The Lactating Runner “Guest Post” by Marie Ortiz

I know returning to running after having kids is HARD!!!  

I’d like to thank Marie for sharing her inspirational story!!!!

Guest Post by Marie Ortiz.

After my first child was born, I got to be a stay-at-home mom for the first time. I loved it. I got to lounge around the house all day long. We watched movies, played, went shopping. Naturally, I didn’t lose a single pound of my pregnancy weight. In fact, I gained 10 extra pounds.

I call it “happy fat.” It’s the weight you gain during the beginning of a relationship. It happens with babies, too.

Exercise was the further thing from my mind. They were happy times, indeed.

Then my husband got laid off from his job. I had no choice but to begin seeking work. After all, I was the one with the college degree-why should I be wasting it? Within a month of job searching, I found the perfect fit. It paid well, offered health insurance, and was close to home.

I went on a week-long fast of only water and tea to prepare myself for returning to work. I’d been a SAHM for almost 2 years. I needed to clear my mind and body for this new chapter of my life. On the last day of my fast, I realized that it was time to get into a routine again. I wanted to lose weight, feel good about myself, and finally start running again. I saw a post on runninglovingliving.com about 2013 running goals and was inspired.

So I went to work.

I worked on my career, my health, my family. I packed myself light lunches and spent extra time cooking healthy dinners every night. I even bought a water filtration system to break my Dr. Pepper addiction. Before I knew it, I was back at Memorial Park. I started slowly, giving myself time to adjust to the movements again. In the beginning, it took me almost 15 minutes to run one stinkin’ mile.
But in a matter of months I was running 4-5 miles again and improving my pace. I’m not looking toward a marathon anytime soon, but it’s something to work towards.

So, to all young mothers like me: you don’t have to give up running when you have kids; you shouldn’t. Your children should see running and physical activity as a daily part of their lives.

As mothers, we have the capacity to work, play, and run…while caring for our children. That’s what makes us extraordinary.

Marie Ortiz is a blogger, DIY enthusiast, and mother of two beautiful girls. She is always working on new ways for her girls to develop and learn, and loves to share all of her discoveries along the way. When she is not perusing the Internet for inspiration, you can find her at the local farmers’ market or looking for new adventures. You can check her out at www.DIYMother.org.

Tagged as: running