I'm An Athlete

I read the news… on Facebook. Now, wait! If you’re different, don’t judge! It’s an easy way to spice up your newsfeed and read articles catered to your interests! ;) For example, thanks to Facebook, I was recently able to read something on The Atlantic’s page, referencing a previously published New York Times’ piece. There wasn’t anything too spectacular about the article, but it did get me thinking. 


I’m a mom. AND I’m driven. For years I thought the two were incompatible, so I wrestled with each parcel of my being, often feeling deflated and guilty. I still have moments of sensitivity, but I’m so much stronger today than I used to be (Did you hear I’m in grad school for the career of my dreams?!), and running is a huge part of that (Find out how my journey started).

Summer Fun!

I forgot my hood!

My newest babies!

Becoming a runner put me back in touch with an identity I mistakenly thought that motherhood had replaced. As a recreational runner, I am reacquainted with my athletic side, my social side, my playful side, my assertive side, my curious side, and on the list goes. I’m so thankful and proud to have rediscovered this portion of myself because it means I can share it with others--especially my kids. I can’t express how happy it makes me when I see them cheering for me from the sidelines. Or how incredibly good it feels when my kids ask, “Mommy, did you climb that mountain (pointing to Pikes Peak)?” “Well, yes, baby. Yes, I did.”

Of course, as a mom and graduate student, my running "career" looks a little different. I am still trying to figure out what balance looks like for me, and it's an evolving process. You know what, though? Ask any athlete, recreational or professional, and he or she will tell you that the phenomenon I'm describing is the express purpose of athleticism. To be an athlete means to work toward becoming your own best. That is why it doesn't matter if you're running a four minute mile or a fourteen minute mile. It’s about facing and challenging your own limits, not someone else’s limits.

If I can close with a little vulnerability, I’d just like to say that it hurts when people wrongly assume that ambitious women are the demise of families, and the effect on society is equally devastating. We need talented women in every facet of the workforce.  Gender differences aside, maintaining close relationships while doing anything else takes hard, hard work—just like most things of value take work. But if we’re all striving away at our individual hopes and dreams, or maybe we’re just trying to survive, where do we find the energy to tear each other down?

“Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” –Unknown source