Start Trail Running: 8 Motivating Tips for Busy Moms

I didn’t plan to go trail running. At all. Wrangling myself from a cozy bed, I hoped a walk in the quiet woods would help me process my tangled emotions. The crisp fall air invigorated me and tricked me into the *crazy* idea that I should try to run.

My stride lengthened and the leaves crunched faster underfoot. Could I really force my chubby body to run for 5 minutes?

BUT HERE’S THE PROBLEM

Our mom-mantra tells us we only run when we are chasing our kids, are super late for an appointment, or the forgotten pot on the stove is boiling over.

On any given day we are struggling with a child who wants to wear flip-flops when it’s snowing.

Or we need to rush to school because a different child forgot their clarinet for band class.

It takes all our energy to make it through the dinner hour and be a nice mom right to the final goodnight kiss.

Running feels entirely unnecessary. Maybe even impossible.

WHAT IF YOU KNEW THAT TRAIL RUNNING MAKES BEING A MOM EASIER?

I wouldn’t survive raising kids without trail running. Does that sound melodramatic? Perhaps, but it’s true.

Running makes me physically healthy, mentally sane and emotionally balanced. It helps me weather the storms of motherhood.

1. Running outside in the fresh air is the best mood enhancer.
2. It clears the cobwebs from my overwhelmed mom-brain.
3. My bone-weary body is recharged rather than depleted.
4. I can step back into the house less stressed, happier and you guessed it! A better mom.

Running is the most efficient way to exercise with the limited time I have available. And bonus; I can eat all the chocolate 🙂

The thing to do is

1. START running and
2. STOP overcomplicating it.

Running is simply having two feet off the ground at the same time. Over and over, for as long as you decide.

Sound too easy?

Let me share with you…

8 TIPS THAT HELP ME TRAIL RUN 3+ DAYS A WEEK AS A MOM OF FIVE:

1. I am crystal clear about WHY trail running matters.

In the beginning, I ran to feel better in my own skin and be fitter for the outdoor adventures I was passionate about.

Nowadays, I run for my mental health and being fit is a {significant} bonus.

I am confident to jump into any activity with my kids because I am fit, strong and agile. An impromptu soccer game? No problem! My eight-year-old wanting me to take a turn water skiing? You betcha!

Knowing your why gives the needed motivation when you don’t want to run in *another* rainstorm on a miserably cold day.

Your why could be:

1. to become stronger/more toned
2. alone time or friend time
3. to race your kid to the bus stop (and win!)
   

2. I have a rough plan.

My starting goal 23 years ago was to run slow (very slow!) for 25mins without stopping 3 days a week. Currently, I follow a 50k ultra marathon training plan.

To be successful:

1. Be honest about your fitness level. You may walk more than you run initially.
2. Make your goal realistic.
3. Go sloooow if you are a beginner, haven’t run in a long time, or you had a baby recently.
4. Google ‘couch to 5k’ and decide your attack plan.
   

3. I choose a time to head out trail running when my family needs me the least.

This is usually early in the morning before the kids are awake, or when my hubby is home. I suggest you schedule time each week for running and keep the appointment with yourself.

If you have a random life as I do, be prepared to go at a moment’s notice. Sprint away the second your spouse gets home.

Creative time management is essential. We can all find 30 mins to do something that matters to us. Even with a gaggle of kids.

4. I choose inspiring places or times to run.

Singletrack trails with mountain views? A sunrise sky with blazing streaks of pink, orange and purple? Ahhh, the most energizing way to start the day!!

• Does your city have a river valley with a trails network?
• Do you live near a national or provincial/state park?
• Mountain bike trails are a great for trail running (check out the Trailforks app).
• Move to Fernie (or Whakapapa Village in New Zealand where this trail in the photos is located!)
  

5. I recruit trail running friends. Or I run solo.

I have a friend that I’ve run with twice a week for 9 years. We run at 615am Monday and Thursday, through snowstorms, heatwaves or pouring rain.

I am also in a WhatsApp group of 8 local women runners. We trail run early in the morning, even in the dark of winter with headlamps. Running before kids get ready for school, or before us moms & dads go to work ensures it actually happens.

My local running club does weekly trail runs and I participate whenever it fits with my family schedule.

And then I have a few other random women that I love to run with, usually for a specific purpose such as a long run, or a mountain adventure run.

Here’s the caveat though. You don’t NEED people to run with. At least 50% of the time I am pounding the trails by myself having a grand ‘ol time.

6. I look at the thermometer.

At first, running is uncomfortable. Your heart is pounding out of your chest. That bung knee gives you grief. Your undies keep riding up.

Don’t let the temperature add to your discomfort. Running is HOT work. You may need fewer layers than you think. Check the outdoor thermometer and learn precisely what clothing your body needs for each increment of 5 degrees.

7. I Find my own joy in running.

There are many styles of trail running:

• cross country, hills, speed,
• marathons, ultras, mountain running,
• rogaining, spartans,
• fastest known time (FKT), fastpacking.

Trail running has evolved for me. I used to plod along on a 4×4 trail, the same route every run because my family needed me back home in short order.

Now mountain adventure running is my jam. I’m combining my love of overnighters with fastpacking and I have a long bucket list of destinations to check off.

8. I Reward myself.

For years I resisted spending money on anything except trail running shoes. And even then I compress them far beyond their expiry date. Now, a couple of decades into my running story, I like to give myself little rewards for the hard-earned miles.

Buy a new top once you’ve run a marathon or get that windshell jacket that you’ve had your eye on for a 200km reward. A new pair of runners at 600km feels like Christmas.

When the running bug really bites you, splurge on specialist gear such as a running vest, and nutrition gels, which makes you a *real* runner (JK, I never use gels!)

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CAN’T MUSTER THE MOTIVATION

My 2-year-old is hanging off my leg with big crocodile tears on his cheeks, begging me to “please don’t go”.

The cat chewed on some plastic and proceeded to barf it up under the coffee table, along with the rest of the contents of his stomach.

And my body is numbingly tired and the LAST thing I want to do is find my running tights in the gigantic pile of laundry and head out for a run on the trails.

I. Just. Want. To. Stay. Home. And hide in the closet away from my kid, stuff my face with cookies and fall into a coma.

What then?

1. Don’t make it dependant on stuff* (AKA excuses).

1. It’s a million degrees outside
2. I’ve had a busy week at work
3. I got my period
4. The kids are sick
5. My husband is away for work. etc etc etc

Decide to run anyway. Problem solve. You are good at that because you are a mom.

I have been known to:

1. run up and down the driveway and around the house with a baby monitor in hand.
2. have my friend across the road watch my kids for 20mins while I go for a quick run.
3. get my husband to follow me in the van crammed with our children on a dark night because I was scared to run alone.
4. stop mid-run to puke in the ditch on bad morning sickness days.

You are capable of more than you can imagine. RUN ANYWAY.

2. It’s not going to be perfect

Some days are going to suck and that’s OK. Sometimes running hurts or your heart isn’t in it. You will naturally develop grit and good habits over time.

If I need a break from running I don’t stop when my body and mind say so. I aim to get to the top of the hill or a certain tree before I allow myself to walk. Once I catch my breath I get my tush running again.

WHEN THE DOUBT CREEPS IN…

Any BODY can go trail running. You don’t need a certain body type. When I started running my boobs were DD. I wasn’t particularly fit. I wasn’t particularly slim.

While I was breastfeeding my oldest daughter, I wore 3 bras to run.

My jiggly bits still jiggle.

Fight the urge to give up because you don’t FEEL like a runner. You are if you decide to be.

Your kids don’t need you 24/7. Shocking but true. They will be OK with Dad, Gramma or a babysitter even if they wail their heads off when you leave. They will stop as soon as you round the corner out of sight.

If your kids are a little bit older they will be fine if you plunk them in front of the TV for half an hour.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

On that first unplanned run, my pace slowed back to a walk and I glanced at my stopwatch. 26 minutes!!! I beamed from ear to ear.

That chubby body of mine that I doubted could run for a mere 5 mins totally could. And yours can too.

Lace-up those running shoes and go RUN!”