Active Community: Message List - my first marathon and pregnant?

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

Back in the Saddle — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:42:40 GMT

Go for it! I sat down with my OB and two nurse-midwives. All of them said just do an easy run (no PR), pace myself, and listen to my body. I ran a marathon 5 weeks pregnant and I'm planning on running this next one at 28 weeks pregnant. If you are already used to running, it should be no big deal. You may or may not have pregnancy issues like nausea or low blood sugar that can sideline you temporarily - but the benefit that you are doing to your unborn child by excercising should keep you motivated to stick it out until you can't anymore (like when labor begins).

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

kaitlingarrett — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:40:00 GMT

I know you are right, but it is a little difficult to let go of one dream for another. But there will always be marathons, right?

quote:
Originally posted by liebling:
Hey, Kaitlin,

Congrats on your pregnancy! After reading and re-reading all the posts, I think you know what to do. In fact, I'll bet that you knew what you were going to do way before you posted this.

My only detailed comment would be from the "not an ob/gyn" who said that your doctor is the only person qualified to evaluate your risk. I would modify that and say that since it is NOT your doctor's baby, YOU are truly the only one, the final one, even more than your husband, who will make the final evaluation of your ability to run safely or not and YOU are the one who will reap or regret the outcome.

You sound like a smart woman, mother, runner. Have faith in yourself, your gut feeling, and your decisions and the ability to live with them and you WILL make the right choice–for YOU. We all make choices everyday, some minor, some major.

Very best of luck,
Liebling

[http://This message has been edited by liebling (edited Sep-09-2007).|http://This message has been edited by liebling (edited Sep-09-2007).]

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

liebling — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 23:39:00 GMT

Hey, Kaitlin,

Congrats on your pregnancy! After reading and re-reading all the posts, I think you know what to do. In fact, I'll bet that you knew what you were going to do way before you posted this.

My only detailed comment would be from the "not an ob/gyn" who said that your doctor is the only person qualified to evaluate your risk. I would modify that and say that since it is NOT your doctor's baby, YOU are truly the only one, the final one, even more than your husband, who will make the final evaluation of your ability to run safely or not and YOU are the one who will reap or regret the outcome.

You sound like a smart woman, mother, runner. Have faith in yourself, your gut feeling, and your decisions and the ability to live with them and you WILL make the right choice–for YOU. We all make choices everyday, some minor, some major.

Very best of luck,
Liebling

[http://This message has been edited by liebling (edited Sep-09-2007).|http://This message has been edited by liebling (edited Sep-09-2007).]

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

maryt091 — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 18:10:00 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by kaitlingarrett:

Gee you treat me like I am some kind of monster. The only reason I am thinking about not doing the marathon is for the health of my baby. It's not like I am just starting to run. I have been a runner for several years and ran most of the way through three very healthy pregnancies! I am also a nurse. The marathon is in late october in Michigan, I don't expect the temperature to be a stressor. Electrolytes and blood sugars are easily regulated with pleanty of water, sports drinks and knowing when to back off.

kaitlin
Sorry if I came across a little harsh. I certainly don't think you are some kind of monster, but I am very familiar with the way signing up for a marathon can make people not know when to back off and when to quit.

For all those who think that all will be good and you can just use your heart rate monitor or think electrolytes and blood sugar are easily regulated with plenty of water, sports drinks and knowing when to back off, how many marathons have you all run???? NOT that easy! In one test group, 30% of people who finished Boston - experienced runners who thought they knew exactly how to regulate everything - still had low blood sodium. Not only is it not that easy to regulate your fluid intake and glucose and electrolytes and hydration, for sure it is NOT that easy to know when to back off once you are in the race. For instance, would you really be able to drop out at mile 24 or mile 25 if you were overheating or having some problems, or would you convince yourself you were OK for just 1-2 more miles to complete your first marathon? Remember, your own body temperature is likely to rise from the exertion, regardless of how hot it happens to be in Michigan; you don't need to have a warm day to have your body temperature rise when you run. Also, if you decide to run your marathon in late October, would you still be intending to continue with your long runs now while it is still hot? Any runs over 3 hours are a problem in themselves with glycogen depletion in addition to the temperature, electrolyte and hydration issues - it's not just the marathon; it's the long runs during training that could be a problem for you and you unborn child.

Even if you could hydrate perfectly, keep your core temp OK, keep your blood glucose levels up, (and I very much doubt all 3 are possible when running a marathon) could you keep your body from producing extra cortisol when your glycogen levels get low? That's actually the thing that I have seen a lot more information on lately that could be even more concern, not for immediate obvious birth defects, but for the long term well-being of your child into adulthood and beyond. I was a steroid chemist for 7 years before refocusing on molecular biology, but I still follow some of the endocrinology research and there has been quite a bit lately about the negative impact on increased cortisol levels during pregnancy having longterm effects on your child in addition the effects of increased cortisol from long runs on your own immune system.

Anyway, good luck to both you and your child and if you do decide to run the marathon regardless of the risk, consider carrying a cell phone and make sure you have some plans to be able to be picked up on the course if you do decide you want to drop out. I don't know anything about the Michigan marathon, but I do know of several people (3 different marathons) who needed to drop out but had difficulty getting to medical help or getting back to their own transportation because of closed roads, etc.

[http://This message has been edited by maryt (edited Sep-09-2007).|http://This message has been edited by maryt (edited Sep-09-2007).]

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

maryt091 — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:35:00 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by saw339:
I am so glad I found your post - I have been wondering the same thing and it was interesting to read everyone's responses. My husband and I have been trying to conceive since March and we are training for the Chicago marathon in early October. I am not pregnant but am debating whether we need to take this month off from TTC so that it doesn't jeopardize me running the race. Part of me wants to still try and run anyway since I wouldn't even be a few weeks along by that time if we did conceive, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. It just kills me to skip even a month of trying, I want to be pg so badly. I think for me, that's the only answer, though, as I really wouldn't want to take any chances.

Best of luck with your decision and thanks for the post!

saw
Early October is not that far away, so why not go for the marathon now, but then cut back considerably on your running afterwards to try to conceive. Those same stress hormones (cortisol in particular) that can cause problems if elevated during a pregnancy, can also prevent ovulation and/or implantation. Women certainly have become pregnant while marathon training as kaitlin can attest, but if you are having dificulty, cutting back on the training could make the difference.

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

kaitlingarrett — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:22:00 GMT

Good luck with both trying to conceive and training for the marathon. I hope you found some useful info, I know I did!

quote:
Originally posted by saw339:
I am so glad I found your post - I have been wondering the same thing and it was interesting to read everyone's responses. My husband and I have been trying to conceive since March and we are training for the Chicago marathon in early October. I am not pregnant but am debating whether we need to take this month off from TTC so that it doesn't jeopardize me running the race. Part of me wants to still try and run anyway since I wouldn't even be a few weeks along by that time if we did conceive, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. It just kills me to skip even a month of trying, I want to be pg so badly. I think for me, that's the only answer, though, as I really wouldn't want to take any chances.

Best of luck with your decision and thanks for the post!

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

saw339 — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:29:00 GMT

I am so glad I found your post - I have been wondering the same thing and it was interesting to read everyone's responses. My husband and I have been trying to conceive since March and we are training for the Chicago marathon in early October. I am not pregnant but am debating whether we need to take this month off from TTC so that it doesn't jeopardize me running the race. Part of me wants to still try and run anyway since I wouldn't even be a few weeks along by that time if we did conceive, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. It just kills me to skip even a month of trying, I want to be pg so badly. I think for me, that's the only answer, though, as I really wouldn't want to take any chances.

Best of luck with your decision and thanks for the post!

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

kaitlingarrett — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:36:00 GMT

Amen to that one. Pregnancy is not a license to park it (unless you have a problem) Staying active and healthy makes delivery so much easier. I had to be put on restictions for the last four weeks of my last pregnancy just as a precaution and I swear being inactive for those 4 weeks made my labor longer. But I do also find myself driving a little slower and a little more keen to my surroundings!

quote:
Originally posted by kristine25:
Everytime you wake up in the morning you are taking a risk:

You could fall down the stairs;
Some idot could cross the center lane while you are in a car
You could choke on your food

The list could go on and on. But do we want to sit on a couch all day and watch TV and always be "Safe". Heck no! You may as well be doing something you love (as long as Doc says it's OK).

As already stated, I know Heart Rate and core body temps are important but with a Oct. run and a HR monitor, all should be good.

PS: A good friend of mine had a unexpected 4th baby a couple of years back. Man that was hard on her but once the baby was born, she came to realize her family wasn't complete and now she couldn't be happier!!!

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

kaitlingarrett — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:31:00 GMT

I am lucky I have an awesome husband. I do my runs at night when my kids are in bed and I do my long runs on weekends when the youngest (2 years old) is down for an afternoon nap. This training has taken a lot away from alone time with my husband but he is very supportive!

quote:
Originally posted by janeausten:
I'd skip the marathon. Better safe than possibly sorry. Wait a year or two and then use the baby jogger to train.

What I would like to know is how you had the time and energy while taking care of three kids to train for a marathon and even get pregnant! Way to go!

Mom of three

Re: my first marathon and pregnant?

kaitlingarrett — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:27:00 GMT

Thank you, you make some very strong points that I will be weighing heavily everyday!

quote:
Originally posted by kaitlingarrett:

Gee you treat me like I am some kind of monster. The only reason I am thinking about not doing the marathon is for the health of my baby. It's not like I am just starting to run. I have been a runner for several years and ran most of the way through three very healthy pregnancies! I am also a nurse. The marathon is in late october in Michigan, I don't expect the temperature to be a stressor. Electrolytes and blood sugars are easily regulated with pleanty of water, sports drinks and knowing when to back off.
Did I say I was trying to come to grips with an unexpected pregnancy? I love being pregnant and I love kids! I am trying to be a positive role model to my children!

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