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| Photo via Skinnyandfabulous.com |
I know why I
run and I know how it makes me feel but can people relate to that? I decided to
conduct some interviews to see what other moms thought. I talked to four moms
with different backgrounds. I’ll give you a brief intro to each of them as
well.
Me: Why do you run?
Ceri H: [I run] as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Weight loss was an awesome bonus but I also love that it helps me treat my
anxiety and depression without drugs.
Ceri H. is a military wife and mom of a 2-year-old daughter. She is 4 ½ months pregnant. She has been running since July of 2011 but took a break during the early parts of her pregnancy due to morning sickness and exhaustion. She is back to running several days a week now.
Kristen K: I need some regular physical exercise
to stay sane after having two babies. I need a good excuse to get away from my
two babies! I really want to set a good example for my kids around physical
activity and wellness.
Kristen K. is a new mom of
twin boys, ages 3 months old. She is married and works from home. She
is new to running this time around. She’s tried it in the past but never had
success because the right motivation wasn’t there. She also happens to be my
long-distance running partner.
Me: What is the best part of running?
Amy F: The best part for me is clearing my mind. I
barely get a break during the day, so running is my “alone” time with my
thoughts.
Amy F. is a married mom of
two girls, ages 3 and 1. She is a stay-at-home mom and hopes to soon start
going back to school. She just started running this year in January after her
dad had a heart attack in his 40’s.
Christine S: Crossing the finish line of races is
a feeling I will never forget and doesn’t ever get old!!
Christine S. is a married
mom of two boys, ages 4 and 2. She is an early education teacher and is
trying to meet her goal of running at least one race every month
(5k’s, 10k’s, ½ marathons and a full marathon late this fall). She started
running in June of 2011 and runs to support the American Cancer Society in
honor of her Grandma who passed away in January 2011.
What is the worst part of running?
Kristen K: So far there’s no "worst" thing because today
(March 20, 2012) was my first workout, though I suspect tomorrow the worst
thing will be how my muscles feel. It was amazing to get away and get outside
and just be in myself and focus on pushing myself physically and mentally in a
way that’s all about me.
Ceri H: Chafing!
Christine S: Trying to balance the time spent
running with family time. It’s hard to work full-time, be a mom, and a runner.
Me: How did you get started?
Amy F: I wanted to try something new. I’ve never
run before in my life. I tried the Couch to 5k program but it was entirely too
slow for me. I just started creating my own little goals to go further and
faster every time I ran.
Ceri H: I started with Couch to 5k. I stayed on
Week 1 for almost a month getting the kinks out between bad shoes and needing a
knee brace. It wasn’t easy to get started, but now I love it and can’t imagine
not running.
*Note, all of the interviewees, including myself, used the
Couch to 5k program initially.
I was really interested to find some very common factors
surrounding the answers my friends gave. We all run with both physical and
mental health as our biggest motivation. Many of us have been inspired by
making a difference in our generation, whether it is to raise money for
charitable organizations or simply to change courses in a family that’s made
unhealthy choices in the past.
Whatever the reason, running is very
powerful tool for moms; And like Nike says, “Just Do It!”
1 comment:
YES! I have done a few NPR bits(mchron.net "Running Music" and "Tantrum" (as in Running is my Tantrum) about my mama running thoughts. What a great interview article. Thansk for reminding me it is warm enough and light enough to get my butt out on the street. THE BEST tool ever FYI is nike+ to track your progress and set goals. That and becoming a mama totally changed my running.
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