Today I’m featuring the lovely Kate Harden on Fit Mama Friday. Kate is a fit mama of three children with her husband Dan – her son Mr. D, 6 years old; daughter J-Bug, 4 years old; and her youngest, the Little Lady, who is 1 year old. She has just recently become a SAHM, which she describes as a wonderful change for the whole family. While she was fit before having her kids, it wasn’t until she had her second baby that Kate fell in love with running. A runner now for three years, it’s become an important outlet for her and finds it has made her a better version of herself. You can follow along with more of Kate’s daily adventures on her blog  mama kate runs.

Meet Kate.

Tell me about what your fitness level was like pre-children and while you were pregnant. Was it always something that was important to you?

I was fit before having children, though my fitness routine was not as crucial to my life balance before I was a mom.  Working out was a major stress-reliever for me in college, graduate school, and my early professional life, but I fell off the bandwagon when I was pregnant with my oldest.  I was still active with regular walks and I maintained a healthy diet, but I didn’t return to a prescribed fitness routine and begin running until my second child was 18 months old.  When I was pregnant with our third child, I was determined to keep running through as much of the pregnancy as possible.  Unfortunately, debilitating first trimester sickness coupled with exhaustion and the responsibilities of working while caring for two young children kept me from making this a reality.  I beat myself up about it for a while, but we can only do our best with what we are given, and at that time, my best did not include running.  I still walked and did yoga sporadically, but I missed my runs.

You got into running 3 years ago, after having two children. I know you began running as an outlet for you to have some me-time (so important!), but what made you choose running specifically?

I started running because I received a Kindle for Christmas in 2010 and because I am a cheap skate.  Truly.  Kindle in hand, I browsed Amazon for free books to download.  I stumbled across “Run Like a Mother” by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell (of Another Mother Runner) and downloaded it on a whim.  I wasn’t interested in running, but I wanted to become active again, and I hoped that there would be some wisdom in the book that I could apply to other kinds of activities.  About 30 pages into the book, I was wondering if I, the self-proclaimed non-runner, could attempt a run; by the end, I was calculating how long it would take me to train for a 5k.

Their message appealed to my inner cheap skate (see above) as running requires little more than a pair of shoes, and I felt like they were writing directly to me.  “Hey Kate,” they seemed to say.  “You feel out of balance?  Lost in a world of sippy cups and Goldfish?  Are your days rules by tiny tyrants?  Find yourself on a run.”  And so I did.  I am forever grateful to my husband for the Kindle and to the mother runners for inspiring me to take that first step.

What was it like when you got back to running after your youngest was born?

I returned to running when the Little Lady was 2 months old, which was simultaneously ugly and beautiful.  I had been looking forward to resuming my running routine, but I had no idea what to expect.  My body was doughy and out-of-shape.  My lungs were weak.  My low abs ached with each step.  My mind, on the other hand, was elated.  I was (momentarily) free of the responsibilities of mothering three small kids, and my underslept brain could focus on my needs alone.  I returned from that first postpartum run exhausted and milk-stained, but I was happier than I could have ever imagined.  I had miles to go to regain my old form, but I saw glimpses of my former, fit self, and I knew that I would become that person again.  (A full post on the postpartum return is here.)

Has becoming a runner changed, or affected the way you approach life, stress and motherhood?

Without a doubt.  I am a much better wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend because I am a runner.  The physical and mental challenges of running have taught me that I can work hard and accomplish difficult things.  Applied to the rest of my life, I can tackle difficult work projects, overwhelming household organization, or potty training a stubborn toddler because I am a runner.  We are what we repeatedly do.  By repeatedly choosing to take the hard path – getting up early to run, executing hill repeats, pushing the pace at the end of a long run – I have trained my brain to accept challenges in all aspects of my life.  I am always a work in progress, but I am a better version of myself because I am a runner.

I’ve learned many mantras as a runner, which I pull out when a run starts to feel difficult.  I’ve discovered that the mantras that I apply while running fit in perfectly with my general approach to life:

I am here now: On the run or at the kitchen table, I strive to focus on the present moment.  I try to see through distractions so that I can be truly present wherever I am.  Wherever here is, whenever now is, I work to experience the moment for what it is without worrying about what happened earlier or what is coming next.

Inhale peace, exhale doubt: Whether I’m withstanding a category three meltdown from one of my kids or feeling exhausted at mile 11 of a half marathon, focusing on my breath helps me regain focus.  I slow down my breathing, getting rid of mental junk with each exhalation.

Forward is a pace: Sometimes things don’t happen as rapidly as I’d like.  It may be committee work at my children’s school or my feet on the sixth repeat of my nemesis hill.  When the pace starts to wear on me, I remind myself that any movement in the right direction is a victory.

Those are some powerful mantras. I especially love ‘forward is a pace’ – I may have to borrow that! What do you do apart from running for your workouts? And when do you fit it all in, with three kids?

My main form of exercise now is running and yoga.  I run four days per week and usually try to do yoga twice per week. When I’m really on my game, I add in some Pilates or body-weight strength training, too. Usually, however, I only do those when in the midst of a training cycle.

Because of family commitments, my workouts have to happen very early in the day.  I usually head out for my three weekday runs by 4:55; on the weekends, I can usually sleep in until 6:00.  I do a thorough stretching regimen after each run and try to foam roll once a week.  On non-running days, I sneak in yoga during nap time.

My biggest challenge is going to bed early enough so that I am ready for my dark o’thirty alarm clock.  My husband is a night owl, and evenings are usually the only time we have to really talk to each other.  I have to make a concerted effort to head to bed at a reasonable time.  Besides getting enough sleep, my other workout challenge is being faithful to cross-training activities like strength training and Pilates.  I am very unlikely to blow off a run, but my commitment to cross-training is not quite as strong.

Wow, a pre-5am workout time – you are not messing around! What’s your biggest motivation for working out and staying fit?

I workout because I need to take care of myself in order to care for the rest of my family.  If I am our family’s foundation, I must be strong; a cracked foundation does little to support the surrounding structure.  By taking the time to make myself strong – mentally, physically, and emotionally – I am building our family’s foundation and ensuring that I can meet all of the other demands placed on me.  I also workout to set an example for my kids.  I want them to see me working hard to achieve my goals and to learn the value of trying new things, even if it feels scary at first.

Being fit greatly benefits me as a mom.  I can keep up with my kids when we’re running around in the back yard.  I can easily carry two of them at a time when the situation requires it.  I have more energy to play with them because I am fit.

What about nutrition? Do you follow a particular way of eating?

My diet has always been reasonably healthy – this weekend with Halloween candy taunting me notwithstanding! 😉  I don’t subscribe to any single school of thought on food intake, but I try to make most things from scratch with whole ingredients.  I attempt to limit our consumption of refined sugar and push fruits and vegetables as much as possible.

Having become a runner, has there been a positive impact on your family? Do you think your kids or your husband are influenced by your commitment?

I definitely think my family has been influenced by my healthy lifestyle.  First of all, I try to feed us reasonably healthy food (see above).  My kids and I also walk a lot.  During mild weather, and even in the heat, we love to take long walks through the neighborhood.  When possible, we run errands on foot and walk to our favorite  neighborhood playgrounds.  I’m sure this just sounds like regular life to you as a New Yorker, but here in St. Louis, it is definitely not the norm.  Whenever my mailman sees us out on foot, he asks if our car is broken 😉  They’ve also been bitten by the running bug!  My husband hates running but does it because he knows it’s good for him.  Mr. D. has run three 1-mile fun runs, and J-Bug wants to run one this summer.  The Little Lady is the world’s cutest cheerleader and loves cheering for us at races, usually in her Cheer Baby “Run Mom Run” onesie.

That is so funny that your mailman is concerned about your walking habits! I sometimes have to remind myself that while I live in a walking city, it’s not necessarily so easy in other places. Let’s finish up with goals – any big goals, running or otherwise, coming up on the horizon for you?

My next major goal is training for a marathon!  I’ve registered to run the GO! St. Louis marathon on April 12th, so I’ll begin training for it in early December.  A marathon has been on my “someday” list for a couple of years, and I decided to pull the trigger after my successful October half marathon.  The idea of training for and running a marathon both excites and terrifies me in equal measure.  I’m looking forward to the challenge and to learning what I can do at that distance 🙂

Woo hoo! You will continue to be excited and terrified right up until the starting line, but it’s such an amazing experience. Can’t wait to follow along. Thank you so much for being on Fit Mama Friday today, Kate, it’s always a pleasure to interview a fellow mother-runner!

Want more of Kate? Check out her blog, mama kate runs, and follow her on Twitter, or Instagram.

 

Fit Mama Friday – Fit Dad Friday

Every Friday on Fine Fit Day I feature a Fit Mama or a Fit Dad story of how and why a fit and healthy mama or dad ensures fitness is a priority in her or his life. You’ll read about all kinds of parents and their fitness stories. Some are stay-at-home parents, some are single parents, some juggle more than one job on top of parenthood, but they are all committed to a fit and healthy lifestyle. As you’re getting ready for your weekend, I hope you’re inspired to be active after reading about these kick-ass mamas and dads on Fit Mama Friday – Fit Dad Friday!

 

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!