Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Friday Favorites #6

This week flew by and I am excited it is Friday! I am looking forward to spending time as a family, cleaning up the house and working on some projects that will get us closer to being ready for baby’s arrival. Some of my favorites for the week are:

Tom vs Time – On Facebook. I am not a big Tom Brady fan, but I have been watching a lot of videos on my phone while at the gym. I found the Tom Vs. Time video series pretty interesting while passing the time on the treadmill.

Tom vs. Time

MD LIVE – MD Live is a great resource that anyone can use. My insurance covers the use of MD Live so talking to a doctor only cost me $5 this week! I have been fighting a cold for over three weeks and I woke up last Thursday morning at 2:30 AM with sinus pain so bad I couldn’t fall back asleep. I didn’t really have time to get an appointment with a local doctor and I can’t take medication to relieve the symptoms so I was desperate to talk to a doctor quickly. I signed in to MD Live, described my symptoms and gave a little information about my medical history. In about 15 minutes I received a call from a doctor (you can choose video or phone conference). After talking over my symptoms

Burts Bees Protein Powder – When I took my glucose test a few weeks back my iron came back a little low so I have been trying to increase the amount of iron in my diet. One thing I have been trying to include is a green smoothie a day.  I wanted a really natural and healthy protein powder and have really liked Burt’s Bees new line of protein powder.

[Source]

 

WhatPod’s list of running podcasts – I LOVE listening to podcasts and it’s always great finding new ones to dig into. What Pod’s list of running podcasts is a great way to find some new ones to add to your list, most of my favorites are on the list as well as a few new ones that I am excited about.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Bumpdate – 32 Weeks

Baby is now the size of:

Baby is now the size of a squash…..at least it’s true that I feel squashed. I feel like my belly is big, but also feeling excited that I am getting close to the end and not minding as much that the belly leads me into every room.

Sleep: Sleep is still not great but better than the last couple weeks. I am still fighting this stupid cold so coughing will sometimes keep me up and I did have a shin cramp, but it was so much less painful than the calf cramp from last week.

Maternity clothes / preferred attire: The weather has been typical late winter for Colorado and all over the place. Fairly warm one day, and blustery and freezing the next. The warm days have been so nice because I have been able to wear more of my maternity clothes from when I was pregnant with Cannon. So nice to be able to break out the dresses and linen pants.

Symptoms:  I am so so so happy that I haven’t had much swelling yet! I don’t recall when I started having swelling in my hands and feet with Cannon, I wish I had kept better records. I do recall my feet swelling so bad that they didn’t even look human after a short flight at 33 weeks pregnant. I also remember my wedding rings not fitting pretty early on and this time I can still wear them (WIN!) fingers crossed that this trend continues. Other than that, symptoms are similar to what they have been in previous weeks.

Cravings, aversions and favorite foods: I haven’t had many cravings or aversions, just trying to eat fairly healthy. I do think I am having more sugar cravings than normal, I should work on reigning those in.

A little light reading for the third trimester about the fourth trimester #31weekspregnant #thirdtrimester

Exercise: I actually feel great when I exercise even with this big belly, I even ran a little last week. The congestion and gunk (technical term) in my lungs have made things difficult but I am still moving most days a week, even if it’s just walking.

Mood: Feeling frustrated about still being sick, I just want to feel normal again. But I am also feeling really really excited about getting to meet my little girl and hold her.

Missing: Running, breathing, getting up without grunting, playing with Cannon with ease.

Best moments: This week the best moments were just spending time outside as a family of three, I know these moments are fleeting.

Worst moments: Waking up with the worst sinus pain I have ever had, at least it was only in one sinus. I was able to talk to my doctor and get antibiotics by the end of the day. The pain was cleared up within 24 hours so I was grateful for that.

Buying: We didn’t buy too much this week but we are trying to get ourselves organized and get a list of what we really need. It’s time to get real about all the practical things (newborn diapers, diaper pail, changing pad, etc) that we need to welcome baby girl home.

Dreaming About: What life will be like as a family of four.

Weekly Rundown – Going on Three Weeks of Sick

It’s been a slog getting through the last few weeks, Cannon and I are both still sick, going on three weeks now. I have talked to my GP doctor and was “diagnosed” over the phone with a cold and secondary sinus infection. I was prescribed a Z-Pack of antibiotics and that did clear up the sinus infection symptoms (thank god!) but I still have terrible chest and head congestion and a rasping cough that is very uncomfortable. I don’t know what the deal is, maybe I got two different viruses or maybe just being pregnant with very little immune system that has made this cold last so long. What I do know is that it’s kinda miserable and I might lose my mind if I don’t start getting better soon. Okay…complaining over.

That being said workouts haven’t been as fun as I would like. I have been resting more and moving when I can. So here is how last week went down.

———–

Monday: 40 minutes of strength training in the morning (hello 4:30 AM wake up) but didn’t feel well enough to go to the gym in the afternoon.

Tuesday: I skipped my morning workout and hung with Cannon at home

Hanging out and snacking inside

It was nice enough to get a quick walk in outside.

Wednesday: By this point I gave up on my morning workouts in favor of sleep so I turned off my alarm. We did make is to the gym for an hour on the elliptical.

Thursday: Back at the gym for an hour of walk/jogging hills on the treadmill.

At least the view is nice!

Friday: Took a rest day on Friday, hung out with Cory and Cannon. We went to gymnastics and got some errands done.

Saturday: Cory took Cannon out for a run so I decided to take the chance to get some strength training in with the help of my pug

Cory took the babe out for a run this morning, I was kinda jealous but I can’t keep up so the pug and I did some strength training and even ran (a little!!!!) on the treadmill  #motherrunner #fitpregnancy #32weekspregnant #pugbutt

Sunday: Nothing too exciting other than a walk to the park to enjoy the nice weather.

My sunshine ☀ #cmcn it was a beautiful out today we couldn’t not go to the park

I am certainly getting bored with the same few workouts that seem so mundane, I keep reminding myself that this time is short and I can start doing workouts that I enjoy much more soon…..just waiting on June (post delivery and 6 week recovery time).

Happy Running Everyone!

Bumpdate – 31 Weeks

Baby is now the size of:

Baby girl is getting big! I was a little late getting in to the OB for my 30 week so I went this week and everything is good so far, knock wood! I have gained 22 pounds so far, if I can keep it around 30 pounds total I will be happy. I gained 42 pounds total with Cannon and it did NOT “melt off with breast feeding” I really had trouble losing the baby weight until I stoped breast feeding then the weight came off.

Sleep: Sleep has been a struggle. It’s hard to get comfortable most nights and being sick hasn’t helped much. Also one night I had severe cramping in one of my calf muscles around 2:30 AM. It took a long time to release and then I was in so much pain I couldn’t fall back asleep. The cramp was so bad I am still sore days later. I could nap during Cannon’s nap time but I use that time to work so I am just trying to muddle through.

Bumps and Bulldogs

Maternity clothes / preferred attire: As usual mostly maternity. I am really looking forward to warmer weather so I can wear more of the maternity clothes I bought when I was pregnant with Cannon. I have lots of maxi dresses and linen pants that just don’t work in February. I am glad that I invested in a maternity coat (50% of at GAP!) this time. Last time I just wore my normal coats with a scarf without buttoning them. This time I am much further along during the cold months and tend to spend more time outside with Cannon.

Highlight of the day….finally getting a maternity jacket I made it through my last pregnancy without one but sine I am 2 Months further along this winter I was freezing. Pretty dang excited

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, leg cramps (the worst), congestion due to being sick…..still, fatigue.

Cravings, aversions and favorite foods: not too many cravings or aversions, I just tend to get full easily so I can only eat small meals and not too much sugar or I will feel sick.

Exercise: Exercise was hit or miss last week while fighting a cold and now a sore leg but I am still trying to move at least a little everyday.

I can still see my feet ( when I lean forward)

Mood: My mood is up and down. Today is exactly 2 months until my EDD, that seems so far away and SOOOO close at the same time! I feel nervous about all there is to get done including getting our house organized, preparing for birth, finishing the nursery and getting my classes in order in case someone else will be teaching the last couple of weeks.

Countdown is on!!!

Missing: A glass of wine and putting on shoes without suffocating.

Best moments: Feeling this little one move so much, much more than Cannon ever did.

Worst moments:  Having to take Cannon to the doctor twice because his cough was so bad. I was worried he had Croup but he was diagnosed with Bronchitis. He has terrible coughing fits every time he moves around too much. It’s not easy to keep a toddler from running around and he gets so sad and upset when he has a coughing fit. It’s heartbreaking to see your little one not feeling well.

When you have to make an emergency visit to the doctor at least you get to visit the pretty a cold turned into what we feared was Croup but turns out is bronchitis poor kiddo

Buying: Bought my first pack of newborn diapers this week.

Dreaming About: Running outside during summer sunrises

Missing early morning sunrises from the trail. Hurry up summer!!!

First Trimester Favorites

The first trimester is usually not a pregnant ladies favorite. For me the first trimester is not fun because I feel stressed about the higher chance of miscarriage, keeping the pregnancy private and feeling like I am hungover most of the time. Now that I am in my third trimester I though I would list a few things that helped me get through the first trimester.

  1. Starbucks Tumbler – While pregnant you need to drink more water than normal. For some reason I find it so much easier to drink more water from a bottle that has a straw. While I had mild morning sickness during the first trimester I found that ice water would often make me feel better. I tried to always have my tumbler with me.
  2. Hi-Rise Wunder Unders – While you don’t really start showing during the first trimester, the bloat due to hormones makes me feel like I am. I love my Lululemon high wasted wunder unders because the gave me support and kept everything in place while working out or just running errands. I happily wore them until about 29 weeks when they started to roll down because of my big bump.
  3. Nature Made Vitamins – Getting in a pre-natal vitamin with DHA is really important, especially during the first trimester while the baby is developing all of their important systems and organs. Vitamins can sometimes make me nauseous, something that I don’t need extra of at this time in pregnancy. Nature Made vitamins have never made me ill so they are a great choice.
  4. GAP Lace Bralette – One of the first things to start to change when I get pregnant is my boobs. Underwires are almost instantly out. I really love these GAP Bralettes are soft and comfortable while still offering coverage.
  5. Peppermint Altoids – Many women like ginger candies to help settle their stomachs but they just seemed to make me feel worse. Peppermint Altoids actually helped settle down nausea for me, with the bonus of fresh breath.
  6. Garmin Fenix 5 – I actually have the Fenix 3 watch but the Fenix 5 is the current model. I have tried my best to stay active this pregnancy while also keeping an eye on my heart rate. I raced a pretty difficult trail 10k during my first trimester. I was concerned about my heart rate being too high for too long, so I used my Fenix with the Garmin Run heart rate monitor to watch my effort. There is some debate about what really is safe and maybe it is ok to workout at higher efforts but my doctor said to keep my heart rate below about 140-150 BPM. For me a race or workout is not worth risking any damage to my tiny little baby.

Bumpdate – 30 Weeks

30 WEEKS! Starting to feel like we are in the final stretch. It feels so close and also so far away.

Baby is now the size of:

I don’t know about you but 15.7 inches and almost 3 lbs seems really big for a zucchini. I guess you can let them really get over grown in a garden sometimes but the ones I get in the store are more like 6-8 inches. That’s one big zucchini!

Sleep: Ugh, this week the pregnancy insomnia has settled in now. My acid reflux has settled down with some diet and behavior modifications but a couple nights I just can’t sleep. One night I woke up at 2 am and couldn’t fall back asleep. I was miserable just laying in bed so I got up, turned on the Olympics and started shopping online for things we “need” for the nursery.

Maternity clothes / preferred attire: 80/20 maternity vs non-maternity. Every week there are less and less regular clothing pieces that fit. I pulled a couple button down shirts out of the laundry that I had been able to wear two weeks ago, now they won’t button over the belly. It made me laugh. I am still wearing some normal athletic clothing but that is getting too tight as well. I think I will just have to start doing laundry more often for the few pieces that do work.

Symptoms: Still fighting heartburn but it seems mostly manageable. I am really starting to feel the third trimester fatigue. Physically things are difficult. Walking up the stairs leaves me gasping for air and carrying Cannon around makes me so tired. Getting up off the ground or rolling over in bed feel like ridiculous tasks.  Also baby’s movements have started to become a little uncomfortable and can be sometimes painful. Little one is getting strong.

Cravings, aversions and favorite foods:  Food has been a weird puzzle to figure out. I can’t eat too much at one time (not surprising at this point) and I am hungry and not interested in food at the same time.

Exercise: Exercise is still feeling pretty good, weekly rundown found here. I didn’t get in as much as I would have liked because of sickness running through our house. But I am still trying to fit in cardio and strength training. Everything I am doing is pretty mellow and just trying to keep moving and some strength to help with delivery.

Mood: Mood was pretty low the last week. I came down with a nasty cold and dealing with the symptoms with very little time to rest was pretty draining. It’s nothing life shattering I just need to get more rest so I can get over this stupid cold and feel as close to normal as possible.

Having a cold is always the pits but having a cold while pregnant and trying to keep up with a toddler is rough.

Missing: Exercising outside! All of my cardio has been done at the gym lately because it’s been so cold and/or icy outside. Since I almost always have Cannon with me when it’s light out and I am not working, it has to be safe conditions for him and I don’t want to risk slipping at this point either. There is great child care at the gym but you have to stay inside to gym while kids are being watched.

helping to clear the snow

Best moments: Celebrating Valentine’s Day with Cannon

Worst moments: Nothing too terrible, just not being able to sleep because I was so congested.

Buying: Making it to 30 weeks has me feeling like to we really need to get the nursery completed. We are going for a bohemian/wild flowers theme. Inspiration board found here. On one of my sleepless nights I bought a few things for the nursery.

Dreaming About: Getting to see Cannon as a big brother.

Weekly Rundown – A House Full of Sick

Overall this last week was just so-so for workouts. At the end of last week Cannon started to come down with a cold and shared it with me. We also spent a few sleepless nights up with a sick Bulldog.

Spent the morning at an emergency vet visit when things just haven’t seemed right with Humphry for the last couple days. The vet thinks he has a back injury (luckily his spine looks okay). After a very large bill we were sent home with meds and instructions to rest. Not how we wanted to spend Valentine’s Day but we sure love this little pup.

Luckily Humphry seems to be making a full recovery but losing sleep to a sick pup and time spent at the vet meant that I missed all but one of my strength trainings this week. I am still trying to recover from this nasty cold and just doing the best I can.

———–

Monday: Cannon had a Valentine’s Day party to attend in the morning so I finally made it to the gym in the afternoon for an hour of intervals on the elliptical.

Add this to the list of things I haven’t done since the 4th grade….spent the morning addressing valentines for Cannon’s little friends.

Tuesday: Missed my morning workout again but got to the gym for 45 minutes of hills on the treadmill.

Wednesday:I did manage to get up for an early morning full body strength workout.  After a morning spent with the vet and assurances that Humphry would likely be fine we didn’t feel like trying to get to the gym. So we celebrates Valentines day with lots of cuddles and play.

Thursday: Missed my morning session again, just shows how easy it is to get out of a habit. I did get to the gym for 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Friday: Friday was the morning that I really started to feel sick so I stayed in bed, rested and let Cory take Cannon to gymnastics without me. I hated missing it but knew I would be a better mom/person if I got some rest. In the afternoon I decided I might feel better with some movement so we headed to the gym and I got 50 minutes of hills on the treadmill.

Saturday & Sunday: Nothing! This cold is nasty and it’s difficult to sleep and breathe and just function in general. The weather was beautiful over the weekend so we spent time outside playing between getting errands done.

I have really missed being outside and I am really looking forward to spring weather and getting out on more walks with Cannon. And really looking forward to early morning runs in June.

Happy Running Everyone!

Friday Favorites #5

Happy Friday everyone! I have a serious case of TGIF this week. Both Cannon and I have come down with colds and I am looking forward to resting and mellow family fun. Cannon also turns 20 months old this weekend too, I can’t believe how fast he is growing up.

Here are some of my favorites from this week

 

Birkenstock Arizona Sandals 

Cory got this pair of Birkenstock Arizona sandals for me for Valentine’s Day and I love them! It may be a couple moths before I can wear them outside since the weather is still so cold here in Colorado but I can’t wait to use them. They are so comfortable and cute, plus they are easy to throw on which will really be helpful when I have a giant belly and putting on shoes is difficult.

Crystal Light Pure

I have been SO thirsty lately and have been getting sick of just having plain water all the time. Carbonated drinks have not been sitting well so I grabbed this Crystal Light Pure Iced Tea and it’s such a nice change up from just water.

The Brave Athlete Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion 

I just started reading The Brave Athlete  and already I LOVE it. Even though I can’t work on being an athlete physically very much right now, it seems like a good chance to work on my mental toughness. It may even be helpful for labor and giving birth.

Our local Rec Centers pool

Sunday Funday

It’s really important to me to get Cannon into the water as much as possible. I want him to love swimming, feel comfortable in the water and learn water safety skills. The pool at our local rec center has a great beach entry area with lots of fun areas for kids to play. Cannon also loves the lazy river and water slides. It’s been so worth the price of our membership for the use of the pool, indoor playground, gym equipment, fitness classes, child care and classes.

 

Happy weekend everyone! Anyone know any cold remedies that are safe for preggers laddies to take?

Bumpdate – 29 Weeks

Baby is now the size of:

2.5 pounds of baby….feels more like 20 pounds. Come to think of it I have gained almost that much so far.

Sleep: Sleep is getting worse, I have had a couple nights of terrible acid reflux that keeps me up. I have to prop myself up on many pillows and try to rest for a couple hours until it calms down. It’s not fun and makes for a very tired mama the next day.

Maternity clothes / preferred attire: About the same as the last couple weeks. Mostly maternity clothes with some normal clothes mixed in but I think it’s short lived. My belly seems huge to me. My doctor reassures me that I am measuring right on track. I try to remind myself that this is temporary and getting bigger is better than not and having my sweet girl not growing enough.

Symptoms:  Lots of heartburn, some headaches, my feet hurt when I stand or walk for more than a couple hours. On days I teach my feet have started to swell a little. Also I am getting tired and my back aches after carrying Cannon around.

Lots of time spent playing inside at the Rec Center

Cravings, aversions and favorite foods:  Not too many cravings but I have to be really careful now what I eat in the evening. I can’t eat too much, or anything sugary or I will pay for it later. I also think that hot liquids don’t sit well so I won’t be able to have tea in the evenings anymore.

Exercise: I do my best to get in what I can. Everything I am doing is pretty tame right now. Walking on the treadmill and the elliptical have become my cardio staples. I have also been trying to do strength training and prenatal yoga. I am avoiding any plyometrics or exercises that have any fast movements as they do not feel good to my body.

Mood: This last week I have been pretty tired and get overwhelmed easily. I do feel good about each week that ticks by but that doesn’t make juggling work, parenting, managing our house and taking care of this pregnant body any easier. I have been doing a pretty good job of keeping all of our clothes clean, but we have been pulling clean clothes out of laundry baskets for weeks now, they never seem to get put away.

Missing: Feeling good, running and energy

Best moments: Getting to hear baby’s heart beat at my OB appointment.

Worst moments: Being up sick most of the night and trying to to function the next day.

Buying: I don’t think I bought anything for this baby/pregnancy last week. I really need to get on top of completing the nursery.

Dreaming About: Getting to meet our little girl, will it be warm or cold when we bring her home.

Weekly Rundown – Working With a Plan

I am feeling so much better now that I am getting exercise in on a more consistent basis. Something that really helped me was writing out an actual plan. The plan is pretty losoe, flexible and not terribly ambitious but that is what I am comfortable with for my third trimester. Without having a plan actually written out I was hit or miss getting workouts in so I loaded a plan into training peaks and I get a lot of satisfaction turning those little squares green. It’s still not perfect execution. Sometimes I don’t feel well enough to workout, sometimes Cannon isn’t in a good place to go to day care and sometimes life gets in the way. 

*The treadmill running is often on the elliptical, that is why the milage is off.

———–

Monday:  I got up early to get some free-weight work done at 4:45 AM.

Cannon didn’t seem to be feeling well so we skipped going to the gym. In the afternoon it looked beautiful so we headed outside for a quick run/walk

Love being able to get out with my little man

It was really cold and windy so we didn’t get far, but it’s always good to get out in the sunshine. Running is not feeling good anymore and I am not enjoying it all. I fear that running might be done for me until after baby is here.

Tuesday: I was able to get up early and do some strength based prenatal yoga I found on YouTube. I liked it a lot but also need to include more stretchy yoga as well!

 

Cannon seemed to be feeling better so we went to the gym for some hill work on the treadmill for me and play time for Cannon.

Wednesday: Early morning strength training.

After breakfast Cannon and I went back to the gym where I was excited to get back on the bike

I haven’t been to spin class in so long! I finally found a class that worked with my schedule. It was great to be back on a bike but man it kicked my butt.

Thursday: I got up early for another round of yoga before Cannon got up at 5:30 then hiked some hills on the treadmill at the gym. Nothing too exciting.

 

Friday: Friday was an unintentional rest day. I got very little sleep overnight so I skipped my early morning session. Then we had gymnastics with Cannon before an OB appointment. I thought I might go to the gym in the afternoon but then a friend closed her finger in her car door (yikes) so we spent the afternoon/evening at Urgent Care. Some things are just more important so I am fine with missing some workouts.

Saturday: On Saturday I still wasn’t feeling great so we played in the snow and rested.

Sunday: In the morning we went swimming in the morning, I love to see how much Cannon enjoys being in the water.

Sunday Funday

I used nap time to fit in some strength training and hills on the treadmill.

I will miss running and I can’t believe it will be 16ish weeks until I am running again but I think it’s what’s best for me now and I know that I can take much longer than that off ( I basically didn’t run during my pregnancy with Cannon so that was closer to 46 weeks off) and I was able to come back.

Happy Running Everyone!