Pregnant Navy Seal?

Do the Navy Seals allow pregnant women?

I just went to my second water aerobics class. It was a water/land combination class. Basically, we did 45 minutes of intervals consisting of paddling with a kickboard, pushups, power walking, abs and triceps exercises. If it doesn't sound too bad, I'm not doing it justice. (The class itself was 60 minutes)

I am exhausted. This workout was pretty hard core. It wasn't so bad the first 10 minutes or so. But after 45 minutes I was holding back the puke. The instructor informed us the workout was modeled after a Navy Seal workout and I believe it.

I like the water aerobics classes because I can pretty much participate in everything...even this workout. I did my pushups on an incline (ie a chair) but that was the only modification (well, actually EVERYONE did pushups on a chair because it was so hard...but they initially had the option to do regular pushups).

I can't even lift my arms. I'm going to feel this one tomorrow. But, maybe I will be able to sleep tonight! (I don't think I have really posted about this in my blog, but I have mega pregnancy-induced insomnia. I haven't slept in days.)

Hello immune system!

Dear immune system,

Where did you go? I would like you to come back as soon as possible. I feel that I have strengthened you and refined you and challenged you through all my years and you were the Gold Standard of all immune systems (thanks, in no small part to eating food off of the missile capsule floor). With you, I was the envy of all my friends and family. I laughed in the face of seasonal cold and flus. With you by my side, I was destined to survive the next great pandemic.

Apparently, you are now on vacation. Am I too fat for you? Why have your forsaken me? I have been sick for the last 3 weeks....yes, 3 weeks. Everytime I start to feel slightly better, the next little virus comes knocking.

I miss you. Come back.
me

Workout: Despite feeling like death, I managed to walk 1/2 mile, run 3 miles and walk 1/2 mile. Pup kept me going. My calves were on fire from water aerobics yesterday!

Why didn't I do this sooner?

I was feeling adventurous today and decided to try out water aerobics class! It was a bit of struggle to find something to wear to class...I figured they would not appreciate me skinny dipping. My "go to" workout Speedo swimsuit did not cut it. I went through about 3 different bikinis before I finally settled on one I thought would work.

Well, the suit didn't work so much. Luckily for the other class participants I don't think I over exposed any body parts...haha. I'm going to venture to Target tomorrow and Motherhood maternity to see what hideous sheaths of spandex they are offering pregnant ladies. Wish me luck.

The water aerobics class was fairly intense! But, I felt like I could do 90% of it and it was much easier on my legs and feet (than running). It's definitely a cool feeling to feel almost weightless at 30 weeks+ pregnant. Class was an hour and I'm sore now!

I may try to go early and do some water running before next class.

The battle of good vs. evil

The demons in my head were waging war on my good intentions. I found myself "stuck" on the couch. It was Trash TV versus Going to the Gym. And we aren't talking just any old trash TV show...this was the very trashiest of the trash TV. I was watching the Hills marathon!!! Nooooooooooooo! Please don't tell on me! I can't stop myself. I must blame some of my obsession with TV marathons on my missile alert days. TV marathons have an amazing way to eat up hours of alert.

The brutal reality of my day is that I spent almost 6 hours on the couch! It hurts my soul to even share that information. My slothness was interrupted only by an occasional journey to the kitchen for a piece of birthday cake.

Thankfully, at the 11th hour, I found myself disgusted by the chocolate crumbs piling up on my preggo belly "shelf". I threw on my workout clothes and made it to the base gym with 1 hour to go before closing.

Workout: Ran 4 miles...felt pretty good actually. I finished my workout 5 minutes before the gym closed! Hell, you could hardly guess it took me 6 hours to get off the couch. I'm holding steady at exactly 10 mins/mile pace (actually ran 4 miles in 39:48). I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with that pace considering how far along I am. I'm sure I will still get slower, but at least for now, I'm still running faster than I would walk.

I'm happy to report that TODAY I made it to one of my big pregnancy goals. I wanted to run to at least 30 weeks pregnant!!! Looking back, it wasn't always comfortable, but it wasn't too bad either. I had a couple of false alarms where I thought I would have to hang up the running shoes, but I always seemed to feel better the next day. Next up....my goal is to run through 32 weeks. My midwife shared a study that showed that pregnant runners tended to make it to 32 weeks before stopping running. The interesting thing about the study was the female runners reported the #1 reason they stopped running was because of "pressure from others"!!! I guess friends, family members and others were just appalled by the look of an 8 month pregnant chick running. So far, no one has said much to me...but now I'm prepared, haha.

Also, I'm reporting that at 30 weeks, my arms are getting fat.

Too much walking...but a wonderful birthday

My 29th birthday was yesterday. It's hard to believe I'm 29 sometimes. I feel like I was dancing around my living room to the new Ace of Base CD on my birthday just the other day (my 15th birthday).

My parents came up to celebrate the big day with me. We went to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. What a cool place! It's a beautiful zoo that I highly recommend. I think we will buy the season pass next year. There were lots of kids at the zoo and they seemed to enjoy it...even the little ones.

So zoo was awesome. However, little Baby Emmett did not think it was awesome that I was on my feet all day. I feel like it's a strange phenomenom. I run 4 miles at times without an issue. But, when I walk all day (and cover WAY less than 4 miles), it hurts! What gives? My feet were aching by the end of the day and I started to get some Braxton Hicks contractions.

Either way, I'm couting the zoo as my workout for yesterday.

Quick update

I ran 4.33 miles today with Charley. We were both dragging a bit. It wasn't terrible but not my best run either. I had to rest twice along the way because I got cramps. Also, Charley's pads are worn down again and she was lagging. I think it's time to invest in doggy tennis shoes.

Now my feet and lower legs are aching...they are tired from carrying around extra weight!

Baby appointment

I had another baby appointment today. It's hard to believe that I will see my midwives every 2 weeks now! Baby Emmett is doing well...heartbeat sounded great and he was kicking up a storm, out of my right side actually. I met the 2nd of 5 midwives in the practice and she seemed really nice. I LOVE that the midwives are all about natural birth, an active birth, a non-intervention birth. The lady today told me that they would never "pity me" and tell me I looked like I was in pain. I think that's hard core.

Ran 2.75 miles today and felt great! I felt like I was actually going at a pretty good pace too. I would have run farther but poor Eric has some wicked shin splits...so we had to stop and walk home (after the 2.75 miles). The weather is fabulous here. I never want to leave.

In other baby related news, I have been seeing a chiropractor for my back pain. I found out that my insurance covers it so why the hell not? It seems a little strange to me right now but I'm willing to be open minded and try this alternative treatment.

29 weeks

Ran 4.5 miles. I felt really good. Can I keep this up for another 10 weeks? Total weight gain at 29 weeks is 20 lbs.

Ye of little faith...

I'm back to it with a vengeance. I knocked out 4.33 miles today...running! Aside from 2 bathroom breaks, I did the whole route without missing a beat.

Things I've learned:

1) Temperature makes a HUGE difference, not a small difference to a pregnant runner. It was about 65 degrees today (compared to 80 degrees on previous days)

2) I am not going to run with Eric anymore. It's official...for the first time ever I am annoucing that I am SLOWER than my husband. I am trying to embrace and love my new running pace. I think, when I run with Eric, even if he tries to go slow, I try to push myself to keep up with him. Also, I think that my pace varies a lot since I have been pregnant. I naturally slow down when Emmett starts moving around and pick it up when I feel better.

3) The maternity support belt works and helps! (Courtesy of Motherhood maternity). I will try not to forget it.

4) I hate carrying the silly camelback with water but that makes a difference as well.

5) Sleep is crucial. I try to be "cool" and stay up till all hours of the night like I previously did...but when you're pregnant, you just don't recover from workouts as well as before. I can't workout day after day and survive on 6 hours of sleep. So, if I am going to continue to be serious about running, I have to go to bed earlier.

6) My brand new neon yellow Bob Ironman running stroller that is sitting by the door right now inspires me to run. (Hey, I don't want to disrespect the stroller by running slowly with it when Emmett comes!)

The beginning of the end....

I fear the end has come....the end of running. I'm very very sad about this. I wanted to be able to run through 30 weeks (and secretly hoped to make it running the whole way). But, I think my body is saying 'no'. I'm only 80% sure this is the end. This is the 2nd bad day of running in a row...and quite a few days in a row that I have some cramps when walking around. I definitely was getting a lot of Braxton hicks today. Ouch. I feel like my body is failing me in a weird way.

Body...it's me....why are you doing this? We had such a perfect first and second trimester...why did you just spring this on me now? You love running, remember?

My lower legs and feet were killing me today too. I managed to run 2.6 miles and then had to walk the last 1/2 mile.

I'm going to give it one more day and see if I feel better. This could still just be a bad week, though not likely.

Backup plans: spinning class, water aerobics, water running, walking, weight lifting. I guess I can do anything for 3 short months...but none of them are as enticing nor as convenient as running.

3rd trimester pain

Who need to train with a weigh vest when you have a 20lb baby belly?!

I hurt today. My goal was to run 5 miles...I was WAY short of that. I believe I made it running about 2 miles before I had to stop. I had cramps (maybe Braxton Hicks?) and my legs were burning. Eric and I ended up walking/running the last 2 miles back to the house.

It was 86 degrees outside which is honestly probably too hot for pregnant running. I brought a Camelback along...but I think the only thing that did was add more weight to my suffering legs!

I hope this was just a bad day and not the beginning of the end for pregnant running.

(I hurt today as well...more cramps.) So now I'm laying on the couch eating a bag (yes, the large size) of hershey kisses.

7 miles at 28 weeks!

Wonderful run this morning!! Eric and I and the Pup checked out a new trail in Omaha...Zarinsky lake (sp?). It was a cool and breezy morning. I planned to do 4 miles originally, but I felt wonderful out there so I kept going. Breathing was easy...baby wasn't stabbing me in the bladder and my calf didn't hurt at all.

Eric ran ahead with a friend and I took my time with Pup. We finished 7 miles! I used my Droid app "Buddy Runner" to get a guess on pace. Looks like I was averaging 10:30-11:00 mins per mile. Not too bad for the longer distance. I felt really good when I finished too.

With a few exceptions, no matter how "blah" I feel before the run, I feel much better after. I think I'm going to try to keep scheduling a longer run on Saturdays.

Excuse #659...my leg "pulled" itself

I'm sitting on the couch nursing a very injured calf muscle. In another time in life, I might feel pain like this after a road race or a cycling race. Or perhaps you're thinking maybe I tackled some physical task too vigorous for a pregnant lady. Neither is true.

My calf is injured because it "pulled" itself. There it is...my excuse for not working out the past 2 days. 2 nights ago, I was sitting (on the same couch coincidentally) talking on the phone when suddenly my calf cramped up so bad I was screaming in pain. It took quite a while to get the charley horse to loosen up. I have never experienced a charley horse before and I don't envy people who get them frequently. I looked it up...apparently, it's a common pregnancy syndrome.

Unfortunately, the damage from the charley horse seems to be lasting. I couldn't walk very well the yesterday and today the muscle is still very sore and tender. I'm heating, stretching and using the roller. I tentatively have a run scheduled for tomorrow morning...we'll see how that goes.

My leg is a traitor.

No good lousy miserable day

I really could have done without today (Wednesday). Maybe I could have jumped right from Tuesday to Thursday. I have been sick for 5 very long days. It's frustrating because I NEVER get sick....or, on the very rare occasions when I do, I will be sick for exactly 1.5 days and then be better. So, I blame the 5 day sickness on the pregnancy. I feel like I can't breathe because I have a super cough and a head cold.

It rained all day and was damp and chilly. I was ticked off because I don't have any proper outerwear for my uniforms since I've been pregnant. All of my flight jackets are very small and I can't zip them around my belly. And, I refuse to buy a $179 jacket so I can wear it all of 3 times during the last trimester of my pregnancy. And so, I'm just cold and miserable.

For some reason, I also felt the need to run today. Well, actually, I wanted to lay on the couch but Eric "encouraged" me out the door. And by "encouraged" I mean he was counting backwards from 5 at one point like I was a bad child (he was previously instructed to do this when I couldn't get myself out the door). So, then I ran 4 miserable, cold, windy miles. Why? I have no answer for this. Usually, once I get going, I feel great by about .5 miles into the run. Today, I wanted to throw myself in the icy lake from approximately mile 1-mile 4.

I also asked Eric if "this" was what he felt like when he ran....heels hurt, feet hurt, feels like I can't breathe. He said 'yes' and that's why he doesn't like running. I think I finally understand why running is hard. I would never voluntarily run if it hurt like this everyday!

Too sick to move...and so I shop

Yesterday's fabulous day/workout must have been something of a fluke. I'm sick out of my mind (again) today. Head, chest, nose, throat. The thing is, I'm really wondering if this might be allergies today as opposed to a cold like I had this weekend. I'm suspicious my symptoms have blended together although caused by different things.

I'm flat on my back on the couch. Little Emmett is happily kicking away while I buy baby things for him. I just purchased an Arms Reach Co Sleeper from Amazon. Also, my Cadillac of a breast pump arrived in the mail today as well as the Organic baby carrier! I finally feel like the little guy has some "stuff".

3rd Trimester!

This pregnancy has really gone by fast. I feel like I'm only just starting to feel "pregnant" and as of today, I'm starting the last trimester.

I'm happy to report that I'm finally showing enough in my work uniform that people who don't know me can tell I'm pregnant. I was wondering if that day would ever come. Eric sent me a text the other day when I was leaving work begging me for some MGD Light...his drink of choice at the moment (he believes he is dieting by drinking MDG Light). So, I swung by the Shopette after work and picked up a case (yes, in uniform). The checkout line was kinda long so I was kicking the case along with my feet. When I got to the checkout, the Major behind me picked up my case of beer and put it on the counter and remarked loudly "I just wanted to help the pregnant girl with her beer". The entire line was cracking up. He went on to say "watching this is like watching a bad safety video" (if you are in the military, you will understand this reference). I told him I was trying to keep my baby weight in check with the Light variety.

Am I the coolest wife or what to keep on supporting Eric's drinking habits? I wish I could say that beer tastes or smells bad to me while pregnant (some of my friends have reported this phenomenom)....no such luck for me. I steal a sip once in a while of Eric's beer and it still pretty much tastes amazing!

27 week status/workout:
Total weight gain - Still holding at 16-17 lbs depending on the day.

Workout today: Ran a 5K (3.1 miles) with Eric and the dog. The weather was amazing!! 62 degrees is my perfect running temperature. Also, I ran the whole way (no stretching, bathroom or other mis stops). I was running about 10:30mins per mile or so.

Then I came home and got my "home gym" setup and lifted for about 30-40 mins. The total time is deceptive because I am taking longer breaks between sets these days. Here's what I did:
3 x15 bench press on stability ball (30 lbs)
3 x 15 crunches on stability ball
3 x 15 squats (30 lbs)
3 x 15 bent over rows (15 lbs in each hand)
core exercise on hands and knees...raise 1 arm/opposite leg and hold...10 on each side
side leg raises, 15 each side
3 x 10 military overhead press (30 lbs)
3 x 15 wide leg squats, 15 lbs
3 x 10 tricep extension (overhead, 15 lbs)

Forced off day

I'm so sick! Grrrr...first time being pregnant and sick. I don't get sick very often and I was hoping I could make the whole 10 months without it!

Anyway, I went on a 3 mile walk yesterday with my Mom and the dog because I wasn't feeling well. Today, my chest and throat hurt so I'm going to take a day off.

Hot and windy

It was 87 degrees today here in Omaha! Beautiful (besides the hurricane force winds) but a little too hot for the pregnant runner. I had to wait until 6:30pm or so to run when a front started to move in and the temps dropped to about 70. How am I going to keep running if this summer is a hot one? It would be so nice to have a treadmill in an air conditioned basement…oh wait, I had one…and the movers broke it. I’m not an early morning person, but that may be my only option. (Normally I love running in the heat, but it’s a no-no for preggos).

3.72 miles today in 40 minutes. That’s a smokin’ speed of 5.5 mph or 10:55 mins/mile. You may be thinking you could walk that fast…and you are probably right. But please give me some credit for the 20 mph winds and the hills.

I think my little “group” is quite the spectacle on the lake run. Picture this: 1 fat, pregnant girl decked out in spandex. Why the hell would anyone market spandex to a pregnant chic, let alone why would any pregnant chic wear it? After quite a few painful runs, I discovered the awful truth….chaffing. I chaffed on nearly every part of my body that loose clothing was rubbing. It may be because your sweat is different or you just sweat a lot. It’s probably really because chunky thighs and arms are rubbing together. Either way, it hurts and I have embraced the spandex. (I also make sure to swing by the Wal-Mart post run because I just feel I fit in there.)

Anyway, pregnant spandex girl is dragging a fat golden retriever on a leash. The golden retriever always looks like she is being abused because she waddles a few feet behind me and sticks her tongue out and looks very pained. Then, Eric accompanies me on the bike to be my “camel” for water and to supervise me. So yes, basically it looks like Eric is forcing both the pregnant chic and the fat dog to run while he is peddling very very very slowly on his bike. I can only imagine what other walkers/runners think.

Also, although I’m happy for Eric’s company and feel “safer” somehow that he is supervising my runs, I’m not exactly sure what our plan would be if something happened, ie I went into labor 3 miles from the house. There are a few possibilities:
1) Eric could ride for help and leave me laboring somewhere on the trail with only my golden retriever to keep me company
2) I could try to ride the bike in labor 3 miles home while Eric runs beside me with the dog. However, Eric has only biking shoes (the clip in kind) and I have no clips. So I won’t be able to peddle and he won’t be able to run
3) We send Charley for help while I labor on the trail and Eric practices his wheelies around me to keep me entertained.