Mama Training Tips

I’ve been a Mama for just over three months now and I really love it. Ruth is a wonderful baby and I am so excited to take her on adventures and show her the world. I have had to make some adjustments to training to make being an athlete and a full time mom possible. These are the 5 adjustments that have made training a bit easier!

1.       Trainer set-up

I love riding outside, but with a baby at home this isn’t always possible for me. I keep bibs, a sports bra, socks and my HR strap right by the bike so that I don’t waste time once she is asleep.

2.       Clear shower curtain

This is a trick I got from my mom. Ruth is really content to sit in her chair and play with toys (at least for now) as long as she can see me. This way a shower doesn’t have to be included in that naptime and I get a bit longer on the bike!

3.       Aligning the life and training schedule

Because she is still so little, nap schedules and lengths are still unpredictable. I try to save intervals and longer workouts for after my husband is home from work, weekends or when I have babysitters! I aim for 1-1.5h on the trainer at a time and if she only takes a short nap, I sometimes put her in the stroller next to me and wheel her back and forth – sometimes she falls asleep again! I also understand that some of these weekday rides will be disjointed or shorter than I like but I am trying to be flexible and organize the week to accommodate this.

4.       Nutrition

There were a couple of trainer rides that I would get on and be too hungry and have to get off the bike and make a snack. A scoop of Flow in my bottle is a quick way to make sure I am getting some calories during the ride!

5.       Go slower + stay in zone

I have been putting Ruth in the front carrier and bringing her on skis and as long as I go slower and keep my HR in the right zone it is still good training! I can’t work on technique as much and doing intervals would be impossible, but it is great for both of us to get fresh air! For the future - we have a running stroller and we are getting a trailer to pull behind the bike and on skis so as soon as she can stabilize her head a bit better, I will have more ways to bring her with!