Ready to Run

The book that will hopefully give me some good insight into what is good and bad while exercising preggers.

I'm getting the itch to run again.  Pregnancy is fun and all, but as I get things ready for the baby I'm finding that I'm having a hard time waiting for him to get here!  I feel like we have everything in place, well, except for his room, but he at least has a crib already set up and once Shem has some time over spring break we're going to paint his room and hang his new closet doors.

So, I'm having a hard time waiting.  This is worse than waiting for a birthday present because I already know what it is and I just have to wait...I'm not a very patient person I suppose. :)  Because of all of this waiting I've become bored...yes, bored and I have been trying to think of things to do (that I want to do, motivation is a factor here) to keep me happy.

I plan to finish reupholstering the glidder with my MIL.  I've already bought the fabric and now I just need to buy some new foam and we'll be in business.  I'd like to make some swaddling blankets and curtains for his new room as well.  I figure that since I'm not a seasoned seamstress that curtains and simple blankets are a good place to start.

I want to start running again and I plan to make that happen by canceling my gym membership.  Yeah, I know that seems kind of backwards, but we have a treadmill now and I can use it, but I prefer to run outside.  There is nothing like your feet hitting the pavement in rhythmic motion.  No treadmill can compare so Mr. Tready will be my back-up.

Running, for me, since my 1/2 marathon has been non-existent.  It all started with my stupid heart problems when I went to see this crazy maternal-fetal specialist.  We weren't staying pregnant and I was referred to her from my midwifes.  I went to see her and the day I went was 2 weeks after my half.  My heart rate was 41 bps and it was skipping beats.  The nurse and the Dr. freaked out and referred me to a cardiologist to get an EKG done and the same thing showed up.  I then had to wear this heart monitor for 24 hrs.  I was not happy and I was a little scared.  What had I done?  What was wrong with my heart?  Can I still run?  Needless to say, I was freaked out and just stopped running all together.  After my last test in November they determined that my heart is fine.  Lame!  Lame that I was freaked out for nothing and that the stress of being newly pregnant with a possible heart problem got me out of the habit of running.

So I'm now 6 months pregnant and I'm going to run.  Yes I will take it easy and slow and jog, but I need to get my heart rate up!  I loved hiking last weekend and I loved feeling like I was using my body again.  It was amazing!  I can run while pregnant and I will.  Honestly, my only concerns are peeing my pants and maybe feeling a little discomfort as my belly grows.  I've never been one to push myself to extremes when it comes to exercise, so I know that I'll be cautious in the amounts of strain that I put on my body.  I'm so ready for this and it will be a great benefit to me and to Asher. :)

In fact after that hike my legs all last week felt great!  I've been feeling swollen and sore at work, but I think that once I got the fluids running through my body it moved everything around so that it wouldn't collect in my legs.  What a nice feeling!  There is something about your lymph nodes at the tops of your thighs that help to drain fluids...I don't know, but I do know that exercise makes me feel much better.

Here is to running, slowly yet consistently until I just can't move anymore before I have this baby.  Oh, and some yoga sounds nice too.  I need to do some yoga.