Running Mommies do the Philly Color Run

I wanted to do this post last night, but I was exhausted and decided to be a bum and just tweet and Facebook instead...

Just over a year ago, I started a Facebook Group called Running Mommies.  I invited a bunch of moms that I knew who ran and pretty much any mom I knew who mentioned they might want to run.  I started it because mom runners are different.  When moms run, we have to factor in things that other runners don't, kids, naps, school drop offs/pick ups, joggers, being home when the kids get up/go to sleep, running in clothes that you're not embarrassed to grocery shop in, and so on.  Every run that a mom does has to be scheduled around a kid.  Sometimes we need ideas on how to do it all, and to complain when we don't.  And really only other moms who run get it.

When I started the group, it was just a few people that I recruited.  Pretty soon those people were adding their friends who ran or wanted to start, and eventually moms were finding the group organically and requesting to join.  We share advice, post about the foods we eat, when and where we run, problems we've had, goals that we've reached, goals that we want to reach, and races we want to run....Like the Philly Color Run.  When someone threw that idea out there, I signed up and created a team.  Next thing ya know, Running Mommies from South Jersey, North Jersey, Ohio, and Indiana, were also signed up along side us locals!

I'm still in shock that 2 women, who didn't know each other prior to the group, would get in touch, plan a 12 hour road trip and get a hotel room together to run a 5k with some other Running Mommies.  We had to make it a weekend event!  Saturday morning we did the pre-dawn coffee run.  Saturday evening was the pool party, which, due to weather, turned into the indoor carb loading party.  And of course on Sunday we donned our white "Running Mommies" tanks (that's right we made shirts) and our tutus and ran the Philly Color Run together.  From Marathoners to a 5k virgin, we stuck together  and ran as a team.

It is such an amazing feeling to have created a little ol' Facebook group and have it turn into what it has; a place where moms can come together to not only discuss running, but to make connections.