Another Half Marathon while Pregnant

Well, September is here.  I am a little sad and a little excited.  I had an amazing summer with my family and a lot of time with the kids.  We knocked quite a bit off of our bucket list and experienced a lot of new things together, too. 

 

With the kids back in school only one day, I've already been able to tackle several things on my to do list.  I look forward to getting the house in order and the nursery ready for our baby girl in December.

 

I also look forward to running more than a couple of miles here and there for myself.  I was coaching 7-8 classes per week this summer.  My coaching is now winding-down for the year, as I only have one class in session right now, along with several virtual and individual coaching clients.  This is going to be a nice way to phase things out when our little girl arrives and running conditions get cold and icy outdoors.  I'm looking forward to having some more me time and developing a consistent running routine for myself again.  The weather has been really warm and humid in Wisconsin this summer and I'm also looking forward to the beautiful weather that September and October bring with it.  This is my favorite time of year to run.  Since running my last full marathon in June (at almost 13 weeks pregnant), my running has been really consistent during my pregnancy - but my mileage hasn't been as significant obviously.  I ran a couple of 10(ish) mile runs this summer, but everything else has been 2-6 miles since the marathon.

 

 

This past Sunday, my husband and I were sick of running circles around our neighborhood.  BORING!  So, we headed down to Machinery Row, near the Monona Terrace in Madison.  We loaded up the cooler and parked the car near the lake.  He is training for the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee in October and I am just training for me.  He always likes to hang with me, but I insisted that he go on ahead.  I wasn't sure what kind of pace I'd be able to hold up and how many potty breaks I would need.  So we agreed to meet up in two and a half hours after we each completed our own out-and-back route on the Capitol City Trail.

 

 

I again had excruciating pain in my calves during the first two miles.  This has been a problem for me during most of my pregnancy, which is probably why most of runs are around the 5K distance.  If I push past it and through the pain, it goes away.  This is what happened to me again.  By mile two, the pain was gone and I was consistently running around an 11:20 min/mile.  I sometimes wonder if it has to do with the leg cramps that I always get at night while I sleep (Charlie horses). 

 

I stopped at a hotel to use the restroom and at the campground along the train on the way out and the way back to use the restroom.  I really do forget that I'm pregnant while I'm running.  Other than the urge to use the bathroom.  I don't feel my belly bouncing up and down or feel all that heavy.  My pace is slower than usual, but I don't really need to take walk breaks.  And I didn't. 

 

I took a gel at mile five and again at mile ten.  I listened to my tunes as I ran along the lake and left busy downtown Madison on the Capitol City Path and headed into a more rural area and countryside.  I was passed by tons of cyclists out enjoying the beautiful Sunday morning.  I also encountered a few other (female) runners out on the path.

 

When I returned to the lake I was almost at mile 12 when my husband snuck up behind me as he finished his run.  He was approaching 15 miles.  My goal was to only do 10 miles that day, but I was already approaching 12.  I figured that this may be one of the last times I could accomplish the half marathon distance during my pregnancy, so I gave my husband my key fob out of my handheld water bottle.  And, I told him that I would be continuing on for another mile, to finish with 13.1 miles.  And that's what I did.  I ran past the car, out a half mile and finished with the final half mile at the marathon mommy minivan. 

 

I did it.  Baby girl and I completed another half marathon at almost 23 weeks pregnant.

 

 

I also reached an all time high on my Vivo Fit for the number of steps I walked/ran for the day.  I received it for my birthday in July.  I am super proud of moving close to 40,000 steps in one day - while pregnant.  The only thing is, now it just ups my average daily goal.  Goals are good, though.