Besides my ankle injury, just recently this pregnancy has felt very different than last time. Up until about 34 weeks, I was traveling often and besides minor annoyances, mostly feeling well. These last few weeks have been different. I'm definitely feeling more tired, more achy, more mentally anxious. Maybe because I'm a little older this time around. Maybe because I have more responsibilities overall. Maybe simply because every woman and pregnancy is a different experience.
Physically, I'm up to 179 lbs and haven't gained any weight in 6 weeks. The same week of last pregnancy, I was up to 195. So I'm doing great on that front! And less weight to lose postpartum. But as we know from last time, losing the weight number wise is the "easy part", while healing, endurance, strength, muscle, clothing size...is SO much more difficult.
My sprained ankle is mostly healed but still weak. I tried to run a few hundred meters last week, but it didn't feel good so I stopped. Probably a combination of not using my ankle for so many weeks, the actual sprain, and the pregnancy weight. In other words, running is still not happening until a few weeks after I give birth. Right now my routine has been mostly CrossFit, scaled, but going well. Rob has been helping me with some longer walks as well which is great for getting things into position.
It's difficult to sketch out a recovery plan without knowing the type of labor I'll have. Of course hoping and praying for the best and most healthy for the baby and I. And hoping not to be induced again. As I learned from last recovery, some things will surprise me (the adrenaline, being able to run sooner than expected) and some things will disappoint me (loss of muscle, loss of strength). I'm planning to join a local Box while I'm out of work so I can continue to do CrossFit. Other goals include a few upcoming races in the fall like a Women's 10k in Boston (October 14) and the NYC marathon 5k pre-race (November 2).
Long term, I'm planning to do back-to-back Half marathons in June 2020. I'm sad to be missing my annual Long Island Tough Mudder (right now! happening this weekend!), but looking forward to doing it again in July 2020.
Please keep me in your thoughts over the next few weeks.
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| 55lb Power Cleans @37 weeks |
