Perfect time to Tri again: Getting back into triathlons post baby

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Have you ever said. “Oh yeah, I used to do that… But that was pre-baby.” Pre-baby, or PB, I had a long history of running races, adventure racing, and sprint triathlons. As someone who loves and appreciates the benefits of variety in training, I really enjoyed triathlons. But, as the popularity of shorter distance triathlons grew, you also needed to sign up farther in advance, and spend more money on registration fees. Following a season of swimming with way more jellyfish then I care to hang out with, I decided I needed tri break. When I had my son, I stuck with Stroller Strides, running, teaching fitness classes, 5Ks and never looked back.

swim time
swimming as the sun is rising (photo credit: Eline de Graaf)

Fast forward 5 years, my son is 3 and my friend Jen posted in the Stamford Moms Run this Town Facebook group “I’d love to do my first triathlon. Anyone want to do one with me?” That was exactly the motivation I needed. Jen is a full time working mom and coordinating training ended up being a bit harder than expected. We started out just reporting to each other on our progress which required some flexibility with a lot of schedule swaps due to work and mom life responsibilities. Eventually we were able to get together for some great swims, bikes, and runs. We also trained with 2 other local moms, and Friday mornings I ran with 2 local friends.

Early morning training sessions with friends was KEY not only to my success, but my enjoyment. While waking up at 5am isn’t really preferred, meeting friends several mornings a week was such a fun, energizing start to the day! I don’t have a lot of opportunity for a ladies night these days, but at least we were having regular ladies mornings! As the days are getting shorter I am already going through serious withdrawal from starting my day with these ladies and I can’t wait for next summer! Jen initially said she’d NEVER do early morning workouts but eventually figured out that not only was it a great way to fit it in, but that watching the sunrise while swimming and biking before traffic with your friends is a pretty great way to start the day.

Grinning ear to ear. What a great day!
Grinning ear to ear. Jen’s first and my first post-baby tri at Greenwich Cup Triathlon.  What a great day! photo credit: Nikki Miller

So what did I learn on my return to tri’s?

  • Return when you’re ready! While Eline amazed us all with doing her first return triathlon 6 1/2 months post baby, I didn’t have the itch to do one before this summer. But this was the summer for me and I was so ready!
  • Appreciate the workout. My workouts with friends really became a “mom’s morning out.” I so looked forward to spending time with friends and it felt like real “me time.” It felt so great to get back into something I really enjoy. When we bike in Rowayton or Silvermine, or swim at Tod’s Point, I really appreciate how beautiful our area is.
  • Be flexible. This one is hard for me. Fitting in morning workouts usually meant I could stick to my plan but sometimes due to work schedule, child ailments, work travel etc…. things don’t go as planned. I am still working on being more flexible.
  • Know your purpose/goal. I didn’t want to admit that I wanted to improve on my times from 5-10 years ago, but I did. My main goal was just to get out there training and in the races and pretty much my mantra during the races was “I am really happy to be out here.” My back of the mind goal was…. I really want to prove I am just as strong and fast as I was 5 years ago and I would say…I was. I wasn’t any faster, but with my intensity of training, I couldn’t really expect that.
  • Know your distance. While Erin conquered her first Olympic distance triathlon this summer (so awesome!!!), I still felt I wanted to stick to sprints. I felt the training was do-able for me.
Madison
Enjoying the beach post-race with Eline and Erin at the Dave Parcells Madison Triathlon

So how about you? Any pre-baby activities you’d love to get back into now or in the future?

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Elysa Cruse
Elysa Cruse is a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer and is the Manager of the Corporate Wellness Program for Pitney Bowes (www.pbprojectliving.com). She moved to Fairfield County after college and has been enjoying great ways to be active and eat well in the area ever since, including teaching exercise classes such as Stroller Strides, Pilates and Boot Camp. She is mom to an adorable 3 year old boy and loves getting outdoors whether hiking, biking, or running (really anything as long as it's not weeding). Elysa is still working on the ultimate in work life balance and she's okay if she never quite finds it. Connect with Elysa on Twitter @ElysaCruseRD

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