He Said I Couldn’t & So I Did
How I Ran My First Half Marathon While 32 Weeks Pregnant
When I turned 29, I started panicking.
It had suddenly dawned on me that I would be turning 30 in one year and that seemed incomprehensible to me. Wasn’t I just 22?
So I did what most 29 year olds do—I made a list of things to do before I turned 30. It ended up being a pretty small list:
Run a half marathon
For ten years, I said that I wanted to run a half marathon. I went through running phases, did plenty of 5Ks, but just couldn’t get myself to commit to half marathon training.
But I had to do it before I turned 30 or else I would never do it... right?
So I started looking up races and remembered someone somewhere posting about a Disney race.
Disney race? That I could do.
So I started ”training.” I downloaded a half training plan, set off down my sidewalk in $40 New Balances…. and failed miserably. I was struggling to run for 20 minutes. My pace was all over the place, the hills in my neighborhood were out to get me, and I was bored. After about two weeks of this, I took a break… an extended month-long break.
And then—cue the chorus—I met ✨Stephanie✨
There are some people who come into your life and you know instantly that your life will be better for it. This was Stephanie.
I met Stephanie and her husband at community group and knew right away that I wanted to be her friend. Lucky for me, she must have felt the same way, because she and her husband invited Marcus and I to a Braves game.
While we were watching the game, we were sharing bits and pieces about each other. Somehow, the Disney Half Marathon came up.
Stephanie, who would not call herself a runner before then, had always wanted to run that race.
Fate.
And so we started planning it. We made it through ~Registration~ (more on that particular adrenaline rush later), I made an incredibly detailed training schedule and we jumped.
This time, the training stuck.
Until June, when two pink lines showed up on a pregnancy test and my plans ran straight out the door (well-paced, I might add)
I quickly did the math and figured out that I would be 32 weeks pregnant at the time of the half. My first half. That I had already paid a ridiculous amount of money for. That was two months before my 30th birthday
Uhhh….
And so, like a lunatic, my first question for the doctor was “Can I run a half in January?”
The doctor responded with something that altered the course of the next 7 months of my life:
“You technically could, but you probably won’t.”
Well then.
I don’t know about you, but I do not take well to being told I can’t do something. In fact, his words solidified my choice to do this. I left the doctor’s office enraged that he thought I wasn’t capable. And determined to prove him wrong.
From that moment on, every 5am wake up, every mile run in the freezing weather, every aching pelvis and weak bladder became worth it.
Every time I didn’t want to run because the baby was pushing on bones and muscles and organs, I imagined walking into that doctor’s office, finisher medal in hand.
It was not easy. In fact, I stand by the statement that running this half was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
But the thing about hard things is that they are far easier with someone by your side.
But the thing about hard things is that they are far easier with someone by your side.
I constantly had to use the bathroom— Stephanie waited patiently for me, jogging in place.
My knees started feeling every stride— she took my mind off of it by starting a discussion about the book we were reading.
I wanted to quit mile 4— Stephanie started problem solving, leading us to join a pace group that helped me finish the race.
Shoutout to this guy, who co-led the pacer group we joined. You helped me keep going. Thank you.
Disney races are famous for many things, one among them being the Balloon Ladies. In order to clear out the highway in time for park opening, Disney requires a 16 min/mile pace. The balloon ladies are the sweepers of the race, keeping everyone going on time. If you slip behind them, the game’s over and they bus you out.
And shoutout to this guy for making us cackle— spectators, YOU are the true heroes <3
We had many encounters with the Balloon Ladies.
At one point, I was in the port-a-potty (again) when people started shouting:
“The balloon ladies are coming, the balloon ladies are coming!!”
Do you know how hard it is to hustle as a pregnant lady? It’s pretty dang hard. I quick put everything back on and busted out of the port-a-potty— only to see, to my horror, the balloon ladies gaining on us.
But, I am happy to report, we ran as fast as our little tushies could handle it and put some much space between us and them.
In the end, we crossed that finish line. I got my medal and eagerly showed my doctor. His shock and praise felt almost as good as crossing the finish line. Almost.
That finish line feeling… there is nothing like it.
I was, and still am, so proud of myself. I ran that half marathon before I turned 30. I crossed the finish line 32 weeks pregnant.
And I got to say:
“I definitely can.”
I did it
Xoxo
-A
