Pregnant Runners

[Becca@BellyBelly]

Hi! I posted this in the fitness forum too, feel free to reply to either post

Are there any other pregnant runners out there? I am 24 weeks and running 7 km twice a week. So far I haven't had any discomfort so will continue as long as I can. I would love to hear how far into your pregnancy you are running / have run previously.

I have a great book "Running and Pregnancy" by Chris Lundgren and put out by Runner's World, which I recommend.

[~Raven~]

If you were a runner before PG then it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Just be sure and take care of yourself and remember that your ligaments will soften up and you may be more prone to injury. The problem is that you may not notice it so much now but in the future after your PG you may.
The other thing to consider is that your temp shouldn't get too high and your heart rate is not reccomended to increase over 140 BPM.

[Becca@BellyBelly]

Thanks for your comment. No, I don't overheat as I only run at dusk - or in airconditioning!

I do have to correct your comment about maintaining a HR under 140 bp. That recommendation was retracted by the American College of Obstetricans and Gynecologists in 1994 (almost 10 years after they published it), and is unfortunately still quoted regularly. They new guidelines have eliminated using HR as a measure of exertion altogether.

Researchers now advise on a self-perceived level of exertion. For example, staying between 12 to 14 on the Borg index (a measure of perceived exertion used by athletes to measure exercise intensity) to maintain fitness when pregnant.