Mountain Mother Runner

A few months ago, I planned out my tentative race schedule for the year. One race per month seemed fairly realistic between my husband’s schedule and me relying on him to watch Eisley while I race. That being said, sometimes life throws you a curve-ball and you have to improvise. Adapt and overcome, right? Well, my husband booked a mini trip to celebrate his birthday the same weekend as Race Beneath the Sun . Photo by Scott Allen Instead of canceling the event, I contacted the Race Director out of curiosity to ask if jogging strollers were allowed. She replied that someone did it with a stroller the previous year, but the C. Moore loop would be pretty difficult! I view ‘difficult’ as being a challenge, and I sure do love a good challenge. The race is hosted by Greater Bellingham Running Club and the course is 5 miles that are mainly trail, including some hills and a challenging climb up C. Moore loop trail, which is luckily only ¼ mile. Morning of the race, I ate some oatmeal a...

Do you ever wake up and think, “How can I wreck my legs today?” Well, I’ve got the answer for you! Venture out on a hike up to Oyster Dome wearing 40lbs worth of baby and gear on your back. The hike is 6.58mi roundtrip, the highest point is 2,025ft and there's an elevation gain of 1,975ft! I had never done this hike before, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. My previous hikes wearing the baby had been fairly easy and shorter distances, so I wasn’t going to be upset if we had to turn around early. Eisley can be VERY loud and will let me (and anyone within a mile radius) know that she doesn’t want to be carried anymore. This trip was meant to be a time for relaxing and bonding between us, not anything forced or uncomfortable.   I went online to find some information on the hike before heading out to Bow, WA. A Discover Pass is required for parking. They are only $30 annually or you can purchase a $10 day pass. Heading from Bellingham, we drove South on Chuckanut Drive. T...

I hope your weekend is off to a great start! Our little Eisley is 21 months old now and must be going through some sort of mental leap, because her sleep routine is lost in space! It’s been on and off again for a few weeks now (a month? I don’t know), that I’ve gone in her room multiple times throughout the night to sing, soothe, and possibly nurse before relocating our sleep party to the extra room in attempt to get some half-decent sleep. Last night, after lots of crying and comforting, I ended up co-sleeping with her again in the guest bedroom around 4:00am, leaving me feeling slightly delirious most of today. Anyways, it’s the last day of April, so I wanted to write about my training and mileage. Week 1: April 1-2: Rest days Week 2: April 3-9: 31.6 miles including the Honeywagon Half Marathon Week 3: April 10-16: 25.27 miles Week 4: April 17-23: 19.59 miles including GBRC (Greater Bellingham Running Club) track practice Week 5: April 24-30: 28.84 miles including GBRC track pr...

Hello readers, welcome to PNW Mother Runner! The idea of starting a blog has been in the back of my head for quite a while now. Between running, exploring, being a stay at home mom, and cooking real food for my family, I couldn't imagine having the extra time to write a blog. Luckily, I can manage to squeeze some writing in during the little one's nap, when she's independently playing, or after I put her down for bed. As a mom, it can be easy to fall into the trap of routine. Wake up, get your little one ready, feed your family, pack up for a play date, come home for lunch, put your child down for a nap, clean the house, go to the park, cook dinner, read books, snuggle before bedtime, try to relax, go to sleep, wake up all night because your baby is "still" nursing, repeat. What is wrong with this picture? When is it time for YOU to take care of YOURSELF? Our daughter was six months old before I slowly started to exercise and focus on my own well being. I felt g...