Customer Reviews

Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found this book to be easy to read and full of advice based on the latest studies. I enjoyed the book because it is the most comprehensive reference on current information about running and pregnancy I have found.

The book is written by a woman who has run with two pregnancies, and is full of stories from other women who have run with their pregnancies. It talks about their experiences, motivations, and suggestions/cautions. The book also provides material about how running and conception interact, diet, strengthening exercises, stretching, and the truth about aerobic exertion during pregnancy.

As a runner, I think the book is an excellent addition to my pregnancy book collection, and recommend it to all similar runners who are thinking about or have become pregnant.

This is a fun book that details briefly the changes that happen to your body during pregnancy and focuses on the runners body. The author had first hand experience of running throughout her pregnancy. The factual data is supported by 2 page case studies of women runners who had children. Some of them ran all the way through, some switched to cross training and some had to stop. There is a whole spectrum of experiences.

It is an inspirational and supportive book, and helped me get through my exercise on days when I did not feel like it. I also passed it on to my mother when she had issues about my exercise .I recommend it to any runner thinking about having a baby.

I picked up Running and Pregnancy before we even started trying to conceive so that I would be educated about my exercise choices once we achieved a pregnancy. I am pleased to say that this book is very realistic and doen-to-earth. They debunk some of the exercise myths (don't let your heart rate get above 140) and provide reasonable guidelines to active pregnant women. I am almost 16 weeks, still running strong and look forward to continuing to run through my pregnancy.

I loved this book. I'm not really sure where the reviewer who thought the book was akin to a "trashy" women's magazine is coming from. This book is definitely not for the woman who has never run, but wants to start when she gets pregnant. That is most certainly foolish, but for seasoned runners, this book great! If only to encourage you and help you set reasonable, but rewarding goals. I can't tell you how many times in my 2nd and 3rd trimester I chanted to myself "pregnant mile." Going from one of the fasted women in my group to one of the slowest would have been a really bitter pill, if not for the book. The book simply gave me the foresight that my scatterbrain self would never have seen. If you are a runner, and need some support through you pregnancy runs, this book is perfect.

First of all (and I have to say this inspired by a last review I read): this is not a book for women who decided to start running after they got pregnant- it's aimed towards women who are already above the average active.
I found it extremely useful since I'm a semi-pro athlete and was worried about exercising while pregnant- now I'm 29 weeks along and I plan on running as long as I can. I am adjusting my level of exercise to my pregnancy weeks of course, this is not a period of your life for setting records and testing your limits.

To all mom-to-be runners: use the second trimester the best you can- it's amazing how as soon as I hit the 3rd my body just slowed down and is asking for more rest. Listen to your bodies. :)

I stopped running when I became pregnant but this book helped me to get back to it. The basic advice is to run at a comfortable pace, slowing to a walk if you are so out of breath you can't talk and stopping if you feel dizzy, etc. I appreciated the stories of the women in the book who have run though multiple pregnancies and are realistic about expectations of when to get back to racing.

I didn't find anything really new or useful in this book. it was ok if you've never read Runners World, but it was brief and not very helpful. I liked Exercise Throughout your Pregnancy much better than this book.

I really like this book. I TTC but I'm also a runner. I was very happy to know you can be pregnant and run at the same time. I thought running was a taboo for pregnant ladies. It shows you step by step by month on how to run, eat, etc. GREAT book!!

This book was well-intentioned and definitely has an audience for whom it's appropriate. I bought it along with Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James CLAPP, III, MD. The latter is by far the superior book, in my opinion. The thing that I don't like about the Runner's World Guide is that it isn't written by a healthcare professional. For many readers, this may be a good thing, but for me, after having just read Exercising Through Your Pregnancy, it left me feeling a lack of confidence in the author. She seems quite nice and personable and to have done great research, but I'm a para-health care professional, and I found Dr. CLAPP's book to talk down to me far less than this one did. I like to be presented with well-researched facts, preferably ones that the author themself has researched, and then with opinions formed from gathering those facts together.

Chris LUNDGREN used an admirably wide variety of sources, but I disagreed with some of her conclusions and actually felt discouraged about prenatal exercise by reading some of what she had to say, and this was early on in the book. I don't like to be told unequivocally not to do something (such as intervals or hill repeats) unless the person doing the telling has some pretty strong proof to back it up. I also don't need to be instructed in what to do. Just give me your research findings and recommendations and leave the decision-making to me.

If you're not a healthcare professional or someone who has been athletic and well-read in the areas of diet, fitness, nutrition, and human performance for many years, this book may be great for you. If you are, you may want to give it a try, but may also find that it's a bit more negativity than you need in your pregnancy. For me, as a 40-year-old primigravida female to whom exercise and fitness are very important, this book did not give me the right vibe. There are already too many ultraconservative, marginally informed sources of prenatal exercise advice available out there. This book will be going to Goodwill.

I am pregnant for the first time and had so many conflicting views on whether I could run, how long I could run, how fast I could run, whether I pay attention to my heart rate or respiratory rate....it was overwhelming. All I knew is that I ran before my pregnancy and wanted to continue while I was pregnant as long as it was safe for the baby. THIS book was perfect for me and anyone out there that has these same questions/issues. It is absolutely a good thing to run while you are pregnant (as long as you arent high risk). This book is great as it describes how and why it is ok to run, when it is not ok to run, and describes each month- how you will feel, how running will feel, etc. Easy to read and so informative. GREAT book! Definitely recommend it!!!