Panerathon 10k and thoughts on running at 22 weeks

Last Saturday, I ran the 3rd annual Panerathon 10k. I’d actually signed up for the 5k two years ago, when I’d started running, but the race was cancelled due to ice and someone falling before the race. Last year, I’d intended to run the 10k as part of my Rock n Roll Half Marathon training plan, but got lazy and distracted by job interviews. So third time was the charm this year!

It was a bit of a cloudy day when we started, but the weather was actually pretty nice. It followed partly the same path of the Classic 10k that I ran about a month ago, only instead of a point-to-point race, this race was an out and back. Which meant the first 3.1 miles were downhill, and the last 3.1 miles were all uphill. Ugh.

Probably in the past week or so, I’ve really started to feel the effects of having a bigger tummy when running. Kate’s been sitting on my bladder (probably due to size and gravity) whenever I run, and it’s getting a bit uncomfortable. So given that the race was 50% uphill, I really didn’t expect anything spectacular, and certainly not a repeat of my PR at the Classic 10k.

But surprisingly, I did awesome! I finished in 1:07:44, which is about 30 seconds slower than my previous 10k time – a nice feat for me! Yeah! I was super happy with my effort and overall performance. A few folks asked to take my photo at the finish line – apparently pregnant runners are a site to be seen. :)

Afterwards, I stocked up on free Panera bagels and pastries (yum!) Not sure if that makes running 6.2 miles worth it, but it was a nice reward. Last week, I logged 14 miles total, pretty much what I’m aiming for (12-15 miles weekly).

Back to running with a belly. It’s getting difficult and uncomfortable, and quite frankly, I don’t feel like I’m huge so it shouldn’t be uncomfortable yet. Well, I do feel huge, but realistically, I definitely could be bigger. I still get comments quite a bit that I’m small and don’t look pregnant and when am I going to start showing? While I don’t know the answer to those comments (I personally feel that in the last week or so, I’ve finally started “popping” and am getting a tummy), I do know that it’s increasingly feeling like I’m running with a backpack that keeps getting heavier. At 22 weeks, I’ve gained 8 lbs, which I am very happy with. Overall, I feel OK, Kate is getting more active by the day, so I know she’s doing good, too. And I eat like a horse, so it certainly isn’t for lack of stuffing my face these days.

I ran 5 miles on Wednesday night at the gym, and the baby’s protesting quite a bit these days by sitting very low on my bladder/pelvis. I don’t really know how to explain it except that it doesn’t feel great. It’s not bad enough to make me stop and walk or give up running, but it’s very different from before. After some research and some advice from a pregnant runner’s group, I ordered a maternity support belt that supposedly will help a lot with the uncomfortable bladder feeling. So hopefully it gets here soon and I can get some relief shortly.

I was thinking last night that I don’t know how I will take it if/when I have to stop running during this pregnancy. I think it would put me in a serious funk, and while I know there are other things I could do, nothing brings me the same joy as running, you know? My goal was always to make it as far as I could – hoping to make it to 40 weeks, but always telling myself I’d go as far as possible and that something was better than nothing. But like most runners, I’m stubborn and competitive with myself and hate the thought of defeat. So I’ll just choose to ignore the fears of no longer being able to run for now, and hope this maternity support belt is the answer to my bladder woes.