Natalie Hopkins has yet to meet some of her closest friends.

She communicates often with NYC Running Mama, Run Wiki and Mile Posts through their online running blogs, but has not met them face-to-face. Hopkins follows more than 40 blogs in her Google Reader.

"They are all inspiring and motivating in their own way," said Hopkins, who moved to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in March 2011. "Not everyone posts daily, but sometimes you read a post that just resonates with you and before I know it I'm lacing up my shoes."

In Hopkins' blog, "Running, and What Not," she rants and raves about her days, life as an Army wife and running. Now 25 weeks pregnant with her second child, Hopkins also writes about running through her pregnancy. The blog is an outlet for Hopkins to document her runs and pregnancies, and also serves as a tool to runners and mothers.

"If you put stuff out there somebody is going to read it," Hopkins said. "They might take something away from it."

Jessica Hofheimer is a mother of three who lives in Virginia. She also ran throughout her pregnancies and has done numerous marathons. Hofheimer has her own blog, "Pace of Me," and discovered Hopkins' blog on Twitter. Through the internet the two developed a virtual friendship.

"It is so nice to read blogs like Natalie's because it reassures me that there are other women out there who understand how I am feeling," Hofheimer said. "It is encouraging, inspiring and helpful to read about Natalie's journey and to be there for one another."

Hopkins published her blog in 2007 while she was in the Air Force reserves. She was a dedicated runner and wanted to become faster. Hopkins had always recorded her runs with a pen and paper in her writing journal, but she decided to make it available to the public so she could give/receive advice and so others could relate to her. The blog is even beneficial to the author herself. Hopkins was curious of how she is going to bounce back after her second pregnancy and only had to look in her blog archives to see how it went after the first time.

A hot topic of late on the "Running, and What Not" blog is the subject of marathons. Hopkins has been itching to complete the 26-mile race and thought 2011 was going to be her year. She signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, D.C., to honor her older brother who was a former Marine killed in Afghanistan.

"It was going to be a huge deal both emotionally and physically," Hopkins said.

Two months before the October race, Hopkins found out she was about four weeks pregnant. She discussed it with her husband and decided she would not train for a marathon during her pregnancy. Rather than waiving her registration for 2012, in which she would have to travel cross-country with a 3-year-old and 6-month old, Hopkins transferred it to a friend.

"There's always time for marathons," she said.

But just because Hopkins can't train, she still hits the pavement for her health and peace of mind. She tries to get out three to five days a week and pays attention to what her body tells her, careful to not let her internal temperature get too high. She will run anywhere from four to eight miles.

"Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you're disabled," Hopkins said. "You're running for yourself, but there's also a part of you that wants to show your kid that it's a healthy lifestyle. It's something to be proud of."

Hopkins encourages all expecting mothers to clear it with their doctor before they lace up their running shoes. Hopkins' active lifestyle led to a positive experience during her first pregnancy, and she believes her quick labor and how quickly she bounced back are correlated with running. She was not overweight and she didn't have blood pressure issues. She is well aware things might not happen the way they did last time.

"I have complete confidence in my body that I'll get there eventually and I'll run my marathon," she said. "The elusive marathon."

Hopkins hasn't put a deadline on her 2012 race calendar. With her due date in early May she would like to run her first marathon this winter but knows the weather in the Pacific Northwest can be rainy and cold during that time. The fair-weather runner wants the setting to be ideal for the first marathon.

"I put a bug in my husband's ear about running in Hawaii in December," she said.

Hopkins met her husband on a running website. He is a platoon leader for the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. Hopkins loved her time in the Air Force reserves, but decided to go inactive to be a mom first. Her personal connection to the military is very important to her. On Hopkins' blog there is a section dedicated to fallen military members.

"With my brother, (local running group) wear blue: run to remember, and even my husband's career; I can't imagine not doing something with the military," she said. "It's such a big part of my life that has brought me nothing but good."

Hopkins hopes to become more educated in running so she can become a certified coach. She would love to work with military spouses to coach running for weight loss, increased speed or just for mental wellbeing. Often times Hopkins runs while pushing 2-year-old Kara in her stroller. The active toddler runs around the house, climbs up in her stroller and asks, "Mommy, want to go running?"

Kara seems to ask when Hopkins is not in the mood to go out, but Kara proves to be motivation. Hopkins responds, "No, but I will since you're (personal trainer) Jillian Michaels now."

"Running is definitely a defining factor in my life and I hope to continue to do it for as long as my body and doctors allow me," she said.