Another Famous Marathoner is Pregnant

Deena Kastor joins famous marathon moms Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe.

By Alix Shutello

Deena Kastor wanted to win the ING New York City Marathon this fall but that’s not going to happen. The Olympian marathoner (age 37) is planning to have her first baby.

Here is the story:

The NY Road Runners (http://nyrr.org/) reported on August 26, 2010, that United States Olympian and national marathon record-holder Deena Kastor is pregnant and will not run the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7, 2010. The announcement was made jointly by Kastor’s management company and New York Road Runners.
“I was looking forward to returning to New York this fall to attempt to fulfill my longtime dream of winning there,” said Kastor, who was entered to return to run New York for the first time since finishing sixth in 2006. “Since my marathon debut in 2001, winning the ING New York City Marathon has been on my list of running goals.”

The pregnancy is the first for Kastor, 37, and her husband, Andrew. The baby is due in March 2011.

“Andrew’s and my life has changed greatly over the past couple weeks as we found out I am three months pregnant. We always postponed starting a family, but to hear this news was really exciting and we never imagined it would be so rewarding even long before the baby is born,” said Kastor. “I am especially grateful to have felt fantastic except for feeling a bit sluggish in workouts and tired during the day. As soon as we heard the news, I stopped hard workouts. I am running easy days with my Mammoth Track Club teammates, but have chosen to forgo any hard efforts in order that every bit of my energy goes into making sure the baby will be healthy and strong. I don’t look pregnant yet, but I hear it seems to happen overnight.

“Despite my withdrawal from this year’s ING New York City Marathon, I intend to be there marathon week to take part in all the activities surrounding this fantastic race,” said Kastor. “Since my marathon debut in 2001, I have returned to New York each year whether to race, help host charity events, or help with the television coverage. This year is no exception. For a fan of the sport, New York is the place to be come November.”

Kastor won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic marathon, and she set the American record with her 2:19:36 victory at the 2006 London Marathon. She has won two World Marathon Majors titles: Chicago in 2005 and London in 2006. Earlier this year she finished second at the NYC Half-Marathon and won the P.F. Chang’s Rock-N-Roll Arizona Half-Marathon in Phoenix.

“Deena is like family to us at NYRR,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “We are ecstatic for her and Andrew. There will always be another ING New York City Marathon. There’s no better reason to miss our race than pregnancy!”

Mum Mentor: Radcliffe Coaches Goucher On Training Through Pregnancy, Can Goucher Relax Enough to Take Care of Her Baby?

 

Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher both have exciting news. They are both pregnant and both due on the same day. Radcliffe, who is expecting baby number 2, has been quick to give some sage advice to Goucher, the new mom to be.  

Radcliffe reported to the New York Times, “If you haven’t gone through pregnancy, you don’t know what that type of tiredness feels like, what being wiped out feels like. I didn’t sit down and lecture (Kara); I passed along bits (of advice) to her.”  

Paula Radcliffe is the women’s marathon world-record holder and winner of the 2008 NYC Marathon. Goucher, who holds several records in many distances from 5K and up is now training with Radcliffe in Portland, Oregon. Each will train through their pregnancies.  

Baby Planned With Olympics in Mind  

That said, both women will be running strong through their pregnancy, as Kara Goucher’s Web site she plans to run through birth. Her plans are to have the baby now so she can compete in the 2012 Olympics. Radcliffe’s plan for baby number 2 was planned with the same plan in mind – to give birth and spend the 15 months before the Olympics training for her home country, England.  

A Potential Scare  

Goucher had some scary news; after learning the baby might have a developmental abnormality, she waited until she was near 5 months pregnant to share the news of her pregnancy to the world. Fortunately, the baby will be normal and she’s relieved, I am sure, beyond belief.  

Goucher’s Training Plans Undaunted  

While both women are still training hard, both admit to slowing down when they need to listen to their bodies. Recently,  

Goucher with her husband, Adam. New York Times Photo

 

however, Goucher completed a 13-mile run at a 6:50 pace. Dr. Mona Shangold, the director of the Center for Women’s Health and Sports Gynecology in Philadelphia told the New York Times, “It has not been shown that running for that long, for that intensity, is safe.”  

Recently, according to an article on Oregon Live.com, Goucher mentioned she cannot imagine taking a day off and recently she logged 80 miles in a week; but if that is something her body can handle, she should do just fine.  

We just have to trust that both women know what they are doing. Paula Radcliffe won the IMG New York City Marathon merely 9 months after the birth of her daughter in 2007. That said, Radcliffe suffered a stress fracture in her sacrum post partum.  

Radcliffe Running a Race Pregnant in 2007

 

Dr. Swedan, a rehabilitation specialist in New York City stated in Runner’s World article that the hormone relaxin, which causes joints and ligaments to loosen up so the hips can accommodate giving birth, doesn’t depart the body until at least four months postpartum. “It makes you more prone to sprains,” he says.  

Good luck to both women in their pregnancies, motherhood, and pending Olympics.

The First Trimester – Pregnant Runner

 

Pregnant Runners Face Challenges and Joys During Pregnancy

 

The first trimester, while exhausting, is exciting; enjoy it now before the weight of the pregnancy literally and figuratively, start to show!

Congratulations! You have just learned you are pregnant and you have a big race coming up next month.

Go for it!

The nice thing about your first trimester is that chances are, you won’t put on more than 10 pounds. In fact, if many of you have morning sickness, it’s probable you won’t put on any weight at all. Therefore, if you were like me and became pregnant while training for a marathon, keep going; especially if the race occurs while you are  in your first trimester.

I say these words with caution, however. If you become pregnant and you are experiencing any vaginal bleeding stop running and consult your doctor. I cannot be more serious about this. When I became pregnant with my first son, I was six weeks away from the San Diego Marathon; I was training with a group and was in great shape. My doctor told me I was healthy and since I’ve been a runner most of my life, he actually encouraged me to keep training.  It was my doctor’s sense of calm and encouragement that was a real boon to me. It made being a pregnant runner not such a big deal.

Training in Months 1-3

I was fatigued like most of us are in the first trimester, but fortunate that I did not have any morning sickness. My real issue was that the smell of honey suckles along the running path made me want to throw up but it’s not like I couldn’t focus on something else; like my sore chest or the fact that nine months was a long, long, long time. My running partner was the best part of my training. I don’t think I would have survived my long distance days if Chenoa were not with me. Her encouragement was important; as well as her presence. I do admit I was nervous about being alone on my distance runs. What if something happened to me? I immediately became protective of my baby even if it was only about as big as my thumb. I figured, pregnancy is serious business and I’m not going to mess it up by running alone or by training poorly. I read that in the first trimester, fatigue, dizziness, and a whole host of things can happen. Ichose to stay hydrated and well-rested. During training runs I kept a mental tab on how I felt every step of the way and was not afraid to stop if I needed to.

Fortunately, none of these things happened and training continued without a hitch. I bore down and kept on schedule; logging the traditional 18, 20, and 22 mile runs I needed to complete in the weeks before my race.  Come race day, I was moody- full of hormones, race jitters, and two double D’s!

Race Issues

Pregnant Runner

I admit I was conforted by the fact that I would not have a round bump during my race because for some reason, that did not seem very marathon-like – I guess I was afraid I’d be judged for being pregnant. Besides, you don’t see many pregnant runners run marathons and I wasn’t sure what other people thought about that. While toeing the line I was grateful I looked like everyone else.  It made the fact that I was pregnant easier to handle.

Besides, I had other issues. I wasn’t enthralled by the fact that my chest was so sore (and huge) that I needed to wear two running bras just to keep my new friends in place. A few miles  into the race, however, the competitive spirit took me and off I went with a goal to finish the distance. Durning the race, the fact that I was pregnant didn’t mean much to me either other than it would be the first thing my running partner would tell a medic should I faint or fall down. Fortunately, neither happened despite the 85 degree heat as many runners dropped that day due to dehydration. I figured I’d play it safe. The baby was more important than my time so I hydrated and took my time.

The accomplishment of finishing this particular was special despite my horrible time. My son to be ran a marathon with me in utero which was kind of cool. So despite not running a fast race; I ran a marathon pregnant in blistering heat and was still standing. I thought that was a major achievement; one I’d remember for a lifetime. To other runners it may not seem a big deal that a woman runs when pregnant but to everyone else I still enjoy the look I get from people when I tell them I ran a marathon pregnant with my first son.

From Maternity RunningSkirt.com

NOTE: more and more pregnant women do run and compete in races like this woman from the Web site, maternityrunningskirts.com. She is 6.5 months pregnant and doing just great! Unfortunately I don’t think I would have had the guts to run a race this pregnant.

Dealing with the Weight Gain

Putting on my first few pounds scared me at first. When I stepped on the scale at my second doctor’s appointment a few days after the marathon, I expressed my concern. I could not believe that after running a marathon that I had gained two pounds.

“Honey, you are pregnant, you are going to put on weight” the nurse said, looking at me like I was a sad case for even complaining.

My friend, Lisa, who knew that I was a stickler for body image asked me straight out if I was able to handle the weight gain that comes with pregnancy. I told her I’d need to get over it; and I did after the nurse stated the obvious. I needed to give in and let my body do what it was supposed to. From that moment I got over being a skinny runner and decided to be a mother.

What Did Running Pregnant Do the Rest of Me?

On thing I never put too much thought into while I was pregnant was what running would do to my body. I didn’t think about how my hips were spreading and that my running form would alter when my baby started to show. I was unaware of the strain on my knees and hips; I merely kept running. In the first trimester, the human body undergoes a whole bunch of changes. Your ligamets become loser and depending on how much weight you gain and where, you balance can be off – but that’s more in the second trimester.  When the weight starts to come, whether it’s one pound or ten, the extra weight does put a strain on everything and this could cause problems after baby. It’s just one of those things pregnant runners should think about, but often don’t – particularly the first time around!

I stopped running about half way through my pregnancy because my jostling belly really bugged me but I kept walking and doing other low impact exercise. I kept up the stretching and in my mind, I was just living out my pregnancy and not taking a break from running. I did not consider it taking a break if I found it uncomfortable and I certainly was not going to run just to run. I figured, there is no time like right now, to enjoy taking time off from running and to embrace my new life. The nice thing about running is that you can always start up again. Running great, Paula Radcliffe, gave birth and a year later won a marathon; proof that having a baby won’t slow you down, but that taking the time off is important and probably good for your running career!