Running when you have a newborn

Van.Bosch

As the title suggests I am looking for opinions on how having a newborn baby effects your ability to train. I just did DCM and have a baby due early next year but would like to do another, possibly Limerick/Cork

Is it stupid of me to think I would have time to commit to a traing plan to do another with a baby? Is it selfish to think I could have the time?

Just looking for people's experience if you have been through?

Pronator

Its very difficult. My son has just turned 4 . I did DCM 2008 2 weeks after he was born. I got a pretty serious injury about 3 months later that kept me out for 6 months. I was lucky in that I could get a lot of my running done at lunchtime.

I was however living on 3/4 hours of broken sleep a night and my body just gave up and was very open to injury and then one came along.

I'm not saying its not possible, you could have a dream child that sleeps all night etc etc.

I guess you just got to see how it goes.

bryangiggsy

Pronator wrote: »

Its very difficult. My son has just turned 4 . I did DCM 2008 2 weeks after he was born. I got a pretty serious injury about 3 months later that kept me out for 6 months. I was lucky in that I could get a lot of my running done at lunchtime.

I was however living on 3/4 hours of broken sleep a night and my body just gave up and was very open to injury and then one came along.

I'm not saying its not possible, you could have a dream child that sleeps all night etc etc.

I guess you just got to see how it goes.

I do not agree. Have 2 kids under five and have done about 50 tris and 3 ironmans since. Were there is a will there is a way.

Tom Joad

its hard but not impossible in my experience and depends on a number of things:

1. When do you run - if you can fit it in during the day you have a better chance, early in the morning for the first couple of months for me was impossible after broken sleep. Evening was a no-no, especially with a first child when herself will be counting down the minutes to you getting home to give her a break.

2. Can you do some running on a treadmill - not ideal but better than nothing and at least you are close at hand if needs be..

3. First 3 months with a newborn are chaos but can vary hugely depending on how good a sleeper they are... every child is difference

It is in my experience difficult but every situation is different. The other things you could do is to forget about a marathon and focus on shorter distances/improving speed/ core strength - shorter sessions which will suit your time issues but will be of massive benefit when you get your life back (in 18 years when they leave home )

thirstywork2

bryangiggsy wrote: »

I do not agree. Have 2 kids under five and have done about 50 tris and 3 ironmans since. Were there is a will there is a way.

There has to be a willon behalf ofyour partner.I have to admit I find it difficult especially if you want to meet others for runs.

If you can run to work or run home it helps and a running buggy is a good option also.
I find you become less selfish once you have a baby and prioritys change.
You can train for a marathon but factor in lack of sleep which is oneof the hardest parts.

drquirky

I have an 8 month old and its only in the last month or two or so that I've started to get any decent training under my belt. I was in really good shape right before she was born but I found that the lack of sleep made running really really difficult. That being said, can't say I cared not running for a few months as I wouldn't trade the time with her for anything! Don't sweat the training, enjoy your baby and you'll figure out a way to get back to it after a few months...

rom

If you have any time for TV then you have time to train. There is options such as running to and from work or at lunch time to up mileage and not impact on family life. I use a headlamp and run at night. Earlier in the year I was doing 15 hrs a week in college a week at night with assignments etc with a 6 month old baby, 40 hrs a week job and still managed 50+ miles a week. having kids only means you need to be seriously organized when you used to waste lost of time before.

MrCreosote

+1 on the running buggy- useful from about 3 months on, gets the baby out of the house, and if you time it with naptime you can get a decent enough run done. Just ignore the looks and head-shaking you get.

Another thing I found useful is to keep a spare set of running gear in the back of the car. Makes it very easy to sneak in a run on the way back from somewhere.

Why not use your marathon training base to build some extra speed on, and smack out PBs from 5k to half marathon?!

zefer

I'm in the exact same boat as the OP, due 1st baby in January. Congrats OP btw

Think i'm going to focus on increasing my shorter distance times and my speed and then see what time I have to train come summertime

Peckham

Firstly, congratulations!

Secondly, I'm writing this on the basis of you being the father - I don't know you, but all the other advice seems to be based on you being male, so I'm just falling in behind that! I'd guess for females it would be a lot different.

I have a 20 month old, and for the first 2 or 3 months quality running simply went out the window - not only due to lack of time and energy (even though these were significant issues), but also due to a lack of interest. Priorities had changed, and when it came to a choice between spending time with the little one (or spending time with my wife while he was asleep) or going for a run, the quality family time won hands down.

After about 6 months I found it much easier to set a routine. I needed to be a bit more flexible about my running (i.e. not being choosy about when suited me to go out for a run, and just taking the opportunities when they arose). Running home from work was where I got most of my mileage, and then I just got used to 4-6 mile runs at 5.30am!

I did decent training for Boston which I did when the little one was 13 months old (he also came with us to Boston), and ran a good half marathon PB in the run up to that.

You can't prepare for how it is going to change your life (and you don't know what your situation will be in terms of having a good sleeper), so just take it as it comes and don't pre-plan any races until you're a few months into parenthood!

average_runner

Hi OP;

I have a two year old, and she was a good baby in fairness to her. But the first 3 months are tough, you will come home and have to help out. Its very hard to get out for runs in the evenings of the first 3 months, as wife be tired and trying to sleep, so you need to be there when the baby wakes up, get the house in order etc. The child will wake up during the night for his/her feeds too, so you be tired, so your training cant be that high intensity. After the first 3 months i was back with club on tuesday and thursday night, but do remember you need to let the wife to get time to do stuff during the week.

Our second is due in mid december, and my plan is to run at lunch time in work, just easy runs and if after first 2 months is ok, i will run to work one morning.

The buggy thing i wouldnt be keen on in winter for the baby, plus when they do wake up they will want milk and nappy changed straight away. Nappys are bad the first 3 months!!!

I would give the marathon a miss and wait for October as a better chance.

ThePiedPiper

Congrats Van.bosch,

Having a baby does change your life, but it's also vitally important that both partners still maintain their individual personalities, and keeping up your pastimes is key to that.

Anyway, I've a 3 year old and a 1.5 year old. I've continued on knocking out two marathons a year, and am in better form now than I ever was. A few pointers:

1. Try and do your midweek training after the child goes to bed at night
2. Do your weekend long run when the baby is having the afternoon snooze
3. Do long runs to/from visits to friends house/bday parties, etc, to kill two birds with one stone
4. Invest in a treadmill and you can do training runs when your partner is out.
5. Most important, if you're making time in yours and your partners life for your running, you have to make sure that its a two way street and your partner has an outlet also.
6. Get the best benefit out of every training session you do.
7. Forget about strictly following training plans, run when it suits the family, don't run when it doesn't.
8. Do a good base-building period before the child is born, because you will definitely miss a week or two training at the least in that period.
9. Enjoy being a parent, nothing like it when they start cheering you on at races. My 3 year old kept shouting at me to stop looking behind me in my last x-country race!! My number 1 fan. :-)

roro2

I would say it's a bit optimistic. For the first 3 months or so in particular (Jan-Mar?) it will be very difficult to get the training in so the timing mightn't be great for Limerick/Cork. I was recently in the same situation and had the same intentions, but found that everything changed once the baby arrived, including attitude to running and whatever you might have planned goes out the window.

On the other hand, it's not impossible but just don't underestimate how difficult it would be! You'll only really know once January comes anyway!

RJC

The idea of having to share your time is the biggest thing you'll have to manage.

Without kids you have me time and us time. Now you'll have to have me time (running, work, sitting on the toilet), us time (staring blankly into the middle distance) and baby time.

If you can give your time for the baby you'll be fine. I have 3 kids (all under 10) and have knocked out 2 - 3 marathons a year and did 3 ultras this year.

If you want to do it you'll do it. If you don't you won't.

Don't forget, for the first few months you (assuming you're the dad and not the mum) will be as much use as tits on a bull. It's only when they start to smile and get mobile (weeks 8 onwards) that you'll be called upon and food (assuming its a boob job) isn't an issue until month 4 at the earliest, normally month 6.

So go for it.

househunter

Would be interested in hearing from a female runner on how they juggled having a baby with their running. I'm expecting my first baby in Feb and my husband is a runner too so we're hoping to still make some time for running when the baby comes along. I have no doubt that I probably won't make it out the door for the first few months but really hope that i can get back to it once it makes sense to. I would imagine that the fact that both of us run may actually help as there will be some understanding there but not sure how that will work in reality. Also interested in a running buggy. I assume you need to stick to bike lanes or quiet footpaths for this?

rom

There is a great podcast episode where they talk about pregnancy and running on Marathon Talk. It was a good while back, you'll have to search here http://marathontalk.com/archive/podcast.php . Obviously its a female interviewee but I can't remember which one.

ThePiedPiper

Househunter,
Everyone is different, but if you have a natural birth, there's every chance you'll feel up to running again after a few weeks. If you've a C-section, you might need to give it a good 10-12 weeks, but you'll know yourself how you feel.

Regarding the logistics, myself, Mrs RFR and Juniors RFR 1 and 2 (Aged 1.5 and 3.5) all go out running together, well when the weather was ok anyway. We've a Phil and Ted Dash buggy, good big wheels and comfortable for the young 'uns. Running with 1 child in a buggy is a handicap of about 30-45 seconds per mile. Running with 2 is a handicap of about 2 minutes per mile. This is the ideal situation for myself and Mrs RFR, I get core workout thrown into the bargain too.

I've taken my young fella on 12 mile training runs in the buggy, and he's been happy enough. Just make sure if either of you is going on longish runs, you bring a bottle, spare blankets, rain cover, nappies and wipes and a phone. With the both of you being runners, you will make it work.

username123

MrCreosote wrote: »

+1 on the running buggy- useful from about 3 months on, gets the baby out of the house, and if you time it with naptime you can get a decent enough run done. Just ignore the looks and head-shaking you get.

Do people really get looks and headshakes for this?

I see women running with buggies all the time where I go running and if anything I am in awe of their superior strength, its hard enough for me to drag my body round on a run let alone push something heavy at the same time!

huskerdu

username123 wrote: »

Do people really get looks and headshakes for this?

I see women running with buggies all the time where I go running and if anything I am in awe of their superior strength, its hard enough for me to drag my body round on a run let alone push something heavy at the same time!

Once you are pregnant or have a baby, you quickly have to get used to lots of strangers giving you unwanted advice and the benefit of their wisdom while they explain why you are doing things all wrong. :cool:

househunter

I actually expected the head shaking etc. for running with a bump but so far its been ok. Mind you I mostly run in the evenings so that they don't really notice and I wear headphones

seamus

It's totally possible that you will have the time to train. This is speaking as a new Dad of a 3 week old. However as Pronator says, you just have to see how it goes. There's no point in setting a new training schedule pre-baby because you simpy have no idea what your schedule will look like afterwards.

My plan was to take two weeks off training when my child was born and then start back into a half mara training plan, to include a 5k PB in December. I knew pretty much as soon as I started back again after just two weeks off that aiming for bigger distances and faster simply isn't a goer at this stage. Not only is your sleep broken, but you're also fitting in training at sub-optimal times, such as straight out of bed or too soon after eating, or whatever.
Pretty immediately training becomes your third priority after your family and sleep. You no longer think, "This would be a good time for some training", it just becomes, "Oh look, I have some time, I can do some training", no matter when that window appears.

I did a 35 minute run today which should have been a relatively easy-paced 7k, but it turned into 6.5k from hell. So my "plan" at this stage is to simply make it to 2013 without much loss of fitness. At that stage my child will be 5/6 months and hopefully into some kind of routine that allows me to go out for a run in the evening or morning and still get 6/7 hours sleep most nights. I'll also have granny available on Saturdays to hold the baby and let me get a long run in.

This early on in the game, Mummy and baby are attached at the hip and my wife had a c-section so is very reliant on me, which means my maximum window to get out, back and shower is about an hour.

TL;DR: Don't train to a plan, just plan to train, at least for the first few months. There is plenty of scope for you to grab an hour here and there for a run, and try and work it into your daily routine as much as possible - commuting, lunch runs, early mornings, etc. Where there's a will, etc. Accept that for a while you won't be able to give it hte same focus that you used to and that you will sometimes have to let a run slide because you have more pressing priorities or you simply don't have the sleep behind you to accomodate it.

rom

seamus wrote: »

It's totally possible that you will have the time to train. This is speaking as a new Dad of a 3 week old. However as Pronator says, you just have to see how it goes. There's no point in setting a new training schedule pre-baby because you simpy have no idea what your schedule will look like afterwards.

My plan was to take two weeks off training when my child was born and then start back into a half mara training plan, to include a 5k PB in December. I knew pretty much as soon as I started back again after just two weeks off that aiming for bigger distances and faster simply isn't a goer at this stage. Not only is your sleep broken, but you're also fitting in training at sub-optimal times, such as straight out of bed or too soon after eating, or whatever.
Pretty immediately training becomes your third priority after your family and sleep. You no longer think, "This would be a good time for some training", it just becomes, "Oh look, I have some time, I can do some training", no matter when that window appears.

I did a 35 minute run today which should have been a relatively easy-paced 7k, but it turned into 6.5k from hell. So my "plan" at this stage is to simply make it to 2013 without much loss of fitness. At that stage my child will be 5/6 months and hopefully into some kind of routine that allows me to go out for a run in the evening or morning and still get 6/7 hours sleep most nights. I'll also have granny available on Saturdays to hold the baby and let me get a long run in.

This early on in the game, Mummy and baby are attached at the hip and my wife had a c-section so is very reliant on me, which means my maximum window to get out, back and shower is about an hour.

TL;DR: Don't train to a plan, just plan to train, at least for the first few months. There is plenty of scope for you to grab an hour here and there for a run, and try and work it into your daily routine as much as possible - commuting, lunch runs, early mornings, etc. Where there's a will, etc. Accept that for a while you won't be able to give it hte same focus that you used to and that you will sometimes have to let a run slide because you have more pressing priorities or you simply don't have the sleep behind you to accomodate it.

With 40K+ posts I think you can't find time to go for a run then the rest of us are doomed

seamus

rom wrote: »

With 40K+ posts I think you can't find time to go for a run then the rest of us are doomed

Yeah, when your day is suddenly broken up into little windows between naps and feedings, where you dont have time to be screwing about on the web or watching re-runs of friends, you suddenly manage to get a lot done...

Ar Strae

Congratulations!

Echoing above..it's doable but it may hurt a little. And you are bound to drop fitness with the lack of sleep. My first is just over the 3 months. I'm getting 3 runs or so in a week at the moment and a gym session or two. It's all about lunchtimes and to and from work runs. The other thing is that if your number of runs or their lengths are reduced try to improve the quality? Interval sessions, hill repeats etc.

I definitely agree with whoever said it above that running WITH people goes out the window. You have to be ready to fit it in whenever. e.g. I failed to get my long run done on a Sunday so got up at 5:45 on Monday morning and got it done before work. I'm not saying it didn't hurt mind.... :-)

We have a jogging buggy which a friend loaned us and it's brilliant. Yes, I may well look like a pillock...BUT

1) I get my run in, with extra core training. And as I found in the Phoenix park recently, running into the wind when you've a pram covered with a rain cover is fecking hard work!
2) The kid gets fresh air and is lulled to sleep by the run
3) The missus gets a break.

Win win...in FACT you even gain brownie points. "Listen don't worry about it..I'll take her off your hands for an hour or so, let you get some rest. No, no, it's fine!"

I use the buggy for the weekend long runs as pace isn't important so I can just bimble along.

For races, I think the way forward (for me anyway) is evening races as weekends tend to be busy and child-centred. We're working on a "we each get one evening off a week" system at the moment. I can make that a race. So for instance I'm hoping to hit the IMRA Leinster League races on Wednesdays, I'll pick off some town-based races near where I work (Docklands 5/8/10), Liberties 6.5K.

And I have a spot for the Achill half that I put off for a year and am hoping we'll make a family weekend out of it, go down and camp etc. (this might be wishful thinking).

Hoping to hit DM this October too.

Ro

annieq

Does anyone know where I could purchase a second hand jogging stroller? They are so expensive & impossible to come by in Cork. I am looking for something with 16' wheels. I would travel to other parts of the country to pick it up.

ThePiedPiper

Anniq,

I don't think you really need to get the bells and whistles jogging buggy you've in mind.
I've a Phil and Teds dash, that is absolutely fantastic as a running buggy. Lock the front wheel on it, and it really is excellent. I'd my young fella in it last year one day for a 13 mile run, he slept every bit of it as sound as if he was in a bed.

They're a very popular buggy, and it should be relatively easy to get your hands on one of them second-hand.

Best of luck.