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Running For Two: 9 Lessons I’ve Learned About Running During Pregnancy

Hi all! I haven’t written much about my personal life lately, so the truth is, a lot of things have changed in the recent few months, and even more are about to change in the nearest future. The biggest change, which I’m finally ready to talk about here on the blog, is the fact that I’m getting ready to become a mommy in October!

The road to becoming pregnant has not been the smoothest, and I’ll talk about it sometime in the future. Rob and I happy that things have finally worked out for us, and looking forward to finding out what this vegan parenthood thing is all about!

Tips on running during pregnancy

Getting pregnant coincided with a renewed interest in running for me. When I started this blog almost four years ago, being a runner was a sizeable part of my identity, but after completing my last marathon in June 2015, I lost my interest in running for a while, and took up lifting weights instead.

In the beginning of 2017 I finally felt an urge to give running another chance, and started running on a treadmill at the gym little by little after my weightlifting workouts (here’s more about my experience with lifting weights during pregnancy). I made sure not to push too hard because I was also newly pregnant, and took plenty of walk breaks to catch my breath. My pace slowed quite a bit compared to my pre-pregnancy running efforts, which was a great opportunity to practice patience.

Thankfully, working out was making me feel better as I dealt with morning sickness in the first trimester, and helped me get energized after a long day sitting at my desk at work. Eventually I was able to build up endurance for 2.5-3 mile runs on the treadmill or outside once or twice a week. During the Memorial Day weekend, I decided to sign up for a local 5k, and to my surprise I even finished third in my age group!

By the way, did you know that you can now create a baby registry on Amazon? It’s free to sign up, plus you get lots of perks:

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➡️ huge selection of baby and family products;
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9 Tips for Running During Pregnancy

As soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I started researching information on running and working out safely during this time (some of my go-to blogs for this can be found here and hereplease note that everybody’s fitness levels differ).

One thing all of the online articles and books suggested was the fact that no two pregnancies are the same, so what feels good to one woman may feel completely wrong for another. Oftentimes working out at all can seem like an impossible feat, especially for those of us who are dealing with a bad case of morning sickness (FYI it’s actually an all-day affair, not just in the morning 🙁 ). I had my share of days when instead of a planned workout at the gym, I headed straight home to take a nap.

I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned about running during pregnancy from my personal experience. However, I totally understand that everyone’s experiences will be different. So please note that if running feels really tough when you’re pregnant, you absolutely don’t have to do it! It’s 100% OK to run during pregnancy as long as it feels good and your doctor gives you a green light, just as it’s 100% OK not to run if it feels wrong.

1. Check your priorities.

The reason for why you used to run before getting pregnant will (hopefully) change now that you’ve got a baby on board. My reasoning for running has changed quite a bit over time. Ten years ago, as I was dealing with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, it was mainly to keep my weight down. Five years ago, when I discovered the fun of racing long distances, it was to build endurance and set PRs.

Now that I’m pregnant, today my main motivation is to get fresh air, get my blood flow going, prevent (hopefully) varicose veins from developing (this condition runs in my family), and maintain my fitness and endurance for the upcoming labor. Will I ever get back into wanting to set new running PRs? Possibly, but it’s way down on my list of priorities.

2. Listen to your body even more carefully than before.

Running while pregnant can be a completely uncharted territory, especially if it’s your first pregnancy or if you never ran before your previous ones. Our bodies are constantly changing, so if something doesn’t feel right, it’s not worth toughing it out, even if that was our standard practice in the pre-pregnant running days.

Today I make sure to run by feel at all times, because making myself (and possibly the baby) feel miserable is not worth the checked box on my running calendar.

3. Embrace walk breaks!

I’ll admit that I used to scoff at taking walk breaks while running back in the day, firmly subscribing to the thought that the need for walking comes from a wrong pacing strategy. However, about a month into my pregnancy I was running out of breath even just walking around on flat surface, not to mention running uphill.So I started taking walk breaks on the treadmill every half a mile, and I was surprised that those runs still felt like a good workout.

Once the weather got nicer outside in spring, I took most of my running outside, taking walk breaks by feel rather than at a certain distance, and I was surprised that I needed fewer breaks as I ran outdoors. Once again, your experience may differ, so whatever you do, please be careful!

4. Don’t let the slowing pace bum you out.

I heard about the imminent slowing that most pregnant runners go through – after all, our bodies are doing a heckuva tough job of building a new human inside of us, so that takes up A LOT of energy. Setting new PRs is definitely not a priority for our bodies no matter how hard we try.

Because of this, I wasn’t very upset when I saw that my average pace per mile slowed 2-3 minutes beyond the pace I ran during my last marathon. The human body is amazing, and the experience of pregnancy is temporary, so I’m hoping that eventually I can get faster again if I work on it after I have the baby.

For this reason…

5. ‘Unfriend’ your GPS watch (or a running app on your phone).

If a slower pace still bums you out emotionally, seeing it on a screen of your GPS watch or a phone can make things worse. That’s why you might be better off if you leave those at home and run free 🙂 If you must bring them along, say, to track the distance or just to know what time it is, reset the screen settings to display just that.

My current GPS watch is set to show the distance and time elapsed since the beginning of the run so I don’t accidentally run too far.

6. Make it short and sweet.

Just as you shouldn’t run at your fastest right now, neither should you try to run the longest. For me right now, a 3-mile run on a Sunday feels amazing as I’ve just passed the halfway mark in my pregnancy. Even though sometimes I feel like I could go longer, I’m going to cap my distance at that so that not to overwhelm my nervous system or risk running out of steam later in the day. It’s no fun when the need for a nap hits you hard as you’re heading to work or running errands.

7. Strategize bathroom breaks.

Even if you’ve never experienced the need to dash into the bushes to pee during a run, things may change now 🙂 About three months into my pregnancy, I started feeling like my baby was bouncing on my bladder with every step I took while running, which was quite uncomfortable even if I didn’t need to go that bad.

For this reason, before I head out of the door, I try to make a mental note of possible quiet spots along the route I’m planning to run. So far this has worked just fine, especially since I live in a fairly quiet rural area. If you’re planning to run on city streets or in a busy neighborhood, please note the potential bathroom stops in advance in case a need arises.

8. Don’t run hungry, and eat something right after you’ve finished.

You need to maintain healthy blood sugar levels for two, so no skipping breakfast before running in the morning!

I know that morning sickness and food aversions (I have so many!) can make things complicated, but it’s still really worth it to test out at least a small number of foods that can sit in your stomach. I make sure to eat a banana before my morning runs.

Other mild foods that could work: pitted dates, dry toast, plain white rice, a little bit of oatmeal, etc.

9. If it doesn’t feel good, call it a day.

This is probably the most important tip! If you made it out of the door but feel tired, heavy on your feet, or start experiencing pain, please don’t tough it out. Listening to your body (tip #2 above) is really important right now, and if your body is telling you that it’s miserable, it’s not worth it to continue punishing it.

Eventually most pregnant runners have to stop running as our bodies grow, the center of gravity changes, the belly bounces too much, etc. There’s no shame in that! I’m mentally preparing myself for that day, and for now, if running doesn’t feel right, I just walk the rest of my planned distance.

Question for you: If you are or have been pregnant before, what’s your experience with running or working out during this time? Do you (or did you) have any favorite resources like books, blogs, apps, etc. that have helped you stay active?

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author avatar
Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats
Alina first made a switch to a vegan diet in 2013 to optimize her athletic performance as a marathon runner. Eventually she embraced veganism as a way to be kinder to fellow living beings and the environment. Alina hopes that this blog helps its readers on their path to becoming vegan and making this world a better place.

Scott Manuel

Saturday 24th of March 2018

I think it’s also worth mentioning for women planning to conceive the importance of achieving a healthy weight, because being overweight can lead to bigger babies.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Sunday 25th of March 2018

Not sure I've heard about that correlation - can you quote any studies here?

Brian

Tuesday 13th of June 2017

Hey, great article! It's something that I definitely must give for my wife to read as we are planning to have a child and she recently got into fitness so much! Thanks a lot.

Alina

Tuesday 13th of June 2017

Sure thing, Brian! Good luck to you and your wife!

dayna

Friday 9th of June 2017

my boys are 10 and 12 now, but i ran and worked out during both of my pregnancies right up until the day before i gave birth. i listened to my body and respected its need for food, water and rest. i completely agree that each pregnancy is different but i always felt better when i got outside and took in some fresh air while getting those endorphins flowing. i ran, lifted light weights and did stretching and yoga. with my second son, i even ran while pushing my older son in the stroller. congratulations to you and your husband!

Alina

Friday 9th of June 2017

Wow Dayna, I'm so impressed by your dedication to working out all the way until the delivery day! I'm hoping my motivation stays on the same level!

Lisa @ NatureImmerse

Thursday 8th of June 2017

Drink lots of water before, during, and after your run. One way to monitor your hydration is to weigh yourself before and after a run. Any weight loss is fluid and should be replaced by drinking enough water afterward to bring your weight back up to the original number by your next workout.

Alina

Thursday 8th of June 2017

Thank you for the input, Lisa!

Nadege

Thursday 8th of June 2017

CONGRATULATIONS to you and your husband! Wishing you a healthy, wonderful pregnancy!

Alina

Thursday 8th of June 2017

Awww thank you Nadege! Glad to hear from you again!