Wow, I may have run a half-marathon pregnant, but I bow down to Amber Miller, who ran a FULL marathon FULLY pregnant. She was so pregnant that she gave birth later that night. As one does. (She finished running, grabbed a sandwich and pushed a baby out.) What a day!
According to the Chicago Tribune, she ran and walked even as contractions started kicking in toward the end of the race. Her doctor okayed the whole thing. Baby June was born at 10:29 p.m. the same night as the race. See the video: Amber Miller and her marathon baby.
Funny thing (for me) is that her race time while pregnant was almost the same as my Chicago marathon not pregnant: I did mine in just over six hours ten years ago.
Heck, I didn’t even run during my pregnancy past the 15 week half marathon triumph. I woulda, but I didn’t.
So, what do you think? Crazy, awesome, or crazy awesome?!
[photo of Amber Miller and baby June by Chuck Berman, Chicago Tribune / October 10, 2011]
It’s awesome…until somebody’s husband says something stupid like, “Hey, that woman in Chicago ran a marathon, grabbed some dinner, and had a baby, all in one day. What’s YOUR problem?” HAHA
(This is a different Amber in Chicago, by the way.)
Amber above makes a great point
It seems crazy to me, but then I didn’t run at all during my pregnancy so my body was/is totally different than hers! It was hard enough to go on long walks with that huge belly… but she was able to run a MARATHON! WHA??? Hey, she did it and had a healthy baby, so clearly my CRAZY is her AWESOME!
Crazy awesome for sure!
I think it is awesome! I stayed in decent shape during my pregnancy but stopped my major working out for fear of doing something wrong. I’m trying to get back into shape now. So wishing I had her courage to just get out there and do it! I will keep on trucking the next pregnancy if all goes well.
In her interview she says that her doctor okayed the half marathon. That is my only side eye to this whole deal.
I do think it’s great that women have been keeping in shape during their pregnancies, but let’s remember this woman is an exception, not a rule. A regular gym rat before my pregnancy, nearly passing out on the elliptical taught me to scale it back. I work at a gym and I can tell you that I know a few pregnant women who stress out about every pound they gain (which is clearly all baby) and it makes me sad to see them struggle like that rather than enjoying their pregnant shape.
That is very awesome. Congrats to her and the baby. She is the perfect example of a strong woman.
[...] a year: Run a marathon (or at least a half-marathon. If Amber Miller can do it while pregnant, I can do it after giving [...]
Running a marathon is awesome. Doing so while pregnant, not so awesome. I’ve seen marathon runners lose control of their bowels and urinary function near the end of the race and show symptoms of dehydration and extreme exhaustion.
Of course this woman went into labor after the marathon, the baby couldn’t have been getting it’s needs met when her blood, fluids and other resources were going to support her body while she was running. It’s not a safe thing to do for the baby. I hate to think of the longterm effects to the mom too. Many cultures, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, have long resting and recovery periods for mothers after they give birth. They need to rebuild their blood supply, let their organ function go back to normal, let their hearts rest, etc. These resting periods are so that women can rebuild and live long lives. And that’s for a woman who has taken it easy during her pregnancy.
A marathon is a great drain on a body. Running a marathon while already being drained puts a double strain on a precious and sensitive system.
my wife and I couldn’t have even one child, and you suckers all praise this hard-headed tramp. That’s why it’s such a sick world, because all the wrong people are always honored.
As far as what her doctor said, doctors are responsible for patients in terms of their profession and the rest is up to the patients to use their own heads. They are busy, under stress, and have many other patients too treat throughout the day. Is he/she supposed to get caught up in an argument with a determined athlete who is likely to put sports first anyway? He/she probably just responded the best possible way in order to move onward.