Health and fitness are important to me. I want to do what I can to prevent bigger health issues in the future (and now too I guess) and live life to the fullest. I know that I cannot control my health, nor do I want to worship health, but living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is a good thing to strive for. I struggle with eating well and curbing my sweet tooth (teeth!), and exercising when I don’t feel like it, and am by no means perfect. But I work on it. Paul and I work on it together, talking about how we can eat well and exercise. I really want to be an example to my girls. I want them to grow up seeing their parents value exercise and eating well, for health. It’s not about weight, appearance or fitting in. I want to help my girls grow up with a good view of themselves, and even perhaps an enjoyment of fitness and healthy living.
A couple of months after Heidi was born in March, 2011, I decided I wanted to run 5 kilometres. I had never done anything like that before. I thought I wouldn’t be able to. But with the support of Paul, I set out with a very beginners training program and in October that year I ran in the Run Melbourne Festival and ran my first 5K in 32:42. It was such an achievement! I enjoyed running and reaching my goal. When I was pregnant with Pippa I didn’t run at all though. I had terrible morning sickness for about the first 4 months, and then found it too hard to get into again while being pregnant. Well done to any ladies out there who manage to run through pregnancy – perhaps something I can consider in the future? So after Pippa was born I wanted to start running again. I set myself 2 goals for the year in regards to running: To run a 5K by Heidi’s 2nd birthday (25th March) and to run a 10K by Pippa’s 1st birthday (27th October). And so, with Heidi’s birthday on the not-so-distant horizon, I am entered into a 5K this Sunday.
I began training at the end of December, having given my body about 2 months of recovery time after giving birth to Pippa. My training was going well. I had been using RunKeeper, an app which can provide training programs and record your times and distances as you run. I was actually managing to get out about every second day. I was really training with the hope of being able to run a sub-30 5K. For those of you not up with running lingo, all that means is I wanted to run 5 kilometres in under 30 minutes. But sadly, it’s not going to happen this weekend.
For the last month I have had 3 lots of antibiotics for the same severe UTI. It was very nearly a kidney infection. And I am also recovering from a cold. And the girls have been incredibly unsettled in the heat wave that Melbourne has finally seen the back of. And so my training hasn’t happened. I have either not been well myself, or unable to get out of the house because of the girls. My training has been de-railed. I haven’t run in about 3 weeks. I don’t know if my body is recovered enough from the sickness that has doggedly plagued me this past month. I don’t know if I can even walk 5K at the moment. And yet, I will ‘run’ this weekend. I am not going to run with a time in mind.
I will run so I can learn what it feels like to run when my training hasn’t gone well.
I will run slowly so that I don’t injure myself and make things even harder to get out and run.
I will run because my husband supports me and encourages me to do it.
I will run because I have resolved to.
I will run because I can.
A Heart Filled Life 
I tried to find if you posted about your run, but couldn’t find it. I hope it went well. It can be frustrating when illness / injury gets in the way. I was training for a run when I was injured last year. Still making my way back to running the distance I was then and it has been a slow recovery, but I am getting there. Hope you are feeling better.
Hi Nicole, I just finished writing a post about the run late last night! Injury and illness can be tough, but make getting back into things even more exciting. I love your blog by the way and have been a long time fan.