Eileen Swanson's Tales

>>September 1st, 2010

Wow, time flies for sure! I am already in my 2nd trimester, 4 months pregnant and feeling much better. I feel good, not great yet. I still have nausea and food aversions so I want to tell all of you out there that EVERY pregnancy is different no matter how many books and articles you read. I have a bunch of friends who either just gave birth or are pregnant too and while there are similarities in how we feel, there are huge differences too. For instance, one pregnant woman can feel super hot throughout their entire pregnancy but I shiver after swimming in 72 degree lakes with the air temp at 80. I also have been cold, when it’s below 75 degrees out. I am not sure why, but it’s just the way my body is responding.

I can’t stand to eat foods that I once loved, like chicken, turkey, steamed veggies, or even some yummy breakfast foods. It sounds so odd, I know, but pregnancy really does crazy things to your mind and body. The first trimester was a challenge, as I had to learn to tone it down in everything I do….even on walks with Belle. You are not supposed to get your body temperature above 102 degrees, so on days that we were 100+, I either had to walk really slow while Belle ran way ahead of me or I had to cut our walks super short. I didn’t want to risk getting my body temp up. I had to learn to throw away my competitive spirit when training. This was by far the hardest thing for me. I sometimes found myself timing myself on runs while keeping my HR under 150, and getting excited to see sub 7 min pace. Not necessary, right?! I had to remind myself that it really wasn’t worth pushing myself at this time in my life. It’s not just about me anymore It is about us!!

Another huge change was adjusting the amount of training. While some of my pregant friends worked out day in and day out and felt amazing, I felt sick and ridiculously TIRED throughout the first 3 months. It’s the I just did an Ironman tired, all the time. Imagine that, every single day no matter how much sleep you get!! Yes that is how I felt….and add in the queasy stomach, amazing! HA, seriously though, that is how I felt. I am happy to say that most of this is gone now and I am able to feel a bit more alive. But I am still waiting for that time in pregnancy where women say you feel amazing! Hopefully that is soon to come….

For those of you expecting triathlete moms or thinking of having babies in the future, here is an idea of how much I had to tone down my training. As I said before every one is different, but just wanted to share what I have been up to in terms of workouts. This may seem really low key to alot of you triathletes out there but this is what my body allowed me to do and I listened to it )

Sample Week in my First Trimester:

Monday – walk 3 miles with Belle, Teach 60 min spin class (although I got a sub for 4 weeks when I was feeling reallyt nauseous)

Tuesday – run 4-6 miles sometimes with Running Groups for work, walk Belle 2 miles

Wednesday – swim (no masters as I dont like looking at the clock anymore) on my own 45 -60 mins, walk Belle 2 miles with running groups for work, some core work

Thursday – depending on how I felt, 3 mile run or 4 mile walk with Belle or with a new running group for work

Friday – 3-6 miles of running or walking with Belle again depending on how I was feeling, some core work

Saturday – maybe swim 45 mins and walk a couple of miles (after I work events)

Sunday – SLEEP!! (after working events)

As you can see, I backed way off on swimming. This is my favorite sport, but I was just not into it during my first trimester. I started picking it back up again and hopefully I will fully be into it again soon. I have cycled a bit more now, once a week as I have to for work, since starting my 2nd trimester. I am sure these next couple of months will be awesome and I will pick up more swimming and cycling again )

Cheers to an awesome September!!
E