Please tell me there are other women who can relate to the wonderful  role of mother while also trying to be a runner?

Not sure? If you have experience one or all of the following, you know you’re a Mother Runner.

Breastfeeding is your cool down. Gone are the days when you could come in from a run, grab some water, and properly cool down and stretch. Now, the second you walk in the door, your husband hands you a screaming baby. And your kids are used to the taste of salty milk.

You have nursed at aid stations/starting lines/finish lines. Depending on the length of the race, you may have done all three!

You buy bananas like you’re preparing for the monkey apocalypse. Snacks for babies, toddlers and runners alike, you’re buying pounds of bananas every week. But if the monkeys ever do rise up and take over the planet, you’ll be prepared.

You’ve prayed that people mistake the wet marks between your legs for sweat stains. I don’t think I need to elaborate here. Motherhood problems, am I right?

You’ve prayed that people mistake the wet marks across your chest for sweat stains. See points #1 and #2. If by chance you can’t nurse your baby on a long run, be prepared. Have they made sweat proof nursing pads yet?

You can pump and stretch simultaneously. Or nurse and stretch for that matter. Or if you’re really awesome, you can pump and run a half marathon simultaneously. We are the queens of multi-tasking.

You encourage your kids to run in the house.  Or around the house. Or around the block. We know how fun it is to run, and nothing makes us happier than sharing that joy with our children. If that means making a game to see who can run from one end of the house to the other, so be it. It’s just a bonus that it burns off some of their energy in the hopes that maybe they’ll sleep. (Fat chance. See point #10)

You change out of running clothes back into running clothes. After your run and shower, what can you put on that’s functional, cute and totally comfortable? Why, more running clothes, of course! Let’s face it. Your closet is 70% running clothes, 15% jammies/comfy clothes, 10% jeans and t-shirts, and like 5% dress clothes/ work clothes. You don’t have many other options, and you’re perfectly fine with that.

You have several jogging strollers. You got one single jogger with your first. Then you continued to procreate and needed a double. Then a triple. You’re pretty sure they don’t make a quadruple jogger, so you reevaluate your desire for a fourth baby.

Kids are your alarm clock. Need to be up at 5am for a run? No need to set an alarm. One of the children will be up to nurse/ go potty/ wet the bed/ has a booger/ covers fell off/ had a nightmare/ thinks it’s morning/ needs a diaper change/ wants to play/ fell out of bed. You’re covered.

Hat’s off to all you Mother Runners! It’s a hard balance to find, but definitely worth the effort.