We are so excited to be bringing you the “Shamrock Spotlight Series” on our blogs! The Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, 1/2 Marathon, 8k Races bring thousands of runners, of all ages, abilities and locations, to the Virginia Beach oceanfront every year! As J&A Racing Live Love Run Ambassadors, we decided we wanted to celebrate these races, J&A Racing, and our community by doing a series that highlights participants, both local and out of town, on their journey to this years’ races.
We were incredibly fortunate to get the response we did when asking for volunteers to be spotlighted, and are grateful for the opportunity to share their stories with you!
Kristy and Lesleyanne
SHAMROCK SPOTLIGHT SERIES: EMILY GARCIA
Age: 25
Current City: Virginia Beach, VA
Training for the Shamrock Half Marathon
“I am a Navy wife, mother to my beautiful 5 month old daughter, Elliott, and a runner. My husband is a pilot assigned to the George H W Bush and is set to leave on a 9 month deployment in about a week. I started running when my daughter was 6 weeks old to get back in shape and to inspire my daughter to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Two weeks later I ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k and haven’t stopped running since. I have really enjoyed getting involved with the running community. Calling myself a “runner” still sounds a bit weird to me considering before my pregnancy I could barely run a mile. But running a marathon has always been a dream for me and I’ve devised a plan to get there. I recently started a blog (http://www.racingthroughdeployment.com) to chronicle my journey to the Marine Corps Marathon in October as well as my husband’s homecoming in November. I will be running one race for every month my husband is out to sea in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon. It also doesn’t hurt that all that running will keep me plenty busy while my husband is away (not that I’m not already busy enough with my adorable monster Elliott.) The Shamrock Half Marathon will be race number 1 out of 9 for me and I couldn’t be more excited to get this “marathon” of marathons started!”
Why you are running a Shamrock race in 2014? I am running Shamrock as part of a series of races while my husband is out to sea.
When did you start running? I started seriously running when my daughter was 6 weeks old and haven’t stopped running since!
How many races have you done and what’s your favorite? I have run 3 races. The Race for the Cure 5k, the Wicked 10k and the Surf’n’Santa 10 Miler. My favorite was the Surf’n’Santa because it was the first race I ran completely alone and it gave me such a great feeling of accomplishment!
Where do you prefer to run? I normally run just around my neighborhood because I like to stay close to the house when running with my daughter in the stroller. But I prefer to run on the trails at First Landing, especially for my long runs.
What’s the longest distance you’ve run? The longest I have run was the Surf’n’Santa 10 Miler.
What is the one thing you DON’T like about running? One thing I don’t like about running is pushing the stroller! I love that it is one on one time I get to spend with my daughter but it sure does burn!
Favorite post-run indulgence? I just started drinking chocolate milk after my runs. It is a refreshing and delicious treat!
Favorite running shoe? I have really only had one brand of running shoe, Mizuno. So, I guess it’s my favorite!
Favorite song to run to? My power song right now is “Cant Hold Us” by Macklemore. The beat really keeps my pace up.
Favorite website to waste time on? I hate to admit it, but Facebook….
Favorite running moment? My favorite running moment is taking pictures with my daughter after a race. I hope she looks back on those pictures and is proud of her mommy
If you could pick one celebrity to run with, who would it be? If I could run with any celebrity it would be Eldrith Gosney. I know you’re probably thinking, “Who?” She is a 73 year old ultra runner who always runs with a smile. She is my inspiration!
Good Lucky Emily!
You can follow Emily on twitter @racingthrough13 or on her blog http://www.racingthroughdeployment.com
Kristy Maute 