**This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission on purchases made through these links. My lack of fitness motivation earlier this year got me thinking about why I started running in the first place. Before 2011 I was not interested in working out or running -- at all. I couldn't finish a mile if my life depended on it. I was not in a good place in my life at all, ... Read more
Gaining Back Motivation to Work Out | Half-Marathon Training
** This post contains affiliate links. Yoga pants by 90 Degrees by Reflex (similar)**; C9 sports bra (similar)**; Fabletics headband**; Brooks Adrenaline GTS 17 shoes** In October I became a work-from-home parent, and the adjustment period has taken a toll on my fitness motivation. Keeping up with a toddler is a workout in itself, am I right?! I've skipped workout after workout recently and ... Read more
4 Awesome Races to Run + Their Medals!
** This post contains affiliate links.I recently bought a race medal holder on Etsy** to finally display my medals from my five-plus years of running. I previously kept my medals tangled in a pile in my athletic attire drawer, and they were begging to be rescued. But I worked too hard to earn this bling to keep it locked away collecting dust.Now my race medals reside on a medal holder containing ... Read more
A Virtual Half Marathon | Post-Marathon Thoughts
After the Chicago Marathon I had no plans to run another marathon. I didn't have any 10Ks or half marathons in mind, either. I was only focused on finishing the marathon, resting the next day and then flying to Phoenix to pick up Victoria and returning to Chicago in one day. It was the most exhausting week of my life; even more tiring than moving to Chicago with just 11 days to prepare. Now that ... Read more
Marathon Training: Differences Between First and Second Marathons
Photo by Marathon Foto I had two goals for my second marathon: don't walk, and try to get any time better than my first marathon. When I crossed the finish line on Sunday, Oct. 9, I had no idea whether I had accomplished the second, and I would later find out that I didn't. I got almost exactly the same time, and I was initially a little disappointed. Then I realized that I shouldn't be too ... Read more