She is already close to giving birth, but she chose to accept her husband's challenge: $100 if she breaks 8 minutes doing a mile at nine months pregnant. And she did it in under six minutes.
To run a mile in just five minutes and 25 seconds is impressive enough for a non-competitive runner, but to do it at nine months pregnant is beyond words. Makenna Myler, 28, is a product trainer who hails from California and has been an avid runner even before she got pregnant.
A competitive runner since high school, Makenna told TODAY that she had challenges doing it while being pregnant. She admits that while her body is used to running high mileage and doing supplementary strength training, her weight affected her cadence.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, she said that she has been running up to six times each week throughout her pregnancy. However, she had to cut back her mileage several times and run at a much slower pace. She was very cautious and made sure that she doesn't encounter any injury along the way.
Her TikTok video has gone viral
Her husband, Mike, posted on TikTok a video showing her running the 5:25 mile, which has 3.4 million views so far. And it is not surprising that the post has gone viral given that she completed the one-mile run at nine months pregnant. She is, in fact, due to deliver her baby on Monday, October 19, 2020.
@mikemyler Someone find whether this is a world record ##pregnant ##zoomies ##track ##mile ##champion ♬ original sound - Mike Myler
"I could barely walk up the stairs without being heavily winded at nine months. She's a rockstar," a TikTok user commented.
"I was a division 2 cross country runner, and my fastest mile ever was 5:27...SHES A LEGEND" commented another.
"I'm 16 weeks and can't even walk up the stairs without getting winded," another user said.
Her husband motivated her
She revealed that she felt nervous at one point, wondering if she could still run her usual 7-minute mile as goes further along in her pregnancy. To motivate her, she said that her husband offered her $100 if she could break 8 minutes running one mile at nine months pregnant. And she did. Not only breaking 8 minutes, but she even broke 6 minutes.
She does have prior approval from her doctors, she said. The first doctor dealt with elite athletes before, so he was "all about it." However, the second doctor told her to be more cautious as he didn't understand her athletic background.
Makenna explained the "feeling of being capable" is everything to her and that running has served as an outlet for her in that sense. She then described running during her pregnancy as "a beautiful process of accepting effort and patience" and letting go of "pace and forced mileage."
Running during pregnancy: is it safe?
According to Healthline, running during pregnancy is generally safe, especially if you have been running even before pregnancy. You need to take some precautions, though, and make sure that you listen to your body.
However, if you weren't running before, pregnancy is not a good time to start running. Instead, opt for exercises that are considered safe during pregnancy. WebMD suggests activities such as swimming, brisk walking, low-impact aerobics, and elliptical machines.
