Fill up to Spill out

 If you had to pick one... what motivates you to keep going?  Is it failure, success, or inspiration/encouragement?   Does failing at something make you want to try again?  When you receive criticism, do you want to work harder?   Or is success and achievement what motivates you to keep going?  When you do well at something, does it light a fire in you to do it again, but even better?   Or is it neither failure or success, but maybe encouragement from someone, a like or a nice comment, or just feeling inspired by others around you to dream big and keep growing that motivates you to keep going even when it's hard and your goal or dream feels so far away?   I've been thinking a lot about this as I have always been someone with goals and aspirations.  But most things I have chosen to do haven't came naturally for me.  I have fallen and failed A LOT.  I have wanted to quit, and sometimes I did for a while, but something or someone event...

I was recently asked by a co-worker how I got into running, and did you know that talking about running is one of my FAVORITE things to do?  Everyone has that THING that they can talk about to a family member, friend, or even stranger for hours (if they'll listen), and RUNNING is my thing, so you know I lit up when she asked me.   So today, I am going to share how I got into running and how I continue to run marathons into my 40's with the goal of staying a life-long runner.  I am not a competitive runner, I am no longer chasing personal records, nor am I ever going to qualify for Boston, but I run for the JOY of running, to do something HARD that reminds me that I can do hard things, and to be part of an amazing community who is always striving towards goals.  I THRIVE in having something to train for, being outside in nature and sunshine, having a schedule, learning and growing, and being surrounded by other growth-focused women, if only online.  Running makes...

 Hey there and welcome back! Today, I want to share with you how I combine running with BODi workouts as a mother runner in my 40's.  I haven't always been someone who strength trains just as much as I run, but today you will find me doing both in order to stay strong and less injury-prone.  Some people might think I run a lot, but I am actually a pretty low mileage marathoner, mostly due to lack of time as a busy working mom.   During marathon training, I tend to peak at around 100 miles or so per month in the final 2 months of training.  During my "off-season," I tend to run around 60-75 miles a month.  And when it comes to my strength training, I average 3-5 days a week, even during peak marathon training.  Now when it comes to the program and length of workouts, that can vary depending on if I am training for a race or not.  I definitely can't fit in 45-60 minute strength sessions when I am also trying to get my miles in, so I tend to pick pro...

  Hey there and Happy New Year friends!   Whether 2023 was an amazing year for you where you crushed your goals and made some fun, special memories or the year was a tough one for you filled with sickness, injuries, loss, and hardship, or you just lost motivation after a few months... let's say farewell to 2023 and hello to a fresh start in the new year!   For me personally, 2023 was BOTH.  I had my best run year ever, celebrating 10 years of endurance running as a mother runner, running my 5th marathon, 2 half marathons, and some 5K's with my oldest daughter which was pretty special.  I ended the year just shy of 750 miles (my highest mileage ever) and I was very consistent with my strength training completing 264 BODi workouts.  I made some great memories with my family, checking off the states of New England plus New York, and we cheered on our girls at lots of soccer games, cross country meets, volleyball games, and football games (cheerleading).  ...