Moms of Triathlon

This week we welcome Carleigh Moore on the podcast just before her first 70.3 postpartum. She shares how she has delayed this return to 70.3 twice already and is excited to finally get the monkey off her back at Indian Wells. Carleigh gives the details on her workout routine with work, a 14 month old, and an ultrarunner husband. And she shares their method for keeping a routine with a sick kiddo home from daycare. We loved hearing Carleigh’s perspective on why it’s okay to view triathlon as something just for herself and how that makes her a better mom. Carleigh also goes into her experience with pregnancy and a sudden induction that led to a c-section. And she gives some helpful tips and resources for c-section recovery. We came away from this episode motivated and ready to sign up for more races!Follow Carleigh on Instagram @adventure.moore A c-section recovery account Carleigh recommends is @askjanette 

It’s officially the holiday season! After adding the Moms of Triathlon merch to your wishlist (shameless plug), listen to this episode to get ideas for other people in your life. We list off recommendations for kids, husbands, triathletes, grandparents, and friends/ourselves. Jen shares the helpful idea for kids: “Something to wear, something to read, something you want, something you need.” And in her weekly update, Amy shares her experience weaning Margot who turned 2 a few months ago. She shares how it was a struggle to fully commit to weaning, but once she did it was easier than expected. She used some books that prepare kids for weaning, including the book called Booby Moon. Here are some of the top recommendations we shared that were specific products:Shop our merch! Custom calendar from Artifact Uprising Aura Digital Frame Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers Anker Magnetic phone grip for iPhone Bull in China cocktail making set Jolyn swimsuits

This week’s topic is all about making mom friends. Is it weird to use an app? How do you ask for someone’s number at the park? How can you reduce the pressure of a new friend connection? We get into the nuances and share our own experiences.  In their weekly updates, Aly talks about baby Hannah starting solid foods. And Amy discusses helping Ollie deal with conflict at school. 

Off season is a phrase all over the place in triathlon nearly as soon as the pumpkin spice lattes comes out (so August). But what is it and do you need to take one? We talk about different versions of off season - a very specific short break where you can do whatever you want, viewing the whole winter period as an off season, or skipping it altogether, especially if you aren’t training for a specific event or your training has been disrupted by kids. We talk about the ways off season can be both a mental and physical break. It can be an opportunity to set goals and new routines when you return. And it’s a chance to can come back with new energy and purposeShared in this episode: Gretchen Rubin's Calendar of Catalysts

On the podcast this week we welcome Jocelyn Wong Neill. Jocelyn is a co-host on the If We Were Riding Podcast from Feisty Media. Talking to Jocelyn it’s clear that she loves to chase big goals - which shouldn’t have been a surprise knowing she got herself on to Team TBB back in 2008 training under notorious triathlon coach Brett Sutton. Even after all her years in the sport and having her almost 3-year-old daughter, she is still finding new motivation in the sport. Next year she is aiming to qualify for the first ever women’s World Championship Ironman in Nice, France.On the show we talk about her early triathlon days, her transition back to age-group racing after being a full time pro, and her experience training as a mom. Jocelyn shares her birth story and experience with a c-section and struggles with postpartum training injuries. She and Amy also nerd out about triathlon podcasts. In their weekly updates, Amy and Aly talk sickness as a mom and potty training regressions.Zoom bath baby swim courses - https://watermellow.ca/National Kids Running Series - https://healthykidsrunningseries.org/If We Were Riding Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/feisty-triathlon/id1265466545Find Jocelyn on her website and on Instagram @jwneill302 

This week on the podcast the main topic is the MAIN topic - how do you fit in workouts as a new mom. Aly is there to share her experiences getting in workouts – and choosing to not get in workouts – as a mom to a 4 month old and a 2 year old. In the early days when baby slept more it was easier to sneak away for a quick swim or hop on the trainer. Now Aly is focused on leaning in to the mom identity and this period as a time to focus on kids and fit in movement when it’s possible. The trio talk about the ways that breastfeeding has a huge impact on the ability to exercise, including feeding schedules and energy depletion. Other topics include sleep struggles, stroller runs, feet growth in pregnancy, Maddox’s second birthday, and maternity hand me downs. And they close with Go Mommas of the Week.

Aly is back for this special episode where we recap the incredible women’s World Championship Race in Kona last weekend. We celebrate Lucy’s win that it feels like everyone was cheering for. Jen and Aly, the swimmers, weigh in on which win meant more for them - Lucy or Chelsea. The trio recap some other notable stats, like having 3 moms and 5 Americans in the top 10. They also talk about what it meant that it was a women’s only race day in Hawaii and also where the coverage still fell short. In the opening updates Jen talks about deciding to take a personal day and Amy shares about her return to cyclocross. They close with Go Mommas of the Week.

This week is for our most loyal listeners, who want to hear the (hopeful) ending to Jen’s moving saga, Amy’s anxiety over a missed birthday party, and other random musing. If you don’t want to listen in on a group therapy session, feel free to wait for next week when we will be back to our normally scheduled programming. 

This week on the podcast Amy shares a big update - that she is moving with 2 weeks notice. Since Jen recently also moved, the two play "hack or quack." They discuss internet moving hacks and whether they think they are good ideas or not. Knives in oven mitts? Color coding boxes? Free boxes? Listen to find out what is worth trying.

On the show this week Kristen Yax joins and shares her love of training and how she finds energy and refuels by integrating swim, bike, and run into her lifestyle. Kristen and Amy race together on the virtual Zwift team Aeonian Race Team. Kristen talks about her experience as a Zwift Academy Tri Team winner for the Worlds race in St. George. She shares her advice on following her 8-year-old’s lead on his involvement in sports. And she tells us about making the switch from the canceled Ironman Canada in August to Ironman California in October. In their weekly updates, Jen shares an update on the latest delay in their cross-country move and Amy talks about the rocky start to her cyclocross season. The interview starts at 31:30.

This week on the podcast Amy and Jen each share a significant injury that disrupted their triathlon career and how they came back from it. Jen talks about a ski injury right before her move to Florida and starting her job at Ironman. She sprained her MCL and torn her meniscus and it took a lot of time, the help of a PT roommate, and a slow build back to return to racing. Amy goes into her hip labral tear that was discovered after she qualified for Kona, the winter before the big race. She was able to address the pain with focused PT, though it comes back from time to time. They share some reminders, like the importance of keeping up with preventative PT and not rushing back too quickly. And they close with their Go Mommas of the Week.

In this episode Amy and Jen reminisce about their past world championship races. Jen gives the insider scoop on racing a World Championship in Nice when 70.3 Worlds was there. Amy compares that experience to racing on the big island. They talk about different race-week events, how they planned their race trips, and how they were able to be both spectator and racer. They then discuss one of the hottest hot topics of the year - is a world championship still “special” if slots are more prevalent? In their weekly updates, Jen’s moving saga continues as her stuff gets stuck in Texas. And Amy discusses balancing travel with family.

This week on the podcast we talk with Krista Nuegebauer, registered dietitian and triathlete mom of two. Krista tells us about how she came to the sport through training for a marathon with Team in Training and wanting to complete an Ironman next. Her husband also races and she shares how they have found ways to both fit in their training and racing as parents. And we get into some of our fueling questions. Krista shares what it looks like to work with a dietitian. We talk about iron deficiency, fueling as a mom, late night snacks, and “race weight.” In their weekly updates, Jen talks about a surprise food Maddox enjoyed and Amy recaps a double criterium weekend. 

In this episode, Amy and Jen dive into some of the more unique mental differences between triathlon, cycling, swimming, and running. They discuss the mental comparison game with other athletes and how it varies in a sport with bigger focused A races like triathlon compared with a sport like cycling in which racing is more tactical and frequent. They talk about how being a part of a team can affect the amount of pressure they feel and their attitude towards racing. And they discuss varying feelings of control and pre-race nerves.  In their weekly updates, they talk about kid’s birthday parties and their takes on getting presents, having a theme, and cake.

This week on the podcast we interview Kayla Bowker - pro triathlete, mom of two, and coach. Kayla and Amy recently raced each other at Oregon 70.3 and they share their different perspectives from that race. In the conversation Kayla talks about going from unsure if she even wanted kids to being completely changed and finding a more emotional side of herself after becoming a mom. Kayla talks about how important it was to continue to nurture her entrepreneur side and her athlete side even as a mom. She shares her journey from a very active childhood to finding triathlon and training through pregnancy and postpartum. As a mental performance coach, Kayla also gives her favorite strategies for preparing for races. 

This week on the podcast we get the full report from Amy’s recent race at Oregon 70.3. She talks about the lead up to the race including a podcast meetup with Mike Bosch from the Everyday Ironman Podcast. The morning started with two surprises - finding her missing timing chip and a non-wetsuit swim for the pros. After a slower swim than last year she eventually caught up with some of the other women and tried to pass strategically. She made a rookie nutritional error of not taking enough water on the bike and struggled with that during the run, but still came away from the day with a solid time of 4:31. Aly and baby Hannah came out to cheer her on at the finish line, which was the highlight of the day. In her weekly update, Jen talks about their last goodbyes in Florida and finding daycare in Reno. They close with their Go Mommas of the Week.

In this episode, as Amy prepares for Oregon 70.3 on the upcoming weekend, Jen and Amy discuss all of their race week routines. They talk through packing for a triathlon, getting bikes checked and ready to race, and final workouts. They also talk about the final bits of preparation they do mentally including visualizations, preparing mantras, and planning ways to find joy on race day. In her intro, Jen shares an update on her recent miscarriage and learning that her company’s bereavement policy includes pregnancy loss. Jen hopes that spreading the word about this policy might encourage other companies to follow.

This week on the podcast we go back in time to hear about Jen’s first triathlon and how she got her start racing draft legal after college. She shares how she got connected with a coach, started training with a group in San Antonio, and even got to do a training trip with Barb Lindquist. She shares many familiar experiences to new triathletes like falling over at stop lights when she couldn’t unclip from her bike. In their weekly updates, Amy gives a recap of her race at the Boise Twilight Criterium. Jen shares a personal update of a miscarriage and I know all of our listeners are sending love and support her way. 

This week we catch up with Aly on how her first two months with baby Hannah have been going. Aly shares with us what her recovery has been like from her c-section, postpartum physical therapy, and getting into a new routine with a newborn. She gives some insight into her return to training including master’s swimming on Monday nights, an open water swim, nap time trainer workouts, and core exercises. In their weekly updates, Amy talks about sleep struggles on vacation and pre-race nerves and Jen gives an update on toddler swim lessons and Maddox’s serious face in home depot. 

In this episode Amy and Jen welcome Amber Pierce, a collegiate swimmer turned professional cyclist. Amber is now starting a new podcast, the Be A Good Wheel Podcast, which will “spotlight the value in all the messy unfiltered moments behind [the] shiny outcomes and offer a place to support each other in process.”This interview covers a lot of ground, from systemic problems in sports that don’t support collegiate athletes and women to our personal theories on why swimmers struggle to run and vice versa. Amber talks about the ways she has continued to find joy in training after her pro career, including taking up mixed martial arts. She gives perspective on how she hopes to raise her daughter to approach competition and movement. And we hear more about her upcoming podcast.If you want to hear more about Amber’s athletic career, check out these podcast episodes:Amber Pierce Career Retrospective Part 1 - Successful Athletes Podcast Amber Pierce Career Retrospective Part 2 - Successful Athletes Podcast If you want to hear more about Amber’s experience training during pregnancy, check out this episode:Amber Pierce on her pregnancy and training on the Ask A Cycling Coach PodcastFind Amber on Instagram here