I received a lot of fear based recommendations from other people. Those who aren’t in the field (or don’t exercise) generally believe exercise is going to harm the baby or mother. I had people warn me that the baby would fall out when I run (yea, that’s absolutely not a real thing) or that “it can’t possibly be good for you” (also inaccurate).

​If you don’t like or want to exercise, it’s easy to find non-research based opinions to support your argument. Additionally, the old school believe was to “lay low” during pregnancy.  However, despite popular belief, there aren’t many limits and instead, most of the recommendations are about encouraging movement – aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise week (that means getting slightly out of breath). 

Guidelines have changed a lot throughout the years. Heart rate used to be the limit citing no more than 140 beats / minute. However that recommendation is no longer used – especially for people who are already fit going into pregnancy because the body is accustomed to the work. Most of the guidelines you see now are pretty straight forward (with the exception of certain health conditions) and encourage women to listen to their bodies. And interestingly, there is little to no research demonstrating that exercise increases the risk of miscarriage or pre-term labor (actually research demonstrates the opposite – that being inactive increases those risks). 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG – the expert body on all things pregnancy) basically warns: 

1. Avoid anything where you might fall
2. Avoid contact activities where you might get hit
3. Avoid movements that cause decreased oxygen return (eg, excessive twisting, scuba diving)
4. Avoid overheating

And always check in with your doctor about what’s best for you personally. ​

There are a lot of changes going on in a pregnant body that may change how you approach your usual routine (ACOG FAQs here). Namely : 

• Joint Mobility —Pregnancy hormones may cause joints and ligaments to be more relaxed (especially later in pregnancy), and that increases the risk of injury. Be cautious with jerky, bouncy, or high-impact motions. That also means that smart strength training is super helpful so your joints aren’t doing all the work. 
• Balance — It’s no secret that a pregnant body changes  A LOT. A growing belly shifts your center of gravity which increases the stress on your hips, pelvis, and low back. The change also makes you less stable and more likely to lose your balance.
• Breathing— Pregnancy increases your blood volume and oxygen needs. Additionally, as your belly grows, you experience more shortness of breath as the uterus increases pressure on your diaphragm / lungs. All of which makes it harder to breath, even when you’re doing less than normal.

• MASTER OF MOVEMENT : I am an experienced personal trainer with expertise in adaptive exercise – my brain is a library of exercises and I know what the correct movement should look and feel like. I also have a strong working knowledge of physical therapy – when I have an ache or pain, I can quickly recognize if it’s due to strength discrepancies, flexibility, or injury and adjust accordingly (eg, I know my hips are my weak point so take a lot of time to keep them strong). 
• LIFE CATERS TO MOVEMENT : I have a predictable job that allows me to escape for a jog at lunch and a supportive husband who also values movement. My kiddo and doggies LOVE running with me – especially early in the morning before it’s hot. If anything, they encourage me to run MORE. I live and work in safe neighborhoods with generally great sidewalks and my pregnancies were in spring / summer so there was minimal risk of falling and I had excellent outdoor weather to play. 
• EASY PREGNANCY : Both pregnancies were uncomplicated – no nausea, vomiting, constipation, heart burn, or even low energy and I have no health conditions.
• NOT ABOUT WEIGHT : I have a healthy relationship with food – not at risk of under eating and I readily accepted and at peace with pregnancy weight gain / body changes – running was not about avoiding weight gain.
• NOT MY 1ST PREGNANCY :  with my 1st child, I had to stop running at 29 weeks due to hip pain. Knowing that going in, I was extra careful this pregnancy to keep my hips strong and mobile.
• DOCTOR SUPPORT : Both of my OB doctors supported exercise. My first OB personally loved exercised and did so throughout her pregnancies and encouraged me to do what I love (she moved away between my two pregnancies). When I brought my fears to my first doctor (who was also very active), she reassured me that if pregnant bodies were THAT fragile, the human race would have become extinct long ago.

I found out I was pregnant a few after writing my Boston Marathon training plan. I debated at length whether or not to go forward with training but ultimately decided my plan would be to “maintain, don’t train.” My long run when I found out I was pregnant was 14 miles, so I decided to maintain that each weekend and general overall mileage of 40 miles / week plus strength and yoga until the race (or as my body would allow).

I could have run more and even attempted the full marathon – there is no evidence saying running that much would cause any harm to me or the baby (especially since my body was used to running that kind of mileage). Part of me wanted to be one of those “crazy pregnant ladies,” but I knew my personality well enough that if I trained for the full race, I’d stop listening to my body and instead focusing on hitting numbers. I didn’t feel comfortable putting that kind of pressure on my body (or mind). I estimated that I’d be 20 weeks pregnant in April, so set a goal to run 1/2 of the Boston Marathon to celebrate being 1/2 way through the pregnancy.  

At 20 weeks, I ran 1/2 of the Boston Marathon. It was QUITE the day – pouring rain and frigid. The race itself was easy enough – averaged 8:15 min miles (qualified by running 7:20s). But waiting around for two hours before the race was miserable and I almost bailed. The square in Hopkinton was a swamp of mud and water with no way to get warm other than to huddle as best you can – I couldn’t feel my toes or stop shaking. Combine that with a shrinking bladder (yet need to hydrate) and it gets pretty interesting! But once I made my way to the start, found a bathroom, and got running, it was a treat. I trotted along until I got to 13.1 miles and my husband and kiddo picked me up (dressed as superman). 

The remainder of the 2nd trimester was a slow decline of pace and speed. By 25 weeks I couldn’t run to and from work anymore – running with a backpack and a growing belly wasn’t kind to my back anymore.

By week 26, running after 12pm wasn’t working either. I felt like food was sitting heavy in my stomach and pressing on my lungs making it hard to breath. The jostling and twisting of running just didn’t feel good. So I shifted all of my runs to before work – which meant taking the kiddo in the stroller and the 2 dogs. As a result, pace went WAY down (but the joy factor went way up). 

By week 37, my belly was feeling so big that running down hills put a lot of pressure on my pelvic floor. Enter more walking. I also told myself that 3-4 miles was “enough” (even though I felt like I could do more at times). 

In the final two weeks of pregnancy, my “runs” were more and more about walking instead of trotting. Every day I thought “well this is the last day of running” but each day my body cooperated on the flat sections and tolerated 3-4 miles pretty easily. I continued my light strength training and generally felt pretty good!