for another morning swim, this time with friends, followed by Fitness in the Park.  And happy to report that I’m in a stellar mood so far with getting a workout in early and scheduled my first chiropractor appt for next week.  I’ll be sure to share how that goes. Swam a mile today.

Calling an end to the pity party...or at least trying to

So today marks the end of my week long pity party. I have been struggling with some pregnancy related pains that aren't getting better and making me a miserable biatch...yes more than my baseline. After yoga last week I took a week off from all exercise, not so much intentionally but it just happened. Happily I can admit that I don't feel any better and am in fact worse...likely not related to the exercise. I'm annoyed for several reasons. One being that I pride myself on my fitness. I'm in good shape. I take care of myself, am obsessive with the foods that enter my body. Not only my physical health but have totally incorporated mindfulness into my everyday life and am in a healthy place all around. So to suddenly be overtaken by this almost chronic pain is ruining my mojo. Running in addition to keeping me fit, keeps me happy. So what's the plan to end this party? I've had it with some of my recent run in's with healthcare providers. If you want to hear an explicative filled rant, ask me about how well PT went. And no, I won't be following up with them. Treatment will consist of the following, acupuncture 1x a month (would love more but my guy took off to New Mexico and I can only see him monthly), Shiatsu e/o week (this was a total shot in the dark but did result in 3 days with lesser pain), and I'm going out on a limb and scheduling with a chiropractor (I've avoided them like the plague for years, makes me nervous). Chiropractors actually appear to have the best success rate in treating this pain so I'm hopeful. Yes, I've written off traditional medical providers for this, not shocking as I've been leaning this way for a while with my own health care. The OB has been informed and she is also at a place on my shit list where I'm telling her the plan rather than waiting to see what idea she can generate next. And for fitness, the kid and I went back to Fitness in the Park today and although I'm writing this with an icepack on my crotch it was great. We both need it and I can make accommodations as needed so we are sticking to that twice a week. I have a call into my running coach for some aqua jogging sessions. As much as I love the pool and swim 2x a week, I'm a lazy swimmer and am hopeful that some sessions with him will keep the heart and sweat rates up. I'm also keeping in the prenatal yoga weekly, again I'm going to have to make some accommodations but I want this more for the breathing aspects that I know will be used during labor/delivery. Likely no more runs outside of our class, which I'm super bummed about. There will be no hard and fast rule about this but for now I have to pull back a little. If I've learned anything this week it's that my expectation of being pain free is likely not realistic but I can get through this and stay healthy both physically and emotionally. I mean come on now, I finished a 70.3, this should be cake. Just please stop asking how I'm feeling unless you want the truth which is I'm in a fucking lot of pain and not pleased about it.

Sweet spot?

There is an unfair rumor in the pregnancy world regarding this magical point in your 2nd trimester where you are glowing, bouncing with energy and feel amazing. I think it's total BS as I sit here round, moody and ready to nap on command. That said the last 2 days of running have been GLORIOUS! I don't know why. I don't know how long it will last but man-oh-man I almost want to get back out there this afternoon. No huffing and puffing, just running and today I had the stroller. In addition to 2 great runs I was able to knock out 10 push ups today with my 30lb toddler balanced on my back. For the record I would have preferred he stay on the ground but I have no control and lost that battle. So where do we go from here? My guess is these runs are flukes and it will only be a matter of days before I'm back to huffing and puffing through my runs cursing my plans the entire time. The bright spot is I don't see these workouts coming to and end soon. As long as I get out in the morning I feel good, better and stronger than I did with my first pregnancy. Yesterday and today were just the sweet spot I needed to keep going. Slugging through all those tough workouts makes me appreciate days like this even more. Who cares if they are fleeting, something has to be better than nothing. Swam for 45 mins and completed 1 hour stroller class.

Go Pats!

I've tried over the years to become a football fan. About every other year I sit down for the start of the season with the fullest of intentions to become an engaged fan. I'm beginning to accept that it's just not my sport. Baseball on the other hand, what a series. Well played boys, well played. We got home from the fall fest just in time for nap and kick off for the Pats/Jets game and as quickly as Joe settled in on the sofa I realized this would be my chance for an empty pool and suddenly found my motivation to head for a swim. As predicted I had the pool solo and just took off. It's really the only place that I feel normal lately. Can't see the belly, all aches and pains disappear and, if you ignore my maternity bathing suit, I look like everyone else. It's so nice and just like last time it only took a few laps before I decided I need to do this more often and really should think harder about the Save the Bay Swim next year. I had the same thoughts during my last pregnancy but get pretty skeeved out in open water and you always hear of those years that there are a lot of jelly fish. That said, Newport to Jamestown with a 3 year old and 5 month old waiting at the finish line is a pretty badass goal. You never know but in the meantime I think I'll spend the next few games in the water. Swam for an hour (lost count on my workout but followed my plan from earlier this week just added more repeats).

Oh that's right, I remember now...

Working out knocked up is no joke. I've reached the point where I'm remembering why I quit running the first time around. This sh*t is hard, the lbs are adding up and I'm so short of breath right out of the gate. Last night my run turned into a walk, mostly due to a full bladder and no outhouse on the Blvd. Today we laced up and headed to class and those first few steps were torture. It always gets better as I stick with it, but never feels like a non-pregnant run. A friend sent me that photo that's been all over the web this week, the top part has a beautiful runner and states this is what I think I look like when I run and below a sad sap looking terrible and states this is what I actually look like when I run. I'm the bottom shot at all times now, it's bad. I'm only 22 weeks, we got a while to go here so I need to get with the program. On a brighter note, push-ups are less of a struggle but the trade off is running with high knees means that my knees don't get that high at all before hitting the barrier. The plan? Yes, I always have a plan and have even begun to pine for post-partem and being able to get my pencil out for a real plan - how soon can I plan for a half marathon! But for now we stick with what we have, class 2x a week, swim 2x a week, run solo 2x a week. Any more than that requires too much recovery napping.

The social aspect of all of this

As my alarm went off at 5:30 this morning, I instantly regretted making plans for a 6am swim. As cozy as I was, I was meeting a new workout partner which meant no texting out at the last minute! Back to my old stomping grounds at the Y, it's funny how nothing changes. It's been months since my last 6am workout there and yet all the faces are the same. My new workout partner is a real pro in the water so she was prepared with a workout for us. Gulp, but it actually wasn't bad at all. 500 warm up, 200 kick with board and fins, 100 kick no fins, 400 pull and repeat x3. The nice part was that there was plenty of chatting between intervals making things move along. And this is why I workout. Yes, I'm competitive and like to earn new PR's and aim for longer distances and the benefit of low blood pressure and being able to keep excess weight at bay is all nice. It's really all about hanging out with friends. It would be nice to stop finding people who want to hang out at 6am or while we are sweating to death out for a run, but I'd miss it. After getting home and enjoying breakfast with the fam, the kid and I headed back out for our Fitness in the Park Class. Yep, you read it right, double sessions while preggo (PS - I'm totally wiped out now) I'm not breaking any speed barriers at this point (not that I've come close lifetime) but I got an additional 2 hours of social time out of it. We both did for that matter. It's also nice that when we are at home the kid has started to play around with what he watches us do in class. For now I can still do more push ups than him but I'm willing to bet that changes in the near future. Swam 2300 yards and completed Fitness in the Park