At the end of my first race, the 2007 Nike half. I'd never been so proud of a t-shirt!
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited and downright bewildered I was when I was contacted about being this week’s “Follow This Mother” on Another Mother Runner. I’m a huge fan of the blog and the book, Run Like a Mother, but it’s a huge leap to go from being a fan to being profiled.
Five years ago, if you’d told me that one day I’d be profiled on a running blog, I would have laughed at you. A loud, hearty laugh at that. With the exception of mandatory laps in gym class or wind sprints for basketball (I was a four-year bench sitter in high school, thank you very much), I’d never willingly run even a quarter mile in my life. The fact that I’m here now, with bibs from half marathons, 12k trail races and 5k races hanging on my wall, is just one example of the Betty philosophy at work.
The first day I tried to run, I think I walked about a mile peppered with short little bursts of awkward running. I couldn’t imagine ever getting better, or faster, or being able to go further. But I kept going through good days (few) and bad days (many), knowing that making it part of my routine would make it part of my life. I may never qualify for Boston or run faster than Kara Goucher, but I’m out there having fun and raising money for leukemia and lymphoma research in the process.
I’m really happy that you stopped by. You can stay up to date with what’s going on over here by following @TheBettyBlog on Twitter, checking in on Facebook, or subscribe via email. For those of you who might be interested in previewing some new blog features that I have in the works, send me a message at betty at whatwouldbettydo dot com and I’ll add you to the list of super-special previewers.
We get 365 fresh starts every year. Let’s make the most of them.
Take a moment and introduce yourself in the comments. I’d love to meet you. And for a little added fun, also tell me your favorite running song. What gets you pumped up and ready to go?
Tags: another mother runner, change, cooking, dimity mcdowell, race, rlam, run like a mother, running, sara bowen shea, team in training, tnt
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We’ve already, you know, “met” but I did want to say that my favorite running song hands down is Fighter by Christina Aguilera. Always gets me going.
With Team in Training, we aren’t allowed to listen to music while running. At first, this was a huge issue for me, because my only sense of pace came from the beat of the music. I’m getting a little better at understanding my pace on my own now, listening to my breathing and footsteps, but I still like to have a good playlist for the ride to the run. There’s nothing worse than being out there with an awful song stuck in my head! (The “Hey, Soul Sister” run was easily the worst ever, and I blame that entirely on a passing car with a too-loud stereo.)
Just popping in — saw you on the Run Like a Mother site and noted you were from the bay area. I’m your neighbor to the south (San Jose).
No favorite running songs at the moment — my playlist needs a refresh.
Hi Tricia! Thanks for writing. We used to live in SJ, but have been out here in the ‘burbs for about six years now. Any favorite local races that you’d like to share?
congrats alisa!! cheers to happy miles!! i’m trying to embrace the “music-less” run since recently i’ve been finding the music in my ears more annoying than helpful. but i have incorporated kanye’s “stronger” into my singing in my head mantra for that last mile 🙂
Thanks, Gigi! I’m definitely working on tweaking my pre-run playlist. Chances are that the last song I hear is the one that gets stuck for the duration, and the last thing I want it to be out for the half marathon listening to something awful replaying over and over for hours! 🙂