Introducing Sharon Hanks, a wife and mom of two boys. She is a RunGo Ambassador and lives in Northern California. She enjoys running 5ks to marathons. When she's not running she enjoys recapping her experiences on her blog Run- Hike-Play, hiking, camping, and spending time with the kids. This week Sharon is sharing her story on why running is important to her as a mom and why you should start!

I have always been a pretty active person. I did sports when I was younger. I played basketball, track , and even tennis. But back then running long distances was never something I did for fun. I was not a fan of anything over 200 meters. But of course things change over time. During college I ran here and there and even hiked some but it wasn’t until after I had my first child that I started running a lot more

I gained 40 lbs during my first pregnancy and found that the best way to lose the weight was to run. I started slow and loved that I lost most of the weight in just 4 months (due to training for a half marathon). I have experienced so much from lacing my shoes and continuing to run. Here are reasons why running and staying active is important as a mom:

“Me” time.

As a stay at home mom, us moms definitely need time for ourselves. I have found that running is great time for that. I have time to think about things or not think about anything, it’s just me and the pavement. I get to do something that is great for my body and the best thing is I always feel good afterwards. It’s refreshing. It’s just the break I need to be ready to get back to taking care of the boys.

Healthy role model for your kids

When my kids see me running 3-5 times a week you would hope it rubs off on them. It has apparently rubbed off on my 7 year old. I love that he actually wants to run with me and enjoys doing 5K races. My 6 year old isn’t quite there yet on enjoying it but we’ll see. They both however love being outside and playing sports or hiking with us. I really hope that our active lifestyle sticks and they continue to do so as they get older.

Social time

Not only is running good “me” time but it also a great thing to do with friends. I’ve found that running has introduced me to some pretty awesome ladies that actually get running (waking up early, training runs, hydrating, etc.). It’s great to have something like running in common because we go through so much together. The adult conversation is great because one can only take so much talk about Pokemon, fidget spinners, or the latest game they are playing on the iPad before going a little crazy.

Makes you stronger

I have found that with running, I can do things I never thought possible. I remember when I never thought I would do a half marathon and then I did it. Then I never thought I could do a full marathon and again I did it. Running has made me stronger and has shown me that I can do hard things. In running you set goals and when you strive for those goals and meet them it makes you feel really good. It is the best feeling. When I’m feeling good, I think it rubs off on the kids too. I hope that when they see me running and doing hard things, that they too can think they can also do hard things.

Running has made me a better person and also a better mom. Happy running!

4 Reasons Why Moms Should Start Running