Thank you all for your kind words, congratulations, and comments that made me laugh on my previous post. It's an exciting yet nerve wracking time. I am the ultimate worrywart, so I always think about the "what if's" probably too much.
Since pregnancy is pretty much at the forefront right now, not a whole lot else has been happening in my life. To top it off, I have been working 50+ hours a week, so exciting things like a social life, weekend excursions, and general fun have been limited. You know, because drinking = fun. No? (Just kidding Mom and Dad).
As I mentioned in my last post, I have still been running. It's really interesting to deal with the mental aspect of this. Being about a minute per mile slower has been humbling. (And even slower on the treadmill!) Not that I think I was fast to begin with or anything. I leave the Garmin at home quite often. I usually only take it with for my "long runs" which haven't been more than 9.5 miles since September. My pace for those is usually right around 9:20 to 9:30 per mile. I usually take a few breaks for water every 2-3 miles as well.
Interestingly enough, I feel like I can still run fast and push the tempo, but I don't because I know I probably shouldn't. It always makes me wonder what if? There's all these rules out there, but how much do we really know? I feel like exercise and pregnancy is a gray area. You always hear the same rehashed stuff like don't let your heart rate get over 140 bpm. Funny, because I am pretty sure mine is always over that and it was before I was pregnant on easy runs. I hear of many success stories of mama's to be running until their water breaks, so I think the key here is having a receptive and knowledgeable OB/midwife on your side. I feel like it's a broken record to say "listen to your body", but if you are an experienced runner or exerciser in general, you know when you are pushing too hard. (My body actually tells me to eat pizza and lay on the couch all day. Perhaps yours tells you different.)
Speaking of running, I took my growing belly and it's precious contents and hit the road on Sunday for my first pregnant sub-freezing run. It was about 25 degrees with no wind. Perfect. The roads and trails were a bit messy with some slushy and icy spots, so I was extra careful to watch my footing. I've only fallen twice (I think…maybe less) in 15 years of running outside in winter, so I feel pretty sure-footed out there. Still, I won't be taking the risks I used to in the icy, crunchy snow this year.
This weekend also included a lot of much needed organization, purging, re-decorating, and re-arranging. Since Mr. BKL has to be the one to paint the baby's room, we had to get a head start on it. He coaches a winter sport, so his time is even more limited. And by the time that's over, I will probably be too huge and miserable to be of any use to anyone. We chose a neutral color for the walls. I am not big into pastels and don’t want the room to be so baby like, rather, I want it to be more kid friendly so they can grow into it. They are only babies for a short time after all.
Behr Sparkling Apple (src)
To round out this random post, I hope everyone is enjoying the awesome short week. (And if you have to work over the holiday celebrating gluttony, I am sorry for bringing it up again.) I need a day off something fierce. Sorry I’m not sorry I don’t have a Thanksgiving recipe or 500 to share. I will be contributing nothing but a bottle of wine. If I can’t drink it, someone should.
