Karen's pregnant blog

Hi SwimDaddy (I mean SwimStud !) I'm not too sure I'll be posting those pictures! I'm already so pooched... I do have a funny recollection though. For awhile our team had put mirrors on the bottom of the pool so we could all admire our good looks while swimming (OK, it was to look at our strokes)... and I was REALLY pregnant. On my first stroke freestyle and rolling up on my side I caught a glimpse of my "side view" and I had to stop because I was laughing so hard!!! You know, it's just not an everyday occurence to see Shamu swimming in your lane!

A very fast Shamu though! Website for development: www.lifelinehelps.org/fetaldev.html As far as the 3 week difference. I would think if you go into labor at the proper time you will be fine. Just don't let him induce because he says you are 3 weeks late.

Best wishes to you. Saw this article in the archives...and thought about your blog. www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php

Well, I must say that Ande is truly amazing. How he keeps up that blog daily! Yup, I haven't swum since that last entry. PATHETIC. "Normal" life has gotten in the way. Although I did go to the gym on Monday and did the treadmill and lifted- felt SOOOO good to move... July turned out to be nutty. Pat's parents came from CT the end of June and were supposed to leave July 3rd. Well, Peg (Pat's mom) had a nasty gall bladder attack and had to have it removed while she was here. She is now fine. However, they were still at our house (recuperating) while we went to Disneyland! Built in dog sitters anyway :( And we both missed the LCM Pacific Champs...They left last Saturday, for a total of 3 weeks. Phew. Pat started swimming a couple of days this week in EXTREMELY yucky white milky water, where you literally can't see the feet in front of you! Apparently, there is something wrong with the filter. "Ya, think?!" I hope to swim tomorrow, but I'll go to Cowell Pool in Concord. My summer is almost over. August 7-21 we go to CT and the 22nd I go back to work... The good news is I may have a car pool buddy to start swimming with at the 7:00pm workouts in the Fall. Kelly Buchanan (now Boland) is now living in Clayton and our kids swim on the Otters together. She found me this summer. I wouldn't have recognized her. It's been fun reminiscing about age group etc. She was a really fast flyer! I think I have her talked into Masters. That would be fun. Oh, and good pregnancy news. My numbers came back 1:2100 for Downs and 1:10,000 for Trisomy-something-or-other. So, I don't have to have an Amnio!!! Yippeee. That whole needle thing freaked me out. And lastly, Heather Hageman, congratulations on your 50 *** that Jeff wrote about. How exciting :wine: When did you have your baby? Did you swim throughout? (I don't know if she reads these...)

I swam on Monday for the first time in weeks. I did 2,500 LCM. Was I pooped! I warmed up 300 (as I had to chat with all of the people I've been missing) and then we did 6 x 50 on :55 stroke drill stuff. The main set was 12 x 100 + 50. 1-6 the 100s were on 1:35 and the 50s on :55. The goal for "normal" people was to work on pacing and then on the 50s to descend to 200 race pace. Alas, I am not normal these days. I was just happy to make the set. My best 100 was 1:19 and my best 50 (back) was :47. Surely nothing to write home about... however, I'm just happy I went. I will always remember an article Bill V. wrote years ago about "time in the water". That's my philosophy these days, just get in the water. We were finished about 8:15 pm and then I chatted some more until 8:45 with Gene Hart, Kerry, and Neil Fisher (who was visiting from Chico, a couple hours north of WC). It was nice to hang out again :) Notes aside I did not swim Tuesday as we took the kids to the beach (BRRRRR 64 degrees) it was over 90 at our house when we left. We got home about 8:45 pm. Brenna (4) has her first meet ever tomorrow. It's the last one of the season and she's signed up to swim 25 back and 25 free. I can't wait. We'll videotape it (if she actually does it, she's really scared!) and if someone can tell me how to put it up here, I will. :drink: (have one for me!!!) Weight gain: holding steady at 10 pound gain at week 15 1/2.

I swam last night (Wed.) LCM. Got in 200 warm up. We did 8 x 100 at 1:40 (it was supposed to be fastest send off + 5, so IMHO it was too slow, but I was not going to argue with my current physique!) Then we did a 400 swim and got our time (5:54 for me). Next was 6 x 100 at 1:45 adding another stroke. Then a 300 K to beat our our 400 swim (oh, VERY BAD- I tried BR and I went 6:40!). Then 4 x 100 with three strokes on 1:50. All in all 2,700 LCM. Today, Thursday, Pat has to work (he usually doesn't during the week) so I had to take everybody (the kids) by myself. Brenna had to swim at 11:20 which is right in between our 10:30 and noon Master's workouts, but I had a plan... Drop boys at Grandma's at 10, bring Brenna to the pool with me, get in early and get out at 11:00. It worked well. I warmed up 300. And then I did 15 x 50 BR drill, K, swim on the 1:00 SCY. My kick was absolutely just not there. I barely made the minute interval. Granted, my tummy is larger and I'm not trying real hard with my abs, but it was SO slow. The pull and swims were better. The swims were mostly :45. Did one set with the team 4 x 150 (100 free + 50 stroke) and then got out. I got in 1,800 SCY. \ I do need to remember that this was my 3rd workout since June 23rd (I think.) "Time in the water, time in the water, time in the water." No swimming tomorrow for I am surprising the chillin's with a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine in the Santa Cruz Mountains! Carrick (3) will be in Heaven. Should be fun.

You are all so amazing and such great swimmers. I am so impressed. Swimming made my pregnancy wonderful but I merely floated with style than did the work outs. I had a Cesarean delivery and would like to know more about how people recovered and got back into exercise so quickly. I had such a tough time and emotionally it took me a long time to get back. It took my masters team to get me back actually. I like this blog, keep it going!

All of my deliveries were C-section (not my choice). Patrick was breech, Brenna was BIG (almost 10 pounds), and Carrick chose to come on his own terms (5 weeks early)... With Patrick and Brenna I swam the day of and the day before delivery. With Carrick I swam 2 days before (my water broke, again too early) and that was the first time I couldn't do a flip turn! My body knew what was up I guess. With the first two I was back in the water in 2 weeks, as soon as I stopped bleeding. I think my abs from swimming helped me to recover quicker. I could even do fly kick on my back! The Dr. commented during the surgery that there were a lot of layers of muscle... made me feel good to know there's something good going on in there- all I see is the fat on the outside! With Carrick, he spent 13 days in the Intensive Care, so I didn't get back to swimming right away... when I did though it was such a stress relief. I will tell you that those 13 days were THE worst of my life, hands down. Anyway, swimming's great physically, and oftentimes more importantly, mentally and emotionally :2cents:

Swam today at 10:30. 400 warm up (yup, talked again!) 3 x 100 kick descend 1-3 200 pull 300 swim (most of these were broken 10 at each 50 with some pace, etc) 4 x 150 first 100 was kick underwater (25 yds) as far as you could and when you surfaced you had to cross your ankles and swim the rest of the lap, then 25 easy- the last 50 was build up I did some 50's *** (KDS) after: total 3,600 yds Felt SOOOO slow, really out of breath, and out of shape! Almost made the first 25 on that evil last set- then only 1/2 way on all of those evil laps- it's hard to swim with your ankles crossed, but it forced me to really push that T (or that buoy, as some say) I think I also went about a :40 for the very last 50 of the workout that was supposed to be build up and my HR was 138- not good. Should've drank water during the workout- alas, machine broken...

Swam Wed July 31st, last LCM workout. Some warm up sets and then the Tempo Set. Kerry sets up cones every 10m. The set is 10 x 100 @ 2:00. The first 100 is 90% easy, 10% hard; #2 80 % easy, 20 % hard, you get the idea. I only got down to 1:21. My stomach didn't feel good at all, not exactly pain, just not good. Total meters: 3,200. Didn't swim Th or Fri to give my tummy a break. Planned on swimming the 8:30 am workout on Sat, however 2 out of 3 children were sleeping in! Leaving for CT Tuesday morning for 2 weeks, hoping to swim there. Total weight gain so far, 12 pounds at almost 17 weeks.