For a time, I imagined this moment would go exactly like this. I always knew I wanted to be a mom, with or without a partner. That is, until I met Paul two and a half years ago.
I had expressed concern to my primary care physician about turning 35-the benchmark age for "geriatric" pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists-and asked for a referral to a reproductive facility in our area. Despite having a partner, my original vision-sitting in a fertility clinic by myself-came true. Paul was called away on an extended work trip. So there I was, merely wanting to assess that everything was in working order, given my age.
The fertility doctor asked about my hobbies. I didn't contain my excitement when I told her how I spend my free time. Like a kid expecting a reward for getting straight As, I rambled about how I started running in high school and that I run marathons every year.
I expected a "good for you" for engaging in a healthy activity or a request for a shoe recommendation. Instead, she asked if I had a history of eating disorders.
I sputtered that I had an undiagnosed eating disorder in college, but that I had been seeing a therapist since 2020, coming to terms with my past and getting treated for briefly falling back on these habits during the pandemic.
As if to test my progress, she said I'd have to limit my running to 30 minutes per workout, five days a week; stop running marathons because of my history of having irregular periods; and gain five pounds before starting fertility treatments or having a baby on my own.
This is the moment I regret-of all the things I could have contested, I just had to zone in on the weight gain.
"Five pounds?" I exclaimed. (For women trying to conceive, it's recommended that their BMI fall within the normal range between 18.5 and 24.9; my BMI was 19.5. Incidentally, the average adult's weight can fluctuate five to six pounds per day.)
Denne historien er fra Fall 2024-utgaven av Runner's World US.
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Denne historien er fra Fall 2024-utgaven av Runner's World US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
BEFORE I FELL for running, I thought the hardest thing about the sport was the fast stuff: the speedwork, the sprints, and the intervals.
WHY-AND HOW-YOU SHOULD RUN DOUBLES
Those are just a few of the titles entered into my training log for the second run of a day.
FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
I SIGNED UP for my first marathon while sobbing in the back of a rideshare, on my way to the airport to fly to my uncle's funeral.
FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
How my daughter's rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.
WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
A RUNNER'S GUIDE to sleep
Nike rocked the running world in 2018 when it released the Vaporfly 4%, claiming that the shoe could boost a runner's efficiency by that amount.
