Postpartum training log, week 2

June 2 - June 8

For context, see Postpartum training - intro  

A well-deserved cinnamon bun and "vørterøl" - wort beer - during a hike this week

Goals for the week

• Increase overall volume of walking / hiking
• Test out more biking, add in intensity if it feels right
• Keep up with core / pelvic floor activation

Highlights

We got a lot of beautiful weather this week and I was grateful to get outside to enjoy it! I also start to incorporate some running in my walks this week, which was exciting. No aches or pains.

Lowlights

I was reminded of the importance of making sure to eat enough this week. Breastfeeding and exercising are a combination that leave you a near bottomless pit for calories. On Saturday I was rushing around to get my daughter out for a hike, then home for a nap, all while breastfeeding of course, and by dinnertime I realized I hadn't eaten until I was satiated at any meal and was literally dizzy from hunger. My motto is now snacks all the time.

I've also start to experience the famous mom guilt, when carving time out for yourself feels like you are depriving your children of you. Logically, going out for a bike ride for an hour is not big deal in the grand scheme of things, but whether it's cultural or biological, mom guilt is pretty deeply embedded in my spin.

This week was also more challenging sleep-wise than last week, as I spent up to 2 hours trying to get Iris down for bed. I still was able to get OK sleep all nights.

Summary of training

Hiking/walking: 29 km / 6h53 min

Looking at my heart rate data, some of this walking might be considered "junk miles" - my heart rate is too low to get any kind of cardiovascular gains. Eventually I'll stop logging some of this stuff, but for now I do think time on feet is useful even if the heart rate is low, to build up the load on my joints. Added bonus: it was sunny for most of this week and just pleasant to spend time outside! 

Run/walk: 13 km / 1h52min

Run-walking with the baby carriage and dog

Guidelines for return to run postpartum all say that you should wait 6 weeks after giving birth before even considered running. That said, I think that there is a misconception that one should do next to nothing for those first six weeks, and then after six weeks you have the green light to exercise as much as you'd like. After my first pregnancy, I did wait (nearly) six weeks before taking my first running steps, despite feeling great after two weeks. This time, I'm taking it a bit more by feel. I was walking briskly and rather spontaneously broke out into a jog, then decided to do some walk / running.

I did two walk/run sessions, where the second was a bit more structured and I ran mostly on hills (lower load for the pelvis). Having not run since March, and being hampered by my belly on my last runs, it felt great just to be in my body. I did experience a bit of tightness in along my pubic bone - it's more like the sensation that there is a rubber band gradually being tightened than true pain - but this was exactly the sensation I had when starting to run last time.

Now I just have to keep my head on straight and not overdue it. Just because I can jog a little without pain is not a green light to start running a lot! 

Biking: 46 km / 2h34min

Enjoying the sun on my road bike ride

I got in two outdoor sessions in the nice weather, one on my hardtail mountain bike and one hill climb on the road bike, as well as an indoor session on Zwift. I always feel a childlike sense of potential when going out on my bike - like I am free and could pedal anywhere. Biking is a great way to get in both intensity and volume as my joints heal, so I'll definitely continue with a fair bit of biking this summer and fall.

Yoga: 2h20min

As mentioned last week, I'm using yoga videos to guide my core activation and do to good stretching. Did about the same amount this week as last week.