#231 Triple Crown and pregnant
This is my story about swimming the 28-mile Manhattan 20 Bridges during my first trimester (10 weeks) and the 20-mile Catalina Channel during my second trimester (16 weeks) to successfully achieve the Triple Crown. When I found out I was pregnant, I searched for information everywhere on marathon swimming and pregnancy, but couldn’t find anything. Everything I found talked about: 1) avoiding swimming in contaminated open water, 2) not going in sauna or hot tubs, and 3) not exerting yourself too hard.
I needed to forge my own path.
If you asked me last year after I finished the English Channel if I would do another marathon swim, I would have told you maybe. I was 33 years old and had invested 2 years training for one of the most challenging athletic events in the world. I thought I was ready to take a break from marathon training and focus on new chapters in my life (aka baby), but there’s something truly intoxicating about the open water and I wasn’t quite ready to be done.
Registration for the popular NYC 20 Bridges swim, one of the Triple Crown events, opened in November. It requires submitting your swim resume, so of the 160 that applied, I was one of the lucky 67 to land a spot. I figured if I got pregnant before the swim, I would assess how my training was going and determine if I could still safely do the event.
In March, I had a miscarriage and like many women, I blamed myself. I thought it must have been all my cold water swimming or my intense training. Only after talking to many supportive family and friends did I fully understand how common it is. I also realized how it’s stigmatized and how many women don’t share their miscarriage stories so we’re often left thinking that we’re alone in this process. So instead of seeing it as a fault, I eventually took this miscarriage as an opportunity.
In April, after a 4-hour Bay swim with fellow marathoner Luca Pozzi, I felt so strong and well-conditioned that I signed up for the last of the Triple Crown swims and one of the Ocean Seven swims — Catalina Channel. Catalina is a 20-mile crossing from Catalina Island to the California mainland, and the second hardest after the English Channel. I figured it was now or wait several years when my priorities could change.
Then in May, after putting 2 non-refundable $1000 deposits down for the swims, I got pregnant again! I was cautiously optimistic. This time around things were different. I was nauseous in the evenings and I was utterly exhausted after training swims. I hibernated for hours after long swims — sleeping upwards to 12 hours a day. I gave myself many breaks —knowing my body (and baby) needed it for recovery.
By the time July rolled around, I wasn’t nervous for NYC. I knew it would be a faster swim — around 8 hours and warm (70-degrees). I was more concerned about getting sick from the water so I followed the advice from previous swimmers and closed my mouth when I swam. My doctor prescribed a safe antibiotic in the case I got sick, but reassured me that if I had GI distress, it would only make me feel uncomfortable, but wouldn’t harm the baby. I focused on my nutrition — hydrating frequently and eating often throughout the swim. I breathed every 3 strokes and kept my heart rate steady. I finished in 7hr30min and I felt surprisingly upbeat at the end.
Then came Catalina Channel in August. I knew this would be a much longer swim than NYC, mentally challenging being primarily a night swim, and I would be further along my pregnancy. My training was still going strong, my nausea and fatigue had vastly improved in the second trimester, and my doctor was fully on board. Aside from some heartburn from my pregnancy and mentally wanting to quit several times because of swimming in the dark for 6 hours, I finished the swim in physically great shape.
What I learned about marathon swim training while pregnant:
- If you have already been training in cold water for long periods of time before you got pregnant, your body is well-conditioned and able to sustain the same endurance.
- Find a doctor that is supportive and understanding of your athletic background. My OBGYN had previous patients that had climbed Half Dome or backpacked while pregnant, but she said my marathon swimming “took the cake”.
- Plan your nutrition. Make sure you have enough water and calories at all times during training, long swims, and recovery. Always, always pre-test your feeds before major events.
- Give yourself a break. It’s one thing to marathon train and be tired. It’s another to marathon train while growing a human. It’s okay to give yourself a break and rest more than you’re used to. I absolutely needed more sleep for recovery.
- Build a support network that trusts and understands your journey. People will undoubtably worry that what you’re doing is not safe for yourself or your baby. It’s important to surround yourself with people who provide you confidence and encouragement.
- Have fun and enjoy the ride. When the sun came up during Catalina and I was slicing through the water, a sudden sadness came over me, knowing this was my last marathon swim for awhile. Savor the feeling of being in the ocean — it’s just you (+baby) and the vast body of water.
