Road Runner Girl: Runner Spotlights #46

Hey all! I've had a great weekend so far! I ran 5 miles yesterday morning. It was Hayden's 8th birthday so we spent all day celebrating with him! I can't believe my baby is getting so big!

It's time for another runner spotlight! If you are interested in being spotlighted on my blog please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com. I would love to feature you! You don't have to have a blog to be spotlighted...you just have to be a runner! I'm running low on spotlights so here's your chance! :-)

Today I am spotlighting Amanda from Mommy Go Run! This lady is super funny! And of course she's a great runner! Keep reading to learn more about her!

Name: Amanda Medau

State: Texas

When and why did you start running? I started running on June 2, 2012. On Friday, June 1, I found out about the Impact a Hero Race taking place on Saturday, June 2. I signed up and ran it that day and I've been running ever since. I had absolutely NO TRAINING whatsoever and had quit smoking less than a month before-May 6^th.

What is your favorite race and race distance? Right now my favorite distance is 5K but that’s only because it’s the distance I've done most often. I can’t really pick a race that’s my favorite yet because I’m so new to the sport that EVERY race has had significant meaning to my journey. I ran my first half marathon as a virtual for Sandy Hook, my first “official” half in Austin, Texas (my favorite place to visit), I ran my first full in Dallas with my best friend from Denver. (We’d trained together ‘virtually’ for a year with the same schedule and same pace! She’s my training twin!) and I recently ran with my son in his first 5k race.

What is your race day routine? I know a lot of runners are OCD with things needing to flow a certain way on race day. I think the only thing I can count on is that I will need to find every port-o-potty. I have really nervous bladder! I usually wake up before the alarm and still hit snooze a couple times, I don’t eat before a 5k. And I haven’t run enough distance races to have a favorite fueling routine down. I’m such a newbie! I’m just lucky that I haven’t had the misfortune of eating or drinking anything that’s made me ill or crampy for a race!

What is your most favorite piece of running gear? I never leave home without my music so I suppose that it’s my iPhone. I’m also pretty fond of my Garmin and my custom visor. I really like my compression capris too. UGH sorry that’s a lot of favorite things!

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running? I try to stay pretty paleo, it seems to work well for my stomach. I am still at an experimental phase with supplements. I haven’t developed an attachment for any one product yet. But I do like to have protein powders and/bars for after long runs so I can get on with the napping and spend less time cooking J

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running? I wish I’d have known that black and losing toenails wasn't a myth. I would have started with better shoes!!! I have significantly less toenails than toes at this point!

What is your fondest running memory? I have 2 favorite moments- the first was crossing the finish line of my first half (which was actually an ULTRA -27.9 miles- due to the car leading the elite runners taking a wrong turn..oops!) holding hands with my best friend Robin E. I felt like we conquered the world! There were so many miserable moments that I thought I couldn't finish, and all the pain and heartache melted away when we crossed that line!

The second best memory was the entire 5K with my son. Chatting with him and giving him running pointers and finally hauling ass over the finish line!!

What is one thing that most people do not know about you? I’m pretty open with everything. I have a black belt in TaeKwonDo and I am the Texas State Forms and Sparring Champion and I placed 3^rd in the world (in 2007). I am awkwardly shy in real life social situations but I can be a keyboard warrior! Ha ha ha!