This was a busy week! My husband and I had our baby shower on Saturday, and spent a good chunk of time getting everything set up on Sunday and Monday. I can’t believe I am finally in the last trimester of my pregnancy, and the shower was the perfect way to celebrate. In full transparency, staying active in the second trimester has been hard at times, but I’ve enjoyed it so much more than being sick in bed like I was throughout my first trimester.
Monday was a holiday off work, and after my morning run, my husband spent the day taking on some projects to get ready for the shower. We picked and hung up some new curtains, got some art framed and hung, and did some much needed cleaning and planning. My mom and grandma also came down from North Carolina, and we had a great dinner downtown. Afterwards, my grandmother spent a couple of nights with us, which my son (and I) absolutely loved.
On Thursday, my mom rented a cabana at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort! Despite having an extremely rainy week, the weather on Thursday was perfect. I worked half the day, and then we headed out to the hill country for the afternoon. The boys and I hung out in the pools, and Enrique convinced my mom to go down a few water slides. We love the JW, and I was really happy to see my family before they flew back to North Carolina over the weekend.
Friday was a blur of working and getting everything set up for the shower. I normally do my longer runs on Saturday mornings, but we still had a few things to get taken care of, and the shower started at 10am, so I decided to bump it to Sunday. Our friends and family spent the morning at our house, eating brunch food, laughing, and making baby predictions. It was so casual and fun, and my husband and I were very touched that so many people drove in from out of town to support us.
We catered Einstein’s bagels (they have the best coffee too) and Potbelly sandwiches. There was exactly one game – a baby bottle beer chug. I’m honestly not a huge fan of the typical baby shower things, and I just wanted to hang out with our friends and eat some yummy food. The shower did not disappoint, and we got so many great gifts for our little baby. I don’t usually play favorites, but one of my friends did knit a baby blanket by hand, and I don’t know how you top that!
After the shower, I spent most of the afternoon relaxing and napping. As much as I loved seeing everyone, I am a classic introvert, and peopling that much for that long was exhausting. I caught the second Fear Street movie on Netflix, and ate my weight in cheese, crackers, and fruit. I am so happy with how the shower went.
Staying Active in the Second Trimester
Staying active in the second trimester was slightly easier for me than the first trimester. Thankfully, my morning sickness resolved, and I had just enough energy to get up and make working out a priority. There are definitely a few things I did in the second trimester that have helped me stay active.
- Build a support crew – Seeing a chiropractor, a pelvic floor specialist, and making sure my doctor knows all the ins and outs of what I’m doing helps keeps things on the rails.
- Have Options – Some days I love getting out of the house and heading to CrossFit during lunch. Other days, the thought of getting dressed and getting in the car is just too much (like on days when I have work and doctors appointments and my husband is working). On those days, I’ve found that it’s really helpful to have some home gym equipment and resources for creating workouts. Some of my favorites: GlowBody PT Youtube workouts, Street Parking WODs, Push Jerk IG.
Related Post: Pregnancy Friendly Cardio
- Get Outside – I feel so much better when I workout outside at least once. Even on days where that means a 45 minute walk before work. There’s just something about being outside your home that helps make the rest of the day feel better.
- Stretch – Admittedly I do not do the best job when it comes to making time to stretch daily; which has some pretty significant consequences when you’re not pregnant. When you’re pregnant, it’s almost non-negotiable. My hips, back, and hamstrings get tight really quickly, and with a changing body, that tightness can be majorly painful. Taking 15 minutes to do some basic Yoga every day has helped make sure my body is able to keep moving comfortably. I love Yoga with Adriene and Pregnancy and Postpartum TV.
- Invest in Shoes – As your weight changes and there is relaxin pumping through your system, your feet can take a beating. Making sure to have comfortable, supportive shoes (possibly in a size larger than pre-pregnancy) can go a long way to preventing swelling and pain.
- Magnesium – It’s so easy to become dehydrated during pregnancy, and all of the hormone and blood flow changes can lead to some crazy leg cramps. For me, that meant charlie horses in the middle of the night that made jump out of bed. Which is not conducive to good sleep and recovery. Recently, my chiropractor recommended a supplement called Calm, which has been a life saver. No more middle of the night calf cramps!
Related Post: Trail Running While Pregnant
This Weeks Workouts
Total Miles: 22 Miles
Total Workouts: 4
How the Run Felt
This week was much better for my running consistency, but I am definitely slowing down. I knew that over time the walking would increase and the running would decrease. On Monday, I still felt like I was recovering from last week, so I decided to do my usual walk/run routine for the first five miles, and then I exclusively walked for the last mile. Tuesday, I woke up to an insane amount of rain, and decided it was absolutely a treadmill morning. Running on the treadmill means my pacing is a little more consistent, but it’s not nearly as fun as running outside.
Thursday and Friday, I incorporated more walking in my running route, and my calves and hips were very appreciative. I’m feeling heavier, and noticing more pressure when I have longer run intervals. I don’t love how long the runs take, but I’m grateful that my body still tolerates consistent movement. I moved my long run this week to Sunday, since I had a brunch time baby shower. For the most part, my runs still feel good, but during this last trimester, I expect that I may need to start reducing the total mileage. One week at a time at this point!
How the WODs Felt
This week was a little bit different for me than most weeks. Monday was a holiday for me, but my husband and I spent most of the afternoon tackling a few projects at our house for the baby shower, instead of working out. Tuesday, the WOD at my box was focused on muscle ups and rope climbs, so I decided to do a modified tribute WOD at my house. The rest of the weeks workouts felt pretty good. I was really surprised that a 115 pound push jerk felt good, but it definitely did.
What I’ve Been Listening
I didn’t listen to anything new this week, since I had a lot of episodes to catch up on after I was sick last week. But I’m still following Algorithm, The Devil Within, and Camp Hell every week!
What Went Well
I’m really happy that we made the time to set up and host our baby shower. It was such a special morning.
What Went Shitty
As much as I’ve accepted that my running will keep evolving, I don’t love it.
Plans to Improve Next Week
Try to be as grateful as possible for every workout in the last trimester.