Running Mom

Me and my boys

I know many runners who are also moms.  Some of my friends were runners before they had kids and kept going through and after pregnancy.  Others did not even start running until all their kids were old enough to be left alone while they ran.  I am somewhere in the middle.

In June of 2011 Enzo was 2 years old and Mark was 6 years old and we were at the Troy Strawberry Festival waiting for Nick to finish riding the Strawberry Festival Bike Tour.  I thought he was silly, riding in a big circle for some free food and a T-shirt and paying to do that (now I would NEVER mock going in a big circle, getting free food, and a T-shirt, especially for as cheap as that event is.  What a fool I was) and I was getting impatient waiting for him.  Mark was old enough to be aware of this annoyance, Enzo was barely aware that his birthday was coming up.  He was more concerned with eating and sleeping at this point in his life.  One month later, I started my fitness journey.

Now some people might think me negligent, for taking time away from my 2 year old to go out and run or ride a bike.  How could I abandon him at home with a 6 year old?  One thing that helped was that my husband had been a stay-at-home dad for years.  I didn't have to find a sitter and I could exercise any time I wanted to exercise.  Others might ask how I could bear to be away from him at such a young age.  Well, I am one girl in a house with three boys.  While I love my sons it is hard to spend so much time surrounded by so much testosterone.  I am also not one of those moms that cries when school starts or my boys go on trips.  I love them, but I fully understand the need for them to leave (for both our sakes).

Mark at the Troy Kids Triathlon
I'm still jealous that he has finished one and I haven't

This created quite a difference in perception for my boys.  Mark knew me.  He knew me very well.  He knew that mommy had to grade, loved to watch TV, played online quite a bit, enjoyed popcorn, candy, and root beer, and spent a lot of time inside.  He liked this mommy and we spent a lot of time together doing these types of activities.

Now that I have been running, cycling, and cross-training for 4 years he doesn't always like it.  He enjoys my friends and likes hanging out at our local running store, Can't Stop Running Co., when Nick and I go running.  He's been in the running club at school as well as the track club at the Y.  He's done quite a few 5ks and some smaller kid's races (1 mile runs).  At the same time, he gets upset that I run.  Mark gets mad that we don't stock pop in the house anymore (really he's the only one that tends to drink it) and that I spend hours training some days.  He never said anything but he stopped playing soccer after Nick and I missed some tournament games he played in because we had a race.  We did plan it after the season so we wouldn't miss the games, we had no idea when tournament games would be because they didn't tell us until the end of the season.  When I ask him to come and run or walk with me he doesn't really want to because I am much faster than he is at this point.  In anger he has asked for the "old mommy" back because she was better.  Mark has seen me be lazy and unhealthy and has watched me be a very bad runner and observed my improvement to a decent runner.  There are days that he tries to be better because he has seen my journey and their are days he doesn't because he misses the past.  My hope for him is that he looks at the progress, not the past.  He is running in the Holly Jolly 5k next weekend, he wants to do better than he did at the Flying Pig 5k earlier this year (he was sick).

Mark and Enzo at a Fun Run
They were both part of Reasons to Run's Kids' Club

Enzo, on the other hand, was 2 when I began running.  His memory doesn't really extend to that point in his life (he was so happy just being a baby).  I asked him the other day if there was ever a time when mommy didn't run, and he said no.  All he knows in his life is mommy running.  One of my favorite memories of Enzo running was at the Miami County Parks Garbry Woods 5k in 2012.  I was volunteering with my running group, Reasons to Run, at the registration booth.  Nick was running the race.  Both of the boys were helping me.  When all the runners lined up and were started Enzo decided to join them.  Off he went, running after the crowd at 3 years old into a trail race in very tall grass.  I freaked out.  I was so scared he would get lost or hurt and Enzo just wanted to "run 5k" as he said.  To his memory our family has always been a running and cycling family, he just has to wait his turn and be ready when it comes.  Enzo has run one 5k and determined he isn't quite ready for that yet.  He has done some mile long runs and one that was much shorter.  Honestly he wants to ride, swim, or run any distance he can, though he loves swimming the most.  The one thing I worry about with him is that he didn't see us struggle to get better.  He knows that mommy and daddy have gotten better and faster, but he never saw us stink at being fit.  When he does a race or event and feels tired, hurt, or not good he thinks he can't do it and wants to try something else, something that comes naturally to him.  I've seen this with adults when people say they aren't fast enough to run a 5k yet even if they've been running for a year.  They think that have to be ready to win to be ready to run.  I hate this mentality.  I walked my first 5k in 50:40 and it started this whole crazy running business and now I have a PR at 24:46.  I want Enzo to know that he just has to do the events to be good, not win them, but it's hard for him to see this when I regularly come home with medals.

Mark and Enzo at the Subway Dayton Dragons 5k
Mark's PR, Enzo's only 5k

No matter how my boys see my running or me they know that I am a runner now and that isn't going to change.  I am glad I am setting a good example for them and I hope that my example as well as my attitude is encouraging them to follow in my footsteps.  I want my boys healthy, happy, and close to me.  I will always support them as long as they are doing things that help them become good people whether they come in dead last or 1st place, whether they run or play football.  Also, I hope that they both benefit from these experiences.  They both have a different view of them and I hope both views turn out to be good and that they see me as a good mom in the end.



My running Family
Yeah, I was taking this picture

Injuries



Running the Flying Pig 10k with my leg covered in KT tape
for an IT Band injury

Injuries stink.  Since I began running I have had my share of injuries.  Some of them were quick and easy to fix, annoying but nothing that would stop me from running long term.  Then I have had those injuries that stop me dead in my tracks.  Ones that have stopped me from running a single step for weeks to months at a time.

I know that running, heck exercising in general, can lead to both great health benefits and great injuries.  That is a part of the sport.  It doesn't stop them from being infuriating.

The two worst injuries I have had were stress fractures and, my current injury, plantar fasciitis (I also know that when you are in the midst of an injury it seems worse than other past injuries, but I'm blogging now so it's going onto my worst list).

My stress fractures occurred during the 2012 Columbus Half Marathon.  I had not kept up with my training and I was wearing practically brand new shoes (biggest mistake ever) and they weren't just new, they were a new style that I had never worn before.  This caused my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th metatarsals to have stress fractures, my 3rd eventually became a full fracture.  I didn't realize what had happened, don't ask me how I didn't notice broken bones, so I kept running.  I got a bit sore from time to time and my leg and foot hurt badly at times so I would take some time off, rest, then run again when feeling better until it hurt again.  I didn't suspect anything until I felt like I was dragging my left foot when I ran.  October 2012 to March 2013 is how long it took me to see a doctor about this issue.  That's how long I ran on a broken foot.  After I got the diagnosis I was stuck in a boot for about 8 weeks including weaning my body off the boot.  That was a long time where I could not run and it was torturous.  (Yes, I am addicted to running)  I kind of gauge injuries by the amount of time I spend away from running.




Boot from Stress Fractures

After the fractures I tried to be a lot more careful, listen to my body, and make sure I didn't end up in that situation again.  I was pretty successful.  Before and after I had some minor injuries, IT band issues, sprained ankles, shin splits, and other general exhaustion injuries that can be subdued with a few days' rest and KT tape.  I'd take the time off I need, tape if I had to, and be back to running in less than a week.

Now I've got this injury in my Plantar muscles, the same foot where I had the fractures.  I've had physical therapy, I've rested, I've stretched, and I've done exercises to strengthen it.  Other than a Halloween run I've been away from running for 4 weeks.  I have crosstrained (cycling and weight training) to keep my fitness up as much as I can.  Yet, I do not know when I will be able to return to running.  When I do return it may hurt again and I may be out for another 4 weeks trying to let it heal.  I know 4 weeks is not eternity, but it can feel like it when you've missed 24 runs, which means time with my friends, time to think on my own, and time to destress.  This is, so far, the 2nd longest period a injury has sidelined me and it may be worse than that.  I have heard from people that there is a chance that it will never leave me.  Plantars injuries can be chronic, some of my friends struggle with it on every run and never seem to be able to rid themselves of the injury.  I hope I can heal, and that it heals before Thanksgiving, if not I may be limping through my runs for a long time because it will not stop me.  Injuries stink and every time we are injured, we just hope that it won't be the one that stops us from running forever.

Running for Charity

Two of my Inspiring Friends

Another Very Inspiring Friend

So, whatever I had left, I think I have lost it.  My mind must be completely gone for me to even think about this.  Today I started looking up the charities that have runners in the Boston Marathon.

I don't know what I'm thinking.  I'm hurt, I can't run 2 miles without re-injuring my foot.  A spring marathon is definitely not in my plans.  I know I need to rest, recover, and heal if I ever want to get back to running the way I did before.  Yet I'm looking into one of the fastest and hardest marathons in the world.  I must be crazy.


There are many charities involved in Boston including hospitals, community resources and programs, sports teams funds, and disease research funds.  All of them have a god reason to raise funds and get a lot of money from the marathon.  Two charities, in particular, caught my eye.  Boston Children's Hospital (I have run the Nationwide Columbus Children's Hospital races 3 times so it seemed a natural connection) and CYCLE kids (an organization that works to get kids active via bikes and eating healthy) both seemed like a good fit to me.  Both charities support their runners with many different perks including training plans and coaches, a singlet to wear, special areas before and after the race, and support on training runs.  While the last doesn't really help me, it shows me that the groups don't just want the money, they want the people running for them to be successful as well.

Here comes the crazy part... I would need to raise $1500 for Boston Children's Hospital or $5000 for CYCLE kids to run with them.  Before I could even start raising that money I would have to apply with the charity and pay a $100 non-refundable application fee.  In a couple months I would also have to find $325 in our budget to sign up for the actual race (why didn't "Run Fatboy Run" cover this?).  If I get injured, and can't run, I still have to raise the money.  If I don't raise the minimum they take it from me using the same card number I gave for the deposit.  While I would love to support such great organizations and be able to run in such a glorious race, I can't seem to rationalize giving them about a month's worth of my income.

While I was talking myself out of this, some friends (non-runners at that) were so excited and supportive I started to come back around to the idea.  One friend offered to help me travel to Boston, give me a place to stay, and give me yet another reason to run it.  Another friend was ready to help me fundraise every last penny I would need to meet the requirements.  One already promised a donation if I do this.  This just makes me want to run (even though my foot disagrees right now).

In this, I will turn to my friends, the ones who have run for charity (Mindy, Greg W, Greg M, and Andrew).  They have the experience and can help me make a good decision.  I'll also turn to my friends who have run Boston.  They can give me perspective on if this is worth it.  If I do this it won't be until 2017 (6 months is not enough time to prepare for something like this) apparently my crazy has a limit.  I'm glad I have friends who can either help me rein the crazy in or help me turn the crazy into reality, whether they are a runner or not.

But really, what am I thinking?