“Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?” – Marv Levy, Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Everywhere we hear this, everywhere we see this: 2020 is the worst. This year keeps getting worse and worse. Let’s just write 2020 off entirely. It would seem that this year has been one long… Continue reading Dissent
This time of year, I typically write a post about the excitement of change: changing seasons, a new school year, maybe kicking training into high gear for a goal race in the fall. Well. Things look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean there’s no excitement. As I mentioned in an earlier post,… Continue reading Back to Basics
This morning My baby fell asleep in my armsfor the first time in monthsHer hair here curly, here spiky, here flattenedHer face peaceful, unconcernedHer chin now and again twitchingHer soft baby jaw the curve of a universeHer arm draped over mineHer legs crossed at the ankleLooking really like she’s justluxuriating in a late-summer siesta It’s… Continue reading This Morning
I want my daughters to learn from me. Not just good things, not just strength and light. I want them to watch me and learn how to not be good. How to be weak. How to be down, how to be helpless. Because we are all these things at one time or another. And there… Continue reading For Myself, and For Them
More of a lean than a walk, quietly slipping out of the house. A handful of tenacious stars still twinkle. The coffee pot is programmed to start percolating somewhere around mile 6. This long hill at the beginning probably should wake me up but never does. Settling into a stride eventually, keeping eyes and ears… Continue reading Saturday
501 miles is what Strava noted as my total for the year, as of this morning. 500 is the 2020 goal I privately laid down for myself back in January, when I was cautiously wading back into running after baby #2, before I took a leap of faith and registered for a fall half marathon,… Continue reading 501 Miles
I find myself with plentiful energy this morning and the babies are sleeping in, so I thought I would dive back into these writing waters for a moment. They’ll wake up any minute now so let’s not waste any time! How is everyone doing? Here in New Mexico we are doing…well, not as bad as… Continue reading This Should Be Good
I’ve never been much of a virtual race person — I figure, if I pay an entry fee, why not get the full race experience? But things have obviously changed. One of my favorite local races, the Run for the Zoo, was cancelled, so when they announced they would be doing a virtual race, my… Continue reading Virtual Run for the Zoo 5K
Walking with the girls on Saturday, I saw the first rose of the year in a neighbor’s front yard. It surprised me; this is wisteria time. Rose time (and Spanish Broom) comes in May in our neighborhood. Who did that rose think it was, just blooming like that? Then, as we walked past it —… Continue reading Small Feelings
I’ve loved pelicans for years. I love their slightly heavy, yet elegant, flight. I love seeing them perched like sentinels on pier pilings. I love them because seeing them means I’m near water, and I love being near water. Today’s been a hard day. I try in general to be optimistic — I have a… Continue reading Pelicans
On Monday morning, Lauren Fleshman, one of my favorite human beings, hosted an Instagram live session. She gave her audience two writing prompts, and ten minutes to write for each. The idea was to just let the ideas flow and not worry or even think so much about the execution. One of the prompts was… Continue reading Yes, I Am Willing
I’m a stay-at-home mom, I should be better at this. I should be set on cruise control, I should be reading the tweets and looking at the Instagram posts of my non-stay-at-home friends and feeling…I don’t know…wise? Seasoned? Nope. I don’t feel those, nor do I feel smug, nor “See? SEE?” Okay. Okay, maybe a… Continue reading Just Keep Going
Hi everyone. Are you all doing okay? These are unquestionably bizarre times. Schools have closed, libraries have closed, toilet paper is becoming more valuable than water, and I think it’s safe to say we’re all feeling a little…bewildered. How do we ensure the health of ourselves and our families? How long will this last? What… Continue reading At Least We Still Have Coffee
The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials are tomorrow. The race, for both the men and the women, is in Atlanta, and NBC will be broadcasting it at 12:00 pm ET. But why do we care? Why are hundreds/thousands of runners so excited by this event, and why should non-runners even pause for a second to acknowledge… Continue reading The Olympic Trials: Why Do We Care?
We’re sitting together in the kitchen, softly lit on a Sunday morning, everyone else asleep. The world outside is a damp gray, which makes being in this space even better. I sit at the table with a notebook and a couple of devotionals and a mug of coffee, savoring the heaven that is the first… Continue reading In This Space
Yesterday I went running with the intention of doing three miles at a hard pace. About a mile in, my legs felt heavy. I mean H-E-A-V-Y. Hills didn’t feel like invigorating challenges, they felt spiteful. I considered forgetting the hard pace and turning it into a “finish the run and be grateful” day. But I… Continue reading The Rock in My Pocket
This morning I ran in the dark for the first time in months, sandwiched between baby feedings, almost shrugged off in favor of crawling back into a warm bed. But no. Sometimes you have to just take the step and exercise the all-too-easily atrophied muscle known as willpower. So I did it. I put the… Continue reading Before Dawn
Steam across the invisible finish line Or maybe it’s visible — a sewer cap, a crack in the asphalt, a parked car While birds wing overhead, dark against a blue so bright it seems to glitter. Breath puffs, vapor, dissipating as quickly as the ache of effort Replaced by wholeness, equilibrium, the satisfaction of exertion.… Continue reading The Cool Down
I’m sitting here at my kitchen table, drinking coffee at seven-something in the morning, feeling more content and more steady than I have in a while. Why? Well, at least part of the reason is that I just got back from a run. It’s the first time since Laura’s birth that I’ve run two days… Continue reading Setting a Course
The thing about running is, it doesn’t care how long you’ve been gone or why. When you’re ready for it, there it is, unconditionally. That’s what makes this sport so beautiful. My last run was on September 26 (I checked my training log). At once it’s been ages and the blink of an eye. Mentally… Continue reading First Run Postpartum
First of all, thank you for the words of encouragement after my last post…I love the mom community, and the support means a lot. You know how, when you sign up for a major race, you’re excited and confident? Then you start really getting into the training and that confidence crumbles in a ruthless landslide…but… Continue reading Good Day
I’ve got the house to myself for a minute and an only mildly fussy infant in her bassinet. Let’s do this. Suddenly, it’s almost Christmas Eve. I’ve been in the warped alternate reality that is life with a newborn, compounded by the presence of a toddler, multiplied or divided or something by a revolving door… Continue reading December 23
Our new daughter has arrived. Meet Laura Jean Brantley Sapp: She was born the morning of November 21, as a rare Albuquerque rain was transforming into an even more rare Albuquerque snow. That part was nice. It was also nice to not be induced, to have that experience of waking up at 4 am, shuffling… Continue reading She’s Here!
You’re going to be two. How am I supposed to believe this? You, of the heavenly wondrous curls, waves in front, corkscrews in back, Of the eyes that remind me of your dad’s one day and mine the next, Of the scrunchy-faced grins, You’re going to be two. You came into my life and made… Continue reading Birthday Letter
Can we take a minute to look around and take in all that is going on right now? It’s the last weekend of October. On a local level, Albuquerque-area folks, it’s the last opportunity of the year to visit McCall’s Pumpkin Patch. Whether or not you have kids, if you’ve never been, GO. It’s magnificent.… Continue reading Classic Fall
Ask any marathoner and they could probably describe the 20-mile feeling. At its worst, it’s called the Wall, or bonking. At its best, it’s called…running a marathon. No matter its strength, it’s often characterized by feeling depleted, detached, and demoralized, with a ferociously strong desire to offer up your favorite dismissive profanity, toddle yourself over… Continue reading That 20-Mile Feeling, and Dealing With It
The season, she’s-a finally changing. Summer’s still fighting, but the momentum has unquestionably shifted. I felt it this morning when I was walking around the neighborhood, noting that tomorrow I may actually (gasp!) wear capris instead of shorts. It’s more momentous than it sounds. I felt it when I took Caroline to the playground and… Continue reading We’ve Made It!
Do you have a race that always seems to line up with a major milestone? Kind of a “This Is Your Life” race? For me, that’s the TyRUNnosaurus 5k, formerly the Dino Dash, held here in Albuquerque every September. The first time I ran this race, it was my last race before becoming a mom.… Continue reading Running Finds a Way
I love being present. The joy and freedom of not thinking about the future is pretty darn awesome. What keeps me in the present? Motherhood, for one. The toddler who makes sure I notice an airplane overhead — Uh, Mama? There is an OBJECT? In the SKY? MOVING??? — and who turns my frown into… Continue reading The Long Game
In a few years, Caroline and her little sister (oh yeah, hey, we’re having another girl!) will attend John Baker Elementary School. Until recently, I had no idea who John Baker was, and didn’t much care. Probably some local public servant, maybe politician, pillar of the community, yawn. The school is supposedly a good one,… Continue reading A Great Runner and a Little Neighborhood History
Shhhh. It’s a hair after 6 a.m. and I’ve just gotten back from my run. I’m in Scottsdale, Arizona with the family, visiting friends, hence the early hour. Wait for the sun to rise fully before starting an outside workout around here and…. sizzlefrysizzlefrysizzlefry. It’s not pretty. But now? Now is good. Now I feel… Continue reading Morning in the Valley of the Sun
Robin Hood and I have been married four years today. Four years! That’s one Olympic cycle, or one United States presidential term. A long time from some angles, a microscopic drop in the ocean of time from others. I know four years isn’t a very long time to be married. I mean, if this were… Continue reading Anniversaries
I’ve been thinking about perspective lately. It doesn’t come as any surprise, really. My 38th birthday is around the corner. Around several more corners will be the birth of my second child. I’ve also been reading Brené Brown’s “Daring Greatly,” a book that makes me take a discerning look at how I’ve been viewing myself… Continue reading I Get To
Sunday night got a little rough. Somewhere around 2 am, I woke up with weird feelings in my abdomen. As one does at 2 am, especially when one is riding the hormonal roller coaster of pregnancy, I immediately assumed the worst. I cried a little and prayed a lot. On top of that, I had… Continue reading Not Today
On your marks, get set… We’re having another baby! Our new addition, gender to be determined this summer, is due to arrive in November. Will he/she share Caroline’s birthday (hopefully not, but that’s not for me to decide)? Will he/she be a Scorpio or a Sagittarius? Time will tell. Here’s what I do know: We… Continue reading Autumn Plans
The Run for the Zoo is arguably my favorite running event in Albuquerque. I haven’t run it every year that I’ve lived here, but this year the stars aligned favorably and I found myself at the 5k starting line (they also offer a 10k and half-marathon) on Sunday morning. I was a little out of… Continue reading Run for the Zoo 2019
This morning as I was putting Caroline down for a nap, I suddenly realized she was staring at me like she was trying very, very hard to communicate something. I stared back, just smitten. It was a nice little moment, and it made me want to pause and write some words, so I’m even more… Continue reading Hop, Skip, Jump
Now you’re beginning to see Their strength, their purpose, Their possibilities. Walking, running, dancing, skipping, jumping. Moving, resting. They’ll only get stronger. Who knows the miles they’ll cover, The scratches and scars, the muscles and lines, The dimples, bumps, and bruises Which will become their story, their song. They’ll only get stronger. You’ll fall, you’ll… Continue reading Your Legs
When a new season is mere days away and the first brave trees are blossoming, testing the waters, and they’re so beautiful with their blossoms and their bravery that it makes you want to tuck your long running tights way back in the closet, except that it’s still low 30s in the mornings. But the… Continue reading That Feeling When…
I was sitting in our front room reading while Caroline napped when it occurred to me: one year ago, this would have seemed impossible. Back then I was the mother of a three-month-old. Life was about feedings and wakings and sleeping or not sleeping and oh yes, more feedings. I was running again by that… Continue reading It Will Come Back
“Stepping into that place of risk had felt momentous. I’d felt light and free, as if I was going after something instead of holding back.” -Deena Kastor, Let Your Mind Run As winter dwindles, the darkness before sunrise has lost some of its punch. My fellow early-morning runners, isn’t this the best? I was trotting… Continue reading Going For It
This week I read a reminder to count my blessings. Pausing right now to look around, and within, I realize this moment is pretty rife with them. I want to freeze time, just for a minute, to fully appreciate these blessings. I want to capture… …Caroline being small enough to fit under a coffee table,… Continue reading Snapshot
Towards the end of Steven Spielberg’s The Pacific, several soldiers are on a train heading home from World War II. One of them stands to get off at his stop; seeing that his buddies are asleep, he doesn’t wake them. He simply leaves. After all they’d been through together, that parting always seemed sad to… Continue reading Thank You, Salty Running
This Bible study I’m doing, “Live Beautifully,” has us examining the books of Ruth and Esther. Before starting the study, I re-read each, as it had been, oh let’s say a while since I’d taken a look at either. One verse in particular in Ruth jumped out at me: “Then she [Naomi] said, ‘Sit still,… Continue reading Sitting Still
You never know what’s going to flip that switch and shift you from sitting-there-revving-the-engines mode into step-on-the-gas mode. For me, several things happened in quick succession. I received my first-ever Garmin as a gift a couple of weeks ago. Yup, my first-EVER Garmin. I’ve shrugged off such technology in the past because frankly, I haven’t… Continue reading Flipping the Switch
It’s been a rainy morning. I haven’t run in a couple of days, because Caroline and I have our first mother-daughter cold. I’m trying to tell myself this is sweet, because it’s better than thinking about how I rapid-fire sneezed while trying to put her down for a nap, or how I caught her with… Continue reading January
There’s something magical, almost ethereal, about running outside while it’s snowing. Especially early on a Sunday morning, when it’s just you and the paperboy, and the streets aren’t bad and the wind isn’t bad and you feel like you’re running in a computer screensaver circa 1999. Actually, in doesn’t seem right; neither does through. No,… Continue reading Running With Snow
I set my timer for 15 minutes, because yes I can carve out 15 minutes to write. Of course I can. That’s what this time of year is all about: being intentional with time. It’s so easy, too easy, to get caught on the I haven’t bought enough gifts — I haven’t put up enough… Continue reading Five Days Out
My baby’s going to be a year old soon. A full year. I don’t know how to process this. I’m still processing the fact – undeniable! She’s right there! – that I am indeed a mother, that I have a daughter, that we’re bound forever. She’ll always be part of me and I’ll always be… Continue reading Basically, I Still Have No Idea What I’m Doing
I’m standing in my kitchen in the early-morning, daylight-savings darkness, nursing a cup of coffee. I’ve just come back from a 2.5 mile run, and am enjoying quiet time before everyone else wakes up. I’ve said prayers and done stretches and eaten a granola bar, and the caffeine is starting to kick in, so to… Continue reading Bright Lights, Big Race: It’s NYC Marathon Eve!
