Yes! As of today, I’m still running.
I’m thrilled to be 6 months into my second pregnancy – and still on the run! As I’ve mentioned time and time again, running is one my greatest joys in life and a lifestyle that keeps me both physically and mentally fit. There’s no doubt that pregnancy (both times) has drastically slowed me down, but it’s also kept my spirits and energy levels high. Well, maybe not high, as pregnancy tends to suck all the energy out of you, but higher than it might be otherwise…
At this point, I’ve slowed down to a jog and walk, which I’ll detail a bit more later, but let’s back up for some context.
Running while pregnant with Ben
The beginning of my first pregnancy coincided with the fittest I’d ever been as a runner. Right before I found out, I PR’d in the 5K, and was planning to start a training block for my third marathon. Given my fitness level was high at this point in time, continuing on with running while pregnant – especially during the first trimester – was fairly smooth.
I consistently ran about 10 mile long runs every weekend, and continued to run 5-6 days per week. I had signed up for a half marathon in October (around the 4.5 month mark), so I was determined to maintain my fitness so that I could complete this race. Thankfully I made it to the day, and though I had to walk a bit, I finished the entire 13.1 miles in 2:37:49, which I was thrilled about!
About a month after the race, I signed up for the Turkey Trot, as we do every year, again hoping I could complete the distance, as I had slowed down pretty significantly at this point. The race was on Thanksgiving – and my birthday! – so I was particularly motivated to participate and finish – which I did, with my sweet husband by my side. I had to stop and walk a ton due to the weight and pressure of a growing belly, but just to finish was an accomplishment in itself, and I got to enjoy the experience in a new way as I wasn’t trying to compete against myself for time.
After that race, I stopped running entirely. It had been so difficult to maintain any pace without stopping, that I decided it was time to rest until after the baby arrived. In hindsight, I’m sorry I stopped so abruptly, but at the time, I felt the break was needed, and that was that.
Running this time around
When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, I was at a point where I was able to run about 10 mile long runs, and my fitness was moderate. I had never gotten back to the fitness level I had been at prior to my first pregnancy, but I was satisfied with the progress I had made over the first year postpartum.
Despite a few early weeks of morning sickness, I ran so early in the morning (and my morning sickness always hit around 10 or 11am), that thankfully it didn’t cause me to stop abruptly. I did slow down faster this time around as my body quickly reverted back into pregnancy mode, but I was still able to run 5 days per week for the first few months.
It’s been during this second trimester that the slow down (again) has been more significant. Around the end of the first trimester, I cut down from 5 to 3 days per week, which is where I continue to be today. The constant pounding on the pavement has just been a bit too much to maintain high mileage per week, but still better than nothing at all.
Around week 20 was when my ability to run without stopping came to an end. It was just too uncomfortable to maintain, and I conceded to adding in some power walking.
Looking back, I think I stopped so suddenly because I could no longer run without walking – but now that I’m at this point again, I’m happy to see that I can still jog, even if some walking is also included. I think if I’d kept going at my current pace the last time around, I could have made it a bit longer – but I’m happy to be doing so this time around, so you really do live and learn. I believe I made it to around 22 weeks with Ben, and I’m already exceeding that timeline this time, so I couldn’t be more happy and hopeful that I’ve still got some time to go.
I expect I’ll get to a point (again) where even walking is a struggle, but for now, let’s keep doing the damn thing!
What was your experience running during pregnancy? Any tips that helped to extend the time you were able to run?