AMR Year in Review: May-August 2012
Aaaand we’re continuing on with our AMR 2012 Year in Review. Check out January-April here.
May 2012
![Rachel kicks off May with a BQ [Boston Qualifying Time]. "Thanks Ladies for the support of going Athena! I'm proud to say I brought home a PR, BQ, and 2nd place for the 'big girls' today in a marathon with over 2400 runners!" she says, "Feelin' like a BAMR! 3:30:01: final time...don't harass about the 1 second, I've given myself enough grief." Just major praise from us, Rachel. Nicely done.](https://anothermotherrunner.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/RachelMay.jpg)
Rachel kicks off May with a BQ [Boston Qualifying Time]. “Thanks Ladies for the support of going Athena! I’m proud to say I brought home a PR, BQ, and 2nd place for the ‘big girls’ today in a marathon with over 2400 runners!” she says, “Feelin’ like a BAMR! 3:30:01: final time…don’t harass about the 1 second, I’ve given myself enough grief.” Just major praise from us, Rachel. Nicely done.
Mother’s Day came, and Susan celebrated with this gem of a note from her six-year-old. “My mom is great because every Sunday she brings boston creme donuts after her race.'”
Highlight from Ashleigh: I was able to race again after having two kids and a traumatic brain injury in 2009 that left me partly paralyzed from a hit and run while crosstraining on my road bike. Cyclist vs. BMW: I lost but also won. I now have such a respect for life and myself.
Polly and Sarah, her running pal, and their collective five kids represent big time. “It was the first time my 3-year-old had biked 5 miles and the first time my 2-year-old rode in a jogger,” she said, “Fun was had by all–and we got our run in.”
Highlight from Tracey: Running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in May with my running partner, who moved to Texas and came back for the race, and pushing her to a PR.
“I FREAKIN’ RAN 26.2!” says Stevie in a requested post-race report, “It wasn’t as pretty as I had day dreamed about (insert one overly cooked mama, dehydration, missing toenails & nausea) but I crossed the finish line sprinting with a huge smile on my face for a 4:47 finish. As soon as I stop hobbling around, I am ready to get back at it! This mother runner is ready for a PR!”
June 2012
Highlight from Kerry: I started Couch to 5K in mid-June. (I was sort of tricked into it, too…long story…42 years old, 4 kids, basically sedentary, hate exercise.) The day I came home and said, “That felt good!” and actually was excited to run again. My 5k finish was pretty awesome, too! Now on to 10k in the spring!
Cha, who we met at the AMR house party in Chevy Chase, MD, made this lovely collage after the shindig. “Tonight, I met a roomful of inspirations, and came home with a bagful of motivations,” she wrote. We co-hosted 10 house parties in 2012; they were all highlights.
Highlight from Kathy: I completed a straight 7 hr, 26 min treadmill run in the hospital while my 15 month old underwent major skull surgery. My running is absolutely nothing compared to his strength.
Alecia and her family after her girls ran their first 5K. “Free ice cream at the end!” she says.
Highlight from us: We launched the first annual AMR Challenge. Nearly 200 were mother enough to take the challenge–and snag the free AMR bumper sticker. Looking forward to doing it again in 2013.
July 2012
Highlight from Melissa: On July 1 I decided that after nearly 3 years (and 2 babies), I wanted to start running again. Found the shoes and went for it. 6 months later I have run three 5k races, make time 5+ times a week to run, and really feel much better physically and mentally. Hoping for a 10k in 2013!
Freedom completes a 14 miler–and her pack mules are with her every step of the way. “Here is a picture of the BEST water/training team a mother could ask for,” she says, “Thank you Trey and Skyla for 14 miles of great laughs and company this morning.”
Highlight from Patricia: I got at least one run in EVERY week. Most of the time I ran 3 times. Now I am pushing 5 times. Did my first 10K in April. PRed 5K in June. PRed 5 miles in September. Now I am starting to train for my first half marathon! Its been a great year of confidence building for me!
Talk about running like a mother. “My mom, who turns 59 years young this month, just set her half-marathon PR of 2:19 at the Missoula Marathon this morning!” writes her daughter, Kali, “This is her 5th half in 3 years and she shaved 10 minutes off of last years Missoula half. Congrats Mom!”
Highlight from Holly: We moved this year, to a village where there’s a Facebook group of Running Grrls. Suddenly, I have girlfriends to run with, who are inspiring me to brave the conditions far more than I ever did before. Thanks to them I’ve gotten off the couch more often, and had a great time doing it. A wonderful and unexpected benefit of this move!
“Another mother runner: me with my 9-month-old after winning 1st in my age group at a night 10k! Thanks for the constant encouragement through the website and podcasts!” she writes. Way to represent, Crystal (and love the earbud-eating babe!)
August 2012
Sonia and her posse ran were some of the many who ran for Sarah Hart in the virtual Run with Hart, another mother runner we lost this year.
Highlight from Laurie: The first time I went to a race I had only been running for a few months and when I got there I got totally cold feet. I started panicking and totally bailed out! After that I did two more 5ks this summer. I wasn’t going for a PR but just the fact that I ran each one without stopping; one was 95 degrees and humid as hell but I did it! This fall I did my very 1st 1/2 marathon! Now nothing scares me. This coming year, instead of being scared to do these races, I want to break my PR’s and go for the gold! Yay me!
We got to attend an amazing reTreat outside Seattle; we’re here with founder Beth Brewster. On Friday night, we all set goals in a candle-lighting ceremony, and then ran, yoga’d, paddle-boarded and laughed all weekend.
Highlight from Kayla: Running the Beach to Beacon in Maine in August. I ran it in 2011 when I was 7-weeks post c-section in the slowest time ever and vowed I would WOW myself the next year. This year, I ran my fastest time for a 10k! And my baby was at the finish line. Great race memory. I hope I get in again next year for a repeat.
“This was earlier today in Chicago, where my son ran his very first 5k,” says Adrienne, “Just looking at this picture makes me a happy mom, and a happy runner. For the first time I look at myself in the picture and am no longer disgusted by myself, but proud of what my body can do. Two children, countless miles and 140 pounds gone.” The power of running continues to amaze us–so glad you felt it, Adrienne!
Highlight from Heather: 2012 was an awesome running year: 1st marathons (2 official, 1 DIY); 1st ultra (40+ miles in 12 hours)’ and probably best of all..first 5ks (3 of them!) with my 6 (now 7)-year-old daughter!
Possible best picture caption ever from Catey: “Dear Wednesday: Go ahead and give me a 2-year-old waking up covered in puke, a 5-year-old complaining he feels sick, two teens running late, and whatever else you’ve got. I rocked a fast five miler this morning today before the sun was up which makes it all ok. And I have the shirt to prove it.”
Highlight from (and a bit of shameless self-promo courtesy of) Amy: I ran 4 half marathons in 2 months, with two of them under two hours. Thanks to the training plans in Train Like A Mother , I PRed with a 1:55.
Or maybe Katie’s beats Catey’s? “Highlights from this morning’s 8-miler: a beautiful close encounter with a young deer who was just as curious about me as I was about her; a snapping turtle the size of a dinner platter swimming around in a creek; and a peaceful dock to cool down and drink my water. Quite a way to start the day,” she writes, “Who says running can’t be magic?” Not us, Katie, not us.
What happened in May through August for you, running-wise? Did you feel the magic of running?
AMR Year in Review: January-April 2012
Oh, that we could all have running year’s like Mandy’s. We asked for your highlights of the year on our Facebook page, and it lit up like a Christmas tree. But Mandy? Well, check her out.
My whole year was a running highlight! My first 10K, 25K, 2nd half-marathon, first full, 3 5K PRs (breaking 25 minutes when I had never broken 27!), and running every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning with a running group consisting of family and friends who are like family! [Take a breath, friend, take a breath!] Started a runner support group on Facebook and reached 1,000 miles for the year! Crossing the finish line of that marathon with my dad was the icing on the cake! I get teary eyed looking back on all my running memories from 2012! I know 2013 will be great too!
2012 was pretty great for you guys too; here’s a small compilation of achievements and pics to remember the miles that will remain on your brains for many years to come.
January 2012
Susan rocked the finish line of the Walt Disney World Marathon. SUCH a great pic…you can just taste her victory.
Highlight from Barb: January 18, 2012. I did 6 miles in the pouring down rain on the morning of my Dad’s funeral. I cried the entire run, but it was exactly what I needed: being outside with my thoughts and prayers to ready myself for the emotional day.
January started on the ‘milll for Maxine, who won the NordicTrack we gave away in late December 2011. Love her interior decorating skills.
Highlight from JoEllyn: My running highlight was just running. I was suffering from post-partum depression for almost two years, started to run, and it helped immensely. I was also finishing up my master’s degree while working full-time with a babe so I was proud I did ANY of it. The benefit to my mental health has been immense!
Laura also finished her first marathon in January. ” It was so much harder than I thought it was going to be!” she admits, “My best running friend (and also a mother of 4) ran the half and came back to run the last grueling 6.2 miles with me. She got me through it and I finished. What a day!”
Highlight from Janelle: I conquered the early morning run. Having tried for two years to make it a habit, I now work out 3 to 5 days a week in the 5 a.m. hour! People ask how I can get up so early: I don’t think I just go!
Saving the worst for last: one of our tribe, the lovely Sherry Arnold, a mother, teacher, and runner, went missing in early January. Her remains were found months later, and it seems that the trial of her accused killers will start in early 2013. She was one of a handful of mother runners who were killed while running this year; Sara Hart of Kentucky and Suzanne Seeman of California were, unfortunately, two more.
February 2012
Highlight from Heather: I finished my first half-marathon, which was my first long race after getting a DNF (did not finish) in my marathon attempt in May 2011. Crossing that finish line was huge for me because I proved to myself that the DNF was just a bump in the road and didn’t define me as a runner. It was also my first half-marathon in Brazil! I went on to run three more this year and I’m getting ready to take on the marathon again in 2013 in Rio!
Thousands of runners worldwide ran in honor of Sherry Arnold on February 11th. Strength and love abounded through many heartfelt miles.
Highlight from Jennifer: On February 20, I ran five miles with one of my 12-year-old old triplet nieces, came back to my sister’s house and picked up the other two nieces for the last four miles. These girls are great runners and could easily run 3 min faster a mile than I can. But, for this day they slowed to my pace. It meant so much to me to have them with me and talking and laughing. By far my favorite run of 2012…maybe ever!
March 2012
Rhonda debuts–at least on AMR–her starfish finish line photo. I–Dimity–am instantly envious (I’ve never jumped that high *ever*, let alone after a race), but can’t stop smiling when I look at it.
Highlight from Deb: Having my daughter in March, then starting up couch to 5K late July as a way to get rid of the last few pounds. I have never been a runner and now I’m training for the Princess Half!
Deborah nails the Big Apple and a half-marathon; her marathon dreams in NYC were delayed thanks to Ms. Sandy, havoc wreaker on the East Coast.
Highlight from another Jennifer: I found a new running partner in March! We were chatting at a teacher-of-the-year banquet where we were seated next to each other. (She was there as her school’s nominee, I was there supporting the teacher from my school where I’m an administrator.) Anyway, we realized that we ran the same loop at almost the same time 3x per week. We started running together and have run almost all our miles together since. We’ve seen each other through my son leaving for college, the passing of her grandma, and all sorts of day-to-day mom stuff. She is a great friend and I am so grateful for her!
Oh yeah, and an orange book with 9 (9!!) training plans for busy women debuted. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Jolene has. (And nope, I’ve never jumped that high either.)
Highlight from Rebecca: March 27, I ran the Bataan Death Memorial March Marathon, side by side active military, veterans, wounded warriors, and at the finish, was blessed to shake hands with survivors of the actual WWII death march. My hat is off to all of them, I cannot express my gratitude.
April 2012
Here’s Maggie, a runner we met at ZOOMA Texas; and no, we are not standing on chairs. (“You’re so tall!” might be the refrain we hear most at expos.) Despite feeling like a giant in many pictures, we love meeting and chatting with all of you.
Highlight from (a different) Maggie: I started running in April and was doing a 10:50 mile. Eight months later, I have cut 1 minute off that!
This is Tracy’s daughter, who had be a person who had an impact on history, for a school project. “She picked Kathrine Switzer,” says her mom, “How awesome is my daughter?” Awesome.
Highlight from Sally: I ran my first half-marathon in April. It was even in my hometown, a place filled with doubt about my athletic ability. I cried as I ran past my middle school and high school, leaving behind my memories of being the “non-athlete” of my childhood friends. I felt on top of the world at the finish line!
Speaking of Boston, our own SBS took on the crazy temps and humidity and 26.2 miles and made us all proud. We’re just bummed she missed seeing Jessica and her custom sign at mile 6!
Highlight from Anna: I had a comeback year. Not from an injury, but I lost some weight the end of 2011 and my race results this year have been pre-baby & better…and the “baby” is almost 7. So 2012 has been my year!
We’ll leave you here–and Sarah suspended with her arms up–until tomorrow, where we take on 4 more months.
Before you go, though, rewind the first third of 2012: tell–or remind us–of one achievement you hit in the comments below. Strut your stuff, mother runners!
Reflections on Our 2012 Races—and Sports Pride
Sarah and Dimity intended to spend the half-hour looking back at their 2012 races, but, like an exciting, uncharted run, the conversation took some unexpected turns. Dimity laments about lice, while Sarah offers been-there, picked-that advice. Then, Sarah’s seemingly simple question about proudest race moments evolves into an intriguing dialog about the feelings and emotions the mother runners feel after a race. And Sarah reveals her 2013 marathon.
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Why I Run: Jessica Russell
Jessica Russell lives in Oakland, California with her “patient husband and energetic 4 ½ year old twins.” She works full time as the director of alumni relations at a local arts college. She has run “three very slow marathons and 10 half-marathons.” She completed her first half iron-distance triathlon this past summer and dreams of completing her first full Ironman in 2014.
When my alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I ask myself why I run. When it is pouring rain and my shoes are soaked, I ask myself why I run. When my iPod dies half way through a 12-miler, I ask myself why I run. But nowhere do I ask this question more than during a marathon.
On November 6, 2011, 47,000 people came to a famous East Coast city to run one of the most popular marathons in the world. I did not. I ran a marathon in Fresno. Fresno, CA is not known as a destination city for runners, but I was hoping the flat, out-and-back course would help me reach my goal of a sub-4:30 race.
The morning of the race was brisk and beautiful, and with only 600 other runners it was easy to find a spot at the starting line. The gun went off and I settled in to my pace. I had run two other marathons (the first, a year after having twins), coming in around 5 hours both times. I was fine with being slow; I just wanted to be a little less slow. Having followed my training plan to the letter I felt ready to meet my goal.
For the first 10 miles my legs felt great. In fact, I felt the best I had ever felt during a marathon. Then at mile 11 my pace slowed; by 10 seconds at first, then 20, then 30, until by mile 15 I was running a minute slower than my goal pace. I began doubting myself. “Why do I run?” I grumbled.
My friends and family were waiting for me at mile 16 so I pushed on. I could see my 3-year-old daughter cheering and my spirits lifted, but as I headed away from my family, I saw that the next 5 miles were downhill. This meant that the last 5 miles would be uphill. I was getting discouraged and letting the hills psych me out. “Why do I run?” I screamed in my head.
As the miles slowly passed I tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Should I have done more speed work? Was I fueling wrong? Did I not get enough sleep? began to walk the first part of every mile and then push myself to run to the next mile marker. My mantra was, “you gave birth to twins, you can do this,” but what I was really thinking was, “why do I run?”
I wasn’t sure if I would see my cheering section again, but as I reached mile 25 I saw my son holding a sign that said, “Go, mama, go!” I willed my legs into a shuffling run and headed towards the finish. I stopped my watch at 5:07:26, got my medal, and headed towards my family and friends. Their hugs and kisses should have made me realize that nobody cared about my time, but I was still disappointed to have run my slowest marathon despite all my training.
Me and my 4 1/2-year-old twins.
But then, wearing my medal at brunch I was stopped by three different tables of people congratulating me on my race. I realized none of them cared about my time either. Most people don’t even know how long a marathon is! Then a mother approached my table with her 7-year-old daughter. “Excuse me, did you run the marathon?” She asked. I told her I had. “My daughter just finished her first 5K and really wanted to look your medal,” she said. The way the little girl looked at me made me feel like a rock star. Later that night I was putting my own daughter to bed and she told me, “I’m going to dream about you running tonight, mommy.” At that moment I realized that I had met my race goals after all. And that’s why I run.
Having only completed a few sprint distance triathlons, I decided that I was going to race a half-iron distance triathlon the year I turned 40. After much research I picked Barb’s Race, a women-only half iron-distance race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in the Northern California wine country in July 2012. Too intimidated to join a triathlon club, I found a training program online and did the 8 to 10 hours a week of training all on my own; waking up at 5 a.m. to swim, riding my bike trainer late into the night, running at lunch, and thanking my husband profusely for all the times he had to watch the kids. It took me 7 hours and 17 minutes to finish the race, with my kids cheering me on at every transition. I had such a great time that as soon as I crossed the finish line I told my husband I wanted to do a full Ironman! He just shook his head in disbelief, but my new mantra is, “if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” Watch out Ironman Arizona, I’m coming for you in 2014!
Want to read more Why I Runs? Go here.
Why I Run: Meg O’Connor
Thought I would throw my sneaker into the ring and let you know why I choose to run. To be honest, I spent many months mocking you. I think I was secretly envious that somehow you found an inner drive to run while I battled (and continue to battle) the mental demons that tell me I do not enjoy running or that I am not a runner. In the midst of turning to your site out of mockery, I started learning that my negative thinking was not so unique. I was not the oddball out who somehow was born without the running gene. Women on your site were pounding the pavement in the midst of and in spite of their own inner/less-than-encouraging voices. Mockery slowly turned to enlightenment and inspiration.
My family.
I have found a way to begin to ‘like’ running (hoping love will come). Whether right or wrong, I do not fully run for myself yet (maybe I do and do not realize this fact). I run to raise money for projects in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the birth home of five of my seven children. With its spectacular beauty and amazing culture, families in Ethiopia are in need of partners to help bring clean water, education, and many other resources. With running, I, along with those kind individuals who decide to run with me and/or donate to my races, become a life- changer for hundreds of people in Ethiopia. Hundreds of people. My role? Ignore the background noise in my head, put on the sneakers, and run for something bigger than me. Oh, and keep going back to that silly site called Another Mother Runner for a healthy brainwashing …
We are building a school in Ethiopia and using running to help make that happen. Running has turned out to be a group effort and a great way for us to pull a group of people together for a great cause. Twelve of us completed Reach the Beach in September, running from the mountains to the beach raising over $6,000. This run, like many of our runs, takes most of us out of our comfort zones. It takes me completely out of my comfort zone. Our nonprofit loves to bring families and mothers together and use running as a fundraising tool.
Many people ask how I can run with a full house of seven children. I could not train, sign up for the races I run, and travel to these events without the support, love, and encouragement from my family. My children see me running and encourage me constantly. They get to see me run, come in last and still get out there and run the next race (I participated in the running portion of the Aggieman Triathlon in 2012 in honor of our school building project and came in last!). My children are learning by my example; it is not the final numbers that count or determine our success. Tips and comments from Another Mother Runner have a ripple impact on my family. As I learn, they learn. And I thought this was just about running … it’s so much more.
Our plans to run for our school building project continue for 2013. In July, I have been invited by a powerhouse organization Mudula Water to take part in the Janus Charity Challenge Toyota Triathlon in Minnesota. Some of us are doing this race as a relay and some will complete the triathlon as single participants. We are always looking for some fun mothers to join our team.No ability required. Again, I am thrilled and excited to challenge myself (crazy scary) with a great group of mothers doing the same for a great cause.
Why I Run: Karen Burrows
At the Rock the Parkway. I am #604.
I’m not just another mother runner; I’m another teacher runner. Between my own munchkins at home and a flock of kiddos at school, my time on the run is the only time I won’t be asked to wipe a bottom, open a jammed locker, mediate a conflict, find a missing sock, chaperone a dance, organize a bake sale, sit in a dunk tank, or proofread a paper. (The sole sisters I run with might cop a squat by the side of the road, but they don’t expect me to wipe them.) When I run, nobody talks back to me, nobody asks me the same exact question I just answered two seconds ago, and most importantly, nobody needs me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids, I love teaching, and I love being needed. But I also love the freedom of being inaccessible. In this season of my life, the only way I can get that is to literally run away from it all. And so I do. During the school day, I’m consumed by No Child Left Behind, but once I strap on that Garmin, it’s every child left behind.
I don’t want to sound flippant. When you invest your life in children (either your own or the ones you borrow for the school day), you pay the price in worry. Is Jimmy taking drugs? Did Susie eat breakfast today? Are our test scores high enough? Do these kids realize how amazingly beautiful, smart, creative, and important they are? As a teacher and a mother, I know I have the power to both nurture and destroy. I want my legacy to be a positive one, but I never know when one off-hand comment or poorly-phrased attempt at constructive criticism will crush a tender ego. And while I know I have considerable power, I so often feel powerless.
Wearing #7 at the Mud Run.
Except when I run. Although my pace puts me squarely in the middle of the pack, when I hit the pavement, I’m invincible. Running is my way of coping with the inevitable anxiety, pressure, and heartache that are the hazards of caring—and living.
There are other benefits, of course. Running makes me more patient and less stressed, happier and healthier– all usual suspects. But here’s one more benefit: I may spend most of my life surrounded by hormone-flooded, acne-plagued, perpetually inconsistent adolescents, but if worse comes to worse, I know that I can outrun them.