I didn't run for 3 months

It's true. I didn't run for three months. You may already know but I decided to challenge myself throughout October by doing 5km a day for Tommy's - the pregnancy and baby charity. It's been great so far - I've really enjoyed the fundraising aspect. I've been going out for walks every day wearing my weighted vest aka Ralph, my 7 month old, and plodding round the streets and local woodland. I may have stopped at a bakery on one of the days too for a sweet treat because your girl loves cake and what's life if you don't treat yourself every now and again! Anyway, I digress, I noticed that my last actual run that I logged on Strava was 1st July. What?! The reason I noticed it was because that day (yesterday - Sunday 6th October) I decided that my 5km that day would be a run rather than a walk because my partner was home to watch the kids. It was AMAZING!

Not only was I buzzing because I was heading outside alone without a baby on me or a child constantly hanging off my arm and asking me relentless questions (I love them and I love my daughters curiosity but if you know, YOU KNOW) but it's that beautiful time of year where the temperature is just right for running as in it's not so hot that you're sweating your titties off but it's not so cold that the icy air burns your throat and lungs when you're just trying to breathe. I just love the Autumn when the leaves are starting to turn and everything seems so much cosier. The hot chocolates hit different, you know?! So basically I was buzzing to be out and I really didn't set myself any massive goals, just to do the 5k no matter how long it takes, even if I have to stop to walk sometimes. Just enjoy the process, listen to a podcast and be present with myself.

Well, it totally went better than expected! I managed to jog the whole way (which ended up being about 5.6km) without stopping to walk once. I just carried on plodding, fully in my slow running era, not caring about anything apart from the road ahead and making sure my breathing was regulated. I keep hearing people in the running community talk about when you go for a run, go at a pace where you'd be able to hold a conversation. So I never let myself get so out of breath that I felt like I needed to stop to just catch my breath. It was really exhilarating and I finished the run in about 42 minutes which I was really happy with, of course making sure I did a walking cool down at the end to collect some conkers for my daughters conker stash, oh to be 5 years old again!

I planned on running regularly postpartum, I even bought myself a running pushchair, and for the first maybe 3 months it was used quite regularly. But I started to prefer having Ralph in the carrier and walking with him so we did that instead and even that seems to have done the trick to building my general cardiovascular fitness. I will also note that when I was running with the pushchair, I found it SO hard. Just because my CV fitness had declined so much during my pregnancy - I didn't run at all, plus I was heavier! So to go out for a run 7 months postpartum and smash it, it was just super empowering. I love how focussing on what our bodies can do over what they look like can completely shift your perspective on your weight loss journey. 

The process has definitely sparked my desire to run more often but I also know that I am already at capacity with the volume of training I can sustainably achieve being a mum of two with a school aged child and a baby as well as a growing business. So I won't be going for a run every day but I will certainly try to do one a week as part of my fundraising. So I hope you follow along.

You might be reading this thinking that this is just me talking about things that I have achieved, I promise you it's not like that. For me, being on a fitness journey includes regularly consuming content and listening to stories and people talk about their experiences! I find it so motivating. And a lot of the time people are not successful with their weight loss goals because they say they are not motivated enough. So this is me just talking about my experiences in the fitness space, hoping that it might motivate just one person. In time, motivation turns to discipline and habits. You may not feel motivated to train, but for the last 6 months you've trained at 8PM on a Monday evening so why would today be any different? I remember watching a short video of Arnold Schwarzenegger once and he said in an interview that going to the gym and lifting weights was the same as brushing his teeth. It's something that he just does every day, it requires no thought, no motivation. 

So there's my experience of going for a run after a 3 month break! I hope it motivates you to potentially step outside this week, even if it isn't to run, but to just walk and enjoy nature and your surroundings. The colours this time of year don't last long before everything just seems brown and bare so this is your sign to take some time to be present with yourself in nature. 

Also, I have linked my JustGiving page below if you wanted to follow along and/or donate - my Strava is linked so you'll be able to see what I've been doing to hit my 5k a day! 

Thanks for being here.

Amber xo

Amber Puttock is fundraising for Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby charity (justgiving.com)