Half Pregnant Half Marathon

Or 10k...So my good friends Craig and Matt (crazy ultra runners) heard my pleas wanting a longer trail race before I was done with this pregnancy, and organized one for me!  Just something small, more like an organized group run, but hey, I'll take it!  I'll be honest, real races do really have pressure to them even when they're not big deals to me.  I never really noticed that, but even at the 5k I ran a couple weeks ago where I was in so much kidney pain, yes I wasn't going fast and could have cared less how I placed, but I still felt internal pressure not to stop, not to walk.

Anyway, I've been battling some real tough issues the last 2 weeks.  A strange right side belly pain and bad pubic symphysis (SPD) pain, something like my pelvis was being pulled apart, not a lot of fun.  This last week I've made it a whole mile before it was just too much.  I was getting really worried how this race was going to go.  I know I wasn't there to win, I know I didn't have to impress anyone, but I wanted to do it for me.  My goal this pregnancy was to do a half marathon while noticeably pregnant.  Now my body was giving up on me the week of this race.  I was and am completely willing and ok with not running the last 2-3 months at all, I really can be ok with that since I can still be active in other ways, but now?  Right before this race created for me?  It was really depressing and frustrating.  I am thrilled to be carrying this life, he/she wasn't in danger at all from my activity, I just physically couldn't will my body over my own pain.  That's a different place to be in.  A humbling place.

Ok, sorry for taking a while getting to the whole point.  So after a sad week moping to my husband, we headed out that morning and I just figured I would walk the 10k option.  Not what I wanted, but I just figured it would take me hours upon hours to walk the 13 miles and there was a bbq after so I just settled for the 10k.  I let the guys go on ahead (there were about 20 people total I think?) after I was all situated at the car with my new Altra Lone Peak trail shoes and Ultraspire pack, I took a pre race bush prego stop and started a trot.  Figured I'd make it a mile then just walk the rest.  It was really ok being by myself.  No pressure to run from others, no one to impress, just some nice solitude for me and the baby.  The weather was good.  Cloudy and a bit windy, but not raining/snowing or too gusty and not bitter cold.

The sweet new Ultraspire running hydration pack I won last month!  Was so excited to finally have an ultra pack (it's not your usual hiking water backpack, but meant for running) and it's got so many great pockets and features (I'll review it soon), but the best one has to be the fact that it fits above my belly!

To my surprise I kept running!  It was a little uncomfortable, but not like I'd experienced the last few weeks.  I kept my pace at a long run jog.  Not fast like pre-preg, but faster than I could walk  :)  I wasn't after any time records, so it was nice to just settle into an ultra style pace and trot along.  Even got to run some uphill sections I thought I'd walk!  Part of the pace was the hip binding I did.  Took a couple yards of some fancy purple checked fabric I had and squeezed my hips together tight.  A little uncomfortable, cut some circulation off around my hips, but I got the hang of how to tie it pretty good and I have to wonder if that did the trick.  I also wore the big maternity (well technically it's a larger post partum belt) belt I've had around my belly snug, but I've done that before and it didn't fix everything.  Like the belly pain.  It came around a few times, and I did walk it off once or twice, but was able to run through it another few times by kind of flexing my 'abs'.

Anyway, found the bathroom at the turn around was unlocked - yay! - and headed on back to the start.  As I always do, felt better after those first 3ish miles, and even negative splitted the 2nd half!  I even got some adrenaline and to feel like the old me when I finally caught up and passed some runners that had been ahead of me the last 4 miles.....even if one was in her 60's  :)  
I was getting more uncomfortable toward the end, but was still thinking about turning around and running more.  Just figured I haven't been able to run like this in a long time and probably won't for a while, but yeah, I didn't.  Figured I'd feel it the next few days and I was really happy with the 6.5 I got in.  And I really was!  I can't believe I got to run even 2 miles, let along 6+.  I was still a little bummed not to have done the half especially upon hearing there were no women that did the half and I could have earned a super sweet specialty made thrift store trophy (although I doubt I could have made it that far with my pelvis), but the 10k really was for me that day.  And hey, technically the time I did out there on my favorite trail took me about what a road half marathon does, so that counts, right?  :)  Right