If you can’t beat them, join them

When I told Mr C that Betfair had asked me to write about being a sports widow he laughed. Or more accurately, he laughed, told me I wasn’t a sports widow and then put on his trainers and then headed out for a 10km run!

In the nearly 12 years that I’ve known Mr C he’s always been quite sporty. When we first met he ran regularly, had competed in a 10km race, played regular badminton and tennis with work colleagues and also a fair bit of football. It’s running that is his main focus now though.

When I was younger I used to be incredibly sporty. I played lacrosse regularly, as well as lots of other sports and for a while I was out about 4 nights a week swimming and doing various classes at the local gym. That’s dropped off over the years and to be honest when I was pregnant and doing aquanatal and pregnancy yoga classes I was probably in the best physical shape I’d been in for years.

I’ve always loved taking part in team games, and there’s something about a class to music that I’ve also always loved, but for years running never did it for me. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying I hated running. I just found it dull, hard work and never got to the stage that I enjoyed it. I just spent the whole time concentrating on trying to breathe. I did therefore really struggle to understand Mr C’s time out running, especially as in these latter years it always meant more time when I was stuck at home with two children instead.

All this changed though last year when I was inspired to make a start on the Couch to 5k programme. It was tough at first. Really tough. But then suddenly it all just clicked and I actually started enjoying myself. I looked forward to my next run, felt better for them, and even went as far as calling myself a runner. Suddenly I actually understood why Mr C had been pulling on his trainers and heading out for all these years. I understand how running isn’t just about physical fitness, but also helps to make you feel more mentally in balance with the rest of life.

This winter has seen a bit of a lapse though in my running. Injury took me out for a while and now the weather and early darkness means I just can’t get out there often enough. Spurred on by my actions though Mr C has been upping his game and increasing the distances he’s been running, but I’m struggling to find enough hours of daylight to fit in a run often, and to be honest I don’t feel all that comfortable running round the streets in the dark.

This year I’m determined though to try to get more of a balance back. I can’t magic up more hours of daylight – as much as I’d like to – but I am trying to get more of a balance in my life. I need to get out there running again, especially as I have the Comic Relief Danceathon in early March to be fit for, and I need to regain that headspace and also do something that makes me feel less jealous when Mr C heads out of the door for a run.

I also need to make a real effort to look after myself more, and pamper myself a bit more. Since the kids went back to school I seem to be busier than ever, with work, family stuff and voluntary commitments, and after a couple of crashes I need to get myself in better physical and mental shape to cope with it all. I need to balance my time better so that I can make the time in daylight hours to head out for a run. I also need to give myself some downtime. As I’ve learnt on many a parenting course, you just can’t keep running on empty forever and it’s very true. Time to set aside some time with the wonderful Pamper Parcel that Betfair sent me and actually put myself first for once. Just as soon as the housework is finished for the day…

Disclaimer: Betfair sent me a wonderful Pamper Parcel in exchange for writing this post.