Blogger Spotlight: Girl Goes Running!

The second blogger in my Blogger Spotlight Series is Heather of Girl Goes Running! As usual, I do not remember how I found Heather's blog or when I found it. But I do know I bookmarked it and never looked back!

I was lucky enough to actually meet Heather at the Boston Marathon in 2014. It was hard to find each other among all the other runners, but once we did, we chatted away and even missed the call of our wave!

Heather answered the Blogger Spotlight Questions I put forth, so here ya go!

1. How long have you been blogging? I have been a blogger since February 2013, so just over 2 years.

2. How did you come up with the title of your blog? Well, I had ordered a cool running tee from “I <3 to Run” and they included a “Gone Running” sign in my package. I liked the “Gone Running” slogan, but I wanted to also incorporate ‘Girl’ in there somehow. So, after a few trial titles I came up with “Girl Gone Running.” This actually was the official title of my blog for a while. Then one day I decided that “Girl Goes Running” was cooler, so I stuck with that. ;)

3. Describe your blogging style. Do you blog on a schedule? Do you write your posts ahead of time? How long does it take you to write a post? Okay, I DO NOT blog on a schedule and sometimes I wish I did so that I’d make more time for blogging, because I do love it. I have written a few posts like Giveaways and Reviews ahead of time, but to be honest, most others are on a whim or when I become motivated to blog. I always blog after a race to give a recap because I do get a lot of questions about local races that I could give feedback on. Plus I can add all the running pics I like because hey, it’s a race recap and I do love posing for those race pics! LOL

4. What types of blogs do you enjoy reading? I prefer to read blogs of people with like-minded interests that I have, especially runners. I like to follow along with their training for a big race and also to see what sort food they eat along the way. I became dedicated to a few of my favourite bloggers and read them every time they post!

5. What inspired you to start a blog? When I was training for my first ever Boston Marathon in 2013 I was flooding my Facebook page with run talk and running photos. I was certain a few friends were on the verge of deleting me, lol. That’s when  I decided that I would start blogging about my training which would provide me my  own bit of space in the blogosphere to gush about running whenever I wanted! 

6. Tell us your current fitness related goal(s). I’m not really a goal-setting gal and you will likely not see me post specific goals on the Girl GoesRunning blog, but I will say that I am always striving to improve myself: whether it’s my nutrition, body composition, running pace or endurance. I guess currently I am working on nutrition and specific strengthening exercises to allow myself to run more efficiently and stronger.

7. What is your proudest running and/or fitness related accomplishment? Okay, all of the GGR readers are probably tired of hearing about my 2015 Boston Marathon, but to date this is definitely the proudest running accomplishment of mine. I went into the marathon feeling super undertrained after enduring a tough winter on Canada’s east coast forcing many runs to the treadmill but I totally surprised myself and pulled off a new marathon PR by 1 min and 24 seconds! Whenever I think about that Boston finish I still smile.

8. Do you race? Why or why not? I do race and I love it! I raced a lot over the past couple of years with 16 -18 races per year. I have made a conscious decision to lower my racing mileage for 2015 so that my legs don’t feel like toast by the time my fall marathon rolls around (Chicago October 2015). 

9. Where is the coolest place you have run? I have raced in each of the Atlantic Provinces in Canada and also in Boston and Miami, FL. Even though Boston will always have my heart Miami was super cool to run in! I ran the Miami ½ Marathon in 2010 and my husband Matt ran the full. I remember running and seeing palm trees and I thought that was super cool!

10. What picture sums you up in a nutshell? Anyone who knows me knows that I run so many miles on the Rails to Trails which I am super fortunate to be able to access ½ a mile from my house. I am usually always sporting something flashy as well, so I think that this smiling photo of me doing what I love is perfect.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in the Blogger Spotlight, Heather!

I would love to feature some more bloggers so keep the entries coming! You can find the details here!