It was a busy Monday. I had exactly one million and one things on my to-do list, but instead of hunkering down at my computer tapping away at the keys like Liberace, I was sitting in a French café sipping a lavender mimosa in the middle of the afternoon with three dear friends. For the record, I had taken a 6 a.m. spin class that morning, so at least there’s that. Drinking mimosas in the middle of a workday — a Monday no less — is not something I’ve ever done. But then again, my best friend, who also happens to be a mom of two girls, had never had a double mastectomy before or been about to st ..read more

My brain was working in overdrive during a recent Saturday morning run. As the chatter about everyone’s upcoing races buzzed in my ear, I recognized the distance between me and my fastest running partners was growing. Again. Running is a physical sport, but almost everything about it is mental. Lately, I’ve been experiencing a new mental battle with my miles. If you’ve read runladylike.com for a while and follow my adventures on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed my running looks different than it used to — low mileage, no races and slow paces. It took the brilliant insights of renowned runnin ..read more

As the mugs, tea bags and lozenge wrappers piled up on my bedside table, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again. The morning was supposed to have started with an energizing workout like every New Year’s Day. Instead, it was 3 p.m., and I hadn’t even crawled out from beneath my comforter. Thank goodness Baby rUnladylike was spending the morning and afternoon with her grandparents, because I was officially sick. When you’re sick on the first day of the year, you can only hope it isn’t a bad omen for what’s to come the next 364 days. My first “workout” of the new year was nothing like w ..read more

With fewer daylight hours since we turned our clocks back earlier this month, the shorter days have had me thinking about the idea of balance. We talk about the concept a lot as a society: work-life balance, balance of power, balanced diet. Life is a never-ending balancing act. We try to fit all our tasks, dreams, needs and wants into a finite period of time. Some days it works out, some days it doesn’t. I’m not sure if there really is such a thing as balance, or if that contrived idea of perfection is even what we’re truly after. I’ve read some insightful articles lately that banish the idea ..read more

I rummaged through my drawer to see what clean running clothes I had to wear. I took my time getting dressed and then woke Baby rUnladylike up at 7:30 a.m. We all went downstairs for our normal breakfast routine. Banana, eggs, toast. We even read a book before putting on her minture running outfit and pint-sized Sauconys. It was race morning, but it definitely didn’t look or feel like my typical pre-race routine. There was no setting an alarm or waking up at an absurdly inappropriate time. There were no carefully laid running outfits on my closet floor when I awoke. There was no Aquaphor appli ..read more

Every season, I put new running products, gadgets, fuel and apparel to the test in my Runner’s Report Card. As we quickly approach the end of 2018 (how is that even possible?!?), it’s time to pass out grades for five products I tried and tested during the summer and fall months. As a reminder, this is my grading scale: Here’s a look at today’s line-up: 1. Rockay Socks: A  While I am fiercely brand loyal to most of my running gear, I’ve never noticed much of a difference when it comes to high quality running socks. I do about 90 percent of my runs in the Brooks Running Ghost midweight soc ..read more

Personal records, or PRs as we so lovingly refer to them in the running world, are what many of us long for as we hit the pavement day-in and day-out. The idea of a personal best performance is exciting and scary and sometimes even beyond our current comprehension. But when it happens, personal records fill us with joy, confidence and strength. There are few things as empowering as riding the high of a PR. When it comes to the weather, however, records are anything but wonderful. I stepped out the door at 5:45 a.m. and sighed. How can it feel like a sauna before the sun has even come up? In Oc ..read more

I was seated at the boardroom table inside Brooks Running headquarters, patiently waiting for my turn to hold the shoe that was being passed from person to person. I had been asking if a shoe like this would exist for a year. And there it was. Just a few runners away from being in my hand. Hello Brooks Bedlam. When Brooks introduced its new Levitate in 2017, it was love at first wear. I thought they were the best running shoes Brooks had created in years. Flexible upper. A fit that felt custom to my foot. The right blend of springy and soft. Naturally, as a bit of an over-pronator, my first ..read more

All week, I had been receiving emails about race day. One week to go. Your race day guide. Everything you need to know for race weekend. My clothes were laid out, and I was ready to go. There was only one small problem: I was running a different race. Rather than running the St. George Marathon, I traded 26.2 miles in for the one-mile Tagalong Trot hosted by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. It wasn’t the race I planned to run, but it turned out to be the right race for my favorite running partner and me. On race morning, I woke my daughter up at 7 a.m. to quickly get dressed and ..read more

It was a busy Monday. I had exactly one million and one things on my to-do list, but instead of hunkering down at my computer tapping away at the keys like Liberace, I was sitting in a French café sipping a lavender mimosa in the middle of the afternoon with three dear friends. For the record, I had taken a 6 a.m. spin class that morning, so at least there’s that. Drinking mimosas in the middle of a workday — a Monday no less — is not something I’ve ever done. But then again, my best friend, who also happens to be a mom of two girls, had never had a double mastectomy before or been about to st ..read more