Hey friends!

My girl at CompletelyKristen asked me to do a guest post for her new series #MySweatLife.  Def check out her blog and give her a follow.

Hey Everyone!  My name is Hallie and this is my fitness journey.

I was always an active kid and could be found playing around the neighborhood.  I tried out everything from cheerleading to softball to basketball until I found running.  My freshmen year of High School I joined the Cross Country team and later that Spring I joined the Track team.  That's where I found my true passion for running, the 400m + 800m.  My Father and Grandfather ran track so it was in my blood.

Fast forward to college, running got away me.

It wasn't until 2012 when I witnessed my first Broad Street Run.  I was working in Center City Philadelphia at the time and was heading to work one Sunday morning.  I couldn't cross over Broad Street due to this race going on.  I did some research and discovered it is the biggest 10-miler in the country.  I knew I had to get in that race.

The following year, I entered the lottery and didn't get in.  But all wasn't lost.  I was still able to get in by raising money for the American Cancer Society.  That became my first long distance race.  Later that year, I completed my first Rock N Roll half marathon.

I caught the running bug and followed it up with races ranging from 5 miles to more Broad Street Runs to more half marathons in Philadelphia + Brooklyn to the Rocky Run + Hot Chocolate 15ks to my first Philadelphia Marathon in 2016 (Kristen was an awesome training buddy).

In 2017, I had to take a break from running due to some injuries.   But that is where I took my love for fitness to the next level by becoming a spin instructor.  I absolutely love being an instructor and finally feel that I have found my true passion.  After a few months of teaching spin, I began leading Group Fitness classes at the gym I work at.  Which then lead to becoming a Certified Personal Trainer.

Other than running I have dabbled in other formats (thanks to ClassPass) and met friends through Tone It Up (#notbasic).  I love attending yoga classes (led by Kristen of course), Pilates on the mega, and of course spin at Flywheel, Body Cycle, and Soul Cycle.

If you have any interest in becoming an instructor, I say get certified + it will the best thing you ever did.  Even if you never teach an actual class, you will learn a plethora of knowledge that will elevate your own practice + philosophy.

If you want to hear more, check me out at MarathonsAndMatcha.com.

This was super fun to share my store with Kristen's readers + hope you got a better understanding of my story.

Is having guest bloggers something that you be interested in seeing here?  LMK!

Until next time my fitness friends,

~Hallie