What Would Another Mother Runner Do?
Andrea (3rd from right) and the rest of the Runwells
In our semi-regular installments of What Would Another Mother Runner Do (WWAMRD), we’ve heard the dilemmas of Christy, who forgot to pack a sports bra for her midday run; Kelin, who slipped on a banana peel during a marathon, dislocating her hip; and Ellison, who scared off a would-be predator with some quick thinking. Today we introduce to you Andrea, a mother of two from Houston and long-time runner, whom we met on a lovely fall morning at ZOOMA Wisconsin. She was there with a load of mother runner friends, who had all dubbed themselves the Runwells. (The group got its name from Chicago corner–Rockwell Avenue–where they met/meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 a.m.)
Andrea hadn’t planned on being at the race: Her thoughtful husband had surprised her with a plane ticket for a girlfriends’ getaway, allowing her to see friends she’d been missing since she and her family had moved from Chicago to Houston in July. In the chaos and upheaval of the move, Andrea hadn’t run much since early June. According to her recollection, she’d run about three (3) miles maybe four–4–times since the start of summer, and it was now mid-October. Yet there she was with her running buddies. The night before the race, she registered for the 5K, but come race day, Andrea had to give the Runwells a ride to the starting line of the point-to-point half-marathon. The ladies got off late, barely making it to the starting area of the 13.1-mile race before the gun went off; Andrea didn’t have time to drive the 10 miles back to where the 5K was going off.
There she stood, at the starting line of a race she hadn’t trained for, surrounded by her beloved running friends. She was torn: Should she run 13.1 miles (sans race number) or not?
What would you do?
Sarah answers: Given that it was a beautiful day for running and I had precious few hours with my pals, I would have trotted alongside of them. (If it was pouring rain or it felt like a windtunnel, I might have a different answer.) Sure, my body might scream at me later, but there was no way my mind would let me get back into the van and drive back to the Abbey Resort (where the race finishes). The race was the centerpiece of the ladies’ weekend, and running it would make me feel like I was part of my precious posse again.
Dimity answers: This Midwestern girl would’ve done what we do best in the Midwest: make hay when the sun is shining. (Totally wrong cliche there, but you know what I mean.) Good memories, good story, and I’d be good until about mile 7, and then I’d whine to my friends about why in the heck–again, the Midwest–I was out there.
What Andrea did: She ran with the Runwells. Rather than race it, Andrea stuck with some who were going a fairly conservative-for-her pace. Andrea says, “My legs didn’t feel near as bad as I thought they would. I pretty much cussed from Mile 10 back to the Abbey: There was a cut-off I could have taken that would have eliminated the last hilly miles, but I kept going.”
What happened: Andrea’s legs, “felt okay after a few days,” which she attributes to being a dedicated runner for many years prior to the move. The ZOOMA weekend relit the running fire in Andrea: “It motivated me to run again.” Proof positive? She just did a 5-mile race on Sunday.
What would you, another mother runner, do?
And if you’ve got a running-related moment you’d like some clarity on, via WWAMRD, feel free to email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks!
A Mother Runner Who Longs to Be a Mother Gardener
Dimity and me this summer perched in my front yard. Note the splayed daffodil stems, untrimmed hedges, and abundance of weeds. Roses bloom in Portland no matter how much they get ignored.
While I bear more than a passing resemblance to Martha Stewart in her younger days, people are often shocked I have a a fair bit of domestic goddess in me. It’s as if running precludes any homey pursuits: Other mothers stop in their tracks when I mention I cook and bake from scratch; there are many puzzled looks when I admit to needlepointing several pillows on our living room couches. Two of my three remaining magazine subscriptions are Runner’s World…and Bon Appetit. When I get home from a 15-mile training run, I find it immensely satisfying to chop vegetables for a hearty soup, then get warm by stirring in the barley and lentils and checking the flame to ensure a steady simmer. Or to gather the kiddos around to beat the butter and sugar to make tollhouse cookies (and eat the dough without any guilt!).
But the around-the-home hobby I long to immerse myself in is gardening. In our Portland neighborhood–a patchwork of close-together homes, most on small lots–gardens dazzle the senses for much of the year. Our temperate, moist climate produces a riot of long-lasting, fragrant flowers and shrubs in every imaginable shade of green. I long to have a sumptuous, diverse array of plants in our yard, a mere 50 by 100 feet, yet I’ll be damned if I can find the energy to train for a marathon and maintain a garden. That’s the domestic combination that confounds me.
Yet in the last overcast, damp month, I’ve found myself working out in yard. A few weekends ago, while the kids had two sisters over to play, I finally dug out our post hole digger and went to work planting two dozen daffodil and narcissus bulbs. It was a task I’ve honestly been meaning to do for the last three autumns. Given our dense clay soil, it was demanding physical labor, and my back paid the price the next few days. But I was so filled with pride, I told my parents about it once on the phone and twice in letters! (And, gee, now here I am telling you.)
Then, on Sunday, the moment I finished a 5-mile run, I grabbed a rake and some clippers and spent an hour cleaning out the slanted myrtle beds surrounding our front yard. I was still sporting my orange running vest, and Jack joked I looked like I was fulfilling hours of community service. It was just one more reason to smile as I worked
Later, I finally realized why I’ve had the get-up-and-go-outside urge–and energy–to garden: It’s because I’ve been training for a half-, not a full, marathon. After an 8-, 10-, or 12-mile run, I can shower and attack the rest of the day with a vigor and enthusiasm that’s missing after an 18- or 20-miler. After a long marathon training run, the only bulbs I see are lightbulbs–as I turn on a lamp to read sprawled on our bed, letting the kids play Wii to their hearts’ content. And the only dirt is the celebrity gossip I glean from Entertainment Weekly (the third mag I still subscribe to).
A few months ago, I was so emotionally committed to gardening instead of marathoning, I vowed I’d stick to 13.1-mile races in 2013 so I could get my hands dirty on a more regular basis. But the siren song of a longer race is calling my name, and I’m on the verge of signing up for a May marathon. I’m a domestic goddess in turmoil. Tell me, mother gardeners: How do you balance training with making your garden grow? Or is it an either/or proposition?
5K of the Holidays: Eat, Drink, and Run Merry
And we’re almost 80% through the 5K of the Holidays…time for the final push. You might need some energy to finish strong, but before we dive into the awesome, healthy calories we’re offering today, a few reminders: all winners announced this Saturday, the 8th. And Canadians are in on this one too…it’s a cold, dark winter up there, and we know you need some tasty tastiness to get you through.
So today we devote to some of our favorite foods and drink, as well as a treat thrown in for the four-leggeds in the crowd. Because they like treats as much as we do.
Just minty: an eight-pack of limited edition Peppermint GU ($12.00)
When the run gets tough, I pull out a GU; the 100 calories snaps my body–and mind–back to to the task at hand. And when the GU is a fresh peppermint flavor, all the better…I’m ready to kiss my husband when I get home. (He’d like my breath; not sure about my salt-crusted face.)
Second to Nuun: Nuun 4-pack ($24)
I could write a Christmas carol about how much we love nuun–all I want for Christmas is nuuuuun, baby...–but since I don’t have Mariah Carey’s voice, I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say, Nuun’s unique, slightly sweet electrolyte tabs, which work as well on the run as they do post-run, keep us hydrated and happy.
Flippin’ out: Somersault Sunflower Seed Snacks (a variety worth $25)
Our mother runner pals in Minnesota introduced us to Somersaults, nut-free, crunchy snacks whose tastiness belies how high in protein and low in sugar they are. The sunflower-heavy nuggets are great on yogurt–or just by the handful (and handful and handful…until you clean out the stash of the MN mother runners.)
Nuttin’ but butter: Justin’s Nut Butters (a variety of single-serve packs)
With drool-worthy flavors like chocolate peanut butter and chocolate hazelnut butter (my personal fave), Justin’s Nut Butters slathered on a piece of toast are my preferred way to start–and end–my days. Bonus points for the super clever copy on the packaging (“Nuts can’t read, so I’m not afraid to say that [maple almond butter] is my favorite flavor.”)
Light it up: Luna 15-Bar Pack ($19)
Maybe the most troubling thing about Luna, on-the-go nutrition bars packed full of chick-important things like iron, folic acid, calcium, Vitamin D and, um, chocolate, is that there are too many scrumptious flavors to choose from: Nutz Over Chocolate, LemonZest, Peanut Honey Pretzel, S’mores…
Dog days: Zuke’s Dog Treats (a variety)
Everybody needs a treat, especially the four-leggeds who always run with us–and often are the ones who convince us we need to go. Zuke’s all-natural treats are small enough to stash in a pocket and reward a dog while on the run–or make a small mound of them, post-run, to thank your hound for his non-judgmental, always enthusiastic attitude. (And I’m thinking they might need to make a human version of Hip Action. Just saying.)
Five hungry mother runners will be sent one of each of these six treats; in order to enter, please answer this question in the comments below: what is your favorite snack? Could be healthy, could be not, could be something you eat on the run, could be something you eat while watching Modern Family. Just give us the food you think of when we say “snack. ”
Please read this: If you are reading on your iPhone or via email, please go to our website and enter your distance via the Comments. If you just hit reply, it goes to our email inbox, and we simply don’t have the womanpower to redirect you. Thanks in advance.
5K of the Holidays: Head-to-Toe Gear
We’re at the halfway point of our 5K of the Holidays so you should be nice and warmed up by now. As a reminder: We’ll announce the winners of the Monday through Thursday winners this Saturday, December 8. Continued good news, Canadian mother runners: You can enter this contest. The items in today’s giveaway have got you set from head to toe.
No-slip stereo sound: yurbuds Inspire Female In-ear Headphones ($30)
If you’ve been listening to a word I’d said all year, you already know how much I love yurbuds Inspire Female In-ear Headphones: They offer quality stereo sound while not blocking out ambient noise (like an approaching car or your running stroller passenger asking for more Cheerios), and they sit comfortably in the ear without bouncing around or falling out.
My girls’ best friend: Champion Spot Comfort High Support ($40)
I don’t have much in the chesticles department, but I’m still super-picky about what sports bra I wear. The Champion Spot Comfort High Support meets all my criteria, from a back hook-and-eye closure for easy on-and-off to no-bounce support to a liner of super-effective, smooth wicking material. Spot-on comfort is more like it.
Perfect for Festivus–or any race you want to stand-out in: Team Sparkle skirt ($25)
Dimity and I both stepped out in Team Sparkle running skirts at the Disneyland Half-Marathon in September. We’re not very girly-girl but smiles burst onto our faces the moment we slipped on the skirts. So fun, so perfect for adding some sizzle and sass to a running costume. We’ll be sportin’ Sparkle Running Skirts again when we run the Princess Half in a couple of months.
No cuter, more colorful way to cover your ass(ets): Sweet Spot Skirts ($69)
In a mother runner’s get-up-and-go lifestyle, sometimes we spend half the day in our capris before we go for a run or we don’t get a chance to strip out of our workout wear post-run. But we like to look presentable or, even better, cute. Enter a Sweet Spot Skirts reversible skirt. These cotton lovelies are meant to be worn over capris, tights, or shorts; with rows of snaps at the comfortably wide waistband, one size fits sizes 2-14.
Close but still protected: Altra The Superior ($95)
What would be a head-to-toe giveaway without a pair of running shoes? These kicks, Dimity’s new favorites from Altra, The Superior, are brand, brand new. They offer great grip and trail feel, but still some protection between you and the dirt.
Two fortunate mother runners will win one of each of these items–a pair of yurbuds, a Champion Sports Bra (of her choice), a Team Sparkle running skirt (color of her choice), a Sweet Spot Skirt (either a Pay It Forward or a Diamonds Are a Girls BFF pattern), and a pair of Altra The Superior shoes–by answering this question in the Comments below: What is your favorite race? It could be a distance–you rock 5Ks or can’t get enough of marathons–or a specific race like the Tinkerbell half-marathon or your town’s turkey trot.
Please read this: If you are reading on your iPhone or via email, please go to our website and enter your distance via the Comments. If you just hit reply, it goes to our email inbox, and we simply don’t have the womanpower to redirect you. Thanks in advance.
Eat Smart to Run Better
Isn’t Miller, the new addition to Sarah’s family, adorable?
Dimity and Sarah serve up a conversation with Cassie Dimmick, a sports dietician and certified running coach in Springfield, Missouri. She’s also a mother runner who knocked 45 minutes off her marathon PR by making a few simple changes to her diet and training so this woman practices what she preaches. According to Cassie, our gut needs to be trained just like muscles and heart do, so she talks about how to be well fueled for a run and how to deal with GI issues during and after a race. Once this podcast hits, we predict a spike in sales of apple sauce. Oh, and find out about Sarah’s new baby.
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