Mountain Mother Runner

Young children are constantly outgrowing their clothes and becoming bored with their plethora of toys. I personally feel like buying brand-new items for kids is somewhat of a waste. Shirts get food stains, jeans get torn knee holes, and toys get broken. We have great success finding clothing and toys for Eisley at local consignment shops (which also supports our local community versus national corporations), and I can promise you that she isn’t any less excited than if they were bought new. Something else that is even better than buying used games and toys is CREATING new ones out of materials already lying around your house! You can involve your child in the process of making this game, which will give them a sense of accomplishment once it’s complete! More fun for everyone! Depending on their age, they can trace the lines, cut out the board, or help color the pieces. The supplies you need to create this DIY Tick-tac-toe game are: Cardboard Scissors Pencil Stapler Ziplock...

Striving to find a balance of healthy and tasty can be controversial in our household. Depending on who you ask (ahem...me) a cookie can be yummy without sugar, then ask someone else (my husband) and it might be a different story. Our 2 1/2 year old toddler is the biggest critic and if she gives something her stamp of approval by eating it while asking "more, more please" then I claim success !  We live in a society drenched in sugar, hidden in secret places and being labeled as unfamiliar terms. I try my best to be aware of what we are feeding our daughter and prefer to prepare her food at home, from scratch (mainly), and limit sweets for special occasions. Her first birthday cake was a homemade vegan cupcake topped with plain Greek yogurt and wild foraged blackberries. Her second birthday was a cupcake with actual icing from our local co-op, but she didn't even eat half of it! So far she's growing up without much of a sweet tooth and I have zero problem with...

When you don't want to speak something into existence, you write about it! Last week I began noticing foot aches and pains after my runs. I've never experienced any sort of foot pain before, so this was foreign and strange. I figured this is normal and some home treatments of elevating, stretching, and icing would be enough. Saturday and Sunday would be serious rest days too! Good to go... Runner's feet in their natural habitat Monday was my long run which also happened to be on a treadmill. I've been rotating my shoes and wearing my good socks. The run felt strong without any noticeable pain or discomfort, except for having to run while staring at a fire extinguisher on the wall in front of me. I finished 10.58 miles with an average pace of 8:06min/mile. My upcoming half marathon is creeping up close and my goal is to beat 7:58min/mile, which ends up at 1:44 . That was the time of my very first half marathon, which still holds as my PR. Tuesday was anothe...

I’m not sure about YOU, but once I started becoming involved with my running relationship, an unknown part of me began to surface. I call it…”Runner’s OCD”. For every race, I would look up the previous year’s results for my age group. Then, I would scroll down past the obviously competitive or seasoned runner results and began examining the times I wanted to beat. My mind would think, “Hmmm, I can do that. Why not?” After that, I had to break down their final race time into miles to figure out the pace and try to compile my own set of goal miles that would hopefully equal out the same pace, or have me finishing slightly faster…everyone does that, right? Anyways, I’ve come across some extremely helpful resources that do a lot of the work for you and will make your “Runner’s OCD” dreams come true!   1. Pace Calculator from coolrunning.com This is my #1 go-to for training runs, and even checking on my previous events. You are able to calculate your running pace per mile or k...

In 2015, Runnin’ O the Green was the first race I had ever done! Put on by the City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation, this event brings in quite a bunch of both runners and walkers alike. Distances of 5k or 8k are offered, with the cost of registration remaining the same for either distance. It pays off to register early online because it starts at $15, goes up to $25, then $30, and tops at $35 for day of race registration.   Costs include chip timing and a cool shirt, plus tons of St. Patrick’s Day themed fun! This year, we also got a green cowbell with the race logo on it. Race start photo by Jon Brunk at https://brunkphoto.photoreflect.com/ In 2015, I ran the 5k with a time of 28:57 (9:19min/mi pace) . In 2016, I ran the 8k distance, finishing in 37:03 (7:27min/mi pace) . This year, I wanted to switch up the experience yet again by doing the 5k while pushing Eisley in the stroller! Her first adventure racing in the stroller was last June at the Race Beneath the Sun 5 mi...

Here’s a bit of honesty for you…before I was pregnant with Eisley, I wasn’t even sure what ‘lactation’ meant! Formulas and breastfeeding didn’t really matter to me since they hadn’t yet affected me personally. A few of my friends already had babies and I knew they typically drank from a bottle. Not once did I question what was actually IN the bottle, or how it got there. My lack of knowledge along with my urge to research everything led me to taking a variety of classes during my pregnancy. Many soon-to-be parents take the typical birthing classes, but we also took Parenting Basics (I learned how to change a diaper and about weird things like Cradle Cap), Prenatal Yoga (hello Kegel exercises), and best of all, a 2-day BREASTFEEDING class. How did I have NO IDEA all there is to learn about nursing? No wonder new moms have such a difficult and often painful time. The Center for Disease Control’s 2014 Breastfeeding Report Card shows 49% of babies still breastfeeing at six months ol...

The biggest and most obvious change since we’ve moved to the county is our weather. We are literally so close to town, yet the slight distance and elevation change give us colder temps and much more precipitation…aka SNOW! There have been days with a couple inches of snow in town and 18 inches of snow in our area. Yes, it is beautiful to look at, but have you tried running with a stroller in the snow? (Don’t bother trying…doesn’t quite work out). This winter weather has put a major dent in my training and I’m sadly seeing my mileage decrease. Trust me, I am looking forward to the spring! Wk 1: 1-4: 3.26 miles Wk 2: 5-11: 9.63 miles (including Fragrance Lake 10k) Wk 3: 12-18: 18.71 miles Wk 4: 19-25: 20.60 miles Wk 5: 26-28: 8.75 miles Total miles for February: 60.95 February included one race, the Fragrance Lake 10k, which you can check out here if you missed the recap. Although I haven’t been squeezing in the mileage I’d like, I have been able to enjoy a wide va...