I’m 26 weeks and I’ll be honest… exercise is getting hard!

I’m actually 25 weeks here, even bigger now!

My belly is getting larger, my blood volume is increasing and there are days where I just feel SLOW. I’m at the point where I briefly considered hanging up the running shoes last pregnancy. But, just like last time, I know I won’t. I’m just going through a rough patch and I’m not one to give up when things get rough.

Here’s a little nugget of advice about pregnant running. You aren’t always going to feel great. Some days will most likely feel horrible, and it’s ok to throw in the towel, just walk, call someone to come get you, whatever works. During my first pregnancy, I almost stopped running around 6 months. I was having bad runs every day for more than a week, the baby was always in a bad position, and I just wasn’t comfortable. BUT… I gave it some time, did plenty of walk-jogging, and before long I started feeling great again.

Then, around 7 months, I fell hard onto the asphalt on a run with my dad. I hurt my knee and hand pretty badly (lots of pain and blood) but belly seemed fine. Still, because I fell on my belly too, I went to the hospital. After 4 hours there, the doctor decided no harm was done and I was released. I questioned whether it was all worth it, but that was short lived. I ended up running until the day I went to the hospital to deliver.

The bottom line is, if you really want to run throughout your whole pregnancy and you hit a rough patch, don’t give up! Good days are probably just around the corner! For example- a few weeks ago, I woke at 5am to run before the heat set in. The baby was having none of this and sat in a really strange position for the first mile, to where I was feeling really uncomfortable and just decided to walk home. That meant I logged a mile of running and a mile of walking. The next day, I went 4 miles, and felt amazing. It was truly the best solo run I’ve had during pregnancy. I would have gone longer, but Jeff had to get to work, so I did a few pick-ups instead. Running “fast” felt awesome. The rest of that week I had great runs. Since then, things have been rough again. It’s a roller coaster, but I understand that and am ok with it!

I have a few new developments in baby land at 26 weeks. A few quick general things:

• Fatigue is actually getting better. I’m finally able to make it through the day without feeling like I need a nap.
• Belly/boobs getting bigger, rounder, heavier.
• I’m starting to feel really hot all the time.
• Belly button, what belly button? Seriously, it changes from completely flat to protruding. (sexy)
• As far as running goes, I’m getting slower, both because I’m getting bigger and I’m not tolerating heat as well. Some women never notice feeling extra hot during pregnancy, but I become a furnace and have a really hard time dealing with heat.
• I’ve been doing shorter runs, and taking walk breaks. I run every day, but some days are more walk/jogs and others are pure running. I just do whatever I feel like when I get out there.

For those of you who have been pregnant, when did you hit your rough patches? Were you able to stay active?