Happy Monday Friends!!
I did a race last weekend at 20 weeks pregnant and surprisingly I felt good. Running is something I love, but when I am pregnant, going as fast as I would like is not physically possible. This makes racing so hard for me!! It’s humbly to be honest, racing when pregnant.
Surprisingly, I had a great race. It was only a 5k and I actually won. I even beat all the guys. In defense, most runners opt for the 5 miler option as it is the more popular option. I usually do the 5 mile race, but this year I opted for the 5k option. Why?
Simply because I knew it would be less competitive for me since the more competitive runners would be running the 5 miler and I could be more relaxed with my run. I was surprised to beat all the males and surprised to feel so good. I didn’t pee my pants, but did pee in the bushes twice pre-race (didn’t have time to stand in the long bathroom lines). This pregnancy I pee so much more!!
It was a fun family event. Marc pushed our kiddos in the double stroller in the 5k run and did great. The kids had fun and it didn’t rain on us. It wasn’t the warmest of races, but at least it was short. I finished in 20:21, far from a PR, but was glad I felt good. I chatted the first 2+ miles with another runner friend who was doing the 5 miler, before we parted ways. That made the first 2 miles go by really fast. The last mile is the worst, because of the hill literally at the end of the race. It isn’t steep, but it is nice and gradual uphill basically to the finish.
First race of the 2018 season and second race of this pregnancy. Racing hasn’t been much of a priority this pregnancy, because for the most part I am so exhausted and racing doesn’t seem to be an option really. Not with my competitive personality and my inability to loosen the reins a little. I did however enjoy this race, and smiled more, and actually enjoyed the process of racing while pregnant. I decided to go into with a different mindset.
My long runs are getting slower and even some of my shorter runs are already getting slower at 21 weeks pregnant now. I did finally order a nice maternity sports band to help relieve some of this growing pressure. I am hoping it will help the running stay a little easier longer. Still grateful to be running at 21 weeks and I will go as long as my body will allow. Also, I am looking forward to the chiropractor next week. And hopefully no more snow over Easter weekend. We had snow on Saturday, and lows in the high 20s. Of course the first weekend of Spring would bring us snow.
Hope you all have a great week. Mariah should be beginning to blog more in the next few weeks. We’ll try to get back into a better routine and schedule as we settle into our new season of life. And the countdown is on for Marc’s school. He is halfway done with his last term and will be officially done end of April. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit