Mother Runners of the Month: Heidi Mischel + Abbie McKee

Each month, we celebrate two athletes monthly in our #motherrunnner community.
[because sports awards aren’t just for youth soccer]

One athlete participates in our Many Happy Miles program and the other one is in a Train Like a Mother Club program: nothing like vicariously living through workout specifics, training cycles, and upcoming (virtual) races, right?

More importantly, they both epitomize the traits that keep us all moving forward: perspective, diligence, badassery, flexibility, and grit.

Heidi and her husband hiking in the mountains of Park City, Utah.

HEIDI MISCHEL

Location: Milbank, South Dakota

Kids: 3 kids; William (21), Claire (19) and Marion (16). I run with our labradoodle, Luna, when it is not too hot. We also have 3 horses, 2 cats and too many chickens.

What's your running story?
I started running shortly after William was born. I was a walker before then. It was simply a matter of needing to cover my 4 mile route faster so my husband could get to work on time.

I have done several 5Ks and 10Ks, and 13 or 14 half-marathons. However, the Twins Cities 10 miler is my favorite race and distance.

Now I run because I can. My daughter asked me why I do long runs if I am not training for anything. My answer: "Because I can, plus it makes me feel BadA$$”.

Why did you join Many Happy Miles?
I joined Many Happy Miles when it first started at the end of 2018. I wasn’t on a training plan but I wanted the sense of being on one.

I like how each month has a theme and keeps things fresh.

The MHM community is an amazing group of supportive, loving and dedicated women. As Caite says, “it’s the happiest place on the internet”. I agree with her 110%. This group of women consisting of all ages, experiences, and walks of life helps to build me up and makes me stronger – both mentally and physically.

Best workout in Many Happy Miles so far:
Heather, my favorite workouts are from November 2019 when the month consisted of Hat Tips (h/t) to Many Happy Miles members' favorite workouts. I love "h/t Ash" and "h/t Dimity." These are workout I go back to when I want to work on speed or running on the treadmill.

    

Hardest workout in Many Happy Miles so far:
I would say h/t Ash is a tough workout. I was cursing h/t Ash the first time I did this workout. I still occasionally curse her, but in a very good way. I tend to enjoy the tough ones.

Upcoming races? I just joined Train Like a Mother Club's Love the Run You're With 2.0. I think this is a fun way to stay motivated and positive. I was hoping to do the Twin Cities 10 miler again, but it is virtual this year.

When I run, I feel: empowered. I know that I can tackle almost anything after a run. 

ABBIE MCKEE

Program: Ultra 50 Mile Program

Location: Spokane, Washington

Kids: Two amazing boys – Hunter (13) and Maks (10) and two amazing dogs – BoBo (15 years!) and GiGi (5 months)

What’s your running story?
I started consistently running at about age 23 and was lucky enough to find an amazing group of other fellow #motherrunners.

Currently, I run every weekday at 5am with my BRF, Nancy (pictured above). Through this consistency, I quickly became hooked to running! Our mornings are joyful due to the deep meaningful conversations we have that provide therapy for my soul. Running each morning fills my cup, so I can pour that goodness to others the rest of the day. I’m "addicted" in all the best ways!

What led you to choosing the 50 mile ultra program and why do you enjoy it?
My friend from college, Kat Schjei, is a BAMbassador and is a part of the program. She has had so much ultra running success - figured this was a no-brainer proven plan to use! It also was easy to use and had a very clear plan for training. Loved the group chats too!

 

Why did you join the Love the Run You're With virtual race series?
I’d trained with a coach for the January Aramco Half Marathon in Houston and loved the individual attention, having someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to help push me out of my comfort zone, and someone telling me, “YOU CAN DO IT,” because she had helped me aim for reachable (challenging) time goals.

Up until that point I’d trained with an awesome running group, Gotta Run Katy, and loved the community aspect but wanted workouts tailored to my goals.

Love the Run gave me a great combo of both of those without the person-to person contact during this Covid-19-ridden time and without the price of a personal coach.

This program is a steal for four months of coaching, swag, community, yoga, strength, love, and joy.

Best workout in Love the Run You're With so far:
I vacillate between the Tuesday intervals and Thursday hills. I love me that track workout because I feel like a badass getting on the track and pushing it and reaching for short goals and then that feeling of “AHHHH” in the recovery.

The book “Endure” by Alex Hutchinson really helped me overcome a fear of the hard track workout.

The Thursday hills are fun because I run a mile and a half to a parking garage (there are four to choose from so it’s a la carte hills) and then just run up and down until twenty minutes are up. Then I run home. I like how the run is broken up so each segment feels brief yet I feel accomplished.

Most challenging workout in Love the Run You're With so far:
The twelve mile long run was the most challenging for me. Long runs are always head games. Large chunks of time at the same pace.

Now I’m focused on zone 2 for the first two miles then zone 3 for the bulk of the long run and then I finish in zone 4 - picking it up for the last two miles or so. At least that’s the goal.

What goals have you set for the races in this series?
Each race I've set the goal to finish strong, feeling good about my effort. My fitness had flagged since January so coming to terms with being slower and feeling creaky took some time.

When I run, I feel: EMPOWERED.

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