Fit Mama Friday – Meet Monique.

 

Meet Monique.

Today on Fit Mama Friday, meet Monique, aka Mara-Mon, Mon, Monners, Monza, Mum! (Aussies love nicknames!) 😉 Mama to a 3 year old son and an 18 month old daughter as well as working part-time outside of the home, Monique somehow manages to work out 5 – 6 times a week. I don’t know her personally, but I wish I did, because she is one amazing woman! (Contrary to popular belief, even though I am Australian, it does not mean I automatically know every other Australian on the planet.) I follow Monique’s Facebook page, on which she documents her runs, workouts, shares recipes and encourages and inspires other runners on a daily basis. She started running 12 months ago, but just this month, ran her first marathon! Here is Monique’s Fit Mama Friday story.

 

So, you have two kids, you’re married and you work part-time outside of the home, as well as keeping up with your Facebook page, is that right?

Yes, my son has just turned 3 and my daughter is almost 18 months. I have two very busy, very different toddlers! I’ve been married for almost 7 years and we have been together for 10 years. My husband is 11 years older than me and we met when I was 20. I’ve grown a lot over the years and he has been nothing but 100% supportive of me. I couldn’t be luckier!

I work part time for the Australian Government in the workplace relations field. Currently my role is as a project officer working on national projects helping to ensure vulnerable workers receive their correct pay and entitlements from their employers. It’s one day a week at the moment and then in November I will be starting two days a week. I love being able to balance work and family life!

That’s awesome – you’re lucky to be able to have such a great work/life balance. How do you fit your workouts into your schedule?

Right now I work out 5 – 6 days a week. Mainly I love running. It is really my passion. Sunday is my long run day; Monday I do strength work at the local gym. They have a wonderful crèche there that the kids love. Tuesday and Wednesday I run either before 6am or at the gym. Thursday I rest, Friday I do a short run and Saturday I rest and we generally have a family day. I have only started back at work but with the hours I keep, it means I have time to go for a run, or go to the gym before I start work after I drop the kids at day care. It works out really well for everyone. I find that when I take time to look after myself and I can balance my week with work and home duties, I really feel more rounded and more able to deal with the pressures of having a young family. I like to set a good example for my children too. I think making exercise a regular occurrence and not something special normalises it as part of daily life, and something we just ‘do’.

So, what’s your back story, Monique? I know from your page that you’ve only been running for a year, but were you active prior to having your kids?  

I’ve always been generally fit and healthy since turning 21. Of course there have been a few lax months/seasons/years but generally I look after myself. As a child, I was always the overweight kid in primary school and I never felt good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. That’s when I developed an unhealthy obsession with my weight and with food and my eating disorder started. These feelings stayed with me until I was a young adult……well, probably much longer. Since my early teens I had struggled with body image issues and suffered from an eating disorder for 14 years.

After having kids I felt like I was ‘cured’ – my body was no longer just my own. I had created two amazing little people and needed to start respecting my body for what it was capable of. I say I felt ‘cured’ from my eating disorder when I had kids, amazed by what my body could do. It is true, but it doesn’t mean I don’t still struggle with it. Running, thankfully, has given me a way to suppress the ‘demons’, if you will. I think it’s funny that my first ever running event when I was just 12 years old and was after I had lost close to 15 kgs (about 33 lbs). I was driven to dieting and exercise (which is not a bad thing) – sick of the taunts in the playground. I never ran after that though, maybe I should have stuck with it.

You say you felt cured after having kids – did being pregnant and gaining weight make you feel uncomfortable, having that history of an eating disorder?

No, more like I realized I had a whole lot more respect for my body and the AMAZING things it could do – i.e. make little people – so I had no choice but to leave all that behind. My body was for them AND for me, I had to be kind. I was pregnant and breastfeeding for four years straight and having an active eating disorder would have meant I would not only be harming myself, but my babies – and I couldn’t do that.

When I was pregnant with my son I gained 30+kgs (66+lbs) and then 20+kgs (44+lbs) with my daughter. I lost most of it in between but I remember seeing photos of myself and really disliking the way I looked with all the extra weight on. It wasn’t only about vanity but more about being the best mum I could be and setting a good example for my kids. I did stay active during pregnancy, going to the gym and walking on the treadmill, doing yoga, lifting light weights, but I still gained a large amount of weight.

Was trying to lose the baby weight how your passion for running began?

Yes, after having kids, I wanted to lose the extra weight and I started meeting with friends and working out in a local park. It was when my youngest was 5 months old that a friend asked me if I wanted to train for a half marathon with her which was 9 months away. I said yes, not knowing if I could do it and not being able to run more than say 2km (1.25 miles). This is where it all started…..I told my husband I would start running and to come and get me after 30 minutes. We drove the car back along my route and to my amazement I had run 4.5km!!! I couldn’t believe it. That was a little over 12 months ago and I haven’t looked back.

Although my initial goal was to run the Gold Coast half marathon as my first event in July 2013, I was ready earlier and ran the Noosa half marathon in April 2013, two days before my baby girl turned one. I then ran the Brisbane City to South 14K and the Gold Coast half marathon in July 2013, where I achieved a PB time of 1:45 – what I was aiming for. The course ran through the suburbs where I grew up as a little girl and also along the park where I learned to ride my bike. It was an amazing moment. I then decided to run in the Brisbane half marathon in August 2013 and enjoyed running though my old stomping ground and meeting some wonderful friends I have made through the online running community.  I then ran a local half marathon on 8^th September and then the BIG ONE: My first full marathon on 6^th October 2013….right after my 12 months running anniversary.

And when did you start your Facebook Page?

While I started running in September 2012, I didn’t start my page until May 2013, after my first half marathon. I had been running for around 7 months. I was encouraged by another page owner Nicole from Running GIRL. I met her through her page and she has been nothing short of amazing – inspiring me and encouraging me along my journey. She ran her first marathon this year and got a BQ! She is running in the Boston marathon in 2014. She came to my home town to run the last 10km of my first marathon with me (it was a very small and lonely event) and I couldn’t have pulled through without her. We will be lifelong friends.

My page is my space to document my running journey and it has been a source of encouragement, motivation and support for me through my followers. I hope to inspire even just one person on my journey so that they know THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY DREAM!

What are your challenges, as a fit mama? Are they mainly time related? 

My biggest challenges are managing my training with the sleep deprivation that 3+ years of pregnancy and breastfeeding has brought with it. My little girl has just weaned from nursing and we have had a difficult year of sickness within the family. Nothing serious, but ongoing colds and flus and the general wakeful nights have been hard. We all have bad days though and sometimes I really do have to drag myself out of bed to run. I allow myself those feelings and then move on and get back to it!!

What are your eating habits like now that you’ve lost all the baby weight, gained some muscle and started training seriously for races?

I am a real food lover! I love eating healthy and ensuring that I nourish my body with the best foods I can. Although we have always eaten generally pretty well, I think the last 12 months I have really stepped it up a notch. I find eating well and exercising regularly go hand in hand. Otherwise, you will not see the full benefits or results. I have smoothies most mornings, oats or a rye fruit toast once a week. I enjoy soup, salads or omelettes or SUSHI (my fave) for lunch and then a wide variety of meat and vegetable dishes for dinners. Sunday nights we have our ‘cheat’ night and usually have homemade pizza or tacos. YUM! I don’t buy sweet treats which saves any issues with temptation. I make my own gluten free bread, green smoothies, nut butters and I also make my own muesli bars, power bars for before my long runs and my own energy gels! All the recipes are on my facebook page.

And just before we get to your marathon recap, Monique, what goals have you set following the first full?

At the moment I have some goals set for 2014 including beating some of my 2013 PRs and starting to dabble in some trail running. I am VERY excited. I will also run my second full marathon in July which will be on the Gold Coast. I can’t wait to see where running takes me in the future.

Okay, let’s get to your first ever marathon, just 12 months after you started running!! I loved the recap you posted on your page, so I have included it here for my readers (click ‘switch’ if only your profile pic shows up!):

Thank you so much for being one of my Fit Mama Friday interviews! I am blown away by what you’ve accomplished with your running and just love following your progress through your page. Congratulations on your marathon success and I’m sure you’ll have many, many more success stories in the future!

 

 Do you want to be featured on Fit Mama Friday? Or do you know someone you’d like to see featured? Please contact me for details!