We introduce..the baby Jesus runs!

Well. I'm sitting here all bored because my little fellas are BOTH oddly sleepy tonight.. I hope Mason's not sick.. I'm probably in more trouble with him than with Miles. Mason is probably going to wake up ready to roll at about..just after I close my eyes? Sounds about right. Anyway. So I guess I'll use this time to update myself on what's going on with training and life on this little electronic diary I have here..so here goes! We'll start with running. I feel like I'm making some strides there.. I had my longest post-baby run the weekend after thanksgiving..at a whopping 6 miles. Still holding the 9min mi pace as my 'all day'/go-to pace. Then last weekend was my 3mi test run day and.. I cut 2 minutes from my previous months time! I think it was 24:18? I should re-check my harming, but I remember thinking it was 2min down from last time, so that should be about right. Now my next goal is to make that pace not hurt so bad! I started off feeling good..holding under 8 min mi and feeling good.. But by about a mi and a half, I was desperately watching that Harmon just counting down the tents of a mile and doing my best to hold the pace. So next time, I hope to keep that pace, but have it feel a bit easier.. Sound good? Too much to ask? These days I'm still getting in super short runs before crossfit during the week, but with the warm weather this week, Mason and I have taken advantage of it and got a few evening runs in around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights! Hence the 'baby Jesus runs'.. Not sure how or why the name started.. I'm guessing I was trying to explain the nativity scenes, which led to us pointing out the baby Jesus.. Anyway. He loved it and I got some good running in, too.. So win/win! So far this week in running was about a mile warm up before crossfit on Monday, then a 4mi 'baby Jesus' run that night. Today (Wednesday) I got in a progression run of sorts on the treadmill..workin on the ol speed! Got just over 3mi there. And that's the story of my running! I'll pick the 'long run' back up with 6mi again this Sunday and keep slowly adding. I have noticed that overall, I'm feeling like running is getting easier, so that's a move in the right direction. Swimming..not much to report there.. I still usually get 2 swims in a week (except for this week with the pool closed), but they tend to be short, easy, recovery type swims.. But that works for me. As long as I keep up my form and am ready to build on it when I decide to do another tri, I'm all set! Biking..same thing..couple spins a week..either in the basement on my trainer or spin class at the Y.. Feeling good! Crossfit is going well. The friendly gym competition deal was fun.. I did learn a few things.. One main thing, I guess, was that if I ever want to compete..I need to master the art of 'hurry up and wait'. It's hard to warm up, work out, get cold..wait.. I just couldn't capture that magic again..ya know? I did fine and had fun..but I was completely forgetting how to do things..double unders? Toes to bars? Completely lost my rhythm.. Oh, well. Plenty to work on! But already since that day, I've improved on some skills and feel my strength coming back bit by bit.. I'm getting there. Most of all, I'm really enjoying the workouts. I'm currently nursing a sore arse from Monday's workout.. It's good to be back! The boys are doing great..for the most part. As I mentioned, they've both gone to bed uncharacteristically early tonight, so we'll see how that plays out. Miles is still eating..a lot.. He's currently off the charts on his weight, but what can ya do? Keep on keeping on. Not going to deny a crying, hungry baby his food. Thanksgiving was a fun weekend.. Started off with a great, hopefully new tradition of having friends and their families over for a run, then a kids run, and then waffles!! So..the 'waffle run', of coarse (we're big on naming runs around here)! It was a great time..aside from Mason's melt down when he didn't win the kids fun run.. Sheesh. Kid does not like to lose, no sir.. Working on that one.. Not sure if I'm making any progress, though.. Then it was dinner with Matt's cousins family.. Then my parents and little brother came in for the weekend! Mason was thrilled and now is a big fan of his "awesome uncle Jimmy". Dinner with the family was a success. Not sure what has gotten into me lately, but I've been cooking up a storm lately and have eaten more veggies and produce these past weeks than ever before. I even made my own dried fruit in the oven the other day..and it was such a success, I made more yesterday! I guess I'm embracing the whole 'stay at home mom' gig. I just realized today that my 'stay at home mom' status kinda snuck up on me! I love it..and am so lucky to get to be home..but I just didn't even realize it was happening?.. Is that weird? Anyway. So things are good. Christmas is almost here..and I've gotta find a new spot for this silly elf thing that we got duped in to getting! It doesn't work at all, by the way.. It's supposed to make kids behave, yes? Yeah.. But he does like finding him in the morning..and has quite the eagle eye out for the little guy! And that's all I have to say about that!

Fresh start

And another month goes by.. Time just seems to fly these days! I've officially returned to my usual working out..and so far..pretty humbling, actually! But it feels so good to be back at it. I'm loving every butt kicking workout. I've realized that my endurance, obviously, took a huge hit from a year ago. Understandable and completely predictable, given that my 'runs' for the last several weeks of pregnancy were limited to 20-30min at a crazy slow pace..but still..kinda surprising to actually see it play out. So. I'm embracing this time as a 'clean slate', of sorts, which allows me to set goals and slowly build to achieve and surpass them. I think I mentioned before that my plan is to focus on running and crossfit for right now, so I'm mostly working on making gains in those areas. I'm still getting some swims and spins in, but pretty much just for maintenance purposes at this point. So..where am I starting from with running and crossfit?.. I've been lucky to have a few benchmark crossfit workouts come up in my first days(literally..my first day back, we did the notorious Fran workout..welcome back!) and weeks back in the gym. As rough as those workouts were, it gives me a great chance to see where I am now..and hopefully I can improve from there! So my Fran workout hurt..and was relatively slow..somewhere in the 6 or 7 something minute range? I'd have to look at the JoCo CrossFit website, but it's there for my reference when it comes time to do it again. I'm constantly sore and the first days back were rough..some still are..but I'm already feeling stronger and getting back in the swing of things and feeling more like my old self again. So I've started with 3-4 days a week of crossfit, which is working out well so far. Running..has also been rough..a bit.. But, again, gives me a chance to really see some gains after kinda stalling out when training for long distances through my knee injury last year. So I'm running about 4 days a week, but very short distances. I get about 20 minutes before heading to crossfit where I get whatever I can get in on my treadmill. I'm basically just working to get my base speed up and working on holding a good pace longer and longer. Then I'm working to up my distance in my 'long' run on Sundays. I started at 3 miles and did a 'baseline' run that I'll do at the start of every month to see how I'm doing.. First test? 3 miles in a whopping 26:16. Like I said..lots of room for improvement! So then my next Sunday run was about 4 and a quarter miles. I'm wearing my garmin again, but only for distance and to reflect after the run to see where my pace is. I'm not using it for speed work and only glance at it occasionally. Seems my comfortable pace is hovering right around 9min miles right now, which would actually be fine with me if I can maintain that as my comfy pace as my distance increases, so we'll see if that's how it works out. I think that's all I have to say about my workouts. I had a birthday, so that was awesome. Started off with the toughest workout I've ever experienced at crossfit. It was hard for me, anyway.. I'm sure it's not 'toughest' for everyone, but that's how it works there! It was 5 rounds of 30 each of kettle bell swings (started with the 53, but half way through round two, decided to switch to 44), Burpees and 'GHD's', which, being pregnant, I hadn't done in a long time! (it's an ab thing that has you hang off a back extension thing, so you're arched back, reaching for the floor, and then come up and touch your toes..let's just say every inch of my core STILL hurts!). It took me over 40 minutes, which I don't think has ever happened before. So that was the start of the day.. Then Mason decided to be in quite the mood. Lovely. Kids don't care when it's mom's birthday..fits and tantrums wait for no one. But we did go out to dinner..first time as a four!..Miles slept through it, but it was nice to get out. So anyway, typical birthday of a mom, I guess. Miles is growing a ton! He's definitely more than doubled his weight in under 2 months. We see the doc next week, so we'll see where he is on the charts. But he's doing great. Now pretty well in to the day time pattern of 'sleep about an hour, wake up, eat, up for maybe an hour or so, eat a little more, then back to sleep'. Ah, the life of a baby! People always ask about how he's sleeping..I say he's doing pretty well. He goes about 5-7 hours in the first stretch, which usually starts between 6 and 7, then after that first wake-up/feeding, he sleeps in about 2-3 hr shifts most nights. Some nights are better than others, but for a young guy, I think he's doing just fine. He's smiling lots now and seems to be getting a little more interested in little toys and things..but pretty much is just content with a rousing game of 'peek-a-boo' and then it's back to sleep! Man, it's so great to see him get such a kick out of seeing your face.. Mason is still doing a great job, overall, at the big bro thing. He loves making him smile and even enjoys being my helper quite a bit. Of coarse, he's not perfect..he has his moments..and he likes getting up in his face way too much.. But, again, for a little guy, I think he's doing pretty great. So that's what we've been up to around here! Can't believe thanksgiving is next week already! I'm debating doing some races that weekend, but I'm kind of leaning toward keeping things simple and just running at home. This Saturday is a friendly competition of sorts at crossfit to celebrate their second anniversary..we'll see how that goes! First I need to get un-sore from Monday's shit show..ow, ow, ow. Even my rib muscles are sore!

So much, yet so..not much..

That's how I feel about these past few weeks.. I do so much and am pretty busy.. But yet, if I were to try to explain what I've been doing, there's not much to say. Hence why I haven't bothered writing lately. That and every time I think about sitting down to write a bit, I get called away for baby duty or realize what time it is and that dinner hasn't been made, etc.. So anyway. Things are good here! I had a few more set backs with my healing and thinking I should heal faster than I was.. Seemed like every time I'd feel good and try to advance my activity..BOOM..reminded that I need to slow down. But. At around 5 wks post partum (is it weird that I want to call it 'post-op' vs 'post-partum'? I just feel like its not so much the 'having a baby' slowing me down right now, but more the 'having my belly cut open'. Either way, at about 5 weeks after the c-section) I started to turn a corner as far as how I was feeling. The week before I was starting to question whether I'd ever heal and get back to my activities, but then all the sudden, I was able to walk and get around much better and things were looking up. I know.. So dramatic.. Now. Here we are at almost 7 weeks and in 1 week I should get the 'all clear' from my doc! Miles has grown so much already. He's sailed through the newborn clothes and diapers..actually I'd call the size 1 diapers about done, too, and we're on to 3mo clothes. He's still a pretty sleepy little fella, but we've had our first glimmers of a smile and he's getting more alert time every day. Just for my own 'baby charting' purposes, I'll note that as of now, Miles goes to bed (for the last time of the day..if that makes sense) at about 8 after one last marathon feeding session.. He goes about 4 hrs before his next feeding, then is usually up again about 2-3 hrs later, then again in the early hours of the morning..back to bed and wakes up for the day around 8am. I'm sure this will continue to adjust as he gets more awake time in the day and we set more of a schedule..but that's where we are for now! Mason is doing great. He still seems to love his big brother status..if anything, I have to shoo the guy away some times to quit giving kisses and hugs and let me put Miles to sleep! He's been going through a bit of a 'scared' phase.. He seems to be scared of lots of things and has slept on the floor in our room a bit too much recently. Hopefully he'll pull through this soon. I can't seem to say the right thing to fix it, though, either. I try to teach him about what to do IF there was an emergency, which leads to multiple questions..next thing I know, he's crying about the 'bad guys' and I'm helping him set up his 'floor bed' in our room.. Eh. We'll figure it out..some day.. Speaking of being freaked out about 'bad guys', Matt has been super busy with his new role at work..all the extra responsibility, new employees, procedures to learn, and travel to the further away locations has meant some long hours and my anxiety of a break in has been elevated a bit. And no, I haven't mentioned this to Mason, but maybe he still picks up on it.. But anyway, I worry all the time about what I would do and how to keep the boys and I safe, so we got an alarm system put in this week! I'm very excited about it. Hopefully it'll give me some peace of mind..maybe Mason will feel safer, too. So.. I guess that's about all that is going on around here. I do have a 'plan' for the upcoming season and what I want to focus on as far as racing and exercise..but it's a pretty loose plan and could totally change based on how things continue to evolve wih our routine here.. But I want to focus on running and crossfit these next few months. The reason..other than the fact that I like those activities, but I feel like I can be pretty time-efficient with those things. A crossfit workout is an hour at the most and I plan to get there first thing (6am) and be quick about my business there to get home to let Matt head off to work and to get going on my day with the boys. Running can be just a quick jog on the treadmill downstairs, or just head out the door for a bit, and I'm all set. I'd like to plan on an early spring half and then at least one fall marathon, but I haven't committed to anything just yet.. But that's the plan! I still want to swim and bike for cross training and recovery..and maintenance.. But the focus will be on running and crossfitting. We'll see how that goes! I will admit that I have started to do small amounts of activity around here.. I even had my first sweaty workout clothes to wash yesterday! It was just a treadmill walk..with incline..and then a short, light crossfit type workout.. MAN do I feel weak! I get super sore from just about any activity, so I'm trying to take it slow..ease back in to it.. I should probably stretch more.. We'll work on that. Mostly I'm trying to get back in the habit of waking up to work out, but it feels good to move a bit more and start trying to build some strength back. I think that's all I have to say about that. We had our 6 yr anniversary on Sunday and our neighbors came to hang with the boys, so we got to enjoy a lovely dinner out. I had my 10 yr reunion at Ball State homecoming last weekend and had fun catching up with old friends for a bit. Matt's birthday is today, so I'm trying to make a nice dinner and Mason and I are going to decorate a cake (hopefully). So..good times at the Blunck house! Again..not much going on, but things are pretty great around here. And..with that.. My littlest guy needs me!

Iron (wo)Man DOWN!

No. I don't typically refer to myself as 'iron woman'..or even in 3rd person, for that matter, but it seemed appropriate for this occasion. Now. I'm well aware of the beating my body just took having my beautiful baby boy via c-section number two, but I'm not sure I remember recovery taking so long? I knew the first week or so I had to take it super easy, and having my parents come to visit and help me out made that more than possible.. In fact, I started feeling better by the end of the week and started walking a bit. The weather here is ridiculously perfect right now..and all I really want to do is go for a run..but I know that's out of the question..but I did not get the memo that walking is out, too. As usual, I have to learn things the hard way. I started walking last Friday..a mile..which was just up and back from Mason's school and I thought it was a very conservative start. I felt fine..so I kept it up.. (I'm sure you can see where this is going). I walked again (with Miles, of coarse) on Saturday..and Sunday.. Again, all what I considered to be short, slow walks and I honestly felt great. But. Then this week, I feel like I've been beat up all over again. I even went to the doc to get checked out on Monday because I had some strange swelling above my incision site and was in quite a bit of pain..more than I had been in probably since coming home from the hospital. Well, the NP came to check me out and said the incision and everything looks great.. No infection or fluid needing to get out.. So she asked if I had been doing much activity. Well. I thought I had been quite the perfect little patient and I said I was really taking it easy and have only been on a couple short walks..you know.. Just a mile.. She just kinda side-eyed me like 'what'. She said 'oh, that's too far.. You just had major surgery 9 days ago!?' Now, I know this could sound like I was trying to push things and get back to 'exercising' too soon, but this really wasn't the case. I honestly thought I was taking it easy, following directions, and was just trying to get both Miles and I outside for a bit. But I guess it was too much too soon and I was ordered to take it even easier than I already was?! I literally do not know how I can be any less active than I have been, but the rest of this week, I've been in my pj's on the couch other than for doc appts. I'm actually still in quite a bit of pain, which is starting to bug me. But I'm giving it time. Maybe I'll get outside just to walk down the street a bit sometime this weekend..but not a mile?! Heaven forbid. Who would have thought a mile could ever be too far? Well. Message received and I'm doing my best not to set myself back in this healing process. So. That's about it for what's going on here. Matt has had this week off from work and has been doing lots of 'special things' with Mason. Last night they went to the women's basketball game with the neighbors..according to Mason it was "so awesome" and informed me that "you get snacks" at basketball games.. No kiddin? Lovely. He wasn't wound up or anything last night.. But I'm glad he's getting to have fun and spend time with his dad. So things are pretty good around here.. Will be better when my guts heal enough to let me get around a bit more.. But the only control I have over that is to be patient.. So that's just what I'll do!

Wow!

I'm not sure where to start..which is why I've held off on writing for a few days. As you can see, I couldn't even come up with a clever title..but 'wow' seems to sum up my feelings about the past few days.. So, last Friday, my little baby boy, Miles, decided to throw a wrench in my plans and he popped my water (no idea what makes one's water break or if the baby has anything to do with it, but it felt like he jabbed a hole in it with his hand, so that's what I'm sticking with..science be damned)?! I knew, obviously, that being 38 (or 39 wks, depending on who's count you went by..my crappy estimation, or the U/S..) wks pregnant, I 'could' go into labor at any moment, but I really, really didn't think I would (as evidenced by my putting last minute prep things off til..well, the last minute, of coarse!). And I'm sure it's totally normal for a gal to run (a lovely full moon..or as Mason insists on calling it..an 'earth moon'..run pushing Mason in the stroller), swim, and get in a crossfit style strength workout, which included pull-ups..all on the day she's going to start labor? Again, had I known I was going to have my baby that night, I mighta cooled it a bit on the workouts..maybe organized and gotten my sh*t together.. But I didn't know! And I felt fine during all that activity. No contractions. Even the lethargy that had hit me earlier in the week (not sure if I mentioned it..to anyone, really, except the gal in the pool lane next to me who asked how I was feeling, but I was just exhausted that day, despite not really doing anything hard..just a slow swim after a little bit of a strength workout..the effort just was not matching up with how tired I felt! So I did take it easy that day, but felt normal again the days after) wasn't really an issue, so I just went about my workout, doing my usual stuff. I had a doc appt that day, too.. He didn't even check for any signs of labor starting because there was not really any indications..contractions, or whatever. So again, went about my day as usual. Then, around 8pm, we were sitting at the kitchen table trying to let Mason finish his dinner before heading to bed, when I felt a strong jab from baby (not totally unusual) followed by a 'pop'. It quite literally felt like a water balloon popping and it didn't take much for me to figure out what was going on. After waiting a bit to see if it was 'real', I made it official and told Matt what was going on. We also explained to Mason that this meant Miles was on his way and he was SO excited, exclaiming 'isn't it so cool that he wants to come see me early?!' yes, son..that is cool..but..I'm not quite ready!! So anyway, Matt and Mason ran around the house like wild animals..Matt getting things packed and ready, as he thought we needed to fly out the door immediately.. Mason was also packing a bag so he could go stay with Matt's cousin, Karen, and her husband EJ and their two kids AJ and Amelia..he wanted to come with us, but luckily he had their house to look forward to because he really likes going to see them. So I slowly tried to gather my things..mostly concerned with how not to be a disgusting, drippy mess.. I think I did pretty well.. I talked to the on-call doc because I wasn't sure how much of a rush we needed to be in. I wasn't having contractions, so I didn't think we needed to be in a hurry.. But. Once that water breaks, you're on the clock to get things going, so I packed, we got Mason off to go to Karen's, chatted with the neighbors for a few (they have a son Masons age, so we see a lot of them and they have been excited about the baby coming.. They happened to come home to see Matt and Mason outside excitedly exchanging car seats and such, so they came by to wish us well), packed up the car and headed off to the hospital.. Only to realize half way there that we forgot the baby clothes?! Doh! Duh..who does that.. So we turned around, got those things..and THEN we were on our way. It was probably close to 11pm by the time we got to the hospital..how's that for moving slow! But we got checked in, they confirmed what I already knew..which was that my water had ruptured.. We had planned on a repeat c-section, which I had scheduled earlier that day for 9/10!, based on how things went when I had Mason. My doc really didn't give me much of a reason to believe that the outcome would be any different this time. Not that he was against me trying for natural, but just that based on past results, it was very likely that I'd end up with the same outcome. So. Knowing that, we decided to just stick with the plan, and we got prepped for our early c-section. We had to wait in line for the OR to be ready for us, but I think I went back around quarter to 1am? It took a little longer than last time..not being in a rush as they were last time, but all in all, it went smooth and easy and I felt good through the whole thing. Finally, after much tugging and prodding, I heard them say 'out' and there he was! At 1:34am on 9/1/12. My second perfect little boy. They had the warming table/station thing right next to me, so I could see him. Matt held my hand through the whole thing. It's quite an odd feeling to be laying there, excited..scared..nervous.. You can feel everything, but not in a painful way. But Matt helped me stay calm, and once Miles was safely out and doing well, it's all so worth everything..the months of discomfort.. None of that matters anymore. After Miles was cleaned up, coming in at a whopping 6# 15oz and 19.5 in, Matt finally got to hold him and I could move my arm enough to touch him.. Poor little guy was hungry! But they still had some 'putting back together' to do with me, so I couldn't hold him or feed him just yet. It felt like a long time before we got back to our little room for recovery, but Miles took right to his business of eating..and all was well. He nursed like a little champ for over an hr, and then we were moved on up to post-partum. I don't think I set him down at all that first night..just snuggled, which he is great at, and fed him. And that's pretty much what we've been up to since then! We managed to talk the docs into letting us go home Sunday night, which I guess was a little quick..especially for a c/s mom, but I was ready. To me, once I was feeling more normal, could walk, wasn't hooked up to any IV's and such, it's just uncomfortable to stay any longer. I can manage my pain at home, so that's what I wanted to do. I swear I wasn't obnoxious about it, but you'd think I asked the craziest thing, when I said I wanted to get home..if possible. But the only one that really seemed to drag her feet on my release at all was an OB that I had never met.. But I guess the fact that I was a repeat c/s and the nurses all vouched for me being able to get around just fine.. Anyway, it seemed like we would never get out of there, but finally, around 8:30 Sunday night, it all came together and we were free! Our first night at home was pretty good. It was great to be home with Mason. Miles did well with his sleeping, eating about every hr and a half, which was fine. I stayed in bed, so Matt had to do more of the up and down work, bringing Miles to me to be fed, but he had Monday off for the labor day holiday and I was pretty sore, so it's just what needed to happen that night. My mom came in for the week and has helped keep Mason entertained while Miles and I relax. I'm starting to heal, but it still is a doozy of a surgery to recover from. As long as I stay on top of my pain meds (which I'm already weening myself down from).. And my food! Man. It's happened twice now that I /we lay down for a nap probably around 11 and next thing I know, I'm waking up around 1 and am dizzy, sweaty, light-headed..feed me! Guess I know how Miles feels.. So I frantically get some nourishment in..meanwhile Miles needs to be fed..always a fun time! And it goes as quickly as it came on, but I really need to be better about preventing it. I guess when you aren't moving near as much as usual, you don't feel as hungry..until it's too late! But other than that, we really are just taking it easy so far this week. I keep toying with the idea of a short walk, but it hasn't happened yet.. Yesterday because it was rainy..we'll see what happens today, but spoiler alert..I'm still in my pj's. Matt has been super busy with his new job (same company and title, but covering airports instead of his usual city stores) and has been working super long hours, but he is taking next week off to be home with us (much debate went on as to how to re-adjust our time off/visitor/helper time and it just worked best to let him get a week in with his new position and then take a week off, so luckily my family and Matt's parents were able to adjust, too) and I'm looking forward to that. For now, though, it's a whole lot of sitting on the couch (can't go up and down the stairs too much this week), feeding, changing, and a little play time with our new little guy. Mason has been very sweet and patient..largely because he's been kept busy by my mom, but he's been very excited to be a big brother. I love it when he tries to comfort Miles when he's waiting to be fed, he says "don't worry, Miles, your big brother is here" while he strokes his head. It's very sweet and protective. He also got to get a 'birthday cake' on Miles' behalf while he was at Karens and when he blew out the candle, he said Miles' wish would be "to be with me for ever and ever". So far so good on the sibling front! I'm sure there won't be any issues at all going forward.. But whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it and feel insanely blessed to have our little family all here, safe and sound.. It's truly wonderful.

Relegated to an IronFan..

..for now, anyway. I got to go down to Louisville on Sunday to watch part of the full ironman, which several of my friends were racing (I use the term 'racing' loosely when speaking of such a long race), and it was fun! I definitely got that ol itch, though, and am counting down and looking forward to the next time I can take on that event. I know I'll get back to working out..and doing some sort of racing fairly quickly.. But the distance stuff is really my bread and butter and with a new baby to balance, I know it'll be a bit before I can put the time and energy into training for the longer races. I know that and I'm good with that. I obviously knew that going in to getting pregnant, so it's not like it's a surprise.. But definitely something I'll be looking forward to whenever I can get there! But anyway, this day was not about me, though you'd think I achieved some major feat the way everyone made such a big deal over my being at the race at this point in my pregnancy. It's like..so just how long do you want me to sit around doing nothing? Granted..it was hot..and lots of standing and walking..but come on, folks.. Pregnant, not injured or handicapped.. I'll be fine! So anyway, it was great to get to watch folks coming in off the bike, heading out on the run, and then we caught some at the half way of the run where you either had 13mi left or you were heading for home.. I know to some that seems cruel to have to be so close to the finish when you still have half the run to go, but the full that I did last yr was like that and I didn't mind it at all.. It's not like it's a shock.."I'm not done yet?!".. You know how far you are going, so to me, it wasn't an issue. It was a hot day and folks were covered in dried up salt even just coming off the bike, so you knew it was a rough day out there. Some of those that I knew did great..some had rough days. It was a great reminder of how mental the ironman is, too. I saw a lot of folks come in off the bike/head out to the run just looking defeated. I'm sure they had a tough bike and the heat wore them down..or maybe they had flats or things weren't just 'right', and it's tough to pull out of that funk, but man..26mi is a long way to run(or walk) with a beat down attitude. It reminded me how important it is to be able to shake it off, look for a way to spin it to a positive, and move on to the next thing as best you can. My favorite group of people to see are those that are just psyched to be out there. And I loved getting to see some of the athletes interact with their loved ones/kids/families. I even teared up (probably more than once) at one guy who, as my friend Ashley put it, "pulled a Blunck" and got off his bike to give his wife and kids a kiss and quick hello. You know, it's not much and doesn't take much time, but it means the world to those out there supporting you. Especially a wife/husband who wants some reassurance that you're feeling well and doing ok out there. I just think it's important to remember to acknowledge them and their role in the day, too, you know. I did see some that weren't having a good day or feeling great and it made me so sad to see them blow off their families or stalk past them pouting.. Not cool at all. I'm sorry. Maybe it's rough right now, but pull a little smile, some (false) optimism..something! To give your family some peace of mind and not worry sick about you out there. If it's that bad, go see the medic and drop out.. But if you intend to continue, pull it together for your family's sake! Sorry.. Bit of a rant, but it was sad to watch as the kids tried to get mommy's attention and then gathered helplessly as she stomped off, leaving them wondering what to do. Any who. So it was fun to see part of the race and get to cheer on some of my training buddies. I'm glad I went and I'll be looking forward to the next time that I can be out there with my little support crew..and you better believe they'll be getting smiles, waves, kisses..whatever they need to feel like they are a part of the day.. Because they are a huge reason that we are out there doing what we love.. Ok. What else? Well, in case you hadn't noticed, my early labor was just false stuff. I really thought it was coming..crampy, contractions, felt sick.. Turns out I was just thirsty. You can see how one can mix those two things up.. If you're not so bright, like me, that is.. I suppose it was pretty warm and humid out on Saturday, so even though I felt great during and right after my run.. I probably dehydrated myself a bit.. So. Now I'm hydrated and back to business, as usual. Sunday I just did a little bike cruise around the hood and then a crossfit workout in my basement. Monday was a gym-rat day.. Elliptical and then a row workout. Speaking of, if you row enough, that thing can be quite the full body effort! I did 3k in sets of 500m with a short rest (like a minute) between sets and it made my hammies, arms, back.. Lots of stuff sore! Today was just a short run and then a swim. I was actually able to pull off my first solo run (other than my recent run in the woods, of coarse) in a long while. I was supposed to check out the moon again and take Mason out with me for a 'moon run', but it must be really low this time of yr, or something, because it wasn't out there again.. So I left him alone (still sleeping in bed..and Matt was still home) and took a quick jog on my own. I still feel pretty good out there, so we'll keep it going until it doesn't! The swim was good, too, though nothing spectacular there, as usual.. Mason and I then took off to do all sorts of errands.. I am not a 'crafty' person at all, but we spent well over an hr in Michaels and Hobby Lobby getting things to make/paint/glue/frame for both boys' rooms..here's hoping it all works out! But we had fun. Then hit Babies R Us for a couple things.. I know we probably need more than the swaddling blankets I bought, but I wasn't in the right mind set to do it. We did get a couple of outfits for the little guy, though, and Mason was picking out toys that he can buy him for Christmas..or his first birthday.. Anyway, good stuff!

A lovely trot through the woods

This week has been pretty uneventful.. Matter of fact, when I went to see the doc on Friday, I didn't really have much of anything to report. Yes, the reflux stuff is still there, but I've actually had a bit of a burst of cooking energy and I've had some really great, balanced, veggie-full meals this week, which I had neglected for a while as my appetite sucked. I guess that's sort of something, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that my doc doesn't really need ALL the details when he asks how things are going... So I did us both a favor and left that exciting tidbit out. At the moment, though, I'd be remiss not to mention that with the way I'm feeling..I'm either having a baby very, very soon.. Or I'm just being a big baby.. I'm not sure where the pain came from today. I started the day with a 5k jog in the woods, which was actually quite lovely! Nothing too remarkable about it, but it definitely reminded me of how much I love running trails and that I can't wait to get back to it! I could have done more trail running through this pregnancy. I didn't avoid it because I didn't think it was safe, but more because a)it took more effort to actually drive somewhere to run vs just heading out the door, and b) I didn't want to slow my usual trail running buddies down too much, so I just stuck to solo running in the hood! But anyway, I ran with a friend, we talked the whole way.. I felt great, aside from a couple short walk breaks when I got a slight stomach cramp. But other than that, it was fun! I did get a lot of sideways looks, but for the most part, folks just smiled and/or passed along some encouragement.. I call it a success! I have no idea what our time was.. Probably 40 minutes or so..so slow..and safe.. And that included when Mason insisted on running up the hill for a portion of the run with me! That kid sure does love to run with me. He smiles so big while he flails around and tries to run 'super fast'.. He's smiling.. I'm smiling.. Pretty sure that's what running is all about! I've actually run a bit more frequently this week..mostly because I kept having meetings or appointments to get to that didn't allow my usual gym time, so it was early run, maybe some sort of strength/ crossfit type workout, quick swim and then rush off to do something. We did try out a park workout this week that worked pretty well. We went up to a park close by that has a running path around it.. Mason rode his big wheel and I ran next to him (and had to push him up the hills..nice 'sled push' leg workout there!). He did better with it when we made stops along the way to do exercises.. Pull-ups, dips and push-ups. He loves trying to do that stuff with me! So maybe we'll try that again if the weather cools back down a bit. We've also had a return in the interest for a 'moon run'. We tried the other day and went out when it was still plenty dark.. Saw some stars, but darn it all, the moon was nowhere to be found?! Very strange. Now he tells me every night before he goes to bed 'make sure the moon is out there before you wake me up'. You got it, little guy. I think that about brings us up to speed here. I'm hoping to go down to Louisville with some friends tomorrow to watch some of the Ironman, so that should be good (though I need to get some sleep tonight! And make sure these contractions are just the 'false labor' type and not the real deal). In completely other news, I made it through my first week of scheduled cleaning! It went quite well, I must say.. I've never felt so accomplished (at maintaining house) and you can definitely tell its cleaner.. At least I can. I'm actually ahead of the laundry, which never, ever happens.. So I think we'll try to keep it up! I know.. Super exciting stuff right there.. You're welcome.. And also, no more teaching gymnastics for me until after I'm all healed up from having the baby, which came at just about the right time. It's fun work, and not hard, but man was it wearing me out these days! AND that's all I've got for now!

I've created a Monster..

..and he'll be the first in our family to be a barefoot runner.. This morning, not only was I woken up by our 4 yr old and immediately encouraged to go for a run and take him with me (kid won't let me run alone these days!), but then he wanted in on the fun, too! I told him I was planning to just run a short bit and we would stop 3x for some walking lunges. I thought maybe he would bail at the thought of waiting for me to do lunges, but he was up for it. Matter of fact, he asked if he could do the lunges with me. Of coarse, like any good mom, I said he could. So at our 3 stops, he got out of the stroller and did these big, slow step walk things..always having to stay ahead of me, of coarse, because he needs to 'win'..while I did my lunges. We did probably at least 800-1000m run with about 200m of lunges x3 wih a cool down jog at the end. After all those lunges, Mason said he wanted to run the rest of the way with me?! Oh, boy.. Of coarse, again, I obliged..and he did pretty well! Had to slow to walk a couple times, but overall, he had a blast and would NOT give in and get back in the stroller. All this, mind you, was before the sun had fully come up on a lovely Sunday morning. I need to make him wear a shirt or a sign that says 'I actually asked to do this'.. Or maybe 'no, my mommy isn't punishing me'.. But whatever. We had fun! So I guess my bad cramp during my run a couple days ago WAS a fluke..good thing.. Because my runs on sat and today both felt pretty good! Wanna know what else we did today?..we cleaned! For hours.. Our house really needed it. Turns out I'd gotten a little lax with my housekeeping lately. We keep it 'tidy' and it always looks clean enough, but it needed some scrubbin. Matt is always trying to get me to hire a cleaning person, but I just can't do it.. So. Today. For the first time ever. I made myself a cleaning schedule. So grown up of me, right? We'll see how well I can stick to it..but I'm hopeful! Of coarse, this is probably just a part of that over-zealous 'nesting' period.. But I'm gonna give it the old college try! Exciting, I know.. We also went to play at the pool today. It's getting to where it's actually not so super hot out, so going to the pool isn't quite as refreshing..perhaps a little chilly at times.. But I like to take advantage of the smaller crowds and get the most out of it before it closes up on us! So that's about it. Heading in to another week.. Nothing too exciting planned, but let's hope it's a good one!

Can't win 'em all

Do you ever feel like you've taken crazy pills or something? Sometimes I just don't get why I'm not being understood in certain things.. I know that's a bit cryptic, but I couldn't elaborate even if I wanted to.. I'm still trying to figure it out myself.. Anyway. I had my first unsuccessful run that I can remember since those crazy back issues a while back. My back has been fine and even the low cramping/need to pee feeling can usually be either controlled with some muscle squeezing, or worked through after a few short minutes.. But yesterday I set out for a jog with the stroller and I had a pretty bad cramp up high on my right side of my belly..so I had to walk it out for a bit. After some walking (and a pep talk from Mason), I did eventually feel better and got to pick the pace back up to my current state of 'jogging'..so it was ok, but definitely a concern.. So we'll see if it was a fluke, or if, perhaps..maybe just maybe running at 37+ weeks pregnant while pushing my 4 yr old in a stroller might be a bit much? We'll see. He's really enjoying going on runs with me, so I hope we don't have to stop.. But sharp pains can't be ignored. I got some good pool time in this week, though MAN am I slow! But I still feel pretty good.. Other than the reflux issue, which refuses to go away.. Today I did some elliptical and then launched in to a crossfit workout of 100 calorie row (took me 10 minutes..slowwwww), 80 'gamer' or 'hand release' push ups (took me forever! But I got 'em done), 60 Kb swings, 40 step ups and 20 'strict' (no kipping) pull-ups (I used the assist machine with the lowest amount of wt support).. I have no idea how long it took, but with the slow row and push ups, it felt like it took forever! But it was a good workout and I felt strong. Cooled it down with a little swim action(just pulling and kicking).. So not a bad day of working out.. Mason wanted me to pick him up from school today with the jogging stroller and go for a run, but it's about 80 degrees out, which is much cooler than it had been, but still a bit warm for a jog. Guess we'll stick with the bike and trailer! Maybe it will cool down a bit more next week and we can go for a run.. Little dude loves it when I work out! As for other things that weren't winners? So I have been reading some random blogs lately.. I usually stumble across them from links of other blogs that I read.. It all started with Hillary Biscay, pro triathlete..and then it's spun out of control from there.. Anyway, a lot of times there will be recipes.. Seems these blog gals are obsessed with pancakes with as few ingredients as possible. I had posted a recipe that I found a little while back, but after making them a few times, I gave up because I could never make it right, not burn it, etc.. Well, lately I've used just a packet of oatmeal mixed with an egg..let it sit for 30 min (in the fridge), then cook it. So far it works pretty well, though you have to be careful not to burn it. BUT, I had seen a gal or 2 talk about this 'banana soft serve' which was supposed to be blended frozen bananas that supposedly taste 'just' like soft serve ice cream.. Well, I don't know what the heck I did wrong, but it was awful! Just blended, mushy banana!? And to make it worse, I had hyped it up to poor Mason, who watched and helped me make it in great anticipation.. We topped it all up with treats, just like we would with frozen yogurt.. Poor guy ate a few bites, but then had to concede that he didn't like it.. I laughed and told him I didn't either, so now it's a big joke between us.. 'hey, if you're good, mommy will make some more of that delicious treat!' Again, maybe I did something wrong, but if this is actually what those gals are making and telling themselves it's delicious? I feel very sorry for them.. Just enjoy the real thing, ladies! Not a winning recipe, for sure, but at least I can still use it in a smoothie. That's all I have to say about that.. Next week is my last week of teaching gymnastics for a while! I enjoy teaching, but I've been so worn out lately.. I'm ready to be done with pregnant teaching.. Getting closer to 'go' time!

The Good Stuff

After some pretty rough times with my little guy and his attitudes, I thought it might be good if I wrote down some of the good times so I can remember them..the next time we're having a rough day.. So yesterday was the first full day in a while (that I can remember) that we didn't have any fits, no time outs, and Mason genuinely listened and did what was asked of him all day.. And he was proud of it! He was excited to tell his dad about what a good boy he was for his mommy. It felt good! For all of us, I think.. On Saturday, I was heading out for my last bit of coaching for the steelhead tri team.. It was going to be a shorter workout, so I planned to join in for most, if not all of it.. But some last minute changes with Matt's work schedule left us both working and no one to hang out with Mason. After our few babysitting options were contacted, with no one free for such a last minute thing, one of us was going to need to take him with us while we worked.. Matt's work for the day involved a lot of driving, which would have been boring for Mason, and tough to maneuver with a child's seat and all, so that left me. We changed out my bike, which was loaded up in the car, from my tri bike to the mt bike, and loaded up the trailer and that was the plan. Mason was actually really excited about this.. He loves riding in the trailer these days, and also likes to "go where ever you go" with me, so he thought coming to help coach was an important thing and a big deal, which, of coarse made having to bring him along much easier.. Not to mention that we were heading out the door around 6am.. But with snacks and toys and the bike trailer, he was a happy guy. Now, usually when we ride, it's pretty short.. Probably a half hr at most.. But for coaching, we rode with the team for an hr (don't worry, they aren't that slow and I wasn't that fast..they did some hill repeats and intervals while I either caught up or circled around with them) and then had to ride the 5k while they ran. After the hr ride, Mason was ready to be done, but he rallied and did great.. Then he was even looking forward to helping me load the bike and trailer back in the car.. Which was tough to do and required some helping hands, but Mason was patient and helpful the whole time. As if that wasn't enough, I then had to give a nutrition talk to another TNT tri group! Luckily one of the gals on the team offered to stick around and entertain him while I talked, but again, he did really well. Even listened to me when it was time to leave the park, which we visited as reward for his helpful behavior that morning after I was all done with my stuff for the day. It was a really great morning. I even had asked him after he got tired of riding if maybe next time he wouldn't want to come coach with mommy, but he just smiled and said "I'm going to coach with you every time". What a trooper! One more thing and then I'll be done with this gushy mommy love-fest (if you can't tell, I really, really needed these good times.. I was starting to wonder where the hell I had gone wrong and could I really do this again?!) Last Thursday, we had planned to go to the pool. We did our usual routine of mom swimming laps while Mason went to the playroom (child watch), then we go to get subway sandwiches for our 'picnic', then back to the pool to be there right when it opens to get the most out of pool time before we have to head home to get naps. It was a cloudy, kinda chilly day, so we were the ONLY ones playing in the pool?! Other than a few campers and some of the older 'pool walker' gals that were still around from the morning.. But mostly it was just us..and we had a great time. We played, then had our picnic, where Mason kept showering me with snuggles and 'I love you''s. It was just a really nice mom/son play day.. And I want to remember those times, rather than the times where I wonder what happened to my sweet little guy. It's easy to focus on the negatives some times.. As for 'training'..it's getting less and less these days, though I still squeak out a decent workout here and there. Sunday, after my long, hilly mt bike trailer ride from saturday, I did a run/park crossfit workout that I felt pretty good about. It was roughly (I don't wear a garmin or anything to measure distances, but I've been running in my 'hood for long enough, I have a pretty good idea of how far to go) running 1200/1000/800/600 with step ups and push ups between each run (1st set was 10 of each, then 20,30,40) and then a run home to cool down. Not too much, but it felt like a decent workout. Yesterday was a 'gym rat' day with some elliptical, wts and a little stationary bike to finish it all off. Today was another run/crossfit workout.. Then I was going to swim, but Mason wanted to run..and I didn't feel totally motivated to drive over to the gym to swim on this cloudy, kinda dreary day.. So run again, it was! Running is a very relative term at this point..especially when I'm pushing the stroller..but we're out there! Gettin it done.. Or something like that. I must admit, if I'm being honest, that it seems like my motivation for working out is down a bit this week. The mornings are officially dark again..and running and biking inside is not much fun for me these days (hurts more than the outdoor version)..and I'm more tired this week.. I'll take it as my body's cue to start chilling things down a bit, maybe do some nesting and start really getting ready for the new arrival..and what I'm sure is going to be a huge change for all of us.. So I'd better rest up some and get ready for this!

The elder folk love me..well..most of 'em

It's a fact; older ladies love to talk to pregnant ladies about their own pregnancies of long ago..even when I'm clearly in the middle of a workout and tuned out to my music.. I don't mind it, though. I'm typically not in a huge rush when I'm up in the gym at the Y, and the ladies are all very sweet. They seem to waver between concern for what I'm doing (squats..either on 1 leg or just regular air squats..not weighted.. Well, not any extra weight other than what I'm packin here in the belly!) and desire to share their own stories of how they exercised in their own pregnancy (uh..37 or more years ago! It is good to know, though, that ladies were active throughout pregnancy years ago, too, and not everyone thinks you need to lay down with your feet up for 40 weeks when you find out you have a perfectly healthy, low risk pregnancy). The other day while I was doing a slow Y 'Fran' workout (thrusters..which is a squat to a shoulder press.. I used 55#, so I guess some of my squats are weighted.. And pull-ups), I was stopped by two lovely ladies that wanted to chat..and chat about my workout and pregnancy. Another lady stopped me while I was on the stationary bike to compliment me on my balance?! I was very confused until she clarified that she had seen me doing pistols (1 legged squats) earlier and that was what she was referencing..not the stationary bike.. Made more sense.. But ya know who isn't impressed with a pregnant lady working out? Dudes. Dudes probably about my age or a little older seem very disturbed by my workouts and I even heard one guy criticize my pull-ups as being "those crossfit pull-ups" in a negative tone, as though they weren't good enough or something.. Sheesh. Sorry, fella, if my form upsets you.. This is part of why I don't love working out at the gym..such a critical place..so 'judgey'. But I'll put up with it for a bit until I can get back to my regular triathlon, trail running, crossfitting style of exercise that I prefer. What else.. Not much going on. I had a great time body marking and cheering at the tri on Sunday and I'm hopeful that if the weather is good, I can make it down to Louiseville in a couple of weeks to cheer some friends on at the IM. I'm still having a rough time with the 'spit ups'..reflux, I guess, would be the term? UGh. SO sick of not being able to eat anything without feeling crappy afterwards. 1 more month, though, right? I can do it.. And then there will be a whole new slew of things to figure out! Man...can I really handle a new baby? I can't even figure out how not to make myself spit up?! Oh, boy.. We'll have to work through it together, little guy! Help a mama out..

A 'dirt bike', trailer pulling backwards Brick..

Thats how my weekend started! I went out early to get as much of a run in as I could. Running has gone fine this week, but I've also cut back even more on the distances and frequency, so that's probably why I feel better. I'm using that brace, keeping it short and slow, and always always have cold water to try to keep from over heating..seems to be working, so I won't bag running altogether just yet.. I think this week I've done 2 20-ish min runs and then a little longer today, so not a whole lot. But anyway, so I took off with a plan to do a little running mixed with a little crossfit style action.. which has been another way I have mixed up my runs to make things more tolerable..maybe I'll explain what I mean by that.. I guess since my tolerance for distance is down, it helps to mix my runs with some strength work, either part way through the run, or spread throughout, vs just heading out for any sort of 'long' run.. So the plan for today was to run about a mile to loosen up, then start 5 rounds of 50 air squats followed by about 4-5 min of running until I got to the next decent spot for me to squat. It went pretty well, I think.. I felt good and then as I was heading home, I got the idea to kind of 'warm down' on my bike for a bit. But as I was getting suited up for the bike, my little guy 'caught me' and then wanted to join me.. I don't know if it's because I've been heading out slightly later in the mornings or what, but Mason has gotten up a couple times now this week and wanted to 'go where ever you go'..so I've had to figure out a way to include him. Earlier this week that meant I was out there pushing the running stroller while we went for an early run.. Today it meant I switched up my plan to ride my tri bike, and instead, hooked up the trailer to my mt 'dirt' bike and we went for a spin. It worked out fine and Mason loves that darn trailer (his 'special chair' as he calls it), so it was a win /win, I guess! Other workouts his week.. Monday I did some elliptical and then a push-up and squat workout at the gym..it was 21/15/9 pushups with double the amount for the squats each round.. Tuesday was a jog to the park to do some tabata exercises (20 seconds of work with 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds). I did Burpees, step ups and squats, but for the squats, my 'rest' was holding the squat for those 10 seconds.. Wednesday..another workout at the Y..did sets of 20.. I think I did 'knees to whatever' (supposed to get your knees up to your elbows while you hang on a bar, but with this belly..they get to where ever they can get), step ups, overhead squats (with just 55# because I didn't want to scare anyone too bad) and pull-ups.. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but can't remember.. Anyway, I'm boring myself with this recap, so I'll stop it there.. My point was to help me remember what workouts I did to not repeat the same things over and over and also to share some ideas of workout options.. But. Turns out that's pretty dull. So other than lots of time in the gym..freaking old school thinking folks out with my crazy pull-upping, squatting ways, I've been trying to get out into the pool as much as possible before it closes, so that's been good. I was out there 4 days this week, just doing my thing! It's been a challenging week with my young'un. He seems determined to wear me down and establish his power over me.. I may be pregnant and tired, but I will not give up. I realize that these struggles are fairly normal and I just need to suck it up, but man is it frustrating. But I know it's worth it in the long run for me to stick with my guns and not let him turn into a complete mess if he just got everything he wants.. So I'll keep fighting the good fight and hopefully we'll figure it out..some day. I'm looking forward to volunteering and then cheering on my friends at 'tri Indy' tomorrow. I guess I better get some good sleep tonight because I have an early morning of body marking to look forward to! Should be fun. I really wanted to volunteer at more races this year, but the heat and my feeling sick all the time kind of put a damper on that. Hopefully tomorrow works out and I feel well enough to stick around for a bit. Speaking of feeling ill, after another rough weekend of spitting up and not being able to eat much or do much, I decided to actually try something to see if I could make it a little better.. So I'm off dairy/lactose for now..so far with no success, but we'll see how it goes. I hooked myself up with some soy and coconut milks and yogurts..we'll give it the old college try! I don't feel like I eat many acidic foods, so I dont think that's the problem.. and I can't think of anything else to eliminate, but I don't want to go the next 5 weeks on pretzels and crackers alone, so I have to figure out what foods can work for me. Anyway. That's all I've got for now. Good talk!

When to say 'when'

Knowing when to call it 'enough' isn't exactly a strong point of mine, but if I really take some time to weigh the options and listen to my gut.. I can eventually figure it out. I always say that you know something is the right decision for you when you can feel good about it and don't feel like you have to justify or explain yourself. This week has continued to be a bit of a slap in the old pregnant face as I officially have started to 'feel' more pregnant.. I even catch myself doing a bit of a waddle, if I'm not being careful! A waddle is fine and all, but I don't want to find myself in another back issue situation, so I quickly pull it together, straighten up the back and use whatever core I still have in there to try to walk a bit more normal. So here's a few new things that have popped up for me to enjoy this past week.. Low belly pain. I think I mentioned this before, but wow..those muscles are sick and tired of being sick and tired, I guess! I mentioned it to the doc today..he didn't seem concerned, as usual, and basically attributed it to the baby's head being 'wedged down in there pretty good' (lovely..). So as usual, the take home message there is to suck it up for the remainder of this beautiful thing called pregnancy..and if something is causing more pain..cut it out. So I've used my brace for running this week and I'm doing pretty well, for the most part.. No killer pain like the day I came home from kc..so we'll call it a win? For now, anyway.. The speed is completely gone from my biking.. Again, something I suppose I knew would happen, but I officially am off the group ride circuit and am only able to cruise through my hood, solo, in the early hours of the day.. Though I still get those ligament pains that have pretty much been around since fairly early this pregnancy, I still enjoy riding for now, so that's what I'll do! I rode two times for 30 min at a time this week..no idea how far or fast..just out to enjoy my bike. Speaking of my bike, it is now quite a challenge to get on the thing! I kind of have to stand back and get a big kick going to clear the frame and not catch my cleat on it.. Quite amusing, I'm sure, which is part of the reason that I will be riding alone and in the early morning hours.. Not to mention how awesome an 8mo pregnant gal looks in spandex! That's gotta be a real treat for anyone that catches me out there.. Very heat sensitive! Seems that even running in the early hours of the day this week, the heat and humidity has really been getting to me, slows me down even more, and has left me a bit woozy after running.. That isn't normal for me, so with a break in the heat and humidity this weekend, I'm going to give running another try before I bail..but if this keeps up, I guess it'll be time to trade my runs for the elliptical. I'd be bummed to not be able to just head out and enjoy the sunrise and lovely mornings, but I can't ignore the woozy, pass-outy feeling that has come after my 2 short, slow runs of this week. Strange how I had such a good week of running last week..but as I mentioned, things are constantly changing and I just have to try to keep up! Swimming actually, finally feels really good?! After months of wondering what the heck is wrong with me and this baby and why swimming seemed to cause such pain.. I must have slowed down enough to finally get to enjoy the time in the pool..so I have that going for me! I've been in the pool 3x this week and plan to get back out there tomorrow. Welcome insomnia! Been waiting for that side effect to kick in.. It's not every night, but it's definitely become more regular for me to wake up at 2 or 3 and need to watch some tv or browse a little interweb before I can fall back asleep.. Maybe that's part of why my body isn't liking my am runs? Hmm.. Temporary farewell to crossfit. Back to the whole 'knowing when to say when' idea.. I know I could continue crossfit for another month..but is it really what I need to be doing right now? Though I still feel pretty good in the workouts and I always enjoy them, It had started to fall into the 'needing to justify myself' category. When I'm having sore belly muscles, feeling woozy from exerting myself in the heat, and often having to rush to get to the workout before taking Mason to where he needs to be because I don't want to wait too long and have it be too warm.. It was starting to feel like something I was forcing vs something that fit and made sense in our day. So as much as it pains me and as much as I'll be counting the days til I can go back, I called it 'enough' with crossfitting for now..until after I'm healed from having my baby boy. But. I did have a good week of crossfit workouts this week and even felt pretty good! So I feel like I'm leaving on a good note.. My last workout was a 21-15-9 of pull-ups (I can still rock a body weight pull-up! Though much slower than my butterflies..but it's nice to still do my beloved pull-ups), step-ups (in place of box jumps..way too much belly pain with those!) and pistols (1 legged squats.. Woah..had to use a step to sit to and I almost couldn't get back up!). Then, to cap it off, I did double unders (jump rope) and side crunches.. Good way to part ways.. For now.. I plan to continue crossfit-style workouts at the Y or at home..or even at the playground..for as long as I can. I do want to keep up my strength and I just love the style of workouts that they provide, but I can go my own pace and choose things that work well for me. So that's that! I already can't wait to get back to it as soon as I can. Mason has already told me that he will "hold his baby brother gently so he won't walk away" while I work out..so sounds like a plan! I guess that's it for now. I won't mention my exact plan for my workout tomorrow because that would pretty much be setting myself up for things to go wrong.. But I'm feeling pretty good today. I have 6 weeks left of pregnancy and though I'm 'feeling it' more and more these days, I really do love it all and can't complain about a thing! Except maybe the being sick for 40 weeks..other than that, though, it's been a dream!

Well...,huh..

You know it's gonna be a great post with an attention grabber like that title.. But that's how I feel. I'm not trying to be dense, but I just cannot figure out where my limits are with this pregnancy. I had joked before about figuring it out by the time I gave birth, but with only 6-ish weeks to go, that isn't looking like such a joke anymore. It just seems that some days, I'll be fine and feel great with whatever workout I'm doing, but the next day or week..no good. I just never know. What will be too much?..is it a hilly run that included a stop at the playground to do some crossfit style work? Walking around the airport? An early bike ride? Two weeks ago, or so, I was able to get a couple good 20mi rides in with no problem.. Once on the 4th, and then again that Saturday when I led the workout for the TNT Steelhead crew.. So..why did my early ride a week later feel so crappy? And today.. Knocked on my tail again.. Of coarse, smart, hindsight me can pinpoint some issues.. Last Saturday's ride I broke a few of my 'pregnancy rules' that I had set for myself early on.. I told myself 'no riding in the dark', and then I also had my 5am workout ban after feeling crappy following a few early am swims.. AND I knew I slept horribly that night, so kinda had an idea that the ride might be ill fated..but I made a promise to meet with my friend, and I wasn't going to bail on her.. So we tried, but I could tell right away that it wasn't going well, so we bailed early and just did about 8mi, instead of the 15 we had planned on. The hot, hilly run and crossfit workout? Eh. I guess you could say that was a bit much, but typically running and crossfit are the two things that have felt the best for me throughout this pregnancy.. But I guess combining the two.. And the run being hillier than my usual routes (I was back at my parents house in Overland Park, KS for my grandpa's funeral..no one ever believes me that Kansas is actually pretty good for rolling hill runs, but it's true). I felt ok at first, but later my low belly muscles let me know they were not pleased with me.. So I took it easy for a couple days and was feeling better. Now to today, I was set to lead another tri workout and had planned a lovely 3mi rolling hill run followed by a long ride for the team..short ride for me..then the team was to do a short transition run after their ride.. I say 'was to', as in 'it didn't happen' because no one showed up to join me?! But stubborn ol me.. I was already there and set to run and ride, so why stray from that plan? It was a cooler morning, so the run was pretty good.. But I started not feeling great while I stood around talking and getting ready to ride. But I had some food and some cold accelerade/Gatorade and figured I'd at least give it a try.. But much like that early ride a week ago.. I could tell immediately that I wasn't feeling great and needed to cut the ride to a mere 10mi. I was only planning to go 15 mi, and I think I would have been fine to finish it, but I knew the area and route and figured there was nothing to gain and more to lose by pushing it.. Plus that would have broken another of my 'pregnant riding rules', which is not to ride alone. I was way too slow to ride with the group, so I found myself alone out there and am pretty sure that when the short ride split off from the longer routes, I'd be going solo.. So anyway, now here I am with those sore low belly muscles. I think things are just getting pretty heavy in there..might need to go back to wearing my belly/back brace when I run to help hold up the load! So anyway, like I said..every time I think I know what my body can handle and what my limits are..it seems like they change.. But I'll keep trying to learn from it and not put myself or the baby in jeopardy. He's always been good in check ups and moves around a lot to let me know he's doing alright. It never feels like a kind of pain that is putting him in danger..it always just feels like my body is getting pushed and reaching a new limit. For this week, I plan to stick with short, flat, easy am runs, maybe some easy spins on my bike, just around my neighborhood, where I can ride my own pace and just enjoy my bike..for as long as that feels enjoyable, some mid-am swims, and we'll see how crossfit feels this week.. It'll either still be fine and I'll continue for another month before the baby comes.. Or it'll make me too sore and I'll know it's time to back off of it until after I'm all healed up from having the baby. So we'll just see how that goes! Day by day, for sure..

And on the 3rd day, he rests..

Mason and I have been having quite the battle of wits here lately 'bout the same time every day..nap time! He says "I'm not tired", I say something really smart like "go to sleep because I say so", and it goes a little something like that for the next couple hours while I try to rest, but get increasingly frustrated by his refusal to sleep. Why do I get worked up over this? Well, plenty of silly reasons, I'm sure, but also because.. I DO know best and I know my guy needs his sleep, or he turns in to a crazy person. It may not be right away, which is what tricks most people, but he will, for sure, have a melt down if he doesn't get his sleep. So knowing this, I wage the battle.. And lost the last two days. But today, though he started with the same arguments, in just a short while, there was silence.. And 3 hours later, he emerges a well-rested, super sweet little guy. Totally worth the continued battles and I stand by my 'never give in' stance on the nap issue. I know lots of folks think that, at four, he's ready to give up naps..but I say...nope, not yet! Why is this important? It's not, really.. But I DID need my rest today. I was able to get some decent working out in this lovely, warm July holiday morning..and it was lovely! I took a chance at seeing how my cycling was going.. I was a little nervous because I hadn't been out to ride in a couple weeks.. And my last time out was a slow, crampy, breathless mess.. But we went out early, and I reasoned myself out of an early, quick jog before the ride, which would have been unnecessary and possibly ruined my ride.. Why I even considered adding an early run to my workout plans? Don't have an answer for that one. Old habits die hard, I suppose. But anyway.. I wasn't able to eat much, due to my little guys aversion to pretty much ALL food, so I mixed up some accelerade and hoped for the best. We were just doing our usual 20 mi loop, but I felt good! Just a couple times where I cramped a bit or felt a little out of breath, but I recovered quickly and managed to keep up just fine! Though this was an easy, recovery ride for my fellow riders.. That's how I gotta get 'em these days! The more worn out my buddies are, the better shot I have at riding with them. After the ride, I guess I was feeling cocky because we went out to do a little swimming. I was starting to feel a little 'low sugar-y', but mixed up some more accel/Gatorade and ate a couple bites of my son's un-eaten oatmeal and I was fine. I kept it easy in the water, as is necessary for these days. I've started just going by time vs counting laps or distance, which can lead to a)being bummed about how few laps you can swim these days, and b)swimming after some arbitrary distance goal that means nothing right now.. So now I just divide out the time I have to swim and say, for example..swim regular 10 min, pull for the next 10 min, kick for 10, etc.. That seems to be working pretty well for me. I still feel the best when I pull with paddles.. I can really move with those thigs on! Now I just need to figure out how to swim like that without..you know.. Cheating! It was a rather intense morning in the pool.. Full of walkers? And slow, older swimmers with a tendency to swing their arms way wide and weave a bit in the lane.. Makes for some interesting lap swimming! We have this gigantic 8 lane 50m pool to use, but somehow, us lap swimmers are in the minority and get to figure out how to navigate through all those walkers and water aerobics folk out there. Of coarse, we don't have those issues at 5am! Maybe I need to get to sleep earlier and see if the cold shower idea helps keep me feeling good enough to get back out there early enough to miss all that foolishness. We'll see.. But for now, I feel good about being able to at least ride 20 mi with the TNT group when I coach this Saturday.. So I have that going for me! Those lucky little triathletes..

And now for something completely different..

..gymnastics Olympic Trials! Please tell me I'm not the only one that cries like a baby during Olympics and trials and such? Maybe it's just me.. Or maybe it's the hormones.. But man, was I a wreck tonight watching gymnastics. I mean, I can tear up a bit in other sports..seeing someone qualify for the games for the first time or something, but gymnastics gets me every time. Probably because it was my first 'love', if that's not too weird to say.. The first thing I sacrificed hours of my time, ditched friends to be with, overlooked any negatives (injuries, etc) to just keep in touch with the thing I couldn't get enough of.. I was a gymnast for a long time, and for all of my 'growing up' years..unless you count the years of growing up I still had to do once I started working.. But, though I never had Olympic dreams of my own..despite everyone always asking that any time they found out I was a gymnast..do other sports do that? No one ever asked me about soccer, but people always assume that if I spent that much time in the sport, I must want to go to the Olympics.. But I didn't. Mama didn't raise no fool and I knew college gymnastics was my path.. But anyway, for some reason, I feel these kids pain..how much work has gone in to preparing for trials.. I felt for those that didn't have a great night and could see the 'dream' slip away. I cried big ol crocodile tears when Nastia got her standing O, despite not great performances, but the crowd knew how hard she tried and honored her for all she has done for the sport.. Anyway. I just wanted to share..and hope others feel the same love for sports and competition. I obviously have long since left my gymnastics days behind me, but I think..actually, I know that the sport has done so much to make me who I am today.. Both good and bad. My dedication, strength, confidence, stubbornness.. Luckily I've been able to use those qualities for endurance sports and, most recently, in crossfit.. But I also use it in just every day things.. As hard as gymnastics is on your body, I'm not sure that any sport can rival it in the character building that it can offer, when in the right hands (though I think it can also be devastating in the wrong hands, but I guess all great things have the potential to go terribly awry, if the circumstances aren't right). So that's that. I can't wait for the Olympics to start.. And a 100m run-off tomorrow?! I can't imagine how tough that would be.. Crazy. Or for the swimmers who come in within a second of qualifying..but just doesn't cut it? Sheesh. That's rough. As for the weekend..that's the last time I'll post a 'planned' workout! I suppose my plan for Saturday was ambitious, given that I recently mentioned that my recovery ability ain't what it used to be and I need to shelf the back-to-back stuff, but as soon as I declared those plans, I felt sick all Friday evening. I woke up determined to at least try to move, because it usually helps.. I slept in a bit and opted just to swim. It went alright.. Then I made sure to stick with a cool shower.. No more vaso-dilation for this girl! But I still didn't feel great, so I settled with just a swim for the day. Today I got in a pretty good run. Nothing special, but felt pretty good, until some cramps kicked in at the end.. I think the heat and humidity got me and I should have taken water. But that was it! I've been ridiculously cautious with my eating today and felt pretty ok most of the day. Maybe, just maybe I'll have this thing figured out by the time this little fella arrives. Not holding my breath, though.

1+1=.. Not so fast..

It was starting to seem that the answer to my most recent issue..my 'high blood pressure days' was an obvious one and signaled yet another of my regulat habits biting the dust for the next few weeks.. But after a chat with the doc today, now there's a couple possible answers. You see, after too many times of swimming early, coming home, and then having the rest of the day ruined by feeling ridiculously tired, wiped out, woozy, dizzy, nauseated, etc.. I figured I should put the pieces together and resolve to discontinue my early am swims for now.. And by 'early am swim', I mean I wake up around 4:30-ish to be at the pool by 5am.. That comes pretty quick when you refuse to get to sleep earlier than about 10 or 11pm. And I hear that sleep is an important thing to get while growing a human in your belly. I don't think it's just the swimming that is the problem because when I swim a little later..like 7 or 8, things seem to go much better. So that was my plan, no more 5am workouts for the duration of pregnancy and hopefully that would be the end of this wasted 'hbp feeling days'. But. Enter doc appt today.. I explained what I was feeling and what my plan was for fixing it.. He agreed that it would certainly help to sleep more, but he also asked if I showered after my swim and if I started to feel sick after a shower? I was a bit confused by this question, but yes, I do shower after I swim.. He mentioned vaso-dilation being something that could cause those woozy feelings and maybe I'm getting too hot? Ding, ding!! I think we have a winner. I still think it would be best for me to take better care to get my sleep in, but after I thought about it, the hot water shower does seem to fit as the most likely culprit. That water does get pretty darn hot AND it's usually in stark contrast to the chilly walks I had to make from the outdoor pool in the still 50-some degree weather and then straight into that steamy shower. Man is my face red over here.. Can't believe I didn't think of that. So that's that! Guess that's why we pay him the big bucks. I really like my doc. He's a no frills, kinda big, burly guy (less burly now since shaving his mt man beard).. Doesn't chat a whole bunch, but listens well and seems to genuinely care..and best of all, you just have the sense that he knows his stuff, which is what I look for in a doc. And he gives gems of wisdom like "don't hop in a super hot shower after a swim..ya dummy".. I added the dummy part, but I wouldn't have blamed him if he had said it. Speaking of my doc appt today..you know what makes for a sucky day when you're pregnant? Fasting. Add to that the slow draining of your blood supply, and I'm feeling pretty rough today. I don't mind the actual drink they give you (we're talking glucose test, in case I lost you), but it's all the other stuff.. No eating? I'm never good with that. My appt was 8:20, but I didn't get out of there until almost 11 and then we had to go straight to Mason's new preschool to get oriented! So I didn't get to eat until noon-ish. So I'm starving, but yet, the food I choose makes me pukey? Not cool. Very cruel catch 22, this pregnancy has been.. Feel hungry, but queasy, finally decide to eat, no matter what you choose, you spend the next few hrs trying not to puke it up and in varying levels of stomach cramping.. And repeat! I'm not complaining.. I'm really not. Everything else has gone really well with my pregnancy and if my guy is healthy, I'm all for it.. But MAN! I'm getting tired of this pukey stuff. It's been really bad when teaching gymnastics classes these past few weeks. Seems like every class time I'm fighting to not lose whatever food I ate all over the floor, I get super out of breath and then, to cap it off, the stomach cramps start. I'm sure the parents are all worried I'm going to keel over while spotting their young-un on the beam or something.. Just lovely. But in other news.. Mason starts his school on Monday! We stopped in to sign some papers and get everyone ready today. Mason got to hang in the classroom for a bit and he was more than ready to dive in. I can't believe it's already time for him to start preschool, but I'm so excited for him to have new experiences and friends. And while we're talking about how awesome and big Mason is.. He had a great time at his big birthday surprise! He was thrilled to get to go to a hotel..and have his dad stay home with him..and the water slides, too, though I'm pretty sure any hotel with a pool would have sufficed. But I was really surprised at how brave he got on his second day of the water park! The first day, he just wanted to spray all the water hoses, buckets, etc, which are everywhere around that place..splash around a bit, and finally did a couple of the smallest, slowest slides offered in the park. But I guess he slept on it and decided to go for it, because pretty much right from the start the next morning, he went for bigger and bigger slides..and loved it! I was shocked. I waited at the bottom (no slides for the pregnant gals), ready to 'mama bear' it up when my scared little guy came out the shoot..but no, sir. That's not what I got! He was grinning and eagerly asking his daddy to go down more and more slides..it was really fun to see, but a bummer I couldn't enjoy it with him.. But I knew it would be that way, so I'm just excited that he had such a great time there. And now he's four! Our baby is 4. Wow. That's about all I've got for now. After taking today totally off of working out and a pretty easy week, I hope to get some good workouts in this weekend.. Planning on a run/swim/crossfit tomorrow.. Probably just a run on Sunday, as much as I'd like to get a ride in.. But anyway..one thing is for sure. No more hot showers!! So silly..

Big changes are a-comin!

Not so much training to report on.. I'm still constantly adjusting my expectations for what I can physically do at this point. I think I've learned that my 'claim to fame', which has always been my ability to recover from one workout quickly and be ready to take on another with little to no consequences.. Well, that's almost non-existent right now.. Good bye, old friend! I hope it's not good-bye forever.. But as of this moment, it seems like crossfit 3 days a week..aka every other day, seems to be my limit. Pretty much anything after swimming isn't going to happen. Seems like those trips back and forth in the pool really zap my energy, so I won't plan any back to back things with swimming, unless the swim can come last. My running is actually going quite well, I must say. I feel pretty good out there and don't need my belly/back brace right now. I'm sticking with the 30 minute limit despite feeling better because I don't want to wind up back where I was before with the back issue. Biking..that's sadly taking a back seat right now. Not so much because I can't ride anymore, but more because I'm not able to ride like I normally would.. I can't keep up with my usual crew and can't talk anyone else into rides within my recent limits..and as much as I think everything would be fine if I rode alone..it makes me nervous. I don't love riding solo much when I'm not riding for two, and with all the random issues I've had through this pregnancy, it makes me nervous to get too far out there all alone with no one around if any of those issues should come up.. So anyway, I've tinkered with the idea of just riding around and around in my neighborhood, but haven't been that excited about making that happen. I rode my trainer a bit and rode a stationary bike a bit today, but that still hurts more than just riding my tri bike outside, odd as that may seem. So anyway, that's where I am with biking and everything else. Seems strange to think that running and crossfit are the things that feel the best this time. Even the elliptical seems to make me feel more 'off' than those two activities. Go figure.. So that's that. In other news, though.. Mason had his birthday party and that was fun. He had a great time, especially having his grandma and grandpa Bucher in town for the visit. He also did his first go of vacation bible school last week.. I'll call it a success, even if he did almost balk at returning half way through the week.. We talked it through and he came around and enjoyed the rest of his time there. It was too funny watching him learn all of those songs and dances, he really had fun with it and even asked me today "why did it have to be over", so I'll take that to mean that he had fun. Now this week, Wednesday, is his birthday and we have quite the fun day planned, which includes most of his favorite things..daddy staying home from work, baseball, a hotel, and water slides/pool.. Only way we could have made it better would have been to fly there, but Cincy isnt that far away, so he'll just have to settle for the car ride. Also something I'm excited about? Our nursery has been transformed and is pretty much ready for our second bundle of joy to take over! We got the crib, a new glider/chair, decided to use an old dresser, painted and put up some pics.. Looking pretty ready to go! So that's a good feeling. So what are those 'big changes'? Well, the end of Mason going to his daycare, the start of his preschool days..and the eventual arrival of a baby brother. I guess it's all feeling like those changes are coming quick, so I'm bracing myself! I guess that's all I have to say about that for now..

what.. this ol' thing??

So I guess it has happened.. At 7mo pregnant, I officially look pregnant enough for strangers to assume there is a baby in my belly and ask me about it.. Usually in the form of "when are you due?" and "do you know what you're having?", so nothing too personal or pressing, but I don't know.. I'm happy to 'look' pregnant.. you know.. It's nice to finally look like you legitimately have a human growing and not just a beer belly, but I still think I believe in the 'NEVER ask a stranger if she's pregnant' plan.. you just don't know.. Maybe I drink a lot of beer. Or maybe I've just let myself go..and happen to enjoy accentuating my buddha belly with form fitting maternity shirts? Just kidding.. I do think it's pretty safe to ask me at this point, but I'm not always super easy on 'em.. Sometimes I make you squirm.. especially strangers! Like.. our paster? gave him a 'pass', especially since I was literally standing there with my hand on my belly.. pretty much a give away.. But the chatty check out lady at Macy's?? I'm gonna make you squirm a bit for ass-uming.. Gave her the blank stared "excuse me?" as she stumbled over trying to get the question out and she immediately regretted asking.. I didn't leave her hanging long.. don't worry.. after looking confused for a bit about what, exactly, she was getting at.. I eventually smiled and said 'september'.. boy was she relieved! Not that I'm anti-social, but I just feel like it's never really safe to assume.. and sometimes I like to remind folks of that! So anyway, I guess that's what's new with me! All the moms of the gymnastics kids that I teach have started asking and, of coarse, then comment on how 'tough' I am for teaching gymnastics this long.. and it is starting to get 'tough'.. touching those toes and all. I had to tell one group that was imitating my pathetic attempt at reaching for my toes while trying not to vomit as my stomach pushed up into my throat and I said "I have a baby in my way.. you guys can reach further!". So we'll see how much longer I last for teaching with this growing little fella on board. I definitely will finish out the 5 weeks left in this session, but not sure how much, if any, I can do of the next sessions after that.. we'll see. After a rough ride last wednesday that had me wondering if my bike ridin' days were over, I had a successful ride on saturday that felt really good! So that was nice. I stopped, as planned, at the 15mi mark of a 30-ish mi loop (Matt and Mason picked me up and we 'SAGged' for the rest of the group.. I didn't just bail and hitch hike or anything). I think I could have gone on, but didn't want to push and end up regretting it.. and by 'regretting it', I mean curled up in the fetal position for the rest of the day/weekend.. so I think it was a winner! I was coaching for the TNT Steelhead group and had a nice plan of that 30mi ride and then a 6mi run with some rolling hill mile repeats.. sounds like great fun, yes? Well, I knew better than to try to run that late in the day (probably around 10 or so.. I think they finished after 10:30), so I just led them around in my AC car (nice of me.. I gave them water and words of encouragement!), as I chose to do my 30 min run before the ride.. So not a bad day of activity AND I felt just fine during and after. Like I've said before.. I try to learn as we go, here, and learn from my mistakes and such. Then I actually took one of those 'rest days' that I mentioned realizing I hadn't had in a while.. It was father's day, afterall, so thought it might be nice for me to stick around and just praise Matt and treat him to meals and gifts and such.. so it was good! I actually realized that I needed a rest day after those 'high blood pressure-feeling days' that happened a couple times last week. Be still my little multi-sport loving heart, but I think I have to choose just 1 activity to do at a time.. trying to stack things back to back without much/any recovery time just seems to leave me.. well, woozy, dizzy, sick feeling.. probably not a good thing, and even I can acknowledge that heading out for a run or off to crossfit when you feel like that would be foolish.. So, at least for now, it seems like.. short run, little break with some food and water, and then crossfit.. fine.. Short swim, try to run and then crossfit?..not so fine. I'm not sure what it is about that darn pool.. I enjoy it so.. but it wears me out something fierce! I did manage to have a swim this week where I felt like, though it was slow, I was moving well and without too much of a strain.. but I did have to stop at every 50m lap..just for a moment, but still.. that little break must have helped. So duly noted, little fella.. breathers every darned 50m in the pool and we can have a happier swim? got it.. will try that out again tomorrow. This weekend is Mason's birthday party weekend and my parents are coming to town, which I'm very much looking forward to. I haven't seen them since.. I guess our ski trip back in Feb?? Which means Mason hasn't seen them in that long, either, and he's super ready to hang out with them! Should be a good weekend!

'twas a HBP kinda day

As in, 'high blood pressure', or at least, that's what it felt like.. Or to be even less scientific about it.. That's what I imagine it would feel like. Whatever. I didn't go to the doc for diagnoses or anything, but after my early, easy swim yesterday, I came home and just felt..off.. I was light headed and dizzy and extra out of breath.. I just figured I was hungry, though I shouldn't really have been because I think I had eaten adequately for the morning, but as I've learned with pregnancy, sometimes despite your best efforts, you just can't keep up with what the little nugget needs to consume.. So I ate..still off.. So I figured, probably a sign that I should ditch my original plans of a short run and heading to crossfit and, instead, took the day pretty easy. Which kind of reminded me that I hadn't really taken a rest day in a while, so perhaps this is my body's subtle way of telling me I need to make the rest day a part of my routine again.. Not sure what happened to those days of rest. Just seems like there's always something out there that I want to do, but I'm sure I can figure out how to chill a bit more.. Especially since all signs have been pointing to my biking days being very close to done..for a while.. My last ride was on Sunday and it was not pretty. We were just doing a 15mi loop.. Shorter cut off from our usual route, but I had stomach cramps from the start and had a rough time getting started.. I will say that I did seem to shake it out and find a decent ride..eventually.. We'll see how things go today, as I'm planning to head out for our usual Wednesday ride later today.. I'm hoping it goes well because I'm also set to coach this weekend's training for the TNT Steelhead crew. If I have to, I can just drive and SAG for them, but I'd really like to be able to hang with them for at least part of the action.. So we'll see. Luckily, my 'off' feeling was short lived and I'm feeling better so far today. I got an early jog in, my favorite Wednesday, longer crossfit workout, and then an easy swim for some cool down. Man. I do not get why swimming is so tough for me these days. Everyone talks about how swimming is so great during pregnancy.. I don't remember having any major issues with it last time..though I do recall that my HR would be super high in the pool, so I took it really easy.. But I just feel like I'm swimming upstream all the time. All I really want to achieve in the water right now is to enjoy the pool (despite my crappy swimming, I still sure do love being out there.. Guess I'm weird like that) and maintain good form in my swim stroke, but it really takes a lot out of me. Not much else going on with workouts.. Pretty much business as usual. In other news, I can't believe how soon Mason's birthday is.. Turning 4 is exciting and all, but along with that date comes a lot of other changes, too.. Changes that seemed SO far off not that long ago.. Next week Mason is going to try out vacation bible school! Which I thought would be good for him to start the whole 'going to school' schedule thing.. He also really likes going to Sunday school (whenever we make it to church), so I thought he might have fun.. We'll see.. He insists that he wants to go, though in speaking with him this morning about it, I'm pretty sure he thinks it's a trip that he's going on..Understandable, given that 'vacation' is in the title.. So we'll see how that goes. He had his last day of Gymboree last Friday. After going there fairly regularly since he was 9mo old, that seems like a big step! He'll have his last day of Miss Debbie's daycare right before his birthday. I don't think I've mentioned his daycare much, but he's been going to Debbie's, which is an in-home daycare, since around his 1yr birthday. He's really enjoyed it, which is why we didn't pull him out of that routine, even when I got downgraded to PRN (as needed, or, as in my case, 'hardly ever in over a yr') at the eating disorder clinic.. Just seemed mean to take him away from his friends and the routine he knows when we could afford it, so he's continued that.. But it, too, is coming to an end..because he's going to start preschool the week after his birthday! Ah..things are changing around here, for sure. He's started moving in to his 'big boy' room, which he is so adorably psyched about.. It's just all coming so quick! So, it works out just fine that my decreased tolerance for my workouts and increased need for rest is coinciding with all of these schedule changes and exciting family things going on. I plan to take things day by day, adjust as I need to, and do my best to keep up with everything that needs to be done around here! Speaking of..I'm sure there's something else I should be doing right now..

Incredible?..or..Crazy..

This was the question I overheard the early am news lady and her camera guy discussing while they filmed some water safety segment at the Y at 5am the other day.. They were discussing how amazed they were that people would wake up early to go swim. Wanna know what I think is crazy? Filming a water safety segment at 5am in the dark next to what you apparently thought would be an empty pool? AND wearing your winter gear while you film said segment next to folks in their bathing suits. But that's just me.. I'm no stranger to hearing that question..is an ironman incredible? Or crazy.. Riding your bike across Indiana? Crossfit at 6+ mo pregnant? Obviously (or maybe not), I think all of those things are neither incredible nor crazy..but just..normal. But, I guess 1 person's normal is another person's crazy, right? Anyway.. Not sure where I was going with that.. Things are going pretty well these days with how I'm feeling and the workouts I'm doing..despite this silly belly (probably those round ligaments everyone talks about..definitely not any Braxton hicks or anything like that.. Say 'cramp' when you're pregnant and boy do folks get in a tizzy!) cramp thing.. Seems to happen more regularly, but nothing too bad.. Nothing a little breather and/or slowing down can't fix. But I'm definitely feeling good about my new limits to keep my back and body feeling good and strong.. Hopefully we can keep this up for a bit. My 40 minute swims out in the fabulous 50m pool have been lovely..the brisk waters and mornings feel just fine to me! (seriously, news lady..winter coat and hat? It was 55 degrees) I could probably do that every day and be just fine.. I had a nice, little Wednesday today, which seems to still be my day of back to back workouts.. 30 min/3mi run in the chilly sunrise..lovely.. Quick change and breakfast, then off to crossfit..it was a good one and I could do almost all of the movements, though slightly altered for pregnancy (ie: 'toes to bar' are more like..'knees to however high you can get them'..but it still does the trick), so that felt good.. Then another quick change and off to the pool for a cool down swim. Pretty much, these days, my swims consist of various versions of ways to alternate swim, pull and kick..mostly in 100s..some with 'toys' (paddles and fins), some without..until time is up and/or baby says stop.. So pretty easy going out there and mostly just want to keep good form and enjoy the pool. Then, to cap off the day, after a good rest and some more food (though it is harder and harder for me to find any foods that I can eat before workouts.. Cereal..no..pizza..no..bagel? Usually ok..not so much today.. Ugh. Or maybe it was the cottage cheese and strawberries.. Bars are usually a safe bet, but one can only eat so many bars, ya know?!), my riding buddies came over for our usual 20mi ride.. Nice little Wednesday, indeed! Speaking of things I can't eat these days.. That list keeps getting longer and longer! No carbonated drinks.. Cereal is a toughie. My beloved Greek yogurt with fruit and cereal always seems to leave me curled up in a ball wishing I hadn't eaten anything..even though it was so good as it passed the lips.. Seems we might be dealing with a little bit of a dairy aversion, here, but I'm not giving up yet. Cheese and cottage cheese seem to be ok.. I think.. All fruits are a-ok and veggies have been a big baby favorite this time, too.. I've never ever thought about taking a picture of my food before, but the salad I made yesterday (and again today) was quite amazing, if I may say so myself. Can we talk about food for a second? There's a recipe that I've been crazy for these days, so it's only fair that I share.. I actually got it from another gals blog.. I won't mention who.. I'm sure she's a lovely gal, but she has some disordered eating stuff going on that I wouldn't really want to advocate that others check out.. I'll talk about more thoughts on that type of thing another time.. Been meaning to for a while, but keep getting side tracked.. Spoiler alert.. Dr oz is on my list! But anyway.. I've tried out this pancake recipe a few times and it's so good! It's just 1/3c oats, 1 egg, about 2T cottage cheese, dash baking soda, salt, vanilla, about a T cinnamon/sugar mix (I added that one in there..I already had this mixed up, I guess from a cinnamon toast kick a while back?, but you could just use sugar. I added the vanilla, too.. I like vanilla in my baked things and add it where I can), mix it up and it makes 2 lovely pancakes..add some syrup and pb and you've got yourself one delicious start to the day! So on that note, I bid you adieu.