Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving–and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity
by Dimity McDowell, Sarah Bowen Shea, McDowell, Dimity, Shea, Sarah Bowen
In
Run Like a Mother, authors Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea offer both inspirational advice and practical strategies to help multitasking women make running part of their busy lives.McDowell and Shea understand the various external and internal forces in everyday life that can unintentionally keep a wife–mother–working woman from lacing up her shoes and going for a run. Because the authors are multihyphenates themselves,
Run Like a Mother is driven by their own running expertise and real-world experience in ensuring that running is part of their lives.More than a book,
Run Like a Mother is essentially a down-to-earth, encouraging conversation with the reader on all things running, with the overall goal of strengthening a woman’s inner athlete.Of course, real achievement is a healthy mix of inspiration and perspiration, which is why the authors have grounded
Run Like a Mother in a host of practical tips on shoes, training, racing, nutrition, and injuries, all designed to help women balance running with their professional and personal lives. (
Goodreads.com summary)
I saw this book listed on a friend’s Goodreads page last year, and decided I had to read it. Hello…it is about mothers who run. That’s totally me! 
On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this book a solid 3. As a writer, I notice the quality of writing in what I read. And this book just didn’t bring it on that front. I’d describe the writing as lackluster at best. The authors sprinkled the text with mothering metaphors, but I felt they were forced rather than authentic. Lastly, I didn’t find that the book actually delivered what the summary promised. I didn’t find any really great wisdom or advice on how to balance training with my career, mothering and wife-ing gigs.
However, I kept reading the book because the content was inspiring. While it didn’t help me find ways to easily incorporate running into my daily schedule, it motivated me to find the time and make it happen. Which, I suppose, is better anyway since every mom’s life is a little different and will require a customized approach.
I appreciated the quotes from marathon moms sprinkled throughout the book, and the last chapter, “Why I Run,” was particularly awesome.
If you’re a running geek, I recommend this book. If you’re just someone who runs a few times a week to stay in shape, it’s probably not for you.
