Goodbye, Gasparilla Marathon

At last my OB appointment, I asked my doctor for her approval to run the very last ever Gasparilla marathon.  After all, I’ve already ran two marathons and four half marathons and felt my body could handle it.  If I took the full 7 hours to alternate between running and walking, I should be fine.  Right?

Wrong. As a runner herself, my OB did not approve.  She felt the strenuous activity would not only deplete my body of the necessary nutrients but deplete the baby’s nutrients as well.  She also told me that such a strenuous physical activity could impact my bladder which would lead to surgery in the near future.

She recommended I slow down and shorten my distances and I picked her brain to find out just how short.

“Could I do a half marathon or a 15 K?”

“You’ll want to really cut back on the miles.”

“Like 6?”

“Like no more than 3 and even that is pushing it given your history of vaginal births and prolapse surgery in your family history.”

Ironically, in the past few weeks, my body seemed to agree with my doctor.  These days, it’s becoming increasing difficult to run 3 miles.  And as much as I really wanted to run in the last Gasparilla marathon, it seems I will have to set my sights on another marathon goal after I deliver this baby.

But having a running goal keeps me focused and now I am trying to decide if I should run in the Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K.  I have several  friends registered in the 5K and races are so much more fun with friends, but I worry about the crowds and my adrenaline.  Will my adrenaline kick in and I’ll want to run faster than I should?

To avoid late fees, today is the last day to pre-register for Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K, but  I can’t decide if I want to run/walk the 5K with my friends or stay in bed with my bladder.

5 comments

  1. Lindsay says:

    LOL – mrethananelectrician! 🙂

    Man – you are one ambitious woman! Just reading about how much you WANT to run makes me tired…I’m not there yet. I’m getting CLOSER to wanting to run some race, but still not there.

    Carry on – carry on.

    Wow!

  2. kimert says:

    I know you must be bummed or maybe it’s a bitter sweet feeling! I know that when I get told to slow down or stop for a period of time I get frustrated. I’m sure it is different considering your pg and all though. Hang in there, do what your body (and the dr) says and pick up where you left off when it’s time! 🙂 Good luck!

Comments are closed.