CHOOSING THE RIGHT RUNNING GOAL FOR YOUR UNIQUE "MOM LIFE"

Send us a text In this episode of the Miles with Moms podcast, we are talking about how to choose the right goals for your mom life—as we all have unique demands placed upon us and a limited amount of time and energy. All of our approach setting goals in a different way as we all have different mom lives—but there is a common theme with an emphasis on discipline plus flexibility—and making sure you choose the right goal for YOU and do it for YOU. We share personal experiences about balancing family life with training and we delve into the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while managing the demands of motherhood, and the importance of self-care and support from loved ones. We explore the evolving mindset of runners, particularly mothers, as they navigate their training journeys. Our conversation emphasizes the significance of consistency over perfection, the value of personal goals, and the need to redefine high mileage in the context of individual circumstances. Of course, we talk about inappropriate things as well—and hope you laugh out loud at least once during this episode! Happy new year! Chapters 12:30 Lighthearted Banter 15:29 Shout Outs and Community Engagement 16:34 Goal Setting and Decision Making 21:15 Finding Time for Training 29:52 Flexibility in Training and Family Involvement 33:57 Balancing Discipline and Flexibility in Training 39:56 Navigating Comparison and Setting Realistic Goals 45:57 Finding Purpose and Joy in Running 53:00 Balancing Mileage and Quality 58:51 Redefining Success in Running 01:00:53 The Pressure of High Mileage 01:06:57 Encouragement for New Runners 01:09:19 The Importance of Personal Goals 01:11:55 Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement Keywords running, motherhood, goal setting, balance, flexibility, fitness, New Year, training, podcast, mom life, running, training, flexibility, consistency, personal goals, social media, high mileage, motherhood, ultra running, marathon training Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com . When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs. www.themotherrunners.com Instagram: @themotherrunners YouTube: The Mother Runners whitney@themotherrunners.com