Silverman Documentary from a pregnant view

I was very excited to see the Silverman documentary last night. I wanted to see how the terrain looked, is it as hard as it seems to us that live here, as brutal, as beautiful. The show did not disappoint. It was a really cool look into a very tough race. Izaac, Stef and the other athletes got to relive the race from a spectators perception. I was once again blown away by the horrendous weather at the swim start. It was very cool to see on film and I think a lot of the athletes didn't realize how bad things were for awhile (they were too focused on racing!)

The desert looked beautiful (just as my mind sees it) and equally as desolate and unforgiving. I am in awe of these racers that can overcome not only the physical toughness of this course but also the mental. It is a very solitary bike ride into the vastness of Lake Mead. Nothing but hills and Desert landscape for the majority of the race.

Anyhoo, I'm sitting there, enjoying the movie for about an hour when slowly, the queasiness caught up to me. I think I am getting car sick sitting in a movie theater!! Have you ever been to an Imax theater where you are "in the movie"...like riding a roller coaster or something similar? Well, that's what I felt like. The constant rolling terrain, the rolling of the bike tires, the rolling clouds in the distance... bam! I am getting sicker by the minute. Finally, I had to leave the movie or face major embarrassment by throwing up everywhere. I would like to see it again, maybe on a normal TV, probably when I'm no longer pregnant! It makes me a little quesy just thinking about it :-) That has been an interesting side effect of being preggers...motion sickness. It is something I rarely experience in "normal" life and I am hoping it goes away.

In other pregnancy news, I am very happy to say that the stitch and rest seem to be working and working well! My cervix is lengthening and staying closed which is better than I could have hoped for. I have one more appt next week and if nothing changes, I should be done with the perinatal visits. I will be officially 27 weeks on Sunday. I think that starts my 3rd trimester!? We also have a baby growth scan next week to see how big he is getting. I can tell by my belly that he is getting big! Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes, they have helped!!







Here are some ultrasound pics of the little one.







26 weeks





23 weeks (3d of his feet and hands. so cool!)





26 weeks again





This is one of my favorites! He was 15 weeks. So tiny yet a complete little human :-)


Have a great weekend!

Everything is A-OK

Just a quick update.

The procedure (cerclage) was fine on Monday. No complications other than getting very nauseous and puking from having the spinal anaesthesia. I had a few moments of panic in the OR once it was administered. I firmly believed at that point in time that I would never be able to get this injection again, therefore I was going to have to have the baby naturally. I almost cried at that thought :-). (For the record, I have NEVER thought of having the baby without pain meds & and epidural) I manged to breathe deeply for awhile and get the panic to subside, the remainder of the procedure was fine. The baby was so active all day. This was the most I had felt him move and kick. He apparently didn't like the disruption to his home :-)

Then they moved me from the OR table to the hospital bed and starting pushing me. I lost my cookies then. Well, except I hadn't eaten for 14 hours, but you get the point. Note to self: ask for anit-nausea meds when they do the injection for the epidural.

It is very surreal to not be able to feel or move your legs, and to have other people move them for you while watching! It gave me the creeps to have anyone touch them for hours!

I was finally able to stand & walk with assistance after about 4 hours and thankfully sent home.

Since then I have been laying around taking it easy and will continue this till NEXT thursday when I have my checkup. I should be able to return to work then.

I loved all your comments and needed them. Thank you friends!!!

He's giving me gray hairs already!

It has been an interesting few weeks (actually only one week) in my world. I have debated blogging about it, my mom says it will help to write it out. So here it goes. BTW... this has nothing at all to do with training and everything to do with pregnancy :-)

We have been seeing a perinatalogist (a special baby doctor) for about 10 weeks now because of my "advanced maternal age" (still makes me laugh!). Basically, we had the option of doing some better testing, it was covered by insurance so we jumped at the chance. When we went to that first appointment, I really thought that was the only time we would be there. Boy was I wrong!

I mentioned that I have had continual spotting from day 1 but that everything seemed fine and my OB wasn't concerned. What I soon learned was it is the job of a specialist to be concerned. He suggested that we come in every 3 weeks to make sure everything was ok. What the hell, why not!!?? It was more time to see the little one on an ultrasound. People pay big bucks for that!!

Fast forward to last weeks full anatomy check. Again, i expected to hear only good news and see great pictures. Therefore, I was completely blown away when he said my cervix was shortening and funneling (opening from the inside)! I was instructed to go on restricted activity for a week. This equals the least amount of standing & walking as possible. If I didn't follow the rules, then I have the potential to go on bed rest or worse. WOW!!! Again, stunned. I am only half way.

I was very upset last weekend. Obviously for the thought of delivering too early or loosing the baby but also for the 180 flip my life had taken over the course of one hour.

In an instant, I had essentially became "injured". I talked some to Izaac and Stef (who helped so much, thank you!!) but it took me awhile to come to terms. Isn't that selfish!? I would NEVER do anything to put the baby in harm but I was disgruntled at the thought of putting my life on hold. No shopping, no walking, no swimming, no biking, no cleaning, nothing!! For the rest of the pregnancy. I have to rely on others both at home & work to do so much more for me because I am confined to a chair**. I blame it on "advanced maternal" age!! I have lived 35 years of doing what I want, and now a little boy I have not seen yet and only weighs a pound is calling the shots :-). It won't be the last time, right!!?? I am also a pissed with my body. I want the perfect pregnancy that allows me to exercise up to the day I deliver. Not meant to be.

With that off my chest, I want to reassure you all that nothing is more important than delivering a healthy baby and even though I complain, I will do everything in my power to make that happen. I was a very good invalid this past week and it paid off today at the doctor's appointment.

I have not gotten worse!! Yippee!! What does that mean?? No bed rest yet and close monitoring and continual staying off me feet. I can do that! It also means, that Izaac and I have decided to pursue an option the doctor gave us. I am getting a cerclage put in. Sparing you the gory details, I go to the hospital Monday morning to "get stitched closed." Hopefully, this buys us the time we need to get to full term and keeps me off of bed rest so I can work. I will be on bed rest for 1-2 weeks after the procedure but that's ok.

Remember little one... I will do whatever it takes. I am selfish but not to the point that it would jeopardize you! I just might have a self pity party now & again.

Thanks for letting me vent and be glad I didn't do this last week, it would have been a world class pity party :-)

Good news: I am 20 weeks and 5 days along :-). Over half way.

** this has made me realize, once again, that I am so blessed to not be handicapped in some way. I am constantly amazed at the strong people that are!! They rock!

A GREAT Sunday Ride

I had one of the best rides in a long time this past Sunday with Stef. Now, I have not been on the bike since sometime in early Sept. In fact, since finding out I am prego, I have pretty much done nothing in the way of exercise (not as I originally intended but my body and mind decided otherwise).

Anyhoo, Stef mentioned that she had an easy hour ride to do and I decided to join her. Then Sunday morning rolled around and I felt tired and really didn't want to go. Izaac basically forced me out the door:-). I had about a 5 mile ride to the meet up point and I hated every second of it. My legs hurt, I got hot, my sit bones (and other parts) hurt. I was a complete mental mess. Even thought about turning around and skipping it. And this was within the first 2-3 miles! Ughh. I kept trudging (is that a word?) along though and finally got to the meet up.

Then everything changed!! Stef was so excited to see me which always makes a person happy! And it was great to see her. We got organized and off we went. From that point on the ride became fantastic. We had a easy pace and got to chat almost the entire ride with the exception of a few hills that took my breath away. I noticed how perfect the weather was, how blue the Sky's were, how fun it is to do something with good friends and finally how great it felt to move my body! The hurts were all gone and I felt energetic (imagine that). It actually became one of those rides that you feel like you could go forever and you just don't want it to end. Unfortunately it did have to end, we arrived at my turn off and logically I realized that I couldn't go forever or I would pay for it later so I said good bye and headed home with a smile. In the end, I got just under 16 miles in and "put my mood in a better place" as my 6 year old niece like to say.

I did have a few aches & pains after, mostly a tight lower back and very sore sit bones (and other parts)! I'm planning on going again this Sunday and as long as I can before the belly gets in the way.

I've also starting lifting weights again and trying to get 20-30 minutes of cardio in prior. It's a slow start but its still a start :-)

In baby news...

First things first. We have had 2 very clear ultrasounds already that shows what appears to be a very clear boy part. So, it looks like we are having a boy!! I am very excited about this. I love girls and I am a girl and I am surrounded by lots of strong women in my family but it's pretty cool to bring a boy into the mix.

I am 17 weeks and 3 days along. Almost to the half way point!!

My belly finally "popped" out and has gotten firm. I'm starting to look more pregnant and less fat and my belly no longer feels or looks like I had to many beers the night before.

I have gained about 3 pounds total but they all happened in one week! That is not a trend that I can keep up :-) However, I feel like I have gained much more.

Overall, I am doing great. Finally getting a little energy back but it is coupled with insomnia so I won't be energetic for too long. All of our tests have come back perfect so far. I can't really complain.

We have some of the most clear pictures from the 15 week ultrasound. He looks so relaxed and comfortable. It makes my heart melt to look at.

Have a great week!!

Silverman Spectator Report

I know, I know, Silverman was in November and it is now January so this is way late. However, it's been in my mind since the day and I wanted to share some thoughts and pictures from this amazing race. Besides, I don't have anything else to post in regards to tri's right now.

The day started early and I was blessed to have my 5 year old niece and my mother along to help cheer on Izaac. This was my mom's first event that she has ever attended and let's just say now "she gets it!" Up to this point she was convinced that Izaac should never do something this long, it wasn't natural and she doesn't want him hurt. You have to love mom's! Now she has become one of Izaac's biggest fans.

Anyway, we get to the start and the weather is CRAPPY! It was so windy and chilly. Izaac gets his transition set up and guess who is right next to him? None other than Macca! Apparently he didn't get a special spot! That is Macca in the white shirt and black cap.

As you know, they delayed the start for the half because of the rough water conditions. However, all the athletes were already in the water ready to go, wondering what the hell was going on and pretty much refusing to get out. They wanted to swim! At one point the whole group was chanting "let us swim or we want to start" (can't remember exactly). Unfortunately they couldn't here the announcement that the swim was being delayed and there was no structured attempt to get them out of the water. Finally after 20-30 minutes they got out of the water and all went into the changing tents to warm up. I questioned whether they would cancel the whole race because it was so bad...and got an eye roll :-). Come on Kelly, they dont cancel races for a little rain and wind! Finally the water calmed down enough for the kayakers to hold their position and feel safe and the half began. I don't know about you, but I always get teary eyed watching the beginning of a race. It is just amazing!

We got to see all the people getting "stripped". That may have been the most comical part of the whole day. I know it's mean and it will come back to haunt me some day, but is was quite a site to see all those dazed swimmers flopping around on the ground while volunteers were trying to remove the wetsuits.

By the way, about half way through the swim there was quite a bit of lightening going over the lake. Kinda of scary to us watching but Izaac didn't know it.

Oh, in between all this the leaders were coming in from the full. My mom was shouting I hope it's a girl!! I assured her that its almost always a guy out of the water first and then wouldn't you know it...the first one out was a girl...Amanada Lovato. My mom went crazy shouting you go girl and saying I told you so. Quite a funny memory.

We cheer Izaac off on the bike, then Stef, then we are on our way to follow them on the bike course. It was great knowing the area and where to stop and park. My whole goal was to get some awesome pictures of Izaac on the bike, and I got a few but basically we barely got to the spot when he would come zooming by quicker than I anticipated and I missed a lot of good opportunities.

My mom and niece right before we saw Izaac. Our first almost miss of the day because we were screwing around taking pictures of ourselves!

We drove down about 7-8 miles of the bike course with my mom yelling out the window "you go girl" to all the girls and my niece practically hanging half way out the window shouting "Go Bikers!" This continued all day. I'm not sure if people were happy to see us or tired of us by the end but they sure got to know us!

Here's a great one of Stef. Unfortunately this was the last time we saw her that day. Doesn't she look strong!

This is coming up the first of the three sisters. We started off at the bottom of the hill because I didn't want people to be embarrassed if they had to get off and walk and we were standing right there. This quickly changed and we climbed to the top. Much more fun! There was a lot of walking and cursing and disbelief that they still had 2 hills to go but one of the most amazing things we witnessed was the great attitudes and friendliness of almost everyone on that hill, even in such a hard situation. I love this picture of Izaac. He looks great. Every time we saw him on the bike, he looked strong, had a great smile and was joking with us. I bet he was glad he new these hills so well!

The 1st picture below is what they faced after the first sister. More climbing. There was more cursing going on here :-) The next picture is one of the disabled athletes. This men and women are truly amazing and inspiring. It was great to watch them throughout the day. And they are AMAZING athletes!

We continued to chase Izaac all over Henderson to wave and cheer him on before we arrived at T2. Then it was time for the run. At this point the three of us decide to head over to the Las Vegas Tri Club aid station to help out till Izaac came through. I think it was around mile 7-10. We had a blast. My niece loves to hand out drinks and it was great to see all of our "friends" (you know the athletes you have seen throughout the whole day).

Here is Izaac! We surprised him since it was a last minute decision to go to the aid station. The 1st picture is him showing me that he found some electrolytes after I tried to shove some down his throat. We had forgot them at home, and I was concerned about it. Apparently he can take care of himself :-)





Here are some pictures from the aid station.

After Izaac came through, we hopped in the car and headed to the finish line. I would love to say I got a fantastic photo of him crossing the finish line but I forgot to turn the camera on. What can I say, it was a long day!

Here is immediately after crossing. He is so tired he is hugging the wrong girl!! Umm Izaac, that is not your wife! Just kidding, that is one of his co-workers.

And exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day...a nice cold beer! Mmmmm!!

We had such a great time. And as many have mentioned before, being a spectathlete is tiring! We were exhausted. My mom is now hooked and loves to tell everyone about her awesome son-in-law and can't wait to see the next race.

Congrats honey!

Time to spill the beans

I have a big secret that I've been keeping from all of you... and it's finally time to fess up.

So you're probably sitting there wondering, has she joined the ranks and signed up for an Ironman?! Is she secretly training like her honey and just completed a marathon?! Has she hired a coach, has she won the lottery, has she fill in the blank?! That would be a hell no, nope, don't have the money and in my dreams :-)

So what could it be blogger friends?

And the answer is...... I AM PREGNANT! Yes you read that right. Izaac and I are having a baby!! I am actually just finishing my 12th week so as you can see, I've been keeping this secret for awhile. It feels good to finally share. We are very excited :-)

However, my training has come to a screeching halt since a week after we found out, not by choice though. I ended up with a nasty cold that would not go away. After three weeks I was hauled into the doctor to find out I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. Ten days of antibiotics later, I am finally starting to feel better. This is quickly replaced by wicked "morning" sickness that was an all day thing and involved a very close relationship with the toilet. Interestingly enough, this did not hit me until I was in my 9th week. WTF! It's getting better but not gone, and I am counting the days till I feel better and have energy. It's very weird to not be able to train and exercise the way I was. I know I am growing a baby and things change but it has been an adjustment. I look forward to starting something though because I don't feel I should be sitting around for 9 months. It's going to be a great time to do weights, get back involved with yoga, ride my bike for as long as I can, and focus on swimming (yipee!)

The other PERFECT thing about this pregnancy is the due date!

Baby Rowe is due June 21st! Now some of you are thinking so what. Others, thinking how nice it's fathers day. But some of you instantly gasped! No it can't be, not THAT day. What is the problem you ask...

June 21, 2009 also happens to be the very day of Ironman Coeur d'alene. IZAAC'S FIRST IRONMAN!! you have got to be kidding me. It's already bought and paid for, all the rest are probably sold out and f-ing Ironman only offers a refund of $150 even this far out (and yes, we have contacted the race director). On top of that, Izaac won a sweet training package from Dave Scott. What the hell are we going to do?! While we are very happy to become parents, the timing is frustrating.

Other than that, I have the usual emotions of not feeling ready (as in "what the crap did I just get myself into"), not feeling old enough to have a baby (this one is funny since I am 35 and "technically" fall into the old lady age group for having a baby :-), and for the biggest part of 12 weeks, not really believing there was a baby in there! (Even though I have had 3 ultrasounds to show me!)

Here's to a new generation of triathletes!!! :-)

L-O-S-E-R

That's what I feel like this morning. It's 6:30 a.m. and Izaac is getting ready to meet up with Stef and many, many other riders for RTC organized bike ride.

I am laying in bed...WIDE awake!

I decided that 50 miles was too long for me to ride today (still haven't made it past 35 miles and that was forever ago) and $50 was too much to spend to ride my bike.

Now I am second guessing myself.

Ughhh...

I still continue to do as little as I can. I am managing to do 1 long run of 7+ miles on the weekend and then ABSOLUTELY nothing. Nada. During the week. It's just too freakig dark all the time that I am not working and it makes me very, very sleepy.

Such is life :-)