Training plans
I’m currently following a Garmin Coach half marathon plan – it’s sad to say, but having an imaginary person in my watch tell me good job after each run is very motivating! Coach Greg has me running 4-5 times a week, slowly building up mileage from around 25km a week currently. I’m adding in some cycling, yoga, walking and padel as cross-training. Luckily a new yoga studio has opened just around the corner – I’ve been making the most of their stretch and recovery-based yoga classes.
When that finishes in November, I’ll move to a Hal Higdon plan (following the wisdom of Reddit). That kicks off with 5 runs a week, covering around 30km and maxes out 55km weekly, with a day of cross-training. I’ll sadly be putting padel on the back burner to avoid injury risk and hoping my partner doesn’t get too much better than me in the meantime!
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Why Staying Put
Having lived through domestic volatility and seeing the impact this has had on my loved ones, I’m deeply passionate about being a role model to survivors and providing them with the support they need to navigate the challenges, achieve their goals and re-build a life they see as worth living.
I joined the Board of Staying Put earlier this year, after reading about their unique way of supporting survivors. I’m in awe of their thoughtful, trauma-informed approach and how they support survivors end-to-end – not just ensuring their safety, but giving them the support, community and resources they need to not only survive, but thrive. Since then, my passion for their work has only grown as I’ve witnessed the dedication the Trustees and Senior Leadership apply to their work and learnt more about the incredible staff members providing day-to-day services. I’m honoured to have been chosen to raise money for such an important cause.
How I’m getting started
I’ve been off work for 2 months as I’ve battled neurodivergent burnout – a complete shut down of my ability to function, exercise and socialise, alongside severe fatigue, muscle pain, light-headedness and a host of cold and flu symptoms.
Kicking off training has felt like a mammoth task, but with gentle encouragement from my partner, I made it out on my first run in around 6 months – a very slow 5km. Exercise has always helped me manage my neurodiversity, and it felt surprisingly good to be out running again.
The next week I spent on a sailing holiday with my partner, his dad (our captain) and some friends. With rough days at sea, bouncy nights on moorings, dinghy trips required to get to shore and rugged Irish terrain, training this week was a challenge. However, the scenery more than made up for it. I managed 4 trail runs (a total of around 23km) through the gorgeous countryside of County Cork, alongside some cross-training via a 40km eBike ride and a night-time swim illuminated by bioluminescence from small organisms living in the waters. I’ve always preferred trail running to road running – it’s a wonderful community, who tend to be driven by the desire to experience nature, rather than speed. Given I’m woefully slow at my fittest, I fit right in!
I’ve now returned to work, on a very gradual ramp-up so am working hard to conserve my energy – while exercising helps, my body needs more time to rest and recuperate than most. I’ve had 2 more weeks of training – both of which with 4-5 runs, again totalling around 23km. I’ve been a regular at a new yoga studio near my house, focusing on deep stretching, myofascial tissue release and slow flow classes, as well as some meditation and sound baths to help quiet my busy mind. I’ve had a few muscle aches and pains, but yoga is an incredible healer. The highlight of these runs was having my neighbours very cute toy poodle accompany me – the only downside being that he’s a very poor pace-setter.
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What I’m eating
My neurodiversity makes maintaining a healthy diet difficult – time blindness and hyperfocus can lead to missed mealtimes, food aversion can make even my favourite foods difficult to eat, and a lack of interoception means I often miss hunger cues. I tend to rely on meal supplement drinks (YFood) throughout the day, with at least one balanced meal typically made up of “safe foods” such as fish fillets, chips or potato wedges and pre-made salads.
Running definitely helps mitigate food aversion so it hasn’t been too difficult to refuel properly. I use gels and easy snack bars such as flapjacks for pre-run fuel and make sure I have enough electrolytes (using dissolvable tablets, coconut water and Tenzing energy drinks).
What support I have
I’m very lucky to have an amazing support network around me. I’ve found sharing some of my story to explain why I’m running for Staying Put to be really healing and have found that it makes other people more able to open up to me about struggles they’ve faced. The strength and resilience of survivors never ceases to amaze me.
My partner has been an absolute rock – supporting me through my burnout, encouraging me to exercise when I feel able, taking the photos you see alongside this blog, and ensuring I eat, drink and rest enough to fully recuperate.
I’m also fortunate enough to have great resources around me – a yoga studio, sauna / ice bath, cycling track and miles of canalside runs on my doorstep, as well as great shower facilities at work meaning I can use my commute to get some miles in. A lot of my friends are also keen runners so I’m looking forward to planning some trail runs with them to the extent the weather allows and am currently on the look out for a local run club.
While I’m still very nervous, it feels great to have kicked off training with plenty of time to ramp up and I’m really excited to help raise money and exposure for the amazing work Staying Put does.
Show Molly support and help anyone experiencing domestic abuse by donating below.