Training

So now I consider myself training for labor. I've been going to the gym every chance I get, instead of napping, LOL, because I figure I won't work out for 4-6wks once this baby pops on out. Going in the afternoon is different from my usual mornings. It's more crowded. The crowd is younger. And stares more.

39w,2d!

Status Quo

My goal now is to just avoid excuses and not lose steam as I barrel toward this baby's birthday.
While I generally feel fantastic, I'll be honest and run through my short list of complaints. Right now I struggle with staying properly hydrated in this heat. I hate having to pee every 15minutes, especially if I'm not just hanging out at home. But I get lots of pressure and braxton hicks in the evening if I don't stay on top of it. And if I don't, it takes a couple days of being well hydrated for the nightly braxton hicks performance to leave town.
The pelvic pain has started to be there every morning no matter what. This is about when it started in my previous pregnancy too. It makes it suck to sit up in bed or try to put on regular underwear, let alone jimmy up the shaper to get out for a run. During runs lately, I have a lot of lactic acid build up in my calves. I don't know if there's something in-discernibly different about my form or what, but in burns. And then I get charlie horses in the middle of the night, disturbing my unusually-great-for-9mo-pregnant sleep. Keeping hydrated and couple bananas keeps the charlie horses at bay, but I don't know what is up with the burn while I run.
And sometimes I'm just so tired. But a couple weeks ago, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had two days in a row where I didn't get in a real workout, just some walking and pool time with my daughter. I didn't feel more energized. I was still tired, but then also feeling crappy about having not worked out. So, suck it up and get it done. According to James Clapp's book, to get the full benefits of exercising through a pregnancy, I have to keep it up at 75%+ of my pre-pregnancy routine, all the way to the end. And if I were to quit, the uber-placenta I've grown with all the exercise would fatten up the baby with the calories I had been burning. I'm not so much worried about a fat baby, since fat is squishy, but if the head is going to get bigger, that's not so cool. Anyway, between chiropractic care and the exercise, this baby better just slide right out!

Here are my latest pics, one of me geared up to run, and another regular one, just to compare how much the shaper sucks that belly in tight. I wonder if the baby will be affected by my pregnancy habits. Like will the running mean the baby has to be bounced to sleep. And will my use of the shaper mean the baby likes to be tightly swaddled... We'll see!

Ego boost!

I mostly find my confidence from within but it's definitely still nice to hear something complimentary! The clerk at the front desk of my gym told me that I was 'so beautiful' and marveled that I was still up on the machines going strong. Then a little bit later at Costco, I was at will-call picking up my jamba juice gift cards ($50 worth for just $39.99!), and a female employee came up to me and told me that I was "doing something right" because my body is "bangin'" and told me to shut up when I told her I was 7mo along.
So either prenatal exercise is doing my body right, or those purple yoga shorts are magical! LOL

AND! I did look up more info on water workouts a while ago and wanted to post a link for anyone who was looking for ideas:
http://www.theharrier.com/marcbloomrunning/trn/waterworkouts.php

Argh, the wind!

What is with this crazy weather?! Yesterday it was 80 and super windy. Today it's 55 and super windy. Cramping my usual outdoor workouts. My sinuses are killing me as is, so I've opted out of running in swirls of dust and pollen. Also, we're up against a deadline at work and when I'm on a roll, I hate to quit. So I've been brushing up on my OnDemand options after work! The ExerciseTV ten minute and twenty minute workouts have been fun and not that hard to modify for the burgeoning belly.

Tomorrow's the day!

And I'm ready to run!
I've read that everything you wear/use on a race should be road tested, but I became worried that the 8 water stations wouldn't be enough for me, so I went belt shopping. But... I'm already wearing a support belt for the belly. And those snazzy belts are pricey. So I opted for a handheld bottle with a soft strap. The strap has a pocket where I can put my gels. I usually hold my phone and keys on my outdoor runs, so I figure an ergonomic bottle should be okay.
The only thing I'm worried about is what to eat in the morning. I don't want to have to go #2 out on the course. I was thinking just eggs, but a friend suggested that I need carbs... I've been doing my long runs early in the morning and not eating anything beforehand. But maybe I'll take her suggestion of a banana and peanut butter toast.

Half Marathon

Working out can get boring without a goal. And pregnancy in itself has so many built-in excuses to just not make the effort. I decided early on my goal would be a half marathon. I didn't have an event in mind and at first thought that I wouldn't really do one, I just wanted to know I could run that kind of distance. 5k or 10k didn't seem challenging enough since I was regularly doing rigorous cardio for 1hr+.
So I run Tuesday through Thursday at 10min intervals 3x throughout the day. It really helped with my nausea in the beginning. And the fatigue that was exacerbated by my 10hr work days. Fridays and Saturdays I cross train on the elliptical and bike for 40min and do a chest, arms and back routine with weights. Then Sunday is my long run, increasing in distance from 5mi every week. Monday is rest, with a focus on stretching. And I try to do a leg/butt routine on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, but no later in the week because I learned early that long runs kind of suck when your muscles are sore!
I hit a wall early, at 7mi. Eating before and immediately after the long run wasn't cutting it, especially with how long the runs take since I have to keep my level of exertion at a pace that I could maintain a conversation (12+min mi after the first 4mi). I was getting hungry during the run. I really thought about maxing out there, since I wasn't preparing for an actual event. But a mom-athlete friend of mine, Jessica, suggested energy gels. Success! With the energy gels (honey stinger gold and strawberry banana gu being my faves so far), I feel energized and accomplished at the end of a long run, rather than like I just want to eat and pass out.
So, a few weeks ago, I learned about a half near me: Six Tunnels to the Dam. I can take as long as I need to finish because there's no traffic. It's not hilly. And it's March 13th, and I'll be 21wks, perfect timing for me to peak in my distance!