Ask me what I am and I’ll probably just stare at you with a panicked look on my face. I’m not good at attaching words to myself, although I know that I am a wife. A brand-new mom. A daughter. A writer. A runner.

I’m a lot of things all rolled into one body that has seen me through thirty years, through countless bumps and bruises (my husband calls me Cone Zone for a reason), through successes and failures. I never thought it would carry me across a finish line, but after I crossed my first one in February 2012, I realized that I could not only run to the nearest J.Crew sale, I could run 3.1 miles.

In a row!

Without stopping!

It was a pretty powerful feeling. The fact that my new hobby gave me a legitimate excuse to buy cute running gear didn’t hurt my motivation either. I was the little runner who could until I got pregnant, uncomfortable, and clumsy. Basically, I was a liability to myself and anyone else in my path if I was walking any faster than a waddle.

With my brand-new adorable, perfect (except when he won’t sleep) son in the picture, running has continued to fall by the wayside. But my legs have been itching to hit the pavement and I’m not going to reach my goal of running a half marathon in 2013 by watching all 8 seasons of The Office. Besides, I already did that. I’m officially out of excuses.

So now it’s time to get off my mom butt and back on the road. I can’t wait. Who knows what else I’ll discover I am along the way?

More on Jess here in our Chick on Chick series.