More Running Thoughts
Are you sick of hearing about my pregnancy running yet? If so, feel free to skip over this post.
I just had to mention this mama... have you read about her yet? She's the one who ran the Chicago Marathon at 39 weeks of pregnancy and gave birth just hours later. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding her decision to run the marathon at such an advanced stage of pregnancy, and many have criticized her for running at all while pregnant. As a pregnant runner, this has been an interesting story for me to watch.
The main criticism of this mama I've read in comments around the web basically accuse her of being selfish... putting her baby at risk purely to pursue her own competitive interests.
Hmmm... selfish?
I think any runner has a bit of a competitive streak, and I can't deny that somewhere within me there's a stubborn little voice that says, "Darn it, I won't let pregnancy stop me from running... I WILL stay strong and keep my own body healthy." I suppose that's a wee bit selfish. Can't deny that. And I suppose some would say that the fact that I publish my running progress on my blog shows that I'm trying to pat myself on the back.
I do feel proud of my running accomplishments lately, but I hope I'm not being too prideful posting about them here. I apologize if I come across that way.
There are two main reasons that I've decided to publish my running progress on the blog:
1) I want to have a record of it for myself, so that, should any future pregnancies come along, I can have a realistic account of what I can expect of myself at different points during the pregnancy.
2) Because there seems to be so little actual research done on the subject of exercise during pregnancy (at least that I was able to find) I think it's nice to have stories out there about women who have been through a real pregnancy and kept up with regular exercise, particularly running (and then given birth to normal, healthy babies). I think stories about pregnant runners are becoming more common, but there are still a lot of naysayers out there who might scare potential active mamas away from too much activity while pregnant. I want to be one of the encouragers, not one of the naysayers.
Taking into account doctor's advice, extensive reading that I've done on the subject, and my own experience and "gut feelings", I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing dangerous about regular exercise during pregnancy-- even something as "strenuous" as running. Quite the contrary, in fact. I've felt so much better overall during this pregnancy, running 5-6 times a week (about 12-15 miles per week). You'd think this would put more stress on my body than a less active pregnancy, but it's exactly the opposite. I feel strong, energetic, and great! And I have far less aches and pains than I remember from my other (less active) pregnancies.
So, if that Mama who ran the marathon was feeling good while she did it-- and her doctor was okay with it-- then, more power to her, I say.
In case any of my readers are concerned... let me assure you that I'm averaging about a 14-minute mile right now (which is slower than dirt, if you didn't know) and I'm eating enough to feed a small country. Baby 3 is right on track for growth and is doing plenty of gymnastics in there, even while I'm running, which leads me to believe that she's handling it okay. And someday, when she reads this blog, I hope that she won't think her Mama was selfish for keeping in shape while she was in my belly. I hope that she'll thank me, and continue on with her gymnastics-- and be even more healthy and strong than I am.
I just had to mention this mama... have you read about her yet? She's the one who ran the Chicago Marathon at 39 weeks of pregnancy and gave birth just hours later. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding her decision to run the marathon at such an advanced stage of pregnancy, and many have criticized her for running at all while pregnant. As a pregnant runner, this has been an interesting story for me to watch.
The main criticism of this mama I've read in comments around the web basically accuse her of being selfish... putting her baby at risk purely to pursue her own competitive interests.
Hmmm... selfish?
I think any runner has a bit of a competitive streak, and I can't deny that somewhere within me there's a stubborn little voice that says, "Darn it, I won't let pregnancy stop me from running... I WILL stay strong and keep my own body healthy." I suppose that's a wee bit selfish. Can't deny that. And I suppose some would say that the fact that I publish my running progress on my blog shows that I'm trying to pat myself on the back.
I do feel proud of my running accomplishments lately, but I hope I'm not being too prideful posting about them here. I apologize if I come across that way.
There are two main reasons that I've decided to publish my running progress on the blog:
1) I want to have a record of it for myself, so that, should any future pregnancies come along, I can have a realistic account of what I can expect of myself at different points during the pregnancy.
2) Because there seems to be so little actual research done on the subject of exercise during pregnancy (at least that I was able to find) I think it's nice to have stories out there about women who have been through a real pregnancy and kept up with regular exercise, particularly running (and then given birth to normal, healthy babies). I think stories about pregnant runners are becoming more common, but there are still a lot of naysayers out there who might scare potential active mamas away from too much activity while pregnant. I want to be one of the encouragers, not one of the naysayers.
Taking into account doctor's advice, extensive reading that I've done on the subject, and my own experience and "gut feelings", I've come to the conclusion that there is nothing dangerous about regular exercise during pregnancy-- even something as "strenuous" as running. Quite the contrary, in fact. I've felt so much better overall during this pregnancy, running 5-6 times a week (about 12-15 miles per week). You'd think this would put more stress on my body than a less active pregnancy, but it's exactly the opposite. I feel strong, energetic, and great! And I have far less aches and pains than I remember from my other (less active) pregnancies.
So, if that Mama who ran the marathon was feeling good while she did it-- and her doctor was okay with it-- then, more power to her, I say.
In case any of my readers are concerned... let me assure you that I'm averaging about a 14-minute mile right now (which is slower than dirt, if you didn't know) and I'm eating enough to feed a small country. Baby 3 is right on track for growth and is doing plenty of gymnastics in there, even while I'm running, which leads me to believe that she's handling it okay. And someday, when she reads this blog, I hope that she won't think her Mama was selfish for keeping in shape while she was in my belly. I hope that she'll thank me, and continue on with her gymnastics-- and be even more healthy and strong than I am.
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