#motherrunner: stefanie means

I have been bragging on this girl A LOT lately, but the girl is KILLING it!  Stefanie is one of my best friends since high school and believe me when I tell you how hard it is to train someone you know personally.  I get so much more nervous training my friends than I do complete strangers because my friends are supposed to love me!  So, training friends is not my favorite thing to do.  But, Stefanie is a totally different breed.  Let's just put it this way, I'm pretty sure teachers LOVED her in school because she did everything they asked her to do and she did it at 110%!Stefanie just completed my 3-week HIIT for Runners bootcamp (the next round starts October 17th!) and she SMASHED her goals!  She is stronger, faster, and leaner than ever!  She's hit PRs in both the 5K and 10K just in the 3 weeks she has been part of this program.  But, the girl works her BOOTY off every single day!

Name:  Stefanie Means Age: 32 Hometown: St. Charles, MO Occupation:  Stay at Home Mom Number of years running: 2 Names + Ages of Kids:  Abby 7, Lucas 4, Corbin 2 Favorite Distance to Run: 5k Favorite or Most Memorable Race:  My first 10K. It was with my husband on our 6th wedding anniversary. It was July and very hot, but it rained on us the majority of the race, and it felt great! Best Running Accomplishment:  My recent 5k PR (28:57) or my recent 10k PR (1:03:18) Best Parenting Accomplishment:  Being able to adopt our youngest from foster care. He has changed our lives in more ways than we ever thought possible. Advice for how you fit running into your busy schedule: Make it a priority and find a time that consistently works for you. You're worth it! Best parenting advice you’ve gotten: Don't forget to take care of yourself. You can't pour from an empty pitcher, so take the time to fill yourself up. Everyone around you will benefit as a result.

Stefanie, I am so proud of you and can't wait to train you for your first half marathon!  Thank you so much for sharing your running and parenting journey!