Well, yesterday may well have been my last run for this pregnancy..

Surprisingly, I still feel fantastic when running thanks to the rather dumb looking, but really helpful Gabrialla medium support maternity belt. My calves are starting to feel the added weight, but that is about it. I think the belt must help keep the brave round ligament supported instead of dealing with constant tugging of baby in utero. It has bought me six extra weeks of running so far from when I was pregnant with Ayo: brilliant!

Side note: if you are looking for a maternity running/hiking/lifting support belt, I would highly recommend this one provided baby isn’t snuggled up in the lower part of your abdomen then (in this position, any belt will feel really uncomfortable). You can adjust it around your waist and then fine-tune adjustment on your back. Just know the sizing runs small and don’t choose the strong support version unless you want the back-brace feel while running. 😉

If anything, the issue has been that I do indeed feel great when I run, thus I tend to run harder. Come on, if you like to run, you know there is not much worse than being passed on a running trail. It somehow doesn’t matter if you are almost in your 3rd tri and pushing an 18 month old in a stroller. 🙂 Don’t worry, I pay for my pride come the morning, when I feel like I have woken up from a car crash. My body’s bones work so hard to compensate for an ever-changing center of gravity that I feel the strain not in my energy levels but in my neck, jaw and lower back. I might or might not have popped a few pain-killers this am before getting out of bed!

I may try to get back out there once or twice more, with someone to remind me to take it easy-peasy-light-and-squeezy but if I don’t, here is my 27 week post-run belly shot from yesterday for posterity’s sake. Both photos were taken on the same day, just from different angles. Crazy what lighting, angles and a 22lb/10kg toddler on your hip will do, eh?

(Sports bra is Moving Comfort Jubralee in Bahama blue. Nursing friendly = awesome product!)

Did you run when you were pregnant? If so, how long did you feel comfortable running for? And, what did you do to stay fit in the final trimester if you were no longer running at that point? Needing some creative fitness ideas. I am not a huge swimmer and walking is getting a little dull…