About Me

How my running began.

I was a sprinter in middle school high school. My specialty was the 100m dash, and my longest race was the 400. I would look at my fellow teammates that ran the...gulp...1600m or 3200m in awe. How could they possibly run that far, and enjoy it. They're crazy I thought. I knew I loved running back then, but it was the speed and racing that I loved most.
After high school, I dabbled with running a few times, ie: I would run 1 or 2 miles...a year!

However, in 2009, some friends asked me if I wanted to join their Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Team (RTO). The RTO, it is a 178mi relay race split between 12 people on one team. It begins in the morning, and continues through the night until the next day. It sounded interesting and challenging, so I joined their team and ran. I absolutely loved it and I continued to run the race for the next 3 years. No training (really, who trains, right?), just show up and run. That "show up and run" plan was not working out for me too well. The day after the race was always torturous. My legs were as stiff as a board, my everything ached. Finally, I thought to myself, "huh, I wonder what would happen if I ran a bit before the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey...consistently". I stumbled across NYC Running Mama one day in early 2013 while surfing the web, and I was truly inspired by her writings.  She ran through all of her pregnancies, and is truly a great runner. I found other female runners to stalk follow online, and this lit a fire right up under me! Suddenly I wanted to be one of these incredible women, one of these...runners.

My team signed up for our 4th Reno-Tahoe Odyssey in 2013, and I decided this will be the year, I run the RTO and not let in run me.I found a plan on one of my phones apps that was designed to help you run a 10k in under 60 minutes. It sounded good to me. I was true to the plan and followed it to a tee. Just for fun, 1 month into my training, I signed up for my first official solo race. It was a 5k called the Leprechaun Chase. I had no idea what I was doing and I definitely was not fast, but I felt the thrill of racing again (something I had missed since high school). Honestly, I haven't looked back since. Running has become a big part of my identity and I have met so many amazing people and I honestly feel as though I have discovered a lot about myself. I hope to call myself a runner for many, many years to come!

The Blog.

I was so truly inspired by other running blogs I've found on the internet, I decided I wanted to write down my training and race reports so I can remember them when I am an I'm an older lady reminiscing about the good ol' days. The first blog I created was called RUNderfulChick. I updated that for about a year, but then I realized that blog just felt a little immature to me. I spent most of the time complaining. That is definitely not what I am trying to accomplish here. So I renamed and redesigned the blog. I plan on this one being a lot more positive, and actually sharing my experiences as a runner.  I am definitely no running connoisseur, and I don't pretend to be one on the internet, but follow me as I discover this thing called running!


Life outside of running (is there a life outside of running?).

I'm a 20 something crap, I'm a 30 something (although many are surprised that I'm older than 25). I am currently living in Reno, NV. I have lived in the Reno area for about 18 years. I work as a human resources generalist for the local cable company (I get free HBO!!!). I got married in June of 2010 to an incredible man named Max. We don't have any children yet, but we do have an awesome dog named Casper. I am currently trying to whip him into running shape!

Wedding day!

Awe, Casper as a puppy!

I love photo booths!