Anna Be.

From Runner's World: Is it possible to be fat  and  fit? At 250 pounds, distance runner Mirna Valerio provides an inspiring example. So, she's about my age and about my size -- yes, I know those two things are not the complete measure of a person -- and she LOVES running.  She is a serious ultra-runner, fast, and a high school track coach. She takes a selfie before every run, a practice I would like to start because it is  worth documenting. It was about a year ago I started this running habit. I scheduled my first run for a weekend in September so Nick could go with me. I needed moral support. I have learned over and over this year that there are many runners like me out there. I want to know all of them! My half marathon training is going great. Running in August in Texas is a son of a B, but I'm doing it so I can appreciate how awesome September, October, and November will feel in comparison. Mamie is excellent company on my runs; she keeps me alert by per...

Woke up to our third air conditioning breakdown in less than a month.  Yes, three different breakdowns, three different problems. I curse south Texas for being hot enough to make my AC units attempt suicide every other week. Speaking of anxiety... months ago, my therapist recommended I start an old-school gratitude journal to help me be more positive and stop catastrophizing, blah blah blah. I guess it works or whatever, gah. I thought it would be fun to take a super short flashback to see what I was grateful for exactly one month ago! But guess what, I wasn't writing in my gratitude journal on July 18 because I was in Cape Cod! I was likely exceedingly grateful to be vacationing with our best friends, to be 1,000 miles away from the Texas heat, for lobster rolls, for toes in the sand, for a happy little girl. One day I will try to convey why this little strip of land in the Atlantic Ocean feels like it's supposed to be my home at least part of the year. I just d...

This is the face an old lady made when I ran past her today. She was watering her lawn as I approached, pushing Mamie in the jogging stroller. Mamie attracts 90 percent of attention from onlookers when we are out, so the lady’s face started out in a sweet smile cast down on my gorgeous little baby.  Then she looked up at me and made the face I recreated here. That face was my Redbull — it gave me wings! I smiled — I laughed — and I ran faster so she could see me kicking it from behind. No, I don’t know what she was thinking, but I wish/hope/want to pretend she was thinking, “How is this muy gorda running in front of my eyes?!”  I run three times a week now, and I pass approximately five people on the sidewalk each time. I always smile and say “Hi.” Countless cars pass, but I have no way to know if they notice me. If I’m running on the treadmill at the gym, at least 20 people get a chance to see me booking it and smiling as I go. I’m really proud I have so many o...

Someone still needs to paint my porch. (Hey, if you are from Atmore, do you have trouble not spelling it "Poarch"? I do.) I feel like there was a very narrow window of time when it was cool to wear Vibram Fivefingers. First there was that book about barefoot running  (which, by the way, everyone should read). Nick started wearing the "toe shoes" right after reading Born to Run. He loved them instantly and continued to wear them for years until he just couldn't stomach how quickly they wore out. The last time I wore traditional (cushiony) running shoes was in a 5k about five years ago. I limped through the race with shin splints and calf cramps, then threw the shoes in the parking lot trash can as I was leaving. I never had calf cramps again while wearing Fivefingers or another current fave -- Merrell Trail Gloves. True confession: I wore a pair of retro New Balance on the treadmill Monday and winced with cramps the whole way.  I was just trying not to l...

I'm happy to have a guest post at Librarian for Life and Style today!! Check out Jen's blog and my book recommendations for style inspiration: 10 books to add style to your inspiration library

Yes, you can do yoga with your toddler.        If you are a stay at home mom to a toddler who is teething or overtired or practicing for her Yale School of Drama audition, you may not spend a single minute of the day without her on your lap or on your mind. She is somehow both desperate for your attention and rejecting everything about you. After a few days (or weeks) of this needy, moody phase, the walls start to creep closer, and you can’t take a deep breath or see a private moment anywhere in your future. You are Trapped by a Toddler, but there’s hope. There’s a way out. 1. Remember you are the boss If you are a stay at home mom, you are the the big boss at the very tippy top of the company.  You can give yourself any job title you want and even have it engraved on a plaque to mount on your door. When the mail carrier stops by three times a week to deliver the household goods you ordered from Amazon because you don’t have time to go to ...

Just got back from Cape Cod Wednesday, but I'm still on vacation until Monday.  It's just a state of mind, really.