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5-months-preggo Alexia with her 3-year-old daughter
Now is our time to catch up with Alexia Vondrachek, 30, of Shawnee Mission, Kansas: With this fast momma 9-months pregnant, there’s hope we might be about the same speed.
Most recent run: Four months ago, when I was 5 months pregnant, I ran on a lovely treadmill at 24Hour Fitness. I resorted to the ease of a treadmill so I could run as fast as possible while keeping my heart rate where it should be. My next run will be May 18, when I’m cleared to exercise post C-section.
Post-baby, can’t run without: My Road ID. I love it for making me feel safe when I run with the kid(s). I have a rare chronic medical condition called mastocytosis that requires me to wear medical identification, so yeah!, for Road ID. Oh, and my inhaler, too. I’m a pack rat on the road, which is why my BOB stroller is so nice. Oh yeah, I guess I’ll be bringing this new baby with me when he’s old enough. I mean, if I am going to push the BOB, it really should have a baby in it, or I’ll get some funny looks on the trail.
PR you’re most proud of: 21:46 for the Mother’s Day 5K. It was my first time placing in a race (1st in my age group) and also the first time I won a prize. Before that race, I was complaining to my husband that I needed some new running shoes and wondering where we were going to get the money. Then I won my age group and the prize was a gift certificate to a sporting goods store. I think I’ll complain more often before a race!
Secret to your speed: I LOVE speedwork. I love the track. I just can’t get enough of it. My asthma sets me back a bit, but it’s so lovely and feels so free to sprint. After battling my illness for several years and not being able to exercise, I simply want to run to the ends of the earth and do it fast!
Running mantra: “Get it all out on the road.”
Oreos post-run: Yes or no? No way in heck! Maybe a beer.
Follow this mother: With baby #2 arriving any day, Alexia is too busy to blog, but check out what else she’s up to: www.agraphicartist.etsy.com
Alexia (L) with her pregnant sister, Natasha, due 10 weeks apart
another mother runner 
I enjoyed this post. I’m 39+ weeks pregnant and really miss running… it’s driving me crazy to be so sedentary! I haven’t been able to run since early in my second trimester and I’ve already signed up for a fall half-marathon to get back into it. My questions for your running mamas are:
How soon after childbirth did you return to running? Do you have any suggestions for how to safely increase distance during the first few months back? Did or does running have an impact on breastfeeding? THANKS!
Hey Sara–
Congrats on your impending babe. I started a link on Facebook about running after pregnancy: if you haven’t joined the Run Like A Mother: The Book group, join it and there are a range of answers about how soon people started running after giving birth. As for the other questions, take it slowly. I started with 20 minutes of walk/jogging around 6 weeks post-birth, and incrementally increased from there, until I could run about 45 minutes straight. Which was probably about 4 months after giving birth. Your body has done a huge job creating and carrying and birthing the baby, and, in my opinion, you have to give it some recovery time. So get out there, but be nice to yourself. A fall half-marathon is definitely do-able, though; as is breastfeeding while running. Again, I’m not an expert, but I’d recommend making sure you have a good nursing routine established before you start running seriously. I found pumping before I went out made it physically easier (nothing like hauling a pair of Dolly Partons around) and mentally easier too, as I knew my kids had milk if they needed it.
Thanks for your good questions; we’ll cover those topics more in depth in the future on RLAM! (And there’s a chapter on post-pregnancy running in the book, fyi.)
Good luck and take care!