Running at 39 Weeks Pregnant

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Alright, this kid can come anytime after 10KTuesday.... 

Monday

Did: 2.72mi with stroller @ 10:48/mi avg

Ran the little one to daycare this morning :) 

Tuesday

Did: 6.29mi @ 11:11/mi avg, chorus
This was such a fun run. Not only was I celebrating the fact that, 5 days from my due date, I was happily, comfortably running a 10K, but we were doing it in a cool torrential downpour of rain through tons of puddles, which was just... fun. Like, I was literally smiling the whole time. So grateful to have made it this far and be able to still enjoy runs. That said, I've definitely gotten to the point where a 6mi run, though comfortable, is kind of boring. I'm just getting through the mileage, and definitely ready for the next "thing". 

Bonus: new short haircut was awesome in the rain

Wednesday

Did: 2.77mi walk with stroller
Daycare pickup walk :) 

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU, 1600/400, 1200/400, 800/400, 400/400, 1mi CD = 5.66mi @ 9:20/mi avg plus 2.77mi walk with stroller
Today was an unexpected win, thanks to the 66 degree weather. Omigosh, SO NICE.

T-3 days

1600: 9:07 (9:29 prev week, 9:48 before that)
1200: 6:26 (6:54 prev week, 7:16 before that)
800: 3:58 (4:08 prev week, 4:38 before that)
400: 1:41 (2:01 prev week, 2:05 before that)
Um, what? Weather makes a difference.
 

Friday

Did: 2.07mi with stroller @ 10:48/mi avg, ~2mi walk with stroller
Had a chill two mile run with the stroller this morning along the river. It felt good to have a super short distance goal for the day (just enough to hit 1250mi pregnant), and stop a few times along the way to discuss wildlife or have a picnic with some geese with my little one. After coffee and a shower, we returned to the river for another two-ish miles walking with a friend and her newborn. 

Saturday

Did: 5K Stroller Race in 28:45
Last time I was pregnant, I ended up delivering the day I was supposed to be running a race. Therefore, deciding to do a race the day before my due date this time seemed like the ideal way to jinx myself into labor. (Spoiler alert: it didn't work)

We got the family up and out early in the morning, and headed over to the one 5K I could find within a 30min drive of our house on July 27. I was thrilled to have seen strollers weren't just permitted, but there were NO seeding requirements at all for them, which meant I could have a fun race with both my little ones :D 

I figured I'd run around a 33-35min race, especially since:
1) I'd probably want to stop an pee somewhere
2) it was probably a hilly course... 'cause Atlanta
3) I've been running high-10s as my go-to pace for the past few weeks

Nope. I didn't need to pee at all. The course was pretty flat (by ATL standards) and mostly shaded. Finally, the stroller gave me a momentum boost on the downhills, and race-day adrenaline kicked in for the rest. Not only did I finish well under 30min (WHAT?!?!), but, since it was a smaller race, my munchkin(s) and I took home a 1st Place AG medal. The only thing that could have improved the day would have been doing into labor afterwards... 

Sunday

Did: ~3.5mi walking
Thought I might've been going into labor last night, but noooooope. Having my parents around thwarted running plans for the morning, and evening running just doesn't happen, so I settled for a little over a 5K of walking... some of which may have been around the park with a giant waffle cone filled with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream (aka dinner when you're hormonal and still very pregnant on your due date). 

 

Total Weekly Mileage: 19.86mi run, 10.5mi walk

Total Pregnancy Running Mileage: 1254

Week-ending Thoughts:
All this talk about how running/walking/being active induces labor is CRAP. 

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... )

Countin' Down (38w Pregnant)

Week-beginning Thoughts:
Wooooooo, maternity leave! :D Here's hoping Bump's in a good spot for the remainder of this pregnancy and I'm able to use some of my newfound freetime to run happily. Achilles is still slightly sore to pressure in the evenings, but no trouble when taped. 

Monday

Did: rest

Mmm, all the naps. :D 

Tuesday

Did: 6.35mi @ 11:29/mi avg, Big 2, plus 3mi walk & chorus
Woohoo! A run that felt good! I took a few walk breaks, more to check myself than out of necessity, but this run felt really good the whole way through. I even followed up with walking my munchkin to school (though walking an empty stroller back home was a bit wonky). After chorus this evening, I had almost 11.5mi on my watch for the day. Yay! 

Wednesday

Did: rest
OMG. I stayed our full chorus rehearsal last night (7pm-10pm), got home, couldn't sleep (as usual) until like 11:30-12am, and, for the first time EVER, got to sleep in without an alarm or anything to do at all until nearly noon. IT WAS AMAZING. :D Living the dream, truly. 

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU, 1600/400, 1200/400, 800/400, 400/400, 1mi CD = 5.58mi total @ 9:35/mi avg, Big 2
Another fantastic track day! Yessssssss. I'm super appreciating not having to run the YMCA hill these past few weeks and just warming up on the track. I didn't feel faster than last week, but splits say otherwise:

1600: 9:29 (9:48 last week)
1200: 6:54 (7:16 last week)
800: 4:08 (4:38 last week)
400: 2:01 (2:05 last week)

Friday

Did: 3.15mi with stroller @ 10:34/mi avg
Enjoyed a nice ~5K pre-dawn run with my toddler and some friends at the river. 

Saturday

Did: 4mi @ 11:15/mi avg, 0.5mi walk
Planned on doing 4-5mi today, and opted for the shorter end due to having to pee a lot + OMGHUMIDITY. That was probably the right call, considering I came back had some  French toast, and then napped for a few hours without any respite from the fatigue I've had since dinnertime yesterday.  Legs, abdomen, achilles, etc. all felt great, though; my only problem was the moistness :P 

Sunday

Did: 4.26mi walk @ 17:37/mi 
Wanted to be active today, but running four days in a row isn't something I've done for quite awhile, so I opted to drag the family out for a walk to/from the local city park. 

Total Weekly Mileage: 19.11mi run, 7.5mi walk

Total Pregnancy Running Mileage: 1234.12

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I'm not running the same distance I did with my first pregnancy at this point, but I'm feeling SO much more comfortable each mile, not taking any planned walk breaks (only breaks to pee/fix clothing), and am not training for a half marathon. 
• So crazy to think that, at this point next week, I might have a new squishy baby
• Running continues to be a source of joy, inspiration, and happiness... except when putting my shoes on. Oof. 

 

Recovery Week (37w Pregnant)

Week-beginning Thoughts:

Last week of work before maternity leave... Crazy! 

Monday

Did: rest

Had a little bit of Achilles soreness today during my day. :/ It started on yesterday's run, so I'm thinking maybe my body didn't like sprinting to the finish of the Peachtree with ~30 extra pounds on it as much as I did... Been icing each night and will probably tape it for the morning. 

Tuesday

Did: 6.25mi @ 10:48/mi avg

Taped my Achilles and had zero issues. Phew. I feel so great running that it'd be such a letdown to have to take time off these last few weeks (especially once I have tons of free time on maternity leave) due to a silly injury. No bladder (or other GI) trouble. No discomfort. No foot issues. Just another good, moist run. :D Still can't believe how great running feels. 

Wednesday

Did: rest

Thursday

Did: 1mi WU, 1600/400, 1200/400, 800/400, 400/400, 1/2mi CD = 5mi total @ 10:30ish/mi avg
Today was probably the first OMG hot/humid day of running all summer, where there wasn't even the slightest breeze anywhere along the track. We even skipped the YMCA warm-up hill, parked at the track, and just did our warm-up on the flat, squishy surface. That didn't help. 

yeah, this was after, like, a mile

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but decided I'd do some sort of ladder, and hoped for a total of 5mi. Some quick mental math gave me the following workout: 1600, 1200, 800, 400 (with 400 recoveries in-between) and a 1mi WU, 1/2mi CD = 5.00. 


1600: 9:48
1200: 7:16 (9:41/mi)
800: 4:38 (9:16/mi)
400: 2:05 (8:20/mi)

Taped my Achilles again and had no real issues. It's still slightly sore to touch in the evenings, but seems fine to run on, esp with the KT tape. 

Friday

Did: rest

Saturday

Did: 4.2mi + 0.8mi + 1.23mi on treadmill = 6.23mi run @ 11:20ish/mi avg, 1mi treadmill walk, 0.75mi trail walk

I was supposed to run ten miles today. This is the first run of my pregnancy that I've cut truly short, and I'm so disheartened by it. Today's been awful. 

I felt fine enough when I started, but, within a mile, I had to pee. Okay, not a big deal. Stopped, took care of business... and then I had to pee again before mile 2. By mile 2.5, I felt some back end trouble coming, and agreed with my running partner that turning our 7mi loop + 3mi ONB into a series of 3mi ONBs was probably the best call. At mile 3, I knew I needed to swing by a literal bathroom, which meant cutting our run short and just heading home for an unknown period of time. 

So, after 4mi, I took a bathroom break at home (hooray, I made it!), and then decided to head back out for more mileage. I made it a little over quarter mile before the bladder pressure returned, and I decided to head home again. If I was going to have to pee every freaking five minutes, it was much better to do so from a treadmill less than 15' from a toilet than roadside in broad daylight. 

I think I stopped six times in the ~13min I was on the treadmill to pee, often times with only a couple drops actually coming out. W.T.F. >_<

At that point, I knew nothing I did was going to change how uncomfortable running was this morning. The best thing I could do for myself and my sanity was acknowledge that the baby bump was not in a good spot, and just STOP. 

...so I walked another mile on the treadmill. 

...and then stopped. 

I'm grateful that it's taken almost 38 weeks to have a bad run this pregnancy, and hopeful that this is just a one-day thing with the bump being in a bad spot... So glad this didn't happen last week before Peachtree! 

what's up with you today, Bump? 

Sunday

Did: ~10mi cycling, 2hr dancing

Thank goodness I woke up feeling more comfortable today!!! I didn't want to chance a run shaking Bump back into a bad position before Song of Atlanta Show Chorus front row auditions, so I opted for a bike ride instead. This was generally a good plan, though it still had its own challenges. The highlight of the day, though, was just feeling normal again and being able to enjoy front row auditions :D Hooray!!!

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.52mi run, 10mi biked

Week-ending Thoughts:

• What a roller coaster of a week. I've gone from feeling amazing at Thursday's speedwork to absolutely dejected over Saturday's bladder troubles to thrilled to perform our dances on Sunday. Oh, the emotions... 
• Here's to another week of who-knows-what :P 

Peachtree Road Race Week (36w Pregnant)

Week-beginning Thoughts:

It's finally Peachtree week, and I am so excited to have this race behind me in a few days. It's the last major running-related (or any category, really) thing I want to accomplish before Baby #2 arrives, and I know I'll feel so much relief once it's over successfully. 

Monday

Did: rest

Tuesday

Did: 6.28mi @ 11:17/mi avg, Big 2, 2mi walk

Baby bump isn't in the most comfortable place today. It's not uncomfortable, but it's certainly not as awesome as it was last Thursday during my sweet speedworkout where I barely felt pregnant. It was disgustingly humid from the time I opened my front door, and I decided to take a few walk breaks over the 10K route just 'cause I felt like it. Still a solid time, and comfortable enough run, though.

Added a 2mi hot AF walk between work and the Peachtree Expo this afternoon to pick up bib numbers. Oh, the heat! :P 

Wednesday

Did: rest

Took little ones to Peachtree Junior, loved every minute of it, and then napped almost the entire afternoon like a boss. 

Thursday

Did: Peachtree Road Race

Friday

Did: rest

Saturday

Did: 7.12mi @ 10:30/mi avg, Big 2
Phone/text failure prevented me from joining up with the bigger group I was hoping for, but I still had some company on this morning's greenway run. I felt great, and probably would have gone another 5K had I not had my husband waiting on me in the car (he stopped after 5.5) :P 

Sunday

Did: 4.85mi with stroller @ 10:25/mi avg, Big 2
It was HOT one today, and that meant I finally gave in and #SportsBraSquad-ed it, despite being 8mo pregnant. It was worth it. Today's run felt great (besides the heat), and, once again, I'm so grateful to have had a lot of sub-10 run sequences mixed in with a couple short walk breaks (more to adjust my support bands than to actually recover). 

kid couldn't have cared less, though a "you're embarrassing me, Mom" would have totally been justified... lol

Total Weekly Mileage: 25.09mi
Total Pregnant Mileage: 1197.44

Week-ending Thoughts:

• I can't believe I'm running so fast so far along. 
• I can't believe I still feel so good. 
• Got this message from a friend today, and it made me feel awesome: