I have recently started playing soccer…..again. Soccer was my high school sport and it was something I loved. It is a game I have enjoyed watching through my adult years and have never ‘found the time’ to get back into it. What with having babies and managing their schedules I, like many mother’s out there, put myself on the back burner. This year, I determined to make a change, I was heading back onto the soccer pitch and playing the game I loved so much.

My first practice was interesting, the snow hadn’t melted yet so it was an indoor practice. When I arrived I was greeted by a number of nice women my age and older (it’s a +35 league). As we all began getting ready and preparing to practice I noticed something that alarmed me. I noticed a number of braces on knees, extra padding and clearly marked lines where knee surgery had been performed. I sat quietly, lacing my soccer boots and tried my hardest not to stare. I was unsuccessful. I couldn’t believe the number of wounds and aches and pains I saw. I was scared. I hadn’t expected this. I’m not sure why but when I signed up, it was the 14 year old girl that went through the paper work and whilst preparing to attend my first practice I think she was again at the helm.

We headed into the gym and practice began. I was quick to realise that the 14 year old girl wasn’t as she once was. I was out of breath and hurting in places that hadn’t felt pain in quite some time. I was checking the clock, praying for it to move at the speed of light so practice would end. It didn’t happen but I refused to stop. I could do this. Practice finally ended and home we went. I had that feeling that I longed for, that post work out or post full day of skiing feeling. The feeling you get when you’ve exhausted yourself physically and when you’ve pushed boundaries. I felt great.

Waking up the next morning was another experience I didn’t expect. I HURT EVERYWHERE. I could hardly walk. Where was that 14 year old girl I remember so well. Strangely she felt 41 and terribly out of shape. The 14 year old girl inside could feel the pregnancies, the way her body had changed and that things just weren’t as she remembered. It took days to feel somewhat normal again and the Rub A-535 deep heat didn’t leave my sight. I soaked in the bath with epsom salts praying for some relief. I took Advil, hoping that the inflamation would decrease. I quickly realised that I was no longer that 14 year old girl who could run circles around the other players, rather I was a mother of three who has sat on the sidelines cheering and preferring the schedules of her children rather than that of my own. This rude awakening made me realise that I needed to get back on that pitch, that I needed to improve my level of fitness if I wanted to live the life I dream about. I recognised that it wasn’t going to happen over night but that it was going to happen one painful muscle move at a time.

Last Sunday I had my first outdoor practice and another thing I’ve learned as a 41 year old player is that the things that mattered to my 14 year old self no longer matter. Things like: how I looked in my uniform, matching shoes, socks, shirt and shorts, which teenage boy was on the stands watching, etc. As a 41 year old, mother of three playing what matters is: how close is the portaloo, monitoring the amount of fluid in take whilst playing to avoid countless portaloo breaks, how my ankles feel, how supportive my bra and underpants are and sadly whether your legs are acceptable to be revealed to unknowing public. How life can change on a dime.

I’m happy to report that I am sticking with my soccer. I can’t wait for the first game and I’m excited to have my family on the sidelines cheering for me. No longer looking for the teenage boy cheering me on but rather smiling at my 43 year old husband, the father of my three smiling children who will be sitting alongside him, cheering like their mother has cheered for them and will continue to do so for years to come. I can’t wait to get out there……. I just have to make sure that the calf muscle I pulled during our outdoor practice is fully healed. Sports at 41 vs 14……who would have thought.

Susan xo

Hey friends, May is here and it’s time to get moving. Whether you are experiencing spring in the northern hemisphere or moving into winter in the southern, we want to keep ourselves fit, healthy and strong. With that in mind, we are launching may in motion.