Amber Miller finished the Bank of America Chicago marathon in her 39 week of pregnancy and delivered a healthy 7 pounds 13 ounce baby girl.
I saw this story this morning and couldn't wait to read more about it. I wanted to hear about all the positive things and health benefits exercise during pregnancy can provide the mother and baby. I wanted to hear how a healthy pregnancy should not stop women from exercising and being active. What I found were some mixed reviews and more attention on how "crazy" she is to do such a thing. Yes running a marathon is not for everyone and it is extremely difficult. However, Amber did this with her doctor's blessing because she is a very experienced runner and had been running continuously throughout her pregnancy and many years prior.
This may be a more lengthy post only because there are some very important points. So here we go...
Amber "completed it with a with a half-run half-walk approach, drinking lots of fluids and eating a lot along the way. She finished in 6:25:50, much slower than her usual marathon time, but still content." (ABC News: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8386801)
Amber lowered the intensity of the exercise with the run/walk method and was able to sustain her activity for a longer period of time. Yes almost 6 1/2 hours is a very long time! Being an experienced runner she knew what her body could do and what it couldn't. An interval training method of alternating run and walk is a great way to start if you are a beginner and lack the endurance for continuous running.
What is equally impressive is her attitude and mind set going into the race. Here is a portion from the Today Show's website which captures her state of mind perfectly, "So what the heck, she thought, not planning on actually completing the whole 26.2 miles. “I thought it’s likely that the last few miles I’m going to get really, really tired.” (http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8256458-woman-gives-birth-7-hours-after-finishing-marathon). This shows me she was very aware of her body and had a healthy psychological approach to the race. A very key point for pregnant women who are exercising, always listen to your body!
The next topic to consider is her exercise experience. I mentioned above that Amber is an experienced runner. That is a bit of an understatement. Amber is 27 years old and has already run 8 marathons! That is a bit more than experienced in my opinion and this is her second while pregnant! Really!
Those of us who have just begun to run as a part of our exercise routine (Megan) and those who feel a 5 or 10k fun run for charity once in a while or go out for a 20 min jog to keep the rust off (Me) know how difficult completing the training and the marathon is. At least we know a marathon is probably not in the cards for us.
So we must not compare how we feel when running with how Amber feels when running. As she puts it, "For me, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I was running up until that point anyway," Miller told The Associated Press in an interview from the hospital where she was recovering Monday. "I am crazy about running." WOW! Of course a little shout out to her husband who ran half the marathon without training for it! What a guy!
So what are the general guidelines for running and exercising during pregnancy? "Medical guidelines generally say that if a woman was a runner and healthy before she got pregnant, running during pregnancy is fine. Doctors even recommend exercise for low-risk pregnancies." (ABC News)
High impact activities like running are very hard on your body pregnant or not. You must be smart and train smart. It is very easy to assume you cannot begin an exercise program during pregnancy because you don't know many women who do. However if you seek the advice of a fitness professional to help you with your program, it is very safe.
My client Elishia just delivered a healthy 8lb 6oz baby boy this past Saturday. She began her first ever exercise program 15 weeks into her pregnancy. From that time and up to the Thursday before delivery, she trained twice a week and missed only one workout! She said she felt like a superstar in the delivery room. I am very proud of her!
In conclusion, Amber's story is a happy one and a testament to the miraculous ability of the human body to achieve great things and produced life. Our bodies need to move, sweat and breath. We need to strive for healthy activities combined with a healthy mindset like Amber's. Health and fitness are essential to quality of life. As a good friend of mine said to me this morning, "get busy living."
So let's review:
Please read the three articles from the three major networks. They all have a different way of telling this story, as do I.
http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8256458-woman-gives-birth-7-hours-after-finishing-marathon
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44859427/Woman_runs_marathon_and_gives_birth_same_day
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8386801
This may be a more lengthy post only because there are some very important points. So here we go...
Amber "completed it with a with a half-run half-walk approach, drinking lots of fluids and eating a lot along the way. She finished in 6:25:50, much slower than her usual marathon time, but still content." (ABC News: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8386801)
Amber lowered the intensity of the exercise with the run/walk method and was able to sustain her activity for a longer period of time. Yes almost 6 1/2 hours is a very long time! Being an experienced runner she knew what her body could do and what it couldn't. An interval training method of alternating run and walk is a great way to start if you are a beginner and lack the endurance for continuous running.
What is equally impressive is her attitude and mind set going into the race. Here is a portion from the Today Show's website which captures her state of mind perfectly, "So what the heck, she thought, not planning on actually completing the whole 26.2 miles. “I thought it’s likely that the last few miles I’m going to get really, really tired.” (http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8256458-woman-gives-birth-7-hours-after-finishing-marathon). This shows me she was very aware of her body and had a healthy psychological approach to the race. A very key point for pregnant women who are exercising, always listen to your body!
The next topic to consider is her exercise experience. I mentioned above that Amber is an experienced runner. That is a bit of an understatement. Amber is 27 years old and has already run 8 marathons! That is a bit more than experienced in my opinion and this is her second while pregnant! Really!
Those of us who have just begun to run as a part of our exercise routine (Megan) and those who feel a 5 or 10k fun run for charity once in a while or go out for a 20 min jog to keep the rust off (Me) know how difficult completing the training and the marathon is. At least we know a marathon is probably not in the cards for us.
So we must not compare how we feel when running with how Amber feels when running. As she puts it, "For me, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I was running up until that point anyway," Miller told The Associated Press in an interview from the hospital where she was recovering Monday. "I am crazy about running." WOW! Of course a little shout out to her husband who ran half the marathon without training for it! What a guy!
So what are the general guidelines for running and exercising during pregnancy? "Medical guidelines generally say that if a woman was a runner and healthy before she got pregnant, running during pregnancy is fine. Doctors even recommend exercise for low-risk pregnancies." (ABC News)
High impact activities like running are very hard on your body pregnant or not. You must be smart and train smart. It is very easy to assume you cannot begin an exercise program during pregnancy because you don't know many women who do. However if you seek the advice of a fitness professional to help you with your program, it is very safe.
My client Elishia just delivered a healthy 8lb 6oz baby boy this past Saturday. She began her first ever exercise program 15 weeks into her pregnancy. From that time and up to the Thursday before delivery, she trained twice a week and missed only one workout! She said she felt like a superstar in the delivery room. I am very proud of her!
In conclusion, Amber's story is a happy one and a testament to the miraculous ability of the human body to achieve great things and produced life. Our bodies need to move, sweat and breath. We need to strive for healthy activities combined with a healthy mindset like Amber's. Health and fitness are essential to quality of life. As a good friend of mine said to me this morning, "get busy living."
So let's review:
- Amber is a special case: experienced, done it 8 times before, 2 marathons pregnant, doctors blessing, great attitude, supportive husband, and in my opinion an inspiration to us all.
- It is never to late to start an exercise program. You must be smart and train smart.
- Listen to your body when exercising, pregnant or not!
- "Get busy living."
Please read the three articles from the three major networks. They all have a different way of telling this story, as do I.
http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/10/10/8256458-woman-gives-birth-7-hours-after-finishing-marathon
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44859427/Woman_runs_marathon_and_gives_birth_same_day
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8386801
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