That’s what they told me.
Stop all the things I trained for, that I worked so hard to achieve.
No high intensity anything.
Courtesy of Tina Muir
No pushing my body in any way shape or form.
Oh, and you better eat more, they said.
You will feel so much better on the other side, they said.
Tina Muir in 2016 (left) and this month (right).
It will be so worth it.
You will be so much more confident than you ever have been before.
How could I possibly be happier with that?
The author with her husband
They made it all sound so simple.
Well, it’s not.
But I can tell you that they were right about one thing: It’s worth it.
I spent 14 years running, driving towards my ultimate dream of representing Great Britain in a world championship.
Along the way I got fitter.
A lot of races.
I didn’t worry that by the time I turned 20I had stopped getting my period.
Being able to have kids seemed like something I would deal with later.
I didnt want to look back knowing I hadnt given it everything I could.
Tina Muir in 2016 (left) and this month (right).
So I did it.I stopped running.
I minimized stress, I gained weight.
It wasn’t easy.
You are going against the grain in every possible way.
Push harder, do more.
No pain, no gain.
But all those people who told you it will be worth it are right.
You dont have to go as all in as I did.
But I had already tried everything else.
If I was going to do this, I was going to really do it.
Do everything I could in one go to get my period back.
Now, you might not be in the same stage of life as me.
I have a few more things I still want to accomplish."
I will deal with it later, you think.
That is exactly what I thought.
I felt that way, too.
Remember this: Your running is only something you do, it is not who you are.
It may feel like your sense of self is tied to youridentity as a runner.
If you remove or reduce it, it is likely you will notice a gaping hole to start with.
You will struggle a bit with your identityI sure havebut then you will gain so much more back.
Your body will have more to offer this world, more love to give.
You will be more confident in who you are, not what you are.
And that my friends, will make it all worthwhile.
(Plus the added goodieshow can you complain about a few extra servings of ice cream?)
it’s possible for you to do this.
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