Jessica Bruce ran the Abingdon marathon in 3hr 17min 26sec (chip time). Not too shabby for a 26.2 miler by any means, but the fact that Jessica, 32, ran it while pushing a buggy containing her seven-month-old son, Daniel, made her the national pin-up for mums on the run.
Jessica smashed the previous world record, set at 3hr 31min 45sec, in British Columbia in 2012, and is waiting for Guinness World Records to check all her paperwork. Uncharacteristically, she decided not to fast-track her application.
“It takes a long time to confirm, unless I pay a lot of money, so my record is still ‘status pending’. Still, we know it’s significantly faster than the one that stood before,” she says. I wanted to know how Jessica, who bizarrely calls herself “a very bad example of a runner” managed to maintain her fitness through pregnancy and beyond, and run a marathon so soon after Daniel’s arrival. As a running coach, I was keen to pick up any buggy-running wisdom I could pass on to my own clients, so I was armed with their questions, too.
With her record-breaking baby gurgling cheerfully in the background, Jessica told me everything I wanted to know about the balancing serious training with the “pram in the hall”.
Have you always been a runner? I took it up seriously when I was 18, to run the London marathon. I did that, off not too much training, in 3hr 37min, so realised I was quite good at distance running. When I went to university, I joined the cross-country club to experience more focused training. I found I was good enough to be picked for the team. I’ve done about seven marathons now, and my PB (without a buggy) is 2hr 58min.
You’re built for speed and stamina, then? Yes, I would say I’m naturally quite able to run long at a decent speed, whereas, if you put me on a bike, I’m shocking!
Did you run throughout your pregnancy? I ran until I was about 28-30 weeks, but I was getting slower and slower and my lower back hurt. That’s when I switched to swimming.
When you say slower and slower …? Funnily enough, it was the slowing up that made me suspect I was pregnant. I would go out for a run, feeling so tired, dripping with sweat. I said to my husband Dave, who is a doctor, that I suspected I was pregnant and he was sure I wasn’t. Then we did a test. I tried to run my chosen pace, say seven-minute miles, but they would turn into eight minutes, then, nine, then ten until I found I was taking ages to do a short run.
Did the swimming cut it? Yes, I like swimming. My technique improved as pregnancy wore on. If you don’t swim for a while your breathing is all wrong and you’ve got no upper body strength. But I worked hard at improving, and by the end I reckoned I was swimming to a pretty good standard. Most importantly, I felt fit.
So what impact did giving birth have on you? Daniel was small, only five pounds. I had to have a caesarean section because of this. I was incredibly lucky, though, because my cut healed quickly and I felt great. I didn’t have pelvic floor issues; and one of the few advantages of having a husband who is a doctor is that Dave could advise me on looking after myself.
Did you take his advice about when to start running again? I was running again three and a half weeks after having Daniel. Yes, I know that going back to running so soon after birth is not advised, but I felt so ready. I rather threw myself into the deep end, I confess. I left Daniel with Dave and set off for a run around the nature park.
How did it feel? Awful. I had to walk back because my quads hurt so much. I thought I would never be able to run again. I persevered though, and tried to increase the distance. By the time Daniel was seven months and I was tapering for the marathon, I felt pretty normal. My upper body was much larger though, as I was still breastfeeding. My brothers always say that the reason Daniel is such a happy baby (it’s true, he rarely cries) is because he gets so many endorphins in his milk!
How did you fit in good quality training sessions with the baby? And what type? When I was training with a young baby I could only do two a week. (Luci, Greenwich Buggy Runners)
I run nearly every day, but I did about three quality sessions a week. On Tuesdays, I was able to take Daniel to a running group, where we would do intervals and speed work on the track. Near my home there are useful mile and two-mile cycle path circuits, which I would run with Daniel in the buggy, practising running at between six- and seven-minute miles. The third session was on a Sunday, when Dave could come with me. We would take it in turns to run laps of Blenheim Palace park (each lap being four miles). It is really hilly, so pushing the buggy around makes you really strong, so that was a long slow run combined with hills. When I could do six laps, I knew I was ready. The rest of my outings with Daniel were just plodding runs and walks.
Do you have a really smart, technical running buggy then? (Sarah, Greenwich Buggy Runners) My Bugaboo Runner. It is amazing, I can’t lie. I found out that Bugaboo was launching a new model back in the summer, so I approached the company to tell them I was going for this world record, and they let me have one for the attempt. The main advantage of the runner is that Daniel faces me in it, so when he wakes up he can see me and I can tend to him while running.
What do you eat for stamina? Everything! Like all runners I eat a lot, but most important is the hydration, especially when you’re breastfeeding. I drink loads of milk, and I think that’s why I haven’t had a stress fracture (touch wood). During the marathon, I drank Lucozade but didn’t eat anything, not even gels. I think I have quite an efficient body, I can run that long without eating, but I have to drink.
Do you do any specific strength or flexibility work? No. That’s why I say I am a very bad example of a runner. I don’t do any strength, conditioning, stretching, yoga or Pilates. I do listen to my body though, and through many years of experience know when I need to take a day or two off if something doesn’t feel quite right. I also have the added benefit of working in a sports injury clinic [Jessica’s company, Run 3D specialises in running-gait analysis] with some highly experienced physiotherapists. I can go straight to them when needed!
How did the little one cope with staying in buggy for such a long run? (Katie, Greenwich Buggy Runners) On marathon day, everything came together just right. We’d had to get up super early, at 6am, so I fed Daniel then, and again at 7am, then I tried to make him take something at 8.30am, just before the start, but he was pretty full, and tired. He fell asleep at mile one, and didn’t wake up again until mile 20. He was hungry then, so we had to be really careful. Dave, who was running alongside me, was not allowed to touch anything, so he managed to prop Daniel’s bottle up on his big puffy jacket and he was able to drink it all, then go off to sleep again. We couldn’t believe it went so well!
And how can you run that fast with a buggy? You must have perfected the technique? I found I was comfortable holding the buggy handle with both hands. Many people advise keeping just one hand on, but I found my breathing became laboured and my heart rate went up when I took a hand off. I must say my wrists were the only things that hurt badly after the marathon; they were agony for the next day, too, even though I strapped them and wore gloves for the race. They’re fine now. Some people say their shoulders hurt, but mine were OK, although I did have to keep checking my body and straightening up as I have a tendency to lean over when I’m tired.
How much support did you get with your training? (Anya, Greenwich Buggy Runners) My husband Dave is totally supportive; running is what we do. We met at cross country, and we do all the local races together. We can only run out together now on Sundays, because Dave works such long hours, but our Blenheim Palace training runs were our “family time”.
Of course, Daniel being as good as gold was fantastic, so he deserves as much praise as I earned for being 13th woman in a marathon, and the only Buggy Runner. One of my husband’s colleagues also ran the race and was a bit put out by our achievement. He told me he thought it must have been easier for me because I was “leaning on something”. I had to laugh. He should try running with a buggy up those Blenheim Palace hills … but I fully advocate all new parents to try buggy running as it is THE best way to get fit, and of course, after all that buggy pushing, when you go for a run without it, you just fly!
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