miss alison -> mama’s weeds

Our next guest post is from the fabulously funny Alison from Mama’s Weeds, who is indeed one hot mama!  From the beginning, Alison was one of my first readers and in turn, I found her blog and immediately became a daily reader.  Not only is she a fabulous cook, raw food experimentor and creative writer, but she does it all with two cute lil’ punkins by her side.  That is a true multitasking mom for ya!

 

10 Things That Taught Me to Love Running

My name is Alison and I write a blog called Mama’s Weeds. I’m a runner, a mother and a foodie. Last year I lost 35 lbs and got down to 129, a number I hadn’t seen since 10 BC. (Before Child.)

I started running as a way get back into my skinny jeans. Before then I use to be that person who ran only if I was being chased. I went from skinny jean runner, to running because it meant I could have five cookies instead of one, to running because it was the easiest way to feel like I’d eaten some special brownies first thing in the morning. No, that last line has nothing to do with the name of my blog.

Here’s how I found my way to being the running freak I never thought I would ever be.

1. Eat Your Veggies

Forget pasta, veggies are where it’s at. If you want to run like the wind, get your greens on. Want to be lean mean running machine? Throw spinach in a smoothie, snack on carrots before dinner, eat asparagus for dessert. What do bunnies eat? Grass. How to bunnies run? Fast. Enough said.

 

2. Run with Music

There’s nothing like running through your neighborhood at the crack of dawn singing along with Eminem’s Lose Yourself at the top of your lungs. Your neighbors will thank you for being such an awesome role model and motivating them to get out of bed early and run too.

 

3. Buy Good Sneakers

You need some good kicks. If you like knee pain, hip pain, black toenails that fall off and blisters that make you hobble around like an old man, running in sneakers that are too old and too small are where it’s at. Those black toenails do make for some fabulous conversation starters at parties. If that’s not your thang, the homies at your local running store are ready to hook you up.

 

4. Buy Good Clothes

Cotton is not your friend when you are running. That goes for socks too. Sweat + cotton = chaffing in spots you didn’t think were possible to chaff. If you want running to be a lot less angry and red, buy some some good gear.

 

5. Train for Something

Whether it’s a 5K, a 10K, half marathon or marathon, running with a race in mind is a way to give your runs some purpose. I like pretend that old man who goes for a walk in my neighborhood is just steps away from the finish line. I sprint like it’s my duty to embarrass him. And I yes, I totally apologized that one time I knocked him down trying to get to the stop sign first.

 

6. Surround Yourself with Runners

Humans are social creatures. We tend to pick up on the habits of our peers. The more you hang out with runners, talk about running, think about running, the more excited you’ll become about running. You also need to know what to brag about and how to do it. Listening to other runners blabber on about PR’s, LR’s and BQ’s can be a great way to pick up on those skillz.

 

7. Run All Year Round

I’ve been running for over 4 years now and this is the first year I’ve run through all four seasons. Running in the heat of the summer makes me long for the days of bitter wind, slush filled roads and black ice. Winter running makes me look forward to blistering heat, sunburn and bugs that try to keep the pace with you. It’s all about perspective.

 

8. Read about Running

Reading about anything, whether it’s cooking, parenting, health, underwater basket weaving or running; it gets me pumped to get out there and get my Reading Rainbow on.

 

9. Rest

Yo, if you want to run good, you gotta rest good. A day or two off a week ain’t gonna break the bank. And besides, you need time to practice your underwater basket weaving.

 

10. Run Fast, Run Slow

Be the bunny, but be the turtle too. Turtles eat weeds and they’ve got lots of endurance to go the long haul. Run slow to run long. I’d love to see what happens if a bunny and a turtle ran a long race together. Oh, wait.