Pregnant triathlete gifts?

September 5, 2013 12:32 PM

A triathlete friend is 3 months pregnant...I'd like to get her something to make her running/swimming/biking nicer as she progresses, what might she need? I was thinking a support belt of some kind for running, any recommendations? Suggestions for other 'must haves'?
posted by lemonade to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

She might enjoy a "running for two" maternity exercise top.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:49 PM on September 5, 2013

My sister said after a while she had a hard time fitting into her wetsuit. If you're in that price range...
posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2013

Sloth running team
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:02 PM on September 5, 2013

Need more info about what level she's at, but just off the top of my mind, with what little info you provided -- Zoomers?

No new wetsuit needed. A pregnancy is only 9 months, and half that time she'll fit into her old wetsuit (if she needs one) and the other half of that time, she'd be crazy to get in a mass start with people potentially kicking her!
posted by Borborygmus at 2:24 PM on September 5, 2013

I'm pregnant, and while I'm not officially a triathlete, I've been running, biking and swimming consistently for the last several years. I'm nearly 7 months along now, and I haven't been able to run for 6 weeks - I'm still very active and nothing is wrong, but due to relaxed ligaments in my hips, running is too painful. Some women are absolutely able to keep it up, but some aren't, even if they are fit. Anyway, I bet your friend would really appreciate a maternity swimsuit. At 3 months she won't have any trouble fitting in to her regular swimsuit, but at 7 months I really can't wear mine at all, and swimming is much more likely to be possible for her later in her pregnancy than running or biking.

A workout top would probably be appreciated, though, regardless. I wish I had one. Even stretchy regular workout gear totally isn't likely to fit after ~6 months.

I stopped biking to work at 13 weeks because it was too dangerous (my route was 8 miles through downtown Boston...), but I've tried biking around recently, and my knees bump up against my belly now. This makes it difficult to impossible to ride my road bike safely, but it's still easy and fun to ride my "city bike".
posted by Cygnet at 2:37 PM on September 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

A maternity racing top?
posted by blob at 3:25 PM on September 5, 2013

It's never too early to start indoctrinating, I mean, encouraging the little one!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 3:45 PM on September 5, 2013

I had a really hard time finding a bathing suit when I was super pregnant that was good for lap and open water swimming. This one from EQ Swimwear ended up being great after a lot of not-so-great ones - http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/11521.htm. Any nice exercise clothes that help your friend stay active would be a great gift.
posted by JuliaKM at 4:45 PM on September 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

I'd give a gift card to a sporting goods store where she can pick out something she likes, or an online retailer. I ran up until about 37 weeks, and I didn't actually buy maternity running gear--I just bought really big shirts and shorts a size larger. (Maternity gear would have been nice, but it's super pricey! And I didn't have any friends giving me gift certificates. :)) She probably knows best whether she'd like some maternity tops, or a swimsuit, or bike shorts, or whatever. I did have a maternity belt that I ran in sometimes, but I didn't love it. It was super hot and would chafe, so I had to wear it over a tank top (and under a second tank top) which made it even hotter. It's possible she'd enjoy it, but again, it's kind of a personal call, maybe best left for her to decide herself.
posted by Bella Sebastian at 5:03 PM on September 5, 2013 [2 favorites]