Lucky Mother Runner

I did 5 miles on Saturday. This shouldn't be a remarkable statement this close to the half, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it didn't totally suck. And I enjoyed it. Really. I had forgotten how nice long runs can be.

When I did my first half in 2011, a huge part of my motivation was being healthy and strong for my daughter Clare. Now I have two girls, and being an example of determination and fitness has become twice as important. When I headed out on my runs three years ago, Clare would say, "Run, momma, run, run!" It became a bit of a mantra for me, and running for them is what often gets me out the door. Actually, sometime running from them is what gets me out the door.

That sounds heartless unless you can relate to the fact that the only "alone time" I get on most days is my time in the bathroom. And even that is all too often interrupted. When Dan is home, I take showers that last for days because even if I hear a whine, it's his problem to figure out. When I am home with the girls by myself, all bathroom activity is conducted with the door open so I can detect an impending emergency quickly. Not exactly relaxation at its finest.

Becoming a mother changed absolutely everything about me even if imperceptibly to others. And it definitely has changed running. I credit my girls with the hip issues I deal with from time. And there is no better test of postpartum urinary continence than being two miles into a treadmill run and having to pee. Can I hold it? Do I really have to stop the treadmill to go to the bathroom? I can hold it, right?

Honestly, I adore my girls. Completely.  I carry their smiles with me when I run, sometimes literally. I will have a picture of them with me when I run Manchester just like I had a picture of Clare when I ran Disney. If I want to quit, they won't let me.  And it will be knowing they are waiting at the finish line that will help get me there. I am one lucky mother runner.