Pregnant and NOT Running

The girls and I on the Rogue River

Well, I am a slacker when it comes to posting but I'm working on it. I am just over 6 months pregnant, 2 weeks into the third trimester. As if my body has it's own calendar, as the "3rd trimester" mark came I found myself unable to run. I wasn't in pain, I wasn't that much more tired...it was just the strange feeling that my insides might fall out. So I've stopped :).

But, I have been walking every day, and doing yoga more. This past weekend I even went for a long hike and went fishing! I suppose I'll have to tone it down at some point, but for now I'm going to keep pushing myself a little and try to stay in great shape. Everything I've read says keeping an exercise routine will make birth and recovery easier, so I'm focusing on that end goal.

I am going to Denver next weekend for a baby shower...can't wait to see family and friends!

At the top of our beautiful hike

Pregnant and Running!

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted, mainly because I've been dealing with the life changes that came along with finding out I'm pregnant! Around mid August we found out we're expecting, and right around Thanksgiving learned it's a little girl. It's kind of turned my world upside-down. My brain doesn't work as well as it used it, and my running has also changed.

I decided to opt-out of the marathons I was signed up for, even though everything I read pointed to it being ok. In truth, I hadn't been training as well for them as I usually would, and I really didn't want to risk anything. While this pregnancy wasn't "planned" it wasn't completely a surprise and either way I didn't want to lose it.

Running during the first trimester was really hard, mainly because I was exhausted! I have been super lucky and didn't get sick at all, but the sheer exhaustion was incredible. Now in my second trimester and starting my 25th week, I've found myself on a day-to-day running plan. Some days I just don't feel up for it...be that due to leg cramps or being tired or too much snow on the ground (I used to love running in the snow!)...and others I feel like my old self. I've been able to keep up 3-5 miles 4-5 times a week, be that running or walking. I try to fill in my non-running days with prenatal yoga, which I highly recommend...I'm increasing the frequency as I learn how much it alleviates the aches and pains of pregnancy.

For the most part though things are great, and for any woman who stumbles across this post looking for advice on whether they can continue running through pregnancy or not I'd say: listen to your body!

Slow it down a little, stay hydrated (think about adding an electrolyte replacement to your water to battle cramping, even for just short runs), and run as long as you can. It's good for you, your husband (if NOT running made you crazy before, adding hormones takes crazy to a whole other level!) and your baby on so many levels.

And...if you're a trail runner...bring TP. If you're anything like me, you'll find out you can no longer make it 4 miles without having to pee :).

Mountain Masochist Overeater

Have you ever looked up the term "masochist"? Now that I've heard the definition I think the word may be used inappropriately, but in the case of my shoes...I like it! If we skip the "sexual" version of the definition, it reads something like this:

"a person who is gratified by pain, degradation, etc., that is self-imposed or imposed by others."

Yup, that's the definition of a trail runner. This all comes about because of my new shoes bear the name "Mountain Masochist".  Thanks to a guest pass at the Columbia Store I got these babies at employee pricing...which I am now disappointed to find isn't as cheap as Amazon. Bummer.

Unfortunately, since I'm traveling to San Diego, I can't add a photo of me running in them because I'm surrounded by concrete. However, after a few trail runs in Victoria, BC this past week I can attest that so far, they're awesome. Super grippy thanks to the "Gryptonite" and much lighter and more flexible than the Asics I was running in before. While I loved my Asics, the fact that they were A) super stiff and not conducive to road/trail combos and B) $20 at a thrift store and thus already pretty worn, it was time to retire them. This weekend these bad mamma jammas will get a full trail test back home in Bend.

As for the second part of this post, I decided to take a gander at my calorie intake for the day, and perhaps a travel day isn't the best day to start, but holy crap! I'm overeating...or I did today anyway. Given that my running is just now ramping up, 2,500 calories feels like a LOT too much.

On non-super-long-run days I think making the following changes is probably smart:

• No bagels.
• No cream cheese.
• Only drink half a green machine (the entire bottle clocks in at 270!).
• Eat a better, more filling breakfast (I know this rule, but somehow tend to forget it when traveling).
• Only eat Kind bars in an emergency (healthy, but also a whopping 190 cals!).

Now I do know that calorie counting as a runner isn't always necessary, but it seems I've fallen into the age old trap of "Hey I eat healthy, so I can eat as much of it as I want!" which is not the case when it comes to super rich, dense foods.

I digress.

Speaking of food, this recipe for Orzo is KILLER! Simple and delicious with grilled chicken. My advice is to add a couple shakes of red pepper flakes, and use a couple diced Roma tomatoes if that's all you've got. I used dried Thyme and skipped the lemon zest and pine nuts as well and it was still really great.

A shout out to my running buddy Little Goat: thank you so much for putting effort into my training plan. While I haven't been able to follow it to the tee given my injury recovery I'm really loving having a new fresh plan to follow. Muah!

Flats Suck and Evening Running

I meant to post yesterday to chat about the sacrifice I've had to make lately for running. It's one which:

1. I never thought I'd care about making, and
2. I never thought I'd have to make.

But, here I am....purchasing...flats. Sick.

There is nothing sexy about flats. The word itself isn't even sexy. Nothing like "stiletto" or "peep toe" or...well, "wedge" isn't that hot either, but you get my drift. Women have been wearing heels for ages because they make us look and feel confident, powerful, and yes...sexy. I like feeling sexy.

However, because of my recent ankle injury I finally gave in and purchased some flats for work. Thus far, I hate them. But I love running more. That said, flats in running I tend to enjoy. More than uphills and less than downhills (does that make me lazy?) so I guess things even out.

As for the other topic of this post: evening running. So far, it too has given me grief. Unlike morning running, where a wee cup of coffee is sufficient to clear the system and guarantee a comfortable gastrointestinal-distress-free run, evening running takes all the food I ate over the course of the day and liquefies it right around the point at which I am furthest from a toilet.

I digress.

Running today other than the above mentioned issues, was good. An apple seems to be good pre-running fuel (though now that I re-read the previous paragraph maybe it's not?) and I feel strong. My hips are a little sore from the trail-to-road transition, but my ankle feels good.

TODAY'S MILEAGE: 5.13

Devil Bunny

Today I learned a fact: Ice Cream Is Not Good Running Fuel.

I'm not sure why I thought it would be, but before run #2 of the day (I'm breaking up my long runs in hopes that it allows me to get my mileage in while still letting my ankle heal) I decided to eat a good helping of Blue Bunny Neapolitan. Bad. Idea.

Ice Cream burfs (burp + barf) notwithstanding...I decided to try to figure out why. It's likely a combination of the sugar lactose being hard to digest, it being a high-fat food, and the fact that I consumed it about 10 minutes before heading out to run. Having 7 marathons under my belt, you'd think I'd know better?

Just to remind myself...here are known "NO" foods in Theresa's running repertoire:

1. Peanut Butter
2. Ice Cream
3. Steel Cut Oats
4. Beer

TODAY'S MILEAGE: 8.9

Liver Undie

Okay, I'm going to give this a shot one more time. Like Facebook, I tend to blog and then quit, blog and then quit, blog and then quit. So, as I find my hand getting tired trying to keep a "running journal" while also finding that sometimes I want to write about more than just running, I begin again.

As always, I giggle at the fact that my blog is liverundie.blogspot.com. Equal parts gross and funny...just like me.

This journey beings with the following stats: 7 marathons, 10 (ish?) half marathons, multiple relays, one obstacle course (never again) and one sprint tri (also never again). I recently sprained my ankle, so marathon number 8 turned into half marathon number 10. As I recover from the injury I set my sights on the Portland Marathon on Oct 7th and the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon (Ashland, OR) on November 3rd.

Oh, by the way, I moved to Oregon and it's AWESOME.

TODAY'S MILEAGE: 0