Mountain Mother Runner

Dear Soon-to-Be New Mom,                 How are you feeling? That sweet baby of yours should be entering the world sometime between now and the next two weeks. I hope this last stretch of pregnancy has been going well for you. That was the only time I had days of “feeling so pregnant” and my body was tired . I knew those last few weeks were prime time to sleep in, take naps, and rest up , but I was too uncomfortable.   Know that even if you’ve been worried about getting your house set up or thinking about things that you need to buy, it really isn’t a big deal. Most of those things can wait, for a long time. Your baby will have a simple life for the first few months with only basic needs. There might be times where you’re awake every hour of the night to nurse or bottle feed and feel completely drained. You more than likely will cry over little things for a while, but that’s alright . Between the hormon...

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...