Ironman versus Pregnancy

Donna over at CrazyTriMom posted this the other day and I had to put it in my blog (hope you don't mind me sharing it... you are a wise woman!) Although I'm not a mother and may not be one for many years to come, I absolutely loved this. So many times in the last three years of training for an Ironman, my friends have had babies and I'm always left feeling as if I want to explain to everyone around me that Ironman is my baby. Here's proof from a mother and an Ironman how similar the experiences really are, no matter how different they may seem (and the world's biggest kudos to those that are mothers and Ironmen at the same time... geesh, it's hard enough to train and take care of myself, I can't imagine throwing another human being into the mix!)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Ironman is like pregnancy and Childbirth
Okay, so it begins with the planning, 10 months to a year in advance you make the plunge (or you and your spouse take the literal plunge to make a baby).

• Ironman: Then it happens, the base building phase, the first few months. The foundation of your training is being laid, your excited but overwhelmed, you can be tired because the volume is increasing and your body is changing.
• Pregnancy:or with regards to the unborn fetus, the growth begins, the foundation is made. You might feel a little overwhelmed with the choice you made to have a baby but your excited. You might experience a bit of nausea and you might be uncomfortable at times but it will get better as the trimester goes on.
• Ironman: So you finally made it to the build phase, your intensity is starting to increase, your volume is increasing, your starting to notice your body change, your building muscle in the gym, your appetite is increasing, your getting more and more excited and your starting to plan your big day.
• Pregnancy: Your starting to show, your excited, your starting to feel better, your beginning to think that this is really real and its going to happen, your not sick anymore, your energy is returning. Not too long now, 4-5 months to go.
• Ironman: Okay, we are in the final stretches now, your kind of getting sick of the training but you do it, the volume is heavy, your body is tired, at times your grumpy and you snap at your loved ones. You've been planning for 9 months and its almost here, when is taper you say, lets get this over with. However, your still excited and think about the event often.
• Pregnancy: Okay seriously, how can I get any bigger, when is it going to be time now to have this friggin thing. " I want this baby out you say". Not much longer, your getting pissed with your hubby, your grumpy because your huge and things are sweating in places that didn't sweat before, your tired, clothes don't fit but your excited and you can't wait for the big day. your still planning, still eating, still staying in the moment.
• Week of Ironman: Okay, the nerves are kicking in, all the training is done, your tapering, your questioning everything that you've done, " am I prepared?", " can I go the distance?", your body is tired from the tapering, your mind is racing, the planning is still continuing your wondering why the hell you ever signed up for the friggin thing, " can't it be over right now"
• Week of due date: Okay, seriously, take the friggin thing out already, I'm huge, I'm tired, I cant roll over in bed without holding on the the backboard of my bed, why the hell did I do this again really, geez.
• Ironman day: Its hard, you work hard, you get your heart rate up, you sweat, you have all the dark moments and all the good moments on the day, you hurt, you might get sick, you curse yourself and others, you say to yourself that you will never do this again, but in the end when you cross that finish line you cry, you hug everybody, " You are an ironman" is one of the best things you can hear and no matter how long the process took, 8 hrs- 17hrs, its a hard work and you did it.
• Delivery day: Your hurting, your sick, your in pain, you want it over, the labor may last 1hr or it may last 24hours but your working hard, you curse your husband and everyone around you, you want the easy way out. You say to yourself, I'll never do this again, " Give me an epidural you say", help me. You vomit, you poop, you pee, but in the end this beautiful baby comes out and your cry, you hug your husband, and tell everyone around you that you love them. When you hear, " its a boy or its a girl" its one of the best things you can hear in your life.
• Post Ironman and Post baby delivery: The pain is gone, you feel better, you are so excited that you did something that you never thought possible, you became an ironman and you became a mom. The funny thing is that you don't remember the pain and suffering of ironman so much after the event as with childbirth, you eventually only remember all the good stuff and what the end result was.

Its truly amazing how much ironman and pregnancy/childbirth have in common.