So, with this goal in
mind, I have tried to start by shifting the focus of my athletic performance away from numbers, times, percentages, placings etc to experiences, enjoyment
and accomplishment. In my last two races (also my first two races back since
giving birth in February) my main aim has been to get round in one piece and
enjoy myself in the process. As we are dealing in the realm of ‘feelings’ here,
it’s hard to assess whether or not I have met these goals; however, for more
tangible proof, I only need to look at the marked reduction in the number of
pre-race toilet trips due to performance anxiety and nerves to surmise that I’ve at least in part nailed it!
My first outing was at
the Anglesey Trail 10k in Newborough Forest, North Wales, on June 1st.
I entered this race in March after we booked our first family holiday to
Snowdonia to visit who I affectionately refer to as my ‘Welsh family’ (Moira
and Sarah, with whom I lived in Llanberis when studying for my PhD and working
as a French tutor at Bangor University back when I took up running in 2010). In
March, June seemed a long way off and so I was confident I would have increased
my mileage enough by then to make running a 10k a feasible ask. Yeh. That didn’t
happen. What did happen is that I got carried away feeling the amazing effects
of breastfeeding extra-oxygenated blood at Seaton parkrun at 5 weeks
post-partum and my legs were unable to match my lungs and my troublesome left
calf cramped up at 2.4 miles. One minute I was trotting along euphorically as 2nd
lady, thinking ‘well, if I feel this good 5 weeks after giving birth, who knows
what’s possible’, the next minute I was hobbling back to the car thinking what
an idiot I was. I then couldn’t run for 3 weeks, followed by a very slow walk-jog
rehab phase, followed by another slight calf tweak, followed by…. oh shit, the
10k is in two weeks’ time and I have only run two parkruns in preparation. I
decided to give it a whirl, take it very conservatively and walk bits of it if
I needed to.
Ready for the off. First outing for the AVR vest, as I joined the club a month before getting pregnant!
The gun goes and off I
jog at a very comfortable 8m/m. I suddenly find myself right up at the front
with about four other men and no women. I check my watch: still 8m/m and
feeling easy, so just keep going at this pace. By some miracle, I soon find
myself out alone in second place overall with just one guy about 200m up the
trails in front of me. The race covers a stunning route, including sand dunes,
springy forest tracks and more technical, twisting sections. For June, the
weather is abysmal. Cold and wet. I worry about how Matt is coping looking
after our 15 week old baby in these grim conditions, with nowhere other than
the car for shelter. A good incentive to get back quickly and ensure they are
both ok. The last mile is a tough slog into a strong headwind coming in off the
sea and through thick, claggy sand. It’s energy sapping and my pace drops off
to 8:45m/m, even though it’s relatively flat! The finish line was a welcome
sight and the announcer calling me out as first lady and second overall is a
welcome sound. Spectators are ringing cowbells and as I turn towards the finish
I see there is a winner’s tape being held out for me to break. I am elated. I
never expected this. I hoped, at best, to get around in one piece without my
calf playing up. I ran relaxed and the win was a bonus but not the goal. The
prize haul (see below) was pretty impressive too, even if hanging around for
the podium presentations in the pouring rain put my husband into a grumpy mood
and delaying my son’s access to boob juice put him into an even grumpier one!
Next up, Killerton
Sprint Duathlon. I had a deferred entry for this race as I discovered that I
was pregnant 3 days before last year’s event and no way was I going to race
bikes whilst carrying such long-awaited, precious cargo. Matt and I met at
Killerton, doing the parkrun there, back in 2013. When I left my career in
education in 2015, I took a job there as a ‘stop gap’ whilst trying to get
pregnant. That took longer than anticipated (4 years longer) and so I am still there, though on maternity leave at the moment. It is a lovely place
to work and an even nicer place to compete. The acres of parkland, contouring
around a disused volcano, make the terrain challenging and varied. An off-road
run and a road bike is my ideal combination for a duathlon and so this 5k – 20k
– 3k sprint race ticked all the boxes. Typically our wee man, who is going
through the dreaded 4 month sleep regression phase, decided to give us the
worst night’s sleep since he was a newborn. Not ideal pre-race preparation,
being awoken on the hour, every hour, from 11pm through to 6am, at which point he finally
decided he would fall asleep until 7:30am, but I had to get up! Probably not Matt’s preferred
way to spend his first father’s day either, being left holding the baby after a
sleepless night whilst his nutter of a wife raced around the Devonshire
countryside. I expressed a feed for Matt to give him and then I chugged 2
strong cups of coffee to satisfy my liquid needs!
We're off - 10k to go.. more than I've run in total in the previous 2 weeks!
Finish line feels! Taking the tape is always special, but when my husband and 4 month old son are stood by it watching, it's even more so!
Good prizes!
Bit better weather than in North Wales for the Killerton Duathlon!
Last year this event
offered both a sprint and a standard distance, but this year they only ran the
sprint. This meant that two fields were condensed into one and so the line up
was much more competitive. A quick glance at the ladies warming up and I deemed
I would be lucky to place top 10. Then I remembered, do it for fun. No
pressure. It’s your birthday tomorrow, this is your treat. Enjoy it. Be
sensible. No expectations. Que sera sera etc. We’re off across the rutted,
cow-pat covered field and my legs are slow to get going. Even when fully fit, I
have always been more about endurance than speed, but since pregnancy they just
don’t seem interested in anything quicker than 7m/m. Fitness-wise though, I
felt very comfortable: all puff, no pace! I was well down the field after the
first run – even though I did pick a few people off on my preferred uphill
sections – and as there were relay teams in the mix too, it was impossible to gauge
what position I was actually in.
At the end of the first run.
The stunning grounds of Killerton make for a good run course.
Bike leg done! 20mph average: I'll take it!
The usual ungraceful mess at the dismount line and I spill into T2, nearly getting cramp trying to put my running shoes back on. Just the second run to go: come on legs, you can do it! But they can’t! At least, they are extremely reluctant to. The distinct lack of brick training makes its ugly presence felt and I lug my thunder thighs around the hilly 3k loop at a rather lacklustre 7:55m/m. But I make it and my strong bike split (2nd fastest) sees me finish as 3rd female overall. I tried to steer clear of having any pre-race expectations, but if I did, they were certainly not that! A podium place at my first multi-sport outing just 4 months after giving birth and on barely any run training: a performance to be proud of. A confidence giving performance too and one that has persuaded me to sign up for the GB team qualifying race for the 2020 European sprint duathlon championships. The qualifying event is in Bedford in October: hopefully enough time to get a bit fitter and to get to grips with draft-legal racing as this has subsequently been introduced since I raced for GB at the Euros in Soria in 2017.
Finish funnel thumbs up with buddy Anne watching on!
Back home and I decide to kill two birds with one stone by opting for a bath instead of a shower and having our baby boy join me to save both time and water giving him a separate bath later. As usual, his todger goes off all over me the minute he gets in the water, but I exact my revenge as I realise that my legs were covered in mud and cow muck picked up on the off-road run course around the Killerton grounds. I giggle at how we are both sat there, wallowing in each other's grime and urine, and both grinning away at it, happy as two proverbial pigs in shit!
The day after the
duathlon was my 36th birthday and I celebrated it by visiting the
Life Centre in Plymouth to have a much needed sports massage from my sponsor,
Patrick, at PDW Sports. (Not quite a spa day and an aromatherapy massage, but of
far more use to me!). Thanks to Patrick for his continuing support in 2019 and
also for the parenting advice he simultaneously imparts to me alongside the massage. He is 2 years further down the parental time line with his little boy and so it’s
definitely time well spent getting my legs flushed out whilst discussing green
poo, the merits of Calpol, sleep deprivation and unruly bath-time todger incidents... amongst
other things!
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