i now know why they stop ...

Running that is. More specifically, running while pregnant. I had heard from so many runners that they made it to about 16 or 17 weeks and then couldn't run any longer. I, being superwoman, would be a different story, of course. I was going to breeze through this pregnancy, running 3-4 days a week (albeit, slowly) and then miraculously return to my pre-pregnancy size approximately 48 hours after childbirth. (I can dream, right?)

But I'm not too sure that is going to be the case anymore. It all started early this week while I was doing three miles on the treadmill. I noticed that my upper abdominals started to feel like they were really pulling (I'm not sure why, my stomach isn't that huge). So I took it slow and decided to go get a pregnancy support belt (which I haven't used yet ... yes, I realize my stupidity).

Anyway, when I woke up for the last of our long training runs before the half (only 7 days away! Can you believe it?), again my upper abs were in distress. If I took a really deep breath in, they felt like I had done about a zillion too many crunches after a really long hiatus from core work. (Do you know that feeling?) But I decided to run anyway ... probably not the best idea.

By the time we finished, not only were my abs sore (surprisingly, not where my baby bump is, though) but my hips and butt were on FIRE!! And now I'm having a hard time moving around. I'm walking at the same speed (with waddle and everything) as a woman whose about to deliver. Oh, the agony.

Thanks to all this pain I can suddenly understand why so many runners do not continue to run throughout their pregnancies. It's really uncomfortable.

But do you think that's going to stop me?

No, you know me better than that. It would probably take an amputated leg for me to stop. And even then, I'm not convinced my running days would be over. But I am going to take it SUPER easy this week leading up to the race (where I will also be shuffling more than running). After that, we'll see. I'm hoping that a slower pace and less mileage will allow me to continue for the next 23 weeks. That and that maternity belt that's lying around here somewhere ...