Sometimes you just have to trust that mother knows best. That trust may be hard to find when she wakes you up at the crack of dawn to go running. Since she began running seriously two years ago, Jordan Gardner- the daughter of our uber-fit VP of Global Brand, Deanne - has come to appreciate her mom's early morning ritual. (Apparently Grandma has something to do with it too.)
running together
Until recently, running together wasn't Deanne's and Jordan's forté. When Jordan was 12 years old, Deanne, Jordan and her younger brother ran the Vancouver Sun Run 'together'. "I ran maybe the first kilometre with them, before I took off," says Deanne, "I said, 'okay guys, I can't run at this pace. See you at the end'."
Now Jordan’s pace is more in step with her mom’s. When she isn’t swamped with school commitments, they run together twice a week through Vancouver’s Endowment Lands. The forest runs give the awesome twosome time to catch up. They chat about everything from their daily lives to their respective goals and what they want to cook for dinner. (They love to cook and bake as much as they love to sweat it off together.)
three generations of go-getters
Deanne learned about the mechanics of running from her mother who is also responsible for her competitive edge. "Compared to normal people I have a little bit of competition," says Jordan, "but not against my mom." (Editor’s note: A cursory glance at their personal bests is all it takes to see how they love to push themselves – and each other. At a recent half marathon, both finished second in their age class. Deanne finished eight minutes before her daughter.) Jordan definitely exhibits her mom's drive, "I want to do a half again and, like, beat her. Eventually." No doubt both women would love to claim Grandma's title. "My mother was a great runner." Deanne says, "her best time was a 1:28 for a half. She was quick."
lessons learned
If Jordan could have one attribute of her mom’s, it would be Deanne's determination. "She’s a pretty determined woman," says Jordan, "She wakes up rain or shine, any weather, and she’ll just go." [case in point: when we caught up with them, they were running in the sleet] "So, you can’t really have an excuse to not do it. It’s always going to feel good. Some days I have to drag myself out there but when it’s done you feel so much better."
How has your mother motivated you and kicked your butt into gear? Or does she still kick your butt?
want more
- Ready for brunch? Try our eggs benny.
- Bond with a little baking. Our top Bliss Ball recipes.
- Our designers love their moms.
- Make sure you're race ready for your big race.
- Learn to run properly: the abcs of running.
