water running?

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Gnothi Seauton.

I'd err on the side of caution. Yes it sucks, but better safe than sorry. While there is a good chance it won't do you any harm why risk it? In the big picture a few months of 'taking it easy' for a few months won't hurt you (which is not to say being pregnant is easy, my wife is 6 months along, and I'm glad I'm not going through that).

I know pro athletes that ran up until 8 months. I'm not saying that means everyone can, but just food for thought. Good luck and congrats!

That would definitely be an option, I'll try that. I think it is the impact and the pounding that the doc is concerned about, even though I tried to assure her I was rather light on my feet while running! ;)

That's what my husband says and I do agree and understand that, but it is just hard to reconcile that with how much better I feel after going through a run. Congrats to you and your wife!

Second this! Don't try and push it too much.

My youngest is turn 1 year old in a couple weeks. I tried to do too much way too soon after having her and ended up with hip problems. Had to completely stop running for 6 weeks to let it heal. I know that not being able to run seems like a big deal now, but honestly in retrospect it won't seem so bad & you'll be glad you don't have to deal with long term issues.

You're not going to gain any fitness at this point, the goal is to maintain. You can choose low impact options to maintain fitness & it will get up you and running that much faster after baby comes :)

Thanks. How soon did you start running after? Just wondering what is a realistic expectation for after the baby is born, assuming I don't have to have a c-section.

Doc gave me the go-ahead after 2 weeks. I had to start really slow, could only do about 10 minutes total, then walked another 20. I was trying to train for a half marathon 4 months after she was born - using a total beginner type plan, very easy.

Of course, everyone's experience is soooo different. The most important thing imho is not to try and compare to anyone. Some people can run up to the day they delivery. Other people's bodies simply refuse to cooperate. I think that's a really difficult aspect of being pregnant - just being so out of control of your body.

That's what I'm so frustrated about right now. I feel great still and I feel great when I run and after I run. I am not having any problems and haven't had any cramping or bleeding or anything like that which would be worrisome. I guess that's why I'm so frustrated with having to practically give up my running. If I'm feeling good, I just don't get why it is an issue. I know my doc has concerns about risk of damage to the pelvic floor for me for later in life, but the studies haven't been conclusive in that regard so I kind of feel like she is being overly cautious. If I didn't feel great or if I was uncomfortable, that would be a different issue as it would be a no brainer to me to stop or slow down as my body would be trying to tell me something.

Gordo and his wife Monica did a great webcast on this topic.

http://www.endurancecorner.com/...enancy_and_nutrition

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Richard

"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen

Thanks, I'll check that out.

hi Carolyn
Hope all is well. I was curious with your post as I recently found I was pregnant and have had many people tell me to back off. I wondered if you know if, for the first 10 weeks of pregnancy you need to be extra careful. Do you know what pace you run at - obviuosly we shouldn't be running at 10 MPH but I was curious as there is so little information out there. many advise seems to be targeted towards people with a low intensity training background so not sure if 140bpm applies to us (my HR gets quite high even jogging). Thanks!

First of all, congratulations, that's wonderful news! Second, I'm not a doctor, so I can only speak from my experience and from what I've read, ultimately you should talk to your doctor and figure out what is best for you. Anyway, I haven't adhered to the 140bpm since I found out I was pregnant. I, along with my doctor, decided that perceived rate of exertion was the best route to go and is what ACOG is actually now trending towards. Basically, you have to be able to hold a conversation or say an 8 word sentence without being out of breath at the end. I would HIGHLY suggest Dr. James Clapp's book, Exercising Through Your Pregnancy. I found that it was incredibly helpful and I read that, probably as soon as I got pregnant, and then had a discussion with my doctor about it. I definitley backed off my intensity right away, but pretty much kept up the mileage until about 20 weeks and then started backing off. I think my longest runs up to 20 weeks were about 7 or 8 miles and then after that I backed off to 5 miles and then 4 miles and now I'm 36 weeks pregnant and just chugging along doing my 3 miles more so because I'm just feeling heavy and not as comfortable after the run if I do more. Even though I don't adhere to the heart rate thing, I always wear a heart rate monitor while I run. I just kind of like to know the range I'm in (but I did that before I was pregnant) and I just think it helps me gauge where I'm at a little better. While running my heart rate is almost always over 140 and I'm fine with that and so is my doctor because I'm running at a pace where I can have a conversation and I'm not huffing and puffing. One of the big things my doctor told me to be concerned about is not overheating or getting hot in general as you can sweat to cool yourself off, but the baby can't so you don't want to cook the baby! The other big thing is remaining hydrated. I have noticed that I drink a lot more water, especially while working out, since I've been pregnant. So, although I used to not want/need water for a 6 mile run, since I've been pregnant I definitely need water on a 6 miler. It is really important throughout your pregnancy, both working out and not, to remain hydrated, so just keep that in mind. In regards to pace, I've just gotten progressively slower! At 36 weeks, I'm kind of like a snail! Ha-ha! To give you an idea, prior to getting pregnant I was running about 8 min miles. Once I got pregnant, I slowed down to about 9 or so min miles. As I got further along and as I started to gain weight and as I started to show, I just got progressively slower. The weight slows me down, plus my stride has changed due to a sack of potatoes being strapped to my front! So, now I'm probably at a 10:30 min mile. Just go with how you feel (obviously after talking to your doctor) and I have kind of figured out that my body will let me know if I'm pushing a bit. The one thing I will say is that pregnancy is not the time to ignore pains while running. While I used to run through aches and pains, my doctor warned me now is not the time to do that. So, if I get uncomfortable or feel any pains, I just stop and walk. Oh and kind of obvious, but if you ever have bleeding stop running.

Good luck to you! Check with your doctor about it all, but a lot of doctors now seem to be leaning towards perceived rate of exertion. Feel free to PM me or ask me any other questions as I'm happy to give you what my experience has been throughout my pregnancy! Also, you are warned, get ready (once you start showing) to get a lot of nasty looks from people and really uncalled for comments from people if you are continuing to run and workout! I've had complete strangers tell me I'm hurting my baby by running! People can really be so ignorant!

runfree, my friend raced a 15km at 10weeks, her doctor was completely happy for her to carry on as normal in those weeks exercise wise. "you're not sick" She didn't run it absolutely all out, but still finished in under 68 minutes and well ahead of me. Her HR would've definately been above 140bpm.

Obviously though, listen to your doctor, not your friends, or random strangers on the internet.

My kids are 20 & 25 now. I was/am extremely active & refused to give up just because I was pregnant. When I was pregnant the Dr had to do research on my running, sking etc as there wasn't much out there. My 2 pregnancies were entirely different. You should listen to Dr & yourself over what anyones says about their or a friends experience running late into the pregnancy.

I was able to continue much longer with running in the 1st the nthe 2nd. The baby's postion put much more pressure on ligaments etc the 2nd time around. It just wasn't comfortable. I did some serious walking for the bulk of that pregnancy. You will be surprised how well it will work as a substitute for running & how strong & quickly you will come back.

With the 1st I was still hiking up Mt Rainier at +600 ft level when Dr asked me to discontinue it at elevation due to concerns for lower O2 level. I was biking with modified handlebars till 8 months, skiing til 6 months, modified weighs until late term & swimming up to the afternoon I delievered. I was back at it with days of delivering both.

The one thing about the long gestation period is that its helps you to slow down a bit & naturally transition & adjust into a state that's needed for nurturing yourself & an infant. It's hard to appreciate it until once into it.

Barb

I continued running up to about 28 weeks. But I started getting shooting pains in my back. I eventually quit running because the pains got more frequent and painful. I continued to get these pains for about 15 years after this. So I would be careful if I were you. The ligaments start to loosen at some point in your pregnancy which makes you more injury prone in the pelvis and back. Anyway be careful you don't want to end up with a permanent injury. Listen to your body. You probably won't like running all that much soon anyway. That's what happened to me, but I kept running anyway and ended up long term damage.

I'd tend to go along with the dr's advice. The way I see it, you really have nothing to lose by cross-training as opposed to running. If you stay active you'll be surprised at how quickly you can bounce back.

I ran for both of my pregnancies on and off. There were times when I had round ligament or piriformis pain, so I would stop till I could run and feel good again. For both pregnancies I mixed in a good amount of spinnning and elliptical. I paid attention to my HR, but for the most part just went by perceived exertion.

I walked a few days after birth and walked/jogged 1-2 weeks postpartum. My dr. said if I listened to my body I'd be good and he was right. I do know of women who did too much too soon and ignored the signs (heavy bleeding &/or cramping), and they ended up having rest even longer than if they'd just eased into it.

Congrats on your pregnancy. Hope you continue to feel good.