Almost six years ago I moved from New York City to Orange County, California. From the moment I moved our here, I feel like I lost a part of who I am.

Who am I? Well right now I’m not who I was, and I’m definitely not the person I was meant to be. But as long as there is time on the clock, the game isn’t over. So…..I’ve decided to bring back some of my old habits: setting some scary goals for myself, waking up early and training hard daily, eating healthier and losing some of the needless weight I gained, and going to bed sore as hell yet smiling like the butcher’s dog nightly.

Some quick facts about me: I’m 53. Born and raised in City Island, which is a part of The Bronx, NY (so yes – if you ever hear my voice, the accent is 110% real). I completed my first marathon in 2005 (the ING New York City Marathon), with the goal of just crossing the finish line and placing my medal around my daughter’s neck…and telling her that nothing is impossible if you work hard enough. Mission accomplished.

The next few years saw me really developing as a long distance runner, running marathons in several states and finishing each one I started. I became involved in the New York Road Runners Team for Kids, raising money to help elementary school running programs and becoming a peer mentor to athletes that were new to longer distance running.

By 2012, I qualified for the Marathon Maniacs by running 3 marathons in a 23 day span (I know what you’re thinking: I’m nuts. Nope….my Mom had me tested.) This was a solid year for me, as I cranked out 12 marathons in 12 months to benefit The Dream Team Project. As I waddled into 2013, I felt like things were gaining momentum and I was ready for my next task: transitioning from distance running to triathlons.

In 2013, I completed my first triathlon in New York City. I absolutely LOVED it, but was not prepared for the full contact spectacle that was the swim start. I slowly began to educate myself in all things IRONMAN, while also training for my next insane challenge: running from San Francisco to Anaheim to raise money and awareness in the fight against Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) – the number one genetic killer of kids under the age of two in the world. I called it 500 Miles for SMA…and I only crossed the finish line due to the support of good friends. I completed this one in 2015, and I’ll look back and share some of the stories about that one as I go within this blog.

In 2017, I became a Certified IRONMAN Coach, and began volunteering to help aspiring athletes go from the starting gun to the finish line. Learning how to coach triathletes also mentally prepared me for my longer term goals: completing full distance IRONMAN races and earning a number at Kona. By the time 2017 was over, I had finished well over 40 marathons.

I continued to run through the beginning of 2018…and then I moved to the west coast. I was alone, I had just begun a new job, and had no friends to hang out with. Even though I felt like lived in the most beautiful spot in the world, my morale sunk. I became unfocused. I lost site of my goals as well as my passion for pursuing them. Work didn’t go well – it just wasn’t the right fit for me and I began to dread the day I made the call to move out here. In 2020, COVID happened and it further took away from charging after some serious finish lines.

Basically, I’ve been stuck in neutral for almost six years. WELL ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

2024 is going to be different. The Big Scary Goal (“BSG”) for me this year is IRONMAN California on October 27th. Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run 26.2 miles. I’m competing to raise money for the IRONMAN Foundation . I’m going to be racing all Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. I’m going to turn this thing around. I’m going to become the best possible version of myself. Period.

Get in the fast lane Grandma, ’cause the bingo game is ready to roll.