Busy balancing act for working mum Shelly Woods in Paralympics quest

Shelly Woods says the physical demands of her return to elite athletics have been less of a problem than balancing her commitments as a working mother.
Shelly Woods' last race brought victory at the Vitality Big Half in London in MarchShelly Woods' last race brought victory at the Vitality Big Half in London in March
Shelly Woods' last race brought victory at the Vitality Big Half in London in March
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Woods' courageous comeback on hold

Second-placed finishes in the Great North Run and Singapore Marathon were followed by victory at the Vitality Big-Half in London, leading to Woods’ first international call-up for six years to represent Great Britain in the Marathon World Cup.

That event was to have formed part of this year’s London Marathon, which has been postponed by six months until October as the coronavirus crisis forced Shelly’s and all other sports to shut down.

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The Blackpool Wyre and Fylde Athletics Club star told The Gazette: “My first marathon back was Berlin and I’d planned to have a good season and try to get selected for the Paralympics.

“But everything has been pushed back six months or more and the Paralympics in Tokyo have gone back a full year.”

The additional preparation time after so long away could work to Woods’ advantage, though she says the rigours of training after a three-year absence were not her main issue.

Woods, 34 next month, added: “The training regime wasn’t that difficult but I found the hardest part was being a busy working mum.

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“It was balancing my home and work life with the time you need to put in as an athlete.

“So you are trying to juggle different balls without dropping any of them, but if you can find that balance you can do it.

“I always realised it would take time to get back to the level I was at and I knew I would have to push myself.

“But I enjoy the training, and I definitely still have the enjoyment and love of the sport.”

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That step back from full-time athletics to start a family also forced Woods to focus on a career away from the track.

And she has enjoyed working as a personal trainer as well as her ongoing role with Blackpool Council.

She explained: “I work part-time for the T12 gym in Blackpool and before the lockdown we had opened up a new place on Whitehills Business Park (just off the M55).

“It’s about helping people to achieve their individual and group goals, and it’s nice to work with everyday people, who all have their own goals, just as I have, to keep fit, lose weight or up their activity levels.

“I’m still working for the local authority in schools, encouraging kids to be active and I really enjoy that.”