Category Archives: Pregnancy

Oh, Baby…

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Yep. The time is drawing near. Of course I haven’t written in awhile because this is supposed to be a running blog and I haven’t been running much at all.

I’m running (probably mostly walking… err waddling) the OK 5k this weekend. It’s one of my favorite races and I’m still the course record holder there after all these years so I plan on showing my face and hopefully making it across the finish line without going into labor! Thankfully it’s only 3 miles so we should be fine (okay, that’s not going to actually happen… although it would make for a good story!)

I did sign up for a training program put together by my high school coach (for after the baby is born and I’m cleared to run). I had already signed up for a half marathon here in Albany this fall, so I think it will be just what I need to get myself motivated again. I’ve been perfectly happy coaching myself for awhile, but I remember how I felt trying to start up running after Emma was born and it was HARD. If it all goes well, and I don’t get kicked out or something, I may continue with it for my Boston training. But… I am getting ahead of myself.

So, honestly I’m not feeling great lately because my stomach has shrunk to a very small size (not my belly, my actual stomach… where the food is supposed to go). I was up all last night feeling sick, so Emmaline and I took a trip to get smoothies this afternoon at a yoga studio/juice bar nearby called All Good Things (which is where the photo above was taken). I think that seems to have helped for now, but I know I’m probably not going to feel 100% again for a few weeks. So, until then I’ll be laying low and snuggling with my little cutie pie (and watching a lot of Pixar movies in the afternoons). If anyone wants to bring me a smoothie, I won’t turn you down.

‘Til next time.

Some baby news (and more)

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Well, first let’s begin with the other news.

My birthday was this past Tuesday, and I was pretty excited to get out on a weeknight for some Mexican food and homemade (by mom) birthday cake. We went to El Loco on Madison Avenue in Albany, and it was surprisingly pretty good for upstate NY Mexican food served by hipsters. We really don’t have many options for Mexican food here (compared to the plethora of authentic Mexican restaurants in Virginia Beach) and it’s my one constant pregnancy craving, so I was quite happy. Afterwards we went back to my sister’s house for some cake, ice cream, and presents.

New age group (I'll let you count the blurry candles to figure out which one...)

New age group (I’ll let you count the candles to figure out which one)

Running has been going pretty well. I ran a 7k race on Super Bowl Sunday (another of the HMRRC Winter Series races) and finished third, behind a fast teenager and my sister Steph. My time was 29:23, which was about a 6:45 average. Since then I’ve done most of my runs on the treadmill. I usually try to run 4 miles during the week (not every day, but most days) and one longer run on the weekends. I have to admit that I’ve taken a break this week (because of a stomach bug and then a bunch of other things that have kept me busy) and am having a hard time getting myself motivated again. The stomach bug seriously knocked my on my butt for awhile and it took me until my birthday to start feeling normal again.

And lastly, since we’re nearing the end of the second trimester already (time is flying)…

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Nine Days

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Nine Days

Bella is enjoying her last few days of being an “only child”. According to my pregnancy app, baby should make her appearance in about 9 days (give or take), which is hard to believe. My doctor does not want me to go past 41 weeks, so that means baby will definitely be here in 16 days, but for some reason lately I’ve been feeling like she might actually come on time.

I’ve been running or run/walking 4 miles almost every day this month. Today I ran the full 4 miles and felt pretty darn good. Of course, this is all relative as I probably average 10 or 11 min miles, but it feels much faster than that.

A few other fun things I learned at my doctor appointment yesterday. The baby has a lot of hair (who knew you could see that on an ultrasound), I could see her practicing her “breathing”, and she’s in the perfect position for delivery already. High five, baby Turner!

Running full-term-style

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This is photo proof of me laying in bed while I type a mini blog post on my iPad.

Baby is full term as of yesterday (that’s 37 weeks of gestating for those who were wondering)… My life consists of laying in bed for far too long, running very slowly, eating, organizing the shit out of my already clean house, and going to doctor appointments. I have been doing an okay job of getting together with friends a few times per week (mostly because I probably won’t see anyone for awhile after the baby is born). Besides that, I’m trying my best to enjoy these last few weeks of relative calm before le bebe storm.

I have been able to keep up with and surpass my August goal of running 1-2 times per week because it has been a little cooler than expected. So, new goal: 3-4 times per week of 4 mile run/waddles. Maybe I’ll time myself for a good laugh! (Sorry to disappoint but there will be no Garmin photos. I’ll take time predictions, though!)

In a funk…

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Sort of. More like, I’m kind of over being pregnant. I miss running. I’m nervous about the pain of labor.

We went to the beach this weekend and the weather was perfect. It had been so oppressive for the past two weeks, that I had barely been outside. Thankfully we got a break in the weather and the weekend was gorgeous.

I know I probably look uncomfortable here, but I promise you I was extremely relaxed.

I know I probably look uncomfortable here, but I promise you I was extremely relaxed.

I had trouble sleeping on Friday night and woke up kind of early. When I let Bella out at 6 am, I noticed how cool it was outside and decided to take her for a run. It had been almost a month since my last run on land, but I took it easy and we ended up going 6 miles!

I’m going to try to run at least once or twice per week until the baby is born, and the rest of my workouts will be in the pool. I’ve been going to the pool 3-4 times per week for about an hour, mostly water running but I have done a few actual swimming workouts just to mix it up.

Yesterday I cleaned out my closet and stored most of my maternity clothes. I haven’t brought in all of my old clothes yet (a lot of them are in storage above our garage), but just looking at some of my normal clothes without elastic waistbands got me excited.

I have also been thinking a lot about what races I will be doing this fall and winter. My biggest goal for the rest of 2013, though, is to get back to running consistently and increasing my training volume. I know exactly what I need to do in order to make this next year a good one, and I already have some big ideas and plans set into motion.

On that note, I need to get to the pool.

oiselle at pool

Summertime and baby plans

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If you haven’t heard… it’s HOT here on the East Coast. Thankfully my sister shared the helpful hint of using baby powder to help with pregnant-lady swamp ass. There are some things women fail to disclose about pregnancy, and this is one of them– summertime is a bitch and you WILL get swamp ass and you WILL feel like crying while walking from your air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned grocery store. I actually did cry TWICE in the past month because I felt so overwhelming hot (and also because I was so mad at myself for being such a crybaby about the heat).

I’ve taken an unplanned hiatus from running. I only totaled 46 running miles in June, and my last run was a 5 miler on June 27th. At the end of June Pete and I went on a trip to a family party in Boston, followed by a short vacation to Maine for a few days, and ending with Fourth of July in New York and my sister Lia’s baby shower.

At Popham Beach State Park in Maine

At Popham Beach State Park in Maine

Goldenrod Kisses (the BEST saltwater taffy) York Beach, Maine

Goldenrod Kisses (the BEST saltwater taffy) York, Maine

While we were staying with my sister Steph at her house I ended up spending a lot of time in the pool, and I instantly realized that it was time to make the switch to pool running. I didn’t plan to stop running, and I will probably try running again before the baby is born, but for now it feels great to be in the pool.

I always feel a little self-conscious about water running because I feel like everyone thinks I can’t swim or something. In high school we used to water run in the lake during cross country season, or I would cross train in our pool during the summer so I never really thought about what a real swimmer would think of me. I tried using one of those flotation belts (so it would be apparent that I was water running and not doggie paddling) when I was injured in college, but it made it way too easy and it’s even more embarrassing to have to wear a giant foam belt (then people REALLY think you can’t swim). I already have people staring at me anyway (there aren’t a lot of pregnant ladies walking around at universities), so I guess I just need to suck it up.

The only other major event around here is that Pete and I completed our childbirth course, and we are officially certified to birth a child.

It's official!

It’s official!

I have also decided to attempt a non-medicated birth, which basically means that I would like to be able to walk around and use various labor positions and breathing techniques rather than go straight for the narcotics and/or epidural. Obviously I am keeping an open mind because you never know what will happen, but after thinking about it for awhile I came to this decision. So there’s that.

I’m officially 34 weeks today, 3 weeks from full term and 6 weeks from my due date. Things are going well overall, the baby is in a good position, nursery is set, hospital bag is packed. Pete and I went to our dentist appointments this morning and my dentist asked me if I was ready to go… and I answered her with a resounding YES. I didn’t even think about it until afterwards, but it’s true. We have a few (boring) details to sort out still, but overall I am ready!

12 weeks (130.0 lbs)

12 weeks (130.0 lbs)

33 weeks (153.4 lbs)

33 weeks (153.4 lbs)

I’m a little slow with the weekly bump shots. I usually forget until it’s almost the next week. Like, I took this one two days ago. Also, I’m up 26.8 lbs in case anyone is keeping count.

Any labor advice you’d like to share? Any books or movies you think are helpful? Or apps?

I swear I’m normal…

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Two blog posts in one day? Who am I?

Well, I’m about to go out of town, and I wanted to get all of these thoughts out my mind and before I forget them.

My friend from work called me to tell me, “I hate you”, after reading my post this morning. I love her honesty, but it made me think that I should probably explain, okay, there was a time that I ran 89 miles per week and 5ks in 16 minutes… so running 89 miles in a month and a 5k in 21 minutes may seem excessive, but TRUST ME it’s not. My doctor and I have had many long conversations about all of this and she is 100% okay with my level of exercise.

The other hot topic at the moment is weight gain. I’ve mentioned before that I was worried about gaining weight and seeing all-time high numbers on the scale, but in truth I’m completely okay with this temporary side effect of creating a human being. Although my weight gain has slowed a little, it’s not something that’s happening on purpose. A random person that I work with (who I have spoken a total of ten words to in four years) commented today that I didn’t look like I was in my third trimester. Well, what the hell is that supposed to mean? I’ve gained almost 20 pounds so far, but I guess she was upset that I don’t look like a giant hippo yet.

So, I dug up a photo I took in the bathroom mirror in mid-February before we started to do official photos every week.

I know I look hot here, try to contain yourself. This was probably at 10 or 11 weeks.

I know I look hot here, try to contain yourself. This was probably at 10 or 11 weeks.

And this one was from this past weekend. Clearly you can see that I’m gaining a healthy amount of weight.

Try to ignore the slight sunburn from the beach (belly hasn't seen much daylight). That was my 27 week photo.

Try to ignore the slight sunburn from the beach (belly hasn’t seen much daylight). That was my 27 week photo.

I’ve been a little tired lately, but other than that I feel pretty darn good. This weekend is my baby shower in New York, and a few hours before that I’ll be running one of my favorite races, the OK 5k (along with my husband, sister, brother-in-law, and 21-month old niece). After that we only have a week of school left!

Pete are I are also headed to Maine in a few weeks to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary, and I guess you could call that our babymoon, whatever the hell that is. I find it annoying when I hear people talk about being pregnant as if they are the only person in the history of the WORLD to be pregnant, so I digress. Also, I know I’m not normal, and the title of this post is intended to be taken lightly as is everything else I write.

What’s your favorite race? Do you have any fun vacation plans for the summer? Any ideas of what we should do in Maine?

The countdown is on…

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The countdown is on...

Countdown until last day of school= 10 days
Countdown until baby= 86 days

May was a pretty good running month! I have to say that when I pictured my activity level months ago and what I would be able to do, I definitely didn’t see a 21 minute 5k and 10 mile runs happening. I figured I’d be doing 3 mile runs at most by now. The weather has been on my side this spring (although lately it’s been stifling).
As of last week, baby and I are officially in the third trimester! I ran a total of 89 miles this month, with 4 10 mile long runs, and several 5-6 mile runs on other days. I was hoping to hit 100 miles, but the recent heat turned some of my runs into walks or rest days. Thankfully school is almost done, so I’ll be able to run a few miles in the mornings for most of the summer instead of having to wait until after work.
More detailed post to come on how everything else is going in life (besides running). Pete and I are headed to NY this weekend for my last pregnant race, the OK 5k!

Close to spectacular (or… fantastically well)

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Have you ever had one of those moments where you realize how lucky you really are? I was talking to my dad on the phone yesterday about random topics, mostly about how I’m feeling and what I’ve been up to. Here’s the quick back story: My dad is the youngest of four boys, and he and my Uncle Angelo are only a year apart in age (and both are about 15 years old in maturity, but that’s another story).

Dad

Dad

Uncle Angelo. See what I mean?

Uncle Angelo. See what I mean?

Anyway, they each had three kids, and we spent a lot of time together growing up. By coincidence, four of the six of us are pregnant and due within two months of one another. Christmas will be very exciting this year. And loud.

Back to my point… apparently, things are not going so well for the other three (edited to add: I spoke with one of my cousins on the phone and she is feeling good now, so 2 out of 4 are having a hard time). I was feeling sorry for myself for slowing down in the last few miles of my run yesterday until I heard that my sister and my cousins are having difficult pregnancies. So, I guess I will have to work on appreciating a relatively easy pregnancy thus far.

This past month has been pretty close to spectacular (Outkast reference if anyone got that). I ran 106 miles for the month of April, and finally got out of my weekend-only running rut. The Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run kicked things off nicely, and I’ve been able to complete a 10 mile run every week since, in addition to a few shorter runs. We’ve also been blessed with actual spring weather in Virginia (usually we jump from tights-and-gloves weather to dripping-hot-sports-bra weather).

Weight gain has been holding steady for the past few weeks. I’m at 142.6 currently, up 16 pounds from my starting weight. I’ve only gained 3.5 in the past 6 weeks, despite feeling like I’m constantly eating. I think the extra runs have helped my weight gain slow a bit.

14.5 weeks at 133.0 lbs

14.5 weeks at 133.0 lbs

23.5 weeks at 142.6... Hello bump! Side note: I am loving the Oiselle Winona tank and Game Day shorts.

23.5 weeks at 142.6… Hello bump!

Side note: I am loving the Oiselle Winona tank and Game Day shorts. I ordered up one size (I usually order smalls but went up to mediums) and they are literally perfect maternity running clothes. I have a few different colors, and I sometimes layer with 50/50 tees or a long sleeve if necessary.

So, what’s next? I have two more races planned, the 2nd annual S.M.I.L.E. 5k on May 18, and the Old Kinderhook 5k in Kinderhook, NY on June 8. The former is a race I won last year, a small charity race at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. The latter is one of my favorite 5ks (I happen to be the course record holder too at 16:37), and is also the same day as my baby shower in New York. After that, it’ll be easy easy running until after the baby arrives!

What do you have to be grateful for? You can go ahead and brag, I won’t judge!

Half baked.

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Half baked.

This photo is from the Cherry Blossom expo last weekend. The “race” went well and we had a great weekend in DC. I managed a 7:49 average for 10 miles and kept a “conversation” pace as my doctor prescribed. We also got to meet up with some old friends and some new Oiselle Team friends while we were in town.
Baby Turner is half baked. I’m officially at 20 weeks and a day! I have so many races I want to run after the baby is born that my mind is spinning with all of the possibilities. It’s *almost* like being sidelined with an injury. Maybe that’s why some people run so well after they have a baby.
Unfortunately I’m out for Boston this year (obviously). But… Boston 2014 will hopefully be my big comeback race. Good luck to everyone racing Boston this Monday and safe travels!