First Comes Love then Comes…BABY!

(Soon to be Momma and Proud Poppa)

            It has been awhile since my last entry. But things are definitely changing in my life and body for that matter! For those of you who do not know, my husband Levi and I are currently expecting our first child! So far things have been going great. I was lucky enough not to have any morning sickness during the first trimester and I hope things continue as smoothly. I am approximately 18 weeks along now and finally starting to show.

            The biggest change for my life thus far (not counting the bigger numbers on the scale) is my approach to my running and training. Exercising during pregnancy has been proven to be beneficial to both mother and baby and in many cases can make your labor and delivery “easier.” Studies have found that a woman can safely continue exercising while pregnant if she was used to the activity beforehand. For instance, I have been a runner for many years, so running longer distances for me is not something that is going to harm my body. However, I definitely listen to my body and notice I am getting slower and wanting to run less distances.

            I do not necessarily think this is all due to the growing human inside of me (though that does take a lot of energy!). I feel it is my changing state of mind and my focus being on a baby and not my athletic endeavors. For the first time in my life I do not have hard track workouts to look forward to (yes I actually love doing workouts!) or races on the horizon or PR time goals for this year. I now am simply exercising just for health! What a strange concept.

            I know a lot of women who continue exercising at their previous volume (maybe just cutting out competitive racing or workouts) when pregnant but I noticed I have definitely been slacking in this. I think some of it was different for me since I did not start out at my peak level of fitness. I was just recovering from an MCL tear so still hadn’t started doing workouts yet and was just starting to build my mileage back up past the 40s and into the 50s. Right now I am lucky to hit 30 and some weeks 20! But I am o.k. with that. I am adding in other types of workouts, flexibility and strength in the weight room, spinning, and when the weather gets nice probably more swimming and hiking.

            I have a completely different focus this year and I am confident that I will be able to slowly get back to my previous level once the baby is born. I am not giving myself a deadline for this but know to just take it a day at a time. I have zero experience in this department. I have come back from injuries and major surgeries but having a baby is going to be different and I do not want to put added stress on myself to keep some nearly impossible fitness goal while pregnant or worry if it takes me months or even a year to feel normal again!

            I do have several elite running friends who have had babies and are still amazing athletes and moms so I know it can be done and luckily, I have plenty of people to look to for advice. If you had asked me months ago what I envisioned my training volume to be like in the first and second trimesters, believe me, my little naïve brain would have envisioned myself doing a lot more! But every woman and every body is different and the key is to find your balance that keeps you sane, healthy and happy. And right now for me that entails running with friends, going for walks, and taking naps, lots and lots of naps. 

(At my brother John and dear friend Jane's wedding. Being silly. But my belly is starting to show!)

 

Just Fine

(Running around the Arch Loop in Gardiner, MT where I first started running)

            I haven’t written for awhile because I haven’t really had any ideas what to write about so let’s just see what unfolds.

            For an update on my MCL injury that occurred last October I am back to building up my miles, no workouts or racing, just running and I am completely pain free. I saw my PT at the Sports ReactionCenter a couple weeks ago and he tested my knee to see how well it was healed. He gave me a high five and said it looked great! This was very good to hear. My patience and dedication to my rehab paid off and I now have a healthy and strong knee once again. It didn’t even take “that” long.

            When I did start running I built up very slowly, slowly increasing my miles while continuing to cross train. The first week I got about two miles of running…then 4…6…9…45…today I ran 10 miles with a friend which is the longest run since my accident. I have built my “long” run from 6 to 7, to 8, to 9 and now 10 and it felt great!

            It was on this run today that my friend asked me what my racing plans were and if I am o.k. sitting out a season. The indoor track season is now in full swing and I have been watching the University of Washington meets, cheering on my friends and watching people fly! Yes, there is a part of me that wants to throw on my spikes and jump into a race and start competing again because I love it.

            But I love it for a different reason than some might think and this is why I am fine missing a race or even a season or two as I already missed the cross country season. I do not run to see my name at the top of a list. I do not do it for praise. Not for attention, nor glory or fame, contracts or money.

            I run because I truly enjoy the feeling of pushing myself and testing my limits. I love the process of setting goals and striving to achieve them. I could do this day in and day out without anyone knowing or watching. I do not need a crowd to let me know that what I am doing has meaning. I am not looking for approval.

            Perhaps this comes from my growing up in a small town where aside from my siblings I was the only “runner.” We didn’t even have a cross country team. I trained alone. I wasn’t the fastest runner in high school. I never went to Footlocker Nationals. I attended college on mostly an academic scholarship, not an athletic one. I never made it to the NCAA Championships. But this never stopped me from continuing to work hard, knowing I had done my best. You see if I had put my self-worth or valued my running by how others saw me, by how many championships I won, or how I ranked in the Nation, or my athletic “fame,” or how much praise I received I would have quit a long time ago. These things are very subjective and dependent on other people. There is only one person you can control, only one person who at the end of the day knows your heart and that person is you.

            Competing in sports is not a privilege or a right. It can be taken away from you. If your entire identity is wrapped up in this one piece, what happens the day when you are no longer the best? Who will you be then?

            I realize that I have had success in my running. I have made it to the USATF National Championships four times and this past June the Olympic Trials. I have won several races and seen my name listed at the top. But this is not why I do it. I still view myself as the little girl from Gardiner, MT running laps around the Arch Loop for no reason except the challenge, the joy in pushing my body to new limits.

            With all the drug scandal in sports today it is nice to be able to take a step back and reflect on what it truly is about. Why are we doing it? I may never understand how athletes can choose to cheat. My mind could never grasp the concept as to how I could turn my back on a sport I love so much by cheating, after it has already given me so much. But maybe this is because I compete for different reasons, not medals, money or fame.

            So I may be unsure of what my future holds but I know this: I will always strive to do the best that I can in my passions but not for worldly reasons. I may not always have a number on the front of my jersey, or run fast times, or win races but I will still love what I am doing just the same. Nothing can change that.

            So my answer to my friend is, “Yes. Yes I know I will be just fine.”

(The joy of running)

           

           

           

It's a Start

(My little Christmas set up)

             I have started jogging again, albeit slow but it is a start. Six weeks post injury I was walking on my treadmill and I felt the urge to start increasing the speed to see how things felt. Things felt funny. It wasn’t quite time for that impact. The next week I went to the Sports Reaction Center and ran 3 miles on the Alter G. It felt awesome, freeing and like home for me. My PT came in to check on me a couple times and was surprised to see me staring at the blank T.V. screen, no music or anything to occupy the time. For most (and usually me) doing an easy run on a treadmill can be boring and I usually have some form of entertainment to make the time go by faster. But not this time. I was very in tune with how my body was responding. I did not need a distraction from something I have missed doing over the weeks. As I ran I tested my speed limits as wells as my body weight percentages. I was able to run a lot faster than what I could do with all my body weight but boy did it feel good to get those legs turning over again! I am not supposed to run every day and when possible it is best for me to run on the Alter G. But I can only get over to my PT in Bellevue, WA once a week so the other days I will carefully jog on my treadmill.
            Monday was one such day. I started with ¼ mile warm up walk. Then I went into a jog. I told myself I would run 2-3 miles. Well during that first mile I felt bad. Not due to the injury but I was sucking air and things did not feel smooth. I did not think I would last a mile. I decided to watch some T.V. to help distract myself. It worked. After the first mile I started to feel better. My breathing got a little less labored (though my heart rate was slowly rising it did not burn as bad). As I ran I slowly increased the speed. And pretty soon I had ran 5 miles. This was not my intention so I decided I better stop before I ruin a good thing. I walked ¼ mile to cool down. My calves felt a little tight but my knee felt fine.
            Today I spent 30 minutes spinning. Tomorrow I plan to run again. I still haven’t graduated to running outside yet but soon enough I will be out there battling the rain with the rest of you. Right now I do not plan on setting any goals for my indoor season or even put any races on my calendar. If I do I may start to increase my mileage too soon and start to push too hard and end up doing damage. I am so glad I have my husband to continue to keep my grounded and not try too much too soon. He makes sure to pull in the reigns when I start “forgetting” I am still healing. All in all I am very optimistic that everything will heal and I will be back to 100% I just have to be patient and trust God’s plan.

(Thanksgiving 2012 with Levi. I am very thankful for him!)

Running Broken. Being Whole.

(A road in the woods)

            The knee is really coming along well. It has now been just over a month. According to the Doctor I am allowed to start jogging after 6 weeks. That’s only 11 more days! But who’s counting? Right now is the hardest time for recovery because the pain is nearly completely gone, I am moving around normally (without a brace), and it is feeling stronger. But I know right now it is very important that I let my leg heal completely or else I will just set myself back and be out even longer. I can wait another 11 days.

            In my last blog I told you I might share a poem with you and yes, I am going to honor my word…yikes! Levi and I went hunting this weekend. I was able to do a decent amount of hiking Saturday and a little Sunday but it started raining around 11 a.m. Sunday and the slippery jungle terrain would be a bit risky for my knee, plus it was feeling a little sore so I decided to wait in the truck while Levi struck out through the woods in search of food.

            While sitting in the truck I must have been bored because I had the urge to write. I had a pen but no paper…Luckily we had picked up some food at Safeway so I had the receipt. I used the back of it and wrote a couple funny little poems for Levi (no you do not get to hear those) and then one regarding my injury. Enjoy and be kind.

(The original form of my poem, written on the back of a Safeway receipt.)

(11/11/12)        Running Broken Being Whole

                       

                        Winter, cold and dreary in the Pacific Northwest,

                        Has caused me to miss something I like the best.

                        Riding my bike in the pouring rain,

                        I slipped and instantly felt a great deal of pain.

                        Crashing to the pavement,

                        My knee just went.

                        A sudden, “POP!”

                        It gave me quite a shock.

                        I knew right away something was wrong,

                        Already bruised and swollen, that didn’t take long.

                        I couldn’t control the tears as they started to flow.

                        Not for the pain, but as to what I did know.

                        My season was done.

                        I could not run.

                        Frustrated, I had just started my next training block,

                        And was excited to see the fast numbers on the clock.

                        But those times will come at a later date,       

                        When my knee is healed and ready to bear weight.

                        The MRI came without much surprise as the Doctor reads, “MCL torn.”

                        I listen and sigh.

                        Six weeks of rehab and rest.

                        This will definitely be a test.

                        For the girl who is always so eager to put in the miles.

                        But that’s what life is, full of tribulations and trials.

                        I am quite lucky all is needed is rest.

                        No surgery required and for that I am blessed.

                        I was pretty sad and worried at first,

                        But my life continues on, no better no worse.

                        Running does not define me

                        And this you will see,

                        It is a hobby, not my whole life.

                        I am not just a runner but Believer, Sister, Coach, Friend and Wife.

                        My life is so full, I cannot begin to list

                        All the blessings I have, but you get the jist.

                        My happiness is not due to the world with its riches and wealth,

                        But The One who game me all of my gifts including my health.

                        God is The One,

                        He gave us His Son,

                        To die on the cross

                        And for this I am not lost.

                        Jesus Christ is my Savior, he makes life worth living,

                        Good knee, bad knee, sins and all He is so forgiving.

                        And this is the answer why I am so optimistic,

                        As I hear, “Lois, you can’t run, why aren’t you going ballistic?”

                        I put my hope, trust and faith in Him who is risen,

                        And His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.