A Letter to My Pre Runner, Post 3 Babes in 3 1/2 Years Self

Hey...Hey You...Sarah, Mommy, Baby Maker Extraordinaire...

You rock. You rock because you've incubated three humans in the last 3 1/2 years.  You've fed said humans for 6 or more months after they were shot into this world without a hint of pain medicine.  Yes...You've gained ohhhh.....60-70 pounds with each pregnancy but you pushed those babies into this world with your insane will power and strength.  Yes you've given yourself some AWESOME stretch marks.  And that time you cried when you found your first stretch mark when you were pregnant with baby number 1....REALLY....YOU'RE GROWING A HUMAN!! Get over it. 

Speaking of baby number 1...Those bowls of ice cream you at every night...and the gallon of chocolate milk you went through each day...Yes it made your wicked heart burn stop for a few minutes....but it helped you gain A LOT of extra weight.

Yes...Your calves are HUGE...Your boobs don't fit in anything and hang out for all to see...You've never thought you could actually weight this much...and your feet no longer fit in flip flops..But you are so happy. And beautiful. And that sweet little nugget you are growing is going to completely change your life.  He will bring you more joy than you've ever experienced and be one of the most kind hearted, compassionate, loving little men you know.

Now you will have that sweet little babe and a few months later you will begin to dabble in running...You'll take Zack in the jogging stroller and run a little here and there but knowing you are having more babes soon because Zack is SO EASY and you're SURE number two will be just as calm and snugly..................................................

You really should work at losing more of the 70+ pounds you gained while you were pregnant before baby number two starts cooking.  It will make you and your hubby's life a lot easier... But alas....you start pregnancy number two and still had 30 pounds of baby number 1 hanging on. This one won't be easy.  You now have a toddler to chase AND a baby to grow.  

Before you know it number two will be here and he will hit the ground running.  This kid will show you what NEVER SITTING DOWN really means.  You start to realize how important it is to lose the 45 pounds you gained AND the 30 pounds you had left over from the last one...So you start running...You run your first 5k in just under 40 minutes.  You feel slow. Fat. Not like a runner. But you are. Forward is a pace. It's hard. You want to puke after almost every run. You're not getting faster. But you are seeing your body slowly change.  PLEASE DON'T QUIT!! Please keep going because before you know it that mile you hate running every other day will turn into 2 miles....then 3....Just DON'T QUIT!! Or get pregnant so your blood pressure tanks and you pass out in the middle of a run.............................................

HELLO BABY NUMBER 3!! Yes...It's only been 9 months since baby 2 graced us with his endless energy and infectious laugh...What's one more? 

What you don't know is that this pregnancy will be one of the most mentally and physically challenging things you've ever done in your life.  You will live in a fog of depression for the last 4 months.  You won't want to play with your kids. You won't want to leave your house.  This time of your life will be the darkest.  But it will make you such an awesome mama once that baby is here! You will start to regain your clarity and feel guilty for the months of sadness and inactivity you've had. You snap out of it quickly and start loving on your babes again.  You realize how hard that pregnancy was on your entire family and are ready to turn this ship around...physically and emotionally.  

You start to think about running again.  You think about starting a blog to help encourage other mommys that have been through what you have. But you wait. DON'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!! JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are you waiting for? What are you afraid of? Failure? In this situation, failure is a choice! The only way you fail is by not investing in yourself.  It doesn't matter that you puke after your first mile....that took you 15 minutes and 30 seconds of awesomeness to run.  You are doing it! You are starting! Now get back on that treadmill the next day and do it again! And again! And again! It will start to get easier.  Don't be embarrassed of your jiggly body.  YOU CREATED 3 ADORABLE HUMANS IN 3 1/2 YEARS. Rock it sister! You are changing your life.  When you finally get brave enough to run outside and those ass bags heckle you...it will hurt for a minute but it will motivate you to keep going.   JUST KEEP GOING!!!!!!!

You will spend the next 6 months kicking ass and taking names.  It's not easy but you just keep going.  Your life will change...some of it's hard.  With publicly airing your battle for fitness you've opened yourself up for a lot of criticism and discouragement from the haters...just remember..haters gonna hate...And the only person you can change in this world is yourself so just keep going. You will never again take for granted your body and what it is capable of doing.  You love your kids more than ever and know they deserve an active, strong mama.  You're goal is not to be stick skinny or fit in a size 2...Your goal is to be fit, healthy, and a great example for you kids.  You've now run a 5k in less than 30 minutes, trained and completed your first half marathon, and while doing this lost over 30 pounds....that 30 pounds that had been hanging on since baby number 1 four whole year ago.......nice job mama. 

Before you know it you will have ran 200 miles in less than 7 months and compeltely changed not only your life...but the lives of your children and hubby. You are a better mom, wife, friend, and person because of how hard you have worked. Way to go mama...way to go..