"Our love for running has joined us in a sisterhood across many miles, states and even continents," says BabyFit member, BURCHA, as she sums up the feelings and experiences of a group who calls themselves The Third Trimester Runners. The online group met in person for the first time in Washington, D.C., to run the Capital Hill Classic 10K together. These six members discovered friendship and inspiration while pursuing a common goal. In their own words, they share their story.
BURCHA: "The Third Trimester Runners are a group of six women who 'met' on the BabyFit Message Boards in October 2006, while all in our third trimester of pregnancy. Five of us are first-time moms. We all ran right up until giving birth and continued our online friendship ever since. We are from all over the world (Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Tampa, DC, and Scotland) and will meet in person for the first time the weekend of the race. We have supported each other through our final moments of pregnancy and our new lives as mommies. Yes, we all went back to running within two weeks of giving birth (four of us after C-sections!). Our love for running has joined us in a sisterhood across many miles, states and even continents. Even though a few of us were nursing various injuries, we all 'sucked it up' and took on this challenge with gusto. Our five baby boys and one baby girl waited for us at the finish line, along with our dear husbands who have supported us through our many ups and downs. We had a great time on race day and during our weekend in D.C." JOWEXLER: "The Third Trimester Runners group has been an excellent support network. We have kept each other motivated throughout pregnancy and the postpartum months. We share a common passion for running and it is quite remarkable that we found each other!" RACHELLARA: "This group has been so important for me during pregnancy and beyond. I moved from Australia to Scotland when my DS was five weeks old and have few friends and no family over here, so they have been a vital support for me during all these months. It was wonderful to meet in person last weekend in D.C. and even more special to run a 10km race together. I ran a PR [personal record]! "I don't think I could have found 5 friends with whom I am so comfortable and have so much in common, if not for BabyFit.com. We hope to stay in touch for a long time and continue to encourage and support each other on the crazy, intense and wonderful path to motherhood." BONUSBABY: "I found BabyFit when I was looking for more information on running through pregnancy--to convince my husband that it was absolutely fine and safe (never mind that we were on baby No. 3 and I ran through two other healthy pregnancies). For a while I just read the threads and was so happy to see that there were other women out there running while pregnant. It is one of the hardest things I've done, but as I'm sure as any of the other five members of our group will tell you, it is a necessity when you are a runner. It can be isolating though because people at the gym and other runners on the streets often automatically assume it's 'not good for the baby.' So this group of women literally became my daily affirmation that I was doing the right thing and it didn't matter how slow I became in those last weeks as long as I was getting out there and doing it. "We became a group that not only ran 'together' but helped get each other through some not-so-fun stuff in the last nine or 10 months as well. One member moving literally halfway around the world with a 5 week old, one dealing with her husband being laid off, two preemies, sleepless nights, breastfeeding--all the other women were so supportive and concerned. One of the preemies was mine. At five-and-a-half weeks early, I had only gained 18 lbs, but he weighed six pounds and two ounces, a weight that the doctor totally attributed to my running, which allowed for a larger placenta and therefore more nutrients going to the baby. "When we met in person, it was like getting together with your long-time friends who you hadn't seen in a while as opposed to meeting strangers. We're already planning next year's event. Even our husbands hit it off! They had found other men who deal with obsessive, type-A women on a daily basis. I wish I had my BabyFit friends during my first two pregnancies!" HUNGRY_HIPPO: "While we're all very different, we share so much. Running gave us an initial bond, but we have gone far beyond that in terms of our friendship. As for motivation, we all have different strengths and I think our main way of motivating each other is by trying to emphasize what each one of us does well." NIKKI.T: "As I am sure you can tell by the smiles on our faces in our photographs [below], we all had a great time in D.C. It was very strange to talk online to five other women for months on end about intimate details of our pregnancies and then to finally meet in person. I think we were all kind of nervous at first. But when we met, it felt as if we were meeting long lost friends. Each and every person in the group has touched me in some way or another. We are all connected by a special bond that I am sure will last a lifetime."  Meeting up in D.C.  3rd Trimester Runners Do you have a Success Story you'd like us to publish on BabyFit? Send your story, along with a photo of you and your baby, to stepfanie@babyfit.com. Submissions should be 500-1,500 words and will be edited for clarity, grammar and tone. |
'We Love Running -- and BabyFit'
10K Serves as Reunion for Active Moms
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