Pregnant Runner Thoughts I

This could actually be titled "all the things you don't anticipate happening". I first had an inkling that I was pregnant (After a negative test) as I was running home on what would be my last runmute for a while. I got nauseous at around mile 3.5, and thought that it was post nasal drip nausea from my allergies. Obviously, I was wrong!

After that instance, my running resumed to normal. I wasn't running as fast or as often, but I was still getting my miles in. In fact, I had an amazing 8 mile run around 6 weeks and was over the moon! Nothing would change! I would run miles and miles during my pregnancy! Then, at 7 weeks, my body shut down. 

Insert hibernation.

I was not prepared for this. I wasn't prepared for falling asleep on the couch while my dinner plate sat barely finished in front of me. I wasn't prepared to be yawning by 11am at work, and having to deal with near-migraine status headaches every other day. But the biggest thing I wasn't prepared for? Missing out on my fitness community.

Clearly this is me.

Try as I might, I ended up missing out on things I enjoyed doing. I knew there would be changes, but I assumed that since my first 7 weeks were easy, nothing could stop me. Group runs, NTC workouts, all were too much effort for me. I also grew timid. I didn't want to reach out to friends and ask to run for fear of a) not being able to keep up and b) revealing why I couldn't keep up. 

Finally, around 14 weeks, I started a slow come back. It's been a long road. Something else I wasn't prepared for? How quickly my fitness has declined, in addition to the fitness repercussions of the baby growing (and being compared to different food items, thanks bump.com). As the baby gets bigger, and I gain more weight, even walking up one flight of stairs leaves me breathing heavy.

 

We're currently  in sweet potato country!

So, here I am at 18 weeks. I'm so happy to be running a mile or two at a time. Happy to be able to do 10 burpees...well, I may pause for a few seconds at 7 but I can do them! I'm happy to be able to meet with friends to run again. I'm happy to be going to NTC, and for a trainer who gives me adjustments when needed. I'm happy that my husband has been pushing me to get outside when I make excuses, because I remember the weeks where I couldn't move. I'm happy that my baby is active according to sonograms, growing stronger and stronger everyday. I'm happy that my physical activity now will prepare me for the duties of labor in June. 

Really, this is like being in training again. Building back up again. Preparing things. Getting ready. I'm excited for this time to have energy, and to not discount my "low performance", but rather embrace the changes. 

The huge mental shift as a pregnant runner? Embrace the changes. Shifting from being on a training schedule, being SO focused on fitness and weight; it's all fading away. I'll take the mental shift with the excitement that something beautiful will be born as a result of it.

How about you? Do you have a hard time "rebuilding" your fitness after significant time off? Did you work out through a pregnancy? Do you find it more difficult to work out post polar vortex hibernation? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

18 weeks update

I figured it was time to do a proper update. Time is flying, we're almost halfway there! It is now the beginning of my 18th week pregnant, and I don't have many complaints thus far. Here's what has been going on in pregnantville:

Energy level: HIGH. Compared to my first trimester, which was snoozeville, I have welcomed my second trimester with open arms! I am staying up past 8pm, which is huge!

Our Puerto Rico, why can't I live there?!

Exercise: I have been exercising! Mr. Miller and I have been attempting our own mile a day challenge, and we've made it five out of nine days...the darn cold has kept us indoors "for my safety". It's still hard to take the "You shouldn't do that" type of advice, but accept it I must! I also have been to one NTC workout, and I plan on attending this week as well! They're starting an additional class at the new Nike Running store on the UES at 7:30pm, so check it out this Thursday!

Our mile a day on the snow day last Friday! It wasn't so bad, and we walked when we needed to.

Eating: I'm definitely eating! I've noticed that my snacks aren't cutting it anymore, so I've had to pack extra stuff for work everyday. Seriously, it's likes a bring a grocery store to work! Oatmeal, clementines, a yogurt, lunch, carrots...that's just a day's packing for me. I'm also having a hard time saying no to the occassional cookie, chips, french fries or empanadas offered to me by coworkers...sheesh. I think I'm finally over my aversion to coffee, and there haven't been any other aversions that I can think of!

Blueberry and Gruyere stuffed french toast. Snow day breakfast of champions!

Weight gain: I wasn't going to post about this. I saw tons of other mothers posting about this, and now I feel okay about it. Honestly, it's been interesting transitioning from being a fitness/weight focused person to a person who is supposed to gain weight. More on that in the next paragraph. So, my weight thus far: 9lbs/11lbs. I have two weights: my home scale weight and my doctor's scale weight. I weighed myself when I found out I was pregnant, and have weighed myself on my home scale before each appointment. EVERY. TIME. It's been 2lbs off. So, both of these weights are my truth ;-)

This dress made me look a bit bigger than I was at the time...and I kind of liked that!

Mental status: I didn't realize what a HUGE shift pregnancy would be mentally. I feel like it's not talked about often, and none of my friends have mentioned this as a side effect. My huge mental shifts include how much I'm eating, giving in to cravings, clothes getting smaller and smaller, and my fitness level depleting. More on that in another post!

Gender prediction: Well, it's 50/50! Ha. My appointment is on 2/4/14, but I started panicking today. I had a regular appointment with my doctor, so I begged him to take a peek to see if there goods or no goods. Well, baby was NOT cooperating! He said he was 75/25 with his guess, but since it was a guess, we would talk after my 2/4 appointment. Insert emotional roller coaster! I'm trying to think of a fun giveaway for guesses. Stay tuned. 

Thank you for all the lovely comments. I've appreciated reading all the well wishes and happy thoughts!

How about you? Tell me the latest greatest in your life!

2014: Just Do It

2013 was a great year. It really was. Looking back on this past year, I have zero regrets. I had a great time, ran a lot, spent quality time with friends, and gradually changed my lifestyle to prepare for cooking a bun in the oven! 

Who doesn't love Lambeau Puppy in Christmas jammies!?

Last year's goals were a mixed bag. The ones I achieved, like organizing my clothes/closet (On 12/30/13...), love my husband more, read three helpful books, complain less, cross train, a half marathon PR (By 1 minute...sigh) and do more speed work (aka running with faster people) were all attained. Some goals left by the wayside, like travel somewhere foreign in April (I guess Puerto Rico TECHNICALLY counts), get new dressers, and run a race in CT didn't happen. So I guess 7/10 isn't so bad! 

This year, goals take on a different lens. Instead of gunning for PR's or organizing my closet, I'll be shifting to actually pounding the pavement regularly for as long as possible and getting our one bedroom apartment baby ready. Here are a few I hope to achieve:

Fitness: 
- Workout three times a week. Since I've begun my second trimester, I have had a lot of my energy return! Granted, I've also been on vacation for two week. Working out during the school week has become virtually impossible, so I hope to meet this goal and then some! Mr. Miller decided we should try to do a mile a day, so I'm excited to have a partner in crime for January!
- Stay as active as possible until June 16. We all know staying active will help with labor and recovery, so I hope to be moving to the very end.
- Run a fall half. I won't be gunning for a PR, but I will be coming back from birthing a baby! 

I think we have some unfinished business Ashley...she's having a baby too!!! YIPPEE!

Personal:
- Arrange our bedroom to comfortably fit a baby. Thankfully we have a long bedroom, so adding some furniture pieces (Such as a new bed with built in storage to eliminate some of our dressers) will even out the total space between our things and the baby's things!
- Meal plan. It's been hard not being able to rely on a last minute turkey sandwich for work, so I'm coming up with lunches I can make in bulk for the week.
- Birth a child. You know, that's got to happen one way or another, so easy victory.

This is the bed. The drawers on a Queen bed literally are the size of the Queen bed. Huge.

Professional:
- Make it as long as possible at work! Brooklyn Queens Day is June 5, so my hope is to make it till then and the rest is gravy! 

So there you have it, 2014. I've got my work cut out for me! Happy New Year Everyone!!! 

16 weeks pregnant and partying like it's 30 to 12 last night. 

How about you? What are your goals (Link in any posts for me to catch up on!)? Do you prefer not to make them? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Merry Christmas!!!

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!! 

We are celebrating our 5 year anniversary on a "babymoon" in Puerto Rico! Catch you on the East Coast next week!!! Till then, here's a preview of some of the fun we've been having....

Gift Guide For Pregnant Runners

My, how my gift ideas have changed! This whole growing a human thing changes what is truly useful to me. Here are some great purchases I've made recently:

For Two Fitness shirts from $50-$55 

These shirts are clever AND comfortable! I bought the long sleeve and tank top. They are made with super soft material and will stretch as needed.

Oiselle Sweatpants $79 

These sweatpants are so comfortable! They're lightweight yet warm. I love the tapered leg, no chance of me clumsily tripping over them! I recommend going up a size due to a slender fit.

Road ID from $19.99

This was my first purchase when I found out I was pregnant. I obviously didn't look pregnant, and wanted to take precautions in case something happened while running. It hasn't left my shoe since! (And actually revealed to a friend I was pregnant by accident!)

Nike Legendary Tights $95

These are great workout pants with my "expanding mid section". Although I've only gained a few pounds, I can definitely feel my stomach getting bigger. These beauties have a wide waist band, allowing me not to feel like I'm muffin topping just yet! 

H&M Maxi Skirt $17.95

These are awesome. Once thought to be a summer fashion, maxi skirts are fabulously transitioning into fall and winter! The stretchy waist makes it a perfect addition to a transitioning wardrobe. I grabbed a a few colors!

Pro Compression Socks $50

Although it hasn't happened yet, foot swelling seems to be a common pregnancy side effect. I am ready with my trusty socks that have gotten me through marathons! Check out their sock of the month for 50% off!

How about you? What would you add to this list? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

In case you missed it, I'm pregnant

How's THAT for a subject line!? It feels so weird to publicly talk about it. I'm not one for drawing attention (Though I run marathons with my name plastered on my shirt...), so it's been interesting to finally announce the big news! Here's how life has been over the past few months...

Weeks 0-4: Say WHAAAAAT? We found out right before we went to Connecticut to spectate the Hartford Marathon. We kept it to ourselves before I had the official visits etc.

There was a baby in there!

Weeks 5-8: Telling the family. We Skyped with our parents, but sent out this following picture to siblings because I have so many:

Poor Lamby posed tirelessly to get this exactly right!

I felt pretty good during this time, no real morning sickness to speak of.

 We went on our annual Bear Mountain hike!

I had my 29th birthday party, which was 1920's themed! Naturally drinks were sans the good stuff ;-)

Weeks 7-12: TIRED. I had exhaustion during weeks 4-6, but I attributed that to an audit happening at my school (earlier mornings, later nights). Weeks 7-12 took on a whole new meaning of TIRED. My bed time has been as early as 7:30pm, often with Mr. Miller waking me to "go to sleep" because I've dozed off. I've also experienced some pretty extreme headaches within the last few weeks. 

Exercise: HA! I've tried my best. I had signed up for a half marathon the day before I found out I was expecting, and was doing a decent job of training until week 7. To top it off, the conditions of the half marathon were ridiculous: 23 degrees but felt like 7 degrees, 4o MPH winds, and ocean water spraying up on the course. Yea. I made it 5 miles. I call that a victory.

This was a rare moment when my face was visible. Not the most flattering photo...

So there you have it. Around June 16, 2014, Baby Millz will be making an appearance!

How about you? What's new?! I've been out of the blogging game for a while...

BIG News!

I won't be running any miles alone for a while!!!

12 weeks down.

28 to go.