Hi, I’m Colleen!

Traveling around Greece after running the 2,500th anniversary of the original marathon from Marathon to Athens. Amazing experience!

I love technology, especially my Garmin, Sling Box and my iPad. I can spend countless hours watching home improvement shows, the Food Network and my favorite TV comedies like 30 Rock, Psych and Parks & Recreation. I love fitness. Really love it and always have. A three-sport athlete starting in the first grade, I fell in love with sports early in life. Little League baseball, Catholic School elementary basketball and rec league soccer gave way to high school varsity sports, which I loved every second of.

After dabbling in softball, basketball and cross country at the collegiate level I found that running was my true passion, and nine marathons and countless other races later I’m still going strong. I’ve gone from a barely sub-5 hour marathoner to knocking on the door of a Boston qualifying time, and have enjoyed every minute of a marathon journey that has taken me from San Diego to Dublin to Athens to right here in D.C. and more.

Being a big-time health and fitness enthusiast, I decided to start this blog so I could share my health and fitness experiences and hopefully inspire some and learn from others along the way.

I live in Arlington, Va. with my boyfriend fiancé Ian, and could not possibly be happier with where my life is at. I’ve got an amazing support system of family and friends that I’m so thankful for.

Post Race at Pentagon Row Ice Rink

I work in Alexandria, Va. as a senior communications manager for the Global Business Travel Association. I’m just a few months in, but am really enjoying the new job and working in Alexandria as well. Before that I worked about a year and a half in Washington, D.C. as a communications manager for a trade association called BIO. Prior to joining BIO, I spent five years in the communications department for the Consumer Electronics Association and almost two years as a boot camp instructor for Custom Fitness Concepts (CFC). I also did some in-home personal training through CFC more recently helping others reach their fitness goals.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., I came to the D.C. area for grad school and received a master’s in public communication from American University. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I also have a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a business minor from SUNY Brockport.

I like to be constantly on the go and I always welcome a new challenge.

Hope you enjoy the blog! I always love to hear from readers, so feel free to leave a comment or email me at heartandsole.colleenATgmail.com.