DAY IN BRIEF: Rory Burns, Marathon Runner

Running a marathon takes dedication, skills and organizational planning (those training runs don’t just happen!). Luckily, Boston-based mom of four Rory Burns is a self proclaimed “jack of all trades” who loves “problem solving and troubleshooting.” As she prepares to run the Boston Marathon to raise funds for Women’s Lunch Place, an organization that Uwila Warrior is also proud to support, she gave us the inside scoop on her favorite day of the week, training and parenting four young kids. 

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Uwila Warrior: What is your favorite day of the week? 

Rory Burns: I love Monday and Fridays so it's difficult to choose. The feeling of the end of the week is so gratifying. However, ultimately I'll choose Monday's.

UW: How is that day different from the others? 

Rory: Monday's are great. They are a time to reset for the week and take care of anything from the week prior. You have the whole week ahead of you to accomplish your goals. It's a day to put your best foot forward and think about how to use every drop of time in the best way possible.

UW: Tell us about yourself and how you got into running? 

Rory: I am a mom of four children ages 7, 6, 3 and 1. My super power both professionally and personally is being more or less a jack of all trades. If there is a task or problem to solve I can figure it out and get it done. I've worked in clinical care, manufacturing and trade marketing and sales. I've told my kids I'm like a Chameleon depending on the nature of the role. 

I'm also personally very passionate about women and sports. Sport has grounded me throughout life and something I've always kept in my life. As a kid I played everything and in high school and college I rowed crew, but I've always been a runner. I started running alongside my dad in the neighborhood as a child and have always stuck with it since then. I love the feeling of being outdoors in any condition and moving my body at any pace. It's fun, gives you an energy boost and gives your mind time to think and reflect.

UW: How does the day start for you? 

Rory: Typical morning starts with looking at my sleep score from the night before. If I'm hydrated, exercised and tired enough, I'll likely have slept great. I have a cup of half decaf, half regular strength coffee. My husband Rob and I get the kids ready for school, pack their lunch, offer whatever breakfast creation they have in mind that day. Staples in our house are chocolate chip pancakes, homemade waffles, yogurt and granola or cereal and milk. My husband and I love a good avocado toast.

UW: What about the afternoon?

Rory: Monday afternoons are great. We have two dogs so I can usually sneak them out for a good walk if I hadn't done so already. We have a nice loop around our neighborhood that we like to do that passes a farm, marsh and plenty of really old towering trees. I usually don't plan any activities after school for the kids on Mondays so they can regulate and reset as well after school. They get off the bus and can just chill with an afterschool snack and play with their toys or outside.    

UW: What does a perfect evening for you look like?

Rory: A perfect evening includes something fresh for dinner. My husband is the chef of the house so if I'm lucky, which I hopefully would be on a perfect evening, he is doing the cooking. A nice hot stewed sauce with tomatoes, onions, garlic and mushrooms over pasta has been something I look forward to recently. Pair that with a crusty loaf of bread and it's a perfect night.

UW: What habits or moments during the day give you strength?

Rory: Definitely moving my body. I really enjoy running, biking and strength training. I've found a deep thirst for strength training to keep my body moving well after having four kids. It's certainly something I practice after all of the years preaching it as a physical therapist.

UW: How do you power down at night?

Rory: In this season of life, as you can imagine, it's all about my young kids. The oldest is reading and the second oldest is learning how to read. I have a new appreciation for all teaching because it is so difficult to put yourself in a child's shoes that is just learning how to read. It's so rewarding to practice over and over again and start to hear them read books with confidence in sounding out words and inflection in their voice once they move on to bigger story telling. We have always spent the evenings reading books with the kids and it's the best way to power down at night. I'm sure this routine will look different as I age and for right now I'm okay with it being all about the kids and reading them their favorite books.

As a proud Boston-based brand, we want to honor our favorite springtime event—The Boston Marathon. Commemorate the occasion with our special edition running undies, available in seamless styles.