Running with a Baby on Board.

I have missed racing. I am not as motivated as I should be to run for fitness or health or vanity. I live – and run – to race.

This morning was the 5k Mustache Miler, and even though I was toeing the line 30 weeks pregnant, I was happy to be there. Clearly Mother Nature was just as pleased, as she beamed full sun on us to counter the crisp fall air.

Here’s the thing: when you’re running a race pregnant, you better get used of people passing you. And they will… all sorts of people. Running pregnant is really about running your own race rather than “racing”.

I make a point of slowing down as soon as I get short of breath or feeling tired. It’s really all about staying present and checking in. You can’t just drift off to the pain cave for a moment. In fact, I almost walked a hill today (ok maybe it was an incline and yes, I probably could have walked faster had I).

This is no easy task for a competitive athlete who wants to plunge feelings down and get to work… but running for two definitely helps.

In the prenatal fitness world there is an untested theory about pregnancy that I believe in. Basically it suggests that it drops your threshold like a rock. You just can’t push. I find this to be true for myself although I couldn’t speak to the experience of others.

All in all it was a superb day to get out with some friends, run a little faster than my usual shuffle and hit my A goal of not needing a bladder induced pitstop.