Running Moms "Why I love my Mom!"

Enter to win free running skirts for you and your mom!  Send us a photo of you & your mom along with a paragraph about why you love your mom.  Accepting entries until May 10, 2008! Please read all the moving & inspiring submissions below:

Cindy wearing "Mini Dot" running skirt and Performance Tank top in Black.

	Why I love my mom:    My mom is so amazing!  She raised 7 children and sacrificed a lot of her dreams to be home with us and take care of us.  She finally did go back to school when the youngest was in school and earned her Masters Degree.  She is always there for me, even now that I'm married and have my own family. She is so selfless.  She doesn't think of herself enough.  She's always thinking of others.  She is one of the biggest blessings in my life.  I don't know what I would do without her.  I always cherish the time that we have when we run races together.  Although we don't run the same speed, we can go to races together and cheer each other on.  I can't even imagine a more loving, wonderful, amazing Mother than mine.  I love her dearly. Sincerely, Heather Brown
	Why I love my mom: My mom is my best friend. She and I talk constantly, whether I'm at  home or away. We never run out of things to talk about! We've always had a good relationship, even through my teen years, when most girls rebel against their mothers, her and I still had a blast. We go shopping together all the time, and just recently figured out that it's not fun at all to go shopping alone- we have to do it together. Between ladies lunches, walks/runs on the beach and just relaxing and joking around, my mom and I are super close. I can't wait to see what else life brings us to joke about. Sloane - Encinitas, CA
	Why I love my mom:  My mom, Marilyn, is funny, smart, practical, creative, giving and beautiful - inside and out. And, not only does she carry on a professional career, actively participate in volunteer work, conduct the local orchestra, and grow an organic garden - she and my dad also care for my two grandmothers - providing a wonderful life for these aging women in their home. She does this despite the fact that she is battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In short, my mom is an inspiration to all those who want to know what it is like to live a full, meaningful life, despite obstacles that we each face. She finds the best in everything, and lives with no regret. With gratitude ~ Lyssa (Picture attached is my mom greeting me - and other Team In Training finishers - near the finish of the 2007 Portland Marathon.)
	Why I love my mom: There are many reasons why I love her but the main one is because she is my best friend.  She has always been there to support me when I have had my ups and downs in life.  A shoulder to cry on, a friend to laugh with, someone to gossip with, my shopping partner.  She is all around the ultimate best friend/mother.  I am fortunate enough to have a mom that I get along with and am so close with.  I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without her love and support.  She also is my running partner.  Well my number one supporter.  My first half marathon was 2 years ago and she ran it with me.  Has been my support and motivation every step of the way.  I am now training for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon …I have never ran one mind you, only halves.  And she is there to give me water on my training runs, has met me to run the last few miles with me…given me the encouragement and strength to accomplish my goal.  She would have ran it with me but she is 50 and has hurt her Piriformis muscle on her leg.  The things that she has helped me accomplish and the strength she has given me has meant the world to me.  I can only hope to be half the mother to my children…when I have them…that she was and still is to me. Brandy Engelhardt
	Why I love my mom: I love my mama, because she raised me to be the person that I am today. I try my hardest to be like her, she is the most kind, loyal, giving, and hilarious person that I have ever met. She understands me and supports me in all that I do. I definitely consider her to be my best friend. I just finished my first year of college at the University of Georgia, and knowing that someone was at home rooting me on, and inspiring me to never give up,helped me get through every day away from home. I hope that when I have children that I will be half as good of a mom that my mother was to me. My mama and I just started running half marathons this year, and she is the best running partner that I could ever ask for!
	I LOVE MY MAMA BECAUSE SHE IS NICE AND SHE LETS ME BIKE WITH HER WHEN SHE GOES FOR A RUN THEN WE GET TO HAVE GATORADE! WE BOUGHT MY MAMA A RUNNING SKIRT FOR HER BIRTHDAY AND SHE LOVES IT.  I WANT TO WEAR IT WHEN I AM BIG. XO ABBY AGE 5 TORONTO, ONTARIO
	Why I love my mom:   My mom will be 60 in May, 2008.  She has been a runner for many years more than I.  But, when I took up running - by jumping right into Half Marathons - in 2002, she was right there beside me on the course.  Although we live in different cities, we train "together" for the same events.  We meet at the event Venue and have a fabulous time:  she and I and my daddy.  Of the many, many half marathons I have done since my first in 2003, there have only been three that we did not run together.   I am happy to shout it from the mountain tops that I love my mom for her stamina, her go-get-em attitude, and her ENDURANCE for picking up the half marathon as a hobby at the age of 55.  All of that in addition to being a breast cancer survivor makes her the #1 Mom in my family!   Attached is a picture of the two of us during the 2006 President's Day Marathon & Half Marathon in Tallahassee, FL.  Her next run will be the Flying Pig Half Marathon on 5.3.2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio - which by the way is the same course she set her PR on in 2007!   Lori
	Why I love my mom: My mom is my best friend.  She is the person that got me into running.  Without my mom, I wouldn't be where I am.  We train together and she pushes me to be the best.  When it comes to problems I am having, I know I can go to her.  She tells me exactly what she thinks, but lets me make my own decision.  It's weird when I don't spend as much time with her for a few days because I'm lost.  I realize how often we speak and how much time we spend together.  She is the greatest mom and role model in the world and I would not be the person I am today without her!   Nicole (Left) and My Mom Paulette (Right) after the Marine Corps Marathon
	Why I love my Mom:   I love my Mom because she has an adventurous and fun-loving spirit.  I have attached a picture of myself, Amanda and my Mom.  My daughter Amanda wanted to share her new headbands with us that day, and you can see that we are all wearing one in the picture.   My Mom walks every day in the little town that she lives in.  Last August she came to visit us in Toronto one weekend.  I was leading my Learn to Run Group in their first 5 km race.  My Mom, husband and children came along for the morning.  My Mom asked me if she could participate in something as she didn't want to "just watch".  My Mom has never participated in an athletic event in her life but there was a 1 km walk/run, so I suggested she register for that.  Sure enough, she lined up to register and pick up her very first race kit.  Just before the 5k started, there was someone leading an warm up while I was giving my group some last minute pointers.  When I finished, I looked around but my Mom had disappeared.  I finally found her in the very front row of the 5 km participants doing the warm up.  I got a big kick out of watching her try to do aerobics.  When it finished, we lined up and were off.  While I was waiting for the last of my group to finish their run, the warm up for the 1 km race started and my Mom joined in for her second warm of the day, as she had so much fun doing the first one!  A few minutes later, we were all discussing the race and the gun went off for the 1 km.  Off my Mom starts walking and before I know it, my husband tells me that she's already done and that I missed her finish!  I blinked in disbelief but there was my Mom, sitting on a picnic bench and breathing hard.  I asked her how she finished so fast, and she said that she was feeling so good she decided to try running most of the way.  I was really impressed. My Mom is 63, and I hope that I am just like her when I reach that age - fearless and fabulous!   I have also attached a picture of Mom doing her aerobics at the race, and a picture of one of my students and I both wearing our running skirts at the race, Hazel's Hope.   We love your skirts!   Joanne
	Why I love my mom: She has sacrificed for her children her whole life. Everything she did, she did it for us. My father passed away the summer before my senior year and my mom worked during the day and went to school at night so she could get a better job in order to provide for us. She told me that she didn't want our lives to change any more than they had too. Somehow with working and school she still found time to help all 5 of her kids with homework and after school activities. She truly is super-mom and a hero. I love her with all of my heart.
	Why I love my mom:   I love my mom because she has been a source of inspiration and strength to me throughout my whole life.   My mom had me at a young age, and because my Dad was immediately deployed overseas with the Canadian Military shortly after my birth, my mom and I formed a very close bond early on in my life - one that still exists. My mom is my best friend and has been there for me throughout many trying events in my life. Most recently, my mom was there to support me through a time of very serious illness and my diagnosis of Celiac Disease.   I have watched my mom transform from a quiet person who let others take advantage of her caring nature, to someone who had taken charge of her own life. While she still maintains her caring nature for others (she would do anything for anyone) she has now become empowered with the desire to make her life the best it can be. She has taken charge of her health, and had lost nearly 70lbs and is truly an inspiration.   My mom and I were able to bond this past year over one more thing - running! At 44, my mom completed her first 5k and I was so proud to be part of that with her. Being able to run together has given us more time to enrich our friendship, and to discover sides of ourselves that we did not know we had.   My Mom has sacrificed so much for me and has always put my interests ahead of her own. I love my mom for the inspiration and strength that she has given me, for the love and wisdom that she has given me, and I credit her for making me the person I am today.   No thanks that I give her can ever be thanks enough for all that she has done for me.
	Why I love my mom:   Well I have one upped your picture request.  I have attached a picture of my daughter MacKenzie, Me (Dawn), and my Mom Sandra. My mom, hmm, Mom says it all, she is the ear, that is always available to listen, the arms when I need a hug, my shopping buddy, and my friend for a good laugh, and do we ever have some good laughs.  She is my Mom.  A mom is everything, and I have taken everything I have learned from my Mom, and passed it on to my daughter.  Who has the same realtionship with my mom her grandmother, as she does with me.   I love my mom to bits.   Dawn
	Why I love my mom:   I love my mom because she always helps me with things. She encourages me to try new things and she supports me the whole way through, like with the Sun Run. Even though I don't like any fruits or vegitables se doesn't try to vorce me to eat them like some people do. She finds ways to mix vegitables with other foods like pancakes and spegetti sauce. She can loose her temper soemtimes but I know she still loves me (Yes that was very sappy!). She comforts me when I am sad or scared even though I am 11 1/2 (The 1/2 matters!). I was really happy when she got me a running skirt because I felt like it made me a real runner to have special running gear. Mine was red and white so my mom helped me find red and white clothes to go with it. I felt like a living Candada flag!   By Cate Lantzville, British Columbia, Canada
	Why I love my mom:   My mom is the most wonderful person in the world and I didn't learn to appreciate her until a few years ago.  She has always been there for me and supporting me in every adventure I have taken on even when she thought I was crazy.  Like trying an Ironman.  This picture is of both of us at the completion of my Ironman in Arizona april 13.  It took me 15 hours and 41 minutes to complete.  She was out there the whole time cheering me on.  Every loop I made she was there with a smile and cheer.  It was extremely hot and miserable conditions. Never once did she complain.  She also had to put up with my anxiety the week before the race which says alot for her! She is just an amazing person and I can't even find the words to describe how Incredible she truly is!!!!   Thanks, Michelle
	I’m writing for my kids as they are only 2 (daughter) and 6 (son) years old. They would say I love my mom because: 1.      She always makes time for us. 2.      She let’s us make a mess even though she knows it will frustrate daddy. 3.      She prays with us each night. 4.      She let’s me wear dresses all of the time. (my daughter) 5.      She let’s me fix her hair. 6.      She plays games with us. 7.      She shares her food with me even when she is really hungry. 8.      She takes us to church every Sunday. 9.      She gives me lots of hugs and kisses. 10.  She leaves me notes that say “I love you”. 11.  She ran the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. 12.  She looks great in her Running skirt from Runningskirts.com!  (This one is from Dad!) She loves us unconditionally!
	Why I love my mom I love my mom because she is the strongest person I know.  She has survived multiple forms of cancer, and you would never know it because of her attitude and strength.  She has been a best friend to me my whole life and my daughters and I couldn't imagine a day without her.  She has taught me to be an unselfish mother and is the greatest grandmother I could ever ask for my girls.  She is an inspiration and is the reason I run.  I run because I can and have the strength. (The picture attached is of my sister (Kelli), mom (Nancy), and myself just before the Minnie Marathon 5K where we walked together to celebrate being mothers, daughters, and sisters.)
	Why I love my mom: When I was 30, I found out I was an ‘accident’.  I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but it soon made me appreciate my mom 100 times more.  She put her pride aside, walked down the aisle ‘with a baby bump’, and endured a 10 year marriage to a jerk.  She lost her freedom at age 20 and took a tough fork in the road largely for me.  Eventually, she divorced my dad and we moved from a Beaver Cleaver house to an inner city third floor apartment.  She was a smoker, but soon switched to munching carrots and jogging to relieve stress in a more positive way.  She worked days and went to night school, earning her bachelor’s degree at age 35.  Her second husband got a job transfer, but she selflessly stayed behind with me in a tiny one room apartment so I did not have to switch high schools in my senior year.  That year he cheated on her, marriage #2 ended, kids left the nest, and she was alone for the first time in her life.  As I went off to college, she continued night school to earn straight A’s and a Masters Degree from the prestigious University of Chicago .  My wonderful mom eventually moved west and soon came to my rescue again, supporting me financially and emotionally as my three year old battled leukemia.  When I divorced, she flew to Arizona and helped me pack the U-Haul.  My toddlers and I moved into the condo she had worked so hard for, and she moved out.  She changed careers and opened a new business in order to give me the flexible work hours I needed to care for my recovering daughter.  She motivated me to find the strength to go on with my life, and got me into running.  Her incredible goodness and perseverance motivates me when I hit the 23-mile wall running marathons (or any other “wall” in my life).  She still works full time, never forgets a holiday, and would contribute to the grandkids college savings before spending a dime on herself.  At 65 years young, she is a senior National Champion in the sport of competitive ballroom dancing.  My mom is the most unselfish, generous and inspirational woman I know. You’re my HERO Mom! Stacey * Photo: recent competition my mom won, where I watched proudly with my daughter (12 years cancer free) at my side.
	Why I love my mom: I will be forever in debt to my mom for how great of a job she did raising me and making me who I am today. A portion of the love I have for my mom, however, is for getting me involved in running! As you can see from the photo, a running skirt might not suit me as well as it does my mom. But perhaps you can send her both of them, as she runs twice as often as I do anyway. - mason
	Why I love my mom: My mum came to this country over 60 years ago as a War Bride. Mum was six months pregnant and not only did she have to leave her husband behind, unsure of when and if she would see him again, but also her entire family. She was a city girl accustomed to many amenities and when she arrived in Southern Alberta, there were few. Mum cried every night for a year and it wasn't until my dad arrived a year and a half later that she felt at home in Canada. This would be enough of a challenge for a life time, but my mum raised seven children all the time supporting my dad while he was farming. Mum has had to endure many hardships, the loss of her son and grandson at early ages and then looked after my dad when he was diagnosed with Dementia. As well, all along the bumpy road of life, mum has supported her children. She may not have always agreed with our decisions, but she was there to support us. My mum continues to offer me great support. Almost four years ago, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer and throughout all of his chemotherapy treatments, she was there. Even more incredible since she herself had just had a mastectomy three months earlier. Then again in 2007, when he was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, my mum was there offering support. Amazing since she was 85 years old. Mum enjoys a very active life and goes for daily walks with the women in her condo building and enjoys life to the fullest. What a role model she has been for all of her children, but especially for me. From her I have developed my strength to be strong and support our children through the battle that my husband facing each and every day.   Thank you mum, for all the sacrifices that you have made for all of us. I love you!!!   Liz