sugnim
Some of the smoke has cleared out today, which is great. I've got my map out & I'm planning a 10-ish mile route hitting some new-to-me trails along the way. My dog will be so happy. And so will I.
QOTD: For those of you who are parents, how did having a newborn in the house affect your running? If you don't have kids, do you remember anything your parents did to continue with their interests/passions,hobbies while you were young?
Our son will be born in October, and from what I've heard, the first 3 months of raising a baby include very little sleep for the parents. I don't function very well without the right amount of sleep, and I'm wondering if I will have the energy to run, let alone get through the work week without crashing at my desk. I've already got a jogging stroller, but it will be several months before his head is strong enough to take him with me on short runs.
Replying to this daily as sugnim got it in first...
9 this morning on road and trails. Meant to do my long run, but pushing to tomorrow due to family juggling.
QOTD: having had the joy of newborns 5 times, I can say that it's definitely hard to keep the mileage up. I would focus on enjoying your baby, you and your partner getting enough sleep and then running once or twice a week to keep your fitness. If you get in a long-ish run and another run during the week, you won't lose much fitness by the time he's got a more regular sleep schedule.
Pete
Great 7 miles for us.
QOTD: I wasn't running then, but I kept up with my sports and activities, mostly by going out early. I did take a bit fewer risks in my more adrenaline oriented activities.
TrailTromper
Tallahassee, Florida
Congratulations Sugnim! Having kids is the best thing that ever happened to me!
During the first 6-9 months, I found that even when I could find the time to workout I didn't sleep enough to recover properly. I promptly got sick every time I tried to ramp up my volume. For our first child, the trough of accumulated fatigue was at about 10 months, for the second it was around 18 months.
I think a very good outcome is to emerge from the first year having kept some kind of exercise up, and not having gained too much weight (yes this applies to dads too, even though we have it much easier).
Now, I'm heading out for 8 miles in Golden Gate park. After that, I'm taking my boys camping. They love it, and I love doing it with them.
3/8 Way Too Cool 50k WNS
4/19 Tehama Wildflowers 50k
morning folks! 5 miles in before the rain today.
QOTD: (disclaimer: I am a father, therefore my opinion does not mean nearly as much as you lovely mothers who carry, deliver, nurse, swaddle, change boatloads of diapers, and raise wonderful children, while I hang out and get to be the "fun" parent)
Congrats! kids are wonderful. I loved my life before we had children (we were married 6 years before our first came along), but I can't imagine life without them now.
My recollections of the first 3 months are a little different. Babies don't do anything but eat, sleep and poop for the first three months.
I noticed there were plenty of opportunities to sleep, but they were broken down into smaller windows. We've been blessed with pretty mellow kids, who sleep through the night pretty quickly. I am also blessed with a wonderful wife who let me sleep through the night as much as I could, so I would have energy to go to work.
It's definitely an adjustment period, but I bet you'll adapt pretty quickly. Have fun and enjoy your son!
(p.s., I should also add, I'm not really a fan of newborns. in addition to not doing much of anything, they're kind of delicate too. I was convinced I broke my daughters leg when she was 3 weeks old, simply by lifting her by her legs to slide a new diaper underneath her. I heard it pop, she started screaming, I started crying and my wife had to rescue both of us. She was fine, but that left me a little gun shy. I like them when they get around 6-9 months. They're a little plumper, and much tougher.)
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
Good morning all!
Got out last night for 3.5 miles around the neighborhood and 9.2 this morning along the paved mesa trail, both runs with the dog and pushing DS in the stroller.
QOTD: My son was born in Jan, right as I was getting started on my training for a spring 45k. It definitely made it more difficult to get out on the trails, but I have been able to keep pretty decent mileage with a lot of stroller running mixed in. There are a lot of variables though. We were lucky in that our son has been a great sleeper, so sleep deprivation has been pretty minimal. My wife had a really busy spring, which made it difficult for me to get out for a run without pushing the stroller, but it has been a bit easier since things have slowed down for her. Every baby is different, but I was out walking with the stroller when he was a couple weeks old and doing easy runs starting around 4-6 weeks. Our local paved bike path had just been repaved though, so it was super smooth and did not bounce my son around at all. The sidewalks are much rougher and I have only recently started running on them with the stroller. We have tried our best to maintain some level of activity and have bought all kinds of crap in order for us to take our son along. Stroller, multiple baby carriers for different situations, backpack for hiking, and a front mounted bike seat. So I think if it is a priority for you, it is very possible to drag your baby along and stay active.
Tim
DW and I had nice 2 hour run today on some new-to-us trails.
QOTD: I gained 15 pounds after our first child because I stopped exercising. For baby 2 and 3, we included all the kids in our activities. Hiking and biking were fun memories, and a jogging stroller worked out well for baby #3. She loved when I ran with her in the stroller, so I would suggest looking for a good jogging stroller. You can find them easily on eBay and if you get a used one, it's a good idea to take it to a bike shop and get it tuned up (it will roll much easier when they are done with it).
“Paralysis-to-50k” training plan is underway!
10 on the local trails
QOTD: I have 2 and when they were newborns I just adjusted my schedule around them and got runs in when I could. Nothing was set in stone but as they got to be about 3-5 months old they were in the jogging stroller with me.
I know where you are coming from, and it is right to be humble about the effort many mothers put in. I just want to point out that it is not a law of nature that work is distributed that way. Each couple must find their own way. My wife didn't really learn how to put a diaper on until I went back to work on day 10, and I'm pretty sure I've done more than half of the changing, swaddling, and raising since then.
I agree with this completely!
We've approached it as a team effort. No one has any one specific responsibility. whoever is closest is the one who performs what ever task needs to be done.
funny you mention the diaper thing. My wife first exposure to newborns was when we had our first. She grew up with one sibling, who's a year younger than her. On the other hand, I had four younger siblings, and was quite well versed in baby care. The first time she had to give the baby a bath was pretty entertaining. It's such a fun (and trying) learning process.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your perspectives on raising a newborn & running. It really helps to hear from others who have been there.
My plans changed today as my SO wanted to get out on the trails too. So, we had a nice 5 mile hike together. I will run tomorrow, either a local 4 mile race or a nice long trail run.
The first time she had to give the baby a bath was pretty entertaining. It's such a fun (and trying) learning process.
Haha - the first few times are pretty scary IMO. You're worried that you will drown, burn, and give the baby hypothermia at the same time :-)
Faster Than Your Couch!
I admit I'd rather go with the sun than with the smoke, but I'll join in.
Once again, it's going to be a late run. At least, the weather is great!
QOTD: Whenever a new baby arrived, it was chaos for a few weeks, regardless of running or no running. I have never run through a whole pregnancy, and I stopped running until I had weaned the little ones (my last baby was 15 months then, so it made for a very long break from running).
Other than that, I was always "forced" to get the babies out and ready in the morning, and stick to somewhat of a schedule throughout the day (to take care of the other kids in the house), and I usually went for a walk with the dog (and the baby in the stroller) in the morning. I could have gone for a run then as well, with the infant in a "jogging stroller". Only time this got difficult was when my middle son was around 2 years old and wanted to walk, not stay in a stroller, and the youngest was an infant, so that there was no way of moving along fast and swiftly - stay and play, then toddle along was the motto of those days.
If I had really wanted to run then, I would have gotten a babysitter, or the neighbor's kids to watch the kids for half an hour, while I went for a quick run. Once you are back, you can take the baby along into the bathroom, while you take your shower, so that saves on "time" for the babysitter.
DH was out of the house most of the time, so no way to ask him to do it, but that might work for other families, too.
Now the kids come along on their bikes when I run on easier trails, the rail-to-trail, or on the bike path. Sometimes the whole family is out and about that way, spreading out on the paths, each their own pace, and every now and then meeting up somewhere in the middle again, which is really fun time for all.
When I was a kid, my dad's "hobby" (he was an entomologist, but not by profession, which took up most of his afternoons) was also the family's entertainment, and so I learned that it is a good thing if parents pursue their hobbies and passions, and the kids just come along.
Run for fun.
I agree. On a side note, a fun fact is, my DH changed the first diaper when his fifth baby was 2 years old.
Sue
Nice easy pessy 9 on the Yuba Trail. We stopped at the turn around to enjoy a naked young man sunning himself. Hey I'm a cougar. Lot's out gnats out today so that was a bummer.
QOTD: I do not have kids but I have nieces and nephews who I have taken on week long trips often. Although not newborns I would say relax, they won't break. We break all the rules on these trips and have a good time. When the parents come with us, they fight all the time. Parents want to enforce home rules even on vacations. When I was young (20S) our friends had a baby, they took it everywhere, they never fussed over him and he ended up being such a easy baby who would sleep anyway. Later when friends in their 30 and 40 had kids, all of sudden we couldn't laugh when the kid was sleeping, they could never go any where, and the Mom's refused to leave the baby with Daddy. I know, no one wants advice from people without kids. PS from my childhood, freedom...I was given lot's of freedom and camping trips, and cousins, best memories.
05/13/23 Traverse City Trail Festival 25K
08/19/23 Marquette 50 dns 🙄