Imagine if you were raising a baby, and training for the 2012 Summer Olympics? Well, that's what Kara Goucher did. I got to meet her (doing her hair and makeup) and her family for a Redbook Magazine photo shoot. Her baby is under two and is already sprinting down the track! His daddy is a marathon runner too. I wonder where his future lies... Check out the inspirational article about being a mom AND an Olympic athlete.
Hey London, the Moms are Calling! - Page 4
Photo Credit: Ari Michaelson
Marathon mom
Kara Goucher, 34
HER HOME TEAM: Husband Adam, 37; son Colton, 22 months
Two years ago, Kara sent shock waves through the racing community when she announced she was pregnant and taking a yearlong break. The NCAA cross-country champion had been on an incredible roll, running her first half-marathon and beating British phenom Paula Radcliffe, then running her first marathon (in New York) and taking third place, and placing third again in Boston. "A lot of people were like, 'Now? Why not wait until you feel burned out?'" Kara recalls. "But Adam [also a track star] and I had been putting off having kids for years." First they were waiting until after the 2004 Olympics, then the 2008 Games. But after the IAAF World Championships in 2009, "I realized that there would always be another reason for postponing," so they took the plunge. Now Kara is back, ready to get down to business. "I was passionate about racing before my son," she says. "But he has added another layer, because I want him to see that dreams are worth having and that there are sacrifices worth making."
NOT FOR WIMPS
"I get up around 6:30 a.m. to have breakfast and wake up Colt before leaving at 8 a.m. [A nanny watches him till Kara comes back at noon.] If it's a non-speed session, I run 90 minutes, then lift weights for an hour. If it's a speed-session day, I warm up for an hour before doing 12 to 16 one-mile runs or a steady 22-mile run. I come home and take a nap until Colt wakes up from his. We hang out until 4 p.m., when Adam takes over so I can do an easy run, about an hour, and stretch. I log 120 miles a week, running every day, twice a day. There is no weekend."
HER MOM ROLE MODEL
"My friend Paula [Radcliffe, who famously won the 2007 ING New York City Marathon about 10 months after giving birth to the first of her two children] made me believe I could have a running career and a baby. And once Colt was born, she often talked me down from the ledge. I was so tired, I was like, What was I thinking? She told me to hang in there, that it would get better. And sure enough, at six months, I hit my stride."
THE ROAD BACK
"It took a full year before I felt like myself again. I'd see all these celebrities who lost the weight so quickly, but I couldn't lose the last five pounds--and I run over 100 miles a week! What was even harder was getting back into the competitive mind-set. I ran when I was pregnant, but the number-one rule is to never push yourself. I had to relearn how to push through the pain."
TOUGH LOVE
"Before Colt, I wouldn't run with Adam [who's retired from competition now]. He's faster--men just are--and he's used to leading the pack, so he's always one step in front of you. But after Colt was born, Adam ran with me day in and day out, because I needed help just getting out the door. He even pushed Colt in the jogging stroller when I didn't want to leave him. Of course, I was shouting, 'Stop one-stepping me!'"
KISS AND RUN
"At the Olympics, my mom will take care of Colt--feed him, give him his bath, get him ready for bed--so that I can relax and sleep without the baby monitor. I'll do the fun stuff like kiss and snuggle with him, then leave. But this setup will last for only two days. I'd miss him too much."
Read more: Kara Goucher - Female Olympic Athletes Who Are Moms - Redbook
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