Becoming Superhuman

http://www.fourhourbody.com/
After reading hundreds of diet/fitness books over the years, I finally found the BEST book. I feel almost euphoric, it's like it was written for ME.  I just told Mike, "I feel like I've been released from my prison."  He was like, "I didn't know you were in a prison." LOL  I laughed and said, "you know.. my FOOD prison.."

What I meant, is that for YEARS, I have felt out of control with regard to my body/weight. There were good and bad days/periods, times of success and failure, loss and gain... many different eating and exercise plans.  Through it all... even when I DID lose weight, I would feel like I wasn't going to hold onto it.  Like the next binge was going to pack on 5 pounds and result in a downward spiral toward fatsville.  Because of this fear, I NEVER had cheat days... well, maybe once or twice a year... and when I did I felt awful and guilty and didn't enjoy it.  Not a way to live!

The last time (prior to Christmas, 2010) I REALLY overate was 5-15-10! I almost passed out from a food/salt overdose.  I told myself  "never again."

After Emmy was born, as most of you would expect, I went back to my obsessive regimen of food preparation, restriction and exercise. Round and round the running track at school, like a hamster on a wheel.  Don't get me wrong, you all know how much I love running - but a big part of me was wondering, "What's the point."  I mean, I know running and exercise is important and essential for cardiovascular and mental health (and I would continue to do it for those reasons alone) but I am beginning to learn that the weight loss effect is negligible - and when you do "chronic cardio" you actually may be sabotaging your own body.  "The 4-Hour Body" takes a less-is-more approach with respect to exercise.  Doing simple, effective exercises and high-intensity interval training can have an effect as beneficial as endurance training, according to many studies! Isn't that amazing???

Leaving the hospital after having Emmy last August, I was already down to 135 pounds.  6 weeks later, I had dropped another 13 pounds.  After that, the weight loss stopped... despite miles of running, plyometrics and a very strict diet.  What was the problem?

Too much exercise, not enough calories, not enough water, not the RIGHT kinds of nutrients, essentially.

For the past six weeks, I did not lose an ounce.  Mind you, I was running about 25 miles a week, doing plyometrics 2 days, and eating around 1400 calories a day.  Many of you may be saying "What the hell, you're 122 lbs...why do you want to lose more WEIGHT..." Well, I don't necessarily want to lose "weight."
I want to lose fat. My bodyfat scale tells me I am 20%...I have heard the scales aren't very accurate, but at least it's a rough estimate.

What I want, is a SUPERHUMAN body. A body that makes people say, "what the hell have you been doing?"  And this is exactly what Timothy Ferriss talks about in his book "The 4-Hour Body."  I want ripped abs.  I don't want to be a competitive bodybuilder or anything - but I would like to make my body the best functioning machine it can possibly be - and this book is telling me how to do just that... in specific steps.  AND...I don't want to spend hours and hours working out. I want to engineer the best functioning body I can.

The book has shown me how to eat more, do less exercise and spike calories once a week to boost fat loss. I have only been following the diet for 4 days - and have already dropped 2 pounds... and that is including a HUGE Christmas Day binge food-fest!

Here's how it works. Throughout the week, I eat  protein and slow-burning carbs (vegetables, black beans, lentils, spinach). I don't eat fruit or dairy. On the "free day," anything goes!!! I have also reduced my exercise... running only about 3 miles every other day and doing other exercises such as kettlebells, pushups, lunges and core work on the in-between days. My workouts rarely exceed 30 mins/day.  I will be monitoring my progress with the tape measure as well.

Having a weekly cheat day makes it easy to stick to the diet all other days of the week - and I don't feel guilty about it, either, because I know it is helping to reset my metabolism to ensure it converts T4 cells to T3 cells in the thyroid! Who would've guessed a weekly caloric spike would actually boost fat burning?

Also, I am no longer a slave to exercise. I have long heard that short bursts of intense exercise can be as effective (or even more effective) as long distance training. I plan to put this to the test for myself as I am training for Grandma's this spring. 

I am so excited about this.  I feel like it's a plan I can live with for a lifetime.  Much more to come!

The Finale!

Well, it has taken me three weeks to tell you about the birth of the baby! Bad me!!!  I meant to come in here sooner and update, but well ya know how life gets away from you when a newborn comes on the scene!

Okay, so it was August 12th...one of the hottest days this summer - probably close to 90 and just as hot in my house.  I lamented to Mike that night after watching the weather, "I think she barometric pressure is going to drop tomorrow and I am going to go into labor."

The morning of August 13th, I went to the gym and ran my three miles in roughly 32 minutes.  I went home and showered - and when I got out of the shower - it seemed that something was "dripping," if you know what I mean. I couldn't tell if it was just water from the shower or what. LOL Anyway, I had a doctor appointment in about another hour, so I figured she could check me out then.

When I got to the doc, I had to provide a urine sample as per the usual - and while I was in the bathroom I noticed another gush of fluid and was pretty sure my water had broken.

Shortly after that I was up on the exam table and the doctor confirmed that, yes, my water had broken. I was kind of in shock, I haven't had that happen with my other two kids.  I just sat there on the table thinking, "is this IT?"  Thirteen days early???

I texted Mike and told him it was confirmed, my water HAD broken. The doctor told me I should get over to the hospital.  I asked her if I could just go home until I started having contractions (I was feeling no pain) but she said they like to monitor you once your water breaks.

Then I asked if it was okay if I went home to get my stuff and she said yes. I did go home - but before I did I went to Arby's (LOL) knowing they would not let me eat once I was admitted to the hospital!

Then I went home, showered, packed my bag, cleaned the house, did a few other things and then Mike brought Macy to the sitter. I didn't end up making it to the hospital til 4 p.m.  hahaha.. The nurses were like, "Oh, there you are - we were wondering if you were coming!"

Still no serious contractions.

They decided to just let me labor for a while and see what happened... apparently my cervix was not totally ripe so they gave me something to help it ripen. I started to contract some but not too intense. I had contractions through the night and dozed off and on until 6 a.m. when they started me on pitocin and gave me an epidural.

Once I was on the pitocin, it took about an hour and a half for me to fully dialate - then ONE PUSH and baby girl was here!!!

I couldn't believe it.  It was so fast, and I had no tearing or stitches. Unbelievable! 

Baby girl (who didn't have a name yet) was 6 lbs. 11.5 ounces and 19 inches long.  She is totally gorgeous and the most wonderful baby.

It took Mike and I another full day after she was born to finally name her. Her name is Emilyn Danielle - Danielle is after my dad who passed away in 2002.

She will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and is a really good sleeper.  I feel very fortunate that she sleeps well as I have to start school in a few days!

As for my body, I am getting it back :)  I gained a total of 18 lbs after losing a couple the week before delivery, and lost 12 in the birth.  I have since lost a few more leaving me with only about 3 lbs and some ab work and I will be back where I was!  I also went back to the gym three days after delivery, I had NO pain or complications... I couldn't have asked for a better experience!!!

I feel happy and thrilled, almost euphoric.. and have had NO depressed feelings like I did after Macy. I feel on top of the world. I am truly blessed!!!

37 Weeks

37 weeks

Wow...3 weeks or less to go...can you believe it?!?! I thought this time would never come...

I finished work last week and I'm now officially "on leave." It's nice. We did a lot of work in the girls' room last weekend and we're all ready should the lil girl decide to arrive early!

 I was really proud of myself yesterday - went to the gym and ran 5 miles on the treadmill! I think I am a lot more wimpy when I'm by myself. LOL  It is a lot more motivating working out when you have a couple of "cardio queens" on each side of you busting their butts.  I ran at about a 5.8 mile pace and it felt good. Very surprised I can still do that at 37 weeks!

I went to the doc last Friday - she checked me and said my cervix is "very soft" but still not dialated and pretty long. She has limited availability this week, so I will be seeing the nurse practitioner.  I'll see my reg. doc at 38.5 weeks. She ventured to guess I would "still be pregnant then."

I got a terrible leg cramp a few nights ago! I woke up screaming in agony and tried to get out of bed as fast as I could, knowing I could alleviate the pain if I stood up.  I got all tangled up in the sheets and tumbled out of bed!  We have a very high bed, too... but I had a bunch of pillows on the floor so thankfully I didn't hurt myself.  Mike woke up in a panic shouting, "What's wrong?!"  He had terror in his voice! I guess he thought I was going into labor.  As soon as I stood up on my foot, the cramp went away.  However, my calf ached for the entire rest of the day! What a way to wake up!

7-21-10

35 weeks pregnant

About a month to go!!!

I've been having some tremendous pelvic pressure. When I stand up from a sitting position or exert any effort, I feel intense pressure bearing down. Makes me nervous... wondering if the baby is going to stay in there!  People close to me say I've grown a lot in the last month.

It's been unusually warm around here lately.  As you may know, I don't have air conditioning or a house that is conducive to getting a breeze blowing through it, which really sucks.  It's bearable most of the time... but some days in the late afternoon the sun just comes beating in the dining room windows and cranks up the temp in here.  My sleeping has been really poor, so being in a hot house makes it much worse.  Today looks to be in the 80's.  Missing my old friend, the lake breeze.

I'm getting super antsy.  Is it the nesting instinct??? I have to work today and tomorrow... then 4 days next week and I am DONE.  I cannot believe next week is my LAST week.  No one really knows what will become of me in the future, as far as work is concerned.  I have reduced my status officially to "part-time," but it's unclear whether there will be anything PT for me once my FMLA expires in late October.  I am not stressing about it too much.  I am SUPER excited about going back to school in September, and with the demands of that along with a new baby - I will have my plate full :-)

A lot of people are surprised I am going to school full-time this fall - and tell me I am going to be exhausted and overwhelmed. That may be true... but I have a couple of important things going for me!  For one, the exercise piece helps me tremendously.  It gives me energy, motivation and combats sleepiness.  I cannot WAIT to get back to my regular program - and for running to be fun again!  There's an awesome wellness center on campus and I will be spending most of my time there for my classes in Exercise Physiology.  If I am not able to work out prior to school in the morning, I will have breaks throughout the day where I can utilize the facilities.  Plus, there's my awesome husband. He is so helpful and is totally supporting me in my goals. We will take turns getting up in the night like we did before - plus he is working from home for the month of September so I can attend school until the baby is old enough to go to daycare. Annnnnd.... of course I am tremendously excited to study my passion and to charter a new path for myself.  So many wonderful things to look forward to!

I continue running...but it is much more difficult. I was proud of myself for getting a 6-miler in last Sunday.  I can still do the first mile in about 9:15, then I usually slow down to 11 minute miles. That is ok with me.  At least it feels like a workout! (even bending over to pick something up off the floor feels like a workout to me at this point...LOL)  I also take walking breaks when needed and don't feel bad about it.  Sometimes I get those round ligament pains when running, they sorta feel like a sharp stitch in your lower belly and make running almost impossible - so I need to stop and walk until the feeling passes.  In addition to running I do my plyometrics workout on Tuesdays (super modified) and pushups.  While I'm at work I try to take a lot of walking breaks.  I will just get up and walk around... it also gives me an excuse to go outside, hike up the hill and get a cold beverage. LOL  I am going to miss working downtown, it's fun having easy access to all the local businesses and being down where all the action is!

I have a doctor appointment this Friday.  I hope she will check my cervix this time to see if anything is "happening."  I feel like it just MUST be...with all this pressure and weird pains I have been experiencing, but you never know - could just be my own wishful thinking! We will see.  I will keep you updated!

Into the Home Stretch (almost 34 weeks!)

According to my estimated due date, I have 46 days to go.

46 days, that's it!!!  Wonder if she will come early???  My due date is 8-25-10.  Everyone I see tells me how small I am. A lady at work the other day actually said to me, "I sure hope you get a lot bigger before you deliver!"  I thought that was a strange comment. Not sure what she meant by it... maybe that it looks like the baby has a lot of growing to do? I responded, "Well I don't!"  LOL  Who wants to get huge and be more miserable??? At my last dr. appt, the baby was estimated at 4.5 pounds, right on track for growth.  My uterus also measured exactly at the number of weeks it was supposed to.  My other two pregnancies were very similar...I carried sort of "compactly" and my babies were 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 7 pounds, 2 ounces.  I am not worried.

I am pleased with my weight gain, 18 pounds so far.  I checked my weight card from my pregnancy with Macy and right now I weigh 17 pounds less than I did with Macy at this time in the pregnancy. Of course I started out lighter this time also, but I think it makes it a lot easier, especially in the hot summer months - to not weigh so much.  It's been very hot around here this past week - and we don't have air conditioning since we rarely need it. There have been a few VERY uncomfortable sleeping nights.  It won't last, though. Today looks to be a gorgeous beach day!  We're planning to take Macy to build some sand castles. She will love it!

I've kept up my running, although it gets more and more difficult.  I'm proud that I can still run a mile in around 9:15 even at almost 34 weeks pregnant!  I haven't been doing any long runs since the marathon - I usually do them on Saturdays and the weather has been hot the past two weeks so I've skipped it.  I refuse to run more than 5 miles on the treadmill...lol  My runs are usually 3-4 miles on the treadmill in the basement where it's cool, with the fan blowing on me.  I gotta do what I can to keep myself cool and comfortable! I also do plyometrics and pushups throughout the week.

I haven't had too many pregnancy symptoms to speak of, although I have a very nasty vericose vein in the back of my leg, just below where my knee bends. I hate it... it looks gross and when I run my hand over it, it feels bumpy. YUCK. I am going to see about having it removed after the baby is born.  Mike says he can't notice it, but I think he's just being nice... No new stretch marks, though...YAY! I have a few old ones from Hailey - but that was 16 years ago and they are very faded and not very conspicuous.  I am fortunate that way : )

Well, time to get ready to hit the beach!

Marathon Recap

It has taken me a week to post my summary of the marathon, which was last Saturday. I am sure all of my dedicated readers have been suffering through sleepless nights wondering if I made it...LOL

Well, I did!  We finished in 2:33. The time is nothing to brag about, but I guess running a 13.1 race at 31 weeks pregnant was/is!!! 

In the pic you can see the shirts Mike designed for us. Isn't he a sweetie? We got a lot of comments on them which was fun. They say "Run Like a Mother" in case you can't tell.

Mike was actually very fun to run with too...which surprised me considering how competitive he is.  I thought he would be going nuts running at my 11 minute pace, but he was actually quite pleasant! He kept asking if I felt ok, if we were going too fast, if I needed water.

We left the house at 4 a.m. Saturday, made it to the shuttle busses and were bussed to the start by 5 a.m. That left us with an hour and a half to stand around and do nothing - suck!! The waiting before a race is the WORST for me. I get so anxious and I just want to get GOING. Mike and I sat around and talked and then ran into a few people we knew and hung out with them. Finally it was 6:30 and time to start. The gun fired and we were off and running!

Weather at the start was slightly overcast and in the mid 60's. Beautiful sunrise with some stratus clouds. It was hard to tell if it was going to stay cloudy or if the sun would burn right through, in which case it would probably get quite hot - well, hot for me, anyway. 

The first four miles of the race were a bit of a struggle and I tried to settle into my pace. It was a slow, uphill grade for 4-5 miles and I was REALLY feeling it. I had some pain in my quads but not horrible. I was very thankful I was not having the shin or calf pain I've had in recent months as my pregnancy has progressed. Once we hit mile 5, we finally got a downhill break and I started to feel really good.  The sun came out but there was a gusty headwind that cooled us off nicely.

I was shocked - but I only had to pee TWICE, at miles 4 & 8!  Mike thought it would be a lot more, and so did I. The lines for the port-a-potties were so long that I just went into the woods. Running makes all modesty go out the window sometimes...lol

Time passed rather quickly and before I knew it we were on our last mile. Things started to get really exciting then - the course was packed with bands, DJs and people cheering.  The last quarter-mile of the race is a corral of people sitting on bleachers cheering.  Oftentimes people ask me to explain the appeal of running and/or racing - well, this is it.  The home stretch. The final push.  The crowd cheering for you. Even though I was a 31-weeks-pregnant woman, I could pretend in my mind I was an Olympic athlete if just for a little while.

Once in that corral, I couldn't stop myself from "turning on the afterburners" as Mike calls it. LOL I started sprinting and was probably doing an 8-minute mile for the last part of the race. The crowd was deafening... were they cheering for me? Hell, I doubt it, but at least I could pretend. I did hear someone read my shirt who said, "Run like a mother! And she's pregnant!"

Mike and I held hands as we crossed the finish... and the moment I stepped over the sensor I was so overcome with emotion I started to cry. It doesn't matter if I'd done the race 50 times. The euphoria was unbelievable. People who wonder what "all the hype is about" probably have never experienced that.

So, all in all it was a fabulous day - and didn't kick my arse too bad! Of course my pelvis was the sorest but as long as I kept moving it was manageable. We had a busy rest of the day (of course) and could not relax, nap or any of that good stuff...although we did go to bed early that night. For once in MONTHS, I slept a FULL eight hours without getting up to pee!  I think my body just shut down...lol  Another thing I was proud of was that I ran the WHOLE way! Except for when I needed water and walked a few steps while downing my cup, I was constantly jogging.

No more races for me til after the baby is born, although I will keep running my 3-5 milers. Completing this race while pregnant was an amazing accomplishment for me and gave me an entirely new sense of what I'm capable of.

Running like a Mother...almost 31 weeks pregnant on Marathon Day!!

30.5 weeks

I am sooo tired this morning. I slept like crap last night! I am already getting too excited for the race. I can't believe it's tomorrow.  In 24 hours, I will be out on the course with 5,000 other runners doing the half.

At least I will be very tired tonight...we have to get up at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning (or should I say this morning?) We have to catch the shuttle to the race start between 4:15 and 4:45. Don't want to be stressed and rushing. Today after I get out of court we will head downtown to pick up our race packets.

There are tons of people in town.  I heard an estimate that about 30,000 people come here for the marathon.  All week, I've seen folks running around downtown.  There's electricity in the air! I look forward to this every year.

The weather looks decent. Not exactly what I would have wanted, but it could be a lot worse. It won't be TOO terribly hot (looks like around 67 for finish time, 50's at the start), but we will have a 20 mph headwind. Why, oh why, after two weeks of wind off the lake and fog, couldn't we just get a little tailwind to help us out??? It may also sprinkle on us at the start...that won't be so bad as long as it's not pouring.

I've had so many people say to me recently, "I can't believe you're running this race at almost 31 weeks pregnant." I have a sense that I don't want to let anyone down. I will listen to my body, but I know when I get out on the course I will want to be somewhat competitive. I won't want to bring in some sucky time...LOL

I better get going...I have a million things to do today!!! I will be back sometime tomorrow with a race recap! It will all be over before I know it.

29 weeks, 3 days...About 74 days to Go!!!

It's exactly one week til marathon day!!! I am so excited.  I can't believe it's almost here. I was looking at the extended forcast and it said highs in the lower 70's for next Saturday.  That is too warm for me...but it's still a week out so a lot can change, plus if there's a wind off the lake that could mean 50's or 60's.  I will be watching the weather religiously in the coming week!

Today I will complete my last long run before the race.  Mike had to go into work this morning to finish some things up for a meeting he has on Monday, so I will have to wait until he is done with that. I usually like to get my run out of the way in the morning, but not today. I told him jokingly as he was leaving to "enjoy your time at work" because it was going to be considered part of his free time today. LOL  I don't know how many miles I will go today, I'll see how I feel. I am thinking 6-8?

I had my follow-up doctor appointment on Thursday for an ultrasound to make sure growth is ok with little girl #3.  It was pretty neat considering I was told I probably wouldn't have another ultrasound.  Everything measured right on target at 29 weeks and I was so relieved to see that.  Also, the baby  now weighs 3 pounds! I can't believe it.  She is about the size of a loaf of bread!  Plus my amniotic fluid increased as well because the tech found another "pocket" of it she hadn't measured before.  It is supposed to be between 5 and 25 (cc's?) and at my last appointment mine was 11.  (If it gets below 7 they get worried).  This time it measured at 15 so it's all good.

The doctor came in after the ultrasound to talk about the results and said everything looked great. She chuckled and said "I don't know where you put it," meaning when she had measured me the previous day I was only indicating 26 weeks, which was the reason she wanted to check the growth. I felt almost giddy to know the baby's growth is exactly where it should be!

After my appointment, Mike was talking about how his lunch had been terrible and he ended up throwing his salad away because he bit into a rancid cucumber. LOL I suggested going to Taco John's.  Sometimes I like to treat myself with a little "off limits" food after I have an appointment. I usually don't eat much the day prior to the appointment and beforehand I get nervous and cannot eat...so I was ravenous.  So we went to TJ's and had a nice lunch...I didn't go overboard but enjoyed every bite.

I continue to strive to seek balance with my food choices.  I have pretty much boycotted the "cheat day" which used to be a full-on food fest that left me sick and sluggish for hours afterwards.  I think I have succeeded in convincing myself that doing this is NOT FUN and not worth it.  The last time I ate myself sick was 5-15-10. I don't even think I wrote about it - that's how awful it was. LOL  Mike and I went to a seasonal burger place and I went crazy with fried fish, onion rings and ice cream.  It was good at first, but I kept on eating.  When I got home hours later, I took my blood sugar and it was STILL 148. It stayed elevated for like 6-7 hours, that's how long it took my body to process all that food... and thinking about that really sickened me.

So, I've been trying to just practice moderation and allow myself a little bit here and there, like on the weekends, but to maintain control and stop before I am full.  It's been working so far. Last weekend, Mike bought Oreos (damn him!) which I love and cannot resist... well we've had the package for a week and I've only eaten 3 cookies, so I feel like that's a victory!

Also Hailey and I went to DQ yesterday - she left on a week-long trip this morning so we spent some time alone together yesterday. We went to see my new office and then on the way home we stopped for ice cream. I had a small cone... reasonable. In the past, I would think "screw it, I'm getting a Peanut Buster Parfait or a large Blizzard." Well, I am teaching my brain to be satisfied with less and it works. I had the cone and two hours later my blood sugar was only 119 so I was surprised it didn't do much damage!

That's about it on the food front. It's another gloomy day here in Duluth.  I think when Macy wakes up we're going to bust out the Play-Doh and do some indoor crafts. Have a great day!  

76 (or so) Days to Go

I went to the doctor yesterday (29 weeks) and found out I am anemic. I wasn't surprised as I have been CRAVING ice big time for the past few weeks and chomping on it constantly... this was a symptom I had with both of my previous kids and it always happened around the end of the pregnancy.  Apparently the baby is a parasite who is sucking all the red blood cells out of me...lol

I sheepishly told my doctor I am "not very good" about taking my vitamins.  Not very good = hardly ever.  Yeah, I know that is poor but I try REALLY HARD to get all of my nutrition through food sources, and I THOUGHT I was doing a good job of it.  Hmmm... I don't like the prenatals because they make me gag, upset my stomach and, well, then there's that constipation thing.  I tried to be good about them in the early weeks of pregnancy but have since fallen off the wagon.

The doctor asked if I could tolerate a Flintstones chewable and I was pretty sure I could... so she told me to eat 2-3 of those per day.  If I can get my iron levels up I am sure it will help me in the marathon.  I'm actually surprised I haven't felt worse while exercising, but really it hasn't been too bad. As long as I'm on a relatively flat surface I seem to be ok.  Stairs are another story. I get seriously winded and out of breath climbing stairs and I sometimes have to take breaks. Makes me feel like I weigh about 300 pounds...lol  Other symptoms I've had include weakness, racing heart from doing minimal activity...and the main one, as I tell Mike, "it feels like it takes a huge effort to do just about anything these days."  Hoping the iron will help.

What else.  Well, my blood pressure was 90/58, that's always good.  She checked my cervix and said it was "long, hard and closed," no signs of preterm labor. 

I asked her about anesthesia, specifically if I could request a certain person. I had a terrible experience with my epidural when having Macy and had to be poked in the back probably eight times before the doctor THOUGHT he got it in.  He then went away and I continued to have excruciating contractions. I'd had an epidural also with Hailey, so I knew what to expect - and that was not it.  After about an hour of worsening pain, they called a different anethesiologist in... the nurse later told me the line from the first doctor's attempt was not even in my back when they removed the gauze.  The new guy did a great job and had me set up in no time. He said I had a curve in my spine which made it more difficult to find the space to insert the needle. Anyway, my doctor told me that first guy has since retired.  I am glad!! I don't want any more run-ins with him.

My doctor said I could probably request a specific doctor to perform the epidural "since you're going to be scheduled anyway." I am not sure what she meant by that.  Scheduled? Did she have me confused with someone else?  She didn't have her computer with her and was unable to pull up her charts... but I hope she didn't think "scheduled" as in she thinks I am having a c-section...because all of my births have been vaginal and I want to keep it that way.   I will have to ask her about that today. Oh yeah, when she measured me she said I haven't changed much since the last visit.  I can't believe it, because I feel much larger and everyone says they can really tell now. She also said it may be just the way the baby is laying, but she wanted to order another ultrasound to make sure the growth is okay. It doesn't freak me out too much because I carried small with Macy and Hailey too.  I just don't get how they can do this little measurement with a tape of your belly and that is supposed to tell them how growth is progressing. Weird. Well, I will have the ultrasound later this afternoon so I will let you know how it goes.

Only 9 days til the marathon...yikes... the weather has been cool and rainy around here lately, although the upcoming weekend looks decent.  I am very anxious about the weather. Like I keep saying, it was really hot last year.  It seems that weekend is when our summer has been starting for the past 3 years.  I am hoping for a lake breeze...even fog...

Well, off to do my morning run.  The past couple of days I've been able to do a 9:30 pace for the first mile and then 11 minute miles thereafter - not too bad.  This will all be contingent upon the weather on race day of course... and those pesky iron levels!

80 Days to Go

Today I start the 29th week.  I will have a doctor appointment on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to that because she had to cancel on me last week due to being in surgery all day.  After this appointment, I believe I will start going to the doc every two weeks...then it's every week once I hit 36 weeks.

I look at my calendar every night and count days to specific things I am looking forward to.  My due date, of course, the time I will go on leave from work, the marathon, summer events, things like that.

Yesterday, I told Mike I was going to start telling people my due date is 8-9-10. I will be 38 weeks on 8-9-10...and that way, I can say it's just a couple of months from now. Maybe that will keep people from saying "WOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE PREGNANT THE WHOLE SUMMER!" LOL

Yesterday, I completed my last long run prior to race day, which is June 19. I did 8 miles and it wasn't too bad. As usual, it took me 1.5-2 miles to "get into it," and after that it was tolerable, but never really all that fun or enjoyable.  It's a chore, it's work.  However, I feel that it's important that I continue with my running.  I was pretty slow on this run, but I've just accepted that I'm going to be a lot slower and try not to beat myself up about it.  I'm just happy I'm still able to do it - even though my "running" is more like a trot these days! After the run I wasn't feeling too bad - seems I can handle 8 miles fairly well. It's the 10-11 milers that really take a toll on my body.   I did get a weird cramp in my lower back when I only had about a half mile to go - it hurt pretty bad and I spent that last half mile alternating running and walking.  I don't know where the pain came from, but it went away pretty fast once I reached my house. After I got back home, Hailey needed a ride to a grad party and Mike was laying Pips down for a nap and wanted to hit the gym. After I brought Hailey to her party, I came back home and went onto the computer for a while. I suddenly got very sleepy and my eyes kept closing so I thought "I'll just lay down on the couch for a while."  I closed my eyes, and next thing I knew Mike was coming home from the gym and I was late to pick Hailey up from the party. A half hour had passed and I felt like I'd just closed my eyes!  Guess I needed that little nap.

Next week, the run will be 7 miles... then the week prior to the race is pretty laid back with only a few 3-4 mile runs.  Mike asked me last night how I was feeling about the race.  I told him I am feeling ok but worried about a couple of things... if it's hot it's going to be VERY hard for me... it was terribly hot last year and I was miserable plus I wasn't even pregnant! My time was 1:52 last year for the half which I was very proud of - I have accepted I will be nowhere near that mark for this time around! Mike keeps trying to tell me he doesn't care how slow I am - but I'm nervous about how he will handle it since he is such a competitor and has been doing great in his own training this season. I have told him several times I would be just fine with it if he wanted to go off on his own in the race and push himself to a personal best, but he refuses. He says this is "our thing" and he isn't going to leave me behind.

I know I will make it... I guess part of me REALLY doesn't want some horribly embarrassing time... I mean come on... I can at least come in under 3 hours, right?

83 Days and Counting!

Good morning!

I need to revamp my pledge to write in here EVERY day. I don't think it's going to happen, but I will try to write at least every OTHER day. Progress not perfection, right?

So I am 28 weeks and 2 days today.  Boy oh boy am I getting impatient!!!  I cannot wait for this baby girl to get here.  Dreaming of her... I will have three beautiful girls. I can't believe it.  So much is changing in my life right now.

I weighed myself today. This takes much preparation and worry and I am always nervous with a racing heart when I step on the scale. I hadn't weighed myself in nearly two weeks and was pleasantly surprised to find I had gained only one pound. That brings my weight gain to 15 pounds so far. It is incredible how CAREFUL I am being, how stringent, how scrupulous... keeping food logs, exercising 5 or more days a week, very limited "night eating" - and even with all of this, I am barely able to keep it under control. It is true the body will do what it needs to do while pregnant... you do have some control over it of course.. if you eat like a horse and throw caution to the wind the pounds are going to pile on no doubt - but even if you practice the same habits you did while you were living your "old life," (the non-pregnant one) most people will naturally gain the number of pounds their body requires for the baby.  I think I told you I have my weight chart from my pregnancy with Macy, and I often compare it with my current one.  I wasn't quite as strict with her, although I did run 3 miles every day and ate decent. I do remember eating a lot more "treats" back then...thinking "what the hell, I am pregnant" LOL and when I think of that it kinda blows my mind that I would be that relaxed about weight gain.  Anyway, I started out with Macy 11 pounds heavier than with this baby... so right now I weigh 17 pounds less than I did with Macy at 28 plus weeks. I think that is GREAT primarily for the reason that I am a small person and it's hard to carry around extra pounds.  I really notice the 15 extra pounds on my petitie frame, even though they're mostly in my belly.  I can wear most of my same pants... (they don't button of course, but it's encouraging that the butt and legs still fit...LOL) I just pull the Be Band over the top of them and wear a longer shirt! I haven't bought many maternity clothes... although I did get some cute khaki Liz Lange capris from Target and another pair of black dress pants, also by Liz Lange. I need to get those hemmed.  They fit really well though.  So, overall I feel pretty good in my clothes, which improves my self-esteem. I also feel good when I practice control around food, which I have continued to do all week! Yay me!

I told you we moved into our new office, and there have been lots of delicious goodies around to welcome the clients... cinnamon rolls, cookies, scones, all that delicious sugar, flour and doughy chewiness. I have avoided the breakroom and I've been sticking to my meals brought from home... low carb wraps, hard boiled eggs, berries, nuts and string cheese.  Well, yesterday I saw those damn cookies again. There were still like 5 of them in a plastic bag. I went back to my office, but kept thinking about how great it would be to sink my teeth into one of those...haha  Around late afternoon, I went back and broke off about one fourth of a cookie and brought it back to my office.  It was so chewy and delicious! I didn't have much... just a few bites... but it addressed my cravings and I didn't need to waste 400 calories on a whole cookie! 

Every day is a battle with food... now that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, people will say "this is where you gain the most weight" but I am encouraged to know I only gained 10 lbs from weeks 28-39 with Macy. I can at least do that this time around!

Day 85 - June First

Ok, somehow I am off on my calculations... because I got the calendar out last night and counted the days til my actualy due date. 85 as of today. Tomorrow I will be 28 weeks.

I had a great weekend, the 11 mile run on Thursday, short walk on Friday, 5 mile run on Saturday, then took Sunday and Monday off from exercise, which was nice. Today I will do four miles. It looks like a beautiful day so I think I will go outside!

I can't believe it's June 1st already. I have so much coming up to look forward to.  The marathon is June 19th, then I took 5 days off the following week to go to the Cities (Mpls/St. Paul that is) with Mike for some budget meetings he has to attend. That's always fun because we get a hotel and enjoy some shopping, swimming and relaxing.  Last year was NOT FUN because Macy was just a little over a year old and was NOT about to sleep in the Pack-n-Play.  We ended up having her in bed with us where she tossed and turned and kicked and rolled around... I barely slept for two nights it seemed because I was so worried about her falling out of bed.  I am hoping this year will be better, as she is over 2 yrs old and understands a lot more... plus you can reason with her somewhat... i.e. "we aren't going to the mall tomorrow unless you go to sleep."  (She loves the mall. What girl doesn't? LOL)

I will be going on leave from work at the end of July - my last day will be July 29. I can't believe how fast that is coming up.  I am thrilled to have the entire month of August to prepare, relax and get ready for the baby.  Of course, I wouldn't mind a bit if she decided to make her arrival a couple of weeks early!

I start school on September 7th.  I am enrolled in a masters program for Exercise Physiology which lasts for one year.  Lots of people think I am crazy for starting this right after having a baby... but I am not getting any younger and I don't want to wait another year.  I will be 38 in November... it was always one of my dreams and goals to earn a masters degree and once I found the program in EXP I knew it was the perfect fit.  Oh yeah, I have to try and work too... probably about 20 hrs/wk if I can handle it.  It will all work out.

Time to get ready for my morning run and then to head off to work to our NEW building!

Day 89

What a wonderful day with family today!
Mike and I took Macy to Hayward, WI, which is about 70 miles from here - to a place called Wilderness Walk. It's 35 acres of trails and animals, kind of like a zoo, but you can pet a lot of the animals and feed them. Macy loved it!

We stopped at a gas station on the way there and I got a couple of "nutrition" bars. I looked for low sugar content. I got two bars and each had 18 grams of sugar. I was really hungry before I ate them and feeling a little shaky. I felt ok after eating them, yet a hour or so later while walking the trails looking at the animals, I felt somewhat ill. Why can't I comprehend that I DON'T TOLERATE SUGAR WELL???

Seems like everything makes me burp. UGH. At least the bars didn't give me heartburn!

We went out to eat at Famous Dave's at the end of the day. It's a beautiful Northwoods location, right on the lake, and was the first one he opened.  I got a burger and ate 3/4 of it without the bun, then a couple of bites of beans and cole slaw. I skipped the potatoes and corn muffin, which I love.

Felt good afterwards...like I ate just enough but didn't overdo it.

The ride home was nice and relaxing...Macy didn't sleep but was very good in the car - she just looked out the window and jabbered and commented on the scenery. LOL

One more day to enjoy and then it's back to work!

Day 90 - Practicing Mindfulness

I should change the title of this blog to something to do with food, since that's what I usually talk about.

After I spent that long run yesterday burping and having heart burn, I decided I was going to be more careful with my food choices to spare myself the discomfort of all that business.  Sure, spicy sausage tastes good when I'm eating it, but I pay for it later! 

While I was on that run, burping away...hahaha I had a couple of revelations about food.  I decided that:

1.  I will strive to practice some level of control in all of my interactions with food. No, I may not be perfect and I will have slips, but my goal will be to not do what I've done on my past cheat days... which is to eat until I am sick and then feel awful for hours afterwards.

2.  I will eat less than I think I need... wait awhile, and if I'm still hungry will allow myself more.

Yesterday I bought a bag of almonds. They were really good, there I was munching away... when I said to myself, "put the bag down. You've had enough."  The bag had 2.5 servings in it, and I'd probably had 2 servings already.  Well, I didn't WANT to put them down, I wanted to keep on popping 'em in my mouth.  It was painful, but I forced myself to set them aside.  About 10 minutes later, I had forgotten about them. Food victory #1!

I had scrambled eggs for a late lunch after court. I was all alone in the house and I just wanted to get onto the computer, sit on the couch and shovel the eggs into my mouth while reading Facebook posts.  But I didn't. I am making an effort to pay attention when I am eating, to practice mindfulness, to actually sit and focus on my meal, chew my food and enjoy what I am eating.  So I sat down a the dining room table by myself, looked out the window and slowly ate my eggs with a glass of water.  Food victory #2!

Last night we had to drive Hailey out to her friend's campspot for the weekend, which is over an hour away. On the way back, Mike wanted to stop at DQ.  I immediately felt anxious. Of course I wanted a peanut buster parfait, blizzard or something else with at least 1,000 calories. I got a Dilly Bar instead which is 220 calories and 19 grams of sugar. Mike got a banana split and Pips had a hot fudge sundae. Her sundae looked delicious but it was funny because all she wanted was my Dilly Bar. She kept saying "my chocolate!" and demanding I give her bites...lol  Anyway, I finished my treat and started staring down Pips' sundae...surely a little girl would need help finishing that thing. hahahaha The hot fudge looked so scrumptious.  I had about four bites of it (not huge bites), then told myself NO MORE. I put the spoon down and told my brain that was it.  Not too bad! Food victory #3!

I was so freaking exhausted when we got home... I hadn't slept well the night before and was dead on my feet. Pips had fallen asleep in the car so we got her ready for bed and laid her down. I was changed and into bed within 5 minutes...sleeping about a minute later!

I woke up an hour later... like a woman possessed. I NEEDED SOMETHING. Like, to eat. NOW. I went down stairs like a zombie and opened the pantry door, grabbed a box of Life cereal (which I have seen many times and consistently avoided due to the high sugar content) and poured some into a plastic bowl. I went back up to bed, ate the cereal dry and then promptly fell asleep.

I woke up around 8 the next morning with a nasty taste in my mouth... feeling guilty like I had done something naughty.. knowing I'd had SUGAR (bad,bad) and then I'd gone to sleep with it coating my teeth (and probably storing in my fat cells. LOL!)

Ok, that was not a food victory, but it wasn't TOO bad. I should've had a better nighttime snack, of course. Maybe the Dilly Bar kickstarted my sugar cravings or something.

I got up, put on workout clothes and went on a 5-mile run.  Another victory! I think I burned up those glucose stores.

Progress, not perfection... as they say. If I do not allow myself a little treat when I go to the Dairy Queen with my family, I will go insane. So, I guess my goal is just to practice moderation and to win the fight against food...most of the time.

Sometimes I Surprise Myself (Day 90)

Today has been a pretty exciting day. We spent the day setting up shop in our new office location downtown.  It was the first time I've seen the inside, and it is gorgeous and HUGE.  Everything is new.  Plus, I have my OWN OFFICE! I have never had my own office before, I've always had to share.  I had fun unpacking all my stuff and setting up.  Then, Mike came down to see everything and I gave him a tour of the building.

Our bosses bought a bunch of delicious pizzas for us to have for lunch. They must've had 20 pizzas, I'm not kidding.  Ok, I have weird habits with food.  When we have pizza at home, I take a few slices, scrape off the toppings and give the crust and bottom layer to the dog.  People who are not related to me and who do not love me may certainly find this weird, wasteful and annoying. LOL  I had to be discreet about doing it with my co-workers.  I had one slice of sausage and one pepperoni (just the toppings) and hold the carbs.  It was delish. This will become important later. haha.

Hmmm...but I was still hungry so when I was figuring out the parking ramp I'll be using while at work, I decided to get a grilled chicken salad.

It was a gorgeous day today (downtown, too!!! No lake wind and NO fog, two days in a row, I could NOT believe it!!!) and I enjoyed strolling around, getting used to the new location.  The long holiday weekend was stretching out ahead of me and I started thinking about when I was going to complete my long run for the week.  I started dreading it, thinking ughhhh I wish I could skip it... then I had another thought.  It's a beautiful day! I will do it tonight!  It was actually rather warm, around 75 - but suddenly this seemed like a great idea to me.

I finished up work around 5, went home and got changed for the run.  Mike picked Macy up for me, and I was planning to already be running before they got home - but I was stalling and dragging my feet and was still around when they arrived.  Poor Mike was running around trying to take care of Pips, grill steaks, wash dishes, etc. Yes, I do have a wonderful husband. I started to re-think the run, and told him "maybe I should do it another day..." I cannot even EXPRESS to you how much I DIDN'T want to do it.

While Mike went to change, Macy kept trying to crawl up the stairs. I was trying to put the gate up and she was getting mad, pulling on it and screeching - so I picked her up and she gave me several good kicks in the shins with the hard little shoes she was wearing.  It hurt a lot and I almost cried... not just because of the kicking but because I was feeling sorry for myself and didn't want to run!

When I put on my workout clothes, I looked in the mirror and thought, "my thighs look huge! Not fair! I work so hard!" I felt like crying.

Ok, so when I started off on the run I was in a terrible mood, it was hot, the sun was beating on me and I was REALLY doubting myself.  I started off just walking down the sidewalk, and praying in my head...asking God to help give me the strength to do the run.  I looked at my watch as I walked, thinking, "Ok I will start at 6:10." 6:10 came and went.  "Ok, 6:15." I kept walking.  I went by some creepy people drinking beer in the park and felt annoyed that they were looking at me, so I decided to wait until I walked by the park to start running.  I kept walking, thinking "YOU NEED TO START RUNNING! This is going to take FOREVER!"

I looked at my watch again.  Ok. 6:20.  That is your FINAL CUTOFF. You WILL start running at 6:20 and you will not stop because it hurts.

That's what I did. I started at 6:20, and at first it was HELL. I always get Braxton-Hicks when I start, and they don't hurt, and the doc says they're not harmful... but they are UNCOMFORTABLE. Yet I know they will go away shortly.  I felt like I was jogging SO SLOW but I told myself it didn't matter, as long as I kept going.  I told myself YOU WILL NOT STOP AND WALK. I also had MAJOR heartburn from the sausages I ate off that pizza. I thought it would work itself out after I ran a few miles, but noooo I had it for the ENTIRE 11 miles! Really gross burping and heartburn, thank God no one was around me! I couldn't believe it because I had eaten the pizza like 5 hours before!

I kept giving myself mental pep talks and didn't stop. I jogged all the way to my turn-around point, 5.5 miles.  I stopped for just a minute, turned around and headed back.  After another half-mile I came to the hotel I routinely use for the bathroom. Each time I do this I fully expect some staff member to come and yell at me, but they never do. LOL I would use the pregnancy excuse of course if they did.

I tried to hurry in the bathroom but ended up wasting about 8 minutes because I blew my nose really hard and got a bloody nose : ( Another annoying pregnancy side effect! Once that stopped gushing, I hurried up and got back on the road. And I DID NOT STOP until I reached my front door!

I finished 11 miles, my longest run so far this season and this pregnancy.  I may have mentioned this before, but even though I ran while pregnant with Macy, I didn't do ANY long runs.  I waited til she was born at the end of April to start the long runs for my half marathon training.  Anyway, I'm pretty amazed at what I've been able to do this time around, even though I am slow.  I was so glad to be done with the 11-miler and so glad I did it!  Once I got in the house, my mood had completely changed. Macy could've kicked me in the shins 1,000 times and I wouldn't have cared because I was flooded with endorphins!

Now I only have two more long runs before the race, and they will be 9 and 8 miles. I can now relax and enjoy the weekend!

Day 91 - Starting the Third Trimester Today!

It's finally a beautiful day by the lake!  The wind switched during the night and after two days of fog and mist, it's a bright, sunny day.  It will be in the 70's, I plan to get outside and enjoy it!

I think I will do my run outside before heading to work.  Mike doesn't like it when I run early in the morning, thinking I will get kidnapped. I think the rule is I can't do it before 8 a.m.  It's 8 now though... so I think I will be o.k.  Plus, the street I run on is busy, there are plenty of people taking the bus to work, walking around, etc.  I appreciate it that he worries about me!  Hope it won't be too hot. Yes, I know I am a whiner, but I enjoy running in the cool basement with the fan blowing on me, and it's already 70 degrees outside.  I don't want to waste the gorgeous weather though so I better go for it. I will be sitting inside for most of the rest of the day!

Yesterday I wore some pre-pregnancy jeans I haven't worn in a while. Yes, they still fit, but they were NOT comfortable. LOL I wore my Be Band too and used it to keep them from falling down, you know how your belly tends to push your pants down? ; )  Well, it was really hot in the building at work (even though it wasn't outside) and I had those jeans on with shoes and socks. I don't know what possessed me, I guess I just thought since it was a crappy day so it would be cold everywhere!  Well, I was SO hot and uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to peel everything off.  The jeans felt like stiff, heavy denim and my feet were sweating : (  As soon as I got home, I changed into capris and it felt SO good!  No more of that.  Especially with the packing and everything I've been doing in my office - I just sweat too much.  The baby makes my body like a little furnace...haha  I also got some stomach pains after eating lunch, like I had eaten too much - even though all I had was a little bit of fruit (a handful of blueberries and raspberries), a small salad and a small burger (no bun) Mike had grilled the night before.  My stomach felt ENORMOUS after I got done eating.  I could hardly sit in my desk chair and kept shifting around trying to get comfortable.  Seriously, I am going to further scale back the portion sizes because my stomach can't hold it.  I didn't eat again until I got home and it wasn't much. I don't know what the deal is.

Today I start my third trimester.  I had written this date on my calendar at work, thinking WOW that seems so far away... and here it is! I am two-thirds done.  Only 90 days or so til the baby gets here. Of course, impatient me is hoping for an early delivery, but we will see.

However, at the moment, I am feeling GREAT! I am not tired like I was yesterday morning, it looks like a gorgeous day, and I need to get off the computer and get outside!

Day 92

I am sleepy this morning.  I am sitting at the dining room table, looking out the window at the fog, and wishing desperately I could go crawl back into bed. 

I am NOT in the mood to do plyometrics this morning, but I have to.  I've got to dig out some motivation and make it happen.  Tuesdays are my plyo day. I am such a creature of habit!

I weighed in yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I lost a couple of pounds.  After having a couple of weeks where I gained 1.5 or 2, this was a nice change. It's sort of weird not knowing what your body is going to do when someone else has taken it over for a while. Every time I step on the scale I have no idea what to expect.  There are days that I "think" I will be rewarded because I've been "perfect," only to find a gained a couple of pounds... and then days like yesterday where I think "hmmmm I had a few slip-ups over the weekend, let's see how this pans out" and the scale ends up being my friend.
 

Some days I feel huge, like it's almost impossible to bend over. Yesterday I felt small and compact. It just depends!  I do think I have cut back on my eating because portions that are too large make me feel uncomfortable.  The quarters must be getting cramped in there!

I spent a good portion of yesterday packing up my office. We will be moving to a new location Wed. night/Thurs.  I don't actually have to move anything, just have my stuff boxed up for the movers - which is nice.  I will have my very own office at the new place, which is a brand new building.  Everything is NEW NEW NEW.  I am thrilled to have my own office, I've been waiting 4 years for this.  I guess they're pretty big, too - like 12 X 12.  Can't wait to see.  If it's really that big, I may even be able to do P90X in there...haha  Last night I had my last group session in our old building.  Now, because of the move and Memorial Day, I won't have group for NINE days!  That will be a nice break. Thursday and Friday of this week are set aside for unpacking and getting set up, there will be no clients there.  We will be back up and running June 1.

Ok, enough stalling...time to hit the plyo.  Hey Jack+Alli - thank you for your comments!!!  I do appreciate them... I often wonder if anybody is out there!

Day 93

It's Monday again. I am sitting here staring out the window at the fog, knowing it is 80 and sunny everywhere else in the state of Minnesota, except right next to Lake Superior, which is where I am. Sigh.  I think we've had ONE day in the past 2 weeks where the wind was not off the lake.  The rest of the time it has kept the temperatures at least 20 degrees cooler. I really want some sun and warm weather. I have noticed that I do a great deal of complaining about the weather. I know there's absolutely nothing I can do to change it, but that doesn't stop me from telling everyone who will listen how much I hate the wind.

Yesterday Mike and I started talking about buying a popup camper. This would enable us to drive AWAY from the lake to a campground on the weekends so we can enjoy nice weather.  The northland summers are so short as it is... it's really depressing when you have wind and fog all the time to spoil everything.  I really hope we get the camper, it would improve my outlook on the summer a lot.

So I am in week 27 of my pregnancy now - and Wednesday I will be starting the THIRD trimester! WOW!  I can't believe it. I hesitate to say it is "flying by," since it seems I count every single day and all I think about is giving birth (LOL), but when I look at the big picture, it really is going fast.

I was encouraged by my long run this weekend, I felt much better afterwards than I have in previous weeks...I don't know if it was the belly band or what, but something was different!  I took Sunday off from running/exercise, then this morning had a run of 3 miles on the treadmill.  It's always so much harder for me to do the treadmill - but I got through it and now I'm glad it's over! Time to jump into the shower... Macy will be calling for me soon.

Day 94 (Week 27!)

Today was a nice rest day... no exercise, just some household chores and a birthday party for Mike's great niece.

It was such a beautiful day... (AWAY FROM THE LAKE, of course) we went to a park about 20 miles out of town, which is what you need to do if you don't want the wind off Lake Superior to spoil your plans, which it seems to 90% of the time.  It was 55 in town... once we got out into the country it had to be 30 degrees warmer!

They had some wonderful picnic food... hot dogs, beans, chips, watermelon... and of course, cake.  I didn't do too bad.  I had been telling myself I wasn't having any cake, yet I ended up splitting Macy's piece with her - it was a big chunk of cake and she wasn't too interested in it.  So, I had about a half piece. I took my blood sugar when I got home and it was 114, so I don't think I did too much damage!

Today marks the start of week 27.  I will have a very busy week as the company I work for is moving to a new location and we need to have our stuff boxed up for the movers by the end of the day on Wednesday. I have a lot of packing to do!

Well, not much to say today... just a nice, relaxing day with family! I am kind of sad the weekend flew by already, but at least I have a short week next week (only working 3 days because of the move) and also I also get Memorial Day off! Yeah!

Day 95

I just got back from my 10-mile run!  So glad that's over!

I did NOT want to run today.  Just didn't feel like it.  I was trying to come up with every excuse in the book of why I should skip it... but in the end I went and put on my running clothes and forced myself to go outside.

I was expecting the wind to be awful, because the news said it would be 20-30 mph gusts. I overdressed and ended up taking my fleece off after about 2 blocks. LOL  It wasn't as bad as I had expected, about 55, overcast - ideal for running.

As I was making my way down the street I kept giving myself little cognitive pep talks and saying things like, "This isn't so bad. This really isn't bad at all. You're feeling pretty good." It actually helps, believe it or not! When I focus on how awful I feel, it just exacerbates my woes.

It was pretty funny - on my route there's a strip of slightly seedy bars - I wouldn't want to go running by there at nighttime, but during the day it's relatively harmless.  There was an old guy standing outside one of these establishments smoking a cigarette. He looked friendly enough.  As I approached him he smiled and said, "Young lady, you're making the rest of us look bad!"  I thought that was sorta cute. It made me smile.

I wore my new "Be Band" I got yesterday - which is sort of like a thin, lycra tube top for your belly... it has a lot of different uses but can be used to cover up pants that won't quite button, hold up pants that your growing belly tends to push down and also just to support your belly.  It seemed to help support my belly on the run a lot. Normally when I am doing a 10-mile run, the ligaments in my sides and lower belly will start to ache after 8 or 9 miles.  They didn't this time!  I also felt much  better when I got done... I am not sure why but I'm not as exhausted as I usually am.  I took a nice hot shower when I got home, got dressed, and I still feel like I may have some energy left to do a few things!

Less than a month til the marathon... it's June 19th and for the past few years, this has been the date summer has decided to make its arrival in Duluth.  Last year it was uncomfortably hot - I was horrified to learn it was already 67 degrees and very muggy when I got out of bed at 4:30 a.m.  By the finish of the race, it was in the mid 80's. I pray for a cool day this year... it will help reduce the stress on my pregnant body.  I do my fair share of complaining about the lake wind around here, but I would be thrilled to have a nice, strong tail wind come June 19th!

Day 96

Oops! I forgot to do my post yesterday, and I had JUST pledged to write every day til my due date. Guess I will have to backtrack!

I have noticed that a lot of my postings revolve around food.  It seems harder and harder to "control" what my body is doing. I have a little card from my doctor where they write down your "stats" from each visit... weight, blood pressure, weeks of gestation, height of uterus, etc.  I still have my card from my pregnancy with Macy, and I often compare it to my current card because it gives me motivation to see how I am doing with this pregnancy.  Makes me feel like my hard work is paying off, I guess.

With Macy, I started off 11 pounds heavier than I did with this baby... so at almost 27 weeks, (where I am now) I was up 21 pounds.  As of yesterday when I weighed myself at 26 weeks 3 days, I am up 13 pounds...so still combined with starting out at a lower weight, I am 19 pounds lighter than I was with Macy when I was 27 weeks! It makes me feel pretty good to look at it that way...

So, my goal is to keep my weight gain under 20 lbs...if possible, but I am trying to be flexible with that because I know all too well how your body can tend to do what it wants, especially at the end of the pregnancy. All I can do is try my best with diet and exercise, and my body will kind of do the rest.

We had a training at work yesterday at a local hotel. They provided some "goodies" for us when we got there (of course nothing I could have). Bagels, muffins, doughnuts....etc.  I'd had a protein drink about an hour earlier, but it didn't seem to stick with me and I was ravenous around mid-morning. I sat there feeling miserable, watching everyone eat their pastries... but I kept thinking about how last weekend I'd eaten a small muffin and a small bag of chips which fueled intense sugar and starch cravings, so I did NOT give in to the temptation.

At lunch, I went and got a small Cobb salad... it was DELICIOUS! They also had some food at the training I could eat, sandwich things without bread, so at least I was no longer starving.

I was proud of myself for making it past the food landmine.  It would've been very easy to just say screw it. I was on track for the rest of the day, too.  Mike usually gets some sort of take-out food on Friday nights. He texted me to see what I wanted but I told him I was eating something from home. He brought home two gyros for himself and ate them both.. then told me he was sick from eating too much. That made me glad I had not done the same!

Food victories today... it's the little things!

I have to run 10 miles today and I am seriously dreading it - the wind is very strong and I could wait til tomorrow, but I want to save Sunday for relaxing! I will give you a full report when I get back!

Day 97 (I'm Everything I Hate!)

Ok, it's official.  I have turned into one of those whiny, grumbling, complaining pregnant women who laments and emphasizes every little ache, pain and physical discomfort to anyone who will listen.

Well, not quite...(only to my husband) but I feel as if I am getting there!

Seriously, I need to find a way to extend the way I feel in the morning throughout the rest of the day.  Right now, around 7 a.m. is my best time.  I have this optimistic mood, the outlook is bright, my thoughts tend toward the positive and the hopeful, I am not retaining water and I feel like I am a manageable size.

But as the day progresses, I deteriorate. Again, yesterday, I did not follow through with my plan of walking more throughout the day (or with drinking more water, for that matter!) I did get up around 1 p.m. to move my car and go to Walgreens...but aside from my hourly bathroom trips, I was sitting at my desk almost the whole day.  It's that damn paperwork, I tell ya! When it was quitting time, I again felt like my calves were stretched to the limit.  Geez, I hate that feeling! I know people will say I am exaggerating but I feel like a lumbering elephant...like I am waddling.  

As I sit here right now, my stomach feels cute and compact. BUT... by the end of the day I will be grabbing it like a fat man who just ate a ten course meal, flopping down on the couch, moaning, lifting up my shirt, looking at it, flexing it, poking it, cupping it with my hands... I don't know. It's just this weird thing I do.  It's like I am obsessed with my belly in the evenings.

I don't want to sound like I am complaining about everything all the time, but this is my blog and I can complain, right? LOL As I've told you, there are many joys of pregnancy.  It just seems like the difficult things are weighing more heavily on me at the present time.

Ok, back to my complaining. There's the peeing all day long. I do it so much I think because I think it will relieve some pressure and make me feel better. Oh yeah, did I mention the pelvic pressure? I remember having this with Macy, but it was MUCH closer to my due date. I am having it now from time to time and the way I can describe it is it feels like the baby is going to fall out!  I don't think that will REALLY happen, but that's what it feels like. And then the sleeping thing.  I've been getting up an average of 3 times per night to pee...and oftentimes I cannot get back to sleep for a half hour or so.  Last night I was awake from 3-3:45. Urrrgh.  It was really hot in the room, I kept flopping back and forth from side to side like a fish and I could NOT get comfortable.  Bring on the summer, huh?  It's only May 20th!

Whew. That was a lot of pissin' and moanin.' Ok. Back to my original question. How do I keep this cute, compact feeling for the rest of the day? Hmmm...

26 Weeks Today (98 days to go!)

I am definitely at my best in the morning.  I love waking up early before everyone else and sneaking around the house.  I adore how it irks Mike when he gets out of bed to find I am already up and about.  He says, "How long have you been awake?" Since he sleeps like a mouse and hears every little noise, I find it quite a feat when I am able to slip out of bed unnoticed.

I wish I could stay feeling this way all day long, light and airy, almost the way I used to feel before the creature took over my body.  LOL  As the day progresses, though, my body seems to soak up everything it takes in like a sponge and I start to feel like I'm retaining water. Funny, since I pee ALL DAY LONG. How does that work?! Seriously. I am probably in the bathroom at least once an hour!  I am not sure, but this may be due to sitting at my desk with my legs crossed.  I think I maybe even had this happen BEFORE I was pregnant, when I would sit too much.  Today, I am going to try getting up and walking around more frequently, and also drinking more water to flush out any excess salt.  I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on yesterday and thus spent most of the day sitting at my desk.

The baby seems to be very active at night and in the early morning, or maybe that is just when I notice her movements. Last night I was sitting on the couch watching the news, sort of leaning back with my feet on the coffee table, and my belly was jumping all over the place - I think there was a boxing match going on in there!  Mike could see the baby's antics from all the way across the room.  Watching and feeling her movements is very cool...one of the greatest joys of pregnancy.

Then in the early morning, right after I wake up and am resting quietly, not wanting to get out of bed - she starts her roundhouse kicks to my bladder. LOL Sometimes her movements are delicate, like a dog nudging you with his nose when he wants to be petted - but other times they are very forceful and make me jump in surprise.  Amazing what a little 2-pound baby can accomplish from the cramped quarters of the womb!

When I was little, I was always wishing for the "next big event."  I LOVED (and still do) having something to look forward to.  My dad used to tell me "Don't wish your life away."  Even though pregnancy gets frustrating at times when I focus on some of my current limitations, looking at the grand scheme of things it is a very short period in time.  Also, since this is my last pregnancy, I need to treasure the experience even more.

Before I know it, baby girl will be in my arms...but until then I'll try to just enjoy the moment.

99 Days

I was getting ready to head off to bed when I realized I didn't post an entry today, and I made the commitment yesterday to do so up until I deliver.

Tomorrow I will officially be 26 weeks pregnant. Judging by the way I felt today, I cannot fathom how I will be able to go 14 more weeks!!!  I felt so huge today.  I wore some pants that buttoned just fine this morning, however by the afternoon I had designed a little makeshift extender for them out of a rubber band. LOL It just made them more comfortable!

I did have a good workout this morning, and was able to do my usual run without any of the shenanigans I had on Monday where I was stopping and starting every few blocks. This morning I ran three miles on the treadmill at about a 6.6 mph pace and I was sweating A LOT.  Also, my shins and calves hurt.  I wanted to quit for every one of those 27 minutes I was running...haha

When I left work this afternoon, I walked a block to my car and my shins felt really tight. I later examined them in the mirror and deduced that they looked a little like tree trunks. I think I am retaining water. This happens at the end of the day it seems...first thing in the morning I think they look just fine. Also, my fingers are ok... my rings fit the same and my fingers don't resemble little sausages...yet?!

I am planning to weigh myself on Friday and I am afraid. I always do this in my head, I imagine I have gained like 1,362 pounds since my last weigh in because that is the way I FEEL... but usually when I step on the scale it's never as bad as I had imagined.

At least my arms still look the same...

100 Days to Go!

Here are a couple of pics of me from last Friday, at 25 and a half weeks pregnant.

Today it is180 days down, 100 to go, if I go right up to my due date, which I hope I don't :)

My goal is to blog every day until I give birth.

This week marks week 26.

I had a decent run on Saturday, 8 miles. I did it later on in the day so I wouldn't be wiped out for the entire day.  Then I took Sunday off, and today planned to do a shorter run of 5 miles.  Well, that didn't work out as I had planned. I embarked on my run around noon and it was about 73 degrees...it felt baking on the sidewalk. I know 73 is not that hot, but cut me some slack, I am a fair northerer and this was probably one of the warmest days of the year. I just could NOT get into a rhythm on this run.  I would go a few blocks, my uterus would tighten up with Braxton-Hicks, and I would stop.  I told my doctor about my Braxton-Hicks which come while running sometimes and she didn't seem too concerned about it, other than to suggest I slow down and walk until they subside. I kept on doing this today until I got bored and turned around. I only ended up going 2 miles, which was discouraging to me.

I went home and popped P90X plyometrics into the DVD player and did that. I am glad I can still do such a intense workout, although I do have to modify some of the exercises.

During the rest periods I did some sets of pushups. While I was doing them I flexed my abs and hardly looked pregnant. LOL However, that is not the case when standing up. I feel like I look VERY pregnant, although people keep telling me "oh you're so small."  Well, I FEEL huge. When I am bending over to pick up Macy's toys I feel like my head is going to explode, kind of like the circulation has been cut off to it, if that makes any sense. LOL

I feel sort of discouraged today, like despite my best efforts at diet at exercise, my body is betraying me. I don't know if it's my imagination or not. I just feel... clumsy... and when I walk I feel like I'm waddling.  It doesn't help that I am so short (5'3").

I am very excited for the baby to arrive, just wish I could fast forward these last three months!

Running at 25 weeks Pregnant

The countdown is on for the marathon...only 38 days away!!!  I love all the excitement that goes along with the weekend festivities... the fitness expo, the speakers, the spaghetti feed, getting up at the crack on dawn on race morning... the pre-race jitters... and of course the thrill of finishing and all the food at the finish line!

I am feeling adequately prepared, although I must say these long runs in pregnancy take a lot more out of me than they used to.  Last season I was kicking out 10-milers no problem.  This year, not so much!

Yesterday I embarked on another 10-mile run.  I usually do them on Saturday, but I had a bunch going on that day, and Sunday was Mother's Day and of course I wanted to relax. So I headed out yesterday morning after having a protein shake and some oatmeal.

The weather was... eh... so-so.  Could've been a lot worse, I guess.  It was about 48 with a wind off the lake, or course, but it was manageble. Last Saturday, the wind was fierce and at times it felt like I was running in place. At least I didn't have to deal with that this week. 

I made it to my turn-around point in about 48 minutes, averaging 9:30 miles. Another thing I should mention is that I stubbed my toe SUPER bad on the edge of the crib right before the run, and it was red, swollen and throbbing! I could still wiggle it, so I don't think it was broken, but holy crap did it hurt.

I took a potty break at the turnaround, didn't waste much time and got right back on my way. Now the wind was at my back...yeah!!! I also had a couple of big hills to run down, which makes the way back seem a lot easier than the way there.  When I had about 2 miles to go, I started to feel pressure in my pelvic area. It didn't alarm me but it was uncomfortable... I will have to ask my doctor about this at my appointment today.  I made it home in almost exactly the same time it took for me to complete the first half.

So, the actual running is not bad... it's the part AFTER. It's like I am useless for the rest of the day!  I am tired, sore and I don't want to do anything!!!  Shortly after I got home, it was time for Macy's nap, so I went and took a very long hot shower, which felt great. If I were smart, I would've then taken a nap... but noooo... I dinked around on the computer instead cleaning off files and pictures, because my computer is running out of space and has been very slow lately.  It needed to be done.

Sitting for about 2 hours and doing that did nothing to help my sore body.  I was stiffer than ever when I tried to get up and walk around! UGH!  My toe was killing me too... and I was afraid of stubbing it again so I put shoes on and that hurt like hell!

I was pretty much a mess... haha and I couldn't wait to go to bed.  I am lucky I had Mike to help me!  Doing the long runs like that kicks my a&#!  Once I finish the half marathon I believe I will stick to shorter runs until after the baby!

Almost 25 weeks and food

It's been over two weeks since I have written.  The time is flying by and in just a couple of short weeks I will enter my third trimester of pregnancy (5-26-10).

I am almost 25 weeks. For the most part, things are going well.  I am starting to get really impatient, though. I want to hurry up so the baby can get here. Of course you can't rush these things. She needs to "cook" a while longer!

I think I mentioned that they were not able to get all the measurements they needed at my last doctor appointment. I will be going back Tuesday to repeat the ultrasound. I pray everything is ok.  I am anxious and looking forward to the appointment. I hope baby girl will cooperate so we can get a good look at all her "parts!"

I have been keeping up with my usual exercise routine: running every other day with a long run of 8-10 miles on the weekend, and plyometrics, push ups and Turbo Jam on the off days. I can still flex my abs really well, which is a super weird feat I show to my family. LOL  For example, I will relax my stomach, then say "watch this" and flex my abs... and my belly pretty much goes away. My abs still feel strong, even though my belly is of course growing.

My eating has been on track too... no slip-ups since April 23rd, which was my last post. I haven't had a full-out cheat day in quite a while. I had been planning to make tomorrow (Mother's Day) my next cheat fest, but I have decided against it.  I am not going to overeat, because it makes me feel like crap. I will go out and eat a reasonable meal with my family, and probably a few bites of dessert - but I'm not going to pig out.

Friday night we went out to eat with some friends. I was anxious about the food because it took us a while to find a restaurant that was not packed to the gills with people waiting to eat, so when our food finally came I was ravenous!!! Also we had gone to a Mexican restaurant which of course featured endless baskets of delicious, carb-loaded chips. Well, I didn't eat any chips. I ordered a taco salad, and when it came I was talking so much with our friends that I only ate a few bites! When we got home, I realized I was actually hungry, but I was also exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. So, I made it through the night unscathed.

I had another potential food land mine today, as I was invited to a Pampered Chef party. It was thrown by a good friend I haven't seen in a couple of years. I brought Hailey along with me for reinforcements. My day started by having a protein drink and then running downtown to have my hair cut. Once that was done, I only had time to run home, pick up Hailey and head up to the party.

The hostess had some wonderful goodies there, mammoth muffins from Perkins and delicious bagels with various cream cheeses which her fiance brought from the Twin Cities. I was drooling over them, but knew I couldn't cave in. The Pampered Chef hostess made a scrumptious veggie pizza on one of the baking stones, and I did allow myself two small squares (crust and all) but didn't feel bad about it and felt I did very well avoiding the reeeeally starchy stuff. On the way home, I got a flat tire, right in front of McDonald's...hahaha Hailey and I rolled into McD's to wait for Mike, and of course had to go purchase something while we were waiting. I opted for a sugar-free Vanilla iced coffee... but once I got back to the car with it I realized it was most definitely NOT sugar free. I drink them quite frequently (bad, I know...) and am very accustomed to the taste.  This was clearly the sugar variety. I had a couple of sips and gave the rest to Mike.

As for the rest of the day, I ate the rest of my taco salad from last night (minus the shell of course) and another protein drink. Dinner was grilled vegetables and fish.

Tomorrow will be another opportunity to over eat, but what day isn't???? Sometimes I get SO sick of thinking about food all the time... what to eat, when to eat next, whether I ate too much... ugh. It seems I am even more neurotic in pregnancy!  I have gained about ten pounds so far, but I am only 25 weeks in... so I'm expecting I will max out around 18 pounds.  I can see though how easy it is to slack off and relax the rules.  I also know that if I go crazy and abandon my rules, I am going to be majorly depressed after I have the baby if I were left with a ton of weight to lose. I won't let that happen. NO WAY!

Okay, time to relax for the night and get ready to enjoy Mother's Day tomorrow!

Skip the Breading

After the Huey Lewis concert 4-23-10

I did not plan on having a cheat day yesterday, and I really didn't.  (My next one is scheduled for Mother's Day). Last night was more of a "relax the rules meal," but since it didn't even include any SUPER bad stuff, it didn't seem fair that I even indulged...(after I tell you what it did to my blood sugar. LOL)  Let me explain. I was perfect with my diet plan for the entire day.  Mike and I had plans to go out to eat before the Huey Lewis concert, which I was fully aware of, but we were going to the buffet at the casino and I knew there would be plenty of low carb stuff for me to eat there.

Before we left, I was really starving (bad sign). I checked my blood sugar (because I am a freak like that) and it was 73. I was actually on the borderline of feeling sort of shaky and weak. That's not how you want to feel when you're headed out to a pig trough buffet...LOL

We got there, and I started with a salad. Fully low carb... eggs, cheese, vegetables and cold shrimp.  I followed that up with a piece of salisbury steak and some broiled shrimp with some sort of crab stuffing on top.

I would've been fine had I stopped there!  But nooo...my husband had to corrupt me. Mike came back from his third trip to the buffet to rave about all the wonderful things I was missing, and the new delicious shrimp selections they had brought out to the buffet. I went back to the shrimp section and saw some new delicious items that hadn't been there before.  I relented and filled my plate with coconut shrimp, battered shrimp and one large stuffed shrimp...oh yeah and some scallops in some sort of cream sauce.

Yep, not the most low carb choices, considering all that breading, but I had deluded myself into thinking it was "not that bad" because I wasn't having bread, potatoes or dessert.  Mike, meanwhile, had his usual 4 plates of food with no concern for starch or carbs, AND a large piece of peach pie with whipped cream.  This will become important later.

So I finished off the shrimp and we headed over to the convention area for the concert about 7:15.  About a half hour later, I realized how full I really was. UGH.  Yuck.  Indigestion and heart burn!

The show was great though, and I was happy that after the first half we all charged the stage and went up to the front. I was jumping up and down a lot which helped my overly full stomach somewhat.

We got home around 10:00, and I couldn't WAIT to check my blood sugar. Of course, it has been nearly 3 hours since we had eaten, so it wasn't going to accurately reflect how high it HAD been, say an hour after eating, but at least I could get an idea.

I was appalled at my reading...146!!! And that was 3 HOURS after eating! Now, remember what Mike ate??? His blood sugar was 102! NO FAIR!  I guess he has a much more efficient pancreas than mine.

What does this little lesson teach me?  I am very sensitive to carbs, and when I eat them, my blood sugar will stay elevated for a long time. Elevated insulin = weight gain. Of course, 146 isn't "outrageous," but it's higher than I want it to be. (and who knows what it had been right after eating?!?!!? I shudder to think...)My goal is to keep it within 70-120 at all times.

This morning it was back to 71...but I still had the barfy, food hangover feeling!  I was glad I had to run a loooong run...plenty of carb stores to use up! 

I had a great 10 mile run and probably burned 1,000 calories, so no harm done... but next time I go to a buffet I am going to skip the breading!