February 2015

Welcome to our next round of Tales From Another Mother Runner Thursday, where we preview one of the 22 essays and authors in our forthcoming book. While our names are on the cover, the book is a truly celebration of this amazing, badass community: not only does it contain 22 essays from a range of talented writers and mother runners, it has miles of insight, advice, stories, and humor from hundreds of you. 

Up today is Heather Johnson Durocher, aka Michigan Runner Girl, who is a mom to three kids, ages 14, 12, and 9. 

Important Schedule Note: We’re filling in our book tour as quickly as we can. We’ve got readings in Portland and Denver on March 2, we’re hitting Andover, MA; Syracuse, NY; TBD, New Jersey; and West Hartford, CT from March 9-12. Sarah is bound for Austin in late March, Dimity’s hitting Atlanta in late April, and there’s much more to come.

Check out the details and the growing list here of stops. (Little Rock Marathon: We’re coming for you first!)

My running history: As a child, I distinctly remember disliking running, particularly during gym class; painful side stitches stand out in my mind. I attempted to become a runner as an adult (mostly to impress my athletic then-boyfriend/now-husband, I’ll admit) but it never stuck. About nine years ago I gave it a go again, entirely for myself, and I kept at it. I’m so grateful to have unearthed this passion. It’s completely transformed my life and positively impacted how we’re raising our kids.

My writing history: Working on my high school newspaper led to studying journalism at Michigan State University. Internships and post-college positions at daily newspapers in the Midwest followed. I was working as a reporter at the Saint Paul Pioneer Press in St. Paul, MN when our daughter was born in 2000. Not long after I transitioned to freelance writing, and I’ve been contributing to magazines, newspapers and web sites, ever since. In 2010 I began publishing Michigan Runner Girl a health-travel web site about running and living happy in Michigan.

My essay, “Taking the Long Way Home” centers around: my getting lost (figuratively, not literally on a run) several years ago, and how the string of choices I made during this period only took me further away from my true self. I write about the aftermath of this confusing and painful time and how running helped me heal and realize what the best version of myself could and should be. Ultimately, this journey helped save my marriage.

I was scared—still am—to put this piece of myself out into the world. But I think I’m more afraid of keeping the truth inside me. I spent many miles working through these emotions and figuring out how best to describe my experience. I also talked through a lot of it with my husband, given it was our story I was sharing.

I’m a die-hard Mitten State runner because: Nothing compares to Michigan’s landscape. The abundance of fresh water is what makes our state so lovely; the Great Lakes beaches are among my favorite places on Earth . I’d also say the extensive trails, especially in northern Michigan where I live and in the Upper Peninsula, are world-class. It’s a runner’s paradise.

My gotta-have gear: Earphones for listening to podcasts (Serial, AMR, TED Radio Hour) and tunes on long training runs.

Recent memorable run: A little over a week ago the stars aligned and I was able to meet up with three of my best running friends for a long run. We’re all on different schedules and had varying mileage on tap for the day: Pam and Erin are gearing up for spring half-marathons, while I’m training for the Boston Marathon and Katie was about to give birth to her fourth baby. So it was kind of a miracle that we all could figure out how to run together. It was just so good to catch up and enjoy what would be our last long run all together. (At least for awhile; Katie gave birth a few days ago to a beautiful little girl).

Recent horrible run: I’m not sure I’d call it horrible, but this morning’s speed workout (6X800) wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I am following a new-to-me marathon training plan, the Hansons Marathon Method, for marathon #7 and it’s tough.

I’m grateful to feel healthy and be injury-free at this point in the training, but I’m TIRED. And hungry. So, today, as I faced this challenging interval workout, I just didn’t want to do it. It’s a frigid week here, temps in the teens and low 20s, but the sun was shining today. And the roads are mostly clear. So I headed out, willing myself to get my head in the game. It took the entire warm-up mile to get into it, and then I did. I told myself I built some mental muscle today.

Next up on my running calendar: I’m focused on my second Boston (praying for cooler weather, compared to 2012’s ridiculously hot weather), but I’m also hoping to make it up to the U.P. for my second snowshoe race of the season, the Tahquamenon Snowshoe Race later this month.

The other day, I was scrolling around the Girls on the Run of the Rockies (GOTR) site to sign up for my annual coaching stint when I read about Karen “Casey” Cortese, who is raising money for GOTR by doing the inaugurual Triple 7 Quest: a challenge during which participants run 7 marathons or half-marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. 

I love a good Amazing Race situation, so I had to know more. I reached out to Casey, a 51-year-old aunt runner (she’s got six nieces and nephews) who is originally from Racine, Wisconsin, but has lived in Denver for decades. Until February 8, when the Triple 7 Quest kicked off, she’d run a total of six half-marathons her entire life, but it’s NBD: She apparently loves a good (sleepless) challenge. 

Actually, I’ll let her tell you why she signed up for the Quest:
Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with self-doubt—as have most women, as I’ve learned through my 51 young years. Not because I’m incapable of taking on challenges or due to a lack of success. In fact, there really is no reason. It just is.

I’ve found in my quest to always be MY best, I sometimes have confused that with wanting to be THE best. And if I feared I couldn’t be the best, I’ve shied away. I didn’t want anyone to think I am lacking. In anything.

Race Schedule at a Glance: 
2/8:  Melbourne, Australia (AUSTRALIA)
2/9:  Abu Dhabi, UAE (ASIA)
2/10:  Paris, France (EUROPE)
2/11:  Tunis, Tunisia (AFRICA)
2/12:  Long Island, New York (NORTH AMERICA)
2/13:  Punta Arenas, Chile (SOUTH AMERICA)
2/14:  King George Island, Antarctica (ANTARCTICA) (After the race, they’ll visit a penguin colony and camp overnight.)

Total Miles: 91.7 on the ground,  39,464 in the air.

Most Challenging Race: Tunis! We’ll be running 1 a.m. after the Paris race at 10 a.m….with no time to sleep in between!

Goal: To finish. To keep moving, and to carry the young women of Girls on the Run with me.

Number of nights she’ll sleep in a hotel room during the Triple 7 Quest: 1. (The luxurious Hampton Inn in Garden City, NJ, if you’re wondering. Before the Long Island race: Lincoln’s Birthday Marathon and Half-Marathon.)

Jetlag plan: I’m hoping we’ll be traveling so fast I won’t even feel lagged. But I’ll drink plenty of water and stretch my legs on the plane whenever possible. But this will be a mental game: I will only think about the joy of the run ahead of me.

Nutrition plan: I Have plenty of peanut butter packs, protein supplements, and Bakers Breakfast Cookies, which have kept me nourished through my training. I haven’t stuck to a specific nutrition plan during my training, as I knew I’d be running on many different types of food during the race journey.

Packing list: Two pairs of broken-in running shoes are at the top of the list. I have running clothes for the 98 degree heat in Melbourne to the -26 degree chill in Antarctica. For the coldest temps, I have a balaclava, some heat packs, wool stocks, along with a wool  hat and a wind-resistant jacket. I have three pairs of compression socks and will wear them on every flight. Layers are key, but being from Colorado, I’m an expert at that.

Inspiration, part I: My Mom. In May I did the Great Wall of China Half-Marathon with my sister and my mom. It was my mom’s first half-marathon—at the age of 74! She has always told me I can do whatever I set out to do, and she lives that example constantly. I also have an incredibly supportive group of family and friends who have pushed me and are rooting me on, which means the world to me!

Inspiration part II: Girls on the Run. If my crazy around the world race adventure can somehow inspire young girls to discover and reach their unique and full potential through running, then all the training hours, the miles and yes, the pain, will be worth it.

If you’re inspired and want to donate to Casey’s Girls on the Run campaign, click here.

If you want to follow the rest of Casey’s adventure, here’s her blog.

Curious: What running adventure do you want to go on?

 

Totally floored by the 600+ responses to #AMRinSaucony post. We knew you were all badass, all had incredible stories that brought you to running, compelling reasons that keep you logging miles, but we just.had.no.idea.

Floored.

We read stories about post-partum depression—and the necessary lift that the miles gave you. We read stories about making 2015 your year to run your first 10K, half-marathon, your first marathon, your first Boston Qualifying time, your fastest Boston time. We read stories about infertility, adoption, miscarriage, stillbirths. We read stories about (not yet) mother runners logging miles with their dads, and being inspired by their moms. We read stories about losing best running friends, about kicking cancer to the curb (sometimes more than once), about using running to finally define a healthy body image and eating habits.

We read some great lines, including, but not limited to:

“I Find my Strong in my leaner shadow running with me on the ground.” —Heather

“By all rights, I am not your typical athlete. It feels like I’ve punk-rocked it through my entire running journey.”—Jackie (who also has, “a really awesome idea for a running-related musical number, which will be pretty epic, at least in my mind.”)

“My running clothes are clearance rack, but my confidence is haute couture.” —Tara

“I Find my Strong in the universal truth that a good mood is always only one run away.” —Megan

“I Find my Strong when I get at 2 a.m. for a crying kiddo, and can feel yestersday’s run in my quads.” —Katye

Finally, after hours and hours and hours of  reading each one carefully, we had to make some tough decisions.

First, we narrowed 600+ applicants down to about 60, and then 30, then 20, then 5, and finally, we made our decision.

Ready for our #AMRinSaucony?

Before you groan, why didn’t you pick me? please check out Amy, whose entry—and perspective and life—encompasses pieces of so many of your entries.

Point One: Her running journey began when life wasn’t exactly working out as she expected.

“I was running away from the crap in my life, figuratively and literally. Running helped me find the strength to get through that part of my life and taught me I was a lot stronger than I gave myself credit.”

Point Two: She’s currently initimately familiar with sleepless nights, sore boobs, and wondering what it’s like to use the bathroom solo. Her kids are 5 years old, 2 years old, and two months old.

“I have three small, needy kids. And I love them, but they demand all of me most of the time.” And she also works as a web developer with need, not small co-workers (our words…not her’s).

Point Three: She embraces the power of a mile…

“When I strap on my shoes and walk out the front door, I enter this magical fairy world where the only thing that matters is my run. And though the time is finite, I get to decide how the story plays out: slow and steady. Fartleks. Hills for fun. Long run until I’m ready to pass out. The stories all don’t go as planned, but they’re a chance for me to reset and refuel.” 

Point Four: …even though she, “will never be a regular fixture on the finisher’s podium.”

“I don’t have any natural talent for running. I am, however, terribly stubborn and good at putting one foot in front of the other and powering on.”

Point Five: She’s run 10 marathons, including one six-months post-partum in 2012. (“Yeah, that was kind of rough.”). And guess what? Now she has to start.all.over.again. Using her resilience she’s honed over the years, she’s going to use 2015 to find a whole new perspective on her strong.

“Running postpartum has been really difficult. I want to build my strength back in places it’s always been lacking: namely, my core. I’ll run some races, set new goals—not necessarily just time-related—and enjoy running again.”

If you want to congratulate Amy on being selected, feel free to do so below, or via @amyupnorth, her Twitter account. (You can also follow her on Instagram at @amyupnorth, or on her blog Amy, up north.) 

As Amy shares her journey to a new strong over the course of 2015, we hope this exercise has resonated with you like it did with Robin, who wrote:

“Thanks for the opportunity to think about these questions.
Answering them has helped me realize it is time to get my strong on again and put more time into ME.”

We hope you found a little kick in your badass, like Robin did, by slowing down and thinking about where you’ve been—and where you want to go.

And while Amy epitomizes many of the traits we mother runner share, we still know there is a lot of #AMRinSaucony love to be created and shared in this mother runner tribe.

Periodically through this year, we’re going to have opportunities to win sweet new Saucony gear beyond the usual Hump Day Giveaways. We’re going to want to see your muscles, your mojo, your miles…so be prepared. In the meantime, feel free to hashtag it up with #AMRinSaucony when you have a great run, a moment you want to celebrate, or just want to show us how cute your Triumph ISOs look on the green grass of spring.

Finally, thanks again for all your thoughtful, entertaining applications; we were honored to read them all, and we’re going to circle back to quite a few of them as we hit on different topics this year. As the opportunities arise, we’ll reach out and see if you’re interested.

Many happy, strong miles this—and every—Monday.

Welcome to our next round of Tales From Another Mother Runner Thursday, where we preview one of the 22 essays and authors in our forthcoming book. While our names are on the cover, the book is a truly celebration of this amazing, badass community: not only does it contain 22 essays from a range of talented writers and mother runners, it has miles of insight, advice, stories, and humor from hundreds of you. Up today is Rachel Walker, a mother to a two-year-old and a four-year-old in Boulder, CO. 

Important Schedule Note: Rachel, along with local writers Terzah Becker and Michelle Theall, will join Dimity at a reading at the Tattered Cover in downtown Denver on Monday, March 2 at 7 p.m. Sarah will also have a reading that night at Powell’s at 7:30 in Portland. (And there’s going to be a fun pre-party in Portland.) We’re pulling together the final details of our book tour now, but here’s a list of a few stops we know we’re making in 2015. (Little Rock Marathon: We’re coming for you first!)

Ok, back to Rachel. 

My running history: I began running in 9^th grade when I joined the cross-country team. I was hooked. I’ve been running ever since.

My writing history: I started my journalism career in 1998 as the environmental reporter at the Jackson Hole News. After Jackson, I moved to Bend, Oregon, to report on the environment for the local paper, and in 2004 I was a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at CU-Boulder. Following the fellowship, I was hired at Skiing Magazine. Since then, I’ve made a living as a freelance writer and editor. I am also at work at a coming of age memoir about my failed attempts at training young failed racehorses into successful show jumpers on a shoestring budget in my 20’s.

My essay, “Nine Runs, Nine Lives” talks about: My evolution into adulthood—and, later, motherhood—which was punctuated by distinct periods, some joyful, others less so. Running was the only thing I did consistently throughout those periods. While writing this essay, it was fun to look at my life through the prism of running. It’s a wonderful benchmark for so many milestones.

Published young: In my essay, I mention speech I wrote about being a cross-country runner in high school, which ended up being published in Runner’s World, when I was a teenager. I had no idea that was a big deal. My coach actually asked me for a transcript of what I read at the banquet and sent it in without telling me what he was doing. When he told me it was going to be published, my first thought was, “Am I going to get paid?” (I have no memory of getting paid.)

Recent memorable run: After weeks of trying, I finally coordinated a run with a girlfriend who had her third baby in late summer. I was expecting it to be more of a shuffle, since she’s in the throes of post-partum-return-to-work madness (and has three kids), and I’ve only recently ramped up my mileage after being injured (see below).

Instead it was one of those lovely warm Colorado winter days with blue skies and clear trails. We started talking and kept up a brisk pace, and before I knew it we covered about six miles and connected in a visceral way that transcended the heartfelt, but incomplete, texts and emails we’d been exchanging while each trying to stay on top of our busy lives.

Recent horrible run: While celebrating our anniversary in Aspen last June, I headed out for a 13-miler since I was training for a marathon. My husband stayed at the hotel because he was recovering from a broken femur sustained in a ski accident in March. I was woefully unprepared. It’s embarrassing to admit I didn’t even bring water. I had a vague sense of my route and a printed-off map from the Internet. My 13-mile run turned into a 17-mile epic, involving postholing through late-season snow, turning around, and calling my husband to eventually come pick me up.

All of that would be fine, except I managed to really hurt my Achilles tendon, which meant no marathon and no running for 12 weeks while I healed.

Next up on my running calendar: Buy new shoes since mine are worn out.