Here are a few things that have helped me when it started to get physically harder:
Investing in a support belt: I have been running with a belt called FitSplint, which so far has made it pretty comfortable to keep running while my belly is growing. The person who told me about the belt suggested I started wearing it earlier than I thought I would need to. The first few times I tried it was still too hot. By the time the BBB run came around in early March, I wanted to wear it, but again the heat was an issue. After the run, the muscles in my lower abs were a little bit sore, and decided it was time to start wearing it more often. Since then, I haven’t gone without it. It takes a lot of the weight of my bump, which is obviously going to get bigger, but at the moment means I haven’t had any discomfort in my core or back.
Remembering to stretch and roll: While I haven’t had any back or pelvic discomfort, the same can’t be said for my feet! I was in the mindset of since my running volume and speed has been decreased, I didn’t need to do as much stretching. Not the case! I’ve had issues with my heels on and off for the last couple of years, and they have flared up again recently. Finding a few extra minutes to stretch and do my strength exercises has made a huge difference.
Cross training: When my heels started to hurt recently, I switched some of my running days for cycling. Having the option to do an alternative, low impact exercise gave me a way to keep up some activity but give me a bit of extra recovery so I could run again the next day. I’m lucky to have a bike at home, but this could also be done at the gym, or swapped for swimming if there is a pool nearby.
