I'm Featured in Run Like a Mother!!

Most of you in the running community know about the "Run Like A Mother" book, written by my friends, Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell Davis....if you don't know of the book, you've gotta read it. It's a funny, touching, and highly motivational book about moms who are runners. It's such a fun read and I highly recommend it...and as a bonus, you'll find me on page 71 where I wrote a little blurb discussing progressions from one race distance to another. Yes yes yes, twist my arm, I'll be glad to autograph the page for anyone interested. I'm also quoted a few times throughout the book; so check it out, I promise you won't be disappointed. And though the book touches on how us mother's find the time to run with all the crazies in our life, a prerequisite to read the book isn't that you must be a mother; non-mothers alike will also find it very enjoyable.

Once a week Dimity and Sarah feature a "Follow this Mother" on their book blog and low and behold, guess who that is today?? Yep, yours truly!! Click on the below link and check more of me out for all you die-hard Jill junkies and can't wait to learn a little more about me ;).
http://runlikeamotherbook.com/2010/07/08/follow-this-mother-18/

I have to say a couple quick words about Sarah and Dimity and how I became friends with them. I started following them years ago on Runner's World where they wrote a blog called "Marathon Moms". LOVED IT and followed religiously (ya know, like I do with y'all in the blog world now). In '09 when I was training for Boston, I also was also working on my personal training and running coach certifications and would frequently write a blog or post a FB comment about how I was swimming in classwork and training and 3 kids and trying to juggle it all. One day Dimity asked me some advice for an article and Sarah and I started exchanging gripes about our training (she was training for Eugene at the same time) so we kinda made a connection through all of that. After I returned from Boston, I made a FB comment wondering where to run my next marathon and Sarah suggested Portland, where she lives. She volunteered to drag my sorry butt across the finish line and so I took her up on her offer and true to her word she was right there carrying me in the last few miles. I had a lot of problems in Portland, hitting that notorious "wall" because I had not consumed any calories during that race (long story) so without her help, I honestly would probably still be crawling to that finish line. When I crossed, she was right there with me and made sure I got my medal and post-race snacks and walked me back to my hotel. I was very touched and will forever be grateful for her generosity. I met her beautiful children the night before when she took me to dinner and fueled me with post-marathon pasta. She's a beautiful woman with a sole to match. I hold a very special place in my heart for all she's done for me!

Dimity lives about 15 minutes away from me. How cool is that??!! We've tried many times to get together for a run, but have yet to actually do that (but we will). I have met her a few times, though, and went to a book reading of hers for another book she wrote and went to the RLAM kick-off party. She's smart, witty and charming and it's an honor to actually know her.

I am blessed to have both of them in my life. Thanks, guys!

If you click on the above link, you'll see pics of me with both of these awesome ladies.

I'm up in the mountains for a couple days....man is it COLD!! Burrr...about 52 degrees as I type this. My friends are here visiting from Dallas (I bet they're suffering from frost bite coming from their climate!) so this blog is short but I wanted to share the link with you guys.....so please go check it out!! Thanks!! I'm off for a nice trail run tomorrow (thanks, Kathleen for the suggestion. I think) and will be sure to take lots of pic. And btw, the 20 treadmill miler didn't go so well. I got to 10 and had bad stomach problems so quit ... but I did another 12 later that day, so technically I did get in 22 :). I'll check in on everyone upon my return!!

More later. Happy Weekend!!!