Can’t you just feel the pure joy radiating from that photo above?! Not only is Sarah Evans an amazingly-inspiring social media pal from the Bay Area, but she’s also one of my very favorite runners to interview because her attitude toward life — and running — is positively awesome…and infectious.

We chatted on two previous occasions (about bouncing back after a baby and how she balances a growing baby with mounting mileage), but I wanted to include her in my new “How I Run” interview series to get her take on the questions below.

Read on for details on a few of Sarah’s favorite things, as well as this ultra-mama’s plans to tackle a “mother” of a distance (50 miles!) come December:

1. What’s your favorite route? I love a Mt. Tam summit (2,400 feet over 4.5 miles) or any trail in the Marin Headlands; there’s nothing like the view coming down Diaz Ridge switchbacks with the Pacific Ocean spanning in front of you…then knowing you have one heck of a climb back up and over!

2. What shoes do you wear? Asics Gel Nimbus forever!

3. What other run gear can’t you live without? As a Type A runner, my Garmin Forerunner 620. And my Headsweats visor!

4. What’s your best time-saver or “runhack?” Literally ‘running’ my errands to get in a run. Or if I want to get out for some fresh air instead of going for a walk with my daughter, I’ll run (you get more places, faster that way anyways!). I also always lay out my clothes and program the coffee maker for all my early-morning runs. It’s harder to make excuses with the smell of coffee and a trail of clothes waiting for you at 5am!

5. What running-related thing are you better at than anyone else? Consistency. I have a strong mental game about not giving in or up. And maintenance. If you don’t do the maintenance work, you won’t stay healthy. Do the work ‘behind the scenes’ (meaning rolling, stretching, hip/glute strengthening, yoga, etc.) and your running will remain and continue to get stronger.

6. What do you listen to while running? A lot of relaxing streaming music (mixed with a few pop/upbeat songs) or my own thoughts and daydreams 🙂

7. What are you currently training for? Chicago Marathon in October (update: she PR’d with a 3:18!), then the NorthFace 50-miler in December.

8. What are your recovery & sleep routines like? Compression socks, lots of hydration and legs-up-the-wall pose all help with recovery…plus, a burrito the size of my head doesn’t hurt either! I try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night — yes, this takes effort and work in itself to get enough sleep, but it’s just as important for a healthy being as anything else. I try to be in bed by 9:30 with no electronics, and a TV isn’t allowed in the bedroom. I value sleep!

9. What’s the best running advice you’ve ever received? First, if it feels ‘good,’ you’re not maxing out your potential or running hard enough…during a race it should ‘hurt so good!’ Second, run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never stop moving forward (this particularly pertains to Ultra running). Third, fuel and hydrate early and often.

10. What’s your favorite running-related memory? Running during my pregnancy is a time in my life that is full of some of my favorite running memories. And not because I was breaking personal records or climbing the highest peaks, but because I felt strong, happy, relaxed and excited to share my love for running with my little one so early.

I enjoyed every last step of each run because I knew my time would become limited once baby arrived, so I didn’t take the freedom to run for granted. I ran some memorable races while pregnant, including a marathon the day I found out I was pregnant, and crossing the finish line at Boston marathon in 2013 only 10 minutes before the tragic bombing events, which put a lot into perspective.

I realized my full love and potential for running during my pregnancy, so it has to go down as a time of favorite running-related memory!

11. Fill in the blank: I’d love to go on a run with __________. Kara Goucher and Lauren Fleshman, two amazing women who are moms, Oiselle pros and inspire me to be a strong mom, woman and runner!

12. Anything else you want to add? What running means to you will change in your life as time goes on; embrace that change and go with it. You may fall in and out of love with running, but it is always there for you when you need it. It’s a kind of therapy in itself and is the simplest, least expensive activity you can do anywhere!

Thanks, as always, Sarah! Runner friends, please email me — info (at) kineticfix.com — if you’d like to be featured 🙂