Celebrating Running Mums this Mother's Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the running mums out there! To celebrate, we’re profiling three mums who have shown that it’s possible not only to live an active lifestyle as a busy mum, but also make great strides in terms of health and fitness and even inspire many other mums along the way.

Annalisa, 37, Surrey – Haslemere Border AC

Mum of two Annalisa (above, left) started running in 2011 through local running club Haslemere Border AC after recovering from breast cancer. She has now completed a marathon and has trained as a Run England Group Leader and helps others get started running through a beginner-level running group based at her club and loves inspiring more people to run.

Annalisa is doing the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon for Breast Cancer Care to celebrate the end of her five year remission and is spending Mother’s Day doing the 16.2 mile Kingston Breakfast Run!

She said: “Running helps me to release any tension or anxiety. When I put my trainers on, it's me against me and that really helped me to overcome my demons.

“I had a pretty bad relationship with my body after all the surgery and treatment but running has helped me to really appreciate just how resilient and tough it is. 

“It's great to be part of a running club that embraces all running abilities. Everyone is so supportive and we have a real giggle during training sessions!

“Having never run more than 5K, I honestly can't believe that I'm on the verge of completing my second marathon in just a few years. It's such a huge confidence boost and the beauty of running is that anyone can do it, even me!”

Susan, 37, Northamptonshire – Running Mate

Susan (right) has three young boys and a girl. She started running three years ago for some ‘me time’ and stress-relief after her eldest son was diagnosed with autism.

She began a Couch 2 5K programme and couldn’t believe how much she loved it. She then built up to half marathon and was even picked as Jo Whiley’s running buddy for the 2013 Great North Run – her first ever half marathon.

Now her youngest has started school, she has taken a Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) course and now leads running groups – inspiring lots of other mums who are new to running.

Susan’s plans for Mother’s Day mainly revolve around doing the Silverstone Half Marathon – this girl can!

Susan said: “I work on the principle that if I can do it, anyone can, and they are all starting to believe me and enjoy running and even look forward to it. I'm enjoying it more than I thought possible - the feeling that I'm helping others to start running and to enjoy it as much as I do is just wonderful.

“I also want to show people that even though everyone has busy lives, it’s possible to fit running in, and what a difference it will make in terms of not just feeling physically fitter and healthier, but also mentally too. I want to show people that it is possible to fit it all in around family life, and anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

“Running in a group also helps with that - being part of a sociable, friendly and supportive running group can make a huge difference to whether people enjoy it or not, and help you keep running, and hopefully that's what I'm managing to do with Running Mate.”

Kimberley, 45, Kent – Motiv8 Runners

Mother of four Kimberley (left) started running on 2 January 2013, weighing 14st 10lbs, after suffering from a slipped disc caused and made worse by her weight and lifting/caring for her youngest child. Since then she has lost five stone and is now a qualified Group Leader and AthleFIT instructor in addition to training to become a personal trainer. She has even inspired her husband and two eldest daughters to start running and improve their fitness too!

Kimberley said: “I started running to become healthier. Being severely overweight left me with loads of health issues and the possibility of more in the future if I hadn't changed. Now I run to relax, de-stress and clear my mind. Sometimes it's just to socialise with the other runners in the group and sometimes I run alone and it is just me.

“Running has changed my whole family’s lives. My eldest and middle daughters were overweight and are making massive changes in their exercise and eating habits as has my husband.  My youngest just loves the complete sensory excitement she gets from us running.

“Our running group is just great! We're all friendly and non-judgemental and from completely different occupations: Police…  teaching… full time mums… social workers and so on. Yet for all of us the love of running brings us all together. Our latest beginners group has just finished and there were 15 of us at the final run!”

A huge thank you to Annalisa, Susan and Kimberley for sharing their experiences with us! If they've inspired you to get into running, visit www.runengland.org/whywerun to find your nearest group, unlock incentives with free Run England membership and join in!

If you’re celebrating Mother’s Day with a run, share your tweets and pics using #WhyWeRun. If you know a mum who you could encourage to give running a try, hit the ‘share’ icon in the top right of the video below to spread some inspiration!