I’m Athena. I am a 28 year old Veterinary Technician from Queens, NY. I fell in love with fitness at 23 years old after doing a Spartan Sprint in Killington, VT. 5 years later, I am getting into the endurance side of things, long strenuous events that really bring me to the edge of what I think I can do. I created this blog after finishing the 2018 Death Race, thanks to prompts from a couple of friends, and questions from people all over. I hope to use this site to help me better evaluate myself and to educate anyone out there who might be interested in my experiences. Ultimately, my goal is to help others on their own journey. I promise to be as blatantly honest on here as I possibly can. And thus, I’m going to start by sharing a bit about myself.
Communication has been difficult for me my whole life, but I’m devoted to working on it now. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for most of my life. My mother first put me in therapy when i was 15 after she discovered I had been self mutilating for a few years. Throughout my teens I found comfort from my mental issues through substance abuse: alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, you name it. I was friends with the wrong people, I dated people who abused me. I was in bad shape. Spartan Race helped me change my life. I started going to a gym, then I joined crossfit, then started doing yoga, cycling, hiking, anything to keep me goal oriented and moving forward in life. I quit my bad habits and started becoming a pretty decent athlete. When I tried my first endurance event in February 2017, a Go Ruck Light, that really sealed the deal.
I hope to enlighten you all by passing on my knowledge, what I have learned through hardship, and how much it has changed my outlook on life. I went from someone who was barely alive, to thoroughly enjoying life. I have amazing friends, a wonderful boyfriend, and I look forward to everyday, most of the time. I still struggle with my mental health issues, but I have learned good coping skills, and I have a group of phenomenal people in my life to lean on when I am struggling.
That was my quick synopsis, it’s difficult to sum myself up in just a few short paragraphs, but I hope to open up more as time passes. I hope you all enjoy the journey.
Athena-Endurance 