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597 Posts
<ul><li><b>Why do you run?</b> I’ve been running since the 7th grade (thanks Cynthia Bayarena!) and it started as a way to get out of the house and just “be”. My parents are both alcoholics and did not divorce until my last year of high school, so I needed a lot of time to be out of the house without being questioned. Now, I run because it keeps me sane, it keeps me grounded and it gets me out of the house without being questioned-ha!</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is your greatest accomplishment?</b> Being able to finish what I start. I had a real rocky time in college-I had no family support and I was in another town very alone. I had a boyfriend from my hometown there, but when he broke up with me, I moved home. I kept going back to school here and there, but just couldn’t finish. I had several setbacks in a row and thought I was going to drop out of school again, but luckily began seeing a therapist through the school-I didn’t even know that was an option-and little by little began seeing small goals accomplished. I had always wanted to run a marathon, so I started training and completed that-even though some heavy stuff happened in my personal life, I kept on and once I did that, I knew that I could finish school. I completed my first marathon in 2002 and I graduated in 2003 with honors from Southwest Texas State University. I don’t think I would have graduated if I hadn’t finished that first marathon attempt.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is your motto/theme song?</b> “Do what you do best; If you’re a runner, run; if you’re a bell, ring” Ignas Bernstein I cut that quote out of a lady’s magazine years and years ago and it still hangs on my refrigerator today. This quote has really helped me remember who I am. I am a runner. I got really sick in 1994-I woke up with a migraine and blind in my right eye. A total shock-I spent 3 days in the hospital and was able to get my sight back. I was diagnosed with optic neuritis-at the time they called it a precursor to Multiple Sclerosis-but didn’t diagnose me with MS at the time. I was really sick for 2 mos-I had these screaming migraines and the doctor who treated me for the optic neuritis said he didn’t know what was wrong with me-basically he got my sight back and his job was done. I saw 2 or 3 neurologists and no one knew what was wrong with me. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t even ride in a car-it was awful. I knew I had to get better, so I started walking. The first day, I made it down the steps of my apartment and back; the next day I walked I made it to the end of my parking lot. The day I walked half of my usual running route I knew I was going to get better. I did eventually get diagnosed with MS in 2002 when I lost the use of my right side and was going to have to start using a cane. I found an MS specialist-got on some MS meds and KEPT WALKING. Eventually I was back to running and able to run that marathon (2 now under my belt and the Danskin tri) regardless of the illness. <b>I HAVE MS, it doesn’t have me</b>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>How do you deal with bad runs?</b> I don’t. Of course I have bad runs but there are worse things than that. I just try again tomorrow.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Do you reward yourself for good runs</b>? <b>How?</b> TEX-MEX, baby! Margaritas and migas or Curra’s flautas! I live in Austin, Texas so after all my races-especially the marathons, it’s the only thing I want!</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Who do you admire most</b>? My grandmother, Virginia. Her husband died on the day before Christmas Eve of a heart attack at the age of 45. She had 3 little babies at home and did what she had to do to make it work. She got a job and enlisted the help of her parents and kept it together. I’m not saying she didn’t make some mistakes, but she lost her husband and her best friend and she was never bitter. Everyone called her ‘grandma’. She was the only person in my family that I could really talk to. She understood me and was always there for me. I get my strength and my determination from her. She passed away in September, right before we were telling the family that we were expecting our first baby. We are naming our baby girl after her.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is the greatest advice you have ever received</b>? My husband always says “It will all work out” and you know what? He’s right. I am a worrywart, but I always go back to this quote. It may not be what you are expecting, but it ALWAYS works out</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wish you had learned younger</b>? That it’s not my fault. Back to my parents-I always felt responsible for them and their behavior and harbored that for a long long time. That carried over into my adulthood and really held me back from a lot of things. I wish I had learned that it’s not my fault.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wish you could do, but can’t</b>. I wish I were more artistic. I did go to architecture school for 4 years and can sketch, but I wish I could put in art or in words what I think and feel.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>How would your friends describe your personality</b>? Fun, crazy, silly, extroverted. The funny thing is, and I’ve read this on the others POTD’s. I’m really shy. One of my last jobs was that of a corporate trainer and all my friends thought it was the perfect job for me. The thing was, I really didn’t like it. I hated getting up in front of a group of people I didn’t know. But, the cool thing is, I don’t have a problem being in front of people I DO know, so I’d just get to know them as fast as I could.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wear running</b>? <b>Favorite outfit?</b> I’ve recently discovered the running skirts. I LOVE THEM!</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What has been your favorite race</b>? My first Motorola Marathon in 2002. It came after many months of getting my sh*t together and was almost sidelined when one of my closest friend’s little girl passed away a month before the run. But, I used it as strength not a weakness to run in Hannah’s memory. The other really cool thing about it was that my husband was so freaking supportive. That was AWESOME. He met me at the 13-mile mark (on his bike) and rode support for me until the end. I will never ever forget him looking at me with such pride or how grateful I am to have such a supportive husband.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Do you have a goal race right now</b>? Yup, the 2009 Austin Marathon. My baby is due in three weeks-right around the time of the 2008 mary, so I’m hoping within a year I’ll be back in shape and be able to run the ’09 race.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What makes you happy</b>? Being on the beach with my husband. Being anywhere with him, really, but I grew up on the beach and that just restores me.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Tell us one interesting thing about you that you haven’t said (at least not often) on this forum in the past?</b> I went to architecture school and dropped out 2 years before I finished back in 1986-1990 finally went back to school seriously in 1999 and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree from SWT. An Applied Arts and Science degree is a degree you earn based on classes you take for credit and 2 classes in which you draw upon your work experience to write a portfolio and to complete an internship. I earned 24 college credits based on my work experience and my concentration is in business management. It was a great experience.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Tell us one interesting thing about another user of this forum that has not been posted (at least not often) on this forum in the past (make sure the other person will not object to posting the info).</b> I am pretty new to this forum-migrated over from CR so I don’t have a lot of information on the peeps here-although I recognize many from CR. One thing I can say is that I finally conquered my eating disorder through the support of the Carbo Canteen and from some good advice I got way back in the day. (Callipy was one of the people who listed great information when I needed it)</li>
</ul><blockquote><p>So, here is where the shy kicks in. I live in Austin, I know there are others from this board here or close by and yet, I haven’t reached out. One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to not be so shy and be more outgoing. As soon as the baby gets here and I’m running again, I’d love to shout out to my fellow Austinites and perhaps forge some friendships outside of the cyber forum.</p></blockquote>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is your greatest accomplishment?</b> Being able to finish what I start. I had a real rocky time in college-I had no family support and I was in another town very alone. I had a boyfriend from my hometown there, but when he broke up with me, I moved home. I kept going back to school here and there, but just couldn’t finish. I had several setbacks in a row and thought I was going to drop out of school again, but luckily began seeing a therapist through the school-I didn’t even know that was an option-and little by little began seeing small goals accomplished. I had always wanted to run a marathon, so I started training and completed that-even though some heavy stuff happened in my personal life, I kept on and once I did that, I knew that I could finish school. I completed my first marathon in 2002 and I graduated in 2003 with honors from Southwest Texas State University. I don’t think I would have graduated if I hadn’t finished that first marathon attempt.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is your motto/theme song?</b> “Do what you do best; If you’re a runner, run; if you’re a bell, ring” Ignas Bernstein I cut that quote out of a lady’s magazine years and years ago and it still hangs on my refrigerator today. This quote has really helped me remember who I am. I am a runner. I got really sick in 1994-I woke up with a migraine and blind in my right eye. A total shock-I spent 3 days in the hospital and was able to get my sight back. I was diagnosed with optic neuritis-at the time they called it a precursor to Multiple Sclerosis-but didn’t diagnose me with MS at the time. I was really sick for 2 mos-I had these screaming migraines and the doctor who treated me for the optic neuritis said he didn’t know what was wrong with me-basically he got my sight back and his job was done. I saw 2 or 3 neurologists and no one knew what was wrong with me. I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t work, I couldn’t even ride in a car-it was awful. I knew I had to get better, so I started walking. The first day, I made it down the steps of my apartment and back; the next day I walked I made it to the end of my parking lot. The day I walked half of my usual running route I knew I was going to get better. I did eventually get diagnosed with MS in 2002 when I lost the use of my right side and was going to have to start using a cane. I found an MS specialist-got on some MS meds and KEPT WALKING. Eventually I was back to running and able to run that marathon (2 now under my belt and the Danskin tri) regardless of the illness. <b>I HAVE MS, it doesn’t have me</b>.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>How do you deal with bad runs?</b> I don’t. Of course I have bad runs but there are worse things than that. I just try again tomorrow.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Do you reward yourself for good runs</b>? <b>How?</b> TEX-MEX, baby! Margaritas and migas or Curra’s flautas! I live in Austin, Texas so after all my races-especially the marathons, it’s the only thing I want!</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Who do you admire most</b>? My grandmother, Virginia. Her husband died on the day before Christmas Eve of a heart attack at the age of 45. She had 3 little babies at home and did what she had to do to make it work. She got a job and enlisted the help of her parents and kept it together. I’m not saying she didn’t make some mistakes, but she lost her husband and her best friend and she was never bitter. Everyone called her ‘grandma’. She was the only person in my family that I could really talk to. She understood me and was always there for me. I get my strength and my determination from her. She passed away in September, right before we were telling the family that we were expecting our first baby. We are naming our baby girl after her.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What is the greatest advice you have ever received</b>? My husband always says “It will all work out” and you know what? He’s right. I am a worrywart, but I always go back to this quote. It may not be what you are expecting, but it ALWAYS works out</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wish you had learned younger</b>? That it’s not my fault. Back to my parents-I always felt responsible for them and their behavior and harbored that for a long long time. That carried over into my adulthood and really held me back from a lot of things. I wish I had learned that it’s not my fault.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wish you could do, but can’t</b>. I wish I were more artistic. I did go to architecture school for 4 years and can sketch, but I wish I could put in art or in words what I think and feel.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>How would your friends describe your personality</b>? Fun, crazy, silly, extroverted. The funny thing is, and I’ve read this on the others POTD’s. I’m really shy. One of my last jobs was that of a corporate trainer and all my friends thought it was the perfect job for me. The thing was, I really didn’t like it. I hated getting up in front of a group of people I didn’t know. But, the cool thing is, I don’t have a problem being in front of people I DO know, so I’d just get to know them as fast as I could.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What do you wear running</b>? <b>Favorite outfit?</b> I’ve recently discovered the running skirts. I LOVE THEM!</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What has been your favorite race</b>? My first Motorola Marathon in 2002. It came after many months of getting my sh*t together and was almost sidelined when one of my closest friend’s little girl passed away a month before the run. But, I used it as strength not a weakness to run in Hannah’s memory. The other really cool thing about it was that my husband was so freaking supportive. That was AWESOME. He met me at the 13-mile mark (on his bike) and rode support for me until the end. I will never ever forget him looking at me with such pride or how grateful I am to have such a supportive husband.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Do you have a goal race right now</b>? Yup, the 2009 Austin Marathon. My baby is due in three weeks-right around the time of the 2008 mary, so I’m hoping within a year I’ll be back in shape and be able to run the ’09 race.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>What makes you happy</b>? Being on the beach with my husband. Being anywhere with him, really, but I grew up on the beach and that just restores me.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Tell us one interesting thing about you that you haven’t said (at least not often) on this forum in the past?</b> I went to architecture school and dropped out 2 years before I finished back in 1986-1990 finally went back to school seriously in 1999 and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences Degree from SWT. An Applied Arts and Science degree is a degree you earn based on classes you take for credit and 2 classes in which you draw upon your work experience to write a portfolio and to complete an internship. I earned 24 college credits based on my work experience and my concentration is in business management. It was a great experience.</li>
</ul><ul><li><b>Tell us one interesting thing about another user of this forum that has not been posted (at least not often) on this forum in the past (make sure the other person will not object to posting the info).</b> I am pretty new to this forum-migrated over from CR so I don’t have a lot of information on the peeps here-although I recognize many from CR. One thing I can say is that I finally conquered my eating disorder through the support of the Carbo Canteen and from some good advice I got way back in the day. (Callipy was one of the people who listed great information when I needed it)</li>
</ul><blockquote><p>So, here is where the shy kicks in. I live in Austin, I know there are others from this board here or close by and yet, I haven’t reached out. One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to not be so shy and be more outgoing. As soon as the baby gets here and I’m running again, I’d love to shout out to my fellow Austinites and perhaps forge some friendships outside of the cyber forum.</p></blockquote>
