How did you start running?
I started running in my late 20’s at the OG Noda Brewery Run Club. Every Wednesday night we would show up and I started by running the 1 mile route. I was alone, because I had told my husband and our friends to go run the 3 mile course. I wasn’t able to run that far yet. I will never forget the feeling of running that single mile, and running up to the brewery that day, you would have thought I was finishing a marathon. Everyone was so excited for me. I slowly built to the 3 mile course, and eventually a long time later we attempted the 5 mile course.
In 2014, I ran a 5 mile race and then sat and cheered for all the half marathon finishers. I was so blown away by all the different athletes crossing the finish line - one man told me he was over 70 years old!
I had a new goal: I was determined that I could complete a half marathon. How I finally pulled the trigger on registration is a pretty awesome story. As I sat in a basement bar with Marty Smith, Steve Latarte and my husband Bobby, fueled by a couple beers and some pig headed confidence, I told them, “I’m going to run a half marathon.” They encouraged me to go for it. So I decided if I was going to run 13.1 miles, it needed to be in Disney World. I signed up for the RunDisney WDW Marathon Weekend Half Marathon and I raised money for AutismSpeaks to earn my charity bib. I trained my ass off. I worked to beat all the demons in my head that told me I wasn’t strong enough or fast enough or skilled enough or healthy enough to complete 13.1 miles. I mean hell, I hadn’t even run more than 5 and I didn’t have very long to train.
I made it to 10 miles on my plan and it was the weekend of the local Huntersville Half Marathon. A runner from the Lake Norman Moms/ She Runs This Town group had a bib she couldn’t use and asked if I wanted to transfer it to my name and run the race. My longest run was 9 miles, but I figured I could run the 10 miles and then leave the course if I got too worn out. I found a runner on the course at mile 1 that was utilizing an interval timer and a run/walk strategy. I followed along with her, and we chatted and the miles passed quickly. I didn’t leave the course at mile 10 that day. I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon and I was hooked on the Galloway Run Walk Run interval.
Around 4 weeks later, we were in Disney World for the RunDisney weekend. The half marathon takes you through the Magic Kingdom and down Main Street before heading back around through the castle. It is an incredible experience. Anyway… I proceeded to run a 10 mile or half marathon every month from December to May. That’s how it happens folks, you get racing and fall in love.
Moving on to marathons:
I ran my first marathon in January of 2017. That year, I completed the RunDisney Marathon Weekend Marathon, the Tobacco Road Marathon in March and the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I ran a lot of other races in 2017 too…
On July 4th, 2018 I won a trip to Hawaii to run the Kauai Marathon. I knew I had less than 60 days to train for a marathon that runs up a freaking mountain.
I made the plan and was able to build miles quickly by dramatically lowering my intensity. Using longer run walk intervals allowed me to slow my paces without changing my run speed. I was prepared to run more elevation in the first 7 miles then I had ever run before. I trained like a machine. I also had to mentally prepare. The race was small and after the half turn off, I knew I would be out there alone.
I read every article and watched every YouTube video about the race. I knew about the “Soul Crushing” elevation and how the half turned off at mile 11 and the marathon goes right and starts to climb. I didn’t have Bobby pulling me along as he had done in our other marathons, but I had an army of people blowing up my phone cheering me on. I also had a lot of time alone in my head.
The joy I felt during this race is unexplainable. Training for and running this race changed my life. It taught me more about determination, grit and dedication than any other race before. This is why I use the hibiscus flower in my logo.
As soon as I started running, I knew my favorite part was cheering others on. My passion for running is what fuels my business. I am so excited to have a platform to showcase my ability to help others, to lead and to coach. My goal is to encourage and help others flourish. To show those that may have felt like they were not good enough or strong enough or athletic enough to run a 10K or a half marathon or a marathon that they were athletes. And show them they were capable of things beyond their wildest expectations.