I DNF'd at Blackall 100 today, pulling the pin just 40km in. It was a beautiful course, awesome single track and just a really well organised event. My legs were feeling good and energy levels seemed great. So why did I pull out? At first I was really embarrassed to admit this, but the truth is, I was emotionally not coping with it.
From 22km when I fed Verity, I just wanted to finish and be with her. I missed her. I felt guilty. I couldn't fathom the idea of not being with her until the middle of the night. A week ago I would have scoffed at this notion. Verity was perfectly fine without me for a day, I just wasn't ok without her. I kept thinking that I was going back to work in two months and here I was wasting precious time. A lot of other negative thoughts then started to enter my mind. Not about being tired or sore, just negative thoughts about things outside of running. Of course this fed back into my guilt as I was wondering why I was spending time away from my precious bub when I wasn't even enjoying myself. Overall, I just had an overwhelming sense that this is not what I should be doing. It didn't feel right.
I had a couple other problems too. I fell and my back was starting to hurt a bit. There were some other health issues but these weren't really why I stopped.
I'm not disappointed with the decision I made, although I am disappointed that this was how I felt today. It was such a beautiful course and I would love to do it one day. Maybe just when Verity is a bit older and things feel right.
It was great seeing so many familiar faces out there and I hope everyone achieved their goals and has fun.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Washpool 50k
I felt the same level of anxiety before Washpool 50km as I did before my first ultra back in 2010, which was also a 50km. I've done a lot of ultras since then but I have had a long off season. My last ultra was back in November 2012, so 50km seemed like an awfully long way again. I wasn't terribly confident about my fitness over a longer distance as my longest training run was only 35km and left me with quite saw abs. I figure my abs are the body part taking the longest to recover from pregnancy given they were worked and stretched pretty hard for so long. At least for this 50km I didn't enlist a friend to drive around to every checkpoint with a car load of gear and food, I just enlisted my mom to babysit.
Getting to the start line on time proved to be the first hurdle of the day but MM managed to get us there with a few minutes to spare. I have never been this close to missing the start but with Verity waking several times during the night, I was a little slow to get moving this particular morning.
The course was as beautiful as I remembered and I was exhilarated to be back out taking part in an ultra. It didn't take long for my nerves to settle and I just enjoyed being out in such a beautiful part of the world. Upon reaching the first checkpoint I stopped and breast fed Verity. This was the best option as she isn't too keen on the bottle and I didn't want to leave mom with a screaming, dehydrated baby. I also would have had to pump at some point if I didn't feed her, so it seemed kinda pointless for mom to battle her with the bottle. It didn't take long and then I was on my way again, running down, down, down the big hill.
The next water stop wasn't long after the first checkpoint and then it was no water until the next checkpoint at about 35km, so maybe around 22km without water. This sounds manageable, but I think people tend to under estimate what they need as this is a very hot and exposed section of e course. I went through 2L and was empty a few km out from the next checkpoint but I figured that my hydration was just fine given the myriad toilet stops that I had to make.
I fed Verity again at the next checkpoint. Mom and MM (who had come third in the 25km) reported that she had been a very happy bub so that was a relief. My plan had been to pull the pin at this point if Verity was getting cranky or if I was moving too slow (as we still had a long drive back to Brissie and I didn't want to keep her out too late). I was very happy that I was feeling good and moving much faster than I expected. The feeding stop gave me a nice little break and MM got my pack ready for the last section.
When I did this race in 2011 I really struggled through this last section and I had expected that to happen again. As the kilometres kept ticking by I kept waiting to completely hit the wall but somehow my energy levels stayed just fine, something I have never experienced in a 50km. I always find myself really struggling in the last 5km so this was a very welcome change. I finished the race over an hour faster than I did in 2011 and was happy to be back with Verity. It felt like such a huge achievement for me. Although my time isn't fast in comparison to other people's, it is a time that I am super proud of as it is quite descent for me. I felt like I had a really good race and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
Getting to the start line on time proved to be the first hurdle of the day but MM managed to get us there with a few minutes to spare. I have never been this close to missing the start but with Verity waking several times during the night, I was a little slow to get moving this particular morning.
The course was as beautiful as I remembered and I was exhilarated to be back out taking part in an ultra. It didn't take long for my nerves to settle and I just enjoyed being out in such a beautiful part of the world. Upon reaching the first checkpoint I stopped and breast fed Verity. This was the best option as she isn't too keen on the bottle and I didn't want to leave mom with a screaming, dehydrated baby. I also would have had to pump at some point if I didn't feed her, so it seemed kinda pointless for mom to battle her with the bottle. It didn't take long and then I was on my way again, running down, down, down the big hill.
The next water stop wasn't long after the first checkpoint and then it was no water until the next checkpoint at about 35km, so maybe around 22km without water. This sounds manageable, but I think people tend to under estimate what they need as this is a very hot and exposed section of e course. I went through 2L and was empty a few km out from the next checkpoint but I figured that my hydration was just fine given the myriad toilet stops that I had to make.
I fed Verity again at the next checkpoint. Mom and MM (who had come third in the 25km) reported that she had been a very happy bub so that was a relief. My plan had been to pull the pin at this point if Verity was getting cranky or if I was moving too slow (as we still had a long drive back to Brissie and I didn't want to keep her out too late). I was very happy that I was feeling good and moving much faster than I expected. The feeding stop gave me a nice little break and MM got my pack ready for the last section.
When I did this race in 2011 I really struggled through this last section and I had expected that to happen again. As the kilometres kept ticking by I kept waiting to completely hit the wall but somehow my energy levels stayed just fine, something I have never experienced in a 50km. I always find myself really struggling in the last 5km so this was a very welcome change. I finished the race over an hour faster than I did in 2011 and was happy to be back with Verity. It felt like such a huge achievement for me. Although my time isn't fast in comparison to other people's, it is a time that I am super proud of as it is quite descent for me. I felt like I had a really good race and I'm really looking forward to the next one.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Sweet Single Track
On Saturday, my long time running buddy, Tam, and I went on a little adventure. It kinda got changed last minute and I came up with the idea to just explore things from my house (so I could be close by if Verity was fussing and not taking a bottle). It could have been pretty boring, and for the first 5 or so kilometres, I think Tam was thinking that was where we were headed. I was sure though, that we would find bush that would eventually lead us to some tracks that I know well. It was that bit of bush in between that really intrigued me.
Well that bit of bush in between, it contained some awesome single track. The single track was made more awesome by the rainy weather and the beautiful setting. We may have been on scout property but there were no signs or gates to tell us that we couldn't be there, so we went with it. I have honestly not had this much fun running in over a year. I am not as confident on single track as I once was (losing your sense of a balance a bit for several months while your belly carries a parasite/baby can do that to you), but I am getting it back. It was exhilerating flying down those paths and well worth it to head back up. By the end of the run my legs were heavy and I was just shattered, but that good kind of shattered, where you go home and stretch and lie on the floor, picturing all that beautiful scenery in your head over and over again. I can't wait to explore more of it next weekend!
This is a map of the really fun bits.
Well that bit of bush in between, it contained some awesome single track. The single track was made more awesome by the rainy weather and the beautiful setting. We may have been on scout property but there were no signs or gates to tell us that we couldn't be there, so we went with it. I have honestly not had this much fun running in over a year. I am not as confident on single track as I once was (losing your sense of a balance a bit for several months while your belly carries a parasite/baby can do that to you), but I am getting it back. It was exhilerating flying down those paths and well worth it to head back up. By the end of the run my legs were heavy and I was just shattered, but that good kind of shattered, where you go home and stretch and lie on the floor, picturing all that beautiful scenery in your head over and over again. I can't wait to explore more of it next weekend!
This is a map of the really fun bits.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Pressure's Off
I had this idea in the back of my mind when I was pregnant, that I didn't want to use a baby as an excuse to not run, or to not run much. I didn't want my baby to be an excuse for becoming unfit. I set myself some very specific goals, despite having no idea how my body would recover from pregnancy and labour.
I still agree with my general idea that I shouldn't use it as an excuse, but I need to add a bit more to the end of that - don't use the baby as an excuse when it isn't one. Sometimes my daughter is a valid excuse. Despite the ideas I may have gotten from 'Save Our Sleep', I have found that I cannot simply schedule a run during one of V's naps for any number of reasons: she wakes up constantly thoughout the nap, she only naps for 30mins and I planned a 90 min run or simply, I need to use that time to have a shower and brush my teeth because she won't give me a chance to do that any other time. The thing is, that doesn't happen every day, and I can at least do something. If she wakes up every 10 minutes, well I can do some good interval training and if she wakes up after half an hour, well a half hour run is better than nothing. The biggest issue that I am facing is that I can never really leave the house without V these days. Most of the time Chris is at work and even when he isn't, I only have a short window of time where I can go out before V cracks it for a feed (and she won't take a bottle anymore). We do have a treadmill though, and I am starting to think that V will be able to go in the jogger pram soon. So I have other options.
I guess what I have learnt is that I need to be flexible. There is no point having a training program because most of the time I can't plan like that. So I have changed my goals. I no longer want to achieve x kilometres per week or finish a particular race. I simply want to get as fit as I reasonably can. Yesterday I had planned to do a 15km trail run, but by the time Chris got home I didn't have enough time to get to the forest and run, so instead I headed out the front door, on the road. After a few kilometres though, it occured to me that I wouldn't be able to do 15km before V needed a feed (I had forgotten that Chris getting home late affected that timing too), so instead I cut it down to 10km. So my 15km trail run turned into a 10km road run. According to my new goal though, I achieved what I set out to - I did the best I could.
I find it hard to let go of structure and training programs. Hard to let go of the races I want to do. Hard to let go of my particular relationship with running. I need to though. I need to take the pressure off myself. Otherwise I will never love running the way I used to.
I still agree with my general idea that I shouldn't use it as an excuse, but I need to add a bit more to the end of that - don't use the baby as an excuse when it isn't one. Sometimes my daughter is a valid excuse. Despite the ideas I may have gotten from 'Save Our Sleep', I have found that I cannot simply schedule a run during one of V's naps for any number of reasons: she wakes up constantly thoughout the nap, she only naps for 30mins and I planned a 90 min run or simply, I need to use that time to have a shower and brush my teeth because she won't give me a chance to do that any other time. The thing is, that doesn't happen every day, and I can at least do something. If she wakes up every 10 minutes, well I can do some good interval training and if she wakes up after half an hour, well a half hour run is better than nothing. The biggest issue that I am facing is that I can never really leave the house without V these days. Most of the time Chris is at work and even when he isn't, I only have a short window of time where I can go out before V cracks it for a feed (and she won't take a bottle anymore). We do have a treadmill though, and I am starting to think that V will be able to go in the jogger pram soon. So I have other options.
I guess what I have learnt is that I need to be flexible. There is no point having a training program because most of the time I can't plan like that. So I have changed my goals. I no longer want to achieve x kilometres per week or finish a particular race. I simply want to get as fit as I reasonably can. Yesterday I had planned to do a 15km trail run, but by the time Chris got home I didn't have enough time to get to the forest and run, so instead I headed out the front door, on the road. After a few kilometres though, it occured to me that I wouldn't be able to do 15km before V needed a feed (I had forgotten that Chris getting home late affected that timing too), so instead I cut it down to 10km. So my 15km trail run turned into a 10km road run. According to my new goal though, I achieved what I set out to - I did the best I could.
I find it hard to let go of structure and training programs. Hard to let go of the races I want to do. Hard to let go of my particular relationship with running. I need to though. I need to take the pressure off myself. Otherwise I will never love running the way I used to.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Running for the thrill of it
Running has given me far more than what is obvious. When I started running it was for a simple reason - to lose weight and to stop bending over on the soccer pitch and coughing like a smoker. Running helped in those areas, but running has given me so much more than that. Running has given me inner peace (yep like a hippy), a love of the great outdoors, confidence and above all else, it has given me the most amazing bunch of friends, a group of people who include me and help me out. It has given me somewhere to belong.
In the last few years, I have developed such an appreciation of the great outdoors. Where previously my traveling expeditions took me to big cities and famous historical sites (still of interest to me), now I find myself drawn to mountains, lakes and trails. I care deeply about the world in which I live. I enjoy seeing the sunrise and running under the light of the moon. I get a thrill out of spotting wildlife (with the exception of birds of course). In discovering this new appreciation of the great outdoors, I have found it easier to let things go, to accept the good with the bad, to see the highs and lows as the ebbs and flows of life. I am just one tiny spec in this beautiful playground. There is no need to get hung up on what I cannot change.
Running has also taught me that I can do things that scare me. I can run in the dark by myself; I can travel 100 miles by foot; I can hike up mountains. Where I once thought I couldn't run two laps of a soccer pitch, I now have this belief that if I put my mind to it and work hard, my body can take me wherever I want it to (albeit slowly). This confidence has infused into other elements of my life.
The friends I have made along the way in this running adventure are what I value most of all. I have found a group of people who make me laugh, who inspire me, who help and encourage me and who want to share this adventure with me. Of course I have wonderful friends from outside running too, but with running I have found an entire group of people with whom I belong. I don't simply have a handful of friends that I have met through various elements of my life, but there is a whole group that I am a part of. There is this little niche where I can sit and not feel like the odd one out. Recently I have been going through some rough times and along with my two best friends and my family, my friends I have met through running have been amazing. I cannot express how grateful I am for all the love and support that has been shown.
In the last few years, I have developed such an appreciation of the great outdoors. Where previously my traveling expeditions took me to big cities and famous historical sites (still of interest to me), now I find myself drawn to mountains, lakes and trails. I care deeply about the world in which I live. I enjoy seeing the sunrise and running under the light of the moon. I get a thrill out of spotting wildlife (with the exception of birds of course). In discovering this new appreciation of the great outdoors, I have found it easier to let things go, to accept the good with the bad, to see the highs and lows as the ebbs and flows of life. I am just one tiny spec in this beautiful playground. There is no need to get hung up on what I cannot change.
Running has also taught me that I can do things that scare me. I can run in the dark by myself; I can travel 100 miles by foot; I can hike up mountains. Where I once thought I couldn't run two laps of a soccer pitch, I now have this belief that if I put my mind to it and work hard, my body can take me wherever I want it to (albeit slowly). This confidence has infused into other elements of my life.
The friends I have made along the way in this running adventure are what I value most of all. I have found a group of people who make me laugh, who inspire me, who help and encourage me and who want to share this adventure with me. Of course I have wonderful friends from outside running too, but with running I have found an entire group of people with whom I belong. I don't simply have a handful of friends that I have met through various elements of my life, but there is a whole group that I am a part of. There is this little niche where I can sit and not feel like the odd one out. Recently I have been going through some rough times and along with my two best friends and my family, my friends I have met through running have been amazing. I cannot express how grateful I am for all the love and support that has been shown.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Hello Pavement My Old Friend
I went for a road run last week - yikes. I'm not much of a road runner but recently it has been my only option as it is a lot more practical than trails. I had a bit of a run in with this nasty bit of pavement.
I know, very technical. I did that thing, where you almost catch yourself but don't quite. Pavement hurts when you hit it. Hurts your pride too, but mostly it hurt my hip and knees.
The knees didn't come up too well in this photo, but I have some nice bruises.
Anyways, I think I should stick to trails. I generally stay upright on those. On the positive, I did get back up and run faster than the 5km goal I have been working towards, and that included 20 seconds face down on the sidewalk.
I know, very technical. I did that thing, where you almost catch yourself but don't quite. Pavement hurts when you hit it. Hurts your pride too, but mostly it hurt my hip and knees.
The knees didn't come up too well in this photo, but I have some nice bruises.
Anyways, I think I should stick to trails. I generally stay upright on those. On the positive, I did get back up and run faster than the 5km goal I have been working towards, and that included 20 seconds face down on the sidewalk.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Motivation
Somedays I really lack the motivation to go out for a run. This is a pretty new feeling for me, as I have always looked forward to runs in the past. Once I am out running I have a great time. I think it must come from being tired. Most nights I get about 6-7 hours of sleep but it is usually broken up into 2 or 3 hour lots (I don't complain as this is a lot better than what a lot of mums get). My days are then spent trying to cram as much in as I can. When I finally get a break, it means everything is done and my husband is home to look after V. It is very tempting to use that time to sit in front of the tv or have a nap. Going out for a run also means I will probably need to pump when I get home as I have missed a feed. When V was sick for a couple of weeks, I basically did no exercise because then I was getting about 4 hours sleep, broken up into 1 hr segments.
I have found the motivation to go back out now. This week I did my longest post pregnancy run - a tick over 15km. I ran in Moggill Forest and it was slow going but that just means it is easy to improve on :) The most amazing part was that in 15km I only encountered one other person. Solitude takes on new value these days.
I have found the motivation to go back out now. This week I did my longest post pregnancy run - a tick over 15km. I ran in Moggill Forest and it was slow going but that just means it is easy to improve on :) The most amazing part was that in 15km I only encountered one other person. Solitude takes on new value these days.
Monday, June 2, 2014
On The Trails
I only discovered Moggill Forest about 12 months ago but I sure am glad that I did. It doesn't have heaps of single track, and the single track is not marked on the map, but I like finding single track in there as it is usually very fun.
I have altered the usual loop that I do in Moggill Forest as I discovered some awesome single track that I now like to add on. This week I did the loop twice, as fast as I could (which isn't very fast), but I took two minutes off my time when I did the second run. I think that it is important to concentrate on that. I also like to concentrate on:
I also went for a run in Toohey Forest on Sunday with two mates. I had to stop and walk for the last km or so as my abs hurt but it was just exhilarating to be on the single track again, running with friends! Running on trails is like being a kid again.
When I was a kid, there was a big farm down the road from our house. The farm eventually got sold and a small estate was put in with a shopping centre. Beside the shops was a piece of land that remained vacant and me, my brother and some other neighbourhood kids road our bikes through there all the time, creating trails and jumps. Trail running reminds me of riding through there.
I have altered the usual loop that I do in Moggill Forest as I discovered some awesome single track that I now like to add on. This week I did the loop twice, as fast as I could (which isn't very fast), but I took two minutes off my time when I did the second run. I think that it is important to concentrate on that. I also like to concentrate on:
- I am having fun
- Sometimes I get to run with my friends
- One day my abs won't hurt after a run.
I also went for a run in Toohey Forest on Sunday with two mates. I had to stop and walk for the last km or so as my abs hurt but it was just exhilarating to be on the single track again, running with friends! Running on trails is like being a kid again.
When I was a kid, there was a big farm down the road from our house. The farm eventually got sold and a small estate was put in with a shopping centre. Beside the shops was a piece of land that remained vacant and me, my brother and some other neighbourhood kids road our bikes through there all the time, creating trails and jumps. Trail running reminds me of riding through there.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Trail Fun
On Saturday morning I headed out to Mt Coot-tha with Kaiser (my German Shepherd) and met up with my best friend for some trail fun. The morning started a bit later than intended (I don't think I have been on time for anything since V was born) but all was good once we started.
First we headed down Honey Eater and we were having a great time until I realised I probably should have gone to the bathrooms up the top. I need to think about these things a bit more now. By the time we reached the bottom we had to walk or things might have gotten embarrassing for me. The trails were pretty busy so I wasn't too keen on a bush toilet, so we headed down Greenford St to get to Gap Creek Reserve and use the bathrooms there.
Ah relief. We could run again. I decided I had been missing Kokoda so we should head up there. Consequently, the running didn't last long. It was a tough climb up Kokoda but not as bad as I thought it would be. Kaiser struggled though. I guess fur coats don't mix with warm Brissie days and walking up steep hills. By the top, Kaiser had gone through all his water and most of mine too. From the top we headed back along the road towards the cars but Kaiser was really struggling and it wasn't long before he had us slowed to a walk. I didn't mind though, I am always unmotivated to run on road.
All up we did 10km and it was more of a walking pace than anything but we had an awesome time. Plus, I can blame Kaiser for the slow pace :)
First we headed down Honey Eater and we were having a great time until I realised I probably should have gone to the bathrooms up the top. I need to think about these things a bit more now. By the time we reached the bottom we had to walk or things might have gotten embarrassing for me. The trails were pretty busy so I wasn't too keen on a bush toilet, so we headed down Greenford St to get to Gap Creek Reserve and use the bathrooms there.
Ah relief. We could run again. I decided I had been missing Kokoda so we should head up there. Consequently, the running didn't last long. It was a tough climb up Kokoda but not as bad as I thought it would be. Kaiser struggled though. I guess fur coats don't mix with warm Brissie days and walking up steep hills. By the top, Kaiser had gone through all his water and most of mine too. From the top we headed back along the road towards the cars but Kaiser was really struggling and it wasn't long before he had us slowed to a walk. I didn't mind though, I am always unmotivated to run on road.
All up we did 10km and it was more of a walking pace than anything but we had an awesome time. Plus, I can blame Kaiser for the slow pace :)
Friday, May 23, 2014
Starting Over
My little girl will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. Motherhood is a new and exciting adventure that I am loving.
I am also loving running again. It took me a lot longer to get back into running than I expected, as the birth was a little more traumatic than I expected. My body needed a bit longer to recover and it wasn't until 7 weeks after the birth that I even felt like running. Here is a week by week summary of progress.
Week 1: The first few days I could shuffle from the maternity ward down to the special care nursery a few times a day. By the end of the week I was shuffling around the house.
Week 2: Walking with a bit more ease
Week 3: Starting to feel human. Went walking most days and included hills.
Week 4: Increased my mileage and got out on the trails. Hello trails, I love you.
Weeks 5 - 6: Lots of trails but still just walking.
Week 7: Still mostly walking but I did my first trail 'run'. It was pretty awesome to be back out there.
Week 8: I would say this is the week that I started running again. I did 2 runs at the start of the week and I was really happy with my fitness on those. I wasn't too happy with my leg strength though and I got some strange lower abdominal pain. I went for a run with some friends a couple of days later and the abdominal pain was quite bad. Maybe I just did too much too soon, but I backed right off after that. It seemed to improve.
Week 9: I did a couple of runs early in the week and was quite happy with my fitness. My shins were a bit sore though and my knees felt pretty weak, like they weren't supporting me properly. Probably that relaxin hormone at work. The abdominal pain was pretty minimal but still there. In the middle of the week I got sick and did nothing for a few days. I then decided it was a good idea to go for a 10km trail run the first day I felt better. It wasn't a good idea. Very light headed and so very thirsty (ie I was dehydrated). The positive though was that my legs felt good and I didn't get the abdominal pain.
I am excited to see what week 10 brings. I guess my progress is slower than expected but I am feeling happy and positive. I am not in any rush to enter races. I would like to do GOW in October because it has always interested me, but I'm not too worried if I have to give it a miss. Oh and I love my new training partner. She is too tiny for the jogger pram still, but she joins me on all my walks.
I am also loving running again. It took me a lot longer to get back into running than I expected, as the birth was a little more traumatic than I expected. My body needed a bit longer to recover and it wasn't until 7 weeks after the birth that I even felt like running. Here is a week by week summary of progress.
Week 1: The first few days I could shuffle from the maternity ward down to the special care nursery a few times a day. By the end of the week I was shuffling around the house.
Week 2: Walking with a bit more ease
Week 3: Starting to feel human. Went walking most days and included hills.
Week 4: Increased my mileage and got out on the trails. Hello trails, I love you.
Weeks 5 - 6: Lots of trails but still just walking.
Week 7: Still mostly walking but I did my first trail 'run'. It was pretty awesome to be back out there.
Week 8: I would say this is the week that I started running again. I did 2 runs at the start of the week and I was really happy with my fitness on those. I wasn't too happy with my leg strength though and I got some strange lower abdominal pain. I went for a run with some friends a couple of days later and the abdominal pain was quite bad. Maybe I just did too much too soon, but I backed right off after that. It seemed to improve.
Week 9: I did a couple of runs early in the week and was quite happy with my fitness. My shins were a bit sore though and my knees felt pretty weak, like they weren't supporting me properly. Probably that relaxin hormone at work. The abdominal pain was pretty minimal but still there. In the middle of the week I got sick and did nothing for a few days. I then decided it was a good idea to go for a 10km trail run the first day I felt better. It wasn't a good idea. Very light headed and so very thirsty (ie I was dehydrated). The positive though was that my legs felt good and I didn't get the abdominal pain.
I am excited to see what week 10 brings. I guess my progress is slower than expected but I am feeling happy and positive. I am not in any rush to enter races. I would like to do GOW in October because it has always interested me, but I'm not too worried if I have to give it a miss. Oh and I love my new training partner. She is too tiny for the jogger pram still, but she joins me on all my walks.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Fear From the Sidelines
I haven't exactly been running for a long time. Instead, I have been growing a tiny human inside of me.
Falling pregnant didn't just happen for me and eventually I was told to to cut back my exercise regime a lot to even fall pregnant. That part alone was almost 6months of low mileage. That part was difficult. Nobody gave me a rule of what was too much, so I just had to try and figure out what I considered to be stress on my body and what I didn't. It was also hard to give up one of the things I love most, for something that I wasn't even sure would happen. There was no guarantee that if I halved my mileage and cut out my long runs, my body would suddenly start doing all the things it needed to. I stuck with it though, and every month that I didn't fall pregnant, I cut back my mileage a little bit more.
Finally I fell pregnant. Cutting back my exercise for that was actually a lot easier. There was a 9 month time limit and the baby was real. It was easy to give up the thing I love for something I already loved more. I just did what made me feel comfortable. Probably a lot less than what some pregnant women do, and probably a lot more than what other pregnant women do. All I know and care about is that it was right for me. I felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Could me and my bub have handled more mileage or higher intensity? Probably, but I don't mind that I didn't try it.
Now I am getting pretty close to the end of pregnancy and I am starting to freak out. Really freak out. I have two issues. The first is, when will I be fit again? When will my body even be ready to start exercising again, and how will I fit it in around feeding and raising a little baby. I would love to run GOW 100k in October, which is around 6-7months after bub arrives. Is that realistic? My second issue is my weight. I accept that you have to put on weight when pregnant. My weight gain has been spot on in the middle of all the pregnancy weight gain charts that I have seen BUT, it has also been all over my body, not just my tummy. Even my arms are chubba. Plus, I wasn't exactly petite to begin with. How hard will it be to lose that weight? I have never been one to exercise for the purpose of weight loss, but this time, it is going to go hand in hand with getting fit. Losing weight will help me regain my fitness. I don't think I will be able to exercise without considering how many calories I am burning. What if that takes away the joy?
I am hoping that once bub arrives, these worries won't bother me anymore. Just as when I fell pregnant and didn't mind exercising less, will I find that I am not worried about these things anymore and I can just let them take care of themselves. If I am not fit enough for GOW, will I just sign up for a race a bit later and not be phased? I hope so. I want running to be about running and adventure. I don't want it to be about feeling down on myself for not achieving arbitrary goals.
I am keen to know what other women experienced post pregnancy with both weight loss and getting fit. Did it take a long time? Did it matter?
Falling pregnant didn't just happen for me and eventually I was told to to cut back my exercise regime a lot to even fall pregnant. That part alone was almost 6months of low mileage. That part was difficult. Nobody gave me a rule of what was too much, so I just had to try and figure out what I considered to be stress on my body and what I didn't. It was also hard to give up one of the things I love most, for something that I wasn't even sure would happen. There was no guarantee that if I halved my mileage and cut out my long runs, my body would suddenly start doing all the things it needed to. I stuck with it though, and every month that I didn't fall pregnant, I cut back my mileage a little bit more.
Finally I fell pregnant. Cutting back my exercise for that was actually a lot easier. There was a 9 month time limit and the baby was real. It was easy to give up the thing I love for something I already loved more. I just did what made me feel comfortable. Probably a lot less than what some pregnant women do, and probably a lot more than what other pregnant women do. All I know and care about is that it was right for me. I felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Could me and my bub have handled more mileage or higher intensity? Probably, but I don't mind that I didn't try it.
Now I am getting pretty close to the end of pregnancy and I am starting to freak out. Really freak out. I have two issues. The first is, when will I be fit again? When will my body even be ready to start exercising again, and how will I fit it in around feeding and raising a little baby. I would love to run GOW 100k in October, which is around 6-7months after bub arrives. Is that realistic? My second issue is my weight. I accept that you have to put on weight when pregnant. My weight gain has been spot on in the middle of all the pregnancy weight gain charts that I have seen BUT, it has also been all over my body, not just my tummy. Even my arms are chubba. Plus, I wasn't exactly petite to begin with. How hard will it be to lose that weight? I have never been one to exercise for the purpose of weight loss, but this time, it is going to go hand in hand with getting fit. Losing weight will help me regain my fitness. I don't think I will be able to exercise without considering how many calories I am burning. What if that takes away the joy?
I am hoping that once bub arrives, these worries won't bother me anymore. Just as when I fell pregnant and didn't mind exercising less, will I find that I am not worried about these things anymore and I can just let them take care of themselves. If I am not fit enough for GOW, will I just sign up for a race a bit later and not be phased? I hope so. I want running to be about running and adventure. I don't want it to be about feeling down on myself for not achieving arbitrary goals.
I am keen to know what other women experienced post pregnancy with both weight loss and getting fit. Did it take a long time? Did it matter?
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