Another Mother Runner

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell counsel Amy in Chapel Hill on how to help her sister get right with a race finish time, suggesting someone set intentions at the start of a training cycle. They guide Zoe in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on resuming running after an illness, including “doing less than you think you can.” The duo points out to Rebecca in Sarasota, Florida, that motivation and “decision-f...

Sarah and co-host Tish Hamilton convene with three BAMRs who each nabbed a personal best in Twin Cities races to find out how they got the job done. First up is Kathy Bray, an attorney and mom of two, who bested her Twin Cities 10-Miler from eleven years ago. (Despite sandbagging like a champ to SBS at the expo!) Kathy tells how rediscovering gratitude about being healthy and injury-free pushed he...

With an eye toward the New Year, Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin discuss the ins-and-outs of planning a successful race calendar. Answering a variety of questions from BAMRs on the AMR Facebook page , they start with debating “the sweet spot,” the optimum number of races per year. Amanda, a coach for a decade, talks about the importance of making decisions about your goal for the year—then making...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell give guidance to Ohioan Tammy who is planning her annual race calendar; Dimity offers up the pearl of “know your race rhythms.” In response to Sandy from Nashville, the gals talk about cross-training, particularly working around OrangeTheoryFitness workouts. They counsel Bertina in Wisconsin about coaching options, and they air their dirty laundry (!) in respon...

Sarah and Molly tuck into another round of TMI topics with Mara Altman, the author of Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back) (and mother of toddler twins!). The trio quickly goes there, talking about “ hoohoos ” and hemorrhoids. The first of many fabulous lines uttered by the guest is her admission, “I’ve always had anal issues.” From there, the conversation naturally ( naturally !) m...

Sarah and BRF/co-host Molly Williams got stood up at the last minute by a guest, so they settle in for a gab-fest. They conversationally skip from Molly’s tenant (her oldest daughter’s 25-year-old boyfriend) to Sarah’s twins’ musical to Portland water issues. Find out what Molly would do when she becomes mayor! The running buddies then debate their 2019 training plans, with SBS showing a glimmer o...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell offer winter running gear advice to Atlantan Stephanie, who’s planning ahead for a holiday visit to her North Dakota in-laws. They remind post-baby Britney from Birmingham, Michigan, that it’s “9 months in, 9 months out,” as well as tell her how to find her workout groove again. After a detour to “Beverly Hills 90210,” the duo offers Kelly suggestions on steppi...

Fresh off running her 9th NYC Marathon, Tish Hamilton co-hosts with Sarah. Tish talks about why it was a great race to spectate, but rough for participants. NYC was Tish’s 54th marathon—find out what #55 is going to be. (#GreenWithEnvy—or should we say #VertWithEnvy?) The duo welcomes Kelly Herron, a two-time survivor of assaults while running and founder of the platform Not Today MF . (Good spoil...

Sarah Bowen Shea is joined by dear Ellison Weist to discuss how parents (in their cases, their respective fathers) started them down their path to becoming dedicated runners. Laugh along at the “jogging” attire Ellison remembers her father sporting—and why it got him pulled over by the police while out on an early morning jaunt! SBS talks about how her father’s devotion to two water-related sports...

Fresh off the Another Mother Retreat in Cape Cod, Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell counsel Elena from Brooklyn about weekly runny tallies, especially when coming off a marathon training cycle. Dimity’s great advice (borrowed from a tri coach in Train Like a Mother Club ): “frequency over duration.” The duo explores reasons—and solutions—to why Mimi in Chicago might be feeling fatigued on runs...

Dimity McDowell and Adrienne Martini have a candid conversation with Kate Fagan, ESPN columnist and author of What Made Maddy Run , the heartbreaking story of Madison Holleran, a collegiate runner who committed suicide during her freshman year. The trio discuss the ripple effects of mental illness and how it can be hidden from family members. In the intro, Dimity and Adrienne share about their own...

Sarah and Dimity welcome a bevy of guests as they record in front of a live audience at a lululemon store in Kansas City just days before the Kansas City Marathon. After extolling why they are so pleased to return to the place where they launched their second book, Train Like a Mother , the duo kicks things off with Kim Fassetta from AfterShokz . This mother runner and marketing whiz talks about r...

Realizing it’s race season for many mother runners, Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell address Patty’s question about race-day anxiety. (Here’s link to pre-race meditation by Dr. Justin Ross that Dimity mentions.) Kathleen has concerns about the duration of a long run for marathon training, and the duo sets her straight. Heather feel vulnerable after hip surgery, so Dimity and Sarah suggest ways...

Sarah and Dimity chat with pro runner Gabriele “Gabe” Grunewald in front of a room full of mother runners at the recent Twin Cities Marathon expo. Gabe is a nine-year cancer survivor and a local runner. Like any good Minnesotan (including recent guest Kara Goucher), Gabe mentions “hot dish” in her very first answer and explains why she adores the “dedicated and ambitious” Twin Cities running commu...

Sarah and co-host Maggie Palmer have a heart-to-heart with Kim Stemple, a mother runner with an abundance of positivity despite facing down a terminal trio of illnesses. A marathon runner and triathlete, Kim is founder of We Finish Together , a grassroots group passing along medals to people in challenging situations. Kim shares how she’s rewritten the rules about being sick, including running two...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell dive into this math-heavy episode with Martha’s question about cadence, suggesting she think “quick-light, quick-light.” (A heck of a lot easier than counting to 90!!) The duo reminds marathoner-and-beyond Beth there are elements that can make a runner father than speedwork. In answering a question from first-time-marathoner-in-training Pam , the BAMRs talk abo...

Sarah is fortunate enough to have a one-on-one conversation with three-time Ironman champ Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae thanks to AMR’s friends at GU Energy Labs . A mother of a one-year-old daughter, Rinny shares how her workouts changed while she was pregnant, summed up best as, “I exercised, I didn’t train.” Rinny tells how she was “really conservative” resuming running post-partum and building up he...

Sarah and co-host Amanda Loudin (fresh back from Chamonix, France, where she got to spectate the UTMB ultra race!!) talk with a variety of guests about having an athletic “happy place.” First they admit what their happy places are, then they bring on the expert, Dr. Justin Ross , a Denver-based psychologist and marathon runner, who starts off by assuring Sarah the show’s topic isn’t, in her word,...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell counsel Kathy on how to get out of a mental slump while she waits for her next training cycle to kick off. (For a doozy of a race: Three Days at the Fair !) On the flipside of that scenario, Molly suffers from FOMO while training for the Kansas City Marathon, to which Dimity shares a mother runner truism: “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” (One...

Sarah and Dimity grab a beer and gab with running icon Kara Goucher, a mother runner of one who competed in the Olympics on the track (5,000 and 10,000 meters in 2008) and the road (marathon in 2012), in front of a packed party promoting Kara’s new book, Strong . Kara confesses to being “very emotional” and admits she previously viewed that attribute as a weakness. Listen to how her thoughts on th...

Sarah has a virtual sit-down with the two women behind the Best of Both Worlds Podcast , Laura Vanderkam and Sarah Hart-Unger , M.D. Both Laura and “SHU” are mother runners, and the trio was delighted this special episode was a suggestion from a listener of both pods. The BBW duo turn the tables, getting SBS to answer questions about the start of AMR and her own running-and-racing background. The...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell bolster another Sarah on ways to boost immunity while training—steps from the outside in and , thanks to Dim’s insight, from the inside out. They council single mom Gretchen, who is looking to break 2:00 in half-marathon on a limited running schedule—advice applicable to anyone looking to train on three days of running per week. (At this point of podcast, Dimit...

Sarah and co-host Dimity McDowell are joined by Katie Oglesby, Dimity’s teammate in a rugged adventure off the Maine coast called SwimRun Casco Bay Islands . The intrepid duo explains that, despite the title, there are numerous swimming and running segments in this rugged race. Learn what was Dimity’s “biggest unknown” about this endeavor—and how sometimes making any forward progress was a measure...

Sarah and co-host Ellison Weist are beyond thrilled to have a sit-down with 2017 NYC Marathon Winner Shalane Flanagan at her Portland home (!!!). SBS dives right in, asking Shalane about her current pursuit to become a mother. The trio talks about Shalane’s multiple 26.2-mile races through the five boroughs, with Shalane talking about her “chemistry” with New York City. (We agree!!) Sarah steers t...

Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell give Hungry Heather advice on staying satiated, even during (and after) 12-hour work days and half-marathon training runs. The duo discusses cross-training options for Tianna; they counsel Maxine, a walk-runner, on how to juggle minutes and miles—and get right with where she’s currently at. They offer tips to Janice on running back-to-back races. Chug Nuun ever...