JQ's running journey

When you sign up for long distance races, you are also signing up for early Friday nights because of early Saturday morning long runs.  But, that's not a bad thing.  It's actually helped me become more disciplined in my eating and reduce the amount of alcohol I consume because yes, I like to have a drink on Friday's, Saturday's, Sunday's...don't judge me!  Run buddies or accountability partners are crucial in the process.  If one run buddy can't make it, another one can and will step in when needed.  Over the last few years, my girlfriends and I have made it work and we're all still in this together.   On this particular Saturday, my sole sister Khandi needed to get 14 miles in for an upcoming race we're all training for.  Timing was the issue and she wanted to run at 5:30am.  Why so early?  Only she knows.  Either way, I told her I could give her 8 miles to help her out because the other ladies were taking off at 7am.  Our ot...

In April 2008, I was not ready for another dog, but God had other plans for me.  I believe in fate and I know for a fact that Rico was meant to be mine for the 7 years we shared.  I just hope he knew how much I loved him... We rescued Rico from the shelter and that was one of the best gifts I ever received.  Rico was an awesome dog!  The 3rd dog I ever had and the best one by far.  He learned everything so quickly and was always so calm and loving.  He was approximately 6-8 months old when we brought him home so I never got to see him as a small puppy; I'm just grateful we got him when we did. Rico was a typical young dog with a whole lot of energy and when I began taking him for walks, he would always drag me.  That got annoying fast, so one day I decided to run (for a few seconds) and he absolutely loved the speed and so it began.  It was over the next few years that I thought about running as a hobby, but more so to distract me fro...

I usually begin every year by running the Shrimp n Grits 5K with my girlfriends; it became tradition.  However, in November I made the decision I would change it up and run the half marathon to begin 2019...Best decision ever! 2018 was a year of many changes for me.  I became a grandmother of twin boys on March 23rd and I also began working from home which in both cases was a huge adjustment for me.  Running was put on the back burner as I ventured into new territory.  It was a little challenging trying to find balance with  everything, but my focus truly was on my grandsons.  I wanted to ensure they were well taken care of and that my daughter had all the help she needed. I remember being a new mom and it was tough; can't imagine being a new mom to twins!  Either way, loads of love and laughter filled my heart in 2018, but I missed running.   In July, I joined Pivotal Fitness and began working out again. ...