 |
||
 No. 6 October 1997 |    |
|
| Dynamic Duo was written by Elaine Cooper, a sports physiotherapist who has been a member of ACT track, cross country and half marathon teams. The story was first seen in Australian Runner and Athlete magazine. |
| Dynamic Duo - Running in Pregnancy by Elaine Cooper First published in Australian Runner and Athlete magazine - March/April 1997
|
Pregnancy, what does this word conjure up in the mind of the uninitiated, female runner? The obvious answer is that it's part of the process of creating another little athlete. Yes, but what about the actual process, the nitty gritty of those amazing nine months. What is it like through the eyes, or indeed feet, of a runner? Friends, family and complete strangers will ply you with graphic details and advice even before that 'pink ring of confidence' has dried in your pregnancy test kit. You begin to contemplate nine months of nausea, piles and a declining max V02, followed by another year of 'crawling legless' out of a mire of nappies, breast-feeding, sleepless nights and exhaustion, trying to rebuild a runner from the ruins. |
||||
 Ingrid Kristiansen is one such immortal. She carried on her usual regime of 200 km per week...
|
 |
Its at about this stage that you start to seek out other women runners who have trodden the path before you. Unfortunately, individuals vary. Some will depress you with tales of morning sickness and discomfort that brought their progression to a lumbering halt in about the sixth month. Others will stretch your boundaries of belief with accounts of marathons, cross-training and of how they didn't look pregnant until their tenth month. Ingrid Kristiansen is one such immortal. She carried on her usual regime of 200 km per week and couldn't work out why she was a little off par until she found she was pregnant in her fifth month. If that doesn't make you feel inferior, she also managed to run a PB marathon (2:27) around five months later, despite dropping her running back.
Frustrated by a plethora of confusing and often, contradictory information, the runner seeks out the experts hoping for illumination and a handy set of rules. The pregnant runner soon begins to realise that there isn't a lot of research being done in this area, especially on subjects who have a reached a fairly high level of pre-pregnancy training.
|
|
Select photo to view large image
|
| Research findings are frequently contradictory. Guidelines found in pregnancy and exercise texts echo each other and are usually based on animal studies and conjecture from physiological theory. Unfortunately, mass studies on highly and moderately physically trained women pose many problems, both practical and ethical. Understandably, experts will make their recommendations with a wide berth for safety, aware of their responsibility and potential liability. The guidelines do not make allowances for individual variation in pregnancies, training backgrounds and adaptive capacities. Concerns include:
Beyond the guidelines, most seasoned runners rely on snippets heard, bits they've read, a little common sense and intuition. Assuming you have been given clearance by your doctor to exercise, this article is intended to provide 'first timers' with o glimpse of what they might experience. The first trimester may bring few obvious changes to the outside observer but on the inside it's a hotbed of activity. From about the time the zygote latches onto the lining of the uterus (one week post conception), the runner begins to notice changes that become more and more obvious. Your capacity to cope with these changes during running can vary dramatically according to your pre-pregnancy fitness level, severity of symptoms, psychological attitude, level of support and other stresses (e.g.. work, other children, study). Nausea and fatigue can be two major drawbacks, although their severity and duration may vary remarkably in each woman and in each of her pregnancies. Low blood sugar tends to aggravate these conditions. Try eating little and often. Complex carbohydrates and sufficient protein seem to help. Dieting will aggravate the situation, not to mention the effects it could have on the developing fetus. Running can often ease the nausea. Persevere! While day-time naps are an impossible luxury for most, try to go to bed earlier. Otherwise you'll find running becomes progressively more difficult and you will too. |
||||
If you're unaware of being pregnant and still racing hard you may notice your lactic tolerance has 'gone out the door'.
|
It is around this time you'll notice breathlessness while running, even at a slow pace. The high levels of progesterone supposedly cause a heightened sensitivity to C02, resulting in an increased breathing rate. If you're unaware of being pregnant and still racing hard you may notice your lactic tolerance has 'gone out the door'. Middle distance runners relying on a kick in the final lap can forget it. That top gear can vanish quickly. Progesterone also dilates your blood vessels, making your legs appear a little red and puffy after exercise. In warmer weather you'll find that even jogging at this stage can feel disgusting, especially at the end of the day. The effect of heat and progesterone on the blood vessels will cause the blood to pool in the legs. Try putting your feet up against the wall before you go out and walk a little before you run. It's advisable to avoid running in the heat. Animal studies have shown there is the potential for producing malformations such as neural tube defects in the first trimester if the body's core temperature is elevated above 39 C. The actual danger period is around 26-30 days post conception. Dehydration has been associated with premature labour so keep well hydrated, wear cool clothing and avoid the hottest part of the day for your run. In extreme heat a swim might be a better choice of exercise. On the practical side, your running shorts may start to feel tighter even by the second month, especially in the evening when wind extends the abdomen. In the first 20-24 weeks most babies grow at the same rate. This is why an ultrasound scan can determine the baby's 'age' so accurately at 18 weeks. Many runners have well developed abdominal muscles compared to sedentary women and may not show as much, especially in the first pregnancy. Beyond this stage, the physical size of the baby and uterus can vary dramatically. Partners can be a good source for running gear in pregnancy, especially if the elastic is beginning to perish in the shorts. Dark coloured shorts are also useful if you suffer stress incontinence, a common complaint. In fact, for many women, this problem can be the reason they stop running in pregnancy. Wearing a pad, running in a well 'treed' area or doing circuits around a toilet facility may provide a solution. As you approach the half way mark, the nausea and extreme fatigue will hopefully, have abated. Unfortunately there are new hurdles to overcome. The weight of the baby and uterus, and increased fat deposits (which usually peak in the second trimester) increase the overall body weight making progress more difficult. In addition the uterus may be projecting out of the pelvic cavity, altering biomechanics and possibly increasing susceptibility to injury. If possible try and keep off the hard surfaces. If this isn't bad enough for a compulsive runner, it gets worse. Your internal physiology is really starting to rebel. Blood plasma increases in volume (30-60 per cent) with only a 20-30 per cent increase in red blood cells, which is reflected in your lower haemoglobin levels in the second trimester. This puts a dint in your exercise capacity. This continues until around week 27 and then levels off. If you need convincing here are some scientific statistics that emphasize just why your running performances deteriorate in pregnancy:
So you're halfway and still running through your pregnancy. Well done! If you're a serious runner you may be feeling daunted and doubtful you will survive the process. Perhaps its those psychological 'molehills' that are becoming more mountainous? While some may enjoy the attention, for most it takes courage and a healthy dose of confidence to run around your neighbourhood with a burgeoning belly. Sometimes a rhino's exterior is called for to help you cope with the barrage of comments, stares and outright disapproval. Prepare handy comments for a quick counter attack. Other tactics are to run with friends or to get up a little earlier to avoid an audience. Wearing baggier clothes is useful but you reach a stage where you can't find a circus tent big enough to hide 'the bulge'. As the weight factor increases, you may find your musculoskeletal system starts to creak and groan. A common complaint is sharp knife-like stitches in the sides of the lower abdomen. They are often worse in the beginning of a run and may be sufficiently intense to stop you running. Try stretching away from the pain and walking until the stitch eases. Crouching down may also help. The pain has been attributed to the internal uterine ligaments adjusting to the load of the growing uterus and baby. The low back muscles may also be implicated. In this case mobilisation and massage often provide exquisite relief. Changes in your running style will become evident, especially after you lose sight of your toes. Knee lift and stride length will suffer. Forefoot strikers usually end up 'flat-footers' under the influence of an increasing load. If you're also a bike rider use this alternate form of exercise to help preserve the strength of hip and leg muscles. If the quadriceps muscles decline in strength this may aggravate knee problems in some runners. Weight training may also be a used to maintain the strength and endurance of these muscles. Try to avoid the 'peanut posture', resisting the urge to let the pelvis tip forward and the stomach sag. Abdominal strength should be a priority before and after pregnancy. In the later months some runners use a light weight maternity girdle to provide additional support especially for the low back.
The hormone oestrogen will soften ligaments throughout the body, increasing joint laxity and this can be a potential problem for runners. Weight-bearing areas prone to stretch and inflammation in later pregnancy are the -iliac joints and the symphysis pubis. Take pity on your feet, choosing heavier training shoes to provide more cushioning. Shock absorbing insoles are also useful. You may also require additional support for your breasts. This can be an exciting discovery for flat-chested runners - but be warned, it doesn't last. After breast-feeding you often find you're left with bigger craters than before. Having a larger bust may strain the muscles between your shoulder blades. Exercising these muscles daily with a rowing machine or as shown in figure 1 may provide some relief. The position of the baby may dictate the relative comfort of a run. When the baby lies across your pelvis (transverse) your 'load' can feel huge as if it is spilling from the pelvis. The internal side-ways swing of the baby may reduce your style to an awkward, waddling gait. A baby lying in breech may leave you gasping for air as !the head projects up into the diaphragm and practically out your throat. The head-down position is probably the most comfortable although you may find one leg aches or becomes numb if there is pressure on pelvic nerves or arteries. If the baby's head has engaged you may receive shooting nerve pains that feel like electric shocks and the bladder can receive a battering. Sometimes pelvic floor muscles become fatigued during a run leaving you with an aching, throbbing pain in this region. Lie down to take the strain from the area. As the euphoria of trimester two merges into the fatigued-state of the last trimester you may find running increasingly difficult. Try adjusting the duration and intensity of your runs or choose another exercise if you feel too slow and cumbersome. As 'the day' approaches, aches and pains may become more noticeable and Braxton-Hicks contractions can increase in frequency and strength. Tell someone where you'll be running and for how long. Don't venture too far away. Many studies have been done on the type of labour experienced by physically trained women. Unfortunately the first stage of labour seems unaffected by physical fitness. However the second and third stages (pushing the baby and placenta out) may be shortened and facilitated by fitness, possibly due to the stronger abdominal and pelvic musculature and endurance capacity of athletes. There also seems to be evidence to support quicker recovery of athletes post-natally.
Assuming you're safely through the ordeal of labour and you and your partner are the proud parents of a potential Olympian... congratulations! You're now ready to leap from the bed and commence your path back to full fitness. Right? Unfortunately your lucky if you can make it to the shower on foot. What happened to that fitness you fought so long and hard for over the past nine months? Exhaustion, weakness, discomfort and depression are common feelings in the first week, which isn't surprising. Blood loss, hormonal fluctuations, emotional upheavals, episiotomies, lacerations, sleep loss, breast engorgement...you name it. They can make you feel like you're in the grip of a bad flu. Return to physical activity is dependent on factors such as your recovery from labour/Caesarean section, fatigue, stress, availability of help, complications, your baby and motivation. The following table gives you an approximate idea of how long it takes for your physiology to revert back to the non-pregnant state:
Good luck! |
"Sometimes a rhino's exterior is called for to help you cope with the barrage of comments, stares and outright disapproval."
"You're now ready to leap from the bed and commence your path back to full fitness. Right?"
|
|
|
|
Sunday, September 21, 1997.
Constant showers on Saturday abated overnight for the running of the 22nd Canberra Times Fun Run. The mild and still conditions suited Dean Cavuoto who ran aggressively to win easily in a time 31 seconds faster than his second place of last year. When receiving his $500 winners cheque, Dean said: "My plan was to go really hard and cane the other runners...I really wanted to win it this year because I came second last year and was a bit upset". Second place and $250 went to Paul Fenn after a race-long battle with Adam Leane. Paul won the Under-18 title at the Australian Cross Country Championships in Adelaide and was asked at the presentation if he hoped to win The Canberra Times next year. "Not next year, but maybe in a couple of years," he said. "There was another runner today who I was aiming to beat, Daniel Green, but he didn't show. I went out pretty hard to try and get rid of the pack and then settled down and ran with 'Leaney' (Adam Leane) and tried to keep up for as long as I could. The fact that I actually beat him was rather surprising". Adam was five seconds back running 30:57 and collecting a $100 gift voucher from The Runner's Shop.
|
||||
RESULTS:
MEN:
1. Dean Cavuoto 30:02
2. Paul Fenn 30:52
3. Adam Leane 30:57
4. David Quayle 31:02
5. Luke Grattan 31:06
6. John Muir 31:48
7. Paul Imhoff 32:02
8. Gerard Ryan 32:30
9. Louis Young 32:44
10. Anthony Scott 32:49
11. Trevor Jacobs 33:26 (40+)
12. Greg Webster 33:30
13. Laurie Cullen 33:52
14. Anthony Millgate 34:26
15. Gary Molineaux 34:30
16. Andy Horsburgh 34:34
17. Colin Neave 34:36
18. Bill Rendall 34:41
19. Ben Crabb 34:47
20. Christopher Cook 34:50
21. Ken Steinman 34:54
22. Peter James 34:55
23. Craig Core 35:12 (-19)
24. John Tuckey 35:14
25. Michael Whipp 35:17
| WOMEN: 1. Angela Slaven 35:35 2. Joy Terry 36:07 3. Robyn Sewell 36:35 4. Kathy Southgage 38:15 5. Rosemary Longstaff 39:06 (40+) 6. Stephanie Lacey 39:13 7. Carol Ey 39:18 8. Fiona Jorgensen 39:25 9. Kelly Roberts 39:31 (-19) 10. Sally Parker 39:43 11. Anne Flynn 39:47 12. Sarah Fien 40:02 13. Elizabeth Simpson 40:15 14. Judith Eggleton 40:31 15. Erin Sutcliffe 40:39 (-15) 16. Miriam McCarthy 40:42 17. Belinda Cheney 40:43 18. Keri Vaughan 40:51 19. Amy Rugendyke 41:13 20. Amanda Berntsen 41:25 21. Allison Campbell 41:29 22. Laura Smit 41:34 23. Anna Crab 42:15 24. Lea Edwards 42:39 25. Jacki Kilner 42:46 |
|||
TOP | PREVIOUS | HOME | NEXT |
Copyright © 1997 - 2009 http://www.sctathletics.com/r1997_10.html