My first post..a little about me!

I thought I'd start my first post with a little info about myself. I don't normally like to talk much about myself, so I guess it's kindof funny that I'm starting my own blog. But, I wanted an outlet to share my adventures with other runners, triathletes, and moms and I thought this would be a fun way to do it! So...here goes!

I consider myself to be a runner above anything else. For some reason I've always loved to run. It started in high school when I was part of a cross country team and my passion for it just continued from there. Even through college I continued to run, but it wasn't until 4 years ago that I really got into racing. That's when I had my first son and I needed something...some sort of goal...to get me motivated to lose the weight (40lbs..yikes!) that I gained with my pregnancy. I signed up for the my first half marathon and the Tri for The Cure sprint tri and started training. At first I was freaked out about how I would get all the training in, but it soon became a routine and something that

I actually looked forward to. Between work, being a wife, and being a mother, the time I spent working out was "my time" and it was great! After my first tri I was hooked, like so many other people become when they do their first tri, and I knew I wanted to make tris a part of my life.

Since that first tri a lot has changed. I had a second son and became a vegetarian. My father-n-law gave me a copy of "The China Study" and told me to read it. When I finished the book, my husband and I ate through the last of the meat products in our fridge/freezer and vowed to start eating healthier...not only for us, but for our sons too. Being a vegetarian was difficult at first, especially when we would go out to eat, but it has been a wonderful change. There are things that I miss, like yummy turkey sandwiches for lunch, but overall I don't really miss the meat. And, I don't miss that full feeling I would get after eating dinner, or the lack of energy I had. I love being a vegetarian and I think it has done wonders for my training. In fact, I just completed my first Half Ironman this past Semptember! Woohoo!

While the training was intense at times, it was all worth it when I crossed that finish line.

Now I'm somewhere in limbo, not really training for any big races (it's pretty snowy in Denver during the winter!), but trying to maintain my fitness for the next round of races! I'm thinking about attempting my first marathon with my sister this spring, but we'll see! :)