Workouts and running through pregnancy – third trimester

The third trimester goes from week 28 to technically 42. Baby Jasper was born at exactly 38 weeks, so my third trimester ended early.

This could also be called the trimester it fell apart for me! I was really sick for almost two weeks and did zero activity. Here’s a rundown (in a bit of a different format from the first and second trimester updates) of how everything else felt…

Running
I ran once in week 28 and once in week 29, both five miles and both on the treadmill since I didn’t want to risk running outside and slipping or having to walk home in the cold if I had to stop. I was surprised at a relatively good pace (in the 8:40s) considering I wasn’t out of breath or pushing the pace!

I was sick for a couple weeks and it felt fabulous to sweat and run in week 31 (another five miler in the 8:40s).

31 weeks and four days

Sadly I had to break up with running after this. I celebrated my 31^st birthday the following week and aimed to run 3.1 miles (5km). After a mile it just did not feel right so I stopped and walked, shed a tear, and said farewell until I’m ready to get back into it post-baby.

Although I greatly missed running, I felt really good about my decision and wasn’t upset like I get when I can’t run due to injury.

What felt good?
Throughout the entire third trimester, I felt great strength training- this included both weights for the upper body and body weight exercises for the lower body.

37 weeks

(photo taken after a 40 minute strength workout…as you can see…the strength workouts kicked my butt!)

On average, I strength trained four times a week. Sometimes it was all I did and other times I did a short session after a bike. Some days it was part of a higher intensity circuit, which I’ve really started to love!

I also continued do A LOT of hip work, which I read is really important throughout pregnancy and afterwards.

What was different?
I still kept up my biking on the trainer two to three times a week, but at some point (that I don’t remember and didn’t write down) it got pretty uncomfortable to even lean onto my foam roller. I don’t think baby loved it either, as his bum would really pop out in my upper ribs! So, I basically rode sitting straight up and then it felt fine.

Some days I rode steady and some days I added in a few faster intervals. The maximum time I rode for was 45 minutes. 

What didn’t feel good?
Running stopped feeling good, so I stopped. If something didn’t feel good on any day, I didn’t do it.

I was hoping to walk a lot once I couldn’t run anymore. However, that nagging pelvic pain I’d feel when I ran reared its head when I walked, too. So I never walked for exercise, and would just go when it was warm enough (and not slippery) to take Harold.

Lastly, I still followed along with some of the Tracy Anderson prenatal DVDs (there’s a DVD for each month of pregnancy and they’re split into arms and legs/hips/butt). I loved her arm workouts but towards the end the lower bodywork hurt my hips so I stopped that portion. 

Everything else
I kept up with prenatal yoga at least once a week, but some weeks I’d practice up to three times. I mostly used a Shiva Rea DVD. I remember when I followed it in the first trimester it was a breeze. By the end, I got quite fatigued doing it!

I cross-country skied nice and easy twice at the beginning of the trimester. It felt awesome since it’s so easy on the joints and it’s easy enough to go slowly! After that, I felt too off-balance to do it anymore.

Overall
I was happy to workout basically right up until the end of pregnancy. (I took a few days off beforehand to conserve energy for labour.)

Would’ve I liked to have ran more and for longer? Most definitely. Did I miss tough sessions and really sweating? Heck yes. Did I fall into the comparison trap sometimes and see what other pregnant women were doing/running/etc. on social media? Of course.

Do I regret how I played it? Not in the least. I wrote a post about learning to listen to my body, and I really think I did a good job of listening to it, and honouring it, throughout these 10 months.

I also loved the comments I received from moms on other posts who were so encouraging about running through pregnancy and afterwards. The blogging community really is a great one!

Thanks for following along. I hope to write a few posts about post-partum fitness once I’m there. I’m going to just go on easy walks and do some easy physio exercises to help prepare my body until I’m cleared for exercise (hopefully) at my six week follow-up appointment.

Any questions? Let me know in the comments or send me an email!

Learning to listen to my body

As someone who has pushed my body pretty far at times, and learned so much about it in the process, this pregnancy journey has taught me even more.

For years I was a runner. I started running cross-country and track in grade 7 then joined a club and ran even more. I realized the longer the distance the better I did. So, I started running road races.

Then came the longer distances: my first half marathon when I was 18 and my first marathon at 20. I trained for my first 26.2, but not well, and body and heart carried me across that finish line.

RNR AZ 2004

Then I asked my body to do things that, many times, I never thought I could do.

I started to road bike and was talked into a half iron and full iron distance triathlon at 26-years-old.

Ironman Arizona 2010

I trained, I hurt, I prepared as best I knew how. I fueled my body. I nourished it. And I took care of it when it needed special care.

I also ignored it at times. (Ok, many times over the years I’ve ignored it and gone on that run or bike when it needed rest.)

I took these steps three more times at 28 and 29-years-old.

Ironman Canada 2012

Ironman Coeur d’Alene 2013

Ironman Canada – Whistler 2013

I asked it to bike in extreme heat, run in snow and windchills of -40, hold together for X more miles when it was tired, hungry, and hurting.

My body answered me each time.

It has climbed many mountains. It has strength trained. It has carried me very long distances – up to 140 miles at a time. It has gone fast and it has gone slow.

I’ve beaten it down and each time it rebuilt. It listened to me.

Just like any relationship should give and take, it sends signals to let me know when enough is enough.

It took nine months to conceive this baby, and over that nine months I had to listen really hard to what my body was asking. It wasn’t always easy to drop the miles lower and lower, and add some weight to my hard-earned muscles, without knowing how it would respond.

I hesitantly continued to listen to my body. It gave me so much when I pushed it to new limits for years.

Once I got pregnant, I realized I was good at listening to what my body needed. And most importantly, I knew I had to listen to it.

Run, but slower. Take a nap. Exercise to help ‘morning’ sickness, even though you’re tired. Keep up strength training. Drink more water. Do more yoga. Stop running. Stay active, whatever that means on any given day. Rest more.

My last run at 31 weeks.

I am now over nine months along, the same amount of time it took to get pregnant. I barely recognize myself physically, and I just don’t feel like….me. I crave a good sweat session but know that it will come in time.

I am tired. My back and my hips hurt, and this time it isn’t from going that extra mile, not refueling properly after a hard session, or being hunched over a bike for hours at a time.

This is my body preparing for something new, something it hasn’t done before, and something that scares me. (Sounds kind of like how I’ve felt before every new race distance and almost every race!)

It’s been refreshing to listen to my body, and truly listen to it. To let it tell me what it needs instead of my constant demands on it.

I have faith we’ll make it, just as we have done before. And next time I’m training for a race, I hope to take that time to stop and really listen to what my body needs. After all, it’s done some amazing things.

How good are you at listening to your body?

Well hello!

I never intend to fall off the face of the blogging world but it is so easy to just not write and not read other blogs.

When I got pregnant I didn’t want to become the blogger that goes from training and racing and going on fun travels to writing only bump updates. Although if you follow me on Instagram (search thechangeofpace) you’ll see those are basically the only photos I post.

However as I quickly learned, pregnancy takes over your whole life! Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just not what I intended to write about when I started a blog.

So here I am…

35 weeks pregnant and in the homestretch… six weeks since my last post… with not a lot to write!

I could recap the negatives: how brutal the end of 2014 was with house arrest and zero activity for nine days since I got so sick, or how I have chronic pain in my hips and now back that doesn’t allow for much sleep and has me waddling around in a constant state of agony.

I could talk about how I find pregnancy fascinating as a weekend warrior athlete: the weight gain (I think over 30 pounds so far?), how I miss simple things like being able to roll my IT bands (I’m too unsteady now!), and how despite staying fairly active I breath like an overweight, pack-a-day smoker when I walk upstairs.

Or, I could talk about the positives: how this babe is a mover and shaker with body parts sticking out left right and centre (Kelly thinks the baby is practicing ice and rock climbing), how excited we are to meet the little one, and how loved our baby is by so many…already! This is just scratching the surface of everything good.

Let’s stick with the positives and keep right on sailing into the final month of pregnancy. For now, I’m just grateful to be growing a healthy little being.

I’m not sure what blogging will look like from now on, but I suppose that’s part of the reason my blog name is Change of Pace. Life changes, and along with it goals, priorities and focus change, too.

What’s new in your world?

Running {and workouts} through pregnancy – second trimester

I realize I should kind of write these as time goes by instead of trying to remember after that fact (I’m just past 28 weeks/seven months). I did write some crib notes throughout the trimester, and I tracked all my workouts, so at least I can remember some of it properly!

The second trimester is from week 14-27. Man, does the beginning of that seem like a long time ago!

I’ll keep the same outline as I did for the first trimester update. I’ll talk about running first and then the other exercise I kept up.

Of note, my longest run was 1:10 with most around 45 minutes. I haven’t used my Garmin since February, and that was just for holidays runs. Essentially I haven’t used it since Ironman Canada in summer 2013!

So needless to say I didn’t know my pace for a long time, which I think is the best way to run: by feel. On my treadmill runs as of late, I’ve definitely slowed but by less than expected.

What felt good?
In all honesty, not a lot felt good about running after week 19! I ran twice a week until week 17 and then dropped down to once a week, with some weeks of no running.

In week 17 I ran a 12km/7.5 mile trail race. I took it easy and barely breathed heavy. In retrospect, I’m sure I could’ve run a lot harder. But I wanted to play it safe with both the tripping factor and pushing it. I think my biggest success was that I didn’t stop to pee during the race 🙂 Although I didn’t run hard, I was still pretty fatigued the next day.

The race fell on our anniversary, and I hope we can make it an annual event!

The other thing that fits the ‘feeling good’ category is my Gabrialla support belt. I got it in week 21 and noticed a huge difference in comfort of my belly. It completely supported it and just felt right. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is running while pregnant. (Of note, I got a sized up and it fits really well.)

What was different?
There isn’t really anything new to add to this column. I still pee a lot more than normal, am a lot thirstier during and after, and need to eat before a morning run. (My record high is six pees on a six mile treadmill run!)

What didn’t feel good?
Week 19 was where running started to fall apart for me. I would get really bad hip flexor/groin pain at the end of a long run. It would last for the remainder of the day. Kelly and I went for a long trail run during week 19 and I had to walk the last km, and then I couldn’t walk for the rest of the day without serious limping.

Two weeks later I successfully ran but afterwards had bad back pain, and the next day my groin/pelvic area was extremely sore.

This is kind of how it’s been going ever since. I should really stop running but the stubborn part of me doesn’t want to yet.

During week 22 I knew I couldn’t run after a couple minutes and then the next week felt good. During week 24 I had to stop after 10 minutes because of serious back cramps (something totally new to me).

Week 25 was another upswing. I ran two days in a row, which I haven’t done in a really long time! They were both on the trails, so I went nice and slow. Surprisingly, I felt a lot better on the uphill than the down!

Since then running has been touch and go. I’ve limited my max run distance to 5 miles/8 km and that seems to be a sweet spot. Nothing hurts while running, and afterwards, at that distance, my groin/pelvic area doesn’t hurt.

I *may* try running once a week until it acts up again. At that point, I think I should force myself to stop.

I don’t want to continue running to stay in shape or to bounce back into running faster afterwards. I just honestly love it and don’t want to go so long without it (the remainder of pregnancy and then however long afterwards). But, if it’ll do me more harm than good I need to stop.

Everything else
I biked a lot this trimester, all on my trainer. I don’t remember exactly when, but we propped a foam roller on my handlebars when it started to get uncomfortable to lean over.

Awesome solution, and essentially free since we already had it!

I ride a steady pace, and I still do some interval workouts too. It feels good to breathe a little! My longest bike ride has been 45 minutes this trimester. And that’s more than enough!

Other than that, I’m keeping up my strength training, incorporating some strength/cardio circuits into my routine each week, and doing Tracey Andersen prenatal DVDs every couple of weeks.

I got in a few awesome hikes, mostly at the beginning of the trimester. One weekend we hiked over 20 miles but that was absolutely all I did that weekend!

On the last true hike we went on, I really tired on the way down and despite wearing my support belt, my stomach was very heavy.

I continued with yoga once a week, and in the last few weeks I practiced 2-3 times a week.

I’ve also been lucky enough to cross-country ski a few times!

Twice was on holidays and then I went once here at home. Unfortunately I started to feel the same pain as when I run, so I cut my last ski short.

Overall I’ve been keeping up my weekly workout sessions (five or six days a week) but they are much shorter and with a lot less intensity.

I can tell you that in the third trimester this will definitely decrease as time goes on. I’m starting to feel more fatigued (not sleeping well…at all). And I’m really starting to notice the extra weight. I don’t really know what I weighed when I got pregnant, but I would estimate I’ve gained 20 pounds already. That feels like quite a difference with everything except biking and yoga!

 If you worked out/ran through pregnancy, feel free to chime in with tips, suggestions, how you felt, etc! 

If you have any questions, let me know!

How was your year of running?

This is the third year I’m linking up with Miss Zippy to look back at my year of running (see my 2013 and 2012 reviews). Head over to her website to check out a bunch of other people’s reviews!

Best race experience?
I participated in four races this year and only three running races: a 10km race on my 30^th birthday, a surprise 10 miler in Del Mar, California when we were on holidays, a SUP race this summer, and a trail race on our sixth anniversary.

Del Mar, CA

I loved them all for different reasons, but since this is about my year of running I guess I’d have to say the race on my birthday. It was a small, local race, Kelly ran it with me (instead of ahead of me!), my parents walked the 5k, and my sister and her family unexpectedly came out to cheer!

Best run?
Any trail run from this summer was phenomenal.

But, I think my best run was a 10 miler I did in Laguna Beach, CA where I ran along the beaches of Crystal Cove State Park and came across this little cutie. I remember not wanting to turn back, but I didn’t want to worry Kelly by going for too much longer than I said!

Best new piece of gear?
Remember when I said I am indecisive? I think that comes out in this post! I have two answers for this one.

I bought my Gabrialla Maternity Support Belt at 21 weeks pregnant. It has seemed to really help with the heaviness of my belly as time goes on.

The second item is Japanese Mint Oil. My prenatal acupuncturist recommended it for my aching hips that keep me up at night. According to their site, it helps promote circulation, relieves tight muscles, and is useful in injury rehab among many other benefits. I’ll continue to use it post-pregnancy, too!

Best piece of running advice you received?
I really, really would love to run throughout pregnancy but I think I’m going to have to stop soon.

When I told my girlfriend this she reminded me that it’s such a small blip of time in my running life. I’ve been running for 18 years and hope to do it forever. In the grand scheme of things, taking a few months off  is far from the worst that could happen!

Most inspirational runner?
I have quite a list, but the most inspirational this year have been moms. I love seeing what women are capable of after their world has been completely changed, when they juggle a lot of balls, and still manage to run and stay fit.

A couple professional athletes that top that list are triathlete Beth Gerdes (returned to racing, an Ironman no less, four months after giving birth to her baby girl) and runner Stephanie Rothstein Bruce (who is so honest about her body and comeback, #journeywithsteph).

Beth’s second Ironman stats…less than seven months after having a baby!

Otherwise, I read a lot of running blogs written by moms who inspire me in almost every post they write. In no particular order, here are a few of my faves:

• Amanda at Miss Zippy
• Beth at Miles and Trials (who just rocked her first Ironman)
• Emma at Be Mom Strong
• Kim at Day with KT
• Deb at Deb Runs
• Lauren at Run Salt Run
• Jan at Running on Fumes
• Nicole at Work in Sweats Mama

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be?
Humbling, relaxed, and freeing.

Tell me about your year of running and link up with Miss Zippy! 

Running through pregnancy – first trimester

In the comments section of my last post a few people asked how running is going, so I thought I’d write about the first trimester.

I would love to run throughout my entire pregnancy. However, as I’m writing this at almost 22 weeks I’m not sure how realistic that will be for me.

Let’s backtrack and talk about those first 14 weeks…

I was just starting to run again after a few weeks off (and a few frustrating weeks before that) due to lingering issues with my hips, leg, and other parts.

What felt good?
I ran 95% of my runs on trails. The forgiving surface, the views, and the constant challenges felt great (or took my mind of being tired)!

I was extremely nauseous until about week 15. The only time I felt good was when I was working out. Our summer holidays fell at the perfect time so I could work out first thing in the morning and feel better for the rest of the day. When I was exhausted at the end of a day at work and just wanted to sleep I’d try to make myself get a run or workout in, knowing I’d feel exponentially better afterwards.

What was different?
In the past I never carried water when I ran other than a handful of times. I have been running with water on every single run since finding out I’m pregnant; I get extremely thirsty after a few minutes. I mostly run with my hydration pack (link to a newer version of my bag) but sometimes with a small bottle in my hand.

I had to pee all. the. time. On a 40 minute run, I’d have to stop four times. This was another perk about running trails- lots of trees to hide behind!

On morning runs I never used to eat beforehand. After a couple runs in, I knew I had to change that. Now I eat before every run. I usually eat a bowl of cereal before a morning run and just time my snacks for a post-work workout.

What didn’t feel good?
The odd time I ran on the road I felt funny, like my form was off or my legs were wooden. Not sure if it’s because I ran mostly trails or if it was something to do with pregnancy.

I was out of breath from the instant I started running right until the end. Although trails are tougher in general, never before would I be out of breath for an entire run!

We had an extremely hot summer. On the exceptionally hot days I’d run on the treadmill or do an at-home circuit workout in the basement or in the shade. One day I ‘ran’ in the heat and ended up walking the last third. (Typically I love working out in the heat but this just didn’t feel right.)

Everything else
I biked outside on the highway a handful of times. It felt great, but I am definitely more cautious pregnant and didn’t love riding beside speeding vehicles.

The trainer and I became good friends this summer!

I’ve continued with strength training two to three times a week, sometimes alone and sometimes as part of a circuit.

I SUPed quite a bit this summer and made sure to do it at an easy pace. Before I found out I was pregnant I paddled hard one day. My back and chest were so sore it hurt to even breath! Once I found out, I didn’t push it and just did it for leisure.

For hiking I used my hiking poles to help with the steep inclines and declines, and for overall balance. And Kelly was a champ and would pack litres and litres of water!

I have also really concentrated on strengthening my hips, as the majority of what I’ve read about pregnancy talks about the damage it can do to your hips.

Lastly, I’ve been trying to do prenatal yoga once a week. It’s a gentle stretch and feels great for my body and my soul! (I’ve been using the Shiva Rea GAIAM Prenatal Yoga DVD, but I’d love to sign up for a prenatal class at a studio.)

Overall I’ve tried to listen to my body. If something doesn’t feel right I’ll ease off or stop altogether. It has definitely been an adjustment to decrease my activity level (I would get too tired when I tried to do my norm).

If you have any questions, let me know! Once I safely make it out of my second trimester (yikes- only six weeks away!) I’ll write another update. Hopefully I’ll still be running!

Do you carry water when you run? Do you eat before a morning workout?