Yesterday we were welcomed back into our local cyclocross family at the Coonamessett Eco Cross Race hosted by International Cycling and Event Services and Corner Cycle Cape Cod Inc. It was so awesome to see our fellow teammates from Cape Cod Sea Sports and friends of C4. This year was a little bit of a different experience for me. Rather than lining up to race with the Category 4 Women, I took the side line to watch, and enjoyed taking on the cyclocross experience from a different angle. As the men raced I ran all over the course in an effort to snap some great shots of Timmy and our friends. It was fun to see Timmy jump on his bike off the couch and have a great race! Cyclocross is such a tough sport that you cant really understand unless you have tried it, but essentially its 40-50 mins of riding (or carrying) your bike through mud, sand, woods and over barriers all while working at a max heart rate. I think many of us would agree that we have such a love-hate relationship with the sport. You line up for your race with the thought "Why the hell do I do this to myself every weekend?!" and finish with the sweet satisfaction of..."I am such a badass, that was fun!" For obvious reasons I have had to take a very different approach to my usual rigorous race and training schedule. I have had to learn to adapt with the my ever changing bump and really listen to my bodies needs. Around week 16 or so, my cyclocross bike was getting uncomfortable because of the position it put me in. The small bump was creating this feeling of ALWAYS needing to pee while I rode and the bent over stance caused pain in my lumbar spine. While some may have suggested I just take the season off from riding, that wasn't an option in my eyes. Getting outside and riding my bike is more than just a workout- It's a form of meditation for me. There is something about just getting outside and riding whatever direction I decide and for however long, that just does my body & my mind so much good! So, when Timmy and I decided that my cyclocross and road bikes were going to have to take a long winter nap, we looked into a few different entry level mountain bikes that I could cruise around on and would allow for me to have more room for my growing bump! After liquidating one of our older CX bikes, we went with the Specialized Rockhopper and I couldn't be happier with it. We have so much fun just heading out and riding around the bike path and trails that are offered around the Cape. Its definitely a ride at a different pace, but it is still so much fun and allows for me to stay active during my pregnancy, which for me is a priority. Staying active during this pregnancy has always been a priority of mine since the beginning. What exercise looks like for me has been a constant shift as my belly grows and my energy levels shift from week to week. But what is most important to me is that I continue to listen to my body and adjust my workouts accordingly so that I can remain active. At 22 weeks pregnant, my body has been craving lots of restorative yoga, bike rides and walks with our dog. My energy has shifted slightly, and I think some of that could be that I am still taking on my usual client schedule and on my feet for most of the day. One of the most important things I could suggest to any mama to be is to listen to your doctor, but your body is ultimately boss. My doctor had told me that I could continue my pre-pregnancy exercise as usual, but before I got pregnant I was training like an athlete, and that just became uncomfortable once I was pregnant. My advice to all mama's-to-be-You’ve got to trust your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. I honestly spent my entire first trimester lying on the couch, watching TV, napping in my car between clients and I ended up losing some of my hard earned muscle... and thats okay. I wasn't going to do anything that didn't make my body feel good. I try not to dwell on my limitations at this point in my life... I am building a human being, a beautiful life force, and that ultimately is more important than any race won or personal record made in the gym. Rather than dwell on my limitations I focus on the movements that I can do and that make me feel good. I seriously can’t walk up a flight of stairs without puffing. It feels as if I’ve just run sprints while holding weights. When I get to the top of a staircase practically out of breath, I can not help but laugh at myself. When I am in the gym now, I do the exercises that feel comfortable for me: dead lifts, squats, kettle bell swings, and resistance bands. Nothing intense, and I use very light weights, with higher reps and more rest in between. And if there are days when I don’t exercise, I know it’s not the end of the world. This has been an absolute beautiful ride and I have enjoyed the constant lessons of slowing down and listening to what my body needs. I will continue to enjoy and share with you guys what exercise looks like for me, and I also look forward to bringing Baby Dow along to Coonamessett Eco Cross next year! xoxo What types of exercise did you do when you were pregnant? What does movement look like for you mama's to be out there? I would love to hear from my readers!
6 Comments
Doug
11/13/2017 02:54:58 pm
Great to see you out there and thanks for the pictures!
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Kat
11/14/2017 03:58:43 am
Happy to be taking some cool shots of you guys! Lots of fun.
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AnnMaire
11/13/2017 04:53:56 pm
What ever happened to Timmy's dog Rowdy?? Used to always see him with Timmy.
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Kat
11/14/2017 03:58:17 am
hey! thanks for stopping by.... You probably havnt seen much of either of them sense labor day. Timmy has been away for work, but rowdy is still doing great!
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AnnMaire
11/14/2017 02:16:24 pm
Oh okay Rowdy is still around then?? A lot of us at my work downtown thought something had happened to him as we have not seen him since the summer and one of my co workers saw on your blog you keep saying dog not dogs. Glad to know he is okay!
AnnMaire
11/14/2017 02:31:44 pm
Sorry it appears my tablet froze when typing my above message last part of it was supposed to say Glad to know he is okay! and we all hope to see him out soon as my coworkers has only seen Koa.
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