What happens when your passion for running and fitness collide with your everyday life? For me, it results in small moments and little bits and pieces of the day that often go untold here on runladylike.com but bring humor, inspiration and lightness. Here are a few of those everyday things that have been happening in my household this month.

1. Step Obsession

If you’ve been reading rUnladylike.com for a while, you know that my entire family enjoys fitness. My dad was an elite sprinter, my mom just finished her eighth half marathon and is training for her ninth and my husband (Mr. rUnladylike) works out about 6 days a week. Before I completely throw my family under the bus, you should know that my parents are freaking awesome. BUT they have become a little cray-cray with their obsession with fitness tracking. Back in August, Mr. rUnladylike gave me a Garmin Vivosmart so I could track my steps and sleep {you can read more about my take on that here}. Since then, everyone in my family has gotten one. To make matters even more fun, we are currently living with my parents until my new house that we’re building is complete (closing date is set for March 2 … WOO HOO!).

My dad is signed up for a fitness challenge through work and has been trying to run and walk 25,000 steps per day. He comes home from work and is laser focused on going outside to add steps. Steps have become the number one topic of conversation. Sooooo, last night, when this happened with my mom, I couldn’t stop laughing. The obsession is real. Commence the crazy (in the best possible way).

2. Different Paces in Different Places

I’ve been traveling a lot the past month, which means life and running have brought me some beautiful moments. Here is a snapshot of some of the places I’ve run and been during the past few weeks.

New York City – A perfect run in Central Park

Tucson, Arizona – After the Sedona Half Marathon, I made my way to Tucson for a few days for work. Is there a better way to end the day than this?

Sea Island, Georgia – Mr. rUnladylike and I spent Valentine’s Day weekend here for a wedding.

In my backyard – Here in the Tampa, Florida, area where I live, there were some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets this week. Here was my view after my early morning run yesterday. And no, there is no need for winter running clothes here.

3. Back on Track

Chooo! Choooo! After falling off the wagon with my nutrition and fitness for a bit, it has felt amazing to be back on track this week. I’ve eaten clean and had strong workouts every day this week. Taking back control of our will power feels so good. I don’t know why I constantly forget how great that feels (and how bad it feels when we stop). I saw this meme on Instagram this week and it made me laugh. This is the on-and-off the wagon to a tee.

4. Terrific Advice and Articles

I’ve read some really excellent articles lately that you should check out when you have the time.

• You’re Not a Cookie-Cutter Runner, So Stop Using A Cookie-Cutter Plan by Laura from This Runner’s Recipes: As a marathon coach and someone who has tried a variety of training approaches and watched many runners try to find plans online, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this piece. Laura is a Seattle-based running coach and awesome athlete and you should definitely check out her website if you haven’t already. She writes tons of informative and helpful pieces on a variety of running topics while also sharing about her own training and racing journey.
• How to Avoid Runner’s Trots by Women’s Running: This is an article that was written last year but was circulated on Twitter this week. And what a perfect time it showed up in my feed. As you know, I’m quite the unladylike runner. After an early morning run with a friend where we tooted and nearly pooped our way through it, this was waiting for me when I looked at my phone after the run. Good article with good advice on minimizing stomach issues and poop chances on the run.
• Hope is Not a Strategy from Smitha at Faux Runner: This is a great read from a friend of mine who lives in Atlanta about the fact that it is not enough to hope for an outcome without a training plan and dedication that matches that hope. I couldn’t agree more with this and I see it a lot. Back in 2012 before I started runladylike.com, I trained for a half marathon where my hope was greater than my dedication. It ended in disappointment and does every time.
• Fitness Fairy Tale: Cinderella Revisited by Carly from Fine Fit Day: I shared this on Twitter and Facebook this week, but it is too good not to mention again for those of you who may have missed it. Carly re-created the story of Cinderella from the perspective of a runner and fitness addict. It is so cute and so funny. A must-read for every runner.

5. Running with Zombies

All the buzz during the past week has been about the Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles and the amazing race by Amy Hastings Cragg, Desi Linden and Shalane Flanagan. {I’ve interviewed Amy and Desi in recent years and you can see their interviews here (Desi) and here (Amy).} But did you know Brooks Running launched their first global advertising campaign during the trials? Here’s the ad and I’d love to know what you think. I adore their campaign theme “live the way you run” and like the way this comes together at the end in terms of the message, but it is admittedly a little strange. I think there will be a lot of ways to bring the idea of living the way we run to life in relevant ways we can all relate to (that don’t include zombies). It’s actually a really profound thought when you think about it. How do we live? With passion. With love. With a determined spirit. All ways I want to run and think about running. And the determination in which we never give up in running is the same spirit that’s important in life.

Have a great weekend everyone!

What has been keeping you busy this month?
Do you use a fitness tracker to track your steps? Do you get crazy about it like my parents?
What do you think of the new Brooks Running commercial?