Half Marathon Pregnant? Anyone done it?

cdibella

I will be 22 weeks when I potential run this race.  I am running 3+ min slower per mile.  Today, at 16 weeks, I ran 7 miles and felt pretty good, but 6 weeks from now I could feel a lot different.  I am a very active person and have done several half marathon and longer endurance races in the past.  Anyone else ever done it?  How did you feel and how far along were you?  I am going to talk to the dr. about it tomorrow. 

suscq

Page "Becky262" on the 1st Tri board.  I'm pretty sure I remember her running races while she was pg last year when we were on the tri boards together.  There is also someone on this board that runs, but I don't know how often she is on.

chowdagirl

I am going to run a half on Saturday at 14 weeks. I was in the middle of training for a full when I found out I was pregnant and wanted to still do a race. I am also much slower than before and get pretty tired after long runs. But, I do think that running has helped me feel less tired this time around (I gave up running completely with my son). If you have been training and feel comfortable, I would go for it and not be afraid to run/walk. Stay hydrated and don't pay attention to your time. As I am telling myself, I am doing this to finish not break any speed records :-).

JG362009

I ran a full marathon pregnant.  Granted, I was only 7 weeks.  I definitely think you could do a 1/2 without any problems, especially since you're a seasoned runner.  I ran throughout my pregnancy and didn't really feel a lot slower until I was 30+ weeks, so at 22-ish you should still probably feel pretty great.  Good luck!

kirkette

 Anyone else ever done it? 

I did three 1/2s while pregnant. The 1st was very early on, the 2nd was around 9 weeks, the 3rd was around 15 weeks.  

How did you feel and how far along were you?

 I felt great although my pace was definitely slower than my non-pregnancy pace.  

 GL

jlynns05

I ran a half at 26 weeks. I was about 15 minutes slower than I would have been for a normal half. I did a 14 mile run 2 weeks before the race and other than that I just stuck to my normal running schedule which was about 30 miles per week at that point. I was training for my 3rd full when I got pregnant so like you, the distance wasn't a big deal for me. I felt amazing running, it wasn't til about 30 weeks that I felt like I needed to cut back. I ran the race with my husband and it was the greatest thing ever to run that race as a family.

laurapalmer

I ran my first half at 17 weeks and everything was great. I had to slow down compared to pre-pregnancy but I already had a good idea of my pace because of my training runs. I did have to stop to pee a lot so that slowed down my overall time too.

I'm 25 weeks now and I've slowed down a bit more since 17 weeks but everything else feels the same even though my belly is much bigger. 

lindsay.lou

I feel like I've seen TONS of posters over the years on these boards mention doing halfs and fulls pregnant, so it's definitely something common. 

If you've trained properly you should be fine. 

SFAug07

I ran the Boston (full) marathon at 25 weeks pregnant. I ran a half marathon the weekend before I gave birth. I run about 5 marathons every year so it was not a big deal for me. I felt fine but was much slower than I usually am.

adm27

I ran a half marathon this year over labor day and I was 16 weeks pregnant.  Although my pace was a lot slower (added almost 20 minutes to my normal 1/2 marathon pace) I felt great!  As long as you have been doing the training you should be fine   The only frustrating thing for me is the much slower pace I run at now; it's understandable, yet still frustrates me   GL!

steenie41

Me!

I ran a half at 21 weeks and felt fantastic. I LOVE racing and it was so great to get out there and do it. My time was 10 min slower than my non-PG half (the only other one I have ever run). I didn't have to stop and pee, but I think it was adrenaline. I have never been hungrier in my life than after that though, so just make sure you fuel properly and stay hydrated. Listen to your body... if you don't feel right, slow down or walk. Have fun!

KK1974

I did the Long Beach Half on the 17th,,, was slower than I anticipated and was irritated with that, but still felt good. However, going up and down stairs in  my house, hurt a lot! Have a sprint tri after Thanksgiving, and I'll be 24 weeks,,, so it's great to hear what other people have and are doing.

 I do have a plan to walk/jog a full marathon in Feb 2011,, and I'll be about 6 weeks away from birth.

To the woman who ran a half the weekend before she gave birth, HATS OFF TO YOU!! That's also why I want to still do the full marathon.

Slacked off of working out the last 1 1/2 weeks but also have had some overnight shifts in the hospital,, so rest is important too.

Back to swimming and spinning on Wednesday,, and preparing for the Turkey Tri on the 28th of Nov.

Great and inspiring!!1 I'm not alone!

robbi123

I ran the Nike Women's Half a couple weeks ago at about 10 weeks.  My doctor was honest with me and said that many doctors don't recommend that kind of running in the first trimester (due to increased blood volume and risk of dehydration) but you're further along and should be fine if you've trained and you listen to your body.

It was definitely slower than I usually run it but it felt great to get out there and run the race!  Good luck and make sure you get enough fluids!

cdibella

Thanks everyone for your wonderful insight. So my doctor has said from the beginning that running is fine, but she just put my max at 7 or 8 miles at my 16 wk appt.  She is worried about dehydration and I understand. 

 Hats off to all of you that have rocked the distance with your bellies!!  It is inspiring to hear about all of your success.