Q&A with Carlee

From the feedback I've received thus far, it seems like you all have been enjoying this Questions and Answers series, so I'm going to continue it until you run out of questions to ask ;) [If you've missed the previous posts you can find them HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. I'm loving the variety in the questions that have been asked. Keep 'em coming!]

What's your favorite race course?

Oh golly, this one is hard. I have favorites for different reasons. I love the Boston Marathon because of the history and spectators, I love the Big Sur Marathon because of the views (although I have vowed to never run it again because it was one of he hardest ones I have ever done), I love the Disneyland races because you were running through the Happiest Place on Earth (not to mention it was the location of my first half marathon and I love creating and running in costume), I love the Rock 'N' Roll San Diego Half Marathon because it's a party for almost the full 13.1 miles, and I love the majority of the other races I've run either because of the memories I've made or because of the people I've run them with... Sorry I can't narrow it down any more, but when you love running as much as I do it's hard to not love everywhere you run.

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How did you grow your online presence?

I wish there was an easy equation to pass along, but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be (especially now that the Instagram algorithm has seemed to make growing your following much more difficult). I would say being true to who you are and taking the time to reply to folks who leave comments on your platform definitely helps with your online presence. If you aren't authentic people will pick up on that and drop you like a bad habit. Also, if they have taken the time to leave a note for you, the least you could do is respond back. I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing brands that have shared my content, which often leads to new followers. Doing little things like giveaways can help, although you better make sure the "prize" is something worth winning ;) I would also suggest making sure your handle is consistent across platforms, that way people can easily find you from one place to the next.

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How do you deal with running and your period?

This is an interesting question because about two months ago I would've had a completely different answer. So, a little background info (which may be a bit TMI, but I guess that can be expected with this question). I went on birth control about 6 months before Ryan and I got married. I took it daily until about 2.5 years ago when the hubby left his "corporate" job to do freelance design full time. When we were both contract workers we didn't have health insurance, which meant I didn't have a prescription for birth control, which meant I wasn't taking it. Between April of 2017 (when I stopped taking my birth control) and September 2019 I'd say I had my period maybe twice. Although some people may say that is unhealthy, I have super painful and heavy periods so I was not in a rush to have the lack of period looked at. The last two months I have actually had a period again (um, let's just say I am NOT excited about this) so now I do have to take it into account a little more when it comes to my running. I normally load up on caffeinated acetaminophen (I am allergic to ibuprofen so can't take things like Motrin) and if I'm running over 6 miles (especially in the first few days of my period) I need to bring an extra tampon with me. My heating pad becomes my best friend during my period and I also try to focus a bit more on how I'm fueling my body because sometimes it can get out of whack... I'd much prefer to NOT have to deal with my period when it comes to running, but if the last two months are any indication of the future it seems like this may not be the case.

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Do you regularly go to PT for injuries/ injury scares?

I have actually never been to physical therapy since I started running (side note, while I was going from specialist to specialist when they were trying to diagnose my fibromyalgia I did do some PT and I have also gone to pelvic floor PT, but both of those different stints had nothing to do with running). I'll be honest and say that I am pretty jaded when it comes to the medical profession because I went to so many doctors when they were trying to figure out my back. I was poked and prodded so many times just to be told that "everything looks fine" so I tend to keep my distance if at all possible. With that said, I do try to foam roll and stretch daily as well as go to a chiropractor to get aligned two-ish times a month. I think if I knew of a great local physical therapist that worked with our insurance I might consider going, but unless I get hurt (knock on wood that doesn't happen) and am referred to one I probably won't seek one out on my own. I know this is probably not the best (sorry to all my PT friends out there), but I've gotta keep my answers real and honest...

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What do you do for work? I remember you applied at the library a while back.

Funny you should ask, I actually have a full post on this topic scheduled for tomorrow... Guess you will just have to come back and see. I think that's what you would consider a cliff hanger ;) (But, honestly, similar to the period question, had I gotten this one back in November I would have answered it much differently, but I'll explain it all tomorrow.)

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And, there you have it, a handful of your questions with my honest to goodness answers. Hopefully you found some of the information interesting. I think this might be a fun series to continue, so as long as people keep supplying the questions, I’ll keep supplying the answers. Leave a question in the comments or reach out any of the social media platforms you follow me on (I should be @CarleeMcDot on all of them) and let me know what you've been dying to know about me.

Any questions you are dying to ask me?