She Runs By Faith

Disclaimer: I received the Orange Mud Gear Vest  to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! Last week I climbed a huge mental mountain in marathon training. The 20-miler. Is it really that big of a deal? My mind sure works it up to be. My last marathon training cycle was back in 2016 and now, at 5 months postpartum, my mind was questioning whether I could really do this again. On Saturday morning, I hung out with the kids for a while before the wild rumpus that is daddy + sons time was about to begin. I loaded my Orange Mud gear vest with two gels, my phone and filled the 1 liter hydration pack. As a BibRave Pro, I received the Orange Mud Gear Vest to review. I have ran with a hydration pack before but this has been my first ever Orange Mud product. What I love about running with this vest is the freedom to vary my running route without stopping by home for...

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Grandma's Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! 8 weeks down, 8 weeks to go in training for the Grandma's Marathon!  First off. How was that for an EPIC Boston Marathon?! Des Linden pulled off a difficult yet amazing victory in the cold, wind and rain. I love her humble and genuine heart. Her tweet below applies so much to life as well as the marathon. I took a screenshot and pretty sure I'm printing it off and taping it on the treadmill. Every day, with the strength only God can give, I will keep showing up! Amongst the cold and flu bugs working their way through our family, I managed to have a doctor appointment for myself. Just a regular ole physical, nothing fancy, but I was so pumped to learn that my new doctor is running Grandma's Marathon, too - for her fourth time. She was amazing to visit wit...

Disclaimer: I received FlipBelt Crops  to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! April is here. Is it time to bust out the shorts? Nah, not yet! I have been able to wear a little less layering than over the winter though. That's been a refreshing change. Eventually, when we really do get into the warmer temps, I lose my outer layers and there goes my pockets with them! On the run it's basically where I cram everything. My phone, gels, iPod shuffle. Thinking forward to Grandma's Marathon in June, I was trying to figure out how I will carry my phone and gels on race day. I have stuffed them in my sports bra for past marathons but really that's not the most comfortable and can lead to some unusual chafing. (no kidding) FlipBelt Crops + Compression Socks so I can wear them on chilly days too! Then a lovely solution arrived in my mailbox two we...

Disclaimer: I received a sneak peek of the upcoming documentary GODSPEED  as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! Hey, all! Straight out of the gate, Spring 2018 has been a cold one. I just listened to the weather and apparently we're at near record lows. That seems to be the trend for many of my fellow midwest runners. This morning the -17°F "real feel" easily persuaded me to pursue the treadmill and with little complaint. Being drenched in sweat feels much nicer than freezing my face off! But, in all seriousness, the treadmill has been one of the most useful tools as a mother runner. When training for spring marathons in the past, I have told myself that those freezing cold runs will make me all the stronger for race day. It's a nice thought but, honestly, the cold weather training is really not that helpful. Many spring marathons I have ran end u...

We're currently riding the springtime blizzard rollercoaster with Easter and the start of April nearly here. (It feels a bit strange to have Easter fall on April Fool's Day. Just sayin.) While we were in the cities for Easter last year, I am thankful to be celebrating Jesus' rising at our own home this year. After church, we plan to have a breakfast food feast, which is right up my alley. We're talking waffles, egg bake, fruit and possibly bread pudding. Breakfast is my favorite! Preschool has been all about the real meaning of Easter this week. My 5-year-old said when he thinks about Easter, he thinks about egg hunts (I'm a fan of Cadbury Creme Eggs myself). Those are cute and all but I explained that we are celebrating what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross and that He rose again from the dead. "So everything is about Jesus then?" he asked. Yes, Exactly! This image from HymnsIllustrated says is beautifully: On the running front,...

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Grandma's Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! 4 weeks down, 12 weeks to go in training for the Grandma's Marathon! The first month went fairly well considering a sick bug got to our family last week and we're all back to somewhat "normal" this week. I'm tired but that was expected as our family has grown to three kiddos. Our littlest will be 7 months old on race day and this has brought back many memories from training with a baby back in 2013. Fitting in the miles with a baby isn't easy but some aspects are easier now. I feel like parenting is more relaxed with the third baby, we have a treadmill now and we aren't smack dab in the middle of the moving process. I may be three times more tired but the earlier factors do help! The below picture is our oldest son, E, at 4 months old whi...

Disclaimer: I received KT Tape  to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador) and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews! Marathon training mixed with "real life" requires flexibility. Some weeks go as planned but most don't and that's part of the beauty in it! Over the years, I have learned that allowing for extra rest and recovery time is worth it. With the cold and a feverish baby in our house, this was one of those rest and recovery weeks. I cut back my mileage and did what I could in terms of running. Family always comes first! To aid my recovery, I have been foam rolling more and trying new-to-me kinesiology therapeutic tape, KT Tape. KT Tape is an elastic sports tape designed to relieve pain while supporting muscles, tendons, and ligaments and, as a BibRave Pro, I have been incorporating five products from the KT Tape family into my training. The KT Tape family includes a wide ...