I was looking at myself and judging, feeling wrong, even though I knew I wasn't. In short, it was a situation a person should never find themselves in. You have the answers, but you don't need them. You have apps, calendars, ovulation tests, but nothing happens. I remember a feeling of heaviness in my head, and that I couldn't express it in anyway. What was I going to say to people?
I was fortunate to have an extremely knowledgeable, open minded gynecologist. She never wanted to “treat” me with anything besides acupuncture, at the same time I decided I needed to turn things around by myself.
So, what did I do?
I used to run and train for passion, I had my beloved fuchsia coloured GT 2000s, and while working at a marketing agency I spent a lot of time on Instagram and Facebook. I kept seeing the beautiful posts from ASICS FrontRunners. They were inspiring, and at the same time motivating me to set new goals.
The key that opened the door.
Without thinking too much about it, I texted the running coach Julia Jones and told her I had just signed up for her MyMarathon program. I definitely didn't have a marathon in my legs, but I knew that with Julia I would make it to the finish line with only 4 months of training. Her workouts are so different and fresh that you get hooked again and again.
The MyMarathon team was made up of a group of women that were...creative? Funny? Friendly? I don’t know which adjectives to add, but every day was a joy to chat and communicate with them through the closed Facebook group.
What was happening?
I had replaced all the ovulation/cycle calendar APPs with Training Peaks, Polar Beat, etc. instead of looking for all the answers to my infertility questions, I was writing with women who were running like me, dreaming big.
I’d step out in the morning in the cold and dark so I could see the sunrise while running.
I’d get my running outfit ready the night before and breakfast set out on the table for when I got back. I had created a daily routine of new things that were clearing my mind.
I felt lighter and also more beautiful, which for someone with self-esteem as high as mine, you can see the heights it had reached.
To the point where I said, yep, I'll even run as an ASICS FrontRunner, I loved running, I'd pulled a group of thirty people out of bed to run at dawn with me and even forced them to take photos, videos, selfies. I loved Coach Julia Jones’s closed women’s running group and was always ready to support women. I still taught a few hours of movement skills to a kindergarten class because my passion for movement and teaching others to move was important to me. And at home, as I’m sure you know, you breathe movement everywhere.
My workouts were improving every day and even though it was getting colder and colder outside, I was getting warmer and warmer.
Something wasn't adding up.
"Alessia, you're different. What's going on?" I remember someone asking me that question during a workout. What's going on? I remembered I wasn’t looking at apps or ovulation calendars.
I didn't know what "phase" I was in anymore.
I went quietly to the doctor to have my acupuncture session and when she asked me if, as per my monthly schedule, I was on my period, I said (I still remember this) “why should I be on my period now?” She immediately sent me to get tested.
I wasn’t just pregnant, I was very pregnant.
I felt hot while running intervals in freezing temperature because...I was pregnant.
Running cleared my mind, made me breathe new air and increased my mental and physical well-being.
Running brought us our daughter, Anna.
When I heard about the ASICS initiative to motivate people to move to the first rays of the morning sun my thoughts went to my pre-pregnancy days. I think about everything that the pandemic situation is causing and I am more and more convinced that running can help many people to get out of a dark situation.
My 2021 goal will be the Florence Marathon, along with my ASICS FrontRunner teammates and, of course, coached by Julia Jones.
She can get me to the finish line.
I signed up for a Mindfulness Educators course because, as always, I consider studying an integral part of my life.
And then, when I run at sunrise, new ideas will come forth.
You too can use #SunriseMind and join us in supporting ASICS' initiative.
Scritto da
ALESSIA SERGON
Community Manager - Chinesiologa da TRIESTE
Club: IL CORSO DI CORSA
Allenatore: JULIA JONES