YORK, Neb. — It was going to be a beautiful winter day in York, Nebraska, topping out around 50 degrees , the sun fighting a partly-cloudy day.
A perfect day for a run — so perfect that a very, very pregnant Faith Schneider couldn’t resist hitting the trail, to feel the breeze on her face and the rhythm of her every stride.
The night before , as they watched the weather forecast, her husband, Ryan, joked that her due date would be a rare December day fit for a run.
A light-hearted back and forth between husband and wife eventually led to a text message to Schneider’s doctor, Dr. Brady Fickenscher of York Medical Clinic, requesting his presence at an early-morning jog.
“Brady was all for it,” Schneider said. “It’s nice having a doctor who runs and understands.”
Fast-forward but a few hours after Schneider and Dr. Fickenscher’s 3 miles : Maggie Lynn Schneider — 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches long — arrived at York General.
Running while pregnant isn’t unheard of for mom.
Faith Schneider kept up with her running through the pregnancies of her other three children: Joel, 7; Mollie, 5; and Bode, 18 months.
Schneider said she believes her consistent exercise made a difference in the delivery room. “The delivery is a lot easier,” she said, adding that running made weight control less problematic as well.
“I ran every day I could,” Schneider said, noting that at one point only a stomach bug kept her from the trails.
Following Maggie’s birth, however, Schneider has to take a brief hiatus . “I’m on doctor’s orders to not run for six weeks,” she said. After two weeks, she can start walking.
Schneider’s zeal for running goes back several years. While attending school at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Schneider ran on both the intercollegiate cross country and track teams. Now it seems her oldest child is following in her fast-paced footsteps.
“Joel went running with me the Friday before we had Maggie,” Schneider said. “He’s done a couple 5Ks already.”
As for Maggie? It’s too soon to tell, but no matter to mom.
“She’s just perfect.”