‘Pregnancy is like training for a marathon’: A first-time mum explains why

All that sleeping, no drinking and healthy eating really takes it toll.

Under any other circumstance you would feel recharged and revitalised, but being in the last trimester of pregnancy is the exception to that. As is training for a marathon. I know this because I completed the mammoth task of running 26.2 miles a few years ago. But even more demanding (and comparable to pregnancy) was the six months of training I was faced with after signing up for the race. Yes, being pregnant is a lot like training for a marathon and I started drawing comparisons between the two when the realisation of how alike they are hit early on in my pregnancy. This helped keep me going during times when I needed an injection of motivation – when the fear began to creep in and get the better of me. Treating pregnancy like marathon training also helped to physically prepare me for labour – so the midwife continued to tell me. However, although I always believed that I would continue with my running while I was pregnant, my beloved Asics didn’t leave the back of the wardrobe for the first three months. When the sickness finally passed so had my fitness levels and I began to follow a more gentle exercise regime of Pilates, swimming and walking, which was much more suited to my expanding waistline and narrowing lung capacity. Paying upfront for a pregnancy Pilates course was all the motivation I needed to never miss a class. Plus, the thought that exercising would help me when in labour (aka race day) was enough incentive to make ensure that I stopped eating chocolate and worked out once in a while; just like signing up for a marathon will see you sticking to your training plan. All the exercising was thirsty work, but it’s soft drinks only where pregnancy and long training runs are concerned. And, as if missing that warm glow of intoxication isn’t enough, you find yourself in the role of designated driver, surrounded by drunk people telling the same story over and over and over again. Falling pregnant at the same time as one of your friends definitely makes the time more enjoyable – someone to share antenatal class hilarities with or ask, “Erm, does this look normal to you?” – but only if the two pregnancies overlap for a substantial amount of time. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in the waiting room alone and your friend returning only to relay birthing-related horror stories, with her new baby in one hand and a supersized glass of wine in the other. The same goes for a marathon buddy. Great for motivation when it’s miserable outside, but if you don’t stick to the same training plan you’re out in the cold on your own because your buddy is already reaping the rewards in a bath full of Epsom salt. Although they may feel like an eternity – pregnancy and training for a marathon – they’re both worth all the hard work in the end. Plus, chances are that you’ll forget what it’s like and decide to go in for another. Yes, soon enough you’ll be cursing yourself for having to do the whole thing again. Vowing, as you approach race day, that this definitely is the last time you’ll put yourself through the ordeal, but secretly loving it all the same.