About

2008-07-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Updated on July 21, 2009

My name is Caitlin and I'm 25 years old. In 2006, I got my fitness act together and transformed my life.

A Tipping Point refers to a sociological event during which a previously rare phenomenon becomes rapidly and dramatically more common. Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called The Tipping Point, and he describes the Tipping Point as "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable."

To me, the Healthy Tipping Point is when we stop "trying" to live healthy and centered lives and it just happens. For so many years I struggled to eat well and work out regularly, and then one day -- all my little efforts culminated inside me, and I was satisfied with myself and my eating and fitness habits! But to me... the journey doesn't end here! Of course, I love to compete in races, and that's a part of me that I hope I can always explore.

This blog originally began as See Bride Run in July 2008 and chronicled my life as my then-Future Husband planned our dream wedding and got married!!

I continue to blog my fitness, food, and life experiences, and I very much enjoy being part of the blog community! We live in Orlando, Florida with our two dogs, James Bond and Maggie Thatcher, and we both love living a healthy, active life.

In case you're wondering, I work from home! I'm a technical writer for an urban planning company. Yes, it gets a little lonely, but overall, I really love it and will do this for many years if the market permits me to. :)

I've made a lot of great friends through blogging and running. You'll see these characters pop up on the blog nearly every week!

How I Transformed My Life

I began running 3 years ago after one of my best friends had an intervention with me about my unhealthy lifestyle. I had always wanted to be healthy, and I always knew how, I could just never embrace it when i was younger. At 130 lbs, I wasn't overweight, but I have a small frame and the extra weight definitely showed. Plus, the real issue was that I was massively out of shape! I was also very unhappy with the relationship I had with food and exercise, and I knew I was the only person who could change it.

So at 21, I stopped beer-and-pizza dinners, started to weight lift, learned about nutrition and started to eat well, and took my first steps as a runner....

Running was HARD at first. I could barely go 1/4 mile without dying. I kept up at it and one month after starting to exercise, I signed up for a 10k. Eight weeks later, I completed my 10k in 1 hr 1 minute -- and it was 30 degrees and snowing! But seriously -- if I could do it, anyone can!

That's a really silly photo of myself on my first race, but I was SO EXCITED. The run was really challenging, but crossing that finish line was the best experience of my life.

Since my first 10K, I have completed the following races (click for a recap):

Moss Park Olympic Triathlon Relay - July 2009
Miles for Matt Metric Century Bike Race - June 2009
Crooms Fools' Run 15.4 Mile Trail Race - April 2009
Gasparilla Distance Series Race Weekend (3 Races in 2 Days) - Part 1 and Part 2 - February 28 and March 1, 2009
Dash of the Elves 5k - December 2008
The Florida Hospital 10k - November 2008
Marine Corps 1/2 Marathon - October 2008
Miracle Miles 15K - September 2008
Forest Run 10K - August 2008
Moss Park Dualthon - June 2008
Miracle Miles 15k - September 2007
Martha's Run 10k - June 2006

My Race Diary, which chronicles the first 14 races I've completed, is below:

My Knee Injury and Discovering Bicycling

Unfortunately, about 2 years after I began to run, I developed a knee condition called Chondromalacia. Read about my diagnosis here. Chondromalacia is a degenerative knee condition in which the cartilage softens and the patellar bone began less stable. I was advised to quit running, but it took me about 5 months to truly come around to the idea. I decided to take 1 month off of running in April 2009. Following this hiatus, I saw a second doctor who diagnosed me with Patellafemoral Pain Syndrome (or "runner's knee"). I am now in physical therapy and have been cleared to run!

I have began to focus on cross-training, especially biking. I've had a road bike for about two years but just recently started to get into riding. I love it, and it doesn't hurt my knees!

My Workout and Food Philosophy (In a Nutshell)

Now, I workout about 4 days a week, love to participate in races, and enjoy making new recipes to serve as healthy fuel. I believe in a balanced approach to health and fitness. This means you'll rarely see me splurge on a particular food, and you'll never see me cut out a food entirely (except avocado... I'm allergic!). This also means that I try to replenish myself physically and emotionally with adequate rest and relaxation.

The Husband is studying to be a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, so we include a lot of alternative medicines in our daily routine, including supplements and acupuncture. I take 1500 mg in glucosamine synergy everyday, and it really helps my runners knees! I also take a calcium supplement.

Healthy Tipping Point - about

About