Mountain Mother Runner

This was my second year running GBRC’s annual Honeywagon Runs in Everson, WA. The course is fairly flat which makes it a great first half marathon to try out, and later gives people the opportunity to catch a PR (previous year's race recap can be found here )! This year, the runs were forced to find a new starting/finish area and route because the Nooksack Valley Middle School is under construction. Originally I was looking forward to being familiar with the course, but I didn’t realize the route changed until the week of the race…oops! Distance options are 4 mile or half marathon, allowing walkers to start at 8:00am and runners at 9:00am. Something new and fun this year was a free half mile run for the kiddos! The race is free for GBRC members, $25 early registration for nonmembers, and $30 day of race registration for nonmembers. Not a bad deal at all! They also offered a unisex t-shirt and finisher’s medal for additional purchase with registration. Photo by Matt Frymire ...

Sunday was the 10 th annual Bellingham Bay Marathon , which included full, half, 10k, and 5k distance options. Not only is it a popular and beautiful race, but it is also a Boston qualifier marathon which brings people from many different states. The race starts and ends at the same point downtown, followed by live music, an awards ceremony, and a Boundary Bay beer garden. I started following a training plan 8 weeks before this race. (I use the term “following” very loosely: I’m a stay at home mom, toddlers get sick, wake up all night with mental leaps, we cosleep on her floor bed, I’m exhausted, etc.) Moments before the race started! Mile 1: 8:12 Mile 2: 7:54 Miles 1 and 2 were relatively flat, heading through downtown from Railroad Ave in front of Depot Square. Besides walking the ½ mile trek with a friend from my house to the race, we didn’t do any warming up. I started slower, letting the first mile be my warmup and allowing me to find my groove. This was the bigg...

With my second half marathon coming up, it only seemed appropriate to look back and review my very first half, the Honeywagon Runs Half Marathon ! Although honey sure sounds sweet (we LOVE to stock up on different local honey varieties), the term “honeywagon” literally means, well, let's just say it's stinky, like cow patties. The race was held on Saturday, April 9, 2016 in Everson, WA and was hosted by the Greater Bellingham Running Club. I was able to easily register online and since I’m a GBRC member, my registration was at no cost. That’s right, free! The half registration fee was $25 for non-members. In addition to the half marathon distance, there was also a 4 mile distance open to walkers and runners. The race started and ended at Nooksack Valley Middle School. That entire community is fairly rural and the extensive farmlands made for a peaceful backdrop during the race. After about a 30 minute drive, I showed up to the parking lot at 8:15am. It was early still ...