At the very beginning of your pregnancy it is a good idea to set some goals. But make sure they are realistic and be honest with yourself. Now is not the time to be losing weight, pulling a minute off your 5K, or completing your first marathon. Running is an excellent activity while pregnant, but our ideas on why we run needs to shift a little bit.
Step number one, go calculate your Body Mass Index. It will help you determine if you are underweight, normal, or over weight. Granted, this is very limited & does not take many, many factors into account. If you are a seasoned runner, you don't even need to worry about it, but if you are just starting a running routine, it is a good starting point.
If you are on any kind of diet or diet supplement, stop now. A well balanced diet is recommended, and yes, it is okay to eat some carbs (and some meat). About 300 extra calories a day is needed while pregnant. However, don't let pregnancy become an excuse for gaining too much weight. Remember, a "normal" BMI person should be gaining approximately 1 to 5 pounds in the first trimester and about a pound a week after that (which comes out to 25-35 pounds total). If you were already on a weight-loss diet, don't worry about the numbers since all of those pounds will come back off after birth.
My BMI when I was pregnant with my first was 16.5. I was "underweight" at 5'4" and 96 pounds. I gained a total of 65 pounds by labor day! I was horrified at myself for gaining so much weight, even though I was careful about eating and ran every day. But it was what my body, and more importantly, what my baby needed. 95% of the weight came off by the time I was pregnant with my second, almost exactly 9 months later. Now I am considered "normal range" at 20.6, which means I should only be about 150 pounds by labor day...let's see how good I am!
Second, focus on a pregnancy goal. My pregnancy goal is to run (at least) three races in the first trimester, two races in the second, and one race in the third. I would like to do one a month, but I live up North and the baby is due in December, and I fear that running in the winter could be a little dangerous with such a big belly, so we'll just stick with per trimester for now. I'm not going to be too concerned with placement or timing; just staying strong & keeping a good pace. Other good goals could be maintaining a good weight for your pregnancy progress. This is especially helpful to those who are considered over weight or who tend to gain weight quickly.
Third, write it down. Keep up your running log, but modify it to count pregnancy symptoms, weight gain, miles, etc. I like to make a graph of my miles at the end of the month just to make sure I stay on track. However, while pregnant, it's okay if this graph takes a bit of a dip, especially in the last trimester. Again, there is no need to obsess over the numbers! You may need to adjust your weekly average, and that's okay.
Always listen to your belly! Run when it feels good, stop when it doesn't. Do an extra mile if you can, but slow down & even walk if you have to. Running while pregnant is a glorious feeling, and starting off right from the beginning will keep you running all 9 months long!
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