Why I NEEDED Running in My Life -- Francesca Barbetta

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“We had been in and out the hospital so many times and thank God for my mom's my rock. She's my best friend. She was with me through everything.  So she knew that I needed to start running again for like my own mental sanity.” 

This week we feature Francesca Barbetta ( @5ammommyrunner on Instagram) because she is truly inspiring. And while her accomplishments & day-to-day commitment are so inspiring as a mother runner, it’s what she has overcome that is arguably the true inspiration. 

While many on Instagram may know her as the mom who wakes up way too early to run far on a treadmill with her three littles at home—what they don’t know is the how and why she does it. 

That’s what we wanted to get reveal. And Francesca was graciously so honest with us sharing how her life was on a total different trajectory. 

She shares: 

-how running saved her when she was in the depths of postpartum depression and anxiety while navigating a serious medical condition with her baby

-how she does those early morning runs and what helps her stay energized throughout the day

-the biggest lessons in her postpartum running journey

-& what she wishes every mother runner (or woman in general) would stop doing. 

Francesca’s journey is a true story of adversity. 

Big thanks to this episode’s sponsors:

Lagoon Sleep save 15% with code MOM at lagoonsleep.com &

Happy Curves save 10% with code MIlesMoms10. On Amazon

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Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.

• www.themotherrunners.com
• Instagram: @themotherrunners
• YouTube: The Moth