Running...It's cheaper than therapy. (Why I Run-by Mirna)

My personal running journey did not begin until after I became a mom. Before having my daughter (who is now 2) I was at a healthy weight, ate what I wanted, hardly ever exercised, and the only official run I ever did was the annual Spokane 12K Bloomsday http://www.bloomsday.org/

However after having Isabella, I had an extra 35 pounds that just wouldn't go away! Nine months later and I could no longer call it "baby weight", considering I still hardly exercised and ate whatever I wanted.

This is me in Spring of 2009 with my beautiful daughter. However, I'm overweight and overtired from being a new mom and back to working full time.

That's when I joined Moms in Motion http://www.momsinmotion.com/  I became active first by joining the summer tri team, participating in Valley Girl Tri, and meeting many amazing women who inspired me to become more active.

I also joined Weight Watchers which taught me about nutrition, meal planning, and portion control. I met my WW goal just in time for my daughter's 2nd birthday, and since September have maintained my weight. I am a proud Lifetime WW member.
I never thought I would do sprint triathlons (I've done 4), never thought I would run a half marathon (I've done 3), and participate in numbers fun runs racing from 5k to 10 milers. I'm frickin' scared about running a marathon! But I love being active.

So I've created...

 Top 10 List On Why I Run

1. Keep Weight Off-(see above) I am proud of recieving that key and am determined not to get back to where I was before.
2. Stress Relief-being a full time working mom, and managing an active, joyful child can be quite exhausting. So Saturday mornings with my running ladies is THERAPY!
   

   
3. Music-I have bought MP3 players, IPODS, etc. but my favorite thing to listen to is Pandora. My current station is...Britney Spears (don't judge me!) I just love the upbeat music, and the surprise of what will play next! It can range from Shakira, to Rhianna, to Eminem. I'm not picky about music, I just like something with a quick beat to keep my pace up.
4. Skorts-Greatest invention EVER! I hate shorts,but love, love, love running skirts.They are comfortable, minimize chaffing, and make me feel  girly!                                                                                                 

5. Shoes-I honestly think shoes make all the difference in the word! Others may disagree. I bought an inappropriately fitting pair of shoes last spring after being talked into changing brand and style at a local shoe store. Word of Advice, if you find a good pair, stay with that brand and style. I developed horrible shin splints! But, thanks to my awesome Moms in Motion Coach Kirsten DeHart (who was also my PT), I switched to a different pair of shoes back in May and have trained and ran two 1/2 marathons without any injuries or issues.

6. Medals-Nothing is more satisfying than the feel of the medal around my neck after a race. My favorite one is the one from Leavenworth, which served as a bottle opener too! It's pretty and functional!
7. Finisher Shirts-I am a race whore. I will sign up for any local race or fun run if they have cute shirts-but they have to be dry wick shirts. Granted I will still do the race even if they have regular t-shirts, but chances are I will never wear that shirt again.
8. My Phone-I love my Droid phone and it's apps. I use Pandora to listen to music, Sports Tracker to track my runs/speed/distance, and love being able to take pictures of races with it's camera. Others love their I Phone, I love my Droid.
9. 

   

   *Note the awesome running jacket
   (Me, Andrea and Ashley)

   Accessories-I love the accessories that come with running, from certain socks, running belts, running hats, and running clothes. But my favorite running accessory is my running jacket. It was a Christmas Present from my dad. Not only is it blinding bright yellow and waterproof, but it can covert from long sleeves to a vest! Now that is AWESOME!     
10. Running family-I have met many amazing women runners since becoming a mom. I met my Spokane Marathon Mamas in the Summer of 2009, and since then we have run hundreds of miles together. I don't just consider them friends, but my running family. I'm very excited to share this running journey with them! 

So that is why I run...it's much cheaper than therapy!

Part of my running family (sorry Ashley and Bethany but I had to post this!)