Training for my first full marathon was great, but tough in the Arizona valleys. There
are very few hills which produces a consistent pace as long as you can keep it
up. I trained, increasing my mileage every week. Four weeks before
the race and one week before my ominous 20-mile run, I found out that I was
pregnant. Now, it's pretty sad to think that after a year of
disappointments, I was not as excited as I should have been to find out I had
gotten pregnant. I had wanted to be a mom for as long as I could
remember. However, I was so close to accomplishing a goal that I had
worked so hard to achieve and all at once, I wasn't sure if I would be able to.
First piece of advice: if you have a
question like, "Should I run a marathon if I am pregnant?" Do
not google it. It will only make you more confused not to mention make
you feel like an awful person for even considering such a thing. "How
dare you put your child's life in danger for a selfish thing like running in a
race." Well, good thing for me I had a close friend who was an
experienced OBGYN. He reassured me that as long as I had been
training well, I kept my heart rate in check, and I stayed hydrated, I should
be safe.
My detailed marathon training and race is
a story for another day. However, long story short, I came in around
4:43:00. Very disappointing after doing a 3:00:00 20-mile training run 3
weeks earlier. I was 9-weeks pregnant on race day and I didn't run again
after that day for over a year.
Staying active while pregnant was important thing to me, but I did not run. I had learned in school and
while working in my field, that exercise during pregnancy is a very positive
thing. I had a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby girl, and a quick
recovery. I jumped right back into exercising as soon as I could
(although I probably should have jumped a little less than I did since I
experienced my first full-on peed pants while doing jumping jacks in a class 6
weeks after little Lucy was born).
Exercising with a baby can be tricky. I ran a lot while Lucy was little because
I couldn't take her to the gym while she was less than 6-months old. I
talked my husband into buying a BOB jogging stroller, which is the best
investment we've ever made, (next to our double BOB that we got after baby #2).
I started teaching group fitness again and slowly gained my body back.
I was pregnant with my second child a
couple of months after Lucy turned one year old. It was an initial shock,
but I was so happy. I continued to teach my group fitness classes until I
was 35 weeks and my doctor told me I had to slow down or he was going to come
too early. Of course I stopped teaching for the next 5 weeks and he came
on his due date. Figures.
I made a goal to run a race between every pregnancy. Although the only race I ran between my first two was a 10K Turkey Trot, I decided that I wanted to set a new goal to
run at least one half marathon between every pregnancy. Races are such a
good target to aim for. There's a specific date and distance to work
towards and a specific time if you are feeling extra ambitious.
I ran my first post-baby half-marathon in March 2013 when little Liam about 5 months old. It was the Diamond Valley half-marathon in Hemet, CA. I came in right around
2 hours which I was pleased with considering it was a very disappointing rocky
dirt path for 12 of the 13 miles. I had reached my goal of running a
half, but decided later that year that I was going to try for another 26.2
miles.
Ever since I had tried to run my first
marathon, I always knew that I wanted to do another one. I didn't want an
excuse when people asked me how I did. "Yeah, I came in over 4 and a
half hours, but I was pregnant so..." No more. Ryan signed up
for the 2014 Phoenix Marathon, so I did too. Whatever made me think that
it would be possible for both of us to train for the same marathon is beyond
me. But we made it happen.
My training and race-day stories
are for another day. My goal for this marathon was to run the whole way
without walking except through the aid stations while I re-hydrated. My
underlying goal was a sub-4-hour race. If it didn't happen I was okay
with it. Let's just say that this Marathon Momma came in at 3:59:21 to be
exact. I could not have been more happy and pleased with my efforts and
results.
I'm not sure if or when this momma will
run in another full marathon, but if I do, it will not be anytime soon.
One thing I can say is that believing you can continue to grow and thrive
in doing something you love is priceless. Always aiming for something a
little better than where I am now is a goal in all facets of my life: as a mom,
as a wife, as a friend, daughter, and sister. I love having fitness goals
that I can measure and check off. The feeling of success in achieving
something that you once thought impossible is unreal. So thankful for
this journey and for the road ahead.
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