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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Running a 1/2 marathon at 6 and a bit months pregnant?

14 replies

MegEmski · 03/10/2017 08:44

I'm massively planning ahead - I've only just had my BFP (squeeeee)

I'm entered in a half marathon in March , the end of March. I'll be just under 6.5 months pregant

Is this even vaguely feasible? I'm a regular runner, I've done a half before without a problem.

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glorious · 03/10/2017 08:48

It's very hard to say. Some people could and others really couldn't. I fell into the latter camp despite having been a serious runner beforehand. You start to feel much bigger and heavier around then and I was too sick before that.

Congratulations!

RedPanda25 · 03/10/2017 08:50

Congratulations! I don’t have firsthand experience as I’ve never been a runner but my SIL used to run regularly and had to stop at about 24 weeks as it was too painful to keep running.

Jellybabie3 · 03/10/2017 08:56

Wow i take my hat off to you that this is even a question.....i mean that in the nicest way. I couldn't do it before being pregnant!! I was quite heavy/sluggish at 6 months so i wouldve thought it could be difficult, BUT everyone is different. Goodluck OP

PeachesandPie · 03/10/2017 08:56

It's so hard to say! I last ran a half 3 months before falling pregnant and was super fit but pregnancy knocked me big time, I was so sick for 5 months I couldn't do any exercise and then by the time i felt better my gp told me to not exercise as I was suffering horrendous migraines if I did. If you can stay active do, and see how you feel a month or so before. Don't beat yourself up if you can't do it, it's pretty late to take something like that on!

ApplesTheHare · 03/10/2017 09:01

I'm afraid you probably won't know until you get there. In my last pregnancy I happily ran until 35 weeks but then all of a sudden I just couldn't run any more.

This pregnancy I've been for 1 run in 11 weeks but am starting to feel like I could do a few more now the first trimester symptoms are easing up. It's impossible to know what will come next!

dantdmistedious · 03/10/2017 09:15

Can you run the distance / are you already fit enough to do it? If you are I think you may well be fine if you are just starting training then probably unrealistic.

mindutopia · 03/10/2017 09:21

Me personally, no. I was running before I got pregnant with my first and I've run a couple half marathons and no definitely not, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I was able to walk that distance and regularly walked 10-14 miles on the weekends with my first until the start of 3rd tri. But there's no way I could have run it. I definitely couldn't catch my breath like I could before and I developed SPD so actually could barely walk by early 3rd tri (which is when my long walks stopped and I switched to swimming).

If you're already doing 9-10 mile long runs regularly, you may be able to maintain that. If you haven't trained up to that distance yet, personally no I wouldn't try. But there's no harm in continuing to try to run comfortable distances and speak to the race organisers to see if you have the option to defer your entry to next year if that's what you decide you need to do.

RosyPony · 03/10/2017 09:25

How long in a piece of string?

I was fit and healthy but since fairly early on have been unable to exercise without getting a stitch, I'm now 32 weeks and a 1.5 mile dog walk is slow, painful and exhausting. The brain is willing but the body is not!

Original poster

MegEmski · 03/10/2017 09:25

Sounds like it's pretty unlikely, and just a case of wait and see :)

OP posts:

Original poster

MegEmski · 03/10/2017 09:27

@dantdmistedious and @mindutopia

Also good points, no, I'm regularly doing between 4 and 6 miles 3 or 4 times a week at the moment.

Hopefully can defer it :) or if not see if DH can do it instead!

OP posts:

MRSTIGERTOES · 03/10/2017 09:36

I was signed up to a half this weekend but my midwife advised me to defer. I'll be 20 weeks. I did run prior to pregnancy and have done 3 half marathons this year beforehand. I also did a more relaxed half marathon at 16 weeks but that was definitely the last event of that distance for me until after baby is born

allthecheese · 03/10/2017 12:12

As long as you have been running beforehand the only reason I wouldn't is the impact on your pelvic floor. By then your baby will be 1.5lbs and if you imagine that weight (plus placenta etc) jumping up and down on your pelvic floor it isn't ideal.

But then I am 6.5 months and am still cross fitting and cycling 18 miles a day and feel totally fine!

GreatBigPolarBear · 03/10/2017 12:17

Personally I felt so crap for the first trimester that I'd lost most of my fitness by the time I was 3 months.
And while you should definitely carry on running if you can i wouldn't advise increasing your training while pregnant so it would be a no from me.
Maybe walk it if you fancy?

neuronalmatter · 03/10/2017 12:30

I used to run 5k's regularly and was training for a 10k when I discovered that I am pregnant. One of my very first symptoms was feeling so out of breath that I couldn't finish the 5k. Still went for my 10k race a couple of weekends ago, but only ran to the point of mild discomfort. Walked about half of the distance.

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