When I returned to the box, it was the height of the summer heat and
humidity. I quickly found out that I could not perform at the same
level I had previously known. The first thing to "go" were my lungs.
It seemed to take forever to catch my breath during a workout. From
there on, I began scaling everything. I capped all my WODs to fifteen
minutes, chose weights that were comfortable and took breaks for
catching my breath as needed. Very soon I became acquainted with scales
that were not necessarily easier, but more suited for my changing body
and needs. Try doing parallete push-ups; they are a bear and certainly
not easy. When it came to strength days, I found myself hitting PRs on
nearly every lift. I was not necessarily aiming for each PR, they
seemed to just happen. I was told the added oxygen and blood flow are
the reason for this added strength. I still consider them achievements
and know I will have to work even harder to reach them again after I
have my baby.
With only two weeks left, I still workout three days a week.
Everyone continues to support, encourage and check-in on me. While I
know I will have to take a break from CrossFit once the baby arrives, I
am already looking forward to the day I can get back. I am also looking
forward to the day Aimee plans a Pregnant-Simulation WOD. How great
would it be for everyone else to wear forty-pound weight vests, oxygen
deprivation masks and use all the scales my fellow pregnant CrossFitters
and I used?!
Leila
