Hi! I’m Hannah, also known as Neon Runner Girl.

So, why girl and not woman? Based on my maturity level, I’m probably more likely to be considered a woman. I’ve graduated college. I’ve gotten married. I’ve birthed babies. I’ve turned 30. But women don’t have fun! GIRLS HAVE FUN! So I’m forever a girl, who loves to run and loves all things NEON! The more neon in your running gear, the BETTER!

So here’s the background story of Neon Runner Girl…

I was born and raised in and around the city of Wichita, KS. I’m a midwest girl all the way. I drink pop, not coke or soda, if you know what I mean.

After high school, I went to Kansas State University where I met my husband, Noel, a.k.a. Mr. Neon. He likes neon too. And running, but usually after swimming and biking first. Yeah…he’s one of those crazy triathlete breeds.

Noel and I got married and moved back to the Wichita area, where Noel got a job as a teacher. We quickly added two boys to our family, John and Mark. John is referred to as Runner Boy, and Mark is our Tiny Boy. We have since added two four-legged doggo loves to our family, Willie and Merry.

When the boys were almost out of diapers, I found my true career as a children’s librarian. I started part time, but now I have a full time position. And in the fall of 2017, I started working on my Masters in Library Science.

And now for the running…

My journey to running started when I got pregnant with John. I was 24 years old and weighed 175lbs. That’s a lot of weight on my small 5’3″ frame. My OBGYN told me that I could gain between 25 and 30lbs with a health pregnancy. The math hit my brain like a brick. I was not about to weigh 200lbs when I delivered. I started walking and doing water aerobics. I weighed less when I got home with baby John than I did when I got pregnant with him. I did the same with Mark, except this time I added elliptical workouts and major diet changes.

I made a couple of attempts to become a runner with lackluster results. I liked the way I felt when I ran. I liked the mind-freeing feeling and getting lost in my music. But it’s HARD to get started. Your chest aches, your legs burn…every part of your body is telling you to stop.

It didn’t CLICK until early 2013, when I successfully worked my way through Couch to 5K and then slowly built my base. I lost 40lbs along the way. I went from a size 14/16 pant to a size 4/6 and size XL tops to size XS/S. And now I’ve tackled every distance from 5K to marathon, with a few sprint triathlons thrown in for fun!

That’s me in a LONG nutshell. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my blog! I’ll probably focus mostly on running, but I’ve got plenty of other things I’m obsessed with…like coffee…food…my dogs…reading…and other GIRL things!