Sunday, August 31, 2008

Race Report: Four Miles

The Four Miler has come and gone again. I walked my way through the race at a respectable (I think, for being 27+ weeks pregnant) 16:09/mi. My target was about 16:00, so I'm pretty happy. As usual, the course was crowded with amateurs walking three and four abreast, making passing difficult. And yes, gentle readers, this Mama was indeed passing people the entire race, despite having lined up in the 14:00 pace group.

Nearly every mile was exactly 16:09, and I'm pretty impressed w/myself for keeping such a steady pace despite the heat and the hills. I saw no less than 5 ambulances dispatched out onto the course to pick up runners who had succumbed to one or the other.

I saw several other preggos walking and running the race. Hats off to you, running pregnant people! I even saw one very brave woman carrying her newborn in a sling. Some of the spectators had apparently never heard of pregnant people staying fit and not only did I hear several comments of "Look at that pregnant lady," but one random woman even asked to take my picture. Specifically, a side view of my belly. Ummmmm, okay, thank you ever so much for making me feel like the bearded lady at a carnival.

Feeling like the bearded lady is actually quite a bit better than feeling like Violet Beauregard post-chewing gum and pre-squeezing, which is how I felt after bolting from the four miler to go roast in the heat as our home team got trounced in football. I had quite the waddle going by bedtime last night. A warm bath and a good night's sleep has mostly cured it, though today's physical state is best described as "creaky."

Saturday, August 16, 2008

4 miles and a lot of heavy lifting

As much as I enjoy walking with the new friends I've made at the w4mtp, I am delighted that there is only one week of training left before the race. All that loud music is making me crazy. I almost left this morning, because the marathon/half-marathon training group was at the track this morning when we arrived. I can't tell you how jealous I was of them as they finished their speedwork on the track. Running is seriously impossible for me right now, let alone running hard. Even if I don't plan on doing a marathon next year (not terribly likely - I already know exactly how hard it is to do with a nursing infant!), I will probably still sign up for the program, just so I can go and pound out a quick 8 on Ridge with the group, or show up for speedwork. I just miss it so much, especially when the weather is cool and clear and perfect.

After the walk, I came home to discover Max in nothing but his Mater underpants, still picking at breakfast, and playing the harmonica. Boys will be boys! The whole fam headed to the pool and we all wore ourselves out. Max of course wanted to jump off the side of the pool about eleventy thousand times, and I obliged and mentally crossed off the need to go lift for the next couple of days. And after watching Curious George do it, he decided he likes to "float" on his back. The water on his head makes him laugh, and he'll kick his feet like he's really swimming. A backstroker, maybe?

Women's marathon is on the Olympics tonight - w00t!

Oh, and if you want to donate money to the UVA Cancer Center Breast Care program to show your support for the cause, for me, and for all the women who have worked so hard to make it to the race this year, please visit https://www.dominiondigital.com/Womens4Miler/donate_step1.asp . If you know me, feel free to sponsor me - just click the appropriate radio button, and then find my name in the list. If you don't actually know me IRL, you can still donate!! No pressure, it's not like we're trying to raise $300,000 or anything. And it's not like I'll be in my third trimester doing the whole four miles on race day while you're at home surfing the web. ;)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Crabby injured pregnant lady

I've reached that point where suddenly my *whole* body is pregnant.

I missed Saturday's training (waaaaaaah) because of sciatica (also waaaaaaaah). Sciatica is when you are walking normally, striding confidently, and then suddenly a fierce shooting pain rips from buttock to foot and you have no choice but to stop in your tracks and grab on to something while blinking back tears. I had this when I was pregnant with Max, and was hoping it would hold off a little longer.

I took the day off Saturday, as much as one can take the day off when a 2.5 year old is involved. I did get to spend some time in the pool on Sunday; between that and scrubbing cat poo off the floor of the basement, my sciatica seems to be much improved this week.

I was just getting over my cat poo and sciatica-induced meltdown when I injured myself again. It is an actual true fact that women's brains shrink during pregnancy. Also true is that your joints loosen up, and your center of gravity changes. Combine all those with the nesting instinct and it is a recipe for disaster.

Last week I suddenly felt the need to clean the HVAC return located above our coat closet. In the process of moving the stepstool so that I could reach it, I stumbled, dropped the stool, and rammed my gluteus into the sharp corner of the kitchen counter. And tonight after work I decided to whip up a pork tenderloin with peach glaze. When it was done, I pulled it out of the oven with my left hand (wearing an oven mitt) and then pulled the meat thermometer out of it with my right hand (not wearing an oven mitt). Yeeeeowch! I am now sporting Star Wars bandaids on my index and middle fingers. The pork was delicious, by the way.

Anyway, what does all this have to do with fitness? Honestly, I can't say. Other than that as my whole self becomes pregnant, I know that staying motivated is more of a struggle. So is staying safe. Wish me luck, Interwebs!

Sunday, August 03, 2008

eating, drinking, and exercising for two

The past couple of weeks have been scorching hot. Yesterday morning I volunteered to stay behind on the track, as I had to leave a little bit early. I walked about 2 miles, instead of the 3 on the program, knowing that I had a hot and active day ahead.

I raced home so that the Supportive Husband, Max, and I could go to the County Fair. Max is actually the kid on the cover of the program, so despite the heat, we felt pretty obligated to go. For a little while after we arrived, it was quite pleasant - a little overcast, and hot, but not blazing hot, like it usually is. But then the clouds broke, and suddenly it was like being underneath a french fry light.

Being pregnant has completely negated my ability to cope with the heat, so I quickly scurried for shade and cold water while Max and his dad checked out the tractors and got a plastic firefighter's hat. We literally had to drag Max back to the car kicking and screaming.

Despite my active morning, I felt okay. Kind of. Then I took a nap, and did NOT feel okay anymore. I thought it was hard to stay hydrated when I was running and nursing, but being pregnant in August is a whole other ballgame!

I woke up this morning shaky and still dehydrated. I wolfed down a big bowl of cereal, some peanut butter, and a couple of glasses of water. I ate the rest of Max's breakfast. Feeling a little more human, we all headed out to Target and the grocery store. I got the shakes baaaaaad in the grocery store, and inhaled a candy bar. Finally after lunch and another several glasses of water, I started feeling better.

We found some steaks on sale at the grocery store, and after a dinner of steak, potatoes, sweet corn, and salad, I am finally feeling human again. And for my workout tomorrow, I am planning on a lazy swim in the indoor pool. Baby girl needs rest, central ac, and red meat!