Photo: Stephen J. Serio for Crain's Chicago Business

Hi there. I’m Lauren Kaminsky.  Glad you found your way to my blog.

I’m a 27-year-old who is passionate about many things.  I love empowering young women, training for and participating in triathlons (because calling what I do racing is a stretch), and giving a voice to all the thoughts floating around in my head. From running to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases to feminist issues — I talk about it all here.

Most of the time, you’ll find me running, biking, and swimming, in no particular order, training for as many races as I can cram into my weekends. I also enjoy rocking out to Hanson (yes, the band that hit it big with “Mmmbop” in 1997), watching Glee with my husband (affectionately known as Goose), giggling with my girl friends, and drinking way too much Diet Coke.

You’ll probably see me write about my ulcerative colitis quite frequently, too.  In simple terms, UC is an autoimmune disease that makes it pretty difficult for my body to digest food.  It’s not the prettiest thing to discuss, but I think it’s important to give a voice to it here.  (And sometimes, it really does impact my training and racing!)

After trying out a few different jobs, trying to figure out just what I wanted to be when I grew up, the dream job I didn’t even know I was dreaming about practically fell into my lap. I work for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s Illinois Carol Fisher chapter. What started as some serious love for being a Team Challenge participant turned into a job I simply adore. I’m the Team Challenge Endurance Manager, which is a fancy way of saying I’m responsible for Team Challenge Illinois. I couldn’t possibly love it more.

You can follow me on Twitter @ForwardPace, contact me via e-mail at forwardisapace@gmail.com or through Google +.

Disclaimer: This blog is in no way associated with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. The views and opinions expressed herein are mine alone and do not represent the views or opinions of my employer.