Being broken to be re-built

I was explaining pregnancy to a lovely late 20's lady this weekend, which, after a few glasses of champers turned into a long regaling horror story much to her wide-eyed terror.

I concluded that motherhood, and adjusting to it, is like military training. You are completely and utterly broken in every way - physically, mentally, emotionally, hormonally, sleeplessly - and from there you can rebuild in your new life as a mum.

A run speaks for so much - Team Bangs 2 and why

I first discovered running when I was 18.

My mate Ben would come and throw stones at my bedroom window at 6.30am to wake me up, fag in hand, an image my mum still holds dear. We would jog around a local park, splutter and cough our way back, but I discovered for the first time how beautiful it is in the morning before the world awakes. I learnt that there is a time zone that exists only for those who rise with the birds and that I rather liked it. That, and the undiscovered muscles I remember talking about in the common room, which we thought sounded like a good band name.