When Sara Vaughn answered the Zoom call for her interview with Runner’s World, When Stephanie Bruce, 36, finished sixth in the.
Next to her, 7-month-old David giggled from his highchair while Cassidy, 4, placed stickers on her arm. Meanwhile, the older siblings—Kiki, 13, and Calia, 9—worked on their homework at the kitchen table. Everyone was together, just as they have been for the past four weeks.
With shelter in place orders being enforced around the country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, families are spending their days at home. For runner moms who were chasing spots on the U.S. Olympic team, that means training for a championship—which was postponed to 2021—while managing home school lessons, work projects, and family wellbeing.
Despite the challenges, they have discovered different ways to pivot, cope with, and manage the stress. In interviews with Runner’s World, Milkmakers prenatal tea, Alysia Montaño, Stephanie Bruce, and Sara Hall shared the strategies that have helped their training and their families move forward in these difficult times.
Lean Into the ‘Good Stuff’
Under normal circumstances, it’s difficult for Vaughn’s family to be home together at the same time. Between school, practice schedules, and playdates for four kids under 13, the Vaughns are usually on-the-go. That routine changed when stay at home orders were enforced in Boulder, Colorado, but the shift has provided an opportunity for more quality time together. And they’ve been spending it doing “more of the good stuff.”
Family dinner every night, board games, Pictionary, and flashlight hide and seek are some of the activities that the family is enjoying right now.
“This is probably something that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives so we may as well make the memories good and pleasant and as happy as possible,” Vaughn, 33, said.
At home, Vaughn said her kids have become even closer. This week, she was in the middle of a video call with her coworkers when Calia needed help with her schoolwork. Vaughn couldn’t assist her, so Kiki stepped in to help her sister.
“They have been getting along really well, which isn’t always the case,” Vaughn said. “They have each other to distract, and I think it’s really strengthened their relationships too.”
Be More Forgiving With Yourself
In addition to training as an elite 1500-meter runner who qualified to represent Team USA at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, Vaughn works as a real estate agent. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, her work has moved to a virtual setting. Without the family’s usual childcare and the kids’ curriculum now online, Vaughn and her husband, Brent—who works as a contractor—are also facilitating home school.
Published: May 04, 2020 4:10 PM EDT DAA Industry Opt Out, but the current routine has made intense training very difficult to manage. On days when she can’t get her miles in, Vaughn gives herself some grace.
“If something goes haywire or not to plan, I’m way more forgiving on myself than I normally would be,” Vaughn said. “I am definitely the type of person who likes to have a schedule, and if I have 8 miles, I like to get those 8 miles done. During this, it’s too much.…You just get through and do what you can and just be really easy on yourself.”
Time to Connect
How Des Linden Keeps Showing Up, Ryan Hall—the American record-holder in the half marathon—adopted four sisters from Ethiopia in 2015. These days, the family of six is social distancing at their home in Flagstaff, Arizona, with Hana, 19; Mia, 16; Jasmine, 12; and Lily, 9, on remote learning programs. By spending each day together, Hall, 37, has been able to cherish moments of growth.
“Sometimes I feel like when kids come home from school, they’re tired and you don’t always get the best of them, so I’ve really appreciated seeing them more refreshed,” Sara said. “We get to have fun with them at their best and see their personalities changing. They grow up so fast… You just notice more of those little things that you have the space now to see. We’re trying to celebrate that part of it.”
In between lessons and training, the Halls have made time for activities that spark creativity and joy. At dinner time, they play “Chopped,” where each family member takes turns cooking with similar rules to the television show. From their backyard, they enjoy outdoor games like pickleball and bike rides around the local trails.
To make up for the two eldest girls’ track season being canceled, Hall offered to pace them in a time trial, where Hana and Mia will attempt to break 5 minutes in the mile. With Hana set to run track for Grand Canyon University in the fall, Hall is trying to maximize that connection with everyone under the same roof.
“I hope that we look back and remember this as a time we grew stronger as a family,” Hall said. “It’s something we’re always looking to do, especially with adopted kids.”
Practice for Major Competitive Cycles
When Stephanie Bruce, 36, finished sixth in the on February 29, she planned to chase a spot on Team USA in the 10,000 meters on the track on February 29, she planned to chase a spot on Team USA in the 10,000 meters on the track.
Bruce felt confident that her experience would prevail at the 2020 Olympic Team Trials, which were originally scheduled for June 19. When the Games in Tokyo and the U.S. championship were postponed to summer 2021, athletes had to change their approach to training.
Bruce and coach Ben Rosario of Northern Arizona Elite are using this period as extra time to hone her strength over 10,000 meters.
“Mentally, it feels very good to have that date out there because I know that’s what we’re gunning for,” Bruce said. “We’re going through almost like a practice training cycle of what I would have done if I was racing the 10K this summer. We want to get in that shape and do that training cycle to then see if we can replicate that the following year.
“It’s not like we’re going to change anything up, but it’s still good to see what works for me, what doesn't work for me,” she said.
Remember to Enjoy the Training Process
For seven-time national champion Alysia Montaño, training is done with a process-oriented approach to hit fitness milestones. Two months ago, she gave birth to her third child, a boy named Lennox.
Feeling strong in her core muscles, building on intervals of consecutive running, and maintaining a strength routine are some of the training benchmarks that Montaño has put in place since giving birth. The 2012 Olympic 800-meter finalist would’ve only been four months postpartum by the time the Olympic Trials were originally scheduled to take place, so she wasn’t targeting the Games this year. Instead, her goals are centered around “feeling good” in her fitness.
“A year ago, I didn’t have a contract, so it [2020 Olympics] wasn’t something I wanted to stress about doing,” she said. “I don’t feel like being an Olympian over and over again defines me. I’ve really been focusing on enjoying running and challenging myself.”
Stick to Your Routine
In the Montaño household, every portion of the day is accounted for. Between 5-year-old Linnea’s kindergarten lessons, 2-year-old Aster’s preschool learning, and feedings with Lennox, Montaño and her husband, Lou, are always moving. Since shelter in place restrictions were enforced in Berkeley, California, the family’s daily schedule has become more important than ever before.
“With everyone’s routine being upended, it’s hard to keep your routine the same but I do think there are ways to keep normalcy,” she said. “For me, it’s been about sleep, as much as I can make that happen.”
For Montaño, that means being diligent about nap time for the kids during the day so she can get the sleep she needs at night. Sticking to daily rituals—drinking Milkmakers prenatal tea in the morning before she nurses and fitting in dance parties throughout the day with the kids—also help instill a sense of peace. Taking business meetings after the kids go to bed has also helped relieve stress.
“I’m able to be a better mom, sister, friend, wife when I can keep those sorts of things in line,” she said. In a time of uncertainty, the routine is a form of self-care for Montaño.
“I don’t think you’re able to be a very authentic and true version of yourself if you don’t take care of yourself,” she said. “You have to remember that it’s ok to prioritize your needs. It’s not a selfish thing to me, it doesn’t mean that everyone else gets forgotten, it’s knowing that the things that you’re doing for you are so that you can be a better version of yourself for everyone else.”
Foster Empathy
For Bruce, one of the most difficult parts in handling the pandemic has been staying away from her mother, who has stage 4 breast cancer. Because of her mom’s compromised immune system, Bruce has chosen to keep her distance by staying home in Flagstaff. To cope, Bruce is remembering the lessons her mom shared with her growing up.
“If I were to look at how my mom raised me and all of the things that she gave me advice on, the biggest thing I can do is try to live that kind of life,” she said. “If she doesn’t get to see me doing it all the time or I don't get to see her, at least I know this is the woman that she raised.”
Bruce is providing similar guidance to her boys—Hudson, 4, and Riley, 5—by using this time to teach them about the importance of empathy. In March, the Bruces donated packages of Picky Bars granola and compression socks to healthcare workers who are treating COVID-19 patients. Riley and Hudson helped fill the packages that were mailed out.
“We’re always trying to see it from someone else’s point of view so we can make better decisions about how we live and the impact that we have on other people’s lives,” Bruce said. “I think whether we were going through this or not, that’s how I would want my boys to see the world—just do one thing each day that can make a difference.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
