Running While Pregnant … or Seemingly So

I had intended to blog about something entirely different today.  However, an experience I had this morning while out on my run prompted a change in plans.  I decided to write about running pregnant.  Let me set it up for you …

Hi, my name is Marlene and I have an addiction … an addiction to the Cinnamon Crunch bagels at Panera.  Problem is, the nearest Panera is miles from my place and on another Metro line which would require me to switch trains.  For that reason I rarely go.  This morning, however, I decided that my run would be to the Panera in Ballston to pick up a few bagels and then home again.  These are the kind of fun runs you can take when you aren’t actively training for a specific race. It was windy out so I threw on my windbreaker which has a nice sized pouch/pocket on the front.  Perfect, or so I thought, to neatly shove in a couple of bagels for the run home. 

The run to Panera was uneventful, the 6 or so mile run home was another story.  It turned out to be an object lesson in running pregnant … or seemingly so.  I have to start by saying I have never run while pregnant so I honestly have no idea how it feels.  I’m sure that having three bagels flopping back in forth in your “pouch” is nothing like having a human being hitching a ride inside your body.  However, having the appearance that you are running pregnant can give one a real window into how others perceive women who run well into their pregnancies.  I have always greatly admired women who can and do keep running, walking, exercising while pregnant.  Not only is it helping to keep the mother healthy, but if you believe the research that babies can sense what is going on around them even before birth, you have to think that the baby sensing the rhythmic sound of their mother’s strides and the gentle sensation of running can only help to instill in them an appreciation for exercise.  Okay maybe not, but I like to think it does.  Just don't let the baby listen to your playlist if it is anything like mine :-)

What I learned today is that not everyone admires pregnant runners quite as much as I do.  For 6+ miles, some run on city streets and some run on the busy trails, I was on the receiving end of looks and even comments.  To me it was obvious that the thing protruding from my front was anything but a baby.  It jiggled around way too much.  I guess maybe it did look like I was heavily pregnant to those coming at me from the other direction or seeing me only as I passed them.  I got curious looks.  I got smiles and thumbs up.  I got stares and points.  I passed a man pushing a BOB with 2 little girls in it who I heard say “See that baby is running too.”  I even passed an actual pregnant woman running from the opposite direction. Most shockingly I had a guy yell at me “Lady, is that really a good idea?”  To which I yelled back “It’s bagels not a baby moron.” 

Me and the bagel baby after our run .. Her name is Cinnamon :-)

What is it that makes a pregnant woman running a sight of such curiosity and in some cases, derision? In a country where we have a shockingly high obesity rate and where diabetes (especially in children) is on the rise, shouldn’t these women be celebrated, not looked at like they are doing something wrong or hurting their unborn child?  If their doctor has said it is okay for them to continue to run and exercise then shouldn’t they be praised for doing so?  Are they not, in fact, setting a great example?  I also have great admiration for those ladies who keep at it after they give birth.  I love seeing moms, and dads, pushing their little ones on the trail in their tricked out BOBs, instilling in their kids a sense of the importance of being active and keeping fit. I love that there are now groups like Stroller Strides that help new mom connect with other new moms and exercise at the same time.  Yes, that was a shamless plug, I have a friend that owns one in Seattle. 

As for me I will continue to admire the women that can, and do keep, running.  You go girls … don’t let anybody tell you that you should stop!