The Crossfit Games

We decided to take a trip out to California last weekend before our bundle arrives (hopefully in less than a month!) There were a few reasons for our trip, one was that we really wanted to have our daughter have one last vacation as an only child and make it a special one, so our first stop was Disneyland. The good news is she had a great time. She loved the Winnie the Pooh tunnel ride and the Toy Story one too.  Luckily with her being so young and me being really pregnant the rides that we were able to enjoy had fairly short (about 20 min wait) lines. The thing that is ridiculous to me about Disneyland is that you pay nearly $100 per person to get in and most of the good rides had at least a 90 min to 120 min wait. Maybe if we went a different time of year it wouldn't have been like this but I can say I feel sorry for our little one on the way because it is going to take a lot of coaxing to get me to go back there and fight the large crowds. At least we accomplished our mission and our daughter had a really great time!

Another reason for our trip was the largest Crossfit event of the year, the Crossfit Games were going on. We knew having our daughter with us would make it harder to get the full experience, but we really wanted to go to see the fittest athletes in the world compete. They did not disappoint! It was truly amazing watching the strength, endurance, and athleticism of all of the athletes that competed. We left the Games feeling humbled, motivated, and excited to improve on our weaknesses.

With this great feeling of motivation brought a couple of rough days when I returned back to reality. While on vacation I didn't workout a single day. We did a ton of walking which actually took more of a toll on my body than the more intense but shorter workouts I have been doing. It was nearly 100 degrees at Disneyland and after walking around for about 8 hours there were a few times that night I thought I might have a California baby, ha! Anyway I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get back into the swing of things after taking 4 days off. I thought it would do my shoulders good since I have had trouble with overhead movements due to the pain when the weight gets a little on the heavy side. While I knew Monday's workout would be tough b/c it consisted of pull ups and shuttle runs, my expectations were low and it really just felt good to get a sweat on.

Tuesday is when my hormonal  emotions all kicked in. I went in to do jerks, squats and push presses. I felt really good warming up my split jerks and then once I hit 105 and 115 (which are not very heavy weights) all of the pain came rushing right back. I felt so frustrated. I stayed at that weight and although I was very discouraged I decided I would at least do the squats. Now that the baby is dropping and I am less than 4 weeks from my due date squatting heavy is proving to be a bad idea too. I am feeling a lot of pelvic pressure and my belly hits my thighs before I break parallel unless I keep my stance wider than usual (pregnancy problems:) At this point I only went up to 175 lbs for 3 reps which I completed very easily but I knew I shouldn't be going heavier than that, at least not today mainly because of the state of mind I was in, but also because I really just wasn't feeling great. For once I "listened" to my body. I should have gone and done some rowing and body weight movements but I was feeling so down and on the verge of tears, I just decided to leave. It was the first time I have ever not completed a workout in my time doing crossfit. I got into my car and cried.

Why was I crying? I think it was more than just because I didn't do well or finish my workout. It was for a lot of reasons. First was coming to terms with the fact that I feel so motivated after being at the games to work harder at my weaknesses but now is not the time. My body is preparing to have a baby so I need to just save all of that motivation for later! Then I was feeling really guilty because the last thing I should be thinking about is how fast I can come back or be worried about losing my fitness. I am about to give birth to our baby girl and she should be filling my mind instead of just staying in shape. I was also crying about things I won't bore you with that happened at work the past 2 days. And to top it off, my husband was out of town on business so I felt like a single mom, cooking, cleaning, and caring for my busy toddler (good thing I have been doing crossfit!) I am not really a cryer but I tell you, being pregnant just amplifies every emotion you feel.

Moral of the story, it is ok to be emotional and have bad days. I have plenty of them, the main thing is to look back and reflect on the true reason you feel these emotions and adjust. For me yesterday was just a reminder that now is a time to be patient, focus on the positive that I have the ability to exercise and live a healthy lifestyle through the last 8 months, and thank God for giving me a complication free pregnancy thus far.

Hmmm, which photo does it look like she was having more fun?