Heartburn - NO FUN AT ALL

I just rounded the 6 1/2 month mark (or 26 weeks if you will) of pregnancy! I'm feeling amazing despite really noticing now just how awkward some things are becoming.  I continue to ride lots but am choosing much flatter routes now.  I can't believe how slow I am at climbing now and how winded I instantly get.  It's hard to imagine ever returning to competing when I feel like this :) I know my fitness will return but in the mean time, the bike continues to humble me.  I hope I can pedal for another 4 weeks or so before I retire to my cruiser bike for a much more upright position!  The lakes are warming up fast and after about 5mins of swimming the temperature feels warm.  I have to laugh too. When I'm teaching classes and demonstrating a movement to my athletes, I go anaerobic instantly.  What has happened to my fitness - lol!!!

My one complaint (well, the only one that I will verbalize for now) however is the heartburn that I've been having for the past few weeks. I did get it early in my first trimester but managed to deal with it. The burning in my throat is now at another level of irritating me and it seems to be the worst at bedtime.   I also get a really acidic feeling if I eat anytime close to when I exercise.  So for that reason now, my food has to be well planned out so to minimize the heartburn.

Flora thankfully makes a great Ant-Acid product. It's chewable and tastes good.  This seems to settle my heartburn almost instantly. Not laying down while I'm digesting is also helpful.  I did some research too and found out that yeast contributes to heartburn. Wheat (and hence yeast) has for sure crept back into my diet to some degree during pregnancy.  It has never made me feel good which is why it had been so easy to cut out.  I've now cut it out again 100% and WOW, heartburn has not re-appeared.
Co-incidence? I think not.

 

This past weekend we wrapped up a successful 4 day running camp here in Squamish & Whistler. Thanks to my 2 coaches Munny and JF for doing all the "on trail coaching" while I biked where I could and then taught evening sessions on nutrition, gear etc.  It was great to welcome folks from around BC and Alberta to this years camp and show them our playground.

I'm now focused on trying to keep stress levels down and unwind a bit. My body and the baby are telling me that I have got to stop running around 24/7. It's time I listen. I hope that today I turned over a new leaf in this department and will start to find a more Zen Jen :)

26 Weeks Already! REALLY?

I think I need to double check with my midwives this week as to how many weeks into pregnancy I am.  Time is going by way too fast and sometimes I get a bit stunned (in an excited kind of way :) that we are going to be parents in just over 3 months!  WOW - am I ready? I guess you are never ready, it's just something that you do and stumble your way through.  However, where does this notion that "pregnancy is 9 months" come from?  Come on folks, its closer to 10 and I assume there are still lots of incredible change that will be happening to me over the next few weeks.

My energy continues to be great. In fact, if I get 10hrs of sleep a night, I feel amazing.  I still want to go for long bike rides and hikes and now that the lakes are warmer, I'm swimming 2-3x a week.  I am limited though by the physical changes that are occurring. Last week, the crew at CORSA Cycles raised my road bike handles so that my knees wouldn't hit my belly anymore. That has helped.  I now where my Roxy surf suit in the lake instead of my Tri Suit because that certainly isn't about to do up. Both my mountain bikes feel really good and its a toss up between my new Specialized carbon 29er that is ultra light and climbs well versus having a nice cushy ride on my Stump Jumper.  I do find though that anything over 3hrs on the bike gets a bit sore in terms of "sitting on the saddle". I think its the added pressure to the pelvis.  Oh and one other thing that REALLY sucks is how many times an hour I have to go pee. Remind me again NOT to wear my bib shorts while out cycling!

                       

I continue to be humbled though by all my riding partners.  My diaphragm is no longer able to drop and expand like it used to so I am short on breath when we climb.  My friends tell me to quit saying sorry about how slow I am and to start playing "the pregnancy card."  Lol - it's just hard to do and hard on the old ego.  What has been amazing though is feeling the baby start to move now! Incredible!!! In the past 3 days I can actually feel it now on the outside of my stomach.  I bet the little munchkin is in there practicing its run stride or something. It makes me smile.  In fact, I hope the baby is as excited as I am to now be sponsored by Chariot Carriers!  Not only do they make the best baby buggy out there, these units are designed for constant use and active lifestyles.  I cannot wait to resume training by running with my baby and pulling him/her on my bike!  Thankyou Chariot for making products that are going to allow us to return to all the things that we love to do with our baby in tow. 

A winning combination for keeping my back healthy and my feet happy is back to back treatments of chiro and massage. Thanks Garibaldi Active Wellness and SkyHighLifestyles for all you do.  I'm sure noticing the extra weight and often at night my heels are killing me. The low back keeps getting super tight as well.  I'm trying to keep strong by going to classes at my gym and just modifying many movements that don't feel good.  A good stretch session from Kinesio Majo does wonders too.  Is it bad that I can't seem to get myself to a yoga class? I know that pre-natal yoga classes are out there but I just can't seem to sign up for one. Hmmmm.

Work continues to be busy and I need to be much more aware of my stress in the next few months.  This past weekend, we put on Loop the Lakes Trail Race here in Squamish which was a huge success with nearly 200 runners coming to run the great Squamish trails.  Despite having such a solid team of volunteers to help me in every way possible, my stress levels were way too elevated in the days leading up and the baby let me know it!  A sharp pain mid low stomach and a really tight belly told me something wasn't right.  It's so interesting how the baby will actually tell you if they don't like what you are doing. So on that note and not wanting to stress the baby in anyway, I will be starting to tone things down a notch over the next bit for sure. We have our last big event to put on next week, the 4 day Squamish/Whistler Mountain & Trail Running Camp and I've been looking forward to that. I will do more coaching from the bike and letting my other team of pro's be on foot. 

I managed to get away for a few days to Vernon to stay with 2 of my favourite people last week, Andrew and Ginny Sellars. It's been my little getaway to train and catch up on work for a few years now. Nothing more relaxing then being lakeside and having new terrain to play in.  I hope to be back there in June to swim in the gorgeous Okanagan lakes.  Thanks to Mountain Mama for their great line of active pregnancy clothes, I have some key pieces that allow me to feel comfortable as my body changes.  I have been living in the Topanga Fleece Pant and Maternity Tee for walks and hikes lately.  Comfort is so key at this stage in the game!  I also couldn't say no to some time on the Sunshine Coast riding some new trails.  What can I say, I think I was born to move so anything that involves sitting still for to long just isn't my cup of tea!

Onwards, Upwards and Cheers to Baby Growing!

I'm really starting to get into this whole motherhood thing.......

Pacing at Zion – the endings & beginnings of a new chapter!

Hard to believe that today I hit the 5 month mark in my pregnancy!  I’m over half way, my bump seems to be getting larger by the day but my energy levels remain great.  I have just spent the past
week away at the Zion 100mile ultra down in Utah pacing for my dear friend and athlete Mary Betts. 

Reflecting back 1 year ago, I was in a totally different place in my life.  I had traveled down to the Zion 100 to pace my friend Slater Fletcher at his 2^nd place finish and I followed that up with a run across Zion National Park the next day and then a double crossing of the Grand Canyon with my friend/old team mate Matt Hart.  As amazing as that trip was, I was plagued by my adrenal issues and achilles tendonitis – both at the height of causing havoc on my life.  But through some dedicated changes over the past 12 months, it's become apparent that I had made some great progress with my adrenals.  Heck, I was able to get pregnant, something that I don't an unhealthy body would have allowed.

So, back to the present.  I knew prior to leaving for Zion with Mary that this would be my last run.  Post race I would hang up my runners and switch up my exercise more. This is the time to really let my achilles rest and heal with no pressure of an upcoming event anytime soon.  At 5 months pregnant, I wouldn’t pace for just anyone but Mary is a special person in my life and I wanted to re-assure her that she would be successful in achieving her goal.  Not only did Mary finish, she came in 30mins under her goal time and 7^th Female overall!  She both impressed me as a coach and inspired me once again!

I was excited to hit the course with her but I had 2 personal rules that I would follow.  Firstly, if the temperatures were too warm, I wouldn’t run and secondly, if my heart rate went above talking pace I would stop.  Fortunately, I felt amazing out on the race course other then my frequent need to pee (which got overly annoying!)  Anyways, I ran through the night and early into the next morning.  We maintained a steady pace and I loved our small chit chat and running under the stars surrounded by all the super cool Mesa’s. Knowing this would be my last run for a long time, I embraced every hour that went by.  I think I logged just under 70km with her and did take a break at 4am to stretch out my hamstrings and back.   What I noticed was a lot of pain in my lower back, it was just a constant throb and I attribute that to my pelvis shifting about and the pelvic tilt that seems to come with the extra weight of my belly. I wanted to be smart so Mary did 6 miles on her own before I re-joined her around 7am at the next checkpoint.  We enjoyed our last 11miles together and finished up just in time for breakfast!  Congrats to Mary on a mission successful!

I’m thankful for Mountain Mama who has welcomed me onboard as an ambassador for this stage of my life.  They make some great clothing for active pregnant woman and I can’t tell you how sweet it is to have a few new pieces in my wardrobe that actually fit over my stomach and don’t compress me at the waste.  I am living in the Harper Hoodie pullover and fleece pants that they make.  Only a few of my Salomon tops and jackets still fit so thankfully summer is just around the corner.

We said goodbye to Zion (I’m almost most certain I will return there to race in the near future) and flew onto Palm Springs for post race recovery for Mary!  I can handle 34C, no problem!  I enjoyed some great morning rides with Barb Sweeney out on our road bikes followed by pool time in the afternoons with Mary, Barb and fellow “chief of crew” Kay Simpson!

Now that I am home, its back to putting the final touches on the Loop the LakesTrail Race course as race day is quickly approaching (May 25th - have you signed up yet to come run some great Squamish trails???)  I’ve also got a great new carbon Specialized hard tail that has been calling my name!  Biking will be go-to for long as I can and hopefully by then, the lakes will have warmed up.  Besides my cycling jerseys being overly tight now (I usually have to wear one of Norm's) I'm still comfortable in the saddle.  We will see how long that lasts for.

Thanks to everyone who has been reaching out and all you "already mom's" who are offering all sorts of advice and words of wisdom!  It goes a long way!!

The 4 Month Mark & Oranges

It's true what they say, time really does fly by when you are pregnant.  With that said, I can only imagine how fast time goes by as you watch your little one grow.  Hard to believe that I am already over that 4 month mark. I'm having a good time following along in all the books that my sister has given me and learning about the development of the baby along the way.  Talk about an opportunity to learn and a real eye opener.

I have been feeling great as I'm through all that morning sickness crap and now my energy has returned to normal (as in, I can't sit still.) I was happy to learn from my latest blood tests showed healthy iron and adrenal levels.  What a change from last Spring when I was near rock bottom.  I've managed to completely change things around in a very short amount of time. To assist with this, I've been diligently taking my Floradix liquid iron.  I also take a pre-natal vitamin (which has made me throw up several times if I take it on an empty stomach) and another product called Efanatal made by Flora which assists in maintaining good DHA levels for both me and the baby.  I've had the odd bit of heart burn too which was something totally new to me, I don't think I had ever experienced this unpleasant feeling before. I read up on it and quickly stopped laying down after eating.  I also take Flor-Antacid if I need to and that seem to clear things up quickly.  In my smoothies I'm taking Flora's new 7 Sources Oil (3/6/9).  Other then that, I'm starting to return to good clean eating and finding it easier to eat Paleo most of the day.  Sometimes though the body just craves grains so I give in.  Being that I have a gluten intolerance, I have to be really careful or else I end up looking 9 months pregnant and the nasty stomach aches return. Lol - one more reason for me to avoid gluten as I have known for a long time.  After 2 months on a no coffee hiatus due to the smell making me feel sick, I do have the odd de-caf now down at Beans Brackendale!

Cravings? Yes, for the past 2 weeks I have been all about oranges!  Cold, organic oranges are AWESOME. I'm easily eating 3 a day plus orange juice! I always liked oranges but never LOVED them like I do now.  I've also never been a juice drinker at anytime in my life and now, well, I just gotta have it!

The trails in Squamish are in amazing shape and I have been having such a great time on both my mountain bike and road bike.  I pretty much ride everyday and am taking a good break from running.  My achilles flared up in Tofino a few weeks ago from beach walking for hours in my Gum Boots so I've been off my feet and onto the bike.  Thanks to all my friends for all the great rides recently.  Your patience and support on the trails to not have to have a "hammer fest" has been greatly appreciated. I'm loving all the social rides.  Controlling my heart rate on the road bike is much easier and I have accepted that when on the mountain bike, I just settle into my 1 pace and not get stressed out about feeling slow.

I never really thought about the benefits of Chiropractic care and pregnancy in combination but I've gotta say, I'm so impressed with how I am feeling due regualr treatments.  I'm seeing Amber at SkyHighLifestyles twice a week and we continue to make progress, not just on my achilles but on my entire body that has been locked up.  I'm excited to keep up with this as I really believe that it's going to keep me feeling good as my body changes and will help ease the return to competition post pregnancy.  Massage remains as a staple in my life too.  Di Adams and Britt Jonat over at Garibaldi Active Wellness work their magic on me weekly too.  The body is shifting and changing more then I'd like to admit but it's amazing what some of these therapies can do and how great I walk out feeling afterwards!  My next post I will chat more about Hypnosis & Pregnancy as I've been reading up on this and am excited to explore it further.  We have the amazing skill set of Sylvia Raymer here in town to provide it!



Norm and I just enjoyed a great Easter weekend on Haida Gwaii with friends Vanessa and Dave.  So nice to have relaxing play holidays without feeling stressed about having to get training in.  I'm coming to appreciate this more and more and am enjoying the break. The weather was perfect and we got out for several good walks and some SUP.  I quickly fell in love with Haida Gwaii to say the least.  Dave and Vanessa live on a great piece of property on the ocean, talk about perfect therapy for R&R. 

Most of my clothes are getting pretty tight and I find I have to put on Norm's puffy jackets and vests more frequently, especially near the end of the day when my belly gets larger.  Friends have been dropping off clothes, so appreciated!

And lastly, big news in our family when my sister gave birth to her 2nd child last week! I still haven't met Oliver Wiatt yet but am planning a Victoria trip soon!  So excited that our baby will have cousins close in age!

More to come as the weeks roll on......