A little post-orange glow going on for us at our AMR planning meeting. The good news is that sea-level Sarah survived her first Orange Theory class in the Mile High City. (L to R: Denise, Sarah, Jonna, Dimity.)
This past Sunday afternoon, the core of our AMR team convened in Denver to sweat, laugh, drink margs, regroup, chat, and plan 2016. (Not necessarily in that order, and yes, I will write a review of Orange Theory sooner than later.)
We’ll share more details about 2016 with you as they solidify, but one thing we spent some time with is on our mission statement and AMR values. Our mission statement is still in its editing phase; holy cow, those things are hard to write concisely. (That said, we know it begins with Another Mother Runner believes every female finds strength, confidence, and clarity through forward movement.)
We had an easier time naming ten core values that already rule the AMR community—and we will continue to spread in our everyday interactions with you. (The hard part here was whittling it down from 40ish to ten.)
Believe deeply in every mother runner.
Push each other across the finish line.
Momentum comes from teamwork.
Be generous.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Value rest.
Celebrate milestones—and regular old miles.
Run your own race.
Keep your eyes up the road.
Play nice.
Would you add or change any values?
And while we’re still in the planning stages, any suggestions you want to make for what you’d like to see AMR do in 2016?
Finally, anybody want to finish our mission statement? (Kidding. Kind of.)
I love the mission statement (so far) and the core values! Well done ladies. My only suggestion for 2016 is to be more inclusive of mother runners with grown children, or even grandchildren.
I love everything AMR, but agree with Janet. It would be great to have some of us Mom’s with older children and also Mom’s who work jobs whose hours aren’t as flexible – Mon.-Fri., when you’re gone 10-12 hours a day and trying to train and fit running into our lives.
I agree with both Janet and Maureen. While my child care responsibilities have decreased, my work responsibilities have increased. Somehow there never seems to be enough time :)
These are excellent core values that I might bring to our faculty meetings.
On the mission statement, do you want something about this unifying all of us?
I haven’t bad enough coffee to think of a mission statement, but I think you should come to Pittsburgh marathon and Disney Princess this year. Why? Because they are awesome races, of course, and I would love to meet you!
I love everything that you all do and stand for! Those mission statements are right on. I wouldn’t change a thing. The only tiny request I might have is more lead time on when retreats are held. It requires a tremendous amount of planning and arrangements for me to leave town so the more time the better. Hoping I can join one of your retreats in the next couple years!
I echo Janet’s comment (above). Please be more inclusive of those of us with adult kids & grandkids. The ‘more mature’ runner! :) Also, as a Masters ‘trackie’, I feel like an outsider.
Re- Mission Statement. Having been involved in developing a few, I don’t envy you. Suggestion… keep it as simple as possible. Good luck. Thanks for all the smiles.
I would echo the comments on inclusiveness. Would love to see stepmom and families with two moms as another perspective as well. At times, some of the anecdotes in the books feel focused on male-female couples. Obviously that’s the majority, but I also think it is possible to be more general with references to home situations, partners, etc. I wouldn’t mind putting something out there about my own experience as a two mom household, and navigating the challenges of being a two mom runner family. It isn’t as easy as having a BRF, even though we are both female.
love love LOVE the core values!!!
I’ll echo the same statements as Janet and Maureen. Having older children means we are older, so some of the issues faced by older mother runners would be great. I love the “guest” columnists, especially Adrienne. It’s so nice to have a different perspective. But, you ladies do an awesome job and are a real bright spot in my day!
Love every one of them!!! In a way, supporting other mother runners is giving back to both running and mothers, but maybe adding something a little more specific on giving back (charity 5K’s, donating shoes, supporting girls on the run, or any other ways to give back through the running community)
I have been hearing/reading a lot about “self care” recently. While both running and rest are parts of self care, I think it encompasses more. Perhaps the idea of reminding women to practice taking care of themselves (like we practice running) would be good? Whether specified or implied, I think it is already part of what AMR does.
I taught high school for 12 years. I am currently on leave for 1 year to re-group and be home with our 4 children. I definitely can relate to the schedule and pace of a mom with a less flexible work schedule. I’m just now learning to pace my fitness in a more flexible schedule. I’m working towards a new balance and have found this group to be supportive and helpful on my journey.
As far as mission statements go, I have often found it to be true that saying less is often saying more. As far as a suggestion for 2016, please consider visiting Greenville, SC! We have a lovely city with a large and vibrant running community. Any look at Greenville and the surrounding attractions and great location would certainly put it at the top of the list of possible future retreat locations. Please consider it and let me know if I can help in any way with logistics to make it happen.
I love the values that you have! One I didn’t see that I think is super important is self value and PRIORITIZE YOURSELF. So often as mothers we put ourselves last, when really we are better mothers if we prioritize our self care.
The core values listed are excellent! I need to remind myself of them daily. My suggestion would be maybe add several regional BAMRs to your merry group. I know it has to be overwhelming to either travel or respond to all the comments and issues raised in areas far from your Seattle/Denver bases. So if you would designate a BAMR for different areas or regions that person would help you and also add another person that can add to this dynamic and wonderful AMR network. I would vote to add some southern influences :)
Florida mother runner meet up!!!! That’s what I want:) Disney Marathon Weekend, Princess Half Marathon Weekend, River Run worlds largest 15K. Any of those would be great:)
Love, love, love the core values. They have such a broad meaning for women in general as we relate each other throughout life. Well done. And yes, I’d be happy to help you tweak a mission statement if you’re serious!
I am with Jennifer! I think AMR ambassadors is a fab idea.
yes yes yes to ambassadors!!
I don’t understand why “play nice” is there. We’re the adults not the kids here!
Love what you’ve done. Here are thought in the mission: A mission statement should describe your core business and what sets you apart. I think that the mission. Would be easier to finish if you also develop a vision statement… How will the world be different for having AMR in the world? Your current statement has elements of that in it and if you tease out a vision, then the mission may be clearer. Happy to talk through it if you wish.
I think 10 is a nice number, and I really like exactly these 10. I would totally look over your mission statement if you wanted another pair of eyes. They are indeed a bear to write because you want it to be short, sweet, and – if we’re being honest – mindblowingly meaningful. Oh, and not cheesy.
What do I want from 2016? A retreat!! Hoping for Spokane because it’s drive-able for me. There was no way no way I could go to the first one, so I’ve been trying to patiently wait for another one. After Sarah crushes Boston?
how about “run with integrity” instead of “play nice”? For 2016 it would be sweet to have some local events, maybe pre or post race, with running clinics. It could be on form, foam rolling, shake out runs, yoga, strength, etc. kind of like one of the retreat classes, and possibly in conjunction with a local running group.
Play Nice fits perfectly—don’t change it! It bridges the mother part of our lives to our adult selves as we take our own advice. We don’t grow out of our human nature: we tame it, train it, teach it. Play nice encompasses everything from basic running manners to the timeless golden rule, to being thoughtful and sensitive to others around you. I’ve seen true hard-core top-notch competitors play nice by being a genuinely kind human at the same time. Go Play. Nice.
Idea for 2016: AMR Tours Europe!