No direct experience with pregnancy and IM but if my friends are leading by example, you should be pregnant soon. I have numerous friends who signed up for an IM while trying to get pregnant and found themselves pregnant within a month or so of paying the registration fee.

LOL

your profile says you're doing the great white north tri in edmonton - do you know a girl named krista from sherwood park? she does that race as well, and races with cops for cancer at other events.

she was in IM training and was pregnant, and ended up miscarrying her first child. she took a year off of tri to have our gorgeous neice (she's my sis-in-law) in nov/08, and did GWN this year as part of a relay team.

not a statistically significant sample, but it was absolutely crushing for her, and i'd hate to see someone else go through the same thing. just something to think about..

best of luck - cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

I signed up in July '05 for IMCDA '06. One month later I found out I was 3 months preggo. Also found out that the ONLY way to get a refund is to either die or go to the military (or something like that). I did get like $150 back of my registration. Anyhow, I digress.

Talk to your Dr. I know that my doc told me I could keep doing the same types of workouts I had been doing since my body was accustomed to it. But I also didn't continue IM training; I just did regular workouts (running, cycling, swimming).

Honestly I would advise against it. My two babies (well they are 5 and 3 1/2 now) were worth the 5 years I've taken off of IM racing. There will be another day and another time where that distance fits into my life.

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Life is Short...Run Long

"what if I were to get preggers during the course of my training? "

Am I missing something but it sure sounds like you're not ready for motherhood if you have to ask which is the most important.

Actually, I wasn't asking for opinions of which was more important, I was wondering if being a few months' pregnant would mean that I should stop training or if it is okay to just cut back on intensity, etc. I signed up for IM Moo for next year, but am torn about actually giving up trying to have a baby. Obviously if I was able to conceive that would be my priority, but wasn't sure how much I would have to give up right away.

Get the November 2009 issue of Triathlete magazine and turn to page 134. The same question was asked. The response from the docs seemed to be it's okay within that first trimester you just need to go easy (training pace) and definitely not for time (race pace). I think the docs also recommended an ultrsound at 8 weeks and then again the week before the race to be sure everything is okay. Anyway, you can get the magazine and read the whole thing.

After just completing my first IM at Madison and going through the trainging - it is insane to think you can be pregnant and train at the same time. 1. What if you have sickness 2. How are you going to train in the summer and maintain hydration and nutrition (not to mention during the race itself) 3. What if you fall off your bike (I did and it was my first bike spill) 3. The IM swim is a battlefield and I got kicked everywhere (including the stomach) numerous times

On another note, I can't believe you would sign up for IM knowing that you might get preggers and potentially drop out. Just blows my mind because sooo many people are "dying" to get into that race.

Warning!

Pregnancy in the first trimester : watch for body temperature while training. Rising temperature may harm the development of the baby at that stage. Read on it. It is very important.

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Painting training always ...

I don't agree that it's insane to continue training while pregnant. I know several runners and triathletes who continued to train, but at a lower intensity, during their pregnancy. I know women who have run or swam the morning they ended up giving birth. There is a woman in my masters group who is around 18 weeks pregnant and has been swimming masters the entire time. My sister-in-law is a competitive runner (17.00 5K, 36.00 10K runner) and she is due in November. She has continued to run and even do 5Ks, one as recently as last weekend. Granted she is running these 5Ks in 20-21 minutes instead of 17 flat, but she's still doing at with the blessing of her Ob-Gyn. You have to watch the intensity, nutrition and hydration, and body temp but otherwise exercise is good during pregnancy.

To the original poster, I would make sure to find an Ob-Gyn who understands women who are endurance athletes and discuss your concerns and questions with them. You'll just end up getting a lot of different opinions on this forum, unless there is an Ob-Gyn on ST who can respond to this thread.

i-tri - I'm hoping you didn't mean it that way but I find your comments about signing up for an IM and then possibly dropping out due to pregnancy rather hurtful. As someone who has been trying for over a year to get pregnant I can tell you that it's not as simple as deciding to either get pregnant or sign up for a race down the road (and not get pregnant). In my situation, which is not unique to women by any stretch of the imagination, if pregnancy doesn't come easily then I can either choose to put my entire life on hold indefinitely including all races in case I do get pregnant or I can choose to continue to live my life and make plans that I'll change down the road if/when I do become pregnant. From my perspective the ups and downs of infertility are bad enough that to put my entire life on hold, including those things that bring me joy in my life, would make it absolutely unbearable.

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Thanks for the info everyone, I will def. check out that magazine article. I thought I had heard if you stay in an aerobic zone that exercise is okay and that it was the LT/anaerobic stuff that became an issue...

Lilpups - Thanks for your comment! I totally know where you're coming from.

I am dealing with fertility problems, which is why I am asking the question. I didn't take signing up for IM Moo lightly - I actually missed two days of work and drove/flew a long distance to volunteer, check out the course, and get signed up, on top of paying the entry fee, etc. I didn't realize that asking this question would cause such a reaction!! I obviously wouldn't want to drop out of the race but if a miracle happened and found out I was going to have a baby, I would do it in an instant if participating meant that it would hurt the baby. But if it was safe to continue, I would.

Oh, and Misstressk, I'm not actually from Sherwood Park - I live about 7 hours northwest of there! Glad to hear she found a way to keep participating after taking time off for family. :)

she and her husband are back to full-on training now - i know he at least is already registered for IMC in 2010, not sure if she is doing it as well. the relay was to help out friends they know through cops for cancer - she did the swim portion, and a husband and wife couple did the bike & run respectively.

thought you might be edmonton area because i don't know how wide the publicity is for GWN...but i may be doing it myself in 2011 so i can race with my sis- and bro-in-law!

cheers!

-mistress k

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ill advised racing inc.

if you are having fertility issues, then training might need to go by the wayside anyway - (see the thread in the main forum on sex drive and elite female racers - I put a bit of text on the pituitary axis). You may HAVE to stop training to conceive.

I was not training nor doing triathlons when I had my children, but I was SO exhausted first trimester that I don't think I COULD have....I also felt rather uncomfortable running - but that was just me.

The standard advice is that it is fine to keep any workouts you have been doing, just to cut back intensity a bit.

good luck

Okay, I will open mouth and insert foot.

But really think about training for an IM while trying to get pregnant or being pregnant. It is one thing to continue running or swimming or even training for tri but IM training is in a league of its own.

I agree.. either way, your situation would be a win! Worry about it when you actually have to worry about it (and always consult your doc)... in the meantime enjoy the training time, and the baby-making time!
Someone once told me, if you can't make the decision, the decision will chose for you.

You are missing something here.... the capability to become pregnant AND complete an Ironman. I am sure you can do one, but not the other ;)
I think she's more than ready for motherhood to put this question out here... its the reality for women in athletics.

Quote:

if I were to become preggers over the summer closer to race time, would it put the baby at risk if I were to continue on my training and complete the race if I were a few months pregnant?

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Twitter: @jayasports
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I signed up for IMLP '05 while dealing with fertility issues. Life goes on...do not put your life on hold for something that may or may not happen right now. Go out and train for an IM. I had an AWESOME experience in Lake Placid and I would not change it for anything. If you get pregnant in the next few months then deal with it then.
Just my two cents. Good luck.

I just had a baby and I have done an Ironman and I don't see the two as compatible goals. Part of having a child is sacrificing some things, temporarily, for the health and well being of your child. I was active throughout my pregnancy, swimming, walking, and aqua jogging and it was wonderful. It took me 2.5 years to get pregnant and there was no way I was going to risk my precious cargo. There is plenty of time in life for triathlons, you don't *need* to do it while pregnant.

Also, I was too sick for intense exercise and most days it hurt just to roll out of bed, let alone run. My baby is 6 days old and my whole world has changed and is beautiful!. I have zero regrets about not intensely exercising while pregnant, to be honest, that just seem ridiculous to me. Just because a world champion marathoner or olympic swimmer does it doesn't mean the average or even above average athlete should do it.

Frankly, I suffered throughout my pregnancy and don't know too many women who can handle more than 1 hour of exercise while pregnant. Best of luck in all of your endeavors!

All in all, it sounds like you've thought this out well. I will put in a few thoughts, though.

First, not only is exercising during pregnancy not bad for the baby, it's supposed to be very good. That's exercise, though, which around here is distinguishable from training.

I'm pregnant now, and just about through my first trimester. Everyone's body handles pregnancy differently, but I had a solid 6 weeks or so where the ONLY thing I could do when I got home from work was sit on the couch and eat some dinner before practically crawling into bed. Working out, especially in any meaningful way, was out of the question due to complete and utter exhaustion, all the time. Staying up until 7:45 or 8:00 was a late night for me. It's since gotten better, but it certainly would have really hurt any race goals I may have had.

Really, I think what it comes down to is whether you're willing to give up the money and time you will have put into Ironman in the event you get pregnant (even if it just means giving up your time goals). Life happens, so don't worry about dropping out of the race if you have to. It sounds like you are prepared for that, though, so I say go for both, and good luck with the training and the TTC!

I really like this quote, and think this is the way to look at things! I would honestly give up training for IM in a heartbeat if I were to get preggo, but don't want to put my life on hold for something I don't even know is possible.

I will probably take a break from training after next season to TTC, if the doc says it would help. I think it would be easier to cut back on training and take it easy after I complete this goal, but for now I need a break from all the stress of doctors' appointments, etc. It helps to get others' perspective on pregnancy and athletics though. :) Thanks everyone! BTW - the article in the Nov Triathlete mag was really informative, good recommendation!