My name is Tania. During my first pregnancy I ran until I was about two months; but I did not know I was pregnant at that time. My Doctor encouraged me to continue with my running, but, because it was my first pregnancy, I thought I would rather stay safe and just enjoy the pregnancy without complications.

During my second pregnancy I was more confident to run. I had an excellent and uncomplicated first pregnancy as I did I in my second one. In fact, I love the idea of being pregnant.

Now with running: if you were a runner before you don’t need to stop running because you expecting; as confirmed by my Doctor. Of course, if you were never a runner, pregnancy is not the time to start running or do any form of strenuous exercises.

As you know being at risk for any sort of medical conditions during pregnancy can even halt any runner from running. Always consult your Doctor.

The advice I was given during pregnancy was to make sure to stay hydrated during my races or training runs, which I did. Apparently this was to maintain nutrients through the blood and prevent preterm labour. Controlling your body temperature is more important than ever during pregnancy. At the same time, it was important for me to watch my heart rate – which shouldn’t beat very fast – and to not have any shortness of breath.

While all of this was taken care of by me, I enjoyed the attention it brought. People and my fellow running colleagues were in awe and could not believe this big, huge belly running a race with them. It’s been nearly seven years and, to this day, I still hear people talk about me running during my pregnancy.

I did my last race and I was nine months pregnant

It was wonderful, easy, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The last race I did was the Two Oceans Fun Run eight kilometres on the 21 March 2008 and my little one was born on the 15 April.

Yes, I did my last race and I was nine months pregnant already. I would have continued running, but my doctor advised me to stop and give my body a break and prepare myself for birth.

I must admit, it was difficult to stop doing something I love. I believe some women can run up until the last weeks of pregnancy, while others need to stop before then. They ask “how will you know when it’s time?”

My answer is that your body will probably send you a signal. That’s how women were manufactured by the big guy upstairs.

So what can I say about running during pregnancy? – Bring it on!