Baby due in February and I’m eeing Louisville or Maryland. Here is some background on current fitness and other key items:
General
This will baby number 1 (obviously - thus the question)
I Work 40 hours a week with little, if any, weekend work (commute adds 2:30 each day)
Wife works 40 hours a week as well (doesn’t put in much overtime at all)
Have access to a pool and gym nearby, but given the races I’ve chosen I hope to do most my running / biking outdoors (at least run, cycling I can get on the trainer as needed).
My build for Ironman Florida was a minimalist plan (relied heavily on the aerobic engine and didn’t do much run training AT ALL). I’d say I peaked at 16 hours/week, and most weeks thereafter were scaled back from 12 to 10 to 8 hours (did more quality training rather than slogging out the miles).
Fitness
Took part in the Ironman Florida brick workout this past weekend. 138.2 woot woot!!
Don’t view the lack of a swim as “unfinished business”, but rather I’m simply addicted by all the things words cannot express (it was still an epic experience for me).
I know my biggest time savings will come via the run (would like to improve from 6:12 to sub 5:30/5:45)
I’d like to improve my bike split a bit (from 6:27 to sub-6)
I won’t be devastated if I don’t improve a ton but am able to still go out and have fun on the couse with some friends who are racing.
I know Ironman is not going anywhere, and the baby (without question) is the number one priority. That said, I was curious if others who’ve been in a similar position feel that it is doable. Note: I’ve worked very hard to get fit (from fat), and just want to keep with it (and I know that doens’t have to mean Ironman, but like I said, I’m addicted).
Before the hoard descends upon you, I’ll throw this out there.
Why not just train casually to keep your fitness without the all consuming goal of doing an ironman? Maybe do a specific sport training year and focus on a weakness or something, so when you do go back to long distance racing you have some improvements to show for it? Hell, maybe work on getting fast and do olys/sprints for a year or something.
My general thoughts are this: you have a choice of compromising your time and energy between a very important life event you only get to do once (with your first kid) and a completely selfish and ultimately unimportant athletic event. Which ever way you go, good luck to you.
I have a 3 month old and I am just getting into the groove of running everyday, but I run on my lunch breaks and work 32 hours a week with 20 minutes of commute each day. Between crappy sleep the first two months, visitors if you have close relative who live at a distance, and generally just wanting to be around my child, I can’t imagine taking 12-16 hours to just workout particularly if my work and commute took up 3 more hours a day…
Wow, the responses I had expected, but only MUCH NICER!
As much as I want to register for one of those races, I was certainly going to wait as long as possible before actually registering. That, and perhaps wait until the “high” from IronBrick subsides…
Surprised there weren’t more “HTFU and wrkout at 2 am” responses, though maybe those are still coming.
I have a 1 year old so i can offer some insight. My opinion is to forego the Ironman this year and look to do one in 2016. It’s really a special time for you and your wife and you do not want to miss too much time due to training. Also, I found while I was training (short course races) my mind was constantly wandering to what was going on at home. Babies grow really fast and change/learn and reach milestones quickly. Its really not worth missing out on that just to do an Ironman. Early morning workouts might be tough with a ever changing sleep schedule and newborns are great at that.
Another thing depends on how much help you have, your wife’s maternity leave and how crazy your schedule will be for the first few months. I would look into a short course year which will maintain fitness and once you and your family have a schedule set it will be easier to set up a legitimate Ironman training plan.
Take the time to adjust to a new life and focus on fitness and shorter races (oly even sprint). Maybe throw in some half marathons for funsies. IM training really is time consuming. You can do all the time management wonders, but the fact of the matter is, you’re going to have to get in some long swims, bikes and runs.
Maybe think about doing a non IM branded race if you’re worried about it filling up. Maybe Beach to Battleship since you suggested MD and KY. Not for next year, but for 2016 and on. That way you can test to see how much you can train. If you make it through the bulk of IM training, go ahead and race! If you find that you reached a breaking point and can’t train anymore, back off and maybe do a half with the fitness you gained.
At the end of the day, it’s about your new kiddo now. That doesn’t mean you have to forget about you. It also doesn’t mean that it’s not a great idea to set an example to your child about setting goals, working hard and making fitness an important part of a balanced life. But, what it does mean is that you have to make sure kiddo has all his/her needs met, you’re doing your part by being a present and attentive dad, and you’re not forgetting your wife just went through a pretty traumatic event by giving birth and needs your help.
PS: join the Y or another gym with babysitting! You can get a nice swim or treadmill run in while your kid is in babysitting. You’re training, kiddo is happy and cared for, and your wife gets a break and supports the training!
After having kids I gave up triathlon and chose to just race bikes. Not only was it a good time management decision, but I am having much more fun than I ever did in tris. I may go back to the sport later, but this far can’t see why I would. It a hard stepping away from something that is a big part of your identity, but at least for me I see myself as a family man first and an athlete second. It was the right call in my situation. I don’t think you have to loose yourself when you have kids, and it’s good to show your children a positive example of health. It’s all about the balance of priorities.
I was in the same boat… However, my wife does not work. I work about 38 hours a week, and commute 1:20 total each day. I also work zero overtime/weekends. My daughter was born in Feb 2013, and I was able to get in about 12-13 hours a week training, as I have a VERY understanding wife. Last year, I dropped everything but the swimming and this year, will be the first year I’ll get back at it.
When I got home from work every day, the last thing my wife wanted me to do was walk back out the door for a two hour training ride. On a Saturday/Sunday morning, she’d ask that I get up with the bambino so she could sleep in a bit. Also, you will be in an exhausted fog for about the first 6 months. Perhaps longer depending on how good a sleeper your kid is.
So yeah, your life is going to change some. I’ll echo the recommendations above and suggest that you forget trying to do an ironman. Do the smaller races, and try to maximize your time. ie, training on the trainer. Right now, I ride a couple hours a week on the trainer while my wife is at Masters swimming and the toddler is sleeping.
At some point, you need to decide whether racing/finishing an ironman this year is as important as being a good father, and a good husband. I think you’ll find the latter more important.
I have 3 kids. My last ironman I signed up without knowing we were pregnant with 3rd child. Found out shortly thereafter. I still went ahead with the ironman the following summer with 2 toddlers and a 3 month old. You will need to be realistic with your time goals and be prepared to suffer out there a little longer.
I don’t see the problem with maintaining your training along with family and work. You should be able to manage 8-12 hour weeks of training. Especially with only one child. I found it easier to train with one child and wife on maternity leave. With her home my training was easier to fit in. We weren’t worried about getting everyone out the door in the morning. Now with 3 kids in school plus two working parents, much harder to balance training time and family time.
You may also need to prioritize sleep over a workout. Babies just don’t always want to sleep when you want them to sleep. Suddenly that 5am workout is just not practical if you want to be functional at work all day. Be prepared to miss workouts and let them go.
Everybody is different. You can probably pull it off if you really want to.
But… at the risk of cliche - it goes so quickly. Savor what you can. Hang on for dear life as well. Because no matter how “easy” the baby… you and your wife will be in a fog.
I will say that I did IM build this past year when my son was 2 1/2 to 3. I have a pretty flexible work schedule… so I was able to get in “invisible” training time. Ie. when he was napping or at health club child care, etc. Much tougher when they are newborns.
Was able to fit it in without too much disruption in our lives. Although, my training took on a different tilt: more shorter sessions, more often, whenever I could. Ended up ok for me though.
As I was recently in the same position, here is my experience training and completing my first IM at Chattanooga and having a 10 month old:
General:
Work 40-60 hours a week, irregular hours (mix of normal days, nights and early mornings)
Community center pool on the way to/from work.
Kurt Kinetic trainer at home.
Utilized the BeginnerTriathlete 20 wk beginner ironman training schedule as a guide (free and quite detailed!)
No coach.
Baseline Fitness:
Had done a bunch of Oly’s and one HIM in the 5 years leading up to the IM. At baseline, could run a 1:35-1:40 half marathon, high school swim team skill level.
How it worked:
After Christmas last year, I started to base train for about 4 months prior to starting the 20 week plan. Once on the plan, I would usually drop 1-3 of the easier workouts a week. In an average week, I would do 1-2 swim workouts, ride the trainer twice, run twice, and do a long bike ride on the weekend. The trainer was great because I could ride at home while watching the baby. I would also usually do my runs with her in a jogging stroller. This took more of the burden off my wife.
After all was said and done, I went 11:39 overall (48:59/6:31:06/4:03:35) Hit my swim and run targets but drank too much fluids on the bike and had to stop x 4. Hope that helps!
I was in the same boat for my second IM as well. Basically trained when my kid was 6-12 months. I second everyone’s opinion that you can 100% do it but just be realistic about your time goals. I spent A LOT of time on my trainer right in the living room with my wife and son. I basically did the majority of my running at lunch time from work and somewhat wrote off the swim (about one solid swim a week). I also recommend using the occasional off day from work for a long training day in the middle of the week if you can get away with it.
I have 2 young kids (4 and nearly 2 years old), work longer hours than you but more flexibly (I can work from home sometimes and cycle commute at others which helps). Wife also works, though is currently doing 3 days/week (will likely ramp up to full time again when kids are at school).
I think Ironman will be tough. A lot of it depends on how easy your baby is and how your wife copes. If its a relatively easy baby (sleeps well, feeds ok, doesn’t get ill too much) and your wife is a pretty relaxed mother then you can likely get in a fair amount of training (provided you still want to - may find your priorities change). If its a difficult baby and your wife finds the whole thing a lot more stressful than expected, you could find it hard to even fit in one short session a day, let alone IM training.
We ended up somewhere in the middle I think. Neither kid was particularly easy, and my wife certainly found it a bit tough going from a job she loved and got a lot of satisfaction from to basically spending her whole day feeding, changing nappies, etc. When you’ve got a baby who’s sick and just won’t eat, or sleep, or stop crying, then any kind of training routine goes out the window. You just need to be there for your family.
Decide what is important to you, establish and maintain clear, transparent and honest lines of communication with your partner, and then make it happen. Whatever choice you make, commit to it and do not second guess. If that means skipping Ironman, decide and don’t ponder on the what if’s.
My wife and I came home with our son in April of 2012 - I did the Triple T, IMCDA, Racine, and Hawaii that year. It wasn’t exactly the same as he was not a new born, and was 19 months old at the time, but dealing with a two year old who has a personality of the own, doesn’t understand you when you talk to them, and was just ripped from everything they know isn’t a walk in the park.
If I had to do it over again I would do it the same way.
Speaking of which, my wife is due in spring, and I’m signed up for Texas and will be signing up for IMAZ. I don’t expect it to be easy, but nothing in life that is worthwhile and truly enjoyable is easy.
I do tend to agree with jackmott, with your wife working it’s tough. My wife stays at home, and with us both being active - if we both worked it would be crazy. Early mornings and lunch workouts are your friends.
I will throw in my objective comments and let you draw your own conclusions. My daughter was born in December, 2012 and I did IM Moo 2013. I am a lawyer and keep typically lawyer hours. My wife did take an extended maternity leave (and never went back), so that helped free up time. With an infant’s feeding and nap schedule I was able to get up for the 4 AM feeding get in a morning workout, head to work during the week, get in a short evening workout if necessary and do an evening feeding. Lots of pictures of me and my daughter napping together. The only hiccup in this strategy was when she got sick the week before the race. It was no decision at all to be “dad” that week (sleepless nights, catching a cold, etc.) as opposed to “guy doing an IM next weekend” so my IM was more of a “participation” than an all out effort. For comparison, IM Moo 2014 would not have been possible. Once they are walking, talking, and fully interactive with you, you could spend an entire day walking out the front door over and over again just to hear the little voice say “bye-bye daddy” with no regret about missing a bike or run.
Hey mate,
I have my first little one due on the 29th of December… Prior to knowing this I had registered for a 70.3 on nov 9 and a full on dec 7 and a half at the start of jan…
I decided that I would train hard for the Nov and dec race and forget jan…
It’s also my first time being coached so the past few months have been super busy as I have done my best to stick to my program… My week consists of 20-25h training, 48h working and then any free time I have is getting the house ready for the little one (painting, new carpet, furniture etc)… I must admit I have been super tired at times and have probably not been spending as much time with the mrs as I should… But I think she understands that after these two races I will back off for 6months to 1y and then gradually see what I can manage and maybe train up for a half…
I have a similar commute time to work and use training as a means to commute, which saves time… (Provided there is a safe track to work)…
All the best with your decision, racing and new family member
