Mountain Mother Runner

This past Saturday was the 50 th Annual Chuckanut Foot Race, which is the longest consecutive race in Bellingham’s history. The local Bellingham Herald wrote an article covering the unique history of the race, which you can read HERE . How cool is that? Less than a month out, I decided to sign up for the race after going back and forth on if I was ready to do it. The last race I did in early June was with the BOB stroller ( Race Beneath the Sun ) and since then my training felt like it lost direction. Do I focus my training for speedy shorter distances or slower long distances? Luckily over the weekends during Eisley’s nap, I was able to do a “long-ish” outdoor run each Sunday. Week 1 was an 8.11 mile run at an 8:24min/mi pace. Week 2 was a 7.28 mile run at an 8:13min/mi pace. Week 3 (week of the Chuckanut) was a 10 mile run at an 8:30min/mi pace. During the week I still did treadmill runs, weights, machines, and stretching, with two rest days. My goal was to race at a 7:45min/mi pace...

At some point last December, I found myself searching the internet for upcoming races to kick off 2016. My New Year’s Resolution was to start taking running more ‘seriously’. I wanted to try something new. I wanted an adventure. I needed a goal to work towards so my training would have some sort of direction. Eureka! The Fragrance Lake Half Marathon/10k was just the event I was looking for. Who wouldn’t want to attempt 1,685ft of elevation gain?! This would be my very first trail race, in fact; I had barely run on trails before…so I purchased my first pair of trail running shoes. The next question was, which distance do I sign up for? My confident, competitive side was screaming “HALF MARATHON!” while my realistic side chose the 10k. I didn’t want to be too optimistic. There were only six weeks until the race and I had to balance training with being a stay at home mom. Preparing for a trail run with the majority of your workouts being in the gym (thank you drop-in childcare), not outs...

Memorial Day weekend is coming up, which means Bellingham is putting on Ski to Sea !  This time last year I had the privilege to participate in this epic adventure race while ten months postpartum. The original race that inspired it all was the Mt. Baker Marathon back in 1911. In case you don’t know much about it, the Ski to Sea race was first established in 1973.  Each team is made up of eight people, competing in seven legs: Cross Country Ski (4 miles), Downhill Ski/Snowboard (2.5 miles), Running (8 miles), Road Bike (41 miles), Canoe (2 paddlers, 18.5 miles), Cyclocross Bike (13 miles), and Sea Kayak (5 miles). The event starts 10,750ft high at Mt. Baker Ski area , continues down throughout the state, and finishes at Marine Park in historic Fairhaven. The finish line celebration is like one giant block party with family fun, live music, local food vendors, and of course the Boundary Bay (Bellingham’s longest operating brewery) beer garden! A few months before...