Run Hard Mom Hard

Welcome to another episode of Run Hard Mom Hard! Our guest, Rachel Drake, shares her insightful journey through pregnancy, postpartum, and her return to competitive trail running. As a professional athlete sponsored by Nike Trail, Osprey, and Spring Energy while simultaneously pursuing a Ph.D., Rachel opens up about the challenges and triumphs of being a mother, athlete, and student.

Key Takeaways:

1. Mom Guilt and Training: Rachel talks about the reality of mom guilt in training and balancing family life with her passion for running.
2. Training Through Pregnancy and Postpartum: She shares her experiences training during and after pregnancy, including dealing with injuries and adapting her routine.
3. Professional and Personal Balance: Rachel discusses how she balances her professional commitments with her personal life, emphasizing the importance of taking care of oneself.
4. Future Goals and Races: She shares her upcoming goals, including her aspiration to participate in the Western States 100 and her training approach for the Black Canyons race.

Notable Quotes:

1. "It's important to trust your body and intuition postpartum; don't rush the process." - Rachel Drake
2. "Having kids does make you a better athlete in a lot of different ways." - Rachel Drake
3. "It's okay not to 'bounce back'; embrace the journey of getting to know your new body." - Rachel Drake

Links Mentioned in Episode:

We’re back this week with an awesome conversation with Martha Slocomb - an ultrarunner, mom, ordained minister, and yoga instructor out of Omaha, Nebraska! We talk with Martha about (all the) things like how she became who she is today, the integrated connection between body and soul, and how “we were made to run - mind, body, spirit” because of the healthy, rejuvenating place it puts us in as humans. Martha shares a saying from yoga, “May all beings benefit from this practice”, which can be applied to our running and how it is a ripple effect. If you do something that makes you feel whole and calm, everyone you interact with afterwards will benefit from your calmness and maybe become more regulated themselves. We also hear how running can be a spiritual and mindful practice by shifting our attention to the present, slowing our breathing, and being curious and noticing (not judging) what is around us and the feelings inside our bodies. While training and racing, we can take our focus off achievement -  instead, tuning into gratitude and seeing races as opportunities, recognizing that not all opportunities work out or can be taken as parents but opportunities flow and we can believe that more will come down the road.  We also hear about some of Martha’s FKT endeavors and she encourages women to get out and try it - especially routes that have never been logged by a woman (you don’t have to be fast, you just have to be first)! They are fun, low pressure challenges that set the stage for other women doing FKTs too.  It was really enjoyable having a chance to reflect on our relationship with running, ponder why we do it and wonder how we could be more intentional about it. Huge thank you to Martha for giving us her time and wisdom! 

This week we get to talk with Melissa - a Canadian ultrarunner and mom of two living babies and one, Baby Googoo, in the heavens

Melissa connects with people on and off the trail who are living with grief. She is a great resource and advocate for women that have experienced pregnancy and infant loss - or grief of any kind (as Melissa says, though our stories might not look the same it doesn’t mean our feelings aren’t relatable). She is creating the kinds of safe spaces where women can talk about loss, find support for mental health and stop apologizing for crying when they’re sad. As moms, we can feel the need to protect our children and the people around us, often times from our own feelings when in actuality it’s ok to be sad and honest about our emotions and it shows our kids that they have permission to be human and feel all their feelings too. Melissa reminds us that grief and happiness can coexist and she shares how she has found healing through trail running, learning to trust her body again and reuniting with her Algonquin Métis roots that encourage her to be more present and a part of the interconnectedness of nature.

Melissa finds a way to dig in and help with things she’s passionate about. What I mean, is that she is an ultra runner, but also became the VP of the Association of Canadian Ultramarathoners supporting Canadian athletes. She suffered pregnancy loss, but also heads the social media and marketing team for the Pregnancy And Infant Loss Support Centre in Canada. You get the gist, she’s a mover and a shaker and doing amazing things that reach out into many communities! 

A huge thank you to Melissa for being vulnerable with us and inviting us into the hard and beautiful parts of humanity! Listen wherever you find your podcasts, don’t forget to share this one with anyone else who might need these powerful messages! Thank you!

Show Notes:

Follow Melissa on Instagram

Hi friends!! This week we have a riveting story hour with Ashley Nordell! Ashley tells us about her November Unsupported FKT attempt on the Ozark Highlands Trail in Arkansas, where there were no dull moments to say the least! Tune in for some suspense, some laughter, and some lessons on rolling with the punches, the true power of sleep deprivation and how women in our sport might go about tackling their own trail adventures! It's always a pleasure chatting with Ashley, hope you enjoy this convo as much as we did!

Show Notes:

Hi Friends!! Between Stef’s big camping trip and Nikki’s international move (updates in the episode) it’s been another long minute since posting a new podcast episode but we finally (!!) have a conversation to share this week! Hooray!

We chat with Whitney Heins - a speedy marathoner, running coach and the founder of The Mother Runners, an inclusive and uplifting community of... well, people like us! Mothers and runners! Whitney started this online space for moms out of a desire to learn more about how to wear these two hats and it has become a remarkable resource for women who are still showing up for themselves in the form of running after having kids.

In this episode Whitney shares her learnings from racing CIM in December and helpful mental processing when a race doesn’t quite go as planned. She talks about reframing disappointment, having big goals while at the same time making peace with the chance of failing and teaching our kids about how to grow from setbacks. Whitney has come off of three years of injuries too and shares a compassionate perspective on what that’s like for anyone who is facing injury.

We loved our time with Whitney and are thankful for what she’s doing in our sport! A woman supporting women! Search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform to listen in! Enjoy!

Show Notes:

This week we had the pleasure of talking with Erika Hoagland! Erika was previously the editor for Ultrarunning Magazine and today she still writes a column called I Am An Ultrarunner as well as she owns a cookie company (she makes the most beautiful cookies), she is a mom and she trains for and races ultras. We chat about the joys and insanities of motherhood, her journey through child birth and her consistent racing through the years. Erika ran Western States this year after using the pregnancy deferral when she had her daughter in 2017. She explains her experience, how it works and why it’s so important in our sport to allow moms the freedom of not having to choose between racing and growing their family. Briefly, here’s how it works: if you raced your way into Western States or had your name drawn in the lottery but you are pregnant or get pregnant before the race and feel like it’s not the best time to be running 100 miles, you can defer your race to another year when you’re more ready to run without any punishment of loosing your place in this race that is so difficult to get into. This allows mothers to do what is best for their bodies and families (Hallelujah).

Erika shares about her race at Western States this year and the fears, anxieties and stresses she carried with her in training and the race itself. She didn’t have the race she hoped for and it brought about some heavy emotions that she has processed and thankfully shared with us because her words were so relatable and life-giving to the rest of us (at least for Stef and I!) As humans, and especially as moms, we can tend to compare our past selves to our current selves and cringe when we don’t feel like we’re “back” to where we once were athletically. We can intertwine our self-worth with our race times and be saddened by unmet expectations. But Erika is moving forward and embracing the runner she is right now, ditching the stress of outcomes and finding joy in ultra running. We loved our time with Erika and are so inspired by her! Listen to this episode by searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” wherever you get your podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe to the pod and share this with your fellow mother runners! Thank you!!

Show Notes:

This week we have Heidi Strickler on the podcast again (if you didn’t tune in for episode 44 back in 2020 you should listen to that one too)! Heidi is our favorite Sports Dietitian - she specializes in nutrition for endurance female athletes, RED-S, amenorrhea, disordered eating and more. Today we discuss how we as parents can talk about food and body image in a healthy way with our kids! We learn about body neutrality (“our bodies are the skin suits that allow us to experience life” as Heidi says), body positivity when appropriate, steering away from the mindset that our bodies have anything to do with our worth as a human, and how to set kind and/or firm boundaries with other people who comment on our kids’ bodies. Heidi emphasizes how we can communicate the benefits of our kids eating complete meals but how all foods can fit within that and how we can move past many of the food shaming and negative judgments of certain foods we hold onto (ex: listen in to hear how Luna Bars compare with Pop Tarts)! We also hear about Heidi’s personal experience with an eating disorder, how she extends freedom and permission to herself in her recovery and offers the same freedom and permission to us as well, and we’re so appreciative.

This was an incredibly helpful conversation for us and we hope it brings insight and inspiration to you too! Just remember, we won’t do this perfectly, but trying to be intentional, maybe breaking some negative intergenerational cycles where we can, and embracing the little teachable moments with our kids goes a long way towards raising healthy, confident, self-loving humans!

Show Notes:

This week we talk with Jodi Fisher - a mother, a runner and the founder of Go Guarded, which is a company dedicated to empowering active individuals with self-defense tools. Unfortunately we live in a world where all women have known fear and we must take our safety seriously, even or especially when we're running. Go Guarded makes products that are one of the many layers of self-defense we can protect ourselves with. There are rings with serrated blades and handheld tools that come with a blade, personal alarms, and/or pepper spray. Each piece is designed with convenience, comfort, effectiveness and affordability in mind to give runners those couple seconds they need to get away from a scary situation. We also talk about the importance of equipping ourselves with knowledge, awareness and confidence that comes with self-defense classes and other ways women can protect themselves. 

We love that Jodi started this business and is helping women feel a little more prepared while doing the things they love, like running and being outside! Check out her website linked in the show notes to learn more and to read through many useful safety resources! Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and share this one with other mother runners! Y'all stay safe out there!

Show Notes:

This week we reflect on what runners can do when they find themselves in a season of low (or maybe zero) mileage. Sickness, injury, busyness, low energy, mental health, whatever may be the cause we have all experienced low points in running and we explore how that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. When you look at all the areas of your life competing for your energy and if you're physically running less miles, maybe you can nourish other parts of you that have been impoverished. 

The main point here is that rest is not failure and you have our permission to take it whenever you feel like you need it!

We hope you all are finding wholeness and well-being no matter what season of life or running you're in! Tune into this episode by searching "Run Hard Mom Hard" wherever you get your podcasts, don't forget to subscribe and share with other mamas! Thank you!

We're finding our podcasting rhythm again people!! We are going to try to be more regular with episodes, cause we've been missing all of you! This week Stef shares her big, exciting racing plans for 2023, tune in to hear what they are! We talk about Hardrock and what they're doing to increase women's' chances of running the race, life and travels in Costa Rica for Nikki, and the importance of manifesting your dreams and being brave enough to realize what you want, ask for it and take little steps towards it. You never know what will come your way! We discuss parenting, dropping perfection and rewiring negative thoughts with positive affirmations for ourselves and our kids.

Listen by searching Run Hard Mom Hard on your preferred podcast platform! If you're reading these show notes you are part of this amazing women and motherhood community and we are so thankful for you! 

Show notes:

Hi friends!! It’s been a minute (or two or ten) but we have a new episode this week!! Tune in and hear all about Stef’s latest race - Superior Fall Trail Race 50 miler - not to give too much away but she did amazing! Nikki also shares about what it’s been like moving to Costa Rica as a family of five! Enjoy and don’t forget to subscribe and share with your community! Listen by searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you!

Show Notes:

New Episode!! And it’s not even Friday! But it’s been a serious minute since we’ve had a new episode of us chattering away in your ears, so here’s a little update conversation with Stef and Nikki! We have some big news coming at ya - Nikki and her crew are moving to COSTA RICA… tomorrow!! Listen in to hear some of the details on that. We’re still planning on keeping the podcast rolling - one of the beautiful things about living in our technologically connected world. Remember, you can find us by searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platform and thank you for tuning in and being a part of this awesome, inspiring and uplifting mother runner community! We love you all!

Show Notes:

This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Jennifer McConachie - an inspiring multi endurance sport adventurer, author and mother. Jennifer has done some amazing things - like raced ultras on 5 of the 7 continents, climbed several of The Seven Summits, swam the Hellespont from Europe to Asia, done stage races, adventure races, and recently created and completed a 100 mile paddle down the Missouri River - just to name a few!

She immerses herself in the places she goes - learning as much as she can before a big trip - reading the literature, studying the culture. She’s driven to push herself outside her comfort zone and to find and be the best version of herself. Jennifer says ultra experiences are like parenting experiences condensed so the mental strength for both of them mirror each other. One of the mindsets she carries with her in endurance sports and motherhood is that how you feel now is not how you’re going to feel later - a powerful reminder to give yourself time, space and grace in the low moments of an ultra event or while parenting!! It WILL turn around.

It was such a joy talking with Jennifer and getting inspired to go do an adventure - near or far! Enjoy this episode and check the show notes for how to find a copy of her book, “Go Far: How Endurance Sports Help You Win At Life”! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and share this with your circle! Thank you!

Show Notes:

We have Ladia on the podcast again this week for part two! Ladia opens up our conversation with a bang by challenging the prescribed narratives we feel we have to fit into as women and mothers in this place and time in society. For example, the “bouncing back” culture we experience after having babies and seeing body changes as a disservice to the other parts of our life (including running) often does not honor what we go through or how we want to embrace the growth we can find in that space. Ladia says, “but I don’t want to go backwards. I don’t need to be the person I was yesterday or ten years ago…. Whether in pregnancy and postpartum or not, that’s not what I’m trying to move towards. I want to embrace who I am, where I am, today and every day moving forward.” We ponder how to find, process and represent our true experiences with language that will free us and others from societal expectations. The things we go through shape us and we can hone the power of that growth and channel it when facing hard things (like ultra running and motherhood). We talk about the need for mothers to have space to talk candidly about their struggles without being dismissed or having to prove their gratitude of being a mother and the importance as mothers to show our kids our full humanity. Ladia mentions, “The most important thing we do as mothers is be ourselves”.

Ladia shares a little about her birth and feeling the contrast of grief from losing her best friend, Gabriele Grunewald, while looking forward to new life through her son Gabriel (named after Gabe of course!). We hear about how Ladia moved through the early postpartum days when building up running in a way that showed kindness to her body and honored her emotions and anxiety of leaving her baby for long runs. AND! We hear about her INCREDIBLE 4th place finish at Canyons 100k in April! From funny stories to positive energy to trail beauty to racing as a way to feel connection amidst the loneliness of motherhood to numb legs to oozing poison oak, it was so fun to hear Ladia tell the race day tales.

We were so lucky to be in Ladia’s presence again and we hope you enjoy this episode! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this with your people! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week we had the privilege of talking with Ladia Albertson-Junkans on the podcast! Ladia is a data analyst, runner for Brooks, FKT holder, Olympic Marathon Trials Runner, Western States finisher, Chuckanut winner (twice), etc, mom of a 17 month old and a really beautiful soul. We set out to talk with her about her recent 4th place finish at Canyons 100k in April but we honestly didn’t even make it to that (hence why this is part one)! There were just too many other things we needed to learn from Ladia about being human, living life fully and holding space for all the paradoxes of life - the beauty and the heartbreak.

We loved Ladia’s perspective on competition- how it is an opportunity for connection with others, a chance to surprise yourself, how it doesn’t need to be adversarial and how you can bring others along with you when racing. When you open your journey up to fellow competitors and they do the same, it allows for all of us to be invested in each other - where one person’s victory is everyone’s joy.

We hear about her dear and deep friendship with the late Gabe Grunewald who passed away in 2019 from a rare cancer and how Ladia’s life has been impacted forever from that. Gabe found a way to adjust to every interruption as it came, not fighting the circumstances of her cancer but continually fighting for the things that made her feel alive. Gabe was brimming with self-love and self-respect so she could give love away endlessly to others. She kept trying (most obviously through running as she was a professional runner through her whole 10 year cancer journey (!!!)) and she set the example for all of us to not give up on the things that bring you joy when life gets hard. (See show notes for Brave Like Gabe Foundation information!)

Ladia also put motherhood into powerful words when she said, “There’s something to grieve every moment and something to rejoice in every moment and sometimes I’m struck by how those two things not just coexist but almost belong together and are inseparable.” It’s a tough feeling to describe but we think all parents know this to be true!

Huge heartfelt thank you to Ladia for all she shared with us and her generosity in agreeing to do a part two (stay tuned)!  Enjoy it and don’t forget to share this with someone else who could use these words today!

Show Notes:

We recently tackled some trail races so we share how those went as well as some general life happenings! Tune in if so inclined! :) 

This week on the pod we have Brittany DeRoche! Brittany is a cancer AND Peripartum Cardiomyopathy heart failure survivor and a strong mom and ultra runner. We hear about the physical, mental and emotional toll these events took and we see the resolve, courage and strength Brittany has shown to overcome them. So inspiring! Huge thank you to Brittany for sharing her story! Give this episode a listen by clicking the link below or searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform. 

This week on the podcast we talk with Julie Urbanski - a mom of two, co-founder of Team RunRun with her husband Matt, seriously epic world traveler and triple crown thru-hiker! Team RunRun is an awesome run coaching company that helps pair athletes with coaches and Julie shares what is important in a coaching/athlete relationship and how having a coach can really benefit your whole family by making training and racing a more successful experience.

Julie and Matt have traveled and lived all over the world and have hiked the PCT, CDT, CT and AT and now they bring their boys all over as well. Their first son visited 18 countries and 5 continents by the time he was 3. We get to hear valuable travel tips about how they’ve made a nomadic lifestyle work and how they travel with kids - pointing out that kids are hard anywhere (as Julie says, “it can be pure hell to have them in your house all day”) and view long travel days like an ultra - take it one step at a time and try to do each section as best as you can to get to the finish line. Julie shares her favorite places to travel with kids, how she and Matt train while abroad, how to travel light and how they navigate the pull between being close to family and adventuring in far away places. They were oversees for a couple years in New Zealand during the pandemic and we hear about what that was like!

Julie describes her experience becoming a mom and the immediate understanding she found for other parents, what recovery was like from a C-section and then V-back and the difficulties with returning to running postpartum. Julie is so relatable and we received so many chunks of wisdom from her stories about all aspects of life! Fair warning: this is a long episode and it may make you want to sell all your possessions and travel the world. Just a heads up! Listen to this episode by clicking the link below or searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform! Don’t forget to subscribe and share!

Show Notes:

This week we have Allison Baca on the podcast! Allison is an amazing athlete - she’s done triathlons and cycling races all over the world and is currently a professional runner for Salomon, in addition to being a mom to her almost 11 month old son. We talk about all the things - how pregnancy helped her overcome some of the restrictive diet cultures she experienced in collegiate running and cycling, the nerve-wracking emotions found in pregnancy and the early postpartum days, the feelings of brokenness after having a c-section, how she manages life and training with her husband who is also an athlete and so much more! Allison and her family are super active and adventurous - her husband is from Mexico so they’ve traveled a lot with their son and they’re checking off peaks in the Colorado mountains when they can. Throughout her stories she reminds us of the power of pivoting when something isn’t going right in life and to keep trying new things cause you never know where life will take you. Focus on doing your best and the decisions you make in life / motherhood / running will be right for you!

We loved chatting with Allison - she’s hilarious and her descriptions of what so many of us go through in motherhood are so relatable!! Give this episode a listen by clicking the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” wherever you get your podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this one with your community! Thank you!!

Show Notes:

This week we chat with Annika Brubaker - a mom of two, ultra runner out of Eastern Washington, coach for Team RunRun and race director. Annika grew up in a home where running wasn’t encouraged or accepted, so it’s amazing what she has overcome and how she has gotten herself past the need for others’ approval to where she is today as a beautiful example of living a healthy lifestyle for her kids!! We hear about how grief and depression lead her to running and how pivotal it has been for her mental health ever since. Annika shares stories about the first ultras she did, her experiences with high risk pregnancies, facing a terrifying diagnosis for her daughter, how she trains in motherhood and the coaching she does nowadays. She really understands and remembers what it’s like to start this sport of ours for the first time and she’s determined to help other runners begin their journeys and reach their goals too!

Annika is so strong, inspiring and a fantastic cheerleader for all moms who run!! We hope you enjoy this episode - Don’t forget to subscribe and share this with other mother runners in your life! Thank you!

Show Notes:

It's Nikki & Stef again this week with some life updates and chit chat about the New Year! We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and we hope your New Year starts off with hope and energy for running and mumming! YOU GOT THIS!!

This week it's Stef & Nikki again and we're talking about how we as moms can go into the joyful yet often stressful and overwhelming holiday season! We get some great tips from Kinzie Eckstein, our Mental Health Occupational Therapist, for combating the hubbub in ways that will help us enjoy this magical time of year. We also talk a little about training, focusing on quality vs. quantity mileage when life demands some give and take and managing expectations! Lets all remember to give ourselves a little extra care during this busy time! We've got this!!

Happy holidays everyone! 

Show Notes:

This week it's Stef and Nikki and we describe our latest race adventures from the past weekend! We both ran our first races after having our third babies and we share our experiences! Tune in and don't forget to subscribe and share! Thank you!!

Show notes:

This week we have a super inspiring story shared by Lindsey Sexton - an ultra runner, a mom of three, a school nurse, a preschool/elementary school cross-country coach, and a recent cancer survivor and 100 mile finisher!

Lindsey decided to tackle No Business 100 this October (jumping to 100 miles from only running a 50k prior, because why waste any time if she knew ultimately she wanted to run a 100?!). Her training was interrupted however by a devastating breast cancer diagnosis and a double mastectomy. It was an emotional time and surgery required recovery and restricted movement but she was able to continue training (doing a 30 mile run 5 weeks post op)! Lindsey took us through No Business 100 - from the emotional start line, to all the beauty of the course, to the foot trauma and toe juice, to the even more emotional finish line. Her story is a testament to how we can carry ourselves through hard things, find the silver linings even amidst the bumps we hit along our life journeys and the hope we can find if we just keep going.

Give this encouraging episode a listen and don’t forget to subscribe and share this with your community! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week on the podcast we have Kinzie Eckstein - a mental health occupational therapist, life coach, yoga teacher, and creator of Mindful Mamas, a program designed to empower moms to live with intention and purpose in their day to day lives. This episode was full of ah-ha moments where Kinzie explained so well what we go through as moms and runners in a new way - from sensory overwhelm to the physiological, hormonal, and self-identity changes we go through as women to why the expectations we used to put on ourselves no longer apply now that we’re moms to why running is literal medicine. She talks about how our brains change in motherhood, how we can develop mind-body strategies to manage our stress and self-regulate, what is happening in our bodies when we get stuck in a fight or freeze headspace (and how to prevent or comeback from that place), how we can pave more pathways for positive thoughts in our brains, and SO MUCH MORE!!

It’s pretty mind blowing stuff in our opinions and we guarantee you’ll feel seen and encouraged by all that Kinzie shared with us! Give this episode a listen! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this one with all the mamas you know (regardless of whether they run or not)! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week we had the pleasure of talking with Jacky Hunt-Broersma! She is a mom of two and an ultra runner out of Arizona. Jacky is also an amputee and tells us about her journey of losing her leg to cancer, the process of becoming a runner, finding a running blade, training her brain to trust new equipment and proving the doubters wrong that thought amputees can’t run trails let alone ultra distances. Jacky is a world record holder for running 100 miles in under 24 hours, which she did on the treadmill (!!) and she recently trained for and started Moab 240 - she wasn’t able to finish the race due to some unforeseen events but still accomplished so much and has more big feats of endurance on the calendar!

Jacky is open and honest about her story and uses her experiences to help others by sharing resources so more amputees can get into the sport, helping with research on prosthetics for women and leading by example to show that anything is possible! She is so inspiring and encourages us to accept who we are, celebrate our strengths, and keep having the courage to show up and try.

Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode’s joy and motivation with your running community! Thank you!!

Show Notes:

This week we talk with Haleigh Fisher - an athlete counselor, artist, writer, first time mom and runner. She shares with us about her journey as a collegiate runner, her experience with an eating disorder and unhealthy cultures that can be found on sports teams and how that eventually led her to her purpose working with athletes and their mental health. 

Though a career aptitude test told her she should be a bartender, Haleigh now helps athletes with mental training in areas like goal setting, motivation, self-talk, reframing negative thoughts, perfectionism, redefining failure, identity and self worth in and out of sport, how mental and physical stress affect the body, eating disorders and body image, anxiety, depression, etc. Haleigh exudes compassion and looks holistically at the whole person to help people make positive changes in their lives. We also talk about how in running we often don’t know what the limiting factor is to our performance - is it mental or physical? The mind and body are so intertwined so it's important to work on both. Just as we physically train for races, Haleigh gives us some ways we can train our minds too. She also shares some of her experience in motherhood so far, including birth trauma and what she’s done to find healing.

Haleigh is a joy seeker and a joy spreader and we so appreciated everything she shared with us! This episode is full of great takeaways, especially if you’re a human and have ever had a mental struggle! Listen by clicking the link below or by searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this goodness with your community! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week on the podcast we get to talk with Amanda Basham - professional ultra runner, coach and new parent to 8 month old Rylan with her partner Justin Grunewald. Amanda shares with us all about how she discovered running, how it led to healing from an eating disorder, and how running has changed since becoming a mom. We enjoyed hearing about how her mindsets have shifted - through pregnancy from running for performance to running for health and in this new postpartum era where her main focus is appreciation for the ability to run. We all get to cry a little in solidarity about the challenges that lack of sleep plays while training and we see what Amanda and Justin do to support each other in this phase of life.

Amanda shares about her return to ultras since having a baby, which has been a successful but bumpy ride - she got 4th at Speedgoat in July then had to pull out of CCC due to pelvic pain in August. But one thing we loved about talking to Amanda was that even in the midst of hard moments that come with motherhood she chooses to focus on the inexplainable love she has for Rylan and how “no race or mountain I could summit would be worth not having her.” (We also get some great girl time in with Rylan in this episode and enjoyed meeting her!)

Amanda leaves us with what is in our opinion some of the best advice: In a world of many opinions constantly coming at you and the inescapable mom guilt, do what works for you. That will help you be the best mom for your particular kids in your particular family. Do what works for you. We’re all doing our best and taking things day by day! Amanda is a gem of a person and gave us great, honest, real life inspiration! Listen to this episode by clicking the link below or searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platforms! Don’t forget to share this one with your running community! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week we have the privilege of talking with Verna Volker - a Navajo ultra runner, mom of four and the founder of Native Women Running which is a community geared towards celebrating and bringing visibility to native runners by sharing their stories. This platform was born when Verna realized that she didn’t see herself in the running world. “There’s some type of image that’s always portrayed in running…It’s the mom who’s a white mom, blonde, beautiful, thin, who just ran Boston and is back to her pre-pregnancy weight holding a baby.” Seeing primarily those posts on instagram and thinking “that is just not me” made Verna create a space on the internet where native women could find belonging, encouragement and sisterhood.

Running is a way for Verna to heal. She’s been on her own journey from generational trauma and loss to forgiveness. She runs because many people can’t and she dedicates her races to lost family members or people on her mind. She also puts on virtual runs that are a call to action, bringing awareness to travesties like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the recent children who have been found on residential school properties. For too long native people have felt silenced - these runs are a way to use their voice and say, (in regards to missing women) ”These women are important to us. They’re mothers and wives and sisters and aunties and they need to be found or they need to get justice.” We talk about the barriers native runners face, what some race directors are doing to diversify their start lines, the sponsorships NWR provides to support runners in their community, and how women can be proactive and protect themselves while running.

Verna left us with reminders that each of us can use our unique gifts for activism and to be an ally. Do what you can wherever you are! Verna is a true joy and she shared so many important things with us, we are so grateful to have had this conversation! Give this episode a listen by clicking the link below or searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platform! Enjoy and please share this with your people! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week we don’t talk all that much about ultrarunning… but we do get to chat with Cassie Sutton, a mom who recently hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 209 days with her husband and 5 year old boy, Harvey! We get to hear all about their epic adventure, how they did it, the highs and lows, and how positive mindsets got them through the journey. They are a truly inspiring family and we were so impressed by little Harvey - he’s done an AMAZING thing at such a young age! This conversation is full of great takeaways and the benefits of getting out on adventures as a family! Listen to this episode by clicking the link in bio or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this one with your community! Thank you!

Show Notes:

Articles about this awesome fam: 

This week we have Katie Asmuth on the podcast again! Katie first joined us back in episode 40 to talk about her win at Bandera 100k and now she fills us in on all the crazy life that has been lived since! She shares what it’s been like becoming a professional runner with Saucony, her family’s move to Mammoth, training for Western States and then running during this historic race year (spoiler alert: it was HOT but the women came and dominated!). Katie as always gives us a huge dose of positive energy and a humble yet hungry perspective on competitive ultrarunning. Her race recap is inspiring and she leaves us with important reminders too, like the importance of verbalizing our goals and believing in ourselves (because why the heck not?!). Katie also talks about how labor and racing are beautiful ways of being a part of the human experience. They are some of the primal, extraordinary events that give us the rawest of emotions and euphoria in life. We also chat about how to draw more women into this sport starting with reframing trails from being intimidating and scary to being empowering and a key factor in restoring our sense of self as mothers. We also need to be vocal about the barriers that hold us back from training and racing so that having more support can become more normal. It takes a village to raise a child (and a mother) and we can help build that village for ourselves and the other amazing mamas around us!

It was so fun reconnecting with Katie and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! Click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platforms to listen. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this one with your people! Thank you!!

Show Notes:

This week on the pod we get to hear Stef’s birth story and how life has been as a family of 5! It’s fun to celebrate Stef now being on the other side of pregnancy and moving onward towards recovery and epic running adventures in the future! Woohoo!! 

Show Notes:

This week we get to chat with Sarah Ter Har - a mom, wife, ultra runner, co-race director for Trail Run Events and the soon-to-be owner of Ultra Ladies which is an organization all about increasing female participation in this sport and connecting women trail runners through group runs, coaching and mentorship. We hear about all the above mentioned things plus the many pieces that make up Sarah, like her passions for belly dancing, horseback riding, equestrian science, her longtime relationship with running and her pursuits in coaching and nutrition certifications as well. Sarah also shares with us about recent life transitions, hard decisions, growth she’s gone through, her experience with divorce, prioritizing health and happiness and setting a positive example for her daughter in everything she does (and as you can see, she does A LOT!). Sarah radiates optimism and faces life with ambition, determination and self-awareness both on and off the trail. She was a joy to talk to! Don’t forget to subscribe and share with your running community because we’re all in this together - women encouraging women! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week on the pod it's Nikki and Stef! Nikki shares the play by play of spectating Western States with three kids in tow! From the history, culture and community of the race to following the runners to aid stations and the finish line it was a magical day in California. Tune in to hear about WSER from the crew/spectator side of things! Don't forget to subscribe and share with your running buddies - it's much appreciated!

Show Notes:

We’re back this week with Shannon Howell - a Spanish teacher, mom of two teenagers, and tremendous ultrarunner out of South Carolina! We get to hear about Shannon’s multicultural background, what it was like being raised in a family that moved a lot, traveled all over South America and only spoke Spanish in the home, and how her childhood has shaped her motherhood. She takes us through her life relationship with running and how it has come and gone but always been there when she needed it (and we think it’s safe to say her running is here to stay because Shannon runs so many races and her joy for the sport is contagious!) She has great perspectives on overcoming hard times in races and communicating well with her family about her needs for training and racing. We also talk about what races she has coming up including Western States next week (which she is going to ROCK!!) and TDS later in the summer! Needless to say we will be living vicariously through her!

We loved our time with Shannon and were uplifted by her kind and positive nature! Give this episode a listen and don’t forget to subscribe and share with your running community! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week on the podcast it’s birth story time!! Nikki shares all the fun details of baby Greta’s birth and Stef and Nikki catch up, talk about the latest in Stef’s pregnancy and the last two weeks of postpartum life for Nikki! Give this episode a listen by clicking the link below or searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platforms! PS- Hi!! We’ve missed you all! Thanks for bearing with us while we’ve taken a little break to have or grow babies!

Show Notes:

This week we had our first international guest - Sophie Power from England! Sophie is well known for being the mom who ran UTMB three months postpartum, stopping to nurse and pump along the way. In this episode we get to hear the backstory behind the infamous photo from the Courmayeur, Italy aid station, including UTMB’s policy on not letting women defer their spot in the race due to pregnancy, her desire to experience this iconic race that she'd been working towards for years, and how she built up her training to prepare for this adventure. She called it “the anti-race” where instead of going as fast as possible, she went slow to protect her pelvic floor and stay on top of nutrition so she could keep up her nursing supply. She ran as smart as any mom could in her position and she was able to have her well-deserved finish line moment with her two sons. She says, “There was a real sense that I was back to myself and that I’d achieved my goal. I was still me and I had done something for my kids. I think I felt that as much as anything else. Looking at how proud my son was, how happy he was, how he was going to grow up…” (by seeing his mom conquering the world, he will know women are capable of anything and he is too!)

We also got to hear about Sophie’s beautiful, recent film made with HOKA ONE ONE called, “The Journey from Pregnancy to Performance” in which she shows the honest and real side of a mother returning to running after having a baby (though of course, each pregnancy and postpartum is different!). She displays a slower progression back to sport after her third baby (AKA not running UTMB three months postpartum) and the work that went into regaining strength. Sophie shares how she worked closely with a pelvic floor physical therapist, how she was diagnosed with prolapse and rehabbed that while keeping the big picture in mind that postpartum is for life and that this recovery must be taken seriously if she wants to run ultras later in life. She addresses topics like how we can reframe mom guilt by remembering that a mom continuing to care for herself and go after her athletic dreams positively effects her kids and has the power to transform society and she gives practical tips on how mothers can prioritize their mental and physical health.

Sophie is doing so much for women in our sport and shedding light on places that have been in the dark for too long - like the gaping holes in health care for new moms and the many barriers that keep women from going after their dreams. Well, change is coming, thanks to people like Sophie!  Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, share it with your running community and watch Sophie’s film (see below)! Thank you!

Show Notes:

It’s Stef and I this week and we share some updates, stories, words on transitioning into newborn phase, I share some of my postpartum survival guide plan and we talk through our podcast and running dreams going forward! We also muse about the characteristics of grit and endurance based on the books “Grit” by Angela Duckworth and “Endure” by Alex Hutchinson. To listen click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” wherever you get your podcasts! Don’t forget to subscribe, follow us and share with friends! Thank you!!

Show Notes:

This week we talk with Jaime Maher - an ultrarunner, mother, behavior consultant, coach, run club leader and positive impact maker on everyone she meets. To give a snapshot of that last qualification listed, this is how she runs (and wins) ultras: she smiles through every second of the race, slows down and talks to every single person she passes and knows everyone’s life story by the time they cross the finish line. And did I mention that she still wins?!

One of Jaime’s superpowers is reframing the negative - in life and running - and turning it positive. She helps runners do this along race courses and she helped Stef and I with reframing current parenting struggles (thank you Jaime!)! She reminded us that, “Everything is temporary - the good the bad and the ugly, whether it’s in life, whether it’s in running, whatever it is, it’s all temporary so just soak it up. Even the pain! Soak it up because you can use that later to your advantage.”

Jaime and her husband have a sweet partnership and are an ultrarunning power couple. Together they lead a 1,700+ member running club based out of St. Louis where they foster a welcoming and uplifting place for the running community to come together. We also get to hear the story of when they both trained for and raced THE SAME 100 miler (that’s hard for parents to do!), what the race was like, how Jaime got through a hypothermic experience, and how it went having both parents recover from a 100 mile journey. She shares how she trains as a busy mom, the key being that every mile has purpose (quality vs. quantity) and she prioritizes cross training and one day off a week which means that she never went over a 67.3 mile week in prep for her 100 miler! That’s good news for any mom wanting to tackle a big distance but feels too overwhelmed at the time it would take to try.

We’re lucky that Jaime shared her “highly excitable” nature and encouraging mindsets with us and we hope you love this episode as much as we do! To listen, click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” on any podcast platform. Don’t forget to subscribe and share with the runners in your corner! Thank you!

Show Notes:

This week we chat with Tara Warren, an awesome ultrarunning mom and endurance running coach out of Ogden, Utah. We get to hear about how she got into this sport and how she overcame the barriers and fears that hinder many women from dabbling in trail running (wild animals, sketchy people, getting lost and a lack of knowledge). Through repetition and finding empowerment out in the mountains she grew to love running long distances and quickly set out on the progression towards 100 mile races. 

Tara shares the power of 100 milers - how you can take the suffering that you learn during them and use it in all other areas of life, like motherhood and daily struggles. She is passionate about her training, keeps it enjoyable and savors the race experiences as opportunities to use what she’s learned and push herself through whatever may come up along the way - like when she recalled prior singing experiences and breathing techniques to get through a race with broken ribs! There have been a couple years where Tara has run 3 (BIG) 100 milers each summer (races like Bighorn, UTMB and The Bear) and yet she still keeps her long term running health in focus. When we asked her about her training and mom life “balance” she responded with, “It’s a mess!” But she rolls with life similarly to how she does long races, taking things as they come, recognizing she might not get out for a run every day and that doesn’t make it a bad day, just a different day. 

Tara is full of encouragement and positive perspectives for all of us mother runners! Give this episode a listen by searching “Run Hard Mom Hard” on your preferred podcast platform! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this one with your running community! Thank you! 

Show Notes: