Episode 163: Whitney Heins - The Mother Runners

Whitney Heins is the founder of The Mother Runners, host of The Mother Runners podcast, and a UESCA-certified running coach based in Knoxville, Tennessee. I was recently a guest on Whitney's podcast, and I've been looking forward to having her on here ever since.During this episode, sponsored by HUUG and Batch, we talk about:Pivoting from the Carmel Marathon to the Kentucky Derby Marathon after Carmel was postponed six weeks Running through Churchill Downs and why she does NOT recommend the Kentucky Derby Marathon if you're chasing a PRHow her dad — who was told he'd never walk again after being wounded in Vietnam — ran the Marine Corps Marathon every year and is the reason she became a runnerRunning her first marathon as a senior in college, a 3:29, on a Hal Higdon plan targeting 3:30, powered entirely by not knowing any better 😂Running Boston a couple of times, including the year her husband qualified, charged through the finish line screaming, and ended up in the medical tentThe injury cycle she spent years stuck in — torn hamstrings, a labral tear, and the hard realization that her training wasn't the right fit for her bodyMisplacing her self-worth on race times and the mental work it took to untangle thatFinding her current coach Nick Kostava at Running Explained and finally stacking two healthy marathon cycles back to backStarting The Mother Runners blog in 2019 because she couldn't find answers online that were written by people who had actually lived mom runner lifeBecoming a running coach because there weren't enough mom coaches who truly understood what mom life looked likeWhat it was really like to be a one-woman-band TV journalist — covering manhunts alone in heels, interviewing governors, and walking into a trailer with 18 Chihuahuas and mounds of poop Why she barely scrolls Instagram and has a golden retriever account called Four Golden Life Her dad, now turning 80, who picked up Krav Maga at 71 and is absolutely crushing itWhat's next: a speed cycle this summer and the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in the fall — which means we will finally get to meet in real life!Sponsor DetailsHUUG – Use code ALLYB for 15% off your orderBatch – Use code FINISH for 30% off your first order (good on subscriptions too!)Previous Guests MentionedJessica & Johnathan Jones – Episode 159Eileen Poore – Episode 17Other LinksThe Mother Runners podcastFollow Whitney on Instagram @themotherrunnersFollow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runsSubscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletterThis is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.