Tips for the New Parent on the Run

Because sleep is for the weak

There’s nothing quite like the sound of the alarm clock, gently arousing you from dreamland and not-so-subtly encouraging you to hit the pavement before the rest of the day begins.

Actually, there is something better. It’s the sound of that same alarm, but after a night of blissfully uninterrupted sleep because your new baby decided to snooze through it.

However, these nights have been coming few and far between lately. Now that the beautiful Norah has joined our family, my sleep schedule has been as consistent as Barry Zito’s knack for posting quality starts. Consequently, my running schedule has also deteriorated, amounting to the stuff that normally shows up in my daughter’s diaper.

Needless to say, I’ve fallen off the wagon, but I am trying to get myself back on it in time for my August 27 date with the Giant Race in San Francisco. The last couple runs have been enjoyable, and I am finding myself with a renewed focus. Deadlines are a good thing.

With that in mind, I pondered how I might be able to help other runners who have recently embarked on a trip to Babyland/Parenthood/The Island of Misfit Slumber, and I have come up with the following tips. Enjoy!

1. Sign up for a race If you are anything like me, you need that little Twinkie dangling in front of your face to keep you motivated. For me, said Twinkie is the aforementioned Giant Race. In addition to being an escape from the incessant summer doldrums of inland Southern California, you get a medal, a Tim Lincecum bobblehead, and you finish on the field at AT&T Park! I’m not sure it gets much better.

Find a race of some form that will get your juices flowing, too. Maybe it is a destination, maybe you want to keep it closer to home with the new arrival. Either way, pick something, pay for it (because once you’ve paid, you won’t bail – that’s money that could have gone to diapers, so it better get used!) and get ready.  Like I said, deadlines are a good thing.

2. Make a plan Any runner with a goal in mind – even if it is just finishing the race – should make a training plan to assist them in the process. There are plenty of them out there, so pick the one that works for you. It’ll help keep you honest.

3. Ditch the plan I know what you’re thinking: “But he just said that having a plan will help keep you honest.” Yep, but that was before you added to Earth’s population. Now that you have a little one who doesn’t care about your running schedule, you can’t care about it either. If you do, the stress of waking up for middle of the night feedings, changings, etc. will be compounded by the fact that you are freaking out about being up at 5 a.m. for your 7-mile run.

Be flexible. If you are exhausted, don’t push it. If you can make it out for half of the mileage, awesome. Anything is going to be good enough at this point, because this is all new for you and the baby.  Which leads me to my next point.

4. Don’t beat yourself up I know you have high expectations for yourself, and that’s all well and good. But I am also fairly confident that most people will be impressed that you are even considering running a race with a new baby at home. So, don’t sweat it if you don’t make it out for a run. Once you cross the finish line, no one remembers how much you trained or did not train. And then you can eat something indulgent.

5. Beat yourself up Full of contradictions, I know. While you can’t get too down about missing a run every now and then, complacency is the enemy. You know what’s another enemy? Calories. According to a University of Pennsylvania study in 2006, sleep deprivation causes you to make poor nutritional choices. Combine that with the fact that you are worrying more about taking care of baby than yourself, and it’s a perfect storm for the return of the Freshman 15. (We’ll call this the Parenthood Poundage, just for funsies.) You’ve got to keep working at it, even if it means sneaking out the door while baby is still sleeping, or powering through interrupted sleep for a quick morning jaunt. One way or another, this will be probably the toughest stretch of training you’ve endured. But it’ll pass.

6. Take advantage of naptime I don’t mean for you to sleep, you wussy. Sleep is for the weak. Naptime, though, is the perfect time to work in a quick weight session or core workout. It’s also high time to research your next race, write a blog that no one will read, make a new running playlist, or just generally relax and screw around a little.

But definitely don’t sleep. Who can sleep during the day, anyway? You’re not Nosferatu.

7. Adopt a mantra Almost every running advice columnist I have ever read will tell you to adopt a mantra to repeat to yourself to get you through the difficult points of your run.

Well, We’re not talking about that here. You’ve got bigger fish to fry, so you need a mantra to get through the middle of the night. I’ve found that something like, “It’s just a phase, everyone says she’ll sleep through the night soon, It’s just a phase, everyone says she’ll sleep through the night soon,” or “This rocking chair is actually quite comfortable, This rocking chair is actually quite comfortable,” are effective. Feel free to steal one of these – I won’t charge a royalty fee this time – or make one to suit your style. But it will help.

Now that I think about it, though, I suppose if you are running on fumes while running your race, a mantra can’t hurt. I’ve recently taken one from Tour de France commentator Paul Sherwen: “He’s digging deep into his suitcase of courage.” Can you think of a better metaphor? I thought not.

8. Have support OK, this one is actually serious. Having a new baby isn’t easy, and trying to train for a race isn’t easy. Put the two together, and you clearly are just a glutton for punishment.

That being said, having a support network is important. Whether it is a husband/wife/partner who won’t kick your ass when you sleep through your morning run -- even though you asked them to do the middle of the night shift because you promise, promise, promised you would get up early and go --  or a buddy who won’t care that you aren’t shooting for a PR this race and who might have to physically carry you across the finish line, you need help.  And it’s OK to admit that you need help, too. You might think you are Superman, but did you know that dirty diapers are actually 38% Kryptonite? Fact.


So, whatever your game plan is as a new parent, good luck. You can do it, but it is going to be difficult.

But hey, you’ve got a kid now…congratulations! Can anything really be more difficult than that? Nope. Now go out and run.