Runningmonkeys

Today my wife gave birth to our new son!  He is about 3.3kg and a healthy little screamer.  The birth went relatively smoothly, but it was still a serious ordeal for my wife.  How does she do it? 

Before  my wife was a mother, she was a marathon runner.  This isn’t to say that she is no longer a marathoner (she has already hinted at an ultra-marathon in Hokkaido), all it indicates is which happened first.

Before she went through the ordeal of labour in giving birth to our first child she had already conquered 42.2kilometres on the road.  This had been a powerful achievement for her.  It had involved a long period of careful preparation and serious commitment leading up to the event.  Then on race day she had to overcome wall after wall as she plowed on towards the finish line, much like any marathon runner must.  She is a very strong woman and she let nothing stand in the way of her reaching her goal, and so on the day, she was successful. 

Leading up to our first child’s birth and then again this second time, my wife revisited the sensations of successful marathon running.  As the labour was continuing she was able to keep it all in perspective, knowing that she is the sort of person who overcomes tough challenges.  She was able to dig deep and find the resources that she first activated as a runner and use them to cross the finish line as a mother.  Marathon running has helped her to see what she is made of and so she was able to relive the victory and sense of accomplishment as she gritted her teeth and gave birth to these little babies. 

My wife is a proud runner.  She has earned the title of marathoner and it helps her to achieve amazing things in all areas of her life.  Now that she is a marathoner, other goals are more achievable for her.  Not the least of these is giving birth to our children.

Do you find that your achievements as a runner have helped you in other areas of your life?  I’d love to hear about it, so please leave a comment below telling us how you have used running victories to power your life.

Thanks

Tom