Paddling through pregnancy (and back again!)

Alexandra is a paddleboard performance coach at ‘Up Your SUP’ and is passionate about supporting SUPers to reach their paddling potential by increasing their fitness, skills and knowledge. She is currently training as a PT and strength and conditioning coach, specialising in pre and postnatal exercise. Alex has been paddleboard racing since 2018 and brings a unique perspective to training from her background as a road cyclist, triathlete and rower.

Words: Alexandra Tyrer
Pics: Marcus Ginns, Adrian Lomas, Ilostawavein79 & Vern Hill

We all have our personal stories of 2020; for me, it was about giving SUP racing my best shot. The year got off to an unexpectedly good start – in January, I finished eighth lady in the bucket list SUP event, the ‘GlaGla’ on Lake Annecy, France. I returned home ready for more race action, but the year quickly got turned on its head as the Covid pandemic hit; however, the other thing I hadn’t accounted for was getting pregnant.

Over the following pages, I’ll share my experience and insight of my pre and post-natal journeys and how I paddled through pregnancy and back again, not once but twice!

Paddling & purpose
We’d been trying to get pregnant for a few years, but with no success, we’d resigned ourselves to the fact that it just wasn’t going to happen, and we were cool with that. So when I took a pregnancy test in early May 2020, I was gobsmacked to read ‘pregnant’ – being a single-minded character, one of my first thoughts was, “But what about my training and racing plans?”

I had concerns that being a parent would change who I was; I was concerned that it would limit what I could do and dilute my identity. On reflection, this is so far from the truth, and if anything, it strengthened my identity and reinforced my purpose to paddle and generally live an active life.

Pre-baby prep
As we lapsed in and out of lockdowns during 2020, with varying degrees of restrictions, I seized the opportunity to get out on the water when permitted. I found paddling granted me freedom as the movement pattern of SUP allowed me to work around bump.

I also used our home gym to follow a self-prescribed strength and conditioning programme that I did a couple of times each week to help maintain functional strength and flexibility. With a set of weights, a medicine ball, resistance bands and a broomstick, I could do a comprehensive all-body workout that I adapted as I progressed through my trimesters.

Pregnant or not, I had to adapt and modify my training due to the lockdown. This is an excellent lesson as it’s too easy to stick to the old routine, which stifles progress. I mixed things up, which physically helped me to maintain my general fitness but mentally kept me hungry and focused on my return postpartum.

I paddled on the lake consistently once or twice a week until I was around eight months pregnant. I progressively became slower as Bump became more prominent, plus there were other things that required my attention, like a major home renovation (extreme nesting) project! The final month of pregnancy was about keeping moving and doing what I could; after all, my body was working hard, carrying around an extra 10kg, so walking and continuing my home routine with bodyweight-only exercises was the order of the day.

D-Day
Our baby girl, Grace, was born on 30th November 2020. It was a relatively speedy and straightforward process, and I was in active labour for only seven hours. She was placed on my chest, and I was hit with a wave of emotions – it was instant love. 

I’ll save you the gory details, but I lost more than two litres of blood during delivery and was rushed to surgery. The long and short of this meant that my recovery took longer than hoped, but there was no rush to return to training; after all, I’d just spent the past nine months expanding, which concluded with a monumental endurance event. 

I stepped back on my board on a chilly January morning around four weeks after Grace’s arrival but not for long as we were then faced with lockdown #2. So instead, I remained active with Grace – doing long wintery walks and following CARiFiT, a baby wearing workout, which just so happens to work the major muscle groups used for paddleboarding. Think of it as a HITT session wearing a weighted vest that gets heavier over time! 

Between nappy changes and feeding, I populated my diary with SUP races, which in some ways was like trying to pin jelly on the wall as no one had visibility as to when restrictions would be lifted, regardless it was important to set a direction of travel. 

Motivation
My motivation to return to racing never really went away. I had three aims: 

• To maintain my strength and fitness prenatally as best as possible;
• To be as strong as possible for the birth; and,
• To progressively regain my paddling form and fitness to enable me to return to racing postnatally.

With early season staple races such as Head of the Dart (HoTD) and the Cardiff International White Water Paddlefest (CIWW) postponed, the first race back was Battle of The Thames (BoTT) 2021. At this point, I was six months postpartum. I’d never been as nervous about being on the start line – I guess we were all a little anxious as there hadn’t been any racing for over a year. However, my sweaty palms and butterflies were more to do with the apprehension of my new status as a mummy – was I as strong as before having Grace? Did I still have it in me to race?

The race went well. I placed second behind the marvellous Marie Buchanan and was ecstatic with my result; I gave the race all I could. I stepped onto the podium with Grace feeling exceptionally proud – my achievement was sweeter and more meaningful as a parent.

Post-natal but not for long
The BoTT was a great confidence and motivational boost and was a good marker for knowing my form and fitness were heading in the right direction. With that first race under my belt, I had the confidence to sign-up for ‘The Norfolk Ultra’ (72km) in mid-July as a non-stop event. This helped me to focus my training and justified the need to do some longer paddles within the limits of the time available. To achieve the training effect of a long-distance paddle, I trained fatigued, which meant consecutive training days of 2-3 hours per session, with some bursts thrown in for good measure. 

I had a great race. My focused training paid off, and my nutrition plan worked well – I maintained a good pace for the race, and I rolled in the first lady at 9 hours and 19 minutes, which put me in second place overall. Not bad, considering I was unaware that I was pregnant for the SECOND time!

Yes, you read that right. Yet again, another phase of mental and physical adjustment was ahead, but the situation felt less daunting this time. I knew that the return to form and fitness was possible; it was more a question of how the logistics would work – after all, with two-under-two, it would inevitably be a juggling act. 

With my second baby due in March 2022, I was now in a mode of making the most of my freedom. I was determined to get as much paddling time racked up, especially as the third trimester would be in the chillier months of the year, which in the end, forced me off the water for safety reasons.

Reframing expectations
I’d entered the GB SUP National Sprint Championships in early September, but with bags packed and ready for an early start, I had a niggling feeling that it wasn’t the right thing to do. My body wasn’t used to high-intensity bursts, and being circa four months pregnant, now was not the time to try.

Instead, I set my sights on what was within my scope: the CIWW festival that was rescheduled to late September. This was my last GB SUP race before the baby’s arrival – I placed a strong fourth, despite paddling with caution, as I was intent on not falling into the murky waters of the river Taff with a baby on board. Post-race, I made it my goal for Cardiff to be my first back on May 1st, 2022.

I did the odd club race to help me remain connected to the SUP community and keep my hand in with racing, and with my growing bump, I had to race more tactically and paddle within my limits; by doing this, I podiumed at 7.5 months pregnant, proving that being pregnant requires a different approach.

Proud to be back
Millie arrived safely on 15th March 2022. Six weeks later, on the 1st May 2022, I achieved my goal to be on the start line at Cardiff and placed sixth lady against some talented paddlers. I was off the pace, but for me, it was about being in the mix and proving to myself that I could still perform even as a member of the elusive ‘two under two’ club; for me, that was a WIN. A massive WIN.  

I hadn’t anticipated being selected to represent England at the European Championships, ‘EuroSUP 2022’, in Denmark. This wasn’t on the radar, but we threw caution to the wind and took the girls on their first road trip and what a fantastic experience we had. As for the racing, well, it certainly took me beyond my paddling comfort zone.

Heading to an event is no longer simply a case of getting myself sorted, board on the roof, and off we go. It now requires significant preparation and planning to ensure that Grace & Millie have their needs covered, so add to the mix feeding bottles, steriliser, nappy changing bags, snacks, wet wipes, spare clothes, toys, etc. In short, it becomes more akin to a small-scale military operation.

Then there’s the logistical conundrum of getting myself and my board to an early morning race briefing – this is very challenging with two little people to get ready. In such instances, it’s the kindness of others which has helped me get to the start and enabled me to race.

Train to gain
My recovery post-Millie was much easier as I thankfully didn’t have the trauma as I did with the arrival of Grace only 15.5 months earlier. This meant that I was able to get back on the board sooner. However, training intensity and duration were kept low as I focused on the long term. 

Getting out for training takes coordination between my fiancé and me, and sessions tend to be shorter but having the time limitation gives me more purposeful and productive sessions. As Grace and Millie grow and I better handle my ‘mummy guilt’, it’s easier to break away and invest in more lengthy training sessions to build my endurance. I’ve also treated races such as ‘The Paddle Skedaddle’ and the ‘The Norfolk Broads Ultra’ two-day event as long training sessions – as this removed the self-imposed pressure to perform and, in turn, enabled me to embrace the experience.

The long game
I’ve experienced long periods of rehab, which helped me mentally with my pregnancy journey. Instead of feeling limited, I pivoted my thoughts to take advantage of new opportunities, which is how I got into SUPing in the first place. 

Pregnancy is very similar to rehab in that if you have a passion and focus, it can help you maintain a positive mindset and help you return to activity after that. Looking beyond the pregnancy, it’s essential to consider what you want to do once the baby has arrived; after all, happy Mum, happy baby.

Becoming a parent hasn’t stopped me from training and racing; it’s given me more focus and drive to push that little bit harder. My thoughts around my identity becoming diluted on becoming a parent were unfounded, but it’s an absolute that parenting comes first and paddling second.

Inspired insights

Here are my key insights to returning to racing physically strong and mentally ready:

• Training through the trimesters – I switched my head into ‘maintenance’ mode instead of ‘training’ mode. Pregnancy is not the time to smash PBs and push beyond your physical limits. When I had concerns or doubts, I sought guidance from my Midwife or GP. I followed an exercise programme that adapted to my needs and capabilities as I progressed through the trimesters. The advantages of exercise through pregnancy include lowered risk of gestational diabetes, increased stamina for labour and delivery, boost in energy levels and improved mood, avoids excessive weight gain and help to maintain range of motion.
• Steady and gradual return postpartum – the fable of the Hare & Tortoise is a good one to reference. I listened to my body, re-started slowly and stepped things up day-by-day and week-by-week, this leads to long-term gains but let’s be clear that progress isn’t linear, so you have to roll with the ups and downs. As with any training, consistency is key. It takes nine months for the body to grow a human, so be kind, respect your body and allow your body the time it deserves to recover, especially during what’s dubbed as the fourth trimester, which is the first three months after a baby’s arrival. 
• Stay safe – being pregnant puts an increased spotlight on safety; after all, there’s more than just yourself to consider with a baby on board. I worked well within my limitations of myself and the environment; during the later stages of my pregnancy, I switched to using a wider and more stable board. The key thing to remember is ‘don’t bump the bump’. As always, I carried a whistle, a fully charged phone with a tracker in a waterproof pouch and let my fiancé know my route with a live tracker and how long I’d expect to be out. I’d dress appropriate to the weather, only venture out if the river conditions and weather were within my capabilities, and wear a personal flotation device (PFD) and quick-release waist leash. 
• Mix it up – this isn’t so much to the adage of ‘do the same thing and get the same results’ but more of a case of taking the pressure off the situation and trying something different. Postnatally I did loads of walking, got into doing CARiFiT baby wearing workouts and got back on my bike. I also started to retrain as a PT, so I spent lots of time studying. A change is as good as a break.
• Desire to inspire – I believe that if I can be happy and healthy, I will be a better mummy to my girls, a better fiancé to my partner and hopefully an inspiration to others – not only parents but anyone looking to improve their fitness after a period of absence or injury.
• Embrace the change – with two little people to look after, life is a little chaotic but embrace the chaos and go with the flow if it all goes pear-shaped. The ability to accept and adapt will help you ride the wave of the unknown. This has been and continues to be the most challenging aspect of becoming a parent.
• Reframe your expectations – try to relax and remove your expectations, as these can be counterproductive to success. Instead, recognise the challenge and appreciate its significance; this way, you can celebrate the small wins specific to you and the situation. And accept that pregnancy and rehab, for that matter, is a progressive journey that ebbs and flows, both prenatally and postnatally.
• Team effort – and what I consider the most important point, without the love, support and encouragement of first and foremost my fiancé and secondly my paddling friends, getting back on my board would be extremely challenging, in fact, close to impossible. Surround yourself with people who believe in what you do and respect their effort, input and motivation.