Demystifying RPE, the Borg Scale, and color coded effort levels
RPE is the gold standard in pregnancy and early into postpartum, and honestly it should be your main benchmark in your training day to day. Numbers only tell half the story. You can be getting through a zone 2 interval but feeling absolutely spent - yeah, you can hit the numbers but you feel like a 7 when you're working at a 4 - something's off.
This is why often a combo of HR and power can tell us a full story, but ultimately, asking yourself what each RPE feels like is going to take you the farthest even as your numbers shift over time. Your 5/10 should always feel like a 5/10 - in the same conditions. As you get fitter, that 5/10 should bring you a lower HR, coupled with faster paces and higher power output. It's a puzzle we never stop playing in fitness, and we're always solving and re-solving this puzzle.
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Everyone's Question: When can I get back to running again?
The number one question I see in online forums, FB groups, and get asked in my DM's and by my athletes is…when can I start running again?
The answer is, as it is with everything pregnancy and postpartum is, "it depends!" Everyone's timeline is different and dependent on a large variety of factors including their overall pregnancy experience, their exercise during pregnancy, their birth experience, any complications they experienced, their healing, their mental health, their time, and their desire. The puzzle is unique to every woman and every pregnancy.
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Heart Rate in pregnancy: Why the "keep it under 150" advice stinks
Ever heard the old advice "just keep your heart rate under 150 and you'll be fine!" as a reference for exercising while pregnant? This is old, antiquated advice with tons of evidence as to why it's no longer relevant, but STILL, we're hearing women get this advice at their OB. (And this doesn't make them a bad OB - they may be amazing at delivering babies, but still dole out this frustrating piece of advice.)
On a basic level, here's why that advice stinks. Heart rate is personal, to start. Athletes tend to have a lower resting HR than others, but there are some people who naturally "run higher" even as athletes. Our heart rate *zones* are also highly personal. My threshhold is on the higher end from what I know anecdotally, and there are friends of mine who are better/stronger/faster athletes than me who have lower threshholds than me. There are also friends of mine who are better/stronger/faster who run even higher than I do. Your body's own efficiency is unique.
Pregnancy complicates this.
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Progress comes with Patience...and a little push.
I had the best swim test - maybe ever, today. Things are starting to fall into place - 13, yes, THIRTEEN mo postpartum. And the progress hasn't come from volume, mileage, or speed work. And my coach knows it certainly wasn't due to more pool time :)
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The BIG DREAM Conundrum
DREAM BIG.
Well what if I just want to dream normal for a while? What if "normal" goals now seem like a reach? You're the only person who can determine what's big for you. Yesterday fleshman put up a post that really hit home, and this is definitely a tangent of a small piece of what she wrote, but it sort of flicked the light on for me to put this into words. (You should read it, and also, definitely follow her if you don't.) When you've done the long stuff, the hard stuff, what happens when your goals feel like something "less"? I've sat with this battle professionally and athletically lately.
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"Second Babies Fly Out" and 4 other Myths that create false expectations
I really have to laugh at this one. Because even doctors will tell you this, but WOW, did I have a contrasting experience. A 28 hour induction with just about everything from the Dr's bag of tricks to get the kid out. Yes, I know some inductions go longer than 28 hours but for a second baby, this was not within my expectations! I should know better by now than to fall into the trap, knowing I've had my fair share of outlier experiences. The second baby did not fly out. The induction was not "easy" because the first baby responded well to induction. Of all the things I am reasonable about with pregnancy and postpartum, this one really got me. It took until about hour 20 for me to get over it and realize this could be a long haul. I really had trouble coming to terms with the fact that this baby was not, in fact, going to fly out.
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Symphysis Pubis Diastasis - the Diastasis no one tells you about!
What's around my hip in the photo (and not my belly, as you can see, it's still stickin' out there right on top of this splint) is actually a hip binding band. It's stiff, and even though most of them claim to "shrink your hips back to pre-pregnancy size" and a bunch of other bs, this is actually just holding my separated pubic bone more comfortably together while I'm upright, hopefully aiding in fusing that gap again.
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Body image, "bounceback" culture and pregnancy pounds
I want to start with pregnancy weight gain.
First, it's supposed to happen. It's stressful no matter what. I gained 20 pounds with Eli, and am at 32 and counting with baby #2 with a little less than 3 weeks to go. This has been hard because I don't fit into my old maternity wear, moving is harder with the extra weight, and it's hard when the weight gain overtakes every part of your body - your bra bulges out on your back, your shorts ride up and barely fit, cellulite rolls up (literally) out of thin air, and things are flat out uncomfortable. For me, that's why this was hard. But for some, the weight gain is really, really hard, and mentally and emotionally consuming. And here's the thing: I did NOTHING different this pregnancy. My activity level was actually probably higher due to chasing a toddler around, I ate about the same, and I actually started 5lbs heavier than I did with my first pregnancy. I did everything the same, and my body responded differently. That's pregnancy, and frankly that's motherhood. It's imperfect, and you can only control so much.
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Dear body, can I trust you again?
We get told to listen to our bodies ALL THE TIME. It’s the most frustrating pregnancy and postpartum advice someone can hear. But are you listening to your body, or are you letting your mind create the narrative you think you’re supposed to be listening to?
If you’ve ever had a sidelining injury, surgery, or pregnancy, your eagerness to get back to activity is often challenged by your inability to trust your body again.
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D I A S T A S I S • R E C T I
Coning, doming, and what it all means in a nutshell, because it seems like this unfortunate hot topic isn’t going anywhere with pregnant women!
I wish we were more focused on what is happening functionally versus cosmetically with pregnancy and postpartum athletes, but unfortunately DR is the most obvious, talked about, physical presentation that makes women run to the internet, their friends, and hopefully their PT’s for advice. In general, so much more emphasis needs to be put on whats happening inside the body, versus what it looks like. But that’s a centuries old battle that we fight with minimal success, every day. But we have to keep fighting it. Spread the word, ladies, it’s not all about your gap!
Read, absorb and retain this fact: DIASTASIS RECTI HAPPENS TO 99% OF WOMEN WHO CARRY A PREGNANCY TO FULL TERM. what’s that again? Yes, *all of you* who are pregnant will get it.
No, you can’t stop it.
No, it’s not “bad.”
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Fighting with the word CAN'T
Talking time (or percieved lack thereof), injuries, pregnancy, and how to drop the word NOT off of CANNOT, and shift your mindset to find a path to success.
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Pregnancy, Parenting and a side of Athlete Brain...in a Pandemic
Maybe I'm late to the party here on blogging about the pandemic, but since it seems we'll be here a while, unfortunately, this topic still seems a little too fresh. I took this photo yesterday when I had hopped off the bike after a desperate attempt to squeeze in 10 miles or so on Zwift after a desperate attempt to cram in some work during my son's nap. Hopeful, but cautious…I finished 8.5 before he woke up. I made him chill in his crib until I hit 9. The me time is important right now, and with so little of it, that extra half mile or couple minutes was a little nugget I really needed.
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Why you need to work your pelvic floor and core muscles postpartum (even if you aren't having symptoms!)
“I don’t have any symptoms, so I’m good to go.” Jumping back into exercise can be a huge relief. Jumping back in in tandem with or after completing some focused pelvic floor rehab is like an insurance policy to give you longevity in your fitness. Ignoring pelvic floor and core work over time because you aren’t leaking, and don’t have any pain, heaviness, or bleeding, no matter how many weeks postpartum you are, can sideline you quicker than you think.
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Stroller Running - Extra Fun (and resistance!) on the Run!
STROLLER RUNNING can be a great opportunity to get a workout in, (with some extra resistance training!) get some fun bonding and outdoor time in with our child(ren), knock out multiple tasks at once like using the run as a daycare drop off or a trip to the store for a few small things, or maybe get your baby to take that reliable, motion induced nap. Whatever reason you have for heading out with your little one, many of us really love our stroller runs!
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Back in the Saddle after Baby
As athletes we have a tendency to hit it too hard too fast, and with few black and white rules on this, what else can we expect? We can expect BETTER. Navigating your own gray area on this is can be challenging, but here are some guidelines to get you enjoying the ride again.
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Running for two!
The truth is, many women run safely and pain/symptom free through some, most, or all of their pregnancy. Some have to stop right away, and that’s OK, too. Running is great exercise that is a true outlet requiring little prep time and equipment and is a great way to get outside. It’s also social time for many of us!
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