Episode 13 | Beth Hoeck on Personal Training, Running and Mothering through Hard Times
by Nikki Parnell — June 19, 2020
This week we chat with Beth Hoeck, a personal trainer with almost 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, an ultrarunner, and a mom to a 15 month old boy. We hear about what it’s like to be a one-on-one fitness coach for women, how she incorporates holistic health into her personal training, and how she’s woven motherhood into her work life (spoiler: she does it beautifully).
Beth is a great resource for busy moms. She shares life hacks on how to meal plan and prep – like sitting down with her husband and looking at the meals for the week, always having a cutting board out so she can use a couple minutes of nap time or post baby bedtime to cut up food for a future snack or meal, instead of spending 5 hours on a Sunday to get food ready for the week. Beth has always seen the importance of running, exercising and taking care of her body and has been learning, growing and teaching it to others for years now.
I LOVE the freedom she has given herself as a mom to release some of the pressure around always being strict and eating the “right” foods. She describes the spastic dance we all do as mothers on a long run morning – shoveling down some oatmeal, throwing on the shoes and scooting out the door before baby can see us leave. Beth is thankful for what she can get in, tries to be mindful of fueling before, during, and after runs but realizes it is a haphazard mission as a mom and that’s ok. She shares what her postpartum return to running looked like and how she incorporated strength training into the mix. For example, “Don’t underestimate the power of a clamshell, a hip bridge, planks on your knees, and things like that when as a new mom our upper back, middle back, and low back need some TLC.”
Beth shares her family’s recent struggles with us. Her husband has been battling testicular cancer since the fall of last year. In February he started intense chemo. She said, “John wasn’t able to be the dad he wanted to be so I had to step in and be a single mom.” It was so much work mentally and physically and then COVID hit and things got even harder. Beth compares the ups and downs of chemo to the peaks and valleys one experiences in ultramarathons. She reminisces on how bad it really was. Looking back it doesn’t seem like it was that bad but it really was. The first week was fine, and then it all snowballed. The hormonal changes that chemo brought on were hard to see. Stereotypically, women can tend to be “more emotional” in a relationship and men can often be more even-keeled but when normal roles of how you and your spouse function fall away and chemo is beating up the body and hormones of one person, there is a brokenness that comes from that. Both partners aren’t themselves and it was a very depressing time.
Amazingly, Beth ran through it all – squeezing in her runs during her baby’s naps or husband’s naps, whenever she could. She needed it for herself, to handle the immensely heavy time. And thankfully, her family is now on the other side! There is no more cancer in John’s body at this time. Hallelujah!! John, who is also an ultrarunner, is getting back to running and Beth is training for a 50k this September. They are back on a peak, things are looking up and they’re enjoying the view.
Stef and I are so proud of women like Beth who show so much strength in times like these when they carry their families, care for themselves with running, and bear it all so gracefully. It is truly amazing.
So go listen to this episode! Click the link below or search “Run Hard Mom Hard” wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share it with your mom tribe! Thank you so much!
Show Notes:
Stef’s Favorite Podcasts (besides RHMH!)
Nikki’s Favorite Podcasts
Find Beth’s Work: Whole Movement
Beth’s Favorite Race: The Freedom 5K
Beth’s Favorite Meal: Tabbouleh with flatbread and hummus
Banana Egg Pancake:
- 1 banana
- 2 eggs
- 1 splash of vanilla extract
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- (Any other fillers: flaxseed, oatmeal, pumpkin puree, spinach puree, crushed nuts, berries, etc)
In a bowl, mash the banana and then add in all the other ingredients. Grease the pan and pour batter into the pan. Fry on low-med heat until golden brown on both sides. Top it with nut butters.
That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this podcast, consider supporting Treeline Journal by: (1) signing up for our weekly Rise & Grind Newsletter; (2) picking up one of our custom running hats or stickers from our shop; or (3) becoming a patron through Patreon for as little as $2 a month! Thank you so much!