Question for pregnant runners

JoieBee · March 2014

Hi, I had a question for those of you who have been running during your pregnancy. I am 5ish weeks but I am noticing that on my runs I am frequently getting side stitch. This was rarely a problem for me before getting pregnant. I would normally just run through the stitch but today I stopped to walk until it went away. Just wondering if anyone else experiences this and if it is considered a normal part of running when pregnant? Thanks for any thoughts on the subject!

SweetMandyB12 · March 2014

I think it's a normal part of running in general. I'm a marathon runner and get side stitches when I'm not hydrated properly, or when my breathing is off. These could both be the case due to your pregnancy. Research proper breathing techniques to eliminate side stitches, there is a lot on google that should help you. And accept that pregnancy will slow you down a bit and take a lot more energy to get through your runs. If you have to stop and walk a bit, so be it. Better safe than sorry. Keep up the great exercise!

mb314 · March 2014

My advice is just to take it down a notch. You can still run, but go a little slower or run a shorter distance. Or take more breaks. Be sure to listen to your body so you're not overdoing it. You're still early in your pregnancy, so it's still fine to run, but with DS, by my third trimester, I was getting cramping when running and I was told to stop because I could bring on early labor. I was still able to swim and do other low impact exercises like the elliptical. But I was overdoing it with running.

blu-eyedwife · March 2014

One of the first things that happened to me when I was pregnant was needing more water when I ran. Typically, I only carry water with me if I'm running 6+ miles. Almost as soon as I was pregnant I needed to start carrying water if I was running 2+ miles. I would try hydrating more often than you're used to and seeing if that helps the side-stitch problems.