Welcome!

The part every blogger, (or is it just me?), dreads....

The first post.

Do you do an intro? Jump right into a race re-cap? Share a favorite recipe? Or just do an awkward random post to get things going? For me, it'll probably end up being the latter. :)

I guess for starters, the reason I started this blog is to share my passion for all things fitness related! Mind you, I didn't always love living the fit life, oh, no........

I remember my sister and I hauling ourselves out of bed early in the cold dark winter mornings to go running. We would don our gloves, jackets, ear warmers, and ipods and go for a 1 mile run. I say run, but really it was mostly walking, with some running sprinkled in there. Haha.

This would last for a day, or three, and then I would lose motivation and decide I'd much rather be in my warm, soft bed.

Running was for runners.......and I wasn't a runner.

We would find workouts on Pinterest and do them together in the shop. Man, I remember them being super tough! Then we would be super hungry afterwards so we would come in and proceed to eat just about everything in site......and they weren't always the wisest choices. 

We talked about doing a Tough Mudder, or a Spartan together, but always ended up saying, "But we're not "fit" enough for that." "There's no way we could finish one."

This hit and miss workout routine lasted for months for me. I just didn't enjoy it.

I don't remember the exact date that it changed, but I remember I had tried and tried to do just one push up. I started with negative push ups, but every time I lowered myself down I would fall on my face trying to get back up. Yeah, it was frustrating.

Then one day, I decided to try again, and guess what? Yes, I got my very first push up. And that was the day that I fell in love with the feeling of being stronger than I was before, and knew that if I put my mind to it, I could do much more than I thought.

Fast forward two years to present day......

I have come a long way in my fitness journey, (I know that sounds so cliche....)

I've lost 30 lbs, gained back almost 20 in mostly muscle mass, Can run a 7-8 minute mile, and can deadlift more than my body weight. My chin ups/ pull ups are getting a tiny bit better, burpees are my best friend (NOT!), and my front squat, and bench press numbers are going up.

I've completed two Battlefrog Obstacle course races, two Spartan Sprints, and I'm training for a Spartan Beast (12-15 miles) in October, and a Super (8-10 miles) in November.

My point in saying all this is not to brag on what all I can do. I'm definitely not the strongest or fastest out there, but with a lot of hard work, early morning and late night training sessions, sore muscles, protein pancakes, more hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, I've come a long, long way from where I was. 

I find ways to squeeze in a workout when I'm short on time, I plan my meals in advance, and try to keep them healthy, because I know that's when I feel my best. I eat a lot. I drink tons of water. I find ways to keep fitness fun. 

My workouts are more than just "workouts" to me. They've taught me diligence, self-control, perseverance, discipline, and that you have to work for what you want in life.

So, with that being said, I look forward to sharing my workouts, good eats, and race experiences with any of you who care to join me here. If you have questions, post ideas, or anything you want to say in general, do not hesitate to leave a comment!