run, dad, run

3hr11 / 29km / 30ctl

46 days until parental leave

In August, our small family unit became a little bigger with the arrival of a beautiful, happy baby girl.

Having a baby is a unique experience. I wouldn’t presume my version of it reflects anyone else’s, and I don’t yet have the words to explain what it’s meant to me emotionally.

So instead, let’s talk about logistics.

Right now, most days look something like this.

7am: wake up with the baby.
5 x 2-2.5 hour cycles: each with a nappy change, feed, and about thirty-minutes sleep.
7pm: baby down.
11pm: me down.
Two or three wake-ups overnight, sometimes stretching close to an hour.

Everything else has to fit inside that outline, running included.

Short sessions are easy enough to negotiate. Thirty minutes can be slipped in without too much friction & the treadmill helps with this. Longer runs take more planning. Time away needs to be agreed and energy levels managed. It’s hard to justify disappearing for hours, then returning wrecked and unable to help out.

Runs that involve driving somewhere remote are mostly off the table for now. Any minutes I can strip out of the session that aren’t actual running are valuable. I’m very lucky to have Merri Creek close by which gives me twenty kilometres of uninterrupted path straight from the front door.

Above everything else the most important thing is that I always show up for my baby and my partner. Running is an extra manageable positive but it should add to my experiences rather than take away from it.

This week’s standout session was in the Gold Coast Hinterland. A 13km loop tucked away in the Gondwana rainforest.

The track flowed under waterfalls and through Jurassic Park style fauna. Large boulders swallowed by the roots of old trees, oversized plants that make you feel small, wrapped around a deep gorge with the light breaking through in thin shafts. The air was heavy and cool under the canopy.

I went as light as possible. Handheld bottle, keys and phone, snake bandage, a bit of toilet paper. Moving felt easy and rhythmic.

I appreciate these sessions and their ability to take me away physically and mentally. And for the family support that enables that to happen.