Sparkle.Pounce. not feeling so sparkly?

Part of our responsibilities within our Sparkle.Pounce. collaboration is to write blog posts. You have heard from Kendra (our resident blog expert), Leigh Ann and Stephanie on various occasions and they have all provided some interesting insight into what Sparkle. Pounce.  means to them.  Now it’s my turn…

My name is Sarah and I am one of the points in the Sparkle.Pounce. star.  My life is changing at a rapid pace, and I want to share how I am still able to live the lifestyle that we are all so enthusiastic about. I have been competing in endurance events since the summer of 2002- from sprint triathlons to Ironman, 5K road races to a 50k trail marathon and everything in between.  I am very competitive and I love setting a goal, training, and seeing the plan come together on race day. The feelings of accomplishment are like no other and that is what keeps us all coming back for more!

This past September, a mere week after  running a 50k trail marathon I found out I would be “training” for a new goal for the next 9 months. You guessed it…I am going to be a mom!!! This has been a goal of mine since I was a little girl, but I was just waiting until I was ready to undertake this huge responsibility.  I am a step-mom to two wonderful boys, ages 10 and 8, so I have a bit of experience with how kids can affect your lifestyle, but a baby is going to be much more demanding of my time and energy for the first few years of his/her life.

Prior to getting pregnant I was, admittedly, a little nervous about the changes an addition to our family would bring in regard to my workout time and racing. I made a conscious decision that when my time came I was going to continue to workout and be as healthy as possible for the 9 months that were to follow.   

I have been blessed with an easy pregnancy up until this point and I have been continuing with my workouts to the best of my ability. Now my workouts include time in the pool (weightlessness is a beautiful thing), and on the treadmill. At times it has been even more of an adjustment than I imagined, and it’s very easy to lose perspective when you have achieved extreme physical fitness.  Things have changed and it has taken much self-reflection to see that the changes are natural. There have been many a Saturday morning this past month (while my girlfriends were out getting their polar bear miles in) where I couldn’t help but feel a little left out. I know that I shouldn’t expect myself to be able to work out/train at the same rate I was before I was expecting, but the feelings are there all the same.  I now realize that my run/walks on the basement treadmill are going to have to be good enough for the time being.  

So, whether you’re pregnant, coming back from an injury, or just starting out, consider your current circumstance and focus on what you can do.  Accept your current reality and don’t get caught up comparing to where you once were.  Your past fitness was not built in a day, so make a plan, work the plan and rejoice in the fact that you’re continuing to do something good for yourself.  Before you know it, you’ll be back to where you want to be. 

Remember, you are amazing, you can do anything you set your mind to, so even if your Sparkle.Pounce. isn’t what it once was, get out there and do what you can!

-Sarah