Empowering Expecting Mothers: Benefits of Running While Pregnant

We'll talk about the Benefits of Running While Pregnant but first let's address:

Is it safe to run during pregnancy?  Safety considerations for running during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a unique and transformative journey for every woman, and it often raises questions about the activities you can or should engage in. For runners, the desire to continue participating in that thing they love during pregnancy can often come with questions of safety for both mom and the baby.

I distinctly remember at one of my regular pregnancy appointments, when I told one of the midwives at my practice that I was still running, her response was “Running during pregnancy is bad for your knees.”

I looked at her like, “You know what I do for work right.”

No disrespect intended, but it’s important to remember that doctors and other medical providers are not movement specialists.

Yes, there are important considerations when it comes to running during pregnancy.

And no, it’s not always the best idea for every woman to run throughout the pregnancy.

BUT running in pregnancy is not inherently “bad” for anything.

Let’s dive into some more specific considerations here:

Can you run (and race) during pregnancy?

First, it’s important to keep in mind that all pregnancies are different, even subsequent pregnancies for the same mother. In some cases, you “can” run and even race a half or a full marathon during pregnancy but that doesn’t always mean you “should.”

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise during pregnancy. Running can certainly be a part of this, just be mindful of your ego/athlete mindset! Runners tend to push past boundaries especially when it comes to training in the half/full marathon distances. Pregnancy is not the time to let your ego run the show.

Always check with your doctor for clearance. Contraindications include high risk pregnancy, having not been accustomed to marathon training volumes before pregnancy (this is not necessarily the time to conquer that distance for the first time), increased blood pressure, pain and any other contraindications to exercise.

While running something like a marathon during pregnancy can be done safely with all of the recommendations below it’s important to note that running long distances does not necessarily mean a healthier fit pregnancy.

Are there any special considerations during the first trimester?

In the first trimester, the biggest concerns would be fatigue, morning sickness (which despite the name isn’t just in the mornings), and the risk of neural tube defects with overheating. Give yourself grace, take extra breaks, rest if you need it, stay well hydrated and fueled, and mind the weather conditions and watch for signs of overheating (excessive fatigue, dizziness, rapid pulse).

If morning sickness is affecting your ability to efficiently fuel for the demands of running it may not be the best idea to continue. Your body is going to divert resources to the baby no matter what. However, underfueling your body can set you up for injury with this level of mileage.

Is it safe to run long distances while pregnant? How can you make it safer? What are some warning signs that something might be wrong?

While it is generally safe to run long distances while pregnant, you may need to cut down on your volume a bit to prioritize recovery. Listen to your body and do what feels right.

You can read more about considerations for running programming during pregnancy here.

Some general guidelines to keep it safer are:

Keep heart rate under 90% of max. Think breathy but not breathless as Briana Battles says.

Be careful of overheating. Excessively increased core temperature of the mother, especially in the first trimester can result in neural tube defects in the baby  Mind the weather conditions and watch for signs of overheating (excessive fatigue, dizziness, rapid pulse)

Stay hydrated. Dehydration can result in complications for mom and baby (preterm labor, decreased amniotic fluid, etc.).

Stay well fueled. Your body is going to divert resources to the baby no matter what. However, underfueling YOUR body can set you up for injury.

Use extreme caution and contact your doctor if you are experiencing dizziness with shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, or an increase in blood pressure.

If it feels good you can still go hard! You aren’t broken or fragile. Hard may simply look different now.

A good rule of thumb is you want to come out of the workout feeling better than when you started NOT depleted.

This can take practice and vary from day to day.

What are the benefits of continuing to run while pregnant?

Exercise during pregnancy has a variety of health benefits for the mother and the baby:

• Improves mood, energy, blood flow, posture.
• Intentional strength training can decrease those 3rd trimester pains and difficulty moving dramatically.
• Regular moderate exercise provides more support for the baby’s growth. Research shows increased placenta growth rate as early as 20 weeks leading to larger birth weight babies with less body fat.
• Reduced rate of gestational diabetes by 31%. This effect was greater with combined exercise (strength training AND cardio). (note: don’t feel like a failure if you still get it. Sometimes it just happens.) 

For someone who loves running and assuming running continues to feel good, running can be a great part of a pregnancy exercise program (but not the only part; strength training is very important too!)

What are some considerations as pregnancy progresses?

As pregnancy progresses, it’s highly likely you will experience changes in your running form. The biggest changes are usually a more pronounced anterior pelvic tilt (as the belly grows your center of mass shifts forward), more external rotation at the hips (picture that pregnant waddle) which makes it harder to load effectively through midstance, and disruption of the rotation/counterrotation of the pelvis and torso (you are growing a human right in the middle of that system). Adding in specific strength training to the needs of your changing body is highly recommended including, core strength, glute strengthening through internal rotation, and breathing for rib cage mobility.

With all of this and the added weight, there is also added impact to the pelvic floor. This impact is ok as long as it’s accompanied by proper pelvic floor strengthening. Seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist at least once during pregnancy for evaluation is highly recommended. If you are experiencing symptoms of incontinence (urinary or fecal) or prolapse (heaviness, bulging or dragging feeling in your pelvis), it’s an indication that your pelvic floor is not handling the load well and it could be time to pull back on the running.

You may also find a maternity support band or SI belts like the FITsplint may be helpful.