**"I no longer try to outrun heredity. I run to make my own history."
--Nicki, another mother runner
Every mother runner has a tale to tell. A story about how she realized,
fifteen years after being told that she's best being a bookworm, that
there is an athlete inside her. Or the one about how she, fifty pounds
overweight and depressed, finally found the courage--and time--to lace
up her running shoes. Or maybe it's about setting a seemingly impossible
goal--going under two hours in the half-marathon--and then methodically
running that goal down and tearing up across the finish line. Or it
might be an account of friendship: she was new to town, was having a
hard time making friends, was asked to join a group run, and now she's
got four BRFs (best running friends) who are her allies, her
cheerleaders, her reality checks. Maybe it's just a simple story of the
beauty of starting the day off with an endorphin rush. Or, sadly, it
could be about how, through the guidance of a thoughtful running friend,
she found the space and rhythm to process being raped--and regained her
strength and sense of self through every footstep.
In Mother Runners, elite runners Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea
share not only their own stories of personal triumph on the pavement but
also the inspiring stories of many members of the vibrant mother runner
community they've built on their popular site, Run Like a Mother. While
the common theme is running, the variations that happen through the
miles are as endless as the miles themselves: losing weight, gaining
confidence, finding yourself, connecting with friends, expecting more,
setting goals, dealing with disappointment, figuring out how to train
efficiently, clearing your head, reconnecting with your memories,
building a better you. Whether you've run more marathons than you can
remember, or you're just getting started, you'll find the inspiration
you need to get out there, keep pushing, and run like a mother.
