Running her first official Half Marathon at six months pregnant! This right here is easily one of the highlights of my career in personal training and health coaching.
Meet Melissa, a client and friend of mine.
When "M" as I affectionately call her decided she wanted to do her first half marathon she was in perfect health, we had been training and running consistently together for months and were constantly improving pace times and experiencing many personal bests at 5ks and 10ks in addition to the health coaching and personal training she did with me.
Fast forward to August 2019.
After completing our best 10K yet and fully inspired to up our training game as we prepared for the Run Disney half marathon, M discovered she was already several weeks into her first trimester - in the most dramatic way possible of course- but that's another story!
Melissa was passionate and committed.
Melissa was over the moon about this surprise pregnancy, but she still wanted the taste of victory in completing her first official half marathon - A LOT. She'd signed up months before for the half Marathon event at the Run Disney 2020 weekend in Orlando and after much discussion, we decided to work on a plan that would allow her to achieve this dream safely.
Many questioned her decision.
We worked within the scope provided by her supportive doctor and created a fitness program that would allow her to be at her peak fitness level and health to make this dream a reality without creating complications during the pregnancy. We were guided highly by doctor's clearance based on her health and fitness at each visit.
How did she do it?
Let’s start with this..a great and positive attitude, a phenomenal support system and of course an invested coach and personal trainer (Moi).
This new training required a lot of commitment on both our parts. Distance running while pregnant was new territory for both of us as client and coach. At times I would joke with her and say that we were both going through this pregnancy. We both had to keep up with the changes that went with each phase of her pregnancy week -by-week.
Even more,she needed a strong support system which came from husband, family and friends. Luckily, Melissa's Mom was also training for the very same race - which would be a first for her too - but this is also another story - lots of side stories here!
Other measures were needed..
We used Kinetic Tape to prevent baby from bouncing around. As a personal trainer and coach this was yet another first for me and I felt privileged to practice this newly learned technique on a client and friend.
Race Day
On the day of this race, Melissa began her third trimester into pregnancy. She was one of the three pregnant women we spotted on the course that day but the most advanced in pregnancy.
Four months later, and at the end of her 6th month, this amazing woman completed her very first half marathon much to the surprise of many.
Running this race was much more than physical.
Melissa stayed focused, she never allowed other peoples doubts or opinions to become her own even when she felt the most uncertain.
Many would say that this was impossible or perhaps too insane to accomplish such a major feat at this phase of pregnancy, but through a combination of staying physically and mentally prepared in addition to tremendous support and doctor’s approval, M can now share her story of how she ran her first official Half Marathon while seven months pregnant.
As her Personal Trainer and Coach it was a privilege to be a part of this particular growth process and watching her grow and expand, mentally and physically.
Are you fitspired yet?
Want to accomplish your own dream of doing a 5k, 10k or half marathon while pregnant or even if you’re not?
Let’s see how we can get you there!
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