Athlete of the Month?!?!?

If you're a Chicago area runner, you probably tend to thumb through the Chicago Athlete magazine every once in a while (or read every article...some people just can't get enough of the running and biking stuff:)). The very first thing I ALWAYS do when I see a new Chicago Athlete magazine is flip to the CLIF Athletes of the Month page. I love when athletes are recognized for their outstanding performances and really enjoy learning about runners (even if they are competitors!) this way.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from the editor of the magazine asking for an interview. With me. To be the July Chicago Athlete of the Month.

*Jaw drops*

Oh, and should I mention that I received this email during our "15minute break" during my first official day of the new job? All I kept thinking about was telling Ryan because this is something that I have DREAMED of being good enough to receive!! Even Ryan, being the incredible athlete he is, has dreamed of this, so for it to become a reality for me was truly shocking.

The first thing I did was ask my friend, who also works for Chicago Athlete magazine, if he had anything to do with this. His response? All I did was give him your contact info.

Can you believe it?! I couldn't either!

About a week later, one of my Fast Track teammates posted a Congratulatory message on my wall on facebook and the comments started coming. I have such an incredible support system through the Fast Track racing team.

One last note... my dad ALWAYS reads the Chicago Athlete magazine as soon as he picks one up from whatever run/bike store he's at when a new issue comes out. So, I figure that I would just wait for him to see it. It took him THREE days from getting the magazine to notice it!! The rest of my family and I got a pretty good laugh out of that. I guess that's what happens when you get older;)

Lastly, I have to say that I honestly woudln't be where I'm at today without the wonderful people I have in my life. God has really given me everything I could ever ask for and more. Thank you, friends and family, for your continued support in my journey. I will never be able to tell you how much it means to me:)

(a better version can be found at chicagoaa.com and by looking at the July issue)