By Vanessa Case (August 2009)
During a run in my 28th week of pregnancy (the first week of my third trimester), my body felt different than it did in during my first and second trimester. It was like my body knew I was entering a new phase of my pregnancy.
When I run, I start off running at my running pace (I’ve never been someone who warms up slowly). On this run during my 28th week of pregnancy, within a few minutes after starting, I felt a cramp in my lower right abdomen, under my baby bump. It was persistent so I stopped running and walked until it went away. Once I was confident the cramp was gone, I started running again and the cramp quickly returned. I thought to myself “This is it; I’m done running during pregnancy and I’m now going to have to become a walker”. As I walked on, I thought about all the benefits to walking. For example, I was still outside moving my body and I was less concerned about raising my body temperature. I also reminded myself that I always knew there would come a time during my pregnancy that I would have to listen to my body to become a pregnant walker instead of pregnant runner; this message was just being sent to me earlier than I expected. At the same time, I could not ignore my disappointed. I had enjoyed running pregnant and felt like a failure that I couldn’t keep doing it. After walking for 20 min, I gave running one more shot. It worked! I felt alive as I jogged along the sidewalk with a big smile on my face. I ran cramp-free for 10 min before I got home. This experience made me realize that I could still be a runner, but I now needed to become one that warmed up her body before she began her running pace.
At 31 weeks, the time had come to stop running. I started my run and knew right away, I could only walk. My body felt too heavy and tired to run. As I continued moving forward walking, I rubbed my belly and thought about how excited I was to meet the baby growing and developing inside my womb. I couldn’t think of a better reason to stop running. I was completely content being a pregnant walker now.
Observations about running during my third trimester:
- I now had to do a warm up before I ran (walking for 10 mins)
- I had to sit down to tie up my shoes before my run
- Getting out of breath more easily
- My body told me when it was time to stop running
My Third Trimester Typical Weekly Workout Schedule:
Week 28-30:
- 2 x 10 min warm up and 30 min of 5 min run and 1 min walk
- 1 x swim at the pool which averaged about 4 sets of 5 x 100m with a 1 min break between sets
- 2 x gym workout (20 min stationary bike, 20-30 min treadmill of 10 mins and walking for 1 min, 3 sets of 15 x 10lbs weights)
- 1 x attended a prenatal yoga class
Week 31-39:
- 4 x 1 hour walk
- 1 x attended a prenatal yoga class
- 1 x swim at the pool which averaged about 4 sets of 5 x 100m with a 1 min break between sets
