Mastering marathon training as a single mom…

Mastering marathon training as a single mom… 

 I am a single mom who has managed to train and run 4 marathons in the last two years. In that time I have qualified for Boston 2x and got a 30+ minute PR!! And never missed an activity for my kids for running. Anyone who has trained for a half or full marathon (or ultra) knows the commitment and dedication to the process is the hardest part. I have been able to successfully get my training in, stay strong mentally in training, and commit to the process. This is what you can do if you want to commit to your running goals. 

 1. schedule your running and strength training into your week. write it down. Put it on a calendar or planner. 

 2. Journal about your progress and each run. What is one positive you can pull from each run? how did you feel? See below for the ones I use. 

 3. Set goals. I created a vision board with running goals included in my overall vision board. See a pic of mine below :) 

 4. Join Strava or post about your runs. Not for the kudos (unless you really like that) but because you can see your progress over time. I love the graph where it shows my mileage increasing each week and then one cutback week. 

 5. Celebrate and talk about the wins. Whether it is the amount of miles per week, completing a race distance for the first time, or committing by running x number of days/week. 

 6. Don’t be afraid of early morning running. When training increases, my alarm gets earlier and earlier, but that allows me time to wake up, have some coffee and a snack and get after it. Morning runs are quiet and peaceful. Some days I’m starting at 4am because…work, kids, 2 jobs, etc. Consider your safety at all costs! 

 7. Speak about your goals in running to those around you. They want to support you and will. Let your spouse know, you need this time so you can be the best version of you. Call on family or friends to watch the kids while you go for a run. Most people want to help. You can return that favor to them as well! And maybe you’ll inspire them!! 

 8. Don’t put it off if you have scheduled your time to run. You won’t do it later because something else will come up. Let your running be a priority. It’s a non-negotiable. 

 9. Create the mind shift that you are worthy of that time. 

 10. Remind yourself that you will NEVER regret a run you did, only the RUN you didn’t do. 

 11. Pat yourself on the back every now and then because the more consistent you are in going after your goals, you’re becoming a badass and deserve that recognition. 

 12. Life is short. Your health matters! 

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