I definitely agree with asking a doc/ob-gyn about this.

I know women who have run up until the few weeks before they were due without problems. They only ran at most 3-4 miles though. I would say definitely no on the marathon training. It takes a huge toll on your body and would make a pregnancy even more difficult for you.

Definitely talk to a doctor though.

Good luck!!

I ran through both of my pregnancies, 20-30 mpw, and had the FULL support of my OB.  I wouldn't have done it without her support.  I did choose not to "Push it" and run any 1/2's or full marathons, but I did keep up with a nice base.  I would definitely talk to your OB, but my non-expert opinion from all I've read and researched on my OWN about this topic, is that running is not the cause of miscarriage.

Hi there...

First of all congratulations!...I hope that this pregnancy goes to term...

I can speak from experience here-During my first pregnancy, I had been running for over a year but was racing regularly , 5K's to half's-and training about 40 miles a week. When I got pregnant, I switched to aerobics. stair masters and some wieght training. All went well for the most part.

I found out while "tapering" for my first marathon that I was 7 weeks pregnant...that would have put me at just over 10 weeks for the marathon. I had done all my long training runs and felt good so my doctor supported my continuing to run the marathon. I also had a few more years of running under my belt, was in a low risk catagory for pregnancy, and knew my body and how it reacts to longer distances pretty well. I promised my doctor and myself/family that I would listen to my body and stop if I experienced any discomfort-one of the bigger issues is body temperature and hydration. Heart rate doesn't play as important a role as originally once thought because your heartrate is already somewhat elevated during pregnancy. Anyway, I ran the marathon-it was cool out...good thing, and finished with only a couple walking breaks and overall, felt good. I continued running until about 5 1/2 months and then changed to other activities running got less comfortable...

I am now 29 weeks pregnant with my third child and I am still running, mainly because I can and because I feel good. The most important things you can do is: listen to your doctor and listen to your body...I ran my last half marathon at 16 weeks and I ran it slow. It is not the time to be setting any records no matter how far you are running. I continued to do long runs (9-13) until a couple weeks ago and I'm still getting 40+ miles/week in but some of them are walking-it all depends on how I feel.

Bottem line, everyone is different-unfortunately you have a history of miscarriage so you need to especially carefull. I would think your doctor would support your continuing to run-moderately but you should put your training for a marathon off for another year...you will have many more opportunities to run a marathon, maybe not to grow a life.

Best wishes ahead for you-if you want to discuss any further, feel free to e-mail me jennygb@comcast.net. I understand how it feels-there is not enough information out there to help guide you along.

Graciemygirl

First off, wishing you the best for this pregnancy. I hope you have been able to go to a specialist to try to determine what might have been causing so many miscarriages.

As for running, most of what I have seen says that easy running for a few miles is OK so long as it's something your body is already used to doing and may even be better for both you and your baby than no running at all. It helps keep your body in good condition and also helps most people to relieve stress which is good for both you and your baby.

However, marathon training isn't like easy running.  It puts a lot more stress on your body.  In addition to the factors of heat stress (known to be bad for pregnancies) and dehydration, you produce a lot of stress hormones like cortisol once your glycogen levels get low on those long runs over 2 hours and they have been recently thought to cause long term effects on a baby's brain function and behaviour that may not show up until years after birth.  The most serious effects of the stress hormones appear to be around 17 weeks or later, and that where you would be at Chicago. 

Again, good luck and wishing you the best!

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I am no expert - but I have heard that it is safe to keep the same level of intensity of work outs that you had before you were pregnant - in other words, DO NOT ADD INTENSITY during a pregnancy.  I would definitely talk to a dr...but this is what I heard from a pregnant PE teacher in High school who kept up her aerobics up until she gave birth.