I am happy to say that I ran until I was just over 17 weeks pregnant. I am not happy to say that I don't think there will be much more running this pregnancy. That doesn't mean I plan on sitting on my butt for the next 22 or so weeks, but I don't think I will be participating in my favorite activity.
To give you a little background, I went for a run last Thursday and at about a mile in pain shot through the entire left side of my back. It stretched from my waste all the way to my shoulder and was some of the worst pain I have ever felt. I paused and walked for a bit and it became more dull, but when I tried to run again, it came back. That day I turned around and walked back home.
After a couple of days rest, my back was feeling better so I tried to run again. It didn't take long before I could feel the pain coming back. So that run turned into a walk and I think I will be doing a lot of that from now on. It is not worth really hurting myself.
I am not a doctor, but I think my back pain is tied to the fact that my already more than big enough boobs have grown to be ridiculous since getting pregnant. I have been wearing two high-quality (think Moving Comfort), industrial duty sports bras, but it isn't enough anymore. I am going to talk to my doctor about it during my next appointment.
It took me a while to put this out there, because I had hoped to run at least through the second trimester. I am also nervous about how hard it will be to get back into running once the baby is born. It has been a big part of my life for a long time.
Since I am not running, I am focusing on strength training a couple times a week. It is not my favorite workout, but I know my body needs it. Spinning and swimming will also be making appearances much more often.
Twenty-two weeks plus recovery seems like a really long time. What is the longest break you have taken from running? How did you keep your sanity?
