Member of the Month - January 2017

​New year, new blog commitment! Up first, getting back into the groove of things with a new Member of the Month post!

If you've been out and about on Town Lake's amazing trail lately, you may have spotted this month's featured member sporting the Red Rocket that is the TRIPLE stroller! Portia H. and her trio of tots are frequently found on the trail, since, as Portia put it, "You can do an easy 3, or practically a full half marathon and it's beautiful every step of the way." This may well be her favorite spot in Austin, too, because she loves being in the midst of nature yet still in the middle of a big city.

Averill (4), Clive (2), and Phebe (fresh from the oven in November) stay busy in the stroller with pretzels and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on YouTube. If their mom had her way, though, they would not be doing the Hot Dog Dance anymore, since Toodles and his endless bag of tricks is a little too nonsensical for her taste. Their favorite place to run and play is the Georgetown playscape because it is close to home and has some crazy fun slides.

Before Phebe was born, Portia was chugging mocha frappucinos after every run, including the Halloween Half Marathon, which she completed at 36 weeks pregnant! She says this most recent race was somewhere around #10 for halves, and she has completed 15 or so 5Ks, but this was her proudest moment.

Cheering her on from the sidelines, and also making sure she does not get injured (her biggest fear), is her Orthopedic Surgeon hubby Trey. He can be spotted accompanying his family on some weekend runs, or hosting beer-brewing bashes for the Trotting with Tots Husbands.

In her pre-kiddo life, Portia lived in Santa Monica, California, and was a Pilates instructor. In her dream world, she would be a professional musician or maybe a music teacher. She plays several instruments, including piano and cello, so this would not be a stretch. If you enjoy orchestral arrangements, you can spot her in concert with the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra, where she plays cello.

Portia binges on music, and also on Chicks and Rabbits candy each spring. She describes these Easter candies as "orange circus peanuts, but in delicious chick, rooster, and rabbit shapes" and has been known to overdose on them every year. As a mom, she says her most embarrassing moment was when, shortly after Clive was born, she was sitting in a restaurant with a friend talking about how she was afraid of leaking. Little did she know that she had already soaked her shirt!

Although music is obviously a big part of Portia's life, she runs without it. She says it took her a while to train herself, but she enjoys that it has made her appreciate her surroundings more. If she did want some tunes to run with, she would choose jazz, especially Dave Brubeck. She started running to control her asthma, and prove to herself that she can do what she once believed was impossible.

Be sure to give her a wave (and maybe a hand up the hills) when you see Portia on the trails at the next Meetup!