Old Friend Forgotten

Hello, old friend forgotten. I’m sorry for not keeping up with you. Life is busy and full, but that’s no excuse. I now see the error of my ways.

Hello kegels. Come on in and stay awhile.

While pregnant I dutifully performed my pelvic floor exercises. My pregnancy updates warned of the incontinent mishaps that might occur if I didn’t isolate and strengthen this area. At the time I’d done Pilates for a few years and had recently started pregnancy yoga. Put it all together and my pelvic floor was a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Maybe that’s why LLC was nearly 3 weeks late....

Fast forward to the here and now and those royal kegels that I so dutifully observed are long ago jettisoned. I’m sure those pregnancy updates attest that these exercises should be carried out forever more post birth but with LLC on the scene and no daily train commute to focus my energies on my nether-regions, I forgot all about them.

Until now. Now, I’m sheepishly looking for a way back into the kegels good books. I fear it will take some time and effort for me to rekindle this relationship but I’ve had a harsh wake up call.

Last weekend I ran the New Forest Half Marathon. I’m proud that 8 months post birth I made it around the course in the respectable time of 1 hour 58 minutes. Running has always been my thing and it felt good to finally pull my finger out and give myself a challenge.

One of the biggest challenges I faced, however, was desperately trying to avoid peeing when I dumped a cup of water over my head mid-course. I don’t know if it was the downward force of running, the sudden blast of coolness or my overall state of discomfort but it took all I was worth not to let loose down my leg right then and there.

It freaked me out and it made me realize that my pelvic floor is not what it was. It reminded of my good old friend kegels who I’ve neglected for some time now. It was a sudden wake-up call that maybe I should be doing something to support this region, particularly if I’m going to go pounding the pavement running.

So hello kegels. I promise not to leave you out in the cold again.