It's awesome getting sick while you're pregnant

Can I just say that on top of my extreme fatigue and pee breaks every 30 minutes...I am now suffering from some virus? I am coughing, wheezing and blowing up yellow phelgm and all before we take a nice trip to Monteray.

Why is the world so cruel to do this? It's not like I can go and dope myself with meds because I might hurt the baby. So lucky me, I get to have regular Tylenol. I read that it was ok to take Sudafed, but after my doctor's visit, she said that Sudafed can increase baby's heart rate. So....momma will just have to suffer for the time being to keep baby healthy.

So another symptom of pregnancy is night sweats. So besides waking up several times to pee in the middle of the night, I now wake up drenched in sweat. It also doesn't help now that I am sick. To combat the night sweats, I sleep with a fan next to me and a humidifier next to me to mist me.

I know, I know..this horrible feeling will pass and everything will be a lot rosier in the 2nd trimester.

Weekend Recap

Satuday = 14 mile run

Well, this pregnancy is really starting to affect my runs. My endurance has been completely cut in half. When I hit 8 miles, it felt like I just ran 17. My legs were not tired at all, I was just completely fatigued. I probably should have brought more food with me during my run and I normally pretty bad at that. They say that you need to replenish your caloric intake every 30 min...but I only brought one little packet of sports beans with 100 calories in it.  Anyhoo, I did complete my run followed by a very hearty brunch with my fellow Team In Training runners.

Sunday = lazy, sloth day

That’s right….I was a lazy sloth all day. I got up a few times to move from the bedroom to the couch in the morning. I just felt very nauseous and tired. I did get some energy and decided to be productive and do some laundry and cleaning. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the bath tub when I realize that maybe Comet isn’t so good for me to be inhaling.

I am making the decision to not run the San Jose Half Marathon. This half is just two weeks before my full. There is no point to run it. I only signed up a while ago because I wanted to  PR

Good news is that I am finally craving healthy foods like fruits again.

TGIF

Another week has gone by without a hitch. Tomorrow, I will be officially 6 weeks preggos. This is when the little sweat pea's heartbeat should be beating.

I haven't been as tired as I was earlier this week. I went for a 4 miler on Thursday during my lunch and took it easy. I think the run helped give me some energy back.

I have been feeling more nauseated and so I just drink some Sierra Mist lemon/lime flavor to make it go away.

Since I crave savory comfort foods, this week I have made lasagna, shepherds pie, hummus (it can be comforting) and will try for chicken pot pie this weekend.

We have a nice 14 miler tomorrow morning, so I hope the carbo loading pot luck tonight will give me energy to it.

My Naivety

Today I was taking a look at my company’s maternity leave and at first glance thought it was pretty cool that we get 12 weeks off for maternity leave and sad that it was such little time to bond with the new baby….then my jaw dropped.   It was all UNPAID.

Ok seriously? Rumor has it…babies aren’t cheap. So with me being out of work to take care of our little  sweet pea and living in Silicon Valley, this is going to be some good times I tell ya.

But why? Why on earth is one of the world’s wealthiest country not instituting into law that women have paid maternity leave? Not only do many European countries allow for women to have paid maternity leave with their spouse..but it’s up to 14 months-16 months!

Forbes did a global rundown last year.  It’s both shocking and disturbing.

When it comes to paid maternity leave, the United States is in the postpartum dark ages. 

France, Singapore and Austria all offer four months' paid maternity leave benefits, and Germany offers 14 weeks. In the U.K., a woman receives 90% of her salary for up to a year off with her baby. Swedish mothers hit the jackpot with 480 days off at 80% of their salary, followed by their counterparts in Serbia and Denmark with a full year off at full pay. Even in Gambia, Somalia and Vietnam new mothers receive at least three months' paid maternity leave.

Track Workout: Mile Repeats

My appetite has a mind of it's own. I don't get that hungry for breakfast, in fact, after 2 pieces of toast I feel nauseated. However, come lunch time....watch out. It seems to be a trend lately for me to not only eat the lunch I brought, but also have 2 bowls of cereal afterward as well. I don't think that I will be the next poster child for Special K the way I am going.

I just wanted to sleep the whole day, but I forced myself to go to track. I figured that I had a great run last Tues at track and that I could get my 2nd wind again. Umm..not the case. The mile warm-up was brutal and I only lasted 2 laps around the track before heading home. I don’t know what I was thinking to even go that night. It was sad seeing all my teammates run at the speed that I used to. I did get the chance to tell some teammates of my situation and they were all thrilled. I kinda had no choice because I seriously looked like Shamu’s younger sister.
I got home, devoured some lasagna that I made the previous night and crashed at 9:00.

Weekend Recap

This is a combo blog from this weekend and today. I didn’t get the chance to write, not that I didn’t have the time, but I was just too tired to do so. That’s all I am now..tired. I used to do my hair and look nice and presentable for work, now…I will just try to cover the pimples with concealer and stick my wet, showered hair in a pony tail.

This Saturday we ran a nice 6 miles. I was apprehensive on the run because I was running with someone that is fast. But funny thing is, she that my pace was fast. We did slow it down around the 2^nd half and we did walk as well. I actually told her about my situation, so it made for a great conversation for the run…plus…I didn’t want to feel bad if I wanted to slow down.

Saturday night, I was finally able to tell my parents about the good news. We called everyone on his side to tell them as well. Even though the little being is the size of an apple seed, It’s starting to feel real.

Sunday..ah…Sunday. I had all good intentions of going to the gym, lifting some weights…and heading to Costco. Well, after waking up at 8:30 after a 9 hour sleep, I felt like I could sleep some more. Instead of hitting the gym, DH and I played some Lego Harry Potter. Hey, it’s a lazy Sunday isn’t it? We did manage to head to the Asian store to get some groceries and some much needed greasy Chinese food.

Fast forward to today. Again, I had every intention to get up at 6 to hit the gym for weights…but I was way too sleepy. Seriously, I had 8 ½ hours of sleep, which felt like I had only 4. I did manage to hit the treadmill during lunch for 3.5 miles. I was going to run outside, but the forecast said that it would be 82 today. The run wasn’t too bad because I was able to kill time watching Bobby Flay grill some stuff. I did slow it down a few times and it did become a bit painful to run because sensitivity in the chest region.  

Let’s discuss food.  First off, the docs say that a pregnant women should gain about 25-35 lbs. Really? Who are these people? I can probably do that easily the first 3 months. They also say that throughout your pregnancy, you should eat healthy foods high in nutrients. Seriously, healthy foods is the last thing I want. Before I was preggo, I would eat lots of fruits, enjoy a good meal of quinoa and have salads every day for lunch. The way I am eating now….this baby is going to look like a cookie. I have cookies every day..no joke.

Even though I gorge on food that may not be deemed “healthy” I have to say that all the foods I am eating is homemade by us, made from scratch,  or not processed (except for the occasional Cheerios and Special K).  I never liked processed food or anything that contained high fructose corn syrup or an item in the store that had ingredients that you couldn’t pronounce, so just thinking about it makes me want to hurl.

TGIF

So, the past 2 days I have been uber tired. I guess my body is angry at me for pushing too hard on Tuesday night. So, I didn't work out.

This morning, after a good 8 1/2 hour sleep, I got up and hit the gym for 30 min on the elipitcal. I must say, I do have a lot more energy in the morning. I was planning on doing weight training during lunch or after work, but I just don't have the energy to do so. I guess this is how it's going to have to be from now on...only able to workout once a day. Argh..the adjustments to make. 

Yesterday we had a nice work outing at the beach and because I can't have deli meat, I was looking for some vegetarian sandwiches. A coworker asked if I was a vegetarian and since I didn't think that one through...I lied and said "kinda". So, I have been able to lie my way out of not drinking alcoholic beverages, that deli meat conundrum almost got me. I can't wait until this trimester is over so that I can finally start telling people.  Until then, people will just think that I have just over-indulged and put on the pounds.

No signs of morning sickness, knock on wood, and I don't have Wolverine's super mutant strength of smell either. Yet, I am still blessed with fatigue, the need for frequent potty breaks, and bloatedness. Ahh....life is good.

Track workouts...means speed workouts.

So I was a bit apprehensive about going to track tonight. Even though I feel fine except for the fatigue, I was afraid to hurt the little being inside of me. I sucked it up and went anyway.
I had a bad run yesterday at lunch and wondered if this is as good as it is going to get being pregnant and all. I was supposed to do 4 miles but cut it to 3 and walked most of it because I was so tired.
Wow..what a difference a day makes. We did ladders drills at track and I had no idea where my energy came from. I seriously wanted to skip the workout tonight because I was so sluggish. So my times are good considering my fatigue. I know that I am capable of better times when I am not all preggars.

400/ 9:22
400/ 10:15 (supposed to be 800 but I had to use the rest room)
1200/ 10:24
1200/ 10:12
800/ 9:41
400/ 8:26

 So, I have yet to let the coach know about my pregnancy because I think that it would be all weird to tell her before I tell my parents (which I will be doing in person this weekend). I really can't wait to let people close to me know though. Well, obviously if you are reading this, you know too.
So the wonderful changes that I am experiencing....I seem to have a wonderful bloatedness around my midsection and honestly fear that my clothes are not fitting. I am bummed because I bought a cute new dress a few weeks ago and haven't worn it yet. Since I am not a quitter, I will find a way to squeeze into it.
 The other change that I am experiencing is the need to frequently pee. You see, I normally always consume mass quantanties of tea and always had to pee a lot. So whoopty do right? Well, now, when I have the urge to pee like in the middle of the night.....barely anything comes out. What a waste! If I am to be awaken in the middle of the night to pee...it better be worth my while.
Anyhoo, it's almost 10, which is now my new bedtime.

What are those strange shoes you are wearing??

These are called Vibram FiveFingers. They are supposed to emulate barefoot running. Barefoot running is actually better for you to run as opposed to those clunky expensive cushioned shoes that we were all brainwashed to believe that they are better for you. The human body is pretty neat by designing it in way to allow you to run without all the cushion.

I run in VFFs because I don't want to step on glass and poo. When I ran in my Sauconys with my over pronated flat feet, I would constantly get injuries from my knees, hip flexors and IT band. Now with these VFFs, all of those injuries are gone. I cannot stress enough how much I like and recommend these. Now people wonder, can you run long distances in them? The answer is YES! I actually completed the San Francisco Marathon in these.

If you get the chance, read the book Born to Run. It's a really good book that illustrates how running barefoot is so much better for you. After the book came out, VFFs were constantly sold out. I ordered these online at VibramFiveFinger.com. I actually got measured first at REI to make sure I picked the appropriate pair. 

This version is the KSOs (keep stuff out), which are designed for runners. There not so good on trail runs you do feel all the bumps and rocks. There are VFFs for those though, as well as for yoga, hiking...etc.

So go ahead, get pair. You will see a great improvement in your running.

Monday Funday

I thought that I was going to dread getting up early this morning to hit the gym, but I had a lot of energy due to the fact that I fell asleep at 10 pm last night. So my sleepiness comes and goes, and I really wish that it would go away when I am at work.

I felt nauseous at the gym, but at least I managed to do some weight training for my biceps, triceps and inner thighs. I had a delicious egg and sausage breakfast sandwich from Specialitys which totally gave me back my energy.

My lunch time run that was supposed to be 4 miles, was only 3 today. My ankle is all messed up from the 12 mile trail run on Sat. I also stepped on a very large rock that was very sharp, so I have a nice bruise on the bottom of my foot. These two injuries definitely hindered my performance today.

I am still getting used to the idea that I am going to be a mommy. I am still trying to get used to my clothes feeling snug. I know its normal at even 4 weeks to get the snug feeling because of all the bloatedness. Since I am not showing and I am not telling anyone at work yet..I can just imagine what people will think. Wow...she is really putting on the pounds lately. I will tell a few close coworkers within the next few weeks. Our company outing is this Thur and I already signed up to be the DD. I also passed on some wine and beer at our beer bash on Friday...so I am not sure how much longer I can lie about not drinking.

The workday is almost over. I am looking forward to getting my new tires because a tire fell off my car while I was drive. Yes..it just fell right off. And I can't wait to have a yummy meal consisting of marinated chicken with baked taro fries.

First Entry, The Journey Begins

Ok, so there are two things in life that I am obsessed with.

1. Shoes

2. Full Marathons

I have been running for a little over a year when I caught the marathon bug. I trained for my first Marathon on March 7th. I then ran another one on April 25th, and ran my 3rd on July 25th and I am now training to run a half in Oct 2 and a full on Oct 17.

I know that there are pregnant runners out there and I know that pregnant women have run full marathons as well. I have one more marathon to run this year, and that is the Nike Women's Marathon on Oct 17th. There is no chance in hell I am dropping out of this one because...

A. I don't like to quit.

B. I am running to honor my grandfather.

I am raising money in this marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. On March 19, the day before my wedding, I lost my grandpa from Leukemia. I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to him. He fought courageously throughout his life and I will fight through the pain of running 26.2 miles...and pregnant....to honor his life. If anyone out there wishes to support me on my run because I am still very far from hitting my minimum...feel free to visit my website.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/nikesf10/llyncheurl

Anyhoo, his should be an interesting experience. So, all this week I have been really fatigued. I wasn't sure what was going on because It had already been 2 weeks since my last marathon and I have pretty much recovered. When the test came back positive, I kinda attributed my sleepiness to it. As for the other symptoms...I really don't have any. I already drink water like a fish and have to use the rest room frequently, so that will be nothing new.

My run on Thurs was actually the fastest 5 miles I had ever run at a 9:33 pace so I clearly had enough energy for that. Today however,.....we ran 12 miles on a very steep trail. I seriously felt like this run kicked my butt. I am so tired now and all I want to do is sleep. I wasn't hungry before or during my run. We went out for brunch right after and I didn't even finish my meal...which is strange because I can almost always finish up a yummy eggs Benedict with home fries. So dinner rolls around and we had Malaysian food, and again, I was pretty full when we had a lot of food left.

This is all new to me...being pregnant, be pregnant while training for a marathon...and blogging. I am very excited for this journey!