Where can I find a running bra that supports my new postpartum chest? How can I keep up my training when my toddler is sick and no one is sleeping? What’s the best way to do speed work but still have my phone with me? How in the heck am I gonna find the time OR energy to run?
The Mother Runners is the culmination of these questions constantly running through my head while, well, running.
Chatting with other Mother Runners, I realized I wasn’t alone in these thoughts and dilemmas, and there were few resources to help moms like us: Moms who want to be badass mothers and badass runners.
After all, running makes us better mothers, and vice versa.
At The Mother Runners, you’ll find information for all things at the intersection of running and motherhood brought to you by my personal experiences and research, and conversations with other Mother Runners and experts. And, if you have a topic you want to be addressed, please please submit it here. I’m a former journalist eager to use my reporting chops to uncover the info and insights you need to reach your goals!
About Me:
I live in Knoxville, TN. and am a mom to two beautiful and crazy children (6 and 9), two sweet and lovable pups, a wife to an amazing husband, a former TV news journalist, a freelance writer, a VDOT-O2 certified run coach, and a 2:54 marathoner and 1:20 half-marathoner. My insights and The Mother Runners have been featured in Runner’s World, The Huffington Post, Women’s Running, US News & World Report, and more.
I’ve been running pretty much since I was 6 years old (more than three decades!). I started when my dad saw me running home from the school bus and thought I looked pretty fast. He began entering me into local races and I continued to compete through high school but stopped short of running competitively in college.
Throughout my life running has been a source of confidence, clarity, and familiarity. Now that my kids are getting older, and my husband, Jake (also a runner), is cheering me on, I’m ready to chase the dreams that have always been there including a 2:45 marathon (the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying standard).
Related: Lessons learned from my running injury
I have a BA in government from Georgetown University (I started my career as a political journalist) and a master’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Tennessee (where I worked in PR and served as the university’s science writer).
I am the host of Runner Click’s The Passionate Runner podcast and a regular contributor to Marathon Handbook and RunnerClick.
The Why behind The Mother Runners
Running is such an individual sport but when you become a mother, it can require a whole team of people and major schedule finessing to help you get out the door. It can require countless times of crying babies being pulled off you and pre-pre-dawn wake-ups to ensure it happens before the day’s craziness sets in. It requires dedication and intense motivation when you know it would be so much easier if you just slept in or stayed home. But you also know that you would be a lesser mom if you didn’t do this for yourself because running is your think time. Your release time. Your me-time.
My fellow Mother Runners, this site is for you. I’m happy you’re here!
-Whitney
P.S. I’m not a medical doctor (although I do interview them here) so my advice should not be considered as such. I’m sharing with you the result of my own experience and research. So, please feel free to consult your doctor before you put into action any of these tips.