Delilah, 3, and Serena, 2, she began
running again. She says she has been
ranked by USA Track & Field New
Jersey while pregnant and in the past
two years, she has been ranked first
in her age category.
SHE HOPES HER STORY WILL
INSPIRE OTHER WOMEN.
Piccoli hopes to inspire others to
run while pregnant or post-pregnancy
if a doctor approves. Her advice to
mothers-to-be or new moms looking
to run is “Listen to your body.”
“When I started postpartum, I
would walk five minutes, then run
one minute,” Piccoli says. “I would
build up. Take it one day at a time
and make sure you do stretching.
A lot more goes into it. It’s not about
putting shoes on and running.”
Piccoli believes that being active
during her pregnancies helped her
recover from labor. She says it is
possible to maintain an active life-
style while pregnant, postpartum and
while breastfeeding. “Women can
still nurse and raise a child, and you
can still train,” she says.
SHE THINKS THAT THE BEST ADVICE
FOR NEW RUNNERS IS TO STAY
POSITIVE.
For those interested in starting to
run, Piccoli says it is best to stay posi-
tive, because running, especially the
first time you go out, is frustrating. A
runner’s first race can cause a tangle
of nerves and excitement, but Piccoli
says the best strategy is to set an
achievable goal. Many people take off
like a shot at the beginning of a race,
she says, and for those unaccustomed
to 5Ks, 3.1 miles is an unbearably
long distance.
“There’s definitely a responsi-
bility to stay disciplined and
[in a ] routine and positive,”
she says.
SHE REMAINED COM-
MITTED WHILE TRAIN-
ING FOR 5KS
Before COVID-19,
Piccoli trained for the 5K
season, which usually runs
SUPPORT SYSTEM (Above) Desirae Piccoli with her biggest fans, her family. (Below) Piccoli after
placing first in a Mother’s Day 5K.
April through December, by run-
ning five days and averaging between
20 and 30 miles per week; on the
two days she wasn’t running, she
cross-trained or rested. has always been one of her biggest
cheerleaders. “My husband is really
supportive of my running and racing
schedule,” she says. “He [went] to all
my races along with my daughters.”
PICCOLI HAS USED RUNNING TO
HELP BOND WITH HER FAMILY.
But while running has
helped Piccoli clear her head and
find her zen, it has also been a way
for the whole family to bond and a
way for her to be a role model to
her daughters, too. Her husband
has raced with her, and she
says it has not been atypical for
her to push her children in
a stroller while she races.
Delilah is eager to do
the small fun runs
before the 5Ks. “It’s
a fun outlet,” Piccoli
says. “It’s a passion
and a hobby for me.”
She says her husband SHE STILL RUNS ON A
REGULAR BASIS.
Piccoli still runs five days a week
along the same route because she
knows it’s not crowded. “It’s easy for
me to cross streets if someone is get-
ting close,” she says. “I make sure I’m
always at least six feet or more away
from any other runners and walkers.”
A MARATHON IS NEXT ON
HER AGENDA.
Her main goal is to run a mara-
thon by the end of 2021. For now,
Piccoli says she doesn’t have the time
to dedicate to marathon training
while juggling her full-time job as a
special education teacher and raising
two toddlers. ■
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2020
9