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Brightening lives: Erica at a local Run Against Violence 5K this year

Recently, I came across the blog of Erica Haggins, a 30-year-old mom of four girls in California City, Calif., when I was procrastinating, uh, I mean, perusing the Internet for research for an article. I especially like the Weekend Round-Up section, which is an aggregate of race-report blogs.

Best recent run: My last long run, which was 12.6 miles. A year ago, when I decided to run my first 5K, I thought 3.1 miles was crazy. I had trouble running one mile straight, and I threw up when I finally did run that first 5K. Now here I am running 12 miles on a training run for my first half marathon.

Started running for a combination of reasons but mainly to get back in shape. My 30^th birthday was fast approaching, and the husband and I had decided our last daughter completed our family, so I decided I had no more excuses. Once I realized willing myself into shape wasn’t going to work, running was the natural choice for me because I used to run track in high school.

Running with my daughter makes me very happy. When I first started running, I didn’t have a jogging stroller and since I do most of my running while my three oldest are at school, I felt bad leaving my “baby” in the house while I got out and went running. She is my training partner for the majority of my runs. She loves it, and it makes me happy to take her with me.

Game plan for upcoming half marathon: A great half for me would be finishing under 2:40 and being able to walk the next day. I guess the game plan is to stay hydrated and fueled before, during, and after; to run my own race and not getting caught up in everything going on around me; to trust my training; and, above all,  to enjoy the experience. I’ll only have one first half marathon!

Least favorite running weather: Though it doesn’t take much to send me scurrying for a treadmill, windy days are my least favorite. Running against the wind is no good for me.

Bananas go best with: This is an easy one: Bananas are best with almond or peanut butter spread on them. This is the staple of my race-day breakfast.

Running mantra? Like the name of my blog: “Because I Can.” It’s my response to friends and family who don’t run and don’t get it, but like to question why I do it. It’s what keeps me humbled and focused when I get too caught up on the mileage or times, reminding me of how lucky and blessed I am to be able to get out and run. It helps me push past my mental blocks when running gets tough and negative thoughts try to creep into my  head.

Follow this mother at: http://www.ericarunning.com/