Photo by Dave Meier.
Being a Mom is tough work. It is a 24-hour-job that is often thankless. You are teacher, chef, counselor, cleaner, nurse, and more, all wrapped into one. You oscillate between the guilt of not spending enough time with your kids and the regret of not having the career you trained for. You typically have no idea what you are doing, but you go ahead and do it anyway.
Running takes a bite out of all the things that make this stage of life so tricky. It is time to breath. It is time to take in silence and natural beauty. It is time to be myself, by myself. But most of all, running is my time to train up my body to take on the challenge that is being a mother. I take care of myself so I can take care of my boys, because when I am whole, I can be a whole mother.
When I practice pushing my body in a pair of running shoes, the late night with the stuffy nose doesn’t seem so terrible. If I push my miles one week, I can keep up my stamina through a day full of time outs, tantrums and more poop then I’d like to admit.
Pushing the limits of my body helps me see beyond the challenges of motherhood and make more room for the joy that my boys bring. The snuggle my boy gives me after waking me up at 3:00am or the high five he gives after finishing his favorite puzzle in a profoundly messy room. The way he teaches his little brother how to do something new, or says, “I l wuv you Mommy.”
I run for me, so I can do this Mom thing with strong legs and a strong heart.