Running (yes, Running!) @ 31 weeks pregnant

I had a revelation last week.

I was on the treadmill, logging time and miles for Meg, when I decided to try to run. I hadn't run in a few weeks, overwhelmed by a squished bladder and growing belly. This day, however, was about Meg so I pushed my doubts aside and implemented my version of Jeff Galloway's run-walk method - walking for 3 minutes, running for 1 minute.

BAM! Light bulb moment.

I was running again. Granted, just for a few minutes over the course of 40 minutes but I was RUNNING!

I can't imagine why it took me so long to figure this out.

All this week, I've been Jeff Gallowing it - working up a sweat and breathing hard.

Yesterday, I was on that machine for an hour - run/walking my butt off. It was awesome. Granted, I had to get off at 30 minutes to use the bathroom but I jumped right back on for another half hour. I can only imagine what the fit, athletic 18-21 year old college students think when they see this obviously very pregnant woman abruptly stop and make a beeline for the door. 

I can't even begin to explain how good it feels to run again, even in small increments. I feel like I have a part of myself back, a piece of myself that had gone missing.  

It also makes the post-baby comeback seem possible.

Let's be honest, when I can run, anything and everything seems possible.

nesting

I scheduled my c section this morning.

This is real. This is happening. I'm having another baby. I will have three children. Another body to wash, clothe, and take care of. Another voice added to the chaos. Another little face to smother with kisses. Another little hand to hold.

Beyond crazy.

The pre-baby To Do list has gotten smaller. E has been moved to a big girl bed. The crib is in our room. Our room has been dusted, vacuumed, and de-cluttered. W's room has been organized and has actually stayed clean for more than two days. The rest of the house is in pretty good shape and Seth has vacuumed the car, relieving me of some of my nesting anxiety.

Speaking of nesting: normally I don't give the dusty baseboards behind the bed a second thought but now that I'm pregnant, I found myself wedged between the side table and the wall desperately trying to vacuum under the bed. I actually got stuck for a minute and questioned my own sanity.

I also found myself dusting EVERY. SINGLE. one of the slats of the blinds in my bedroom. It was like an out of body experience; watching myself dust each slat and wondering if I was as bored as I felt.

The good news is that my husband is no longer sneezing when he's in our room and I feel less like I'm bringing my child into a potential death trap.

There's always a bright side. 

Running (or not) @ 30 weeks pregnant

I haven't run, really run, in weeks. Frustration and sadness have given way to acceptance and now I'm just trying to stay as active as I can within walking distance to a bathroom.

That means that I've been spending a lot of time at the gym; working up a sweat on the elliptical and treadmill.

I never look this happy

It is SO BORING.  SO VERY VERY BORING.

If there weren't televisions where I can watch Mike & Mike in the Morning (later dazzling my husband with all my sports knowledge), or Kelly & Michael, or (my personal favorite) Wendy Williams, I don't know what I would do. I can run for hours at a time and experience many things - but never boredom. Put me on an elliptical for more then 20 minutes, and its torture just to keep going.

I give you gym rats a lot of credit.

I will say this though - staying active while pregnant has been one of the smartest things I have done in a long time. I have had little to no swelling. Ankles are fabulous things. Other than a very unfortunate encounter with an avocado - I've had only two or three incidents of heartburn. I may feel huge and the scale may reflect that, but it really is all baby. I've been sleeping well - per my new Jawbone Up (product review forthcoming), I actually had more deep sleep last night then light sleep.

Granted, I'm pretty useless for the rest of the day after a workout, but you can't win them all. 

My daughter showed up early at 38 weeks, so we could be seeing this baby sooner rather then later. Hopefully, I'll be at home and not on the treadmill when that happens

#megsmiles

On January 13, 2014, a young mother of three headed out for her morning run.

She didn't make it back home.

Even though she was reportedly doing everything in her power to keep herself safe, running against traffic on a two-foot wide shoulder, she was hit and killed by a drunk driver.

Meg Menzies was a avid runner, a marathoner, a mother, and a wife.

Everything that I am.

From the moment I heard about this tragic event on Facebook, I have been trying to wrap my mind around it. I know that pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are often involved in accidents, but to have someone that could be my friend, that could be me, be killed while going out for a routine run is extremely disturbing.

My heart breaks for her children that have lost their mother, her husband that has lost his partner in life, her family, and friends. For her fellow runners that will miss the sound of her steps beside them.

What happened to Meg is tragic. It is painful. It is maddening. One person makes a bad decision, in this instance driving while drunk, and numerous lives are adversely affected.  

The heart of the matter is that you just never know. You can do everything right and still not make it through the day. Every moment that we have is a gift. It is sad that it would take the death of a vibrant, young mother to remind me of that.

A friend of Meg created a Facebook event, #megsmiles, encouraging runners to dedicate their miles on Saturday, January 18th in honor of Meg.

"Take in the fresh air, be aware of your surroundings, keep your headphones on low, feel the heaviness in your lungs, the soreness in your legs, and be grateful for it - for all of it. The sweat, the pain, the wind, the cold... everything. Be grateful for that moment."        

I haven't been able to run, really run, since before Thanksgiving. But I will log time and miles on the treadmill and elliptical tomorrow in honor of Meg. In honor of a mother and fellow runner who died doing something that she loved, that I love.

Rest in peace Meg. Thank you for reminding me about the gift of running, of gratefulness, and of the joy in this life.  

a new year

I apologize for the radio silence.

First, we were getting ready for the holidays. Then, it was the holidays. And then we had to recover from the holidays and before I knew it it was quickly approaching the middle of January.

So... Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Speaking of 2014...

I'm excited for this new year. Excited for all the changes that its going to bring - a new baby, a post baby marathon debut at the end of the year. Yes. you read that right - I have pretty much committed myself to running a full marathon approximately 9 months after giving birth to my last child. I do love a good challenge.

I look forward to sharing in this new journey with you - 3 kids, marathon training, and just trying to make it through the day.

Better hang on... It's going to be a wild ride.