On the Run!

A New Mom Shares Her
Joy of Running

By Jenn Director Knudsen

It's 4:45 a.m., and I hear my baby girl crying in the room next door. I know she's hungry, but I just want her to sleep another two hours, another hour, even another half-hour more. I let five minutes pass, which is a long time to listen to a baby whose tummy is growling.

I tell myself I'll nurse her and then go straight back to bed. I leave my slumbering husband, David, in bed, put on my robe, reach for my water bottle and pad down the hall to Alyssa's room. As I nurse her, I feel the fatigue dissipate, and my brain slowly crackle to life.

I'm not returning to bed, I think, as I change my daughter's diaper before putting her back in her crib. She'll sleep at least another two hours. Not me. I'm going running.

Before I got pregnant and spent much of the pregnancy on modified bed rest due to various complications, mornings were mine. I always set my alarm early so I could go for at least a half-hour jog before work. Nothing made me feel more alert, centered or calm than a morning run while my husband and most others – save for the other early bird joggers – continued sleeping.

The days I didn't run before work I spent in a lethargic fog, not nearly as productive or sharp on the job.

While pregnant, I happily followed doctor's orders, as my number-one priority was the health of my baby. What did a little lethargy matter then? But once I gave birth to Alyssa, I couldn't wait until I was healed enough to lace up my running shoes and head out for my first postpartum jog.

After nine months of very little physical activity, my body protested that first run. My muscles had turned to relative mush, and my stamina had all but disappeared. Ten minutes into it, I had to call it quits. But I vowed to build back up to my former recreational jogger self.

And I did.

I never knew what running really meant to me before I became a mom. Now, running in the morning is so much more than a chance to collect my thoughts on the day ahead.

Want to see more?

• Walking for Life
• Fitting Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule
• Belly, Back and Bottom: Your Postpartum Restoration Plan
• Off the Wall Fitness: Your Home is All the Support You Need!
• "No Time" Fitness: Once Baby Arrives, a Little Fitness Goes a Long Way
• Don't Have Time to Exercise? Of Course You Do!
• Talk about it!