Any other pregnant triathletes?

[NurseNoa]

Hello ladies,

This is my first posting here - someone recommended the site as a place to buy maternity cycling shorts.

I am new to triathloning, and cycling in general. Prior to mid-June hadn't been on a bicycle of any kind since I was 15. After about 4 weeks had worked my way up to 20K. My doctor has limited me to no more than that for now, since I am 11 weeks pregnant.

My first tri is scheduled for late October, and its a sprint.

I'd love tips from other pregnant triathletes. What do y'all wear for the tri itself? Shorts and a sports bra/ tri bra? At the moment I am more or less my regular size (this is my 3rd pregnancy - have 2 little ones ages 5 and 2.5), so I fit fine into cycling shorts and jersey. But clearly that will change eventually.

Any nutrition tips?

Thanks!!

Noa

[alpinerabbit]

You want to run a 5k while 23 Wks pregnant?
After being kicked in the belly in a mass start swim and racing a bike 20K and ATM, you can just about bike 20, because you haven't been on one in 10 years - and your doctor says is the max. you should do?

Your heart rate, which surely your doctor has advised you about, will be >180 just standing at the start line - it's your first. You'll feel as sick as you might have in the past 11 weeks if you have nerves anywhere like me.

my nutrition tip: I raced my last sprint on a coffee and a croissant.
tri shorts and a sports bra would look classy. wonder what the paramedics will think.


This has "troll" written all over it.
If your are genuine, take your medical advice from your Dr.


(edit: today my sig line fits the bill)

[NurseNoa]

Wow - I totally didn't expect such rudeness from a women's forum. My doctor has given me the ok - I wasn't looking for medical tips - was looking for practical ones from other women who have competed while pregnant. Guess I'm headed back to beginner triathlete - where at least the people in the forum are nice and supportive! Here I was thinking that a forum of women would be even more encouraging....

And for the record, you obviously know very little - new research shows that more "intense" exercise is perfectly safe in pregnancy; HR concerns are mostly for the first trimester; not all tris have mass swim starts; not all women have "morning sickness"; and I was advised to wear a sports bra + bike shorts for the swim since its a waste of money to buy a trisuit that will only fit me correctly once.

Your sig file shouldn't refer to you as a visigoth - but rather a B!^@#

[alpinerabbit]

:D
Hey, I did give you nutrition advice...

Look now, if you had significant endurance/competition under your belt (unless you omitted that part)... that might put it all in a different light.
This sport is a race, not a walk in the park. At least it's supposed to be. Does it really have to be now?

[OakLeaf]

I don't have children, so take whatever I say with an entire salt mine ...

But Deena Kastor had trouble (http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/news/story?id=6645716) walking her dog in late pregnancy.

She skipped last year's New York Marathon because of her pregnancy - granted that her record marathon time of 2:19 is probably an hour longer than a sprint triathlon would take an average young woman, but still.

Nobody's saying you shouldn't continue to train as long into your pregnancy as you feel comfortable and your doctor says it's safe. And for that, yes you will need maternity shorts - I don't believe TE carries any, but do some googling - the topic has come up here before and there were one or two manufacturers.

But I'm with alpinerabbit. Competition is a whole 'nother thing. You'll be making extreme demands on your body's level of oxygen and introducing high levels of muscle damage and inflammation. Are you sure you want to do that, and does your doctor understand competition?

[alpinerabbit]

Some final thoughts that I might should have stated in actual writing... in no particular order:

If it's just about swimming 500, biking 20, and running 5 in one go on a timer, do it on your own and let your hub time you. No being swum over, no kicking, no crashes, plenty of water stations. No signup fee. Then again, no T-shirt.

I do read your balance changes come month four, and you don't want to crash.

You are intending to train through the Israel Summer while pregnant.

My SIL lost one at 22 weeks. Might have, might not have had to do with JUST an intercontinental flight.

You srsly coulda just been a troll, we've had them.

My HR did not go up on the expletive. An achievement -
Last time I got it it was followed shortly by my handing in my notice.

[trista]

I haven't done a tri while pregnant, or ever, but I have had 3 children, ran a couple marathons (not while pregnant tho), and I stay very fit while pregnant, so I will chime in.

Regarding nutrition, if it were me I'd focus more on protein than carbs. Try to hit at least 90 grams each day, tons of eggs, lots of dark veggies. And of course stay very hydrated and take in more salt than you would while not pregnant.

For the cycling shorts, I doubt you'd need maternity if you could find a pair that have a yoga-style waist and stay low on the belly. Or what about a full-body something or other?

Personally I'm of the belief that a woman can do just about anything in pregnancy she sets her mind to, with caution and moderation, and I think the balance thing is hogwash. Esp. at 23 weeks. For sure a man made that up. I never felt like I lost my balance in pregnancy. A sprint tri seems totally reasonable to me as long as you train well and listen to your body.

I once had a spin teacher who taught class her entire pregnancy and she kicked my butt even at 8 months pregnant. I have seen dancers who are the epitome of grace - with huge bellies sticking out their front.

In the second trimester, women usually feel *great*. It is the BEST time of pregnancy, and if you want to do a tri, it might be your only chance for quite some time.

[OakLeaf]

with caution and moderation

But that's just it. Training is training. Competition, by definition, is throwing caution and moderation out the window in a quest for achievement.

[zoom-zoom]

But that's just it. Training is training. Competition, by definition, is throwing caution and moderation out the window in a quest for achievement.

And, really...find a 5k "fun run" if you want to be part of an organized athletic event with minimal pressure to perform. I don't get spending $$ (and multi-sport races are rarely cheap) to go out and half-*** a race.

[roo4]

I recommend that you take a laid back approach to this. Focus on completing the event, not competing in it. How much you are able to exercise is going to be hard to predict. I couldn't run past the first trimester and I nearly passed out in the shower several times after swimming during the second trimester. I settled on walking and light strength training. It is possible to complete a triathlon, just be careful and keep the important thing in the forefront. Best of luck to you.

[Crankin]

I know that I was pregnant back in the dark ages (the 80s), but I was extremely active, doing hard, high impact aerobics through both of my pregnancies. The first one, I managed to do that through 8 months, but after that, I decided to walk and swim. Second pregnancy, I was super fit and super skinny. One day we decided to go for a family bike ride and I stopped short because I was worried that DS #1 was falling out of his baby seat on the back of DH's bike. The down tube shifters went into my stomach, hurting like hell, but I didn't really think of it. I had a bruise, though. Five days later, I went into premature labor, at 30 weeks. I had to endure 6 weeks of house arrest and my mom had to come and stay with us for 4 weeks. It was awful.
Was it worth it? No. I am sure my balance was off, despite my fitness, and that little wobble that caused the shifter to jab my belly would not have happened without my center of gravity being different from the pregnancy.
We often joke this is why DS #2 became a racer, but it was a very tense 6 weeks, that got me so agitated that I actually threw a plate across the family room at DH because I was so frustrated from having to stay in the house.

[snapdragen]

Alpinerabbit, it really is not necessary to accuse every new poster, that maybe doesn't fit your idea a serious cyclist, triathlete, whatever, a troll. Can we please not go back to the old "chase 'em away before we give them a chance" TE? It's just rude.

[alpinerabbit]

I am not going to apologize for what I wrote.

I was writing up my reply and suddenly it occurred to me the idea was so far out, it just might be a joke, and I was not going to be the one who'd been had.

[snapdragen]

It could be a joke, but if it were, the problem lies with the joker, not the one trying to help.

Moot point. OP is not coming back.

Perhaps preface any iffy question with the fact that you think the poster is just trying to get a response, but if not then...

Or don't bother. But it is certainly not possible to know for certain.

Well, I did email her and asked her to give us another chance.

I've been on so many boards where anyone new is treated with such suspicion. It just isn't right, IMHO.

[PamNY]

I've been on so many boards where anyone new is treated with such suspicion. It just isn't right, IMHO.

That really is a problem -- sometimes people are just uninformed, and asking questions on a board is part of the learning process.

I've seen this often in dog groups -- some innocent soul asks about breeding their dog, and instantly is accused of being a backyard breeder. Very likely they simply don't know all the issues associated with breeding -- and thanks to a few self-righteous zealots, they are driven away from an important source of information.

I'm not commenting on this thread -- just responding to your comment about new people being treated with suspicion. It is something to watch out for.

[Veronica]

Well, I did email her and asked her to give us another chance.

I've been on so many boards where anyone new is treated with such suspicion. It just isn't right, IMHO.


And we do have that nice little triangle on the left that we can use to alert our great moderators to a post that seems off.

Veronica

[snapdragen]

And we do have that nice little triangle on the left that we can use to alert our great moderators to a post that seems off.

Veronica

I wonder what would happen if I reported a post to myself? :D :D Adventure Girl would think I'd gone off the deep end....

[Grog]

I was writing up my reply and suddenly it occurred to me the idea was so far out, it just might be a joke, and I was not going to be the one who'd been had.

Sorry to revive this almost-dead thread, but I just wanted to point out that it's actually not far out at all. I distantly hang out on pregnancy forums these days (because, well, I'm pregnant!) and I read a lot about pregnant women who decide to take on a new sport and things like that. Including triathlon. We're pregnant, not sick, and the old guidelines about taking it easy during pregnancy have thankfully been superseded with an encouragement to exercise - even vigorously so, as long as one does not have risk factors preventing them from doing so safely. I have even seen some research that supports taking on a new, more intense exercise regimen during pregnancy, with benefits to both the mother and baby.

This being said, the thought of running in the hot summer of Israel is enough to make me really queasy, but I'm fully adapted of the Pacific Northwest so don't ask me.

And, one final note about the "it could have been..." speculations on miscarriages and early labour: women who lose babies are tormented with doubt about whether this or that thing that they did (such as exercise, flying, falling flat on their face after tripping on their shoelaces, taking a fast walk in the summer heat, eating a hotdog) caused their miscarriage. Unfortunately, I know what I'm talking about. But the truth is that miscarriages happen to non-viable pregnancies no matter what we do about them, and if you've kept on living during your pregnancy you're bound to experience some coincidence that will make you wonder "what if...". All that guilt - fueled by the well-meaning comments and concerns of friends and relatives - is really doing a lot more damage than good. Some conversations are much better left to the privacy of one's doctor's office.

[OakLeaf]

Grog, did we know that??! Congratulations! :D

[roo4]

And, one final note about the "it could have been..." speculations on miscarriages and early labour: women who lose babies are tormented with doubt about whether this or that thing that they did (such as exercise, flying, falling flat on their face after tripping on their shoelaces, taking a fast walk in the summer heat, eating a hotdog) caused their miscarriage. Unfortunately, I know what I'm talking about. But the truth is that miscarriages happen to non-viable pregnancies no matter what we do about them, and if you've kept on living during your pregnancy you're bound to experience some coincidence that will make you wonder "what if...". All that guilt - fueled by the well-meaning comments and concerns of friends and relatives - is really doing a lot more damage than good. Some conversations are much better left to the privacy of one's doctor's office.

Grog, this is very true. The vast majority of miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities or other problems that lead to non-viable embryos. Sometimes bad stuff just happens. Thanks for reminding us.

[anakiwa]

It's probably a little late to respond to this, but I'll chime in on the original question.

I'm 6 wks post-partum and while I stayed very active during the entire pregnancy (of more than 42 wks in my case) I don't think racing during the second trimester is a great idea (particularly if it's an activity that's new to you). The one thing I found over and over is that I had to be extremely flexible and constantly re-think activities to stay active throughout the pregnancy.

Re running- 24 wks is when I had to more or less give up (it had nothing to do with fitness- my abdominal muscles were just getting too loose and it's rather disconcerting to run with abdominal pain when you're pregnant).

Re biking- I stopped during the winter and found I couldn't resume it in the spring (at that point I was in my third trimester). It had nothing to do with balance or fitness- the issue is that there was enough extra weight hanging off my front that I had too much back pain (I couldn't sit in a regular chair for weeks and realized it was somewhat absurd to continue).

Re swimming- this actually worked well- but as one of the other posters pointed out- I had to be extremely careful about calories afterwards- I'd spend 1/2 an hour in the pool and feel great- as the pregnancy progressed I had less and less time to get fluids/calories into me afterwards without feeling like I was going to faint.

So in the end I found I had to constantly re-think what I was doing for reasons I hadn't predicted. I'd be concerned about combining all three in the second trimester in a race setting (especially if that setting is new to you).

Re shorts- Bornfit makes a maternity short- I used it a few times and liked it (but as above gave up riding sooner than I thought I would). I found that some of the regular shorts I had seemed to fit well even into my third trimester (the lower rise ones) BUT once I got on the bike and rode they put enough pressure on my abdomen to cause Braxton Hicks contractions (not a big deal but definitely interfered with the ride).

Re nutrition- I'd be really careful to make sure you eat/drink well after the swim (before you get on the bike) even if it takes more time.

Personally, I was determined to stay active during my pregnancy and felt I succeeded at that. I would encourage any woman to do the same. But I would also suggest you don't set your heart on any one particular activity and stay open minded about the fact that what works for you may change considerably between now and when you deliver.

[GLC1968]

Wow, I'm shocked by this post. Truly.

I'm a fairly active member at beginner triathlete and I regularly refer women over there to TE for safe environment in which to ask questions of a more feminine bent. I recognize this woman from BT and she is not a troll.

I wish I'd opened this post earlier (but seeing as how I have never had children, figured I couldn't offer advice) to offer support to a new TE member.

For the record - there are thousands and thousands of triathletes that participate for the experience and do not 'race'. I would expect that someone who is already following her doctor's advice about training this early on would fall into the 'participant' category when it came to race day.