I usually don't write race recaps of 5ks but this one was a pretty big deal for me. If you've read my recent blogs you are aware that I recently had my son in March! During my pregnancy I remained active, however, I did decide to give up running. This isn't to say that pregnant women should stop running. I believe that you should do what you are comfortable with during pregnancy and I was not comfortable with running so I quit for the time being. But along with that decision I really missed running! When I would see people running down the street in my neighborhood it would make me sad and I looked forward to the day I could do it again. Towards the end of my pregnancy I also developed high blood pressure for the first time in my life and had to take it easy for my health and the health of my baby. Fortunately he was born healthy and happy at 37 weeks. To be totally honest after his birth I felt like I got hit by a bus for the first two weeks. It also didn't help that my blood pressure spiked even more and I had to go on medication. This was a bit of a low point for me, going from someone that was extremely active to sitting on the couch, to having to go on medication. I definitely had a good cry about it. After two weeks I started walking short distances on my treadmill and eventually outside, pushing the stroller, I worked up to a mile. I also noticed that my blood pressure was going down on its own and I was able to drop the dosage and eventually get off medication. Then at my four week post partum appointment I was cleared to work out again! The next day I put on my running shoes and headed down my street. I felt like a fish out of water. My legs felt heavy, my breathing was labored but I was running again! As I ran I could hear the birds singing, dogs barking and watch the kids walking home from school. It was glorious! I returned to my front door elated and out of breath! I had only ran one quarter of a mile but it was a start! I started running a little farther each time and eventually ran one mile. It took me over 14 minutes but I had done it! It was now early April and the Pittsburgh marathon was coming up. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2012 I have ran either the full or half marathon every year. Obviously both of those options were not attainable but there was a 5k held the day before the marathon. Could I do it? It seemed a lofty goal considering I had just completed my first mile with less than a month to train. My wonderful husband said to go for it! I could walk if I had to and it would be a good goal for me. So on April 9th I decided to sign up!
I decided to train with a run/walk mentally. I didn't have set intervals, but would just walk when I needed a break. I worked up from 1 mile to 1.5 miles to 2 miles and then 3 miles. I was never concerned with how long it took, I just wanted to make sure I could cover the distance. I did my longest run/walk one week before race day in my neighborhood. My neighborhood has many more hills than the actual course so I knew I would be in good shape if I could complete those 3 miles. Fortunately I was able to cover the distance and in true marathon fashion, I only ran 1.5 miles the week of the race for my taper. To to be continued...
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Author: Sarah WarmanI like to run, take pictures and write. I've combined all three in this blog. Archives
June 2019
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