mother & runner {how to be both}

 Auther’s Note:  Today’s guest post is from Lisa – runner, blogger, and mother extraordinare.  I met Lisa in 2011; you may remember a little race I ran called Hood to Coast with Team Nuun… I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Lisa during this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  She’s a wonderful runner and coach, but most importantly, person – and I’m honored to have her blogging on {will run for margaritas} today!  If you’re looking for a running coach or need motivation in Fort Collins, CO, give Lisa a call.

I haven’t always been a runner.  In fact, I didn’t start running until I was forty years old and a mother of two.  I have only been a running mom. I had my second child at age 39 and was fortunate enough to be able to quit my job and give full-time mothering a try. At first, I was lost. I had been working ever since college in a very high stress career. Most of my social life was centered around work. Once I gave that up, I suddenly had very little in common with my work friends and had very few other friends.  

I joined a fitness group for new moms called Stroller Strides. There I met my “village.” I met fitness-minded moms who were setting a good example for their kids. Several of these women trained with me for my first marathon, the training that got me hooked on running. It was during that training cycle that I started identifying myself as a running mom.

Running moms. We seem to be a huge chunk of the running community, especially the running blogger community. My story is not really all that unique.  I have been asked by other runners who are struggling with the decision whether or not to become a mother. Will it change their running? Will things be different?  Yes and yes.  However, since I didn’t run before becoming a mother, I can’t say specifically how things will change. I can say is that each running mom has her own reasons for running.  I am going to list a few of mine here:

My son’s first 5k

• Running gives me an identity. As someone who had a corporate identity for so long, it was tough when that was gone. Of course, I identified as “mom,” but was there more? Being a runner and a mom is a label I embrace.
• Running gives me my “me” time. If I were to take off on a Saturday or Sunday morning for several hours to have coffee with my girlfriends or to hang out at the mall, my husband and kids might have something to say about it. And then of course there is the mommy guilt factor. But going out for a few hours for a run? The reaction is much different. My family is supportive and encouraging about my running.
• Running gives me a community. Mommy and non-mommy alike, some of the best people I know I have met through running. In real life or online, runners are cool.
• Running sets a good example for my kids, especially my daughter. I go out and run because that is who I am, not because I feel like I have to because of the calories etc. My kids know that being active and getting out there is part of life. They see how much I enjoy my runs and races and I know it will rub off on them.  It already has. My son has run several 5K races with me and my daughter ran a 1K and a 5K. They are both looking forward to running the local Turkey Trot this week!
• Running (and fitness) has given me a new career.  I coach runners and have a special affinity for running moms, especially those who are taking it up later in life like I did. I also teach high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes as part of a mommy-focused fitness program called Body Back.  I am passionate about helping other women find their own fitness, whatever level that might be.
• Running keeps me in healthy. I love being physically fit. I don’t run to change my body though. When I want to tighten up, define those muscles etc., I do some high intensity exercise. But to keep my mind and body healthy overall, I run.
• Running keeps me sane. For all the reasons listed above (and more), I can’t imagine my life without running. It makes me a better wife and mom.

What kinds of sacrifices do moms have to make for running? Well that all depends on each person.  Most moms will probably tell you that the biggest thing you give up is sleep. I didn’t start running until my daughter was over a year old. I’m not sure how I would have done in that first year when she didn’t sleep through the night. But during a lot of that first year, most babies will happily travel along in a stroller enjoying the outdoors and all the cool scenery. You can also catch some treadmill time during naps.  As the kids get older, strollers get a bit trickier. I know some moms that can push kids in strollers for 10+ miles. My kids’ limit was about an hour. After that, boredom set in. I get the majority of my runs in during the wee hours of the morning. During the week, I need to be home before my family wakes up. On the weekends, we have various activities to attend. Even on days without scheduled sports games, chess tournaments or practices, I try to get home before the family gets out of their pajamas.

Lisa & her kids after “Color Me Rad”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Because Because my schedule is dependent on four people, not just one, I need to be flexible. I know runners who follow their training plans to a “T.”  As a running mom, that is often quite a challenge.  If my long run is scheduled for Saturday, I sometimes have to do that run on a different day or split up the miles. For example, in a few weeks, we will be out of town for a hockey tournament. The schedule of the weekend doesn’t really give me much time to get in my 14 miles that is on my schedule. I will try to get a longer run on Friday and a longer run on Monday, but I doubt I will have a chunk of time to get a full 14 miles in. Running moms learn to “go with the flow.”

Running and fitness changed my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is true. I don’t know what my life would be like without fitness and running. Don’t tell my husband this, but it is possible that I would have gone back to a full time job. But once I found my true passion, there was no going back. Still not sure if you want to join the ranks of running moms everywhere? Just remember that there is no one else in the world that is convinced that you win every single race you run.  You had to have won…you won a medal.  My kids are my very biggest fans and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Are you a running mom?  How do you do it all?

Lisa is a running and fitness coach and owns Mom to Marathon (and everything in between). She blogs at Mom2marathon.com.  You can find Lisa on Facebook, Twitter , Daily Mile, and Instagram

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