Dive Right In and Go!

I actually can't dive, so, ha ha.

I am trying to swim once a week. Yesterday I went swimming. Getting two kids out the door and to the gym is an ordeal, especially early in the morning. I wanted to swim before the 9 a.m. Water aerobics class so I could run other errands later, and we were rushing. I got into the pool at 8:35, yikes. Should I have just done a different workout? Oh well. I decided to swim as long as I could until the old people kicked me out. I pushed myself, I didn't stop to rest.

And I swam a half mile in 25 minutes.

That is not super fast, and I want to get faster, but for me,

It was fast.

I'm getting faster! I know I will continue to improve as I swim consistently, focus on technique, and get stronger.

It comes back

I'm definitely not where I was musically when I graduated high school, but it's nice to know that your fingers wake up and remember when the old cello comes out.

Last Sunday, I played on my cello an arrangement of "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful." Next Sunday, I'm playing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." I'm also singing alto in our choir for the Christmas program.

I can tell I'm rusty and have lost skill, but my fingers still know how to play. I wish I could practice more (and regularly), but I am just grateful that I can still play fairly well.

A Post for December

So not only have I been lousy as blogging, I have been lousy at running. Having two kids is hard. Getting out the door with two kids is hard. Motivating myself to run when I either have to push two kids or get them to the gym is hard. But I have been running at least once a week, so that is good.

To help get me moving, I'm joining Mommy Run Fast's challenge to Run 5 by the 5th. You are supposed to run a 5k or a 5-miler by the 5th of each month through May. I'll be starting with 5ks and hopefully move up to the 5-milers by the end. This is pretty much the only running goal I have made for the new year. I will be looking for some races and other goals in the next few weeks.

I'm doing another healthy eating challenge for twelve weeks with some friends. Overall it is going well. The last few days have not gone well in the sugar category. I can definitely say that I'm making better choices during the holiday season because of the challenge than I would have done otherwise.

I am making it to the gym about two or three times a week. I usually swim once and run once. Yesterday, I ran a mile and headed to the weight machines. A personal trainer approached me, offered to workout with me, gave me a great workout, and tried to sell personal training to me. I wish I could afford it. I pushed myself hard and felt good during it. I'm sore now and still feel good about it. Oh well, money doesn't grow on trees.

What are your goals for the holidays?
I'm going to try to limit my sweet intake! And do something active each day.

Back At It

Well my little baby Jay is five weeks old. I was in labor for only 4 hours and had a natural birth without tearing. He is doing well and has survived extreme love from El, who is not very happy with me.

Since I'm just 5 weeks post-partum, I haven't been exercising a ton. However, I have felt really good after this baby. After El, I was very tender down there, as I'd been in labor for 18 hours and pushed for 2 hours and tore and felt lethargic from the epidural. My recovery and return to exercise was very slow.

This time, I feel great, and have been going on walks pretty much since we got home. I have also been doing a lot of kegels and pelvic tilts. Our walks range from 2 to 3.5 miles at about 20 minutes per mile most recently. I've been lifting light weights at home for two weeks. Last night I went to Zumba at the gym. I think I'll be lacing up my running shoes this weekend.

It is so important to listen to your body. Yes, I am eager to get back into running, but I don't want to do so at the expense of my long term health. I feel like I've done a good job of taking things at a pace that my body needs to heal from birth. I'm excited to see what the future holds!

My Prenatal Fitness Resources

It's easy enough to find workouts online, and it is also easy to find workouts for a specific need you have, like arms, butt, legs, or prenatal. I would like to share some of the things that have helped me the most, as well as a short review.

Moms into Fitness, Pregnancy 3-Pack with Lindsay Brin

This DVD set includes one DVD per trimester, and each trimester has the same format. There are moderate and advanced options, both which have toning, cardio, and core. There is also yoga stretching and yoga toning. In the advanced section, there are "stackers" to incorporate variety into your strength routine. You can also download a calendar to follow if you wish.

I did the advanced options in each trimester. I thought the strength routines were much better than the cardio (and it wasn't bad, just not what I like to do). I can tell that I even toned my legs more during the second trimester when I was very diligent with it. I feel stronger and that makes me happy. The stackers were also excellent. If you know much about yoga, then the yoga sections will be a joke for you. I didn't follow the calendar, but did try to stick to a routine. I would recommend this to pregnant moms because I feel that it has been a good program for me.

BlondePonytail Prenatal Workouts

This blogger provides some great workouts in general and some awesome prenatal ones. I really like that she believes in high intensity interval training to get your workout in because really don't have a lot of time!

Knocked Up Fitness Workouts with Erica Ziel

I would like to purchase her DVD sets, maybe for Christmas. That being said, she has several awesome and free pilates workouts, exercise demos, and great blog posts. I used the workouts to strengthen my hips.

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I have used all of these throughout my pregnancy, sometimes doing more with one than the others. As you know, I also walk and swim regularly. Staying active has been fun. I feel like I am looking good and huge. Supposedly, exercising throughout your pregnancy can help your body bounce back quicker and smoothly. I shall have to see if that is true!

I hope this is helpful to expectant moms!

Quiet On the Blog

I don't have much to say about music or running or anything. So instead of giving you fluff to read, I'm giving you nothing to read.

Unfortunately, I came down with a cold and haven't swam in two weeks. I'm feeling a lot better one and I hope to get back into the pool next week, also known as week 39 in this pregnancy. I also hope to have a baby next week, so maybe I won't get into the pool.

As I've felt better but still congested, I've spent time walking, which is still painful, and yoga and pilates. I have felt like doing strength training so I haven't...it's important to listen to your body, especially when you're pregnant.

Musically, I haven't done anything except a lot of singing with El. She loves to play fill-in-the-blank for "In Summer" and "Let It Go" from Frozen. I need to get it on camera because it is so adorable. She knows phrases from other songs and that is how she asks for them. I am glad she likes to sing.

My friend is thinking of putting together a music class for toddlers. We would totally go. I took El to story time at the library a few times. She would not pay attention to the stories but loved the songs (and picking out her own books). I think a toddler music class would be great for her.

And that's pretty much it for now!

Weeks of Workouts, July 21 - August 3

Monday
45 minute swim, 28 laps
30 minute wrestling a toddler in a pool (Aqua Tots swimming lessons)

Tuesday
30 minutes strength training
30 minute swim lesson
60 minutes yoga

Wednesday
30 minutes of a campy, horrible swim, 10 laps
30 minute swim lesson
2 mile walk

Thursday
60 minutes yoga
30 minute swim lesson

Friday
30 minute swim lesson

Saturday
40 minute swim, 24 laps

Sunday
Rest

Monday - Wednesday
No workouts because I slept horribly!
30 minutes swim lessons

Thursday
30 minute stationary bike
Worst day of my summer cold
30 minute swim lesson

Friday
30 minute swim lesson
20 minute pilates

Saturday
2 mile walk

Sunday
Rest


The past week has been rough. I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy and I am tired, sore, and huge. I also came down with a cold---no good!

Making a Mom's Heart Proud

I'm pretty not cool. I listen to classical music in the car. My heart sings and wells with pride when a cello concerto, string quartet, or sweeping symphony airs on the radio and El yells from her car seat, "Cello!" So proud. In a nerdy way.

She is a little musician. She loves playing the "pan-o" (piano) with me, sat nicely and changed stops and pressed keys this morning while I practiced the organ, and loves singing with me. These are things she does with me, and though she does love me and playing with me, I think she genuinely loves music.

Unfortunately for her, she doesn't get to play the cello with me.

Organ Concerto---Jazz Style

Check out this very fun piece!

Richard Elliott performs "Hot Pipes," the fourth movement of Victor Davies's Jazz Concerto for Organ and Orchestra with the Orchestra at Temple Square.

Of course, I knew there were organ concertos. I never even thought of a jazz concerto, especially for an organ! I need to get my head, fingers, and feet out of the hymn book and branch out a bit in organ repertoire.

Workouts, July 7 - July 20

Monday
30 minute swim
2.85 mile walk

Tuesday
30 minutes strength

Wednesday
40 minute swim, 24 laps
2 mile walk

Thursday
Yoga, 1 hour
2 mile walk

Friday
4 mile walk which wiped me out for the weekend

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
Rest

Monday
30 minutes strength

Tuesday
45 minute swim, 28 laps
30 minutes yoga

Wednesday
Water aerobics

Thursday
60 minutes yoga

Friday
2.5 mile hike to the Big Four Ice Caves

Saturday
3.5 mile walk

Sunday
Rest

You Go Girl Ninja Warrior

You've probably seen it all over your Facebook newsfeed. You've probably watched it, too. If not, you can watch Katie Catanzaro complete the American Ninja Warrior finals course here.

This is not a show I usually tune in to, I'll watch it if there isn't anything on. Watching Catanzaro and her amazing athleticism is truly inspiring. She is the first woman to complete the course.

The thing people are talking about is her size. She's 5 feet tall and less than 100 lbs, which I guess is a bit of a disadvantage because of her wingspan. I think her lightweight is an advantage, because she has less to haul, toss, and carry. As a gymnast, she's already an incredible athlete and knows her body and how to maneuver it well.

I loved this article, a conversation with Catanzaro. I loved her attitude going into it, that is was not 'no woman has done it, so I can't,' but 'no woman has done it, so I'm going to be the woman who does.'

I think this attitude can carry to everyone, each person, each woman, each athlete, each musician, each student, each whatever---however you define yourself. I've never done that before, but that doesn't mean it is impossible. Each person has potential. We each can accomplish more than we think, we just have to try.

I had never been a runner, but I went for a half marathon and I ran the dang thing (need to try again)!
I had never been a swimmer, but lap swimming made me feel like an athlete, an identity I has never given myself.
I am not a musical prodigy or a special talent, but I'm an accomplished and amateur cellist, pianist, singer, and organist.

Who are you? Who are you going to be?

Brand New Organ

We just got a new church building. It is prettying exciting. Yesterday was my first time playing the organ there. I do not have keys to the building and couldn't make it in the evening last week, so right before church was the first time I touched the new organ.

And?

I really like the keyboard. I need to figure out the stops. It is much easier to see the chorister. The foot rest is too far back for my short little legs. I haven't tried out the foot pedals yet but I am excited to. I like the stops, but I'm not exactly sure how they are arranged, it seemed like they sounded a lot alike. Tank goodness there was a note about a webpage for the full manual of the the organ. I will be reading that this week. It is fun to play a new instrument!

El really wanted to play with me at the organ. We play the piano together almost every day. Maybe I'll bring her to the church some time in the evening and she can play/hit random notes.

Three Weeks of Workouts, June 9-July 6

Monday, June 9
3 mile walk
45 minutes yoga

Tuesday, June 10
30 minutes strength, weight machines

Wednesday
30 minute swim

Thursday
45 minutes strength
25 minutes exercise bike
2 mile walk

Friday
20 minutes pilates

Saturday
30 minute swim
1 mile walk of doom

Sunday
Rest

Monday
40 minutes swim


Pretty much nothing for a week.

Tuesday
35 minutes strength
2 mile walk

Wednesday
40 minute swim

Thursday
Yoga 60 minutes

Friday
3 mile walk

Saturday
45 minute swim

Sunday
Rest

Monday
30 minute swim

Tuesday
30 minutes strength

Wednesday
35 minute swim

Thursday
2 mile walk

Friday
20 minutes strength
3 mile walk

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
rest

A Little Race

On Saturday, Drew ran in the Tesoro March Point Run in Anacortes. He ran the 10k and finished at about 50 minutes! He had a tough training week, just decided to run the race last minute, and planned to take it easy. He was pleased that he'd run it at an 8-minute pace, finishing in 50 minutes, and placing 4th in his age group. El and I had fun cheering for him one mile from the finish and then hurrying across a field to cheer him into the finish. We all enjoyed hot dogs and then won a cooler in the raffle. It was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Then he surprised me by painting our bathroom, starting while El napped and I swam! What a guy!

I swam later than usual this morning and left El at day care. The water aerobics class kicked me out of the pool 10 minutes before their class started. Turns out the clock is horribly slow in there. At least I just had my cool down left.

I'm leading discussion on Lianne Moriarty's What Alice Forgot at book club tonight. I don't think the questions at the end of the book are very good, so I guess I have to make up my own. Effort.

That's all for now!

Focused, Relaxed, Strong

My alarm goes off at 5:15 each weekday. I sluggishly rolled out of bed yesterday morning and gathered up my swim gear and headed to the gym. I considered just sticking my legs in the hot tub for a half hour instead of swimming, but I somehow found myself in the pool. I'll just take it easy. No one can have too high of expectations from the tired pregnant lady. So I started out slowly and just relaxed as I swam. Then I focused on keeping my underwater arm straight as I stroke, the technique point I've been working on lately. I found myself having a better focus on my stroke and the workout in general. I felt strong and like I've improved over the past weeks. I could feel the muscles in my arms, back, and legs that I'd worked the day prior. Despite this, I managed to stay relaxed and the swim was incredibly refreshing.

This morning, I slept in. Everyone in the house had slept deeply through the night so I took advantage a some extra snoozing. I did get El up and ready in time for an 8:30 yoga class. I hoped to get there early to talk to the teacher before but that doesn't always work when you are a mom. We started with several minutes of deep mindful breaths. I've tried the past few days to visualize a positive delivery, to practice relaxing my body, to breathe negative thoughts out. The beginning of the practice helped me to each a great point for that. I felt open, relaxed, and that there was space left in me somehow! I focused throughout the class, and was especially gratefully when the teacher told us to engage out pelvic floors. I stretched myself gently, modified when needed, and felt very strong for my 32-week pregnant state. I loved the class, appreciated that the teacher noticed I was pregnant and gave me good modifications, and I will be back to her class soon.

I have had two great days, workout-wise. In both the swim and yoga practice, I felt focused on what I was doing, stronger than I expected, and free of tension. They have been two great workouts.

It is so important to listen to your body. Yes, challenging it is good, but so is pausing and focusing on what your body needs. It will tell you if you take a moment to listen.

Back to Life

After a fun and exhausting weekend of wedding festivities, I am back to normal life. I didn't workout like I should have, and today I dove into a strength workout. I can tell that I've neglected my hips the last three weeks, so I'll be sure to get a pilates workout in tomorrow.

My father-in-law and I worked on flip turns at the pool. Mine need more work. I found a YouTube e tutorial that gives you five exercises to practice to help with your flip turns.

I'll probably focus more on that once I don't have a giant belly in my way.

El is getting so good at climbing. At the park today, she climbed all over a lot of the playground, and it is a pretty tricky playground. She'll be rock climbing with my brother in no time.

Tomorrow I have a swim and pilates planned. Today was strength and a walk. Yesterday was running post-vacation errands, though I wish I had been really running.

Swims Lately

Swimming has been great. I really wish I had hit the pool earlier in this pregnancy. That being said, I feel like I've already improved in my fitness. I aim to go three times a week, but usually get to two. I swim for about a half hour. I try to get in by 5:45, and then I like talking to Drew for a bit before he leaves for work at 7ish, so my swims are shorter than I would like them, but I think that too much more would kill me right now. After all,I am starting from zero.

Each time I go, I am the slowest person in the pool. And that is ok. I just started. I'm 7 months pregnant (and such a shape is not ideal for fluid dynamic flow). I didn't do swim team growing up. I'm focusing on technique.

In swimming and in running, it doesn't matter if you are the slowest. What matters is that you are out there trying to improve, to get stronger, to enjoy a physical sport. And I don't think the other people really care (unless you are circle swimming and they want to get around you, and then you should let them pass at the end of the pool).

Last week, I had a great swim and did a lot of back stroke and my back felt it. On Saturday I went faster than usual and got a great, heart-pumping workout. This morning I focused on my freestyle form in my arms and feel my triceps, and I swam for 35 minutes and went 24 laps (I usually hit 20 in a half hour). I feel like I've been getting stronger and my endurance is improving. I feel good at the end of a swim. I don't feel pain in my hips or abdomen. Swimming has been good.

My goals for the next few months are to increase my stamina and work on my freestyle form.

Two Weeks of Workouts: May 19-June 1

Monday
30 minutes of pilates
3 mile walk

Tuesday
45 minutes strength and core

Wednesday
3 mile walk

Thursday
15 minutes strength
2 mile walk

Friday
30 minute swim
2 mile walk

Saturday
45 minutes strength -- weight machines

Sunday
Rest

Monday
20 minutes pilates
2.5 mile walk

Tuesday
30 minutes strength
2 mile walk

Wednesday
35 minutes cycling, ~13 miles

Thursday
30 minute swim
2 mile walk

A Great Vacation

I just got back from a wonderful vacation. I actually feel rejuvenated! I have been killing it with productivity since then. I am also ready and motivated to dive in to exercise and healthy living again.

I don't really have anything to say today, but I have some blog posts in my head floating around. I'll get those out soon. Here are some current ransoms going on in my life.

El was a happy girl and played contentedly by herself for 45 minutes and I was able to practice the piano that whole time! There is hope!

I didn't exercise as much as I wanted to on our vacation, but I did get out for awalk every day, including our long driving days!

I'm doing a pedometer challenge with Drew for his work. It is fun to see how many steps I get in a day. Yesterday I was very productive and went grocery shopping. I didn't even go on a walk! And got 12000 steps. Today is still going well, but I think I will need to go on a walk this afternoon. It's funny how an average day at home gets me at least 4000 steps, while Drew barely hits 1500 at a day of work.

This week's lesson was good. I would really like to have more students.

I am happy I signed up for the gym. I have especially liked swimming in the mornings and having access to the weight machines. I am still sore from yesterday's workout.

Have you had success growing an avocado plant from the seed? I'd like to try it...

That's all for today!

Happy Pregnant Hips: Exercise Guide to Strengthening Your Hips

I complained a few weeks ago abut how much pain I had in my hips. From what I read, this was because of the chemical relaxin, which is produced to help loosen your pelvic joints so a baby can come out, and this can cause misalignment and a lack of support. Some women experience paint connected with their sciatic nerve in their hip. Others may have really tight hip muscles. And, frankly, pregnancy is just not very comfortable. I'm not sure what my issue was, but I'm guess weak hip and pelvic muscles were not supporting the weight of my uterus well and I was misaligned.

And everything I read online gave few solutions: go to the chiropractor, take Tylenol, and (least commonly) incorporate hip strengthening and opening exercises into your routine.

Here are some articles and workouts that I found to be really helpful in strengthening my hips. I try to do at least one workout targeting my hips and backside per week, add on some barre-type moves after one pilates workout, and focus on opening my hips in one weekly yoga practice. In my usual strength workouts, I really have focused on proper alignment and form during the exercises. I also try not to arch my back when standing or walking, instead tucking my pelvis has helped ease the discomfort in my hips and low back that I was experiencing.

Free Bump and Beyond Booty Sculpting Workout from Erica Ziel at Knocked-Up Fitness

Follow the link, sign up for her newsletter, and Ziel send this workout video to your email. I love it and how it works my backside and hips. I do this once a week and will probably keep it up after baby boy arrives. The workout begins with squats and lunges, moves to some quadruped movements, splits between bridge work and (for moms-to-be) repeated quadruped moves, and then a side leg series. It is a good and short pilates workout for your rear end.

Pregnancy Exercises to Tone and Tighten Your Legs from Erica Ziel at Knocked-Up Fitness

 These barre-inspired moves will make your hips tired! I love that Ziel talks about doing the moves at the park while your kids play because sometimes you have to squeeze your workout in when you can! You could do it at the park using a bar or the back of a bench, or at home using a chair or counter. I do this once a week.

Yoga sequence for lower back pain from FitSugar at PopSugar

Pretty self explanatory, sometimes it is nice to know some poses to target a certain ailment!

Hip and Back Openers for Expectant Moms from FitSugar at PopSugar

Another collection of yoga poses to open those hips and relieve that tension!

Proper Posture during Pregnancy from Pregnancy Beat


Proper Posture during Pregnancy from Pregnancy Beat

Here is a diagram that accompanies the linked article. Basically, the way that we are inclined to stand as pregnant women is not good for us and can cause pain and alignment problems. Don't hunch over, don't arch your back and let your belly hang. It takes concentration, but taking the time to make this a habit will have long-range benefits.

Source

I hope this has been helpful for those experiencing hip pain. I have felt so much better and feel like going out and enjoying the outdoors since incorporating these principles. As future mothers and as runners, it is important to have a strong and steady base. Exercising and releasing our hips will make us stronger athletes.

To learn more about hips as an essential part of a runner's core, see this article from Runners Connect.

For more about the link between hips and other running injuries, see this article, from Runner's World

Book Review: Imperfect Harmony

Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others
By Stacy Horn

I recently read Stacy Horn's Imperfect Harmony, a creative non-fiction work that combined memoir, essay, and research. I enjoyed reading about Horn's experience in the Choral Society of Grace Church, a choir made up of amateurs of varying levels in New York City. Although every member of the choir had different abilities (and Horn was not shy admitting her inadequacies), they all came together because they loved to sing.

Horn uses her experiences and research about composers, history of choral groups, the psychology of music, and science of sound to explain why music, and singing specifically, makes us feel good. We sing when we are sad and facing death. In fact, some of the most glorious music was written about death. Many of the choral pieces the Choral Society sang were about Christ's death and each person's own mortality. We sing to express happiness and joy. Many of the choir members were not religious, but that didn't matter when they were singing. The music was deeper than faith. It still touched the members deeply.

My favorite aspect of Imperfect Harmony was that each chapter was named for a composition the Choral Society of Grace Church had worked on. Of course, she talked about her experiences with that piece and then moved on from there to the composer, its history, or whatever else. The piece was a springboard. I loved that and looked up most of the songs on YouTube. I am not very familiar with choral repertoire so this was a simple way for me to hear some of the great pieces for choirs. Because each song was important to the chapter/essay, hearing it gave depth to what Horn wrote about in that essay.

A conglomerate of stories and ideas is hard to summarize in a review. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes creative non-fiction and who is interested in music. Although I did not learn anything that was particularly lasting or life-changing for me, it was an interesting and enjoyable read. I wanted to read this over other novels I was reading at the time. Horn's enthusiasm as an amateur really spoke to me, as a fellow amateur. Her reflections on the power of being part of a musical group spurred me to look into nearby choral groups and community symphonies. I believe that it will also motivate other readers to bring music more deeply into their lives.

Feeling Good (and Sore) from Mixing It Up!

Last week, I got in the pool.
On Wednesday, I hopped on a spin bike.
On Thursday, I swam a really great swim.

And it has felt so good to sweat and be tired from a workout, not just sore as I have been lately on my walks. At the same time, my back is sore from swimming and my sit bones are bruised from the spin bike. Hurt so good, right?

At my doctor's appointment, my blood pressure was 105/65---wow, crazy low. Probably the lowest it has been measured at, and it usually have pretty low blood pressure. I slowed my weight gain down, too. Of course, this isn't from the week I have had a membership and started mixing things up. I have been working on my diet for the past month. I was happy with my health at my appointment.

If you are in a workout rut, try mixing things up. You may be surprised at how good it makes you feel.

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great weekend. It was good to remember those who have passed on, especially those who sacrificed their lives for others. I also love putting out my American flag, and had it out all weekend!

On Saturday, Drew went out for an 8-mile run. We are still looking for a half marathon for him that interests him, is a reasonable price, on a weekend we are in town, and is fairly close to home. It looks like our best best is one at the beginning of August, so he has scaled back his training a bit and building a strong base before he adds on the miles again. Plus, his running buddy hurt his foot during his half marathon, so Drew is less excited about running when there isn't a social aspect. Anyway, on Saturday he logged 8 miles. While he was gone, I took El to gym day care and tried out the weight machines. Since I haven't done them for a long time, I didn't lift too heavy. I think I will try to incorporate the weight machines once a week into my current routine. Our timing for my weight lifting and Drew's run was perfect. We left at the same time and got home around the same time.

Memorial Day was a nice, productive day. The weather was cool. The family headed out to our favorite path where Drew ran 5 miles (his legs really felt it in his last two miles, but he felt like this was a good building run for him) and I walked 2.5 with El. I followed my prenatal stroller pyramid and it felt great to speed walk and break a bit of a sweat. Lately, my walks have been slow, and I really was happy that I felt up to some intervals. Unfortunately, I was really tired "down there " for the rest of the day, but at least I had no problems with my hip and very few round ligament pains!

We also relaxed, washed the cars, had a BBQ with friends---all in all, it was a great, active weekend!

My First-ish Swim

I finally bit the bullet and went to LA Fitness and purchased a membership. I also got the Kids Club daycare thing, so El and I can go during the day. But first and foremost, I shall swim in the mornings before Drew leaves for work. I am really excited to start swimming again. I think it will strengthen my hip and really help with the pain I've been experiencing during this pregnancy.

The night before my early morning swim was rough. I think I was too excited to sleep well. I was just waiting and waiting for my alarm to go off. In the morning, I thought, if I am this excited to go for a swim, I rally should have dived in a whole lot sooner. I got up at 5:30, did my hair in french braids (I couldn't find my swim cap), grabbed an apple and my bag, and headed out. I got into the pool at 6 and swam for 30 minutes.

The swim was really nice and hard. I am out of swimming shape! There are four lanes, at the busiest part of my swim, there were 8 swimmers. I was slow. I need to work on my form. I should get a kick board and maybe some other tools. But I was out there for a half hour! It was nice to feel so light and to float in the water. I love to swim, and even though it isn't the best pool ever, a pool is a pool when you need to swim.

After my swim, I have felt pretty great. I experienced no hip pain or round ligament pain during my swim---hooray! All day, I have felt pretty energetic and happy. I would say this swim has been a good thing.

Basically? I'm excited for my swim on Monday morning! I think I'll wake up a little earlier so I can get home and showered before El wakes up. I am also going to read up on technique this weekend and work on one thing each week, until good form becomes fluid (ha ha). I will also be on the lookout for a new swim cap. Pretty much, I will revel in my post-swim happiness!

A Musical Send-Off

I recently went to Utah for my Grandma's funeral. She was very old and had been sick for a long time. The funeral was a beautiful experience.

At first, I was upset to hear that my cousin's husband had been asked to sing during the service and not one of the grandchildren. I felt a little better to when I learned that my cousin would be playing the piano, and I do know that Dan has a beautiful voice. But still, I wanted to do something for my Grandma.

Then, my mom called me and asked me to put together a group hymn all the grandchildren could sing together. So I set to work. I wanted to find something that we could all just sing the melody for (I wasn't sure of everyone's musical talents), but was a little bit more than straight out of the hymn book. After some searching, I found this arrangement of "Each Life That Touches Ours For Good." I emailed it to my cousins and waited. One cousin contacted me and asked if she could arrange a viola part to go with it. I agreed that it would be nice.

When we rehearsed before the funeral, I was so grateful for the beautiful music and voices of my cousins. The viola obligato was beautiful and really added to the song. It was hard to get through without crying during rehearsal. It was impossible for us to sing with a dry eye during the service. I think most of my cousins, male and female, were crying at one point in the song. My dad said that the song brought many of the other mourners to tears. My aunt said that the grandchildren singing with such love about the blessing Grandma was in our lives was a beautiful testimony to the woman she is.

The words are beautiful and reminds us how those we love touch our lives, and how we in turn influence others. The people who love us and whom we love can remind us of our Heavenly Father's love for each of us.

1. Each life that touches ours for good
   Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
   Thou sendest blessings from above
   Thru words and deeds of those who love.
2. What greater gift dost thou bestow,
   What greater goodness can we know
   Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
   Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.
3. When such a friend from us departs,
   We hold forever in our hearts
   A sweet and hallowed memory,
   Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.
4. For worthy friends whose lives proclaim
   Devotion to the Savior's name,
   Who bless our days with peace and love,
   We praise thy goodness, Lord, above.

I know that music can share powerful feelings. I am so grateful that I got to organize this simple song to sing with my cousins as we remembered our grandma.

Wow, It Has Been A Year Since...

While walking with my buddy Sarah and our toddler daughters today, I realized something... It has been a year since I started training for the half marathon I ran last September.

Sarah and I were already walking buddies. I had been running 2 or 3 miles a few times each week. Sarah started a half marathon training schedule and suggested that I train for it too. I kept running my short distances and considered her plan. I was not very athletic, did not consider myself a runner, and thought myself incapable of running that sort of distance. Plus, El was only 6 months old and I would have to do most of my training with her in the jogging stroller.

I kept thinking, looking at training plans, reading more about running. I went for a 3-mile run with Sarah, both of us pushing our jogging strollers. And I felt great. I thought I had handled the run better than she had (probably true, as I had been running consistently for longer than she had). That run helped to convince me that I could do it.

So I pulled elements I liked from a few schedules to make my own and started training. And guess what? I did do it. It was hard and I learned a lot and I would change a lot, but that is for a different post.

But it all started a year ago.

Two Weeks of Workouts, May 5-May 18

Monday
2 mile walk

Tuesday
45 minutes strength and core
3 mile walk

Wednesday
30 minutes yoga
2 mile walk

Thursday
30 minutes strength and core
2 mile walk

Friday
Rest

Saturday
15 minutes of yoga

Sunday
Half mile sprint through San Francisco Airport to make a connection

Monday
Rest
Bowling 1.5 hours

Tuesday
2 mile walk

Wednesday
45 minutes yoga

Thursday
3.65 mile walk

Friday
20 minutes pilates

Saturday
~2 miles walking around, standing in line, watching an airshow

Sunday
Rest

That Time I Realized I Know Nothing About Music

My BFF Shannon is also our ward choir director. Even though I hate the time for practice, I love Shannon, so I try to go each week. Church is at 1 and goes until 4, and choir begins at 4:15. Sometimes we do not go if El is super tired or grumpy. But generally we go.

Shannon was studying percussion at BYU before she moved here. She has been a great choir director. She has a good ear and really excellent rhythm. She was focusing on timpani but also loves the gamelan (a Balinese instrument).

A new friend just moved into our ward. Her name is Lindy and she studied vocal performance at BYUI, meaning she is a trained opera singer.

For choir, we are working on "Come thou fount of every blessing," which we will be singing a capella. One day, Shannon brought in a paper with hand signals and "do re mi fa so la ti do" on it and told us we are going to do solfage today. Lindy started laughing. Everyone else stared at her with a blank expression. It is an ear training exercise (which is great for our choir because we are great at going flat) which they did at the beginning of her sight singing class. She had us start at "do" and go up an interval and back to "do". I immediately saw the benefits of it, even though I had never done such a thing nor heard of it beyond The Sound of Music. I thought, "wow, I know nothing about music." In my defense, I did not study music in college, but it was still amazing to realize how little I know.

Another time where I realized I know nothing about music, was when we had dinner with Lindy and her husband and daughter. She wanted to talk music. Ummm, yeah. I have never been to the opera, I have not played in a symphony for two years and can't remember my favorite pieces we played, I have never heard of any of your favorite songs to sing, I have never heard of solfage. Pretty much I know nothing about music.

But I have to amend that. I am a rather musical person. I just never studied it. I am definitely an amateur musician, but I think I do have some talent. I can play any hymn on the piano or organ, I am quite competent and expressive on the cello, I am a second soprano who can switch to alto when needed and not need extra help, and I know basic music theory and history. However, I know very little about music theory, compositional structure, vocal technique, and repertoire.

I would like to learn more about music---who knew there was so much to know until you "talk music" with musicians!

Home Again, Bowling, Yoga, and Wishing

I am home and recovering from a quick trip to Utah, mostly the flights. It was fun to ride in a redesigned Boeing 737. I loved the comfy seats and blue lights and sleek interior. Style sells and I would love to fly on one again soon! Since we were not gone for too long, the recovery from the trip hasn't been too bad. I am mostly exhausted from something fun I did after I got home.

Bowling! I have not been bowling for a long time. I went for a late-night birthday party on Monday night. I had a lot of fun and did not do too horribly for me. I played three games, got four strikes total (at least one in each game!), and scored 90, 99, 95. Not awesome scores but not bad for me and not bad for a pregnant lady! I really would have liked to bowl with a heavier ball, but played it safe by alternating between 11 pounds and 10 pounds. By the last game, I was ready to be done. My back was very tired and sore. I had a great time...

BUT----

Since then, I have really struggled to get back on my feet. I stayed up late bowling, didn't sleep well on our trip, and have been sleeping like the dead each night since. Unfortunately I have not gotten up at 5:30 to workout because I have been so tired. And, my pelvic floor has been really tired, like muscle soreness tired. It is crazy. My back is tired, but nothing is new there. My final complaint since bowling is that my right hip pain has gotten worse. I have really tried to take it easy, but it doesn't seem to help. Sometimes I can barely walk. This is a problem because I love to walk and I spend much of my day chasing an excited toddler. I guess I'll have to do some searching about hip pain on the internet (the source of all wisdom) and see what I can come up with. So far, I have only thought of yoga, rolling my butt and thighs, and hip strengthening exercises. I will share what else I come up with in a later post.

This morning, I was able to start off with some yoga. I began with a 15 minute warmup of light stretches, cat/cow, hip rolls, and some sun salutations. That felt nice but then I joined Drew for breakfast. After El woke up, I wanted to get in a little more yoga and actually practiced for a half hour. The cutest moment was when I was in chair with my arms overhead and El mimicked me. Beyond that, she was very interested in touching my feet, kissing my legs, climbing under me, and knocking over the foam roller. Pretty much everything but playing with her toys. But at least I got in some good yoga time. I focused on leg strength and stretching, so a lot of chair, balances, and warrior type things. I felt really good, but my hip still hurt.

I am trying to stay positive. I am growing a baby and chasing a toddler. That is enough to wear anyone out. I try's to do the things I enjoy. The problem is that sometimes our body and our minds have different abilities at the time. If I could have my wishes come true right now, I would be...

• Running several times a week. I am really craving that tired, strong feeling in my legs. I would be training for a race and working on getting faster.
• At Disneyland. It seems everyone is going right now except for me.
• Swimming three items a week and learning about open water swimming at a local lake. I still haven't gotten a gym membership (blah) and therefore haven't swam yet. I know this would probably be the best thing for me to do for my hip.
• Feeling proud of my veggie garden. Right now it is pretty darn pathetic.
• On top of laundry and housework. I wish it would get done and stay done.

So I am feeling a bit down right now. This hip thing is lame and makes me want to be out running or swimming even more than I wanted to be out there last week. It also makes me want to just lay on my bed all day, but it doesn't even feel fully well when I do that. Only three more months! I can make it! The finish line is in sight!

Yoga Jungle Gym

I have been trying to take things easier, and so far I have had less pain. One thing I usually do is wake up at 5:30 to exercise (if I went to bed before 10:30, this wouldn't be a challenge). Lately, I still set my alarm, but if it is too hard to get up, I wait until 6. Today I slept in a bit and did not get a chance to exercise before El woke up at 7 (I chatted with the husband and then did some cleaning). Yoga or pilates was on the agenda for today, so I rolled put my mat, shut doors I didn't want El to wander into, and pulled out the baby Legos.

I got to practice for about 10 minutes in peace. El was in her playroom, playing with her kitties and climbing the LoveSac. Then she came to find me. And saw that I was doing something cool. She grabbed some of her Legos and stacked them. The perfect place for them was on my pink mat while I rolled my hips and went through a few sun salutations. Not in the way. And the next place to build a tower was under my legs while doing a warrior series. And then, since I was only planning on about 30 minutes of light yoga, tickling my toes and climbing on me during savasana was also ideal for El.

I was actually really happy with how well she did while I practiced. She wasn't too in my way and didn't want me to play with her. El just wanted to be there with me. This gives me hope. Maybe I'll be able to exercise when she's awake after the new baby comes!

Weeks of Workouts, April 21-May 4

Monday
2 mile walk

Tuesday
45 minutes strength and core
3.6 mile walk

Wednesday
Unwanted rest day

Thursday
30 minutes yoga
2.3 mile walk
30 minute parent/tot swim lesson

Friday
45 minutes strength and core
2 mile walk

Saturday
2 mile walk

Sunday
Rest

Monday
20 minutes pilates
2 mile walk

Tuesday
2 mile walk

Wednesday
45 minutes strength and core
3 mile walk

Thursday
2 mile walk
30 minute parent/tot swim lesson

Friday
Walking around the zoo

Saturday
45 minutes strength and core

Sunday
Rest

Changed Plans...Again

This weekend my lovely grandma passed away. I'm really ok with it. She had a stroke several years ago and hasn't been able to speak for 6 or 7 years. Since then, she's been sick, had heart problems, multiple strokes, and kind of just withered away. And since moving to Washington two years ago, I have rarely seen her. I am relieved that her suffering is over and am glad I can remember her as she was. I love my grandma, and my other grandparents, but when you've lived a long, full life and know you'll see each other in the next life, death is not too sad a thing.

Which moves us to the changed plans. This weekend was going to be a busy one. Drew was going to run his first half marathon. Our dear barbecue fiend friend is moving to a new house. I was supposed to play the organ. I wanted to go to the Ensign Symphony concert (and now am glad I didn't audition for this concert). Instead we will be flying Utah for a funeral. I'm looking forward to visiting with family and remembering my grandma. Good thing our plans are changeable!

Teaching Cello Lessons: The First Month

I have now been teaching cello to my student for a month. I thought it would be nice to look back on some of the challenges I've run into, the things I've learned, and what has been pleasantly nice about teaching cello lessons.

I didn't have a lot of time to prepare for lessons before our first day. I told his mom to buy the Suzuki Cello Book 1  (I'm not a Suzuki Method teacher, so I will use it more as a performance book) and I would look for a method book for the next week. That first lesson, without a method book, was challenging. It has been 15 years (yikes!) since I started learning cello, so it is hard to remember what we did. I found some helpful action studies that I assigned to him, taught him the strings, proper sitting position, and just had him play around on the cello. After that lesson, I went to a music store and hunted for a method book. I found several that I had used in elementary, junior high, and high school. Looking through their book 1s, I did not like them. I finally decided on one I had never used, the New Directions for Strings series. We'll see how it goes. It is a learning process for me, too. I know this method book and the others I looked at (All for Strings, Essential Elements, etc.) are designed for a classroom setting where all string players are learning together. However, I do think it is helpful to have an order to learn in, especially when I'm a new teacher.

I've learned that parents seem to overstate their child's ability. I was told that he read music a bit because of some piano lessons. He pretty much does not read music, so that's something else I have to teach him and try to figure out how to do it. I don't remember learning to read music, as I was 6 when I started piano lessons. I've done some reading and I think I will make a bass clef using vinyl and a cookie sheet and use magnets as notes and use that to test him. Way more fun than flash cards, right? But that's testing, not teaching. There's always the pnuemonic devices (Good Boys Do Fine Always for the lines and All Cows Eat Grass for the spaces in bass clef). I would also like for him to make some of his own compositions. However, it is something that just needs to be memorized and internalized. I think note fluency is very important; maybe I'm old school.

Another challenge is keeping the lessons interesting. Just sitting there and going through the book is pretty boring. During the month of May, I'm going to try some more kinesthetic activities. I know that some students learn better visually, aurally, through reading, or active lessons. The cello covers most of those categories, but instead of focusing on a conglomerate of all that you have to do, breaking it down into smaller pieces will probably be helpful. Note reading can be boring, so I want to get his hands involved. Working on your sitting and hand position is hard to comprehend in yourself, maybe looking at some images will help him make changes in himself. Playing the cello is great, but incorporating some singing will connect with a verbal part of his brain. I will update you on things that I do to keep our lessons interesting.

A pleasant surprise is that he is quite musical and wants to learn the cello. He actually practices and I can tell! This is so much nicer than my student a few years ago, who never practiced and wasn't musical. I feel a lot better about taking his parents' money when he practices. I don't think that you have to be musically talented to learn an instrument. But you do have to practice. If you are naturally talented and don't practice, what is the point of your ability? I'm pretty positive that Mozart, Beethoven, Yo Yo Ma, and thousands of other talented musicians practice(d) a lot.

Another nice thing is how it has driven me to practice my instruments more often. It feels good for me to pull out my cello and play along with him, even if it's just tuning my instrument and playing DDDD AAAA DDDD AAAA or DDDD EEEE F#F#F#F# GGGG. I want to sit down at my piano and play for a half hour and actually drill songs. I am more likely to sing in the shower, and with better technique. Teaching is making me into a more consistent musician.

I am enjoying teaching lessons. I would like to expand my studio, maybe after new baby comes in August. I would love more cello students and I wouldn't mind some piano students. A challenge with expanding the teaching studio is what to do with my own children. My mom taught piano lessons all during my growing up years, and we pretty much had to entertain ourselves while she taught. El needs to get better at entertaining herself. I've also thought about getting involved in Kindermusik or something similar or my own small music preschool classes. We don't need the money, but I feel like it is giving me an outlet besides cleaning, changing diapers, and reading. I will, of course, keep you updated on where I go with this.

So Glad

I am so glad that I decided to stop running last week. Today I attempted a 3-mile walk and it was a slow one. The round ligament pain has been pretty bad on my walks lately. Then, my whole abdomen and back get tired and sore. And then I limp along at a slower walking pace (22:00 per mile) and push the stroller along. I probably look really pathetic. But that is why I am happy I am done with running for now. I would be dead on the side of the road if I tried.

I am praying that swimming will help with this problem, not only for relief during the swim, but also for a wider variety of activities such as walking. If I have to spend May, June, July, and half of August limping around on walks, I will probably give up. If I give up on walking, El will drive me crazy. She loves being outside. I will also go crazy, cuz I love being outside too.

But I'm already planning my comeback. One of my good friends is having a baby two months after I am. We ran our half marathon together and I think we will set some running goals together. It will be great to have a buddy in the same situation and whom I can be accountable to.

Until my glorious or not comeback, I will limp around pushing El in the stroller, cheering Drew on as he races through the summer.

A Sunday of Slightly Stressful Song

This weekend was supposed to be musically low-key. Supposed to be. And this isn't a complaining post. It's funny that nothing seemed to go right or easily for me.

I play the organ for Church. There is another organist and we switch off playing every two weeks. It makes it nice. I get to sit with my family, can go on vacation, don't have to have that stress each week. This week, the other organist called me and said she was very sick and wouldn't be able to play without having a coughing fit. We organists are here for each other. So I said I would play.

I realized after I said I would play that we had to leave for Church in 30 minutes if I wanted time to run through the songs before and play prelude. I hurried into my dress, threw a lunch together for El, and woke her up early from her nap (NOOOO!!!!). And off we went to Church. I looked up the songs I had to play. They were easy, familiar songs that wouldn't be challenging: "Praise to the Man," "I Stand All Amazed," "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," and "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." So that was good news. But when I started to play, I immediately realized that someone had changed the stops. And I hated pretty much every single one. Since I am a pianist who just took a seminar on playing the organ, this becomes a problem for me. I was annoyed and am pretty sure I know who it was of the other organists in the other wards. Then I felt flustered as I tried to find the most appropriate stops for each song and memorize which number it was so I wouldn't accidentally sound like a circus organ. Feeling flustered that the prelude was not awesome and neither were the songs with the congregation. Ahhh, life.

Then, the normal Primary pianist came up to me after sacrament meeting and asked if I could fill in for her in the third hour. I said yes and knew it wouldn't be a problem. It was funny that I was filling in last minute for everyone. I love playing in Primary. I was really sad when I got released, but it makes my Sundays a lot less hectic to not have to be playing all day. I came in and found out I got to play two new songs I had never played nor heard before. That, fortunately, went well and the kids all applauded for me.

After Church, we have choir practice. It is pretty much the worst time ever for choir. We go to Church at 1 pm, it lasts until 4, then choir from 4:15-5:15. It is awful. But since the director is my BFF Shannon, I go anyway. And then I remembered that she asked me to switch from soprano to alto in "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." And we are singing it in two weeks, acapella. Awesome. I learned the part but it is really tough to not have that piano with us when I'm not super confident.

Basically, this is a story about how I was very musical on a Sunday that was supposed to be relaxing and not terribly musical. I lived and music always makes for a good story, right?

Friday Randoms

Foam rolling is amazing. I already knew this, especially during my half marathon training, but I just had it reaffirmed. Drew said his ankle was bothering him, I kept telling him to roll his calves out. He didn't think it would help his ankle. Finally, I got it out while we were watching tv and rolled my own legs (just normal tightness from daily life). And then he grudgingly rolled his. When I asked him how it felt in the morning, he said he couldn't feel anything. So it worked, but he doesn't like to admit that I was right.

Most runners who have been running for any length of time sing the praises of foam rollers. If you are new to running, like we are, then it can be confusing. Why roll yourself out? It hurts. How do I do it? What kind should I get? We are by no means pros at running or foam rolling, but here are some resources to get you started.

Which one?

 
This is the one we have, which came recommended by a good friend, and is available on amazon.com here. I hear this high-density roller one is better than the standard one, which is low density. It makes sense because it is pretty hard, which is great for rolling out your sore muscles. There are also a lot of ones with grooves and ridges which make for a more intense massage. There are also hand held ones for more focused work and you could use in the car or at work and not look like a fool. I haven't used any other ones yet, but I am sure we will as we keep running.

Here is a great infographic showing how to use your foam roller. We have mostly just done legs, but I think I'll be using it on my back as this pregnancy progresses. For you pregnant people, here is a video with some suggestions for rolling your low back pain away.

I'm not really providing any information that is new. There is so much information online with suggestions for exercises. It really will help your muscles release better than simply stretching. And remember not to roll over your bones, just muscle! The foam roller is not, however, a cure-all for injuries. There is a difference between rolling an injury and rolling muscles soreness or tightness. Hopefully you will have good experience with the foam roller.

Happy foam rolling!

Upcoming Races in the Area

Even though I won't be running in any of these, here are some upcoming races in the area.

Oso Benefit Run
You may have heard about the mudslide in Oso, WA about a month ago. A nearby running club has organized a benefit run in Arlington on Saturday, April 26! There are options to walk or run 5k or 10k. I am pretty sure that we will be there!

First Call Running Club Half/Marathon/50k
My dear husband Drew has been training for his first half marathon, and this is the one! It is in Bothell and is on Saturday, May 10 and is quite inexpensive (you must be a member of the running club).

Inspiring Hope 5k/10k
This run in Mukilteo on May 10 is to celebrate cancer warriors.

Snohomish Women's Run
A women's race of half marathon and 10k distances. This route is very flat and beautiful! The race is on May 18.

Deception Pass Half
Deception Pass is beautiful, so why wouldn't you want to run here? The race is on Sunday, June 1.

Run Like the Wind Running Festival
It's not exactly local, but it looks like fun! The half marathon and 5k are on Saturday, June 7, and the full and 10k are on Sunday, June 8. You can also go on a tour of the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Power Facility in Ellensburg.

Tesoro March Point Run
We hear from our not-quite-family in Anacortes that this race is fun for the whole family, even those who don't run. It is on Saturday, June 28 and there are usually lots of prizes and foods for everyone. There is a kid run, 5k, and 10k.

Run of the Mill
This community race in Mill Creek on July 12 is a huge community celebration.

Ragnar Relay: Northwest Passage
This is part of the famous Ragnar series, so you will need 11 other runners to be on your team this July 18-19. You basically run from Canada through farmlands, onto Fidalgo Island, across Deception Pass, down the length of Widbey Island. Not you by yourself, but you and your buddies in three legs each. Someday I will run a Ragnar, but not this year.


I only listed a few races that sounded interesting to me or that are already on our family's race calendar. Of course, there are hundreds of races each month, which you can find listings for at Running in the USA, here. I don't often look at runs in Seattle because I hate going into the city. The Skagit Runners' Club maintains a great list of events in Skagit County, here. Visit the Mill Creek Running Club's Facebook page to connect with other runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes.

Two Weeks of Workouts, April 7-April 20

Monday
45 minutes strength and core
2 mile run with the jogging stroller, 23:13 with average pace at 11:35 min/mile
2 mile walk to the park and back with friends

Tuesday
30 minutes yoga

Wednesday
45 minutes strength and core
2 mile walk

Thursday
3 mile walk

Friday
2 mile walk

Saturday
30 minutes strength and core
2 mile walk

Sunday
Rest

Monday
3 mile walk

Tuesday
45 minutes strength and core

Wednesday
Walking around the mall

Thursday
Rest

Friday
20 minutes pilates
Walking around the Tulip Festival

Saturday
painting the bathroom

Sunday
rest

Maybe It's Time To Stop

My mom and MIL and SIL came to visit us last week. We had a lot of fun. I did not exercise well at all. This week, it is back to work.

I recently published a prenatal stroller workout and I have wanted to do it again since publishing it, but I feel like BLAH. Maybe that feeling will pass after I get back into a fitness routine in the next few days. Maybe it won't. However, I'm getting the feeling that my running days are almost numbered for this pregnancy and I will just be walking and speed walking during the workout.

This makes me sad. I want to run. I had fun last summer running regularly and would love to do it again this year. There is always next year. Pushing a double jogger (UGGHHHH! I'm tired already.).

So many mommy bloggers have written posts about comparing themselves to others moms on Instagram, Pinterest, and blogs. Lately, I'm struggling with comparing myself to other mommy runners and those runners who are currently pregnant. It seems to be a badge of honor to run as far as you can into your pregnancy. ***Oh, you only made it 22 weeks? Well, I ran up to 28 weeks. I ran up to 35 weeks. I ran the day I delivered my baby!*** Sheesh. I think I'm done running. I am exhausted the rest of the day, my lady parts get sore, and it isn't fun to run if I'm just running to say I did it.

I will have to take time off of running until after baby boy comes in August. I don't want to injure myself, my baby, or risk an early delivery. Even if I can't run, that doesn't mean I am out of shape. I can still walk, swim, do strength exercises, practice pilates or yoga. I can still eat healthy foods. I can still have the healthiest pregnancy I can and be safe and smart about it. And after I deliver my baby and spend time recovering, I can running and be an even stronger runner than I was before.

Even though I won't be running until October, I'll still update the blog with upcoming races in my area and interesting running articles or thoughts I have. Until then, this might just be a general blog about fitness and music.

Basically, I just want to tell you pregnant runners out there that there is no shame in not running through your entire pregnancy. It is easy to feel shame about not being "as tough" as others, whether that is getting an epidural or not running anymore. Stop it. Do your best, not anyone else's best.

Happiness and Singing

Source

"A child who sings is a happy child." This quote is from a talk by Enrique R. Falabella about making our homes "the place that can become a piece of heaven here on earth." One way to make our homes into a piece of heaven is by singing with our children. Of course, he is talking about teaching them songs that teach of Christ, but it also includes non-religious songs. "A child who sings is a happy child." It doesn't matter what you sing, there is so much joy in singing with your heart.

I love singing with El. I'm pretty sure she loves it too. Sometimes I can't tell if she is singing or babbling when she plays by herself. And does it really matter? It makes her happy and it makes me happy. We sing songs about rabbits, flowers, rain, Jesus, cars, rivers, people...pretty much anything there is a song for.

Our speech itself is musical, with all the inflections and pitches we include to give meaning. Words matter more when they have been touched by music.

How many times have you sung in the car as loud as you could? And something was happening in your heart---happiness.

When was the last time you were an opera singer in the shower? Happy happy times!

Why do certain songs have meaning to us? Why do we, as humans, love love songs, use song to celebrate birthdays, mourn loved ones with song, and connect to others with song? Music has some deep resonance in our souls. We are made to be alive with music.

A song about singing that I love goes:

A song is a wonderful kind of thing,

1. So lift up your voice and sing!
   Just start a glad song, let it float, let it ring,
   And lift up your voice and sing!

We shall make music to brighten the day;

Music will help us to lighten the way.

Lift up your voice! Lift up your voice!

Lift up your voice and sing!

Go out a sing a little bit today! Let your voice float and ring! Remember that a person who sings is a happy person.

Handel's "Messiah" Performance, Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I am really excited about an upcoming broadcast. Usually, I'm OK excited about religious broadcasts, and being LDS, it seems there are a lot of them. But for some reason, I always make time for music broadcasts. Probably because I love music and I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square!

On Good Friday and Saturday, the Choir and Orchestra will perform Handel's Messiah. Although usually thought of during Christmastime, the oratorio was originally composed for Easter. You can watch it live at 7:30 p.m. Mountain/6:30 p.m. Pacific through streaming at mormontabernaclechoir.org/messiah. If you miss the live stream, you can watch it later on demand at the choir's website or on youtube. You won't want to miss an amazing and moving musical masterpiece sung by a talented, blow-you-away choir.




Here's a great article about Handel and the Messiah, if you want to learn more!

Here is an article about the libretto (text of the composition) and its Easter themes.

Let me know if you watch or listen to this great musical event!

Prenatal Stroller Triangle Pyramid Workout

There are a lot of great prenatal workouts out there. I will do a blog post soon about what I've been doing. There are a lot of great stroller workouts, too. There aren't a lot of prenatal and stroller workouts. For moms of that are pregnant and have a child running around outside their belly, these are great resources. I have noticed, however, that a lot of the stroller workouts incorporate walking (of course) and body weight exercises. This is great! IF your child who is strapped into the stroller stays content in a stationary stroller.

My child is not happy if the stroller stops moving. So, I've created a very simple cardio workout to keep that stroller moving and give mom some interval training.

*This is not a workout for toning, just cardio exercise. You'll have to do toning exercises another time. Or if your child is OK with it, throw in 20 walking lunges between each set.

**I am not a health professional, just a mom who is interested and who has read a lot. Check out the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for more information and their recommendations for exercise during pregnancy. For this workout, just be sure you don't exert yourself too much, this isn't the time to push yourself beyond your current capacities.

• Start out with a warm up, whether that's wrestling your kid into their jacket, walking, or a few squats.
• In the running portions, be sure to gauge your ability. If you were a runner before pregnancy, go ahead and run. 
• If you were not running before, speed walk---there are plenty of benefits to elevating your heart rate this way.
• I would not recommend jogging without a jogging stroller. If you have a standard stroller, umbrella stroller, or something else not specifically for jogging, speed walk. Your toddler will thank you for not making them into a scrambled egg. And if you are using a jogging stroller, be sure to lock the front wheel!
• Take a water bottle. It is so important to stay hydrated during pregnancy.

Good luck and happy workouts!

Swimming Lessons in Our Future

I feel like I'm entering a parenthood right of passage... Enrolling my child in swimming lessons! Since we just got a new car, we will be heading to the pool this afternoon before dad gets home from work (!!!) and signing up for a parent/tot "swim" class.

I know that these baby swim classes are usually just splashing and singing, maybe with a little bit of floating on backs or going under water thrown in. I also know that there are a lot of options for baby swim classes where they learn more life-saving skills, such as Waterbabies. These look like great programs and I wish we could afford it right now. But we can't, so I am going to shoot for familiarity with water. I am certain we will cover things like, "don't get in water without an adult" and "don't run on the pool deck". I don't want El to be afraid of water and I think that going to the pool weekly and seeing how fun water is will really help her. Right now, she hates laying down in the tub to get her hair rinsed. She is getting better at it, but we still have a ways to go.

And a fun thing about a parent/tot swim class is that I get to swim too! Although I am considerable less cute in my swim suit than El is. Which gets me to a soapbox upon which I will not stay long. Pretty much everyone looks horrible in a swimsuit because they are the most unflattering garment invented. Thin women in bikinis could lose their bottoms when they waterski and they rate constantly readjusting their tops. Normal people have cellulite or bulges too. Overweight women or women not confident in their appearance too often sit out on the side of the pool in their clothes because they are embarrassed. I understand that. I don't want to parade around in my almost nakeds either, but I don't want to miss out on life. And it is too bad that our society puts so much emphasis on looking a certain way in order to participate in certain activities. This is not so much a problem for men, think of all the fat men in speedos you see at the beach. My goal as a mother is to show my children that my body is beautiful and a gift and I should take care of it as best I can and enjoy its capabilities, even if it isn't "perfect". End soapbox rant. Rest assured, I will rocking my plumpy and pregnant body in a swimsuit for the swimming lessons.

And another fun part about these swimming lessons will be combining music and physical activity---the two things this blog is about. I will keep you updated about our fun times at the pool!


Advice for helping my children learn water safety?

How do you feel about swimsuits?

Teacher Prep Period

El is taking her nap (please, sleep for three hours!) right now and I have been prepping for my first cello lesson in several years with a student who is completely new to the cello.

My last student I taught was in his elementary school orchestra, so had had some introduction to the cello. He was very distracted though and not very musically inclined. He kept telling me that he was going to quit cello and play lacrosse. A) don't tell your teacher that. B) after a while where you don't practice at all, it seems to be better to just quit.

I do think this new student will be a little easier to teach for a few reasons.

• He has taken a few years of piano lessons so already reads music. I started piano lessons when I was 6 and pretty much learned to read music alongside reading printed words. I don't remember learning to read music and it was difficult for me to help my previous student.
• He is a little more focused on music and the arts. I don't think he's very interested in playing sports, just in watching the Mariners and Seahawks.
• His parents will help him. They are a musical and performing arts family. I think there will be more pressure to practice and advance in the cello.
• I am not trying to write a master's thesis or go to school so can spend more time prepping for lessons.

Some things about teaching this student will be difficult.

• Having a clingy child. This will hopefully be resolved by having lessons and his house, where his teenage sisters can dote on El.
• Finding a good cello method book. He doesn't have one from orchestra, which is what I used to go along with. This may actually be a good thing. Recommendations are appreciated! So far, I've just told his mom to buy Suzuki Cello Book 1. I'd like a method book and maybe a scale book. I think we've got a trip to the music store in our future.
• Teaching in general is difficult. But it's a good difficult.

But overall, I am excited. I've been reviewing "Action Studies" for beginning cellists and they are great reminders for me about sitting in a good position, arms positions, and the bow hold. Action Studies are boring and kind of cheesy, but now that I'm looking at them from a teacher's perspective, they make a lot of sense.

Are you a music teacher? Do you have any tips for teaching?

Any cello teachers with a recommendation on a method book?

To you athletes, did/do you practice drills for your technique?

Week of Workouts: March 31-April 6

Monday
Run/row workout---.28 mile row, 1.6 run (+some to make it an even 2 miles), 35 minutes

Tuesday
Rest because I was up all night with the child and then very busy

Wednesday
3 mile walk
30 minutes yoga strength

Thursday
45 minutes strength and core
3.5 mile walk

Friday
20 minutes pilates, focus on the booty
2 mile walk

Saturday
Rest

Sunday
Rest


Overall, not a horrible week, but not a great week. On the days I didn't sleep in and then was incredibly busy, I had some great workouts.

Looking Back on a Week of Working Out

After Monday's excellent run/row workout, I was excited about a great week where I would run one or even two more times during the week.

Basically, I'm really hoping to squeeze a run in before we go car shopping tomorrow morning, because I haven't run since.

I felt great after Monday, a little sore from rowing, but nothing horrible. And I never did feel horrible. I decided I need to row more often because it really is a great workout. But on my walk on Wednesday, I started feeling that tightness in your belly that doesn't go away until you stop walking---not a contraction, but round ligament pain.

I was a serious walker while pregnant with El. I walked 3 miles each morning, and then 2 or 3 more in the evening with Drew. After talking with my OB, I realized I was experiencing the round ligament pain and there was something I could do about it. Around 28 weeks I bought a Gabriella Maternity Belt and the pain stopped on my walks and hikes for the rest of my pregnancy.

So I was sort of sad that on both Wednesday and Thursday, I experienced serious round ligament pain on my walks. I did not want to try to run and fight that pain, or have to stop all the time, or try to stretch it out. Today on my walk with El, I broke out the old support belt and I had absolutely no problems with pain. I am only 20 weeks, and that's the depressing thing. Things sure are happening sooner the second time around than the first.

However, I'm hopeful that with the maternity belt, I will be able to keep on doing short runs without experiencing the ligament pain.

And I've been thinking, I am really pleased with my fitness level. I know I stopped running by the end of my first trimester, and here I am, running two miles here and there, planning on running in the future at 20 weeks! Good news for me and my earlier running fitness!

What Do You Do When You Can't Sleep At Night?

El was up half the night between Monday and Tuesday with gas and a fever. Poor girl. I did not sleep either because I was trying to comfort her. Woe is me.

What do you do when you are up in the night? It depends on why. If I can't sleep for no reason, I might read a book or magazine. If I am nursing a child, I'll browse Pinterest. If I am having a pregnant starvation freak out, I'll go get a bowl of cereal. If someone in the room is snoring, I'll either try to tell them to stop in ways ranging from polite to angry, or I'll stomp off to the couch. If I'm comforting my sick child, I usually wish I were sleeping and get a little angry and sit and stew but feel bad because I should be more comforting,

But that night, I rewrote words to songs. It made being up all night almost pleasant. Almost. But not as pleasant as the two-hour nap I took in the afternoon.

So maybe next time you are awake, try making up new words to songs. It is way better than counting sheep.

Great Monday Workout!

El has been driving me absolutely insane the past few days. After she woke up an hour early, refused to eat or drink very much of anything, and was incredibly whiney, I put her down for an early nap at 8:30. I decided to go out into the garage and street in front of the house to do one of the few running workouts I do, besides just going. And after this great workout, I feel ready to deal with my cute little whiner baby for the day.

It is Daily Cup of Kate's "Run 'n Row" workout. If you have access to a rowing machine, it is a great half-hour workout. I am lucky enough to have a rowing machine in the garage (Drew probably thinks I never use it, but I do, not regularly though). I got it for free when a church member was moving and didn't have room in the moving truck. Basically, you run for 5 minutes, then row for 5 minutes, and then a descending ladder for 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes. I started with rowing, but same thing, right?

This workout always gets my heart rate up, so I took a 1 minute break to stretch and bring my heart rate back down in between each unit. It ended up taking longer than 30 minutes, but I feel good now and I didn't push myself too hard, which is important to do during pregnancy. It isn't bad to work hard, but it is bad to wipe yourself out.

I ended up rowing .28 miles in about 15 total minutes and running 1.6 miles in a little over 15 minutes (I always stopped my gps at my house so it would keep a good measure). Then added in another short run to get to an even 2 miles. I was happy to hear my fastest half-mile split was at 10:19, and it was my last one. My average ended up being 10:50, so I'm not complaining. I feel like I have been able to keep up my speed gains fairly well during these first 20 weeks. We will have to see how the next 20 weeks and postpartum recovery goes! I'm really pleased with my achievements in this workout and feel good now. Here's to a beautiful and healthy sunny day!

If you have kids, does a good workout help you be a better mom?

Do you row?

What's your favorite running workout?

Week of Workouts: March 24 - March 30

Monday
45 minute strength and core
1 mile run, 11:10---really pathetic, I started going and had to go so bad I had to get home. And then it was dark outside and I just sat on the couch. At least I ran a mile!

Tuesday
pilates 20 minutes
2 mile walk

Wednesday
30 minute strength and core
2 mile walk

Thursday
Walking around Seattle all afternoon

Friday
2 mile walk
Pilates 20 minutes

Saturday
Walking around beaches


Overall, a pretty OK week. Much better than the prior week, when I only exercised once!