Our guest this week is long-distance runner and mum of two Jo Pavey. Jo is an international athlete who has competed at five consecutive Olympic Games in the 5,000m and 10,000m.
She was the European champion in 2014 after coming back from giving birth to her second child less than a year earlier. Jo aspires to compete at a sixth Olympic Games in 2021 at the age of 47- in short she's an amazing athlete and role model for so many women when it comes to balancing motherhood and training, promoting the joys of running and looking after your body whilst doing it.
Jo explains to us how as a runner you can have a long career if you manage your body in the right way, whether it's by eating enough calories and keeping a regular menstrual cycle to training in different countries with her husband and coach Gav and running for the pure love if it.
Jo also explains how she managed her training and expectations whilst pregnant, never pushing her body too far and ultimately how she came back from pregnancy and child birth to win European gold at the age of 40.
We also discuss how coaches and female athletes need to better understand the changes to a developing female body during puberty and how this may affect their performance, whilst encouraging young athletes to enjoy their sport without the pressures of body image and performance goals. Jo recalls her own journey during this stage of her life and what she learnt along the way.
Finally, we talk about how Jo finds balancing being a mum with training, as she prepares for a sixth Olympic Games, and why she enjoys her running MORE since starting a family.
Resources:
Twitter: @jopavey
'This Mum Runs' book (written by Jo Pavey):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Mum-Runs-Jo-Pavey/dp/0224100424
This Mum Runs website: http://www.thismumruns.co.uk
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*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment