Michelle running an especially memorable 5K.

Michelle, running an especially memorable 5K.

Today’s Most Important Mile comes from Michelle San Antonio, a BAMR from Rhode Island.
I didn’t run through my first two pregnancies, but when I became pregnant with our third, I had become a diehard runner, and knew I’d continue running for as long as I could. Unfortunately, I miscarried at 7 weeks. I didn’t blame running, and neither did my doctor, and thankfully neither did my husband, family, or friends.
Several months later, we got pregnant again, and I continued running. It was essential for my mental health, especially as I struggled to enjoy the pregnancy, thoughts of the miscarriage still so fresh in my mind.
Unfortunately, at a six-week checkup, I again found myself looking at an ultrasound image that told me everything I needed to know. I was heartbroken, and in disbelief, but mostly numb. At a followup appointment two days later I learned that for the second time in less than a year, I’d need a D&C.
This was three days before a 5K I had planned to run, and as I sat there feeling like my body was completely failing me, I decided I needed to take at least one small step to regain some control of the situation, and asked if the D&C could wait until after the weekend. I needed to have some say in what was happening to me, and was thankful I got the ok to wait.
When I lined up at the race three days later, I was already near tears. And as we started, I found myself running faster than I had in months, and I knew it was the anger finally rising to the surface.
Over the course of 3.1 miles, I experienced all over again the emotional roller coaster of both failed pregnancies, and felt so many negative feelings falling away behind me as I ran.
But in addition to running away from all the bad, I knew I was running toward something better. As I neared the finish, I was overwhelmed with the thought that it was all going to be ok. I was suddenly more sure of that than I had ever been of anything.
The final mile of that race was one of the most cathartic experiences I’ve ever had. Despair was replaced with hope – and I had running to thank for it.
And to end on a happy note – I became pregnant 6 weeks later, and our third baby boy (now almost 4 years old!) enjoyed a very healthy 42 weeks in my belly (I ran for 30 of those weeks) before joining us. He was definitely worth the wait.

Sweet little boy #3!

Sweet little boy #3!

What was (or will be) the most important mile of your life? We want to know.
We’re going to make this an ongoing feature on the website (and potentially include some important miles in our yet-to-be-named third book, out in spring of 2015). Best way to submit is to email us your story with a picture: runmother {at} gmail {dot} com with “Most Important Mile” in the subject line. Please try to keep your mile stories under 300 words. Thank you!