D.O.A.P.: 37 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner:

 

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Belly selfie!

 All of my runs felt amazing this week! Definitely a confidence booster. Let's just hope my hard work continues to pay off and I can bounce back after I have this little one.

Also, this week, some of my sweet friends threw me and my girl, Jackie, a baby shower (we are due just two weeks apart!!). I was so happy to see everyone since I can't keep up with any of them on the road right now!

Trying to hug with our big bellies! [Jackie, ME]
 

A few of my sweet friends...missing some, of course! [Megan, Dani, Marion, Christine, Amanda, Jackie, ME]

• 7/25/16: 3.1 miles, 11:29/mile. I joined a group of ladies in New Albany for a little 5k action. Early morning runs haven't been my thang lately, but I was ready to rock it today. It was super muggy out, but I loved all of the sweat!! I'm hoping for motivation to get up another morning or two this week.
  

  

  Rockin' the mean streets of New Albany.

• 7/26/16: REST. Trying to play it smart and allow my body to get the rest it needs so that I can enjoy the moments I do run. Today, I was going on two days in a row of feeling like complete crap during the day...migraine, nausea. I'm guessing it was the heat but I'm not sure. I've been a complete mental case about going into labor.
• 7/27/16: 3 miles, 10:40/mile. I had just enough time after work to get in a few miles since I opted to "sleep in" this morning. I was bored after running a mile on the Y treadmill so I hit up the indoor track. Yes, it takes 17 laps to get a mile, but, for some reason, that seemed way better than the treadmill. I must have been feeling good today because mile two was sub 10 (9:50)! My first sub 10 mile since I was able to run again. I'm looking forward to returning to running post baby and working my way back into the 8's for my easy runs.
  

  

  All smiles after that run.

• 7/28/16: REST. I continued my trend of resting the day after a run. My body seems to be holding up that way!
• 7/29/16: 3.11 miles, 10:46/mile. Another early morning with the New Albany crew! I felt so good today. Nowadays, I get very nervous about joining these groups. I just never know how I'm going to feel and don't want to hold anyone back from what they need to do.
  

  

  Another early morning?! What's wrong with me?

• 7/30/16: 4 miles, 10:30/mile. So, I broke my two-days-in-a-row rule. I guess I was hoping that a good run would help me have my baby over the weekend. My pelvis actually felt good until the last quarter mile. It wasn't in a lot of pain...just starting to get a little sore. I had the pleasure of running with Heather. She was my partner yesterday morning as well. A few of us convinced her to do 4 miles which is a recent mileage PR for her! It was really awesome to see her excitement!!
  

  

  Big ole group on Saturday!

• 7/31/16: REST. Decided to eat my weight in food at a church potluck.

 

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Just me, JD, and Chuck.

How Far Along: 37 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: I had a great appointment on Tuesday. Baby Boo Deux's heart rate was 132 bpm. James was dying to hear the baby's heart beat so he joined me for that part of the appointment. I was 1 cm dialated and 60% effaced.

 

Weight Gain: Didn't weigh myself this week.

    

 

Symptoms: I had those two days of nausea and migraines along with some false labor...4 hours of contractions on Wednesday! They started at 4pm and progressed until about 7pm. They finally subsided around 8pm. I felt good the rest of the week.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: No coffee this week even though I want it so bad!

 

 

Coming Up: I'm officially going to the OB weekly until I deliver...every Tuesday.

D.O.A.P.: 36 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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Holy crap on a cracker. 36 weeks?!

James about a month ago at the Chloe Stroller Stroll.

This week has given me so much confidence. I'm nervous admitting this because, every time I've said it in the past, I've had a bad week that follows! I've really been focusing on my leg strengthening and allowing myself appropriate rest days from running. This week, I felt so good that I wanted to run everyday. On the other hand, I know it would have destroyed my body if I didn't allow my pelvis and injured leg to have a break.
 

 

• 7/18/16: REST. I decided to do half of my leg exercises one day and the other half the next. I put my easier ones on the days I would like to run. We'll see how that pattern works out. Today included lunges (forward and sideways), deadlift (double and single leg), step ups, and heel taps (sideways and forward). These tend to poop me out and get my heart rate going.
• 7/19/16: 3.1 miles, 11:01/mile. Faster and more tolerable than two days ago! I hit up the treadmill at The Y after work. My friends tell me this heat is brutal so I opted to stay inside in case Baby Boo Deux decided to act up. From the first step, I did not feel any significant pain!!! I was SO happy about this. I could tell the problem still existed, but there was no pain. I'm praying that my hard work and slight caution will pay off. I'm just so happy to be running again!!!
  

  

  Baby Boo Deux saying HEY!

• 7/20/16: REST. Welp, today was fun and interesting. I intentionally rested from running but still planned to do my leg workout. On our way home (Jimmy and I carpool), our Impala broke down and we had to pull over ON 270 EAST DURING RUSH HOUR!! I was internally freaking out for James because it was so hot outside and I didn't know how long we'd be stuck in the car. People were jerks as our car was slowing down (on its own, I may add). People kept honking at us like it was our fault we were in that situation. So stressful. We finally got to the shoulder, called AAA for a tow, and called friends to pick up James and me. We spent a good hour, maybe 45 minutes, out there. It could have been worse but definitely not something we wanted to deal with. We didn't end up eating dinner until 7pm so going to family gym night was out of the question. UGH.
• 7/21/16: 3 miles, 10:52/mile; 0.6 mile shakeout after leg rehab, 11:03/mile. Another short work day allowed for time at The Y before picking up my boys. I was so bored after two miles on the treadmill that I opted for the indoor track (I've been nervous about running outside during the day because of the heat and being preggers). I actually ran one of my fastest miles since returning to running while doing the indoor track. I can't wait to get past this phase so I can get back on a real track. That evening was family gym night. I did my harder leg exercises followed by a short run around the track.
  

  

  I can't wait to get back on a real track!

• 7/22/16: REST. I was on my feet most of the day...lots of cleaning, playing with my boy...but rested from running.
  

  

  He was so excited about his Paw Patrol bed set!

  
  

  

  Splash pad fun that evening at church.

  
  
• 7/23/16: 4.01 miles, 10:36/mile. Because of my leg pain, it's been more than two weeks since I've attempted 4 miles. I was a little nervous about making it happen, but, because my pain has been basically non-existent this week, I had some confidence going into it. I joined a hilarious group of ladies in Westerville who wanted to go 6 miles at 11-11:30 pace. I've been able to hold my 3 miles runs in the pace range this week, so I thought I might be able to hang with them for part of it. I decided not to look at my watch and just stick with them the first two miles. Since I haven't run in the humidity since last weekend, I had a tough time the first mile. It got hot very quickly and my body seems to take forever to warm up. By the time I reached mile two, when I separated from the group, I felt so much better. The girls were a good distraction from the tough start. I decided to just run what felt comfortable the last two miles and focus on my gait and posture. I was pleasantly surprised to see my overall average when I stopped. I had no pain at all the entire run!!! I felt like I slowed down a bit at various times when Baby Boo Deux was pushing down, but those moments lasted seconds. Today, I am so thankful that I was brave enough to run with these girls. It reminded me of the joy I feel running with others that love this sport.
  

  

  Saturday's crew! [Emily, Tracie, ME, Emily, Bethany]

• 7/24/16: REST. I started to go for a run but felt really tired from Saturday's festivities. After running yesterday, there was a lot of household choring (made up word?) and moving of furniture (James got his big boy bed!)...that just did me in. Today, we did a ton of shopping and rearranged the extra bedroom so that I could turn it into the breastfeeding room.
  

  

  You can't tell I'm pregnant from behind. I turn around then...BAM!

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My only belly pic this week. OOPS.

How Far Along: 36 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: 

 

Weight Gain: 31 lbs. Starting weight 112 lbs., current weight 143 lbs.

    

 

Symptoms: Sore pelvis toward the end of the day.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: Coffee has gone back to being iffy but I can tolerate it sometimes.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointment on Tuesday!

D.O.A.P.: 35 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

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 I rested a lot from running in the middle of the week. I've been really concerned about my knee. I know it's a pain that has resulted from my foot injury. (SCREAM!!!) Because of my mess of a leg, I decided to really focus on strengthening the next couple of months rather than how often I get to run. I hope this will benefit me more than getting the miles that I desire.

• 7/11/16: 2 miles, 12:46/mile. I intended to wake up early and enjoy cooler weather, but getting up early just isn't happening nowadays. I need to sleep when I can! Because of life, I had to wait until after 8pm to head out. I wanted to get back in time to kiss and hug my little munchkin before he went to bed (which meant I only had time for two miles). I decided to skip a walking warm up because I wanted to get in as much running as possible. I felt ok-ish at first, but my pain settled in fairly quickly. It would come and go, but I just dealt with it so I could get home. Even though running isn't as tolerable as I'd like it to be, I'm still enjoying every moment out there.
  

  

  One of the reasons time was limited...but the best reason. Love my boy.

• 7/12/16: 4 miles cycling, 15 minutes; 1.5 miles running, 20:08. I was going to take today off of running and just stick to cycling, but the treadmill was very tempting. When I do walk/run intervals outside, I never really know my mile splits. I just guess the range by looking at my pace occasionally. I ended up doing a walking warm up of 0.25 miles, 1 mile at 12 min/mile, 0.25 walking cool down. The running portion was actually pretty easy with regards to cardiovascular/respiratory systems. It was my leg pain that stopped me. I came to the realization that I need to focus more on my leg strengthening the next two months. I figure, I'm not going to shatter any running records before I have the baby. After the baby, I'm sure I'll have to take 4 weeks off of running. I might as well put a huge focus on my strengthening in the meantime so it can be nice and strong when I make my comeback.
• 7/13/16: REST. Even though my leg was bothering me all day, it was so hard to rest today because I had a short work day and a lot of extra time to spare. I was so exhausted, though, that I knew resting was necessary. I did spend some time thinking about the changes I needed to make to get stronger and survive this phase.
• 7/14/16: Leg Beasting. I got with my hubs to help me think of ideas for a good leg strengthening program. I came up with a good list and put it into action today. There are some exercises I can do daily, and others that I'll do just a few times a week. My hope is that focusing on this the rest of my pregnancy and the 4 weeks post pregnancy (the weeks I won't be allowed to run), will get me strong enough to tolerate running again.
• 7/15/16: 8 cycling miles, 30:02. After waking up and seeing my only patient for the day, I decided my leg was still irritated enough that I shouldn't run (three days in a row...UGH). As much as resting from running is annoying me, I know it's the best thing. I just want to enjoy the moments that I am able to run while pregnant rather then being in intense pain every time. The cycling felt great, and I was still able to get a great workout.
• 7/16/16: 3.25 miles, 12:28/mile.  I did a 0.25 mile walking warm up and ran 3 miles. My pain was the worst in the first mile, but I felt mostly warmed up after that. I find it so frustrating, though, that my lungs feel like they can go so much faster but my leg doesn't want to cooperate.
  

  

  James LOVES being in my post run selfies. He asks me everyday, "Did you go running, mommy?!"

• 7/17/16: 3.1 miles, 11:25/mile. As sore as I was yesterday from running then prepping/hosting the hillbilly party, I woke up feeling great (sleepy, but not sore). I was planning to do my leg rehab and nothing else, but my knee didn't bother me at all through the morning or afternoon. We decided to do family gym time at The Y, so I hit up the treadmill. Because of time constraints, I skipped a walking warm up. It ended up working out in my favor. I had my usual knee pain the first half mile, but it mostly went away after that! I was so excited. I could feel that my knee wasn't right, but I wouldn't consider it a pain. I did start to get weak towards the end of the run and my knee gave way a time or two. Other than that, I felt really good about this run. I had no signs of ankle or foot pain. I started the pace at 12mm and progressed to 10:50-ish pace. It was a great end to my week!
  

  

  He's the best little dude.

 

 

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How Far Along: 35 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: OB appointment was short and sweet. Baby Boo Deux's heart rate was in the 130's, and doc says he's still predicting a 6 lbs. and some change baby.

 

Weight Gain: 30-ish lbs.

    

 

Symptoms: Sleep is so back and forth. Hopefully I'll have more good nights than bad in my future.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointment two weeks from this past Tuesday...then I'll start weekly appointments. Eek. I get to look forward to a vaginal exam. Super.

D.O.A.P.: 34 Weeks

 Diary of a Prunner

 

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 Trial and error continues. This is just the way it will be until baby comes. I've decided I'm too unpredictable to commit to any more group runs. The downfall to this is simply that I won't be as motivated to get up if I have to run in the morning. Oh well, I'm a month from having a baby so that's my excuse!

• 7/4/16: 3.1 stroller miles, 12:49/mile. This run probably shouldn't have happened, but I'm not always the brightest crayon in the box. I originally planned this to be a rest day, but I was antsy to go for a run because I felt fine and all of my friends kept posting about how awesome their runs were! When my boys went down for a nap, I decided I would head out for a run. On my way down the stairs, I slipped on the top step and fell all the way down! This was not my first rodeo...I fall down those freaking steps all the time. I screamed out of fear and pain loud enough that the hubs popped out of bed to "save" me. I felt I was ok, but my elbow was very sore. I iced it and decided I could still run. About that time, James was waking up. Ugh. I didn't want Jimmy to miss out on his nap so I decided I would take James on the run with me. This was the point that someone should have stopped my crazy thinking! I got James all strapped in and we were off. I thought I was going to die. I wasn't in pain, but I was SO TIRED! It was freaking humid out. I made it to 1.9 miles and decided to walk for 0.10 miles. I "ran" the rest of the time. Never again.
  

  

  I can't resist taking him on a run when he's so eager.

• 7/5/16: REST. I woke up this morning SO SORE from falling down the stairs. My neck and upper back were so tight, and I had a bruise on my butt. I was overall sluggish and knew I needed to take the day off.
• 7/6/16: 4 miles, 11:20/mile. My butt hurts. I was still sore from falling down the stairs. Honestly, I think I'm more sore today than yesterday. I met up with a great group of ladies in Westerville for a 4 miler. I'm starting to think 4 miles is my limit before needing to incorporate walking. My ankle bothered me the last mile today. We stopped occasionally to let other runners catch up since it was super early (safety, people!!). I think the stop/start irritates my ankle a bit. Also, it seemed like we were constantly on either an incline or decline. My ankle just isn't used to that yet. I had a great time getting to know some new ladies and talking about our different running journeys.
  

  

  I ran with a new, wonderful group of ladies. They didn't kill me too much!

• 7/7/16: REST. I started this day wanting to rest because I still had some soreness from falling but mainly because my ankle was bothering me during yesterday's run. As the day continued, I felt better and better, and my soreness had subsided. I decided to take advantage of some free time that evening and go for a run. I donned all of my gear (including clothes that really don't fit me at the moment), and set out for at least an hour long adventure. I kid you not, ONE STEP into this run, I had a shooting pain from my big toe up the inside of my ankle/leg up to my knee. I have never experienced this before and wasn't sure what was going on. I decided to try to run and see if it went away. Only 0.10 miles into my run, I had to stop and walk. I was hoping to walk it off, but it didn't help. I only made it a quarter mile out when I knew that this wasn't going to happen. I turned around and went back home. UGH!! I was so mad!!! I hope it's a fluke.
• 7/8/16: 3 miles, 13:32/mile. I was having the same pain at the beginning of this run but decided to approach things differently rather than give up. I've always required lengthy warm ups before feeling great. I walked about 0.15 miles before trying to run. I made it about a quarter mile and had it in my head that I would have to walk the rest of my workout. This didn't settle well with me. I walked less than a half mile when I decided to give it a go. My pain had decreased slightly. I decided I would just do walk/run intervals based on my pain. To make myself feel better, I thought of it as a fartlek run. ;) After 1.5 miles of doing this, I started my next running portion. I gave myself a pep talk and kept repeating "Relax, Lisa. Just relax." I was able to run the next 1.5 miles without walking! Today wasn't my best attempt, but, after yesterday, I was very happy to be able to run with minimal pain.
  

  

  Not my best run, but definitely my best effort.

• 7/9/16: 3.5 miles, 12:42/mile. Today was even better than yesterday. I still had some funky pain, but it subsided after warming up. The workout ended up being [0.25 miles walking, 1.5 miles running] x2. When I got into the heart of Huron (we were visiting the family cottage at Lake Erie), there was a festival and parade filling the streets. Having the people around motivated me to keep going. Of course, it was hot enough that I stripped my shirt a half mile into the run. I had my middle finger ready for anyone who had a problem with it! I kid, I kid. In my pregnancy running experience, most people have been very nice about it (as if their opinion matters anyway). During my last running segment, there was a lady sitting on the curb watching the parade from a distance. As I passed her on the sidewalk, she looked at me like I was stupid and insane then said (in what seemed a condescending tone) "Doesn't that hurt?"  I paused for a split second to think about how to respond. The first nice thing I thought to say was "I'm a runner. This is what I do no matter my situation." What I really wanted to say was "Doesn't sitting on your ass hurt?" or "No, it actually doesn't hurt. You should try it sometime." or the classic "Shut the F up." Leave it to a non runner to comment on something they simply cannot and will not understand. My passion for running is deep. What she didn't realize is that the hatorade she was sippin' on motivated me even more.
  

  

  Lake Erie weekend!

• 7/10/16: REST. We traveled back to Columbus, and all I could think about was getting my hands on the lawn mower. I love to mow and haven't been able to do it at all this year because of my injury. It was glorious. It gave Jimmy time to take a nap while James helped me with his fake lawn mower. This was enough to make my ankle just a little sore.

 

 

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I was in the back seat with my sweet boy, and he asked to hold my hand. Be still my heart. These moments don't happen often.

How Far Along: 34 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: OMG. This booger moves so much! I LOVE it. I did have some crazy false labor on Friday night. It only lasted a couple of hours (unlike my 14 hour fake-out with James at 36 weeks!). I knew it wasn't real simply because it didn't hurt that bad. It was just uncomfortable. My belly would tighten like with a contraction, and it was happening every couple/few minutes. It did get my mind thinking about the real thing and freaked me out a bit!

 

Weight Gain: Didn't weigh myself this week.

    

 

Symptoms: So very tired at the beginning of the week, but my sleep started to improve the second half. I had decent energy over the weekend so that was nice.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointment Tuesday.

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.

D.O.A.P.: 32 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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Flashback to a year ago (6/20/15) when I wasn't pregnant or injured. I'm pretty sure I just did a tempo run and was thrilled that I didn't die in the heat.

As I approach the day I can FINALLY run, I'm not super confident that I'll be able to tolerate it. My ankle's response to my rehab walking has been such a roller coaster ride. After a great week last week, I entered this week with a significant increase in my pain. It's caused quite the mental and physical struggle. Fortunately, the weekend wasn't as horrible so I'm slightly more optimistic but still scared out of my mind to try running.

 

• 6/20/16: 2.01 walking miles, 37:36 (18:42/mile). I can't really remember a good moment during this walk. My ankle had been bothering me throughout the day, but I refused to take a rest day. James and I did our traditional trail walk while Jimmy played volleyball. That afternoon, Jimmy and I received a bit of bad news (as if we needed something else bad happen in 2016), so I was worked up about it while walking. Between my horrible ankle pain the second mile and my reminiscing of our horrible year, I cried for most of that mile and about 15 more minutes after we finished. If it weren't for my sweet boy being so happy, I would want to forget this day altogether.
  

  

  Home. Hoping I can bounce back from injury and pregnancy enough to return home in March to run the Little Rock marathon.

• 6/21/16: 3 walking miles, 54:16 (18:05/mile); 12.2 cycling miles, 44:54. I met some of my running friends at the track while they did speed work. My ankle was aching before I even started, but I was determined to have a better day. I walked my first mile conservatively hoping that it would allow my ankle to warm up a bit. Not only was my ankle achy, but my opposite piriformis and shin were on fire. I had to stop just after a mile to stretch. It didn't seem to help that much. UGH.  I continued with my second mile and considered stopping after two (especially since that mile was slower than the first). I'm not sure if it was the presence of my friends, but I wanted to get my 3 miles. I was in so much pain that I started balling my eyes out as I was walking. I knew I wasn't hurting myself by continuing...my pain was simply a result of my weakness. I needed something to distract me, so I played one of my favorite worship songs ("Overcome"). It distracted me enough from the pain, but I continued allowing myself to cry. I cried that entire last mile and then some after finishing. Fortunately, I had some great friends there to support me, rub my back as I was hunched over in frustration, and even lay hands on me in prayer. It was pretty awesome despite my tears and frustration. My ankle ached the entire day at work, but I knew the cycling wouldn't make it worse. I opted for a longer ride than usual to make up for some missed days on the bike.
  

  

  I like anatomy references and love my friends. I have some great ones.

• 6/22/16: 2 walking miles, 31:53 (15:56/mile); 0.62 mile walk/James run. My friend Sarah and I met again this Wednesday for an evening walk. I somehow kept a sub 16 pace but my right leg was on fire. The ankle was mediocre. Although I enjoyed the company, my legs were ready to stop. Afterwards, I met Jimmy and James at Hoff Park. James wanted to go for a "run" and made it a solid 0.62 miles.
  

  

  This is my boy, fo sho. Loves his Whit's.

• 6/23/16: 2.19 total walking miles. We were able to get a family walk of 1.19 miles before James started freaking out about going down the slide. I spent half of the walk pulling him in the wagon and half walking the dogs. The start/stops of family walks are frustrating for me in my current condition because it really makes my ankle hurt. Jimmy took charge of watching James play and watching the dogs so I could get at least another mile solo. It was a slow one (18:33), but I was in so much pain from the family walk that I couldn't get myself to go. I went home to ice my ankle and look forward to my morning walk with a friend.
• 6/24/16: 1.03 miles, 16:49 (16:20/mile); 8.1 cycling miles, 29:57; 2.16 miles, 35:11 (16:17/mile). I was bummed (and sleepy) when my morning run fell through. I wasn't totally sure when I would fit in my walking so I brought my gear with me. I had enough free time after dropping off James to get in a quick, measly mile. After seeing patients, I hit up The Y for some cycling followed by a loop around the trail. My ankle was moderately achy with walking today, but not the worst it's been this week.
  

  

  Afternoon walk=freaking hot=limited clothing. I'm sure my belly scared a few kids.

• 6/25/16: 6.2 total walking miles. Today was such a hodge podge and didn't allow for my typical Saturday long walk. I'm going on a week of shotty sleep, and today was no different. James woke up at 6am!!! Doesn't he know it's Saturday?! I had enough time to walk 1 stroller free mile before Jimmy had to leave for volleyball. James and I had a 1 mile race to attend so we headed that direction.
  

  

  Post race grub.

  We did an additional 1.5 miles prior to the race. For the Chloe Stroller Stroll, we walked 1.01 in 15:03 (14:54/mile average). My goal was to get my mile in the 15's. Go us!! I would have been ok with that mileage for the day, but I was bored when the boys were napping. I was able to get another 2.69 miles that afternoon, bare belly, in the blazing heat [45:49 (17:02/mile)]...and no brace! My first mile this morning was very painful, but my other miles felt mostly great!
  

  

  Stroller mile PR!

• 6/26/16: 4.2 walking miles, 1:07:37 (16:06/mile). When I noticed I was only 4.14 miles away from meeting my monthly walking goal, I knew I could find time to make it happen today. Not only would I meet my goal, but I would get in that "long walk" I missed out on yesterday. I wanted to try and sleep in this morning so I opted for a blazing hot post church walk. I decided to go to Antrim Park to walk the O Trail since it is seconds from my church AND mostly shady. I got in a good 1.87 miles when Amanda met up with me for the rest. I was glad to see her because I knew she'd speed me up a bit. Despite the heat, it was nice catching up with my friend! My ankle mostly behaved today. I had moderate pain the first couple of miles, but felt much better the last half with minimal to no pain.
  

  

  One of the best met me on this insanely hot and gorgeous afternoon. [ME, Amanda]

 

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The hubs was at the dog park so this was the best I could do on my own. I look HUGE!! (I did just eat City BBQ!!!)
 

How Far Along: 32 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: Still making its presence known.

 

Weight Gain: Didn't weigh myself again this week.

    

 

Symptoms: Horrible sleep and some nausea. My lack of sleep has made this week a rough one. On top of that, I've had some nausea throughout the day. I think it's from a poor diet this week. Baby Boo Deux is sucking out all of my nutrients.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: I'm not so sure I would consider it a craving, but pickles have been really good this week.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointment on Tuesday!

D.O.A.P.: 31 Weeks

Diary of a Prunner

 

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Our hill group this week!

After visiting the OB on Tuesday, I feel a little more positive about my ankle situation. I had this minor epiphany during my visit with Dr. P. How does my OB visit relate to my rehab?! Let me break it down for you...

 

As a PT, I feel completely silly for not thinking of this. I guess, when it's your own body, some things just don't occur to you. At my OB appointment, the doc asked me how my foot was feeling. I was telling him that the area of my fractures felt perfectly fine, but my ankle was killing me (particularly with intentional exercise walks). He reminded me that the same hormones that are released during pregnancy to loosen my hips/pelvis/back area also affect the other ligaments of the body...INCLUDING MY ANKLE! Mind blown. I can't believe I didn't make that connection. Of course my ligaments need to prepare me to push out a baby, but I never thought about how the extra hormones were affecting my ankle! He basically told me that my ankle may not feel completely normal until after I have the baby.

The rehab doesn't stop.

I was both happy and annoyed by this information. Happy because at least I have an explanation for what I'm feeling. I'm putting in all of this hard work to rehab my injury, and I want to reap the benefits. Annoyed because I'm not completely sure if I'll be able to tolerate running next month if my ankles continue to feel the way they do now. Only time will tell!

 

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• 6/13/16: 2 mile stroller walk, 38:30 (19:15/mile); 1.1 mile stroller walk, 21:45 (19:46/mile). We did our usual Hoff Park trip while the hubs played volleyball. I had no goal in mind regarding distance so we just set out to see how I felt. The first mile felt great! No significant pain. For some reason, when we started the second mile, it's like a switch flipped. My ankle was killing me! It took all that I had to survive that mile and get us back to the park. That mile was 2 1/2+ minutes slower than the first. Ugh. I decided to get out my rehab stuff and do some exercises and stretching in hopes I'd feel better. It definitely worked because our next walk was pain free!
  

  

  My sweet boy loves bridges.

• 6/14/16: 11.8 cycling miles, 45:12; 1 mile walking warm up followed by stretching, 16:38; 2.03 mile walk, 35:49 (17:39/mile). I was pretty happy with today. I had a good cycling workout, but had to cut my intervals to 30 seconds because Baby Boo Deux would push really hard when I was leaning forward for my faster segments. It was making me want to pee in my britches. Today, I intentionally did a warm up with stretching in hopes I could have a two miler that felt good. I wanted to test if I needed to wear the brace during the 2 mile segment. About a quarter mile into it, my ankle was in so much pain. I re-donned the brace and felt much better. I didn't feel perfect today but a lot better than yesterday.
• 6/15/16: 2.07 walking miles, 32:46 (15:50/mile). I met my friend Sarah for a stroller walk with our boys. I think the boys were running their mouths to each other about as much as Sarah and me! I was very happy with our average considering we were pushing strollers. My ankle didn't feel that horrible until we stopped. What bothered me the most was my butt and shin on the good leg. They were on fire!
  

  

  Creepy skies on Wednesday.

• 6/16/16:3 miles, 49:33 (16:31/mile). Not gonna lie...I was giddy about this one. I did the same workout a week ago (only 2.59 miles rather than 3), and my average per mile was 2:30 faster this week!
  

  

  Part of the dam hill.

  I did a warm up of 0.53 miles, 4 hill repeats (took me to 2.38 miles), and cool down until 3 miles. My ankle was iffy for the first half of the walk...particularly going downhill. I really need to do more downhill so that my ankle can strengthen. The uphill felt great and was more of a recovery for my leg. Although, it had my heart and respiratory rates going!
  

  
  

  

  Although I did a poor job of capturing it, the sunrise was beautiful over the water.

  
  
• 6/17/16: 8.10 cycling miles, 30:06; 2.37 walking miles with James, 40:27 (17:04/mile); 1.2 mile family stroll; Shoulder Beasting. This was our first full day in Nashville and I wasn't sure how much activity I would fit in. Fortunately, our hotel had an awesome fitness center and I was able to wake up early for some pre-breakfast cycling miles.
  

  

  A little single leg stance action.

  We did a lot of walking over the weekend that I didn't count towards my mileage, but I was happy with the intentional miles I was able to get. That afternoon, James and I found an awesome bike trail right by a YMCA in Brentwood. We went for a stroller walk while the hubs was working out. The first mile felt great but the rest was a struggle. My ankle wanted to fall off and my right shin and piriformis were on fire.
  

  

  Another walk, another bridge.

   That evening, we walked 1.2 miles at the Opryland hotel (that was just in one section of the place!).
  

  

  Post walk play time by the water.

• 6/18/16: 4 walking miles, 1:13:55 (18:29/mile-first 3 miles were 17:29 average, slowed down the last mile to let James run); Chest/Back Beasting. James and I had so much fun on this walk! The trooper was able to tolerate 3.5 miles of sitting in the stroller while I focused on walking. I rewarded him by letting him "run" the last half mile. He had been begging me to get out and run, and I couldn't resist the sweetness anymore! P.S. I realized a quarter mile into this walk that I forgot to don my ankle brace. I decided to just go with it and see what happened. I had NO ANKLE PAIN AT ALL!! I didn't even have that weird muscular pain in my good leg!
  

  

  Celebrating our long walk!

• 6/19/16: 2.01 walking miles, 34:46 (17:18/mile). We spent the entire day traveling home and hustling to get James worn out for bedtime. I didn't want to go to bed without doing some kind of exercise. I set out at 9 pm for a short 2 miler. I must have been worn out from the day because my freaking right leg (the good one) wanted to fall off. My ankle felt awesome again (no brace), but the opposite shin and piriformis were hurting like crazy. I've got to figure this out!!

 Since typing my intro at the top, things have progressed in a positive direction! I didn't have any significant ankle pain over the weekend. After Friday, I had no pain with my rehab walks (except the good leg muscular pain mentioned above) and no pain at all with casual walking.

 

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I'm only getting bigger!!

How Far Along: 31 weeks, 5 days

 

What Baby Boo Deux is Up To: Surprising me with some painful pushes. All was well at my appointment this week. Heart rate was 140 bpm.

 

Weight Gain: Didn't weigh myself this week.

    

 

Symptoms: None.

 

 

Cravings/Aversions: None.

 

 

Coming Up: OB appointment next Tuesday!