My featured Fit Mama Friday today is Laura, the running mama and holistic health coach who blogs at Mommy Run Fast. Married to her husband Jared, with two gorgeous girls, Lily, 5 years old and Julia, 6 months old, Laura is back to training for a big bucket list race this year (okay, spoiler, it’s BOSTON!) and killing it in her speedwork and training runs post partum. Already an RRCA Certified running coach, Laura has also recently branched out into nutrition, launching her own health coaching business. I love her holistic, down-to-earth approach to health and balance, so I’m excited to be sharing Laura’s story today!

Meet Laura.

I’ve loved following your blog as you recovered from your second daughter’s birth, especially as you’ve been getting back into running. What has the post partum experience been like for you, going through it for the second time?

I remember being very humbled the first time around.  I was able to start back to running around 3 weeks but it took several months to feel “normal” again.  This time, even though I knew on some level that it would take time, I still found it discouraging initially how hard everything felt! I started back again around 3 weeks post partum with jog/walk intervals about 3 times a week and gradually built my endurance back from there.

I still feel like I’m looking for my speed (now 6 months postpartum).  I ran a half marathon at 3 months post partum and was only 3 minutes off my pr, yet I felt so far from it at the same time!

You’re running the Boston Marathon as part of Team Stonyfield this year (2015) – this has always been a dream for you, right? How close have you come in the past?

Yes! Running Boston has been a bucket list item for me.  I actually qualified at the Houston marathon in 2013 (3:32) but that set me up to run Boston 2014 and by the time registration rolled around, we were trying to get pregnant so I didn’t sign up.  I watched the race with my 6 month belly knowing I’d try to re-qualify again soon, but I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to run with Team Stonyfield!

What’s your current workout schedule like? Any particular challenges?

Since I’m training for Boston, my current schedule is about 4 days of running, 2 days of spinning and strength and the occasional extra run, yoga or Pilates class thrown in.  I share my workout recap every week on my blog on Sundays. I usually don’t have trouble staying motivated to run, but the cold, dark mornings are a challenge right now! Typically winter is when I step back a bit from running and do more cross training and strength training. I already told my husband to remind me never to sign up for a spring marathon again, and I’m only in week two of training! 🙂

How did you get into running? 

I was active through school in sports (mostly soccer and a little field hockey) but stopped playing team sports in college.  I gained the freshman 10-15 (free ice cream every night in the dining hall + no exercise routine!) and realized I could no longer eat whatever I wanted.  Some friends and I began running 2-3 miles together as an easy way to get in a little exercise.  Despite never going further than 3 miles, we decided to run a half marathon together! I really enjoyed the training and after completing the race, I was hooked!

Since then, I’ve continued to run and enter a few races each year.  Over the years, I learned the importance of strength training and balance in our workout routine and have added spin, Pilates and strength training as well.  Prior to kids, I was running casually but it wasn’t until after my daughter was born that I got the itch to train for a marathon.

I am a Type A person and competitive with myself, so running has been the exercise I enjoy the most and am the most consistent with as I like to set goals and see progress.  After my first was born, I ran my first marathon at 15 months post partum and then wanted to get a BQ so I trained for that.

I know you’ve recently launched your online health coaching business, Laura Peifer Wellness – is that the main thing you do for a living? Or are you doing a little bit of everything?

A little bit of everything, it seems. I mostly stay home with my girls, but I also work part-time from home as a Holistic health coach.  I work one-on-one with women to help them reach their health goals and understand the best foods for their bodies. We typically work together over a six month period.  I teach health workshops locally on cravings, sugar and related holistic topics and lead group sugar detoxes.  I also coach runners (online, individualized plans) and teach spin at a local gym.  It’s a fun mix of all of the things I am passionate about!

As a health coach as well as a running coach, you focus a lot on nutrition and minimizing sugar consumption. What’s helped you and your clients the most in terms of changes to eating habits, when it comes to nutrition specifically to aid exercise and fitness?

As a runner, I find I’ve been working with a lot of runners because they know that I “get it” in terms of carbs, sugar cravings and fueling their workouts.  My focus is on teaching easy ways to incorporate whole, real foods and noticing how your body feels on different foods.  Every one is different (based on blood type, genetics, ancestry, metabolic type, etc.) so we look at getting back in touch with your own body – we are the only expert on ourselves!

In terms of aiding exercise and fitness, nearly everyone has had the experience of running after a heavy, unhealthy meal vs.running underfueled vs. nailing the nutrition.  Quality food makes such a difference in sustainable energy, digestion and performance. I think the 80/20 or 90/10 rule helps the most.  Once we determine the best foods and ideal “diet” or way of eating, it can feel restrictive and nearly impossible without a little room for indulgences.

And is that how you also approach your own eating habits?

My diet has gone through some shifts over the years.  I read and researched a lot about nutrition on my own which led me to become mostly a vegetarian for ten years or so post college.  After going through my holistic nutrition training, I began to realize the health benefits of meat for my body type (and better understood the concept of bio-individuality, we all have different needs!) I now eat a little bit of everything but aim for real, whole foods (full fat and from the ground or animals as much as possible!) Through pregnancy, I always have a huge sweet tooth and let my diet slide a bit but I’m back to a better balance now with dark chocolate. 🙂

I know you continued to run while pregnant with Julia – did you work out during both pregnancies?

I continued to workout and run through my pregnancies.  With both girls, I ran up until the very end.  The last few weeks were more walking than running, but I went out on a job the morning both babies were born.  I think it helped the baby drop and got things moving!

What does being a fit mama mean to you? Why is fitness important to you and has it impacted your family as well?

Being fit and active is like my coffee in the morning.  Exercise energizes me and the endorphins boost my mood so I’m ready to tackle the day! I love that I can set an example of fitness for my girls, too.  I sometimes find the balance tricky when I’m heading out and they would rather me stay at home with them.  I don’t want them to think fitness is more important than my time with them, so that’s a balance I’m still working on.  I’ve been trying to do most workouts in the early morning or after they’re in bed (or during the baby’s nap while my oldest is at preschool) to minimize it cutting into my time with them.

My 5 year old has been requesting races this past year, so I’ve loved scouting out some local 5Ks with kid races for us to do together.  And my husband has even started running more consistently this past year! He typically prefers to run only if he’s chasing a ball.

That’s so awesome – I love that kids’ races are becoming more common, I think it’s such a fun thing for them to do when they’ve seen mama go out for a run so often! Okay, last question – what are your fitness goals for the year?

Goals – to complete and enjoy Boston.  I’m not sure I’ll run it as well as I’d like to with the tough hills toward the end.  After that, I want to stick to shorter distances for the summer and work on breaking 20 minutes in the 5k (my pr from a few years ago missed it by just 2 seconds!).

Best of luck with the rest of your training for Boston – what an amazing experience that will be! Thank you so much for being part of the Fit Mama Friday series today, Laura!

 

Want to connect with Laura? You can read her blog, Mommy Run Fast, check out her holistic health coaching at Laura Peifer Wellness, as well as follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

 

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!