2014 Running...or Not??

So I have news which you may have suspected due to my lack of running-related posts lately.  I am expecting a baby!  I am 16 weeks along, and, thanks to my kids, I hope to have a nice picture with a chalkboard sign each week.  Yes, they are taking turns writing the sign and also taking the pictures!  It's so fun to have kids excited about the baby (with my first 2 only 14 months apart I've never had that before!).  As you can see from my picture, I am showing quite a bit already!  And even though we waited until the first trimester was over to tell people, many already suspected!  They were nice and said, "It's only because you were so tiny to begin with," but..ahem...a few areas grew so much (not just tummy) that it really was easy to tell.

What does this mean for my running?  Well, right now, I am still running but at a much lower intensity and lower miles.  In the first trimester, I was VERY fatigued and had to struggle to just carry on with normal life.  Running helped me feel less nauseous, but I found that it was hard to get motivated to go running.  I relied on the elliptical machine for most workouts.  My weekly "miles" (including these workouts) were around 30-40 miles of 5-6 days of working out.  I usually did 5-6 miles with one longer "run" (sometimes 10-12 miles of elliptical).  All of this was approved by my ObGyn.

Now in the second trimester, I am doing well---gaining weight and feeling MUCH more energy throughout the day.  I can run and feel fine later in the day, so I am trying to run 2-3 times a week and do the elliptical the rest of the days (usually taking a day off to rest).  This is all weather-dependent as we've had some COLD days, and I won't run in that.  Some of my holiday runs were alongside my children as they biked and we tried out our town's new greenway (about a 2.5 mile trip to a playground, a pause there to play, and the repeat trip back), pushing my daughter in the jogging stroller and then continuing the run on my own for a total of 12 miles, and even a very slow trail run with my husband for our New Year's Eve traditional run (done a few days early this year).  Most of my workouts are 5-6 miles on the elliptical still, but today I did get up early and do a run with my running group.  I will miss their company so much when I can no longer keep up with them!

I have never run this far into my pregnancies before.  I am listening to my body and doctor's advice.  My body has supported this pregnancy better than the others before it (I've had low progesterone levels in the past).  My doctor has said that every level of everything they've checked in this pregnancy is "perfect."  I plan to continue taking the running one day at a time.  For awhile there, I was having to pee at least once during a 6 mile run, and that just isn't possible when running with a group in a neighborhood.  So if that becomes an issue, or I don't feel good while running, or anything else, I will transition to other workouts designed for specifically for pregnant women (yoga, pilates, etc.).  But for now, I'm going to enjoy this stage I'm in.

A final word about 2014...I think not being able to run marathons really gets them stuck in your head!  I am excited to train after the baby is born (end of June).  My first marathon back will hopefully be our local Rocket City Marathon, where runners will experience an entirely new course for 2014!  I am excited about it already.