Active Community: Message List - Has anyone raced pregnant?

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

PinkyMouse — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:11:58 GMT

It's not the fact that the "exercise" of participating in a tri would be the issue if you are someone who normally trains and exercises as intensely as you would need to in preparation. A good rule of thumb is not to start something NEW when pregnant.... your body's in a hyperdynamic state from the pregnancy as a baseline.

I think the concern would lean more toward risk of physical injury. You would have less of a risk for injury if the sprint swim portion is in a pool, and running may not be a problem, provided the course isn't a steep trail, but certainly, the risk from biking would be something to take into consideration. And, if it's a sprint, you KNOW that there will be plenty of "newbies" in the crowd that may not have much biking experience to not be considered a risk (it may not really matter what YOUR biking experience is... when there are a lot of new folks around, there can still be accidents). There are so many injury possibilities that can result from a fall from a bike....... and unfortunately, you can't go back and change the outcome, once the damage is done. I would think it's better to play it safe and keep the training up (train on a bike trainer indoors until it becomes real uncomfortable, then just stop for the end of the pregnancy), but seriously take all of these factors into consideration before making your final decision.

Best of luck with your pregnancy!

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

lindssimon — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:32:59 GMT

If she is looking for something she can swim in that is cute and stylish here is a site that I found.

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-life/maternity-fashion/stylish-maternity-swimsuits/

I got my maternity swimsuit at Old Navy online.

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

suefit — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:41:18 GMT

Costco Speedos...typically the older women get these, but they fit great...will stretch as you stretch! Awesome price...typically around $20

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

suefit — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:40:14 GMT

should be no worries...did a 5k at 20 weeks...as long as you have been training up to this point, you should be fine...take it easy...listen to your body...eat light...just enough to keep the nausea away...otherwise have a great time!

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

Joe_h1 — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:24:14 GMT

know someone who wants to keep swimming during her pregnancy is and looking for a nice maternity swimsuit - any recommendations?

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

Krista Edwards — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:40:43 GMT

okay, sorry ladies, maybe i should make sure I spell things correctly- left out the "e" it is lifeguardkw@hotmail.com. as for the yoga, it is not exactly my specialty area, so i would hesitate to make many recommendations there. as for the core conditioning, there are just a few guidelines to follow

due to all of the relaxin that is being released in your body, your joints are pretty loose and therefore less stable. Because of this it is wise to limit your range of motion on some exercises, such as squats and leg extensions, as it is to much pressure on an unstable knee and hip joint.
because of the instability, DO work the smaller core muscles of the hips by doing things such as single leg squats and single leg deadlifts. another easy way to incorporate this is to stand on one foot or in tree pose while doing upper body exercises such as lateral raises, curls, etc.
Try to keep your weight load to thirty pounds or less. again, this is due to the instability of the joints. wont hrt the baby if you lift more, but there is a big risk to your structural integrity.
Dont do exercises lying on your back after the first trimester. instead do them at a slight incline or tip your hips slightly to one side or the other, as the uterus compresses blood flow from the aorta
DONT do lunges, step ups etc. these exercises place to much opposing force on opposite sides of the pelvic girdle which is very lose. this may cause the symphisis pubis or the cartilage disc between the pubic bone to slip.
as for planks, there is alot of conflicting information about the safety of isometric holds, as they have been shown to spike blood pressure. i tend to steer clear of those with my clients, at least until they can prove more conclusively as to their safety.
avoid overhead movements after the seventh month. same as above, havent conclusivly been found acceptable.

As for the back injury, i would suspect at this point in your pregnancy (as I am also due in Nov) that it may be partially related to your previous injury, but it may also just be that time when the weight of the baby combined with the structural instability of the sacroilliac joint starts to rear its ugly head. there are several exercises such as the quadruped, a standing swimmer, and the low back extension machine that will help that. perhaps the one exercise that has helped me personally the most is ab holds where you draw your lower abdominals in, hold for ten seconds (remembering to breath) and release. I try to do twenty of those at least every other day. This keeps my Transverse Abs strong, which is the muscle group responsible for holding the belly up and still. just some food for thought. y address should be correct now if you have any other questions

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

lindssimon — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:58:49 GMT

I would also like to know of some good pregnancy DVDs i can do at home to change it up from running. I am also due with another girl in November (and have a 6 and 3 year old girls).

Krista- two years ago I was training for a marathon and 2 weeks before the race I threw my back out. I couldnt walk for a couple weeks and it took over a month to start running again. This is my first pregnancy since that happened. I have noticed a lot of lower back pain (almost feels like my back is going to go out again). I have been using a back support band. Any exercises you would recommend? Do you know if its safe to be professionally adjusted while pregnant? Thanks for any info.

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

jldowne — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:05:44 GMT

I am impressed with all of the amazing women who have posted on here!!! This is an old post but apparently it needs immediate attention. Krista, enjoyed reading your post because you are very right in saying there is not enough information out there on this topic. I have finally started telling some of the other gals I train with that I am pregnant and when most of them found out I raced at six weeks they showed immediate stress and disbelief. I knew in my own heart that I was careful and could have talked through the entire bike and run portion of the race (hence the slower time than I was originally shooting for) but they were still very concerned. Lets hope we can help educate others about pregnancy and fitness!

Krista, tried to shoot you an email but it wouldn't go through...was wondering if you had any recommendations for yoga or core strengthening at-home DVDs for me to use during pregnancy. I am okay with a pregnancy-specific workout as long as it is not catered to someone who likes to lay around and do nothing. I want to get the health and fitness benefits while also helping my pregnancy and labor. I don't do a lot of yoga now, but did it at the gym with my first two pregnancies and enjoyed it. However, with two other small children, a very busy spouse, and a part-time position as a fitness instructor yoga at the gym just isn't fitting into my schedule. Would appreciate the input of ANYONE on this. Would love to have a 30-40 minute yoga routine that possibly includes some SAFE abdominal work (planks, etc.). I have done the P90X yoga and LOVE IT but feel it may be a bit too much. Thoughts on this??? THANKS LADIES!

JLDOWNE

Mother of 2 beautiful daughters (6 and 3) and expecting #3 baby in February 2010!

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

Krista Edwards — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:15:02 GMT

you are most definitly not selfish... you are on your way to a healthy pregnancy. I raced throughout both of my pregnancies, distances of up to a marathon and olympic distance tris. In fact, I start my third trimester next week and have a long sprint lined up for this weekend. mostly for the post race pancakes. If you had been doing it and feel comfortable keep going. your body will actually regulate you. it will slow you down if you need to slow down, and i guarantee you will automatically be more cautious on a technical course. mommy instinct. the only real danger are other non cautious riders....and if you go that route, you shouldnt be riding in a car, a plane, etc as they are just as likely to crash, with a much more traumatic outcome. As for the "competitive" again your body will regulate you, so take this opportunity to actually enjoy racing without so much focus

I am a USAT level one coach and personal trainer, and i know how hard it is to find information on pregnant athletes, so feel free to email me at lifguardkw@hotmail.com and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

Re: Has anyone raced pregnant?

panontin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Given that the medical proffession can never be 100% sure of any claims made regarding safe practices while pregnant, why would you risk anything as important as your pregnancy? Keep in mind that its just a race and there will be many more to come in the future. You might regret the fact that you missed the race for a few weeks after the fact but if anything happens to your baby, you'll regret that for the rest of your life!