Running for Two - Second Trimester

Weeks 13-27
The second trimester is when a lot of women report having more energy!! I felt that around 15-16 weeks, my runs felt better, I felt more energetic during the day...and was able to stop my lunch break naps (for the most part).

Fairly early in my second trimester (14/15 weeks) I ran a 1/2 Marathon.  I finished 1:48, about 4 minutes slower than my PR.  I was very happy with that time.  The first half of the race I ran on track to finish in 1:40, however, by about the halfway mark I sort of freaked out about somehow causing damage to the baby.  At mile 9/10 when I stopped at the porta john, I noticed a small amount of blood - not bright red...the old stuff...and continued to freak out.  I do want to point out that my doctor told me that was a very real possibility.  That often vigorous physical activity will cause that to happen and it's not harming the little one...That didn't stop me from slowing way down for the last 3 or so miles.  I finished comfortably, just not strong.  I checked in with my doc afterward, she said that it's nothing to worry about.  Whew.

After that race, I decided that I am way too competitive to race pregnant.  I freak out that I am going to fast, slow down, and I just don't enjoy racing if I'm not doing it to PR...or win... So, I didn't sign up for any more races from then on.  Late in the 2nd trimester I started to get the racing bug and signed up for a half marathon scheduled to be about 3 months after baby's birth day.  I'm toying with the idea of doing a triathlon before that, but I think I am going to wait to see what life throws at us before I sign up.

It wasn't until the end of this trimester that I noticed a big difference in my running times.  I noticed my pace dropped dramatically...from 7:30/8min miles down to 10:30/11 min miles.  Also, my endurance was decreasing pretty rapidly.  My 10 mi long runs turned into 7, then 6, then 5... But if I didn't respect my body and tried to overdo it I got excruciating headaches that lasted for 2 days.  So, I cut back.

Total weight gain: 15lbs (from pre-pregnancy weight)  This trimester made me realize just how quickly the weight will pile on.  See picture...the first one is 22 weeks...The second is 27 weeks.  Oh my!

Belly: Visible at around 20 weeks...to the naked eye...That is when I finally told work as well.  Again, for reference - see the picture... The girls were getting huge too.

Running clothes: Between weeks 18 and 20 I started wearing almost exclusively the Oiselle seamless shorts and capris (Long Flyte shorts, Endorphin capris) and got myself a pair of the Long Rogas sized up from a 6 to an 8.  For tops until week 20 I could wear just about anything, after the belly got too big, I stuck with stretchier options.  Some that work well: Oiselle's Flyte tank sized up 1, Oiselle's In the Fold tank (it's flowy), and Lululemon's Cool Racerback (the older style)  I recommend flowy tanks if you live in a hot climate.  Tighter tanks made me feel like I was gonna overheat...the flowy ones let air in as I ran.

Running: I started noticing that my belly was heavy in this trimester.  It sat pretty hard on my bladder and pulled on my round ligaments.  So I started wearing my Amphipod hip belt to help provide some support.  That worked really well.  From about week 20 on, I felt like I'd have to pee for the first mile of my run, but that would go away the further into my run I got.  My long runs diminished greatly, and I really got into yoga during this time.  I highly recommend going to yoga classes or even using a download (I like www.jasyoga.com).  Near the end -  weeks 27-28 my legs started feeling like they were burning every time I ran.  Turns out - I was low on iron...more on that in the third trimester update.  

That's all for now, I'll have a third trimester update soon!



 

Running for Two...the first trimester

I'll warn you now.  I'm that lucky bit*h who had no morning sickness, no crazy cravings, and no terrible food aversions.  The only weird symptom I had was fatigue and from time to time I would feel a little lightheaded.

So, I pretty much felt like myself, but sleepier.  Not too bad.  

As far as running, the first month, you don't even know you're pregnant.  So that was fairly normal.  Just before I took the pregnancy test though, I did notice my splits on my speed workout were 10-20 seconds slower than I felt like they should be.  This was just before Thanksgiving, so between all of the holiday travelling and being a little extra sleepy, my runs started to feel harder.  

During this time, I really focused on just getting SOME kind of exercise in.  Unless I needed a nap... then I just napped.

Total weight gain: 5 lbs - Doctor had me at 0 lbs because i gained that weight in the first 8 weeks...oops.

Belly: was not visible to the naked eye.  I knew it was there, I was "thicker" but nothing crazy.

Running clothes: I could still wear whatever I wanted.  I stayed pretty comfortable in my normal running clothes til about 14 or 15 weeks.  My boobs were killing me though...had to get a better sports bra.  I like Oiselle's Bra-Zen.

Running: long runs stayed at about 10 mi, I was preparing for a 1/2 marathon at 14/15 weeks.  My daily running routine didn't change much (except for sometimes just needing a nap).  I typically ran 5 miles, did cross training when I could.  A lot of this was over the holidays when I usually cut back on running anyway due to family time and an excess of food.  I also cut out a lot of speedwork, but that probably wasn't necessary, I just didn't feel like doing it.

Overall, first trimester running is just listening to your body, if it still feels good, keep doing it.  After you ask your doctor of course...

To be continued...

I'm Back!

After a several month hiatus....I'm back...
As it turns out, this space will temporarily be re-purposed to discuss things other than wine.  There will also be fewer race reviews...As it turns out, we're having a baby!

Baby is a little man, and he's due in early August.  Fun news - my sister in law just had a baby this year, and my little sister is due about a week before me!! This year will have triplet cousins!  

Since November - I've continued running, and worked in a bit more yoga.  My race in February, the Katy Half, actually went really well, I managed to run a 1:48 - which is only 4 mins slower than my PR.  The race itself was fantastic, just as it was last year, but after that race I decided I don't want to race again til after baby.  I'm super competitive, and had a very hard time slowing down my pace.  The doctor said keep running, just don't overheat...or push it.  So here I am.  

In the meantime, I am enjoying my more relaxed daily runs.  Without any training schedule or real agenda, it's been nice to just get out and run.  I've also picked up yoga, and really enjoy it.  My weeks look something like this:

Monday - 5 miles easy + stretching and core

Tuesday - 3-5 miles easy + stretching

Wednesday - yoga

Thursday - 3-5 miles easy + stretching and core

Friday - rest

Saturday/Sunday: total 7-10 miles, typically split between the two days.  I find that I feel bad for about 2 days if I try to run 10 in one day. 

Overall though, I have had very few of the nasty pregnancy symptoms that everyone told me were inevitable.  I had some very minor nausea in the beginning that would go away if I went for a run.  I was pretty fatigued though.  I needed naps on a near daily basis. 

I'll do a 'by trimester' update soon on training volume and overall pregnancy/running information that I have gathered.    

Half Marathon Training - Week 6

Woo...late on this one...Had a busy weekend.

Last week went pretty good.  The speed work days felt good.  My splits were a little slower than I had expected, but all in all it was a good week.  I also hit the weight room once this week.  I've backed off on my squats a little in weight so I can deepen the squat.  I feel like it is a better work out, and I have noticed that my entire backside gets tight after lifting, so hopefully this will encourage better movement while I work out.

This week will be a little short and unstructured.  With the holidays coming up, we will be busy with family stuff from Wednesday on.

Monday: WU 10 mins, 1 mile at half marathon pace, 5x(3 mins on, 1:30 off), Cool down
Tuesday: 45 minutes at recovery pace
Wednesday: AM 20 minute run, no PM workout
Thursday: All day tailgating!  Go Pack!
Friday: Thanksgiving recognized! 30-40 minute AM run if possible depending on how the tailgating went...
Saturday: Easy run 30-40 mins
Sunday: Kenyan progression style 4-5 miler
Monday: Cross training (cross fitting actually)
Tuesday: Day off...travel home.

That's it - I hope y'all have a good Thanksgiving!

Half Marathon Training: Week 5

Happy Monday!

I promise to post something other than my training schedule at the end of this week...I swear!

This last week went pretty well- I made the majority of my work outs -  except for Thursday morning.  Wednesday night involved 2 bottles of wine, and Thursday morning was not fast moving...Saturday's long run was great though! I ended up running a little over 10 miles, with over half of it on trails along Buffalo Bayou.  Here's a picture from half way with the hound dog.

Thursday was a nice night out for the Hubs 30th.  Wine bar and French restaurant on the north side of Houston.  Here's a picture of the celebrations.  I know, we're the cutest.

Okay, now on with the training plan.  This week I am working to incorporate more speed work.

Monday - Speed day - 10 min w/u, 1 mi half marathon speed, then 5x (2mins on, 1 min off) Cool down

Tuesday - AM - 30 mins easy, PM - 45 mins easy

Wednesday - Lift/cycle

Thursday  - AM - 20 mins easy, PM - 5 mi Kenyan Progression  (check out http://blog.strava.com/wow-the-kenyanprogression-9453/ , I get a lot of my workout ideas from Strava)

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Long run: 1:45

Sunday - Easy 20 min run, stretching, and core 

Have a good week!

Half Marathon Training: Week 4

Ah! 10K finished and onward with the plan.

Overall, the Crimson and Gold 10K was exactly what I needed it to be -  an indicator of where I was at to help me plan where I need to be going with this plan.  I ran a 46:28 10K...wait a second! it ended up only being a litlte over 6 miles on my watch.  I was disappointed because it would have been a PR if I had just continued to run to get the 0.2 miles I needed.  But! couldn't be sad for long, I got second lady overall which was really fun and some tickets for free Jimmy John's subs.  SCORE!

What did I learn?
1. I'm still not as fast as I need to be.  I ran that race with an average 7:40 pace.  I need to hit a bit faster than that pace on a 1/2 marathon if I want to reach my sub 1:40 goal.  I need to take my speed work more seriously, and not skip those days.

2. My mental game needs work.  How do I know this?  I was passed by a woman at mile 4, and I was "dying" but still managed to pull it together for the last 2 miles no problem.  I can run faster.  I can do hard things...and I could have definitely stayed up with that woman, but I let her passing me get into my brainspace and then, I slowed down.  I think speed work and long runs will make a difference here.  Adding some fast splits near the end of a long run should help me build my mental game some.
3. My training and healthy eating regimen are working.  I didn't cramp up and die (typical when I try to run fast).  Cutting back on cheesy/bready things and cutting back (a little) on the booze during the week has made a difference...So, keep it up, I suppose...

This week:

Monday - 11/9 - Recovery Run - 45 minutes 8:45-ish pace
Tuesday - 11/10 - 1 hour run - 8:15-8:30 pace
Wednesday - 11/11 - Gym/spin
Thursday - 11/12 - Morning Run  - 40-45 minutes - evening will be out for the Hubs 30th!
Friday - 11/13 - Rest day
Saturday - 11/14 - Long run - shooting for 1:30
Sunday - 11/15 - Rest

Have a good week!

Training Plan: Week 3

Well, weeks 1 and 2 are in the books...mostly.

Overall, the training went OK, I made most of my runs/workouts just fine.  Our weekend in Michigan ended up having no runs - but plenty of dancing at the wedding.  I like to think that I compensated some for the lack or running with some seriously cool dance moves.

Run down for the last two weeks: I need to continue to work on speed.  I can run all day - just not very fast.  I also want to work on core and range of motion.  Consistency over the last couple of weeks has been so-so.  Between our regularly scheduled social calendar, traveling, and this weekend's Halloween party - life's been busy.  We're headed into the holiday season, so it's even more important to prioritize and get my workouts in, and now, I'm ready to tackle week 3, a race week!

Monday 11/2 - Morning - easy dog run, Afternoon: Threshold run 3x(8mins on -1 min easy)
Tuesday 11/3 - Recovery run in the afternoon (45 mins)
Wednesday 11/4 - Cross train - Spin and weights
Thursday 11/5 - 30 min AM run, 40 min PM run
Friday 11/6 - Easy AM run, 20-30 min PM run
Saturday 11/7 - Rest
Sunday 11/8 - Crimson and Gold 10K race

I've got a race on Sunday, so as I get closer to the end of the week, I will assess how I'm feeling and decide if I need two rest days or just one. I've been taking two days off prior to each triathlon lately, but this race is going to be pretty short compared to the tris I've been doing, so maybe I won't need as much rest.  In addition to these workouts, I'll be doing yoga 2x this week and core work 3x.  For fun- here's a shot of the ladies at Halloween.  The theme was white trash.  Unless you wanted to be Indiana Jones...