D.O.A.P.: 33 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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 Wow. Where do I even start. I knew I had a big week ahead of me. Counting down to my big day...the day I could FINALLY run again!! I was feeling so many emotions, but the dominant one was fear. I was scared my ankle wouldn't tolerate it, that my pregnant body would reject my desire, that I would never feel the same as I used to when I ran. UGH. I was pleasantly surprised by what my body was able to do despite the longest break EVER.

 

• 6/27/16: DIDN'T DO CRAP. I was so stressed and exhausted today...especially after the crazy storms we had Sunday evening.
  

  

  There's a fence under that.

  We had some damage to our gutter and fence, but it seemed that the roof was ok. We spent a pretty penny hiring a tree company to clean up the mess and trim our tree. We did manage to make it to Hoff Park for Jimmy's volleyball game but I didn't feel like walking for exercise.
• 6/28/16: 9.3 cycling miles, 34:40; 1.5 walking miles. I had just enough time after work to get the rest of my cycling miles for the month. I only needed a 15k ride to meet my goal. I wanted to walk in the evening but forgot we had an appointment to tour Dublin Methodist for our labor and delivery day. When we got home around 9pm, I had enough light to take the dogs on their usual 1.5 mile route. I love my dogs, but I hate walking them in my condition. My ankle was feeling great all day until I walked them. The start/stop/jerk crap just doesn't do it for me.
• 6/29/16: 3.1 walking miles, 53:59 (17:25/mile). Another screwed up work day allowed for an afternoon walk. My ankle was moderately achy and my right shin and butt were blazing. I'm starting to think my Asics aren't working for me. My everyday running shoe the past year and a half has been the Saucony Ride 7. I use Asics for my race shoes. I decided to try Asics Gel Nimbus for my everyday shoe, and I'm not convinced they're for me. I feel much better walking in my Sauconys. I'm thinking I need to take another rest day tomorrow so that I can prep my body for my big day!
  

  

  Saucony Ride 7. My current fav.

• 6/30/16: REST. I was so nervous about running that I wanted to make sure I rested the eve of my big day. It was perfect because I had my busiest work day EVER and was working on documentation most of the evening (finished just in time for Big Brother, of course).
• 7/1/16: 3.1 miles, 14:08/mile. [walk 0.25, run 0.50] x4, 0.10 walking cool down. TODAY WAS THE BIG DAY!!! I got to run for the first time in THREE MONTHS. It still hasn't fully hit me yet. I was so anxious, yet excited at the same time. I decided to walk a quarter mile warm up before making the leap. Of course, I had no idea what to expect so, after crying my face off, I just focused on my body. A quarter mile of running passed and I still felt good...so I decided to go for a half mile. Something was telling me that, no matter how I felt, I should walk after a half mile of running. I decided to stick to this pattern. I stayed close to home just in case I needed to stop for any reason. I had no mileage goal or pace goal in mind. After two sets of intervals, I knew I could do it two more times. I couldn't help but peek at my running pace occasionally. When I looked, it was always between 10:30-11:30 min/mile. I wanted to keep going, but I didn't want to over-do it on my first day. I will wait and see how I feel as the day goes on and decided when/how much I want to run next. I had no pain during the run but my piriformis on the good side was burning during my walking portions. It's so hard for me to stretch this muscle because of my growing belly.
  

  

  The best return run EVER. Rainy, cool, and just straight happy that I could run.

• 7/2/16: 4.5 miles, 14:14/mile. I woke this morning fully expecting to be sore from yesterday, but my only evidence of running was a tight calf on my injured side! I met up with the NA group in the morning. There were a couple of sweet ladies doing intervals (and I didn't want to push myself too soon) so I joined their group! I just went with the crowd and enjoyed the cool summer morning. The original plan was to get 4 miles but our route put us just over that. I was so close to 4.5 that I had to keep going! I'm so excited that I had NO ANKLE/FOOT PAIN OR MUSCLE PAIN! My only complaint is an achy pelvis toward the end of the run (we can blame that on Baby Boo Deux!).
  

  

  The New Albany ladies.

• 7/3/16: 3.8 miles, 10:38/mile. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I could not believe my eyes when I looked at my Garmin. I set out with one goal today: Run as much of the 3.8 mile loop as you can at a tolerable pace before you need to take a walking break. What did that really translate to in my brain? I felt confident I could survive a mile, but knew I'd have to walk a lot more after that. It must have been the company, and my determination, but I just kept going. Every time I wanted to quit, I'd look at my distance and think "I can finish this half mile...then I'll walk." I never looked at my pace or mile splits because I didn't want it to mentally wreck me. When I realized I hit the 3 mile mark, I knew I had to run the whole thing. I that point, I was tired. I had no pain, but I was definitely feeling the 3 months of no running. When I finished, I had a crowd of ladies congratulating me. I could not believe I just ran the whole loop. At this point, I still hadn't looked at my overall pace. I was just ecstatic about the distance. After the other ladies started their final lap, I worked up the courage to look at my watch. 10:38/mile average...are you kidding?! I was speechless. About that time, my friend, Ellen, walked up to me and let me cry happy tears on her shoulder. No doubt this was a very challenging run the second half, but I did it. It helped me gain so much confidence about post baby running. I have absolutely no agenda the rest of my pregnancy regarding running. I just want to enjoy being able to do it again and leave the agendas for post pregnancy.
  

  

  Speechless.

 

As I discussed my progression with my hubby, and the difference between how I've felt with walking vs. running, he said to me "Your body must be made for running." YES. My body IS made for running! So happy to be back!!!

 

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How Far Along: 33 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: It's still on the move and I'm LOVING it! Heart rate at the OB this week was 132 bpm. Much lower than it has been so I'm not sure what that means.

 

Weight Gain: Starting weight, 112 lbs. Current weight, 137-138 lbs.

    

 

Symptoms: Still having a horrible time trying to sleep.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointments every two weeks.