Reflections on pregnant running

Every runner has good and bad running days. There are those runs where you feel there’s nothing better than that moment running, and those that make you wonder why in the world you are continuing to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Sometimes it’s entirely a difference of mental perspective, and sometimes it’s very much about your body’s physical responses that day…sometimes both. Running while pregnant adds in a whole new set of complications to this mix of factors determining a good or bad running day.

I can never discount my mental state in a run. It alters my energy level and how I feel about that minor twinge in my muscle or the impact of my feet hitting the ground. Now that this little active parasite (and yes that’s what I’ve jokingly called babies for years) has taken over my body, there’s this whole new set of physical discomforts during good and bad runs to remind me that a pregnant runners body is not her own. My mental state might help me ignore them, but they are still there.

After the first trimester exhaustion, the second trimester brought its own changes to my body. First, I started noticing changes with my ankles. The combination of that wonderful pregnancy hormone Relaxin loosening my joints and a bit of extra weight started making the impact of each stride felt more, but oddly I felt this extra impact first in my ankles (I thought it would be my knees). After-all I’ve never had ankle problems and have had knee problems with running.

Then there’s my right hip, which has always turned in more than most peoples (and the cause of my post MCM knee issues). What has always been a slight tendency to turn in while I was running (and walking), one I couldn’t previously notice without focusing on it, has become an obvious inward turn of my right leg from the hip. I can feel my leg just keep rotating that way when I’m not paying attention. I blame Relaxin again for loosening my pelvic bones. You’d think the body could hold off on some of this ligament loosening to closer to delivery…

Then there’s the round ligament discomfort/pressure in my lower abdomen. Ever since my uterus has actually been pushing against my abs, I’ve had some discomfort from the impact of each stride. How much has depended on the run. Lately I’ve started noticing this pull on my lower back as well. Oddly, this sensation will come and go throughout a run several times.

I’ve also noticed an increased need for water and food surrounding my runs. Anyone who has run with me a few times would know that my body is much more sensitive to hydration and fueling than most runners. If I get dehydrated or need sugar, then I need it right away. There’s no waiting till the next water stop in a race for me if I want my body to keep functioning. This immediate need for extra fluids and calories has become even more important since the beginning.

It has definitely become obvious to me that my pregnant body is not the runner’s body I’ve learned to work with and master over the years.

Two very uncomfortable runs earlier in the week had me questioning how long I would be able, or want, to keep running. I have no reason not to push through the bad runs right now, and none of my discomforts signal an actual incompatibility between this pregnancy and running. Plus, 4+ months without running? I’d go crazy! But I miss the freedom of running in my own body and knowing how it will respond.

However, my downward dejected running slump was broken with a fabulous feeling 5.3 mile run on Wednesday followed by another awesome feeling 6.9 mile run Friday! So apparently there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs for me with running over the next months.

One Year Ago...

One year ago I ran my first marathon. That thought was mocking me as I struggled through my run this afternoon. I felt every extra pregnancy pound and the shift in weight in my stomach with each step. It just wasn’t a good running day for me. This was extra annoying because all around me, in DC and on Facebook, was MCM!

So, rather than spending any more time wishing I could have been running MCM today, or, wishing that I was not running MCM because I was training for another marathon, I have decided to focus on all that I have accomplished since I decided to run MCM January of 2011.

I’ve learned if I’m brave and reach out that I can find new friends to run with me.

I’ve trained for and run two marathons, improving drastically from the first to the second.

I’ve managed to run a good amount through the first half of this pregnancy.

I’ve learned the mental grit and will power to hold myself accountable to a good training schedule, and this mental training is something that can help far beyond running.

I’ve learned to listen to my body even more than before.

I’ve found that I really love the marathon distance, and the goal setting and discipline of training.

And most of all, I know that this time next year I will be preparing to run a fall marathon!

A return to the blog...

I have been meaning to pay attention to my blog again for weeks now, but obviously haven’t managed to do so.  Last week in prenatal yoga the instructor was talking about journaling through her pregnancies, and it made me realize that I miss the reflecting that comes from writing my blog entry.  It doesn’t matter how many people read my entries.  They have helped me through 2 marathons…why not through a pregnancy and beyond…

I just checked and my last blog post was in mid-June.  Well I didn’t have much to write about because I wasn’t training for something, and I was mostly in a holding pattern.  I hadn’t signed up for another marathon because it was that time in life to change goals from training to baby.  So, I didn’t feel like I could blog much during my first trimester because only a very few people knew I was pregnant until 12 weeks.  After that the laziness and tiredness just kept me from picking back up the habit. 

So now at almost 20 weeks it’s time for a running recap of the first half of pregnancy…

I managed to run fairly regularly throughout my first trimester.  I had 2-3 weeks that were truly miserable with nausea and fatigue, but I managed to run enough to not seriously lose fitness.  My goal had been to keep up a weekly mileage of 25-30 miles as long as possible, but that didn’t seem to happen.  20-25 is what I managed for the most part, although the few really bad weeks resulted in more like 10 mile weeks. 

I was a little disappointed in decreasing my mileage below what I had planned.  I love training schedules, and deviations here and there are ok, but consistent under performance is not easy.  I struggled so much with exhaustion, however, that some days only 2-3 miles into a run I would feel my running form start to completely break down, and I did not have the energy to correct it.  So that meant time to listen to my body and stop.  For me, it really was the exhaustion that limited my running more so than nausea.  They say running keeps energy up, but there’s definitely a point where true fatigue means running is a bad idea. 

 

Towards the end of the first trimester, I was feeling less exhausted and less nauseous.  This definitely helped me get more consistent on my 20-25 miles per week, but I still haven’t managed to get above 25 miles.  My big problem is that I am not sleeping well, making it difficult to drag myself out of bed before work to run.  Luckily I work from home Wednesdays and Fridays.  So, I have no excuse, and successfully, get in runs on those days and a weekend run.  Its mornings I have to commute to work what I am more often than not, failing to run.  By the time I get home from work, I have even less of a chance of making myself run.  Some of this is still being more tired, due to restless sleeping, than normal, and I think some is lack of a training goal.  Having a race to train for really helps keep me accountable. 

I guess running 3-4 times a week, lifting, and doing prenatal yoga once a week is still a pretty good place to be in half way through pregnancy.

Random running updates

*Written Friday…

Today is one of those Fridays where productivity is a struggle.  However, my need to putter at work left me with the brilliant idea to catch up on my blog reading during lunch.  This way I was being productive…really ;)

So first of all, I want to share this blog entry from a fellow marathon runner who I went to college with on stupid comments said to runners because I get many of these same comments and even more interesting ones given that people do not understand how someone who is blind could possibly do things like run marathons…  Really I should start a list of things people say to me and whoever I’m running with on a run when they notice the running tether…it’s funny

Secondly I realized that I have been neglecting the blog.  In the sense that not much interesting has been going on, and definitely not much I think others would be particularly interested in, this is not a problem except that writing my posts feels like part of running and training at this point. 

Life has continued to be very busy, but I have luckily gotten myself back into a good running pattern.  I was fortunate enough last Saturday (6/2) to get to run with Megan, and therefore the treat of 15 miles rather than the 10 Bennett will run with me.  If I ever doubted that endurance running is for me, the amazing feeling of running 15 miles on a beautiful Saturday morning, with no race training dictating I do so, would clear that up…not that I really had any doubts J

Since Bennett has been forced to work really long hours at work, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the treadmill.  This is sad since it’s a nice temperature out and mostly light in the mornings to run before work, but I am at least glad I have the ability to still run. 

Life is busy…

The last few weeks have been crazy busy!  Going back to about the time of my last blog post my schedule went something like this:

The first weekend in May, friends from Germany were in DC early for Erinn’s and Mike’s wedding.  I did manage a 6ish mile run that Saturday with Bennett though, and it felt good.

Then, that first full week in May, Wednesday evening through Sunday we were in Raleigh for Erinn’s and Mike’s wedding.  I fit in two 3 mile runs in earlier in the week in DC, and I totally meant to run in Raleigh, but I was too tired and we were too busy.

Last week my schedule was all messed up by a grantee meeting for work Wednesday through Friday.  I lost my work from home day Wednesday, but got home early Friday making an ok trade off.  I managed to run three times, including 10 miles on the treadmill Friday afternoon after the conference ended.  My Monday run of that week, 4 miles, left my left leg feeling odd; so I took Tuesday as a rest day.  It felt ok though during 6 miles Wednesday evening so who knows what was going on…

This past weekend we were back in NC, this time in Highpoint/Greensboro, for another wedding.  No running which made the opportunity for that 10 miles on the treadmill so much more exciting than running 10 miles on the treadmill ever actually is.

This is the first week I’m hoping to get in a normal amount of running, which for me, currently without a specific race to train for, means 5 days a week of running (plus lifting yuck) totaling around 28 miles give or take a few.  So far I’m on track with a 4 mile run Tuesday, 6 miles yesterday, and another 4 miles today.  I think my current holding pattern of running will be something like three 4 mile runs, a 6 mile run, and a 10 mile run, with some of those runs easy and some tempo or hills.

                 

First post marathon run!

After work this evening I got in a short, easy, 2 mile run.  It felt great!  I can tell my legs aren’t 100% yet, but nothing really hurt.  I was very tempted to keep going, but I opted to follow Hal Higdon’s plan for the week after the marathon and stick to a 2 mile run.  It was hard though; it felt really good to run, even if only on the treadmill!

Marathon recovery

*Written yesterday morning…

Three days after the marathon and my legs are feeling a lot better.  I am still somewhat sore though.  This morning I managed a lot of stretching and some quality time with the foam roller which definitely helped.  I also did some upper body strength training and some crunches.  My legs can definitely wait a bit longer before doing any resistance training. 

Monday my legs were very sore and stiff, but oddly, I think they were in a bit better shape than the day after my first marathon.  Even Bennett mentioned that I seemed to be doing better.  I find this really strange since running Gettysburg was sooo much harder than running MCM.  I had a fabulous massage at Spa on the Hill Monday night, and that was a huge help in loosening up my legs!

I have a few spots that are still sorer than the rest of my legs, including my outer left foot, outer left calf, and outer right quad.  I’m thinking these are just places that got extra overused for whatever reason.  Hopefully by tomorrow everything will be feeling better, and I can try a short easy run.