Mile Markers: 36 Weeks Pregnant

At 36 weeks pregnant, the biggest symptom I notice with running (or any type of exercise) is how much I sweat. I’ll finish a short run and be drenched. Yes, the humidity is a factor, but it’s mostly due to the furnace that my body has turned into. Other women told me about how hot you feel during the final month, and my experience has matched theirs. 

I eagerly welcomed the drop in temperature and humidity over the weekend. Especially compared to the 90-97% humidity early in the week, temperatures in the high 50s with just 70-something percent humidity felt amazing! 

Monday: 30 minute run

It was so humid! With 95% humidity, I kept my run on the short side. The humidity is the biggest limiting factor for my running right now. I shuffled my way through 3.2 miles and was sweating buckets by the end. 

Tuesday: 25 min prenatal Pilates

It was a hot and humid morning, so I opted to do Pilates instead. Now that we have a treadmill, I like to strength train or do Pilates while Ryan runs. 

Wednesday: 40 min run

There was a thick fog and about 97% humidity when I headed out on my run. I kept my expectations low and told myself to walk if I did not feel great. Surprisingly, I felt good. I don’t look at my pace while I run and keep an easy effort on all runs right now. After the first mile, I ran 9:13 for both mile 2 and 3 – and then hit 8:45 for the fourth mile! It’s not often that I see a sub-9 pace anymore and I was really, really happy about that. I finished off with a few more minutes until I reached 40 minutes. 

Thursday: 6.2 mile run

I really don’t know when my last “long run” of pregnancy will be, so I try to make sure every time I run for a bit longer, it’s a positive experience. I don’t want my last longer run for several months to feel like a slog. I felt pretty good on this run, so I ran a 10K – and finished in 59 minutes, without any walk breaks! Given the warmer weather and humidity, I was really happy with how this run felt. 

Aerobically, I felt fine on this run. My muscles began to feel fatigued near the end. Afterward, I felt similar to how I used to feel after a 90 minute to 2 hour run – not wiped, but definitely more tired than normal. 

Friday: 50 minute walk

 I took advantage of the noticeably cooler weather to take the dogs on a long walk through a nearby park. We walked early to avoid golfers (it’s both a public park and a municipal golf course) and had the park to ourselves – except for a family of deer! 

Saturday: 5 mile run

After several busy weekends in a row, Ryan and I finally got to enjoy a leisurely Saturday morning together. We ran five miles and ended at our favorite coffee shop downtown for breakfast. This run felt so good – it was mild and breezy. We packed warm-up layers and shopping bags in our Ultimate Direction packs, so then we were able to shop at the farmer’s market and walk just over a mile home. 

Sunday: 2.6 mile walk

The weather was still beautiful, so Ryan and I took the dogs on a long walk on the trails at a local park. We’ve done trail runs through part of this park and used this walk to explore some unfamiliar trails. 

Linking up with Weekly Rundown!

How was your week in running?
Did you enjoy cooler weather this weekend?