Cut Off

Today, I was officially medically cut off from running for the duration of this pregnancy.

And I am heartbroken.

Between the contractions and preterm labor scare last week and the discoveries of my prenatal checkup today, I have been instructed to not do anything strenuous or that has a high oxygen demand. Both of which running is for me.

At my appointment today, the baby measured small, and my doppler on the ultrasound was elevated, meaning there was high blood pressure in the placenta, making it harder for the baby to get blood in and out of the placenta. The low blood flow could be why the baby is small, or it could just be that I grow small babies, like my daughter. Either way, with an existing strain on the blood/oxygen supply, I cannot fuck around.

My doctor is not overly concerned and is having me checked and monitored frequently. She believes the issue will resolve itself over the next couple of weeks, but even if it does, no more running. Too much of a risk, especially with the contractions.

I know it’s what I need to do, but it makes me very unhappy. I have been using running for sanity, fitness, me time, balance for the past few years. This pregnancy has been so rough on me; I don’t want to give up my outlet. But I will. I will just be depressed about it.

I am still registered for two races, which I’ll be walking. I still plan on going to weekly run club, which I’ll be walking. Until I get restricted from that too.

Back at it int he fa

My Slow-Paced (WALKING) Life

I believe the time has come. I believe this baby has decided that I’m done with running.

I went to run club alone this evening, and it did not go well. I was plenty prepared. I had on my maternity support belt; I brought water; I went slow and gentle; I took breaks to walk when I got hot or started to hurt. Yet somewhere past the second mile, it just got bad.

My hips and left sciatic were hurting plenty, but that’s been pretty normal. I can ignore and push through that. However, I felt my belly tightening, and it hurt. It wasn’t that solitary line of ligament pain I had been dealing with; it was the entire uterus. I didn’t have Braxton-Hicks my first pregnancy, but I was sure I was experiencing them the past couple weeks. This was more though.

I didn’t know if it was Braxton-Hicks or cramps. I just knew to stop running. Over two miles from the car, I just started walking. The pain did not really dissipate when I started walking or removed the support belt. I had to sit on the curb for a while. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk back to the car.

Yet I made it and came home to rest on the couch. I was relieved when I could feel the baby moving again and the contractions or cramps finally seemed to fade away.

But message received. Even if I wanted to run through my entire pregnancy, the baby does not seem to agree. This time was strong enough for me to put my addiction aside and listen.

So it will be largely walking for me for the foreseeable future. Less running, shorter distances. Time to focus on finishing growing this child instead.

Running will be waiting for me again in the fall.

Run to the Shrine

“It’s just a hill; get over it.”

Holy shit, their slogan says it all. It was one epic and brutal hill.

At over six months pregnant, we decided to walk it as a family. Mike joined us, and it was my daughter’s first 5K, even if she did ride in the stroller 3 miles out of 3.2

The zoo is one of my daughter’s favorite places, so the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was the perfect place to introduce her to my racing addiction. She had been asking to go running with me for weeks every time I laced up my shoes to leave the house. We even got her some neon running shoes of her own.

The zoo is already a hill; it’s on a mountain after all. However, that was the least of the route. The route continued on past the zoo to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. Usually, the road to the shrine is restricted to only vehicles. I could see why; if it was open to pedestrians, sea-level dwelling tourists would be passed out all over the shoulder.

As we ascended out of the zoo, the shrine hovered above us ominously, at what appeared to be an insurmountable distance, especially in two miles.  I was relieved to be walking, even pushing a stroller, especially with my rounding belly and the ligament pain that persisted even just walking up the hill.

The grade was intense. I believe we climbed 1600 feet in those two miles up through asphalt switchbacks. The views, however, were gorgeous. The mountain scenery of the route, the picturesque looming on the shrine, the miniaturized city spread out below. It was like looking down from the Incline. It was worth it.

It reminded me of Cripple Creek, of course. I believe the grade was steeper than that challenge, but Cripple Creek was definitely longer. Now I have the bug though. Next year, I want to run the Run to the Shrine. The 5K first. I feel the 10K, which starts below the zoo, might be too ambitious. I will have to see how running is going next year. There will be a lot of changes between now and then.

My daughter had a great time, which was the whole point. Both her and her little accomplice (Trisha’s daughter) crossed the finish line. After the race was done, they were all about running back to the zoo. They were energized and excited through the zoo while the three adults were zombies, limbing and half-dead.

Take 5 in the Garden

I finally let it go (insert Elsa hand gesture).

On Saturday, Michelle, Trisha, and I did Take 5 in the Garden. Michelle did the 5k, Trisha and I the 5 mile.

Back before I started this blog, I did a Garden of the Gods run before. Last June, the Garden of the Gods 10-miler 5K was my first race at altitude. And it was brutal. Those hills made me their bitch, but I wogged it out the whole way. So I knew what I was in for coming in, especially adding 2 more miles.

I had talked to my doctor about the belly pain I was experiencing running early in the week. She said it was in fact just ligament pain from where my abdominal muscles were separating. She said I could choose to run through this pain, that it wouldn’t hurt the baby; however, she did recommend switching from running to walking after 20 weeks (I’m at 24). She said the more impact when those muscles are separated, the harder it is for them to come back together. She said she thinks it results in more flabbiness post-partum.

With this in mind, I decided to not abandon running just yet. Instead, I decided to just embrace some walking. When I got the belly pain, I would walk. When I was burnt or overheating, I would walk. When I really wanted to, I would walk.

I let it go.

So I went into this race, knowing the sadistic terrain ahead of me, with this resolve.

I stuck with Trisha. We started jogging the first mile. The first mile is all uphill and the steepest grade of the course. We walked a bit. We jogged down through the second mile until my belly ached. We walked a bit. We started just jogging the down and flat and walking the uphill.

Even with the walking breaks, the route kicked our asses. I was winded and roasting and felt every step in my muscles and feet. It was still work; it was still a workout. It was still a challenge (though Cripple Creek still wins as the most challenging).

However, Garden of the Gods is always the most beautiful. This was the most picturesque race that I’ve done to date. Nothing beats a sea of runners flowing around those jagged red rocks, mountains rising in the background. It was a gorgeous day (which made it hot for running for me), and I felt that euphoria in my surroundings. I didn’t even need the runners high to get there.

For the last mile, I did turn on a bit of striving. I resolved to wog out the remainder. Thankfully, the majority of that was a glorious downhill. The sun was cooking me, but I could see the finish approaching. I could talk myself through it.

I did 5 miles in Garden of the Gods 6 months pregnant. That is enough for me. I had hoped to finish under 1:15, but the more we walked, I was just shooting for 1:30. I finished just over 1:11. Shows how close my normal pace is to brisk walking.

I can run like this. I can let it go to keep going. I figure I’ll keep wogging and jogging in the mix through May, maybe June before it does just become walking.

As long as I keep moving…