Kara /

ironman lake placid finish line

Running the Boston Marathon has never been a goal for me. Running a qualifying time for any race has never been on my agenda or bucket list…because running never has been that for me. I’ve have personal goals and internal motivations, but they typically aren’t based around time goals someone else has set. Milestones and personal records, sure. But I’ve never set out to train for a race like Boston in hopes of running faster than a 3:35:00, the qualifying time for my age group. (My PR would secure me an entry if I was a 65-69 year old, though!) Is part of… View Post

Kara /

jersey city newport 10k

I sat down at my computer about 45 minutes ago, willing myself to type. I promised myself I’d write something this week, yet here I am, scrolling through Instagram and googling and sufficiently distracting myself from the fact that I can’t think of anything I want to discuss on the internet. I have an overwhelming number of thoughts and observations swirling in my head, but they’re not cohesive, they don’t flow, they’re confusing even for me. Do I have anything worthwhile to contribute? Does anyone care what I have to say?  I’ve recently re-read things I used to write and thought were just… View Post

Kara /

title x 2018 proposed changes

When I registered to fundraise for Every Mother Counts, I did so because I simply wanted all women to have safe and healthy pregnancies…to not have to face unnecessary barriers like transportation, basic supplies, and access to qualified care providers. But the more I read, the more I learn there’s SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN when it comes to women’s health. It inspired me to start researching policies and really dive into the state of women’s healthcare in the United States. I recently stumbled on information about a proposed Title X “gag rule” from our current administration. It involves changes… View Post

Kara /

thanksgiving

Two months into mom life! Cecilia had a Thanksgiving outfit and everything so I’d say that I’m crushing it. (Errr…thanks Mom…I myself didn’t actually put in the effort to plan that…) I admit that, even though I’ve always insisted I wouldn’t be a mom who wanted to post baby pictures on social media and I wouldn’t have a phone filled with baby photos (I mean really, don’t they just make the same face all day?)… …I humbly come to you all with my tail between my legs. I want to post five hundred photos, all of which are on my camera roll, causing my storage to… View Post

Kara /

True Sport Care, Dr. Marc Taczanowski

I once read that pain and injury are not the same. We can have pain without injury, which I don’t think I ever truly understood. Is this as mind-blowing to anyone else? I remembered this as I sat on my couch a few weeks ago, wondering why the heck my random back-of-knee “running injury” returned. As I’ve begrudgingly mentioned a million times already, I wasn’t able to run while pregnant…so why was I feeling those random pangs again?! I thought I was in the clear for any and all running injuries due to the fact that I WASN’T RUNNING. In the past, I assumed… View Post

Kara /

Remember that time I ran 2 marathons in 2 weeks?! #NotHumbleBrag #RemindingMyselfAboutWhatImCapable of #WhyAmIUsingHashtags

Let’s start this post out with some story time, shall we? This conversation happened at 3AM when Cecilia was about a week old and wasn’t sleeping unless we were holding her: K (walking down the stairs, holding the baby – or so I think. Brendan is awake on the couch, talking out loud): Who are you talking to? B: Umm…the baby… K: I have her! B: No, I have her… K: WHO DO I HAVE?!? B: (laughing uncontrollably) You have Snoopy. Yes, I was holding my childhood stuffed dog like a baby and legitimately thought it was my child. Also yes, I still have… View Post

Kara /

tips for overcoming fears

Giving birth has always been one of my biggest fears. I know. There are plenty of more significant things to be scared of than a happy occasion like bringing your child into the world…like when you think a thought – but don’t even say it out loud – and suddenly an Instagram ad pops up that’s directly correlated to your thought. THAT, my friends, is frightening. But childbirth was the big, scary thing looming in my life. I was terrified of everything about it, causing lots of tears and sleepless nights and general unhappiness. Other than breaking my arm as a child (two days before we went… View Post

Kara /

family 1

Meet Cecilia! Our strong 5 pound, 7 ounce baby girl Cecilia arrived on Wednesday! It has been the most incredible, happy, love-filled experience. Everything I thought would be so scary has instead been wonderful and fulfilling. Brendan and I are so overjoyed! 😍Thank you, friends and fam, for all your never-ending support and love! A post shared by Kara (@kararuns729) on Oct 7, 2017 at 9:35am PDT Sitting here playing our wedding song for our daughter as we roll around doing “tummy time”, sensing everything important in my life coming full circle, I still don’t believe she’s here. I believe I’m in… View Post