Sunday 29 January 2012

A lesson learned

The nursry is finished, the hospital bag is packed, the baby clothes are washed and we are off to pre-natal classes today. Sometime in the coming 3-7 weeks the amazing experience of pregnancy will be over and we will start the next exciting journey as a family.

Last night my husband and I were discussing how lucky we were that I have had such a cruisy, healthy and enjoyable (for the most part!) pregnancy. In fact I can't wait to do it all again. It has been the most amazing 8 months of our lives so far. The excitement, the joy, the intimacy and the love that you share with your partner during pregnancy is so unique, so bonding and so beautiful. I always thought it would be a wonderful experience but I completely underestimated the profound effect it would have on us. So I am glad to say that while I have been on rest duties from running at least my relationship has been strengthening and growing.

Also growing is my running knowledge. I have been alternating between baby books and running books throughout my prgnancy and I have just finished 2 awesome, informative and very inspiring running books. I feel so empowered and and ready to unleash this untappd potential I now know I have. I will return to running with a lot more technical knowledge and a significantly improved understanding of the science that is running. But I will also return to running with a few lessons learned from pregnancy - greater understanding of my body, my mind and their capabilities. Here are some of the main things pregnancy has taught me:

1.My body knows exactly what it needs and I can listen to it and trust it. I have given into my bodys every desire over the last 8 months. If I want to have a sleep I have a sleep if I want salty french fries I have salty french fries. At first (especially when it came to food) I felt like I was just being over indulgent. But by about 5 months I found that I just wanted less. Less sleep, less food, less relaxation. Because I deprived my body of nothing I knew that if I wanted something my body truely needed it and I now don't want things just because I can't ordinarily have them or because they are labeled bad or lazy.

2. I completely underestimate what my body is capable of. Mark my words after what my body has just done I will never question what it is capable of ever again. Clocking up high weekly mileage, recovering from injury, running faster times is nothing compared to what my body has undertaken and achieved in the last 8 months. So crazy running goals here I come because I know just how much this bod can do!

3.My body is a gift that I should be grateful for everyday and not take it for granted. I guess this just comes down to being grateful that I can run, that I am healthy and strong enough to persue my running dreams and every day I am out there whether its a good run or a bad run is a gift to be thankful for. No longer can I torture my body for its underperformance or how it does or doesn't look. This has previously been a battle for me (see body image) but now its all about gratitude and appreciation.

4. My mental being has so much influence over my physical being. I have always believed in the power of the mind and that you must first believe in yourself. But what I didn't realise was the extent to which being content in life in general flowed on to all other areas of my life (hence why my resolution for 2012 is to focus on inner happiness). I especially didn't know how it could affect how I felt and performed physically. I guess I never took anytime when it was just me to sit down and just be. But being pregnant I have spent a lot of relaxed time just sitting with my "bump" and being content. I believe this "contentment" has flowed onto other areas and has me not only mentally positive but physically to. So here's to being happy!

Anyhow there you have it. Such a little thing has changed and grown me so profoundly.

Now I am off to the shops to buy some bigger exercise tights. I am proud to say that I have made it to 35 weeks in my pre-pregnancy exercise tights but now the waist bands are starting to really dig in to where his little head is. So for the comfort of all I am going to succumb to some bigger pants!

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