Pregnancy Running – 15 Weeks

I wrote a general outline of running during my 1st trimester of pregnancy, but from here on out, I plan to post more details about my training runs each week.

It is not my goal to be setting any PRs during this time. Instead, it is my goal to maintain as much of my fitness as I can through my pregnancy in hopes of setting new PRs post-pregnancy. I also know exercise is important during this time, and I’ve heard it can help with delivery, which sounds good to me.

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This last week was a very good week of workouts. Of course they aren’t pre-pregnancy times and distances, but considering the circumstances, I was really happy with how my workouts went this past week. (And since I am no longer working under a coach anymore, I can share more details about my workouts.)

Week 15 Pregnancy – Weekly Mileage (April 28 – May 3)

Monday – 8 miles/1:06

I did my first track workout since week 6 of the pregnancy. It went well considering I am pregnant. I ran 4 x 400 meters, 1600 meters, and 4 x 400 meters. (See this post for my splits.) My times definitely started dropping off towards the end, but I was still happy to get some good leg turn-over under my belt.

Tuesday – 6.5 miles/55:11

Good run and fun to run in the sun. My pace is about 8:30 these days for my normal running/jogging pace. This is about 30 seconds slower per mile than normal. I can (mentally) accept this pace after running 9:00/9:30 miles during the first trimester.

Wednesday – 7.5 miles/1:04

This run didn’t go quite as well. I had to stop and walk 4 times, but at least I can still run, right?

Thursday – 5 miles/38:51

Progressively faster run based on heart rate. I started out with my heart rate between 130-140 bpm and increasing 10 bpm every mile, working up to 170-180 bpm. My average heart rate each mile: 134, 150, 156, 166, 168, 172 and my splits: 8:12, 7:57, 7:34, 7:45, 7:21. (Mile 3 was faster due to a long section of downhill.) This was a good workout for me and one that I think it good to do during pregnancy since it is based on heart rate and not times.

Friday – 5 miles/46:20

This was a really tough run. I was dragging at 9:15 minute miles. I’m not exactly sure why I was running more slowly. I was on my feet for several hours at work the previous day, but it could also be due to the fact I have been running more mileage this week.

Saturday – off

I was going to do my long run today but woke up much more tired than usual. And after being on my feet at work all day on Friday, I felt like my legs needed a break.

Sunday – 13 miles/1:49

Not the best long run but not the worst either. I had to take a handful of walk breaks due to slight GI distress or minor pangs in my gut. Any time this happened I would stop a walk for a few minutes and stretch until I felt better since I didn’t want to take any risks that may harm the baby. I was more than ready to turn around at any point if any of these discomforts persisted.

Total: 45 miles

Hi, I'm Michelle

I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my two boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been blogging here since 2010 when I ran my first marathon. I finally secured my sub-3 hour marathon after trying for 8 years.

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6 Comments

  1. 5.5.14
    dawn @ running the dawn said:

    awesome! i can’t believe that you did any amount of speed work whilst preggers. very impressive!

  2. 5.5.14

    That’s a great week! Love the heart rate training idea.

  3. 5.6.14
    Krissie J said:

    I will happily take your 13 mile time for my next half, thank you. 😉

  4. 5.6.14
    Meghan said:

    Ahh, running while pregnant – a completely different experience! I ran up to about 28 weeks. I ran a 7 mile charity race at the end of August. After that race i decided i was done running until baby came. It was a hard decision to make, but it was the best. It just wasn’t fun anymore. My body ached in ways i didn’t know was possible, and the GI issues – well, they were a problem! Keep going strong and enjoy yourself!! You are already ahead of the game physically, remember your body is working overtime and using all of your resources to make this new little life. it was hard for me to accept this, but when your body is ready to slow down, you will know! Congratulations!!