Female Olympian runs 800m race while 34 weeks pregnant

Look at her go! Alysia Montano, left, who is 34 weeks pregnant, competes in an 800m race in Sacramento, California

Many pregnant women do like to keep up with a gentle exercise routine while expecting, but it's doubtful that many would fancy doing an 800m running race.

However, a five-time U.S. national champion did just that and ran it in just over two minutes - all while she was 34-weeks pregnant.

Olympian Alysia Montano may have finished last in the race yesterday at the Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California, but she said she enjoyed it and felt 'really good'.

The 28-year-old runner, who received a standing ovation after completing the race in 2 minutes, 32.13 seconds, said: 'I've been running throughout my pregnancy and I felt really, really good during the whole process.'

Her finishing time was 35 seconds slower than her personal best of 1:57.34, which she smashed back in 2010 in a race in Monaco, but is still a time many recreational runners wouldn't be able to achieve.

Nicknamed the flying flower thanks to always racing with one in her hair, she joked her biggest fear was being lapped in USATF Outdoor Championships race.

'I just didn't want to get lapped and be the first person to get lapped in the 800,' said Montano.

Feeling fine: Olympian Alysia Montano finished last in the race but still ran at a pace many would struggle to achieve

The 28-year-old is expecting her first baby with her husband Louis, who she married in 2011.

Doctors gave Montano the OK to take part in the race and she hopes it dispel ls misconceptions over exercise and pregnancy.

'That took away any fear of what the outside world might think about a woman running during her pregnancy,' Montano said of getting her doctor's approval.

Montano has been training and competing since she was a child and was glad to find there was no reason why she shouldn't continue while expecting.

'What I found out mostly was that exercising during pregnancy is actually much better for the mom and the baby...I did all the things I normally do...I just happened to be pregnant. This is my normal this year,' she said.

She knew she had no chance of winning or running at her best during the race but emphasises that wasn't the point. She wanted to take part for the joy of racing.

She writes on her blog that she thinks it's important that people - whatever their ability - remember that it's the taking part in sport that counts.

'Racing is still very enjoyable for me because I've been able to think of it like a kid does. They're so innocent - they're wanting to win but they're having fun, too,' she writes. 

'As you get older, it's easy to put importance on things that really don't matter and then succumb to that pressure; so I don't like to get myself wrapped up by talking about competitive goals too much.'

Good effort: Montano, a four-time national champion in the 800, came in last in her heat with a time a 2 minutes, 32.3 seconds but received a standing ovation

Doctor's orders: Her doctors encouraged her to participate, which, she says, took away any fear of what the outside world might think about a woman running during her pregnancy

The athlete competing before her pregnancy

Flying flower: Her pace in the race while pregnant was a lot slower than she usually goes around the track when racing

Experts say it's safe for women who are used to keeping fit like Montano to carry on exercising while pregnant - albeit as a usual intensity as before.

The pace Montano ran at in the race while pregnancy would certainly be a more leisurely one for her than usual - in the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she came 5th with a time under two minutes.

She's certainly not the first to pull on her jogging shoes while pregnant and she won't be the last.

Nell McAndrew famously came under fire when she revealed in 2012 that at 20 weeks pregnant with her second child, she was still running six miles a day. 

Like Olympic athletes including Paula Radcliffe and Jo Pavey, who ran moderately throughout their
pregnancies and went on to have healthy babies, Nell decreased the intensity as well as length of her runs to alleviate any risk to herself and her unborn child. 

Yet despite Nell taking all the precautions recommended by medical professionals, she has still faced outrage from people who have accused her of putting her baby at risk through exercise. 

She told the MailOnline at the time: 'When I tell people I'm still exercising, they react as if I've told them I've been smoking or drinking alcohol while pregnant. But what I'm doing is actually good for me and my baby.'

Nell said she felt good being active and that by being fit, she feels she was better prepared for child birth.

'I feel like keeping fit is preparing me for the labour - which will be harder than running a marathon!' she said. 

Nell's belief that fitness aids labour is is backed up by studies that have found that babies
of women who exercise are better off when it comes to their birth because 'fetuses of exercising women may tolerate labour better than those of non-exercisers,' according to The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

Along with official NHS guidelines that recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day for expectant mothers, the RCOG also advocate exercise where there are no complications in the pregnancy and precautions are taken such as not exercising at a high intensity to raise the heart rate to its maximum and not running while it's too hot due to a risk of overheating.

They state: 'In most cases, exercise is safe for both mother and fetus during pregnancy and women should therefore be encouraged to initiate or continue exercise to derive the health benefits
associated with such activities.'

They add that it's a fallacy that exercise increases the risk of miscarriage or damage to an unborn baby stating 'women should be advised that adverse pregnancy or neonatal outcomes are not increased for exercising women.'

Fears that a baby will be shaken and distressed in the womb are misguided as a baby is well-insulated by fluid to protect it.

RCOG explain that exercising while pregnant has numerous benefits for the mother's health and wellbeing.

DOS AND DONT'S FOR RUNNING WHILE PREGNANT 

• DO run at an easy pace - you should have enough breath to hold a conversation
• DO watch for posture and position of the back and pelvis – do not allow yourself to arch in the lower back 
• DO react immediately to any pains and aches i.e don't run through them 
• DO NOT take up running for the first time when pregnant
• DO NOT run when tired
• DO NOT run on a very hot day
• DO NOT run for six weeks after giving birth

'Maternal benefits appear to be both physical and psychological in nature. Many common complaints of pregnancy, including fatigue, varicosities and swelling of extremities, are reduced in women who exercise. Additionally, active women experience less insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression,' they state.

Women who exercise while pregnant will also gain less excess weight, lowering the health risks associated with obesity.

Speaking about whether it's safe to run while pregnant, maternal health expert Sheeva Talebian, M.D., told Women's Running: 'Running is safe anytime - during the first, second and third trimester - if you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy.

'You should not run if you have complications like elevated blood pressure or, in some cases, multiple gestation, that would cause an obstetrician to advise no high-impact exercise.

'Just because you're pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t stay in shape. All of the same reasons you normally exercise - heart health, stress reduction, weight maintenance, lower blood pressure - are reasons to run during pregnancy. 

'Additionally, women who exercise while pregnant have lower rates of diabetes and preeclampsia, and they are less likely to gain an unhealthy (and potentially dangerous) amount of weight. There's even some data that suggests babies born to women who worked out while expecting have stronger cardiovascular systems.

Famous example: Paula Radcliffe reduced her training but carried on running when she was pregnant, as pictured here when taking part in a fun run with her daughter Isla while carrying her son

Culled from DAILY MAIL