What a weird change, going from checking splits on my run and planning out routes to cover hours to hoping and praying that my shoe laces don't come untied because breathing and tying them at the same time is just not an option at this point.
It is a gorgeous August morning. Not even 75 degrees and the sun is just coming up through the clouds. The humidity is down just a bit and the wind is just a breeze at 3 mph. It has been HOT here for the last couple of weeks. We are talking 100 degrees with a heat index of 115. Not a drop of rain. Painful. I've still been out walking and things but it is hot, hot, hot.
My point about the weather description is that it is a perfect morning for a run. A run that I can't do. UGH. I still have 6 more weeks of pregnancy and then 6ish more weeks of letting things heal up. I am hoping to be out for my first gentle run/walk early or mid November. There are no guarantees and I am trying not to get my hopes up. It is going to be interesting to see how my pelvis and hips feel. All those ligaments have got to tighten up before I can run any distance again.
I can't wait to lace up the running shoes to actually run in. I can't wait to put an infant seat in the jogging stroller. I can't wait to hit a trail and get really dirty! Oh yeah, and having a little one at our house and getting my body back will be pretty great too even if I never get to sleep again.
32 weeks. 8 more weeks to go. The baby in there is growing, growing and I am somehow managing to get bigger each week as well. For those of you who have been there, you know the drill... the feeling of a 3-4 lb hand weight sitting in your pelvis, more difficulty tying your shoes than when you were 5, dreaming of the day you can lay on your back or take a deep, full breath in.
The saving grace for cardiovascular fitness has been mainly three-fold; stair-stepper, walking, and swimming. I suppose I have been on my bike a bit but those days are quickly coming to a close.
I was thinking about this as I was coming home from a Master's swim practice this morning. I have had quite a few people tell me about how good it felt to get in the pool when they were pregnant. I am guessing these people weren't trying to get in 3000 yds in an hour but none-the-less I think about what they've said. I get in the pool in the morning and it really doesn't feel that great initially. It's 5:30 am, dark, the water is cold, and I have a hard set waiting for me and then a full day at work. I can't jump in anymore without pain and discomfort so I slide in slowly and then I start swimming. It takes less than 10 yards for the cold to change to cool and refreshing and then about 300 yards for my stomach muscles to start to complain about attempting contraction at not quite maximal stretch. At about 1000 yards I have a permanent side stitch that goes away when I stand up and comes back as soon as I push off the wall on the next flip turn. Yet, I swim 3-4 times per week with as much speed and gusto as I have got. The part that is the most amazing to me though is when I get out. During that hour of submersion and lessened gravity all the blood and fluid that is normally affected by gravity has dispersed. The moment I haul myself up on the side and climb out (I'm holding out on using the ladder. I feel like that is like giving up my athleticism.) I can feel the pressure and the weight and the blood rush down again. It is amazing how I didn't notice while I was swimming how unweighted I was but when I get out the reminder is immediate. I think at the next practice I will have to try and pay more attention to that cause being unweighted is bliss, even if the getting out part sucks.
Hmmmmm, where to begin. It has been awhile. I am on a current hiatus from racing as my run has been significantly limited by the ligamentous laxity in my joints. Baby was fine with running. Momma was hurting. I did a pretty hard run at about 20 weeks. I did 4 7:45 miles, which was faster than my pre-pregnancy running pace. I felt ok but then ended up having a really sore S.I. joint. I managed to correct it myself several days later lifting a 140 lb kiddo at work (on accident) and felt so much better. I felt so good, in fact, that I went for a run with Mr KT and the dogs the next afternoon. That did not go so well. Sorry if this is T.M.I. but I had what I can only describe as grinding or shearing in the front of my pelvis where the two halves of the pelvis meet. Oh my gosh. No thanks. Ow. I walked home, in pain. By that night I was almost crawling to the bathroom because it hurt to walk. The next day was unbearable at work and I called a physical therapy clinic that sees pregnant women and begging therapist to therapist to be seen over lunch. She was so awesome and got me right in. She realigned everything and gave me some suggestions to keep the alignment. There was some discussion and some exercises that only pregnant women should ever talk about and I left with an ionto patch and feeling somewhat better. The symptoms improved over the next few days and I actually followed her advice. (I know, shock really.) She also told me that it really would be best if I didn't run until after the baby came. It took me a few weeks of crabby to wrap my head around the fact that if I wanted to continue to run now, I wouldn't hurt the baby but I may do enough damage to my own joints that I wouldn't be able to run later. It is essentially run now or run later but probably not both. I choose run later. I can't wait to start again but it will be a while still.
So, I am walking my running routes, doing stairs, riding my bike as tolerated, swimming like a fishy, and waiting for this baby. 11 weeks and counting.
Happy bike to work week everyone.
I have a comment to make today after my bike commute home.
There is only one way bib shorts should ever be worn.
That would be with a jersey OVER them. Yikes.
I don't care if you look like this...
or this...
You still need a shirt or jersey.
This is also not appropriate.
Ugh. Please people. I'm not interested in hurting anyone's feelings, just trying to help some fellow cyclists out.
It has been awhile but there is some exciting new gear floating around here at the pttriathlete household.
The first arose because my swimsuits were all beginning to be see-through. Including when I doubled them up! So, I got on-line and ordered a grab bag suit from Kiefer. I like the Axcel style back and so I picked my size from the Flipturns grab bag, female one pieces. It came last Thursday. My husband opened it and was mildly horrified at the color scheme. I have to admit that I was looking forward to seeing just how awful it was. I knew going into it that the grab bag suits are left overs. Come on, though, I mean, you wear them 3-5x/week for 6 months (or less) and they are shot anyway. May as well get one that is expressive. Anywho, it looks like this...
It just so happens that on that same afternoon I had another rotten bike commute home from work. I had been on my bike for all of 3 minutes when I heard a little rattle. I checked my handlebars and stem because that was where the sound seemed to be coming from. Nope, nothing. So I rode on, carefully paying attention to all the feelings and noises. All of a sudden my seat shifted and I immediately thought, "oh crap, my seat post just cracked". I jumped off but nope again. One of the bolts was loose under there though and of course I had switched out my bike bag for my tri bike and had forgotten to put it back on. Suck. No tools. I tried to use my keys but to no avail. The only real option was to ride home standing up. Problem there was two-fold. #1.) I was still wearing shoes with cleats that didn't exactly match my pedals and #2.) I was getting headwind gusts of 40 mph. I am not kidding you. So, I sat back down, on a saddle that was not only sliding further back but tilting up at the nose. Not awesome, in case you were wondering. Oh, and I did manage to drop my chain shifting into a larger chain ring. Don't ask how that happened but I was not a happy commuter as I climbed the last big hill up to my house. I dropped my bike on the ground (derailleur side up), threw my helmet on the ground, marched inside and announced to Mr KT that my bike was a piece of s*#@ and I wasn't riding it anymore. He calmly went outside, picked up the pieces, fixed the malfunctions and packed me up in the car. He took me to the LBS where he helped me pick out new pedals and new sweet mtb shoes that I will also be commuting in. See below...
Yeah. Pretty nice of him. Especially since I was in the middle of a two year old tantrum that lost its momentum after about 5 minutes and that several of the problems were of my own making. Sheesh. And yes, I will commute again on that particular bike.
The last piece of new gear has not actually been purchased yet but it will probably look something like this...
This piece of gear isn't quite as pressing but yep, we are expecting a little one at our house this fall. A big change in my routine and my race schedule for the summer but I suppose it might count as some form of an ultra in it's own way. If Mr KT is interested in racing this season, I will be cheering him on from the sidelines. I have a couple of small, non-competitive "races" lined up but nothing too crazy. I am swimming, biking, running, and weight training, just not at the duration or intensity of before. It really is hard for me to sit the season out but next year I will be back. Mr KT has already promised that I can do some training next spring (probably with the running stroller) and I will be looking forward to it. In the meantime, I plan on trying to enjoy this strange new experience and can't wait to meet the new little babe and get to know him/her.
Got my first real ride of the summer in yesterday, 31 miles with a friend. I missed my powder blue tri bike. The wind was out of control and it seemed to take us all afternoon but it was good to be pedaling. I have been riding to and from work but somehow that just isn't the same. The road bike I have has really never been comfortable but it is a decent bike to commute on and I don't mind leaving it outside all day. It is also easier to ride up the gigantic hill that I live on than on my mountain bike so I suppose you must pick your poison.
Anywho, felt good to be riding, albeit, slowly.
I have to say though, my sit bones are mighty tender today. Gonna have to get used to that saddle again.
