Getting out of bed at 6am was almost impossible today. I am back to breastfeeding now as well as working full time and looking after a very interactive and lively little baby. It was almost 30 degrees as I lumbered out of the house this morning, eyes half open and with a thoroughly disgruntled look on my face and one lace undone.

As I am 2.5 months postpartum after having an emergency c-section, I have to follow a careful training plan that has been approved by my doctor and means that I do not overexert myself too soon. Whilst the previous training sessions have been very light jogging/power walking, today I started interval running- 2 minutes running followed by 3 minutes of walking. To say it was tough is an understatement! I could feel the strain in muscles I didn’t even know I had and my legs felt like lead as I hauled myself around the lake.

Today’s soundtrack consisted of vintage Madonna, 90’s/early 2000s Destiny’s Child, and a wildcard- “Let it Go” from Frozen. I am not quite sure how that made it onto my carefully curated playlist but I really had to restrain myself from throwing my arms into the air at the crescendo of the chorus (you know exactly which part I mean) and it really helped me with the last kilometre where I honestly thought I was about to keel over.

Didn’t see Barry the Labrador today which was a shame, but I got a few nods from the ‘real runners’ that I see each day- perhaps they are beginning to accept me? Maybe we can be running friends? Am I one of them now? It is all very exciting.

The reason I am putting myself through this is not only because I am proud to contribute to The Shift News but because I have witnessed attempts at stifling its media freedom, as well as my own. In a world where democracy is in decline, a free media that has the power to hold power to account is more important than ever. The Shift does not have advertising on its site, nor does it receive any money from the government or political parties- to keep it going can be a big struggle, month to month. If you value freedom, truth, and excellent journalism, please donate- every cent helps!