About Me...
My name is Christine McInnes. I am a runner, a marathoner, a vegetarian and wife to the most supportive husband on Earth. My aspirations are to run a marathon in all 50 States, plus DC and Belguim. I have designed this website, became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and started my own woman's apparel business to motivate people (myself included) to live a long healthy life. Join me on the road to health and fitness as we motivate each other to Train Hard - Race Easy!
In school, I never participated in any organized sports. I went on hiking and biking trips with my family but had not discovered my competitive side until my 22nd birthday. There was a local 5K that my mom had registered us for, as a birthday gift. We woke up bright and early (which is the last thing a 22 year old woman wants to do on her special day) and headed down to the event. It was amazing!! You can feel everyone's' energy before you even start. We picked up our race packets, t-shirts, and lined up at the start. The National Anthem played, the gun went off and running we went. I took off as if I was being chased by a pack of wild animals and before going a tenth of a mile, I was exhausted and had to walk. "See you at the finish line! Keep going strong!" my mom yelled as she flew past me. I kept switching back and forth between walking and running and before I knew it, I could see the finish line. At that point, I gave it my all! I could hear my mom and other people cheering me on as an overwhelming sense of accomplishment ran through my body and I sprinted through the finish line. All I could think about after that was beating my time, beating my mother and having the ability to run the entire thing. I did not train for my first 5k and knew if I put more time and energy into it, I would succeed in my goals. This race was the best gift that I have ever gotten and it has forever changed my life. I have since run countless 5Ks and 10Ks, completed 2 du-athlons and 11 marathons and 2 ultra-marathons. To read a little more about my miles and marathons click here. Running has taught me many life lessons and I often compare training and running, to the journey of life. My passion for running has also influenced others into pushing their limits and seeing what they are made of. On the road to fitness, I have met a lot of amazing people who have pushed me and have made me become a better runner as well. Thank you mom, I will be forever grateful.
When it comes to being a vegetarian, I am not sure why I started on this path. I remember for years, I felt awkward telling people I was a Vegetarian... I would always say "I'm not a Vegetarian, I just don't eat meat". I didn't like the taste or texture. Growing up we ate meats like hamburger, hot-dogs, chicken and ham but we never really had steak. I remember as a teenager, I started having nightmares about meat/animals and slowly starting taking different items out of my diet. Since 2004, I had cut everything out except chicken, fish and eggs. In 2005, shortly before my first marathon, I went to a holistic doctor who had opened my eyes to what happens in factory farms and how animals (especially chickens) are raised and treated. It made me sick! I stopped eating chicken from there on out and started educating myself with the politics behind farming and the way our society eats. I still eat fish and eggs a couple times a year but I am slowly trying to transition to become a Vegan. I feel if I am 90% Vegan, than I am living the healthy lifestyle that I want to live... Not only for my body but the animals and the planet too. I feel as if I was on a natural path to become a vegetarian before I had all my facts about factory farming. I would never judge anyone by the food they eat but I feel like it is my mission to share my personal experience with anyone who wants to know about it. I also want to motivate everyone to eat a healthy balanced diet consisting of whole foods. If you are not able to eliminate meat from your diet, make sure you know where your meat is coming from. It should be organic and humanely raised and slaughtered. Also buy local when possible, that goes for fruit and vegetables too. Know the facts... don't just assume that if a package says it is healthy, it is. Education is power!
In school, I never participated in any organized sports. I went on hiking and biking trips with my family but had not discovered my competitive side until my 22nd birthday. There was a local 5K that my mom had registered us for, as a birthday gift. We woke up bright and early (which is the last thing a 22 year old woman wants to do on her special day) and headed down to the event. It was amazing!! You can feel everyone's' energy before you even start. We picked up our race packets, t-shirts, and lined up at the start. The National Anthem played, the gun went off and running we went. I took off as if I was being chased by a pack of wild animals and before going a tenth of a mile, I was exhausted and had to walk. "See you at the finish line! Keep going strong!" my mom yelled as she flew past me. I kept switching back and forth between walking and running and before I knew it, I could see the finish line. At that point, I gave it my all! I could hear my mom and other people cheering me on as an overwhelming sense of accomplishment ran through my body and I sprinted through the finish line. All I could think about after that was beating my time, beating my mother and having the ability to run the entire thing. I did not train for my first 5k and knew if I put more time and energy into it, I would succeed in my goals. This race was the best gift that I have ever gotten and it has forever changed my life. I have since run countless 5Ks and 10Ks, completed 2 du-athlons and 11 marathons and 2 ultra-marathons. To read a little more about my miles and marathons click here. Running has taught me many life lessons and I often compare training and running, to the journey of life. My passion for running has also influenced others into pushing their limits and seeing what they are made of. On the road to fitness, I have met a lot of amazing people who have pushed me and have made me become a better runner as well. Thank you mom, I will be forever grateful.
When it comes to being a vegetarian, I am not sure why I started on this path. I remember for years, I felt awkward telling people I was a Vegetarian... I would always say "I'm not a Vegetarian, I just don't eat meat". I didn't like the taste or texture. Growing up we ate meats like hamburger, hot-dogs, chicken and ham but we never really had steak. I remember as a teenager, I started having nightmares about meat/animals and slowly starting taking different items out of my diet. Since 2004, I had cut everything out except chicken, fish and eggs. In 2005, shortly before my first marathon, I went to a holistic doctor who had opened my eyes to what happens in factory farms and how animals (especially chickens) are raised and treated. It made me sick! I stopped eating chicken from there on out and started educating myself with the politics behind farming and the way our society eats. I still eat fish and eggs a couple times a year but I am slowly trying to transition to become a Vegan. I feel if I am 90% Vegan, than I am living the healthy lifestyle that I want to live... Not only for my body but the animals and the planet too. I feel as if I was on a natural path to become a vegetarian before I had all my facts about factory farming. I would never judge anyone by the food they eat but I feel like it is my mission to share my personal experience with anyone who wants to know about it. I also want to motivate everyone to eat a healthy balanced diet consisting of whole foods. If you are not able to eliminate meat from your diet, make sure you know where your meat is coming from. It should be organic and humanely raised and slaughtered. Also buy local when possible, that goes for fruit and vegetables too. Know the facts... don't just assume that if a package says it is healthy, it is. Education is power!