Runners Spolight

Runner’s Spotlight: Carrie

September 4, 2024 /

Carrie is another of my blogger friends who lives in the St. Louis area. I have been following her blog (Curly Crafty Mom) for a number of years and we both just sent our oldest to college. She has shared some posts about her running so I knew I wanted her to share her running story with us too!

1. How and when did you start running?

I started running in 2008 after the birth of my daughter. A few other moms I knew that were looking to lose the baby weight were doing a 500 miles goal in one year and I decided to join them. I started out by walking only, then I walked and ran and eventually I ran fully! It was a fun challenge!

 2. What keeps you running? 

I run for my physical health, but it also helps my mental health. I love to do my long runs on Saturdays and I enjoy selecting a different trail each week and it is so fun to get out in nature for an hour (or more) and do my thing. It is also a great way to people watch! On my last run I saw a man with a 50 lb. weight plate strapped to his back and he was walking around a 4 mile loop lake like it was no big deal. I’ll see people out with their dog in a baby stroller, or I’ll just see younger people (I call them Swifties) out running their hearts out and it makes me feel a little younger again. When everything shut down in 2020, running was what kept me going after being inside a house with two kids doing virtual school all day. Running has saved me a few times and has made me a better wife, mom and person!

3. Do you have goals associated with your running?

I am working with a personal coach right now to hit a sub 2 hour half marathon time before I turn 50. I’m not sure if I’ll hit it, but I’m about 6 minutes away from it right now. Another goal I have is to train and run for another full marathon before I turn 50. The first marathon I did was the Chicago marathon in 2016. I will say, training and running that Chicago marathon is in the top five, maybe even three things I’ve done in my life. It was just amazing. I’m not sure if I want to jinx it by running a second one… so, I’m still on the fence about it. I trained for my first (and only) marathon with the Fleet Feet training team here in St. Louis and I still keep in touch with some of my teammates and coach. It is amazing how quickly you’ll bond with people when you’re out running double digit miles every weekend together. We used to always go to breakfast afterwards and that made running all those miles worth it!

 

 4. What do you like best/least about running? 

I really enjoy exploring new or old trails, getting outside in nature and that runners high you get afterwards just can’t be beat. It is also a great way to stay in shape! I’m 47 and I’m planning to run until my body gives out on me. There is a lady on Strava I follow from Fleet Feet when I trained for my marathon and she’s 59 and still running marathons. She said her dad did birthday laps each year on the track and he did his last one on his 59th birthday and then he gave up running. She just did 59 laps for him this year and she says she hopes to continue it for longer. There is also a lady in her 60’s that owns a coffee shop that I visit often and she’s in her sixties and still running marathons… AND she broke her ankle a little over a year ago and she’s getting back into it again! I think these stories are what motivate me to keep going, it really helps you to realize that age is just a number.

Another thing I enjoy about running is that I can enjoy it with my son! He ran cross country all through high school and we’ve done quite a few races together, including the Disney Castaway Cay island run this summer!

5. Share a running story/adventure (can be funny, struggle..) 

When I trained for my full marathon, they broke us into pace groups and you would train each week with that particular pace group you were put in. They told us we had to name our pace group. I was new to training with Fleet Feet, but they told me that a lot of the pace group names revolve around… poop. Because, well… that is a struggle with a lot of marathon runners! So, can you guess what we came up with for our team name? Pooper scoopers! I really think unless you’ve trained for a long distance race, this may seem weird to you… but, if you’ve trained for miles and miles, you’ll understand you really need to have a little humor! My coach was really into the poop emoji (remember the year that emojis were all the rage in stores) and people were always bringing her poop emoji gifts, such as a big hat, little souvenirs and one lady even brought in poop emoji decorated cupcakes (it WAS icing, don’t worry— we aren’t that weird!) one morning before a run.

A bientôt!

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