Another Mother Runner

Sarah and BRF Molly Williams convene for a convo with two remarkable mother runners who recently each ran 100 continuous miles to race money for charity. Julie Millen, a mom of five and founder of Joules Athletics, shares how the Joules Athletic Warrior 100 Miler evolved out of recovering from an injury as a way to honor a friend who had passed from gynecological cancer. Marvel along with SBS and Molly when Julie reveals she ran the first 87 miles around a ½-mile block—in the pouring rain; shiver when she talks about feeling a tap on her shoulder while running and hearing a friend say, “boomdiggity.” Tear up when Julie talks about why she gives back to the running community. Next, Molly and Sarah welcome Julie’s friend Emma Jeter and fellow 100-mile momma on the pod. Emma tells how she “originally sucked at running” and started by running two blocks—then walking those same two blocks back home. This homeschooler admits running is “a moment of refreshment” and that divine intervention was involved in her findi

In this epic episode, Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin chat and laugh with four mother runners who chose to celebrate banner birthdays or anniversaries with running races! First up is mom of four Angela Rodriguez, who is fete’ing turning 40 by running her first marathon. Listen as Angela and Sarah bond hard at being rule-followers when it comes to training plans. Next is Malia, who chose to celebrate her 40th by running 40 races in the year following her bday. She shares how the scheme came to her while running a race on her birthday last October, knowing she wanted “more of ‘this’” in her life. Malia talks about the importance of doing races with family members and friends, including a tale of how she ran every step of a half-marathon with a posse of 10 gal-pals. Find out how doughnuts figured prominently in her year of races—and gain great racing advice from Malia. Then comes Kim who, get this, ran 40 marathons by her 40th birthday after only taking up running at age 30. This fitness/strength instructor open

Sarah and Ellison Weist delight in chatting with professional runner Alysia Montaño, a 2012 Olympian and 7-time (!!!) U.S. Champion in the 800-meters. Due with baby #2 next month, Alysia talks about busting the long-standing myths of staying active during pregnancy. Alysia shares how she is navigating her “shifting” body—and how she schooled her regular UPS driver in the power of a pregnant woman. She tells why she wears a flower in her hair when she runs—as well as how she gained her childhood nickname of Icebox! Find out what “drain the dragons” means in this pro mother runner’s life, and delight at her gotta-grab-life-by-the-horns approach to motherhood. Sarah is awestruck by an insight from Alysia, borrowing the phrase to fuel her marathon. Alysia even shares a bit of her birth story, complete with a BOSU ball. In the intro, Sarah relates a bit more about her Twin Cities Marathon run, and Ellison talks about the books she’s read lately (see list). Dear Alysia joins the conversation at 26:50. My Absolute D

The AMR co-founders have been on the road! First the Retreat, then the Twin Cities Marathon, so in this episode they pause and play catch-up and share details of both fun-filled weekends. The conversation veers from great race signs to fire drills. Sarah gives a race report about her 14th marathon: Find out why she’s so proud of her effort in the final 10K of the 26.2, and how the music fueled her. (Tay-Tay to the rescue!) Sarah tells the tale of running with several mother runners, including across the finish line with her tank-top twinsie. Learn how rain didn’t dampen Dimity’s exuberant cheer-leading for TCM participants. Also, Sarah shares an update on Team AMR member Maggie Palmer, from Episode #277, whose family lived through Hurricane Irma mere weeks after moving to Saint Maarten. To enjoy a free month of Bark Box with order of 6- or 12-month subscription, visit barkbox.com/AMR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another recorded-in-front-of-live-audience episode: Listen in as Sarah, Dimity, Coach MK, and Coach Amanda share advice and anecdotes about how to have the best race experience you can. The ladies remind it’s not necessarily the time on the clock that equates to success or enjoyment. They talk about the importance of going out conservatively, then stepping on the gas if you’re feeling strong mid-race. At the end of the episode, the panel takes questions from some of the attendees of the AMR Run + Refresh Retreat in Spokane. No matter what distance race you’re stepping up to the start for, you’ll find in this episode pearls of wisdom to use pre-, during, and post-race. To enjoy a free month of Bark Box with order of 6- or 12-month subscription, visit barkbox.com/AMR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dimity hosts a live podcast from the Run + Refresh Retreat, recorded at the wonderful Fleet Feet Spokane! Done in the style of NPR quiz show Wait...Wait...Don't Tell Me, Dimity grills the panelists and audience members on all things running. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin converse candidly with four women who fell out of their running groove to learn how they are finding their way back—or discovering a new way. The first guest, Maggie Palmer, was just starting to get in a post-move groove when disaster struck—literally: She and her family endured Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Maggie shares how she and her family are getting back on their feet after being evacuated and landing in Chicago, including how Maggie is enviously eyeing women runners staying at same hotel. Then Jen Rucker tells how back surgery sidelined her. She and Sarah dive into a discussion about the lies we sometimes tell ourselves to get through a challenging situation. Now on the road to recovery (she’s up to running two miles!), Jen stresses the importance of being kind—and patient—to yourself. Next up is Ariel Garl, who shares how she’s been battling severe asthma and collateral health issues for the past two years. Ariel explains how, despite numerous

Sarah and co-host Dimity dive deeply into Dimity’s long-term injury—and the fact it’s going to keep her from running for the foreseeable future. With her signature candor, Dimity talks about why her quarter-century of running has come to a close—and how she is coming to accept that prognosis for the next six months (or longer). Discover why it’s a relief for the AMR co-founder to deliberately take control of her non-running situation, and how she’s remaining active and strong despite the lack of miles on her feet. Hear the determination in Dimity’s voice when she says she’s not going to stop being an athlete, and learn what athletic adventure she’s scheming with a friend. Dimity talks about the importance of “thinking beyond the daily release” running provides and the need to “widen the lens” to see the long-term landscape. Whether you’re in the same proverbial shoes now or know it’ll come one day (hello, aging!), this is an episode we all need to experience. In the intro, Sarah elaborates on the smoke-situat

Sarah and co-host Adrienne Martini dig deep for a highly informative (and entertaining!) conversation about pelvic floor health with Julie Wiebe, a physical therapist specializing in women’s health and sports medicine + a mom of two. Julie starts by telling of her decade+ mission to find solutions for women athletes for a host of issues and injuries—and how so many of the answers lie in what’s called the “core stabilizing system.” She explains how the three components work together to maintain stability at your center—a crucial element of running form. Julie tells how to improve access to your system, allowing you to regain energy and get more propulsion in your running stride. (Score!) Find out why you should “blow before you go.” And, yes, there’s a lot of talk of leakage, including Julie explaining how incontinence can be a signal of a problem in the system that can lead to (or be the cause of) a host of injuries. She also tells how to find a pelvic floor physical therapist. Laugh out loud at the hashtag t

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin are here to help you get moving more quickly and how to get yourself (and maybe your kids!) out the door, back at your desk, or off to bed after a workout. This episode is all about trimming time and simplifying your routine to fit in your runs. First up, Sarah and Amanda share tips and hacks from other mother runners plus anecdotal advice from their own decades of running (and, in the case of Amanda: coaching!). Ways to wake up--and get out of bed--more consistently and how to start putting your miles as soon as possible after your feet hit the floor. How to remove obstacles that slow you down, like contact lenses or having to prepare a pre-run snack (thank you, GoGosqueeZ!). Then the duo talks to Sally Kuzemchak, the genius behind the websiteReal Mom Nutrition and author of the time-saving cookbook, Dinnertime Survival Guide. A font of great advice, Sally suggests figuring out your mealtime “pain-points” are (no, she doesn’t mean the kids constantly bickering!!)—then offers s

This show is almost like a trio of co-hosts: Sarah and co-host Molly pick the brain of Coach Amanda for insight into training slumps—and advice on how to pull yourself out of one. The coach asserts that, despite what it may feel like, mostly likely the source of your ennui is mental, not physical. She breaks things down, assuring you feeling “tired, hungry, and harried” is to be expected when training for a race, then she outlines how to discern those symptoms from overtraining. Discussing the common conundrum of wanting to skip a run due to exhaustion, Coach Amanda grants you a hall pass to skip an occasional run. Talk turns to the seasons of life—and why sometimes it’s just not the right time to run a race. Molly introduces the notion of “the pleasure of discomfort,” and both she and Sarah give anecdotal advice on how to lean into that feeling. Learn the Rx for missing a week of training, plus the value of a throwing in a benchmark run or workout to re-kindle your enthusiasm. In the introduction, Sarah and

Sarah and co-host Molly are joined by two guests who offer valuable insight into prehab: the simple moves that can help you avoid running injuries. First is Britny Fowler, a personal trainer who leads education session on TriggerPoint Therapy products.  This mother runner speaks from experience: After getting talked into running several races by friends, she qualified for Boston Marathon—then ran the race 23 weeks pregnant! Britny provides enlightened advice for starting a prehab routine (just one minute a day!) and how to make it successful. Find out why she suggests we take cues from cats and babies, and how the ABC’s enter into the picture. She answers all sorts of foam rolling questions—including why, when, how long, and how intensely. (And why adding vibration is a game-changer!) Next, the BRFs welcome on MK Fleming, the Train Like a Mother Club heart rate coach and multi-time marathoner. Pregnant with baby #4, MK talks about how her workouts are morphing along with her body. In answering questions culle

A repeat episode although the guest’s life has changed radically since recording the show: Alison Overholt gave birth to a second child last summer, and a few months prior to that, she was named editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine. The first female editor to head a major sports magazine. A BAMR, for sure!!  Sarah and Dimity welcome Alison, one of the contributors of Tales from Another Mother Runner, who starts by telling how--and why--she morphed from being a hoops player to a runner. Alison reads from her poignant TAMR essay, which deals with the death of her mother and the birth of her daughter. Then, taking the AMR game up a notch, she quotes Sheryl Sandberg's recent talk at Davos (fancy!), followed by lessons she learned about mother running from Kara Goucher. This prompts a conversation about "power words:" Alison's 2015 power word is "focus." (Dim and Sarah land on theirs toward the end of the podcast.) Alison shares a panic-inducing tale of the day before she ran the NYC Marathon; call it The Case of

Sarah and co-host Adrienne Martini talk about running injuries and prevention with Dr. David Geier, a respected orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Charleston, South Carolina, and host of his own podcast. Dr. David answers a slew of questions garnered from the AMR Facebook page, starting with what’s causing that (literal!) pain in the butt so many mother runners are feeling. He explains why an MRI isn’t the best test for a labral tear. (Speaking of tests, you’ll definitely ace the word “medial” on the SATs after listening to this podcast!) Dr. David describe the classic symptoms of a stress fracture—and tells why heeding early signs will limit time off running. The good doctor—or, rather, the “Good News Doctor” as Sarah dubs him in the show due to his optimistic outlook on injuries and recovery—talks about how age tinkers with a runner’s body and how to allay some of those changes. The trio covers a whole lot of ground: shin splints, IT Band issues, piriformis syndrome, knee pain, and more, a

Sarah and Ellison Weist convene for the fourth annual summer reading podcast to discuss their favorite new books—plus a few fabulous classics. They start with fiction, and the duo soon realizes how many of the novels have a British bent to them. Fittingly, Ellison makes excellent use of the adjective “twee” with regards to a ballyhooed book she recommends steering clear of. Sarah voices her Jetsonian desire about a new way to experience books. Sprinkled amidst the literary conversation are mentions of film and TV adaptations of stories—and numerous “hot vicar” allusions! The BAMRs recommend a few non-fiction tomes. Ever-in-the-know, Ellison also offers numerous suggestions for books coming out in the next few months, including a collection of short stories by Tom Hanks. Below are all the new books mentioned in the episode, plus a few novels Sarah and Ellison can’t let go of. The gals talk movies (and more) in the intro; the book talk starts at 13:49. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi

Sarah and co-host Molly Williams tackle the topic of amenorrhea (the cessation of menstrual periods) with two guests. First up: Retired professional runner Tina Muir, who candidly talks about not having a period for nine (9!!) years. Tina admits she ignored the issue for years—and expresses her frustration that experts had no advice to rectify the problem. Tina shares what it was like being the center of a whirlwind of attention when she stopped running specifically to resume her menstrual cycle and start a family—and why she wanted to make the often hush-hush topic public. Find out what Tina, co-host Molly, and Kate Middleton have in common. Then Molly and Sarah welcome on Jennifer Carlson, M.D., a doctor who studies and treats amenorrhea at Stanford University. Jen explains how amenorrhea is part of the female athlete triad—and how the understanding of the triad has evolved over the years. The good doctor tells what factors, in addition to an energy imbalance, could cause amenorrhea, such as stepping up mil

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin spend some time talking about GPS running watches - the best ways to utilize one as well as how to prevent becoming overly reliant on numbers on your wrist. Coach Amanda talks about why an “easy run” is different on every single run. The gals reveal the definition of running “naked” - and how often you should be doing it. (!!) Hear how wearing a GPS ruined a race for Coach Amanda, yet how useful she finds them for speedwork. (If that’s your jam.) At the other end of the spectrum: The gals discuss the importance of letting your body dictate pace and using a GPS to keep you honest about going slowly enough. These decades-long runners also impart advice on honing your inner GPS. The topic then prances over to the ideal cadence and whether you should fret about hitting some magic number of steps per minute. Voice Memos from other mother runners are woven into the duo’s slightly subversive conversation. In the intro, hear about Amanda’s recent Appalachian mission project with her te

Sarah and co-host Ellison Weist delightedly dive into a conversation with respected reporter Gretchen Reynolds. In her New York Times column, mother runner/mountain biker Gretchen reports on new and interesting science to help our bodies function better. The trio starts by talking about dealing with hot weather while running, with Gretchen explaining why a hot bath might be a wise tool before she answers the age-old question of slushie v. frozen underwear. Gretchen shares welcome findings about the performance boost of caffeine as well as good news about the effect running can have on both back and knee health. The three mother runners take an intriguing detour to debate the use of the word “jog.” Find out why you should be doing interval training (especially if you’re north of 40) plus how much you need to run to add to your longevity. This episode is guaranteed to get your mind whirring! In the intro, “Book Bully” Ellison shares her latest gook recommendations; the Q&A with guest Gretchen starts at... Learn

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin welcome Jessica Crandall, a registered dietician nutritionist in Denver specializing in weight management and sports nutrition. This certified group fitness instructor and mother runner answers a host of questions from the AMR Facebook page, starting with clearing up “calorie confusion.” Jessica gives weight-loss and weight-management advice for moms in their 40s and 50s; she presents an intriguing suggestion for improving on-the-run hydration. The marathoner discusses new thinking on carb-loading, including the importance of what the trio dubs “the Goldilocks Balance.” Jessica suggests numerous portable options for on-the-run fuel; find out her three F’s to follow for filling up post-workout. The trio talks protein needs for active women before wrapping the informative, fun conversation with a drool-inducing chat about the Casserole Connection. This pod’s drinking game: Chug chocolate milk or Nuun every time one of the gals mentions chia seeds or dehydrated peanut... Learn mor

For the annual Father’s Day episode, Sarah and Dimity welcome with great delight Peter Sagal, the longtime host of the NPR news quiz WAIT, WAIT…DON’T TELL ME. A veteran of more than a dozen marathons, Peter admits he was “a fat little kid,” and he’s still running away from that identity. The mother runners steer the father runner onto a TMI topic, with Peter sharing how he finally solved his pooping problem. Peter admits he isn’t running for a PR anymore; find out which unique race is on Peter’s bucket list. Listen to why Peter unplugs on runs—and even occasionally runs “naked.” Talk turns to treadmills, Chinese noodles, and an impromptu run with Olympic medalist Deena Kastor. Hear Peter describe being 100 yards away from bomb blasts at finish line of 2013 Boston Marathon. Be sure to listen to entire interview, as the humorist and playwright details the manuscript he’s been working on for nearly five years—and just turned in to his editor this week! A favor: Sarah and Dimity would really appreciate you... Lea