Monday, November 19, 2007

running while pregnant?

Good grief, not me. Our little family is complete with the two. However, I hope Roxanne doesn't mind that I'm posting her comment to an earlier post here. I think many will have good advice for her and I was afraid her questions might get buried and go unnoticed!

Roxanne says...

"It is nice to have some input from others because I am really trying to listen to my body but at the same time trying not to talk myself out of running just because I am pregnant. It's such a mental game. I am so sick right now and having a hard time with motivation. I run two or three days a week with a friend (we run at least 5 1/2 to 6 miles at a time) and then I spin and do weights on the other days, with two days off. It is getting harder and harder to keep this up but I know once I get past this sick stuff I will have a much easier time. I really want to run the Salt Lake half marathon but I am not sure how I will feel by then. I will be 6 1/2 months by then so I will be slow but I just want to do it. I guess I will just take it a day at a time. Has anyone ran a half while pregnant?"

20 comments:

Suzie Petunia said...

Is this your first pregnancy? If it is, my unprofessional opinion is to go easy. Certainly run and exercise as much as feels good to you. But I wouldn't put the mental demands of such a big goal (a half marathon)on yourself that far along in a pregnancy. I had my 4th baby about 7 months ago. I ran my regular 5 miles a few times a week until I was 6 months pregnant and my goal was to keep going as long as I could. The biggest change I feel during pregnancy as it relates to running is that my ligaments and pelvis "softens" and it hurts quite a bit in that area to run. It felt like I was constantly pulling a groin muscle. Ouch. I listened to my body and stopped running at that point. Listen to YOUR body. Don't do anything that hurts. Don't put unrealistic expectations on yourself, but if you are feeling terrific and are able and willing to run a 1/2 marathon at 6 and a half months, then go for it! Also, please consult with your OB about this. We're not experts here... just moms with experience and opinions. :)

Roxanne said...

Thanks Suzie,
This will actually be my fourth pregnancy. I usually get so sick in the beginning that I stop any form of activity and then by the time I feel good I am out of shape for running. I can relate to the ligaments and pelvis stretching because I always feel this way when I start running again after delivery. I ran a little with my last pregnancy but only did a few miles at a time so the longer distance will be new ground. I guess I will just take it a day at a time and see what happens. I will keep you updated on the process, it will be a whole new adventure for me.

Team Hanni said...

I have wondered this same thing. I have watched several VERY pregnant women run past me at races and thought, "they are incredible!" Some even wear those baby belts. I have never run during a pregnancy, but have wondered IF I had another one, I would love to try to run. I'm sure some OB's would say, no way and others would say if you have been doing it before pregnancy, go for it.

I would take it a day at a time - absolutely listen to your body. You'll know.... I hope my rambling made some sense.

Roxanne said...

I always hear from the OB side that if your body is familiar with it and you keep your heart rate down then it is OK. My midwife (she is a CNM so delivers in the hospital and has more medical background) thinks I am crazy but said it is fine as long as I listen to my body. I have a hard time giving up running! If you all are interested I will keep you updated on my journey of running during pregnancy.

Ang said...

I am totally interested in your running while pregnant! I am kinda sorta planning another child sometime in the near future. :) Keep us updated!

Suzie Petunia said...

Roxanne,

We certainly are interested in hearing about this adventure! Keep us posted.

I delivered my last two babies with a CNM in a hospital. I LOVED the experience! Everyone thought I was crazy and I always had to explain that yes I would deliver in a hospital and all that. Don't worry... I totally get it!

Polliwog said...

Roxanne, I'm interested too. I hope to be pregnant soon with #3. I wasn't a runner with the first, and ran until 20 weeks with the second, though my distance tapered the further along I got. My friend Talli runs through her whole pregnancy (around 3-4 miles) and her water even broke while she was running on her treadmill. Ha! Sounds like motivation to me.

JP said...

Wow. That's all I can muster.

But then again...I'm so new to running and my "baby" is 5, but...wow.

foxontherun said...

Running during pregnancy never worked for me it just hurt to much. I did swim in my pregnancies. A great way to stay in shape and no impact on your body.

Kelly(M&M) said...

I will admit I am jealous of women who can run when they are pregnant. My heart rate was too high and my asthma seemed to kick in too much for me to run.

The good news is, it wasn't as hard to come back as I thought it would be. :-) (And I secretly enjoyed not having to wake up in the cold every morning, shhh, don't tell Suzie!)

I can't wait to hear how it goes for you. Welcome to the Mommies!

Anonymous said...

I am also pregnant and going to run a half marathon in February. I will only be about 2 months pregnant, but was wondering the same thing. I run about 30-35 miles a week, but have felt a lot more tired and have to go slower. It was frustrating in the beginning, but after reading your comments, I was reminded that my goal is a healthy baby right now, not a PR! Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

I just ran in a half marathon on the weekend..I felt terrible the whole way through and couldnt understand why...only to find out two days later that I was pregnant!

I was hoping to compete in another one in september , by then I will be around 5 months, so fingers crossed, but it is usually around then I develop high blood pressure and am told to stop everything and sit with my feet up (not as good as it sounds!)

Everyone is different and so is every pregnancy so , it all depends on how you feel at the time.

Good luck though , looking forward to hearing how you are feeling!

Gus the Great! said...

I have been training for a 1/2 marathon for the past 10 weeks. Last week I found out that I was pregnant and approximately 6 weeks along. This is my first pregnancy. My 1/2 marathon is in two weeks...do you think it is a good idea to continue on with the training?

Miss Beier said...

Hello Maryl,

I am 7 weeks along and just ran a half marathon yesterday. My ob said to just listen to my body so I ran slowly and just tried to pay attention to my breathing and heart rate.
Although, I am extremely sore today, my belly doesn't feel any different.
I think that it really depends on the woman and what her body is capable of.

Anonymous said...

I have been training for a half marathon for the past 3 months. The race is tomorrow. Today I found out I am pregnant with my third baby! And I thought the gale force winds and heavy rain / sleet was going to be my biggest problem!

I go to the start line tomorrow, but I will listen to my body and not try to go for a personal best if I feel weak or sore. I get SPD when pregnant (where the ligaments in my pelvis get too lose, so I can barely walk from around 6 months pg, let alone run) so I will be extra careful! I collapsed at the 10 mile mark at my last HM, but I think that was because of the heat. That will definitely not be a problem tomorrow, and I have bought some isotonic gels to give me some extra energy!

Oh, and BTW midwives are wonderful: I have had two very beautiful homebirths with a midwife present! :)

Wish me luck for tomorrow - will try to pop on to let you know how I get on.

Anonymous said...

I survived!

Ran it in 2 hr 6 min, which is better than I was daring to hope for so I am really pleased with that. Hard to say whether the pregnancy has made any impact at all as my hips ached and I felt a bit tired afterwards, but then that is fairly normal, LOL!

I suspect I only have about 6 weeks left of running time before my hips go all funny though, if past pregnancies is anything to go by. No more two hour runs though - this is me done for a while. Have a 10k race in sight, so will focus on that distance now.

Anonymous said...

Hi mommies,

I am new to trying to be mommy and try to run a half marathaon.

I find half marathon training very motivating and really want to do it.

But at the same time we are trying for our first baby. I am scared that if while training I get pregnant, it might hurt my baby.

I talked to my doctor about exercises and she said, if you are used to it, you can continue doing it.

Little confused. Whats gurl's advice?

Maryl, how was your experience? Can you please share.

Anonymous said...

I have been running for years and am now pregnant with my first baby. I am running a full marathon in 2 weeks and I'll be almost 15 weeks. I'll listen to my body and take it easy and enjoy the scenery. My midwife just reminds me to listen to my body and drink lots of water! Good luck everyone

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