How many new runners say they’re not “real runners”? And continue saying this for years? It can take a while for us, as runners, to feel like we belong. We look at people faster than us, people with more experience, people who have run X number of races or can cover seemingly huge distances effortlessly.… Continue reading The Impostor
Hi there. While Robin Hood works a little late, Caroline takes her “teatime” nap, and light rain spatters the cinder block wall in our backyard for the first time since I don’t know, I thought I would check in. How is everybody? Life here in Albuquerque is, I have to say, good. We recently crested… Continue reading Tra-La, It’s May
They say growth is impossible unless you leave your comfort zone, and I support this. But here’s the thing: in order for that growth to happen, don’t you need a comfort zone from which to launch? Some days — okay, a lot of days — it feels like my comfort zone went AWOL the day… Continue reading In Defense of Comfort Zones
Yesterday I had one of those runs. You know the kind – the kind where you remember “Oh yeah, this is why people run! It’s not utter madness after all!” I started around 8 am. My morning coffee was doing its job admirably – I could speak in coherent sentences AND I got myself dressed… Continue reading The Good Run
We’re a week away from the first day of Spring! We’ve pushed our clocks forward, we have more daylight, tiny blossoms are peeping out, and some of us really lucky ones have even worn shorts outside. New beginnings. They’re everywhere. I’m continuing my “new beginning” in running, if haltingly, and I’m savoring every step. I’m… Continue reading New Beginnings
Caroline lifted her head straight up for at least 30 seconds today — a PR for her, I’m pretty certain. Robin Hood and I like to think it’s because we’ve been watching the Olympics every night this week. Nothing like a little inspiration! I love watching the Olympics. Not just to see the incredible athletic… Continue reading Inspiration
It happened! The last time I went for a run was in mid-September. Four months and one baby later, also known as yesterday, I got back out there. My outfit had been pre-assembled and waited patiently for me by the front door for almost a week. Such is life with a newborn. I owe a… Continue reading My First Run as a Mom
Last night I played Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” for my baby. She had been restless, but for a minute there, she stayed perfectly still, eyes wide open, like just maybe she was listening to the song. I live for moments like that. That, as Kenny Chesney says, is the good stuff. I’m approaching the time… Continue reading Keep Pedaling
Hi everyone. Popping in for a quick update while Caroline hangs out with her dad after breakfast number….two and a half? Three? Something like that. It’s hard, adjusting to life with a baby. It feels like life has been swept up in a tornado, with everything constantly being tossed, twirled, and turned over and over.… Continue reading Sunday Morning
I had a baby! Meet Caroline Gayle Sapp: She arrived on Thursday, November 23rd at 1:19 pm Mountain Time. Yup, Thanksgiving Day, and in my totally objective opinion, she’s better than all the delicious food and football and parades in the world. She came eight days early. Robin Hood and I went in for a… Continue reading One Week Ago
Sometimes you have to scrunch your nose and stick your tongue out at responsibilities, and take a day for yourself. Which is how, last Saturday, Robin Hood and I (and Ann, who gets irritated when she misses out on adventures) found ourselves waking up earlier than we usually do on weekends, and driving north. Getting… Continue reading A Day in the Woods
…Tends to stay in motion, right? That is, if Sir Isaac Newton knew what he was talking about, and I like to think he did. Otherwise, gravity has some ‘splaining to do. That’s been at the back of my mind lately. My philosophy is Keep Moving. At least a little. At least a tiny bit.… Continue reading A Body in Motion…
Well, it finally happened – I’ve stopped running. For two days in a row, I went running and didn’t feel comfortable, but I chalked it up to those good ol’ round ligaments making their voices heard. For various reasons, I didn’t run for several days after that, but when I got back to it, I… Continue reading The White Mailbox
How could anyone resist a dinosaur-themed race? I certainly couldn’t. When I visited the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science a couple of weeks ago, I saw a flier for the Dino Dash 5k, whose proceeds go to the museum and its programs. Dinosaurs? A good cause? The race automatically became a possibility,… Continue reading Running With the Dinosaurs
I did not welcome the sound of the alarm clock when it went off yesterday morning. It was still dark and all signs pointed to “You should still be asleep!” Oh well. I maneuvered myself out of bed and into the outfit I had laid out the night before. Then I rousted Robin Hood and… Continue reading Race Report: New Mexico Chips & Salsa 5k
My friend Charity asked what I thought about her running San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers 12k in May, and asked for training advice. My first response was something like “Yes yes DO IT!” and then I offered what I could in terms of advice. I perused the Internet for sensible, easy-to-understand 12k training plans, and… Continue reading Fire
My go-to running route these days is something I mark in my training log as “NL x 2.” [Side note: I firmly believe in keeping a training log even when I’m not training for a specific race. It holds me accountable and it’s satisfying. And yes, I have logged “dance party in the kitchen” in… Continue reading Be Gracious To Yourself.
Happy Friday, all. I hope you’ve been having a good week! Robin Hood and I have been up to a hodge-podge of things. Last Saturday, we had a staycation, of sorts. Two friends of ours got married, and the venue (Isleta Resort & Casino) was juuust far enough away to make it worth our while… Continue reading Hodge-Podge
I began learning about the concept of pacing in my freshman year of high school, during the cross-country season. You’d think, given the many years since then, that by now I’d know a thing or two about it. Ha. HA! Pregnancy has made me realize that my pacing education has only just begun. This is… Continue reading Lessons in Pacing
Where I come from, the relationship to precipitation is entirely different. There, back east, people tend to take it for granted: the humidity in the summer, the snow in the winter, the rain year-round, the occasional hurricane. Shoot, even the lakes, ponds, and rivers. They’re everywhere, and pretty dependable. Living in the high desert of… Continue reading Monsoon Season
Way back at the beginning of the year, one of my goals was to climb back on the yoga wagon. I did it! For three, maybe four classes. Then the studio closed. Then I got pregnant. My first trimester had me a little yoga-shy, and although I knew there was such a thing as prenatal… Continue reading Mat for Two: Prenatal Yoga
Robin Hood and I went camping last weekend. The purpose of the trip was three-fold: To enjoy a long-overdue visit with two friends of ours; To soak up a healthy dose of nature; and To do a little reconnaissance for Robin Hood’s upcoming elk hunt. The success of item 3 was middling, but we executed… Continue reading The Unleashed Life
I don’t know what the temperature was on Saturday morning, but it sure felt like 55 degrees compared to the weekend before. My sister and her husband were visiting from Colorado. Among other reasons for visiting, my sis had her eye on running the Jim Thorpe 5k. I had never heard of it. However, based… Continue reading What a Difference a Week Makes
I’ve never DNS’d (Did Not Start) a 5k, but I came close last weekend. When I registered for the Cherry Garcia Run, I was excited. My first race as an officially pregnant person! (I was pregnant when I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 10k, but didn’t know it). A cap to my birthday weekend! Plus, the… Continue reading Race Report: Cherry Garcia 5k
It was one of those vacations where you look around and say, “Hmmm, maybe I won’t go back home.” While Robin Hood was painting San Diego red with buddies, I flew to Jacksonville, Florida for a couple of days to visit one of my best friends. We hadn’t seen each other in two years, so… Continue reading Our Kingdom by the Sea: Cape San Blas, Florida
Bless my soul, it’s June! As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I love June. It’s especially delightful when it pops up from seemingly out of NOWHERE, like it did this year. I mean, wasn’t it just March? The kids around here are all out of school now, and while I’m a little past the… Continue reading The Most Wonderful Month of the Year
I’ve envisioned writing this post for 17 months now, so please bear with me while I look around, take a few deep breaths, and shake out my limbs, starting-line style. On your marks, get set… Robin Hood and I are having a baby! In a lot of ways, it feels surreal. Is this actually happening?… Continue reading December 2
When you visit a place and love it so much that you promise yourself you’ll be back, how often do you actually go back? For me, it’s not nearly as often as I’d like. But Robin Hood and I made ourselves that promise after we visited Red River, New Mexico back in November…and last weekend,… Continue reading Return to Red River
It’s amazing what one campfire can do for you. Last weekend, after a long, rigorous week at work, I accompanied Robin Hood on a turkey hunt. The purpose of the trip was two-fold: Get a turkey; and Celebrate Robin Hood’s birthday! Because, frankly, he’ll take an outdoor adventure over a fancy to-do any day. It’s… Continue reading Talkin’ Turkey
Happy weekend, everyone! I’m writing this in my kitchen (my favorite room in this house since day one) while gulping hot cocoa and watching a certain redbone coonhound trot cheerily around the backyard in the rain. Any minute now, she’ll come to the door to be let in, and then we’ll play the game of… Continue reading April Showers
Hopefully, all of you are well on your way to a restful, happy Easter weekend. I think mine is going to be good, but I’m grabbing a moment to pause today, because pausing feels like a proper Good Friday thing to do. Things I am grateful for at this moment: Health: Our home has been… Continue reading Good Friday Gratitude Check
Somewhere in your travels, is there a place you go that never disappoints you? Somewhere that, the first time, caught you by surprise, widened your eyes, and left a stamp on you so you knew you’d be back? Somewhere that, each time you go back, you walk a little slower, breathe a little more loosely,… Continue reading San Antonio in the Springtime
For all the blossoming, warmth, and other beacons of the new season, it seems like this has been a rocky week for a lot of folks. Two of my friends are dealing with the end of their respective relationships. A family friend of Robin Hood’s passed away. And, though comparatively minor, I was on the… Continue reading Handling the Hard Miles
I knew the hills would be beastly. I knew this, and I still walked away from that finish line with renewed respect for them. Not to mention renewed humility. I had run Albuquerque’s Shamrock Shuffle several times. Unlike many of the city’s races, which are in the Rio Grande valley and mostly flat, this one… Continue reading Race Report: Shamrock Shuffle 10k
I’ve got some sort of inter-seasonal itch. I’m ready for winter to be over, but I’m not ready for spring to start quite yet, because that will require coming up with a garden-planting strategy, not to mention having to address all those weeds that are sprouting up like…you know…weeds. I’m unsteadily balancing between the seasons,… Continue reading Spring Cleaning
As a rule, my husband and I aren’t a fancy couple. We like our jeans and t-shirts, we’re okay with dirt and sweat, and we live, happily, in a home built in 1970. But, of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Earlier this year, we received an email from the Department of Game and… Continue reading Game, Fish, and Glamour
It’s the kind of vacation I want to cling to, one I’ve been reluctant to write about because that will mean it’s irrevocably in the past. I don’t want it to be in the past, especially not when I can still hear my aunt’s laughter, and see my youngest niece doing a toddle-dance around her… Continue reading Once Upon a Disney World Dream
I didn’t want to make a fuss over this 10k, but that proved difficult. This was my first formal race in over a year, and I couldn’t help feeling nervous and excited. I told Robin Hood that I had caterpillars in my belly — not quite full-fledged butterflies, but there they were, crawling around, rendering… Continue reading Ah, Racing, We Meet Again!
Ten years ago this weekend, I arrived in Albuquerque. That weekend, a light snow fell, I watched the Super Bowl with my brother and parents, and I had no earthly clue what the future had in store. I didn’t think I would stay for this long, but God loves surprises, and here I am. I… Continue reading Celebrating a Decade in the Duke City
To prepare for the 10k that I’m running in a couple of weeks — whoa, make that next weekend (!) — I’ve eased some weekend long runs into my routine. Come race day, I want to focus on the race, not whether I’ll be huffing and puffing at the 6-mile marker. How very far away… Continue reading Just Keep Showing Up
My yoga class was scheduled for 8 am on Sunday. After some working-backwards schedule calculation, I set my alarm for 6:45. Since I don’t often get up at 6:45 on Sundays unless I have a race to run, I laid out all of my gear the night before. I figured the less thinking I had… Continue reading Stretching, Sweating, Strengthening: My Return to Hot Yoga
Remember how I said that my theme word this year is faith? Well, this week I decided to take a leap of it. Two leaps, actually. I’ve been thinking for weeks…okay, months…that I’d like to get back into running local races. Nothing in the double-digit-mileage distances that would require an extended training plan, nothing with… Continue reading Here We Go!
I’m getting over a cold and it feels weird. Let me be clear that I am very thankful to be getting OVER said cold. A few nights ago, I could barely breathe unless my mouth was wide open (nothing says “cozy” like a big ol’ drool splotch on your pillow). Tissues littered the floor next… Continue reading When Life Hands You a Cold, Make a Popsicle.
First off: a very Happy Birthday to my friend Emily, and all you other New Year’s babies out there! Is there birthday cake with champagne-flavored frosting? There should be. Now then. How was everyone’s 2016? The end of the year always lends itself to a certain amount of navel-gazing, or in my case (and maybe… Continue reading New Year’s Eve 2016
Greetings from the couch next to our Christmas tree! I just got back from a run — the first one this winter that actually required a hat, brrrr — and I’m sipping nutmeg-laced eggnog as I sit here and steal a moment. Note: whoever says eggnog isn’t the ideal post-run refreshment is a fool. Robin… Continue reading Five Days Before Christmas
Unless you live in tropical climates, your exercise options these days are as follows: Skip it! There are cookies to be devoured and shopping to be done. Shopping counts as cardio, and stirring cookie dough makes for a passable upper-body workout. Do it indoors at a gym or yoga studio, accepting the crowds who want… Continue reading Running in the Cold: It’s Not All Bad, I Swear
Once upon a sunny afternoon, I got into my car and turned my key in the ignition, ready to head home and start the evening. Except nothing happened. The car wouldn’t start. After jumping it and taking it to a service shop, the diagnosis was: dead battery. Dead with a capital D. Thankfully, it didn’t… Continue reading The Battery Lesson
I’ve been thinking about lights lately. They’re pretty under-rated. They do a lot: they illuminate darkness so that we can see; they lead us in the right direction; they warn us of danger; they signal welcome; they bring cheer and comfort. I think about lights when I’m walking the dog in the early-morning darkness. Semi-darkness,… Continue reading Friday Morning Lights
I had no frame of reference for Red River, New Mexico before last weekend, other than knowing it was a mountain resort town in the northern part of the state, not far from Taos. But then Robin Hood came up with the idea that we should go, so we went, and now I have LOTS… Continue reading Off is the New On: Red River in November
