Continued from
3rd and 4th Trimester Running...and Beyond! (Part 1)
4th
trimester running (aka the first 3 months after childbirth) – Fast forward 8 weeks or so…My first run after giving
birth was on June 28th. I was
5 weeks and 5 days postpartum. I REALLY
didn't want to start working out too soon after giving birth, but I was feeling
well enough by this point to attempt a slow jog. It went really well and just felt SO good to
be back out running. I felt semi-human
again! On July 2nd, 6 weeks
and 1 day after having Heidi, I got the go-ahead from my doctor to resume
normal workout activities. Between May 20th (Heidi’s birth) and
August, I only went on 7 runs total.
(Which, to be honest was a pretty normal number of runs for me to take during a
Houston summer!) And as much as I wanted
to “get my body back” and get crazy with the working out… it was also very important to me to take it
easy. I had to make a conscious effort
not to push myself too far too soon. I
wanted to respect my body and acknowledge everything that it had just gone
through. I think a lot of women get too
nuts about this and trust me – I definitely struggle with impatience too! I’m not claiming that it was easy. But it’s important to cut. your. self. some. SLACK! For crying out loud ladies, if you never give
yourself a break ever – now is the one time you SHOULD. You NEED to.
Pay your body some respect. Give
it some much needed (and well deserved) time off. Give your body a chance to
relax, recover, and HEAL before you start asking so much of it again. Your body sometimes needs nature to take over
for a bit :). This was my focus.
I was also VERY concerned with messing with my milk
supply. It really does take a looong
time for your supply to establish itself.
Those first 6 weeks are crucial – and if you start burning too many
calories too soon you can easily dry up.
Breastfeeding is one of those things – once it’s gone - ITS GONE! There’s no getting it back. So as important
as working out is to me and my lifestyle, providing nourishment to my baby was one
thousand times more valuable than getting a six pack or back to my
pre-pregnancy weight. That stuff can wait. That was the number one goal and top priority. Taking it easy
early on was crucial to me. God has
blessed women with an amazing gift – to grow, birth and nourish our babies with
our own bodies – we must show our gratitude by respecting ourselves,
acknowledging these abilities and making a conscious effort to not ask too much
too soon of ourselves.
BEYOND! – My
first run with Heidi took place on September 8th and she was approx.
3 and a half months old. I was starting
to train for my first half marathon which was to take place in November (10ish
weeks later). Obviously, running with a
stroller takes some getting used to. I
also had some fears going into my first training program postpartum. (Will I be able to fully train with a
stroller? How will my milk supply/Heidi be affected? Will I be able to run for
2 hours without my boobs exploding, etc. etc….)
Now, running with a stroller is hard at first, but once I got used to it
it wasn’t so bad. However, once I got
into those longer-ish runs (longer than 2-3 miles) I started noticing how MECHANICALLY
different I felt - for the first time ever. Running was harder
than it had EVER been for me. It was
nearly impossible to push through. I was
SO thirsty I could hardly stand it. I
literally felt like I was trying to run through jello. It was terrible. (Not to mention SEPTEMBER in Houston – UGH!) I obviously made a conscious effort to UP my
caloric intake and stay as hydrated as possible… but with how much I was
sweating… halfway through a run I was so parched it felt like my whole body was
just about to shrivel up and die right there on the sidewalk. I did my best but had to cut SO many runs
short because I just. couldn't. I also
was experiencing intense pain in both hips. I
could feel those ball-in-socket joints just GRINDING and I knew that my pelvis was definitely still way out of whack. The pain would kick in around mile 3 or 4 and
I would feel it for the rest of the day (and sometimes into the following
day). As I continued to try and train
for this half, the more I trained the harder it got. I went into town on the weekends for my
longer runs. I think it was my 10 miler…
I had to stop and walk so much, it took me forever to finish. I ran (or at least I was supposed to run) my 11 miler with a friend, and
ended up forcing him to leave me behind because I just couldn't do it. I literally had to stop at mile 6 and just
walk to where Ryan was meeting us. It
was ROUGH to say the least. So going
into this half marathon, I was very nervous about finishing. I didn't want to have to walk 6 miles to the
finish line if/when I got too tired. I
prayed that I would be able to run and that I would be able to finish without
too much pain.
Race day came and although I was nervous I was also determined. I knew I would be going SO slow, but I was going to finish. I was able to run almost the entire thing (probably walked for 4-5 minutes or less altogether?) and finished in 3 hours. 3 HOURS. The slowest half I have ever run. And it HURT. But I did it. (I should also note that
I wore an adult diaper for the race. I
am SOOO glad I did because I literally peed the entire time. It wasn't as uncomfortable as you might think
actually… and I will probably have to get used to that haha!)
Following the race, I was at yoga one day and my instructor
was working with me during the class. I
told him about my experience with running postpartum and he said “You gotta
make sure the tires are aligned before you take your car on cross-country road
trip”. This made me laugh but there is
so much truth to it! My body definitely
was not ready for 13.1 miles yet. I’m
glad I did it, but next time I know not to sign up for something so soon after
giving birth.
I will also point out that my milk supply was NOT affected
by my half marathon training, Heidi never indicated that she had a problem with
the amount/taste being affected by my working out and I was able to run for 3 hours
(and go longer without nursing her – probably closer to 5 or 6 hours?) without
my boobs exploding or even getting that uncomfortable. (I woke up that morning, nursed Heidi, pumped
what was left and left Ryan with a full bottle of thawed milk. By the time we
had gotten home, and I showered Heidi was ready to eat and I was not
experiencing any discomfort.)
Since November, I have continued to run (my longest run being a few 6 milers). I am no longer experiencing the pelvis/hip pains that I was before, but I also am not currently putting myself through the physical stress of training for a half marathon. I
definitely feel super gun-shy about signing up for another one and even though I want to do more I still let that fear creep into my mind..."What if it's like it was before? What if I can't do it?" I had initially wanted to attempt 2 half marathons this spring but now I don't see that happening. (My goal was 3 in a year - May to May.) I am definitely
doubting myself but I also know that I'm not going to know until I try it!
So how did I do it? How did I run throughout my entire pregnancy, the months postpartum and continue to do so now? NO mysterious pills, NO magical drinks filled with sugar and caffeine to "boost" my energy, NO special supplements claiming to "help me get my body back". Just a lot of prayer. Hard work. A LOT of sweat. And a LOT of PATIENCE. I also have to credit the Lord with 100% of my abilities and success. HE knows the desires of our hearts. I know I don't deserve anything that I have but He has allowed me to continue to live the active lifestyle that brings me joy and a sense of accomplishment. I will praise HIS name forever!
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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