Hello Lover!

I popped my new treadmill's cherry with a three mile run!

Yes, we FINALLY got the treadmill delivered and installed.  It went a lot smoother the second time around.  The delivery people came at 8:00 and thank goodness, it was a different set of guys.  Dave already had a plan formulated in his head about how he wanted them to try it and was prepared as soon as they rang the doorbell.  The guys came in, looked at the staircase and said, "Oh yeah, we can do this."  Dave explained to them the last guys said they couldn't because of the pallet, height of the treadmill, etc.  These delivery guys were a little taken back that they were not the first ones to do this delivery and then said, "You've got the right guys."

Lo and behold, they took it down the stairs exactly how Dave told the other guys to take it down the stairs.  They had it in the house and set up in 20 minutes.  The guys on Monday spent 20 minutes bitching about it.  Dave tipped them well and we will be following up with customer service to let them know they did a good job.

Now on to the treadmill.  It's freakin' amazing!  It's got all the bells and whistles (except for a water bottle holder - SEND IT BACK!!!).  I love that I finally have a treadmill that inclines.  And I love having one touch buttons to do the speed and incline.  Dave utilized the awesome display and did a run up Haleakala (and huffed and puffed his way through it).  I can't wait to set up my iFit account and see what awesome runs I can create (like running the Boston course again and again and again).  The best part about the treadmill, seriously, is how quiet it is.  I didn't have to have the TV at max volume to hear it.  This all means that I will be able to wake up early and hit the treadmill at an ungodly hour to do a run while Dave is still in bed and not wake him.

Do you run on a treadmill regularly?  Do you have a favorite treadmill workout?  Do you find treadmill running beneficial or not to add to your regular set of workouts?

What a Disaster

Yesterday we were supposed to have our new treadmill delivered.  Notice I said supposed to.  Let's just say, nothing about the delivery went smoothly.

Dave bought a big monster treadmill - the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 (bought from Sears).  It's big; it's strong; tt's got all the bells and whistles.  It's meant to RUN on and used extensively.  And why wouldn't we buy something this big and powerful?  We're runners.  Real runners.  We'll use the hell out of that thing.  This big monster treadmill is exactly that - big and monstrous.  It's 3 feet wide, it's 81 inches (just under 7 feet) long, and it ways a whopping 350 pounds.  Store all that information in the back of your mind....

The whole delivery started off badly.  The delivery window given to us on Sunday was between 1:30 and 3:30.  This suited us well - Dave works from home and I get off work at noon.  At 12:30, though, Dave called me (I was at the grocery store) and said I needed to hurry home because the delivery guys said they'd be there at 1:00 and he had his daily meeting at 1:00.  I would need to handle the delivery.  Um, what?  You bought this thing; you deal with the delivery.  Who complains about a delivery coming early?  We do.  It was interrupting our scheduled.  Sure enough, the delivery showed up exactly at 1:00.  Dave's computer was ringing off the hook for his meeting, the doorbell was ringing, and the dog was barking.  We let the delivery guys in who looked at the space and started doing measurements (the treadmill was going to the basement).  Dave went up to his meeting, gave his updated in about 3 minutes, and then he was back down to help the delivery guys.

We have a newer house which means, of course, none of our staircases goes straight up or straight down.  To go to the basement, you go down three steps to a landing, left turn, three steps to a landing, right turn, and down the remainder of steps to the basement.  While this is a pain in the ass, everything is up to code.  We have 36 inch doorways and hallways, along with ceilings that are at least 8 feet tall.  The delivery guys took one look at our staircase and said, nope, it wasn't going to work.  He started doing measurements and said there was no way.  Well, don't eff with two engineers!  We took our measurements and heck yeah it would work.  We asked them to take it out of the box to move it to the basement and they said that the box was exactly the same size as the treadmill (there's no way in hell this is true).  The one dude wanted to try it, but the other guy was defiant.  He said he had only successfully delivered these treadmills to houses that had double doors or if it was being moved into a garage.  Come on!  Sears would not sell a treadmill that could only be sold to a hand-full of people.  He wanted us to sign a waiver that he would not be held responsible for damage to the basement or the treadmill.  And he quantified that with saying "something will get damaged."  Because we thought the guy was an asshat and would deliberately do something to cause damage, we decided not to sign the waiver.  The other dude got mad and just said, "come on we're wasting time."  They packed up and left.  Not only did they not even try to move the treadmill to the basement, they didn't even bring it in the house, didn't even get it off the truck!

I have reached the point of my pregnancy where I'm either full-on rage or crying about something trivial (like those silly Iams commercials with the giant dog and the female soldier).  By the end of this, I was a little bit of both.  Dave, who NEVER gets mad or upset, was also fuming.  I immediately took to Twitter (because, duh!) and called out Sears and their incompetency.  Funny enough, they got back to me instantly and said they were assigning a case manager.  I went to bed and took a nap.  Dave went back to work.  I woke up a couple hours later and asked Dave if they (Sears) called.  He said no.  I asked him if he had called Sears.  He said no.  Again...pregnancy...rage....I had to leave the house to cool off.  When I returned a few hours later, I really hadn't cooled off and let it all out.  I swear, I was going to go into labor I was in such a rage.  Dave, the calmer of the two of us, finally called Sears and talked to two different people.  First they assumed that we wanted to file a complaint against the driver.  Yes, but, where the hell is our treadmill?  Dave got transferred to a supervisor and explained everything again.  It was decided to do the delivery again (tomorrow) and there is a note left with the drivers that they have to at least TRY to move it to the basement.  If they could not move it, they are being told they have to leave it and the shipping fee would be waived.  Frankly, I think the shipping fee should be waived anyway because THEY ALREADY DELIVERED IT!!!

Then Dave called NordicTrack.  Although we didn't order through them, their customer service was really helpful.  They told us when they deliver this same model, it actually comes disassembled and then is put together in the location the client wants it.  I guess the one from Sears comes fully assembled (as we asked them to remove the arms from it yesterday to help the move).  The NordicTrack people told us that if Sears cannot deliver it, that we can call them and they will give us instructions for how to disassemble it and put it back together.  At least somebody's helping us out!

This weekend is our baby shower.  Let's hope we don't need to ask our friends to help us move pieces and parts to the basement.

Monday's Menu

Like the rest of the world, I am addicted to Pinterest. Although I don't pin too much, I do enjoy looking through it on a daily basis and if something really sparks me, I'll go ahead and pin it.

I have a board on Pinterest titled "Yummy".  I have basically only used this board to pin desserts because, well, that's the kind of food I like.  Every once in a while I will pin a different type of food or recipe, but mostly just desserts.  With my interest in becoming a better cook, trying new recipes, etc. in 2013, I might have to start another board with real food (not just desserts).

One thing I have really missed since becoming pregnant is an occasional alcoholic drink.  I miss a glass of wine to unwind the day.  I miss my margaritas with tacos.  I missed not being able to celebrate New Year's with a tasty treat.  However, I have found some interesting alternatives that while they may not be direct substitutes, they have certain been an good non-alcoholic interpretation.  I found one on Pinterest (see below) that Dave and I made for New Year's dinner with the family.

 

Source: sweettreatsmore.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

Here's how we made it:
Mostly ginger ale (we wish we had bought the diet stuff)
A scoop of frozen limeade
A dash of grenadine

Overall, it was pretty good.  I wish we had mixed it a little more because as you got to the bottom the limeade was so strong it would pucker your face. Most of the family drank it and enjoyed it, so I guess it was a hit.  I will definitely make it again before the end of this pregnancy.

Week in Review

Monday - Off

Tuesday - 2000 yard swim, 20 X 100.
You can read about this swim here.

Wednesday -3.5 mile run/walk treadmill
First time in over 4 weeks that I've been able to include some running into my workouts!!

Thursday - 1000 yard swim
I didn't have much time on Thursday (and can't remember why), but I grabbed a pull buoy and just did 1000 yards straight.

Friday - Off

Saturday - 4.2 mile run/walk
Two great run/walks in one week?  A pregnancy miracle!

Sunday - Off

Totals
Walk/Run - 7.7 miles
Swim - 3000 yards (This is almost as much swimming as I did all of last year!)

I'm Back, Y'all

Dave has made a goal for 2013 to work out 6 days a week (during January) and to include at least two workouts of each discipline (swim, bike, run) for the week.  Wednesday he wanted to do a bike workout so I joined him in the basement on the treadmill.  The plan was to walk for whatever amount of time he was on his bike.  Recently my workouts have all been crap.  Even walking has felt labored and difficult.  But as soon as I started on Wednesday it was completely different.  I had energy and the walk felt okay.  So I decided to press my luck and try a little jogging too.  I did 5 minutes of walking and then 2-1/2 minutes of jogging.  And it felt okay.  So I kept up that sequence the whole workout.  When I hit three miles, my usual distance to stop, I still felt good and Dave wasn't done with his workout, so I kept going.  In the end I did 3-1/2 miles of run/walk.  I was really proud of myself for that effort (and Dave kept saying it too). 

Then today we met the group for our usual Saturday workout.  Dang it was cold this morning...20 degrees.  I layered up like I was going sledding because I knew it would just be a walk.  (Side note, I think Dave was wearing more layers than I was and he was running.)  The trail had been plowed, however, there was still quite a bit of ice on it which made it very treacherous.  Being that I'm a little off balance anyway, I took it nice and slow in the icy spots.  Once onto the other side of the freeway, the path was good and it was flat and I was able to do a little bit of running.  I was listening to my iPod so it was one song walk, one song jog.  I continued this pattern as long as the trail was good.  When I returned to the starting point after three miles, I still felt good so I continued around the snow covered trail around the lake for another 1.2 miles.  In all I did 4.2 miles run/walk which is the longest distance I've done since finding out I was pregnant.

For 27 weeks into this pregnant, I'm excited I'm still able to do a little bit of running.

20 X 100 (New Year's Swim)

Most of my triathlete/swimming friends like to do a 100 X 100 swim on New Year's Day.  Honestly, I've never really entertained the thought of doing that many 100 or that far of distance, but since swimming is the only form of exercise I can do right now without feeling like a cow, I thought I would do my own brand of New Year's Swim.  Dave and I decided to do 20 or 25 X 100 with a variety of 100s.  The thought was to do 5 X 100 swim, 5 X 100 swim with fins, 5 X 100 kick, 5 X 100 pull, 5 X 100 repeat.  But when we started this, I just wasn't feeling it.  So we mixed it up a little.  Instead we did 3 X 100 swim, 100 swim with fins, 100 kick, 100 pull, 100 swim.  The kicks felt absolutely awful on this pregnant body.  AWFUL!!!  I could not get comfortable on the kickboard.  I did two with the kickboard and then the third I did on my back, but still felt like crap.  I even walked half the pool with my flippers on.

After 1500 I was just beat.  I really didn't want to do anymore.  But, Dave was feeling it and he said, "Last 500 choice."  I grabbed my pull buoy, my toy of choice, and started my last set of 5 X 100.  When I got to the wall, Dave was still going.  I asked him if he lost count and he said no, he was just going to keep going.  Well, sure, I can do that.  So I did the next 400 straight swim with a pull buoy. 

20 X 100ish.  2000 yards.  BOOM!!!

13 in '13

Last year I sent 12 goals for myself and called in "12 for 2012". I didn't accomplish all the goal as I didn't really foresee getting pregnant in the middle of the year either.  I did accomplish quite a few, though.  I was excited to set new PRs, race in new state, and complete 12 races despite finding out I was pregnant in late July.

2013 is a big question mark.  January 1st came really fast and I realized I didn't have any resolutions or goals set yet.  It's hard for me to set these goals both personally and athletically as I have no idea what's going to happen after the baby is born.  But, I think it's important to set goals.  And Dave and I have already talked about equal time training despite having a baby.  Running/triathlon is important to us and having a baby isn't going to change that.  Maybe that sounds selfish - I think it's the right kind of selfish.  I don't want to be one of those chicks who becomes all about her kid and loses herself.  Anyway....onto the goals.

(I will be posting these as a page link at the top of the blog soon.)

1. Original size and weight
Yes, I know, I know.  It's going to take some time to get back to where I was pre-pregnancy.  But, if I don't set it as a goal, I'm not sure I have the willpower to do it on my own.  I love junk food.  I love being lazy.  But, I also love my skinny jeans.  I have a beach vacation planned in September so that's where I am targeting to hopefully get as close as I can to where I was before baby.

2. Unspoken Running Goal #1
This year I've decided to keep some of my running goals to myself.  This will help me deal with the anxiety of publicly having to live up to a big goal.  This one is a BIG one and one I totally think I can do.

3. New PR
I've probably only got a few years left of trying to achieve a new PR.  I'm not really sure what new PR I'm going to go after as I have no idea what races or distances I am going to do in 2013, but I'm hoping there is a new PR in the new year.

4. Run a Trail Race
It's hard to believe in my 11+ years of running that I have not done a trail race.  Personally, I love pounding the pavement, but my running style lends itself well to trail running (or at least that's what I think because I'm also a good snow runner).  Trail racing has been growing in size in Columbus during the last year with many more races and series.  I hope to get in on the action this year.

5. Read 12+ Books
This goal is on my list every year.  Unfortunately, it's been many years since I've actually accomplished it.  Now that I know how to download books straight from the library to my iPad, I think I'll be doing a lot more reading, especially since there will be many, many night feedings.

6. Run 1000 miles
I was totally on track this amount of miles and beyond in 2012, but obviously the training came to a screeching halt after I found out I was pregnant.  This is a goal that's going to be difficult to accomplish as the first 4+ months of the year will involve very little running/walking.

7. Run 12 Races
Again, another difficult task given that I probably won't be doing any races until May at the earliest.  But, I would like to race more, shorter races, which require much less recovery and can be done more often.

8. Eat in every meal, every day, for a month
There is a lot behind this goal.  First of all, Dave and I eat out a lot.  It's so easy to do where we live as we are within a mile or two of basically every restaurant in America.  But, that food is bad for us and we spend a lot of money eating out.  We got good about it for a few months last year when we gave ourselves a cash allowance for eating out, but then we got lazy again and just started pulling out the credit card.  We still plan on doing the cash allowance for eating out, but planning on eating in more so we can put that money in our pockets.  The other thought behind this goal is post-baby.  First of all, we just won't be able to eat out.  It will be a heck of a lot more difficult.  But, the verdict is still out regarding my return to work.  Right now we're leaning towards me staying home, but we want to reevaluate our budget and make sure we can do it.  Part of that involves, for myself, providing that we can eat in and save money.  Plus it will help us get better about meal planning and grocery shopping.  Something we completely suck at.  We have already started this goal in January.  So far, so good.

9. Learn to cook; try new food/recipes
This goal definitely goes with the one above.  Confession....Dave does the majority of the cooking in the house.  I'm just not good at it and he is.  But, I want to learn to cook better.  I want to learn to like new food instead of my pizza and burgers diet.  I don't know exactly how to measure this goal (a goal has to be measurable, after all) but maybe I'll bring back my "Monday's Menu" segment of the blog to show we're trying new things.  Maybe some pictures to prove that I'm the one doing the cooking?

10. Unspoken Running Goal #2
Yep, another goal I want to keep to myself.  This one's a big one and will take a lot of work.

11. Take More Pictures
I love to take pictures.  I love to appear in pictures more, though.  :)  I always have at least one camera with me, pretty much all the time.  And yet, I rarely take pictures anymore.  I think this will be an easier goal once the kiddo comes along.  Yeah, I'm gonna be one of those moms who posts pictures of her kids all the damn time.  Get ready internet!

12. Blog Everyday
Obviously, I already started this one in October.  I plan on going every day for a year whether that means calling it quits mid-October when I hit one year or going all the way until December 31st.  I'm wondering how difficult this will be post-baby.  I'm also wondering how difficult this will be once I start training again, as I'd kinda like to keep my training and racing details a little more private in 2013.

13. Learn How to Flip Turn
Frankly, I'm too good of a swimmer to not be flip turning.  I do know how to flip turn, I just can't really use it in practice.  My stroke tends to be a little erratic and gets a little off for using the flip turn every time.  I also finds that it zaps my energy to flip turn.  But, I really want to learn to use it all the time and put it into practice.

What do you think of the list?  Are any of these goals on your list?  What goals are you striving for in 2013?

December and 2012 Totals

December is the month I started slowing down.  After Thanksgiving, I think I switched to all walking.  Running and using the elliptical just got to be too much and I left most workouts crying.  That's just not worth it.  So I put on my big girl panties and said, "You know what?  I'll just walk then."  And I did.  And I started to add some swimming back in.  And I experimented with yoga.  Overall I think it was a successful month.

December

Swim - 1500 yards

Run/Walk - 43.25 miles

Other - 1.5 hours (snow shovel, yoga)

YMCA Visits - 13

YMCA Cost per Visit - $5.75

Wow!  What a year it has been.  I started the year battling the deepest depression I've ever had, which I conclude was more of a mental breakdown than anything.  I fought through it with the help of a couple of different doctors, a very patient husband, and running therapy.  And then I started to have fun, which yielded great results.  I finally was starting to get my head back in the game.  I started to use my bike as a form of transportation and enjoyed biking without the pressure of triathlon.  Then the shocker - I was pregnant, which obviously, changed my running plans.  I kept running, though, and even did some races while I was pregnant.  We joined the YMCA and started to get back to swimming.  I think 2012 was a great year.  I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store.

2012

Swim - 5300 yards

Bike - 96.15 miles

Run/Walk - 880.7 miles

Other - 12.25 hours

Happy New Year

Books Read 2012

My goal every year is to read 12 or more books.  I wish I read a lot more like Kyria, but alas, one book a month will have to do.  Unfortunately, I fell a little short of that goal this year.  The problem was I got bogged down in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".  Yeah, I know, it's like 100 pages and an easy read, but I wasn't enjoying it.  So I stopped reading it and then I took a several month break from reading.  I want to finish it, though, as I was 2/3 of the way through it, so I'm back on the waiting list at the library and I guess the book will have to count towards my 2013 reading.  But I think reading is going to get a little easier and quicker as I've learned how to download books from the library to my iPad and you can only check them out for a maximum of 21 days before they disappear.  Guess I'll have to actual read them instead of renew them or just pay the late fees.

Onto the list:

1. "The Happiness Project" by Gretchin Rubin
This book was given to me by a friend who knew I was going through a really rough patch.  Unfortunately that rough patch was more like a nervous breakdown, which needed more help than a book could provide.  Dave and I both read this book and were able to pull ideas from it that have helped us this year in different ways.  This is a good book to read at the start of the year when wanting to radically change your life for the next 12 months.

2, 3, and 4. "The Hunger Games", "Catching Fire", "Mockingjay" all by Suzanne Collins
Dave and I bought The Hunger Games trilogy so that we could read it before the movie(s) came out.  Dave flew through all three books in about 3 days.  It took me a bit longer.  I loved Hunger Games and it made the movie so much better.  I kinda felt like the other two books were repeats of the first book, however, I did like the way Suzanne Collins ended the series.

5. "What do you want to do before you die?" by The Buried Life
I'm kinda obsessed with Life Lists (bucket lists) and absolutely love The Buried Life guys.  I thought this book would be a more than it was.  This was basically a picture book of other people's items on their life lists with very little stories about people actually accomplishing items on their lists.

6. "It Looked Different on the Model" by Laurie Notaro
Laurie Notaro is far and away my favorite comedy writer.  My favorite book of all time is "The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club".  Although nothing will be as funny as that book, this one was really good and funny.

7. "Belly Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy
I've got to admit, I haven't read a single book about pregnancy, child birth, or how to raise a kid.  I don't know if I'm totally screwed or doing the right thing and soaking my mind with worries I don't need.  Anyway, I did really "Belly Laughs" which was funny but not really informational.

8. "Running on Empty" by Marshall Ulrich
Ummm, I don't know.  I'm so burnt out on running/triathlon books.  There's not much I don't know about running.  Not that this book was really about running.  It was about running away from problems.  I know several people in real life who use their running to escape life.  I like to think I use my running as therapy but live in the real world.

9. "Let's Pretend this Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson
Another comedy book.  Very, very funny.  A good recommendation from a friend on Facebook.

10. "Crossing Over" by Ruth Irene Garrett
Anyone could have finished this book in about a day.  It took me four weeks.  The story could have been over in half the number of pages.  Yawn.

Overall, I call it a down year for books.  I'm having trouble finding a book that I can be excited about.  I've asked for recommendations and have gotten a few.  I'm not a fast reader so I don't like to get bogged down in long books.  If you have any good recommendations, please let me know.  I'm going to try harder in 2013 (I'm so sure (sarcasm) that will be possible once the baby comes) to read more.

Week in Review

Monday - 1500 yard swim - 300 swim, 800 pull, 400 swim

Tuesday - 3 mile neighborhood walk with Dave
Being that it was Christmas and we both had the day off, Dave and I bundled up and took to the neighborhood for a longer walk.  It was slower than normal (I'm getting slower) but it was good to get it done.

Wednesday - 1/2 hour shoveling snow
I know, I know.  Go ahead and stone me about why I should not have been shoveling snow.  But, I thought I could just use this snow shoveling as a workout.  I have an ergonomic shovel and I was being safe.  Later in the night, though, my back was killing me.  I've had issues during this pregnancy with previous injuries and shoveling the snow definitely aggravated them.  I slept horribly and by Thursday I was still feeling pretty crappy.  Next time I'll make Dave get the snow blower out of the basement instead of using the shovel.

Thursday -  1.5 mile walk, treadmill / 1 hour prenatal yoga
This was hilarious.  First of all, I'm not too much into the yoga thing.  I don't really feel like I get a whole lot out of it and overall I find it kind of boring.  But, I thought maybe I should try it again now as I'm not very flexible and maybe it could help me in the whole labor and delivery process.  So, I did a prenatal yoga video at home.  The people in the video show you how to modify each pose depending on your trimester.  Sure, I probably could have been following the third trimester poses, but since I'm a little small and still can reach okay, I followed the second trimester poses.  My dog kept helping me out too by bringing me her toys or sitting right in front of me.  But my favorite part was at the very end of the exercise when you lay on your side and go through the mediation and relaxation.  I kid you not, my dog crawled up next to me and laid down on her back and did the same thing.  I wish I had a picture of this. 

Friday - Off

Saturday - 3 mile winter wonderland walk

Sunday - Off

Totals:
Swim - 1500 yards
Walk - 7.5 miles
Other - 1 hour yoga, 1/2 hour shoveling

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Man, winter has hit hard this year and there's no end in sight!  Last night, the forecast called for 2-4 inches of new snow.  Dave and I went hung out with friends last night and when we left their house after midnight, it had yet to start snowing.  The forecast had called for the snow to be between 7:00pm and 1:00am so we figured, hmmm, this storm is going to miss us.  I checked the radar before we went to bed and it showed snow and lots of it, yet there was no snow outside.

Being that I can only sleep two hours at a time without having to get up and go the bathroom I was able to see throughout the night that was indeed snowing.  A LOT!!

When we got up in the morning for our group run, we had a lot of new snow on the ground.  Looks like we got about 6 inches of fresh snow, which made for our run/walk to be quite fun.  And beautiful!  Dang, I wish I had brought my camera!  It was quite, the snow was falling, and I was all alone on the trails.  I absolutely love winter running (walking).  It was a slow three mile walk, but it was so refreshing.  Dave managed to get in 6 hilly, snowy miles.  We celebrated with hot chocolates at Starbucks. 

Although I really wish I could run (or sled ride) in this weather, I'm so glad I can get out and still enjoy it.

26 Weeks

Thursday Thoughts

For the third year in a row I will be spending my New Year's Eve working.  This is the third year we have a wedding on this date.  Feels a little strange to be having a wedding on a Monday, but NYE weddings are big business and we'll take the business.  I'm too old to be going out and partying on my NYE, but I sometimes miss the days of staying at home in my pajamas to watch the ball drop on TV and then immediately going to bed at 12:01.  :)

Do you have awesome NYE plans?  What's your favorite thing to do on New Year's?  What will you be drinking that I can't have until next year?  Do you even stay up until midnight on New Year's?  Will you be running a race on New Year's Day?

Christmas 2012

Did you have a good Christmas?  Did you clean up on the loot?

Our Christmas was spread out over several days.  We spent last weekend in Cleveland with Dave's family celebrating.  I had to work on Christmas Eve, so we celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just the two of us.  We realized it was the first time in the 13 years we've been together that we attended Christmas Eve services just the two of us.  Both of us had to work today, the day after Christmas, a day we are getting a major snow storm, and the day we were supposed to celebrate Christmas with my family. Because of the snow storm, though, we had emergency Christmas in the morning, in which everyone descended on my parents' house, unwrapped presents quickly, and got home before we got snowed in.

Although I expected a Christmas full of gifts for the baby, I was surprised to only get two baby gifts and everything else was for ourselves.  Nice, because this will be the last time this happens, but also makes me a little nervous because we have absolutely NOTHING for the baby.

I got all of what I asked for on my list:

• Socks - 12 pair, I kid you not
• Running shoes - 2 pair - I'm set for all of 2013
• Headbands - I got two Sparkly Soul headbands.  One in grey and one in red, my favorite color.  Now I can't wait for my hair to grow long enough to use them.
• 2013 calendar - I had barely taken it out of the wrapping paper and I had already written appointments in it.
• Gift cards - I got two Old Navy gift cards which I'm going to use one for maternity clothes and one for after I have the baby in the transitional phase as I'm losing the weight.  I also got two iTunes gift cards totaling $75.  I am set for music for a while.  My iPod is going to rock!
• Mug/Thermos - I got three thermoses actually.  One is a Stanley mug that keeps things cold or hot for up to 6 hours.  We tested this and yes, things were warm at 6 hours and still hot through 4.  I also got two other basic travel mugs which will be great if drinking the drink right away.  One was a girly color and the other was not.  I think Dave and I will both use these.

Some other stuff I got that's awesome:

• LED shoelaces.  They light up blue and will be awesome for running or walking at night or if I get the opportunity to do another overnight relay race.
• Air mattress.  When we created the baby's room, we got rid of our guest room, essentially, including our guest queen-sized bed.  I don't know how I feel about having overnight guests once baby comes, but at least we have an air mattress now for them to sleep on.
• Household products.  This gift was quite funny.  My parents have a membership to Sam's Club and got each of the adults in the family their own giant gift.  Dave and I combined got toilet paper, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, paper towels, Gatorade, etc.  This was a great gift.
• As I mentioned we got two baby gifts.  We got a Magic Bullet Baby Bullet that we will use to make and freeze our own baby food once baby starts eating real food.  And then my sister's family made Dave, me, and baby matching Ohio State tie-dye shirts.  They're really cute and perfect for football season.
• Finally, the most unexpected, biggest, and maybe greatest gift of all time.....Dave got me a new treadmill.  Seriously.  We have an old one that has seen better days.  It has sliders and a stretched out belt.  It no longer inclines.  And I alone have probably put 1000 miles on it.  The new one comes WiFi enabled where you can program in routes and the machine adjusts for the routes.  It has a heavy duty belt that he got the extended warranty on.  I has one touch buttons to control speed.  Not only does it incline, it also declines up to 3%.  This is a dream machine.  I cannot wait for it to be delivered next month.  It will be so helpful after baby arrives and my time outside may not be what it once was and it will also help me get back in shape.  

Overall, a great Christmas.  I'm glad it's over, though.  Now it's 100% concentration on baby, baby, baby!!!

Merry Christmas from the Gordons

Pregnant Seahorse

I love that it looks like there is a pregnant seahorse right in the middle of my big, pregnant belly on my swimsuit.

Dave had today, Christmas Eve off.  I, unfortunately, had to work.  But since I only work part time, we had a few hours in the afternoon to run errands and hit the pool.  I haven't been to the pool in a few weeks and Dave hadn't been there in over a year.  I've gotten quite rounder in those three weeks.  This was going to be interesting.

The plan was to swim 3 X 500.  Dave's plan was to survive 1000 yards, somehow.  I pushed off first and it was barely 10 strokes in he was already passing me.  Good gosh.  I have slowed that much in the pool too?!  After a few laps I looked up and he was already resting on the wall and I was still going.  Sure, I may not have the speed right now, but I've still got some swim endurance.  By the time I reached 300 yards, I was feeling a little gassy and needed to stop before I threw up and then everyone would be done with their swim.  ;)  I did a few calculations in my head and decided to make it 5 X 300 instead.  The next set I would pull the 300.  300 came and went and I was feeling comfortable.  500 came and went.  Well, shoot, I might as well make it 800 yards at this point.  And then I took a break again.  Dave said he was done.  I still had 400 yards left.  I did these regular stroke with kick.  It always feel so funny to go back to kicking after using the pull buoy.  It feels even weirder when you're pregnant because it's hard enough to keep your butt and feet up when your belly is pulling you down. 

And then I was finished.  Dave said he was impressed with how consistent I was in the pool.  Running is virtually non-existent at this point, so I need to make a more conscious effort to get my buns to the pool and continue to work out and be consistent.  Summer races are looming!!!

Week In Review

Monday - 2.15 mile walk, treadmill
Ugh.  That's about all I can say about every workout it seems.  How do those chicks run all the way through their pregnancies?  I've still got my eyes on 30 weeks, but everything is getting harder and harder.

Tuesday - 2 mile walk, neighborhood.
It was cold outside but Dave convinced me to get out of the house and walk this evening.  He thought it might be easier for me when it wasn't a gazillion degrees inside a gym.  He was right.  This walk seemed so much better than the previous day's, although I was certainly huffing and puffing (and freezing) the entire walk.

Wednesday -2 mile elliptical/walk treadmill
You can read about the meltdown here.

Thursday -Off

Friday - The scary 2 mile walk

Saturday and Sunday - Off
We spent the weekend out of town at the in-laws for Christmas

Totals - 8 miles of walking.  Things are starting to slow down.

The Scariest Thing

Friday was my favorite type of winter workout weather.  It was cold but not freezing and it was snowing - a very peaceful time to be out exercising.  I really wanted to do a walk and I didn't want it to be on the treadmill, so I bundled up in layers and headed out for a short two mile walk.  It was wonderful to not be walking on the treadmill and things were going great.  The snow had drifted in some spots and I kinda wished I had my YakTraks on, but I was getting it done nonetheless.  The wind was strong and caused me to really work in some spots.  As I made my way home and up the steps of the porch, I got really hot, and dizzy, and things started to go black.  All I could think was "oh crap, I'm going to pass out and land on the baby."  I found a way to open the door and yelled to Dave, "Help!  I don't feel well!!"  I sat myself on the floor before I did pass out and Dave came rushing down the stairs.  I kept telling him, "I'm hot.  I'm hot."  He helped me strip off some layers of clothes and take my shoes off.  My heart was pounding and Dave said my face was all red.  I sat on the floor a while until everything calmed down.  And then I felt fine. 

My mom thinks maybe I had a sudden drop in blood pressure or blood sugar.  It didn't worry me enough to call the doctor as I felt better afterwards.  Maybe I need to take it down a notch when I workout outside.  I'm just going to write it off as a freak thing and move on.  But scary!!!

My Christmas List

This was a weird Christmas to ask for any presents.  Sure, I always have a running list in my head, but it seems weird to be asking for things for myself when we have absolutely nothing for baby.  Nonetheless, I made a small Christmas list that would make my life easier post-baby.

Socks Galore!!!!
All of my socks are old and have hole in them.  Winter socks, summer socks, running socks.  I asked for all of them.

Running Shoes
I ALWAYS need a new pair of running shoes.  I thought it would be smart to stock up so that I would have some that would last me into summer and hopefully beyond.

Headbands
Last year I cut off all my hair into a pixie.  It was fun for a while but now it's growing out and it's just awful!  Hopefully it will be long enough for a pony tail or something makeshift by the time the baby comes because I know there will be days that not only do I not get to fix my hair, I probably won't even get to shower.  So, I asked for some of those Sparkly Soul headbands to hold back my hair.  I've heard good things about them.

2013 Calendar
I know I have electronics out the wazoo and can keep an electronic calendar, but there's something about keeping a paper calendar.  I love being able to write down appointments and to dos and to be able to scratch them out after finishing them.  I asked for a Moleskine calendar.  It's my favorite.

Gift Cards
It's hard to find clothes to fit me this year and I don't want to buy clothes that may or may not fit me after this pregnancy, so I asked for gift cards that would help me with maternity clothes and/or clothes post-pregnancy (Old Navy).  This is a toughie as it is a competitor to the retail outlet I work for, however, I'm not sure I'm returning to work after the baby is born (more on that in another post).  I also asked for iTunes gift cards.  You can never have enough music on the iPod.

Mug/Thermos
When I was training for ironman, I always wanted to have warm hot chocolate waiting for me when I got out of the cold pool in the winter.  And I did, but it required a trip to Starbucks and a gazillion dollars spent.  My goal for 2013 is to spend as little money on frivolous things as possible, including hot chocolate.  So, I asked for an insulated mug to take beverages with me, whether hot or cold. 

See, a pretty basic list.  I told my family that they can use this as a shell and build upon it or use it as a starting point for other gifts.  We'll see what they come up with.

Thursday Thoughts

I don't know about you, but I keep a rolling gift list in my head of things I want.  Only during Christmas time do I write it out on paper.  Tomorrow you can read all about that.  Today I want to know, what are you asking for for Christmas?  Any big ticket items?  Anything that's a must-have that you're going to be disappointed if you don't get.  Any gifts you're giving that are going to be super-awesome?

Another {bleep} Meltdown

Tonight, I had another epic meltdown.  It went something like this...


Actually, it wasn't as dramatic but it did involve being crawled up on the floor in front of the kitchen, crying, while Dave hugged me and Sloopy licked my tears away.

Let's start from the beginning.

After procrastinating as long as I could, I headed to the gym.  Alone.  Dave's foot has been bothering him this week so he decided to take the day off.  I have not had great workouts for a while and I was kinda hoping without the pressure of Dave breezing through his workout that I would be able to take my time and just enjoy myself.  I started on the elliptical.  I took all the resistance and climb off of it and just went slowly between 140-150 steps per minute.  Barely 3/4 of a mile into it my heart rate was above 140 and I was frustrated.  I stopped and moved to the treadmill.  Again, I've been doing my walking in the 14:XX/mile range, but because Dave wasn't there I decided to back off and only do about 17:00/miles.  Even this seemed like too much.  I've been experiencing really bad reflux, so getting warm and getting my heart rate up just makes me want to get sick.  Regardless, I pushed myself to finish two miles total between the elliptical and treadmill and called it a day.

Last week I read coach's blog about Quiet Confidence.  What I got from her post is something we've talked about before - stay away from social media!!!  More and more I've been feeling like maybe I should. (Minus the blog, of course.  I have total control on the blog.)  I've recently put some things out on Facebook that have not gotten the response I had expected, which has caused me to just get frustrated and delete the post entirely.  I like Facebook because it keeps me in touch with people from my past, but it has also left me frustrated as these are not my real friends and they do not know me at all, yet feel like they can just comment on whatever.

Anyway, after the rough workout and being that I was all alone, I turned my frustration to Facebook and posted this:

Feeling super discouraged. I'm not sure there are a whole lot of meaningful workouts left. I really can't run anymore, my heart rate gets too high on the elliptical, and I feel overheated and feel sick just walking 17:00+ min/miles. If I stopped doing anything I'll gain another 30 pounds before this baby is born. I don't have a lot of faith in losing the weight afterwards. What can I do?

I got a lot of responses.  Most were positive and reassuring and then some were just, in my opinion, dumb.  Telling me to relax, that it doesn't matter how much weight I gain, to make sure my baby was healthy. 

First of all,  I am going with the flow with this pregnancy and being so much more laid back and calm than I ever have in my life.  Seriously. 

Secondly, it may not really matter how much weight I gain because I'm going to gain what I gain, but if I don't have to gain those extra pounds, I don't want to.  All that weight has to come off and I know that's not going to be easy for me.  I do not want to gain 40, 50, or more pounds.  I'm nervous because I gained a lot in the last 10 weeks - about 17 pounds.  And I haven't even hit my third trimester yet.  I do not want to have stretch marks; I do not want to gain weight in my face, my arms, my butt; and damn right if I can do something about it I will.  I have always been self conscious about my weight and size.  I'm 5'1".  Every pound counts.  Pregnancy has not changed the way I feel about myself when I'm at a size I do not want to be at.  I knew this would be the hardest part about pregnancy for me.

Lastly, my baby is healthy.  Everything has been great with the pregnancy and with the baby.  I am doing things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, etc. to make sure the baby is healthy.  But, there are things I want and like to do to keep healthy - like working out.  I love running.  I love being fit and active.  It is my sanctuary.  If I can't do it, I might go insane.  Plus, I want to stay fit.  I do not want to have a whole year of trying to get the baby weight off.  I do not want to lose any of my muscle mass.  I want to be able to fit into my real clothes as soon as possible.  I want to race, really race, next summer.  If you can't understand this, then you don't know me at all.

By the end of today, my disappointment and sadness had just turned into anger and it took everything in my power not to delete the post entirely from Facebook.  I am going to think long and hard next time I want to post anything on Facebook about this pregnancy.  It's left me frustrated and angry with people.  This is MY pregnancy and I am doing it MY way. 

Non-Traditional Baby Shower

There are some things I absolutely despise about being a girl.  One of them is the "girl party."  You know what I'm talking about: bridal showers, baby showers, Tupperware parties, etc.  These are just dumb.  And let's face it, no one likes them.  So why do we continue to do it?  Is it like hazing?  The generations before us had to put up with that crap and you must too!

When you tell boys just how awful these parties are, they just kinda giggle and say, "come on, it can't be that bad."  Yes it can!  So when I told Dave that I would ABSOLUTELY NOT be having a traditional baby shower he wanted to know what all the fuss was about.  He did what he does best and googled it.  And wouldn't you know that the first entry that came up said, "UGGGGHHHH!!!"  See?  I told you so.

In the end, Dave agreed with me to have a non-traditional baby shower. What does this mean exactly?  Well, we're basically just throwing a party.  It's co-ed (and we have specified no kids - last hurrah, right?) and there will be food, adult beverages, X-box Kinect, board and card games, and of course, the photo booth.  We would love our guests to bring a gift, however, it's just whatever.  There are about 30+ people on the guest list and about 6 have RSVPed.  (If you were invited and you're reading this blog, please RSVP!!!)  We will not be having any stupid "baby shower" games like smelling dirty diapers or drinking things out of baby bottles, and we will not be opening presents in front of our guests (how uncomfortable).  We're hoping it's a good time.

My mom, though, was not all that keen to the idea of this non-traditional baby shower.  (Hazing?  Tradition?)  I caved and have agreed to have a more traditional shower the next day for all the women-folk.  I have said absolutely NO GAMES!!! 

What are your thoughts on these silly "girl parties"?  Do you actually like these types of parties?  What excuses do you use to get out of them?  What would you have done differently for your bridal/baby showers? 

I'm Streaking!!!

If you haven't noticed, I've been streaking.  Blog streaking.  In 2009 I blogged every single day and kinda really enjoyed it.  Not every day was an epic post, but every day was something.  Once I got going, it seemed pretty easy to come up withe something every day.  I wanted to try it again and just started doing it one day in October (the 21st to be exact).  This is my 58th day in a row I've blogged.  Most days it's been easy to come up with topics especially since every day is a new experience with being pregnant.  But, as winter is setting in, my workouts are getting less and less, and this pregnancy is dragging on, I'm finding it more difficult to come up with daily topics. 

I need your help.  I need topics.  What burning questions do you have for me?  Are there any topics you'd like me to write about?  Please leave me a comment below with a question or a topic.  Please!  I want to keep the streak alive, but I need your help!!!

Week In Review

Monday - 3 mile walk, treadmill
I fully expect my child to pop out hairless and be that way for several years.  Dave and I are both natural blondes and both of us were born without hair.  I looked liked the poster child for any cancer society until the age of three when I started growing hair.  Where am I going with this?  I kind of expected to go through this pregnancy without any heartburn.  Well, I haven't.  I've started to develop reflux in my throat following my afternoon nap.  Today I went for a power walk on the treadmill following my nap.  My throat was on fire!  Maybe I've got to rethink my nap or rethink what I'm eating for lunch.

Tuesday - 2 mile run/walk, treadmill
Dave and I have had a hectic week already.  The earliest we got to go to the gym today was 8:00pm.  I started my routine of 2-1/2 minutes walk, 2-1/2 minutes jog.  Dave must have had a lot of stress to sweat out because he was flying beside me.  He finished three miles and started his cool down before I had even finished two miles.  So, I just stopped.  Something's better than nothing, right?

Wednesday - Off
I had the busiest day today.  Work, doctor's appointment, longest phone conversation with our lawyer (business issues), had to drive across town to get some basketball tickets, basketball game.  I did not spend one hour at home before going to bed.  And this wasn't a "productive day" so it just felt like I lost a day.  

Thursday -3 miles elliptical
And the meltdowns continue.  The workout was going pretty well but I noticed my heart rate was starting to creep as it went on.  Of course, I was getting hotter.  And pregnant-er.  Somewhere towards the end of the workout, somehow my heart rate spiked over 150 and that's when everything fell apart.  I slowed down to 160 steps per minute, took off all resistance, and had no crossramp.  It was ridiculous.  Dave asked me if I was okay and I cried.  I freakin' cried.  I know it's going to be difficult to continue to workout the whole pregnancy; I'm just not ready to let go of it yet.

Friday - Off
Dave, miraculously, had the day off.  So we took the afternoon to finish our Christmas shopping and just spend time together instead of work off.  I'll take these days any day!

Saturday - 3 mile walk, Highbanks Metro Park, group workout
Either I was slow today or the group was fast today because they finished their 6 right about the same time I was finishing my 3.  Highbanks is a tough workout because of the hills and trails and landscape.  It was a good walk, though, and I'm glad I got out there.  The weather was good - can't ask for anything more than that for December.

Sunday - Off
Sundays are difficult.  I usually only get up in enough time to shower, eat, and head out to church without getting a workout in beforehand.  By the time we get home from church it's lunch, nap, and then chores until Sunday is over.  I've got to find a way to get another workout in during the week so I do not have to rely on Sundays.

And I've got to find a way to get back in the pool!!!

Totals - 11 miles

Oh no! Not chocolate!

I knew this easy pregnancy was too good to be true.  As I've inched my way closer and closer to my third trimester, I've noticed some symptoms.  I've started to get back pains, my feet are killing me with very little walking, I'm a little more tired than I was, and I know get heart burn/reflux.  I actually expected to not get heart burn like a lot of people do because Dave and I are both natural blondes and we fully expect our baby to not have any hair.  Nonetheless, the reflux has been bad.  And the worst part, I notice I get it any time I eat chocolate.  NOOOOO!!!!  Although I've been told that I can take Tums or other antacids, my goal is to get through this pregnancy without taking anything.  So far, so good.  It looks like, though, I may have to give up my beloved chocolate from here until the end.  This is gonna suck.

Thursday Thoughts (on a Friday)

Enough talk about baby this week.  Let's talk winter running.  Winter is my absolute favorite time of the year to run outside.  And I'd say, I love to run when it is snowing.  Winter running takes a lot of equipment, though.  Hats, gloves, base layers, warmer socks, etc.

What's your favorite piece of winter running equipment?

24 weeks - 6 months!!!

Mmmm, Yum!

Another day, another doctor's appointment.

This one I was kind of dreading: the glucose test.  I have no reason to believe I would have gestational diabetes, but my sugar intake is, um, a lot.  I ate pretty well leading up to the test: eggs and toast for breakfast, a banana for a snack, a sandwich and salad for lunch.  When I got to the appointment they handed me a little plastic cup of pink liquid.  I was told I had three minutes to drink it.  I took a sip to determine the taste and....

It was freakin' delicious.  It tasted just like the punch you would have at a baby or bridal shower.  You know, the fruit punch, sprite, sherbet concoction.  I downed that sucker in like 30 seconds. 

Then I had an appointment with the doctor.  Usual measurements, usual questions.  She then told me again that the baby was up in my ribs.  This time I corrected her and told her at the ultrasound yesterday that the baby was laying sideways, hip to hip.  She said, hmmm, we're going to need it to move.  Uh, duh! 

Finally, I got the blood test for the glucose screening; two more vials of blood.  For those of you keeping count at home, we're now up to 36 vials of blood taken during this pregnancy.  I'll have the results tomorrow. 

And then when I checked out, they scheduled the rest of my appointments until the baby is born.  I believe there are only eight more appointments with the regular doctor and I have at least one more with the high risk doctor.  There IS a light at the end of this tunnel.

New Baby Picture!!

Let me preface this entry by saying, I understand that as a patient I should be my own advocate, do my own research, be on top of things, etc.  But, I have never been pregnant before and although I am trying to be my own advocate, I'm also doing what I'm told.

Today was our appointment with our high risk doctor, which included another ultrasound for a growth analysis.  Our appointment was for 7:30 in the morning.  Awesome, first appointment of the day!  We got there several minutes before our appointment and waited in the lobby.  At 7:40 I was called back where they got my vitals: weight (ugh), blood pressure, heart rate.  Then they sent me back to the waiting room, again.  Finally, after 8:00 I was called back for the ultrasound.  Call me crazy, but if your staff doesn't get there until 8:00, maybe you should begin your appointments at, say, 8:00?  We were walking back with the ultrasound chick and the first thing she says to us is "Why are you here?"  Um, what?  We were told to be here today at this time.  She's all, "you weren't supposed to be here until your third trimester."  Again, following directions given to me.  Then she kind of just flew through the ultrasound, pointing things out quickly, but not really explaining things.  I felt rushed and dissatisfied with this part of the appointment, but in the end, baby looks good and healthy.  Unlike what my regular OB said last visit, the baby is laying sideways with its head on my left hip and its feet on my right hip and it's back laying along the bottom of the uterus.

Thank goodness our doctor is super-chill.  We just love him and really wish he was the one delivering our baby.  He said everything is great.  He is still super okay with me continuing to workout and even suggested using some compression socks to battle varicose veins (no I don't have any, yet).  He was okay with us traveling late in February by car (Dave's thinking about doing Rock 'n Roll New Orleans).  And he wants to do another ultrasound in late January to check the growth again.

Despite the rough start to the day, everything turned out great.  Baby is doing really great and we are excited that things are going so well.  And look how cute it is? 

The Cleanse

This week is another week of baby appointments.  Tomorrow we meet with the high risk doctor and have another ultrasound and an evaluation of how the baby is growing.  Wednesday I start my two week appointments with my regular OBGYN and this appointment includes my glucose test.

The glucose test consists of drinking a potion that I hear tastes awful, then waiting an hour, and then having your blood drawn (or peeing in a cup?).  Your sugar levels are tested to see if you are at risk for gestational diabetes.  The doctor told me I did not have to fast for the test (good thing, it's not until 1:50 in the afternoon), but that I should be careful not to eat a lot of sugar that day.  (My sister said she had to fast for her glucose tests.)

Confession: Sugar probably makes up about 80% of my diet.  Ugh!  I hate myself for that.  (Okay, 80% might be an exaggeration, but I do eat A LOT of sugar.)

I am so screwed.

So, I decided today to try to cut out the sugar until after the test on Wednesday to make sure my system was rid mostly of sugar.  This takes a lot of work on my part to make sure I don't eat sugar.  I've had to rework everything.  For example, I usually eat toast for breakfast with cinnamon and sugar.  If I eat cereal, I usually put sugar on it.  I had toast with honey on it this morning.  At least it's a natural sugar, right?  The day of the test, I'm going to make some eggs.  I love a good evening snack of a hot chocolate or a piece of pie, but I'll have to wait until after the test Wednesday.

But you better believe, I'm having a candy bar as soon as this test is over!

Week in Review

Monday - 2.6 miles run/walk treadmill
I'm embarrassed to say I did this on the treadmill.  It was 65 degrees today.  On December 3rd!  But, I worked a long day and laid around until Dave got home.  By that time it was dark and I'm not very good at running in the dark.  I don't want to fall and do any damage to Baby G, so we went to the gym instead.  It was about 9000 degrees inside the Y tonight, so I was forced to walk more than I wanted to keep my heart rate down and to keep from overheating.

Tuesday - Off
By the time I could have gotten out to workout, it was POURING outside.   Plus, I did ALL my Christmas shopping this afternoon and my feet were killing me from doing all that walking.

Wednesday - 3 miles elliptical
Dave didn't get home from work until about 7:30 and we had already decided to go to the gym no matter how late it was.  So we got there around 8:00 and basically had the gym to ourselves.  Dave hit the treadmill and I hit the elliptical.  I kept track of my heart rate and it kept creeping higher than I was comfortable.  So I had to slow down and take a little more time.  Safe, not sorry.

Thursday - 3 mile walk treadmill
Today was Dave's birthday and we had planned eating out Mexican and I had bought a cake.  I knew I had to do something to feel good about eating all that.  So, it was me, The Ellen Show, and the treadmill.

Friday - Off
I like to take Fridays off because we usually do a group run on Saturday morning.  Of course, I did have my swim clothes with me in the car all day.  Lazy buns!

Saturday - 3 miles group run
This was kind of a crappy run.  It was raining and muggy and things just didn't go as well as I had hoped.  I was walking within a quarter mile of the run.  Every time I have a bad run I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for my pregnancy running.  Dave always reminds me that every time I've said that I've had a good run the following week.  Let's hope.

Sunday - off
I have no excuse for why I didn't work out today.

This was not the week I was hoping to have.  Not only did the weather sucked (it rained and rained and rained - when did I move to a tropical location?) but I was just worn out.  I can tell that my third trimester is a few short weeks away because I've reached a whole new level of tired.  On Saturday and Sunday I took naps that totaled about 6+ hours.  That's cray cray! 

Hopefully I'll try a little harder and do a little better next week.

Totals - 11.6 miles

The Meltdown

Today was just a rough day.  Dave and I got up early to go running with the group and it was raining, dark, and yucky - typical December day in Ohio.  I had hoped to have a pretty good run, but alas it was not meant to be.  I've grown A LOT in the last couple of weeks and the third trimester is looming in a mere three weeks.  I have to be honest with myself, my running days might be numbered until after baby is born.  I'm doing my best, but it's just not easy.  I was already feeling down about myself when Dave told me on the way home from the run that he and the group had been cussed at by a bunch of bikers on the trail for just BEING on the trail.  Let me tell you something about the Olentangy Trail.  It might say bikeway, but (a) the max speed is 14 mph and (b) on a Saturday morning there are about 1000 runners out there.  Those runners had big balls to say something.  I would have knocked them on their asses.

Anyway, I was in quite a mood when I got home from the run.

I like to keep my weekends good and lazy.  Meaning, pajamas pretty much from the time I get home on Friday after work until Monday morning when I'm ready to go to work again.  I sleep most hours of the weekend.  Lazy?  You betcha.  I only have a few more months of selfishness and I'm taking every advantage of it.  So, after my post-run shower I put on my leggings, a t-shirt, and a sweater shirt with no intention of leaving the house.  But, my dad had mentioned a few Christmas presents for my mom during the run so Dave and I decided to do a little shopping.  Crap, what was I going to wear.

Preface....I kind of have strict guidelines for what is acceptable clothing outside the house.  Leggings, workout clothing, sweatpants, are not acceptable.

As I've mentioned before I am struggling with my self image during this pregnancy.  Couple that with my severe disdain of maternity clothes and we were in for a total meltdown.  I really hate my maternity jeans, both pairs.  They are the full panel kind, which I roll down to fit bellow the belly.  But, because only my belly is growing (or so I thought) I have a hard time keeping the pants up.  They continually slide down as I walk taking my undies with them.  I look like a stupid teenage boy constantly tugging at my jeans.  So, I put on my jeggings, but they're basically glorified leggings and that goes against my rules for leaving the house acceptably; I just couldn't do it.  Then I decided I would just put on my jeans I wore pre-pregnancy and just use a rubber band to keep them "buttoned."  As I was laying on the floor to put them on (this is now how I have to dress myself as it's gotten too hard to keep my balance and be able to breathe to put on pants, socks, shoes), I couldn't get them passed my thighs.  What the hell was going on?  Wait a second.  I'm gaining weight everywhere?  How the hell am I going to go back to being the size I was?!?  Finally, I just stayed, on the floor, with my jeans halfway up, crying for help.

Dave, that little buzz wad, came in and grabbed my TriSlide.  Laughing, crying, peeing (the realities of being pregnant).  I was definitely in a foul mood now.

Finally I put on those damn maternity jeans and headed out.  Dave drove me straight to Destination Maternity where, of course, the first pair of jeans I see are $180.  No effing way am I spending that much money on a pair of jeans I'm only going to wear a few more months.  We hit the sale racks and Dave starts grabbing jeans left and right.  They were all full panel and I kept saying no, no, no.  I hit another sale rack and grab two more jeans that were not full panel.  The first pair I tried on were about 1000% better than the two pairs I already had.  They were a little tighter, no full panel, and seemed to fit really well.  Dave asked me the obvious questions.  Would they be able to grow with me that last couple of months?  I didn't care.  They were $20 and they fit.  Sold.

Things were finally looking up for the day.

I wore those jeans later this evening.  And, they're alright.  They definitely fit better, however the rise on them (crotch) is unbelievably long.  I guess that makes since in a maternity jean, but for me it just makes things droopy in that area.  I don't tug at them as much, but they're still not great.  The reality is, (a) pregnant bodies are just weird and clothiers don't really care and (b) I only have a few more months of this. Suck it up.

I always thought I'd want to be pregnant in the winter because it would be easier - not being miserable in the nasty, hot, humid summer weather and I could just wear sweats all the time.  However, (a) since the day I got pregnant I have been freezing and (b) it would be great if I could just wear summer dresses and not worry about pants fitting or not.

How many more weeks are left?

Are We Ready?

The question I get most often is "how are you feeling?"  Ugh.  I think I'd rather have people touching my belly.  I feel fine.  I feel great.  I am having the world's easiest pregnancy.  Next question.  But it won't be long before people are starting to ask, "are you ready?"

Boy, this is a tough question.

For 10 years I screamed, in my head and aloud, "I'M NOT READY!!!"  But at some point you just kind of have to be okay with now or never.   I actually think pregnancy has calmed me down.  I've lost control of everything and really, that's a good thing.  I'm learning to go with the flow and just let things happen. 

The other day I posted a YouTube video on my Facebook wall that just had me in tears.  I mentioned something about not caring if my child was smart, or good looking, or athletic, but I cared if he/she had a good heart.  Our former pastor from church noted that he knew we were completely ready for parenthood.  And you know what, I feel that way.  I am totally okay with what's going on.  Sure, I don't know the first thing about giving birth or how to bathe a child, etc., but I know the type of parent I want to be and I know the type of child I would like my offspring to become. 

So, how am I feeling?  Great.  Stop asking.  Am I ready?  Absolutely.  Let's do this.

Thursday Thoughts

The skies are grey, it's going to rain for the next four days...it must be Christmas.  Oh and all the Christmas music on the radio.  One station in Columbus started playing round the clock Christmas music November 1st and another station started right after Thanksgiving.  I've got to admit I've gotten festive with my music by listening to the Nat King Cole Christmas music station on Pandora.

What's your favorite holiday song?  What's your least favorite?

Pregnancy: Episode 28987934

Gawd, are you sick of hearing about my pregnancy?  I'm a little tired of writing about it too.  Nevertheless, here's another post about pregnancy.

The doctor has recommended to me for quite a while that I needed to get a flu shot.  I found it odd that I needed to get a special one (preservative free) and yet my doctor didn't carry or administer it.  I thought I needed a prescription for this special one and kept waiting on her to give that to me.  Again last week she asked me if I had gotten my flu shot, then mentioned the new study saying autism might be linked to getting the flue while pregnant, and insisted again that I get the shot.  I asked her where to get it and she gave me two suggestions: (1) one of the local grocery store pharmacies (we have mega-grocery stores in Columbus) and (2) my personal doctor. 

Over the weekend I went to this local grocery store and, of course, they were out of them and were not going to be getting another shipment.  They suggested another one of their stores, but I told them no thanks.  I wasn't going to be running around Columbus to different grocery stores.

Monday I called my personal doctor and they didn't carry them, of course.  Then I called the maternity line for the hospital in which I will be delivering my baby.  It was like I was speaking a foreign language to them.  They had no idea what I was talking about.  They gave me the phone number to the Columbus Department of Health. 

By this point I was pissed at my OB for putting me through this run-around.  If she was going to insist that I get the flu shot and it had to be a special one, then SHE should be either administering it or know exactly where I could go to get it.  Of course, though, I called and the effing office wasn't even open.  Good god!!!

At this point I posted my frustration to Facebook.  Many of my friends responded saying I didn't need a flu shot, that their kids turned out fine, yada yada yada.  While I appreciate their encouragement, I still felt like I should get the shot because the doctor requested it.  My doctor is super conservative when it comes to patient care, but this was one I understood. 

After work I stopped at the post office and then walked up to the CVS to see if they might have the shot.  Lo and behold, they did.  And then I had to wait 45 minutes from them to do god knows what before they administered it.  Luckily, though, it was completely covered by my insurance and I was given a 20% off coupon for my next shopping trip to CVS.  Oh, and, now I won't get the flu.

2013 Racing Thoughts

In my head I have been debating about what 2013 should look like in terms of racing.  How quickly will my body bounce back?  How long will it take to get my speed back?  Will I even want to race?  Will I have time to train?  I'm hoping the answer is....I'll be back to running in a few weeks, have my body bounce back really quickly, and back to being fast and racing in no time.

So then the question becomes are there specific races and distances I want to target?  That's a toughy.  I do know that I do not want to do any triathlons.  I don't know if I'll ever do triathlon again, frankly.  Since I've started swimming again, I'd really like to try my hand at aquathlon.  There were two here in Central Ohio last year and they seemed to be pretty successful, but the racing company that put these races on has yet to publish their 2013 schedule.  If they have them and if they go well, I might go and do the aquathlon age group nationals.  Next year they are in North Carolina and that is within driving distance.

As far as running, yeah, I have no idea.  Part of me wants to finish what I started this year and train hard for a fast marathon.  I can't do the one I was planning on for 2012, Air Force Marathon, because I already have a vacation scheduled during that time.  I was using this marathon to qualify for the  Boston Marathon.  This marathon fell right in between the first and second week of registration for Boston.  If I want to qualify for Boston I am going to need to find a race prior to September.  With the baby being born in April, I'm just not sure that is realistic.  I would really like to run the Columbus Marathon again,  but it's after the Chicago Marathon so not likely it will still qualify me for the next Boston Marathon.  I don't know; I'm keeping my options only.  I have also thought about doing an ultra (50K).  Woah!  There was one recently here in Columbus that had 60% of it on roads or paved trails.  I am totally a road runner, so this one I find interesting and I wouldn't have to travel for it.  Plus it was the first week of November so I could run a fall marathon and still do the ultra.

But, I hear you can get really fast after giving birth as you've got all those natural hormones and I'm wondering if I should just focus on shorter races and try to see how fast I can get.  I have to admit, I'm pretty content with what I've accomplished in the marathon and if I don't do another one, I think I'm okay with that.  The training takes a lot out of you and you put all your eggs in one basket and I've just found a lot of fun in the shorter races and racing more frequently.  Being a runner is more than just doing marathons.  You can still be a kick-ass runner and not do marathons (a la, Steve Stenzel).

Of course, I am not going to decide anything or pay for any races until after baby comes.  I'm just dreaming as I get bigger and bigger and slower and slower.  ;)

Wrestling with the Body Pillow

The doctor told me at my last appointment that I needed to be sleeping on my side.  This is difficult for me as I am a back sleeper.  I look like a corpse when I sleep - flat on my back, arms across my chest, no movement.  When I had shingles (or whatever it was) a year and a half ago, I could only lay on my left side, so I built a wall of pillows so that I could lay comfortably on my side all night.  I had heard that pregnant chicks like using body pillows, so I got one. 

The thing is huge.  It is literally the size of me.  So now it's me, Dave, pillow, and Sloopy all in one.  It's just too much.

The first night I slept with the pillow, I only made it about half the night.  My left arm was asleep and my back was killing me.  Screw it!  I just slept facing whatever direction I wanted and could get comfortable.

The second night I slept the whole night with it, but when I woke up in the morning I had my arms and legs around the pillow, yet I was sleeping on my back.  Hilarious! 

I don't get it.  How am I supposed to stay on my side and not have my left arm fall asleep?  Plus, it hurts my shoulder and clavicle.  And, am I supposed to lay my big baby belly up on the pillow because it's just not that big?  Do I have to lay on my left side the whole night? 

Baking this baby is so complicated.

Week in Review

Monday: 1600 yard swim (4 X 400 with 30 second rest)
               2 mile walk with Dave

Tuesday: 3 miles elliptical
It was hot in the gym tonight and the heart rate crept a little high - still below 140, but higher than the usual 130 I get on the elliptical machine.

Wednesday:  3 miles treadmill
Dave and I headed to the gym again tonight to run together on the treadmills.  This way he could run his pace and I could run my snail pace.  I have always thought my treadmill at home is faster than most treadmills.  And know I know it is.  The same pace I run at home which just about breaks me, was so much easier at the gym.  I like the treadmill at the gym much better.  :)

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off
We had planned on doing a walk today, but decided to go to an early movie instead.  We did take a very small walk with the dog, but I'm not counting that.

Saturday: 3 mile walk, Highbanks Metro Park
Our running group switches between running on a paved, flat trail and running the hillier dirt/rocky trails at the metro park every other week.  When we're at the metro park, I'm currently not able to run.  Going up the hills spikes my heart rate.  With the terrain continuously rolling, it's just nearly impossible to run.  Luckily, the weather was great this morning (mid 40s at 8:00am for December 1st!!!) so walking wasn't so bad.  I even got a "You go girl!" from some of the other runners.

Sunday: 2 mile neighborhood walk with Dave
I had plans to run today, however, plans got changed.  When I woke up it was warm, but raining.  I didn't really want to work out on the treadmill again.  Then we decided to go to church and then my niece and nephews had their Christmas play at school.  By the time we got home from all that it was dark, but still warm.  Dave and I headed out of the house around 7:15pm and did a quick 2 mile walk through the neighborhood.  2 for 2 (working out) in December.  Can I keep the streak alive?

Totals:
Swim - 1600 yards
Run/Walk - 13 miles
 

New Swimsuit

My mom had wanted to go maternity clothes shopping with me. That would have been nice, however, I've bought all the clothes I currently have/need online. So, my mom asked me last week if she could buy me a new swimsuit for my growing body. I agreed. We got together on Cyber Monday and looked through a couple of different websites. We finally decided to order a grab bag suit from Splish (my favorite) and see what the swimsuit gods would send us.

I received my order on Friday and thank goodness, it's totally acceptable.

The plan? I ordered two sizes up from my regular swimsuit size and will just wear a sports bra and/or bikini bottoms underneath it as necessary.

November Totals

November was a great month, even in the growing stages of my pregnancy.  I have continued to be consistent in working out, including running, walking, elliptical, and swimming.  I'm not going really fast.  I'm not going really far.  But it doesn't matter because I'm keeping in shape and keeping off the extra, unnecessary pounds.  I ran two races in November, Hot Chocolate 5K and Flying Feather 4 Miler.  We joined the Y and I got back in the pool for the first time in over a year.  How great it is to be swimming again.  I made it past my goal of 20 weeks and still working out.  Now I've got my eye on 30 weeks and seeing how long I can continue to work out.

Run/Walk/Elliptical - 53.7 miles
Swim - 3800 yards
Visits to the Y (between Dave and me) - 12, for $6.23 per visit

22 Weeks

22 weeks?  Asian school girl?

My day has been so weird.  Just a little after this picture was taken my dog was barking at me, I guess assuming I was playing, and then promptly bit me putting a hole in my sweater.  Of course, I didn't discover the hole until I needed to leave for my doctor's appointment.  Then I went through about 9 more outfits until I found something appropriate that wouldn't weight a whole lot (seriously, I do not want to clothes into the calculation for weight gained).

Speaking of doctor's appointment....the day kept getting weirder.  I get to the doctor's office and they let me know I didn't have an appointment.  Weird.  I had it written down in my calendar.  Then they asked me why I was there since I wasn't due for my annual.  Are you serious?  You don't see the baby bump?  You didn't notice my growing file that said PREGNANT?!  Luckily, (I guess), the doctor had had a cancellation so they were able to fit me in.

They bring me back and weigh in - up 17 pounds.  Exactly what I expected.  Blood pressure - 112/60.  Then the nurse let's me hear the heartbeat.  Super strong.  Awesome.  Finally it's time with the doctor.  She takes my belly measurements, feels around my belly and then things get strange.  The last time I had an ultrasound was week 15 with my high risk doctor.  My regular OBGYN is going through my chart and mentions to me that the baby was measuring big, as shown in my last ultrasound.  Really?  Nobody mentioned that to me.  Then she's poking around my belly and said I'm measuring big.  And no lie, in the same breath told me I was doing great with my weight.  She said the baby was way up in my ribs.  That's when I stopped her and literally asked her what she was talking about.  I have only felt movement below my belly button, plus my muscles are all still attached to my ribs and I can still see core muscles.  She explained this away by saying the baby was breech and I was just feeling the baby's feet down in my lower belly.  I left so upset with the way this appointment had gone that I forgot to get my blood test and now super self conscious about the way I was looking.

I called my mom later in the day, told her about my appointment, and she said, "was your doctor drunk?"  Seriously, I have no idea what happened today.  I swear I have left more doctors appointments upset and confused.  That's not how I should be feeling about my pregnancy.  Luckily, I have an appointment with my high risk doctor in about two weeks with another ultrasound and a growth analysis.  Dave will be with me and we are going to ask A LOT of questions.  Hopefully, that appointment will be less weird.

Thursday Thoughts (on a Wednesday)

I was watching the morning news this week and they were talking about tipping during the holiday season.  They mentioned you should tip your children's teachers, the hair stylist, the doorman, the mail deliver carrier, etc.  Dude, you could go broke just tipping people!

I have to admit, I am not a big fan of tipping.  Hear me out.  I think people should be paid for their worth and legally, as in not lower than minimum wage.  Plus, why should I be tipping someone for doing their job?  Their job is to provide good service.  For example, a waitress is supposed to take my order, bring me my food, check on me at least once, see if I need a refill, bill me, and then collect the paid bill.  Technically, all of that should be in her job description.  If she's doing all of that, she's providing service, aka, her job.  Why should I have to tip on top of that?  Well, because for some reason it's okay not to pay those individuals minimum wage.  That's just ridiculous to me.

On the flip side, my photo booth business could technically be described as a service business.  At a wedding usually the florist, caterer, DJ, and coordinator all get tipped, yet we rarely get tipped.  Wonder why that is?

Do you tip extra for the holidays?  What are your thoughts on tipping?  Do you have a job where you get tips?

A Heavy Issue

I knew going into this pregnancy that the issue I was going to have the toughest time dealing with was how much weight I was going to gain, how big I was going to get, and how in the world I was going to take off the weight post baby.

Things were going really well, at first.  By week 14 I had only gained three pounds.  The doctor had said, if done right, I should only need to gain about 30 pounds.  Great!  30 pounds I can work with.  30 pounds is not going to make me look like a whale.  30 pounds is doable to lose post-pregnancy.

I'm roughly 22 weeks pregnant and the pounds have been packing on the last 8 weeks.  I've gone from 3 pounds gain to about 18 pounds gained.  The hope of only gaining 30 pounds is totally out the window.  Now, I was warned by several of my athlete friends that I was going to gain a lot of weight - like 50-60 pounds.  Good gosh, I hope it's not that much!  I'm still hoping to stay as close to 30 pounds as possible.  I'm trying my best - I'm still working out 5 days a week and I'm eating reasonably.  I eat a lot of food that's totally not good for you, but I'm not pigging out either.  If you see me now, it's quite obvious I'm pregnant (and I had the first random stranger ask me this week when my baby was due - of course, I was in my swimsuit).  But, I'm still looking pretty small for how far along I am plus my belly is starting to get round - all baby.  (Picture to come on Thursday.)

It's hard to pep-talk everyday and know that I'm doing alright.  I've never been this size; I've never been this weight.  Moving the weights on the scale freaks me out every time I do it.  I know that after the baby is born, if I breast feed, go back to running, and eat better (ha!) that I will be able to lose the weight.  I know that I HAVE to gain this weight to have a healthy baby.  I know, I know, I know.  I just want to know that everything is normal and that everything (my body) will return to normal. 

New Shoes and a Present (to myself!!)

Why hello new shoes!!!

And a little present to myself.

Holy baby bump!! 

More on my love for Saucony later this week.

Week in Review

Monday - Off

Tuesday - 3 miles, elliptical
Dave and I went to the gym tonight.  He hit the treadmill for four miles; I did the elliptical.  I have got to remember to wear a more supportive sports bra when doing the elliptical.

Wednesday - 3 mile walk with Dave
Dave and I power-walked the heck out of this three miles.  It was so difficult, that I even had to stop and take a break with less than a mile to go until home.  I don't particularly like walking, but I know it's keeping me trim and in shape.

Thursday - Flying Feather 4 Miler
You can read the race report here.

Friday - Off

Saturday - 3 mile neighborhood run with Dave
Ugh.  Some days you have it; some you don't.  It was cold and snowy - my favorite time to run.  Unfortunately, I just wasn't feeling it and struggled nightly on this run.  There were several walking breaks.  That's okay - just keep at it.

Sunday - 2 mile walk treadmill
Finishing the week off right with a quick two mile walk on the treadmill.

Totals - 15 miles

Pregarita

Crushed ice + sparkling limeade