running and pregnancy

The running part or the getting pregnant part?

Expect to slow down a bit and make sure you stay really well hydrated.  I ran up until about my 8th month with my last pregnancy and it was great.  The weight just fell off afterwards and I really attribute that to running during the pregnancy.  Congrats!

I know a nurse that is pregnant. She was running about 20 miles per week. She is now in her 7th month and is running about 10m/wk. I mention her because she has asked several doctors and they keep telling her to keep going. She looks great too.

I am no Doctor but it seems to be the general consensus that if you are already doing it- it is good for you and the baby. Who knows it might be an IRONBABY.

Edited by Karibu 2010-06-08 7:53 AM

I agree to keep on running.  The only difference is you have to listen to your body more when you are pregnant.  When we train we tend to push our body a bit further than it really wants to go.  When you are pregnant and feeling overheated it is time for a break.  Hydration is also even more important.  Make sure you take hydration with you.  In my experience I felt some differences/weakness in the first trimester but the second trimester was AWESOME!  Once you get to 8 months the pool may be the best place for you.  Keep in mind your body will be releasing prolactin which can leave you more vulnerable to injuries, be careful, have fun and keep it up.

After looking at your logs you might want to up your mileage so you will have room to taper when you get pregnant.

Really good advice about injuries. Also, your body mechanics will be changed as you become later in your pregnancy and your center of mass moves forward and your body changes it's position to accommodate. I don't want to give specific outlines but at some point it might be more comfortable and decrease your risk of injury to do more pool work.

A couple of things come to mind:

Don't beat yourself up if you don't end up running like you think you're going to.  Lots of things can happen in a pregnancy that can make it difficult mentally or physically to keep running.  

In addition to the change in center of gravity, remember that your joints become "looser" in preparation for childbirth placing you at risk for injuries from falls, twists, or hyperextensions you would not normally experience.  

If you continue to run it will be great, but if you don't, for whatever reason, there are many other things you can do to stay fit.  

Good luck!!! 

Agree with this - i don't have kids but I gather from friends that if you get 'morning' sickness you probably won't want to run.  then there were those who basically slept their whole pregnancy.  Great if you can and do keep running - no harm if you don't!  

Good luck.  I don't have much more to add.  I raced during both of my first trimesters but didn't feel well enough to race beyond about 7 weeks.  But I ran as much as I could through out my pregnancies.  Trust your body.  It will tell you what it can and cannot do.  Do not set goals because this can lead to doing too much if your goals are unrealistic.  As far as hormones and injury go, this is usually only a big issue later in pregnancy when you start producing relaxin to loosen up those pelvic joints, although the effect is usually still felt for several weeks after you give birth.  Unless you do a lot of stretching, it shouldn't be a major problem with running.  Exercise is thought to result in easier births and easier weight loss after pregnancy so good for you for wanting to do it and good for your doctor for encouraging you.

Thanks for all the advice!!!  I really appreciate it.  I have a 1/2 marathon that I am wanting to do in October to raise money for a group that I coach at school.  I have set my mind that i will probably end up walking more than running, but I want to give it a shot and I want to be able to stay fit this time around!  I gained 60 with my first baby and don't want that to happen again. 

I've been a distance runner for five years (marathons) and I thought I'd run throughout my pregnancy... my doctor saw no problem with it and I have a low risk pregnancy.

HOWEVER: I found that I was so out of breath and uncomfortable, even really early on, that I didn't run. While the 140 HR is now widely disregarded, most doctors will tell you to keep your workouts at "conversational pace." Even at a slow run, I couldn't do this.

Instead, I've been walking and swimming regularly -- both of which feel good. I'm 21 weeks right now.

You may find that round ligament pain gets in your way while running when pregnant.

In general, you really have to listen to your body and NOT "HTFU." Sometimes I feel "wimpy" for "just walking" but I have to do what my body tells me to do. Staying active during pregnancy is great for both a healthly pregnancy and getting back in shape afterwards, but remember that it takes a lot of energy to grow a person !

Also, in the first tri you may be (likely to be) exhuasted and/ or pukey and/or generally icky feeling.

ha, look at my logs. / hijack.

My wife just did this same sort of mileage during our first pregnancy. She didn't really run during months 8 and 9, but she was walking 5 miles every morning. That's how far it is to Starbucks. She did run 1 mile the day before she delivered, just to see if she could. She had a blast during her 11:00 mile.

Anyway, her labor was fast and (her words) easy. It really was only like 90 minutes with 20 minutes of pushing. I recommend you exercise as much as you and your doctor are comfortable with.

I ran through both of my wife's preganancies with no problems, pains, or evidence of slowing down at all.  Don't know what all the fuss is.

Just kidding ladies.

Randy

Run and enjoy it, but listen to your body.  Also, as I understand it, keeping physically fit during pregnancy also tends to lead to a nice easy delivery as noted a couple of posts up.

My running coach ran up until the week she had her baby.  Neither she or her husband were big baby certainly was and continues to be.  I was fortunate as I found her and the group as she was slowing down with the pregnancy so I got to run with her quite a bit.  There were a number of stops when her ligaments in her belly would stretch and be momentarily painful.  And she had to walk more often (I was still walk/running then too so it worked).  She also wore some sort of band support thing to help with the bouncing belly.  She's about 3.5 months post baby and already back to a sub 23 minute 5k.  Oh, and I do know that she spent much of the first trimester before I joined puking on the side of the trail. 

What type of swimming workouts do you do?  Since I am not prego yet, I am going to keep on going until I find out and see what my body does.  I just stopped working out with my first one and man was it bad, gained too much weight and it was hard to come off.  I guess as long as I am staying active it can't be as bad as that.  Hopefully I will get pregnant quick again!

I actually already did and sent you a PM. 

This user's post has been ignored.

Generally I try to swim 1500-2000M or walk 30-45 min 5x/ week. It's a far cry from IM training but I stick with what feels right.

The only "problem" with swimming is finding sets that don't have sprint workouts, since you're supposed to keep your workouts at "conversation pace." I do a lot of ladders, longer sets, etc. If I need water halfway through a 500, I stop and drink. I'm slower, but not substantially so in the water.

I've been doing 500/ 400/ 300/ 200/ 100 (1500M), or 2 x 500, 2 x 250, 2 x 125 (1750), etc.


I've been getting a lot of round ligament pain when I walk, but not so when I swim, so I'm happy to be in the pool.

You've been pregnant before but didn't workout w/ the first, right? I found the mental adjustment from "training to be faster" to "training to keep baby+ mom-to-be healthy" kind of tough. PM me if you want to talk !