May is my favorite month. Real signs of spring are finally in full bloom, and we take one full day to celebrate Motherhood! Everyone has a mom. Some of us are fortunate enough to still have our mother’s with us, but for some this holiday is bitter sweet. As a young girl I remember watching my mom… she always had a meal on the stove and her 20 minute naps were not to be interrupted. My mother would eat my left overs and wear my hand me downs. She would send me back to “try again” when I came down in an outfit she didn’t approve. Folding laundry during the evening news was like clockwork. She worked and raised four children. When our day was ending she was off to teach night school. It seemed like I was always being grounded for something. How dare she send me to my room? My mom had very high standards for all her children. We always looked and sounded appropriate, always interrupting to correct our grammar. I never knew money was tight – we always had a yummy meal on the table and a beautiful outfit for special occasions. My mom could make three meals for a family of 6 with one roasted chicken and my grandmother made many of our outfits from one bolt of fabric. This was torture for a 12 year old girl who thought she had a sense of fashion, but you should have seen the look on my younger brothers face in his matching suit made of plaid seersucker. She was a traditional mom by Webster’s Dictionary and although I loved her to pieces, I was 14, I knew better, I was smarter than she was, I would be more, do more and I vowed I would never turn into my mother.

Last week as I suited up for a run, I pulled on my 14 year old daughters hand me down leggings. She had grown out of them and tired of their pattern. I love them mostly because they were hers. After the run I came home to the Saturday morning breakfast remains. I ate the leftover pancakes on my children’s plates. Why would I let perfectly good food go to waste? As we prepared to go to a first communion, my daughter came down in her best attempt at a church appropriate outfit. I heard myself say, “try again sweetie, how about that pink flower dress I left on your bed?”
Unlike my mother, I work full time and I am self employed. I work twice as hard for half the pay. Hmm, maybe she did know something! I don’t always have a meal on the stove when the kids come home from after school sports, but how I wish I did. The days I embrace the crock pot she gave me as a wedding gift I feel like a rock star mom as I arrive home – pleasantly surprised I had the forethought to plan ahead. I too have high standards for my children and in this day of relaxed parenting, when I am tested, I consciously choose the path of being a mother and not being my child’s friend. She’s not supposed to like me, she’ supposed to learn from me – and when she is “29” she can write a blog about how she learned something from her mom! My parenting skills were tested this week and I am proud to say, I did learn something from my mother as I watched her and criticized her choices. I took away electronics and grounded my 8 year old until she is 16. Perhaps a bit drastic, but 8 years in her room should set her straight!

As a mom I have chosen my own path and I hope it’s an inspiration to my children. I want them to learn from me. It’s a mother’s job to teach and it’s the hardest job I will ever have. They copy us, they watch us, they will emulate us whether we want them to or not. I want my examples to be ones they follow and I want them to learn from my mistakes. My hope is that they learn to dream and have the courage to follow their own path. I hope one day they eat left overs from their children’s plates and fall asleep in their child’s hand me down sweatshirt. I hope they have the strength to make the right choices and when they realize they made a mistake or have a change of heart, they will have the courage to change their path. I hope they learn to be a good friend and a great parent. I hope they find rhythm in their daily run. Maybe they won’t be runners, but I hope they find the thing or person that makes their heart skip a beat and makes them feel like all is right with the world. I hope they talk about me behind my back and how strict I am but one day realize it was because I love them so much. Yes, I do have high hopes for them… but for now, they’ll have to go to their grandmother’s house for a yummy home cooked meal and they still have to do their chores – it builds character and helps their busy mom because right now… I have to go for a run!

Happy Mother’s Day and thank you to all the great moms, sisters, girlfriends, aunts and neighbors who “mother” so many of us in so many special ways!

Keep Running…
Kyra

There are few things that compare to the therapeutic nature of running to good music or driving while listening to your favorite songs.  I have the annoying ability to listen to the same song ad nauseam as my children point out so quickly with a resounding “Didn’t we just hear this song like 12 times mom?” Recently it was pointed out about the song “Carry On” by FUN.

During WWII, the British Government created a series of morale boosting posters. The last in a series of three poster had a few simple, yet very powerful words. “Keep Calm and Carry On”, intended to be distributed when England was invaded by Germany. As the invasion never happened, the posters were never officially seen by the public. Sixty years later a bookseller found an original poster behind a bookcase and now thankfully the message lives on as a sign of hope and assurance.

This week we are all in awe as the events at the Boston Marathon unfold. We are reminded that we are women who run… and run and run, and in the end, we always carry on.  This blog was started before the Boston Marathon tragedy but it seems fitting to altar my message and remind everyone how we must carry on. Even in the face of tragedy, the loss of life, limbs and confidence in a humane society, we will get through this, time will heal all wounds and we will carry on. Our reality will be altered but we will continue to run. We will run races in Boston, New York, Washington DC and every small town in between. We won’t let evil deter us. We will conquer our fears and carry on. We will help, we will support, we will share our thoughts and prayers. We will bake and cook for those who have lost or were injured. We will mourn those we lost and our hearts will break for the mothers and fathers who lost their children and for the children who lost their mothers or fathers. And in the end we will carry on.

That’s what we do. No matter what. Keep Running and Carry on.

With a heavy heart-

Kyra

March. In like a lion, out like a lamb – great advice for women and girls to hear as they pursue their dreams. Most women tend to be kind and sweet and use the “kill them with kindness” approach to getting what they want or need. This technique works with children’s teachers, babysitters and even with neighbors when you want them to watch your pets. But when the dream is big and the stakes are real, it might take a different approach. I know this lesson well. A few years back (ok, about 20 years) I moved to San Francisco to pursue a dream. Finding my dream job was incredibly overwhelming with all the research, applications, resumes and cover letters. (before the internet, on-line applications and key word searches!) Soon I decided I needed a different approach. I targeted the industry I wanted to work in, wanting to gain experience and knowing one day I would open my own business.

I placed an add in an industry publication that CEO’s of these companies would read.  The title – Trailblazer seeks exciting opportunity … and on and on. Well, it worked. I received several calls from companies I was interested in and finally landed the job of my dreams. I was a bit bold, asked for what I wanted with an unfounded sense of confidence and I got it. I worked incredibly hard and made my way through the company into the position I wanted and learned everything I wanted before I moved on.

I tell this story because WR is encouraging women and girls to go for their dreams and sometimes this means you need to be a little bold and think outside the box. March is the month we celebrate International Women’s Day. Not many people in the US know about or even celebrate this very special day. WOMEN RUN is marking this day as a day to celebrate! We deserve recognition and praise for all that we do. We are more than 54% of the workforce, we raise the children, bring home the bacon and we even wash the pan after we’ve cooked the bacon! We are going for what we want, we know we have more options and opportunities than ever before and we are making a difference. We aren’t settling for less than we want – a job beneath our skill set, unflattering maternity clothes, frozen dinners, or waiting for him to bring us flowers. If we need help, we ask for it. If we want flowers, we buy them ourselves. If we want to lose weight – we go for a run. Go for it. Be bold.

We are Women… Watch us Run!

-Kyra

It’s cold, dark, a little bit dreary, and the days are short. It’s February. It’s not always easy to focus on what we love on days like this, but this is the month dedicated to all things that make our hearts go pitter patter. What makes my heart go pitter patter?  A hot shower after a cold run. Swimming in a warm gym and giving my not so gracefully aging bones a break from the pounding of the pavement.  Skiing and embracing all that winter has to offer.  All three of my children, not just the two that listen to me.  Chocolate and peanut butter – probably more than any one person should.  The smell of coffee in the morning. Snuggling with my children and reading a book, or more often than not – just being. My family and their seemingly endless moral support.

But the biggest pitter patter for me (besides my family) . . . the Women Run path. I won’t say job or career, because it doesn’t feel like work to me. Yes, I have made tremendous sacrifices and work all hours of the day, night and weekends, but I love it. There are days that make me wonder why I have chosen to forge my own path by taking the road less traveled and not just getting a civilized, predictable job with benefits, paid vacation and weekends off. What was I thinking? But inevitably, soon after a day of doubt, one of you will reach out and tell us how WOMEN RUN has made a difference in your life. We’ve inspired you, motivated you to exercise, made you look like the best gift giver ever,  and for some, were the catalyst for some real change by putting yourself on the top of the list.

The community we are building around WOMEN RUN is my peanut butter and chocolate. So, for the month dedicated to LOVE, think about what, or who, you love. Try to do more of what you LOVE on a daily basis. Spend more time with those you LOVE and  notice the little things that make your heart go pitter patter. By doing what you LOVE and being with those you love –  it makes every day an exciting opportunity and an adventure. Can’t we all use more LOVE in our lives? “Life is not a dress rehearsal” –  pursue and achieve the pitter patter.

– Kyra XO

It’s a new year: A time to set new goals, pursue your dreams and try new things. We all want to do more, be more and have more. We are no different here at Women Run – lots of high aspirations, goal setting and bad habits to let go. But for the first time, in a very long time, I find myself starting the year completely off balance – physically, mentally and emotionally. I have a thousand excuses but it boils down to one thing. I can’t run. This past fall I injured my back and have not been able to run with any consistency. Always touting running as my therapy – I never realized the full impact of not running. For one thing, it’s 3 am as I write this blog. Hmm, can’t sleep. At times I’ve convinced myself a pint of Ben & Jerry’s new flavor chocolate therapy is actually an acceptable lunch and I’ve convinced myself that doing laundry and taking a walk around the block counts as a workout.

Well, the good news . . . there is quite a bit of dairy and protein in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s so it does count a smidge, and those walks around the block kept me limber enough to take on physical therapy and I am just about ready to start running. So, in typical WOMEN RUN fashion I have set a goal. I am going to train for the MORE/FITNESS magazine Half marathon in NYC on April 14th. It’s a great race, well run, beautiful location, lots of port-o-potties, a fun course and best of all – the perfect excuse to go to NYC with my girlfriends, mix in a little shopping and some great eating. JOIN US! Let’s see how many WOMEN who RUN we can get to do this race. We can train together virtually, support one another through the trials & tribulations and celebrate our accomplishment.

We at WOMEN RUN are thrilled to be offering a training package for those of you who want to tackle 13.1 for the first time or for those of you who want to improve or just get back into the groove!

A few of the benefits of joining us . . .

-Training schedule and weekly contact with 2x Boston Marathon winner –

Geoff Smith.

-A Women Run welcome kit to get you started and keep you motivated.

Our favorite item in the welcome kit is a 3 pack of WR dark chocolate candy bars. Inspired by my 8 year old daughter . . we have included 3 golden tickets in our latest batch of chocolate. The three lucky winners to find a golden ticket will have their entry fee for the MORE (or another race of similar value) paid for by WOMEN RUN.

-The brand new Team Jersey 3.0 that you can train in and wear the day of the race. How exciting it will be to run the race and see all your fellow WOMEN RUN team members!

… And many more benefits including access to a certified nutritionist who will have many tips and tricks to fuel our bodies. Not sure she’ll recommend Ben & Jerry’s, but you never know!

If you can’t make it to the MORE, you can pick a race of your own and still benefit from our training package. Pick your race, join us virtually, be part of the conversation, ask us questions, get real answers, tips and tricks, and unlimited moral support!

Sign up for the Save Your Sanity training package! We will have a lot of fun doing something great for ourselves.

Keep Running!

-Kyra