But here we are:

(Please excuse the dirty mirror…)

I’m back up to 203 lbs, which is 6 pounds up from the low I hit during my first trimester — and is right on track for where my doctor wants me to be at this point.  I’m sure that I’ll start packing on the pounds as I get into the third trimester though.

I’m still getting in some exercise, but I’ve gotten supremely bored with walking.  I was on track and walked 2-3 miles most days of the week for a few months and then couldn’t bring myself to do it anymore.  So I took about a week off…and started back up tonight.

I also bought some prenatal workout videos to add some variety.

The “What to Expect” set has 6 ten-minute workouts that you can mix & match (or do all at once):  3 cardio, 2 strength, 1 stretch/yoga.  The cardio is just enough to get my heart rate up (but not too high) and the strength sessions are much more than I had been doing (read: nothing).  The stretch/yoga is…well, stretching and basic yoga for 10 minutes.  I still need to try the other DVD set.  (And find a prenatal yoga class or video.)

I’m also still taking Restore the Core every Saturday & that’s a great full-body Pilates-based workout.  I’m still amazed that every week is just as hard as the previous week, even after taking class regularly for so many months now.

I haven’t had to modify much yet…I just don’t lay flat on my stomach at all because the bump is starting to get in the way.  And I usually have to drop to my knees if we’re holding plank for more than 30 seconds.  If all goes well, I can keep taking class right up until I go into labor!

I’m also still riding my bike…sometimes.  My center of gravity hasn’t changed yet, so I’m still cleared by my doctor to keep riding.  But I’m a bit afraid to be out on the road.  The thought of getting hit by a car is much scarier when it’s not just me that would be getting hit!  So it’s usually just once a week that I ride, and even then only about 10 miles at a pop.  (SO much different than last year at this time when I was training for a 50 mile mountain bike ride!)

Otherwise it’s life as usual in the Schroder household.  Ryan still does all of the hard work around the house…Dottie is still oblivious to the fact that there’s a baby on the way…and I’m just hanging out.

Hopefully I’ll get another couple of “easy” months before I start getting really uncomfortable.  Fingers Crossed!

My lifestyle has definitely changed a LOT in the past several months.  I had to stop running.  And that lead to cancelling my gym membership, so I’m not spinning anymore.  (Spin class just wasn’t the same without being able to work out at an intense level…and paying $60+ a month for a gym membership just to swim one day a week wasn’t justifiable.)

Basically, this change in lifestyle makes me feel live I’ve been doing absolutely nothing.  No events, no intense workouts, no training schedules.

But I’m definitely still moving.  I’ve been walking (at least 2 miles a day), cycling and doing a fair amount of Pilates.

Most importantly though, I’ve been growing a baby!!!  So in that respect, I feel like I’ve been doing EVERYTHING–prepping the nursery, cleaning up my diet, and trying to stay stress free, shopping…

I’m 23 weeks along already &  I can still barely believe it!

The smallest baby bump ever…at 22.5 weeks…

I’ve been REALLY lucky so far – no morning sickness, no early complications or scares.  Everything is going really well so far.  In fact, I’ve felt so well that it took a very long time for this to “sink in” — I was only barely convinced that this was really happening when I saw the baby on our first ultrasound at 10 weeks.  Even then it was still sort of like “Um….really?  Because I don’t feel any different at all.”  But after two more ultrasounds & starting to feel the baby (finally!) just over a week ago, so it’s definitely starting to sink in now!

I lost 5 pounds during my first trimester just from cleaning up my diet.  And so far I’ve only gained 4 of those pounds back.  My doctor is very happy with that–he wants me to gain a maximum of 15-20 pounds for the entire pregnancy  so I’ve been trying really hard to keep things in check.  (Don’t worry, I’m certainly not “dieting”…I just not using this baby as an excuse to eat everything under the sun.  You don’t want to get me started on my opinion of the whole “but you’re eating for two” comment so many people make when I order broccoli instead of fries or pass on a second piece of cake…)

So, while I may not be training for any running/endurance events anymore, I’m definitely still staying active & there’s a whole heck of a lot going on!

I’m still not sure what all of this means for this blog – I’m not sure I want this to become a solely “baby blog”, and I’m just not sure everyone wants to read about me walking 2 miles a day and taking Pilates classes.  But…stay tuned.

1. I can’t believe how good of a workout I can get by using just this equipment.

For the past 7 weeks I’ve been taking Restore the Core on Monday evenings.  I thought it would get easier the longer I took the class.  But each week is just as hard as the week prior.  And each week we only use our body weight, a resistance band, resistance tube and a Pilates ball!  I an definitely tell a difference in my core strength, so fancy equipment or not, this program is working!

2. I’m finally watching American Horror Story Asylum. 

I watched the first half of Season 1 and then fell off the wagon.  The second half of the first season just seemed pretty dumb.  But after reading Paula’s recaps of the first few episodes of this season, I knew I had to give it another shot.  Boy am I glad I did!  This ish is CRAZY – not necessarily scary, but definitely effing weird.  If you’re not watching it already set your DVR now.

3. I missed weight training and didn’t know it! 

Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp is SO great!  I hadn’t done any real training with weights for months years and this is just what I needed!  I’ve set up a little workout space in my living room (because I may or may not have cancelled my gym membership) with free weights, a bosu ball (best at-home workout purchase EVER) and a stability ball.  I have to scale back the cardio and interval workouts – no running, only walking and cycling – but I really feel like I’m making progress with the strength training!  Coupled with Restore the Core, I really feel like I’m seeing changes in my body.  I’m even feeling brave enough to rock skinny jeans!

4. I may never read a “real” book again.

I had been “iffy” about whether or not I wanted an Ereader for several months, but apparently Ryan knew me better than I knew myself.  He got me a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday!  Best.Gift.Ever.  I’ve read 3 books since I got it in mid-October, which is sort of a record for me seeing as I only read at night before bed. I thought I would miss the feel of reading a real book, but I totally don’t.  And the backlit screen is quite awesome – actually, maybe THAT’s why Ryan got it for me…with the backlit screen I don’t have to keep my bedside light on at night while he’s trying to fall asleep…

5. Going on a bike ride is much more enjoyable than running. 

I may have missed running at first, but I certainly don’t miss it AT ALL right now.  Cycling is much more enjoyable for me.  I may need to spend more time in the saddle to burn as many calories, but I enjoy it a lot more.  Ryan and I are actually planning our first overnight “tour” and I’m more excited about this then I ever was about any road race.  …if only we could get a medal when we get to our destination…

WHAT ABOUT YOU:  Anything in particular on your mind today?  What’s one workout that is much tougher than you originally expected? 

Luckily, FL fared pretty well with no major impact (at least on the Gulf Coast anyway) but we’re seeing super chilly temps and LOTS of wind.  Not that I mind though – we opened our windows for the first times in MONTHS and are enjoying the fresh air.

Sandy did throw a wrench in our plans though…We were supposed to be in Washington, DC from Friday through today…yet we found ourselves back on a plane on Sunday morning. #sadface

The good news is that the most important part of the trip went off without a hitch – Ron ran the 37th Marine Corps Marathon in 4:45:22! 

Not too shabby for someone that just hit the 70-year-old mark back in August.  Congratulations Ron!

We were able to get in some sight-seeing on Saturday & we really had a wonderful time hanging out with my parents. 

The highlight of the sight-seeing part of the trip just might have been the National Museum of American History.

My favorite exhibit was The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem.

(Source)

It was so amazing!  I was moved to tears when I saw it.  I can’t put the experience into words – seriously.  All I can say is that if you ever have the chance, go see it. 

Ryan’s favorite exhibit was The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden because he got to see Abraham Lincoln’s top hat.

(source)

How awesome is it that THAT hat sat on the head of one of the most important Presidents in our country’s history?? 

We did so much walking in the two days we were in DC that my legs were absolutely dead.  Maybe all of the stairs had something to do with it.  Sometimes I forget how few stairs there are in my life.  I thanked my lucky stars every time we got to the Metro stop for our hotel and saw that these bad boys were in working order:

That’s seriously the longest and steepest escalator I’ve ever seen. I got wobbly every time we went up it because it was so effing steep!

While we were super bummed that we had to come home early, we didn’t actually cut our vacation short – we still took our planned vacation days on Monday and Tuesday!  Nothing like a little staycation, right?

It was so nice to sleep in & relax for a little bit and get caught up on chores and errands we overlooked last week.

We even went out to the beach on Monday to catch a sunset!

I’m also happy to report that I’m still on track with my Best Body Bootcamp workouts.  I had to shuffle things around last week and ended up with more cardio/walking than strength training (only got in one of Tina’s prescribed strength sessions, plus Restore the Core), but I still got in 5 workout sessions for the week. So I’m counting it as a “pass”. 

Since I modified the schedule so much last week I’m going to repeat Week 1 before moving on.  It’s weird to be a week behind everyone else, but I think I’ll get more out of it this way. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU:  Have you ever been to Washington DC?  What was the highlight of your trip?

We started out at Animal Kingdom where we got to see the baby gorilla Lilly! She’s the little one just to the right of center Her mom’s on the left.

Lilly is coming up on 3 years old in March 2013 and she’s TOTALLY different than when I first saw her!

Only 3 months old!

The gorillas are my absolute favorite thing to see at Animal Kingdom. I just think they’re absolutely amazing and beautiful creatures. And yes, I agree that zoos are not the best place for animals to be, but if they’re going to be at any zoo, I’m glad it’s Disney.

We hit up all four theme parks in the 2 days were were there. And it just wouldn’t be a trip to Epcot without our customary self-portrait in the garden in England.

It was a super nice weekend & if I didn’t know better, I’d say we walked a marathon while we were there. We were both beat by the time we came home on Sunday. But it was worth it – we had an absolutely fabulous weekend!

And now on to the real business…I’m going to Bootcamp!

(source)

That’s right – I’m participating in Round 3 of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp! I’ve seen some great things about the program Tina put together from several other bloggers, so I figured it’s about time I got in on the action.

I do need to make some modifications to the program – I can’t do intense cardio and I have to switch up the schedule to fit the Restore the Core class I take on Mondays and spin on Wednesday’s.

The main goal of the 8-week program is to have 5 quality workouts and accomplish two health-related goals each week. The idea behind the two goals is to help you focus on creating habits that lead to an overall healthy lifestyle.

My two health-related goals for the program are:

1. Be in bed by 10:30pm on work nights. I’ve been staying up WAY too late on work nights lately, thanks to a newfound Sons of Anarchy obsession and Netflix.
2. Leave work at work. This is my busiest time of year at work & I tend to carry that stress home with me in the evenings. I need to just leave it all in the office and relax in the evenings. All those stressors will be there when I get back in the morning.

I got things started off on the right foot with Restore the Core tonight after work.

It was like a personal training session for me since the other 3 women in the class couldn’t make it. It was intense!

So the good news is that I’m on track so far.

The bad news is that this week is going to be cray cray with a work dinner on Tuesday, a birthday celebration with friends on Wednesday, family coming in from PA on Thursday afternoon and then a flight to DC on Friday morning. Looks like I might need to gear up for some morning workouts this week… #WishMeLuck.

And so we don’t end things on a bad note, here’s my new favorite picture of Dottie.

I love that just her floppy ear and one eye are in focus. She just doesn’t hold still for cameras!

WHAT ABOUT YOU: What’s one health-related goal you’d set for yourself?

Or should I say…here:

Wednesday night spin class has been a favorite of mine for months years now.

Every week I look forward to the class & every week I feel great after class.

Lately though, I’ve been feeling frustrated after class.

It’s just not the same with these heart rate restrictions. I mean, prior to this, I’m sure my HR must have been well-above 175 throughout most of the class.  No bueno.

And now that I’m limited to a maximum heart rate of around 150, I’ve been feeling afraid to push very hard at all…which leaves me with a bit of regret after every class.  Like I haven’t really had a workout at all.

Although I should say, I’ve had a few “freak out” episodes too…you know, the kind where my heart rate is higher than I think it should be & then I get nervous and cause my HR to spike even more?  Yeah, that’s not fun either.

Yesterday was a bit more successful though – I managed to keep my HR right around 135-140 for most of the effort periods of the class, and then recover 10-20 BPM during rest/recovery periods.

And I didn’t freak out when I saw 142 on the heart rate monitor.  I relaxed, and recovered for a minute.  And THAT, my friends, is a step in the right direction.

I’m going to try to repeat this during the next couple weeks & then slowly try to build a bit more intensity.  After all, I’m leaving 10 beats per minute on the table as things are now.

The other thing I realized during class this week?  My hands looked like this:

Apparently even a “regular” salon French manicure makes your hands glow. I seriously thought rave-worthy nails were reserved for acrylic and shellac!  Lesson learned.

Hopefully no one else in class realized I had glow-sticks for fingernails…

WHAT ABOUT YOU:  Have you ever realized you’re taking it a little too easy during workouts? How did you find a balance between “enough” and “too much”?

Well…and I had a long ride planned for Saturday morning!

My friend Caroline and I were planning on going for a long ride together since she’s training for her very first 50 miler in two weeks!  When Caroline discovered there was a Trek Women Breast Cancer Awareness Ride going on at her favorite bike shop (Trek St. Pete) we decided that’s what we’d do – 25 miles for a good cause?  Sign us up!

On Friday evening, Ryan decided he’d join us for the ride – awesome!  We set out for St. Pete after an early breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  That’s when I ran across these:

Gross.  Cinnamon Brooms are one of the only vom-inducing things in my life.  Seriously, whenever I’m near them I get sick to my stomach.

I think it all goes back to a fateful night in college which involved the card game Asshole (please tell me someone else knows about this game…), bottles of Molson Golden and shots of Aftershock. <—What was I thinking?

Maybe these godforsaken brooms are available at Cracker Barrel year round, maybe not.  All I know is that I ran across them on my way out & I couldn’t get away from them fast enough.   

The drive to St. Pete was super easy but I was let down when I realized the rumors of a toll increase were true.  Now each trip across the bridge is $1.25…so instead of digging up a dollar bill, I have to find CHANGE now too.  Blerg.

Anyhow, we got to the bike store, got our goody bags & got ready for the ride. 

We hit the road shortly after 10:00am with a plan to ride 25 miles.

Caroline has clearly mastered the art of self-portraits with scenery.  Seriously, she never misses a shot!

I was relieved when they told us it would be a no-drop ride.  We toured through several neighborhoods in the St. Pete area and eventually made our way out to the pier. 

It was a really nice ride.  There were a few spots where my heart rate got pretty high, but that was usually where there was lots of chaos traffic and people.  It’s pretty stressful to try to get a group of 20 riders through an intersection with a 4-way stop and backed up traffic!  As soon as we’d get out of the congested areas my HR would drop back down – it’s amazing how much anxiety affects me!  

Otherwise, it was a nice easy ride and we averaged about 10.5mph.  One gal rode the whole thing on a beach cruiser – no small feat when everyone else is on skinny tire bikes with gears!

Turned out some people wanted to be back at the store by noon…and they weren’t happy about the slower pace…so we had to cut the ride down to just under 20 miles to get back in time. 

I wasn’t too upset about the shorter distance – it was still the longest I’ve ridden in months by about 8 miles.  Miles are miles, remember?

Thanks to Caroline, I actually have some pictures of me & Ryan! (Because I’m a bad blogger & didn’t take any once we started riding.)

When we all got back to the shop, it was time to raffle off all the goodies we bought tickets for.  Somehow Caroline’s luck rubbed off on me when we both won a pair of thermal riding gloves.  

These gloves will come in super handy this winter since Ryan and I are riding a lot more and are planning our very first cross-Florida tour. (More to come on that soon!)

I also won a seat bag, which I gave away because I already have about 32095 of them. 

The big winner got an absolutely awesome messenger bag/pannier.  Totally jealous.

After all of the festivities Caroline, Ryan and I went to the famous Harvey’s for lunch. Um, it lived up to the hype!  I’ll definitely eat there again when I’m in the St. Pete area. 

All in all, it was a great day:  a good friend, a good cause & a good ride.  Couldn’t really ask for more!

Thanks to Caroline for ALL of the pictures in this post!  …except for the one of my foot…and the cinnamon brooms…

WHAT ABOUT YOU:  What was the highlight of your weekend?

And the winner is…leah o!

Congratulations!  You’ll be getting an email shortly with the information you’ll need to get registered.

Hope you have a great time getting PRETTY MUDDY on November 10th!

• The fact that I can’t run
• The fact that I can’t run and it’s almost racing season in Florida
• The fact that I have to watch my heart rate whenever I work out
• My heart rate monitor
• Walking faster
• Walking farther than the “last time”

All of this obsessing is quite a drag! So tonight I did something different.

I went for a walk…just for the sake of walking. 

I didn’t wear my heart rate monitor.  I didn’t look once at my Garmin.  And I didn’t worry about how fast (or slow) I was going.  I just walked.

I logged a nice & easy 2.10 miles in just over 37 minutes.  That’s a 17:39 average pace.  I’m certainly not breaking any land-speed records for walking.

But you know what?  I actually enjoyed myself.  I enjoyed the scenery as the sun was setting.  I said hello to everyone I saw out on the road.  I stopped to help a lady look for her lost cat.  (Sadly, no dice there.)

I think I’m going to make this a habit – taking “easy” walks without my HRM & without watching my pace.  Hell, I’m only 5 minutes slower per mile than I was when I was running.  And frankly, I’d rather be 5 minutes slower if it means I actually enjoy myself again.  I don’t need to obsess about getting faster now that I’m not able to run anymore.

I’ll still wear my HRM when I’m cycling and during spin classes.  And I’m sure eventually I’ll strap that HRM on and watch my pace while I walk.

But for now I’m going to walk for the sake of walking.  Just to be out there moving.  A mile is a mile.  Movement is movement.  And right now *that* is what I need to be focusing on.

—————

Don’t forget!  Visit THIS POST for a chance to win a free entry for the Pretty Muddy 5k in Tampa on November 10th.  You’ve got until Thursday at 10pm to enter!  And do you want an extra shot at winning?  My pal Caroline is also giving away one free entry!  Head on over to HER POST to increase your chances of getting to run the Pretty Muddy!  She’s announcing a winner sometime on the 10th (Wednesday!) so hurry up and enter!

]]> http://activeeggplant.com/2012/obsessed/feed 2 http://activeeggplant.com/2012/obsessed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Activeeggplant/~3/4C0bpcN8DHA/get-pretty-muddy-giveaway http://activeeggplant.com/2012/get-pretty-muddy-giveaway#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:00:00 +0000 Theresa http://activeeggplant.com/?p=3488 read more →]]> Mud runs are all the rage these days – what with races like the Tough Mudder taking the world by storm.

But there’s something “intimidating” about those races.  I mean, seriously, fire and electric coupled with a 10-13 mile course?  Just a little too intense for this gal.

I’ve tried my hand at “adventure runs” before (recap #1, #2, #3) and had a fairly decent experience but didn’t LOVE them.  Likely because they were on sandy beaches & not real “mud runs” which just look like more fun.

Plus, the series I ran was really a “race series” with prizes awarded to the top finishers at the end of the 3 month race period.  There were lots and lots of “dudes” out on the course (if you know what I mean) and several super fit and fast women.  But not a whole lot of “back of the packers” like me. 

I just never really felt like I belonged out there.

Enter: Pretty Muddy, a brand new women’s only 5k adventure run coming to the Tampa area on November 10th!

The whole idea of the Pretty Muddy event is empowering women.  Encouraging us to get out there, challenge ourselves, have fun and maybe get a bit dirty during the process!  

The 5k course is made up of several obstacles which range from challenging – think walls to climb over, rope ladders and mud crawls – to just plain fun.  Beach ball crawl anyone?

I was stoked when Courtney from Journey of a Dreamer contacted me about partnering with Pretty Muddy!  Her recap of the Chicago event solidified the fact that the Tampa event was something I wanted to do.   

Unfortunately though, I can’t participate this year.  On top of the fact that I’m under those pesky heart rate restrictions (and not quite confident that I can handle an obstacle run right now), I have a conflict on event day:  my mom is flying in to town from PA that morning just as the event is scheduled to start!

So, my loss is your gain:  The Pretty Muddy event organizers gave me an entry to the Tampa Event to GIVE AWAY!

TO ENTER:  Just leave a comment letting me know you want to Get Pretty Muddy! (Or any other comment…it’ll still count as an entry.)

Enter by Thursday October 11th at 10:00pm.  I’ll randomly select a winner using Random.org and the winner will be announced on Friday October 12th!  GOOD LUCK!