Why I Don’t Call Myself a Mother Runner

I’m in mother runner groups. I read mother runner blogs. I listen to mother runner podcasts.

But I don’t call myself a mother runner. Because as I see it one thing has nothing to do with the other. The thing I like about running is that it’s egalitarian. Barring injury or disability, pretty much anyone can do it. I don’t think my running is more or less impressive because I’m a mother, it’s still just running. Sure you could say that it’s a commitment of time that is harder for parents. But I don’t really think that’s true. Everyone has the same amount of time in the day, it’s all about what you use it for.

I’m proud of being a mother. And I’m proud of being a runner. But I don’t really see how the two are linked. Or I do. Because as women nothing can exist without being linked to motherhood. There are mumpreneurs (VOMIT) and there are mum bloggers. Because men are entrepeneurs and writers. And women are indulged with their ‘hobbies’.

For me, I like having a few things that are not connected to motherhood. Things that are selfishly just mine. Of course they are connected. I have to put plans of military precision into motion in order to organise an interstate run. I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to fit my runs in. But the actual running? That’s mine. And that 5 minute kilometre or whatever it was that week that made me smile, belongs just to me.

As has been previously pointed out, I don’t have mummy coffee, or watch mummy TV, or read mummy books or have mummy lunch, so why should running be any different?

I know plenty of people who call themselves Mother Runners and it is spoken with such pride and I love that. But it’s not for me. I like that I can be a runner, with nothing else in front of it. I like for it to stand on its own. And it does.