"Getting to Know You" Link Party: Texas Women Bloggers

I recently became a part of an awesome blogger support group called Texas Women Bloggers. I really like the Texas Women Bloggers because they opened me up to a whole new world of bloggers, including many new blogs outside my niche. I am proud to be a part of this fun supportive group of ladies, so when I saw they were hosting a "Getting to Know You" link party, I wanted to play too! This quote is from the site:

"Grab a big glass of sweet tea, and meet the ladies ’round our Texas Women Bloggers table!"

1. What part of Texas do you call home?

I have lived in Texas since 1998 and I currently reside in Fort Worth, TX. I have lived all over the country and Fort Worth really feels like home. For those of you reading from outside the state, the answer is no, we don't all commute to work on horseback. Although, I would be lying if I told you I didn't see a horse trot down the street occasionally.

Ollie's new BFF

2. How long have you been blogging?

I started casually blogging in 2009. No one read my blog back then, except maybe my husband and my mom (Hi, Mom!). It had no real niche or purpose. I started to get serious about my blog in December 2011 when I decided to focus on running related topics and called it "Running for Dummies." In April of 2013, as my blog grew faster than I could have imagined, I changed my blog name to "Running with Ollie" out of sheer fear of getting shut down from the "for Dummies" book people.

3. Why did you start blogging?

I have always considered myself a writer. As a kid I would proudly state that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Maybe I didn't end up writing for a living, but I still consider myself a writer. Writing is my creative outlet. 

What do you want to be when you grow up, little girl?

4. When we visit your blog, what can we expect to discover?

A lot of running and fitness related articles, some product reviews, race recaps, and hopefully a few chuckles. I make myself laugh anyway, that is all that matters, right?

5. How did you come up with your blog title and what is its meaning?

Running with Ollie. Ollie is my dog! We run together but this blog is not all about him, he just makes a good mascot and looks pretty cute in the pictures. I laugh at how many blog inquires that I get that start out with "Dear Ollie." I always say, "Look Ollie, you got another e-mail." If only I could train my dog to answer e-mails, my life would be so much easier.

6. What do you love about being part of Texas Women Bloggers?

It is such an inspiring group of women! Everyone is so supportive and willing to share. I love finding new interesting blogs and Texas Women Bloggers opened the floodgates.

7. Who inspires you to blog?

For me, it is not who, but what. There are so many inspiring bloggers out there that I couldn't even begin to name them, but I am more driven to blog by my passion and love for running and writing.

8. If you could pick a favorite blog post from this past year, what would it be?

I think the blog post that most exemplifies my blog would be a post that I wrote from my dog Ollie's point of view called "According to Ollie: Running Lessons From my Dog." I'd love it if you would check it out.

Thanks for reading and getting to know me and Ollie a little bit better. You can click over to the link party to check out some other Texas Women Bloggers! If you would like to join Texas Women Bloggers you can sign up here.


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Keep Running,

Lea

Ways to (legally) stalk me:

"LIKE" the Running with Ollie Blog page on Facebook
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See what I am up to on Pinterest
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