Monday means it is time for another addition of Bloggers on the Run! Today I bring you Beth from Cookie Runner.

Name: Beth

Blog: http://www.cookierunner.com

When did you first start blogging and why?

I originally started blogging to hold myself accountable for my running. I had quit my collegiate teams for various reasons, took a couple months off of running, and then started training for a marathon (foolishly). My blogging held me somewhat accountable on my journey. It was through blogging that I realized that I was approaching my training completely wrong because I could go back and look at the records of what I was doing.

I started blogging on CookieRunner last April. I had been blogging beforehand on several different platforms, but I was never really satisfied with any of them. I was inspired to go to self hosting to find my satisfaction and make my “brand.” It was a rough start, but it helped keep me motivated to both run and blog.

 

What is your most helpful blogging tip?

Be social! You may be unique, but most likely you are not going to interest people unless you are exceptional in some way. People want to talk about themselves, and if you don’t talk to them, they’re likely not going to talk to or follow you.

That goes for gaining readers, as well. Start a conversation with people, share links, comment, comment, comment (but make sure you are adding to the conversation, not just saying “nice post” all of the time), tweet to people, and participate in chats and meetups. Many blog readers and writers are not going to actively search for and find your blog. You have to do all of the hard work and prove why you are deserving of their following.

 

What is your favorite fitness activity?

Outside of running, I love to kayak, lift, and occasionally
cycle (sorry, I am that one person out there who doesn’t look like a cyclist!). I also grew up riding horses (contesting, some jumping, and a ton of trail riding) and gained a lot of my core strength and balance from that.

Running will always be my number one activity, though!

 

What motivates you?

The fear of failure motivates me. There have been so many times when I set goals and just never achieve them. I became tired of that vicious cycle, so I finally decided that I WILL meet my goals. I will qualify for Boston this year, run the best marathon of my life so far at Detroit, have the best summer of training I have ever had, and be the best runner I have ever been. The thought of failing because of pure laziness scares me enough to motivate me.

 

What has fitness changed about your life?

I have always been active. I started running when I was in middle school, I was playing basketball before that, and my family has had horses since I was in diapers. When I quit running, I realized that I was bored and that I had to do something with my time. So I eventually started running again. Running has brought me a ton of happiness, a little bit of disappointment, and some of the best friends that I could ever ask for.

 

What is your favorite pump up song?

I do not normally run with music, but when I do (or when I am at the gym), I turn my Pandora to either the AWOLNATION or Daft Punk stations. Anything upbeat will do. If I had to choose just ONE song, though, it would probably be Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster.”

 

What is your favorite running distance?

I love the marathon, but I am starting to fall in love with the half marathon distance. I used to be a mid-distance runner in high school and college, but I hated the short races and always dreamed of being a marathon runner. I would probably excel more at the shorter distances, but I refuse to quit running marathons.

 

What is your favorite motivational quote/mantra?

“Go get it.” It is simple and usually refers to not getting beat by a woman who is in front of me (sometimes it refers to a man; I’m competitive).

 

What is your favorite piece of running/fitness gear?

I love my Garmin Forerunner 10. I would love to upgrade it, but I love that I have distance and time both on my wrist. I don’t know how I ever trained by estimating distance or pre-measuring loops. I can run wherever and make my own loops now!

 

What is your favorite “treat”?

Cookies. Duh!

 

What is a long term running or fitness goal you have for yourself?

I want to qualify for and run Boston and run a marathon in all 50 states (6 states down, a long way to go!)

 

Tell us something unique about yourself.

I am the only female runner from my high school to go to state in cross country, and I went 3 times. That’s my place in history in my small hometown.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who is starting out running, what would it be?

Try to find a running group if you can. Don’t be scared that they are faster than you, because you may be surprised to find out that not everyone is faster than you. Even if they are, it serves as motivation to help you out.

 

How do you find/make time to train?

I schedule everything. It’s easy to think that you’ll run later, but when later comes, sometimes you realize that you just missed your window. If it’s on my schedule each day, it has to happen. Last minute dinner plans? “Sorry, I’m busy.”

 

What’s an accomplishment you are most proud of?

An accomplishment that I am most proud of is becoming a stronger runner in the last few months. As I have been preparing for my big race (I am going for that Boston Qualifying time), I have not slacked off. I have put in the hours of work that I needed and I have never felt more confident going into a big race. Even if something doesn’t pan out, I put in more work for this marathon than I have for my previous 7. I am finally ready for this and I am proud of whatever outcome occurs.

 

Head over to Beth’s blog and check it out! You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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