Mum Can Run is an inspirational and supportive Facebook page especially for Mums. The page shares running journeys, training plans, advice and motivation. In less than a year Mum Can Run has grown hugely popular within the running community and we caught up with Founder, Heather Marasco, to get the lowdown.
So Heather, you launched Mum Can Run in March 2015, can you tell us the idea behind it and what inspired you to start it?
My love of running and all things running related inspired me to start Mum Can Run. I love running so much, i just wanted to talk about it and was sure that friends were tired of me posting about running all the time on my personal page.
Never did i expect the immediate growth and popularity of my page. My sole purpose was to inspire and motivate others to take up running; that it's never too late. I shared my own personal running journey and started posting motivational quotes and basic running advice.
Lots of people started showing an interest in getting started and so I put all my training programs down on paper and started sharing them with everyone along with lots of useful advice to get them started. My greatest joy has been hearing from people that have successfully followed my programs and can now run 10 km; run Half Marathons, Full Marathons, even Ultra Marathons.
Have you always been a runner? Do you remember what got you started?
I was never a runner prior to having kids; i only started 4 years ago. I used to go walking early every morning and noticed that most people out exercising were running. I thought that if they can all do it, then so can I. Slowly I started jogging and building my distance up; firstly to one corner and then the next and so on.
A friend registered me for 5km at Run For The Kids and that gave me a goal to work towards. I loved the fun run atmosphere and that great feeling of achievement. I felt like I was doing something for myself again and I was hooked. I came home from that and booked myself straight into my next event.
The Mum Can Run facebook page rocks and the amount of engagement you get from followers is incredible. I think this is a testament to your genuine passion for running, how do you come up with new and interesting content all the time?
Its been very rewarding to receive so much engagement from my followers. I’ve really made the effort to provide a morning motivational message and a running information topic each evening.
A few months in, I started wondering how on earth I was going to come up with new material every night to keep my page going, but somehow, there is always something interesting to share. I often ask my followers what topics they would like information on too. I also spend a fair bit of time searching running sources to provide information on specific topics.
"My sole purpose was to inspire and motivate others to take up running; that it's never too late." - Heather Marasco, Founder of Mum Can Run and Trailsplus ambassador.
You've also recently become a Trailsplus ambassador, can you tell us a little bit about them and what your role involves?
Trailsplus are Victoria’s premier trail running events provider with at least 11 running events in some of the most beautiful areas of Victoria. They are well known for their family friendly atmosphere and for offering races to support those new to trail running and challenges for those who have been running trails for years.
They have events at Maroondah Dam, The Macedon Ranges, You Yangs, Dendy Park & Brimbank Park, just to name a few. My new found love of trail running, led me to trailsplus. As part of the Trailsplus team I have been providing lots of information to my followers on trail running and helping to introduce them to the experience of running in beautiful scenic places away from the concrete pavements.
Between Mum Can Run, Trailsplus, work, running, being a mum(!) you must live a very busy life! What does an average day look like for you?
Yes, life sure is busy and I definitely need more hours in the day. I have 2 boys, 7 & 9 years. I work from home 4 days a week and when i am not working, I am running kids around to after school activities, preparing meals, keeping the house going and trying to get some of my own training in.
Once the kids go to bed, I get to work on my Facebook page, organising posts for the following day. I don’t work fridays, so that's my long run day as the weekend is filled with kids sports events, playdates etc...
Finally what do you have planned for the future? Where would you like to see things progressing?
For my own personal running journey, I have a great Trailsplus event booked in for every month this year. I’m planning on a few Marathon distances and even another Ultra Marathon later in the year (thats if there is any spare time to train up for it, lol…..)
In relation to Mum Can Run, I would love to be able to dedicate more time to growing my Facebook page. I’d also love to be able to take more groups out running to introduce them to some of the most amazing places i have found to run.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Heather, it's great to see someone living in alignment with their passion and doing what they love. You can follow the Mum Can Run Facebook Page to get daily motivation and advice as well as ask Heather any questions. If you want to show the world that "Mum Can Run" you can get some awesome goodies from the Mum Can Run Official Store. Also, visit Trailsplus to find out more about Victoria's premier trail running events.
