Sorry it has been so long since my last post! Work has been crazy, and I haven’t been super motivated.

One of the main reasons I chose to create this blog is a selfish one. I wanted to have to be held accountable for my training. I didn’t want to get lazy and simply binge watch Netflix with the whole “I’ll train tomorrow” plan. One thing I forgot about with regard to being pregnant is the fact that no matter how much you train, each week, you will only get weaker. So I ask, how on earth can someone keep training!? We have been going out to Las Conchas in NM each week, and I usually get on the same series of 12s. A technical 12a, a steep 12c and a super thuggy/pinchy 12d. The 12a is still feeling ok. But man, that 12c and 12d are HARD!! I have the moves on the 12c dialed, but I absolutely cannot get up it without a rest or 2. I get about half-way up and essentially run out of gas. I sit on the rope for a few (in my really uncomfortable preggo harness) and then fire to the top. The 12d is really tough because even in top shape, it would be my anti style. Big thuggy moves to wide pinches. Not my jam. I will admit it…I did cry the last time I was on it. It is really steep, and you have to make sure you don’t fall right after the un-clip or you swing out too far to get back on. Top-roping is so frustrating! Each week, the climbing gets harder, I feel weaker, and I leave more tired. I will NOT get back on the 12d again, maybe ever, and I am not sure how many more weeks I have on the 12c. The same goes for the gym’s auto-belay routes. Each week, the same routes get harder.

So again, how do I stay motivated to train when I only get weaker? Well, for me, I have set a LONG term goal. We are planning a trip to Fontainebleau May 28-Jue15. This is exciting, but assuming I have the baby near my due-date, I am looking at being only 3 months post birth, and I am likely going C-section (I had an emergency C last time…this is what the doc says is best). So, 6 weeks of NO training will put me back at training again 9ish weeks pre-trip. That is not much time.  The best I can do is “be fit” now to make the re-bound less difficult. I read a comment on my FB mama climber group that climbing while pregnant should just be for fun and mental sanity, not to get strong. This mama went on to say that with all the time off one takes post birth, they will basically be starting at scratch again, so taking the pregnancy off or climbing all the way through won’t really matter. This rubbed me wrong for 2 reasons 1: What if she is right!?!?!?  2: How on earth is it possible that taking 6 weeks off is the same as taking 9 months plus 6 weeks off?

Clearly, this math doesn’t add up. AND, I have been here before. I trained the best I could through the last pregnancy, and I bounced back pretty quick. Within 9 months, I was stronger than ever, and prior to the pregnancy, I was in the midst of a 2 year plateau. So, it isn’t as though I was a beginner with no-where to go but up.

Earlier in the post, I mentioned that my motivation has been low. This is due to a few reasons. 1: I am struggling mentally with the whole getting weaker thing…bah 2: I am just tired! And hungry! And bloated! And grumpy! And busy with life!                                                                                        Sometimes, I am all ready to head to the gym, and then I realize I am starving. So I head to a restaurant instead. Or, I am hungry, and I eat a PBJ. Then to my dismay, I remember that gluten has been rough on me this pregnancy, so I am too bloated to do anything but lay on my couch. Yesterday, my husband and I were about to head to the gym when I suddenly turned into an emotional two-headed monster. I became annoyed when no one was ready to go except me, and then I just boiled…for no apparent reason. When we got to the gym, I nearly opted to stay in the car for a nap. I didn’t. Instead, I went in to the gym to track my steady regression. Yay. But, by the end of the session, I was feeling much happier and didn’t feel all that guilty about the chicken strips I had to stop and get on the way home.

So, the realities are, this is really hard! I guess the best I can do is ask people to keep me accountable. Kris at Power Co tracks my progress, so I know he knows if I haven’t trained in a bit. You all know…because I tell you, and my hubby knows because he is my training partner. The best advice I can offer to anyone embarking on this is to find people to keep you on top of the training plan. Without them, I for one am not mentally strong enough to do it.

Well, here’s to the almost half-way point…oh…man