Shifting Gears

It’s official! At time of writing this- 18 weeks and 3 days pregnant, I can officially no longer squeeze into any of my skinny jeans… not even when attempting to put them on lying down…with the valiant help of my husband... at least this evidence to him that I need to buy some belly friendly clothes…. His idea of this is just “to buy a nice mumu and wear that for the summer”…

I’m embracing the crazy changes that my body is making to allow this miracle to happen. One might say an appreciation for all of this “extreme morphing”.

Due to the extreme morphing, especially over the last few weeks, I’ve been forced to frequent my osteopath Aunty Kay McPherson, Kay is not really my aunty but she’s been treating me (had her elbow in my glute) since I was 15 so she feels like family. Aunty Kay diagnosed my back ache was a result of my pelvis shifting as the ligaments soften and stretch to make room for the baby. She suggested when I run or any other exercise, to wear a thin brace to support my sacro iliac joint- a joint in the lower back. The ligaments in the sacro iliac joint will take a lot of pressure the more I grow out in front. The brace essentially will help to support the joint under that pressure. And so with the diagnosis and the solution out of the way, Aunty Kay proceeds with what she does best… digs in with her elbows, cracks jokes and makes it all better. Aunty Kay’s comment about labor got me giggling the most… “it’s like getting into a car and trying to get out the exhaust pipe”. Ouch.

Since finding out I am pregnant, training and the reason for training has shifted significantly. Before I was obviously training for performance and results. Now training is all about being healthy, feeling mentally clear and staying physically strong. Training now is also a lot more flexible and relaxed, more so based on how I feel rather than trying to stick to a schedule. Below is a breakdown of a general week of training pre Olympics (in the first half of this year) and a breakdown of exercise in week 17-18 of pregnancy.

PRE OLYMPICS TRAINING:

Monday Am: 50 minute easy run (11km)

Pm: 35 minute easy run with drills and strides at the end

Tuesday am: Track session- 8x1km in 3.10 with 1 minute recovery

Pm: 40 minutes cross trainer with altitude mask plus weights 60 minutes

Wednesday: Am: steady 75 minute run on hilly course (17km)

Pm: 40 minutes gym core exercises

Thursday: am: 2x15minute at threshold pace (3.20 per km) with 1 minute rest

Pm: 40 minutes cross trainer with altitude mask plus weights 60 minutes

Friday: REST

Saturday: hills session- 10x1 minute or 6x 3minutes

Pm: 40 minutes cross trainer with altitude mask plus weights 60 minutes

Sunday am: Long run 1 hour 45minutes (25-27km)

 

WEEK 17-18 OF PREGNANCY

Monday: am: easy 40 minute run (8km) plus 30 minutes spinning on stationary bike

Tuesday: am: easy 50 minute run (10km)

Pm: Pilates- 1 hour

Wednesday- am. easy 60 minute run (12km)

Thursday- am. easy 40 minute run (8km)

Pm: weights- 60 minutes

Friday- am. Easy 50 minute run (10km)

Saturday-  Rest

Sunday- am. Easy 65 minute run (13km)

Pm: Paddle board 45 minutes

I’ve been running a lot of running lately with my friend Belinda, we’ve been running together and friends for about 10 years. Bel is one of the most naturally talented runners I know, she never trains when I’m not at home… so essentially she didn’t run for the first half of this year when I was away in London. Naturally, given her sudden return to running now that I’m home, she’s enjoying the slower “mumma” pace and taking advantage of all of my extra “bladder pressure” toilet stops as well.

Weird cravings this month have included oranges and salt and vinegar anything!... and baby brain is REAL! Very REAL!

Written by Eloise Wellings for Jock Athletic Ezine.