Momazing Monday: Teacher and Mother of Four Walks (and Runs) the Talk

“For years I have pushed the theory of ‘carpe diem’ to my students, and now I had to put my money where my mouth was.”

Seventeen-year teaching veteran Kristy Martin not only has “walked the talk” of this advice to her students, but she’s “run the talk,” lacing up her sneakers every day to prove to herself, and no one else, that she can go the distance.

With four boys (now ages 17, 15, 10 and 8), it would have been easy for Kristy to laugh off her husband’s desire to join the Army National Guard in 2009, when he was 38 years old. “Although it kind of hit me out of nowhere, I didn’t laugh. He said he had wanted to do it when he was younger, but because of his heart murmur, he was disqualified. He underwent testing later and the murmur had healed, so physically he was clear to go. If Doug wanted to ‘seize the moment’ and try something in his life while he still could, I was all for that.”

Wow. Her selflessness and love for her husband is inspiring. With only two little ones at home to tend to, I wouldn’t have laughed at my husband either, I probably would have cried. Or yelled. Or threw a fit. But not Kristy. Although she worried about money, house repairs, shuttling kids, etc.,  she just kept telling herself that he would be back.

It wasn’t easy, though. Doug was stationed in Djibouti, Africa from January 2011 to February 2012, and couldn’t return home from until June of this year after going through extensive physical therapy for a shoulder injury. “The thing that frustrated me the most was the uncertainty of everything – where he was, when he could call, was he OK?” Help from friends and family kept Kristy going. Although looking back, she wishes she’d accepted more assistance when it was offered. After all, raising four boisterous boys, an assortment of cats (they once had 16), an occasional turtle, frog, toad, lizard, or spider wasn’t easy.

“While he was gone I was both mom and dad, and there were days that it was hard to handle. I remember freaking out when a car broke down or washer needed repairs just because it seemed like it was just one more thing I had to take care of. I also missed out on some things since I needed to stay with the boys. But Doug was also very reassuring. I would unload to him over Skype, and he had a way of just getting me to calm down and put things in perspective.”

Looking back now, Kristy is glad she and Doug seized the moment, and took the leap of faith. Doug was able to fulfill a lifelong dream, and set a great example for his four sons. The oldest boys,  Derek and Dustin, are  considering joining the military and the youngest, Dawson and Dylan, beamed with pride when their dad came to their school in uniform.

And if holding up the fort while her husband was serving our country isn’t enough of a reason for Kristy to be ‘Momazing,’ she has also been through an incredible journey of her own. In September 2004, shortly after her youngest son turned one, she decided to kick her walking routine up a notch. ” I started running in small distances just to see if I could do it.” And do it she could! She lost a total of 120 pounds, and now runs an average of six miles a day. “People freak out when I tell them how far I run, but it took me more than a year to work up to that (and only because I wanted to, not for anyone else).”

Kristy happens to live in my hometown, and she is a constant presence on the city streets. It’s just Kristy, her headphones and her perseverance, pounding out step after step. Her advice to moms who’d like to run? “Don’t feel as if you have to compete with anyone. I really don’t care how fast I am or how far I go. I just go until I am finished. Most of all, do it for yourself.”

She credits Doug for being her supporter. He stayed with the kids while she ran, didn’t complain about the new healthy foods she cooked, and didn’t chastise her for cheating or having some bad days. But aside from her family support and her iPod (you never see her without it), she also has another weight loss “secret.”

“I didn’t have a “goal weight” or a structured plan. I just did what was comfortable for me. I didn’t tell people I was trying to lose weight. It was kind of like my secret. But I think what helped the most is that I was finally doing it for myself.” Well, Kristy’s journey to healthy living is certainly no secret now, and her success is an inspiration not only to moms who’d like to lose extra weight, but to those who just want to be stronger as well. Kristy plans on running the Prairie Fire Marathon in October, and I have no doubt she will finish successfully.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”  – Henry David Thoreau

From her courage to parent four boys while her husband served overseas to her determination to push her body to its physical limits, Kristy certainly has proven that she’s  lived (and continues to live) life to the fullest. She’s seizing each moment, and for that, she’s Momazing!

Momazing Mondays: I’ve decided to put my creative skills to use and tell the stories of mothers who are truly unique, inspirational and amazing. If I have enough stories, I’d like to post one at the beginning of every week. Please send me an email at catherine DOT poland AT gmail DOT com if you know of a momazing mother. Read other Momazing Monday stories here.