Week 15 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per “What To Expect”) – Size of a large navel orange (approximately 2 ounces)

Weight Gain – 8 Pounds.  As noted last week, I put on more weight than average the first trimester of pregnancy.  I have never been sick, however, I have had food aversions.  I also tend to eat more, higher fat foods than my body is used to.  Weight gain is no surprise.

Movement – Still no movement.  It’s funny though.  After two other pregnancies, I have a feeling exactly where it will start.  Maybe that’s a feeling that never goes away.

Sleep – I have good days and bad.  I am on my feet a lot more during the day at this point than I was with either of my first two pregnancies (I was still working my desk job full time).  I wasn’t moving much from 8AM – 5 PM.  That said, with personal and group training/Flywheel and taking care of my two girls full time, I am WIPED out by the end of the day.  I find that if I am too tired, I am more restless.  My husband is not surprised if I fall asleep on the couch while we catch up on adult TV before bed time.

What I miss – Obstacle Course Racing!  Well,  I haven’t quite missed a race yet, but I will soon.  While I watch several of my close friends and athletes train for the Charlotte Sprint (that is less than 6 weeks away), I am practicing patience.  While my workouts still have an OCR training theme to them, I will just be hanging out on the sideline until baby get here!

Best Moments this Week – Continuing to be an ongoing part of my fitness groups (with my kids!).  People say that you will never get pregnant at the perfect time.  I agree.  While we always talked about having three kids, I was surprised when I found out we (or rather I) was pregnant.  I’m coming off one of my biggest years athletically since college.  I am in the middle of building up a new career that was somewhat stagnant when I had two kids in less than two years.

That said, the Charlotte fitness community and Flywheel have continued to support my endeavors regardless of the change.  Sweat and Sweets took the time to spend a week with my Cross Conditioning OCR program before making an incredible video to document what it is we do. See their website at sweatclt.com.

My girls have continued to stay my first priority, however, as they have aged, they have grown accustomed to what it is that mommy does.  If I train someone at the house and they are home, they have grown to watch, imitate and behave.  I was also able to bring them to Flywheel this week for a team photoshoot and they adored seeing everyone get their pictures taken.

With the warm weather upon us, we have been spending a lot more time outside, however, we do find ways to play indoors as well (see painting above).  My oldest daughter also celebrated pancake and pajama day at preschool this week (and was able to wear shorts and a t-shirt).

Looking forward to – My youngest daughter’s second birthday.  Wow, time flies.  We are doing a small birthday party at the house, and she is getting a bouncy house.  Wish us luck.  See a picture of her from her first birthday below.

Cravings – I am finally starting to crave healthy foods again.  For example, salads, egg whites and grilled chicken.  I couldn’t imagine eating them just a few weeks ago.

Symptoms – Second Trimester energy boost – gotta love it!!

Workouts – With increased energy, I was able to get back on some good workouts this week.

• Monday – Taught 6:30 AM Flywheel
• Tuesday – Strength Training at Home
• Wednesday – See stats below.  30 minute “easy run”.  I determine my easy pace using the Maffetone formula.  It has not changed since pre-pregnancy.   I was surprised that my pace was still 9:02/mile.
  • Post run, I did a little bit of strength work –
  • 2 Rounds
    • Sit Up on Foam Roller x 25
    • Pistol Squat with TRX x 15 each side
    • Dip Jump Through with Pushup x 10 each
  •  Pull up EMOM – 5 pull-ups every minute on the minute until failure.  I made it 6 rounds.

• Thursday – I’m finally feeling good enough to keep a decent pace with my Thursday run group (we typically practice speed and hill training).
  • 1 mile warm up
  • 4 Rounds
    • 5 minutes HARD, 2 minutes EASY, :30 Rest
  • 6 x 200 (I only did 4)

I accumulated 5 miles around an 8:40 pace (which included the easy and rest time.  I also went on to teach my regular 3:30 PM Flywheel class.

• Friday – Flywheel, Flywheel, Flywheel.  That’s all I can say about this week.  The CEO of Flywheel was in town on Friday and riding in the 9:45 AM class with Denise.  Instructors had a chance to meet her and ride with her.  I opted to jump in the ride and pop in the studio to say hi.  I missed the group photo after, but I thoroughly enjoyed taking a class with my team.  The energy was incredible.

That said, I was back at 5:30 PM that evening to teach my own Flywheel class!

Saturday – Knowing I had a double both Friday and Sunday at Flywheel, I knew Saturday would be a strictly strength day.  After training my group and personal training client, I hit our home gym for my own workout.

2 Rounds (Warm up)

• Jump rope 2 minutes
• Knee to Elbow Slow x 15 each side
• Bosu Step Over Squat to rotation with weight x 15 each side
• Spartan Sandbag Deadlift x 15

2 Rounds

• TRX Supine Row Knee to Chest x 8 each leg
• Broad Jump Forward, 3 small jumps back to start x 15
• Feet in TRX supine, reverse fly with glute raise x 15
• Step Up (no knee raise) weighted x10 each

2 Rounds

• Rig Transition with Pull Up x 1
• Burpee x 15
• Toes to Bar x10
• Ape Crawl x 25 Yards

Sunday  – I taught a double at Flywheel Sunday.  I taught my scheduled class at 7:30 AM and they absolutely destroyed the ride.  See numbers below.

Say what you want about the bikes, but the 2:45 PM class that I taught later in the day did not disappoint.  My husband also rode with me for the first time in almost a YEAR!

Another week gone by, another week closer to meeting our third daughter.  I can’t reiterate enough how incredible the pregnancy period is.  The fact that the human body and two individuals can create a human being is mind blowing.  We feel fortunate that we get to go through the process one more time.

Week 14 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per “What To Expect”) – Size of a clenched fist (4 inches long, 2 ounces)

Weight Gain – 7 Pounds (I’m about even with where I was at this week in my last pregnancy).  I have to admit, I tend to put on more weight on the front end before peaking near the end of the third trimester.

Movement – Not sure.  I’m going to say “no”, but something is going on down there some days.

Sleep – Legit, TERRIBLE.  Between being sick for a few days and getting up to use the bathroom several times a night, I have had trouble sleeping more than 6 hours uninterrupted at a time. Mix that with little to no coffee and I struggle some afternoons.

What I miss – HA! Deli meat that doesn’t have to be heated in the microwave.  Bottomless cups of coffee.  Alcohol.  Being able to keep up with my run group.  My pants that actually have a button.  It’s safe to say that this is the last time that I want to be pregnant.

Best Moments this Week – Celebrating Valentine’s Day and relishing in this incredible weather.  The girls had special parties at school for the holiday, while my husband and I just exchanged cards over a weekend date night.

We spread ourselves pretty thin during the week between evening and very early morning activities and workouts.  That said, we try to spend some quality time together on the weekend.

The girls were invited to a birthday party at Flour Power on Saturday afternoon.  In a group setting the kids assisted each other in making their own mini pizzas.  I love seeing my kids interact with others.  It’s so interesting to me how different they can be when away from home or unaware that I am around.

Looking forward to – August!  Meeting the final girl in our clan.  I can’t wait to see what she is like. We hit up the Whitewater Center on President’s Day and had an absolute blast with our two girls.  The improvements that they have made there will definitely make this one of our go to spots over the next several years.

We enjoyed a casual lunch on the patio before strolling around the big whitewater rafting loop.  For the first time ever, the girls were interested in trying out some of the obstacle course.

Cravings – Cheese.  Peanut Butter.  Bread.  Eek. Not the greatest.

Symptoms – I looked back at my week 14 blog from my second pregnancy and it perfectly describes how I am doing.  “Feeling like a train that just keeps chugging along.” Not sick. Pretty much operating the same as I did pre-pregnancy but at a much slower pace.

Workouts –With all of the changes that we are preparing for, working out is one thing that that makes me feel good.  Due to the fact that many of my pre-pregnancy exercises need to be scaled or modified, I have spent a lot of time in my home garage doing strength training.  On the days that I teach at Flywheel that is all that I do.  See this week’s schedule below:

• Monday 6:30 AM – taught Flywheel
• Tuesday – Strength work at home
  • Warm UP – 2 Rounds
    • PVC Overhead Full Situp x 25
    • Burpee Box Jump x 25
    • Battle Rope Plank x 15 each side
    • TRX Lunge x 15
  • 2 Rounds
    • Bicycle Sit up with Mini Band around feet x 25 each side
    • Burpee Pull Up x 10
    • Toes to Bar x 15
    • Weighted Step Up x 15 each side
  • 2 Rounds
    • Side V Sit Up x 15 each
    • Battles Ropes x 50 each side
    • Kettlebell Swing x15
    • Rig x 1 with Pull Ups (6)
• Wednesday – REST – approximately 1 mile easy run with OCR group to assist with workout before doing some hanging at Inner Peaks Climbing Center.  There is alway time to hang and do pull up!

• Thursday – Hill Training and Speed Work with my Run Group.  I slowed down dramatically.  I considered it a success if I make it through the warm up with out getting dropped.  I ran approximately 4.89 miles as compared to the 5.75 miles the group ran.
  • 1 mile warm up to Arcadia Hill.
  • 4 Rounds, down hill and back up (the rest of the group did 5 rounds).
  • 800m recovery run
  • 600m Hard, 600m EASY
  • 400m Hard, 400m EASY
  • 300m Hard, 300m EASY
  • 200m Hard, 200m EASY (I skipped the easy and just continued on my way home).
• Thursday – I also taught at Flywheel that afternoon.  It’s a little bit of a stretch to do two workout in one day at this point.
• Friday – Snoozed.  I was tired.  I resorted to pushing my youngest daughter to the park on an extended loop.  Total mileage was 4 miles, which is tough with the jogger. Thank goodness for special company.

• Saturday – Strength Work at home – Saturday has now become a big group and personal training day for me.

I don’t mind working in the morning if it means I have the afternoon to family.  I squeezed in a short strength workout at home before heading out to a belated Valentine’s Day dinner with my husband.

• Warm Up x 2 Rounds
  • Sit Up Progression x 15 each position (45 total)
  • Pistol Squat with TRX x 15 each leg
  • Dead hang 1:00
  • Step Up to Box Jump x 15 each leg
• 5 minute EMOM
  • 5 Pull Ups/5 Burpees
• 10 minute EMOM
  • Odd – Hand Stand Pushup x 15
  • Even – Kettlebell swing x 20
• 3 Rounds
  • 5 Toes to Bar Each side
  • 5 Burpee Pull ups
  • 10 Sandbag Thrusters
  • 15 Side Kettlebell Raise
  • 15 Lunges each leg (Bodyweight)

• Sunday – taught Flywheel 7:30 AM

I am showing already and people seemed surprised when I turn around and my belly and belly button are sticking out.  It’s going to go by fast. Looking forward to next week already!

Here We Go Again!

The date of my last post was November 26, 2016.  Nothing like getting pregnant for the THIRD time to motivate me to get back on the bandwagon.  Yes, you read that right.  We are expecting our third child.  There has never been a need for me to put together a fancy party to let everyone know the gender of our children, so I will go ahead and put it out there –SHE is due in August!  Oh hey mom, dad, and big sisters!

Never in my life could I have imagined that I would be the mother of three girls.  I mean, let’s be honest, I’m not the most girly of girls.  I try.  Sometimes.  However, I would much rather be running on trails, having a craft beer, and hanging in my garage rather than getting my nails done, sipping rose and/or figuring out what outfit I’m going to wear.  Case in point, what my life has been like since I completed my last blog post.

1.  First and foremost, we celebrated Christmas!  I found out I was pregnant on December 10th.  I remember the date for one and only one reason.  As my husband and I were finishing up a marathon of Christmas shopping for the kids, we stopped for lunch at Chopt at which point I started to feel sick to my stomach.  Reluctant to purchase a pregnancy test, I snuck away to snag one only to find out my suspicion was correct.  I had not one, not two, but three Christmas parties to go to that evening.  I immediately text my OB to get advice on how to skirt around the alcohol issue.  Thankfully, I teach an early Sunday morning Flywheel class.  I carefully carried around an alcoholic beverage through two parties (not really drinking) before retiring early for the night because I had to get up early.  Looking back, did I trick you?

2.  It snowed!  A little.  We shoveled all of our driveway snow into a pile big enough to make a snowman.  When I say we, my husband did.  We also managed to sled for a brief period of time (albeit on ice).

3.  My husband and I hit up the Belk Bowl with my parents to see the Hokies take home a huge comeback win.  Again, at this point, I floated around a game day atmosphere avoiding alcohol because of the 6:30 AM class I had to teach the next morning.

4.  I powered through some serious fatigue to teach some incredible Flywheel classes.  I never got sick in the first trimester.  However, I did have some food aversions and fight serious fatigue.  This pregnancy is somewhat abnormal compared to the first two.  If you don’t remember, I was working full time with both of my previous pregnancies.  As such, while I was teaching at Flywheel, I was sitting for at least 40 hours a week at a desk.  Life as a mom and personal trainer doesn’t make time for a lot of sitting (resting).  Thankfully, Flywheel brings me life. It motivates me to stay on a routine.  To stay active.  It is also a great social break for me during a day that I might just spend with toddlers.

5.  I launched the second twelve week session of my OCR program.  Y’all I knew I was pregnant as I was about to launch this.  I had my doubts.  Maybe I should call it off. Would people actually want to train with me when they found out I was expecting?  Well, I’m here to tell you first hand, there is never a great time to get pregnant.  As I saw my performance getting better and better, in a few short weeks, I felt myself slow down.  This is life, and I can’t stop my life to bring another life into the world.  Since this was something I had been doing prior to getting pregnant, it made sense that I shouldn’t stop it completely.

I have an incredible team of both 12 week participants and individuals who choose to drop in on a regular basis.  They have become a part of my family.  My girls recognize them, and my husband has vowed to fill in for me on days that I can’t make it (as he also enjoys being around them).

6.  It was also during the past month that I was named a Spartan Race Brand Ambassador, began an affiliation with Ascent Protein and was introduced to new opportunities that I never could have imagined this early in my career.  I am feeling proud of the people I train, I am feeling strong, and I am feeling the most confident (both mentally and physically) than I have ever felt in the first few weeks of my first two pregnancies.  Maybe it’s because I already have these two amazing kids.

They sure do wear me out.  Some days the afternoons go by way too slow.  However, they are my world.  I miss them when they aren’t around, and I literally can’t wait for them to come home from preschool.  They do know another baby is on the way, but they don’t seem to have embraced it yet.  That day will come.  Maybe when I am a little bigger?  Maybe when the baby actually gets here?  Until then, we will embrace the time that it is just the two of them.

As far as what you can expect from me?  I’m just going to keep doing my thing.  You can’t get rid of me that easy!  Spartan Race has agreed to follow my journey to provide other pregnant athletes with workouts to complete while they are progressing through pregnancy that will allow them to be ready to go when their doctor clears them.  That said, on my blog, you can expect weekly updates.  On the Spartan Race website, you can expect a monthly update.  Thank you all for your well wishes.  We truly appreciate it!