Full of Suprises
Tuesday 7th Nov
Wow. This event really took me by surprise.... and around the halfway mark, whilst looking upwards at what seemed like a never-ending rocky climb - all I could think was 'gosh this is just like Parenthood!'
I love to run. I love to run both on the road, and on the trails. So I thought, yes! A trail event in the beautiful Numinbah Valley sounds like the perfect event to debut my updated multi race fundraising campaign for the Gidget Foundation.
As the starting bell sounded off I went, really pumped to be heading in to the rolling hills with the cool fog and misty rain to keep me company.
I was in for a shock! After the first 2km hill I was sure we must be at the peak and about to enjoy the flat for a while, but nope, ahead of me was loads more of challenging surprises in the form of relentless rocky hills, river crossings and sludgy mud on the (very few) downslopes.
A couple times I laughed out loud at the situation I had willing signed up for, and perhaps not knowing what was ahead of me was a good thing!
It was as if this trail run was a physical mirror of my parenthood journey. I had no idea before having children how challenging and tough facing postpartum mental health would be. And once I got through the worst of my postpartum mental health struggles, my children seemed to take turns in giving us some medical hurdles to also overcome.
Just like the rocky hills and steep climbs of my trail run, or the long nights and scary loneliness of postpartum mental health - my family and I got through these life challenges, and have come out the other side.
My mental health now feels like my running muscles - it's something I actively work at keeping strong and healthy - as I know that life will no doubt throw me some more surprising challenges, and I need to be ready and equipped to handle them.
....Also might be a good idea for me to do a few more wee hill runs before the next trail event ;)
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You inspire us so much Tracey! Love your loyal support crew x