Kilometres of Friendship and Fun (AWA Running Group), by Keri Matwick
As a women’s group, we especially celebrate the women in our lives, from friends and family to likely the most important figure in all our lives, mothers. In this April/May issue 2024, we celebrate Mother’s Day. It becomes especially significant when one becomes a mother herself.
AWA Running Group member Joanna Wang, a member since May 2022, became a new mother to Ava, born August 2023. I asked her about her pre- and post-natal running and how she hopes to instill her love of running in her daughter.
Congratulations on becoming a new mother! What was your training like while pregnant?
I tried to keep running for as long as I could and managed to run throughout my first and second trimesters. I was coming off of half marathon training in Dec 2022 before finding out I was pregnant in Jan 2023, and all of a sudden what felt so easy before felt really hard! I ran at a slower pace and reduced intensity, 2-3x a week on the AWA group runs. During my second trimester, I felt much better and managed some longer runs, including a 12 miler around Lake Kawaguchiko at the base of Mount Fuji at 20 weeks. By my third trimester, the pelvic pressure got to be too much, and I switched over to swimming and walking.
How has running helped you recover from pregnancy?
I was hoping for an easy recovery with all that running throughout pregnancy, but alas I had some complications that necessitated an emergency c-section and so I was on bedrest for longer than expected. I felt good enough for some easy walks at 2 weeks postpartum, power walks at 4 weeks, and once my ob cleared me for exercise at 6 weeks I jumped right back into running. It was really difficult as I had to essentially start from scratch, but taking an hour for myself every day to run was great for my mental health and helped me gain some mental clarity from the sleep-deprived chaos at home. I also went to yoga daily, and I think that has helped a lot with my pelvic floor recovery, so I didn’t have any issues despite ramping up my mileage pretty quickly.
What wisdom do you wish to share with expecting and new mothers?
It’s ok to lean on others for help and take some time for yourself. I was lucky to have my mom come from Canada and stay with us for 4 months, plus my in-laws are in Singapore, and we have a great helper. I felt guilty in the beginning leaving Ava with my mom/helper while I went running or to yoga, but over time recognised I needed to take care of my mental health to be a good mom. Sleep-wise, I highly recommend the Snoo bassinet and the book “Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks” by Suzy Giordano, between the two I was able to get Ava to sleep 11 hours straight at night by 12 weeks which was a complete game changer.
What is your favorite running gear and equipment you can’t live without as a new mother?
My iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods - I like having everything sync seamlessly. I didn’t use to carry my phone for runs but now I carry it with me always in case Ava has an emergency, and to peek in on her on the baby monitor.
Does Ava like running with you? Do you think she’ll be a runner?
Yes, definitely! I got a jogging stroller (Thule Urban Glide 2, on the recommendation of the other AWA running moms) at 6 months and took her for a 7-mile test run the first day and she loved it. She’ll fall asleep on stroller walks but she stays awake when I run! She sees otters, monitor lizards, and parrots frequently on our runs around Bishan-AMK park and is always excited to go as long as it’s not too close to her nap time.
Your story is remarkable; you only started to run during the pandemic while in Hong Kong and on a treadmill at that! Now you are running half-marathons! Could you tell us about your races?
My first half-marathon was the Angkor Wat half in Dec 2022 with the AWA group. This March, I ran the Nagoya half (with fellow AWA member Dora Branyan), which was 6 months post-partum. I followed an 18-week training plan (Hanson’s), took my husband and daughter on a week-long holiday in central Japan the week prior, and ran a 10-min PR (1:52) vs my last time.
The weather was colder than I expected, and I didn’t sleep well the night before, but the training paid off and the race day energy carried me through! I like having a goal and structure - and so having the half on my calendar was a great motivator, especially as I started to regain some of my old paces during training.
Amazing story, Joanna, thank you for sharing!
 | Keri is a linguist and teaches writing at Nanyang Technological University. When she’s not running with the AWA Running Group, Keri carries out research on food, language, and culture. To see her publications, go to kerimatwick.com |
 | Interested in having fun while running? Yes, it is possible! Join us Tuesdays at the Botanic Gardens. Then, explore new routes and see Singapore in a new light on Thursday and Saturday mornings. |
