Running While Pregnant: Week 24

I'm happy to say that I "graduated" from Physical Therapy on Monday morning. This, sadly, doesn't mean that I'm cured and can hit the pavement. In fact, my PT said to me at least half a dozen times: "You're not going to get cured of this until that baby comes out." This information was usually accompanied by reminders such as "you're not as young as you were last time you had a baby" and "that baby wants to take up all the space he can and its our job to let him" and other such truisms that I, frankly, would like to forget about!

And although "graduation" does not mean "cured", I am now a member of the Independent Aquatics crew at the rehab center. This means that I can go in anytime they are open (6AM - 6:30PM weekdays) and workout in the pool. After the wonderful but exhausting-ly chaotic weekend we had, I did not jump on the chance to head back to the pool at scary o'clock on Tuesday morning. Scott pointed out that on normal days (i.e. when he gets home a little after 5PM) I can go to the pool in the evenings. OR.... after all the daycare darlings are picked up (around 4:30) I can drop our boys off with him at theater rehearsal and get to the pool a little earlier. Afternoon/evening workouts?? What a concept!

So, yesterday, that was the plan. Unfortunately, the weather made the roads "exciting" and when I arrived at the pool, there were no other people in it. And, wisely, there is a buddy system required for using the pool. DARN! This wasn't a surprise but it was a disappointment. It wasn't a completely wasted trip, since I filled out the paper work, paid the fee for 3 months of pool use, got my ID photo taken (gorgeous, natch), and collected my tag that I will need to have "beeped" each time I come to the pool. I returned home a little bummed that my first independent pool session was a bust.

I resolved at that point.that this morning (Thursday) I would get my carcass out of bed and be at the pool at 6AM. And I did. Of course, by the time they unlocked the front door, I got my sweats off and my body into the pool, it was almost 6:10. I had to get on the road by 6:35 so that Scott could be out the door at 6:45. This doesn't make for a terribly lengthy workout so I made the most of it, trying to move "fast" and get my heart rate up.

It's a challenge for me to feel like I'm getting a good workout in at the pool. There's really not much in the way of sweat going on, despite the very cozy temps in the water. I don't breath terribly hard, which I can't explain.

I am doing my best to use the equipment to provide plenty of resistance. I have a regular float belt around my waist. I have ankle weights on my feet. I have aqua-resistance bars in my hands (I can't find a photo of these online... And I can't for the life of me properly describe them beyond that they are big-ish, bright yellow, plastic, with handles). I am tethered to a bar on the side of the pool. And I'm trying to "run." Getting all of these implements together and setting myself up for exercise is quite a sight. I feel a bit like an "I Love Lucy" bit, though I'm pretty sure she never did a PT-in-the-pool episode!

Add a belly and all kinds of equipment and stick her in a pool surrounded by friendly but curious Senior Citizens. And that's me.

In fact, this morning I lost one of the ankle weights to the bottom of the pool and I felt like a total idiot. There's a rule that you're not supposed to swim and you're always supposed to be utilizing a flotation device... but I had to very quickly strip myself of aquatic aids and dive to the bottom of the pool (only 6 feet, thank heavens) and retrieve my lost item. None of my fellow-aqua-cizers said anything and no alarms went off in the pool, so I guess I was okay.

So. I still have some things to learn about using the pool efficiently. I need to get better about maintaining good, "hard" form that will force me to really get a good workout in during my very limited time in the water. I need to learn to tighten the ankle weights more firmly so that they don't drop to the bottom of the pool. I need to maintain my focus getting in and getting out of there so that Scott isn't late to work.

And, maybe, I need to give myself a teeny bit of credit for trying to make this work. Even though I'd rather be running and could easily just throw in the towel until Baby TOP arrives, I'm problem solving and I'm trying. And sometimes Yoda is wrong:

Sometimes, There IS Try, not just Do or Do Not.