Final Stretch to BBK!

Meredith Kessler  > Blog >  Final Stretch to BBK!
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Meredith Kessler and husband Aaron Kessler Westerville Ohio

 

WHOA! The month of November is here! Our past November months, for well over a decade, have been spent getting ready for one of my favorite IRONMAN races on the USA circuit: IRONMAN ARIZONA (IMAZ). We have yet to miss a running of IMAZ since it’s genesis and it genuinely feels like I have grown up on the course. Having been fortunate to take part in it as an amateur for numerous years and then getting to have it also be our first pro race back in 2009 – – it is a race that is cherished year after year.

While of course we are BUMMED to not be in the town of Tempe here in a few weeks to try to have a coveted and never under appreciated opportunity at a four-peat – – we are in hopes to have a very new life in our hands as we anxiously await for BBK’s arrival. I know it will make IMAZ 2018 that much more enriching as I already look forward to seeing him out on the sidelines in his Ergo with AK next year!

The 2nd half of pregnancy, like the first half, is detailed in the most color via the picture blog in this post!

A Bulleted Written Summary:

**We moved across the country to Ohio from CA after 17 years in the Bay Area – – gasp I know! We enjoyed the California lifestyle SO VERY much and have such enriching friends there, like family, for nearly two decades! It was understandably such a hard decision yet one that we needed to make at this time in our lives. Both sets of our parents live in Columbus and some of our friends that we grew up with which is fantastic. It is nice to be close to them again, and I have no doubt that BBK will be spoiled by his grandparents.

Also, we needed to simplify life and live in a more sustainable area of the US. My husband has been working hard to launch his new companies, and this was something we needed to do as a team, as he has done for me in the past on our life journey together. Being close to the family will be especially epic and helpful post BBK! We are obviously familiar with this area too, having grown up here, and I’m already looking forward to training with my old swim squad team where I know those young-ins will crush me in the water – – and I look forward to it so much.

Do not get me wrong: the amount that I miss the amazing training crew in the BAY is PARAMOUNT! Kato, Ritch and our epic MTC (Marin Training Crew) as valuable training partners are all such important parts of my life still and I know the universe will guide us back eventually!

Regardless though of what state we live in, training would be compromised and different with a little life to take care of every day. Training time changes and someone else still runs the show on that. Another perk of the Ohio setting is having the space within our house for a ‘woman cave’ with my trainer, treadmill and strength equipment which will be instrumental in keeping things simple in the return to proper training during this new chapter.

**We headed to Tucson, Arizona in September to be a part of the annual mindbodygreen REVITALIZE Health and Wellness Event.. Dearest pal, Hillary Biscay (who has been a speaker at this event in the past – which was AWESOME!!!) introduced us to MBG and they so kindly asked me to be the closing speaker at their 2017 event. SO much was learned over this weekend from some of the most profound health and wellness experts in the business. It was a real honor to be a part of it all and get to share in the weekend with so much greatness.

15’ Speech: The Pursuit of Balance – – https://www.mindbodygreen.com/revitalize/video/performance-and-the-pursuit-of-balance

** AK and I have been together basically since our early days of high school — this was a VERY long time ago! We are very much looking forward to the welcomed arrival of BBK any day now and we are as ready as we can be – – and of course, we hope that our parental instincts take over (ie: that I will FINALLY be able to properly hold a human!) and we know we will learn a LOT along the way! We are so fortunate to have watched our closest friends/siblings over the years become amazing parents that we strive to also be and we use them all as massive inspiration!

We’ll see you all on the flip side of BBK and certainly out on the many race courses in 2018 – – looking forward to it all! Thanks for being a part of our journey – – for caring, supporting and for your positivity!

LOVE,

MBK

CycleOps: Maintaining Bike Fitness During Pregnancy Article – –

https://www.cycleops.com/post/blog-maintaining-bike-fitness-during-pregnancy

Recovery Pump: Preparing and Recovering for BBK Article – –

http://www.rpsports.com/mbk-preparing-and-recovering-for-bbk

WITSUP: Wahine Warriors Pregnancy Edition – –

http://www.witsup.com/wahine-warriors-pregnancy-edition-2017/