81 days of 'pull up' pants.....for Mom

When you're pregnant, as your belly grows, so does the excitement......and the level of discomfort.....so you wear a lot of stretchy clothing.  We wear tops that have gathers in the front to allow for our beautiful bellies, and pants - whether they come up over your belly or are just elastic - that you pull up.  Oh how I longed to put on pants that had a zipper and a button, and I thought surely after my beautiful son was born, it wouldn't be too long.....

Well it was 81 days before I had the guts to wear my loose pre-preganancy jeans out in public.  It wasn't pretty (I wore a loose fitting pregnancy shirt so you couldn't really see my middle :) ) and it wasn't comfortable - but I put on my pants, just like everyone else, one leg at a time, and I ZIPPED and BUTTONed them!

Truth be told, I wear yoga pants all day, every day, unless I'm heading out of the house to go somewhere.  I work from home, so stretchy clothing is still very much the norm.  And I have only worn  my non pregnancy wear a few times.  I wear T most everywhere I go, so when I have the pack high around my waist, my tummy hangs over the top of those pants too much for my liking.  So pull-up pants it is, until summer when I can wear my running shorts all day :)

OK, so some tri stuff, since that's what this blog is supposed to be about right?!?!!

I officially signed up for my A race last weekend.  So, it's official, I am doing a Half Ironman distance triathlon September 7th, 600 miles away in my home state of MI.  Still haven't figured out the logistics of how it will work with me, T, and all my tri gear - to include a bike on the car :)  but that's all part of the journey right?  Along with my A race - I knew I wanted to do other races to get me back into the swing of things so I also signed up for 4 other races.

Sprint Triathlon June 1st
Sprint Triathlon June 15th (Dad is doing that race too so that will be a blast!!)
Olympic Triathlon Aug 18th
Half Ironman (70.3 distance) Sept 7th

A very important aspect of triathlon racing is planning.  It probably seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how many tri seasons have been less than optimal, simply, because of lack of planning.  So if you're thinking of doing your first tri or a veteran racer, now is the time to make sure your race schedule is solid.  Some things to think about when planning your race schedule:

• Races make sense in coordination with your A race (later post regarding B and C races) - You want to make sure you have races for trial and error, but you don't want to burn yourself out before your big race.
• Races still have registration space available - Some races are very popular and sell out quickly.  Make sure the races you want to do are still available.
• Logistics of getting to the race are doable - Going to a race in Cabo in Feb sounds like a great idea ( at least for those of us who live where there is still snow/ice on the ground), but how will you get you and your gear there?  And don't forget - that could be a LOT of training indoors before your big race - that's not necessarily bad - but something to think about.  As fun as destination races are, choosing races close to home are fun too as you tend to see familiar faces, you might have a larger cheering section, and it's a little less stress on race morning.
• Does the time frame and time commitment of our training make sense with the rest of what's going on in your life? -  For all races less than an Ironman (IM) distance, I plan for a 20 week training plan.  That doesn't mean that the other 32 weeks of the year you eat donuts and watch *MASH* re-runs, off-season and prep is also a very important time in your training, but it is a time to be focused on the very specific race goals.  For Ironman races I plan for a 24 week training plan.  The main reason for the difference is that 6 months is necessary for IM training, because of the increased distance, but it is also a VERY LONG time to have to be focused - and too long, IMO, when training for distances less than IM.  So you need to ask yourself what is going on in your life during that training period? Are you able to designate time for tri training to be a priority?  That doesn't mean that you can't take a summer vacation with the family, but make sure you allow for time to train during that vacation :)

Some of you may already be into your tri training depending on when your big race is - fantastic!  Some of you may be planning on doing only one race - great!  (I'll make sure to cover how to practice race like scenarios if you're only doing one race, in a following post - if I forget - remind me!!)  I still have a few more weeks to work on off-season goals and prep work - basically losing as much baby weight as I can!

If you don't have any idea what a training plan would look like - http://www.beginnertriathlete.com is a great source - and they have free bike/run/tri training plans for all distances.

One more note:  I tried on (what I plan to be) my race top/shorts....shorts are OK...tri top not so much...I have a little extra on-top this season, so we might have to go with an added bra under the tri top and a loose fitting shirt over the for the bike and the run.  It goes back to planning, planning, planning.  I realize my body will continue to change over the course of the next few months, but it's good to know that I have a plan for my race gear, and I can get work-outs in them now to make sure they're comfortable.  Nothing worse than ill fitting gear on race day.

[A quick muffin recipe I've been making each week for quick/easy snacks]
EZ Banana - Quinoa Muffins (Wheat Free/Dairy Free) -makes 12
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup quinoa flakes (find in hot breakfast cereal section)
2 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas (sometimes I add frozen blueberries if bananas aren't super ripe)
2 eggs (swap for vegan option and recipe is vegan too)

Set oven to 400 degrees.  Grease (I spray with olive oil) muffin pan.  Mix bananas, eggs and honey.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix.  Pour into pan.  Bake 20-25 min.

Not everyone has quinoa flour/flakes in their cupboard - you could use any combination of 'dry' flour to make a cup if not gluten sensitive.

Before and After

Before and After pictures are usually the 'before' I lost the weight to 'after'....but I thought it fitting to post my 'before' pregnancy and the morning of my sons birth - the height of my weight (around 50 lbs difference).....so without further ado....as requested...pictures of my proudest accomplishments :)

Livin North of the 37th Parallel

I know not everyone lives in a northern, arctic climate like us, but if you do, you know how tough it is to enjoy this time of year.  I love winter with the best of 'em; snugly clothes, fireplaces, beautiful snow; it's all great- but this winter I find myself saying 'Enough Already!!' quite a bit.

Having a winter baby has it's pluses and minuses.  T's going to be a blast this summer, hanging out in the pool, going out for runs and rides together - it will be awesome. But when he was born in December?  Not so much. Can't really take him out for a stroll in 20 below weather, or icy conditions. So just after he was born I was relegated to walks - alone - around the block weeks 2-6.  We have a treadmill in the basement where I very well could have walked my 3/4 miles, but at the point it wasn't about the exercise.  It's about that precious fresh air, and Vitamin D ....or so I thought.

You see, when you live above 37 degrees latitude, because of the curvature of the earth, you don't get the precious UVB rays that help our bodies make the Vitamin D that is so good for us physically and emotionally.

"Except during the summer months, the skin makes little if any vitamin D from the sun at latitudes above 37 degrees north (in the United States, the shaded region in the map) or below 37 degrees south of the equator. People who live in these areas are at relatively greater risk for vitamin D deficiency."  [Source Article]

Regardless of where you live, and especially if you live north of the 37th parallel - GET OUTSIDE!

Who cares if you don't get any vitamin D -- Take a supplement.  [I take 10 - 20K IUs, no kidding.  Buy them in the 5 or 10K IU amount so you don't have to take 20 little pills.]

Who cares if it's cold outside -- Dress appropriately.  [If you don't have technical clothing that allows you to exercise outside in the winter months, I highly recommend spending the duckets to get some.  I have one outside 'outfit'.  Thicker running pants that I wear at 20 above and 20 below, 2-3 different weight tops that I sometimes wear all at once if it's cold enough, and a good hat that will let me sweat, iow - not cotton.  They're still a bit tight and hug me in all the wrong places, but they get me outside.  I wash them once a week (usually :) ) and last week I headed to my running group in some very funkified clothing - we ran outside - no one could smell me - and if they could, I promise you they were more happy that I simply showed up then what I smelled like.  By the end of the run we were all sweaty and stinky.]

Who cares if it's icy -- Tread carefully.  If you want to go for a run and have a bit of extra traction, get some Yaktrax.  It's like having little gripdeedoos on your feet.  [Yaktrax] And if it's warm enough for the snow to turn into puddles on your path - run through it - get a soaker - you're feet will warm up if you keep on moving.

I went on a run today in the non-vitamin D providing sun and imagined that I was a ginormous sun sponge and even though I started off the run thinking I would rather be napping, I sucked up energy from the sun and even ran an extra 5 minutes for good measure.

So, suck it Winter - I declare Spring!

Pre, During and Post....Pregnancy that is

Before I was pregnant I had been training for a Ironman distance triathlon and in the best shape of my life.  Fast forward 14 months later and I'm trying to lose enough weight to simply button (not fit into) my 'loose' pre-pregancy jeans.  Don't get me wrong, my little guy is worth every pound gained, but it's still hard.  Finding time, energy, will...it's all at a minimum, and it keeps exercise at the end of a very long to-do list, of which at the very tippy top is SLEEP.

I got pregnant soon after my last race in 2011, but it was not meant to be as we had a miscarriage a few months in.  I had still been swimming, biking, running, lifting through that time, but as anyone who has ever been pregnant can tell you, that first tri-mester you are tired, tired, tired.  So I put on a few lbs before getting pregnant with T.  Then when I got re-pregnant, I went through that lovely tired first trimester again, but I kept swimming, biking, and running as my energy allowed.  I will admit that watching my weight crawl towards (and past) some unseen numbers, got scary at times, but I knew I was eating and working out in a healthy way, so I just let the numbers crawl.

As my belly grew, running became more difficult as my round ligament would be painful enough to set me into a walk.  I saw a chiropractor on a regular basis throughout my pregnancy which helped me extend my running, but eventually, my run/walks turned into walks.   I stopped being able to reach the handlebars on my bike (We have a 'trainer' set up in the basement to allow us to ride our bikes 'stationary'), so biking slowly ebbed out of the training cycle as well.  So I swam, swam and swam some more.  I loved it.  I felt 'normal'.  I even rolled out of bed (literally some days) before work to get to the pool so I could get my swim in.  I became quite popular as folks started recognizing me as the very pregnant woman at the pool and folks kept teasing that one morning I was going to go into labor in the pool! (We did have a water birth, but not at the gym pool :) )

I realized that my pregnant belly wasn't going to go away overnight, but I was a bit surprised at how pregnant I still looked after he was born.  I figured after two weeks, I would be closer to 'normal' and I would kick it into gear.  I gained 40+ lbs at the point T was born (50+ from race weight) and didn't get on a scale until that two-week mark.  Up to this point, I was mostly in bed, eating, drinking, nursing, sleeping, repeat.  I had very strict orders to stay in bed for days after the birth, no stairs for a week, and stairs only once a day for week two.

[Long birth story very very short - We had a home birth with a midwife.  T was born in a tub, in his nursery, it was awesome!  So my midwife's guidance may seem different to some of you compared to mainstream medical advice post-pregnancy.]

The first few days were a haze of wonder, the next two-weeks were a bit harder as we tried to figure out how to take care of this new human that can't do anything for himself.  I know that sounds obvious and funny....but I don't think you realize what that means until you are really in it.  Everyone tells you that 'you're life will never be the same' but no one tells you how HARD it is.  It's hard, it's really really hard. Now T is not a really great sleeper, so everything is magnified by our constant state of sleep deprivation.  But I still had grand visions of starting off with an 'easy' run at two weeks and one day, and back to my six days of exercise per week...yeah right.

After a stern look from my midwife when I told her about the post-pregnancy book camp DVD that I started, I resolved to stick to a walk around the block (3/4 mile) as my exercise for the day for the next four weeks.   I'm glad I took that time, and I wish I would have rested with T even longer.  I wish I could say that I took advantage and took every opportunity to sleep, definitely something I would suggest for all new moms.  I know it sounds cliche to sleep when the baby sleeps, but SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!!

So week six arrives, and I start off the day with my 18 minute (5 of which are warm-up and cool-down mind you) boot camp DVD, seems easy enough.  Got my heart rate up, did some pilates for abs, got some legs in, felt great......and I couldn't walk up the stairs the next day because I was so sore.  Yup, that's right.  Sore from 10 minutes of cardio and 3 minutes of pilates....and I thought I was going to do this every other day?  Maybe I should stick to some run/walks and a few rides instead, and work up to it.  So I started with a plan to work out 6 days a week, start out with 30 min session or walk/runs, rides and sprinkle some abs and strength exercises in.

Fast forward 5 weeks later....It's still a struggle to find the time each day, but I have a great partner that makes sure I get the time even if it's just before bedtime.  On Sundays, if my energy is low, I've been doing an hour of yoga/stretching/sauna just to try to recharge for the week.  I decided on a goal of losing one lb per week and I get on the scale every Saturday, and write down my weight.  So far I'm on track and feeling pretty good.  And I was finally able to join my old group run on Saturday morning.  Yeah!!!  It was warm (above freezing, which for MN is great :) ) and wet, but it was so great to get outside and run with my crew.  My hope is to be able to join them at least once a month.  I spend more time driving back and forth than I do running, but it feels great to be out of the house and back into that sense of community.

There's so much more I want to tell about the last 5 weeks of working out, but I'm sure it will all come out in the weeks to come, and this blog post is already too long :) Soon I'll post a 'Pre, During and Post Race blog :)  We'll get there, I promise.

A bonus recipe treat for those of you short on time - Overnight oatmeal in the crock pot (it's higher in protein than you think):

(Fancy version)
1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
2 cups milk (I used unsweenened almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp gd cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp agave nectar (I used maple syrup)
Put all above ingredients in the crock pot - give it a stir - turn the crock pot on high (covered) for 1 1/2 hours,give it another stir, then turn it off and leave it for the night (covered).  In the morning you have breakfast for the next 4 days!! I usually nuke it for 60 seconds and add nuts and raisins.  I have also made the super EZ version with all water and no spices, just oatmael and water - it works just as well, just less snazzy.  Enjoy!
 

Introduction

My husband and friends have been encouraging me to start a blog about triathlons, training, life and how to balance it all for over a year.  When my son was born, they pressed more, ensuring that I would find my voice as a new mom and triathlete.  I thought, I have 6 weeks off work, I'll just blog in my spare time and get a good start before I have to go back to work.  Perfect.  Little did I know that spare time doesn't exist when you have a newborn.  

My son is 10 weeks old, and I still don't have spare time, but I do think that my realistic view and story of how I get back into racing triathlons will resonate with others.  Whether you're about to be a first time mom, have young children, or children are well out of the house;  Whether you're new to triathlons, seasoned triathlete, or just a mom wanting to know what worked for me, triathlete or not; this blog is for you.  I'll do my best to retrace the last 10 weeks, as I found my path very different from what I expected.

I'll start with my post-pregnancy journey, but also include my past experiences as well.  I've been racing in triathlons for 6 years.  Last year I didn't race at all as I was pregnant, but I trained with my husband as long as I could and enjoyed being a spectator at his races.  I completed an Ironman in September 2011, so yes, I am one of 'those people', and I am a bit addicted to the sport. That being said, I believe that everyone has a different starting place, and everyone has different goals.  My hope is to be able to reach everyone where they are in their life, right now.  If your goal is to walk around the block every day this summer, awesome, get off the couch.

I know that in order to be the best Mom I can be, I need to race.  I love it.  I love training for a goal and completing it when race day is over.  I love that you can still have a successful day even if you don't cross the finish line.  When you set goals just a wee bit past where you think you can go, you find fantastic strength within and grow as a person.  And to officially have my goal out in cyber world for all to see; I plan to race a Half Ironman distance race in September, with some other races sprinkled in before as preparation.  There I said it.  I still haven't paid for the race yet, but admitting to you all is a step in the right direction.  I'm not really sure what this blog will become.  It will evolve as I embark on this new title of Mom AND triathlete. 

I feel I should add a disclaimer for anyone who is thinking of doing their first triathlon - It won't be your last.