Kirribilli Runners – Women’s Running Month Week 3

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Steve Kibble

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Aug 18, 2021, 9:34:06 PM8/18/21

to Kirribilli Runners

Greetings KRew

Welcome to week 3 of the KR focus on Women’s running, this week I’ve a guest writer Jane. Jane is a long time KR who now lives with her family in Wellignton NZ. Jand and I both work for TCS and in fact she is the person who first introduced me to KR some 8 years ago.

Jane met her partner David at KR and they have gone on to have two beautiful KR babies, Caitlin who is now 7 and Ryan who is 5. (So maybe not babies any longer.) Jane still proudly wears her KR shirt with pride when running and racing in NZ and other place she and her family have travelled over the years. So let’s find out more about Jane and then on to her health tip below.

Your Name and Nick name?

Jane Hodgen, I don’t have a running nickname, however running with my name on my bib in Australia is the only time I have ever been called Jane-o!

How long have you been running?

I can still remember my headmaster telling us, that at any age, we should always be able to run 5km without stopping. I somehow kept that softly as a goal from then on. I didn’t start doing distance until around 2005, and didn’t do my first full marathon until 2011. I might have to find a great way to celebrate 10 years long distance soon! Any thoughts?

What inspires you to keep running?

Sometimes I am not inspired to keep running, then I think about how I feel after a run versus when I am not running. I think about what kind of attitude I want my children to have toward their wellbeing. Or someone introduces me in a virtual forum as being ‘inspiring Jane who runs marathons every weekend’ (definitely not the case). All of these voices make me realise that really it is what I want to do for myself, as well as to keep being ‘inspiring’ to others (even if not that much).

What’s the coolest place you have ever run?

Possibly the hottest ‘coolest’ place… I was in Tonga for a friend’s wedding and was up to my 26km training run for the Gold Coast marathon. I got up early and headed out on a Sunday morning for my long run. Luckily (for me) I only found out later that it was a cultural no-no to run on a Sunday, as this was a very special run, it was before church started, and everyone was about and active. It was amazing having all of the children waving, smiles from everyone, and most of all for me it was the window into a life full of homegrown veggies, pigs and other animals, amazing bird life also joining in with the dawn activities, families and joy, and amazing cultural attire. So, I apologise again to anyone in Tonga I offended by doing a run on the day of rest, but it was such a wonderful run and so nice seeing the friendliness and greetings for all and being ‘a part’ of something all the rest of the tourists just slept through.

How do you feel at the start of a run?

A great thing about running – when I start I feel like a ton of bricks is weighing me down. Some time between 1km and 5km that all changes and I feel lighter. The same thing that happens with my body happens to my mind. I can start off very grumpy or upset and by the end of the run I feel like I have solved the world’s problems (or a few of them anyway…).

What do you do when you see another runner coming towards you?

The worse the weather the more I smile and nod my head at them. I like those ‘yep we are just as crazy as each other’ runs in the cold, wet, wind.

What do your friends think of your running?

Unsurprisingly many of them are runners too. I can guarantee Steve thinks I don’t run enough. My sister did once describe me as an ‘overachiever’ after talking about my running – wasn’t sure how to take that one, but pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment. Then repeat back to Steve – he would say I don’t run enough…

What do you do with your clothes after you get home from a run?

In the wash for sure!! All of it. Washing is frequent in a house with 5 and 7yr olds.

What’s one thing you wish you had been told before you started running?

Join a running club. Followed by ask questions, take advice widely, listen to your body and keep what works for you. Luckily for me, while training for my first full marathon the person I had been running with had a girlfriend with jealousy issues. As a result of that I ended up joining a running club to find new running buddies, the club had a lot of serious runners in it. It changed everything for me – gels, fluid, most important was the food element. It was the positive impact of that club on my life that lead me to join KR when I moved to Sydney all those years ago.

Thank you for sharing Jane, and seriously you don’t run enough…… ;-P I also know that within TCS Jane inspires a lot of our associates to get out and do some running and with Jane’s job she also uses every opportunity that she can to promote a healthy active lifestyle.

Jane #healthtip #runlikeagirl

Drop the guilt

Probably one of the biggest barriers for me, for going out running, was guilt. In particular when my kids were babies/small. Feeling guilty at leaving them, feeling guilty and leaving my other half with them, feeling guilty taking time for myself. One particular day on a guilt-ridden run as I left my other half with a small crying baby I reflected on the fact that I never got a sense of guilt from, for him heading out on a run! He would just go! That was it.

Now that I have been watching I have seen this not just in myself but several women, and not just for running but anything to do with their wellbeing during that time of having young children. So don’t think or question, just go! You don’t just deserve it, but you need it - the break, energy, health benefits, and so does your family – healthy for you, healthy for them.

Thanks Jane that’s a great tip and thank you for sharing and I look forward to seeing more of your running on Strava and FB.

As I said last week, we’ve come up with a few topics, but I’m sure there are many more, so please either message Margriet or myself or leave a comment below and I will add them to the list for future newsletters. We are also keen to have other women write the #healthtip or anything else you’d like to share with the group, so let us know if you are able to help us out.

Just before I go, don’t forget there is a virtual KR drinks session on Zoom tonight at 8pm, please see Mick’s invite below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81760899815...

Meeting ID: 817 6089 9815

Passcode: 400145

Dial by your location

+61 2 8015 6011 Australia

+61 3 7018 2005 Australia

+61 7 3185 3730 Australia

+61 8 6119 3900 Australia

+61 8 7150 1149 Australia

Well that’s a wrap for another week, enjoy your KRClassic Virtual run today and don’t forget to share some photos with us all on the KR FB page.

Remember to take care of yourself and others. And wash your hands, wear a mask and remember to socially distance.