Ok, so the vomiting finally ceased at about 15 weeks. I made a note in my diary about it. It literally says “You felt like crap for 15 weeks, rethink child no 2”.

I have officially moved into the second trimester in the creation of Coach Junior (Ok, so while writing this, I am technically in Trimester 3, but preggy brain and exhaustion is VERY REAL – will update on that soon). Apparently the second trimester is where I am going to “glow”, enjoy not being sick and where I can still move with relative ease. Training is finally possible again and I have moved from looking bloated (read fat) to a semi bump that makes me look pregnant. Finally.

What they don’t mention is that the “glow” is actually sweat from hot flushes that hit you whenever they feel like it, the sick, vomity feeling is replaced by heartburn that will make dragons jealous and that you look like a killer whale in a swim costume. Still, its better than vomiting every hour and coffee is back on the menu. And the nesting…Poor Supporter no 1 arrives home every now and again to find that I have completely rearranged closests and that there is a mountain of stuff in the foyer that needs to disappear.

Trimester 2 links up to the bike section of a triathlon, not because it is easy (ever done IRONMAN 70.3 Buffalo City’s bike course?) but rather because it is the discipline most people find comfort in. Myself included. I love being on the bike, pushing on the pedals, the wind in my face and the sound my deep section wheels make when I ride it (currently it’s just a sad little bike on the trainer). It is the part of the triathlon where you can finally eat solid food and drink those carby drinks and put the swim behind you. Your legs gets a breather on the downhills and you actually get to talk to other people, even if its just to yell “keep left”. Seeing other humans around you definitely ups the morale.

Sadly, I also note that, even though it is the longest section of a triathlon, it is also the part that gets neglected whilst you are on the course. We almost immediately start thinking of the run that is coming up instead of just focusing on the here and now. I am often like that too, mostly because I fear the run.

I should spend more time appreciating what my body can do. Whether it is racing flat stretch on the road at 30km/h, completely in control of my machine and going into THAT zone where nothing matters or if my body is creating a little human. My body CAN do those things, which makes me exceptionally blessed. We are constantly in a state of worrying about the next thing on our lists. The next meeting, the next discipline, the next few months and we so rarely live in the moment that it passes us by before we had the chance or made the choice to enjoy it.

Enjoy the bike more and stop thinking about the upcoming run for a few minutes. Appreciate what your body can do at that moment, smile and wave at the kids cheering you on next to the road, the smell of the fields or the ocean that sets the backdrop for your bike leg. Before you know it, you are back in transition for the run part, which always has a surprise up it sleeves…