I started this site because I love to write and I love to run. My name is Danica and I fall in the category of “twenty something”. I fell in love with running when I joined my junior high cross-country team back in 1999, but I also ran track, played soccer and ran cross country in high school. Since “coming back to racing” in October of 2008 I have ran many different distances of races. I love the challenge of the half marathon and the marathon, and little 5ks — not so much a fan of the 10k though. I ran my first marathon in May of 2009, and it wasn’t a good race to put it gently. I finally had the most perfect race that I dreamed of at the Long Beach Marathon in October, you can read about it here. It was, by far, one of the best days of my life, and it made me believe in second chances.
A lot of things have shaped me to the person I am today. I went to a small private college and graduated with a Bachelors in Communications and a minor in Creative Writing. One of the biggest changes that I’ve been through was that I lost my mom my Junior year of college. When she passed away, I stopped running altogether. I don’t exactly know why, but I couldn’t run anymore. I felt like I couldn’t do anything that made me happy when she was alive, because it just wasn’t the same. When I coached a small high school cross-country program at one of the first meets I attended, I cried at the start of the race. That was really shocking to me and it was then that I realized how much I loved running and how I missed it.
When I was running consistently again, things began to fall back into place. Now I like to run in races when I can, whether it is racing or just for fun. I love exercising and working out, and all things related to running and fitness. One saying I remind myself of often is, “Live What You Love.” That is exactly how I want to live my life, doing things I love.
After graduating from college, I changed in a lot of ways. I have learned so much about myself as a person and what is important to me. I live in Southern California, the same city that Snoop Dogg hails from, where the weather is wonderful and the running paths are usually flat and along the ocean. I live with one of my best friends from middle and high school in a character filled apartment we’ve lovingly nicknamed, “The Cave.” I love watching all different sports and I’m a big Angels fan. I work for by Run Racing doing marketing, social media and event management. It’s a crazy busy job, but I love it and being able to talk about running all the time is pretty amazing.
Since getting back into the running world, it has become a passion of mine and I love to share life stories, running stories and pictures on my blog. I know not everyone will agree with everything I post on my blog, but it’s my place online to share what I want, and I’m grateful for that. I have met countless people through my blog who are so encouraging and inspiring to me and I hope that whomever comes across my blog enjoys whatever they may find. In high school, I was much faster than I am today, but throughout my life experiences, related to running or not, I have come to realize it’s not about the time or your place in the race, but the journey it takes you to get to that finish line.
