Monday, July 16, 2012

Running while pregnant, the second time around

Lately I have been dealing with first trimester nausea and feeling tired all of the time. I feel as though I am over the hump with the nausea.  The tired feeling is still there but, I'm just learning to deal with it.

Running is going well. I'm mostly indoors on the treadmill. It's nice to be in an air conditioned room with a big fan blowing on you.  Today I ran 5 miles in about 43 minutes. I've been doing my 5 mile treadmill run a couple of times a week. It's a progression run where I start out slow and I increase the speed on the treadmill every so often.   The hardest part is getting dressed and getting started.  I almost talked myself out of working out today but, I managed to get it done. My motivation to keep running is the fact that it's not going to get any easier as the months go on. I'm not going to wake up at 6 months pregnant and  feel like running 5 miles at  8 minute pace. It's not so bad either, once the legs get going and I find my rhythm I have a really good time.  

Over the weekend I tried to recreate the magic that was the solo 8 miler that I ran last week. I set out to run at least six miles without the stroller. I was a bit overexcited and I took off too fast for the first two miles. I felt it during the middle miles, and I ended up running just six miles. The weather in Las Vegas has cooled off (it's only temporary), but the humidity has increased and it sucked the energy out of me during the run.

During my last pregnancy I made it to about 5 1/2 months before I had to stop running.  I think it was because I wasn't watching my calories too closely and I gained more weight than I should have. This time around I'm trying to be more mindful  of my diet. I would like to run as long as possible (within reason). I also plan on purchasing a maternity belt. It's  almost like a sports bra for your tummy.

I think with this pregnancy I am having more "fun" with my running. On the weekends when I push my son in his stroller it is near impossible to run faster than 10 min miles. So I'm not worried about how fast I'm running. During my first pregnancy I didn't know how to slow it down. I think I expected too much from myself.  I started reading fitness/running blogs in the Summer of 2010. I was looking for "training tips for running while pregnant".  I was surprised at how many blogs I was able to find. But, it can be a slippery slope when you see someone running at 35 weeks pregnant and you think, "that should be me too".  Or when you seen someone running the Boston Marathon 3 months postpartum.  I think my views on recovery were a little skewed.    It will be quite a while before I will seriously race again. I will miss the competition but, I'm not going to put crazy pressure on myself to get back to my pre baby race times.

2 comments:

  1. All that I'm thinking is, "Damn!" I cannot imagine running with a belly flopping up and down! Glad you answered the maternity belt question because I had no idea that such a contraption existed. (I was going to pose the question until I read your words!). My friend practiced yoga until two weeks before giving birth, and she reportedly had the most delightful pregnancy imaginable. Your motivation to run in your pregnant state is so inspiring to me! BTW, after nearly a year of mental anguish, I returned to a formal yoga class this week, and I'm happy. My yoga teacher is handsome, too, so that helps. :D Glad that you are doing the right things for your body and baby. xo

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  2. Hello Nicole, Thank you for the nice comment. My belly isn't flopping around too much yet. lol. Running is something that is very special to me. It's almost as vital as brushing my teeth twice a day. It gives me the best endorphin high that I can't achieve doing other forms of cardio. It also helps with the fatigue and nausea in my current state. I can’t wait for the weather to cool down out here.
    I’m so glad that you are going back to Yoga. You are really good at twisting yourself into impressive poses and your strength moves are fantastic. Maybe someday you will share some more your Kitchen Yoga with us. :)

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