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Friday, February 06, 2009

What a Difference a Day Makes

Or, a more apt title might be "What a Difference an Hour Makes" since I got an extra hour's worth of sleep last night, and that felt like a world of difference.

See, on Fridays, I get to sleep in an hour more than I do the rest of the week (different class schedule on Fridays), and even though it's just an hour, it's surprising how much more refreshed and awake I feel when I get up. So the extra hour's sleep, as well as a more relaxed work day, helped me feel ready to get back out there and run this afternoon with Jerry.

We did a quick 3 miler (28:11), and I have to admit that soon he may need to start running without me; because frankly, he's getting too fast for me. Today, for example, we ran the 3 miles at a 9:24 pace. Now, a few months ago that would have been a comfortable pace for me, but now I find that maintaining a pace like that is harder work. Plus, I know that he's slowing down to accommodate that pace -- I think he could easily be running sub-9:00/miles.

It makes sense that he's getting faster than me: He's been running consistently in the past few months, he's been varying the distances and paces, he's still shedding pounds, he's almost a foot taller than I am, and he's a man. Usually, I could probably use the opportunity to pick up the pace and match him on shorter faster runs, but his newfound speed coincides with my newfound loss of speed. The pregnant Jess just isn't as fast as the non-pregnant Jess, and I have a feeling I'm only gonna get slower (especially in that 3rd trimester when I'm carting a bowling ball out in front).

For now, we'll continue to run together when we can, and if our paces can't match, we may just have to run our separate runs until August when I have the baby. But after that? He'll have to watch his back because studies show that women who exercise continually through pregnancy have a 10-15% increase in their VO2 max for 6 months to a year after giving birth (explains Paula Radcliffe's NYC victory in 2007, right?). So I suppose he can enjoy his superior speed for now. Because 6 months from now, his ass is grass!

21 comments:

Aron said...

ohhhh thats a good to know stat :)

Sara said...

i had no idea about womens' VO2 max going up after pregnancy ... that's awesome!

Jerry better watch out ;)

Michelle Simmons said...

I'm 3 months post partum and running faster than I ever have. It's awesome! :) Youll love running in the fall!

Unknown said...

Sometimes when Husband and I go out for a run together he literally runs circles around me. It's a compromise that's worked for us when we want to run our own paces but stay somewhat together.

Christie said...

Just think, he'll be eating your dust once you drop the load :)

Marlene said...

haha, awesome. you're gonna kick his butt this fall!

Anonymous said...

Cool! You'll be a speed demon come fall!

keith said...

dudette...that is an unfair advantage. i'd be going after age group wins in nine months if i were you.

i bet with the right combination of hormones, jerry could simulate pregnancy and then have HIS VO2 max increased in nine months as well...then we'll see who's boss.

teacherwoman said...

An extra hour of sleep is AMAZING! Very interesting about the VO2 max and pregnancy. Too cool!

X-Country2 said...

I didn't realize the VO2 increased like that. You're just a wealth of pregnancy knowledge.

Laurel said...

WORD!

Mama's gonna kick some ass in 9 months. Don't forget to wipe him out with the baby stroller as you blow by him.

Crissy Rae said...

I still can't get over the fact that Jerry's become such a good runner! He really has stuck with his exercise plans for the long haul.

An extra hour's sleep would be awesome. I've been averaging 5-6 hours a night and it's finally catching up with me. Me tired.

Shannon said...

You rock! The fact that you are already planning to run the entire pregnancy is so healthy and smart. I wish more pregnant women could find your blog and learn from you. So many people need to be educated, most women get pregnant and STOP exercising. "I don't want to hurt the baby" is what what client said to me when she stopped coming to my classes. :(

Marci said...

You are doing amazing! VO2 max going up during pregnancy?!! Well then.... LOL

Marci said...

Oops I meant AFTER .. have a great weekend!

kristen said...

Wooot Wooot

Anonymous said...

I think it is so great you are still exercising while pregnant! Some women use it as an excuse not to move at all.

My husband and I have a very hard time keeping our pace together. It's more fun to run with someone though, so we are working on it!

That's really interesting about the VO2 Max!

SavvyFitChica said...

Since you brought up VO2 max, I have to tell you this... the university near us was doing a study and needed males to get their vo2 max done so of course michael signed up for the study just so he could see what his was.

They said his was off the charts! The "high" for my hubby's age is 52 I guess and his vo2 max was a 69. Lance Armstrong's is an 85. Isn't that crazy? they even called the head researcher over to verify the results b/c it seemed really high.

I thought that was kind of cool!! Man, just think if he gave birth... lol.

TNTcoach Ken said...

LOL....His ass is grass, he'd better really enjoy his fast times.

Anonymous said...

I'm routing for Jerry! Hopefully he'll keep running while you're preggo and then he'll be smokin' you! Haha! j/k. Good to hear the running is still going strong.

The Boring Runner said...

You should make him strap a bag of potatoes to his back! Even the load.