134 - Dimity McDowell is the Original Mother Runner

Dimity McDowell has been a friend of mine for over a decade. The first time I remember interacting with her was when she was writing for Runner’s World. She was prepping for a women's marathon, and she let her readership choose her outfit. Our 2007 Marathon Dress was in the running and  won! So Dimity wore a very short Skirt Sports dress and crushed her marathon (it was even shorter on her 6'5" body)! Anyway, we’ve been mutually respecting each other for years since. When she started her Like a Mother community which evolved into Another Mother Runner, I knew she was going to change the running world - and she's still changing it. Today, Dimity is the co-author (alongside her partner in crime Sarah Bowen Shea) of 3 books, founder of the insanely successful Another Mother Runner Podcast, a huge community of women including moms and non-moms who want support, resources and encouragement in their athletic journeys. In fact, our missions are so closely aligned that we should probably hang out a lot more than we actually do! I’ve been thinking about what makes Dimity so special and I think it’s that she is the original authentic voice. Before authenticity was a buzzword. Before people started sharing the good AND real of their lives. There was Dimity. She understand inherently that the only way to help people in this crazy world was to be her true messy self and share it in an open and honest way. That’s what I have always loved about her. Today we talk about all sorts of cool stuff in a candid dual-interview that is also posted on Dimity’s Train Like a Mother group. To further inspire your training, Dimity is giving you a discount on Train Like a Mother programs. This is no joke. They have running programs from 5k to 50 miles from beginner to advanced. Tri programs from a Sprint to an Ironman. Heart rate programs. Nutrition programs and a full on amazing community that will keep you motivated. Check out trainlikeamother.club, and use code TLAMSKIRT for 15% off any program through June 21. Other topics discussed: Being a leader of a movement Finding "what you were created to do" Reinventing yourself in middle life (after you started a running movement and can no longer run) The beauty and insanity of trying new sports How we stay motivated The importance of community within a community: finding your people And so much more! Dimity is a person that I could hang with every day. I love her take on pretty much everything. Think about how hard it must be when you have created an entire identity on being the “mother runner” and then one day you realize you can no longer run. It’s not life or death, but in a way it is, because it’s a recalibration of your identity and those are tricky things to navigate as we go through the different chapters of our lives. Thanks for sticking around to the end of the long episode today. But now it’s time to move on – it’s time to get out there and run this world. Have a great workout and I’ll see you next week!