Meet Mikayla! She's Running after Baby!

RUNNING AFTER BABY...
In More Ways Than One!



I love running. I love any distance from 5ks to ultra marathons. Running is a cheap form of exercise with high results in terms of weight loss. For me, it’s a great way to deal with stress and continuously set new goals. When I found out I was pregnant last year, one of my worries was how I would continue running. The answer: with some difficulty, especially in the later months of the third trimester as I got bigger and my pace became slower.
8 months pregnant at Enchanted Rock




Everyone told me throughout my pregnancy that once I had my baby the weight would drop off quickly, especially since I continued running and exercising until I gave birth. I didn’t believe those people and it was a good idea I was skeptical because, unfortunately, that was not the case. A good chunk of the weight did disappear, by disappear I mean came screaming out of me in the form of my son Connor, but when all was said and done at the 6 week postpartum checkup I was still 15 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. Being a runner means I, of course, started running before I got the okay from my OBGYN. This was not a smart idea. They tell you to wait to do any strenuous exercise for a reason. You just went through a major surgery. If someone just had their appendix removed would you think it would be a good idea for them to go out for a run a couple weeks post-surgery? No. Runners are a hard headed bunch.
I suffered some injuries and strains from trying to run too soon and ended up having to wait a bit longer than six weeks before I could start my journey to get back into racing shape. Connor added some time limitations into the mix and also limitations of when and where I could exercise. Basically, as I’m sure every new parent finds out very quickly, bringing a baby with you somewhere adds on at least an extra 30-45 minutes to the time it takes you to get out the door. It can be very discouraging at times and the easier option is always to stay home on the couch watching reality television.
A great start to get anyone motivated to exercise is to have a very specific goal to be met in a specific time frame. My goal of course is a race. Not just any race, but a race I would be really excited to run and something that my family and I could all enjoy. I picked the Austin 10/20. It’s 10 miles, 20 bands, 1 band every ½ mile. My goal is to run it in 1hour 30minutes. That would be a 9 minute mile pace. I am 13 weeks postpartum now and I have been running consistently 5 days a week for the past 3 weeks and have been exercising consistently probably for the past 5 weeks. I am building a solid base and trying to take things slow. My plan is to stick to a training plan that includes speed intervals and cross training.
This blog will follow my training to reach my goal at the Austin 10/20. Wish me luck!

Check out the Austin 10/20!


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