Mrs B: Estonian Runner, cyclist and Mum.

I originally met Mrs B on twitter because she was also running the Paris marathon - same one as me.  Then I met her in real life last weekend at Write This Run, whilst standing in line for some hamburgers.  She's exceedingly dedicated and can lift some serious weights. Over to you, Liina! 

Online I’m called MrsB and I blog at Mind over Matter. I am originally from Estonia but I studied in the US and then lived in Australia for 6 years before moving to London 7 years ago with my Aussie husband. I have two sons (8&4) and a job in web publishing. I used to be a cyclist in Australia but the streets of London scare me so I ended up becoming a runner instead.

1.  I started running about 3 years ago and it’s helped me through PND and given me a strong new identity.

2.  I run because it’s my quiet me-time away from the kids and because it makes me feel like a badass.

3.  The last run I did was two days ago and I ran 10km. It was my second run after my first marathon and it actually felt surprisingly nice (and short!).

4.  My current favorite piece of kit is my bright green Paris marathon finisher’s t-shirt. I suspect next week my favorite piece of kit will be my very first Garmin sports watch that I’m getting for my birthday.

5.  I’m currently recovering from the marathon and not training for anything that’s in the near future. I am doing a little 10k birthday race this weekend, but my main focus in the next months will be on Run to the Beat and Royal Parks half marathons in September and October.

6.  I used to listen to music a lot when I ran – Robyn, LaRoux, Brittney Spears, Carly Rae Jepsen – anything with a good beat, embarrassing otherwise or not. These days I just listen to the birds singing or the cars driving by because on my last run with music I got so carried away that I didn’t pay attention to tree roots and face planted to the ground.

7.  In addition to running I go to Crossfit twice a week, it makes my legs and my core strong, it makes me a faster runner and it’s a lot of fun.

8.  Running has hugely changed the way I eat. I used to get hypoglycemic attacks when running so I gave up sugar. I used to get GI issues on long runs so I gave up gluten. Now that I’ve figured out what fuel my body runs best on, running is nothing but pure joy.  When I carbo load, it’s rice and sweet potatoes all the way. I highly recommend it, carbo loading does not have to mean bread and pasta.

9.  I’m currently obsessed with my running technique and maybe giving a go at running in ‘barefoot’ running shoes. First step is to get some professional guidance on it.
10.  Finally, here’s my inspiration quote. When I’m having a tough run OR when I’m having a good run, it reminds me that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing :)