Alysia Montano, 34 Weeks Pregnant, Competes At U.S. Track And Field Championships

Alysia Montano is 34 weeks pregnant, but you won’t find her in bed or barely moving around the house. No, you’ll find her at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California, where she just finished competing in the 800 meter run.

While she finished dead last in her heat, no one at Hornet Stadium seemed to care. Her final time was a respectable two minutes, 32.13 seconds, which according to the Associated Press, was about 35 seconds slower than her personal best of 1:57.34, which occurred at Monaco in 2010.

“I’ve been running throughout my pregnancy and I felt really, really good during the whole process,” she explained.

Montano knew what she was up against from the very beginning, and figured that she had no chance of winning. “I just didn’t want to get lapped and be the first person to get lapped in the 800.”

That distinction would have been especially hard on Montano’s pride considering that she’s been the 800 national champion for the last four years.

From the beginning, AP notes, Montano took “a relaxed pace,” per the recommendation of her doctors, who actually encouraged her to compete.

“That took away any fear of what the outside world might think about a woman running during her pregnancy,” said Montano. “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.”

We’ve heard of pregnant women doing some pretty amazing things while pregnant. Anyone remember this story about the pregnant mother who lifted weights hours before her child’s birth?

Held up against that little bit of zaniness, we can’t say that we blame a trained athlete like Alysia Montano for doing what she’s always done in spite of expecting.

And it’s not an altogether bad idea either, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which states that a pregnant woman can “safely engage in 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days of the week.”

“Be aware you will have less oxygen available for aerobic exercise during pregnancy,” the College notes, “so modify the intensity of your routine accordingly.”

Do you think it’s wise for women like Alysia Montano to compete at 34 weeks pregnant? What’s the craziest physical thing that you did at that stage? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

[Image via Alysia Montano Facebook Page]