Meet Dimity McDowell | Chief Training Director, Another Mother Runner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dimity McDowell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dimity, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Another Mother Runner started super organically; we didn’t craft a business plan or anything.

Sarah Bowen Shea, a long-time friend and colleague of mine, wrote an article together for Runner’s World called Marathon Moms, which recounted how we trained for the 2007 Nike Women’s Marathon while working and taking care of small kids. (We called them ankle-biters, and Sarah had three under age 3, and I had two under age 4.

The article really resonated because we came at running from a not-too-serious perspective; yes, we cared about our times, but we also ran to beat post-partum depression, listen to our own music, hang out with friends (who we never saw anymore), and otherwise feel strong and confident. We turned the premise of that article into a book called Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity. That book became the foundation of our business. With it, we launched a popular Facebook page with the book, and then wrote two more books (Train Like a Mother, and Tales from Another Mother Runner), launched a podcast in 2012, and added training programs and retreats along the way.

As we added more features, our thought process was pretty simple: Is this something that would be helpful to us—and other mothers—as we tried to keep running consistently and setting goals just for ourselves? If the answer was yes, we added it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I graduated from college, I wasn’t planning on starting a small business. I just wanted to work on the editorial side of magazines, which was still a vibrant business back in the mid-1990s. I was a sports + fitness writer, and loved pretty much everything about it. Even the minimal salary while living in NYC made me feel scrappy and cool.

When the Internet started to dominate things in the late 2000s, I definitely knew I needed to figure out how to make a transition from paper magazines to…something else. Just wasn’t sure what that would be. The Marathon Moms feature in Runner’s World, which turned into a book, which turned into a business became the road I’d follow, but I didn’t always know I was on that road or where it was going. It wasn’t blind luck because I definitely worked hard, but some luck was definitely involved.

That said, one theme that has run through my whole career is staying true to myself and my voice. I’ve talked honestly about post-partum depression and suicidal ideation, as well as having to stop running because of chronic pain. It hasn’t all been bad, of course: I’ve also celebrated finishing an Ironman and hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, among other things. No matter what the subject is, I share all parts of the journey. Both motherhood and running can be very isolating, and loneliness is an epidemic these days; staying open and authentic so you can connect with others is so vital.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, we’d definitely get outside.

Some hiking spots I love
Matthew Winters Park
Deer Creek Canyon Park
Lair of the Bear

Bike rides:
I love riding the Cherry Creek Trail to Platte River Trail to Chatfield State Park, potentially stopping at Nixon’s Coffee House on the trail for a little energy jolt.

Running:
Wash Park for people watching;
The Highline Canal for a joint-friendly path on which you’ll never get lost.

Restaurants
I’m not super exciting, but I love places like Mod Market, Torchy’s and Chipotle for ease and tasty, nutritional food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Another Mother Runner—and I—am all about teams; we love a group effort.

Sarah, my business partner and I, would not be where we are without our incredible Another Mother Runner community. They show up consistently and with energy, whether it’s on our Facebook page, answering a TMI Tuesday question, or at a race expo, where stop by to tell us about their training and we end up talking for 20 minutes about everything except training.

We also have an amazing group of women who work with us, including talented coaches who are great at connecting with all levels of athletes and more admin-based staff who help us keep running all the miles, so to speak.

Website: https://anothermotherrunner.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnotherMotherRunner