Day in the Life of Another Mother Runner: Happy Fit Mama
Welcome to our second stab at #dayinthelifeofAMR: a day where we hand over our Instagram account to another mother runner and let her document her day. Angela from Happy Fit Mama stepped up, even though she’s not able to run right now (ugh, hate that, Angela…so sorry. Sending you healing vibes!). Angela is a running coach and is participating in Saucony’s 26 Strong Program, among other things. Here’s a recent Saturday in her life:
If you’re interested in taking over our account for a day, we’d love to have you. You can be training, injured, inspired, not so much, a beginner, a marathoner…as long as you want to open the door to your mother runner world, we’d love to come on in and look around. Please email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com.
10 Reasons Why You Should Be a Mother Runner…
She looks all calm and collected now; just wait for ten more years, when you’re still reminding your kid to brush her teeth, and your mother-in-law wonders, out loud, multiple times, why you still do that.
10. Because you can’t control drivers who cut you off with nary a blinker, and deifnitely not a wave of thanks. Or the condescending reaction your boss has to a project on which you worked ridicidulously hard. Or the fact that there are no green grapes at the store and your four-year-old absolutely.must.have green grapes for circle project tomorrow at preschool. (You were told about it last week, but can’t always control your brain either, turns out.) The world spins, the highways are clogged, the boss is a jerk, the grapes aren’t in season. It’s that way, and you’ve got no say.
9. Because school reunions happen. Even though your confidence is shaky and your heart is thumping when you walk in to a room of people you haven’t seen in two decades, your muscular legs ground you. (And you can control what you wear: the perfect length skirt to show them off, of course.)
8. Because you can’t control your offspring. What’s for dinner? I’m not sure why my teacher is calling you. Why does she get to have a phone and not me? Why can’t I watch another hour of television? Why do I have to clean up my room? Why are we having that for dinner? Why do I have to go to bed at 8? Why am I in trouble for swinging at stick at Dillon? Why do I have to find my flip flops; why can’t you? What else can I have for dinner if I don’t want that? Why will you only make one dinner for everybody?
7. Because this.
6. Guess what? You can’t control your adult family either. Your husband, partner, ex-husband, mother, sister, father-in-law, on and on. Intentional or not, they make certain observations, cast judgments, choose behaviors that naturally raise the hair on your neck. The very best of us on a great day can smile and realize its not a true reflection of the person we are. (Read: .0001% of the time that happens.) The rest of us carry emotional baggage that threatens to spill open—and onto any innocent bystander—at any random moment. (Always a kick to know you’ve got that sitaution brewing inside you regularly, isn’t it?)
5. Because Mom, really: what’s for dinner?
4. Ok, so you can control your pets. Well, maybe not where they mistakenly poop or barf, and the rate of their shedding, but you can count on them for unconditional love, no sassing back, no looking you up and down with a critical eye, no asking what’s for dinner—Why, yes, I’ll happily eat the same meal you’ve given for breakfast and dinner for the past 1,236 days! Still, random poop and vomit: no fun to clean up, especially when it involves a rug.
3. Because you instantly connect women like Jen, who recently gave us this brief timeline:
Two years ago: Seven months pregnant with 4th boy, 235 pounds, diagnosed with breast cancer.
One year ago: Boob-less, bald, and ready to get fit! Started with C25K and fell in love with running.
Last weekend: After using Another Mother Runner’s plan, ran my first half in 1:59 (with +489 elevation!).
We all know a Jen. We all admire her for stepping up, taking control. She does it? With no hair, no boobs, four small boys? I better try too.
2. Because guess what you can control? You. And your run. Whether or not you chose to go. Your one foot stepping in front of the other one. Your pace. The route you go, the effort you put into it, the miles you cover, the quiet you keep—or the music you blare.
Is it always easy? Never.
Is it that simple? Nine times out of ten, no.
Is it one of the few things in your life where you can set a goal, break it down into tiny pieces, and taste success on a nearly daily basis? Yes.
Do you get a remarkable payback: confidence, strength, joy, perspective, community, and yes, badass legs from a run, this crisp, beautiful, individual thing? Absolutely.
1. Because once you realize how transformative a run is, you don’t worry—as much—about the stupid work projects; the mother-in-law who still clucks that her son is too good for you; the nine-year-old who still needs to be reminded to brush his teeth twice a day; the husband who is eyeing a motorcycle because he just needs one…you can’t control it, but you can make this your mantra.
Ok, there are about a billion trillion reasons why you should be a mother runner…what’s one of yours?
#133: Victory in Victoria
Sarah (on the right, but you should know that by now!) and Molly
Sarah and Dimity welcome an extra-special guest on this episode: Sarah’s best running friend (BRF), Molly. She joins the mother runners to tell tales of the Victoria Marathon. Molly ran the half-marathon and, spoiler alert, Sarah re-qualified for Boston Marathon in time of 3:56:54! But the show is mainly Sarah recounting her strong race, her first-ever negative split in a marathon (her 11th 26.2-mile race). Sarah’s brimming with pride, and hopefully she imparts useful insight and advice for any runners looking to dig deep and finish strong in their next race, whatever the distance.
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Martini Fridays: Ripped it up.
I can only begin to tell you how much more chill I was at the start of the Empire State Half Marathon, my second half, than I was at the start of the Pittsburgh Half Marathon, my first. This dynamic was also true with me and childbirth. I was wound pretty tightly when it came to making sure baby number one had the “perfect” birth. With kid number two, I could have birthed anywhere as long as that epidural drip just kept working its magic.
I was pretty chill on Sunday for another reason: it was really freaking cold. Forty degrees is a great temperature for running, yes, but it is a hard temp to bear when you are waiting for the run to start. Fortunately, I’d grabbed a throw-away sweatshirt before I left home and was less numb than I could have been when the proverbial gun went off.
What you can’t see is how quickly Ms Molly was developing frostbite.
My friend Lisa, who I know from a knitting retreat I’ve gone to for quite a few years now, came down from New Hampshire to run with me. Her official 13.FUN race was a couple of weeks earlier and she killed her goal time. Fortunately, she had enough stamina (or lack of common sense) to sign up for another run so close to her last one.
Before the official race start, I sandwiched myself between two parked cars to block the wind while I waited for Lisa to hit the porta-potties one last time. And while I was standing there, women from the AMR meet-up the previous night kept wandering up, drawn by my muppet-like nimbus of pre-race hair being tossed by gale force winds.
Just a quick note about the meet-up: Mother Runners are awesome.
The Another Mother Runner Mini Meet Up.
A couple of other quick notes: If there hadn’t been a race the next day, I suspect the eight of us could have spent the rest of the night talking and laughing and commiserating. We had a whole range of stories to share. Some were about running, as you might imagine, but others were about having small children and tweens and college age kids. There was talk of injuries and leaky bladders.
There was also swag, which had been sent by the AMR home office aka Dimity’s house. When I opened the box, the air smelled like Denver.
A few treats from SofSole, Hylands, and Nuun.
We didn’t make any formal plans to hook up at the start. It just kind of happened, mostly because the Empire State Half Marathon is small enough to run into people and I am relatively tall.
After Katherine Switzer gave her pre-race pep talk, we were counted down and sent off. The speedier of the AMR meet-up runners took off. Lisa, Molly, and I settled in for a 2:30 finish.
I didn’t really notice the first three miles. The pace was just a leeetle bit faster than I’m used to and I had to focus to keep up. I also had to focus to push through the bitter headwind. If any race could have benefited from a peloton, this would have been it.
What shocked me most was how the pace felt OK, even through the first half of the race. I kept disbelieving the 11:30 number on Herr Garmin, even though he has never, ever lied to me before. But there it was — and it was corroborated by the watches around me. Turns out that inconsistent training still can provide benefits. Crazy.
Which makes me think two things: maybe I’ll spend some time this winter training to complete a speedy quick 5K in the early spring and maybe I could even get below 2:30 in Pittsburgh in May. But those thoughts are getting ahead of the story.
The three of us stuck together until just past mile eight. Ms Molly felt the need for a little more speed; Lisa and I cheerfully urged her on. Between that point and just before the end of the course, Lisa and I alternately chatted and ran in comfortable silence. Every now and again, we stopped so that she could stretch her IT band, which was beginning to grumble, and I could shake out my lower back, which was beginning to tighten up. Also every now and again, we were passed by the first pack of marathoners, who would sneak up behind us like jungle cats, then speed on down the road, looking like they could maintain that pace for hours.
About half-a-mile out, Lisa dared me to reel in the runner in pink in front of us. I said something that can politely be translated as “never going to happen,” but gave it a go. After catching said runner, Lisa suggested reeling in the next runner. I believe I was more emphatic in my never going to happen – in my head, at least, because saying what I was thinking would have taken more energy than I had. Still, I gave it a go — but we crossed the finish before we caught her.
Mary’s daughter got into the spirit.
I can honestly say that without the support of Lisa, who you should all run with because she is pretty dang awesome, and Molly, whose left shoulder I spent the bulk of the race drafting off of, I never would have set a PR of 2:32.
That number still makes me smile: 2:32. I had no idea I had that in me. But, as the kids say, woot. There it is.
It’s a rather …. exuberant medal.
We’re musing about meeting up for another local-ish race — maybe Wineglass, because, um, wine — next fall. More details to come, should there be more details.
As for the rest of the week, I’ve been basking in my post-PR glow and deeply digging the lack of long, hard training runs in my immediate future. I might, like, bake a pie this weekend, just because I can.
How do you celebrate after any goal race? Do you enjoy all of your newly found free time? Or simply start plotting the next race?
AMR Traveling Ultimate 6 Kit, Episode 7: Labral Tear
JoEllyn, a Minny-SO-tah mother runner, contacted us last spring as she was about to head into surgery to repair a tear in her labrum and correct some other hip issues. After she got the approval from her physical therapist, we sent her the AMR TriggerPoint Traveling Ultimate 6 Kit to assist in her recovery–and help her get closer to logging some miles.
A range of mother runners with injuries—everything from sciatica to plantar fasciitis—have found release and relief with the AMR TriggerPoint Traveling Ultimate 6 Kit. You can access them all here. If you have an injury we haven’t covered and want to try the Kit, please email us at runmother [at] gmail [dot] com. Thanks!
Running history: I started running back when my son was about 1.5 years old (he’s now four). I really struggled with post partum depression that wouldn’t let go, so I started in a Zilch to 5K class. I fell in love with running quickly, and was losing weight and feeling awesome. I decided to help lead a local chapter of Moms RUN This Town to keep myself accountable and to meet other mother runners.
Physical history: I have always had what I called “creaky hips” and when I upped my mileage in my training for my first half-marathon, my hips started to get “creakier” and I started to get pain that hung around. After going to my regular doctor, a physical therapist, and two chiropractors, I finally insisted on getting an MRI. It showed that I had exactly what I had suspected: a labral tear of the hip.
More specifically: I have what is called FAI (Femoral Acetabular Impingement), and this led me to have the labral tear. In a nutshell, my hips didn’t fit together all that well and it caused my labrum to tear away from my socket. This caused me to have pain and a lot of other soft tissue issues from compensation. In June, I had surgery to not only get rid of the pain, but also because if I were to let it go, it would cause osteoarthritis to occur in my hip.
Running drought: I have not run since March; I had to skip out on the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon here in Duluth and Ragnar with my MRTT group.
JoEllyn: dirty, smiling, and running. Just the way we like them.
Easing back into it: Recently, I have recently able to get on the Precor AMT—a cross between an elliptical and a stairmaster—at my local YMCA and I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. My surgeon told me to expect to take a full year to be back at 100%, so I am being diligent and cautious. The most important aspect for me in recovery is making sure my glutes are firing and working. If they aren’t, it causes other muscles to fire, creating compensation issues and inflammation where I don’t want or need it.
And rolling, rolling, rolling: The Quadballer has been a LIFESAVER. My TFL and hip flexors have been angry since surgery, and my piriformis is just a consistent crank. The Quadballer is the ONLY thing that has been able to get at those areas and loosen them up. (I was using a PVC pipe right before I got this, if it gives any indication of what I had tried!) One of the worst parts of recovering from this surgery is the inability to stretch properly. Never in my life have I wanted to do a piriformis stretch so badly, but the range of motion limitations with my groin made it impossible. The Quadballer, along with the TriggerPoint Massage Ball, helped me get in there—and stopped my muscles from feeling like they were seizing up.
I was getting very intense, deep massages to help loosen everything post-surgery, and the Ultimate 6 Kit was the perfect thing for maintenance in between massages. Now that I’m solidly recovered, I use it between four and seven days a week. (It just feels so good to use it!) The Ultimate 6 Kit also works incredibly well for just loosening up after a day at work; sitting all day is awful for hip flexors, so this is a great way for me to wake them up and get them stretched out a bit.
Back to the miles: I am going to start running again within the month. I did a little jog on a path with my son and my hip had zero pain while doing that little bit, which it never had before! That said, I am honestly a little scared. I read stories of people going back full steam and retearing their labrum. I do not want to be one of those. I will likely do my entire season back using run/walk intervals to make sure I’m not pushing too hard.
#132: 13.FUN Half-Marathon Companion
Ilyce “Ms. Chiz” Chizmadia at her 13.FUN culmination race on a wet Massachusetts day. She still ripped off her first sub-2:00 13.1, rain or no rain!
Ilyce “Ms. Chiz” Chizmadia at her 13.FUN culmination race on a soggy Massachusetts day. Rain or no rain, she still rocked her first sub-2:00 13.1.
An hour+ podcast to accompany 13.FUN Challengers on their culmination race—or anyone running a half-marathon or other race. By weaving in comments from 13.FUN’ers and sharing their own race experiences, Sarah and Dimity talk you up—and through—a competitive challenge. From reminders about the power of running to mantras, from TMI moments to big race-day results, the ladies cover all the ground to excite and inspire you. Bonus: There are clips from 10 get-you-moving songs interspersed in this special episode.
*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.
**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that!