Gimme that Towel Back..

..as in, the towel I was ready to throw in on this whole 'working out while pregnant' thing.. That's right. I'm almost through week 2 of this back issue and I'm feeling a little better.. Not great yet, but better.. and hopeful.. I still haven't run yet, and honestly, I can tell my back/body isn't ready for that yet, so I haven't even been tempted.. Well, maybe tempted, but no part of me has thought it would be a good idea.. yet.. So this week, my usual 'sunrise runs' have been swapped out with some 'sunset walks'. Though I'd much rather run (ever noticed how slow walking is? it takes forever!), it hasn't been too bad. I've gotten to witness some truly amazing sunsets this week, and have even included all my guys in some walks! We went on a picnic to the park one night and after we ate, Mason rode his big wheel (which he finally fits well enough to ride.. but the back of the seat digs in to his poor back, so we have to rig it up with a towel for padding.. but at least he can ride it!) while Matt and I walked around the trail with him.. it's actually a decent trail with some ups and downs.. so not a bad spot to walk. Then when Mason tired of that, they went off to play and I walked another lap. I've been wearing a back/belly support band/brace thing this week when I'm being more active and I think that has helped quite a bit, but the pain still comes and goes even with walking.. at some points, I think "I feel strong and good and this feels OK", then moments later, I'm back to shooting pain.. So it's still up and down, but I'm definitely moving much better this week and have been more active without any major setbacks (so far.. fingers crossed I don't mess this up as I start to feel better.. don't jump the gun, Sara.. just wait it out). I've been going to crossfit, mostly out of habit and reluctance to give it up.. but my workouts have been very altered from what the rest have been doing.. Not that I mind changing things for pregnancy, but something about having to change it because of other pains.. I don't know.. it bugs me.. But I'm doing it and trying to be good. I may have broken my 'no weight lifting' mandate a few times, but all with the approval of the 'boss'.. (owner/trainer) and only doing things that, when done correctly, shouldn't strain my back.. But if it starts to hurt, we back off and come up with another option. I have been able to use the rower, which gives me a good alternative to all the running that I usually do. Can't say I enjoy it quite as much.. but it sure is a good workout! So I guess the rower and I will become pretty close buds over the next couple of weeks.. until my running is back. Again.. not ideal and not my favorite, but it's good to have options and to be able to switch things up.. just tough to watch everyone else sweating it out through great (aka: HARD, but I love it!) workouts while I just do my little watered down stuff. Just have to keep reminding myself that a) it's the smart/right thing for me right now, b)it's better for the baby, and c)it'll be better for me in the long run.. and the short run, too, I guess. So the plan for now is to keep on keeping on.. keep moving, but finding some different, less impact type things that won't hurt my back.. And shoulder.. Oh, yeah.. can't forget about that guy! I finally broke down and went to a chiropractor whom had been recommended to me by 2 completely separate sources, so I figured he must be good! Of coarse he works on backs, but I was also told that he was very knowledgable about shoulders, so had him take a look at that, too.. Turns out, I have very 'sloppy' rotator cuffs.. (thanks, gymnastics!) It's actually not a surprise to me.. I can't say that I've never had my shoulders tweak in and out of the socket a bit when I do pull-ups.. mostly only pull-ups, but I'm sure it's done it other times, too.. But usually it just goes back in and doesn't cause me any problems.. But this one is being stubborn. But now that the problem has been identified, I've got some exercises to do to tighten it up and, hopefully, that will put the socket back in it's spot and get me back to working properly there, too. As for the back.. he did some popping and crunching.. seems my dx there is 'typical pregnancy issues'.. So I'm not even special? c'mon.. how boring of me.. But again, seems like I have given identity to the issue and have a 'plan'.. which, I guess, is to keep getting popped and crunched til I'm back in line? Not sure.. I'm going back for more tomorrow, though, so we'll see how it goes. So far, after the popping, I will say that I seem to be walking/moving better, but still feeling pain.. So it's back to the ice (I had just switched to heat this week, thinking I had iced long enough and maybe needed to loosen up the muscles with heat.. but doc says no, back to ice.. Yes, sir!) and keep taking it easier until I'm sure that I'm back to normal. Also in place of the running, I've hopped back on my long-lost pal the eliptical. I can't even tell you how long it's been since I was on one of those.. I used it during my achilles/ankle issues back after my 1st Steelhead when I was training for Age Group Nationals.. and I used it back when I was pregnant with Mason.. But other than those short periods, since starting triathlon and running, I haven't been on the machine.. But it's not too bad.. for now.. Today I did the eliptical and a bit of the stair mill..got a good sweat in, while looking longingly out the window at the beautiful sunrise.. if I could take the machine out there, I think I might be OK.. maybe set one up on my back deck overlooking the water feature(pond/lake..whatever..it's man made, so I call it a water feature)? we'll see what I can work out..or maybe I'll just get healthy so I can start running again..sounds good. After a couple short, easy spins on the trainer..all of which gave me little to no hope that I had much more riding time left in this pregnancy, I finally got out to ride.. and it wasn't bad at all! I don't know what the deal is with the trainer, but my stomach cramps up pretty bad and just isn't a pleasant activity at all.. But riding.. other than a little muscle weakness/soreness in my low back/glutes that I can feel if I'm pushing up a hill.. it was lovely! And I can always just drop down in gears and spin out the hills to relieve the pain.. so looks like I still have some riding days left.. thank goodness! Swimming..is swimming.. Nothing too exciting there. Been pulling more to keep my back in line. No issues with my shoulder when I swim, which is good. Baby boy still doesn't love swimming, so I have about a 45min window of swim time before it just gets uncomfortable.. But...the outdoor pool opens this saturday!! Yay! Cannot wait. That indoor pool, though it does the trick and hasn't been too terribly hot.. it sure gets crowded and rough to enjoy a swim in there. So with all those long, luxury lanes in the outdoor pool..should make for some relaxing swimming.. Hope the little guy likes it! Not too much else going on here. Matt is going to go to his 1st..and I'll say probably his 'only' Indy 500 this sunday. Our neighbor had a ticket..in a box seat, or something? Not sure what the race track is like or what box seats there are? But anyway..they're going.. Not me, though. Still no desire. I hope to get a ride or 2 in, probably a swim or 2..some solo laps and some family time! Mason is about as excited about the outdoor pool (he calls it a 'beach'.. is that funny or sad.. I can't decide) as I am, so that should be fun. It's always cool to see how much he changes summer to summer.. you don't notice little day to day things as much, but there's a pretty clear difference from year to year on how Mason acts in the pool and what he can do, etc.. so I'm looking forward to that! A fun way to pass the summer time as we wait for our little one to be ready to join us. And that's it!