Running Mom of a
Tiger and a Princess:
Trying to Fit it ALL In

by Kelly Collins
(Michigan)

So surprise surprise I'm a mom and I run. You never expected that right ;-) I have two little girlies.

Chloe who is 3 and all girl. Anything pink, sparkly, and princessy and she's all about it. Although I should mention she can take any of her boy cousins down to the ground, should the situation call for it, in her pink princess boots and all.

She's also a runner in training, not because I've tried to force her to be one out of my own secret running aspirations for her. She just very simply never ever EVER walks anywhere. She runs.

She's been running practically from her very first steps. Perhaps because she's been going out with me on runs in her jogging stroller since she was a baby or perhaps because she watched her Nana (my mom) and Daddy train for the Detroit Marathon last fall.

Whatever the reason, she's into it and I don't mind because there's nothing sweeter than the sound of BOTH my girls sleeping at 7:00PM one of which who's only out because of sheer and utter exhaustion from running herself senseless during the day.

And then there's my Miss Madelyn. She's 8 months old now and as I type currently wrestling with a particularly stubborn giraffe hanging precariously above her on her play mat and by wrestle I mean arms and legs both are getting in to the mix as she gnaws on the poor, defenseless creature's head (he never saw it coming poor guy ;)

She would be my little tiger, preferring on most occasions to growl rather than baby babble (you can only imagine the fun I have with this at church on Sundays). Unless of course, I'm wildly tossing her around then she resorts to shrieks of delight.

By far she is the happiest baby I have ever seen, perfectly content to play on her own or equally as content to be entertained by her big sister.

She eats 3 times a day, takes two 2 hour naps, and sleeps soundly from 7PM - 8AM. What I did to deserve this I don't know. In fact, I'm almost certain that God was confused the day she got assigned to me.

Besides the fun (exhaustion, frustration, chaos) of being a stay at home mom, I also own a home business and do some freelance writing, which sometimes make me feel as though I have most certainly lost my mind.

This is what makes running so important to me. You see running is the ONE thing I do for ME (sort of). It's a way to decompress. It's a way to have some alone time. It's a way to stay in shape and feel good.

Because I run I am a happier and healthier person and THAT makes me a better wife, mom, sister, friend, business owner, etc.

So even though there may be days that I stink ALL day from the sweat of a morning run that I didn't have a minute to shower off because of a little girlie who woke up early, gosh darn it, it's a good stink.

It's the stink of a job well done and quite frankly a stink that the people who love me will gladly tolerate (or maybe graciously tolerate). Because I am a MOM AND A RUNNER. And I am THEIR MOM AND RUNNER.

Currently I am training for my 2nd marathon, the Chicago Marathon, in the fall. And of course I'm blogging about it every step of the way at www.runfastmommy.com if anyone is remotely interested.