The Mother Runners Podcast with Whitney Heins

Send us Fan Mail Jenny Maxwell founded PowerBar with her husband Brian while she was still in college. As two elite runners, they wanted quick pre-run nutrition that wouldn't upset their stomachs. Eventually, they sold PowerBar to Nestle and also started a family with six kids.  When the youngest was an infant, Brian's heart stopped while running and he passed.  Jenny's story is one...

Send us Fan Mail Audrey Bowman no longer questions her capabilities. Not in running, and not in life. Why? Because she faced the brink of death while giving birth to her son. Rather than instilling fear or fragility, that traumatic experience taught her the opposite: to embrace life without fear, knowing she can achieve far more than she ever imagined. It underscored the importance of living fully...

Send us Fan Mail Lynn Ruis is a testament to the idea that you are never too old to run--or start running. Lynn is 68-years-old and she has a vibrant running life. She has a group of close friends who run several times a week together and plan adventures. She travels the world to run races. And she has her long run days, speed days, and tempo days--just like those who are a fraction of her age.  H...

Send us Fan Mail Earlier this year I ran a rust-buster half-marathon. I heard someone say something about golden retrievers (we have 3, currently about to get a 4th) so I had to chime in. The person talking was Katie Baksa, founder of Bound Running Co. A phenomenal runner, Katie was pacing a couple of friends so I joined. She took great care of us & I got to interrogate her about Bound and her...

Send us Fan Mail Today we get to know Megan Morant’s story of chasing MORE THAN one BIG DREAM at a time. Megan is a WWE broadcaster and co-host of the running podcast, Getting Chicked. She is also a woman who saw the 2020 Olympic Trials marathon and became inspired to try to qualify—but she also wanted to become a mom and have a baby.  She decided—you can do both. Before becoming a mom, she was a...

Send us Fan Mail Despite facing years of setbacks, countless medical consultations, a persistent cycle of injuries, managing 4 kids, and reaching the milestone of turning 40, Jaci Schuerholz made a courageous choice: she decided to stop searching for perfect solutions and simply start again.  If you've battled injuries or health challenges, felt frustration with your body, experienced feeling...

Send us Fan Mail As summer heats up and long distance and marathon training intensifies for many of us, maintaining proper hydration becomes more crucial than ever. In today’s episode, I chat with Claire Shorenstein, a sports RD and endurance athlete herself, and host of the podcast Eat for Endurance, about essential hydration strategies specifically tailored for runners, especially those tackling...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we are getting to hear from Randi Zuckerberg—just a few days after completing the Cocodona 250. That is 250 miles up and over mountains, through the desert, in blistering heat, a lot of this journey done alone. The fact that anyone wants to do this—CAN do this—is mind-blowing. But the fact that Randi Zuckerberg is doing it—is even more so. Because Randi is yes, THAT Zuc...

Send us Fan Mail If you are going through or will be approaching perimenopause—this episode is for you.  Natalie Mitchell and I have a honest conversation about what it’s like to train for big running goals while experiencing perimenopause symptoms.  Natalie is a master’s runner in her 50s, on a mission to achieve a sub-3 marathon time—a goal she has passionately pursued for years. Recently, she o...

Send us Fan Mail Moms are notorious for putting themselves last. Hildee Weiss was the epitome of this. At 46, she was adevoted wife, mother, and grandmother, who moved through life feeling worn down, invisible, and convinced that transformation belonged to other people—thinner people, younger people, braver people.   Then one ordinary day, she asked herself a question that would rewrite everything...

Send us Fan Mail Today's BONUS EPISODE features not an amazing mother runner but an amazing HUMAN, my dear friend: Amanda Martin.  Amanda just crushed the Eugene Marathon with an astounding time of 2:34:20, marking an 8-minute personal record. This impressive feat makes her the third fastest woman in the history of the Eugene Marathon and the seventh fastest American woman on an unaided cours...

Send us Fan Mail What are the training tweaks a runner needs to run their best? That is the BIG question I asked Running Coach Montana DePasquale and her answer may surprise you.  Montana is a running coach I have long admired due to her knowledge of the sport and approach to coaching. With a background in competitive running herself, running for Bucknell University, Montana understands the nuance...

Send us Fan Mail Remember how running was a form of punishment as a kid? Talking during gym class? Run. Not listening when the soccer coach is talking? Run. That is honestly how I got into running. Because I would end up running all of soccer practice, I figured I might as well do the sport my dad wanted me to do anyway.  Running was once a form of punishment for Ally Brettnacher, too. And then th...

Send us Fan Mail This week, we are going inside Amy Hoagland's MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH as a runner. Amy's story is inspiring and mind-blowing...her training, her demanding job, her recent recovery from anorexia and a sacral fracture, to her jump in times. WOW. WOW. WOW. Amy works as a Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner, is a mom of two, and very ambitious runner aiming to take a major chunk off...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been so frustrated with trying to figure out why something hurts or you feel bad--and it seems like no one in the health care system can or wants to help you? Celeste Goodson can relate. A lifelong runner, who actually built a business helping pros like Allyson Felix and Steph Bruce keep running after childbirth, Celeste started losing control of her left leg while r...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a mom, a master’s athlete, or someone navigating the ups and downs of running—especially as you chase those BIG goals—this episode is for you! Lisa Goodin made her marathon debut at the California International Marathon this past December, finishing with an impressive 2:36 and qualifying for the Olympic Trials at the age of 39. This was not just her first marathon a...

Send us Fan Mail Too many runners are overtraining and dependent on their running for mental health—and there are physical and mental detriments and dangers to this. Today running coach and founder of Filla Endurance Laura Filla and I discuss what overtraining or imbalanced running looks like and have suggestions for how to ensure you have a healthy relationship with running.  We begin by learning...

Send us Fan Mail Andi Ripley should be angry. But she is filled with gratitude.  Andi has a lot of running talent and was just getting started when she suffered serious injuries that have since stunted her competitive running career. But Andi was able to see the beauty in this disappointment and re-focus her priorities.  Starting her running journey at the young age of 8, Andi embarked on a compet...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like taking a pause in your running journey was holding you back? If so, you won’t want to miss this empowering conversation with Erica Hopper. In this episode, we explore how these breaks can transform into opportunities for growth rather than setbacks. I’ve known Erica for many years, and while our paths diverged for a bit, we reconnected when we both signed u...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Carrie Pagliano wants to set the record straight on your pelvic health. Women do not need to feel broken if they have incontinence, prolapse, or pain. You can overcome these issues and come back stronger! With 25 years of experience, Carrie is one of the foremost pelvic health physical therapists in the US and has been a trailblazer in a field that is continually evolving.  In...

Send us Fan Mail Just over three years ago, Amanda Blake Turner faced a shocking diagnosis: a rare form of thyroid cancer. After living an active and healthy life into her mid-40s, she felt betrayed by her body. Yet, guided by her doctor’s support, Amanda chose to fight back with determination. In the year following her diagnosis and surgery, she embarked on a mission to complete as many ultramara...

Send us Fan Mail If you are unsure of even fearful about running during pregnancy or returning to run postpartum—this episode is for you!  Join me for an enlightening episode featuring Dr. Margie Davenport, an exercise physiologist and professor at the University of Alberta, who is revolutionizing the conversation around exercise during pregnancy and postpartum. In this episode, we challenge outda...

Send us Fan Mail What Amy Will did is not normal. This homeschooling mom of 4 boys ran two super-fast marathons back-to-back. This fall, Amy ran a 2:47 at the Every Woman’s Marathon and then turned around and ran a 2:45 marathon at The Marathon Project five weeks later! While knowing this was a risky move, Amy shares why and how she achieved this incredible feat.  Amy’s running journey is also not...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder if it is worth it to get up the nerve to ask that potential woman to run with you? After listening to this week's episode, you will see that YES! YES IT IS!  Today I chat with best friends Erin Wolf and Kristy Perkowski—and you are going to love them and our conversation. These incredible women, who light up any room with their humor and charm, share the secret be...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is the final installment of this month's GOAL GETTER series setting you up for success in the new year.  Today, I'm PUMPED to talk with Christina Honkonen, a Mental Trainer and Certified Consulting Hypnotist at Honkonen Hypnosis—and a dear friend of mine. I have personally worked with Christina to overcome self-limiting beliefs and re-find joy in running.  C...