Happy Friday, everyone! Again, thank you guys so much for your outpouring of love this week - it has meant so much to Jason and I!
In today's Fitness Friday, I'm going to share a little bit about my running journey and how it has changed since I discovered I was pregnant.
To date, I've kept up with at least three runs per week - one 2 mile, one 3 mile, and one long run. If that meant an early morning weekday run on the treadmill so I could nap in the afternoon, then that's what took place. Was it easy? No, definitely not.
I learned a few things very early on -
- No longer could I not eat before my morning run. Even if it was just a tablespoon of almond butter, I needed something to fuel my system.
- Water became my best friend (and still is), especially with the hot August days in Southwest Louisiana.
- Almost immediately, I noticed that I felt more breathless while running which prompted me to slow down my pace. When that didn't cut it enough, I decided to begin a run/walk regime. So far, I've adapted well to Galloway's 4:1 and a 3:2 run/walk depending on the heat/humidity of the day.
Also, I did a lot of research in the early pregnant days (I still do but not near as much) and I read a lot about running while pregnant. There's SO much conflicting information out there, the main one being this - "don't let your heart rate get above 140"....ummm, I don't know about you, but that's impossible for me, especially with the weather/humidity here. My heart rate stayed around 160 no matter how much run/walking I put into the equation - even switching to an indoor treadmill didn't do the trick. It left me incredibly frustrated to be honest. After a lengthy discussion with my infertility clinicians and my OB, I was told to do what feels right for me. They are a-ok with me run/walking BUT if any discomfort or pain is experienced at all, then I should stop (kind of a no brainer there). Also, I was instructed not to go out there and try to beat records - trust me, there's no record breaking paces going on around here and I'm ok with that...at least until next spring! :) Last but not least, I was told to only run to the point where I could still carry on a conversation.
That's easy! Enter...this girl, my BRF Heather!
Carrying conversations while running is what we do best!
So far, she's run/walked all of my long runs with me and I'm so thankful for that!
At 8 weeks pregnant, we ran/walked 8 miles (I'm pregnant on here...haha)!
Then at 10 weeks, 10 miles...
...and at 12 weeks, 12 miles! This run happened last weekend and I mentioned to her that it would be my last "weekly mashup" because I definitely don't plan on going for 14 miles, 16 miles, or anything greater than that until after the baby is born!
Another thing I've noticed that's different about long runs while pregnant is my hunger level. I think I finally managed to figure out a sustaining fuel, but it definitely took a while! After about an hour into the run, an insane hunger would hit me. Last week, I added a tablespoon of almond butter (there it is again) as an addition to my regular Clif bar and that made a tremendous difference! I was able to complete the entire 12 miles on Saturday without any hunger pains! Yay!
Currently, we are training for the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Mandeville, Louisiana. It will take place in October and I'll be somewhere around 16 weeks! I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and my first half marathon with the baby! :)
What's your favorite way to fuel a long run?
Disclaimer: Although I am a nurse, I am not an OB physician and am not expert in the world of pregnancy and gestation. The opinions and thoughts shared here are things my physician and I discussed and determined together - if you are experiencing problems or have concerns, call your physician immediately.
So super excited for you!!!! And I'm excited about GC Half in Mandeville! Hope we see each other!!!
ReplyDeleteYES! I'm 100% sure we will...lol :D
DeleteBefore a long run I eat 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with almond butter, a little honey & blueberries. I ran Gulf Coast last year & loved it. I didn't register this year since I'm running Disney a couple of weeks after. I hope to be back next year.
ReplyDeleteOooh that sounds delicious! Yes, I love the Mandeville course! It's been a year or two since I've run it so I'm looking forward to it again!
Deleteyay! I did one half pregnant but was miserable with morning sickness. My dr. never said anything about my heart rate and said just go with how I feel, which ended up stopping running around 20 weeks!
ReplyDeleteThat's totally understandable! :) You know how Dr. Google can be....
DeleteI was with you in that as soon as I was done running I had to refuel my system with something.
ReplyDeleteI was only able to run to about 16 weeks and then was far too sick to continue.
Here's hoping and praying you get to run all of pregnancy!
Thanks, Sarah! Taking it one week at a time! :)
DeleteGlad you're able to run, but also listening to your body!! Hoping you can run / walk through your pregnancy!
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Sarah! That's my hope at least!
DeleteHow fun that you are still planning on running the half in October! First race with baby, Yay!
ReplyDeleteYeah! I'm looking forward to it!!
DeleteSounds like our OBs have given us a lot of the same advice. The most important thing is to listen to your body and do what it tells you. Some days that might mean not running at all, which is a hard reality to have to face but definitely an important one.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true...thanks for the advice! :) I've loved following your journey!!
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