Healthy You: Fitting Fitness In – A Running Mom Shares How to Find the Time

You know what they say, “Once a runner, always a runner!” It was true for me. Well, maybe not a ton in University, or after my knee surgery, or a good 6 months while pregnant and recovering from baby #1, then baby #2, and then there was baby #3!

Okay, so there have been some struggles to find time to get out running through the years, but I kept at it, started over many times, and now I am a proud Running Mom! Let’s face it – it’s not easy being a busy mom and finding time for fitness!

My life is no different from other busy moms with a husband who travels and a work from home office with a great view, but no childcare! Getting out my front door for a quick run without kids is very tricky, which means if I am going to stay a running mom, I have to get creative.

I run to my child’s soccer game while the rest of the family goes in the van! Or I drop a kid at a birthday party and run around the block 17 times until I can pick her up again. I even hire babysitters to come for an hour after school or on the weekend. I negotiate play dates for 45 minutes with the moms on my street so I can sneak away. Any alone time I saw in my schedule, I put on my running shoes!

Running happens because it has always been a priority and as moms with long to-do lists, we have to make our health a priority and find those precious windows of time in our busy days.

Three of my proudest achievements, after the birth of my 3 daughters, are crossing a half marathon finish line with my husband and each of our daughters in a jogging stroller when they were just 8 months old!

At the time it seemed like a crazy idea when my husband and I discussed doing a ‘fun’ far away half marathon. It took commitment to a new level when we signed up for the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n Roll half Marathon happening 7 hours away and just 8 months after the birth of our first daughter.

Getting in training runs meant doing whatever I had to do to find the time. I started with the run/walk with her in the jogging stroller for 3km and once I could run 3km without stopping, I added 5 minutes every week. I would run 40 minutes twice a week with baby, and a “long” run on my own every weekend.

Within a few months, I was running 2 hours and ready to try my first half marathon. We ran that race in 2 hours and 36 minutes of pouring rain with an 8-month-old snuggled in a jogging stroller. Not the funnest 2 hours ever, but we did it and my baby has a finish line photo and a medal to prove it on display in our house.

I was hooked.

12 months after that first race, I had my second baby girl and my elaborate training program started again! This time it was a bit trickier to fit in running as I was not a double stroller kind of girl!

Eight months later, my husband and I crossed the finish line at the Ottawa half marathon in 2 hours 20 minutes with our second daughter on a beautiful sunny day. She too has a finish line photo and a medal hanging in our house.

Then we decided to have baby #3. I was going to be 38 and the mother of 3 babies, the oldest not yet 4. When the heck would I ever run again? But we were committed so we signed up for the Quebec half marathon just 8 months after her birth.

Whatever it took, I was going to make it happen. I got up early, I ran in the rain, I ran in the cold, I ran when I was tired and I ran when I would have rather sat and had coffee with my family. I took my babies to the local YMCA and put them in programs and babysitting so I could run on treadmills.

We crossed that finish line in our best time yet with our third daughter and she too has a medal and a finish line photo. I proudly display my babies’ photos and medals and talk to them often about how great they were in those races.

Finding time to fit fitness in wasn’t always easy, but setting a goal and following through with it showed my daughters that it takes dedication and effort. My #1 priority is to be a healthy role model for my children…even if it means running to swimming lessons!

Want to be a healthy mom too? Try our newest product: Adult Essentials Gummy Vitamins or follow us on Facebook or Twitter for tips on healthy living!