21 weeks, 4 days

What a great day! I was a bit bummed that the winter weather advisory in effect in the Boston area caused me to not run outside, but as soon as I got to the gym, I was excited to be there. I did a short but pretty active stint on the crazy, super-hyped-up elliptical looking thing (it kinda looks like an elliptical, but it moves a little differently with your movements and it is an AWESOME workout). Then, I hit the pool for about 45 minutes. It felt great to get back in the water - even though my non-maternity swimsuit is starting to get a bit snug around the waist. It might be time for a new swimsuit!

During my swim, I spent some time reflecting on the past two days. My little brother, Luke, was accepted into Emerson's MFA program in Creative Writing yesterday and I'm soooo excited. Not only because it is an outstanding writing program and he has worked hard to get in, but also because it means he will stay in Boston for at least a few more years! It's amazing how our lives are overlapping. He is currently providing academic support to student-athletes at the same Boston public high school at which I gathered my dissertation data and did some programming work with athletes. Luke getting into a Master's program in writing reminded me about my grad school path. I remember when I was applying to grad school the year after college and I was so nervous that I wouldn't get into the psych programs to which I applied that I also bought the GRE prep book for the Literature sub-test with the intent of going the writing route if the psych route didn't work out. Luke was thinking that he might go into Sport Psychology (my field!) if the writing route didn't work for him. Isn't that crazy!?

Anywho, clearly, I'm excited. I'm now buckling down to another manuscript revision with a big bowl of Greek yogurt and blackberries. What a great way to end the day!

Crazy-elliptical-type-machine: 30 minutes (HR average = 143)
Swim: 45 minutes

21 weeks, 3 days

Easy exercise day today - just lifted upper body. I was then lazy for the rest of the day as I sat from 9 am to 10 pm with 3 breaks for short walks and cups of decaf. That's the only problem with my profession - we have to be soooo inactive sometimes to write, write, write!

Lift upper body

21 weeks, 2 days

After a day of writing, I finally finished my manuscripts around 3 pm. Whew! My treat to myself: a relaxed run around JP in the gorgeous 50 degree sunny weather, a bubble bath (lukewarm, of course), and a dinner out with Knox. What a great way to end 3 days of almost non-stop writing.

The run around JP was happily uneventful. I am definitely experiencing some odd Achilles pain in both legs. It persisted for about 3 miles and then totally went away. How odd. I stopped to stretch a bunch, but nothing helped until, poof, it was instantly gone. Everything feels fine now, but just to be careful, I'll probably hit the gym in the morning rather than run.

Run: 6 miles

21 weeks 1 day

Given that this weekend is a working weekend for me, I've been sitting in the same place at the table for 8-9 hour stretches with little walks to break up the time. So, you can imagine how great it felt to stretch my legs both days. Tonight's run was the 4.5 mile Charles River loop - with Luke - at a relaxed pace. My body felt great, probably because it has been resting for most of the past 48 hours. The other benefit of working all weekend is actually getting enough sleep at night - by the time bedtime comes, I'm so desperate to stop working that I love turning in for bed. So, all in all, a very productive weekend, even if it was a little light on fun (not including Friday's dinner, ladies)!

Run: 4.5 miles

21 weeks

I love Saturday runs! The city just feels so much more relaxed on the weekends. Today, I met Tara at Olmsted Park and we did our usual run around Jamaica Pond. Morning running is absolutely easier than night running for me right now - maybe it's because I'm running on an empty stomach in the morning. Regardless, my morning runs are peaceful, enjoyable, and almost calming. Sadly, today is a work day for me, so I'll be on the computer revising manuscripts all day, but knowing I've already finishing a great run with a great buddy makes the rest of the day feel much more doable. No weird pains today - no RLP, no odd aches anywhere... My achilles have been feeling tight recently, but I wonder how much of that is residue discomfort from my old shoes v. extra weight that my body is figuring out how to carry. Either way, not a big deal.

Run: 7 miles

20 weeks, 6 days

I purposefully only ran a 3.5 mile loop today. My goal was to see if I could get through a short loop feeling good the whole time, rather than my usual pattern of seeing how far I can go before I get tired. While I prefer my usual pattern (a bit more of a fun little challenge), I felt pleasantly satisfied at the end of this run. Nothing special about it - just a 3.5 mile loop around the Muddy River - but to identify a goal ahead of time and accomplish it is always a nice feeling. As I shuffled around the river, with Montel Jordan telling me "this is how we do it", I reflected a bit on the past 2 weeks since I started this self-indulgent/public service blog. Daily, without fail, a handful of women have contacted me about the blog. Most of the women are friends, a few are strangers who have stumbled upon the material, and all have opinions. I did some math - of all the emails I've received in relation to the blog, 97% of them are from women who are supportive of a woman's right to exercise during pregnancy (with their doctor's approval, of course). Many of the people who have contacted me have run throughout most of their pregnancy and have great stories to share about the funny moments they never expected to experience. Some women who have contacted me have run until the day before they delivered, others have run on and off, some have had routine pregnancies, and some have had complicated pregnancies. The bottom line is (I think) that there is a growing group of women out in the world who consider it standard to continue exercising as long as they feel comfortable. The other 3%, well, allow me to provide you with some light reading material (please excuse the non-APA formatting):

Physical Exercise during Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Birth: A Study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.

Maternal Exercise during Pregnancy, Physical Fitness, and Fetal Growth

Maternal and fetal responses to a maternal aerobic exercise program

There are so many research articles supporting exercising while pregnant. These 3 aren't necessarily the best I've read or the most comprehensive, but they're interesting nonetheless. I'm happy to provide more specific reading materials to anybody.

Run: 3.5 miles

20 weeks, 5 days

What a phenomenal day for running! The temperature was in the mid-50s, the sun was shining, and I left work while it was still light outside! I ran the 2.5 perimeter of UMass along the boardwalk, hopped on the train from UMass to Kendall Sq in Cambridge, and ran along the Charles River home. Taking pictures was a good enough reason as any to justify 5 stops on my run! I'm definitely starting to feel tired almost from the beginning of my run these days. I'm hoping it is just a second trimester phase and I'll be feeling a bit more snappy sometime soon - otherwise I feel very sorry for the people who have to deal with me for the next 4 months! After running, I took my last Capoeira class, and it came not a moment too soon. Today's class was absolutely ridiculous and hilarious to a fly on the wall (and to the other people in my class). I now have no balance, no coordination, and no power from my core. It's a sort of aerobic dance/martial arts type of discipline, so it incorporates a funky kind of cartwheel into some of its moves. Let me tell you, it was hilarious to watch me try to cartwheel around the room. My shirt barely covers my belly, I can't find my center of balance for the life of me, and I'm determined to do the moves. So, I looked a bit silly - but it was all in good fun. Overall, I'm glad I took the series of classes, but I don't think I need to revisit this particular type of dance in the future.

Run: 5 miles
Capoeira class

First steps from my office (can't beat this view - just wish I had a window!)

The boardwalk around UMass (my office is to the immediate left)

Looks like the city is so far away, but to run from here, through the city, and to my place, which is about a mile out on the other side of the city, takes less than an hour. Boston is so small!

We runners hit the Charles on a regular basis, but I never take it for granted. Can't beat the view.

On the Cambridge side of the Charles about a mile from home.

20 weeks, 4 days

I'm sure all you runner readers understand what I mean by an "errand run". You know, those runs you can only fit in because you're doing them as transportation to and from other things. Those runs when, sadly, the run itself isn't the main focus. Well, because most businesses don't hold their open hours with my schedule in mind, the only way to get errands done during the weekday is for me to multitask. So, today, I ran from my condo to the gym, cancelled my membership for the time I'll be in China (I'm going to China), ran from the gym to Marathon Sports, picked up desperately needed new Adrenalines, switched shoes, left the old ones at the store, ran from Marathon Sports to Brookline Ballet Studio (my favorite dance studio in the Boston area) to check out any prenatal classes (preggo running mamas: none exist there), ran from there to CVS to pick up more prenatal vitamins, and ran home. Between destinations, I talked to my dad for a few minutes, made 3 work calls, and argued with Harvard Pilgrim (I love armbands and headphones when running - it makes it so much easier to work and run on these types of days). I only had an hour to fit in these errands, so the run itself was only about 3.5 miles. Still, it was a good use of time, the temperature read 49 degrees, and the sun was shining. Can't complain! Now I'm settling in for a long night at the office (a colleague just dropped an unopened box of chocolates on our conference table - the night is looking better and better!).

Run: 3.5 miles

20 weeks, 3 days

Today's run was GORGEOUS! For time reasons, I ran after work. So, I left South Boston at 9:15 pm, ran the first 2 miles along the ocean front, hopped on the train to jump from UMass to Park Street (conveniently bypassing the not-so-safe Dorchester Ave), and then ran home down Commonwealth Street. The trees that line the walkway down Commonwealth were lit up, and the glow of the lights combined with the silence of the city on a weekday night was so peaceful. I had a Beetlejuice moment - feeling like I was inside one of those model towns. It was lovely. Since I was running along city streets, there were no bathrooms at my disposal, so my run was more like a shuffle (I believe I clocked 9:28 pace on one of the miles!!!). But, it felt great to stretch my legs after a day of writing and a night of teaching. Now, I'm showered, fed, and ready to fall asleep to Brad's latest issue of Science.

Pregnancy pluses today:
1) On two separate occasions, somebody held the door open for me. Now, to you Michigan readers, that might not seem like a big deal. But, this is the Northeast! It's a whole other monster.
2) A student carried all my binders and books from my office to our classroom.
3) I ate a cookie at 8:15 am at my desk and didn't feel guilty.

Run: 5 miles

20 weeks, 2 days

Hmm... not a great day for running. I wasn't all that interested in running this morning, but I couldn't tell if the lack of interest was due to tiredness or laziness. About 1.5 miles into my run, I had my answer. I felt like I was running underwater with weights tied to my legs. Since I've decided there is no reason to torture myself throughout this pregnancy, I decided to shuffle home instead of forge onward. Once home, I lifted upper body and called it a day. Now, time to get ready for cooking night with Sara and Christy!

Run: 3 miles
Lifted: Upper

20 weeks, 1 day

Sara, Gretchen, and I ran to the Harvard track to watch USATF-NE indoor championships. The run over to Harvard was a little quicker than I am used to, but it felt fine. Once we got to the track and popped in to see the schedule of events, we headed around the Charles River for a couple more miles. After we watched our teammates rock the mile, we headed back home with Katie in tow. The whole run felt a little quick for me, but it was so wonderful to run with the ladies that I loved every minute. I just hope I didn't slow them down too much!

No weird pregnancy things happening on my run today. Some more RLP, but that is just par for the course these days. I'm guessing my HR hovered closer to 160 than the 140-145 range in which I'm aiming to keep it, but for one run, that's just fine.

Run: 7.3 miles

20 weeks

Today, I substituted a run with a 1.5 hour massage at Isis, which was awesome. It was a present that Brad had given me a few weeks ago that I told myself I'd use at my halfway point - which is today! The massage felt wonderful, especially on my IT band and my hip flexors. I keep hearing and reading that pregnant women get sore backs, and I'm sure I'll experience that over the next few months, but so far, my back has been totally fine.

Day off

19 weeks, 6 days

Got in an early 4.5 miles before work. One of my favorite views is from the BU bridge, looking at the city as the sun rises. It's just lovely. I was feeling a bit clunky, likely because it was before 6 am and I'm carrying a small child, so the well timed comment from a fellow runner, "you look beautiful today", was very appreciated.

Run: 4.5 miles

19 weeks, 5 days

Well, today was a bit of a bummer of an exercise day! I had to stay at work a little later than anticipated, meaning that I missed my 6 pm Capoeira class. Since I got home at about 7, I needed to meet Luke for dinner at 8 pm, and, in between, I needed to get a house key to my friend, Chris, who was spending the night, I only got in about 3 miles of running. It was a great night to run too - raining, not too cold, etc, but 3 was all I could fit in. So, that was a bit of a bust, but I had a fun night regardless.

Run: 3 miles

19 weeks, 4 days

Whew, today was a busy work day! So busy that I didn't have a chance to workout until 7:30 pm (and then I had to keep it short to get back to work, yikes!). I ran the first 2.5 miles alone around Brookline and met Luke at his apt at 7:30. Then, Luke and I hit the Charles River for a gorgeous starry run along the path heading toward town. The night was so clear and the city looked gorgeous all lit up! No round ligament pain today and no major discomfort. My only pangs were hunger pangs, which I took care of immediately upon arriving back at home. Running with Luke was great - two nights in a row of Luke time. Last night, I got home from work at 10 pm to Luke having made me delicious REAL macaroni and cheese (with truffle oil, yum). What a great Valentine's night.

Run: 6 miles

19 weeks, 3 days

I forgot how much I love morning running. Most of my runs have been mid-morning or later, but today I met Knox for an early run around the BC Reservoir and it was gorgeous and peaceful. The first 2.5 miles were relaxed and then I picked it up a bit for the next 1.5 miles with Knox (by "picked it up", I mean "tried to keep up with Knox"). I was feeling the faster pace once Knox and I parted, so I dropped it back to pre-Knox speed and headed home. I could tell I was a little more tired than usual because I felt myself pushing a bit too hard just to maintain an easy pace around mile 5.5, so I stopped running and walked the last 1.5 home. Pro: I feel more energetic after I run, even if I'm just talking shades of tiredness. Con: I can definitely feel round ligament pain from mile 3-4 onward most days. I keep up the pace if the pain (or, more accurately described, tightness) is subtle, but I stopped today as soon as I started to feel more pressure than usual. I planned to go to yoga class immediately following my run but the unplanned walk home cut into my yoga time!

Run: 5.5 miles
Walk: 1.5 miles

19 weeks, 2 days

Today was a great running day - sunny, not too cold, nice light reflecting off Jamaica Pond... Immediately before running, I did 30 minutes of yoga to stretch out and then headed over to Brookline High School to meet Mary. We enjoyed a gorgeous run around Jamaica Pond and headed back through Olmsted Park back to the high school. I said a quick "hi" to Brad's empty classroom, visited the bathroom for my third bathroom break of the run, and headed back out to finish my run home. I had a little bit of round ligament pain around miles 4-6, but otherwise felt fine, just a bit heavy. I think I'll do yoga after the run next time, rather than immediately before, since I find that my muscles are a little tighter now than when I'm not pregnant. I wonder if it is the added weight of my belly on my quads, or maybe it's just from biking the Newton Hills yesterday, but I definitely have sore quads today, which doesn't usually happen after a day off from running. I ended the day having a Valentine's dinner with Marybeth and Knox, featuring delicious salmon and amazing cookies.

Run: 7.5 miles
Yoga: 30 minutes

Aforementioned amazing cookies from Knox. Sadly, there is only one left!

19 weeks 1 day

So, my intention was for today to be an easy day - a short bike ride and a yoga class. While that is exactly what I did, I wouldn't exactly call it "easy". Sara and I braved 17 degree weather and wicked winds to bike to Knox's house in Newton. While the distance was only 5.5 miles, the weather, hills, and baby made it a little tougher than usual. Up the Newton hills, my knees would hit my baby bump constantly. Now, in the comfort of my own home, I find it funny. At 2 pm, I found it challenging. The ride back to Boston was much more enjoyable - the wind had subsided, my belly was full of delicious dinner (thank you Knox), and Sara and I were actually able to talk to each other without the wind interfering. Sandwiched between the bike trips was a 1.5 hour yoga class at Down Under Yoga. The class was fantastic and I found that I was able to do about 90% of the positions. I had to modify a bit (didn't do the ab sequence), but it was much better than I expected.

Bike: 11 miles
Yoga: 1.5 hrs

Sara and Laura (looking amazing) bundled up ready for the ride back into town

19 weeks

Saturday, Feb 11th entry below:

Despite the snow and cold temperatures, I had the best run of my pregnancy so far, I think. I met Tara at the entrance to Olmsted Park and we hit up Jamaica Pond. Tara, being about 23 weeks pregnant, was the perfect companion for a totally preggo-centered run - meaning that we only talked about baby stuff, peed a combined total of 5 times, and ran at least 1.5 min/mile slower than pre-preggo pace.

Run: 7 miles
Walk: 4 miles

Making the private, public

There is so much mysticism surrounding exercising while pregnant. At least, that's what I've noticed. I ask doctors for their opinions and I get a range of responses, from "you shouldn't exercise at all" to "you should continue your regular exercise regime" to everything in between. When I talk to my athlete friends, I find they struggle with the same mixed messages. So, in an effort to share what works for me, how I'm feeling, and why I'm doing what I'm doing, I plan to document each day's exercising from here until the end of my pregnancy. This blog is not a prescription for what others should do and its certainly written without judgment toward those people who disagree with my methods. It's essentially just a training log made public.

For readers who don't know me, I've been a competitive runner since I was a kid and, barring a few seasons out due to injuries, have been racing on the track, roads, and trails until the last year or so. I believe my last race was a cross country meet back in August, 2011. I also dance, box, and occasionally hit Amory Park for some terribly played (but fun) pick up soccer.

Last October, when I became pregnant, I eased off my running considerably for a couple of months, driven by first trimester nerves. During that time, I only ran a few times a week and lifted maybe once a week. I dialed up my swimming to about 1-2 miles a day and loved my time in the pool. After I successfully got through the first trimester, I realized just how much I missed running and picked it back up again to almost pre-pregnancy vigor. Follow along here to learn about the challenges I face training with a being growing inside me, the excitement of having those great running days, even when it's a challenge to get out the door, and the role that exercise will have on my pregnancy from week 19 onward.