I often wonder why I chose NOW to run. No, I don’t mean now now. I’m not certainly not running now as I am typing and I won’t be running the moment this post goes live, and it is probably unlikely that I will be running while you are reading these words. By “now”, I mean this current phase of life. What convinced me that I could run now, as a married mother, and not before children when I arguably had more energy, more free time, and perhaps even more motivation (a bikini body was a possibility then. Now? Not so much – no matter how much I run)?
Life before children was… different. We could spend our money a little more frivolously (HELLO, motorcycle!). Being productive during down time meant obtaining a new level in Lord of the Rings Online (think World of Warcraft, but geekier.) And somehow, I was even better at procrastinating than I am now, (hard to believe.) I don’t mean to compare people without children to people with children. My lifestyle can likely be attributed to being a just-out-of-school waitress in my young twenties. I still had a lot to learn about adult life. Having children just made me learn fast.
I made the decision to start running before having kids. I was inspired by a local marathon and I really wanted to lose those newlywed pounds that I had somehow put on. But I wasn’t motivated, I had a hard time sticking to it, and exercising just kind of really sucked. Despite the ease of running while living in a building with a treadmill, I was unable to commit to a running routine.
It wasn’t until I was a new mom that I was able to commit to running, stick to it, and progress.
When I signed up with Team in Training, I was interested to find out that a large percentage of their participants are women like me: Moms. What is it about motherhood that makes us a large running demographic? We are usually busy and tired and overwhelmed. Our time is no longer exclusively our own. We are frazzled and run-down. We certainly don’t seem like the type of women you imagine running through the park on a sunny Sunday.
I recently asked some Mom runners if they ran more before or after having kids. It was an interesting split. The women who were committed runners before children found it difficult to keep up after having children. But the women who never or rarely ran in their pre-kid lives became avid runners after bearing children. Some waited a few months after a baby to try running. Others found the desire to run ten years into motherhood. But the majority of these women were able to really truly commit to running only after having children.
My sister and I before our most recent race. We both started running after having kids.
Pregnancy and childbirth do incredible things to our bodies. This phase of life pushes our bodies to the limits and changes our bodies forever. Although I didn’t make this connection at the time, I think I needed my body to go through something major like that so I could understand that my body could do incredible things. I also realize that this is not unique to mothers. There are many things in life that push our bodies to their limits and change them forever. I don’t think it is a surprise that people are able to run 10ks and marathons after going through 37 hour labours or recovering from multiple miscarriages or surviving chemotherapy. If our bodies are able get through that, then taking control over the way we push and stretch and change our bodies is not only within the realm of possibility, it is also empowering.
Many moms start running because they need to hold onto some hope that they can get back to a pre-baby weight (and maybe even a pre-baby shape). When you give your body over to your family in such a fierce way, it can become necessary to take it back at some point and make it your own again. Running might be one of the most attainable exercises for a young mom, too. Assuming women have a supportive partner to encourage them in their running and are willing to spend some alone time with the kids, running does not have many time or location constraints. You just lace up and walk out the door when you get a free moment.
The thing is, running soon becomes so much more than just a fitness opportunity. I think Moms stick with running because it becomes that much needed and rarely attained me-time. Women can feel so guilty about doing things for themselves, but when that something-for-ourselves is also part of getting healthy, the guilt is a little harder to come by. So, we look forward to theses times alone, in quiet, with no one around to touch us or pull us or yell at us. We continue to push through each step because while we work through the run, we are also working through the anxiety, the depression, the hurt and the anger that has built up in our days. It is hitting those designated kilometer markers and pace goals that we take back control on our time and our bodies, if only for a few minutes.
And when all is said and done, we do what moms do naturally: We run for our family. We run to give them a healthier, happier, saner Mom. We run to give our children a healthy role model to look up to.
Race Stats:
Race: Maritime Race Weekend Sunset Race
Date: September 13, 2013 (Compare with last year’s race)
Distance: 5 km
Time: 35 minutes, 4 seconds
Personal Best: 30 minutes, 34 second (August 2011)
Pace: 7 minutes, 1 seconds per km
Place: 819/1245 [67/100 in category Females 20 – 29]
Race: Maritime Race Weekend Sunrise Race
Date: September 14, 2013 (Compare with last year’s race)
Distance: 10 km
Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes, 3 seconds
Personal Best: 1 hour, 10 minutes, 56 second (September 2012)
Pace: 7 minutes, 37 seconds per km
Place: 544/674 [49/56 in category Females 20 – 29]
As you know, I am training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January 2014 with Team in Training. I am also raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada to fund blood cancer research and patient services here in Canada. Did you know that there are over 100,000 people living with or in remission from a blood cancer in Canada? If you have been thinking about starting running or need that push to keep you running, I whole heartedly recommend Team in Training. If you’re local, contact the Atlantic Chapter. If you’re anywhere else in Canada or the United States, find the chapter near you. If you have any questions or want me to help you get into contact with a representative at your chapter, let me know.
Please consider donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada through my fundraising page.
I am one of those people who ran before kids, and not after. I have had plans to do so since my first was born nearly 4 years ago, but just haven’t been able to, due to many circumstances – mainly due to where we live (busy city, no running trails that I can run to, unsafe), the weather (hot, humid, sometimes very rainy), and time. I can’t leave my kids with anyone to go out for a run, even if it’s the treadmill in the condo gym.
But, with my littlest going to play school next week, I have mornings free! I’m planning to start working out again, and yes, incorporate running, even though it’d be on the treadmill. Who knows, maybe I can sign up for a 5k before the year is out. :)
Alison recently posted..I’m Looking Forward To…….
running for me was huge post-baby. after feeling completely out of control of what my body was doing for 9 months it made me definitely feel like I could control something again.
when my aunt’s health deteriorated, I felt like I could pound out the anger and sadness as I pressed through every mile of my run.
and it was time for me. and just me. I chose not to join a running group or have a running partner. I didn’t want any time restraints or schedules – I just wanted to be me and gain back a piece of my own identity outside of just being a mommy, or an employee, or a wife.
I think I found it (and I can’t wait to rediscover it post-this-baby).
thanks for posting laura :)
candice recently posted..Grief.
I’m just getting started – right now it’s walking (or biking) the dog. But if I can work it up to running, I will.
Lady Jennie recently posted..On Blog Changes
I guess I fall into the running before kids category. I ran track in high school and have run in general for exercise on and off since. I have never taken it to the level of running a 5k or other race. I think yes, it was a way to have quiet time, and just kind of bleed out any stress I had from the day. Since it’s hard to fit in time for exercise, yoga has taken the time I used to spend running. But lately I’ve been looking longingly at my running shoes.
Stevie recently posted..Time
I think you’re right- maybe running right now is more important BECAUSE you don’t have that free time anywhere else. You need to decompress somehow. (Awesome about your race!!)
Keely recently posted..Eating Apples In A Field. (Etc.)
Almost every mom I know either runs now or has run in the past. It seems like a great way to release the pent-up anxieties that we face every day. I am awed at people who run races and marathons and even the idea of Forrest Gump running across the United States is amazing to me. I am not a runner, but walk 4 miles every morning.
So proud of you for running those back-to-back races. It is quite an accomplishment!
Andrea recently posted..Blog Roll, Part 3: The Marrying Kind and the Bible Thumpers
I ran before becoming a mom and still enjoy it from time to time. There really is nothing on earth like the release you get from any kind of exercise.
SO proud of you and your accomplishments!
Tonya recently posted..20 Questions, 22 Months Later – Update
I love what you say about realizing what we CAN do after birthing our babies. What great insight and such truth to that for sure!! I would have NEVER thought 10 years ago even that I would become a runner. Great job on your recent races! Keep it up, girl!
Yes! Totally agree with everything you said. I started running after my third child and ran a marathon the week my fourth child turned 1. Which is beyond crazy because I NEVER ran or was any kind of athlete before. Pregnancy, motherhood is indeed empowering. Loved this post and good luck with your training and your race.
Angela Youngblood recently posted..The Snorkel
You mentioned so many reasons why I decided to give running a try this year. I had never even considered it before; I didn’t think it would appeal to me at all. But I love it. It is great “me time” and exercise. I haven’t been great at making time for it lately, though. I really want to get back into a more regular routine. You have inspired me to do that – going to see if I can squeeze one in tomorrow.
And way to go on your races! That is awesome!
Kim@Co-Pilot Mom recently posted..Introducing: In-Flight Food
This. Yes! I just really started running this summer after the birth of my second and completed my first race this past Sunday. Such a great feeling, since I’ve never been able to stay motivated longer than a couple weeks in the past. You got it right with your reasons moms run, especially the alone time. I’m extra motivated to run in the early morning because I know if I don’t go then, I have to push two in the jogging stroller later in the day!
I run for a lot of those reasons – for fitness and to get my body back (ha, when is that going to happen?). For “me time” (which I get less of since I often take my dog with me and he can be a pain in the butt). But also because I need goals and challenges, and running totally give me that.
Robin @ Farewell, Stranger recently posted..Explore: Summer in Pictures (Vol. 5)
What I love about running is that it’s convenient and cheap. What I don’t love about it is that it’s running. :-) I prefer classes and weights and other things, but now that I’m a mom, I just don’t have much time to mess with it. Go girl!
Kristin Shaw recently posted..Look again
I did three 5-k races after my second was born. I never enjoyed running before then, but after the second I loved the little break I’d get when my husband got home from work and took over with the kids so I could run 3 miles. It was such a nice escape, the fresh air recharged my batteries.
Congratulations on all your running accomplishments and good luck in the 1/2 in Jan!! How exciting! :)
Jenn recently posted..What I Want You To Know About Postpartum Psychosis