I am often asked why I run so much. At this point for me it's not just for exercise it's a part of me I can't go without. It's my release, my vice and during my hardest life moments I turned to running to get me to the better version of me and where I am today. Running is a close second to my kids and they know Mom needs it!
I have always been an athlete but I wasn't always a runner. After my son was born about 11 years ago my girlfriend Sarah told me she signed us up for a 5k. At that point I just had two babies and was completely out of shape. I am grateful she forced me to train with her because I started to finally feel good and healthy again. I lost a ton of weight I was almost too thin at one point.
After that first 5k I became completely addicted. We signed up for tons of 5k's which led to tons of 10k's. I started to become pretty fast or what I thought was fast. My fastest 5k was 20 minutes and 40 minutes for a 10k. They say that's fast for a girl! I was winning races and then I became bored with the short distances. Running 3-5 miles didn't seem to be enough so I signed up and ran my first half marathon. I actually felt like death when I ran that half because at that point I didn't know how to eat and hydrate properly. That's the thing with distance running if you don't have a proper diet plan and good hydration it can kill your body. With advice from my brother who is an Iron Man I learned how to run distance the right way. At that point some friends talked me into training for a marathon. I signed up with Griffin's Friends an amazing charity organization for kids with cancer. I ran for the coolest 16 year old cancer survivor Kyle who I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. I can tell you crossing the Boston marathon finish line that day was one of the top 10 moments in my life. The adrenaline topped with people screaming for you the entire 26.2 miles made me feel like a complete rock star. My first marathon that day was just minutes over 4 hours so I didn't meet my goal that day. One thing about Malo's when we set goals there is no stopping us. I ran my second Boston marathon trying to get under 4 hours but again the weather wasn't on my side. It was a hot 95 and muggy that day so my only goal was to cross the finish line without passing out. It wasn't until my third marathon in Hartford, CT that I finally made my PR and ran well under 4 hours and that day I could have kept running. Everything that day went right even the 5 year old Girl Scout that threw me a peanut butter cup at mile 20. She was an angel and my girlfriend Kate's Dad who they called Coach and who recently had passed away always told us peanut butter cups help you finish marathons!
Through today I have ran 4 marathons and I believe I have 1 more in me at some point. I have run thousands of miles heck I run just about every day. I guess running is just a part of me now. And my running partner and niece Julia she says it depends on my mood how fast I will go that day. You can follow my runs on instagram or become my Nike friend with the running app on your phone.
To all women out there running you are all my inspiration...Keep Moving Forward and Keep Running!
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