Although I have officially begun marathon training, this time I plan to include a few shorter races in my training schedule. Since I have rediscovered my running passion is racing the shorter distances, I feel that this decision will help me maintain the speed I have developed over the spring and summer and break up the monotony of longer training runs.  I will definitely show up to compete in these races, but my expectations will be a little different than if I were training specifically for the 5K or shorter distances and I won’t put so much pressure on myself to achieve certain goals.

The Milk Run 5K

First race up on the marathon training schedule was a small local race called the Milk Run 5K put on by the Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition. Proceeds will be used to benefit local breastfeeding support groups.  This is only the second year for this race and they do a lot of things right!  Their sponsors were encouraged to set up booths at the race creating a festive atmosphere, reusable goodie bags donated by Whole Foods for the race packets, chip timing provided by Ken McSpadden of Mac’s Race Timing Service, and tons of door prizes! Oh yes, and the weather for perfect considering it was mid August in Arkansas. I especially appreciated the 7 am start!

None of the fast girls showed up for this one, so starting out I knew it was going to be me versus the guys or me versus the clock.  I managed to tuck in and hang with the guys for the first mile.  It felt absolutely perfect and every time I checked my watch I was right where I wanted to be pace wise, around 6:35-6:40 ish.  The start of the second mile  soon took us up the east ramp of the Big Dam Bridge and this is where I began to feel the increase in weekly mileage and watch the guys pull away from me. My legs were not fully recovered and mentally I started thinking about how I had not eaten well enough Thursday and Friday to facilitate my recovery. I managed to fight off the negative self talk, push through, and never lost sight of the three guys in front of me, but I couldn’t catch back up to them. Still 4th over all and first female finisher with a final time of 22:07…I’ll take it! Love that instead of a trophy the overall male and female winners were give gift cards from Whole Foods! Woo hoo! Thank you very much!

First Place Female Milk Run 5K 2014. Photo credit: Ken McSpadden of www.macsrts.com

Whole Foods Gift Card: Better than a trophy!

I think my favorite part of this race was being able to run back and find my friend Andi who informed my she was really close to a PR and really close to slowing down! It was so rewarding getting to run with her to the finish line and watch her find the resolve deep within her not to quit! She was rewarded with a 15+ second PR! I have seen Andi give of herself so many times to help other ladies finish a race or a training run. Not a more deserving person of a big PR! I found myself misty eyed and bursting with pride for her!

Reflections

This week I did a lot of reflecting about my own experience with breastfeeding. It is such a great way to get your baby off to a healthy start in life and it increases the mother and child bonding experience.  I nursed my baby for 14 months and aside from colds, he has only been sick twice in his 19 years.  I was also blessed to have the support and encouragement of family and friends as well as the girl who kept him a couple of days a week. While it does take patience and commitment, for me it gave me a much needed chance to sit still and be quiet and to enjoy the time I had with my son. I remember feeling sure that he would probably be the only child I would have and I wanted to take in every moment I could and enjoy him at each stage in his life. Absolutely worth it!

Nursing and Running

I don’t really remember when I went for my first post pregnancy run.  We had a jogging stroller and it seems like he was probably about 8 weeks old when we started running. I had a c-section so I was careful to take it easy. The following recommendations are based on my personal experience:

• Invest in a supportive sports bra or two.
• Drink, drink, and drink lots of water. You need to be hydrated for nursing and for running.
• Continue taking a high quality prenatal vitamins. (I recommend USANA Health Sciences’ Baby Care Prenatal Essentials. Contact me here for more info or how to order.)
• Eat well and remember you will need an additional 300-500 calories for nursing alone so make sure to factor in additional snacks or small meals to support the amount you are running each day.  

What I discovered first hand and while researching for this blog is that inadequate calories and nutrition will not effect your milk and your babies health, but it very likely will effect the nutrition and/or health of the mother.  By the time my son was 10 months old  I was 10 lbs below my  pre-pregnancy weight. When my son was 20 months old I hospitalized for 8 days with a “mystery illness.” Even though I was tested for everything under the sun, I knew that I was simply run down and my immune system was shot from not eating right, being stressed, and not exercising consistently.

I recently spoke with Tia Stone of ArkansasRunnerMom.com who nursed all four of her babies and resumed running after her pregnancies.  Tia said, “Despite the times it was hard or inconvenient, the positives FAR outweigh the challenges. I know that I will never regret this special bonding time I shared with each of them.” Tia also encourages nursing moms that timing is everything when it comes to being able to get in your training runs. She would often wake up 20-30 minutes early to nurse before heading out to run.  

Tia had begun to run more competitively with her youngest child so she was extra careful to stay hydrated and to eat enough. She told me that her milk supply got better with each baby and felt that running had no negative effect on it. Finally, she advises nursing moms who want to maintain their training schedules that when it seems especially challenging to remember the big picture and that your baby will only be a baby for a short period of time, but running will always be there.  Click here to read Tia’s inspirational Little Rock Half Marathon only 7 weeks after the birth of her youngest son, a race she almost missed the start because she was nursing him!

I found useful information on breastfeeding and exercising at KellyMom.com and LaLecheLeague.org. Please remember to always consult with your doctor before starting an exercise program especially when lactating. The advice above from Tia and myself is based on our personal experience and should not be considered a substitute for a doctor’s advice.

Did you run while nursing your little one? Are you currently balancing breastfeeding your baby and a running or exercise regime? If so I’d love to hear about your experience! Leave a comment below and let me know what worked or is working for you and how you overcame any challenges. If you found this post useful please share it with a friend or on Facebook or Twitter!