What comes next doesn’t exactly constitute a news flash. I’ve never been pregnant.

Once in my early thirties, though, I gained weight over the winter as if I were a petite, little thing in her second trimester. Yet my belly got no bigger.

By lifting more, eating more, and cycling less, the size of my quads increased a bit more than an inch. My back broadened and so did my backside.

The added muscle got me some compliments - and some criticisms. The latter came from my cycling teammates after the first race that spring.

The 12-mile time trial was held twice each season, and I had won both two years running. But the course contained three significant climbs, and as I ascended each one, those extra 12 pounds felt like an overweight albatross had perched upon my shoulder and was flapping its wings wildly.

I finished sixth, more than 1:30 slower than the year before.

There’s a happy ending to this story, but a happier one needs to be shared first. Both will explain why some runners, riders, hikers, and walkers may choose not to fight the natural tendency to gain weight over the winter - or even add a few pounds of muscle intentionally.

Only six months after giving birth to a daughter, Makenna Myler clocked a 10k-race time almost three minutes faster than her best effort when she ran for Brigham Young University as Makenna Smith from 2011-2016. By doing so, she did something that her coach told her was rather improbable.

She qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic trials, run in June of 2021 because of COVID-19.

According to Doug Robinson’s report for Deseret News, Myler kept running throughout her pregnancy - and won a $100 bet from her husband in the process He wagered she couldn’t run a mile in under eight minutes when she was nine months pregnant.

She crossed the line with a third of the time to spare, running a 5:25 mile, and told Robinson the effort felt both “uncomfortable” and “natural.”

Because of that second sensation, Myler felt she’d be better than before after a few months of typical training. But no one could’ve ever guessed - including Myler or her coach - that a national-class runner could improve as much as she did after giving birth relatively late in her career.

There is, however, a physiological-based theory for why long-distance runners can get faster after a pregnancy.

A 2014 study in the journal Cardiovascular Research found pregnancy enlarges the heart and increases blood volume in ways similar to exercise. Moreover, pregnancy causes the rib cage to expand, potentially increasing lung capacity.

Add to the mix that other research has found increased levels of the neurotransmitters that make us feel good in women postpartum, and the argument strengthens.

But Myler also believes something else occurs, that carrying all that extra weight is like lifting weights all the while you go about your normal day. I see it more akin to wearing a weighted vest, but the end result is the same.

A newfound strength that becomes newfound speed when harnessed properly.

Once you’ve had time to recover from a pregnancy and dropped most of the added weight, running at your previous training pace feels easier. Or, as you race your bike up a hill, it no longer feels as if an overweight albatross is perched upon your shoulders and flapping his wings frantically.

I will vouch for the latter.

After that subpar time trial years ago, I said sayonara to the upper-body muscle I added that winter by riding harder and longer and lifting less often and much lighter. Once I did that for a while, my time on that hilly, 12-mile time trial course dropped dramatically.

The second time I raced it that season, I was nearly 30 seconds faster than ever before - though I did finish second because some pro showed up in need of a workout.

Equally as important was how muscle gain/muscle loss affected the full cycling season. I felt strong throughout it and had a few great and unexpected results in late July, a time when I tended to hit a lull and not race well.

Both stories suggest some weight gain this winter may not be the worst thing if you’re interested in running, riding, hiking, or walking faster in the spring. So if you haven’t been able to avoid gaining weight in the past, now might be the time to experiment.

Do less of your primary aerobic exercise and more lifting. Don’t intentionally overeat or eat junk, but don’t deny yourself either.

When the weather breaks and you cut back on the lifting and increase the intensity and volume of your aerobic workouts, you’ll only retain the new muscle that helps your aerobic activity.

And you’ll be faster as a result.