Slight return

The light is dim. It is a warm night and the baby's arms are thrown up above his head in repose. In the opposite corner of the room ,  a woman carries out a series of actions ; two small pink dumb bells are pressed into the air and down; she squats, she lunges.

It's been slow, and I'm still not there. Where is "there"? It's being able to run again. I knew there would be a break but I didn't guess it'd be this long. The healing of the c-section scar is dictating things, and it's going slowly. I started strength training again a month or so ago, and a couple of weeks ago started to try some jogging reps. I was rewarded with an aching midsection. 12 weeks after the birth. I thought by this point I'd be able to run for 15 or 20 minutes at an easy pace. No chance. I'm fighting the urge to be angry and tucking disappointment away . I've got a bonny, healthy kid, who's learning to sleep well at night and charm my friends and family with his smile. But he needs his mum to be a happy lady, and until I'm fit again there will be a bit missing. So I do my best to fit in exercises around the pattern of his needs, and I walk up hills carrying his ever increasing weight in a sling, and I tell myself this will help.

I know what you're thinking: come on, you have taken a course of action which requires sacrifice, the child's needs come before yours. Of course, don't get me wrong. I love being a parent, I love his giddy smiles and the happy dance he does when he sees something new, or a favourite toy within reach, or his reflection. I love watching him grow and change day on day, learning from his father and I. All I am asking is that for a few hours each week I'm able to partake in the simple pleasure of hill running whilst my son spends time with his Dad.

Today I jog/walked one lap of my local Parkrun. (about 13 minutes for one lap of approx 1 mile in case you are wondering) Parkrun was a saviour for me during pregnancy and is continuing to lift my spirits and make me feel part of the running world whilst I am on a break from 'proper' running and racing. Any agency who doesn't appreciate that Parkrun isn't just a load of people running in circles in their park on Saturday mornings needs to look further and think what volunteering and just being together with the community can do for so many people, not just the participants.

Being thankful

In this strange new state I live in, the state of motherhood,  specifically the mother of a newborn. I look for things from my old ways to make me feel comforted.

I'm thankful my body knows how to build muscle. My midsection was rudely torn apart so that Fox could live, and my body has worked to rebuild it. I've noticed a huge appetite and I've followed its demands, hopeful that it is all a part of my recovery. It's difficult being a new mum when you can't use your middle, never mind difficult thinking about running again.

I'm thankful I am a napper. Sleep now happens in snatched shifts of three or four hours. Five weeks in amd I've only had a couple of late night meltdowns (actually hallucinated)

 Thankful I own a warm sleeping bag and I'm used to hunkering down on the ground. Some nights Fox gets very noisy and we decamp to the spare room to avoid disturbing his dad. We camp out, he in his travel bed which is like a little tent, me beside him in my trusty lamina 20

I'm thankful I know the difference between an ache and a pain and I can tolerate discomfort.  Breast feeding, long periods carrying a grizzly Fox and trying to feed, tidy and read one handed all take a physical toll. I'm also thankful I know a bit about stretching and maintaining my tired body,  which is in no small part down to Lynne from Global Therapies help and advice

I'm thankful I live minutes from open fields and views of hills. Now I'm strong enough to walk with Fox in a sling we get to feel the breeze and hear birdsong,  and smell the summer. Best restorative after a muggy night feeding and pooing/dealing with poo.

I'm thankful for my friends and my family who understand that it's not plain sailing every day. Even a ten minute house call or phone chat make me feel more human again. Bigger favours like lifts and loans of equipment have immeasurable value.

The Disobedient Mum-to-Be

The inception of this post

I'm writing this post in the 7th month and I will publish when I am holding what I hope will be a healthy baby. It'd be foolish to publish now, because if there's one other thing I learned by reading and listening to others experiences, it's that the unexpected is called that for a good reason and can occur in pregnancy and birth.

Post natal update

It was a terrible birth experience, I won't lie. I won't do detail but here are the numbers:

Hours in labour: 34

Midwives : 4 Doctors:4

Types of opiate administered: 2

Emergency C sections under General : 1

Apgar score at birth: 2

Hours til mother and baby met: 10

Amazing fathers : 1

Apgar score 5 mins after birth was thankfully 7, and 9 after 10 minutes. Fox Paul Scholefield is a fighter. He removed his own breathing tube in anger and went straight for the food when I finally met him.

My take on Risk control in pregnancy

There is a lot of 'advice' knocking around as I am sure you will be aware. There are also many sensible people, both your friends and family, and in the media, who tell you to ignore the advice. What I found interesting is that the advice which comes from the care givers in the NHS would appear be taken as absolute fact by the majority of pregnant women. I love the NHS and I support and applaud the fact that they are doing their best to ensure that the outcomes of as many pregnancies as possible are successful for mother, baby and family. I am however a questioner, and I got some funny reactions from NHS people on asking questions, or on stating my preferred way of doing things. I call it the 'eyebrow'. Example: "are you taking supplements?"  "No, I have a good diet" ".. eyebrow". I started just nodding and yessing after a while, to avoid the disapproving eyebrow.

Books. Oh books. I have formed the opinion that pregnancy books have been written based on evidence collected mainly from people who reported negative experiences. Open any chapter on 'what will happen during this month/trimester' and you will be faced with a long list of uncomfortable or unpleasant things. I accept that morning sickness, aching joints, heartburn etc, can all occur due to perfectly understandable biological changes. They don't happen to every person though, and maybe it's just the books and websites I have looked at, but some more 'mights' , 'maybes' and 'some womens' would be handy to avoid panicking apprehensive first-timers. Pregnancy as a natural state of being rather than a series of symptoms, if you will.

'Bad' things I did during my pregnancy

Ate sushi

Yum, sushi. A healthy dish of rice, seaweed and fish. The advice is 'stay away from raw fish' on account of the (size of risk not mentioned) risk of catching a horrid wriggly parasite or a food bug which will harm both you and the foetus. I've been eating sushi for ten years or so and have to my knowledge never got sick from eating it, so my evidence suggests that it's a low risk activity where the risk is outweighed by the benefit of getting more fish into me. Eating sushi is also a big part of my relationship with some dear friends.

Didn't get a flu jab

I was warned about the dangers of not having a flu jab by a very well meaning midwife who quoted me the statistic that "2 pregnant women died of flu during the Swine Flu epidemic". I expect more died in car accidents during that period, and I haven't been advised not to sit in a motor vehicle. I also understand that the current flu vaccination is not a guarantee against catching the flu, and that catching the flu wouldn't harm my baby, rather it'd just be very horrible for me. It would be horrible, pregnancy or no pregnancy. 

Ran quite a bit, sometimes on the fells

No need to justify or explain this other than to repeat the advice midwives give, which is continue to exercise as you have been doing, and listen to your body. If you feel rough, slow down. If it hurts, seek advice and consider stopping. 

A small number of people asked me 'but is that safe' when I mentioned I was still fellrunning. I tried to politely educate them.

At the Auld Lang Syne race 31 Dec 2016, three months pregnant. Photo courtesy Woodentops. 

Didn't go to NCT classes

The National Childbirth Trust offer a course to prepare parents for birth and the early stages of a child's life. Antenatal classes are offered by your NHS team, and oddly, finding out about them did seem a little difficult to me - no info exists online, you are advised to call or email if you want to know about when and where they take place. 

The middle class way seems to be to go to NCT, I don't know why, perhaps their advice is seen as being better , and I do know they advocate breast-feeding, which to me is a bit of a no-brainer. A course costs somewhere in the region of £300. Yes,you read that right. People who have attended NCT classes say that it gives them a great network of other parents to share experiences and learn from and I don't doubt that if I knew no other new or recent parents in my local area, this would be a factor pushing me towards NCT classes. We decided we had better things to spend our money on. 

After asking a colleague at work, whose baby was born at the same hospital we are going to use, how their antenatal classes were, and learning that he didn't think they were worth going to, we also decided not to do those either. 

Ate some brie and some rare steak

This advice is given so that pregnant mothers are not at risk of exposure to Listeriosis or E Coli food illnesses. Listeriosis is a very rare kind of food poisoning and the list of foods which could harbour the microbe responsible is vast and includes cold cuts of meat and boxed salads - so basically your lunch. However the chance the bug will be there is infitessimally low, I don't know the cases per annum of listeria but this piece by Zoe Williams convinced me its super rare. So in the spirit of risk management I had a few bits of soft cheese when they were about. I'm not a big brie fan , blue cheese yep. 

E coli lives on the surface of beef meat. If you sear the surface well then the risk of that microbe making you ill is reduced greatly. If you eat a raw mice burger your risk is increased. I ate a couple of lovely rare steaks which had of course been well seared. I chose to eat them in well-run, trustworthy establishments whose food hygiene protocol was likely to be very high. Minimal risk. Yummy meat. 

Had a wine or a beer from time to time

MINEFIELD. The research on how alcohol use affects foetuses is also listed in Ms Williams article. A good friend had studied alcohol abuse a few years ago and concluded that a mother needs to be a full blown alcoholic to damage her baby. There is limited evidence that binge drinking in the first trimester may lead to damage, but we all know mums who didn't know they were pregnant and got hammered and mortal..and baby fine.I'm not a mad drinker so I had a few ales and a few wines and didn't get drunk . I never really do.

Didn't take supplements

We live in the first world and I am shocked that the first thing the GP told me when I presented as pregnant was 'get some Pregnacare' . I eat a varied and healthy diet and I believe I get what I need. I know that babies add a demand on your system. So I upped the greens, reds oranges, purples and nuts. I upped the meats and fishes. I upped the dairy for calcium and by heck i went outside for the Vit D. Healthy living is all you need IMHO. I bought some pills and took them on my proper off days, for the Vit Bs. I still have half the pack if anyone wants them. 

So , what did I learn?

I learned that the worst risks are the ones that you just can't control. I could do NOTHING about the predicament of my child during and after the birth. I am glad I enjoyed a little of what I fancied during his baking and I don't blame the birth experience on anything I have done. He's very healthy now, feeding well and gazing at the world with his wise eyes. They've seen some bad times and I feel I can see the strength behind his gaze , the determination to succeed and then go out and take risks of his own. 

Ticking a big box - supporting Jasmin's amazing Bob Graham Round

After completing my Bob Graham Round last summer, I was looking forward to offering support to those attempting one in 2016. Then I found I was pregnant and realised that this would be quite limited! I mentioned to a couple of friends who I knew would probably make an attempt, that I may be able to provide road support, baby in tow, if they were going later in the summer. My driving license and car, gained in January for adventuring purposes, would come in handy for that.

I heard via the Glossopdale grapevine that Jasmin Paris would be making a fast attempt one weekend in April. Jasmin hails from this area and is a good friend of the club. I'd met her and Konrad at races, social events and club away weekends , and we discovered we both loved openwater swimming and cake (and fellrunning of course!). I emailed her to offer road support, understanding that she may already have a full compliment, being such a well respected and liked runner. She explained her Mum would cover every road crossing, though I could come in handy to help ferry support runners to and from the start of the legs. I signed up immediately. I was dead chuffed to be able to get in a support of a BGR before the baby arrived! It also offered an opportunity for Alan and I to spend a weekend in the Lakes, like a mini break as a couple. Alan was also keen to get some photos, he loves getting landscapes and fellrunners.

We got the green light on Thursday 22nd, the weather was looking favourable. I was assigned a list of people to collect from Steve Birkinshaw's farmhouse, and deliver to Dunmail Raise on Saturday morning . Some names there I recognised as high achievers in the world of tough, long challenges; Jim Mann, Jon Gay, and some championship botherers like Rhys and Ben. Her support runners list made impressive reading, I knew that every one on the list would have gladly accepted the job, excited about helping Jasmin achieve what could be a new record time for the round, for a female.  I was proud to see some fast runners from my club amongst the legends - Julien, Andy O and Tim B.

Jasmin and Leg 1 supporters Spyke, Konrad and Wardy preparing for the off 

Saturday morning 0330, Alan and I threw on warm clothes and walked five minutes from our B and B to the centre of Keswick. The Moot Hall was being used as a pissoir by a gent on his way home from his revels. No-one to be seen, so we walked laps to keep warm and Alan figured that he couldn't get a shot of the Moot Hall, Jasmin and the impressive full Moon. We heard voices from the ginnel beside the pub, sure enough it was Jasmin, Konrad, Spyke and Wardy ready for the off, accompanied by Jasmin's Mum  Alena, Iain W and his dog Jess, and Tim and Lynne from Global Therapies, on cheerleading duties as we were. Not long passed and they were counting down, then off.

The previous night I'd started a conversation on email with the Leg 3 support runners, saying that we ought to plan to leave earlier than Jasmin's roughly 17-hour schedule dictated. I planned to arrive at the base at 0800 and leave for Dunmail at 0845, given that the journey time was about be an hour and a quarter this would ensure we were there 40 minutes or so before she would arrive. When I got up at 0700 on Saturday, a text from Lynne arrived saying she was already 30 minutes up on schedule and I'd be best to get to base ASAP. I was thankful we'd already agreed an early departure. I managed to miss the lane down to the farmhouse and get a wheel stuck in some mud - Lynne and Tim rescued the little Yaris and about fifteen minutes later we were on the way. I was quite apprehensive about the route from the Kirkstone Pass down to Ambleside where Ben Abdelnoor would be waiting to be picked up, and once I noticed the passengers checking their watches nervously I offered the driving seat to Iain who knows the roads well and also used to drive a Yaris. I had been driving cautiously due to my inexperience on Lakes roads, and I didn't want to risk us being late. Thanks for piloting us down the Struggle Iain!

Fast men looking quite scared at what lay ahead :) 

The first runner to appear on the horizon was a man in black- we all stood wondering whether it was one of Jasmin's crew. It was Neil Talbott.  He was pretty knackered out, having met her at Blencathra summit and carried on from there.

a broken Neil T and a perky Jess the dog 

He passed on her order for soup and Coke, which Alena set about preparing whilst the Leg 3 team picked up food bags from her car. It was a beautiful sunny morning, we could all imagine what a pleasure it would be to run the relatively easy leg across the Dodds and Helvellyn. They appeared on the descent, I checked Alena didn't need any assistance and went to the fence to hear cheerful chatter coming from Jasmin and Shane , as if they were out on a Sunday morning social run. Jasmin picked up her cups and a few words with her Mum then strode straight up Steel Fell. Supporters swapped bags and followed. Jess the dog led the group up and they were gone. 'was that 45 or 55 minutes up on schedule?' Two friends from Glossop arrived and we retreated to the warmth of their camper van for brews and a quick debrief . Alex remarked that the pace was such a clip, he'd not had a chance to take a sip of drink! All of them had thoroughly enjoyed their run in such glorious conditions. Shane hadn't been out for a long run for some time but was full of the joys of spring. It was lovely to hear them all so positive and so impressed with Jasmin's progress.

Alena's delicious roadside pastry stop at Dunmail

A less panicky drive back to Steve's and then I had a lunch break with Alan, Lynne and Tim in Keswick. We all knew we had to be at Honister for the Leg 4/5 changeover as early as possible. I had to bring 3 support runners and some bags, Lynne had Tim in the van. The car crawled up to Honister fully laden, making it there for about 16.20 giving us time to have tea and snacks whilst we waited - we guessed she would be there by perhaps 1700 or 1730. All the Leg 5 runners were hell bent on eating as much as possible, knowing that with the end, and an immense new record time in sight, Jasmin's pace would leave no time for refuelling! Alena was again in attendance with her tray of delicious pastries. The sky was darkening a little and the wind was fresh, we thought perhaps the conditions on the tops might have slowed the pace a little. I walked up the hill to Dalehead with Jo Z to keep us both warm and had the comical experience of trying to give downhill running tips to a Commonwealth Games athlete, whilst 8 months pregnant. She had been called up to provide pacing on the road section if needed, though is no stranger to off-road running.

Alan had gone up the fell to get photos of the group descending. They appeared at about 17.20

The changeover was made  - Movie here on Youtube -   (sorry the movie was deemed too big by Blogger!) and yet again Jasmin powered straight through via her Mum. I heard someone say 'yes she is tiring' and I did wonder whether her descending style had appeared a little less fluid than normal, but hey, she's human and had been through the toughest part of her challenge. Her smile was no less wide on hitting the road. The record was well and truly in the bag.

I collected the assorted down jackets, jeans, bags and a rusty old screwdriver Andy O had found hidden in his backpack, and headed back down the pass to Keswick once more. I needed a lie down and some chocolate but time for this was short, we needed to be back at the Moot Hall for 1900, we knew she was over 1hr30 ahead of her schedule and there was every chance she'd make more time. Alan jogged ahead so he could find a good spot for photos. I called Lynne to see where she was and found her a little confused/worried as the Market Square was filled with people! She quickly ascertained that they were assembling for a fundraising walk, but their presence there would both impede Jasmin's return and probably confuse her too! The organiser of the event was as excited as anyone to hear that a record was about to be broken, and made certain that his team knew that a path would need to be cleared. We had no information as to Jasmin's position on the road. A group of about six or eight of us were nervously stood near the Hall and Alan was further along the Market Square. We found Jon Gay who gave us her timing at Newlands and we surmised she was 10 or 15 minutes away. Lynne had got a prime spot up on the steps of the hall, good work Lynne, she had a GoPro and she had a clear view for the arrival. The event organiser made an announcement to his group and they obediently parted like a red sea of bobble hats and waterproof jackets. Some nervy minutes ticked by.. .Alan shouted 'I can see them!' A huge cheer went up from the walkers as Jasmin strode across the market square. I was grinning from ear to ear. There were so many people around, it was hard to see what would happen next. I hung back and after a little while we realised it'd be best to get into a warm pub. The Kings Arms had just enough room for the important people to sit down.

There followed a companionable evening and a growing realisation that history had been made, by a very humble lady who has a lovely supportive Mum and fiancee, and many many friends and admirers. The reaction in fellrunning social media circles took even dyed in the wool Twits like myself by surprise.

Alan's photos really give a flavour of the day I've described. 

Global Therapies blog also about supporting

Jasmin recounts her day on the Inov8 site
http://www.inov-8.com/blog/jasmin-paris-bob-graham-round-record/

I'm so very pleased that I could lend some help to a momentous day , at a time where I thought I'd be no use to anyone in BGR circles. Once baby has made its arrival then I'd be happy to road support again later this year.  The sooner our kid feels at home in the Lakes, the better!

Living Vicariously

So you're a fellrunner and you're off running. That much is apparent. What to do, to retain the contact with the ace community of runners I love so much? I signed up to help out at some events in this 'third trimester/really actually quite pregnant now' phase a while back, figuring that I'd not be racing and I would enjoy being part of events as a helper.

First up, the Stockport Trail Half Marathon on 28th February, a cracking race organised by local lad Tony Ward who goes by the name Crazylegs Events. You have to like a guy who gives out soap on a rope as a medal. I spent the best part of a chilly yet sunny Sunday pointing a few hundred runners up a small incline on a trail near the Macclesfield Canal. Oh and a stint being 'hello please park your car over there'. Enjoyed it thoroughly, shouting sarky comments at runners I know,telling folks I know at the sharp end what position they were running in and making friends with passing supporters. Always a bonus to be outdoors and walking about a bit too. 

Last weekend, I marshalled at Glossop Parkrun and then on a bit of a whim, accepted a lift over to Hayfield with two clubmates who were off to race the Chicken Run event , organised for the benefit of the school there. I wanted a walk that day, so planned to wander up part of the race route and see the race pass by me. It was a dry clear day and after checking the race map, I headed up via Park Hall opposite the Lantern Pike inn, along the path onto the moor. As I climbed steadily and happily, I noticed the grouse butts (usually I think I'd be going too quickly to see them!) and realised they'd make good sheltered spots from which to get pictures of the ascending runners, with Lantern Pike and the village of Hayfield in the background.

After a quick off-trail bash across the heather to startle the grouse, I settled in Butt 6, ate my excellent Eccles Cake from the bake sale at the school, then very soon the runners arrived. Once again I really enjoyed seeing familiar faces and shouting encouragement as they neared the top of a pacey climb. I trotted down and came across a race marshal, had a chat and then hung about helping her to spot numbers on the runners as they joined the return leg back to Hayfield. I can confirm it is very much more difficult to read a race number on a leg than on a torso. 

I had a great time doing that and will try to do so at another race again soon - it's my 'passive fellrunning' fix, and a walk in the hills is always a good thing. Especially with Eccles Cakes. My pictures didn't come out too badly either. 

The Bump is now getting pretty hefty and I can't say I regret stopping running at all. I'm suffering days where I'm not much use to man nor beast, and stumble round sleepily, looking at food and gobbling it up. The baby is confounding and entertaining me with its contortions, hiccups, kicks and headbutts (yes, headbutts). I've managed to control my bloatey indigestion a bit by eating small plates of less wheat-based stuff in the evenings, which makes for interesting evening meals. An example tonight being some polenta, some parma ham, a kiwi and some leftover roast veggies. Plus one Thornton's chocolate for pudding. 10 weeks or so, and the Bump should be here in person, then I can headbutt it back. 

Stop Sign

I knew I was having a good run of it (no pun intended ha!) , I knew I was lucky and it wouldn't last forever. It happened. I went out for a club pack run about three weeks ago and it felt quite uncomfortable. I soldiered on, with encouragement from the other runners and my partner Alan who'd decided to make a rare appearance at a club run. I was thankful he was there, as after about 40 minutes I'd had enough, and we broke off from the route and headed home. The next morning - pain. Lower bump achey pain and groin-ey area pain whilst walking. I was a bit worried. I have always said, if it hurt, I would stop, and this was a sure stop sign.
I called Lynne from Global Therapies who assured me that it was strain in my ligaments/groin, lay off running for a while, and sound advice to call the GP if the pain got worse. Thanks Lynne for picking up the phone when you were on a weekend off!

Since then I've tried a couple of short jog/walks up a hill and down wearing a 'bump support' which a recent-new-mum-runner friend kindly gave me. These outings went OK and resulted in only mild versions of the same pain. I've also been way more careful with my pacing and how I hold my pelvic area, as well as stretching. I've been very busy at work again and to be honest haven't missed running. The jog/walks keep my desire to be outdoors satisfied and my strength training sessions give me a bit of the 'exercise high'.

We went on holiday too, to Morocco, and the bump expanded at a rate of knots, fuelled by tagines and mint tea. With the increasing size and weight, even walking around the medinas of Marrakech and Essaouira necessitated careful pelvic positioning to avoid a sore back. There were some quite uncomfortable days where I swear I could feel my abdominal muscles coming slowly apart. Swimming was great, it got my heart beating and my muscles clicked into familiar action, it felt good. I now need to ensure I work swims into my weekly routine. My regular swimsuit definitely does not fit (as it did a month ago) and once more I've benefitted from a hand-me-down - a maternity swim top which goes with some 'regular' swim shorts nicely.

I'd like to stick with the easy paced run/walks though I need to think carefully about routes, I haven't got any in my repertoire short enough but will figure something out. I am going to head to parkrun tomorrow and have a stern word with myself about keeping very slow pace, and walking all the uphills. Glossop parkrun is a good safe bet for me, being three laps, so if I feel sore after two I can stop. I like the convivial atmosphere and it'll make me feel as though I'm 'still a runner' though in reality that has now changed - I am getting used to the idea that for the coming four months or so, I'm in a new category of athletes club called 'pregnant and post-birth'. One thing which definitely keeps me going is the constant changes to my body, and the new things I am learning about what it and the baby are doing as time continues on towards 'the big event', and how I can help increase the chances of that event running more smoothly. 

When are you going to stop?

Ever since I first told people about my pregnancy, there were plenty of comments to the effect of ‘well you’ll not be doing all the running now’ which have been met with a polite explanation as to how I would be, only less than before and only if I felt OK doing so. I’ve recently been asked the title question a few times, even by friends in the running club and my true hope is that I won’t have to stop at all. However slowly and gently I do it, I hope to be able to continue for a while yet.

Parkrun Perks 

My pace and mileage have fallen again since my last blog. I’m 25 weeks pregnant now (about six months) and pleasingly round about the belly. Despite swearing off racing, I decided to give my local Parkrun inGlossop a try a couple of weeks ago. Now, I know they are not races, but show me a person who doesn’t line up at a parkrun wondering how many of the other participants they’ll finish ahead of. My first attempt resulted in a time of 23.30 for the 5k course. Having never run this course before I can’t say how much slower that is compared to a ‘normal’ me, but I think somewhere about 3 minutes, a minute per mile slower. I was the third female finisher which made me feel good about my ability and put a smile on my face at the end of what had been an exhausting week of work and socialising. 

I've started to think about people's perception of how much running is a lot of running, and I realise that to many people who are not fanatical runners like me, what I do now is a quite challenging level of activity, for example running non-stop for 45 minutes. So I also take comfort from that. It does get hard when I read about the events my fellrunning buddies are posting about on social media - the ups, the downs, the bogs and clouds and pie and peas, I do get a pang of envy but then I remember that I am a lucky lady who's still able to enjoy her hobby whilst she bakes a whole new human person. 

Back into the fray at XC

At the parkrun, my club captain asked if I would be able to come to the next Cross Country fixture as they were short of ladies for our team. I ran in the Manchester Cross Country League last year for the very same reason – to support our ladies team who are led by some very rapid runners. She let me know that she understood that I wouldn’t be running fast and all that was required would be to complete the course and count towards the team, so that we wouldn’t slip too far down the league table. Naturally, I accepted. My club are like family, they’ve inspired and supported me in so many events and adventures and I really enjoy being able to support them back, however humble my role.

I woke on the morning feeling heavy, and worrying.  I’d run a few times in the week preceding, and I’d had a pretty rough time the week before on a club run where I just felt drained and unable to keep up on anything with a gradient. I even resorted to posting a picture of myself in my kit on our club Facebook page, to gain some confidence from the ‘like’s. I know - it’s a dirty, needy tactic, but it worked.  

Nervous face at home - first time with this kit on for a while! 

By the time we got changed and ready and I’d had a chat with some of the other female competitors who were impressed by the bump, I felt more springy and ready to run round the course.

The Glossopdale Ladies Team preparing for the off . Photo courtesy Duncan Johnson

It was a typical course taking in water and mud-logged park fields, a short twisty section through woods and some dirt paths. Thankfully no uphill to speak of, hooray! I can honestly say that the runner who called out ‘pregnant lady, you’re doing amazing’ as I passed her, made my entire week. I ran round steadily, sticking to my rule that if I began to feel at all breathless, it was time to ease off the gas for the sake of my passenger.

There is definitely a part of me who wanted to be there to send a message to the younger runners: ‘you can do it whilst pregnant’. It’s something I’d always wondered about since taking up running seriously, and the runners with families who I asked directly about running in pregnancy all said the same thing – you can do it. It’s not one of those topics everyone gets the chance to bring up and so I thought, bring the bump out and show them J

taking it steady with the bump. Photo courtesy Duncan Johnson