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Ironman and baby- What is it really like?
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 2015-09-16 10:53 AM |
 101 |  Subject: Ironman and baby- What is it really like?I am not a mother, in my perfect timeline (haha, I know plans often change but bear with me) that phase of life is at least 5 years off. Triathlon is very important to me and as I think about life changes I wonder how my relationship with tri (esp. IM) will change. My question is for the Ironman moms out there. How did you get back into training after having kids? How long before your first postpartum IM? How did training change? Do you face backlash from others for the amount of time away from family while training? Is your spouse supportive of your IM goals? If you are willing to share I would love any stories/ advice. |
| 2015-09-16 11:41 AM in reply to: #5141174 |
| 14 | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? Quite interested in this too. About to have my first baby in Jan. Keen on making both work. |
| 2015-09-16 12:06 PM in reply to: mtrunner6 |
Member 1748    Exton, PA | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? Originally posted by mtrunner6 I am not a mother, in my perfect timeline (haha, I know plans often change but bear with me) that phase of life is at least 5 years off. Triathlon is very important to me and as I think about life changes I wonder how my relationship with tri (esp. IM) will change. My question is for the Ironman moms out there. How did you get back into training after having kids? How long before your first postpartum IM? How did training change? Do you face backlash from others for the amount of time away from family while training? Is your spouse supportive of your IM goals? If you are willing to share I would love any stories/ advice. I'm a single Dad, and this year is first time I felt I had enough time to train in order to do a full IM. Been doing tri's for 8 years. Why this year -my kids(3) are older now my son is driving and some of their activities have tapered off. With one child and a supportive spouse it should not be a problem. With kids however your training time tends to be around their schedules. So yes I wake up at 4:30am to run and be on my trainer sometime til 11pm. I also did not put in the hours that most people would consider needed to do a full IM. I also feel that sacrificing a little time with the family to set a good example(healthy lifestyle) is better than not sacrificing time and teaching your kids how to shove bon- bons and ice cream in your mouth  |
| 2015-09-16 12:31 PM in reply to: 0 |
| 101 | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? I apologize I should have said "this question is for all of the Ironman moms AND dads out there." Good on you for prioritizing and setting a good example for your kids! Edited by mtrunner6 2015-09-16 12:32 PM |
| 2015-09-16 1:28 PM in reply to: mtrunner6 |
Master 4118 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? So, i have a two year old daughter. I did a full ironman in August 2012 and had baby in 2013. Since she joined us i have done two HIM's but no full IMs. But i am very happy with what I have accomplished. For me when we decided to have a family I wasn't really set on continuing doing IM ... i know i want to again but just not when. I was recently thinking that I would target doing another for my 40th birthday in 2020 (which sounds far away but is not). We'll see when we get closer. We're thinking about baby 2 ... Anyway, i can talk about HIM training and what i did. The first one I was still on parental leave (got a year off) so even though i was at home with the baby i could use nap times and use the treadmill or the trainer. Though i am back at work now - there are scheduling issues both ways. It's a challenge and i find the hardest part the long bike. This spring i actually took several Fridays off for my long rides so that I would be able to be home on the weekend and not need as much time away (or have to do it on the trainer). I swam with my coached group a couple of nights a week and that was a pre-planned part of our routine. I did this really soon after having baby. It gave me a social outlet with other mom triathletes (my coach, and several ladies in the group). The run I basically do whenever I can fit in. And during training I would primarily do the long run during her afternoon nap My training certainly wasn't perfect but i didn't get injured and I managed a pretty awesome PR for the distance. There are a couple of things I think are really important: 1. Supportive spouse/family - can't do it without hubby who encourages me. 2. Really wanting it. No longer is it something to do in your free time. You have to plan it, make it work and get it done - and prioritize. I find I can't do everything. |
| 2015-09-16 1:31 PM in reply to: 0 |
Member 220 Wakefield, Massachusetts | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? I only do sprints and I'm a dad, but both were born after I started racing, and both are under 5. So a couple of thoughts: 1) Kids take a LOT of time, and their schedules are neither flexible nor consistent. Don't expect to be able to train at the same volume or consistency, because you won't have anywhere near the same amount of available time. Be prepared to ditch a lot of training sessions early because nap time was shorter than usual. My oldest is almost 5, and I still have a hard time with scheduling. 2) That said, you'll become very good at figuring out all the small inefficiencies in your current schedule that can be exploited. A lot of people shift their training to early mornings. That didn't work for me because sleep is good, so most of my training gets squeezed into my lunch break. 3) Jogging strollers and bike trailers are great (once they're big enough to be in them, but still small enough that you're not pushing/pulling 50+ extra pounds). 4) Make sure your spouse is supportive. Even if they were before you had kids, make sure they still are with a baby. Long Sunday morning rides didn't bother my wife until we had our daughter, when they started cutting into family time. Make sure your spouse also has an opportunity for kid-free time (work doesn't count) to pursue their hobbies or just unwind. 5) As a dad I can't speak to how long it will take your body to recover, but I think it was about 4-6 weeks before either of my kids settled into a regular sleeping pattern (note that doesn't mean sleeping through the night, which comes a few months later). Until they have a reliable sleep pattern you will be useless zombie, and I wouldn't expect much out of training. (Just re-read OP and realized kids are still a few years off, so some of this advice might be a bit too tactical) Edited by Fourteenkittens 2015-09-16 1:47 PM |
| 2015-09-16 1:33 PM in reply to: juniperjen |
Master 4118 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? Oh and on the backlash. No, not for me. I have long been into this stuff so it's pretty expected. Plus, as mentioned I was swimming with moms who are way harder-core than me! hahahaha! I did get a comment from my SIL on why couldn't i be lazy for a while but i took that in stride because that's about her. I wanted to do things that made me feel like me and made me happy. As Mike said, it is a bit of time away but i also think it's important to show kids about having time to oneself, about healthy lifestyle, etc. Definitely there was/is friction with the hubby on the scheduling part - but that is bound to happen even without training just by virtue of having a child. Who is doing daycare drop-off/pickup? what's for supper? who has to work late? - so keeping the lines of communication open is very important. |
| 2015-09-16 6:50 PM in reply to: #5141174 |
| 6 | Subject: RE: Ironman and baby- What is it really like? As a dad (only trained for Olympic btw) the main thing for me is not being as serious on my times. Don't get me wrong, I want to do good, and I train that way, but if I have to miss some training sessions, oh well, that's just going to happen. One thing I like to do now is when my son is in his high chair I try to get in a good workout. I like to do squats, pushups, core workouts etc right by him and make sure I count out loud. He seems to get a kick out of it and its helping him with numbers. Being a parent and triathlete is awesome, a lot of work but a ton of satisfaction! |
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