And so it begins.....

This is me:

This used to be me:

If you've found my blog then either you know me, or you are curious to see how this woman is going to become an Ironman! That's right...I won a social media contest sponsored by Training Peaks . (More on this later.)

How did I get to where I am now? Lots of running, better food choices, and some negatives I turned in to positives. This includes being out of full time employment for almost 2 years.

I have always been an athlete. I was a four year starter in lacrosse at Salisbury University and even still hold a college record. Really. 

However, I wasn't always fit. At my heaviest I weighed 207 pounds. I was refereeing women's lacrosse. I was playing tennis. I was eating crap.

I've told my story so many times as to how I got from before to after just incase we are just connecting, here is as succinct a version as I can generate:

When I lost my job in 2010 (I didn't fit the image of the organization) with a well known non-profit in Florida, I tucked my tail between my legs and returned to GA and moved in with my sister and her family.

Feeling pretty emotionally beat up, I decided to turn in my grown up card and return to graduate school full time.

This meant living off student loans and part time work. Classes, studying and then refereeing at night. This season I did NOT stop to pick up dinner on my way home after my games. I went home to my sister's house and ate leftovers. I was able to save $8-10 a day and I'm sure 300-400 calories. By packing my own food, eating at home, and refereeing 5 days a week; I quickly dropped 15-20lbs without realizing it.

Lacrosse season ended and I wanted to try and get rated to officiate higher level games (they pay more $$). With one month between the end of the season and the tournament, I knew I had to keep moving. I started 'running'. Friends and acquaintances came out of the woodwork offering to run with me. Despite my best efforts to convince them they didn't want to do that, they did anyway.

I was slow. I ran some. I walked some. I did it again. They never complained. And then....and then...one said, "I'm running the Silver Comet Half Marathon . Want to do it too?" My immediate response:

And then, I said yes. And that is how it all began...I've since completed 42+ events. 4 Marathons, a lot of Half Marathons, some 10Ks, some 5Ks, and 3 triathlons and most recently the Inaugural Dopey Challenge at Disney World.

I invite you to stick around and see what I can get myself into. I turn 40 in less than a week. I am single and dating, and I'm going to be an...