Yikes! It has been way too long since I have written anything on here! As I sit here with a fire going, sourdough bread rising and a golden retriever on my feet I figured it would be a good time to update all of you on 2020 and talk about what pregnancy has been like for me. So here we go!
At this time last year I was training hard for a full season of racing including a big trip to Europe for a couple EWS races. It is crazy to think how much has changed since then. It was the first winter EVER that I had trained ALL winter with a coach (thanks Jenny Smith!) and was feeling stronger than ever before. I had sacrificed ski days for trainer sessions, did power tests instead of single track rides, and was dedicated to going to the gym. I was preparing for an all time season. I was ready physically, and mentally to give the 2020 season everything I had.
Fast forward to March when everything hit the fan and suddenly I found myself wondering if races would even happen. I took a few weeks off of structured training to give my mind a break and not overwhelm myself with what was happening in the world and with training. This by all means did not mean I wasn't riding my bike. There was actually a point where I had to make myself take a day off of the bike when I couldn't remember the last rest day I had. In light of all the awful Covid news I was putting in big adventure days and enjoying the time to think, ride, and be outside.
March, April, and May soon passed and the chances of races actually happening seemed smaller and smaller by the day. Every time I looked at my email something was getting postponed, or canceled. It was a tough time to be an athlete. All of those races that I had trained so hard for were suddenly off the table. I did what I could and focused on the positives, my family was healthy, I was healthy, and Phil and I still had our jobs. Bowline thought having both of his humans home all the time was amazing. He loved all the midday walks and extra snuggles!
March, April, and May soon passed and the chances of races actually happening seemed smaller and smaller by the day. Every time I looked at my email something was getting postponed, or canceled. It was a tough time to be an athlete. All of those races that I had trained so hard for were suddenly off the table. I did what I could and focused on the positives, my family was healthy, I was healthy, and Phil and I still had our jobs. Bowline thought having both of his humans home all the time was amazing. He loved all the midday walks and extra snuggles!
At the beginning of June our world changed. We found out that I was pregnant! Phil and I were both SUPER EXCITED as being parents has always been in our long term plan. Along with the excitement came lots questions. What did this mean for my race season? What does this mean for my career as a professional athlete? What can I/can't I do? I started googling (which I don't recommend) about pregnant athletes and was surprised at how little information I found. Our first doctors appointment wasn't for another month so that left me with SO many unanswered questions about exercise. After reading some information in books it sounded like I was free to continue to exercise the way I had been but to listen to my body as needed. That was easy enough. I am a professional athlete listening to my body is part of my job! I could do that!
It shouldn't have been a surprise that my energy levels were down in the first trimester. I went from eating healthy, clean, balanced meals, to eating cereal, applesauce, toast and popsicles some days. I thought that maybe big rides were done but I couldn't have been more wrong. At the beginning of the pandemic Phil and I both got ebikes and I had no idea how much joy they would bring. Especially on days where I was feeling crummy but still wanted to get outside the Shuttle really helped to keep things fun! Because of the Shuttle I was still able to ride some of my favorite high alpine rides, and even check some goal rides off our list! If you haven't ridden an ebike before I dare you to try one and not come back with a HUGE smile on your face.
As the weeks went on and I was getting closer to the end of the first trimester I was also getting more and more nervous to tell my sponsors. I wasn't sure how they would react to the news since this meant I would not be racing in 2020. All I can say is you know you are riding for the right companies when their response is overwhelmingly positive and supportive. My heart was full and I have never been more proud to represent brands who support women athletes to the fullest.
The second trimester arrived and we finally got to share our secret with everyone. Which was a huge relief because it was getting harder and harder to keep my mouth shut! They say the second trimester is when you feel your best and they are right. I didn't really have any symptoms and was continuing my active lifestyle with the slight modification of a slower pace uphill. I actually had to remind myself I was pregnant because I felt totally normal. We took full advantage of these weeks and went on some bigger rides. At 20 weeks we had the anatomy scan and got to see the baby for the first time since about 10 weeks. Which was pretty incredible. Even though baby is still tiny at that point it was surreal to see he/she moving around in there. I still wasn't really showing so it was reassuring that yes, there was a baby in there and yes, they are growing just the way they should be. We had decided early on that we didn't want to find out the gender. It wasn't hard to not know until we were at the appointment and knew we could find out if we wanted to. We stayed strong and didn't peek :-) Team green!
I am so thankful that I continued to feel good on my bike and didn't feel off balance or anything so we continued to ride! I was definitely slower on the uphills but felt completely normal on the descents. The recommendation from the doctor stayed the same. As long as I felt comfortable and wasn't pushing it too hard to keep doing the activities that I wanted to do.
The snow came and shut down the biking in the valley so I made the transition to skis and also the transition into the third trimester. After talking to the doctor we decided that for safety reasons for me to not ski the resort this year. This was a hard decision since I have been on skis since I could walk so I wasn't worried about my skiing abilities. Ultimately we decided it wasn't worth the risk of getting hit by another skier or snowboarder. I didn't let this stop me from skiing though! I have been skinning up the resort after hours and some VERY VERY mellow backcountry skiing. It is getting harder to get my ski boots on with a baby belly in the way but I'm convinced by the amount of kicks I get that the baby loves the motion of skiing.
With about 5 weeks to go I have days where I am sore and tired for no reason other than the fact that I am growing a human being (still so crazy to me) and days where I am full of energy. I have been riding the trainer a little bit but mostly have been sticking to outside activities since the weather has been BEAUTIFUL! Walks with friends and dogs, XC skis, fat biking, and uphill skiing fill my days. They say if you can keep up a good exercise routine that it will make for an easy labor. Let's hope that is true!
Phil has said a couple times that he thinks I actually enjoy being pregnant. I am not sure if enjoy is really the right word but, I have not been taking this incredible journey for granted. I never realized how truly amazing the human body is until now. It is a pretty wild feeling to feel the baby kicking and punching away inside of me knowing that they will soon be doing that on the outside. One of the biggest things I learned this pregnancy is to not compare my pregnancy to anyone else's. Everyone's experience is different and it is SO important to listen to your body's needs. Fortunately I have been lucky to have an uncomplicated pregnancy where my body still allows me to be active.