*Guest Post* Ultra-running + Pregnancy

Please welcome Amy to the blog today.  She is actually a friend of a friend and the owner of Jackson Hole Packrafts and Rentals (more on that coming soon....)  In our brief exchanges via phone and email, I knew she would have something great to contribute here!  This post is a little "rewind in time" so make sure to check out her full bio at the end!  As always, comments and discussion are welcome and appreciated! 

Location of my bachlorette party

Our campsite was the quintessential spot for an IFOT – a term used locally by photographers standing for "In Front of Tetons". We pitched our tents on the bluffs of Shadow Mountain, taking in the clear skis and peaceful surroundings.

Four lovely ladies joined me on this camping excursion. They schlepped borrowed tents, bottles of wine and a chocolate cake made in a bread pan, with two muffins perched on top.  It only took a little convincing to move my bachelorette party from Jackson Hole’s bustling bars out to the serene Gros Ventre camping area directly across from the Tetons.

It helped that I had a rock solid excuse for not drinking a sip of any concoctions my friends would otherwise dream up: I’m five months pregnant.

That magical evening on Shadow Mountain helped to quench a thirst that’s been building in me all summer for my beloved outdoors.  When I first learned I was pregnant, my second thought was, "what will happen to my ultrarunning?" (My first thought was panicked excitement).

That’s how whole-heartedly devoted I was to ultras. I had structured my whole summer around the two 100-mile races I was signed up for. I had a job that could accommodate long hours of training. I had tracked down a crew and pacers months in advance. I was calling random names and numbers given to me by friends of friends to find people to hit the trail with.

Hours after I took that positive pregnancy test, I dug out an article from Ultrarunning magazine on running during pregnancy.  Several experts were interviewed in the article, with this general consensus:

“When the body feels tired, it’s important to listen and rest, but when the body is feeling strong, and there are no risk factors present in the pregnancy, it is generally okay to trust that feeling as well, as long as the woman stays within the guidelines she and her physician have established.”

The midwife who I met with during my first visit to the Ob-Gyn echoed this article.

“Pregnancy is not a disease,” she pointed out.  Given my prior activity level – I ran the Big Horn 50 mile race while I was unknowingly 4 weeks pregnant – she said I could go out for up to five hours at a time.

It took me a couple days to get over the disappointment of having to cancel my 100 mile races, but that was soon replaced by the awe of having a baby on the way.

As it turns out, being pregnant is even more challenging – and rewarding – than running 100 miles. In a 100 mile race life is super intense for 20 or 30 hours. In pregnancy, life is super intense for nine months, capped by a grueling endurance event known as labor … and then a lifetime of being a parent.

Also, one of the reasons I’ve always enjoyed ultrarunning is because it lets me see what I’m capable of. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like the realization that you’re capable of growing a little human inside your belly, and then birthing that little baby. The pain of labor seems somehow less terrifying when I realize that I voluntarily choose to endure the pain of long distance races. 

That being said, I didn’t know that I’d sign up again for this particular summer.

I found myself completely and constantly exhausted. For the first time in my life, allergies seemed to be an issue, making the simple act of breathing laborious. Food also became a difficult teeter-totter between consuming enough of it to sustain myself and my rapidly growing baby, while not taking in too much at once, which inevitably ended in a horrible sprint to the bathroom. Overnight I became a vegetarian, loathing even the smell of meat.

I started a new job, continued to freelance write, and struggled to find time to help the love of my life plan our wedding and house hunt. (What a guy to take the lead on planning a wedding!)

Life became a bleak routine of waking up in the morning, going to work, coming home, falling asleep by 7 p.m. and taking care of the most urgent matters on the weekends.

Needless to say, I basically abandoned thoughts of sneaking out for a run or taking a week off to backpack in the Wind Rivers. And that five hour time limit set by the midwife became almost laughable. Sometimes I would have to sit down to take a break while walking our dogs around the block.

In short, I checked out from the world.

But then something happened. I entered my second trimester. It was like someone flipped a switch. I suddenly had new energy and inspiration. I began to want to get outside and see my friends.

It was with a huge sense of relief and a finally fulfilled yearning that I hung out with my friends, camping on Shadow Mountain, sipping pink lemonade and prying into their romantic lives.

It was a reawakening of sorts. A welcome back to the land of the living.

Running with my husband, Cory, during my second trimester, with our dog Zippy squeezing in

A couple days after our camping trip, I went out for my first run in months. I took the dogs out for four or five miles up a gentle trail paralleled by a creek. It was like I had reunited with my soul. The freedom and rhythm of running made me want to cry. Running for me has always been a staple, a source of sanity.

Since that first run, I’ve made it out a few days a week for a slow and steady jog. I get more winded than normal and the blood pumps faster, but it’s just nice to be out.

After we have our little baby, I hope to quickly jump back in to ultrarunning, backcountry skiing, packrafting and the other outdoor activities that brought me to Jackson Hole to begin with.

But through all of this, I’ve also learned to let go of expectations. As Buddhists would note, the only constant in life is change.

Gracie Edelweiss Hatch was born March 2 at a robust weight of 8 pounds 6 ounces. Mom was cross-country skiing to the very end -- and with Gracie shortly after she was born. When not playing in the mountains, making up ridiculous songs for her daughter and indulging her dogs' obsession with Chuck-it, Amy Hatch freelance writes and edits. She also runs a packraft rental business.