Training for a race or a marathon while pregnant? You will want to read this NY Times interview.

When Paula Radcliffe won the New York City Marathon in 2007, the fact that she pulled it off less than a year after giving birth was considered something of an anomaly.

But a recent article in The Times, "For Pregnant Marathoners, Two Endurance Tests," underscores how, for some athletes, juggling pregnancy with a training routine is becoming the norm. To better understand how and why some elite runners train through their pregnancies, we spoke with Clara Horowitz Peterson, a top runner and a mother of three.

Ms. Peterson, 30, has trained through four pregnancies, including her current one. She is 10 weeks pregnant and runs about 55 miles per week - a number that might sound like a lot, she says, but is substantially less than her usual mileage.

Ms. Peterson, who lives in California and is sponsored by Nike Trail, was an all-American in cross-country and track at Duke University and a runner for New Balance from 2006 to 2009. In 2012, she completed her first marathon at the United States Olympic Trials with a time of 2 hours 35 minutes 50 seconds, less than a year after giving birth to her second child.

While some women are encouraged to restrict physical activity because of complications, doctors generally recommend that pregnant women get at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days. The levels that are considered safe will vary from one woman to the next, and experts recommend that women consult with their doctors — as Ms. Peterson did — before beginning an exercise program of any kind.

read more