Mountain Mother Runner

Last Friday was our daughter’s 2 nd birthday, which had me reminiscing over her birth. During my pregnancy I kept a journal called Love Letters for Baby Renteria . After baby Eisley was born, I made sure to write her birth story so I wouldn’t forget anything. Someday she will be able to read about her journey into this world! I’m sharing this with you as a raw, real-life birth experience and a reminder that no matter how many books you read, classes you take, or videos you watch online, your “birth plan” is just that…a PLAN, and not everything goes as planned. Still hiking mountains at 36 weeks pregnant! July 21, 2014-4:08am-We went to bed around 11:30pm last night after going to Gold’s Gym for some treadmill time. I was sleeping fairly well until I started dreaming that I was beginning to have contractions. In my dream, I thought, “Ohh, so this is what a contraction feels like.” It felt somewhat like period crams in the front lower abdominal area that wrapped around to my low...

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...

Hola chickas! I hope you enjoyed Mother’s Day over the weekend, whether you relaxed with your families, fell asleep during a magical spa massage, grilled out at the lake, or however you chose to celebrate YOUR special day! Our tribe shared a nice, chill weekend. Saturday we went on a family stroll through Whatcom Falls Park. We were surprised to find out that a junior fishing tournament was going on, which would explain the influx of families everywhere! Even though we weren’t exactly secluded, it was nice to be out in the woods, sharing company with nature. Our little boo eagerly walked the entire 1.3 miles! Bear cub and Poppa Bear taking the lead! Eisley’s sleep is still like an old wooden rollercoaster, so when I came downstairs to freshly brewed hot coffee and tasty breakfast both Saturday AND Sunday morning, my heart filled with joy and love! I am so thankful for my husband and our sweet daughter. What else could I ask for on this special Mother’s Day?! We played in the y...

Runnin’ O the Green: Saturday, March 14, 2015 Last year I was six months postpartum and signed up for my first race, Runnin' O the Green 5k, which I would be running at eight months postpartum. My goal was to run the entire time and finish under 30 min. This ignited my passion for running. Over the past year I've continued to push myself, completed seven races, discovered trail running, got in the best shape of my life (even pre-pregnancy!), and completed my first half marathon in 1:44!  After I began running six months postpartum, in January 2015, the first race I signed up for was the Runnin’ O the Green in downtown Bellingham, Washington. I only had a grand total of two months of running before this race, and I think the furthest distance I had ran was MAYBE a total of 2.5 miles. Either way, signing up for this race was the motivation I needed to continue running, pushing myself both physically and mentally, and a chance to see how fast I could actually run! Runnin...