By Heather D. on Apr 14, 2014 11:45 pm
H.M. Wild with her two kids after a 2K race.
Mother runner Krista, who goes by H.M. Wild (Honey Mama Runs Wild is her blog name), made a big life change in 2013—the 30-year-old mom of Maya, 6, and George, 5, and her husband moved their family from Anchorage to a more remote area of the state to live in a log cabin and “live life to the fullest.” She hits the trails whenever she can, and a favorite running event is fast approaching: next month’s Skinny Raven Twilight 12K in Anchorage.
My first race ever: Twilight 12K Anchorage, AK, 2011.
The path less traveled: After helping my BRF nail a PR in the 2013 Alaska Run for Women, I hopped in my Subaru and headed north with my family, on a whim, to meet with a real estate agent who showed us four remote cabin properties. I felt like I was in an episode of “Buying Wild Alaska.” One place piqued our interest: an unfinished log cabin on the northern edge of the largest National Park and Preserve. We put together the best offer we were capable of and agreed that if it were meant to be, it would be.
Running skirt or shorts: I go both ways!
Morning, midday or night: 6 a.m.
My favorite mile in a race: Mile 10 in a half-marathon—only 3.10 miles to go! I eat 5Ks for breakfast.
Me and My Sole Sister, Sara.
Coolest thing I’ve seen on a run in Alaska: I was on an orienteering trail run with Run Exceed, a women’s running team that welcomes women of all ages and abilities in Anchorage. Me and another mother runner were in the zone, so we broke free from the group and raced each other up and down the rolling terrain of Kincaid Park to the next orienteering checkpoint. Down the trail another 10 feet rested a mama moose and her young baby. I quickly glanced over at the noise of snapping twigs and rustling leaves when the mama appeared—ears flat, hair raised, legs stomping wildly, moving forward. Everything went blank. When I regained awareness I was hugging a birch tree for dear life, standing next to my running buddy, safe. The rest of our team had caught up and were at a safe distance … It was one of the most exhilarating and terrifying moments of my life.
What I thought about during today’s run: Moving forward. One day. One page. One mile at a time.
Best way to cross-train: Mix it up! Hit the trails for a hike, swim to my heart’s content, and ride free. I also regularly practice yoga and meditation.
‘Running from my core’: I consulted my Mother Runner bibles: Run Like a Mother and Train Like a Mother to build a core-focused training program to strengthen the weakness in me. I coined it my “Bad Ass Mother Runner Routine.” It involved running as a warm-up, followed by intense body weight exercises (and yes, even the inverted push-up), free weights, leg weights, and resistance bands. Within a few months I felt invincible.
This mother runner is living and running happy.
Words to live by: When I decided to adopt my mantra, “Run Life From Your Core,” I set about retracing my steps and found that the way to my core can be found along the river, through the woods, across endless wide open spaces, on a stretch of single-track game trail. Mountains. Water. Sky. All you need is trail shoes. I had to walk the talk. I’d been focusing on the physical aspect of “running life from my core,” but on a personal level I knew that I wasn’t fully living my core values.
On Conquering Hills: Prior to moving to the wilds of Wrangell I found I could avoid major hills if I chose to, but since moving here my times have slowed considerably and I’ve been left sucking wind more than I care to admit. The hills are no longer something I can sidestep, in favor of an easier path. I’m either charging up hill, or floating down hill (or falling flat on my face to take a dirt nap). There is no avoidance of the hard, the cold, the hill. I don’t try and conquer it, but rather give thanks for the opportunity to be stronger, better—and faster.
My running, in three words: Action Gets Results.
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