Children’s creches let more young mothers jog

Press, 21 November 1979, Page 12

Children’s creches let more young mothers jog

It’s not so long ago that women with young families, many of whom had been attracted to running by big community runs like “The Press” Park-to-Park event, had to defer regular running until their children were old enough to run with them,, because there was nowhere they could be looked after while their mothers were out training.

More recently Christchurch has been giving a lead to the rest of New Zealand in the number of creche facilities available for the children of mothers who enjoy regular social training runs together. The Pioneer Stadium has one of the more recently established creches for running mothers in a district where the enthusiasm for running among women is growing fast.

Such creches for children of running mothers are helping many women to do away with two of their biggest difficulties: social isolation and lack of physical well-being. That’s the opinion of Mrs Fay Paton who is among a growing number of young running mothers using the Pioneer Stadium facilities. “There need be no lonely hearts among women runners now that they have nice surroundings for their young children while they can train together,” says Mrs Paton.

There is no better way for women to make social contact than when out on a training run.

“It’s a time when women can talk out. their social frustrations and exchange their experiences in child care; it’s a far better social environment than the occasional sedentary bun-fight or the traditional chatting with neighbours at the shops or over a back fence.” said Mrs Paton. “And when they are not at kindergarten the children seem to get a great kick out Of meeting the children of other running mothers at the creche. “Of course, the more experienced running mums can help new' comers with hints on attractive running gear, shoes to help you avoir lameness, and

hints On sensible gradual training to avoid injuries. “There is really no such thing as loneliness when you are a runner even out on your own,” said Fay Paton. “You can train any time you like: all you have to do is to arrange to meet a woman runner somewhere provided you have tea on the table for your husband and he has had his daily training. “The other day we met an athlete who is running 70 miles a week. We went along together for a while and discussed running and the time of day. Then these fast young runners disappear into the blue yonder while we others run off to our respective destinations. “I don’t feel cold in the winter. I need to wear few'er clothes about the house and my winter chilblains have cleared up because of improved circulation as a result of running. Mrs Paton said she knew a women runner w'ho had lost two stone since she began training a little while ago. “Several of us running wives telephone each other back and forth to check if our husbands have returned from training so that all of us can enjoy our long, slow Sunday runs together.

“On Sundays (or at. least once a week) we usually do about 1| times our usual daily run. We go out for about 10 miles instead of our usual six.”

This is sound training procedure. It helps you to increase your stamina and have a few days of light training in between to enable you to improve in time for the next, bigger outing. “I began training only in February' of this year, said Mrs Paton. 1 went in “The Press” Park-to Park and "City to Surf.” I ran the Par’k-to-Sumner run and the Operation Deep Freeze run and the St Martins fun run. When I began I could hardly run more than one mile.

“I am now fit enough to go to harriers with my' husband with the Rover Club instead of being left behind every Saturday. “I am also fit enough to run the Edmonds ‘Tang’ women’s half-marathon next Saturday, and three

of my women running friends are running in it, too. Our aim is to finish, not to win.”

There is a record of some 50 entries in the women’s half-marathon on Saturday which starts outside the Tai Tapu hotel at 5 p.m. Mrs Paton’s husband, Max, a sergeant of police, has a number of marathons to his credit as a member of the Rover Club. Four women finished and all scored personal best times in the Gebbies classic of some 30km — one of Canterbury’s toughest Port Hills runs — last Saturday.

And 24 women out of a total of 272 runners have entered in the nineteenth annual Great Westland marathon from Hokitika to Greymouth on December 1. The oldest woman will be Mrs Gordon Clarke, running her fourth marathon; she is 57.

She ran well in the last Honolulu Marathon last December which attracted some 7000 entries including some 1500 women.