#DUDES!!! I never had gain so many followers so FAST with a social media account!!!!!

[sheikfangirl]

I really REALLY worked hard on that "Purah & Sages make an intervention" animation, I thought it would be cool to share close ups :)

Link if you missed it: https://www.tumblr.com/sheikfangirl/746767984338550784/goddessdammit-linky-pull-yourself-together-i?source=share What I post are usually sketches i made a while ago that I revamp a bit before posting...this one was made this week. Being exposed to the Zelink community give me motivation to make more than simple doodles. Thank you all for tagging along my Zelink and LoZ fixation. Cheers!

[a-bang-for-your-bucky]

Welcome Home Part 3

*not my gif*

WARNINGS: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE, seriously I use the ‘F’ word a lot. 

Pairings: Cody Rhodes x OFC (Sister), Brandi Rhodes x OFC (sister), Dustin Rhodes x OFC (Sister), past Seth Rollins x OFC, future Kenny Omega x OFC 

Summary: Peyton gets an offer that will change her entire career, while she tries to deal with the rising feelings for her best friend. 

A/N: Here is part 3. I hope y’all like it. 

The next few days following the aquarium, Kenny and I were more inseparable than usual. Everywhere we went, we were together. When Dynamite rolled around, the entire locker room was whispering about us. 

I was on my way to the EVP room, when I was stopped by Kris Statlander. “Hey girlie.” She greeted, booping my nose. It twitched at the contact. “I didn’t hear from you much this week, and then I saw the pics of you and Kenny. Spill.” She smiled, with a raised eyebrow. 

I laughed nervously, “There’s nothing to tell. We’re just friends.” She shook her head. I knew what people were saying. “I’m serious, Kris. Just friends who went to the aquarium together.” I defended, moving my hands in a definitive motion. 

“Girl! His eyes were on you, not the damn fish.” She rolled her eyes, “How are you both so clueless?!” She threw her hands up, flabbergasted. She quickly whipped her phone out and pulled up the shark tank picture again and showed it to me, zoomed in on Kenny’s face. “Those are heart eyes, girl. He is in love.” 

There was no way Kenny was in love with me. “Kris, he is literally married to wrestling. No time for relationships.” I pointed out. 

“But he always makes time for you.” She said before walking away to film a bit for BTE. Kenny did always seem to make time for me. I tried to shake her words as I continued my way to the EVP room. Cody had sent me a text earlier in the day saying that creative had a storyline they wanted to pitch to me. 

I opened the door and Cody was there with The Bucks, a writer, and Tony Khan. “Hey, sorry, I rushed here as fast as I could.” I apologized for my tardiness and grabbed a seat next to Cody. 

“Peyton, we want you to have a with Penelope for the number one contender slot for the AEW Women’s Championship.” Tony started to explain. A huge smile crossed my face. Then Nick added, “We want you to face Shida at ‘Winter is coming’”. I shook my head. 

“No fuck--” Cody gave me a stern look, telling me to watch my language, “I mean, no friggin’ way?!?” I couldn’t hide my excitement. Tony handed me the contract for the match at ‘Winter Is Coming’. I looked down at the papers in my hand. “This is legit? Are you sure there isn’t anyone else who deserves this before me?” I questioned, looking up from the packet that held my future. 

“We have pulled all the stats, plus we took in account fan base and Dark comments. You beat Penelope, and you’ll be number one contender.” Matt laid it all out, and I just needed to take it. All it took was one smooth signature and it was booked. 

“Well good evening, folks. It’s Wednesday night, and you know what that means! Thanks for joining us here on Dynamite. Boy do we have a lined up show for you.” I listened to JR announce as I paced back and forth in front of the gorilla monitors. The announce team of JR, Tony, and Excalibur went on to discuss the card for the night. 

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Sure, I had been in the title picture before, but this was completely different. This would be my first title shot in AEW, plus Penelope and I were kicking off the show. That was something that didn’t happen often. Cody was waiting by the curtain, like he always did before my matches, to wish me luck. He immediately could tell that something was wrong. “What’s up, Pey?”

“I’m worried about Kip. It has me thrown off. He’s a wild card.” I mumbled anxiously as I bit at my nails. Cody nodded, giving me a knowing look. He pulled me in by my shoulder.

“You’ll be just fine, kid.” He smiled. I wanted to ask what he meant, but Kenny’s voice filled my ears before I could. 

“Hey, Princess!”  I could tell my face lit up at the sight of him. “I just wanted to say good luck. And ask if you wanted to grab dinner after?” Cody looked at the both of us and sighed. I knew he wanted the heat to die down from the Aquarium photo, for my sake. He had told me many times. I didn’t care though and neither did Kenny. 

“Of course, Omega. Thank you.” I replied quickly, throwing my arms around him for a tight hug. Cody grabbed my attention, letting me know it was my time. I released Kenny, but he grabbed my hand, giving it a light ‘you got this’ squeeze, before letting go. 

“The following contest, with a twenty minute time limit, is scheduled for one fall, introducing first from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, being accompanied to the ring by Kip Sabian, Penelope Ford.” I watched as they made their way into the ring and gave a disgusting show of PDA. 

I fiddled with my jacket, waiting for my music to hit. I instantly regretted letting Brandi talk me into wearing a choker. It suddenly felt too tight. I didn’t have a chance to remove it before I heard the familiar start of “My songs know what you did in the dark”. I composed myself and fixed my hair. I walked out the “Heel” tunnel and onto the ramp.

“And her opponent, from Atlanta, Georgia, well they call her the “Dream Killer”, Peyton Rhodes.” Justin announced my name and the crowd still cheered, which made my heart happy. I quickly made my way into the squared circle, so the bell could ring.  

The match started with a few back and forth blows. Penelope got me into a side headlock, before quickly doing an arm drag. I shot back up to my feet. Again, we locked up, before I drove a knee up into her stomach. I had quickly gained the upper hand in the match. I was getting ready to drop her with a DDT, when I saw Kip pacing outside of the ring. I flipped him a bird and slammed Penelope’s head into the mat. As expected, Kip got involved. He slid into the ring, getting in my face. “Get out of the ring, Kip!” I yelled and he stepped a bit closer. I thought he was going to push me back away from him. 

Suddenly, the crowd erupted in cheers as a figure jumped the barricade and slid into the ring. It was Mox. He pushed Kip back and into the ropes, making him fall through. This distracted Penelope and I took that chance to hit the “dream killer”, my finisher. I got the three count and the bell rang. Aubrey raised my hand and Justin announced me as the winner. 

Jon was still standing at the tunnels when I climbed through the ropes and walked up the stairs. I extended a hand to show respect, which he gladly took and pulled me in for a hug. The fans went wild. “What a reunion it was tonight for Peyton Rhodes and Jon Moxley. Now that Rhodes has defeated Ford, she will go on to face AEW Women’s champion Hikaru Shida for the title at “Winter Is Coming’ on December 2nd.” Tony announced for the viewers at home. 

Cody again was waiting by the curtain for me. “Great match, sis. Jon, thanks for having her back.” He said, like it was all planned. I needed to know what the hell Jon was thinking.

“Dude! You guys are trending!” Matt yelled as he walked up, shoving his phone in my face. It was like I was in a daze. I had no idea why Jon, of all people, got involved in my match. Now, we were trending on social media. Before I could reply, I was being pulled by an assistant to do an interview with Dasha. 

“I’m backstage with Peyton Rhodes. Peyton, what was that?” She asked. I quickly got into character. I flipped my hair over my shoulder, attitude immediately crossing my face. 

“What was that? You’re asking the hard-hitting questions, Dasha.” I mocked her, before continuing. “ Let me tell you what that was. That was me rising to the top of this division, just like I said I would.” I stepped closer to her mic, “That was me letting Shida know that her days as champion are numbered.” I turned to the camera. “Hold onto that title tight, Shida. Because it will be mine very, very soon.” 

Dasha nodded, looking annoyed with how bitchy I was being, “But everyone wants to know what Jon Moxley was doing?” She inquired, pushing the mic back in my face. 

I scoffed, “No comment.” I quickly walked away to find out what the hell just happened. Why did Jon come help me? I tried to find him, but no one had seen where he went. So I settled for finding my brother. I went to his trailer, and banged on the door. 

“Open up, Rhodes.” I shouted, and Brandi came to the door. I looked at her, fuming. “Where is my brother?” I snapped. She just moved to the side, letting me in. Cody was sitting on the couch, like he was waiting for me. What surprised me, was to see Kenny sitting there, too. 

“Glad you could join us, sis. Take a seat.” Cody motioned for me to sit next to Kenny. I cocked a brow, confused, but took the seat anyway. I looked at Kenny about to say something before Cody cut me off. “Since you two are wanting to be the talk of AEW, and have no intentions to listen to me or my advice, Khan wants you to work together.” My mouth dropped. 

“What the hell does that mean?” I growled. Kenny looked at me, shocked, that I was angry that we got to work together. I saw his smile drop instantly. “I mean, Don’t get me wrong, Ken, I would love to work a story with you. But I can’t do the whole ‘escort/manager’ thing again.” I objected, not going down that road again.

Kenny nodded in understanding, “I know. And you know I would never do that to you, Princess.” He ensured me, placing a gentle hand on my knee. 

“I would also never do that to you, Peyton. Trust me, this will be amazing.” Cody predicted, “We have a lot to talk about.” He smirked, taking a seat across from us. “After you left the meeting last week, Tony pulled me aside.” Cody started to explain. 

My mind was racing. What did Tony have in store for me? For Kenny? How in a matter of two weeks did I become number one contender and get to work with my best friend? I looked over at Kenny, who’s blue eyes were focused on what my brother was saying. He looked so happy. I wondered if it was because we got to do a storyline together or because he was getting his shot at the AEW world title? 

“Tony wants you to turn on Moxley.” Those seven words drew me from my thoughts. My whole body went rigid. Did he just say what I think he said? I looked over at Kenny who was smiling like a cat who caught the canary. 

“He wants me to do what?” I asked, wanting Cody to clarify what the fuck he just said to me.

[jackyjango]

“I get where you’re coming from dude, but honestly shut the hell up and don’t talk about her/him that way.”

Thank you for the ask, @ikeracity​! Sorry it took this long to get back. And sorry for the length of the answer. 

—-

The Genoshan public know the Professor and Magneto as veritable adversaries. As Mutant activists, Professor X and Magneto have rarely, or never, seen eye to eye on mutant issues and rights. They oppose and contradict each other even they fight on the same side– as rare as a blue moon the occurrence is. With Magneto becoming the leader of the extremists’ club called ‘The Brotherhood of Mutants’, and the Professor’s followers declaring themselves as the ‘X-Men’, announcing Dr. Charles Xavier as their leader, their radically different viewpoints have made them something akin to cult figures.

‘The young front of Mutant Politics,’ the Genoshan Daily reports.

What would have been benign arguments with anyone else turn into raging wars when these two are involved. Their infamous debate in the Parliament on the Mutant Registration Bill, though a thing of the past, is still on the common tongue.

‘Things get very furious very fast with these Mutants,’ MP, Steve Rogers quips about Professor Xavier and Magneto.

The press seems to love them; for when they share a screen– or even breath the same air– there’s no dearth of drama.

When he’s not the acclaimed HOD of Genetics at the Genoshan University, Professor Xavier is a socialite, the darling of the Genoshan elite club. His step-father, the late Kurt Marko, was a member of the Congress. His mother, the late Sharon Xavier-Marko, founded most of the charities in the country. However easy the Professor’s entry into the Parliament was, the telepath quickly gained popularity and became the leader of the Integrationalists by his cogency alone. He’s loved by subsets of the human and mutant population alike for this very quality. The Parliament, however, seem to love him for another reason entirely. For the reason that he’s their only shield against their abominable opponent, Magneto.

Magneto has a murky past– more based in rags than in riches. His cryptic persona is a hit amongst the mutant youth, and paired with his phlegmatic character and baritone voice, it has garnered him the support of the mutant masses. It is safe to state that the leader of the Separatists and master metal bender has street cred. That, however, hasn’t stopped him from making his presence felt in the Parliament from time to time.

And when the Professor and Magneto come face to face, the Genoshan public is in for a treat, for their fights are nothing less than a display of fireworks.

-x-

They fight at home, too. Only here, they’re Charles and Erik, and their fights are the kind that come with a terrifying sense of domesticity.

‘Charles, I can’t find my other sock. Have you seen it?’ Erik shouts from the walk-in closet, scowling at the grey sock in his hand.

‘Just a minute,’ comes Charles’ reply after a pause.

‘Keep scowling like that, and you’ll give yourself more wrinkles,’ says Charles as he walks into the room. He’s dressed in Erik’s track pants and sports a pair of mismatched socks on his feet– both in close variants of grey.

‘Keep stealing my socks like that, and you’ll make me an old man ahead of time,’ Erik retorts on spotting his missing pair.

‘Hey, you know my feet get cold quickly. Besides, it’s not my fault that you own only grey socks. It’s hard to differentiate.’

‘You have the same kind of tea with different names in ten different boxes. You don’t see me complaining about it.’

‘Just like I don’t complain about your stupid hat collection that doesn’t see the outside of the coat rack?’

‘Hey, firstly, they’re not hats. Secondly-’ Erik stops and sniffs forcefully. ‘Something is burning on the stove.’

Charles’ eyes go wide in remembrance and the alarmed oh dear ricochets between their minds. They both run to the kitchen at once.

It’s mundaneness at its best at the Xavier-Lehnsherr household.

*

With over three million followers– and growing– on each of their social media, the Professor and Magneto’s accounts quickly turn into combat zones without much instigation. While Professor Xavier– a.k.a Professor X– is well known for his diplomacy, the infamous metal bender, Magneto, is celebrated for his ripostes. Their interesting dynamics have encouraged their followers to deride those on the other end. To add fuel to the fire, the Professor and Magneto choose to mutually censure each other publicly. When the Genoshan Mail asked for his opinion on Magneto rallying for Genosha to become an all-mutant state, the Professor said:

‘Magneto is an impetuous narcissist. He can rally all he wants. It won’t change the fact the Genosha is for everyone.’

In 2016, the Professor made a verbal jab at Magneto’s suit and his lopsided cape.

‘It’s tacky and belongs to a circus,’ he said.

Magneto himself has called the Professor ‘a naive fool’ on multiple occasions. Once during the UN Peace Summit, no less.  

When asked about the Professor’s trust in the Government to pass a bill banning suppressants, Magneto has been reported to have said:

‘Professor Xavier is a pretentious know-it-all in a tweed suit. The fact that he’s an all-trusting fool on top of it will be doom of mutants.’

Acting by their leader’s examples, several prominent heads from both the sides have indulged in verbal wars over the years, slamming the other down with slanderous comments.

The Professor and Magneto, however, seem to hold the rights to mutually disparage each other just to themselves. When Mark Blackwell had asked the Professor on how he felt being associated to a supremacist monster like Magneto on Follow the leader, the Professor’s outburst had stunned the filming crew– and the larger part of the population when the show was aired.

‘No man is a monster, Mr. Blackwell. And certainly not Magneto. He might be an extremist and blunt in his approach, but his intentions have never swayed from Mutant equality. Please choose your words more carefully in the future.’

The Professor’s blue eyes had reminded one and all that inciting the ire of an omega-level telepath isn’t the wisest idea.

Magneto, too, has made it clear that he isn’t the one to fall behind. The proposal for a dynamic medical insurance scheme for those with extreme and physical mutations had taken the mutant community by storm. Magneto had cried that the scheme was a sham in a rather colourful language, and the Professor had assured that the Government was amicable for negotiations. The Genoshan Broadcasting Network had brought the two leaders and their supporters for a Prime time face-off, witnessed by audience from all fragments of society. The steady stream of subtitles on the screen had run through several speeches and arguments– including that of the two leaders.

With the last half hour of the show dedicated to audience questions, a mutant by the name of Leech had taken the stand behind the microphone and thrown his question at the Professor.

‘Give this stupid scheme a chance? Trust the Government to treat us fairly? Look at me, Professor,’ he had said, pointing to his green skin and overly large head, ‘Do you think a hospital would be willing to take me in if not for monetary benefit? An entitled mutant like you will never understand the plight of the likes of us. Who are you to fight for our rights? What have you done for us other than looking pretty and writing fancy books? Hell, why do we need an enemy on the outside when scums like you are amongst us?’

Magneto had snapped immediately, face stony and voice as hard as iron,

‘I get where you’re coming from, dude. But honestly, shut the hell up and don’t speak about him that way. Charles Xavier has done more for mutants than you’ll never know.’

Though the transcript on the display had read ‘hell’, members of the audience had heard it differently– something the network chose to politely omit.

‘That still doesn’t stop them from calling each other names,’ observes comedian Remi Lebeau.

-x-

On their sofa, Charles turns in Erik’s arms to face the latter. The thick blanket that is careless

thrown over their laps wrinkles with the action. Here, too, they call each other names– if endearments and sweet nothings could be categorised thus.

‘You didn’t have to break his camera, darling. He was only doing his job,’ Charles scolds mildly.

Erik rolls his eyes. ‘I didn’t break it. Just disabled it. Besides, he wasn’t doing his job. He was condemning you.’

Charles sighs. ‘Why won’t you listen to me when I tell you that I can defend my own honour?’

‘My point precisely, liebling,’ Erik takes Charles’ hand and interlaces their fingers. ‘You can, but you don’t. So I don’t care how many times you prohibit me to, I’ll do it-’ Erik pulls Charles close and whispers against his lips ‘-because I love you.’

Charles looks at Erik then like he’d handed him the moon, and brings their foreheads together. ‘I love you, too,’ he coos.

‘Not more than me. No,’ Erik says shaking his head against Charles’ petulantly.

‘You’re such a child, Erik,’ Charles says chuckling fondly. ‘A six foot child.’

‘With a nine inch dick,’ Erik completes.

Charles looks bemused when he pulls back– torn between laughing over and punching Erik.

He settles for punching Erik in the ribs.

*

With all the hype that surrounds the Professor and Magneto, little, or nothing, is known about their personal lives. It’s only business when these two mutants are in the Primetime Bulletin. While a golden band has made the Professor’s ring finger its permanent residence, what resides under the metal bender’s leather clad hands remains a mystery.

A small fraction of the society, however, have a notion that the two were, or are, involved. To what capacity, is the goal of their mission. A steady stream of blogs run on the world wide web that decrypt their speeches and catalogue their appearances against plausible theories of their coupling.

‘They’re fucking for sure,’ says Kitty Pryde (24), founder of Ishipprofessorxandmagneto.com. ‘The fact that the Professor is married be damned.’

Professor Xavier has been evasive on the topic– neither confirming nor denying the rumours of a significant other.

When Syrin confronted Magento for mutantlove.com, the metal bender responded,

‘Whom I fuck or don’t fuck is none of anybody’s business.’

Very few have dared to broach the topic publically after that.

-x-

Charles sighs standing at the foot of their king sized bed. ‘I thought we decided not to get presents, love.’

‘It’s not a present. I saw this and thought that it would look good on you.’ Erik says as Charles picks up the lilac sweater laid out on the comforter. The label reads: ‘Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary, Charles’. The telepath holds it to his torso and smoothens his hands along the soft wool. ‘Look, it even brings out your eyes,’ Erik says with a pleased smile.

Charles places the sweater on the bed carefully and closes the distance between them by looping his arms around Erik’s neck. ‘That’s cheating, because I didn’t get you anything,’ he drawls.

Erik circles his arms around Charles’ waist and pulls him impossibly close. ‘You’re more than enough,’ he says with a dreamy smile.

‘Romantic!’ Charles giggles.

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Yes, you are!’

‘Absolutely not!’

‘Do you want to fight me on this one, too,’ Charles aks with raised brows.

Erik grins with far too many teeth. ‘Only if it’s foreplay.’

*

The Professor, with his Oxford education and the three PhDs that come with it, is regarded highly amongst the intellectuals. His students often see him in frumpy cardigans and floppy hair. But on the rare occasions when he chooses to grace the read carpet to raise funds for charity, he’s a dashing vision in bespoke tuxedos and stylised hair. His rather charming personality, posh British accent and manners complete the ‘gentleman’ image of Charles Francis Xavier. His ‘No Violence’ policy only ramps it up to higher levels.

His students, colleagues, and acquaintances have nothing but high praises to offer about the good professor.

‘Charles is the kindest man I know,’ says Dr, Moira MacTaggart, HOD of Criminal Law at the Genoshan University.  

‘We love the Professor. He’s been a guiding light in many of our lives,’ says Jubilee, a student in Professor Xavier’s Mutations class. When asked what vexes the Professor the most, she laughs. ‘Expletives. He hates them!’

-x-

‘Fuck…’ Charles moans impatiently below Erik– his skin flushed and hair disheveled– and levels a smack to Erik’s backside.

‘What was that for?’ Erik asks cluelessly, eyes wide and mouth ajar.

‘Come on, Erik, move. Put your back into it, and use your dick,’ Charles growls, bringing his hand up to twist it in Erik’s hair.

‘Mein Gott, Charles,’ Erik gasps out in mock indignation. ‘What a dirty little mouth you have.’

‘It’s the same mouth that sucks your dick and kisses you every morning. Unless you want to change any of that, shut up and fuck me.’

That puts an end to Erik’s line of rejoinders. ‘Yes, your Highness,’ he groans and promptly complies.

*

Very few to none have seen the man behind Magneto’s helmet. The image of his Maroon bodysuit backed by his lopsided cape, however, has become the definition of the Government’s nightmare. The Press and the media in general have an on and off love affair with the metal bender. One one hand, he can shoot their TRPs heavenwards with his instigating speeches that move the masses and sets them afoot. On the other hand, he can break their cameras and recorders when it pleases him, leaving them as eyewitnesses as proof of their news.

While a devoted fragment of the society worships him as their hero– embodying his moto of ‘Mutant and Proud’, and willing to follow him to the ends of the world– not many are pleased by Magneto’s violent approach to solving issues.

‘You can love him or hate him. But you can never ignore him,’ says Claire Ferguson, host of the Late Late Show.

His displays of his powers have simultaneously induced awe and terror in many.

‘I’m terrified of him,’ says Samuel Wilson, recalling the time when he had simply watched in horror as Magneto uplifted a football stadium. ‘The man can melt metal for fuck’s sake!’

-x-

In the kitchen, Erik melts a bar of dark chocolate and stirs it steadily. On the counter, a metal sheet bends in the shape of a heart. A red gift wrap and ribbon lie still to be used.

‘Where is my husband, and what have you done with him?’ Charles deadpans when Erik enters the study with the box in hand.

Erik chuckles and floats the box to Charles. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, liebling.’

Charles beams, but just to be difficult, he adds: ‘Aren’t we a little too old to be celebrating Valentines’?’

Erik walks to Charles’ side. ‘That reminds me. What do the kids ask these days?’ He makes a show of thinking, and with a smouldering smile, asks: ‘Will you be my Valentine, Charles?’

Charles laughs and pulls Erik in by his shoulders. ‘You old fool, I already am,’ he says fondly, and crashes their mouths in a searing kiss.

-x-

They’re either furiously fighting, or passionately making love. There seems to be no in-betweens for these two mutants.

—

Prompts here

[womanversusthigh-blog]

What’s in a year?

About a year ago was the last time I wrote in this blog. I lost steam, and felt like it wasn't really worth it to put my thoughts on paper (er, online) so, I stopped. I never even put a race report up for IM Canada, one that I sent to my team, that's been sitting in my OneNote for a year, that I just was too lazy to put up here. I now kind of feel like while a year later, it's dated, it was still fun to re-read, and I'll put it up after this.

 A lot has happened since my last blog post about having an Ironman hangover (which is a really, really real thing.)  I closed out my season with two more podiums, one 3rd place AG at Luray International, and one 2nd place OA Female (WHAT!?) at Bethany Beach in September.  I ended the season with Marine Corps as I always do, closing in on a decent time of a bit over 4 hours, I believe my 3rd fastest to date.

 I kept my business rolling, made it through a semi-uneventful winter and trained my ass off for in both cycling and swimming for what I thought would be a key race for me - the Chesapeake Bay Swim. Until in late February…I found out I was pregnant. Fast forward through a bunch of medical pregnancy stuff, grumpiness, and other unpleasantries: because I was in semi ridiculously good shape for it being "off season" while amping up hard for the Bay Swim and a few key races, I was lucky to have an easy first several months. I raced four times: Rock 'n' Roll half in March at 8 weeks, The North Face Trail Half in April at 14 weeks, and the Kinetic International Bike Relay Portion at 16 weeks, followed the next day by the Kinetic Sprint. Last but certainly not least, I still did my favorite charity ride, Bike MS - 70 miles on the Eastern Short of Maryland at 22 weeks. None of them were PR's except TNF (my only trail half on the books! Ha!) but man, I was thankful to still be out there.

District Multisport athletes and a few awesome cheering squadders after the end of The North Face 1/2 and 10k!  

Lauren and I before the Kinetic Sprint!

Again, not to bore anyone but just to set the stage ;) I had very few complications aside from a couple rough weeks, mostly dealing with pain due to the fact that I'm shaped like a 12 year old boy and there just wasn't room for baby boy to "pop".  (Yes, it's a boy. No, I'm not telling you name ideas.) I probably wasn't obviously showing to people who didn't know me until about 20 weeks, but started to really feel it around 16.

 I've been reading The Pregnant Athlete and following it month by month, along with a few other titles that have helped me wrap my type A control freak self around the many things which I cannot control. Have I embraced this? Not completely, because I know it's temporary, and my brain works in a way that is constantly trying to overcome rather than accept. It's a fault of mine, but one that keeps me motivated to be better. Do I enjoy being pregnant? Not even a little bit. Am I happy to be having a wee one? 100%. Couldn't be more excited to meet the little dude.  Am I enormously thankful to God and every higher power being everyone believes in for making this not absolute hell and letting me keep training and working and living like a (mostly) normal person? YES. Yes I am, and I remind myself of that every single day.

 I decided to archive the remainder of this pregnancy with my workouts, mostly for me, and for other pregnant athletes, as something to look back on. So, here's where I am at 7 months (27 weeks):

 I started teaching spin at Off Road several months ago and that, I love. It's allowed me to do something I enjoy - but share my love of cycling with others. It's been a needed physical/mental challenge and something different to look forward to since conventional training has been harder. Learning to balance music with profiles with personality has been a good learning experience that I'll continue with after wee boy comes!

 I took over the IG account for Off Road one day and was asked to post a little something about cycling while pregnant.  This was the first “bump pic” I semi reluctantly posted to the social media world, but it was worth it to start the discussion. 

I'm still joining my crew at Pacers for Saturday morning runs. I'm still able to gut out a solid 10 miles, at about a 10-11 min pace depending on who I'm running with. As a frame of reference, I was in the mid 8's before pregnancy. Adjusting your expectations and knowing you're still out there doing what your body is meant for, is key. The first 2-3 miles of every run is brutal, my legs are swollen and feel like lead, but after I hit a rhythm I'm able to settle in. I also became a Rabbit #RADrabbit Ambassador, which has been a super fun community to be a part of! (I also get SWEET gear from a woman owned company that I love.) 

 I'm hitting yoga at least once a week. After I took a prenatal intensive from my wonderful friend Abra (which was amazing, she's fabulous!) I learned enough modifications to keep practicing safely while I grow. I was relatively unchanged in how I modified things until about 22 weeks.

 I'm bike commuting about 20 miles a week and still riding outside: in addition to teaching spin and also going to class 1-2 times a week, I'm nailing down about 60-70ish miles of cycling a week, and THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY. Riding is the thing I feel least pregnant doing. Aside from body position changing, and an initial drop in power, I still feel strong and powerful on the bike.

 Swimming was awkward at first because of the baby position. It's back to comfortable now, so after a month off of feeling extremely defeated in the water (I had made SO many gains training for the bay swim, and I know this is how it's supposed to go down, but when youre a slow as hell swimmer and you make so much progress, this was the toughest pill to swallow) I went back this week - twice. My pace per 100 has dropped about 15 seconds, but, swimming in a cold pool when you're large and pregnant with constantly swelling extremities feels pretty good.

 I'm paddleboarding a bit, too - this is a good time to work in things that are fun and active but not very taxing. It also gets me some solid catch up time with friends :)

 Overall: I feel relatively good, probably a little grouchier than normal me, and I have even less of a filter than I had in the first place. I've gained 20 lbs since Ironman Canada, which I think is about 13 lbs from my normal weight. I'm constantly slightly nauseated now that there's less room in there, but not enough to make me stop eating ;) Smaller snacks and frequent reminders that I need fruits and vegetables, not cupcakes, are needed :)  I'm more tired than I think I've ever been in my life, and it's impossible to combat with a lack of caffeine.  Oh, and I'm not being a freakshow on restrictions - if the cheese is soft but pasteurized, I'm eating it. I've had a bit of wine at dinners with friends. I drink my daily allotment of caffeine. I drink a ton of soda water, which I think I've sampled every single flavor of at this point. I wake up at the damn crack of dawn and often struggle to get enough sleep, but a 15 min nap in the afternoon usually does the trick. I'm mentally focused on prepping my life differently, finishing our home renovation (oh yeah, that's happening too!) and balancing owning an event focused fundraising business while giving birth at the height of event season. Because why make things easy?  I'm also lucky to be working on contracts with clients who are understanding and willing to work around this. I've stayed focused on my tri team, District Multisport, as well, as I'm on the board and we're working through what's coming up next season.

 I'm thankful for my teammates, and my close friends, and my family, who haven't treated me like “the pregnant lady.” When I was racing early on (and still considered it for this weekend….but decided a kick to the belly in the swim was too risky) not a single one of my teammates asked if I should be doing that - rather, they were supportive and thought it was awesome I was still out there, while on the other hand, I faced a lot of questions, and still do, from others! And running with an obvious belly - that'll defffinitely get you some commentary. My Off Road and Pacers crews have been the same way  - just awesome and supportive as they always are - and many of them who have gone through it themselves have offered some great advice and humor along the way. Mike, my sister, and my parents also haven't side eyed me for running and cycling to my heart's content (but my body's brake light, too - that's KEY.) as I think they've just gotten used to me being crazy, and this is just a different breed of it.

 In summary, everything else won't be this long ;)  but, I felt like I had to start letting this all out somewhere aside from my brain and my pets. I hope I can look back on this in another year, when I've crushed some epic goal race with a 9 month old on my hip at the finish line, knowing that staying fit, happy, and healthy, made the journey my own!