About Me

Hi! I'm Jen.

I'm a corporate lawyer who recently moved to Orange County from NYC. I love running, traveling, food, photography, mountains, rooting for the Seahawks, good books and good movies (ok, and some not so good movies). I have an embarrassing celebrity gossip memory and know way too much about Star Wars. I also love a good superhero movie or TV show (I'm a huge Arrow fan).

I'm originally from rural Washington State (hence my love of mountains and the Seahawks) and ended up on the East Coast for undergrad in rural New Hampshire. After four years there, I headed to the Big Apple for law school and to start my legal career. And after four years in NYC, Sourabh (that random guy with his arm around me in the photo up there) and I moved to Southern California and I got to return to my beloved West/Best Coast.

I started my blog so I'd stop bothering my poor office mate when I was a summer associate at my first law firm in New York City. I can be pretty chatty, and I kept talking about fitness classes and running. I realized I might as well start a blog to protect her sanity (and my safety), but it's become a great way for me to stay motivated, record my training, and meet new friends by engaging with other bloggers. Also, unlike at work where attorneys are staunch Oxford comma opponents, I can use the Oxford comma liberally on my blog. 

I started running a mile or two for fitness in the fall of 2011, but didn't really become a "runner" -- as in, someone who will willingly and excitedly talk about running -- until summer of 2012. I signed up for my first half marathon that fall then ran five more between December 2012 and March 2014. I also ran my first marathon in October 2013: the Chicago Marathon. I ran as part of the Lurie Children's Hospital Marathon Team, which benefits an incredible institution that does so much good work. Chicago is an amazing marathon and I highly recommend anyone considering running it do so on behalf of Lurie Children's Hospital. 

After a short break from running, I'm now back to training for races, focusing on getting faster at the half marathon and shorter distances for the near future.

My blog is also an account of my attempt to balance a job that can oftentimes involve crazy hours with a demanding hobby (running involves so much more than just miles) and a social life. I definitely don't have all the answers, but I like to share things I learn about running and all that it involves (strength training, recovery, nutrition, etc).

I also have a spoiled long-haired chihuahua and some chubby kitties, who sometimes make appearances on the blog, mainly because they take up half my photo gallery space.

I started this blog because I love to chat, so feel free to get in touch with me via Twitter or email (jensbestlife at gmail.com), or leave a comment saying hi.