Note: Since February is the month of L❤VE—and the Olympics—we are devoting our Mondays at Another Mother Runner to Fast #Motherrunners we L❤VE. Although their training miles and splits are vastly different than ours, their perspectives—fitting it in, wanting the best from and for themselves—mirror the lives of every busy, ambitious female runner out there. 

 

Wednesdays are Alysia Montano’s days “off” running. The middle-distance track star and mother of two sets it aside for the administrative work of various business ventures.

Wednesday mornings also provide an opportunity for a treat—specifically, a mocha from the local coffee shop.

On this particular Wednesday morning, Alysia, 31, had a phone interview scheduled for 9:30. So she strapped her 12-week-old baby boy into his car seat, drove to the coffee shop, hauled the now-sleeping-baby-in-car-seat into the shop, placed her order, went to pay, and NO WALLET!

A kindly mother with three frolicking kids took pity on Alysia and said, “I am going to get this for you.”

Probably the kindly mother did not know she was buying mocha for an Olympian.

Alysia came in fifth in the 800 meters at the 2012 Olympics; the Russian gold and bronze medalists later were implicated in a doping scandal.

 

Alysia Montano is a seven-time U.S. 800-meter champion who ran in the 2012 Olympics with her trademark flower tucked behind her ear.

But Alysia is probably more famous for competing in the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships while quite visibly pregnant. TWICE.

Alysia in the opening round of the women’s 800 meter run during day 2 of the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hornet Stadium on June 26, 2014 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

In June 2014, she ran the 800-meter championships while eight months pregnant, her belly covered by a pink singlet, coming in last in 2:32.13 (try not to faint—that is “slow” for Alysia!). (Her doctors had cleared her to run.) She received a standing ovation.

A year later, with a healthy nearly-1-year-old at home, Alysia returned to the USATF championships and won the gold.

In June 2017, she was “only” five months pregnant. This time she wore just a sports bra—a Wonderwoman top, to be specific—and shorts. She came in last again, but the video of her run went viral.

 

In the 2017 USATF championships, Alysia was “just” 5 months pregnant.

 

Her social media bio reads “That pregnant runner.”

“It felt great to be honest,” Alysia says of her pregnant championship runs. “That is not my fast, it’s relative in that regard, so I was having a great time. I just didn’t want to be the first person to get lapped in the 800!”

Aster was born on November 24. Alysia is getting back on the track for twice-a-week workouts with her trainer. “My recovery was quick,” she says. “I healed quickly. In my range, I’m moving slow for me, but my goals are to get healthy.”

Juggling two little babies, a husband, a track career, and a sponsorship model that relies on her active social-media presence is not easy. Not a lot of elite athletes choose that path.

You schedule a phone interview during your 3-month-old’s “reliable” nap time, and the baby howls the whole time.

“This morning was just doing what it does and you just have to go with the flow,” Alysia says. “It keeps you grateful. I feel happy. Things could be easier, but I try to turn these things into a story to make sure every day ends with a little laugh.”

Linnea, age 3.5, with her new baby brother, Aster.

 

Oh yeah, can you guess where Alysia—lugging her mocha and Aster-in-car-seat— found her missing wallet?

ON TOP OF HER CAR!

Here are a few other fun facts about our favorite pregnant-running fast #motherrunner track star:

 

Goals for 2018

Restore my core. Post-partum with Linnea, I didn’t know where to start. I knew about activating my trans abdominis. Now I know so much more because I am an elite athlete. The best of the best professionals help me, and I want to provide that experience for women. I want to be a teaching tool for other people.

 

Training Week

Sundays I have a cardio day, have fun, run, maybe do the elliptical. Now that I am 12 weeks post-partum, I can do a little more, but it’s not necessary right now. Mondays and Fridays I do a plyo session. I like to do plyo crib squats during nap time. Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the track with a trainer. A friend meets me there to babysit Aster. She wears him in a sling while he naps. Friday is a longer cardio days.

 

About Sponsorship

I am morphing my model a little. When I first came up in the track and field sphere, you needed a major shoe sponsorship. At the time, I was one of the very few elite athletes who chose running and motherhood. I like to put that in an avenue that is authentic for me. I’m working with Bob Strollers, Picky Bars, Roll Recovery, Herb-x, NYAC, and ShowerPill.

 

About Social Media

I love where you can be with social media, where you can let women see HOW. How can we make this happen? I relate to the working mom, to the stay-at-home mom, to the fitness mom. I want to have fun with my audience, and engage with them. Your customers are your family. And I’m such a people person that that matters to me.

 

Alysia plays with Linnea after every workout.

Favorite Finish Line?

I don’t have one, to be honest. I think there isn’t a finish line. It’s good to be able to see it as an ongoing race. I’m down for this for the long haul.

 

“When people think of me as an elite or an Olympian, they may not realize that running makes me happy.”

 

What is the hardest part of the mother-runner balance?

Hardest part is the papa! I’m being really honest. You have to make time for THEM too. You have to have a balance between speech and love. Your kids are automatic, there’s no frustration: A baby needs me to do this, a 3-year-old needs me to do that. But you have to be compassionate about your partner’s needs too. You have to be careful in your speech, when you get frustrated, and be sensitive. Like when he comes home: Can you take Linnea to the park so I can run? Or do YOU need some of my time? Then today’s going to be an off day.

 

What do you love MOST about running?

I love the metaphor that I feel for running: the things you overcome, the freedom to just BE. It doesn’t have to always be this elite pursuit. When people think of me as an elite or an Olympian, they may not realize this makes me happy. I feel healthful, I feel good, I get this nice euphoric feeling, my brain is free. I can be the best version of myself for my family. Movement in life provides a healthful mindset. It’s like a reset button. I love that. It doesn’t have to be about running fast all the time, though it can be that, too. Fitness and running will be part of my life FOR EVER, regardless of my half-marathon time or whether I make an Olympic team, because being able to function and move makes me feel like I’m the very best version of myself.