Pregnant woman runs a FIVE-MINUTE MILE one month before due date

A pregnant woman has once again defied critics and run five minute mile  – just one month before her due date. 

Makenna Myler, 30, is a professional middle-distance runner and refused to let pregnancy get in the way of her training.

The soon-to-be mom-of-two, from Orange County, California, kept up her training routine throughout her first pregnancy in 2020 – which saw her completing a mile in five minutes and 25 seconds ‘just to see if it was possible.’ 

Last month, Makenna – who is once again expecting – challenged herself to hit the tracks again and even beat her own record by eight seconds. 

The soon-to-be mom-of-two, from Orange County, California, kept up her training routine throughout her first pregnancy (pictured) in 2020 – which saw her completing a 5.25 minute mile

 Last month, Makenna – who is once again expecting (pictured during her second pregnancy)- challenged herself to hit the tracks again and even beat her own record by eight seconds

Makenna, (shown during her second pregnancy) completed the pregnant mile twice – and trained six days a week – to show what bodies can be capable of

Makenna, who is due to give birth any day now, completed the pregnant mile to show what bodies can be capable of. 

The 30-year-old has smashed expectations both times, far exceeding the average mile time for a woman, which is 10.40 minutes, according to Runner’s World.

Despite being a professional athlete, Makenna said trolls waded in during both pregnancies to tell her she shouldn’t train so hard while expecting – but she brushes them off.

She said: ‘I thought it was quite common to train during pregnancy but there turned out to be a lot of people who think it’s not normal.

‘Some of it has been genetic – I know some awesome runners who got pregnant and their pelvis just couldn’t take running.

‘I had people asking how I could do that while nine months pregnant when they can barely get off the sofa.

‘A lot of it has to do with how you fortify your body before getting pregnant – I was running before pregnancy too which helped me,’ she explained. 

The mom also revealed that some days her body was not up to exercising and suggests other listen to their bodies.  

‘There were so many days I tried to run while pregnant and it just wasn’t happening, so you don’t win every time. But you just keep trying.

The 30-year-old has smashed expectations both times (pictured during her second pregnant mile) with the average mile time for a woman is 10.40minutes, according to Runner’s World

Despite being a professional athlete, Makenna (shown during her second pregnant mile) said trolls waded in during both pregnancies to tell her she shouldn’t train so hard while expecting – but she brushes them off

The mom (shown during the first time she ran a mile while expecting) also revealed that some days her body was not up to exercising and suggests other listen to their bodies

Makenna (shown during her second pregnancy) races for Asics and competes primarily in 5km and 10km races – and before being pregnant would train six days a week

‘But at the end of the day, it’s important to listen to your body and only do what you’re capable of, because a healthy pregnancy is the most important thing.’

Makenna races for Asics and competes primarily in 5km and 10km races – and before being pregnant would train six days a week.

Her intense training regime saw her complete runs twice a day – on top of longer runs on the weekends too.

During her second pregnancy – which is now full-term – Makenna wanted to test if she could beat her five minute and 25 second pregnant mile record from 2020.

And she smashed her previous time – completing the new mile last month in five minutes and 17 seconds.

She said: ‘For me, it’s not even about proving people wrong, but about questioning the reality of what you’re capable of.

‘I’m a big believer of listening to your “internal governor” – the voice inside your head that tells you to stop when you need to – but you can push it a bit first.

‘If you listen to that voice you won’t do anything that will endanger you.’

While some people criticized her for being so active while heavily pregnant, Makenna said she didn’t feel a need to prove anything.

The mom’s (shown during her first pregnancy) intense training regime saw her complete runs twice a day – on top of longer runs on the weekends too

 During her first pregnancy, Makenna (pictured) and her husband Michael, 31, a marketing manager, joked about how fast she could run a mile while nine months pregnant

 Makenna caused a frenzy online after running a mile in just 5.25 minutes while pregnant in 2020 (pictured during her first pregnancy) 

She said: ‘The people who are outright blatantly mean, they’re taking something out on me, but it has nothing to do with me.

‘Sometimes it comes from a person who has doubts in themselves and compare themselves to what I’m doing.

‘But the only person I’m comparing myself to is me, and trying to beat my own time.

‘Everyone’s pregnancies are different, and I just look for ways to enjoy my own.

During her first pregnancy, Makenna and her husband Michael, 31, a marketing manager, joked about how fast she could run a mile while nine months pregnant.

They wanted to see if she could do it in less than eight minutes – a challenge set by Michael.

She said: ‘It started out as a joke the first time – we thought it would be funny, but it went totally viral.

‘The responses weren’t all positive – lots of people told me I shouldn’t be exercising so hard.’

But she explained due to her rigorous exercise schedule as a full-time athlete, her fitness level was high meaning she felt her body could handle more while pregnant too.

Reaction: After a video was shared to TikTok, viewers were quick to praise Makenna for her amazing stamina and speed, and joked that they can ‘barely run up their steps or to the fridge’

Makenna, mom to Kenny Lou, two, said while pregnant she wasn’t able to reach the same standard she was meeting pre-pregnancy.

But because of her fitness levels it was still higher than most.

She explained it’s still ‘luck of the draw’ as some people find themselves unable to run while pregnant due to the anatomy of their pelvis.

But for others – including Makenna herself – because her body was already used to high-intensity exercise, she felt she could continue to push herself.

She explained her approach to BuzzFeed, and said: ‘I cut back my mileage a lot and have been a lot slower but I have been very particular with my strength training to make sure my pelvic shift and added weight doesn’t cause any injury.’

During her second pregnancy (pictured) – which is now full-term – Makenna wanted to test if she could beat her five minute and 25 second pregnant mile record from 2020

When the mom (shown during her first pregnancy) completed the run in an impressive five minutes and 25 seconds, she took to TikTok to boast about her achievement

After two doctors said it was OK to continue training, she decided to keep up her activity and also told her husband she’d still be able to run at least a 7-minute mile when further along.

And her husband even offered her $100 if she could complete the run in under eight minutes to help keep her motivated.

When she completed the run in an impressive five minutes and 25 seconds, she took to TikTok to boast about her achievement.

Social media users were quick to praise Makenna for her impressive run, with one writing: ‘A nine months pregnant woman ran a 5:25 mile and I can barely run up my steps.’

Another joked: ‘I just watched a nine month pregnant lady run a mile in under six minutes… I don’t even run to my fridge.’

A third added: ‘Just watched a video of a woman that ran a five-minute mile at nine months pregnant. I cleaned the floors downstairs and had to catch my breath afterwards. I have no words.’