If working out has become just one more chore in a day loaded with them, then Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea have some advice for you.
Their book, "Run Like A Mother: How to Get Moving -- and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity," reads more like a friend's words of encouragement than a training manual. Co-written by two running moms in a breezy, conversational style that speaks to both the "serious" marathoner and the "wish-I-could-but-who-has-the-time-or-energy?" beginner, this book arrives at the fitness party from the standpoint that women are all in this together.
The notion of running club as ladies sewing circle speaks to what appears to be a growing trend. If Grete Waitz and Joan Benoit Samuelson were patron saints of the first running boom, then the role models of the next generation are the everyday Janes with a Dora the Explorer CD in the car dashboard.
"The reality is, American motherhood is isolating and there is a reason postpartum depression is prevalent," said Ms. McDowell, 38, a mother of two from Denver.
She met Ms. Shea, a 44-year-old mother of three, at a reunion of former Colgate University crew team members. Both writers, they became e-mail friends who decided to train separately to run together at the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco.
Pitching the idea to pen their running-mom training experiences as an article for Runner's World magazine added an extra layer of commitment.
"We both got across the finish line in 2007, and as we trained and raced and wrote about our experience, we realized that there's a revolution going on around the country," reads the introduction to the book.
"It might not be on par with, say, Tiananmen Square circa 1989, but marathon moms -- amazing, multitasking women who work, parent, wife and, in their spare time, also run, whether it's around the block or along a 26.2-mile marathon course -- are popping up everywhere."
"One of the many reasons the book resonates with women is because Dimity and I represent two different types of runners," Ms. Shea said. "She's the one who hits the snooze button a few times while she debates whether to go running or not, whereas I'm almost running by the time my feet hit the floor.
"We appeal to a broad spectrum of runners, and they see bits of themselves in us. It's awesome."
Locally, two running moms recently began their own blog, www.irunlikeamother.com, Sara-Summer Oliphant, a 32-year-old mom of four from South Park, is collaborating with Heather Starr Fiedler, 37, a mother of two from Indiana Township.
Mrs. Fiedler, a journalism professor at Point Park University, is general manager of PittsburghMom.com, which is owned by the Post-Gazette.
"More moms are in touch with doing things for themselves," Mrs. Oliphant said. "My children come first but I'm trying hard not to lose touch with who I am and what I enjoy."
A tour and surveys
Ms. McDowell and Ms. Shea are working their ways across the country on separate book tours, although Pittsburgh is not a stop.
The two authors were aided by extensive surveys from 150 running women in addressing everything from the importance of a good sports bra ("Please save spaghetti-strap tanks for when your book group meets at a wine bar") to dealing with mommy guilt ("Will their early memories of me be dominated by an image of my back, heading out the door, as they scream bloody murder?").
They're maintaining a blog www.runlikeamotherbook.com, that chronicles events from the tour but also links to an increasing number of moms-on-the-run sites.
One recent question posed online: Are you a BQ or a DQ. The former runner is goal-oriented, as in trying to qualify for Boston. The latter has goals, but runs mostly to be able to enjoy a trip to the Dairy Queen without buyer's remorse.
This kind of lighthearted social networking is what Julie Anderson had in mind when she began her Chubby Mommy Running Club blog, www.chubbymommyrunningclub.com. Speaking from her home in Bend, Ore., one recent morning after getting the kids off to the school bus, she described herself as "Not a hard-core runner, but I am a runner.
"What I'm trying to do is inject a little humor and fun in everyday life," said Mrs. Anderson, 44, a freelance journalist and mother of three. "We are moms, and we just need a little encouragement to help get you through the day."
The blog is a kindred spirit to the "Run Like a Mother" book, although more laid-back. Mrs. Anderson's running group lightheartedly named it "Chubby Mommy" and yes, they do meet up for runs.
Local connections
Locally, running stores such as Fleet Feet in Bethel Park and Elite Runners & Walkers in Robinson help like-minded women find someone to pass the miles with.
In the South Hills, Maria Fruscello of Castle Shannon meets Carolyn Newkirk and Bernadette Hurst, both of Mt. Lebanon, at the Mt. Lebanon High School track for speed work on Wednesday evenings, longer runs from the South Side or the Montour Trail on weekends.
They ran the Pittsburgh Marathon last weekend.
Although Mrs. Fruscello, 32, had been involved with a running club in her native Indiana, Pa., years ago, working as a stay-at-home mom to her three children filled her days.
Two years ago, she went online and followed a "Couch to 5K" fitness routine. In nine weeks, she was ready to run the Latrobe Turkey Trot, and got hooked on racing. As the length of her events increased, so did the training time.
Weekend morning runs are an exception; most of her training is in the evening after her husband gets home from work. Once she's out the door, she said, it's as if a new day has begun.
"I'm home all day with my kids, so I feel absolutely zero guilt about having 'me' time," Mrs. Fruscello said, laughing.
It is a fact that exercise can prompt the release of endorphins in the brain -- chemical compounds that produce a feeling of well-being. But running, no matter how social the situation, can be hard work, and having a friend or group to share the experience can make all the difference.
As in life and love, there are such things as running soul mates, said Ms. McDowell, who found one in a friend named Katherine. But after recently moving to a new city, she said, "I haven't found my 'Katherine' yet, but I found my herd of running women."
The authors are adamant that the loneliness of the long-distance runner need not be a literal truth.
"Get a buddy," writes Ms. McDowell in her "Top Three Tips" section. "Nothing gets your butt out of bed faster than the thought of your friend, standing all alone, waiting for you."
Maria Sciullo:
msciullo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1478.
