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Who’s your running mom?

The character traits that every running mom possesses

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With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we’d like to take the time to thank not just our mothers and grandmothers and aunts and caregivers, but our running mothers as well.

Jessica O’Connell competes in the women’s 5000m final at the Athletics Canada 2016 Track and Field Trials at Foote Field in Edmonton, Alberta on July 7, 2016.

What is a running mother you ask? A running mom is the person in your run crew, track team or exercise squad who’s always on top of it, whether that be giving you a snack when you need it most, providing you with some much needed pre-race advice or the bigger stuff like helping you through an injury. Here are the telltale signs of a running mom, if you need help identifying who your running mom is.

Athlete fitness friends running on an open road.

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A running mom always has ‘extra’

A running mom always comes prepared. They’ve got extra of anything you could need: hair elastics, snacks, running clothes, spike pins. In other words, they’re the person with the extra granola bar.

A running mom gives the best pep talks

A running mom just knows what to say. When you’re nervous before your first Boston or outdoor season opener, your running mom is the person you go to for those final reassuring words.

The person you find yourself asking for life advice from

Usually your running mom doesn’t just give good running advice, but good life advice as well. They’re the person you find yourself going to about problems outside of running.

A running mom is the one person with toilet paper

You know when you need to use the washroom before a race and the line for the porta poty is a little too long? A running mom is the one who brought a toilet paper roll and encourages you to just find a spot in the woods.

A running mom is also the one who plans the after party

The same way your running mom is very organized, she’s also equal parts fun. Your running mom is the person who knows where to go to celebrate post-race and get the most out of an evening.

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