My Book: AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

It's here!

Faster After Baby is now live on Amazon, both as a Kindle book and in paperback.

What a wonderful, fun, emotional, and enlightening process this has been. I feel such gratitude and humility for what I have learned while writing, especially while reading the stories of my incredible Mighty Mamas who contributed some of their thoughts and experiences:

Deena Kastor
Michelle Baxter
Lisa Valentine
Susan Empey
Stephanie Rothstein Bruce
Pila Cadena
Christa Benton Stephens
Sue Iverson Casaway
Nancy Smith

Running is powerful. It takes us to a different world and introduces us to a different part of ourselves, often in unexpected ways. For me, the most unexpected joy I have realized as a runner was born out of the frustration of injury and recovery following childbirth. That challenge was a gift. It forced me to better understand my body, dig deeper into my mental process as an athlete, and best of all, approach other life challenges as opportunities for growth rather than burdensome annoyances.

I hope that my book effectively conveys this feeling, and can bring as much hope and joy to other mother runners out there as writing it did for me.

Happy Running!!

My Morning Habitat

One of the best things about running [outside] is being able to create a world for yourself that exists independently of your other day-to-day activities. It's entirely your own, even if you share it with other runners. Mine is in the early morning, though others may have an evening or afternoon world.

I think we all look forward to spending time in this world, even if we are battling an injury or sleeping poorly or otherwise aren't necessarily looking forward to the running itself.

So for this post, I just want to reflect on my happy place, my running world.

Some images from my early morning "world" in lovely St Petersburg:

Incredibly Inspiring Inclusion

Today, I want to celebrate the power of inclusion in our running community.

Today is exactly one month before my book is launched on Amazon (gulp!).

Today is also a day that Oiselle opens up its Volée Team to new members.

It's obvious why I am so excited about the former. I've been pouring myself into this book, and am thoroughly enjoying the editing and revision process, going back through my own thoughts and the contributions of other incredible, strong runners. It has been an absolute blast! I am both excited in anticipation of the book's launch and lamenting the fact that this process will come to a close. Maybe soon, more opportunities will arise.

As for the Oiselle team openings, I feel what I can only really describe as that same excitement I felt that day I first arrived at my freshmen-year college dorm, meeting my roommate and dorm-mates for the first time. Such excitement in anticipation of future memories, friendships, and growth experiences for all of us.

Too much of the time, we only realize how important and special some experiences are after the fact. You know what they say about hindsight. For most of us, there are few times that we know how special something is in "real time". That we appreciate and understand its significance while it happens, or even before it happens. This is when we feel the most centered and enlightened in our lives, secure in the knowledge that "right now" is so good for us, its where we are supposed to be.

With fellow local Oiselle bird,
Mary Margaret Malone, at a February 5K

Being a part of the Oiselle Team, connecting with local runners here in St Pete, listening to podcasts such as Runners Connect and Marathon Training Academy, and most of all, writing my book, has been such a powerfully special inclusion of running joy in my life. As someone who has always been kind of a "lone wolf" athlete, I never expected this degree of connection to be so important to me. Yet it has not only strengthened my own running, it has also cultivated my experiences for the betterment of others, hence my book. I have never met most of my fellow Oiselle teammates, yet here I am giddy with excitement as the team opens up further, including more wonderful, strong women.

The bigger our broad community of runners, the bigger my heart swells with joy, pride, and excitement for all that we can achieve. We are a tribe, we are always connected, and we are better athletes because of it.