Now, if you've decided to journey along with me, here's a little bit of background as to why we're here... 

Movement has always been an integral part of my life, thanks to my parents. My mom, the wonderful and hard-working woman that she is, made it a mission to keep me and my brother as active and engaged with our surroundings as possible growing up. She gracefully juggled working full time with taking every possible opportunity to expose us to the Great Outdoors, ensuring that we would benefit from the alignment of our physical and mental development. My dad, an avid athlete and competitor himself, helped to spark our interest in team sports by motivating us to discover our potential through team-building and healthy competition. These lessons instilled in me a sense of both peace and power associated with movement that carry forth to this day.

Volleyball was my sport of choice growing up. Even though I was routinely the shortest player on the team, I enjoyed a productive and successful High-School volleyball career, where I was constantly pushed to my physical limits and surrounded by talented athletes. During college, I realized that staying fit didn't come as naturally as it did in High-School, that I actually had to make an effort to remain in-shape. So, I took up running very casually around the campus of Kansas State University. I found enjoyment in learning about my new environment through movement and exploration, and watching the seasons change before my eyes. 

My first job out of college was at a non-profit organization that served children and young adults who were under the jurisdiction of the Family Court System as a result of abuse and neglect, Jackson County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).  Without going into specifics, needless to say this was quite a challenging field to begin my professional career; albeit, very educational and rewarding at the same time. The COVID pandemic made a difficult position even more so, with it bringing isolation from my co-worker and community relationships that had been so essential. Throughout this time, I found that running restored a sense of internal peace despite what was going on in the world around me, as well as empowerment by getting back out into that world and learning not to be afraid of the unknown circumstances. 

In the Summer of 2020, I moved with my partner and childhood best friend to Huntington Beach, California. While I remained employed by Jackson County CASA as a remote worker, I navigated immersing myself into my new community while maintaining the responsibility I had to serve the children and families that I continued to work with back in Kansas City. Running was once again an effective method of not only learning about and from my new environment, but also finding peace in an unfamiliar world during a time when it seemed that chaos and uncertainty lingered all around me. Running in the sunshine along the Pacific Ocean was a constant source of power that instilled in me the understanding that it was up to me to make sense and success out of this new life that I now found myself living. 

After eventually leaving my position with Jackson County CASA, I pretty much did a career-180 and accepted a position with a local business based here in Southern California, A Snail's Pace Running Shop. This opportunity presented itself as the perfect way to enhance my efforts to not only make health and wellness a priority, but a lifestyle. It also opened up a pathway to align my personal values and behaviors with my new community to develop a mutually beneficial relationship. Fortunately, I came onto the organization at a time where a position in upper management was open, and I was offered a chance to contribute to the overall success and growth of the company as a whole. I have now held two positions within this long-standing organization for almost a year and a half- Assistant Manager and Accessory Buyer. I have gained endless knowledge about not only business trends and relationships, but about the world of running- which is much, much larger than I had any idea of before working in the industry. I've also had the opportunity to work alongside some incredible athletes who share a love of being outside in the California sunshine and pushing themselves to their physical limits in the endless pursuit of personal bests. 

The idea of running the Chicago Marathon came from a friend and previous co-worker at A Snail's Pace. Both of us having trained for and ran multiple local half-marathons together, she thought it would be exciting to train for one of the big ones. I thought, why not? When I started looking into the race, I learned of the Fundraising opportunities that were available, and quickly discovered that the local CASA was on the list of participating organizations. I figured it was a no-brainer: if I was going to do something as crazy as train to run 26.2 miles, why not make it mean something other than personal physical pain and suffering?! That brings us to where we are today...

I have committed to fundraising at least $1,750 for the CASA of River Valley team in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Of course, that's why I need your help, and if you've made it this far in my monologue, I thank you immensely! I'm not asking you to run 26.2 miles with me (you're welcome :) ), but I am asking for any financial contribution, large or small, that you're willing and able to make to support this effort on the behalf of a wonderful organization that means a lot to me. I'll be fundraising, training, and participating in smaller races from now until October, and post my progress along the way- that way my friends, family and followers have an idea if I'm going to reach both my running and fundraising goals with your support. Even if you are not able to contribute financially, sharing words of encouragement or even sharing this page with your friends and family could go a long way, and would mean more to me than I can convey. 

If you are unfamiliar with the CASA organization or are interested in other ways of supporting this cause, please visit the CASA of River Valley's website at: https://casaofrivervalley.org/

A note from CASA of River Valley: 

"Thank you for choosing to run with the CASA of River Valley team!  Your commitment provides CASA kids with hope and encouragement.  We rely on community support to fulfill our mission.  As little as $1,000 per child per year allows us to provide the advocacy services that will positively alter a child's future."

Thank you again for reading this and for considering to contribute to this effort. I look forward to working through and learning from this process, and appreciate each and every one of you for being there in your own way along the journey.