My Pregnant Running Routine

So, the name of this blog is FOOD to RUN for.  But, I haven't talked about running lately.  It's been a long time since I've tried to run consecutively without walking.  Even in the first trimester, I was often left defeated, slow and truthfully, ashamed.  I wondered why it was so easy for other pregnant women to get out there and why it was so hard for me.  I pretty much gave up early in my second trimester and succumbed to the idea that walking was enough.  Then one day I was talking to my friend Leah about her running recovery.  You see my friend Leah and I ran together in college.

We were both pretty similar runners with similar times (although she definitely got faster after I quit Junior Year).  But after college something changed. Leah dropped the middle distances and started running long.  And well, in 2008, Leah qualified for Boston running in the high 3:20s on a very hot Chicago day.  And when she showed up to run Boston in 2009, she ran an amazingly impressive 3:11.

So that's my friend Leah in a nutshell.  Once a standout 400-800 meter runner, she has now become my fastest marathon friend.  Although I could go on and on about how awesome I think Leah is as a person and a runner, that is not my point of this post.  But if you want to read about that and get to know her better, you should check out her new blog here!

My point is that in early June Leah found out she had a Labral Tear and all her fall running goals went out the window.  She couldn't run and she couldn't do yoga and she was left frustrated.  After surgery and months of Physical Therapy she began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And after many months off, her Doctor and Physical Therapist allowed her to run!  Her Physical Therapist gave her a four week walk-to-run plan where she runs 3 days a week, gradually increasing the amount she runs.

The plan was something like this:
Day 1: Walking for 4 minutes and 30 seconds and running for 30 seconds
Day 2: Walking for 4 minutes and running 1 minute
Day 3: Walking for 3 minutes and 30 seconds and running for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
... and on...
lowering the walking and increasing the running...with each week...

Leah and I gchat daily so when she told me about this plan sometime around early December, I thought to myself... "hmmm, I can do this too!"  And MAYBE this will make me feel successful at running instead of such a failure.

So for the past month and a half or so, this is the plan I've been doing.  1-3X a week (depending on how much time I have), I've been walk-running.

My workout plan that has worked for me is: 

4 minutes walking to 3 minutes running for 30-45 minutes

=

Which translates to about 2 to 3.5 miles and about a 14 minute per mile pace

So I walk pretty slowly- 2.8-3.0mph on the treadmill and run at about 6.8mph.

I've done this workout on the treadmill at my gym, outside, with my brother and with Dave and it's made me feel strong and worth something.  Although I can't run like I used to, the fact that I can still run at all brings a smile to my face.  See, I'm smiling!

So at 6 + months pregnant, I'm still trying to get out there.  I may not have had the ACTIVE pregnancy I would have liked, but I am happy that I'm doing something.  And those 3 minute spurts of running is giving me just the adrenaline I need. I hope I can continue this plan for the rest of my pregnancy!  Wish me luck : )