Breastfeeding and Marathon Training

Re: Breastfeeding and Marathon Training

• natalie202 member

  July 2011

  I'm in a similar situation, but am fortunate to have a couple of running mom friends who've walked this path before to offer me advice. One option they suggested was planning to return to home about halfway through your run to nurse, then heading back out the door to finish. This obviously only works if you're running from home, running WITH LO in a jog stroller, or if whoever is watching your child is willing to meet you with the LO. If running from somewhere where this isn't an option, you can return to your parked car to pump.
  

  Something to keep in mind: Unless you're planning to stop and nurse or pump halfway through the race (and I know women who have... obviously women who were NOT planning on a PR that day), you may benefit from NOT breastfeeding or pumping during your long runs. You'll need to figure out a way to deal with the situation on race day, and like anything else in marathoning, the best way to do this is to practice during your long runs. If you're hoping for a speedy marathon, I'd suggest sucking it up during your long runs. This is ultimately what I've decided to do.
  

  "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

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• fostermurphy

  July 2011

  A girlfriend and I both trained while bf. We both feed or pumped before and after. By the time I worked my way up to my 2+ hour runs, my son didn't need to be feed as frequently so I did not become engorged. The hardest part was taking in enough calories to keep my energy up.

  

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• kirkette member

  July 2011

  Ditto pumping right before and right after runs.

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• AmberinDenmark

  July 2011

  Thanks for your input...I was so close to just thinking this is crazy, but I think I will try to train, but always remember I can drop back to the half if it gets to be too much.  

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• Cinco

  July 2011

  I trained while bfing. I pumped or nursed immediately before and after my runs. It wasn't a problem for me, but everyone is different. I never got too engorged, but my DS did not like the taste of my milk after a run. I'd shower and pump a little first, and then he was okay. 

  Caroline (5), Kyle (3), Lucy (01/04/12)
  
  2012 Goal: working towards pre-pregnancy speed!
  04/15 KI Metric Marathon/16.3 m (2:05:55, 7:43 pace)
  05/06 Frederick 13.1 (1:41:09)
  11/04 NYCM
  
  

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