Road Runner Girl: Runner Spotlights #19

This weekend has been great! The grandparents took the boys for the weekend so me and my hubby have had the weekend all to ourselves! We've gone out to eat, went to the movies, and finished up Christmas shopping! It was awesome to just spend quality time together!!!

I can't believe Christmas is in 2 days!!! This holiday season has flown by!

Today it's time for another runner spotlight! If you'd like to be spotlighted please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com!

I am spotlighting Colleen from The Chocolate Mile today! This girl loves her chocolate and runs for dessert! Can't get any better than that! Keep reading to find out more about her!

Name: Colleen!

State: NY!

When and why did you start running?

I started running in October of 2011. Why? Because I was sick of being fat, sick of feeling gross, and sick of getting winded going up the stairs. It was time for a life change.

What is your favorite race and race distance?

I actually have not done too many races. I don’t know why, probably because my schedule is so unpredictable and I don’t like spending money. But I’ll say that the Buffalo Turkey Trot is my favorite, because it was my first, a lot of my family runs it, and there’s beer at the end.

My favorite distance is probably 11 miles, that’s usually right before I start being miserable. I can’t wait until 20 miles is my favorite distance though, or 30.

What is your race day routine?

Wake up, drink coffee, eat a piece of toast with peanut butter and raisins, drink some more coffee, pee a thousand times, and run.

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?

Right now, my Aspaeris pivot shorts, they’re fun to run in, and they make my butt look good.

I’m thinking about jumping into 2012, and getting a watch, that would be cool. I don’t run with any gadgets; so I feel like this will make me feel like I’m from the future.

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running?

I don’t believe in supplements, I know, people may hate me for saying that. I eat clean, I eat healthy (with a handful of candy mixed in). I make sure I get all of the nutrients I need from food- I like to eat, so that’s not a problem.

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?

That it isn’t easy. Like seriously, it’s not, everyone should get that idea out of their head. No one is going to jump off the couch, for the first time, and run 20 miles- or even one- and that’s what I thought would happen. Running takes time, motivation, and for me, a lot of coffee. I wish someone had told me to snap out of my crabby attitude and enjoy every moment that it took me to build up to that 1^st, 2^nd, 3rd, 10^th mile- and everything in between.

What is your fondest running memory?
Finishing my first race, it was only 5 miles, and I ran it slowly, but it was such an amazing accomplishment. My fondest memory came after the race, right after I crossed the finish line and my dad hugged me. Any daddy’s girl out there knows how awesome of a feeling that is. I didn’t just make myself proud, but other people too.

Or it was when I face planted in front of a crew of construction workers. Ya know; that was awesome too.

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?

I have a pig collection, and so does my boyfriend, it’s creepy. Our apartment is completely decked out in pigs- banks, posters, and collectables. We found out six months into dating each other that we both had these weird collections and when we moved in, neither of us could part with them, so now we just display our weirdness proudly.