Mountain Mother Runner

Do you ever notice yourself thinking about things at potentially not good times? Saturday granted me a surprise run alone since our little one went to bed early. My training plan had as easy 4 miles for that day, but it also happened to be Eisley’s 3 rd birthday, so I originally thought I’d have an extra rest day. As I headed out for the run, my mind was filled with happiness from our daughter’s birthday and remembering her birth. So much has changed for our family in those short three years. After a few minutes of reflecting, I simply admired the Pacific Northwest nature around me. All of these sweet thoughts, followed by (my typical random running thoughts) curiously wondering what types of situations would cause people to run really fast? A few ideas came to mind: 1. The sun is almost setting and it will be dark. 2. You are in an unfamiliar part of town (or visiting a town for the first time). 3. You hear a possibly large, dangerous wild animal moving in the swor...

Hello? Are you still there? I apologize for the two week hiatus, but life has been REAL (real crazy?)! There must have been some false thoughts put into my head, making me believe that after the Chuckanut Footrace was over, life would be “calm” or “slow down”.   Somehow the universe has amped up our family activities and left us with nearly no free time. The first week after the race, I was still being flooded with emails from runners asking about their results, wondering where they could find race photos, needing to meet up to purchase extra race shirts, or asking if I could mail them their age group ribbon. I had to figure out race expenses between myself and the other two Co-Race Directors and how many runners registered but did not participate, among other things.    The last two weeks of training for the Hamster Endurance Runs have mainly stuck to the “plan” and have left me feeling happy with the progress. Between the two weeks, my mileage totaled 83.65 mil...

I am nine weeks deep into ultra training, which means the nutrition plan experiments continue. One thing that has become a favorite is this Hemp + Coffee Chia Pudding . There have been runs that I couldn’t fully prepare for, so I opted for something packaged and quick. Those runs also ended up with energy crashes, hunger, and GI issues. Yuck! The best way to train and be properly fueled is to plan ahead! When I’m on a long run, I want my food to be bite-sized, easy to chew, and moist enough that it doesn’t leave my mouth feeling dry. A batch of these Elite Beet + Hemp Bites are perfect for carrying in a vest or belt and are the perfect size to pop in your mouth. Dates contain 50% more potassium (by weight) than bananas, which is great for muscle recovery. The Hemp Hearts from Manitoba Harvest are a powerful addition to this snack. The amount used in this recipe contains 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omega-3 and omega-6. How’s THAT for fuel?! BAM!  ...

The 30 day run streak only stretched until the 4 th of July, ending after day 34. I really, truly wanted to continue, but I literally did not have the extra time the week. My level of “busyness” was drinking smoothies because I didn’t have time to eat and wondering if I last showered on Tuesday or Wednesday, and it was Saturday. SLEEP > SHOWER SUNDAY: Walked 2.09 miles MONDAY: RAN 4.18 miles @9:56 pace w/ stroller TUESDAY: RAN 20.01 miles @9:26 pace WEDNESDAY: Group outdoor yoga class THURSDAY: RAN 3.26 miles @8:46 pace w/ stroller FRIDAY: “ Rest” + early packet pickup SATURDAY: “Rest” + Chuckanut Footrace Total weekly miles: 29.54 On Tuesday, three random winners were announced after completing the 30 days of #StreakingWithTheCoolKids challenge hosted by Jen Davis A.K.A. @Pinkcupcakegirl on Instagram. When I checked   my phone and saw a lot of unusual notifications, I realized that I had been one of the chosen winners. Woohooooo! Over ...

June has finally come to a wrap and July is here! AHH! My total monthly mileage for June is quite possibly the most I’ve ever ran; I’d have to look at 2016’s journal to compare. I am so excited to have done 175.15 miles and am looking forward to many more this month! As each week passes by, it seems like summer becomes more of a reality! This is the most we’ve ever done outdoors as a family since Eisley was born besides hiking. We’ve been able to go build sand castles on the beach, dip our toes in the waves, and paddle along in our new tandem kayak! This is our third summer living in Washington and we’ve learned by now how quickly the summer season passes here. By the time you realize it is summer and decide to do something ‘summery’, the season has already ended and it’s time to whip out the umbrellas. Lesson learned…take advantage of every day! We finished 30 days of #StreakingWithTheCoolKids SUNDAY: RAN 1.05 miles @10:38 pace MONDAY: RAN 4.34 miles @9:39 pace w/...