Running Safely Through Pregnancy

From Running Times online…

Running Safely Through Pregnancy

You can run while pregnant if you know what to expect

By Mackenzie Lobby

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

The running community sat up and took notice this year as one elite runner after the next announced their pregnancies. There has been much said about Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe’s shared due date this month, as well as Deena Kastor’s recent announcement that she will forgo regular training for the next nine months. To the interest of many, Sara Vaughn blogged about her day-to-day experience of pregnancy and the journey back to the roads after giving birth. Carrie Tollefson, who had her first baby in April, has been frequently cited discussing the 2010 birth and the 2012 Olympics in the same breath.

While the existing literature on exercise and pregnancy has come a long way, a certain stigma remains attached to running with child. Although the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists propose that 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week is safe and suggested, their 2002 research basis has already been trumped by emerging evidence that advocates for the safety of longer bouts of exercise. In fact, a literature review published last year examined a wide base of recent studies that monitored the health of both the mother and child, showing that the former half-hour guidelines of the early aughts may be outdated and underestimated. 

The recent research, as well as stories of pregnancy from the best of the best in women’s running, serve as testaments to the fact that running through pregnancy can be both safe and beneficial for most running mothers and their babies. That being said, it is no jog in the park. As the research elucidates, pregnant runners encounter plenty of changes and physiological surprises as they run through their nine months. Consider a few of the following common issues associated with running during pregnancy and always consult your doctor before entering into a running regimen.

Read on here.