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Listen to What Pulls on Your Heart

This blog started a few years ago as an outlet. Somewhere to talk about my obsession with running. Somewhere to report race results. A place I could creatively tell my story for anyone willing to listen. But, as it always does, LIFE happened and the blog went by the wayside. Two kids turned into three. My dream job turned into graduate school to pursue my new dream job and several job changes after that. I began running farther and faster. I got a coach. I trained more and trained harder with bigger and bigger goals. And as it all grew (kids included), my time for blogging shrunk until I forgot about it. In that time I've been blessed to meet so many wonderful runners and coaches who have invested in me. Because of them and their efforts, I've grown immensely as a runner and accomplished goals I never thought were possible seven years ago when I started running. For a while now I've been feeling like I could and should do more to give back to the running community.
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Recent posts

Chicago Polar Dash - Race Recap

Well, after an unplanned break from blogging ( ah, the joys of graduate school and the holidays! ), I can officially say - I am BACK! 2014 is a new year and I've got big plans, big aspirations, and big events coming this year. But, more on that later… For now I attempt my first race recap - forgive me if it sucks. After the difficulty to complete last year's challenge of 13 in 2013 and the major events coming in 2014 ( HELLO graduation!!!!) ,  I knew a lot of races wasn't an option this year. Enter the year of BIG races. I'm still going to do a handful of races, but they'll be larger distances or big, fun events to travel to. Either way, each race will be carefully selected. :) The Chicago Polar Dash was my first race of 2014. Why did I choose this race? A couple of reasons really: 1) My friend Jess from  Run With Jess  was doing it and I've always wanted to do a race with her, 2) it had GREAT swag, and 3) it was a 14 mile race which would set a new distan
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Seasons of life & a dream board

A wise friend reminded me this week that life has seasons.  Not all of them are joyful, but not all of them are bad either.  As we discussed this in the car, I realized that my season of life is getting in the way of my running, but I'm learning to be okay with that. My little ones are small, but mighty!  I  mean, with faces like that, it's hard not to be okay with making sacrifices for them and their well-being.  But, I'm human and some days I struggle with it. My wise friend reminded me that during this season where I have toddlers and a husband away from home, working hard for his family in service to his country, I need to let go of perfection and trying to please all people.  Life is more enjoyable when you can find the joy in the everyday parts of the season you're in, rather than wishing it away. Ouch, totally guilty some days. As a typical type A (or so overly type A we call it triple-A in my major) personality, I plan, I organize, and I overcommit all
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When life (or your kids) hands you lemons...do intervals!

I was so excited to meet my (Sole) Sisters for our usual Wednesday run, even if it was 90-some degrees in the shade.  I busted my butt to get home on time, got dinner made and was out the door to pick up the kids in record time.  We were going to make it! Then, everything went sideways...Murphy's law, I know. Discussions about behavior, cranky, crabby, and otherwise unhappy, my kids were not cooperating with my plan.  To top it all off, I realized when I did get home that in my rush to get out the door I'd turned OFF the oven I'd preheated, so the dinner I'd busted my butt to get done early was not even halfway cooked. Sigh... What to do?  Skip the planned run or find another way?  I opted to take the kids with me to the gym and run on the treadmill.  The alternative, no run at all, was even less appealing than the "dread mill." Dutifully I stepped up, wondering how I was going to combat the boredom that seems to creep its way into just about
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Reality Check

This training cycle has been full of ups and downs.  Lately, it seems more downs than ups.  As I tried to study for my upcoming neurology exam  surfed Facebook pretending to take a "study break", it occurred to me...I've been WAY too hard on myself. I'm admitting it:  I don't give myself nearly enough credit for what I have and do achieve.  I'm realizing how true this picture really is for me at this point in my life. I have not let myself be the runner I am right now.  No wonder I'm having trouble being the runner I want to be.   I downplay and diminish what I am able and trying to do nearly constantly.  Why?  I don't know.  It's something I've always done.  But, I realized that when it comes to my running, for some reason I expect the performance of and critique myself at the level of an elite runner (um, Kara Goucher anyone?).  However, the truth is my training, nutrition, etc. is not that of an elite runner - it's that of a c
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First Day Jitters

My stomach is fluttering, my head is saying "Why?" and muscles are clenching in anticipation of the soreness to come.  As anxious as my body is acting you'd think I'm a pansy this was my first time running.  The truth is I've been on the DL for several weeks due to pain in my foot from a partially healed stress fracture. I haven't run in four weeks and I'm nervous.  Will I remember how it feels?  Will my body cooperate?  How bad is it going to be?  Then I remember things like this: Though I never really gave up on running, I felt like I had because I couldn't run, silly as that might sound. Yet, it's motivational pictures like this one that give me hope that my first run post-injury won't be all bad: It starts to click...Oh yeah, I remember that! It may have been a while but I still remember how good I feel after a good run (or sweaty spin class!) And though I feel like I'm starting over, I realize I'm not, really.  Yes
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Don't Provoke the Injured Runner

I'm injured. Again. This pretty much sums up how I feel: Ask my family, especially the Gotta Run Husband, and they'll tell you I haven't been much fun to be around.  Crabby, moody, frustrated, and injured without knowledge of what it is or how to fix it are a recipe for disaster certain combination for arguments and a grumpy runner and family.  After nearly a week of worry, pain, and no a little running I finally gave in and went to the doctor today. I really thought I might have a stress fracture the way my foot was not responding to rest, ice, and ibuprofen.  An X-ray of my foot revealed an old stress fracture (that I had no idea was even there!) of the third metatarsal, but no new stress fractures!   I've never been so happy in all my life to hear the words "severe sprain." That was music to my ears, let me tell you! So, it's another injury that will keep me down for another few weeks (guess I'll get quite a bit of work done on my mast
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