New Chapter: Gut Check

As age 35 is coming up quickly on the horizon, my priorities in life, triathlon, work have shifted. I have been putting "this" off for years and years... mostly for one race and then another race... and then another goal and then another IM and then partially due to some self confidence issues/self image issues over the fear of getting fat. Overall, mostly for selfish reasons...

I have matured enough to finally realize that there is more important things and bigger things for me in life than triathlon. Although I have been saying I have wanted a family for awhile now-ha- ha -maybe years.... it finally happened. A lot quicker than anticipated of course... first try in fact.... I thought just maybe I could squeeze out another 70.3 and rock my cute betty kit??? The guy upstairs had other plans. For that I am so thankful. Yes my friends in case you haven't figured it out already- I am pregnant.

Gut Check: 8 weeks 

Gut Check:12 weeks 

As of this week I'm already over the 1st trimester. Yay for that! Scott and I had a small scare initially and really thought it would be smarter to keep it quiet. Who likes everyone up your business anyway?So far I have been pretty fortunate with only mild nausea, zero weight gain, and have been continuing to train -swimming, biking, and running, and CrossFitting.

I'm doing no-where near the volume I used to but am working out a total of 8-12 hours a week. I cut back initially to excessive fatigue but feel like I have bounced back in the last few weeks. And yes my pull ups are still there :)

So what I have I learned initially? A lot. I feel like there is still a long road ahead. Here are some big lessons I've learned thus far.

1. Pregnancy does not equal sickness. You can still work out!
One of the biggest thing that amazes me is that our society thinks it's ok for pregnant chicks to chow down on fast food, pizza, and ice cream but yet criticizes those who keep fit. Gaining excessive weight while pregnant seems acceptable or the norm.  I have seen a lot of fit chicks harassed and labeled as selfish or narcissistic.  And beware there are way too many workout myths to keep track of.  I can see how some pregnant gals may simply be scared to get off the couch. Either way I am going to continue to work out and listen to my body.

2. You can still eat healthy!
I was pretty strict no sugar/no grains for the first 8 weeks and fell off a little the past few as my appetite has changed. This week my normal diet has been back on target. Depending on how much nausea you have, this clearly will affect your diet. This is still no excuse to eat daily ice cream and bon bons. Gross. You are feeding your baby that shizit.

3. You can lift heavy things.
Yes-you shouldn't start anything new while you are pregnant. But if you lifted heavy weights before -you can continue to do that. I can't tell you many times already I have been told "Don't lift anything heavy!" I tried so hard not to laugh in one of the doctors faces as I deadlifted almost 200 lbs the day before. As for now, I'm going to continue to train, work out moderately, and listen to my body. And yes I did an AMRAP of the workout below at 8 weeks pregnant. Oops ---there  may have been heavy weights involved.

4. Keeping this a secret for 13 weeks may not have been the best idea. 
Although we told our families a little earlier, not being able to talk about this with friends was very challenging. In fact, it made me feel withdrawn for awhile. In case you were wondering where I have been...

5. Making smaller less ambitious goals will help keep you sane. 
For a type A triathlete who normally has the race season mapped out a year in advance, not having a race calendar to look forward to was down right depressing. So instead, I signed up for a 5k, a half marathon, the Gate River Run, and the CrossFit open. Yes I may not be qualifying for Kona, but I have smaller fitness goals to keep me on the right path. My selfish goals can take a back seat for a few months to create a human :)

And don't worry this will most definitely NOT turn into a pregnancy blog. In fact, I think pregnant chicks are annoying lol...I still do. I just want to share the learning experience with my fellow female athletes. There is still a huge informational gap out there concerning may of these topics. Feel free to email me if you have questions heidilaustin@yahoo.com. As for me, I still have a lot to learn.