Amy Bailey boardWe’re excited to return to our regularly scheduled Tales From Another Mother Runner Thursday and to keep the #TAMRTour  momentum going. (TAMR rhymes with BAMR, btw.)

Today we’re profiling Amy Bailey, a mother of newly-minted 7 year-old who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Amy is going to join us on the Midwest leg of our #TAMRTour in mid-May, when we’re going to hit Indiapolis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, (likely) and Minneapolis/St. Paul. You can RSVP for all the events here

My running history: Like many other mother runners, I started really running after my son was born. After years of enviously staring down runners on the sidewalks and trails, I signed up for and ran two 5 mile races in 2007 as I quit smoking and picked up the sport that I avoided as a high school athlete who played softball and volleyball.

I left running after those two races, returning several months after Nolan was born in 2008. The following spring, I ran a half marathon in my adopted hometown, the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon. I’ve run two to five half marathons each year since then. It’s funny that everyone always comments on the bad-for-you things from Wisconsin – the deep-fried cheese curds, beer, brats – because the Badger State is where I found running, something very good for you. It is something that has provided some quiet to my mind and an incredible challenge to my body.

My writing history: Starting as the “editor” of my stapled Catholic grade school newsletter, I always wanted to be a writer. I started my career with the Associated Press, became an editor at a small suburban newspaper north of Philadelphia in 2006, and then moved to the Frozen Tundra to be local news editor of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. I recently left journalism and began working as the Corporate Communications Manager for Festival Foods, a Wisconsin-based chain of grocery stores. Because I didn’t want to waste all the great thoughts I had on long runs, I started blogging in 2011, writing about everything from my son’s first day of school to some very R-rated comments about the Boston Marathon bombings.

My essay, “3.1 Miles: Taking Control of Me”talks about: Since I first started following a training plan for my first-ever half marathon, I have always been afraid of what would happen after race day. What happens when the calendar no longer has a number of miles or suggested tempo on it? I tried to remedy some of that fear, which, honestly, mostly about going back to a super sedentary person , by telling myself that I’d tick off a quick, short run—a Fast 5K—soon after race day. That little post-race kick in the buns has helped ease my “after” anxiety.

My last Fast 5K: Winter in northern Wisconsin is no joke and, in an effort to break up The Eternal Winter, my husband and I planned a runcation to bright and sunshiny Key West in January. I ran the humid Key West Half Marathon in the middle of a trip filled with great drinks, amazing food and incredible, childfree conversation. While the high humidity slowed me on race day, I was able to reclaim the pace with my Fast 5K days afterward back on my basement treadmill.

Favorite post-race treat: This may be blasphemy in the great Beer State, but I’m a wine girl. To me, there is no better reward than a big pour from a bottle of Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel at the end of race day. With a juicy cheeseburger and salty fries, of course.

Recent memorable run: March 14. It’s a little funny that I remember the date, but after a long, hard winter filled with Netflix-ed treadmill running, the snow had finally melted. The paved trail just behind my house south of Green Bay was finally clear and I had a 10-miler in front of me. It’s amazing what a change of scenery will do for your pace.

Next up on my running calendar: I’m planning to do the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon for the sixth straight year in May. I can’t say enough about the feel of this “small town, big race organization” event. With a course that features plenty of tree-lined neighborhoods and loads of cheering spectators, as well as a final loop through Lambeau Field, it’s got something for everyone.

Quick, easy ask: If you have purchased and found the time to read Tales From Another Mother Runner, we’d love, love it if you could take a minute a put up an honest review on Amazon, which, for reasons we don’t totally understand, is huge in spreading the TAMR word and helping women find the book. Thanks in advance!