EBR Rock Star: Katie Bonner
It’s EBR Rock Star time! Today we’re chatting with Katie Bonner, a 3 time EBR virtual racer (have you added your spring race to our Spring Fling yet?) who recently completed her first half marathon (woo hoo!). Welcome, Katie!
Katie (right; rocking her finisher shirt!) with running buddy Alison (left)
We love that you’ve joined us for all three of our virtual gatherings (Fall Fun Run, Winter Dash, Spring Fling); how has social media helped inspire your running journey?
Without social media, I wouldn’t be a runner. It’s as simple as that! My sister got me started three years ago, and since she lives in Arizona and I’m in Massachusetts we relied on social media to encourage each other. The virtual community and online social networks I’m part of keep me honest, keep me on track, keep me accountable, and give me unwavering support.
You recently completed your first half marathon on April 28 – go you! Do you have any top tips for runners thinking about taking the plunge to try a half marathon?
The Nike Women Half Marathon in Washington DC was a fantastic experience for a first half. It’s definitely more of an Experience Race (with 15,000+ runners!) than a pure Road Race, and that atmosphere of fun, camaraderie, and energy was definitely what I needed as a first-timer. I could focus on just enjoying the experience and finishing, and not worry about time. So my tips:
- Find a race that really interests you – whether it’s a large Experience like Nike or a small road race where you can push yourself for time. You have to want to be there.
- Do the long training runs. I worked up to a 12.3 mile run a couple weeks before the half, and the last two miles during the race were still very challenging for me. Do-able, but quite challenging.
- Just pick one and register! There’s nothing like a looming race date to provide great motivation.
We here at EBR like food. What are your favorite pre and post race snacks/meals?
I was experimenting with different pre-run foods during the training runs for this half. I can’t eat peanut or nut butters, unfortunately, so that was one typical suggestion that wouldn’t work. I tried half of a whole wheat bagel, which definitely disagreed with me on the long runs. In the end, I found that a banana and Luna bar with water pre-run was the best for me.
Post-run, I would really only need lots of water (sometimes with a splash of fresh lemon juice) immediately. After a couple hours, then I needed something rich in good protein.
I’ve also found that if I’m doing a run longer than about 90 minutes (I’m slow, so the half took me about 2:40), I need to fuel with something. What my body tolerates best during a run are gummie snacks. My favorite is the mixed berry flavor of Life Saver Gummies.
Tell us about your favorite running gear.
My Brooks Dyno 7 shoes (they’re actually wide enough for my feet!). My Garmin Forerunner 405. My Flip Belt (I need to order a second one!). Running capris from Old Navy. And for winter running in New England, fleece lined pants and tops from Brooks and inexpensive, lightweight fleece gloves and hats from Old Navy.
Are you inspired by any running bloggers? If so, who?
In addition to Eat.Blog.Run? 
I love the community at Another Mother Runner. And I find great tips at the Brooks Running Blog. Otherwise, my inspiration comes from my fellow runners, especially other running moms who are just struggling to find time, that I connect with online and in real life – like my sister Dani, my friends Katharina and Alison. One of the amazing things about the Nike Half was looking around at the hundreds, even thousands, of other runners who were running at my pace and we were all so supportive and proud of each other for doing our 12:00 minute/miles together. That was truly inspirational.
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Katie lives about 30 minutes outside Boston with her husband, three kids (11, 8, and 4), and two cats. She works part-time as a Director with media relations firm Savoir Media. She blogs occasionally at Katie’s Korner and likes to overshare on Twitter (@bunnums).
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Congrats to you Katie! Love to hear other runner’s stories