Even at 7 Months Pregnant, Michelle Lillienthal Wouldn’t Miss Beach to Beacon – runnersworld.com

On a typical weekday, Michelle Lilienthal, 37, wakes up around 4:45 a.m. at her home in Portland, Maine. The former University of Wisconsin standout distance runner rolls out of bed, stretches, then laces up and starts her run around 5 or 5:30 a.m., just as the sun’s peaking over the Atlantic.

She often meets a training partner or two, and they either set out for a run of eight to 10 miles, or head to the track for intervals.

Lilienthal, who works in education sales for Apple, has qualified for four Olympic Marathon Trials and holds a marathon PR of 2:34:50. Her training partners have a few things in common as well. They’re high-level female athletes who work full-time and boast fast race times—and many of the runners in her squad are mothers and moms-to-be.

Lilienthal is expecting her first child, a boy, with her husband this October. Before then, she has another event on her calendar: the Beach to Beacon 10K, which is August 3 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and runs along the coastline. Lilienthal, who’s a three-time Maine women’s champion, also holds the women’s course record for Maine residents, 33:38, which she set in 2014. Last year, she won the Maine women’s title in 36:36.

“In our running community, it’s a big, awesome, amazing day,” Lillienthal told Runner’s World. “If it was just any old race, I would probably just skip it and cheer on the sidelines this year. But I would be way too sad if I missed out.”

Unlike previous summers, Lillienthal, who once ran professionally for Saucony, isn’t trying to break any records this year. By the time she toes the starting line in Cape Elizabeth, she’ll be seven months into her pregnancy.

“I’m going to enjoy being in the back of the pack,” she said. “This race has always been a big focus of my summer, so it’s nice to not put any pressure on myself this time. I’m planning to run it with my husband, Marc, and my friend, Leah, who’s also pregnant. We’ll be the waddling squad.”

Even with her paces slowing recently, Lilienthal has maintained a remarkable training routine throughout her pregnancy. Under the careful watch of her OBGYN, who is also a runner, Lilienthal said she has been able to keep running between 65 and 75 miles per week, plus one or two weekly cross-training workouts in the pool or on the elliptical.

“I think my husband was a little concerned at first that I was doing too much,” Lilienthal said. “But exercise has always been a daily part of my life. I like to keep moving. I think my OBGYN finally convinced him when she said, ‘Michelle knows what she’s doing.’ I know not to push myself too hard.”

Once a week, she meets a friend for speedwork on the track, such as 400-meter repeats at a conservative speed. Instead of splitting between 70 and 75 seconds for a 400, she runs them at 90 to 95 seconds, around marathon pace.

“I’m purposely holding back,” said Lilienthal. “My OBGYN said that it’s fine for me to run while I’m pregnant, as long as I’m comfortable, hydrated, and not overheated. Right now, my form is different, and it’s harder to go fast when I’m holding this extra weight.”

Luckily, Lilienthal said she naturally employs a “marathon shuffle” when she runs, so adapting to running with a growing baby bump hasn’t been all that hard. While she can’t avoid some pregnancy symptoms—such as lower energy, joint pain, and constantly having to pee—she’s found that running actually helps other symptoms, such as morning sickness.

“If I feel queasy in the morning, the nausea subsides after I run,” she said.

As far as nutrition goes, the runner said she eats a healthy diet, but has lately been craving red meat, such as meatballs with marinara sauce, and fats like avocados. “It’s amazing how our bodies crave what they need—like iron, protein, and fats—and reject what we should avoid, like raw seafood, coffee, and wine,” she said. “The seafood is so good in Maine, but I’ve been gravitating more toward meat.”

After her delivery, Lilienthal knows she will take some rest time before training for her next marathon: the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta (she also raced in 2018, 2012, and 2016). She qualified for the upcoming Trials when she finished the 2017 Chicago Marathon in 2:44:05.

“Making Trials is such a big deal, so I want to race it if I can,” she said. “But I definitely don’t want to rush into training after delivering. I’m hoping that since I’ve been running this whole time, I’ll be able to get in shape again later this year.”

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When asked whether or not she and Marc—who ran for the University of Maine—will encourage their son to run, Lilienthal laughed.

“I hope he’ll become a runner,” she said. “But I’ll try to be very hands-off and let him pick his own sports. Maybe if he watches his parents running every day, he’ll want to run, too.”

Digital Editor Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner’s World and Bicycling magazines.