Janet Naylon A Running LifestyleFor Aussie Janet Naylon track is a lifetime passion. Photos courtesy of Janet Naylon. During this winter Down Under, Janet is coaching Stuart’s son in XC and track so goes to most Saturday races. If they need officials she’ll help out and also take photos of the action.  "Athletics is our life; it’s a little bit tragic sometimes. We are both on various committees, Stuart is on the board of directors of Athletics NSW and I’m on their competition advisory panel. We even met and got married at a track meet!" WMA Outdoors Puerto Rico, W35 4x100 gold medalists Giving back to the sport she loves comes naturally. "It’s something I grew up with, seeing my mum doing it. Plus I’ve always had an opinion and I believe you put your hand up and get involved. You don’t just whinge." Summary of Success Here is a snapshot of Janet’s athletic achievements:
 Photo courtesy of Lesley Richardson
Out of the Blue In July 2008 life changed, Janet’s younger brother Andrew 39, died suddenly. He was picking up his new boat, had a fit or seizure while driving, ran off the road into a river and drowned. Andrew’s wife Kelly was four months pregnant and they had two children, a boy (10) and girl (9). We had a long period from the accident to the funeral, as there was an autopsy. By the time the funeral came around we were in a better place for it. Our family had so many birthdays at that time we had difficulty choosing a day. The day before the funeral we had a viewing. The psychologists said it would help Andrew’s children to see him. That was strange as Andrew didn’t look like himself, more like something out of the Madam Tussaud’s wax museum but it seemed to help everyone." Like to comment on the Janet Naylon story? Post it here.
Prior to Andrew’s death, Janet and Stuart had coped with the death of Stuart’s mum in 2004 and his dad in 2007. Janet Naylon with her niece (2008). Stuart runs every lunchtime at work. Some days he could only go 4 kms and everything would stop working. I’d go to the track and couldn’t move my feet off the ground. There was nothing physically wrong, but nothing was working.I kept up with massages, which helped. The deep muscles, the ones that keep our bodies upright, they get super tight, from all the emotional stress. The first year was difficult, with Christmas, birthdays and all the family occasions without Andrew. It didn’t feel right. Someone is missing. The birth of Andrew’s daughter was a very emotional time, bittersweet. People would ask, "How’s your mum?" "How’s Kelly or the kids?" Very few asked how I was. That upset me a lot of the time. Perhaps they thought, "You’re only the sister and others’ were closer". I wanted to say, no everyone was involved. The thing I hated was when people would say, "I know exactly how you are feeling". No you don’t. No one can know that, not even your soul mate." Running Through Grief "Physically I’m still not back yet. I lost two years of training and don’t feel as fit and vital as before Andrew’s death. I’ve kept active but haven’t done the core work and the extra little things. I’m managing a couple of track sessions a week but you lose fitness over time. Janet Naylon's favorite winter training session. "In 2009 we decided to go the WMA Outdoor Championships in Lahti, Finland. Part of our journey was to visit Russia as Stuart’s grandfather had died as a POW in the battle of Stalingrad. We wanted to meet Stuart’s German uncle and visit the sights of the battle and the memorial. We were not in fantastic shape but somehow you get there for a big comp. My back was feeling good but the day before we flew out to Lahti was the first anniversary of Andrew’s death. Mum had a group of us around to commemorate. By the end of the day my back was so tight. There was still an element of anger there for me. It hit me later not straight away. One of Andrew’s friends describes it really well – "We’ve been short changed, ripped off…" I dreaded the plane journey and early on it was bad but then my back was fine. Eczema broke out on my hands, which usually happens when I’m stressed. It confirmed for me that your body reacts to stress in different ways." Janet may not have been in racing shape but she still managed to make the final of the W40 long jump and the semis in the 100 and 200 in Lahti.
"It’s been a very long journey. In the second year the anniversaries are a little more distant but the pain never goes away. Janet's sister-in-law & her family commemorating Andrew. On the second anniversary of Andrew’s death we went to the accident site as Andrew’s children wanted to see where it had happened and ask questions. We wrote messages on balloons and released them.If I was to offer advice I’d say, don’t try to rush back. There will be days you won’t be able to run, jump or throw. You won’t feel like going to training so just don’t. But your desire does come back eventually. Set a goal to go to something but not to be your best. Just aim to go. Don’t be hard on yourself. I put on weight and had to learn to be easy on myself. It takes a few years so allow time to do what needs to be done. You do come out it." Another Hurdle The results from Andrew’s autopsy revealed that he had a structural problem in his heart; his left ventricle was not working properly. All of Janet’s family underwent stress tests, echocardiograms, etc. A Way Forward Janet’s training is finally coming together. She wants to reclaim some of her time and get off a few committees. Like to comment on the Janet Naylon story? Post it here. Return from Janet Naylon to WomenRunningTogether Homepage Post Your CommentDo you have a comment on this story? Share it! Your CommentsClick below to see other comments...
For Janet. Thank you.
Dear Janet Sorry for your hurt Janet has written a heartfelt story that outlines a loving relationship with her family and the closeness she had with her brother and his family. In spite ... New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave us a comment in the box below. |
"It was very traumatic; there was a lot of disbelief. It’s hard to describe what is going through your head. 
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