New mum Jess Trengove in the running for Tokyo
It’s only been a few months since marathon runner Jess Trengove gave birth to her son Billy. Now she’s on a mission to balance parenthood with a looming Olympic deadline.
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Marathon mum Jess Stenson (nee Trengove) has resumed running after the birth of her first child, Billy, in November still dreaming of the Tokyo Olympics but with a new perspective on her sport.
The 32-year-old remains realistic about her prospects of posting a qualifying time given the depth of women’s distance running in Australia and has her eye equally on next year’s world championships or the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Stenson said she would listen to her body as she ramps up training and does not want it to interfere with breastfeeding her son for as long as possible.
Her last marathon was in October, 2018, which was outside the qualification window for Tokyo and she is now looking at her options in Europe, Japan or Canada in coming months.
“The goal is still to run a marathon in the first half of this year,” the two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist said.
“Australia has four girls with qualification times already – Sinead Diver, Lisa Weightman, Ellie Pashley and Milly Clark – which means that I would probably need to run under 2:26:21 (to win a spot on the team for Tokyo) which would be a massive challenge.
“If I am able to run a marathon within the qualifying period, my goal would be to achieve the qualifying standard (2:29:30) but to try to get in the top three at this point would be huge.
“There are big races all over the world all the time. The world champs next year in Oregon, the Commonwealth Games (2022) in Birmingham, and you’ve got to keep putting yourself in the mix.
“It’s a real positive that Australia has such a high standard and great depth in women’s distance running at the moment.”
The first month after Billy was born Stenson was mostly walking and slowly progressed to some cross training to regain her abdominal strength before increasing her running load at six weeks.
In a typical marathon build up before motherhood she was doing 180-200km in a big week and with minimal cross training or rest days.
Now some days she does only cross training and has a full rest day once a fortnight where she doesn’t do anything. Her intensity running sessions have also decreased from three to two each week.
“Billy is now three months old and he’s going well and I feel completely healed and training is progressing nicely,” she said.
“I’ve had a program from my coach (Adam Didyk) for a month now so there’s a bit more structure to it but it depends on how I’m feeling on any given day.
“So far I’ve ticked the boxes I had hoped to tick and am celebrating the small improvements. It’s important that I avoid comparing to my previous times and volumes.”
Stenson’s first race as a mum was 3km on the track at Mile End two weeks ago and she loved it.
“My mindset is completely different now, I just felt so grateful to be able to run because when you go into something new like having a baby you don’t know if running will be the same as it was,” she said.
“But I really enjoyed being back out there and was so excited to cross the line and hug Billy.
“Family will always be my number one priority but running also plays a really positive and important role in my life. I am excited by the opportunities that running offers, as opposed to feeling under pressure to return.
“Balancing training with motherhood involves new challenges but my motivation to work through these has made me realise how much I value running.
“I used to worry about the little details like not getting a good sleep or missing a few gym exercises, but now that they’re out of my control I’m just excited to wake up and have the opportunity to train.”
She said the biggest challenge now was logistics at home with husband Dylan working full-time and also training as a national-level 800m runner.
“Dylan leaves for work at 6.30am so morning sessions are a bit of a challenge. When he gets home from work I duck out for a run before he leaves for training. Dylan’s main focus is the 800m. We’re getting the tag team down to a fine art but certainly have to be a lot more organised than ever before,” Stenson said.
Stenson speaks regularly with fellow Australian distance runner Eloise Wellings who is also returning to training since becoming a mum in November.
“We’re on a similar timeline and can relate to each other well. We’re excited to be going through this special time of our lives together.” she said.
“I was so excited to get out for that first run and I felt OK. Cardiovascular-wise I felt strong but I pulled up with the tightest calf muscles and adductors from my first jog.
“I felt restricted in my stride and heavy in my legs early on. I’m now starting to feel like I’m absorbing the training and getting stronger. It’s nice to feel running-fit again.”
reece.homfray@news.com.au
Originally published as New mum Jess Trengove in the running for Tokyo