Another Mother Runner

Sarah Bowen Shea — a 14-time marathoner and mother of three — has been running this show since 2011, making it one of the longest-standing running podcasts around. She's joined by a rotating cast of co-hosts including Dimity McDowell, Coach Liz Waterstraat, and several other women who bring different perspectives on balancing running with the rest of life. And by "the rest of life," they mostly mean parenthood, which is front and center here. The podcast actually splits into two shows each week. The main Friday episode runs about an hour and features expert guests talking training plans, race goals, nutrition, and mental toughness. Then on Tuesdays there's "Miles of Books," a shorter segment pairing book recommendations with running advice — a combination that sounds odd on paper but has built its own devoted following. With over 1,000 episodes in the archive and a 4.8-star rating from more than 1,300 reviewers, the community around this show is massive and fiercely loyal. What makes it stick is the honesty. These aren't elite athletes pretending that a bad training week is no big deal. They talk about running streaks falling apart, form feeling terrible, and the specific challenge of fitting in miles when the kids have soccer practice and the laundry's piling up. The advice is solid and grounded in real coaching expertise, but the vibe is supportive rather than aspirational. If running is part of how you stay sane amid the chaos of family life, this podcast gets it.