Running for Two
Ambassador Sara Turner (@therunningwife) found out she was pregnant while training for the Boston Marathon. She is currently at 20 weeks and is due December 5, 2016. She and her husband are excited to share the gender of her baby to her family. Head to her blog to read a recap of the gender reveal!
Sara:
I’ve been very blessed that I haven’t had much morning sickness or nausea in general so far during the pregnancy. I know many women who have suffered badly from this so I feel very thankful. My biggest symptom has been exhaustion. I feel so tired throughout the day and so far this hasn’t really gone down as I entered my second trimester.
I always knew I wanted to run (if I was able) during any pregnancy. I took the first 3-4 weeks off because honestly I was nervous. I knew my doctor had given me the go ahead to run, but I still felt uneasy. I was actually training for the Boston Marathon when I found out I was pregnant, and I had to drop out because I would have only been 7 weeks pregnant at the time. I wasn’t comfortable with it. Now that I am running again anywhere from 30-35 miles per week, I simply focus on going out there and enjoying it. I don’t worry about pace and just try to keep a comfortable speed. My goal during pregnancy is to maintain a running base. I’ve also been adding in spinning as well as a form of cross training, which has really helped.
Running while pregnant is a rollercoaster, but in a lot of ways running always is. Some days I feel great and some days it’s awful. I have found that my body takes a lot longer to get into the run than in the past. I don’t seem to really get into a run until 30-35 minutes. I just have to remind myself that it will feel better and to take it as slow as I need to. It’s an amazing feeling to have a new running partner but it’s also a lot of worry every time I get out there. In the summer I have to be really careful not to get overheated and carry lots of water with me.
I’ve had some pretty awesome friends who ran through their pregnancy, and they did a pretty good job preparing me for it. However, I wish I’d know just how quickly it changes. I’ve seen some women whose pace doesn’t drop until later in pregnancy, but for me as soon as I was running I noticed a considerable drop in my “comfortable” pace. I have no problem accepting it, but it has been an adjustment.
The plan is to run my whole pregnancy, but I am also prepared to stop when or if I need to. As this pregnancy progresses, I know I may have to decrease my miles and increase my spinning, but I’m okay with that. I would love to run up until the day I deliver, but I guess only time will tell!
Each ambassador has worked with their doctor on training while pregnant. Every body is different – please consult with your doctor about staying fit while pregnant.
