Every time Lori Anderson crosses a finish line, she celebrates in her signature style.
She ends the race strong, with one fist raised proudly in the air.
“It just feels really good, like, I got this, I did this,” says Anderson, who lives in Oregon with her husband Cyrus, six-year-old daughter Felina, one dog, two cats and three chickens.
While running an important part of her life now, Lori didn’t start until 2013, a year before she got pregnant. She began with a couch-to-5K program and fell in love with racing, even taking on her first half marathon just a few months later.
“This was pre-kiddo, so I had all the time in the world to train and recover,” she says with a laugh.
To date, Lori has run fourteen half marathons, plus many 10Ks and 5Ks.
“I really like the atmosphere,” she says of racing. “The volunteers are great and the other runners are so supportive. The energy totally carries you.”
One of her favorite racing partners is her dad, who’s seventy-one but quite fast. Lori’s parents live in San Antonio, where she grew up, but whenever they can get together, she and her dad try to fit in a race.
But most of the time, running is a solo endeavor for Lori. She doesn’t own a treadmill, so going on a run means facing whatever weather and elements Wisconsin doles out. But she’s found that the combination of movement, getting outside and having time to connect back in with herself is always worthwhile.
Lori’s job as a barista at Epic Systems means morning runs are typically out of the question, but she still logs miles on evenings and weekends. Felina has taken notice and is eager to start running too.
“My daughter has been to a lot of my races,” Lori says. “I like to show her that this is a cool thing to do to take care of my body, that this is how I am strong.”
Movement for the family more often takes the form of neighborhood walks and local hikes, as all three love spending time in nature. Cyrus, who works for the Wisconsin State Senate, grew up on a hobby farm in the River Falls area, raising rabbits and showing pigs. And Felina isn’t afraid of getting dirty.
“She loves being outside and playing in the mud,” Lori says. “She loves bugs. The number of times I’ve turned around and seen a bug at eye level …”
At home, the Andersons like to take things easy and simply spend time together. But one moment of the day is nonnegotiable.
“Dinner as a family every single night — even if it’s Culver’s — at the table,” Lori says, adding that they began before Felina was eating solid foods.
“It felt important, being present with each other,” she says. “It’s just something we always do. It’s simple but consistent.”
Otherwise, the family moves with the flow of how each day unfolds, and they’re mindful not to overschedule.
“We are all kind of homebodies. It’s nice to have a day open, and we’ll take a hike if the weather clears up,” she says. “We like to take things at our own pace.”
– Katie Vaughn
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.