home stretch

I'm well into my third trimester! Home stretch folks. With the little one treating my uterus like a punching bag, I can tell the time for him to get out is nearing. I've got bigger in the belly. There's some mild swelling in the feet. I take the occasional naps.

How do I feel? It's the most asked question at the moment. I feel pretty good though. No back pain yet, but I acknowledge it may come later. No hip pain. No odd tummy dealings. I feel like a rolly polly at times. I have to roll back and forth to get up or push myself out of chairs. A friend gave me a prenatal yoga dvd and I'm pretty sure I owe some of the good feelings to it.

What am I doing in the gym? Still working out. The intensity has gone down quite a bit. Still staying away from max lifts. I can still do pull ups, but muscle ups have been lost. I also mix it up with my PR Fit Club program. Lots of lunges, squats, and triceps dips to go around. I also do the South Side Johnny's Running Club every so often. Keeping in mind all the safety nets my OB gave me, working out has been helping my energy levels stay consistent.

What have I learned? Well, like graduations and weddings, pregnancy is most certainly not about me. It's not about my crazy need to be competitive with myself. It is not about my idea that pushing my own limits is fun. It is not about being neurotic about physical appearance. So what did that leave me with? Not much is left of "me." That might be a bit cruel to say. Perhaps the word "balanced" is better suited for this situation. It hit me pretty early, this was about the little parasite leaching my life force from the womb (I know, cute nickname). Then again, it is all about me being able to provide the healthiest shot at survival for the littlesucker. I have to remind myself that "toning me down" is for something greater than any of those things.

The most concern I see is from fellow female athletes who wonder about the adjustment to being pregnant. It's horrible at first. It sucks to watch other surpass you. It sucks to see people progressing and not be able to cheer by their side. After being submerged in a figure training program, it sucked to know that I wouldn't be getting that look. One might think that the bigger I got, the worse those feelings would be. It's the opposite. The bigger I got, the more the point was driven home - I'm not alone in this and it couldn't be solely about me. If I am to pass along the bad ass genes, I better give the little parasite the best environment to see that through. If I give him what he needs, he will thrive. I may not be an overwhelming force in the gym at the moment and there may be those relishing in that, but you can bet my little parasite will kick your weak sauce's ass. That's how this team rolls.