Hey There!!! Here's my Bio

I'm making a conscious effort in keeping up with my blog, and since I'm a few weeks into my training, I consider it appropriate to add to my blog.

I was asked by the lovely people from The San Francisco Marathon to write a bio for their page and boy did I get inspired!! (after a long writer's block and running with the deadline); of course it became sort of detailed (hehe) but I was proud of my ramblings that... I'm going to post it here on this side of cyber space! :)
Hope you (whomever you are -and I thank you for reading-) enjoy it! 

Hello There!

Thank you for reading.  My name is Daniela and I live in Denver, CO; where there’s sunshine 300 days per year, and the other 65, well, they’re just cold!

I started running in 2009 (so I still consider myself a semi-newbie at this). 

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis during the fall of 2008, and since that moment, my life changed drastically.  I had to quickly and severely change my diet and my overall habits to deal with this disease and keep it in remission as long as I could after treatment.  My yoga teacher was trying to cheer me up and take my mind out of the disease (and of course get the endorphins going with lots of exercise) so she trained me to run a 10K  (the Bolder Boulder 2009) as a group with other fellows at the yoga studio.  I was hesitant at first, and then I thought, what’s the worst that can happen? I walk the race? So I agreed and started training. Fast forward to crossing the finish line, and I was hooked.  The feeling of accomplishment was immense, and I was on top of the world (and afterwards, very sore too!).

I wanted to continue running, and I did.  I decided to run my first half marathon that same year and I started looking for races; it only took a few clicks to discover the San Francisco Marathon, and since San Francisco is my most favorite city in the US, it was a quick decision, so I signed up; and trained myself (poorly –hehe-) plus, a chance to run over the Golden Gate Bridge sealed the deal.

Since then, I have run now 3 marathons (The San Francisco Marathon, San Diego and Denver), 8 half marathons (1 of those includes a taste of trail running, completing the Bear Chase ½ marathon here in Colorado), a few 10Ks and of course, countless miles in between all of those races.

I’m a big fan of the running community, everyone is super supportive, and you get to meet people from all walks of life, and I must say, some of my dearest friends, I have met during our very long runs in the snowy springs.

I have run with Team In Training for 4 seasons; as a participant and as a team captain. TNT is a group that together with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, fundraises to find a cure for blood cancers.

Towards the end of 2011 I applied to become an ambassador for the San Francisco Marathon in 2012; since the race and the city hold a special place in my heart, and I was beyond ecstatic when I found out I was selected to represent them here in Colorado.   I’m blessed and humbled to be part of this wonderful team of people once again and represent them for the 2013 race.

I have already started training for next year’s races, and have my calendar already filling up. Here’s a list of the places and races I’ll be at, sporting my SFM colors.  If you see me, don’t hesitate to come and say hi, I love meeting my fellow runners!

2/10/13 Ralston Creek Half. Denver, CO

4/7/13 Platte River Half. Denver, CO

4/28/13 Big Sur Marathon. Carmel, CA

5/19/13 Colfax Half Marathon. Denver, CO

5/29/13 Bolder Boulder 10K. Boulder, CO.

6/9/13 IM Kansas 70.3 Relay (running portion). Lawrence, KS

6/16/13 The San Francisco Marathon. SF, CA

On a side note, when I’m not running, I work with bands doing live sound at concerts, and I also teach Yoga at a studio called Qi Yoga in Denver.  Always working to keep my life in balance.