How “Mom Life” Makes Us Better Runners

I have made a strong case that being a runner makes us better mothers. But I haven’t talked too much about how being a mother makes us better runners.

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This idea came to me the other night. After being kicked by both my children, arbitrating a fight in the middle of the night, and waking up to a living room full of dog $hit—tired and gearing up for a long run, knowing the rest of the day was going to be busy—I thought this: how all of this makes us stronger, tougher, more appreciative runners. I went into that run so grateful for the time and ready to make the most of it.

Being a mom is not for the faint of heart. It forces you to be flexible, intentional with your time, and manage many demands all day long. It requires a ton of mental toughness that frankly I know I didn’t have before I birthed humans.

So, with that, here are some reframes that show how mom life makes us badass runners.

How Being a Mom Makes You a Better Runner:

Reframes for when mom life gets in the way

BAD SLEEP.

Sleep is so important but also comes at a premium for lots of moms. When you’re tired from being woken up multiple times a night, etc., embrace it and know it makes you tougher on race day. You’ll know how to run when exhausted.

BUT if you are chronically tired, take a rest, mama, and reassess your goals. Being tired from time to time is normal, but if you feel fatigued more often than not—or your running is making you a less enthusiastic mom—then it may be too much for your current season of life.

RUN INTERRUPTIONS.

If you’re on a stroller run, treadmill run, or called a million times by your kids (and partner…), it can be so annoying BUT also builds that mental muscle to refocus and get back into it. This is a useful skill for any runner on race day when things can challenge your concentration.

Honestly, I find one of the hardest parts of running a marathon with a pace goal is to maintain that mental focus. My mind can wander, and I can lose that edge. When my family “interrupts” my run, I get to strengthen that muscle of re-shifting my focus and getting back on track.

CRAZY CHAOS.

When you’re up before dawn, running an insane amount, and then back in the door and immediately head to soccer games, birthday parties, the playground, etc. this is building FATIGUE RESISTANCE—which stretches the time it takes for your legs (body and mind) to tire. This is crucial for success in long distance running. (It can also help with active recovery by keeping blood flowing to your muscles.)

Staying on the go when all you want to do is grab a Costco-size bag of chips and crawl into bed also helps build mental endurance that can help you in your longer runs.

TIME POOR.

Most moms don’t have a lot of time. Being “time poor” means you got to be intentional and efficient. You squeeze out every inch out of every run—making the most of the time you have—whether it is a rage run, sanity run, long run or speed workout.

With being a timeline, moms don’t have time for lots of stops which also means you can do a better job of simulating race day where you would likely not want to (or limit) stops.

MANAGING MISHAPS.

When your toddler drops her ice cream cone or your kid falls and gets hurt making you late—whatever it is, moms are a pro are managing mishaps. So, when it happens on a run or in a race—you go the wrong way or YOU trip or drop your gel or you fall off pace, you know how to handle it and move on.

This can be so crucial in race day performance. Say you fell off pace or had to tie your shoe, you deal with it and then move on. There’s no time to waste mental energy reliving what happened or should have happened. Mom life constantly helps us practice this skill.

YOUR RUN IS CUT SHORT.

When your run is cut short due to family obligations, or your splits are messed up, moms learn to see the big picture and realize that doesn’t matter. They can see the forest through the trees and know it is all about PROGRESS not PERFECTION.

This not only helps with motivation and momentum, but it can also help with joy. When runners can fixate on the little things, that’s when they risk losing the fun of it. As a mom, we have too much going on to sweat the small stuff. We do what we can and embrace that is enough.

RIDING THE EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER.

Being a mom means being taken on a roller coaster of emotions every dang day. This teaches us how to regulate our own emotions, so we don’t get carried away during a run or workout. It teaches us to stay in our lanes and run within ourselves.

It also teaches us that life is full of ups and downs—and so are runs. So, whatever feeling you have right now during a run, it is temporary. You feel great—wait for it. You feel terrible—wait for it. Running beautifully mimics the rollercoaster of life.

DITCH THE MOM GUILT.

Most moms deal with mom guilt when they run. But most moms feel SO much better after they run and that translates into being better moms (more patient, fun, less stressed, more active, healthy etc.). They helps us ditch the guilt and keep going.

Mom life can help us stay consistent as mother runners because we know it benefits our kids in a myriad of ways.

PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH.

Speaking of which, my son doesn’t love soccer drills at the moment. He would rather scrimmage. Yet, he wants to get better. So lately, I have been talking a lot to both my kids about my training (now 11 and 8). They both are serious about their sports, and I want them to see what hard work looks like to get better.

They see me run when I don’t feel like; be nervous about workouts and go for it; train in all sorts of weather. I want them to be invested in my training so a) they learn to care about what others are doing but also b) so they know what showing up looks like—and that is what they need to do to improve.

CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS.

Just as we celebrate the small wins in motherhood—like he brushed his teeth without me asking or she was brave and tried out for soccer, we learn to celebrate the small wins for ourselves:

We ran when we didn’t feel like it; were proud of ourselves despite not hitting our A goal; see small wins add up to big changes.

LEVEL UP THE LITTLE THINGS.

If anything else, being a mom means I am intentional about my recovery. I fuel well, sleep the best I can, don’t overtrain, etc. because if I did (which I have ridden the red line in my training way too many times), I would be a lesser mom for it. I would be tired, cranky, and not very fun. Staying on top of being healthy and training smart helps me as both a runner and a mom.

Being a mom makes our running that much richer and more meaningful. And the trials of motherhood strengthens our mental muscle so we can go after even bigger goals & feel that much more empowered.

What REFRAMES for mom life and how it makes you a better runner would you add?