Running Preggers

I'm writing this as requested by Nannoor, a fellow blogger ( I have just started to follow your blog :D ) who asked me of my running routine while pregnant. Takdela routine sangat sebab by the end of the pregnancy dah caca marba  Hurhur.
I hope my experiences will somehow be of good use to other runners getting through their pregnancies.Tak pun untuk bahan seronok-seronok baca tentang pompuan boyot menggagahi diri nak exercise. Ngehngeh.
So, here goes.

1st Trimester (1st-3rd month)

Nothing in my running routine changed , really. I still ran 4-5 times a week as I was still training for my last 10K race so everything was going pretty much dandy.

But I did a lot of reading about running while pregnant because this was my first time running with a baby in my belly. And most articles stated that the baby will be really small in the first trimester so running a lot at your normal speed wouldn't affect the baby much.

I did my easy pace at my normal easy pace and my tempo pace at my normal tempo pace but I refueled more to avoid dehydration. I ate what I ate normally and I took my vitamins as instructed, daily doses of folic acids, vitamin Cs, haematinics and calcium tablets since I'm allergic to milk.

When I went for my first antenatal checkup, the nurses were concerned of my low blood pressure, sometimes going down to 90/60 mmHg, but I reassured them this was normal to me. Still, they referred me to a doctor, a fresh faced boy just out of his housemanship who instructed me to take daily BP readings for a week. A week later, with the results still the same, fresh faced doctor eyed me carefully and said, " I guess it's okay for an athlete. You're a sports person, yes?". And suddenly I had this chilling suspicion that this guy may read my blog. ( Perasan tak?).
 Did I ever told you guys that I get terribly embarrassed if I knew any one of my colleagues reads Runningigi. Once, a senior of mine told me he liked my blog and I almost died.

 Anyway, come race day of my 10k at Taiping International marathon, I was at my 3rd month and was starting to show. I didn't look properly pregnant and I guess looking at my tummy, people would assume either I wasn't proportionate or had a little too much baked beans the previous night.
 I wanted to push it because I felt I can, but had to refrain myself. You can read all about the race here. Other than having side stitches, there were no other issues. And it was one of the best races I had so far. I ran pregnant without tergolek cam nangka busuk.


2nd Trimester ( 4th - 6th month)

Running still went on as usual. I even registered for another race at Padang Rengas because it was surely an easy podium. No, I'm not bragging. Ada less than 10 women registered. Agaknya jalan kengkang-kengkang pun boleh dapat placing punya lah. But still, I wasn't very familiar with Padang Rengas and the running route so I opted out the last minute. Memang nasib baik pun, because when WW got back from the race , he told me it was half road and half trail and I don't do well on trails. Nak-nak bila jadi mak buyung.

My pace followed the growth of my tummy. The larger I got, the slower I ran. A friend suggested running with a support belt but I malas to go and buy one.
I'm a runner but I guess I'm not that hardcore.

My easy pace deteriorated to 14:00 minute/mile. Takpe, takpe, I thought. Apa nak kalut, bukan training pun.
Best thing was, every time I ran, my baby was doing somersaults in the womb. I guess, she enjoyed running as much as I did. Running  still commenced 3- 4 times weekly for 30 minutes although my daughter commented I ran like a duck.

Fatigue was an issue. I would get too tired to run after work so I had to paksa myself a bit. But on days when I was too tired to even move my eyelids, I skipped running. But I made sure I took the stairs everyday.
My staff were forever holding the elevator door open for me but I would smile , shrug and stubbornly walk up, no, waddle up the stairs.
Stairs, good. Elevator, evil.

3rd Trimester ( 7th month to D-Day)

I only ran 3 times a week up to my 7th month. Then I was getting ridiculously big and the side stitches were unbearable so I stopped running on the treadmill altogether.

But to make up for not running, I did  weights and walking aerobics for 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes till the 37th week. Anything without side stitches is good for me.

By the 38th week, ready to meletup bila-bila masa je lagi, I caught a fever of 40 degrees Celsius and was hospitalized for a week. After that, all exercises went down the drain and I stayed dormant till my delivery.


So there you have it, Nannoor, my running routine while pregnant. By doing all this, I pretty much kept my weight according to plan. Overall I gained 15 kgs, which was pretty much recommended by the doctor. I'm happy that almost 4 months after delivery, I have now only 2 kgs to blast to reach my pre pregnancy weight. Alhamdulillah..

Do keep in mind every pregnant woman is different and you have to adjust your workouts according to your needs and ability.

Don't be intimidated to read some other pregnant orangputeh's blog and see that her easy running pace at her 8th month is still 8 minute/mile (4:59 min/km). Dia tu gila.
Kidding.

POST-NATAL

So how am I doing so far when it comes to running? Well, these days running depends solely on my baby's mood.

I'm like, " Little baby, can mommy run today for at least 20 minutes while you watch quietly in your carry cot?"

" Waaaa, waaa, waaa"

Alrightey then, no run today.

Then I go, " Darling, just 10 minutes today, please?"

" Waaaa, waaa, waaa"

Okay, it's a no then.

Did I tell you she has a built in timer? If I pasang niat to run 20 minutes while she's having her nap, she'll wake at exactly 20 minutes after. If I say to myself , just run 10 minutes and see how things go, she'll wake up at exactly 10 minutes after that. Cheeky little sweet pea.

So now, I make do with what I can. If she doesn't allow me to go on the treadmill on some days, I'll carry her and do lunges, squats and lateral lunges. She pretty much enjoys that. Macam naik buaian ( which I banned). I'd start my routine and she'll instantly go to sleep 5 minutes after, in my arms.
Like I said, I make the most with what I can, even though it means I'll eventually end up with gorilla arms.

You can suggest waking up at 4 in the morning to run while my baby's fast asleep.
But like I said before, I love running.
But I'm not that hardcore.

To Nannoor, persevere.
And bear in mind, kalau JJ yang pemalas ni pun boleh run while preggers, sape-sape pun boleh buat jugak.
Cheers ;)