The Mother Runners Podcast with Whitney Heins

EP. 8: MAKENNA MYLER: Small Habits, BIG Results for Running Moms

• The Mother Runners I Whitney Heins

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Life as a mother and a runner can be challenging, no less doing both. This is true even if you are a pro runner like Makenna Myler, sponsored by Asics and mom of two. Actually, it is ESPECIALLY true if you are a professional runner. Because, NO, she doesn't get to nap all day and get massages. Makenna's running double digit miles, sometimes twice a day, and being a present and active mom in between. 

Makenna shares with us how she keeps her energy up to keep up with her two little kids. This involves leveling up small habits, syncing her energy levels with her kids', and asking for help when needed. 

Makenna & I also talk about:

  • Her pregnant running journeys and the real story behind her "fastest pregnant mile" world record
  • Running postpartum and how she felt running a 2:31 marathon just 6 months postpartum
  • The unique challenges running moms face
  • Self-care lessons she learns from her kids, 
  • and so much more. 

I know you all will love our conversation.

ABOUT MAKENNA:

Makenna is sponsored by Asics. A former BYU standout, she has built a career defined by resilience, growth, and remarkable speed. What makes her journey especially inspiring is how she has balanced the demands of professional running with the joys and challenges of motherhood, getting faster year after year while raising her two kids, Kenny Lou and Wakefield, with her husband Mike.

Her breakthrough moment came at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, where she stunned the running world with a 7th-place finish in 2:26:14, just ten months after giving birth. That performance solidified her as one of America’s top marathoners and a model of strength and determination for athletes everywhere. Find her at @benzmakenz on Instagram.

Head to the Patreon for our bonus episode on fueling during your menstrual cycle.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

AmazFit wearable tech: Save 10% on the GPS watches 

& CURE HYDRATION, delicious & clean hydration: Save 15% with code MOTHER RUNNER

Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.