Every month I want to show off a Mighty Mom that I know. For my first Mighty Mom I reached out to my good friend Evelyn who is not only an awesome mother but she loves to run! Thank you Evelyn for inspiring me to get off my butt and run. I am so excited to have her share a little bit about herself to you all so you can be inspired by her too!
Hi Ashley thank you so much for choosing me for mighty mom of the month!!! I am honored!!! I am a 30 year old mother of 2. My daughter is 12 and my son is 6. I work full time, go to school part time, and I LOVE to run!
Q: Did you always enjoy running? If not, what made you start?
I didn’t always enjoy running, matter of fact I disliked running in school. I started running about 2 years ago. I visited my doctor for a routine appointment and he told me; I was overweight and had high cholesterol. I was crushed but knew that I had to turn my life around. I have a friend who always pushed for me to run and that day I decided to listen to her. I googled everything about running and signed up for a race. I became a little obsessed 🙂
Q: I know a lot of people run but it’s more for fun or because they have to! What made you become a serious runner?
I became a serious runner after my 3rd 5k. I knew that I wanted to run longer distances but I need to build my endurance. I also saw how my body and mind were changing. I became stronger, and happier with myself. I knew running was becoming part of my life. I also noticed my kids becoming more active! My son said he wanted to be a runner like me and my daughter decided to become more involved in sports.
Q: You told me you have completed a half marathon as well as put in a lot of miles just for fun and now you are training for a full marathon. Wow! So tell me, what inspires you to keep running/training? How do you stay motivated?
I am inspired to keep running and training by setting goals for myself. My first year of running I signed up for 12 5ks, 1 10 miler, 1 10k, and a half marathon. I knew that if I wanted to complete all of that I had to train. I feel that helps me stay focus. Now that I am training for a full marathon I know I have to run otherwise I won’t make it! I like feeling accomplished! I keep motivated by keeping my kids and goals in mind. I don’t want to disappoint them by quitting. I know they look up to me and I want them to know that as long as they are happy they can pursue any goals they want. I want to teach them that hard work pays off. Of course there are days that I want to quit but I keep reminding myself why I am doing this.
Q: Time is something we are all short on especially as moms. How do you balance your home life, work, and training schedule?
I look at my schedule and pencil my runs in. If I know I am not able to run one day I move it to where I can run. I shuffle my schedule a lot when I am training to accommodate everything. For example Monday- Friday I work at 10 am till 7 pm, my daughter gets on the bus at 730 am and my son at 830 am. I run between 530-6 am. If I have a day off during the week I run in the afternoon before the kids get home from school. My school is online so I do homework between 9-10 pm after the kids go to bed. It seems a lot but honestly running is such therapy for me I need it in my life!
Now lets talk about running
Evelyn at her first half marathon!
Q: What are your must have training essentials?
My training essentials are: good music, good shoes, GU, and my fuel belt.
Q: What advice do you have for avoiding running related injuries?
I would say to prevent injury my number one thing is to stretch and foam roll after a run. I also say posture is very important. I tend to watch my posture while running , if your posture if off it can cause shin splints.
Q: What is something you wish someone had told you when you started running?
The one thing I wish I knew it would be that shoes are very very very important. I had no idea that shoes can make a difference. I chose my first pair just by walking down the aisle of a store and it was not a wise choice. They didn’t give me enough support and my knees would hurt every time I wore them! I finally realized that I should be measure for shoes and went to the running store. Turns out the shoes I had picked were not the right ones at all! No wonder I was having problems!
Q: As you know I have started a Mighty Mom Monday weekly post where I share my healthy living, fitness journey and encourage others to do the same. What is your Mightiest Mom Moment?
My mightiest Mom moment is when my friend emailed me and asked me to help her run! I felt so blessed to be able to help others out! She had been struggling with self esteem and health issues that she finally hit her breaking point. She asked me for advice and I helped her get started. Now she can’t imagine her life without running!
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
I just wanted to tell other moms out there that I know it can be difficult to get started but it is so rewarding at the end of the journey. A lifestyle change can be scary but there is a lot of help out there to get you through it!
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