Pregnant Running: The Second Time Around

I thought it might be helpful to write up a side-by-side comparison of how running has differed between my two pregnancies. 

First pregnancy: http://growingapotato.blogspot.com/2015/11/39-weeks-1-day-pregnant-running-recap.html

Second pregnancy:
Pre-pregnancy
After recovering from a partial plantar fascia tear, I threw myself into mile training to get back in shape, and followed that up with a failed 10K PR attempt. A subsequent pregnancy did NOT come (or stick) as easily as my first, and I found myself needing running even more than usual for the endorphins and other benefits. I turned back to volunteering as Run Leader for the Thanksgiving Half program, and hoped focusing on a half marathon PR would give me the stuff I needed to endure life's struggles. In case it didn't, I also signed up for my third full marathon.

I had a few successes leading into Thanksgiving, the biggest of which was earning a Top 100 mug in the Cardiac Challenge. This was the turning point for me leading into Thanksgiving, where I woke up to a positive pregnancy test, and then proceeded to PR big-time, crossing the finish line holding hands with my husband, who'd paced me through the whole thing, before sharing the news.   

LSD Pace: low 8s
Casual pace: somewhere in the 8:XX/mi
Speework intervals: dude, I have no idea
Weekly mileage: ~35-40




Expectations
Based on what had happened last time, I figured I would slow down by about a min/mile each trimester, deal with some leg/foot soreness throughout my pregnancy, and be doing some sort of intervals by the end. I also anticipated being able to finish Peachtree (at 36 weeks) without any problems, though I'd probably be run/walking it due to the heat. The marathon was still on the calendar (for ~21 weeks), but I was certain that I'd be run/walking it if I were even able to comfortably do the LSDs required, finish in around six hours, and, more likely, drop back to the half. 


Results

Monthly Mileage

• over 100mi/month for every month 
• totally exceeded all expectations 
• total pregnant mileage: 1254 (and counting)

Average Pace

• pace gradually, but consistently, slowed throughout marathon training
• shortening distances dropped my overall pace a bit beginning in April
• dropping distances again in July also resulted in faster paces 

Seven Day Average Mileage

• I consistently kept ~35+ mile weeks for the bulk of my pregnancy, with lots in the 40s for marathon training, and tapering off to 20-25mpw after 36w due to a lack of goals/desire

First Trimester
Struggles: Excessive weight gain, brought on by tossing food tracking to the wind since I was pregnant and marathon training; fears of something being wrong with baby

Successes: Half Marathon PR; no real fatigue or morning sickness, 7:10 Resolution Run mile; loving running; training 5-6 days a week





Second Trimester
Struggles: light PF, Charley horses (remedied with a magnesium supplement); bra chafing that was so bad it necessitated putting tape pretty much all over the perimeter of my bra (excluding straps); lower back soreness during last ~10K of marathon due to large bump; bigger feet --> unable to wear any of the new shoes I'd recently bought and had to limit myself to the 2-3 pairs of "bigger" VFF shoes I typically only wore with socks 

Successes: competing with Atlanta Track Club at USATF Masters Indoor National Championships; running a freaking marathon and having the best ~5 hours I'd had in the past YEAR; keeping 8:00min/mi pace for all speedwork intervals; sub-30 stroller 5K; loving running; training 5 days a week



 


Third Trimester
Struggles: tiny bladder; so much inner thigh/crotch area chafing that I resorted to taping this area too (thank you, 3M Tape For Sensitive Skin!); few days of super mild hyponatremia (don't tell an overachiever to "hydrate more than you think you should"-- I'll do it!); mild right achilles soreness post-Peachtree (remedied with KT tape); limited to a couple pairs of shorts and maternity running shirts; having to schedule long Saturday runs around parental duties

Successes: maintained 4 days a week running, including Thursday track workouts; double distance LSDs through 36w gestation; super pregnant Peachtree; sub-30 stroller 5K the day before my due date; no need for regularly scheduled walk breaks; sharing lots of runs with my little one; continued support from friends and family

  

Clothing Recommendations
Sports bras: 

• MovingComfort Vixen, Uplift Crossback, and Fiona models continued to work this time around
• Had some issues with chafing on the front, beneath and on/top of breasts-- BodyGlide was insufficient and I either dealt with the rawness or used big pieces of tape

Shirts: 

• fortwofitness.com's "Running for Two" and "Sweating for Two" tanks have been amazing- totally worth the hefty price tag; these were the only shirts I could wear comfortably for the last ~5w of pregnancy

Bottoms:

• I could wear most of my normal capris and tights through my early second trimester
• warmer weather sent me to longer/compression-ish shorts with either a low, stretchy waistband that I could wear below bump or stretchy high waistband that could be pulled over part of the bump (my favorite pair ended up being my Nike Pro underlayer shorts since I could simply stretch the leg hole to pee instead of taking everything off at port-a-potty stops, though I also had some great go-tos from Old Navy and Lululemon)

Other:

• BellaBand was great for first trimester support, also wore it between skin and the Gabrialla for later weeks
• Gabrialla support band = highly recommended (wore from 21w on every run)

Socks/shoes:

• I run exclusively in VibramFiveFingers. While I had zero problems with my pre-pregnancy pairs fittitng throughout gestation, I found breaking in new pairs during pregnancy (after 18w, at least) impossible. They were too tight on my feet, and I ended up having the worst discomfort during my marathon due to my feel swelling a bit in a relatively new pair of shoes around mile 20. 
• Only real trouble has been getting my shoes ON as the bump's grown :P (no change here from my last pregnancy) 

 

Reflections
I'm really freaking proud of what I've accomplished. It's so bizarre how easy pregnant running was this time around compared to last time. I attribute this to a few things: wanting running for life stress relief, training for a marathon early on in pregnancy, and, of course, more dumb luck that this baby and my body were so agreeable. 

Also, not having a half marathon on the calendar four days from my due date enabled me to really "take it easy" on the distance front for my last ~month of pregnancy. I wasn't trying to hit specific mileages and let myself run whatever felt comfortable instead of sticking to a true training schedule after Peachtree. 

 


Where to go From Here
OMG, I'm so ready to have this baby, but, at the same time, I'm really sad to know that having the baby will mean taking a break (albeit a short one) from running while my body repairs itself and recovers. 

I'll start running again whenever I'm cleared, want to, and it feels good, and trust that the incredible fitness I've maintained through this pregnancy will be something I can capitalize on whenever that moment comes. I have no idea what parenting multiple kids will be like, and can only imagine the strength running with the double stroller is going to demand, so actual running goals are limited to "random thoughts" at this point in time, which include: 

• enjoy the Atlanta 10 Miler 5K course in mid-October
• find a stroller-friendly race sometime before Christmas to debut the double at
• use Resolution Run 2020 as a mile time trial to see where I'm at
• tentatively plan on running the Flying Pig Marathon in 2020 as a comeback race (though this is 100% dependent on life since I have zero idea what our family is getting into... )