Member of the Month - November - Marley A.

Lisa

Photo: Evan&Marin Photography, Austin, Texas

Hey hey hey, it’s that time of the month... time to meet another member of our mama tribe! Each month we feature one of our #motherrunners so we can find out more about her. How do we choose who to feature? With a random draw from a hat by the nearest kiddo, of course!

If you’re out running around Austin and see a huge smile peeking out from under a bright orange Broncos hat, you are probably seeing this month’s member of the month, Marley A. With her ever-present double braids, and infectious positivity, Marley has made a splash since joining Trotting with Tots earlier this year. Her 17-month-old son, Zahir, takes after his Mama in the smiles department, and can usually be seen happily munching on or throwing cheerios in the stroller (if he’s not asleep, at least).

Marley (aka Marley Crue, aka Marley Mayhem, aka Leenie, aka Marlo, aka Goon, aka Changa, aka Winnie - ok, she will pretty much respond to any name you throw at her) is a former Derby Girl, who rolled with the Sun City Roller Girls before having Z-man. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor-Intern, who sees children, adolescents, adults, and couples. Her husband, Jesus, has also been known to put in a few miles, though Marley is the primary stroller pusher.

Marley says she runs to keep her sanity and stay active, which she is certainly accomplishing, one race at a time. She has already completed 3 races this year, including her first ever half marathon. She credits her running partner, Debbie S., with helping her blow past her goal time by a full ten minutes at the Hill Country Halloween Half. She has also decided to join 5 other Trotting with Tots mamas on a Ragnar Ultra team in March, where she will run 30ish miles in less than 48 hours.

You’ll probably be able to catch Marley having a celebratory meal at Gloria’s Cafe in Cedar Park after all those miles, as that is her favorite place to dine after a long run. She has also been known to treat herself to a bag of hot Cheetos with cheese if she has a craving. Spice is in her blood, as she was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. As Marley puts it, they have “the best Mexican food on the North side of the border,” though these days she likes to put in a heavy hill workout before indulging!

When she has free time, Marley enjoys learning as much as she can about WWII. She even has a textbook on the subject at her house. She also loves collecting anything and everything Star Wars related (episodes IV-VI only, obviously), Walking Dead, or Totoro goodies. You can find her relaxing with a beer in one of her favorite Austin spots, Rainey Street, too. She says the atmosphere is relaxing and not too “crazy drinkathon” -like, which is perfect for daydreaming of opening her own ranch for dogs. Marley says she would love to own a ranch where someone could visit and receive therapy from LPCs/LMFTs with dogs thrown in the mix to help as well. She would also like it to be a haven for older dogs who could be adopted and then live our their lives in peace. Hopefully she will make sure there is a nice running path there for strollers, too.

Although her dream job would be a peaceful retreat, her go-to running music is far from it. Marley likes to jam out to heavy metal both on the trails (especially her favorite, Zilker Park), and at home. Although her musical choices tend to get her some strange looks when she is running with Zahir. However, he is a fan, too, and often falls asleep to Metallica. On her current playlist you can find System of a Down, Iron Maiden, and Iced Earth, and her favorite warm-up song is Beautiful Loser from William Control. She might change her tune, however, if Adrien Brody decided to tickle the ivories for her and offer her a serenade a la his Pianist days.

You can find Marley at most meetup locations, though the Quarry in the summer is a favorite of both hers and Zahir’s. A definite non-favorite in their house, however, is Dora the Explorer, since in almost every episode the poor girl has to cross a bridge and those subliminal messages are not ones that Marley wants Zahir to have to endure.

So the next time you hear the distinct sound of B.O.B. Stroller wheels crunching on gravel and the sounds of heavy metal screeching along, make sure you say “hi” to Marley!