The Journey of a Pregnant Runner

Pregnancy has been an interesting journey for this ambitious runner!

Just before I knew I was pregnant I was training so hard for Berlin Marathon. Early morning runs, good diet and dedication. When I knew that We are expecting again, my first reaction was combined with mixed feelings! I didn't expect that it will all happen so soon especially that I was at the peek of my running. Knowing that I have a little heart beat in my belly changed my goals and running became less priority but this didn't mean that I would stop running or stop running one of the biggest marathon in the world.


My 1st trimester:
I was hit by nausea and extreme fatigue but whenever I had a chance to tight those running shoe laces and go on a run I never said NO. It was in the middle of the summer so I used the opportunity to go run as early as 5 am before my head and body realize what I was doing and also this gave me the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed evening in the garden after a busy day at work.
Stats:
June :300 km
July :350km
August :300km


My 2nd trimester:

My nausea was almost gone and I was ready to run Berlin Marathon at 4 months Pregnant. Before Berlin I run a 30 km race " 30 van North Amsterdam" I also Run the " Dam tot Dam Loop  " a 10 Em race. Berlin Marathon was very exciting but also hard mentally. In my heart I was still wishing I am going for the time and wanted to run my fastest marathon and beat my Boston Marathon time of 3:06:28 but realistically that was not possible "Baby comes first".

4 months Pregnant

I tried to enjoy the amazing crowd and the beautiful city of Berlin  while running but unfortunately It turned out less pleasant.  From the 1st km my knee started to hurt but as stubborn as I am  "Giving up was not an option" and "Pain is just temporary" I wanted so bad to finish the marathon and feel that sense of pride. Every km passed by, the pain was getting sharper to the point I couldn't bend my knee anymore but still made it to the finish line and that feeling of accomplishing something you want so bad is not describable!!! Crossing the finish line while having a baby in my belly made me almost forget those 42 painful kms! I was just proud!

Squating at 4 months Pregnant

The consequences were big because this race left me injured almost the whole month of October and most of November.
Being injured didn't stop me from working out! I went weekly to the gym did my squats and exercises as well as Aqua jogging. I started building up my running on the AlterG where I could control my weight.



Toward the end of November I run 2 races: 8 km of the Lintloop and 15km of Zevenheuvelenloop.

Stats:
October: 15km
November: 87km
December :145 Km

My 3rd trimester:

Result of Hardloopspel

Kick off of a new Year also kick off of Hardloopspel made January  quiet exciting!

Between 30 and 34 weeks pregnant I felt quiet fit and energetic despite the 13 kg extra on my 56 kg body frame.
January left me with 245 pregnant kms!!!

February started with less energy. The first 20 min of every run my calves were cramping and after the 20 min I was experiencing a " Pubic Pain"
I went to see a special physiotherapist and her advice was to stop running, she was not supportive at all. Talking to my doctor and other running coaches they advised me to keep running but less kms and that is how I am managing my runs these days. Anything between 3km to 5 km makes me happy, painfree and energetic. Anything more than 5 kms becomes painful and no fun and that is not what running is all about. I will keep running as long as my body keeps allowing it!

37 weeks Pregnant

Today I am 37 weeks Pregnant, the excitement of meeting my little baby Girl is becoming Huge. I just honestly can't wait! I am already on maternity leave, I am trying to relax and enjoy my Me time before my life turns to a busy one! Not sure how running is going to fit in my schedule but "when there is a will there is a way"! What I also know that "1 hour of working out is 4 % of my day" so there is NO EXCUSES!!!

I am planning to Breastfeed for 6 months so this is going to be quiet challenging to combine  baby, family, work, Running and social life, 

but this mommy is ready for it! 

The countdown has begun!!! Baby Girl I am eager to meet you

so please come soon!!!

Hardloopspel

Who will become the running King (or Queen) of the Netherlands? 

Hexagonal tile

Hardloopspel.nl is the first running game where runners can compete on an interactive map with the number of kilometers they run. The Netherlands is divided into 3000 hexagonal tiles and each tile has its own ranking list.

How does it work?

Tiles, Position and Points are displayed on the screen

Looptijden.nl is a free app where runners can manage almost everything they need from training to planning races to statistics and much more. It is possible to become a member PLUS by paying a small fee and this gives advantage to the runner to have a custom training depending on what is his next goal. If you are a runner and don’t have an account yet it's time to make one, I really recommend it.

To make running more fun, exciting and encourage people to run more looptijden.nl since january 2014 has linked the running game (Hardloopspel.nl) to their app. This means whenever you run with any GPS device and you import your route to looptijden.nl, the running game will automatically calculate and display the tiles and the kms as well as the ranking of every tile you run over.

Each tile has its own ranking and for every km run, it counts for 1 point. The male/female runner of every tile is crowned as King/Queen of that tile. At the end of every month all scores from points to tiles to rankings are being reset in order to give every runner a new chance to be crowned King or Queen on a tile.

“ As per January I started playing the running game, I was 30 weeks pregnant, I became hooked and wanted not only be the Queen of the tile but also lead the overall ranking of 2 tiles where I usually run, despite being pregnant. I got all enthusiastic and I surely reached my goal” 

You want to be part of a fun challenge and be crowned the King or Queen of 1 or more tiles or piss off your neighbor or friend and steal the crown from them?

Go lace those shoes up and hit the road !!