Tell us a little about yourself (kids, married, job)?
SNQ: I will be married to my best friend, Nick, 13 years this May and have two beautiful children: Silas who is 10, and Kimber who is 5. We have two dogs – a chocolate lab, Chubbs, and a bloodhound, Boone. We love spending time outside and working on our property. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work at Georgia Farm Bureau for the last 13 years; as a program manager in the IT department, I manage multiple company-wide initiatives. We are a Christian family that calls New Providence Baptist Church in Smarr our home.
When and why did you start running?
SNQ: I started my running journey in January 2021. I was desperate to find an activity that would help me lose weight; I had tried several things since my last child was born in 2016 with no luck. I had never been a runner; I had a motto “if I’m running, something is chasing me!”. When I saw a post from my coach about a running opportunity, I reached out on a whim to get more information. Over a year later, we are still working together on my run journey.
What keeps you motivated to train?
SNQ: I stay motivated because, even though I haven’t lost weight, I know that the internal changes are good for me. I first started out by walking 30 minutes – not even running those first few months; now I can run for 6+ minutes without stopping. I feel good after a run, and I’m enjoying it.
What are your hobbies outside of running?
SNQ: I love to cook and read. I love to sit on the porch and watch the sunset in the evenings. I love spending time with family and watching our kids play in the yard.
What is your favorite place to run?
SNQ: I run on my road; it’s an old country road about 10 miles long, so I love to get out and see the neighbors and surrounding farmland.
What is your bucket list event?
SNQ: I honestly don’t have one. I really just want to continue to try and meet each exercise/goal that my coach sets for me. I’m not sure a bucket list event is something I’m striving for at this time in my journey… maybe in the future though.
What is the funniest thing to happen to you during a run?
SNQ: Probably the funniest moments are when my son joins me on my runs. It’s taken me many months to build up to my current time; Silas will outrun me like I’m sitting still and ask why I’m so slow!
What is your proudest running moment?
SNQ: My proudest moment was when I had been completing very small runs for almost a year. Seasoned runners would think that what I was doing was equivalent to a quick warm-up, but it took me the whole year to build up to a 3-minute run back in December. I didn’t think I could do it, but I was determined to complete the exercise. I couldn’t believe it when I did it… and I wasn’t winded like I thought I would be! I definitely felt the runner’s high when I called my coach right then to tell her that I had done it!