Laura Runs & Eats

Happy October!  Even though it's already been fall for a couple of weeks, it hasn't really felt like it i NYC.  After this stunner of a weekend, though, and the turn of the calendar along with the turning of the leaves, it definitely feels like fall is here.  Fall is, for me, the best running season of all.  The cool, crisp temperatures, the gorgeous leaves, the blessed reprieve from humidity, the slow and steady breakout of colder weather clothing - in honor of it all, today's entry is totally running-focused!

I've had a bit of a stop-and-start start to my 5K training.  I'm continually paranoid about re-injuring myself, yet also tend to be inflexible toward altering my running schedule.  I'm doing my best to force the former side to overrule the latter, so I've had a few days where I've skipped a run and replaced it with swimming or biking at the gym, or just strength work incorporated with some jump rope and hated burpees.  It's a constant challenge to actually listen to my body and let go of my ego.

I also got new shoes which I unfortunately realized too late were really not the best pair for me, so a new pair better suited to plantar fasciitis sufferers is in the mail!  I hope to be back on a regular roll soon, and this weekend's wonderful long run with my best friend Laura was a great start to that.

Laura and I have been friends for over ten years.  She's always been supportive of my running goals, and then got into running herself a little over two years ago now and has fallen just as deeply in love with it as I have.  She has turned into my Brooklyn Half partner in crime and my running wife, and I could not have possibly asked for a more encouraging, generous, and steadfast pillar of strength and support during my injury last year.  I am forever indebted to her for that.

Laura is an actress, and has a larger than life personality (which if you've ever met her, you don't need me to tell you).  She's been blending her on-camera skills, huge personality, and passion for running in her hilarious and inspiring YouTube Channel, Laura Runs and Eats which you should immediately go subscribe to.  She's training for the Goofy Challenge at the Disney World Marathon Weekend this January - which is the half marathon one morning followed by the full the next day!

I've been watching her videos from the beginning and she's now at the halfway point of her training where mileage kicks up considerably.  It's something I always know I can turn to if there's a point in my week where I'm feeling blah or stressed or down - it's guaranteed to cheer me up and inspire me.

Laura also just recently was the featured guest in a podcast she introduced me to - the Team Shenanigans Podcast, the podcast for a nationwide running club of which she's a member.  The fact that she's gone from fan to taking over an episode is just so her - and the episode is hilarious.  Check it out here to learn about the intersection of yoga, Pilates, and running - and lots of pelvic floor talk!

Her most recent video is below - where she recruits her husband Lenny to taste test Gu's as she starts to plan for mid-run fueling in her training.  Remember to subscribe - Lenny will train for & run a half marathon if she hits 200 subscribers!  And happy running, or happy yoga-ing, or happy pumpkin spice latte - happy whatever your fall-happy-place is!