"You may be losing fitness but..."

"At least you're gaining weight."
This lovely gem of a quote came from my loving husband. I had just finished swimming laps at the pool when I called to complain to him how tough it was.
Me: "Gosh. It's been months since I last swam. I can't believe how much fitness I've lost"
Loving Husband. "Honey. Think of it this way. You may have lost fitness but don't worry. You've gained weight."
Under normal circumstances this may have warranted a homicidal attack but we are not operating under normal circumstances. What he said is totally true and for a pretty darned good reason. I'm 13 weeks pregnant!



My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

I've already violated several of the things I said I would not do when I'm pregnant.
Rules I've broken:
I will not skip out on workouts.
I will not use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I want.
I refuse to be paranoid and neurotic.

I'm sure there are more but that is all my tired brain can come up with.
I can add using the "pregnancy brain" excuse to the list!

So as a result of eating "whatever I want" aka whatever my nauseated belly craved (very rarely anything healthy), and skipping out on workouts, and being excessively tired, I have lost fitness. But as the first trimester is coming to an end I'm finding my energy levels have improved and my stomach has finally settled. I've enjoyed getting in a few short runs each week and am now adding in a few short swims. I'm hoping to get back on the bike soon too!

Here's to a health filled 2nd trimester!

The Gym and Saving Money

I finally did it. After months of talking about it I cancelled my gym membership.
Now why would a self professed fitness buff get rid of their gym membership?
Frankly. Because I rarely use it.
Despite my best intentions I just never go. When I first started cycling I figured I would use the gym to build my strength for cycling fitness, drop in a few indoor spin classes etc. Then when I was triathlon training I justified the gym membership because I did about 50% of my swim training there. I kept saying that I'd start a strength training routine but with 10-20 hours a week of swim/ bike/ running, I just never got into a good weight lifting schedule. Then with pregnancy plans looming I've told myself I'll get in for Yoga/ Pilates/ or Zoomba classes. Something to make up for my decreased cardio routines.
But let's face it. I just never go. When I do drop into the gym I watch the people like Zombies running on the treadmill and I wonder why they do that when it's a gorgeous 70 degrees outside and you can have fantastic views of your neighborhood, the mountains, etc while you log miles. Standing in line for your turn on the treadmill or Elyptical just seems ridiculous with miles of trails and canals a few yards away. Spin class is fun but I found a spin gym that I enjoy much more so I rarely attend spin at my gym. The pool always feels over/ or under chlorinated and I have to be careful not to show up when the water aerobics classes have taken over the pool. I found that I enjoy the neighborhood park pool much better and the fact that it is outdoors makes it that much better. I've found that when I do workout I enjoy getting outdoors in the glorious Phoenix weather (it's fantastic 7-8 months out of the year) much more then dragging myself to the gym.
So to save $25 bucks a month on something I very rarely use I made the plunge and cancelled the membership.
On a side note, Josh and I are on baby step 3 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. So saving money is a huge priority. Especially with planning for baby expenses.

Running Partners

Where would we be without them?

I have been so very blessed when it comes to having great running buddies. I can't begin to express how grateful I am to each and everyone of them for how much inspiration I get from them and how much joy (aka free therapy) I receive by getting in a few miles with them. Before I found my gang of chicks to run with I despised running, I considered it something I had to suffer through. Now I've learned to enjoy running even when I don't have the gals to chat and gossip with along the way. Gals, you know who you are. I heart you in the biggest way!


This weekend is unfortunately full of work for me but my gals the Cholla Chicks have a huge weekend of trail running. I'm sad I won't be out there to join them but I feel inspired just knowing they're doing it!

And meet my most loyal and cheerful running partner. She has never let me down or stood me up for an early morning run or an after work jog. She is ready to go whenever I lace up my sneaks. She may not look like much but she's good for about 8 miles before she starts to tucker out, which oddly enough is right about
perfect for me!

2011

2011 was a huge year for Josh and I. We raced a ton! We both completed in the entire MBAA mountain bike series with Josh finishing 1st for the Men's Marathon Category and me finishing 4th Place in my Cat 2 women's age group. I ran RAGNAR for the 2nd year in a row. We both raced in our first Xterra off road triathlon. I ran my first half marathon. I spent 4 months training, preparing for and then completing my first half ironman distance triathlon and followed that up with some team mountain bike races and my first ever road race. It was an amazing year! At quick count I competed in over 15 events and my husband did around 30 including his first international mountain bike race where he finished 5th over all!
That year of competition and challenges left me with the impression that with hard work and focus I can push my body to the limits and accomplish anything! It was inspiring and uplifting and amazing.
We're entering the 3rd month of 2012 and my race calendar is empty. Not one race. Even my husband has a pretty dull race season planned.
So why the big change? We both agreed that 2012 is the year to switch our focus from fitness to family planning. I'm a firm believer that fitness and pregnancy can go hand in hand but I'm feeling like I may have to drop the competition aspect out.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope to continue to share our struggles and our triumphs as we try to manage our fit lifestyle and our growing family!