You have a stick in front of you. It shows two lines. You are pregnant! You´re happy beyond belief. You forget everything about time and place. But suddenly a lot of thoughts start creeping into your mind. What now? How? What can I and cannot do? What do I do? Can I and I am still allowed to run?
First of all - HUGE congratulations on your pregnancy. Perhaps you already feel that you have accomplished great things in life, the best 10km of your life, your fastest half marathon or wildest marathon. But a pregnancy beats everything. Its happy circumstances but also circumstances filled with many thoughts, worries and Google-searches. What? How? Can I? Yes? No?
I have been there, and I am still there.. Two years ago I gave birth to my little girl and I now I am expecting another baby. And I vividly remember how I constantly had all kinds of questions for low practical matters, but especially one thing: "Am I still allowed to run?" It was a question which stole a lot of focus - and still does in my current pregnancy.
There are SO many changes during a pregnancy. Both physically and psychologically. You can only control very little during a pregnancy. You don´t know how your body develops, what type of pregnancy you will go through - en easy or tough one and how much weight you will gain. There are so many things that are out of your control, which is why I really hope that I can keep running as this is one thing where I feel I can still maintain some control - even though I don´t know how long it will last.
But are you really allowed to run during a pregnancy? Are there dos and don’ts?
Are you allowed to run during a pregnancy?
I am neither an expert, nor do I have professional training within the field, but I have experience. I have read a lot, talked to a lot of people and tried it on my own body, and my answer is clearly, "YES". You are allowed to run when you´re pregnant. Pregnancy is not a disease where we should stop doing everything we usually do and just sit back. I doubt there are many girls used to running who would enjoy going from 100 til 0.
We need to be active, feel our heart rate and get fresh air. We shouldn´t worry about running being taken away from us within a split second. Of course pregnancy sets its natural limits and you also have to take care of yourself and your child.
As long as you listen to your body, take its signals and changes seriously and use your common sense, to keep running is the best thing I did for myself - during both of my pregnancies.
There are of course no rules without exceptions and this goes also for running during a pregnancy. As it is said and written in many places, its important not to start running if you are not used to it. Running is a heavy strain on the body which requires adjustment. So if you start running (as a beginner) during your pregnancy, you will expose your body to an enormous physical strain which it is not used to - neither running nor being pregnant.
But if you are used to running its not a problem to keep it up. Your body is used to the shocks, so on paper it shouldn´t be a problem to keep running as long as the body feels good and the pregnancy is developing smoothly.
How did I run during my pregnancies?
During my first pregnancy, I kept running until week 33 and then the weight and load became too tough for me. And I have just entered my 3. trimester in my second pregnancy and I still run really well.
During my first pregnancy, I managed to take part in 9 races at home and abroad and all of them went well. Unfortunately this hasn´t been possible during my second pregnancy due to Corona. However, common for both pregnancies is the fact that I am a happier runner than before because I have been able to combine running with a healthy pregnancy. It provides a new form of confidence and adrenaline kick after each training session as I really appreciate being able to run. I am well aware that not everybody has gone through the same easy and positive pregnancies as I, but if you have, you should really ENJOY IT!
Of course its important to emphasize that I have taken my precautions during my pregnancies - and hasn´t just carried on with the same intensity and amount of training as before.
Earlier I ran +80km a week and had a lot of tough training sessions (i.e. high heart rate and exhausting sessions), but during my pregnancies I have halved the amount and the intensity. I was and I am very conscious of my heart rate as when it goes up, the babys heart rate also goes up. And that is ok, it just can´t be too much for too long. There are two hearts that need to keep up.
Don´t try to set new records but feel comfortable
When you are pregnant, the goal isn´t to be in the shape of your life and be ready to set new records. The goal is to keep yourself going, in shape and feel good. Specifically this meant for me that I did 70% of my runs at an easy-going pace, about 20% at moderate pace and only around 10% wiith a higher heart rate. This plan worked really well for me - but again, its very individual.
Listen to your body, listen to your heart rate and feel if you are feeling fresh, i.e. you daily form. Run according to the energy levels of your body and nothing more than that. If you are having a great day, then enjoy it and make the most of it but if you are tired, then take it easy. Go for a short and easy-going run or simply drop it. When you are pregnant you shouldn´t push yourself unnecessarily - the body does that already through your pregnancy. .
Nevertheless, the most important lesson from my pregnancies was that, when mother is doing well, baby is also doing well. And I felt terriffic during my two pregnancies (until now!) I have no intention to stop running until the body says stop and when that moment comes, I am also conscious about stopping and taking it easy.
Listen to your body´s signals when you are pregnant
In addition, I would also like to emphasize that taking it easy is not the same as doing nothing. There are many ways of taking it easy, which can only be judged on the basis of the body´s signals and reactions. When I stopped running in week 33 of my first pregnancy, I got a kick out of continuing my workouts in the gym. Of course I stopped running but jumped on the crosstrainer and the exercise bike instead. On those two exercise tools, the weight and the strain wasn´t as hard for the body. At the same time I did strength training - with my own body weight.
All to prepare the body for an upcoming birth-marathon, which you can´t compare with a regular marathon. And of course also taking into account the period after the birth where the body must heal and recover. Remember that what you do during your pregnancy won´t only benefit you in the short run but also in the long run.
What does it take to run during a pregnancy?
To run during a pregnancy takes exactly the same as to run when you are not pregnant. The right running shoes and the right running gear - just in an even more comfortable version, in fact as comfortable as it can get.
I don´t think that I am the only pregnant woman where comfort has a high priority on the wish list, as long as your belly keeps growing. Those running tights that used to be your favorite are suddenly your worst pair. They are too tight over the stomach. All tops turn into stomach tops until you go two sizes up. And suddenly you feel like you are a walking circus tent. And you also look like one.
And who thinks that is great? I don´t think that many women do.
Fortunately, more and more brands open their eyes to the fact that pregnant women also exercise. We´re not just power-moms, when the baby has arrived. We are also power-moms during the pregnancy - and we can easily stay healthy and active during a pregnancy.
Maternity running wear for pregnant women
I have now tried different maternity running wear. I.e. clothes which has room for a growing belly, which feels really comfortable and where everything remains in place. And now we have stocked up our warehouse with a brand which really supports an active pregnancy – REEBOK!
Reebok have launched a collection especially for pregnant women, where you can buy the exact same size as you usually use (before you got pregnant) but now with room for a growing belly. Its really cool, I REALLY love it. Even if you are only pregnant for a short time, its worth all the money to get your hands on maternity training wear with an impeccable fit when you´re active!
And I would certainly say that the Reebok collection provides this. The quality is top, the fit is perfect and the design is luxurious. You can find the whole collection here which features long and short tights, tops and breast-feeding friendly sports bras.
Great running shoes for pregnant women
What about foowear? In principle you can easily continue using the same running shoes as before. But personally I have been incredibly pleased with a couple of running shoes with full focus on comfort which are more gentle for the body the further you come into your pregnancy. Once you start to feel the extra kilos and the load is bigger, I thought it was extremely nice to run in a pair of super soft running shoes with great shock absorption.
I felt that my runs became somewhat lighter and I wasn´t as tired afterwards.
You can find a selection of our running shoes with the best cushioning right here!
The only thing left to say is: Enjoy your pregnancy, enjoy your running training and enjoy the combination. It is unique!
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