9 Months Postpartum and I’m Still Not the Runner I Used to Be
Running now has a different meaning in my life
As I sat from the comfort of my home, streaming the 2023 Boston Marathon from my work laptop, I watched Hellen Obiri cross the finish line as the first female finisher and I was completely in awe. And the thing that nearly brought a tear to my eye was when she embraced her daughter with the biggest, warmest hug at the finish line. She then gave her medal to her daughter to wear as she smiled, proud.
I couldn’t wait for that feeling of having my daughter stand by my side as I smiled at her the way Hellen Obiri did at the Boston Marathon finish line. I couldn’t wait to finally be a mother. I couldn’t wait to be a strong, fast mother runner like Hellen Obiri.
When I first told my running coach I was pregnant, he couldn’t be more thrilled for me. The thing he said that really stuck in my mind to this day was that women become stronger and faster after becoming mothers. This was such a refreshing and inspiring thing to hear because one of my biggest fears when I first became pregnant was that running would become an afterthought in my life after having a baby — that I’d neglect my love for running.
Then, I kept thinking of Hellen Obiri and how she, as a mother, continued to train hard and go…
