SHORT VERSION:

Well hello there! My name is Stacy and welcome to my little corner of the world! Based in New Hampshire, I have currently completed 14 marathons, 24 half-marathons, 1 x 50 miler, 1 x 50km, and hope to one day run a marathon in each state (I'm at 10 states thus far)! I am a NICU Registered Nurse (graduated in an Accelerated Bachelors of Nursing Program in 2020) that followed a very non-traditional path to becoming one and a Certified Lactation Counselor. I live with my husband (married in June 2020), Alex, our identical twin girls (Charlotte & Isabelle), our pup Sadie, and our Manx kitty Maple. I think that laughter is the best quality of our relationship and he is the best running cheerleader and supporter a girl could ask for. 

I started blogging as a way to keep my training in-check and motivate myself, along with maybe inspiring someone else to dream big. I continue to keep blogging because of the amazing community of runners I've met along the way! 

I've currently cut over an hour off of my marathon time and over 50 minutes off of my half marathon time, but I know I have more left to accomplish. I want to qualify (and RUN) the Boston Marathon and hope to one day obtain an Olympic Trails Qualifier time for the marathon distance. 

Running has given me so much more than increased fitness, it's provided me with confidence, ability to combat depression/ cope with the loss of loved ones & my parents divorce, goals to strive for, friends who I could count on, and a training schedule. 

12 Facts About Me:

• I love to cook and eat healthy, but my last meal on earth would probably be Macaroni & Cheese or pizza. #carbcity Oh, with a side of sour candy ; )

• My favorite time of day is between 7 & 8am. Even on the weekends, I'm most likely already awake and enjoying my first cup of coffee.

• I'm typically very shy, until I get to know someone and then my sarcasm/ wittiness becomes relentless (you've been warned...).

• I've watched every episode of Gilmore Girls at least 30 times and I love it more every time.

• I love all types of music and often can switch from listening to Eminem to Adele to Brooks & Dunn to The Beatles to The Rolling Stones to Bob Marley to Disney Movie Classic Hits to Modest Mouse to Celine Dion to Justin Timberlake to Dave Matthews Band to Steve Miller Band all in the same day.

• If I were to want to grab coffee with one person it would probably have to be with Michelle Obama, Oprah, and Reese Witherspoon. I couldn't choose just one because they are all equally amazing and such great role models.

• My ideal daily wardrobe would probably be a sports bra (regular bras = so uncomfortable), t-shirt, and athletic leggings. Yes, very typical athleisure style and I don't care. Or maybe scrubs because they are so comfortable.

• I'm always cold and not really sure why I love winter so much.

• I’m not a fan of Pumpkin Flavored things.

• I love owls and elephants. Someday, I'd love to go somewhere and ride an elephant. #goals

• My favorite National Park is Yosemite with a side of Yellowstone.

• I love adventures and exploring new places. I'd rather have a small house and spend my money on experiences rather than materialistic things.

READ ON FOR THE LONG VERSION:

I grew up in a small rural town in Maine and am slightly-obsessed with most New England-related things. I went to Syracuse University (hellllooo Upstate New York never-ending winters) for undergrad as a Health & Exercise Science major (so I guess you could say I like being fit & active) and received my MBA from New England College specializing in Sports & Recreation Management. I recently graduated with my second Bachelors Degree in Nursing, work on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and hope to one day go on for an advanced Nursing degree. I love to plan, organize, slightly obsessed with training schedules, and really enjoy projects that require creativity. 

So, how did I go from skipping out on freshman high school cross-country runs (and getting ice cream...sorry mom & dad) to training for and running marathons? Well, I was a competitive figure skater growing up and competed in both individual and synchronized skating in college and really thrived on a training regimen (after all, it was all that I really knew since the age of 8).

When I tore my meniscus while skating in college, I took up running to get back into shape after surgery and had a friend who was training for a half-marathon. I thought she was CRAZY. I had trouble finishing a 5k in under 30 minutes in High School and HATED every second of it, but it did seem like a really great way for me to get back into shape.

So fast-forward a few years, I finished my first half marathon in Upstate New York (September 2011) and didn't hate it- we didn't get any medals afterwards and the t-shirts were pretty terrible, but training for the race gave me a regimen and I was more fit then I had ever been. Years later and here we are! I'm never going to be the fastest, but every race I hope to have gained something from that particular training cycle and most importantly- have FUN!

Running has brought more strength training into my life (and continues to keep me injury-free) and a love for cooking healthy foods! I hope to share my love of healthy recipes, current work outs, and favorite training items with you! I found that running helped me cope with my IBS (diagnosed in 2006) and haven't had too many symptoms since I've started running marathons. I also found that I become much speedier when I was diagnosed as anemic in March 2017. It took most of the rest of the year before I was able to get my iron levels back in normal range (I guessed that I had been anemic for at least 5-6 years before being diagnosed).

I also love to hike and camp as much as possible come summertime (with my bae, Alex), as well as explore our National Parks, test-out fun wineries, grow (and keep alive) as many plants as I can, and ski the powder as much as possible come winter! We got engaged in September 2018 and I blog all about our Engagement story here!

We got married amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic in June 2020 and while none of our ‘big plans’ to get hitched came true (even my Flower Shop dropped the ball the morning of our Wedding), it was perfect. I blog about our Wedding here.

We welcomed our twins 5 weeks early in December 2021 via cesarean section and I lost my father when I was 30 weeks pregnant (I blog about grieving while pregnant here). Since coming back from pregnancy, I have shaved over 25 minutes off my marathon time, 2 minutes off my half marathon time, and PR’d in EVERY distance. I believe in strength and cross training, as well as walk/run methods to get back into running safely postpartum.

I hope you have enjoyed a brief synopsis of myself and hopefully my quirks and sarcasm won't scare you away!

xo,

Stacy

DISCLAIMER – Please remember that I am not an expert in running/physical fitness/ or nutrition. Do what is best for you and talk to your doctor or other professionals for advice specific to your body and needs. I love to share my personal experiences and what I've learned from my undergraduate studies in Health & Exercise Science! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

I have previously been a part of these AMAZING organizations:

• Brooks Run Happy Team 2020

• Honey Stinger Hive Athlete

• MS Run The US 2018 Segment #7 Relay Runner