You won’t be surprised…

But I’ve gained more than the 15 pounds that my doctors recommended that I gain with this pregnancy.  Already.  As of this morning, I’m up 19 pounds.  19!  And I’ve still got 17.5 weeks to go.  Including 2-3 vacations/weekends away, the hubby’s birthday, and Thanksgiving.  This is not a good thing, my friends.

Not that it’s all that surprising to me, either.  Seriously?  Gaining only 15 pounds with a pregnancy?  That’s cray-cray.  I’d like to say that I’ve been eating really well.  And I can tell you that I had a salad for lunch yesterday.  But then I might conveniently leave out the part where I didn’t finish it (there was too much dressing), and instead went back for a second biscuit. Ahem, a second cheese biscuit.

Oh, and then there were the bananas that I bought to add into protein pancakes or to top English muffins with peanut butter.  Instead, they sat too long, and I HAD to make some banana chocolate chip bread.  And then I HAD to proceed to eat 2 slices per day this week.  Luckily the hubby’s been eating more than that, and it’s finally gone.

I did not expect this to be this hard, folks.  I’m really not sure why, though.  I mean, I have tried my entire life.  ENTIRE LIFE! to lose weight, and now I’m just piling the pounds on like it’s my job.  19 pounds in 22.5 weeks isn’t ALL that terrible, and honestly, I really only look like I’ve gained some weight in the belly (it’s *thank goodness* not distributed itself to my face or upper arms — yet).  But knowing that I still have 17.5 weeks to go, and this kiddo is just going to grow & grow & grow, is terrifying.

I cried this morning, exclaiming that if I couldn’t control my need for ice cream, how could I possibly be a good mother.  I even said that I wished she was going to be a boy, because then he wouldn’t really worry about his weight like I do.  Friends, I am so scared that I am going to screw this little, innocent, perfect baby up.

Back to basics, my friends.  No, not a diet.  But tracking what I eat.  Doing my cardio.  Making good choices.  Setting myself up for success.

2011 Nautica Malibu Triathlon

This morning’s Facebook post:

There is no can or cannot.  There is only TRI.  It’s go-time. 

Of course, I posted that as I was getting up at 3:30 AM.  Yes.  3:30 AM.  Crazy!

This was the 2nd year that I participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon.  I was bound & determined to beat my time from last year.  And last year, I was only 2 minutes (2 minutes!) away from making it onto the podium in 5th place.  So I pushed myself to beat last year’s time by at least 2 minutes, and I’d have a spot on that podium.

Sadly, I did not make the podium this year.  On the bright side, I cut 8 minutes (8 minutes!) from my race time last year.  The person in 5th place was still 5 minutes (5 minutes! – are you sensing a theme?!?) ahead of me.  This whole time I thought I was racing against the woman in 5th place, when really I was racing against myself.

2011 – Nautica Malibu Triathlon Results:

• 0.5 mile Swim Time (Pacific ocean):  0:16:08
• Swim Rank:  295
• Transition 1:  0:04:03
• 18 mile Cycle Time:  1:03:43
• Cycle Rank:  783
• Cycle MPH:  16.9
• Transition 2:  0:01:49
• 4 mile Run Time:  0:42:21
• Run Rank:  978
• Run MPH:  10:35
• Total Time:  2:08:09
• Overall Rank:  748
• Rank in Division:  6

As compared to last year, 2010 Nautica Malibu Triathlon Results:

• 0.5 mile Swim Time (Pacific ocean):  0:18:29
• Swim Rank:  388
• Transition 1:  0:04:53
• 18 mile Cycle Time:  1:06:31
• Cycle Rank:  947
• Cycle MPH:  16.9
• Transition 2:  0:3:10
• 4 mile Run Time:  0:43.42
• Run Rank:  1130
• Run MPH:  10:55
• Total Time:  2:16:47
• Overall Rank:  933
• Rank in Division:  6

So, the difference – 2011 to 2010:

• 0.5 mile Swim Time (Pacific ocean):  Decreased time by 0:02:21
• Swim Rank: Increase in overall rank by 93
• Transition 1: Decreased time by 0:00:50
• 18 mile Cycle Time:  Decreased time by 0:02:48
• Cycle Rank:  Increase in overall rank by 164
• Cycle MPH:  Increase in MPH by 0.7
• Transition 2:  Decrease in time by 0:01:21
• 4 mile Run Time:  Decrease in time by 0:01:21
• Run Rank:  Increase in overall rank by 152
• Run MPH:  Increase in MPH by 00:20
• Total Time:  Decrease in time by 0:08:38
• Overall Rank:  Increase in rank by 185
• Rank in Division:  6

Looking at it, I decreased my time in each and every event!  Woot!  My biggest issue this year and last was the run; my best was the swim, both years.  This year’s bike felt really good, although my right hip started with pressure around mile 13, and then it started radiating towards my lower back.  I highly recommend the Yankz shoe laces!  I credit that with my decrease in my Transition 2 time!

Comparing myself to celebrities, I did not beat any of the celebrity relays.  I did beat Ali Vincent, Winner of The Biggest Loser, Season 5!  Only by a minute and 12 seconds, but still!  She is so amazing, I’m so psyched that I was able to power it up to beat her!  The only guy celebrity that I beat was David Denman (i.e., Roy from The Office or Tony from Drop Dead Diva) – who I saw last year.  This year, I refrained from yelling “Woohoo!” at him as I was running out and he was on his way back in…

I have a number of pics (just call me psycho paparazzi) of the various actors from The Office:  Including Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute), Ellie Kemper (Erin Hannon), Andy Buckley (David Wallace), Ed Helms (Andy Bernard), and Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson).

David Denman & Rainn Wilson

Ed Helms

The triathlon was run really, really well!  I was very impressed with the whole thing.  The t-shirts are great, and I love the baseball cap.  For raising more than $750, I also received a donation prize of a Nautica jacket.  It’s really nice, and completely unexpected.  To me, it’s unnecessary, and I’d really rather that the money for the jacket go towards Children’s Hospital of LA.  But, I know that some people raise money in order to get the fundraising prizes, so I know that it’s really a good thing that Nautica is doing for the group.

Finishing the swim. I was in the LAST wave of racers, in the light pink cap. I passed all those yellow caps!

Sheena Easton was the singer for the National Anthem.  She really did do a good job with it.  Sometimes, people do a poor job with their “rendition” of the National Anthem.  I find that type of thing annoying — I’d much rather someone took the song seriously and sang it with feeling – and didn’t sing it to put their own stamp of approval on it.  Anyway, she did a great job.  Wondering if she’s trying for a “come back”?

I’m psyched about how well I did.  I’m so happy that my hubby and my parents were here to watch, and were willing to get up at 3:30 AM to watch!  We had a great time down in Malibu today!

The rest of the day was a bit of a lost cause.  I’d burnt 1500+ calories (per my HRM), so I wasn’t too worried about what I ate for the rest of the day.  But, instead of going out, I decided that I’d rather go home and get comfy there.  After showering, I made some leftovers, then took a nice nap!  After getting up, my parents showed me all the things they brought me from home (old-timey wooden skis that we’ll use as decor in the living room, an embroidered chair that my great grandmother sewed from 1880, and a bunch of other items).  We had pizza (more Trader Joe’s pizza crust!) and wine.

Such a good day!  Time for bed!

I am a ball of stress…

I’ve been MIA for a while. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Jury duty. Started last Thursday, and I’ve been sat on a jury, that is STILL going on. They expect to finish providing us with evidence today, then we’re likely off tomorrow, and they give it to the jury next week for deliberations & to come to a verdict. MUST be done by Wednesday night – otherwise I don’t get paid.
• Final exam for Management Strategy class. It was this past Monday at 6 PM. I am now DONE with classes on my MBA! Graduation is on Saturday!!! Woot!
• The cleaning people came on Tuesday. Which means usually I’m running around picking everything up the day before. Except, I had an exam Monday, so I was running around on Tuesday morning picking up & clearing stuff from my office (which has been our little “dumping ground” so that it could be cleaned. Doing that, then losing my keys, made me late for court. D’oh! Just 5 minutes, but long enough for the judge to notice…
• My parents are flying in tonight at 5:30 for my graduation. An hour and a half from where I’m at (maybe longer — it is SoCal, afterall). We don’t get out of court until about 4:30. So, I’m gonna be late. I haven’t seen my parents for over a year! Crazy…
• Friday, we had plans to go wine tasting. But I’m supposed to be in court — but now we might be off tomorrow. I hate not knowing. Drives me nuts.
• Saturday morning = graduation! Woot!
• Saturday afternoon = Graduation / Holiday party. So excited about this, but there’s still a lot to prepare. Having a taco cart guy come out to cook, and a margarita machine guy come and deliver a machine for the party. Already bought most of the stuff for the party — would love to make some cupcakes though. Not ordering a cake — cupcakes are easy to make and don’t require forks. (AAAKKKKK, just remembered that I needed to buy plastic utensils). Also really need to call the taco guy to confirm the number of people who are coming…
• eFeedbacks for everyone who sent them to me & my self-assessment for work (it’s the end of the year review time) are due tomorrow. I’m not a good person to give eFeedback — I usually have a LOT for people to work on next year… I’m not a fluffy person who says you’re awesome, then have nothing “bad” to say. It’s usually the other way around. But, I realize that this affects peoples’ raises and bonuses, and if I haven’t already said something about what they’re doing wrong, it’s probably not the time to raise the issue at that time…
• Holiday shopping. I need to get gifts for: my dad, my brother in law. Two very difficult people to shop for.

I have not been eating well or exercising. I have LITERALLY eaten Chick-fil-a 4 of the 6 days that I’ve been in jury duty. The other 2 I had potato tacos. I love me some Chick-fil-a, but this is ridiculous. (There’s one close to the courthouse, and I feel like I never get to go, so I’ve been eating it LOTs. WAY TOO MUCH!) This must stop.