Running News Daily

Woman runs mile in under 6 minutes while 9 months pregnant

Over the last seven months, many people have been motivated to get outside and get active in the midst of coronavirus closures and precautions.

While exercising outdoors may be a relatively new endeavor for some people, one woman has been dedicated to her workout routine for years, and neither COVID-19 nor pregnancy have slowed her down.

Makenna Myler, 28, is nine months pregnant. She recently ran a mile in just five minutes and 25 seconds.

Myler, an avid runner, said she “cut back [her] mileage a lot,” running five to six times a week throughout her pregnancy.

She hoped she would still be able to run later in her pregnancy and voiced her anxiety to her husband.

“To keep me motivated, he said he would give me $100 if I could break 8 minutes doing the mile at 9 months pregnant,” she said.

This week, she met her goal.

“Feeling capable is everything to me,” Myler said in an interview with Buzzfeed. “Running has been a big outlet for me in that way. Running during pregnancy has been a beautiful process of accepting effort and patience, not forcing anything, and letting go of pace and forced mileage.”

Jennifer Lincoln, a gynecologist based in Portland, Oregon, said Myler’s rigorous regimen isn’t cause for alarm.

“In general, if someone has been doing a certain exercise prior to pregnancy, they can continue it in pregnancy, with some exceptions," she said. "General precautions should be taken, such as staying hydrated, stopping if you become dizzy or feel unwell, or if you have high-risk issues and your doctor has advised you to modify or cut back.”

According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week, and physical activity does not increase risk of miscarriage, low birth weight or early delivery.

Myler’s expected due date is Oct. 19.

“It’s funny, I kept waiting and waiting for the day when I would just be done or my body would break, but that day never came," she told Buzzfeed. "So yeah, I’ll probably still be running by next Monday.”