Tuesday 15 October 2019

Post-partum parkruns

*I know we use the term post-natal here but I couldn't resist the allure of the alliteration!

So happy to write that Totty and I have now completed TWO parkruns together since she was born! The first in September on a surprisingly warm morning at Vogrie, and she slept the whole way round. The second a couple of weekends ago, on parkrun's 15th birthday, where she was awake for most of the time then dropped off to sleep with a mile to go. Both completed at walking pace I hasten to add!

Last weekend she also volunteered for the first time, helping me with barcode scanning.

I don't think we'll make it to parkrun every Saturday, but to have completed two and volunteered once feels like a victory given how tough the last few months have been.

I'm even allowing myself to start thinking about running again, and have started researching running buggies for when she gets beyond six months (January). I'd like to start building up my fitness again with a few short runs before I commit to buggy running, but it's quite a daunting thought with extra complications such as timing it between breast-feeds etc. But I'm not putting any pressure on myself; I will be so happy when I can run regularly again but I know there is no rush.

In the meantime I am trying to walk as much as I can. Some days are better than others - some days it seems impossible to cross the threshold. Having a dog makes life a lot more complicated at times now, but it also forces me out the door come rain or shine, and that can only be a good thing.

I've been very reflective recently as October brings a lot of memorable dates; four years since we got engaged on the 14th, three years since we got married on the 8th, and now a new one - a whole year since we took a pregnancy test on the 15th and life changed forever.

Fittingly, we found out at Vogrie Country Park. The day before I'd completed my last long run (20 miles) in advance of the Nice Cannes Marathon on 4th November. My period was four days late at this point but I was resisting testing until the five day point. On Monday 15th October we'd been into Edinburgh to meet up with Dave's mum, bought a pregnancy test on the way home, then stopped at Vogrie to walk Tig. We couldn't resist testing there and it seemed so fitting given all the happy times we've had at Vogrie, and how many life-changing things had already happened as a result (I wouldn't have run a marathon or two if it hadn't been for finding Vogrie parkrun for example).

The result was expected and not a surprise, filling us with excitement and anxiety in equal measures.

I tried to take an artistic photo of the test and the park (and Tig!) but didn't realise until I got home that I'd completely failed, oh well!
We then kept the pregnancy a secret until Christmas, which was really difficult to do!

It's astonishing to look back and think that we found out about little Totty a whole year ago, and now she is here, fourteen and a half weeks old and blowing our minds at every turn.
The famous toilet block!

Happy one year line on a stick! How you changed our lives 💖