Last Sunday, I went for a 5 mile walk along the Mount Vernon bike path. The weather was gorgeous, but when Hubby and I pulled into the parking lot and I saw runner after runner glide by, I was suddenly hit by a wave of sadness.
I haven't run in weeks. I won't be able to run until Christmas.
The reason, of course, is an excellent one.
I'm training for a baby, not a race.
But still.
I miss running.
Terribly.
Some days I wonder if I can even still call myself a runner?
But sulking wouldn't solve anything, and walking is better than not moving forward at all. So I started walking.
And then, halfway through my walk, two women ran up to me and asked if I could take their picture. One handed over her phone while the other explained that they had just finished their first 10-miler.
High fives all around!
I asked what race they were training for. They told me they were going to run the Divas Half Marathon. I congratulated them both and wished them good luck on their race.
Just before they turned away to finish their cool-down, one of the women said: "And congratulations to you, too! Good for you for still run... er... walking."
"Thank you. I ran until 26 weeks, but my hips just can't take it anymore. I miss it!"
(What I didn't say was "And thank you for noticing that I am/was/am a runner, too! Even though I'm waddling... and I don't feel much like a runner these days...")
She congratulated me on getting that far.
And, for the first time in weeks...
I felt like a runner.
Even as I waddled.
I felt like a runner.
So. To the ladies who just finished their first 10-miler.
Congrats. Again.
And THANK YOU.
Friday, August 30
Thursday, August 29
Training for two: week 30
Here are the workout details from week 30...
The theme this week: back in the saddle again!
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: prenatal yoga
Sunday: 5 mile walk
Monday: 2 mile walk + push ups, squats, and leg lifts
Tuesday: 2 mile walk + 30 minutes on the stationary bike
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike + push ups and squats
Thursday: 3 mile walk
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 0 miles run + 75 minutes on the bike + some stretching and strengthening
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
My boarding pass...
One last flight before baby!
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
The theme this week: back in the saddle again!
 |
| Image source |
Saturday: prenatal yoga
Sunday: 5 mile walk
Monday: 2 mile walk + push ups, squats, and leg lifts
Tuesday: 2 mile walk + 30 minutes on the stationary bike
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the stationary bike + push ups and squats
Thursday: 3 mile walk
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 0 miles run + 75 minutes on the bike + some stretching and strengthening
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
My boarding pass...
One last flight before baby!
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Thursday, August 22
Training for two: week 29
Here are the workout details from week 29...
The theme this week: slow and steady.
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: prenatal yoga
Sunday: 4 mile walk
Monday: 2 mile walk
Tuesday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga
Wednesday: 2 mile walk + push ups, squats, and leg lifts
Thursday: 2 mile walk
THE TALLY:
15 miles walked + 0 miles run + some stretching and strengthening
There was supposed to be a "track workout" on Wednesday. (Walking laps in lane 6! Woo hoo!) But I was exhausted at the end of the day and substituted strength training instead.
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
Honestly, this week I've been reading the news on my morning commute and I finished Sedaris' new book Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls on the way home
. (Loved it!)
Otherwise my time has been spent working, walking, and nesting.
There's a baby due in 8 weeks... or 12...! But who's counting?
(Oh right... I am... because I'm a numbers geek when I'm not running. And sometimes when I am.)
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
The theme this week: slow and steady.
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: prenatal yoga
Sunday: 4 mile walk
Monday: 2 mile walk
Tuesday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga
Wednesday: 2 mile walk + push ups, squats, and leg lifts
Thursday: 2 mile walk
THE TALLY:
15 miles walked + 0 miles run + some stretching and strengthening
There was supposed to be a "track workout" on Wednesday. (Walking laps in lane 6! Woo hoo!) But I was exhausted at the end of the day and substituted strength training instead.
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
Honestly, this week I've been reading the news on my morning commute and I finished Sedaris' new book Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls on the way home
. (Loved it!)Otherwise my time has been spent working, walking, and nesting.
There's a baby due in 8 weeks... or 12...! But who's counting?
(Oh right... I am... because I'm a numbers geek when I'm not running. And sometimes when I am.)
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Thursday, August 15
Training for two: week 28
Here are the workout details from week 28...
Hello third trimester!!!
Goodbye energy and speed!
Friday: 3 mile walk
Saturday: 3 mile (tourist-y) walk along the National Mall and Tidal Basin
Sunday: 3 mile walk along the Mount Vernon Trail
Monday: 2 mile walk
Tuesday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
Wednesday: 2 mile walk
Thursday: 2 mile walk
THE TALLY:
17 miles walked + 0 miles run + 1 prenatal yoga session
My only observations this week: Holy hell have I slowed down in the past two weeks. Carrying around 25 extra pounds is getting exhausing...
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
YES! Emily Oster's article "Take Back Your Pregnancy" in the Wall Street Journal summarizes exactly what I found (and what I've felt about) pregnancy "wisdom" vs. old wives' tales. (In case you missed it, you can see my full rant about misguided and mis-informed "helpful" advice from June... and my rave about the book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy -- a book full of fact-based advice for fit moms.)
I cannot wait to read Oster's new book "Expecting Better," when it comes out later this year. If the book is anywhere near as well-written as the essay, it will be a much-needed addition to the prenatal literature. (Note: Had it gone to print sooner, Oster's book would've saved me many hours surfing the academic journal databases during my office hours last semester...)
My only regret is that, given my day job as a statistician and the hours/days/weeks I put into researching my own prenatal decisions, I didn't write a similar book sooner.
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Hello third trimester!!!
Goodbye energy and speed!
Friday: 3 mile walk
Saturday: 3 mile (tourist-y) walk along the National Mall and Tidal Basin
 |
| View of the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin |
Sunday: 3 mile walk along the Mount Vernon Trail
Monday: 2 mile walk
Tuesday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
Wednesday: 2 mile walk
Thursday: 2 mile walk
THE TALLY:
17 miles walked + 0 miles run + 1 prenatal yoga session
My only observations this week: Holy hell have I slowed down in the past two weeks. Carrying around 25 extra pounds is getting exhausing...
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
YES! Emily Oster's article "Take Back Your Pregnancy" in the Wall Street Journal summarizes exactly what I found (and what I've felt about) pregnancy "wisdom" vs. old wives' tales. (In case you missed it, you can see my full rant about misguided and mis-informed "helpful" advice from June... and my rave about the book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy -- a book full of fact-based advice for fit moms.)I cannot wait to read Oster's new book "Expecting Better," when it comes out later this year. If the book is anywhere near as well-written as the essay, it will be a much-needed addition to the prenatal literature. (Note: Had it gone to print sooner, Oster's book would've saved me many hours surfing the academic journal databases during my office hours last semester...)
My only regret is that, given my day job as a statistician and the hours/days/weeks I put into researching my own prenatal decisions, I didn't write a similar book sooner.
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Thursday, August 8
Training for two: week 27
Here are the workout details from week 27...
Can you say... slacker? This week's workout stats are as dismal as last week's return to the track was a highlight of this training cycle.
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: prenatal yoga class
Sunday: 4 mile walk along the Mount Vernon Trail
Monday: 2 mile walk + strength training
Tuesday: 2 mile walk
Wednesday: 2 mile walk
Thursday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 0 miles run + 2 prenatal yoga sessions + 1 strength training session
Not horrible, but nothing to write home about...
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
I'm juggling a handful of books right now. (Talented, I know!)
On my reading list:
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Can you say... slacker? This week's workout stats are as dismal as last week's return to the track was a highlight of this training cycle.
Friday: 2 mile walk
Saturday: prenatal yoga class
 |
| Walking the Mount Vernon Trail |
Sunday: 4 mile walk along the Mount Vernon Trail
Monday: 2 mile walk + strength training
Tuesday: 2 mile walk
Wednesday: 2 mile walk
Thursday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 0 miles run + 2 prenatal yoga sessions + 1 strength training session
Not horrible, but nothing to write home about...
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
I'm juggling a handful of books right now. (Talented, I know!)
On my reading list:
- Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
- The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette
- Not Your Ordinary Parenting Book (side note: Yep. Not ordinary. Much, much worse. These ladies have a few helpful hints, but for credibility sake they would've done better to write a blog and not try to call it a book. Total waste of money.)
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
Thursday, August 1
Training for two: week 26
Here are the workout details from week 26...
The good. The bad. The track... and a huge break from baby-book reading.
Friday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
Saturday: stroll around Annapolis
(Not exactly exercise, but not exactly slouching either... Just ignore the supersized ice cream and bucket of crustaceans I ate...)
Sunday: REST
Monday: 3 mile walk
Tuesday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga video + strength training
Wednesday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video + TRACK WORKOUT!
This week I re-discovered the track.
The soft surface is easier on my joints. I can run 200 meters and then walk a lap. No matter how slow I go, I don't have to worry about being left in the dust by my running buddies - they're never more than a few hundred yards away! And restrooms are always within sight!
Thursday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 1.75 mile track workout + 4 prenatal yoga sessions + 1 strength training session
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
It's time for another break from baby-book reading. In fact, I've been in need of some grand adventure reading, so I picked up two non-fiction / memoir books:
Both books were quite different but shared the theme: dive-in-and-do-something-scary. They also both rang true, as both authors admit to moments of happiness, anger, frustration, fear, and disgust on their journeys.
(That both books cost less, on Kindle, than a grande mocha at Starbucks didn't hurt, either...)
Davis' book is one of the better thru-hike books I've read (maybe better... nay definitely better than Cheryl Strayed's Wild). Davis doesn't sugar coat the rough patches of trail, nor does she hide her enthusiasm on the good days. She also doesn't document every step taken on every rainy day. The book is a brilliant balance between trail memoir, coming-of-age story, and action/adventure tale. The book is frank and (frankly) funny at the same time that it's inspiring.
On the other hand, it took me awhile to get wrapped up in Adams' book about her year of teaching English in China. Early on Adams admits to a level of culture shock that I found off-putting. (In the first few pages, I found myself wondering "Really, did you know anything about China before you got on the airplane?") But within a few chapters, those early pages seem like a jet-lag induced bout of crankiness. Adams is refreshingly open to immersing herself in a new culture while also acknowledging her own cultural bias and the difficulties she faces trying to fit in. As someone who has moved around quite often in my own life, I empathize wholeheartedly.
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.
The good. The bad. The track... and a huge break from baby-book reading.
Friday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga video
 |
| Brick sidewalks in downtown Annapolis, MD |
(Not exactly exercise, but not exactly slouching either... Just ignore the supersized ice cream and bucket of crustaceans I ate...)
Sunday: REST
Monday: 3 mile walk
Tuesday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga video + strength training
Wednesday: 2 mile walk + prenatal yoga video + TRACK WORKOUT!
400 warm up (walk) + 400m run + 4 x 200m with equal rest intervals + 400m cool down (walk) = 1.75 milesLast week I was worried about whether or not it was time to quit running for the rest of this pregnancy.
This week I re-discovered the track.
The soft surface is easier on my joints. I can run 200 meters and then walk a lap. No matter how slow I go, I don't have to worry about being left in the dust by my running buddies - they're never more than a few hundred yards away! And restrooms are always within sight!
Thursday: 3 mile walk + prenatal yoga
THE TALLY:
14 miles walked + 1.75 mile track workout + 4 prenatal yoga sessions + 1 strength training session
WHAT I LOVED READING THIS WEEK:
It's time for another break from baby-book reading. In fact, I've been in need of some grand adventure reading, so I picked up two non-fiction / memoir books:
- Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail
by Jennifer Pharr Davis (holder of the women's record for fastest thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail)
- Pretty Woman Spitting: An American's Travels in China
Both books were quite different but shared the theme: dive-in-and-do-something-scary. They also both rang true, as both authors admit to moments of happiness, anger, frustration, fear, and disgust on their journeys.(That both books cost less, on Kindle, than a grande mocha at Starbucks didn't hurt, either...)
Davis' book is one of the better thru-hike books I've read (maybe better... nay definitely better than Cheryl Strayed's Wild). Davis doesn't sugar coat the rough patches of trail, nor does she hide her enthusiasm on the good days. She also doesn't document every step taken on every rainy day. The book is a brilliant balance between trail memoir, coming-of-age story, and action/adventure tale. The book is frank and (frankly) funny at the same time that it's inspiring.
On the other hand, it took me awhile to get wrapped up in Adams' book about her year of teaching English in China. Early on Adams admits to a level of culture shock that I found off-putting. (In the first few pages, I found myself wondering "Really, did you know anything about China before you got on the airplane?") But within a few chapters, those early pages seem like a jet-lag induced bout of crankiness. Adams is refreshingly open to immersing herself in a new culture while also acknowledging her own cultural bias and the difficulties she faces trying to fit in. As someone who has moved around quite often in my own life, I empathize wholeheartedly.
Public Service Message from Captain Obvious: These posts are not intended to be a set of week-by-week pregnancy workout guidelines. Every woman needs to do what's right for her and her baby, with a doctor's guidance, of course. I'd just like to keep y'all up to date on how things are going in my little world.