My Fit Friend: Andrea Buchheit!

This week's fit friend is Andrea Buchheit. The picture of her was taken this last January after the Dopey Challenge at Disney. She will tell you more about that below. I was trying to figure out how long we have known each other and when we started teaching together- it's been 12 years or so ago...time flies and I lost count. She has a wonderful story, she's highly motivated and sometimes makes us all tired with her boundless energy...so here is my Bon Jovi loving friend...

Andrea Buchheit
Age: 40
Occupation: Teacher

Short-term Goal: To complete AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge in order to redefine healthy eating and focus on maximum nutrition with increased energy

Long-term Goal: To run at least a ½ Marathon in all 50 states; just completed 23rd state

Life Goal: To maintain health and wellness in order to get the most from life!

I began running again in 2006 when I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team in Training (TNT). I trained for my first half marathon while raising money for LLS. Their organization provides great support to cancer patients, as well as those training with their program. When my husband’s best friend was diagnosed with Lymphoma the following year, I decided to join TNT once again and take on the full marathon challenge. I ran my first full marathon in 2007 in Dublin, Ireland. I swore I would never run another full marathon, and instead decided to set a goal to run a ½ marathon in every state.
Well, it’s true-never say never! I just completed the 2014 Inaugural Dopey Challenge in Walt Disney World. The challenge was to run a 5K on Thursday, a 10K on Friday, a half-marathon on Saturday, and a full marathon on Sunday. That was my 5th full marathon. While I don’t intend to run anymore full marathons, I highly recommend that anyone looking for a memorable challenge, run the Disney World Marathon. During any of the Disney races, you are able to stop for pictures with the characters. But during the full marathon, you have the opportunity to ride a roller coaster. Crazy fun! Just be aware that with all this fun, there’s no time for a PR (personal record).
So with numerous 5K’s, 22 half marathons, five full marathons complete, covering 23 states and one foreign country, I’m almost half finished with my current long-term goal. My timeline is to complete the 50th state by my 50th birthday. In the meantime, I’ve just become an advisor with AdvoCare. I look forward to using the AdvoCare Performance Elite sports nutrition line to help me perform my best and recovery properly. This of course in line with my life-long plan of maintaining health and wellness in order to get the most from life!