RUNNING AFTER BABY...
In More Ways Than One!
I love running. I love any distance from 5ks to ultra marathons. Running is a cheap form of exercise with high results in terms of weight loss. For me, it’s a great way to deal with stress and continuously set new goals. When I found out I was pregnant last year, one of my worries was how I would continue running. The answer: with some difficulty, especially in the later months of the third trimester as I got bigger and my pace became slower.
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| 8 months pregnant at Enchanted Rock |
Everyone told me throughout my
pregnancy that once I had my baby the weight would drop off quickly,
especially since I continued running and exercising until I
gave birth. I didn’t believe those people and it was a good idea I
was skeptical because, unfortunately, that was not the case. A good
chunk of the weight did disappear, by disappear I mean came
screaming out of me in the form of my son Connor, but when all was
said and done at the 6 week postpartum checkup I was still 15 pounds
over my pre-pregnancy weight. Being a runner means I, of course,
started running before I got the okay from my OBGYN. This was not a
smart idea. They tell you to wait to do any strenuous exercise for a
reason. You just went through a major surgery. If someone just had
their appendix removed would you think it would be a good idea for
them to go out for a run a couple weeks post-surgery? No. Runners are
a hard headed bunch.
I suffered some
injuries and strains from trying to run too soon and ended up having
to wait a bit longer than six weeks before I could start my journey
to get back into racing shape. Connor added some time limitations
into the mix and also limitations of when and where I could exercise.
Basically, as I’m sure every new parent finds out very quickly,
bringing a baby with you somewhere adds on at least an extra 30-45
minutes to the time it takes you to get out the door. It can be very
discouraging at times and the easier option is always to stay home on
the couch watching reality television.
A great start to
get anyone motivated to exercise is to have a very specific goal to
be met in a specific time frame. My goal of course is a race. Not
just any race, but a race I would be really excited to run and
something that my family and I could all enjoy. I picked the Austin
10/20. It’s 10 miles, 20 bands, 1 band every ½ mile. My goal is to
run it in 1hour 30minutes. That would be a 9 minute mile pace. I am
13 weeks postpartum now and I have been running consistently 5 days a
week for the past 3 weeks and have been exercising consistently
probably for the past 5 weeks. I am building a solid base and trying
to take things slow. My plan is to stick to a training plan that
includes speed intervals and cross training.
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