34 weeks Pregnancy Fitness

I'm trying to figure out a way to get my Tumblr blog to feed directly to here or at least for IG to feed here. Blogspot is a new platform for me.

This is almost three weeks behind (I'm 36 + 2 now) and I will try to catch up with my blogging. Anyhow, I had a great workout on this day. I killed my arms and upper back. I've been really trying to focus on maintaining my upper body strength while pregnant. I tell you what, as these final weeks approach exhaustion is kicking my ass. So try as I may to make an agenda to workout and/or lift multiple times a weeks, I must listen to my body if it tells me enough is enough.

Thus far, I have gained roughly 24lbs total. My goal was no more than 30, so I'm pretty sure that I'll be pretty close to that if this little guy makes it until the 20th of October.

Running While Pregnant at 34 weeks

(This is a late post)

WOD: I actually ran 3.5mi but my app crashed on me while I was running :( 50 lunges, 4x25 sumo squats & 40 push ups all while outside.

I'm pretty obsessed with incorporating some form of toning, strength training exercise into my running. It helps to break up the monotony of my run. I ran completely bare belly (my favorite) stretch marks and all. It's always funny the looks that people give a pregnant woman while she is running. Almost as if I'm doing something wrong. In fact, I am doing something that will prepare my body to endure this process. Did I mention that I'm trying to go au naturale? Pray for me now.

I have no clue what labor feels like, but I am mentally preparing for it as I have my half marathons in the past. Realizing that it's just as much mental as it is physical, staying active and having a support team that's aware of my goals.  

*Allow me to preface this by first stating that there is NOTHING impressive about my speed as a runner. I am a novice distance runner and my goal is to mentally prepare for the distance. Once I drop this little one, I plan to really push myself to break 10:30/mi. But for now, I just want to finish without stopping. *

I remember being so intimidated by the race, similar to how I feel about the birthing process today. I would read training blogs and try to not allow myself to compare their results to my own, but it was a complete waste. I have never been someone who gets worried or overly concerned with things. Knowledge has always empowered me. It's been my mental tool box when I hit a rut in the road and have no clue how to overcome it. I default to someone's personal story that resonated with me or I recall a step-by-step to finishing the goal. Through pregnancy, I have been trying to research natural birthing experiences. Given, we all have a different threshold for pain, but at least I can see what they pulled from their reserve tank in order to stay focused on their goal.

Pregnant Running & What I Ate Thursday

This baby has been so cooperative for the majority of my runs. I really believe that he's going to come out wearing Brooks. So long as I have a decent amount of calories in my system about 30 minutes prior to the run, I am G2G. If not, I'll likely be calling the hubby for backup.

This was one of my faster pregnancy runs. I was so close to breaking 11mins/mile. My damn RunStar app kept closing me out. I actually ran 2.5mi.  My goal speed is 10:15. That's not that fast, but it is fast for me. I think it's important to aim for personal bests and not compare myself to other runners. I'm still relatively new to this distance thing AND I have a bum knee that will give out if I push too hard.

One of my favorite go to breakfasts consists of boiled eggs, fruit (usually grapes or a banana), toast (plain or with peanut butter) and some OJ or apple juice. I almost always have chocolate milk for an immediate post-run snack, today I had Ensure.

Ensure caters to my inner old lady.

I love the Dark Chocolate, but I can NEVER find it. Drives me insane. But the milk chocolate is still pretty awesome.

I'm already fantasizing about replacing this with my avocado toast. Mmm...

Does changing your last name mean losing your identity once you're married?

on July 19th, after almost 2,350 days of dating - or seven years (most of which have been living together) - I have finally welcomed a new title, 'wife.'

This feat has been a long time coming for my guy. He has proposed to me more than I can count. Although he is amazing, my greatest supporter and best friend, I have just always dismissed the idea due to a very specific set of personal reasons like completing my BA, starting a career and getting out of debt. In other word, I wanted to establish who I was and what made me happy BEFORE I committed to making him happy. I thought that I had to have everything about myself figured out before I was committed to him.

I've always been on the fence about changing my name also. If I googled myself, I get to see the virtual evolution of who I am. I can easily establish myself as a person. However, changing my name would mean erasing all of that. Leaving it all behind. That scared the shit out of me. So i have always said that the man that i decided to marry would have to accept that I would fall into that 13 percent of women who kept their maiden name.

Fourth of July Pregnant Run

I was so excited with this run. It was the longest that I've run since I've been confirmed pregnant. I made a NY resolution to run a half marathon every month this year. I remember my first, Jan. 19, was so amazing. I went to lunch with an old military friend the next day and I remember saying 'girl, I'm pregnant."
Never have I ever had an reason in the past to assume that I was, let alone tell someone else. But that run felt so different. A few weeks later I ran my second race. The third was scheduled to follow a weekend after my three-day cruise to the Bahamas. Right before we departed, I decided to take a pregnancy test. Boom. In clear pink lines it read "PREGNANT."
I couldn't believe it, so I rushed to Walgreens (at 10pm, mind you) and bought four more.
There was no denying that my suspicions were true and I had a little bambino in my tummy.
But that was in March and I haven't quite been able to get back to completing five miles until about a week ago.
This run, I felt amazing.
Mr. Grey didn't give me any problems, my knee felt great and it was pretty cool outside. I did get caught in a heavy downpour for about a mile, but even that felt motivating.
My post meal snack was some chocolate milk. I've become obsessed with having a glass after a strong run.

Today, was a special day because we finally put a face to Mr. Grey. Here's my little man:

Mr. Grey smiling for the camera

Running While Pregnant and Barring It All

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I decided to embrace the bump and run completely bare belly yesterday. It was a nice out, but pretty hot. My pregnancy temperament was not in the mood to entertain a sweaty, tight tank top either. It took me about an hour to completely sell myself on the idea. I probably looked in the mirror, second guessing myself, about 20 times.
And then I thought, whatever. This could possibly be one of the last times that I get to enjoy this phase of my life. Why not embrace it? I am officially in my sixth month and just two weeks shy of my third trimester. We are headed for the home stretch. Now is not the time to worry what people will think about how I look. Now is the time for me to fully embrace and enjoy myself. So, yea, I had to give the belly a high five for confidence.  Even more awesome: I ran in a public park while the community Farmer's Market was going on. So many people gave me great compliments about how great I looked. Yae!

It has taken me about a month to finally be able to run five miles again due Braxton Hicks, Round ligament pain or just being flat out too dizzy. But I FINAALY did it. I've also realized that running with a belly means not watching the clock so often, which is really hard to do. It's not the time to push myself to a faster pace.

Funny thing (possible TMI moment): I have always been that runner who needs an immediate bathroom break after the first mile. I mean immediate. I don't have more than a five-minute grace period before I land in the danger zone. But being pregnant, it's a necessity to not only stop after mile one, but almost every other mile to relieve the pressure on my bladder. I think Mr. Grey (our affectionate nickname for our anonymous little boy) loves the motion of running. I know he's going to come out with running shoes for feet. 

Prerun fuel is also really important. I have been diagnosed with anemia since the bump and my sugar levels can drop at a moments notice. So making sure I have the right fuel in my tank before I get on the open road will make or break me. My typical go to meal before a run: wheat bread with natural peanut butter and honey, a banana and some low-sugar apple juice.

I had such a good time. Cannot wait to do it again, bugger and longer.

Have you let the belly hang out in public yet?

Pregnancy: Being Out of Control of Your Body

Have you ever read those pregnancy books or blogs raving about how amazing it feels to be pregnant? The glowing skin, thicker hair and just constant joy. Boy, have those books lied to most of us.

Now, don't get me wrong. A lot of women are fortunate to have a lovely, issue-free pregnancy. 

Me, not so much. 

I've been lucky to not have to deal with morning sickness whatsoever, but I've struggled with losing control over my body.

Let me backtrack for  a second. I was a stick figure when I went through puberty at 13. I was blessed with working ovaries, a pear shape and complimentary stretch marks. These little devils have made me so self-conscious that I made a lot of decisions from the fear of someone seeing them (post on that later). With that said, I figured if I couldn't control my skin then I could control my shape. I was always an athlete, but I grew a greater connection to strength training and running. Running was my saving grace. It acted as my outlet or safe haven. I've been a runner since the age of five. It's in my DNA. In January, I decided to run a half marathon every month this year. 

I made it to two before I found out I was expecting. Not quite the goal I had in mind. 

Well, this little boy in my tummy had other plans. I am too dizzy most days to walk a mile, let alone run it. I know it sounds mundane, but running has been the source of my confidence for as long as I could remember. Seeing this alien-like shape to my body hasn't really affected me as much as not being in control of my body.It's affecting my energy, confidence and happiness. I will shamelessly admit this because I feel like there are more women out there with the similar feelings. 

So what do you do?

Accept the current you

Accepting the challenges of the person you are today doesn't mean that you're not willing to work toward the person you need to be tomorrow. It just means that you are allowing yourself to embrace your vulnerabilities.

Don't get discouraged

I have been in pain almost everyday that I've attempted to make my weekly runs. I've stopped and walked more often that I've run. I've had to adjust my workout goal according to how I felt that day. It sucked. I cried. But I didn't quit.

Redefine control

Instead of freaking out about the many sacrifices that come along with your new body, redefine what your in control of. I control my eating habits. I'm trying to get my stress levels under wrap. I control the way style which compliments the new alien body.

Don't lose sight of yourself

My greatest fear about having a baby or being married was never the commitment. It's always been that I would allow myself to slip away. Although I cannot completely enjoy my love of running and strength training, I still follow my fitness blogs and interact with my fitness group.

Pregnancy is not an excuse to abandon your goals. Consider it fuel to the fire.