When I found out I was pregnant I immediately got dressed for a run and hit the sloppy slushy streets of midtown Toronto for my daily fix; pregnancy was not going to change my running, at least not as long as there was no harm to the baby. And no baby was going to slow me down once he arrived. I had visions of long runs with my little guy giggling in the stroller as I wheeled him through city streets, trails, and peaceful cemeteries. What was I smoking? Running would never be the same, at least not for a few years.
I did well through my pregnancy. I got mixed reviews from onlookers, some would cheer while others frowned their disapproval as I ran past them on a 4k run a week before my water broke, but overall running was the best thing I did for my baby and myself during those fabulous 9 months.
Post delivery I was itching to get back out on the streets. I was blessed with a very easy birth of a healthy and gorgeous 8 pound boy. My recovery was quick and relatively easy and the only thing that kept me from lacing up the Sauconys two weeks after I had the baby was the fact that I was nursing him almost every hour and did not want to leave for any length of time in the event he needed me, or my boobs at least.
However, by three and a half weeks following my son’s birth it was time for me to go on my first run. This was to be the first few steps in the long road to a spring marathon and my very first 42.2 (26.2 for you “milers”). Ha! Getting back into my running life was not really a challenge because I had kept up the running throughout the pregnancy, but thinking that I would ever have time in my life for marathon training was complete naivety on my part. I figured that I’d have all these days free to run with my boy and, on longer runs, leave him at home for a couple of hours with my husband. Ha! My child will humour me for about 40 minutes in the stroller before insisting that he’s had enough running and, let me tell you, you really don’t want to be running for more than 40 minutes while pushing 45 pounds of stroller and baby in front of you – even if it is a fantastic Phil & Ted’s running stroller, possibly the greatest thing to come out of New Zealand since The Lord of The Rings trilogy. While stroller running may be an awesome work out, it is not ever going to allow me the distance runs that I need to do in order to achieve my marathon goals. Oh, and by the way, the spring marathon came and went and I was cheered on at the finish line by hubby, baby and good friend as I completed a 5K race…Well, at least I raced!
The “mommy run” is 2 kinds of runs. The first, as I described above, is with stroller and baby (or babies as I have seen on occasion – good for you multiple mommy!) and it is somewhat grueling. Although I have to admit that the public attention and looks of awe as I blow past people walking, sitting in their cars or other runners is encouraging and gets the adrenaline going. Catching a glimpse of my son’s little face, with his feathery hair blowing in the wind, also gives me a thrill when I catch his reflections as I run past store windows. His little hand sticking out of the side of the stroller trying to grab onto passing shrubs, trees and flowers also gives me a chuckle. And, most importantly, knowing that I am setting an example for him that I hope will encourage a lifetime of physical activity is something that is not only a pleasure, but also a duty as a parent. However, I must admit to feeling all kinds of guilt when I rush him from crib to stroller and then to highchair, etc…, and wonder if I should not allow him the 30-40 minutes of playtime for him to roll/crawl/creep around for his own physical activity. Does every running mother feel this kind of guilt? Does every mother feel this kind of guilt? Probably.
The second “mommy run” is that which allows you to run free while baby plays at home with daddy. I always eagerly anticipate these runs with full hope that I am going to run forever and with such ease that I am gliding on the street. Ha! I’m usually tired. It’s usually much harder than it seemed it would be. But, I do it and I think of the baby the whole time! And, there’s that guilt again; this time it’s that my husband is not able to go to the gym early or just decompress from the day and that makes me feel bad. But, running makes me feel good – even when it hurts my body and my guilty conscience. Happy healthy mommies make for happy and healthy babies (hopefully) and husbands (hopefully!).
My marathon dreams will come true, just not as quickly as I thought they would. For now I have refocused my goals and I am attaining them. I need to run a minimum of 3 days a week, but really I want to achieve a 4-day running week with no less than 20K. I have also begun to add in a “long” run day and am working up to a 10-12K weekly run. A treadmill would be a godsend, but until that time I will be dealing with “mommy running guilt”. And while I am disappointed that I could not cross the finish of my first marathon this spring I am also OK with the fact that I did something else amazing this year; I spent the last 10 months (or 19 months really) growing and raising a little person who brings infinite joy to my life and the lives of many other important people. And that’s a pretty good accomplishment that was built on a foundation of hundreds, or maybe even thousands by now, of kilometers.
The “mommy run” may be the most challenging of my life, but in a way they are the most rewarding and they hold so much hope.
I did well through my pregnancy. I got mixed reviews from onlookers, some would cheer while others frowned their disapproval as I ran past them on a 4k run a week before my water broke, but overall running was the best thing I did for my baby and myself during those fabulous 9 months.
Post delivery I was itching to get back out on the streets. I was blessed with a very easy birth of a healthy and gorgeous 8 pound boy. My recovery was quick and relatively easy and the only thing that kept me from lacing up the Sauconys two weeks after I had the baby was the fact that I was nursing him almost every hour and did not want to leave for any length of time in the event he needed me, or my boobs at least.
However, by three and a half weeks following my son’s birth it was time for me to go on my first run. This was to be the first few steps in the long road to a spring marathon and my very first 42.2 (26.2 for you “milers”). Ha! Getting back into my running life was not really a challenge because I had kept up the running throughout the pregnancy, but thinking that I would ever have time in my life for marathon training was complete naivety on my part. I figured that I’d have all these days free to run with my boy and, on longer runs, leave him at home for a couple of hours with my husband. Ha! My child will humour me for about 40 minutes in the stroller before insisting that he’s had enough running and, let me tell you, you really don’t want to be running for more than 40 minutes while pushing 45 pounds of stroller and baby in front of you – even if it is a fantastic Phil & Ted’s running stroller, possibly the greatest thing to come out of New Zealand since The Lord of The Rings trilogy. While stroller running may be an awesome work out, it is not ever going to allow me the distance runs that I need to do in order to achieve my marathon goals. Oh, and by the way, the spring marathon came and went and I was cheered on at the finish line by hubby, baby and good friend as I completed a 5K race…Well, at least I raced!
The “mommy run” is 2 kinds of runs. The first, as I described above, is with stroller and baby (or babies as I have seen on occasion – good for you multiple mommy!) and it is somewhat grueling. Although I have to admit that the public attention and looks of awe as I blow past people walking, sitting in their cars or other runners is encouraging and gets the adrenaline going. Catching a glimpse of my son’s little face, with his feathery hair blowing in the wind, also gives me a thrill when I catch his reflections as I run past store windows. His little hand sticking out of the side of the stroller trying to grab onto passing shrubs, trees and flowers also gives me a chuckle. And, most importantly, knowing that I am setting an example for him that I hope will encourage a lifetime of physical activity is something that is not only a pleasure, but also a duty as a parent. However, I must admit to feeling all kinds of guilt when I rush him from crib to stroller and then to highchair, etc…, and wonder if I should not allow him the 30-40 minutes of playtime for him to roll/crawl/creep around for his own physical activity. Does every running mother feel this kind of guilt? Does every mother feel this kind of guilt? Probably.
The second “mommy run” is that which allows you to run free while baby plays at home with daddy. I always eagerly anticipate these runs with full hope that I am going to run forever and with such ease that I am gliding on the street. Ha! I’m usually tired. It’s usually much harder than it seemed it would be. But, I do it and I think of the baby the whole time! And, there’s that guilt again; this time it’s that my husband is not able to go to the gym early or just decompress from the day and that makes me feel bad. But, running makes me feel good – even when it hurts my body and my guilty conscience. Happy healthy mommies make for happy and healthy babies (hopefully) and husbands (hopefully!).
My marathon dreams will come true, just not as quickly as I thought they would. For now I have refocused my goals and I am attaining them. I need to run a minimum of 3 days a week, but really I want to achieve a 4-day running week with no less than 20K. I have also begun to add in a “long” run day and am working up to a 10-12K weekly run. A treadmill would be a godsend, but until that time I will be dealing with “mommy running guilt”. And while I am disappointed that I could not cross the finish of my first marathon this spring I am also OK with the fact that I did something else amazing this year; I spent the last 10 months (or 19 months really) growing and raising a little person who brings infinite joy to my life and the lives of many other important people. And that’s a pretty good accomplishment that was built on a foundation of hundreds, or maybe even thousands by now, of kilometers.
The “mommy run” may be the most challenging of my life, but in a way they are the most rewarding and they hold so much hope.
