Running Like a Mother

I have just finished reading Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving-- and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity. Loved it! You know how every now and then you read a book to which you totally relate? This is one of those books. The authors totally nailed the voice of the mother-runner.

Run Like a Mother feels like one of those conversations you have with a friend on a long run. It's a book that all female athletes can relate to, regardless of motherhood status or running experience. However, for those of us who both run and mother small children, it's an especially relatable book. At times it's part memoir--telling of Sarah's and Dimity's journeys as runners and marathoners (including a few race reports!), and other times it's more like a helpful training manual--giving advice on running gear, nutrition, and staging a post-pregnancy comeback. You won't find a 16-week marathon training plan in here, but you'll emerge from this book knowing what worked and didn't work for Sarah and Dimity as they trained. As a running coach, I liked the technical talk about running 8 X 400 meters and other training-specific tidbits. But as a mother and a fellow female athlete, I think I most enjoyed the deeply personal revelations about body image, weight, marriage, and mothering. I loved the personal essay format. By the end of the book, you'll feel like you have two new friends: Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell.

I also posted this review on Amazon.com. I wish Sarah and Dimity much success with this book! I appreciated the advance copy!

HUBBY UPDATE: My husband was feeling so much better with both his knee and ankle that he cancelled his appointment with his orthopedic doctor. (Grrr....) He wants another shot at the half-marathon, hopefully in October. Until then, he plans to make running a regular part of his week (at least two or three times per week --Yay!). Training will officially start in late July or early August.

Other training tidbits: My half-marathon training group ran their first double-digit run this past Saturday and everyone finished! Some had doubts going in. (Ten is such an intimidating number.) AND they did the last two miles on a gravel/dirt trail! I'm so happy to be able to expose them to different aspects of running--- speed work, hill training, trails, looonnnng distances--- that runners often won't try on their own. It's a fun job.