Norwegian Pole Vaulter Cathrine Larsåsen, who won the Norwegian championships ten times in a row between 2004 and 2013, is a proud mum of a baby boy and is all set to welcome a new member to her family.
We at Women Fitness, spoke to the inspirational woman about her journey as an athlete and as a mother and how this new phase brought new dimensions of life and fitness for her.
Namita Nayyar:
When did you first decide to become a professional pole vault player?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
In 2004, I won a multitalented competition, where they try to find the most versatile girl and boy in Norway through an obstacle course. The prize was to take part in the Olympic Youth camp and be part of the Olympic Games in Athens. A pole vault coach saw this on television and remembered me from a track and field meet. He contacted me and asked if I would like to try pole vault. Since pole vaulting demands a lot of different qualities and of course the main thing is to be versatile. He told me that the Norwegian record had been standing for 10 years, so why not beat that? This got me interested. Then I watched the opening ceremony in Athens and I decided that I would become an athlete as them.
Namita Nayyar:
You won the Norwegian championships ten times in a row between 2004 and 2013. How do you feel about this incredible benchmark that you have set?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
In the beginning, it felt so good being a Champion; it definitely gave me a rush. Then came the pressure since everyone expected me to win each time. It’s easier to become Number 1 than to stay there. So even if I was good during the pressure time, I also find it hard to just beat my Norwegian record all the time. I sometimes wish that I could chase someone else than myself here in Norway. I think this could have helped me to jump much higher, but it’s just a speculation.
But I did get a lot of media attention for my results, which lead me to television, commercials and a lot of non-sport fun stuff, which was a great carrot since I loved everything about that. I’m so proud of what I achieved during my career. Since I now can see that I have made a difference for the youth coming after me. I was the first woman in Norway that cleared 4m, which become history. So even if girls are jumping higher after me I could always be proud of this achievement for the history books. Becoming a role model and public person in Norway has been a privilege and I feel so blessed.
Full Interview Continued On Next Page
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Namita Nayyar:
You experienced motherhood for the first time in 2015 , share with us your prenatal & postnatal fitness regime?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
In 2015, I become a mother. Let’s just say I had the most easy pregnancy. My body was in such good shape when I got pregnant and I seem to like it that way. I was lucky. I had no idea how hard I could train during labor, but I listened to my body all the way and gave myself no pressure. It was totally okay to skip training but I tried to maintain the workout since I had a dream to come back to sports after birth. The Olympic trial was just months after my due date. So I had a small chance of getting back to this. But I didn’t put on too much pressure, even though I did train really hard and was dreaming big. I promised myself to be a strong mother for my child and being a mum and enjoy it even if I were a “selfish” athlete trying to reach bigger goals. The only thing I didn’t do during labor was jumping and pole vaulting. My last competition with baby in stomach I jumped 4.20m and I could understand why I felt so tired and weird. But when I figured out I was pregnant all jumps stopped. I wouldn’t let anything happen with my child, and I found it too risky. This was bigger than any sports achievement.
I trained normal track and field training, fitness, weight lifting and running until the day I gave birth. I actually ran stairs 2 days before he came. I found it a little bit hard missing my strong abs, but there are a lot of exercises you still could do even if you don’t have them (the abs). Running also felt great, but by month 8-9 I felt heavy so I stopped sprinting and did some run-walk intervals instead. Furthermore, I loved to run 200m intervals, 30 seconds on, and 30 seconds off.
Namita Nayyar:
Becoming mother for the second time must have been challenging? Do share your experience & management skills on becoming a mother and coping with family & sports?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
Being a mum and an athlete was pretty hard, especially since I was training when he was sleeping during day time. So it was pretty intense. My boyfriend is a professional long jumper and had his season to take care of, so instead of splitting the baby care I took all the “hard” work. Even then he was a super dad, don’t misunderstand. But being awake so many times during the night was a nightmare. I guess I was a too nice girlfriend, but it just turned out this way and it was something we had planned the whole way to get the best out of our situation.
I didn’t have family or anyone to help me so I always brought the kid with me to practice and even competitions when I started to compete. Then I actually had to ask one of the spectators to help me with him. This was pretty crazy, but it was my only chance to manage to compete. Breastfeeding during training and competitions. haha. (Stopped this when the kid was 7 months since I then lost milk.)
All my sponsors and offers from the Norwegian Federation disappeared when I got pregnant. So I was standing on my own and alone during pregnancy and during my comeback. It felt so unfair, but I’m stubborn and this also gave me more power to prove them all wrong. Being a mother gave me a new view on life and it also gave me new power. I was stronger, faster and jumped higher at training after I gave birth. The only thing that came in my way was the weather. Since I hadn’t competed last season I didn’t get into big competitions. So I had to compete “alone” at kid’s meets in Scandinavia which was a little bit boring and unfortunately not the best weather. I jumped 4.20m then I always put the bar to 4.50m, which was the Olympic mark. I went over, was screaming in air before I saw that the bar also fell slowly down. I didn’t qualify for the Olympics, but I found it bigger to have a son. So it didn’t bother me or make me feel sad. The only thing that annoys me is that I didn’t get the chance to show those who doubted me how good I actually became after all I went through.
I learned a lot about life and I also look at the world differently now than I did before. I love sports but I love my family even more. So my family always comes first. So training has to wait if my son demands it. Being with him means the world. The time I share with them now will never come back, and my son is growing so fast. Before I could stay at the track all day, but now I’m just doing my training and then hurry home. I used to have a plan before, now that plan is impossible to hold. It’s changing all the time, and I just have to live with the process.
Being pregnant for the second time is also harder than my first pregnancy. Since I then just had myself to take care of. Now I’m a full time mum and trying to find time to train and relax. Which is hard. It’s almost time for his little brother to pop out, and the only thing that suddenly reminds me that I’m pregnant is the big belly I have. I keep forgetting that I am actually carrying a child. Time has flown so fast during this pregnancy. But as my first labor this one is pretty easy as well. I am in such good shape. But find it hard to get time for training. Luckily I’m working as a personal trainer and a CrossFit instructor which gives me the possibility to have some extra training. But apart from that it’s harder to achieve a full week of training like before. Work, and all the compulsory things families have to do, fills the time. But as an active family we love doing things together, so I’m still active even if I don’t do track training.
Namita Nayyar:
To perform your best you need to fuel your body well too, what according to you should comprise a healthy breakfast meal for an athlete? Also, what snacks do you recommend for post training nutrition?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
I’m pretty spoiled when it comes to good food since I’m living with a boyfriend who loves to cook and is also an athlete. This makes it so much easier to eat healthy. It has never been a difficult thing, it’s just normal for us to eat healthy and good food. We are never on a diet, but of course we think twice before championships. We eat clean food. That’s our secret. To make everything from scratch so we know what it contains. I recommend Skyr (a type of yogurt) and oatmeal in the morning, then I personally love mackerel in tomato sauce and egg for lunch. And I’m also a fish person so shrimps and salmon I can’t live without. We make our own bread so the quality is pretty good and has a lot of fiber. Before training, I eat varied since it depends when the training is held. Before I had kids I always ate two hours before, but now it’s not easy to plan it so well. So I’m more beware that I have been eating and won’t get empty during my training session and that I will be eating fast and good after training.
Namita Nayyar:
Your biggest pole vault inspiration?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
It used to be Jelena Isinbajeva, since I had the pleasure to train with her a lot in Ukraine and Italy. But now it’s definitely the new generation and the world leading girl from the US, Sandi Morris. I don’t know her personally since she popped up when I got pregnant the first time. But I fancy her a lot because of her attitude and personality which she shows through Instagram. I feel that she is my twin sister in some ways, ha ha even if that seems weird to say. But I see myself in her. She also has a long jumper as her boyfriend who my boyfriend knows a bit so I found this quite funny. She started to follow my Instagram account one day and I actually become a little bit proud 😉 haha…
Namita Nayyar:
As a personal trainer, share with us 5 tips that you would provide to a client who is 40, overweight & wishes to lose weight and gain muscle.
Cathrine Larsåsen:
- Nutrition. It’s important, so even if I don’t have the possibility to watch over them I would give them a pep talk on how to change small things in life.
- HIT training / high intensity training. No matter if your goal is fat loss, muscle gain or an athletic performance this type of training can help you nail it.
- Interval training (also High-intensity interval training). This is essential. This is cardio, which could be all from treadmill sprints, stairmaster, jumping rope, cycle sprint etc. Short but effective training.
- Core exercises and stability. Having a strong core is also essential for lifting and using your body properly. So I always have a lot of focus on the small muscles to make the client strong and prepared for bigger lifts and new body challenges.
- CrossFit: Challenging with some CrossFit exercise, since it’s so important to be able to challenge your body and achieve a good self-control. Most people find motivation in managing things that they never thought they could do. I love putting up fun tests to make them achieve this positivity.
Namita Nayyar:
5 Favorite exercises that are a must in a pregnancy workout routine. How far are Kegel exercises beneficial?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
I now wish I did it even more, so don’t underestimate kegel exercises. My “mistake” was that I started training 2 weeks after I gave birth. Felt so good and normal, so didn’t find this wrong at that moment. But time showed me that I should have done more kegel exercises and that my pelvic floor wasn’t quite ready. Since I couldn’t do any jumps without running for the toilet first. This has now become better 😉 So everyone “do your Kegel exercises everyday”.
FAVORITE EXERCISES:
- Running in stairs. Here I can have high intensity and high speed. Love doing this since I can’t feel any pain or discomfort.
- Stability exercises
- Squats – you could always train your glute 😉
- CrossFit exercises and exercises where you have to lift your own body.
- Dance moves – never stop moving 😉
Namita Nayyar:
How would you define Women Fitness?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
I fancy the magazine, and it gives me good tips and motivation. Having time off from kids and relaxing with tea and Women Fitness could make my evenings perfect.
Namita Nayyar:
As a professional pole vaulter are there any benchmarks or goals that you have set for yourself? If yes, do share them with us.
Cathrine Larsåsen:
I didn’t manage to come to the Olympics, but instead I got a healthy beautiful boy. Which I would never give away for a gold medal. I could still manage to try out for another Olympics in 2020. But I have no idea how life will look like or even be with two kids. So even if that could have been a fun dream, I find it hard to answer at this time. My boyfriend has a scarification of the Olympic rings on his shoulder, so lying next to him and my son I sometimes feel that I have achieved it or something bigger. I feel strong and proud of becoming a mum, and this will always be my biggest achievement. So no goals could ever become bigger. Due date in October, so looking forward to see my new son.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you relax after a hectic training session?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
Before kids I always pampered myself, had so much focus on relaxing since I knew this also was a part of the training. Legs high, TV series and sleeping a lot. But now I barely have time to think about what I could be doing to relax… But putting myself in the tub alone without my son 😉 and lighting a lot of candles is my idea of relaxing. Or even just being by myself. That’s a new luxury 😉 ha ha… It’s just weird how you miss that when you’re a mum even if you love being together with others and of course your little love.
Namita Nayyar:
Message for Women Fitness?
Cathrine Larsåsen:
Keep inspiring the women all over the world. It’s so important that we stick together and are learning from each other. We can only become better versions of ourselves by learning new things. So thanks Women Fitness for giving me this opportunity through your pages. Keep up the good work.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http:// www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness