YVONNE''S STORY MOTHERHOOD, MILESTONES, AND MARATHON DREAMS
I’m 44 years old, and I have one daughter, who’s 11 now. She’s honestly been the biggest catalyst for all the changes I’ve made in my life. But before I dive into that, let me take you back a bit—show you where I was before I started this fitness journey.
My Life Before the Sweat: A Lazy, High-Metabolism Phase
I think I was last physically active during my last year of college, and I think it was more out of convenience than anything else. I had completed my mandatory course credits, so aside from my minor classes, I took up fun classes that were mostly a preserve for college seniors: horse riding, wine tasting … and, in my case, I took up weightlifting.
After graduating, I started working almost immediately and never thought about working out again. To some extent, I think genetics and being young with high metabolism was still working in my favour. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and never thought twice about it. Life was good—and easy.
Motherhood and the Slow Fade of Fitness
Then, in 2013, I had my daughter. That’s when things started to shift, but honestly, I was so busy trying to navigate being a new mum that I hardly noticed the changes happening to my body. I was breastfeeding and happily ‘eating for two’—me and food are best friends, after all. Even after weaning her, my eating habits didn’t change much.
Fast forward to 2019, I suddenly realized I had topped off at 74 kilos from 58kgs! All my energy and focus had gone into my work and raising my daughter, fitness? That was a thing of the past. I’d go for the occasional walk, but mostly, my lifestyle was sedentary—lots of sitting, ‘sherehe’ Fridays, and not enough movement. Honestly, I wasn’t making the best health choices for myself. And, I mean, I’d joke that my daughter became my number one priority. I’d tell people I was “eating for two” even after she weaned.
The Wake-Up Call: A Little Spark of Change
So, what finally pushed me to make a change? Two things, really.
First, during a work trip in 2019, I ran into an old colleague I hadn’t seen in a while. The moment she saw me, she said, “Finally, Baby Number 2!” I wasn’t pregnant, but I looked like I’d gained some weight. It wasn’t offensive—just a blunt reminder. Internally, I was thinking, “Wow, how did I get here?” But I brushed it off and kept going.
Then, in 2020, COVID hit. And everything changed again. Our workplace asked those of us with young kids or who commuted to work to start working from home. That’s when I noticed social media posts from a friend doing daily runs—tagging others, sharing their progress. Curious, I asked him what app he was using, downloaded it, and did my first 3.4 km jog.
It hurt—badly—and I quit right there. But he kept reaching out, encouraging me, and I kept making all sorts of excuses. Two weeks later, I decided to try again. This time, I joined a growing running community—Team Jasho—and they didn’t let me wimp out. That sense of belonging and support? It kept me honest. And I’ve never looked back since.
My Fitness Routine Today: Running and More
Now, running is my absolute favourite. I started out just happy to move, to see some changes, and to meet new people through organized weekend runs. Over time, I learned to follow structured programs. I realized that every run and workout have a purpose. Being part of a running community for support is also very important. It’s one thing to love running and its quite another to be among people who love it just as much if not more and that has been my running club, RunFit.
I’ve incorporated strength training and mobility work to support my running. When I can, I love swimming and going for hikes, though it’s been a while since I last hit the trails.
Right now, when I’m training for races, I run up to six days a week, include strength training 2-3 times, and during the off-season, I still keep up with 4 runs a week plus strength work. The key? Being intentional and consistent with what I do.
Evolving and Running Smarter
I’ve learned to run smarter. Every session now has a goal. I know what I want to achieve, and I stick to it. Structured programs have taught me the importance of making time for my fitness—no more excuses of “I don’t have time.”
I’m a morning person, so I get up early—even if I’m tired—to work out. Listening to my body is a game-changer. If I feel something off, I rest. If I’m ready, I push. From barely surviving a 5K, I’ve worked my way up to a 10K, and now, running 21K feels like just a weekend thing.
Preparing for my fourth marathon in September—after ticking off 50 km runs—reminds me: nothing is impossible. It’s all about doing it at your own pace.
Running is my mental reset. It’s a metaphor for life—what you put in, you get out. Discipline, mental toughness, and commitment—these are what I build through a 14-week training routine, balancing an 8-5 job and being a present parent.
When life throws curveballs, I think about those tough runs. When things get overwhelming, I tell myself to breathe, relax shoulders, and not force it. Because just like in running, forcing issues in life only leads to mistakes or injuries.
Challenges? Oh, Plenty. But I Keep Going
Time is my biggest challenge. As a single mom working full-time, the hours are never enough. I have to be realistic about where I am—physically, mentally, emotionally—and work with what I’ve got. My coach Dedan always says, “Control the controllables,” and that keeps me grounded.
Dropping late-night habits to make room for my fitness routine wasn’t easy. It meant scaling back on some fun, but it’s worth it. Life isn’t linear, and I fall off sometimes, but I remind myself: you just get back up and keep going.
My family and friends have been phenomenal. My mom, especially—she’s, my rock. As a single mum, my mother has been my absolute rock, because of her, I can wake up to run at 4am and have been able to take my love of running around the world, and know without a doubt, my daughter is in the safest hands when I’m out there crushing my goals.
My colleagues have been phenomenal too, some of them came with me to Chicago when I ran my first International Marathon, to cheer me on and give me that much needed support. And not because they run, far from it but because they embraced my passion for running, encouraged me throughout the training and were just happy to be there to see it all come together on race day. It is support that I’ll cherish forever.
Nutrition: The Love-Hate Relationship
Food is my weakness. My mantra? “Everything in moderation.” I still indulge now and then, but I try to be deliberate about my choices. Once I committed to my fitness routine, I started being more conscious of what I eat—mainly because I don’t want to sabotage all the hard work I’ve put in. I haven’t had to give up much—just reduce, eat moderately and not eliminate. That’s my philosophy. And then once you see progress, and you can finally close that zip on that dress that you only wore once, no way you all that hard work is going to waste.
Achievements and Proud Moments
Honestly, I’m proud of how consistent I’ve been since starting in 2020. I’ve embraced my journey, working within my limits, and I want to keep doing this as long as I can.
I’m proud of the people I’ve inspired—my family and friends—who’ve started their own fitness journeys. It’s humbling to see how my doing has motivated others.
And my daughter? She now wants to join me on runs, and she’s proud of the medals I’ve collected—especially those from abroad. I am proud that my daughter now wants to come out on my runs with me, and that I don’t even have to ask. It gives me absolute joy when I hear her showing off my medals to her friends and talking with such pride about all of them. ‘Especially zile za majuu’. I have so far completed three marathons—Frankfurt, Kilimanjaro, Chicago—and gearing up for Berlin Marathon in September. Berlin here I come!
How Fitness Transformed My Life
Over and above reclaiming my fitness, I can’t say enough about how mentally being active has helped. Running is my go-to stress reliever and my time to tune out the noise and just listen to my own thoughts.
On a personal level, I have met some amazing people in these running circles – socially and professionally, I am really thankful for the networks I have built.
My Advice for other women especially busy working mums …
- It’s never too late to start.
- Start small—baby steps matter.
- Be patient with yourself.
- Don’t compare your journey to others.
- Find your community—you need people.
- Whatever you do—run, walk, swim, lift, box—do it for YOU.
Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about—doing what makes you feel alive and strong. Whatever you choose to do (run, walk, swim, lift, box) …DO IT FOR YOU.
