Published: 30th September 2025
Deviating from the marathon and ultra running posts for a little bit, since ultra distances are taking a back seat until next year… I have some goals for 2026, and some bigger goals for 2027, which I may make more public in posts to come… But for now, I will just write about what running looks like currently. Very, very different to how it looked for the first 5 months of the year! Distinctly average not-quite-anywhere-near-ultra running.
After getting that positive pregnancy test, I foolishly promised myself that I would keep up the running in a way that resembled the training I’d already been doing until I couldn’t anymore. I thought that the only real obstacle to me keeping it up would be the big belly towards the end of the 9 months getting in the way and becoming uncomfortable to run with. Oh how naive I was! Around 5 weeks pregnant was Endure24, and besides being a bit more tired than normal, my running really didn’t feel much different. My legs felt good, my fitness felt good, I wanted to run more but tried to be sensible. The following week I was back in Copenhagen and running still felt good, although I do remember getting some sore and unexpected achilles pain after one unsuspecting run.
A couple of weeks later, I felt like a whole new, worse version of myself. The achilles pain was still lingering, but what was more problematic was the incredibly painful cramp that had set in to the deep calf muscle in my left leg. Not just a mild, quick passing cramp. This cramp made itself at home like an unwanted squatter. It was not leaving. After nearly a week, I ended up visiting the GP surgery I was in so much pain, told them I was also pregnant, and the reply was “ohhh, well if you’re pregnant then cramp is just one of the symptoms”. I was not aware such bad cramp was such a common pregnancy symptom! And they gave me no fix for it! But I have since been told my many other people that they also got bad cramp when pregnant. It really stopped me in my tracks, and with the fatigue that only seemed to be getting worse, I think I had several weeks in a row running only once or twice, and those runs felt pitiful. Any effort or any heat, and my heart rate would spike aggressively.
Round came the 12 week scan, a 2 week holiday, and the second trimester. The 12 week scan was all good (phew), the 2 week holiday was where I learnt that magnesium tablets seemed to very effectively alleviate my cramp (not medical advice), and the second trimester beginning did not magically remove all the unpleasant symptoms I had like the social media influencers and other internet sources had promised. Rude. But we did have a lovely holiday once I got the cramp under control, even if I did spend a decent amount of time complaining or sourcing the next meal. Sorry guys, I don’t like feeling ill. I couldn’t tolerate being hungry. And turns out I also don’t like the heat when pregnant…
With the magnesium tablets on hand and the cramp situation under control, I’m pleased to say the running has now returned to a more acceptable level. The time off in the first trimester, and the little space invader I now carry around with me has significantly slowed my pace, but running is for sure more comfortable and enjoyable again. Our 20 week scan showed no abnormalities, so I decided to treat myself to a little Knutsford 10k entry. It’s a race I’ve run before, and a very enjoyable one at that. The course is pancake flat, not that I was gong for a PB or anything (unless PB now stands for pregnancy best), and scenic. Our good running pal Craig came to stay and had some lofty goals for the race. Alex was mainly just heading out because it’s a lovely course and because he promised Craigh that he would.
Race morning could not have bought much more optimal running conditions. Not too hot, not too cold, no real wind, no rain, no scorching sun. Pretty perfect if you’re chasing a quick time! Or pregnant and excessively hot most of the time. I was vaguely hoping to run under an hour, so lined up on the start between the 57:30 and 60:00 pacers. There are numerous pacers for the event from 35:00 up to 70:00. The 35:00 pacer must be a damn fast runner. Surely you have to really back yourself to be confident to pace 35:00 with the flag on your back… I did not see the 35:00 pacer again once the gun went.
To my surprise, when we set off, my pelvis had not a single ache. I’ve been struggling with some hip/pelvis pain after running – not bad enough to stop, but enough that running 2 days in a row isn’t particularly comfortable. Without pain, I was feeling good! Legs felt nice, lungs felt good, I was having a lovely time. I was keeping an eye on my heart rate, as I’m not too comfortable with it getting into the red zone at the moment. I’ve read that running should stay out of zone 5 when pregnant, so that’s what I’m sticking to. I definitely don’t want to be in zone 5 for a full 10km. Even not pregnant, I think I would feel rough after doing that!
The first couple of km’s are gently up hill; a nice little warm up. There is very slight elevation loss, then gain over the middle few km’s, but really not noticeable. The final couple of km’s retraces the road we set out on earlier, so is very slightly down hill. The roads are closed, and despite being quite a popular race, I don’t think it felt crowded at any point. I was running for the first 4km with the 57:30 pacer a little down the road. I wanted to catch him, but I didn’t want to push too much early on and have to walk later. I bided my time and started reeling him in between 5-6km. I passed him and those gathered around with maybe 3.5km to go, and hoped he’d stay behind me for the rest of the race. He did. It was actually very hard not to get swept along in the final 2.5km. Other runners started to push on, and my legs were feeling nice, but it was too easy for my HR to creep over my limit I’d set for myself, so I kept the pace under control. With about 1.2km to go, Craig-speedy-legs-Wescott appeared running his cool-down in the opposite direction and did a u-turn to run next to me for about 1km. My pregnant race pace was probably slower than his standard cool-down pace, but he didn’t complain. Craig-speedy-legs-Wescott had just absolutely smashed his target out of the park and his 36:50-something goal became a 36:19 PB! Probably should have tried a bit harder and gone sub-36… Massive kudos to him all the same. He swung off the course just before the finish, where Alex and his phone recording were waiting. Now thanks to him, I know exactly what I look like when running at the moment. It is not what I’d call graceful… but it’s forward at least…
The final time was 56:22, so much faster than I had expected. I was chuffed with that. I collected my medal, which may or may not be hung in the baby’s room when they arrive… Perhaps as a little something to encourage them towards the sport I love so much… The finish times for the three of us were satisfyingly almost exactly spaced 10 minutes apart, with Alex finishing around 46:20. Jammy sod – I swear if he actually did some dedicated training, he’d be lightening-fast. He seems to get speedy times from plodding around with me at my pregnant lady pace! Or from no training at all in previous years! Anyway, all in all, it was a lovely morning out enjoyed by all. I would thoroughly recommend Knutsford 10k for anyone looking for a speedy road race without massive crowds. It’s a delightful village route.
I have one more 10km entered before the end of the year, which I’m hopeful I’ll still be able to run. Watch this space for more pregnant running chronicles…
Distinctly Average Ultra Runner 