I have always been active, an athlete, a runner and just over all busy.
I started my active lifestyle at a young age. I started playing softball when I was 4 and played year round until I was 12. During that time I also took up gymnastics, I was involved in Girl Scouts and active with my church. When I stopped playing softball, I picked up soccer, basketball, cheerleading and running in its place. In high school I played 4 varsity sports. Needless to say, my mom keep me busy and on the run all the time. I just became accustomed to a life on the go.
Now that I have a life and a family of my own, we are always on the run.
Our family dynamic is a little different and has been quite a journey to get to where we are today.
I unexpectedly became pregnant while in college and after Madilyn was born I married her dad. Two and a half years later, along came another little surprise, Audrey. However, two years after Audrey was born I separated and later divorced their dad.
So now that you know about our little family, let me tell you how we keep it on the run.
As I said earlier I was an active kid though my best sport was running. I started running in middle school. At first it was just something I did in PE for a grade, until a coach noticed that I was good. She got me connected with a competitive running team that had actual practices and ran in track and cross country meets all across the state. So I started running competitively at age 12 and traveled up and down the east coast and half way across the country to run in various regional and national competitions. I ran track and cross country for my middle school, high school and my first year of college. Like I said before, I got pregnant in college, so my colligate running career was halted. After my girls were born I just wasn’t into running. I probably didn’t lace up my running shoes for at least 6 years and it took its toll on me. 2 kids, a divorce and 50 pounds later I knew I had to do something. At my heaviest I weighed 195 lbs. which is more than what I weighed while I was pregnant. However, I wasn’t pregnant. So in February 2010 I made a decision to get the weight off. I started by just changing what I was eating and that helped, but I know I had to get moving if I wanted to really see a change in the number on the scale. The one exercise that I knew how to do and was good at was running. However, when I started back, I was not good. No where even close. Running was hard. Never had running been hard before, it had always come easy to me, but then again I had never been this out of shape. I signed up for a 5K that spring with my daughter’s school that would hold me accountable to keep at it. I finished that 5K, then another, and then another. Next thing I knew I was a runner again and 45 lbs lighter. In 2011 made a New Years resolution to run a half marathon sometime that year. On November 24, 2011 I finished the Atlanta Half Marathon in 2:09.
My new goal is to complete a Spartan Trifecta in 2013. I fell in love with Obstacle Course Races (OCR’s) after watching a promotional video for Spartan Race. I told my self that I could do that. But I was scared to do it alone and none of my friends were crazy enough to do it with me. So I’m off to conquer it by myself.
Here’s to being a Mom on the Run.
