Our blogger’s last post before the baby arrives!
So the taper is officially on.
By “taper” I mean, forced rest and sedation due to high Florida temperatures and the ginormous size of my belly. Tapering for endurance sport athletes can be harder than their toughest week of training. The final week of pregnancy is no different. After all, it means little to no physical activity to prepare for the race or bog event. Wow, does the time just drag!
With seven days left, I am extremely excited to meet our little guy, see what he looks like and officially welcome him into our family. Words cannot describe the excitement about Bodie’s arrival. But most of all, I am excited to be done with pregnancy. I just want to have my body back. It will be true freedom to be able to eat and drink what I want and not what someone residing inside me needs. Oh, and that first glass of wine is going to taste so good! And if for some reason we change our minds and decide we want more children, well…they will NOT be coming out of this body!
I am not naïve that a second child will be very challenging. However, as hard as pregnancy is for me, a newborn can’t be as difficult as this experience. A lot of women might disagree with that but they are not me and they’ve never experienced pregnancy from my point of view.
We have all the necessities we need for Bodie’s arrival thanks to two unforgettable sprinkles thrown by my amazing friends. We’re stocked up on diapers, formula and onesies. The bottles have been washed. The clothes are in their place. The Moses basket is ready to go.
My mind has been spinning about a lot lately but the “comeback race” has been on the forefront of my mind. Like most mom’s, I have to take into account training with two kids, work and cost, just to name a few factors. I’ve thought about a marathon. I’ve never done one of those before and prior to this pregnancy I was really enjoying the running portion of my triathlon training. I like the idea of another half Ironman. I truly loved that experience last year. I was so focused and enjoyed every aspect of the training.
For now, I submitted my information to participate as a runner on a relay team for the Florida Half Ironman in April 2015. I feel that will be a great first event back into endurance sports. Especially as I approach the unknown of motherhood with two children. I am incredibly excited as Scott is actually doing the same leg for a men’s relay team. It will be his first half marathon and first participation in a triathlon of that magnitude.
So as I approach the last seven days of my taper before my big life changing event, I am focused on all that will be coming. A new life that will not only complete our family but bring so much joy into our lives and the lives of our friends and family. I am also very focused on all that will no longer exist in my life – cravings, swollen feet, weight gain and lower back pain. I look forward to all the changes ahead of me.