I am fortunate to be able to work with several different companies of products I love. I have partnered with the brands below, and I would love it if you used my link to let them know I directed you to their product. All of the items below are items I have tried and absolutely love and ones I would absolutely love for you to try as well with the help of my discount code. Lagoon Sleep – 15% off with my code:THERUNNERSPLATE I have always bought the cheap pillows from Target or Walmart and just accepted the fact I would have to replace them regularly, and it would always take me a few tries to f ..read more

Wow! What an incredible weekend! Never did I ever think I would get the opportunity to be elite runner at a race–nonetheless at age 41! Truly something I will forever treasure. Heck, I got to sit next to Dakotah Lindwurn (who is headed to Olympics this year for the marathon) and Annie Frisbie (who won Grandma’s Half and set a new course record on Saturday) on the bus ride out to the start of the half. It was fun to eavesdrop and listen to their normal early morning chatter. Dakotah said, “When my alarm went off this morning, I could not figure out why it was going off.” (So maybe the pros don ..read more

I enjoy sharing what works for me in my training, but supplements are one thing you should never take blindly or simply take because someone else does. I feel like it goes without saying, but just for the sake of covering my butt, please consult your doctor, a registered dietitian, and have blood work done first before taking any new supplements. I recently saw my doctor and had blood work done, so I want to share what supplements I’ve been using that I think are helping me feel better and stronger than I have in several months and helping me get back to the fastest I’ve ever been. Here are t ..read more

I have always wanted long, beautiful, thick hair. I envy those who can grow their hair super long or who naturally have thick, luxurious hair. That is not what I got in my genes, so I’ve been stuck with thin hair that only grows until a certain point. (See the before and after pictures.) But . . . .enter hair extensions. I knew hair extensions existed, however, I knew very little about them: what kinds there were, how to care for them, could I wear them running, how much do they cost, etc. I have now had hair extensions for about 6 months, and I am also an avid runner–running 6 – 7 days a week ..read more

This is probably a unpopular opinion, but I love the 10K distance. I think it goes back to my mid-distance days of being an 800 runner for track in high school and it being my best distance. And now as endurance road runner, the 10K feels like a mid-distance event to me. Ha! In my opinion, the 10K feels like the perfect distance to run fast (but not too fast like the 5K) and not for too long either. Ha! I know I’m probably in the minority. The Get in Gear 10K is a popular race with a lot of competition because it is part of the race circuit in Minnesota. I knew this going into the race as I r ..read more

If you are going to be running a race soon, you probably have a goal for yourself. Maybe it is to set a personal record (PR) for yourself or maybe your main goal is to finish the race. When you are thinking about forming these goals, here are some tips for setting those goals and helping you walk away from the race feeling accomplished about your efforts rather than throwing yourself a pity party because it didn’t go perfectly. I always encourage the athletes I work with to set an A, B, and C goal for any race they do. Rather than having a single goal (e.g. “set a new PR” or “run X pace for ..read more

Sephora is having a sale, and I’ve rounded up my favorite products from them. I’ve always loved skin care and makeup products, but I’m super picky with what I buy. I don’t own a ton of products, but the products I have are ones I love! The Sephora sale for all beauty shoppers starts today, so I thought I would highlight 10 musst-have products I am loving. Be sure to leave a comment with any items you love as well or ones I should check out the next time I go. [Also, can I say, I don’t know how these pre-teen/teen girls are affording to shop at Sephora. I finally, at 41 years old, feel like I c ..read more

My first race of the 2024 season was a solid effort and more of a hard training run than a true race. I am mostly okay with how it went, but I do have a lot of work to do yet! It seems my season-opening race is always a bit of a rust-buster (I can only think of one year where you first race of the season was a strong performance.), but I did place 2nd in my age group (see the picture below for my prize–haha!) and ran some really consistent splits: Mile 1 – 6:37 Mile 2 – 6:34 Mile 3 – 6:37 Mile 4 – 6:37 Mile 5 – 6:48 (longest hill) Mile 6 – 6:36 The Hot Dash 10K took place almost two weeks ago ..read more

Thank you to Merrell for sponsoring this post. Last week I came down with something NASTY!! I slept for 16 hours one day and didn’t leave my bed for a few days. I NEVER do this, so Craig knew I was hit was something rough! As soon as my health goes, it is the first and only thing I want back. I just want to be able to go for a run and feel good. Heck, I just want to be able to walk without my chest burning. jacket | shoes After the worst of the symptoms subsided, I knew a simple walk outside in the woods would do wonders for clearing the mind and rejuvenating the soul, so I took these Merrell ..read more

Here are my planned 2024 races! Everything from the mile to the marathon because I like a variety of race distances! Almost all of the races are in Minnesota and most in the Twin Cities area. I would love to travel for a couple of races, but we’ll see as time goes on if I can swing that. I definitely would like to travel for a late fall/early winter marathon. Fall races from mid-September to the end of October are pretty much out since Craig will be busy in the field harvesting during that time. I am leaning towards running CIM (California International Marathon) again at the beginning of Dece ..read more