About Me

I’ve always felt I was a conglomerate of possibly dozens of different people, put into a blender, and emerged whole as one that never fit a singular category. Whether I believe it or not… I’m an athlete. A video game nerd. A bookworm. A budding chef. An ink enthusiast. A traveler. A lover of all things kawaii. A celiac. An animal-lover. A Marathon Maniac. But most of all, I am a dedicated wife, and could not endure half of my challenges without my husband by my side.

My drive is running, and I am addicted to distance. I’m not especially fast, but I love the comradery of running as well as basking in the solitude of running. I want to see the great states of our nation on foot, and slowly but surely I am making my way across the U.S. and earning a medal one at a time. Some locales have been far more exciting than others, but I am finding that the smaller the race field, the happier I am, so you won’t find me running the big city races like NYC, Chicago or Los Angeles. I look for the hidden gems and relish in the solitary miles rather than the sweaty mass of humanity crushing me from all sides for the first 8 miles.

I also have celiac disease. Celiac is an auto-immune disease that affects 1% of the U.S. population, in which, in simple terms, my body sustains damage when I ingest gluten, which can be found in wheat, malt and barley, which are huge staples of the American diet. So many people ask how I eat, how I train without pasta and bread, how I travel and safely eat gluten-free. It can be especially difficult when so many products labeled as “gluten-free” could still have cross-contamination issues from manufacturing. This is one of the main reasons I am starting this blog, so I can help educate those who need a little guidance as to where to go, what places I have found in my travels to be a safe haven from gluten, and how to best carbo-load when having to adhere to a gluten-free diet.

I’m also just someone who sort of goes against the flow. In the words of the snarky goth kids on South Park, I’m simply a non-confirmist. I’m comfortable in my skin, happy being me, even if it’s not considered the norm at first glance. I’m heavily inked and keep adding to it. But guess what though…? Get to know me, and I’m actually a pretty nice person. And believe it or not, I go against every stereotype that the haters out there spew: I do have a good job. I don’t live in a trailer park. I don’t have a junk car parked on my front lawn. And no, there’s a treadmill in my basement, not a meth lab. Better get used to it!

I hope you can enjoy my musings, which I hope are full of laughter, inspiration and fun. There will definitely be tears and pain along the way, but it’s all part of what I consider life’s journey. Perhaps this is why I love marathons: you truly have to work hard to earn the reward. They are never easy. And yet I find myself coming back to them again and again.

I hope you return to read about my adventures as they unfold!