Motherhood and Ultrarunning. 

As a full time Mom, I frequently get asked the question: “Are you working?”.    Initially my answer would always be “no” and that “for now, I’ve decided to stay at home and take care of my daughter”.  Like “staying at home” was somehow less important than working a paying job.  It did not take me long to realize that taking care of my daughter is in fact a FULL time job.   

Writing a “how to” about being an Ultrarunner and full time Mom is quite a bit harder than I imagined it would be.  Maybe it’s that I haven’t been using my brain in a creative way for work for the past year or the fact that every time I’ve sat down to write something, my daughter gets up from her nap.  Either way, it’s pretty much how life seems to be these days.  Running is no exception.  I get it in when there’s time.  Some days there’s not a whole lot of time to get much done at all.    Between nap schedules, feeding times, playtime, and clean up, the days go by quickly and can feel like I haven’t accomplished a thing. 

 There are many women out there running ultras while raising children.  It’s not impossible to be a competitive athlete and also a full time Mom.  However, I will say that for me it has taken more dedication and determination to train and come back into the world of competitive ultrarunning than it did before I had my daughter. 

Sophia was born on November 12th, 2008 and up until that point, my training and racing was pretty relaxed and flexible.  I could run when I wanted to (for the most part) and I had not really suffered any major injuries (thankfully).  My body and mind just sort of went for it and usually came through for me. 

Things are different now.  My energy and time are dedicated to raising another human being.  It is the most amazing experience I’ve ever known.  It also means that I’ve had to figure out a way to balance running, taking care of my daughter, spending time with my husband, racing, etc…   My schedule now revolves around my daughter’s routine and my husband’s work.  Which leaves me very little time actually. 

My runs happen early in the morning from 6 to 7:30 am before my husband goes to work.  If I’m lucky, I will also squeeze in another run during Sophia’s nap on a treadmill or take her in the jog stroller if the weather is nice.  The weekends usually entail a lot of tag-teaming by my husband and myself.  I run long in the am and then he goes out in the afternoon.  And most of the time we try to fit in time as a family as well. 

 My first race happened in February of 2009 which was 3 months after I had Sophia.  In hindsight, that was a little crazy and too soon after giving birth to run a race.  I ran a 33k in Moab, UT and came in 2nd place.  It was painful.  At that time, that was the longest I could go without having to nurse my little girl.  For the first year, this was the biggest crux for me.  Nursing and running Ultras is not a cake walk.  In May of 2009 I ran my first 50 miler since having Sophia and ended up having to pump while hiking during the race.  I remember during that race that the only songs playing through my head for 50 miles were the lullaby songs played on Sophia’s baby papasan swing.  I just laughed to myself every time another song would hit me.  That was the Jemez 50 miler in New Mexico and I ended up miraculously coming in 1st place.

I also ran the Leadville 100 in August of the same year and I had to pump and nurse twice during the race.  Somehow, even with the added “pit stops”, I ended up running a personal record.  Go figure. 

 Although I have had some decent finishes in the past year, I still don’t feel like I am back to where I was before having Sophia.  My body definitely does not cooperate the same way it used to and I have had to deal with some recent injuries.  In addition, emotionally my outlook on racing and training has changed as well.  For obvious reasons, my priorities have changed.  There’s more of an urgency when I’m running because when I’m away from Sophia, all I can think about is getting back to her.  Even on training runs, I find it difficult to do long runs on my own when I’m always wondering what she’s doing. 

During the HURT 100 this past January, the first 60 miles felt great.  Soon after, as the sun set, my heart just wasn’t in it anymore.  All I could think about was how I wanted to be sitting on the beach, making sand castles with my daughter.  Although I have struggled with my choice to stop at the 100k distance, it felt like an easy decision at the time.  And I must say that I was happy to come home that night and be able to walk into her room and see her sleeping soundly, and wake up a few hours later to take her down to the beach. 

 It’s interesting how priorities change after having a child.  I’ve never known love like this.

And although she is my world, I do feel strongly that it is essential for me to take the time to follow my passions.  It is important for me to continue my running particularly because it makes me a better Mom in many ways.  It is also important for my daughter to know that I can be there for her 100% and also take time for myself to stay happy and fulfilled.

 My words of advice for Mother’s to be or Mom’s hoping to start racing is to set some goals, sign up for a few races and set up a regular training schedule that will work for you, your child/children, and your partner – without burning yourself out:)!  Like I mentioned before, it does take some more dedication, but if you’re passionate about it, it can be done.

I’ve had my fair share of bonks (some of them resulting in a DNF), enough to know that I want no part of it.  Each time wondering how it happened and to no avail because you know as well as I do how quickly we forget the pain and misery.

This post is basically to share with you what worked for me at WTC as far as fueling and hydration.  No sense in you suffering for something that’s already been done.  If you wanna see a full race report go to my blog.

Prior to the race for breakfast I consumed one flask full of EFS liquid shot (over 3 hours), 16 oz of water, a bagel, and coffee to kick start my system.  I started the race with a 22 oz Nathan quickdraw elite in one hand and a 5 oz flask of EFS liquid shot in the other.  In addition, I had 8 e-caps stashed in my handheld pocket.  I had been training with the EFS liquid shot, water, and e caps with any run over two hours so I knew that it all jived with my system.  The conditions were cool to start so that was hurdle #1 to get over.  Cooler conditions usually meant minimal fueling and hydration for me in the past so I was very mindful to stay on schedule.  My schedule during training was a nip of EFS liquid shot every 15 minutes, a swig of water at least every 10 minutes, and two e-caps every hour.  Each flask of EFS liquid shot lasts me 2 hours, which means each nip contained roughly 50 calories and 12.5 grams of carbohydrates.

Hurdle #2 was to figure out what I was gonna do once I ran out of EFS liquid shot.  I couldn’t carry two flasks and there were no bag drops at the aid stations so I was forced into switching from EFS liquid shot to GU, which the aid station stocked.  I was a little nervous mixing two different kinds of gel but I had used GU in the past so I knew it would work for me -  It went off without a hitch.  I ended up taking a GU every 30 minutes while maintaining my e-cap and water intake.

In the end I consumed 1000 calories, 8 e caps, and 60 oz of water in a span of 4 hours.  Quick math tells me that’s 250 calories, 2 e caps, and 16 oz of water per hour.  My energy was constant throughout and, in fact, got stronger as the race went on.  The advice I had been given over the last couple of years is try to consume 250 calories, 2 e caps, and ~20 oz of water per hour.  So for the second time in a race (1st being Rocky Raccoon) and for the second time feeling pretty much constant energy with a successful result.

My advice to you:

• Train the way you race – Get a system in place that works regardless of the type of fuel AND stick to it!  Experiment with different combinations of fuel for longer races so you don’t get sick of the same thing.  Don’t try anything new!  Find out what the race is going to have and train with it.
• Start introducing your selected fuel morning of the race – I took on a whole flask of EFS liquid shot prior to the race which I felt right from the beginning.
• It’s never too early to eat and drink – many people wait until an hour or so into a race to get into the calories – don’t do it!  Get your system accustomed to the fuel so it doesn’t shut down on you.
• Take electrolytes every hour – regardless of the whether, your system is losing salt.  And in order for your cells to absorb water it needs sodium and potassium.  Otherwise too much water will leave you feeling sloshy and ultimately can lead to hypernatremia.
• Consume real food early on – In 100 mile races, the slower pace up front will allow you to consume and process real food.  Later on switch to gels for quicker energy as your body starts to shut down.
• Eat 250 calories per hour – Doesn’t matter the source just get that number into your body per hour.
• Take antacids – Stomach problems arise, especially with the acidity of the gels.  Bring antacids to buffer your stomach – usually every 3 hours.

I hope this is helpful.

Scott Jaime