I'm a not-so-recent-anymore college grad, originally from the country in western MA, navigating my way through the "real world" in Boston. You can tell by the name of my little corner of the internet that I have a love of chocolate and running, but dabble in strong feelings for cooking, iced coffee, Sour Patch Kids, country music and Boston sports - namely the Bruins.
Chocolate.
I love it. I've loved it since before I can remember. My family even quotes me on the fact that when I was little and walked into my grandmother's house while she was baking something cocoa-infused I would say, "oh, chocolate".
I love dark chocolate, I love baking, and I love cooking. I'm far from a professional, I just love being in the kitchen and sharing my creations with others. I'm a big fan of clean eating, but you can count on me posting a wide range of recipes - butter included. This is the wannabe foodie part of my blog, complete with some probably not-so-great quality photos. I'd apologize, but I don't feel that bad now that I've warned you.
Pavement.
Unlike chocolate, I haven't loved it for very long. I guess you could consider me a newbie runner. I really didn't refer to myself as a runner until the fall of 2012, though the sport has been weaseling its way into my life for the past few years now.
I'm not a fast runner, nor would I consider myself a "natural". I have good runs and I have bad runs. I'm competitive. I'm my biggest critic and have a hard time accepting the "be proud you finished" mentality. For better or for worse, I set goals for myself, and I hate to see them slip away. Regardless, I'm proud of my accomplishments (see my race log here), and getting better at not comparing my best to the best of others.
On C&P you'll find posts about my workouts, races, goals and random running rambles. To read a more in-depth version of my running story, just look (or scroll) down.
I want to use this blog as a way to capture my adventures, whether they're on the road, in the kitchen or elsewhere. Welcome, and thanks for stopping by!
My Running Story.
I'm somewhat new to the running phenomenon. I didn't run cross country or track in high school and in fact honestly could not understand why anyone would at the time. I played basketball and field hockey and thought that any sport that didn't include a ball or puck was pointless. Nice, huh?
I started running in college as a way to stay in shape (read: help justify beer and crappy dining hall food). I liked it, but I was far from in love with it, loved me some plain cotton t-shirts and never flirted with distance. I limited myself to treadmill workouts and the idea of running outside actually intimidated me.
In the fall of 2009, one of my college roommates registered for a half marathon with Team Challenge, a training program that gives you the coaching and mentoring support you need to run a half marathon and raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). I tagged along with her as she trained, gradually increasing my mileage (and confidence), carving out routes around town and enjoying the sport more.
It wasn't until the spring of 2011 that I really got a taste of my own training regimen. I registered for the Team Challenge program myself, committing to training for the Virginia Wine Country half marathon and raising money for CCFA. The program, the people and the entire experience were incredible, and I accomplished more than I thought possible when I crossed the finish line of my first half having raised over $3,200 for a fantastic cause.
My first half set the foundation for a drive to train and love of running. I found myself enjoying setting goals, meeting them and pushing myself to improve even further. I ran two more half marathons within a year of VA, ultimately shaving nearly half an hour off of my first finish time. I started to play around with training plans and officially caught the running bug.
In August, 2012 I registered for my first full marathon and spent the next 16 weeks training and running more than I ever thought I was capable of. On November 18 I crossed the finish line of the Philadelphia Marathon and swore I'd never run again. The next day, despite my inability to walk like a normal human being, I was already planning how to adjust my training plan for the next 26.2 to be faster and stronger.
Today, I've run one full marathon, four half marathons and a number of shorter distance races (see a list here). Running has become a big part of my life and I love sharing it with others - whether that means writing about it, talking about it or convincing someone else to take the plunge and train for a race.
I'm far from a running expert, but I am discovering what works best for me in part due to the amazing community of runners I've found through social media and blogs. I started C&P as a way to document the things I'm passionate about and to better engage with people that share those interests.
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