I just couldn't resist posting another 3D image of my little alien... why post ugly shots of me looking bloated, when we can have pictures from the inside?
So... picking up where i left off...since sometime around the end of May, my sickness has dissipated, my energy levels have improved and my relationship with food has almost gone back to normal.
I am still occasionally overcome by "hunger attacks" that come on strong and that genuinely feel like if i dont eat immediately, something terrible is going to happen. While i was in Calgary in July, i was driving home with Carrie after a little bike ride, when i casually said, "Sooo, what kind of food do you have at home?" Carrie had just moved house, so the answer could realistically have been, "nothing". She named a few items, none of which sounded appealing, all the while, the hunger was mounting... Trying to sound calm, I said, "Would it be ok if we stopped somewhere?" She agreed, but had obviously picked up on the mild panic in my tone saying, "We are 20mins away, do you want to stop sooner rather than later?" She followed that with, "There's a Subway, do you want me to turn in?" Without pause, i agreed and next thing you know i was happily gobbling down a foot-long steak and cheese.
Though amusing, these incidents are few and far between. Things have become almost normal. I can eat salad again. I "only" need 3 meals and a couple of snacks per day. Like a normal person.
In terms of exercise, i have been doing 1-1.5h per day, sometimes in one session, but often split into two. I have been ticking over nicely like this for many months, though i am quite slow at all three sports.
I have found that there are some advantages to being slow. For example, while running, i can actually take in quite a lot more of the world around me. During our open water swim sessions on Friday mornings, I have learned what its like to swim with a "less fast" group than i used to. This has helped me understand what things are like for some of my athletes, who will often find themselves in swim packs full of people with very few open water skills. Its a whole different ball game back there!!
Further, at the swimming pool, Canadian legend Rick Say (Multiple Olympian and Canadian record holder in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle)offered some stroke advice on a number of occasions. It has been many years since i have made any significant improvement to my stroke, and Rick noticed a couple key areas that needed tweaking. Having seen the new stroke on video, I am very happy with the changes and seem to have lost the mid-stroke "dead spot" that i have wondered about for years. So the advantage to being the slowest swimmer in the pool is that a nice guy like Rick took pity on me and helped out!
In early August, I took a trip to Ontario to visit family. Normally while i am there, I am either training or "maintaining" my fitness on some kind of schedule. But this time I was free to do what i wanted when i wanted and this pretty much amounted to mountain biking every morning for an hour or so and running for 20-40mins in the afternoon in the National Park right beside my dad's house. Love it. Now i know those trails inside out and loved the opportunity to be able to explore them daily.
Also, each time i leave the house to exercise, i do so without expectation. This really is quite different to my usual performance-oriented thinking, and has been quite refreshing on many levels. A welcome break.
On the flip side, attending races has been very difficult. Racing has always been what i enjoy most and my reason for training hard day in and day out. Its really difficult not to be able to do the things i love. Further, as a professional athlete, i haven't been able to go to work for 6 months now! That can become depressing after awhile. Imagine being a doctor or a teacher and not being able to go to work because you are pregnant? Especially with a healthy pregnancy!
With just 10 weeks to go, I am planning my triathlon comeback practically daily, nagging Clint to help me choose races while he helps me learn about patience.
And so *sigh* i pass the time with short swim, bike and run "sessions" while waiting for my little alien-girl to be ready for this world. I hope she doesn't wait too long... and for the most part, I am trying to enjoy the process.
And a little later... just wanted to add this photo... the look on my face pretty much sums up my current feelings about the fact that human gestation takes almost 10 months!!!
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