The Anti-Running Runner

For years, this blog ( The Anti-Running Runner ) has been a place for me to document my love/hate relationship with running. As a new mom, I've struggled to keep up with posting regular blogs, but I'm still running. After going through back and heel injuries for almost two years, plus new baby, running now looks a little different for me. I'm no longer training for half marathons. Not yet. I hope to get back there eventually, but my focus has been running between 3-5 miles about 3 times a week (sometimes walking/jogging intervals). If you've pushed a jogging stroller, you might relate to the sensation that while pushing that stroller for 3 miles, it feels like I've gone farther. It's also hot hot hot right now. I also don't have as much time for running as I used to now that I have a baby. When hubby and I run together, he pushes the jogging stroller. That's also a gift for me to have stroller-free running moments. Here we are near downto...

The Goal: To Finish Goal Achieved! The Rollin' Oats Trop 10K at St. Pete Run Fest was an incredible race. My dear friend and sister in Christ, Terry, ran with me, and we not only finished under an hour and a half, but we ran the whole time! Not to mention we had a blast running together. The weather was overcast with high 60's to low 70's and a gentle breeze. We couldn't have prayed for a more perfect day to race. Terry and I preparing to start the race Me, Terry, Amy, Kim, and Michelle in the corral This is the second year of St. Pete Run Fest, and the first year for a 10K to be included. The course started in front of the Dali Museum, and looped around some of the downtown streets before heading up 1st Ave South (slight incline) all the way to Tropicana Field where we got to do a lap inside the stadium. Then the course went beyond the Trop, looped back around to Central Avenue, and we followed the slight decline all the way to the waterfront. ...

The Shirt Doesn't Lie In a little less than a month, I'll be running (and also probably walking) my first post-partum race. The hubby and I are signed up for the St. Pete Run Fest 10K on November 18th. Notice my shirt in the photo? It's very true. I've never been one of the fast runners (like some of my coworkers at St. Pete Running Company). Especially now, I'm getting back to it slowly but surely. However, I've been dealing with a condition called diastisis recti, and it's been causing me quite a lot of lower back pain. Race Motivation It never fails. When I sign up for a race, I take my running more seriously. If I don't have a race coming up, I tend to slack. It's similar to having a writing deadline. If I make a reasonable deadline for myself, there's a much greater chance that I'll complete whatever project I'm working on. And I have to admit, I've been slacking on the core exercises which are supposed to help...

Never Forget Image from Pixabay It's been 17 years since terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center, killing almost 3,000 people including rescuers. One plane crashed into the Pentagon, killing nearly 200. The plane that was bound for another target crashed into a field, the lives of those on the plane numbering 40 people. Most of us remember where we were on 9/11/01. Some lost family, friends, and loved ones. Where Was I on 9/11/01? As a sophomore at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, where I would later earn my B.A. in English, I was in poetry class at the time of the attack in New York City. Not until after class did I hear from people in the hallways that the World Trade Center had been struck by planes. From a visit to my alma mater in 2016 When I left class, I walked to the house on Saragossa Street where I lived with six other female roommates. I found most of them glued to the television. And I couldn't look away, either....

As I mentioned in my previous post,  Becoming a Running Mom , I had goals of completing 2 miles of consecutive running (without walk breaks) in May, and 3 miles of consecutive running in June. Goals Accomplished! And while that felt great, life can get in the way with a little one. We had family in town during the week of Independence Day, which was wonderful. Here we are walking at St. Pete Running Company's Four on the Fourth event. Our large group (Mom, Dad, sisters, nieces, my running buddy Terry, and of course Baby Luke) walked one mile out and back on the Pinellas Trail during the event. And while I'm still walking, I haven't been doing much running lately. So when I went for a short jog around a nearby park one evening last week, I felt how much my missed workouts affected my conditioning. I walked to and from the park and added only about 1/2 a mile of running. And it was tough!! HOT HOT Summer In Florida, summer running is kind of like ta...

Running & Motherhood Mother's Day with Luke Looking at that picture of me smiling with my sweet baby boy, you'd think all this was a breeze! And here's the truth: Luke is one easy baby. He sleeps well, eats well (on formula--more on that below), he's often happy, not often fussy, he's sociable with people, easy to take places, and I can't imagine my life without him. On December 9th, 2017, at 00:00 (aka 12:00 AM), my life changed forever. I should say our lives because obviously the same is true for my hubby, but he prefers to be left out of most social media, so I'm focusing on me for that reason. I thought about writing a detailed post explaining what happened during my labor and delivery. I decided against it, but will probably write the story in a journal in order to help me get over it. And I do mean that. It's been over five months, and I really haven't gotten over everything that went down on December 8th. It's possible t...

Winner of the Rafflecopter Giveaway REBECCA COOPER Congratulations, Rebecca! You've won a $50 Amazon Gift Card! I'll be contacting you personally via email to arrange the receipt of your winnings. Thank You For Participating! Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Rafflecopter Giveaway. There were over 150 entries! Keep an eye out for future giveaways because I will certainly be doing more. You Named a Character There was one entry that was particularly close to my heart: Name a Character. I was thrilled to see so many participants naming a character, and the names were so creative! I will be using every single one of them in future stories. Here are the Character Names: Catharia Linnea Larson Amelia Atlas Brighton Gracie JJ Althea Bella Amazon Emmalyn Macy AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE: Spoonbob (can't wait to find a character who will fit that name!) Would you like to receive a credit for naming a character? For those who ...

The Anti-Running Runner Contest I'm running a free contest through Rafflecopter that starts today! From April 7th through May 5th, enter for free through the Rafflecopter Link. ENTER TO WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD! FAQs Q: How much time do I have to enter the contest? A: The free contest runs from 12:00 AM EST Friday, April 7th through 12:00 AM Friday, May 5th, 2017. That's about a month. Keep in mind that the closing date is one minute after 11:59 PM on May 4th, so it might help to think of May 4th as the deadline. Q: Why is the contest so long? I want to find out if I win sooner. A: One of the entry options is to review my books. You have three books to choose from, and you can review all three for more entries. The month-long contest gives participants a chance to read my books (they are all novella-length and shorter). There is also a limit to once a day for selecting the book review entry. Anyone wanting to get point...

When An Injury Becomes a Part of Life Multitasking: how many ways can I work on my injuries at one time? Neck warmer in place. Check. Yoga ball. Check. Golf ball under foot. Check. Working on my novel. Check. How are all these things helping me? Writing is my life's passion, so I'm thrilled to be writing at any given moment. The heat on my neck helps ease the discomfort from the disc degeneration in my cervical spine--the root cause of my thoracic back pain. The yoga ball helps me work on my core (which is weak and possibly contributing to both injuries). The golf ball is for my heel pain. Is it a nerve? Is it plantar fasciitis? Is it some other tendon? A cyst? All of the above? It's difficult to say. I'm currently receiving treatment from CORA Physical Therapy. Slowly but surely, it's getting a little better. When dealing with multiple injuries, multitasking is not always an option. Sometimes the nature of the injuries force you to slow things dow...

My First Big Sports Injury Have you ever been injured? Me, too. Back in 6th Grade during gymnastics, one of my attempts at a full twist left me with a broken thumb after a bad landing. And it hurt. (I'm in the third row far right) With a cast and a promise of healing within six weeks (and learning to write left-handed in school), I discovered that I was ready to move on to other sports. Gymnastics was fun, but I wanted to do track and volleyball (which meant quitting gym), so the time of reflection helped firm up my decision. It's one I've never regretted. Centralia High School Track Freshman Year 4X100 Relay (Me, Molly Parker, Sarah Hahn, April Schilt) St. Pete High School Varsity Volleyball Senior Year (me front and center) I've had no major injuries since then. Little things here and there, but I've always bounced back pretty quickly. That time I ran into sliding glass door and most likely broke my nose stands out because it was really...