27 Week Pregnancy Update

27 weeks! Woah! This is my last week in the 2^nd trimester and I simply can’t believe it. What I also can’t believe is that I’m not freaked out at all. I’m actually ready to be here right now. There were certain weeks that passed where I was feeling nervous about how fast the time was going, and wondering how I would feel when I knew that my days as a pregnant woman were numbered. As excited as I am to have my little girl, there is also something very magical about this time.

This week I’m not feeling so magical. In fact, I have to admit that I’ve had my fair share of yearning for my pre-pregnancy body. It’s the little things that have started getting more and more difficult – like getting off the couch, packing a suitcase, and cleaning my house. I used to run around like a madwoman to get errands and things done and now it takes me a lot longer to get through my to-do list.

I’ve also been reading about many people who are training for and running upcoming races (Savannah, NYCM, Philly marathons) as well as Turkey trots and all that jazz, and I’m totally jealous. I really miss running.

I actually have dreams about it. Last night I had a dream that I was using a treadmill that required an input of time of year and city. Then the treadmill would mimic a road race that takes place around that time. The treadmill I was on defaulted to have me run at 6.3mph and I was barefoot and could barely keep up. It was not fun.

 (Disclaimer: Please don’t take this as me saying that I’d rather be running than be pregnant. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just expressing some of my feelings honestly, but I do realize I have my whole life to run races, exercise, etc.)

I’m not very active right now because of the hip and pelvic pain I get from working out. But it’s not just that. I also feel pretty tired and unmotivated to exercise at the end of my work day. By the time I get out of work and run a few errands, I’m spent. And I’m not getting up any earlier than I already do at 6am. But you know what? I’m not going to blame all of my inactivity on pregnancy. I know I could do more, and I’m not. Maybe I’ll find motivation again. I hope so! I think I could use the endorphin boost. I feel heavy, slow, and pretty unattractive these days.

Food wise things aren’t that interesting. We’ve had a lot of evening obligations and errands so I haven’t cooked that much this week. My go-to snacks lately have been brown rice cakes with laughing cow cheese, pears, and fun size Halloween candy, shredded wheat with almond milk.

I didn’t take my usual belly shot this week, so I’ll use a pic from last weekend.

I’m looking forward to getting a lot of new pictures this Saturday at my baby shower! YAY!

 Other Info

Baby Length: 14.5 inches (cauliflower)

Baby Weight: 2 lbs

Cravings: Pizza! I could eat it at every meal. I’m not kidding.

New clothing purchased: 2 pairs of pants. A black pair and a pair of jeans. I really needed a pair of black pants with a full panel. Demi panels just aren’t cutting it anymore. I also bought a new top for my shower.

Days left until my due date: 86

Days until Christmas: 50

Previous Updates:

Week 26

Week 25

Week 24

Week 23

Week 22

Week 21

Week 20

Week 19

Week 18

Week 17

Week 16

Week 15

Week 14

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Interview Apolo Ohno! (and free food too)

Have you guys seen those Subway commercials lately with Apolo Ohno? If not, then you may not know that he’s been training for the ING New York City Marathon, and using Subway as a part of his refueling process. Last year Subway showed Jared training for the marathon which I thought was pretty cool. I can’t believe how far that guy has come. This year, Jared challenged Apolo.

As a professional athlete, Apolo obviously has a good foundation for training for an endurance event. He completed the Chicago Half marathon and his time was 1:40:59! I still think it’s interesting though- because running races has its own set of challenges and running is different from many other sports. I think it goes without saying that just being athletic doesn’t mean you can just run a marathon (and it also doesn’t mean that you’d WANT to!)

source

 Just recently I read an article on ESPN where Michael Phelps explained why he would not want to take on the Subway NYCM challenge:

source

I’m not a runner,” said Phelps, who has won 16 Olympic medals — 14 of them gold. “My sisters have done marathons, and I see how much pain they are in. I’m just not too good on land. I’m just clumsy out of the water.”

Interesting, right?

So here’s why I’m talking about this….

As a part of this Subway promotion, I was invited to interview Apolo before the ING NYC Marathon to get the scoop on his training routine, his inspiration, and how he feels about the big day (and whatever else I wanted to know!). However, I’m not able to make the call due to work obligations.

So I asked my contact if it would be possible to still submit questions for the call even though I would not be on it. Not only am I able to submit my questions, but I’m also able to submit yours! And the extra bonus? I’m going to giveaway a $25 Subway gift card to a reader whose question I think is really great!

source

To enter, just leave me a question that you would like to ask Apolo in the comments section. I’ll choose a winner tomorrow evening. Your question will be submitted for the call, and you’ll also get a gift card!

Disclosure: For my participation in this promotion I too am receiving a Subway giftcard. And I plan to use it up rather quickly on veggie and cheese subs that I will eat to my pregnant heart’s delight.

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A Perfect Day?

I was sitting here drinking some coffee and wondering what to do with my day.

So as usual, I was perusing blogs and when I got to Tina’s blog, I saw that she had posted about her ideal day.

 

She inspired me to think about how I can make today the perfect day!

Well first, here is my description of the perfect day (no monetary/injury restrictions)

 

• Wake up rested, drink coffee and relax
• Eat Breakfast
• Go for a long run
• Follow up the run with a delicious sushi lunch

• Enjoy some shopping, followed by a mani/pedi and hot stone massage
• Meet up with Joe for a fabulous dinner out

 

Here is what I’m ACTUALLY going to do today!

 

• Wake up rested, drink coffee and relax (CHECK!)
  Do a yoga video in the living room
• Take a drive with the windows open to go and pick up my transcript from school
• Apply for a job I saw online that I am envisioning will be mine
• Paint my own nails
• Enjoy some lunch on the deck and listen to some music
• Enjoy an awesome dinner out with Joe and some other people

 

Honestly, today isn’t going to be that far off from my perfect day!

And the bottom line is that- any day where I am alive, the sun is shining, I have a roof over my head and people that love me…..is the perfect day.

What is your perfect day?
How will you make today perfect?

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Some Things you should know…

So while I’ve been on my blogging hiatus, some things have changed in my life.

 

#1 . I’m not running

I’m really sad to report that I haven’t run since my half marathon in March.

Prior to the race I reported some pain in my feet that I thought was Plantar Fasciitis. The more I learned about it, it seemed there wasn’t much I could do. So I went forward with the race.

After the race, the pain got worse and worse. I think that standing on my feet teaching 8 hours a day while training for a race really created some problems.

 

As it stands now (no pun intended), I can barely even make it through a trip at the grocery store without foot pain. My feet burn and throb. My arches hurt, my heels hurt. Flats hurt, heels hurt, sneakers hurt, sandals hurt.

 

Its at the point where I am feeling rather depressed about the pain, and even talking about it makes me want to cry.

 

I have a visit to the doctor scheduled for next Wednesday, and I am really hoping for some relief or at least some guidance.

 

Words can’t describe how much I miss running. It really had become a part of my life. Running helped me to find a balance in my life that I had never had before. Running changed the way I felt about my body, they way I felt about myself.

Without running I have felt lost. 

In the past week I started going back to the gym, doing whatever I can that doesn’t hurt too bad. But it’s not the same.

 

I will let you guys know what the doctor says.

 

#2. I’ve been struggling with my healthy eating

In the past few months during student teaching, I’ve struggled with my healthy eating balance. A crazy schedule, a lot of stress, and an inability to exercise due to injury have made me lose focus on my healthy eating.

 

I have fallen back into some bad habits including emotional eating and keeping some of my trigger foods in the house.

 

I’ve also been using eating as a release of stress in place of exercise. I make excuses about being tired and stressed and choose to avoid dealing with the issues and eat instead.

 

I recognize these behaviors and I’m hoping that with the end of the semester (and school completely), that I will be able to make some positive changes in my life.

 

 

I’m glad to be blogging again, I’ve really missed it, and all of my lovely readers. I’m hoping that you will stay with me as I work through these challenges and find my way back to a lifestyle that that is one that I am proud of.

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Trust

As I woke up this morning with only one nostril functioning and a head full of crazy hair, I tried to just become aware of my surroundings and settle into the day.

 

Embracing pre-race jitters is a part of the fun, isn’t it? The more I realize how nervous I am, the more I remember that this is a part of the experience.

 

I’m not happy about being sick, but this hurdle is just a little bump in the road. I can push through. I WILL PUSH THROUGH.

 

One of the main reasons I love races is because it gives me a sense of accomplishment, excitement, and the ability to be proud of myself in a true and honest sense.

It seems to me that as an adult, there aren’t as many opportunities to cheer yourself on- and to compete with yourself in this way. For me, it was something that was left behind when I stopped playing team sports.

 

Sure, I can compete against the lady next to me on the elliptical to see who lasts longer…but it’s certainly not the same rush as crossing that finish line.

 

So now I’m just getting myself all set to go to DC this afternoon.

Coconut water for today (supposed to be great for hydration)

Regular gatorade and a gatorade primer shot, some bagels, pb, and bananas for my friends and I tomorrow.

Fuel during the race will be some shot blox and gu (not pictured, but its the chocolate one).

 

And my camera isn’t good enough to get a picture up close, but that gatorade primer thing had a message on the back that really stuck with me.

 

"Prime your body to start out strong and then trust your training."

Ok. I will.

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Kelly with Katie

Today’s long run was one that I was really looking forward to. Not only would I be running with my good friend Katie, but I would also be running somewhere new.

(Katie and I before the Philly half marathon)

 

Kelly Drive is a popular running route in the city and it is about 8.5 miles around.

It starts near Boathouse Row, which is a famous site in Philly. Boathouses for regattas line the Schuykill River and it really is beautiful. They light it up at night as well.

Katie is training for the Suntrust Marathon in March (I’m running the half) so she was out for a 16 mile training run.

 

I was aiming for about 9 or 10 today so I ran 1 mile solo and then joined Katie for her second loop.

 

The sun was shining when we got started and we chatted and caught up. Before I knew it, we had already completed 4 miles.

At around mile 6 though, we both noticed that it got progressively colder and more windy. The last stretch towards the Art Museum was a little brutal for both of us. We both decided it was time to turn on our i-pods.

I was greeted by the lovely "Low Battery" warning on my shuffle and got about 2 songs worth out of it. Not cool. Soon enough though, I could see the Art Museum in the distance which told me we were almost done.

Garmin Report:

9 miles/1:30:58 min/Avg. Pace 10:04/mi

 

Overall Training Status:

At this point I feel good about where I am as far as training for this race. I’m not following my plan exactly, but I’ve been adding in more weights and cross training. I feel strong, and my pacing is consistent. My body is recovering quickly after long runs and I’m injury free. Can’t ask for much more.

I honestly don’t know if I will PR in this race, but either way my main goal this time is to finish strong. The end of my last half marathon was kind of brutal since I hit a major wall at mile 11. I’m hoping this time that I can make some small changes to hopefully avoid that issue again.

 

After our run, Katie and I hit up a cute cafe called Ants Pants. We each slugged 3 cups of coffee (and water) and housed our food. I got a spinach, goat cheese, and caramelized onion omelette, fruit, and a side of honey wheat toast.

 

Katie got crème brulee battered French toast with bananas. YUM!

Sorry for the lack of pictures of the food, I forgot my camera in the car and was way too lazy to get it.

 

Now it’s time to take a little snooze I think.

 

Training for anything? How’s it coming?

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Weekly Highlights

Oh how good it feels to be plopped on my couch right now. Even better is knowing that Joe is on his way home with a bottle of wine.

This week, as you can tell from my scattered blogging schedule, has been really busy.

 

Lesson planning, my first observation, and everything else has kept me on-the-move.

 

Highlights of this week

• I’ve been waking up at 4:50am and getting in my workouts
• Subsequently, I’ve been going to be at 9:30pm
• I had my first really bad day of teaching

• It was followed by some good self reflection
• My meal planning this week was great

• Tried a great new recipe
• I’ve been in tune with my body’s signals, even the ones telling me to eat for comfort

• I’ve been able to redirect those signals

 

This weekend I don’t have much planned. Tomorrow I’m sleeping in really late (9am?) and then hitting the gym and doing work for school.

 

Sunday I’m going for a training run with my friend Katie.

 

What are you guys up to this weekend?
What were your highlights from this week?

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I’m Listening

So I just got back from an interesting run. The weather is so nice and I was excited to get out there and tackle 9 miles in the sunshine. However, despite the warm weather there were still icy patches and I took some detours.

 

Then I got LOST.

 

I overshot my turnaround point because I apparently was heading in the wrong direction. I ended up running 11 miles which is great even though I didn’t have to do that yet- thankfully I had my camelbak and a Gu for fuel to keep me going. I walked a bit too, but overall it was a successful run.

 

I think God knew I needed to be out there for a while to marinate on my thoughts. Maybe 9 miles wasn’t enough time. It was also an opportunity for me to be reminded how strong and powerful my body is, and how much it works for me. I need to treat it with the respect it deserves. That means not abusing it when I am stressed out. It’s time to find other solutions to stress that do not involve eating.

 

Finally, I just wanted to also say thank you all so much for taking the time out to offer your support, suggestions and love to me last night.

 

I really am listening to what you have to say. Today feels better already and I owe so much of it to you all. Here are some of the things you said that really spoke to me.

Becky’s Blog

 

Val’s Blog

Katie’s Blog

Eden’s Blog

Tabitha’s Blog

Tina’s Blog

Carrie’s Blog

Julie’s Blog

 

I hope your day is bright and sunny too. And thanks again for adding some sunshine into my world. I love my readers!

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Early Riser

I’m happy to say that I feel so much better this evening.  And it’s all because I changed the way that I started my day.

 

This morning at 5:10 the alarm went off.

And by 5:45 I was on the treadmill and running.

At some point in between I ate 1/2 a banana.

 

I completed 4 miles on the treadmill in about 40 minutes. I don’t about you guys, but I find the treadmill to be so hard! I parked myself on the machine closest to the window so that at least I could look outside and pretend I was out there.

 

After coming home I ate the other half of the banana atop a sandwich thin with peanut flour paste.

 

As hard as it is to get out of bed so early, I’m glad I did it. I had more energy throughout the day and it felt great knowing that I didn’t have to go to the gym after work. The evening is all mine, for whatever I need to do.

 

I am naturally more of an early riser than a night owl, so I think this is the best for me.

 

Are you an early bird or a night owl? Or a little of both?

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Reading Between the Lines

Yesterday when reading one of the two issues of Runner’s World I received in the mail, I felt an overwhelming sense of insecurity.

 

I guess I expected the articles to talk to "me" more, but I felt like they were talking to my cooler, faster, more experienced runner friend.

 

As I read some of your comments and reflected on my reaction to the magazine, I realized that there was more to those feelings then  I recognized at first.

I was actually doubting myself and my abilities as a runner. I compared myself with runners in the magazine and began to question my commitment to the sport. 

 

I had a junior high moment where I began to feel that I couldn’t "fit in" with the Runner’s World reader.

WHY did I do this?

 

I think I’ve been fighting these emotions throughout my entire journey to becoming a runner. I wondered if I would give up on myself, if I would fail at this, and if my new healthy attitude and lifestyle would diminish.

 

After my reflection yesterday I realized that I need to be a bigger cheerleader for myself. I need to give myself more credit and feel proud of the accomplishments I’ve made as a runner.

 

I must tell the voice in my head to stop telling me that I’m not fast enough or dedicated enough.

 

This morning I’m happy to say that as I sit here reading another issue of Runner’s World I’ve let down my walls of insecurity and started to see articles and tips that speak to ME.

Yes ME, the dedicated runner who was out yesterday running 8 miles in 30 degree weather to train for her second half marathon in 4 months.

 

 

Are you your biggest cheerleader?

Do you ever find yourself doubting your abilities?

What do you do to stop that?

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