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Re: Boston while pregnant....

frankgeo — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:17:00 GMT

Originally posted by kjkleeb:

quote:
One other point. In the year after my only child was born, my times started coming DOWN and I PRed by many minutes in the 5k, 10k, and Marathon.

That's also a point made in the articles that I posted too...there's some mention of the women running faster after pregnancy. That's also consistent with what I've observed in my own daily life. I know a lot of women, even a cousin, who did marathons after having a baby and came back even faster than before.

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Re: Boston while pregnant....

tuscaloosarunner — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:41:00 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by mayfield:
maryt...thanks for the concern but I don't think you're really grasping the situation very well or else you don't have much of a sense of humor. I am very confident in my ability to care for myself and my baby and yes, I am able to gauge my exertion level. Marathons are more or less stressful depending on the individual's fitnes level. I know you only have my best interest in mind, so thank you. I will now return to worrying over caffeine, folic acid, hot baths, mercury, vaccinations,microwaves, vitamin a, my dog's flea medication, nail salons, non organic fruits and vegetables, sushi, soft cheese, deli meats, tap water, sleeping on my back, and now.....stress hormones!

Are you looking for an opinion or for permission? Not trying to be mean, just trying to get to the heart of the matter. Completely agree w/ Laker and Mary--not worth the risk.

Boston will always be there. Why not run it when you can give it your all?

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Re: Boston while pregnant....

maryt091 — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 15:06:00 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by mayfield:
And as for stress hormones...that's what this baby is going to be made of! Don't worry, I don't plan on taking any legitimate risks...that's why I'm researching it as much as possible as is my ob since she isn't a runner.

Thanks again all!

mayfield
I'm not sure what your comment about your baby being made of stress hormones means - seems sort of cavalier to me, but hopefully I'm misreading that. What I was talking about is the fact that your body can produce very high levels of cortisol when your glycogen reserves get low during a marathon and that recent studies show cortisol may cause damage to a fetus in addition to depressing your immune system. Not something to dismiss so lightly.

Unfortunately while all research shows running in general is basically very good for everyone, that doesn't seem to be the case for marathons. There's evidence of heart damage in marathoners, major risks of electrolyte imbalance, elevated body temperature, dehydration, etc., and sometimes those can happen without your being aware of it. Is that good for a child you are carrying with you? Somehow I doubt it. Better to err on the side of caution when it's not your body alone to consider.

One other serious consideration. Will you be aware if you need to stop? Once the race starts there's that tendancy to ignore everything else - that why so many end up in med tents. Will you really stop at mile 23 or 24 if you are overheating, in order to protect your baby, or will you be so focused on finishing those last few miles that you won't even be aware that your temp is too high? My own temp goes up 2-3 degrees duing a long run and I wasn't aware of it at all until I checked my temp after one run just to see.

If you do need to stop what will you do? What if you are miles from a medical tent? It may not be a big problem for your health, but will a long wait hurt your baby if you're not close to a med tent? I' ve heard several horror stories about long delays on the course in getting back to where friends can pick you up.

Right now no one knows for sure how much the stress put on your body will harm your baby. It just seems to me that when there are such obvious risks as elevated body temperature (even in cool weather), electrolyte imbalance, excess stress hormone production, dehydration, etc., and there haven't been enough studies to know how much if any the stress you are putting on your own body might harm your baby, the wisest course would be to avoid doing something that might hurt your baby, rather than run Boston anyway. There's always another Boston, not another chance for your baby if you or your doc guess wrong.

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Re: Boston while pregnant....

Johnny J013 — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:21:00 GMT

How many weeks will you be mid-April? I don't know why I'm asking, as the answer would be the same-- ask you Ob. I wouldn't take advice from anyone here (no offense intended to many well meaning posters, but advice from someone that can't be held accountable, you know nothing about their background, etc. would seem flimsy at best for an important question such as this).

I did find this link from a sports medicine doc's slide show-- a google search, don't know validity of info. but it looks like a presentation given for a medical talk. A couple things I came across-- it's not unprecedented. There are theoretical risks of causing birth defects from overheating during the first trimester (keep careful watch on your body temp. during exercise-- cooler is better). None of these seem to have borne out in studies on humans. Sample sizes are small and it's not well studied.

And above all-- consult with your own doctor, who will be aware of your personal medical conditions and needs.

http://www.sportsmed.iu.edu/presentations/ExcerciseInPregnancy_Public.PDF[/URL" target="_blank">

Good luck.

edited to add link-- forgot!

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Re: Boston while pregnant....

lamerunner — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 22:19:00 GMT

I am late to the party I guess. Congratulations on both the BQ and the pregnancy!

This is really an individual thing. If you are fit enough and your body handles pregnancy ok, it may be fine. But it is a risk, probably especially early on. When I got pregnant with my daughter, I was a sub-3 hour marathoner. I ran throughout the pregnancy. I also skiied, hiked and even ice climbed once or twice. I kept my mileage moderate though, 6-7 miles or lower. I gained about 20 lbs.

I would not have considered a marathon during pregnancy. I admired those who did it; I just wasn't comfortable enough with the risk.

You will come back after pregnancy faster than you think. I started running just a couple of weeks after, ran a PR half marathon three months after and ran a 3:03 Boston the folowing year, 9 months out.

Good luck whatever you decide. Don't worry that your running is done, though.

Re: Boston while pregnant....

Gotta Run041 — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:04:00 GMT

Mayfield, congratulations on your pregnancy! And congrats on qualifying for Boston. You are an amazing runner to make it to the big show! I ran through both of my pregnancies, but as soon as I found out I was pg, I stopped with long runs and did nothing over 6-7 mi a day. I am conservative on this one. Listen, in the whole universe of marathons, Boston is the most historical, coolest, most traditional, most glorious. You are not going to want to stop. There will be soooo much pressure to keep going, especially, since you had to qualify, made travel arrangements, the crowd, the legendary race route, etc etc. I'd say, stay far, far away from Boston on race day, and rest assured that you are keeping you and your baby safe. You just don't know, you see? You just don't know the risk. So DON'T take it. You WILL qualify again, girl! You should be qualified for next year. Take the safest route. Do it for your baby. DON'T stop running, but don't take an unnecessary risk. The marathon distance is unnatural for the human body, period. Good luck to you and have a safe and healthy pregnancy. Peace!

Re: Boston while pregnant....

marunr — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 05:19:00 GMT

mayfield...I wish you the best and hope you are happy with whatever you decide. You understand that by posting such a question you open yourself up to all kinds of judgement and opinion, but you seemed to have taken it pretty well without becoming too defensive. Good luck to you and I pray that you'll make the right decision.
As far as maryt goes, I'd like to say that she has answered this question more than once over the years, and has been very consistent with her advice despite being attacked ferociously at times. I myself have no advice to offer, but I must say I appreciate that she stands up for her convictions and doesn't waiver. Happy running!

Re: Boston while pregnant....

mayfield017 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 05:05:00 GMT

Thank you all for the different perspectives, insight and information. I think that while I am pretty comfortable judging my own exertion level, I am also just as confident in realizing that 26.2 miles is going to be past my comfort level...it's just taken some time to adjust to this reality.

Shuffling Feet, I think you are a great inspiration. And I look forward to coming back faster than ever after this baby is born! Getting back to Boston will be great motivation for getting in shape post baby.

Thanks again all and happy, happy running.

Re: Boston while pregnant....

kjkleeb — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:10:00 GMT

There is a really great book called Exercising Through YOur Pregnancy by a Doctor John Trapp. Please get it and read it. I didn't find it til my 8th month and had I found it sooner I would have exercised much more and maybe participated in some races while pregnant.

Boston has always been my dream- I have not BQed yet but I totally understand where you are coming from, and the dissapointment you will feel if you decide not to run. If it was me I would consider enjoying the day, taking it way easy, and stopping if I felt anything abnormal. The pace you must keep at to keep your HR under 140 is REALLY slow, at least for me. The concern I would have for myself would be weather I can truly hold back in a race, being a very competitive person.

One other point. In the year after my only child was born, my times started coming DOWN and I PRed by many minutes in the 5k, 10k, and Marathon. I gained the recomended 25lbs and exercised moderately during my pregnancy and I am convinced that the whole experience made me stronger and faster. If you're smart and take care of yourself, you'll be ready to qualify again next year!

Re: Boston while pregnant....

frankgeo — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:46:00 GMT

Here's an interesting article:

http://active.com/story.cfm?story_id=7944&sidebar=13&category=running[/URL" target="_blank">

The thing to keep in mind:

~~she ran a marathon while pregnant<br /><br />~~she miscarried later at 10 weeks

This is just one story. But it has to make you think.

Here's another:

http://www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/article/running_after_baby_back_on_the_trail/C40/L40/[/URL" target="_blank">

Another person training for a long run...another miscarriage.

It can happen. Maybe it was because of the marathon. Maybe not. The truth is...running a marathon can jack up the risk-factor. To what extent is unclear...but are you willing to live with it?

There's a great quote in there:

"I ran through early twenties angst, moving across the country, Oregon rain, Montana ice, turning thirty but pregnancy was one thing I could not run through."

Running a marathon is hard enough when you're healthy and not pregnant.

I've done 5 marathons and every time I think I've come out in worse shape then when I went in. Unlike normal running of just a few miles a day, marathons tend to hurt your health rather than help it. The recovery takes a while and it does put your body through stress.

I'm not an expert, I'm not female, I've never been pregnant and I can't quantify the level of risk that you are exposing yourself to by running a marathon at a certain stage of pregnancy. But I tend to agree with maryt...there is a dearth of data...especially long term... out there on this. Not many women were running marathons until the last 15 or 20 years and I don't know what studies have been done.

My personal belief is that one should only do a marathon if they have no other ailments that could get potentially get in the way. I've seen too many people run through marathons with stress fractures, tears or other injuries; and I've seen them reap the consequences for months or even years afterwards.

As for just "participating" in it rather than racing in it...I know from experience that that can be deceiving too. It's very hard to hold back once I make up my mind to go a certain pace...and I only tend to go faster once I start and not slower.
I'd be asking myself: "at what speed exactly am I comfortable with?". Is it 30 seconds slower than normal pace? A minute? Why not 2 minutes? Why not 10 minutes per mile slower? I'd also be asking myself: "Am I comfortable knowing that I'm going to be exerting this effort but still not putting forth my best performance" while taking into account the risks.

If you have any doubt about whether your physical condition is adequate, I would say don't do it. From my point of view, a successful pregnancy is more impressive than a great marathon.

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