Where can I find a running bra that supports my new post-partum chest? How can I keep up my training when my toddler is sick and no one is sleeping? What’s the best way to do speedwork but still have my phone with me? How in the heck am I gonna find the time OR energy to run?
The Mother Runners is the culmination of these questions constantly running through my head while, well, running.
Chatting with other Mother Runners, I realized I wasn’t alone in these thoughts and dilemmas, and there were few resources to help moms like us: Moms who want to be their best on and off the roads.
After all, running makes us better mothers, and vice versa.
At Mother Runners, you’ll find information for all things at the intersection of running and motherhood brought to you by my personal experiences and research, and conversations with other Mother Runners and experts.
About Whitney Heins
I’ve been running since I was 6-years-old thanks to my dad who saw me running home from the school bus and thought I might have talent. He began entering me into local races and I continued to compete through high school. I didn’t run for my university (Georgetown) but did continue to run throughout college and my career as a TV journalist.
Running has always been a source of confidence, clarity and security for me. Now that my kids (9 and 6) are getting older, and my husband, Jake (also a competitive runner), is cheering me on, I’m training reveal what potential may lie within. After battling injuries from 2019-2021, I’m chasing goals to run a 2:4x marathon, sub-1:20 half, sub-18 5k, and sub-5 mile (while in my 40s).
Running is such an individual sport but when you become a mother, it can require a whole team of people and major schedule finessing to help you get out the door. It can require countless times of crying babies being pulled off you and pre-pre-dawn wake-ups to ensure it happens before the day’s craziness sets in. It requires dedication and intense motivation when you know it would be so much easier if you just slept in or stayed home. But you also know that you would be a lesser mom if you didn’t do this for yourself because running is your think time. Your release time. Your me time.
My fellow Mother Runners, this site is for you. I’m happy you’re here!
-Whitney
P.S. I’m not a medical doctor so my advice should not be considered as such. I’m sharing with you the result of my own experience and research. So, please feel free to consult your doctor before you put into action any of these tips.