Keep Showing Up; An Interview with Kimberlie McBride

Below is our interview with the extremely motivational Kimberlie of @my.runstigram.life. As a mother of four kids between the ages of 3 and 11, Kimberlie runs her own marathon every day, yet her positive attitude, endless energy and zest for life keeps her running, quite literally! She finds balance through her training runs and runs with her whole family, as well as traveling and, as she explains below, showing off her board game skills! Read on to learn more about Kimberlie and why she always inspires us to live life on the bright side.

Plus, check out the running hat we collaborated with Kimberlie to design, available for pre-order now. "The Peaks: Keep Showing Up" Hat

Name: Kimberlie McBride

Instagram Handle: @my.runstagram.life

How do you manage a typical week (mother, wife, training)? Any tips for other parent runners reading this?

With 4 kids between 3 and 11 years old, my days are filled with constant meal prepping, cleaning, entertaining, teaching and chaperoning. As such, running has to be a planned out ahead of time to ensure it happens. There are days I feel overwhelmed and exhausted just by playing the "Mom" card, so if running isn't on the schedule, it simply wont happen. I typically prioritize my runs to happen in the early morning hours when my kids are sleeping, or during school and playdates. I've also come to love those times when I can run WITH my husband or kids as well and try to incorporate those runs as much as possible!

How was training leading up to your Phoenix Marathon PR? How confident were you that this was your race?

My last marathon training cycle was pretty good. Workouts were hit and miss, but over the course of the months I could feel my body adapting to the paces and as the miles increased I could tell my body was going to be ready for a big PR. I had a lot of confidence in my fitness, however I've learned not to put too much pressure or confidence on the single day of the race. Having a difficult marathon prior to this taught me that. So though I knew where my fitness was and what finish time I was capable of, I simply hoped it would come together on race day - which it did!

How long does it typically take you to sign up for another race and what do you base your race selection on (location, course, etc)?

I am typically not one to sign up for a lot of races. A 2019 goal of mine is actually to get out in that atmosphere more often though! The main thing I keep in mind is how the race day will work for my family. If there's a race I would travel to, I take into account whether my family can be there or not and how exactly it would all work out that way. Also, I try to coordinate races around the family schedule so it doesn't add too many complications to an already busy calendar!

Do you find a balance to your day with running? If so, how?

Absolutely! For me, those days I get up and get that run in, I feel productive and excited to take the new day on! I love the added energy it gives me each day. I also love the bigger picture - which for me is short and long term goals, which I feel helps me become a better human and thus a better and more effective mom! Those times when I am working towards a goal to better myself (such as an upcoming race) I have more positivity and more energy in everything I do!

Tell us something that people don’t know about you or would be surprised to hear?

I don't think many people know that I'm a pretty big gamer! Mostly strategic board games, that is - however I put up a good competition on some classic video games such as Tetris. I get SUPER competitive with games though and spend a lot of time playing with my kids as well. Hands down my favorite board game is Acquire. Just this past week my husband and I taught our kids how to play RISK, which has been super fun around here!

Would you ever consider an Ultra distance (maybe a my.ultra-runstagramlife?)

Haha!! Hmm, well... Actually It's kinda been on my radar! I don't know that anything over 50 miles would appeal to me anytime soon, however the shorter ultra-distances do appeal to me! I think once my youngest is just a little older I'll feel more comfortable taking on a challenge like that!

What big events do you have in 2019? This can be life, running, or both!

Ooh, big events?! Well, we're gonna enjoy exploring Hawaii as a family early this year, as well as an international trip (we're thinking Europe) later this Fall. I'm continuing to set running goals and am hoping to get some big 1/2 marathon PR's this Summer as well as another marathon PR at Indy Monumental in November!

Mar 2, 2019