Tell us a little about yourself (kids, married, job)?
I’m a single, with no kids. I work as a wound care nurse in an outpatient wound care center. Wound care has always been a passion for me.
When and why did you start running?
I started running when a forend challenged me to do a Tough Mudder. I did a couch to 5k plan and met some fellow runners and quickly got the bug and signed up for my first half marathon, which lead to my first marathon and then my first 50K. It all progressed rather quickly.
What keeps you motivated to train?
Like most athletes I have times when I am highly motivated and other times when I struggle to find the drive to meet the grind. Races are a key to keeping me motivated. They are the carrot I dangle in front of myself to keep going. Having friends to share runs with helps immensely. I have a great running group I belong to. One season I was peaking before a race, my first attempt at 100M. I had a 30 mile run to do. I plotted out a double out and back and different friends signed up to run different parts with me. I had company the whole time and that helps so much when the miles are high and you are on the edge of burnout.
What are your hobbies outside of running?
Is there anything outside of running? JK. I like anything outdoors. Snowshoeing in the winter. Hiking. I also have a crafty part that likes to paint or decorate.
What is your favorite race?
DeadHorse 50K is the race that holds the most meaning for me. I started running in 2013 and in 2016 was diagnosed with Lupus. I had to quit running and didn’t know if I would ever run again. Through medication I was able to return to running, slower and with more rest, but running none the less. DeadHorse 50K was my first ultra post Lupus diagnosis.
What is your bucket list event?
Moab 240 is my bucket list event. I am fascinated by how far we can push the body. I know I have the potential and capacity to do it if I can master the mind.
What is the funniest thing to happen to you during a race?
In the middle of the night at Javelina Jundred I had hallucinations and was seeing underwater sea fans in the middle of the desert. Beautiful purple and pink sea fans, flowing back in forth in the current.
What is your proudest race moment?
I’d say I have 2. Finishing DeadHorse 50K post Lupus diagnosis is the first. I had a lot of fear as to how I would tolerate it, what would happen to my body after, and wondering if I could even do it with my “new normal.” The second was finishing Grand Master Ultra 100M. Not only did I finish but met my “A” goal for the race. I had never pushed my body so hard.
What is the one thing you wish you knew when you first started running?
The value of a good sport bra. When I first started I knew nothing about quality sport bras and would actually wear two of them together to get the right support. Now I know, and there are a lot more available, about quality sport bras for women with some size.
What is your best piece of advice for new runners?
It’s ok to walk. Trust the process of training and slowly building and the fitness and speed will come. The body adapts to new stresses and compensates. That is how we stronger, faster, and able to go farther. Those little micro stresses add up over a training cycle and the magic will happen. You just have to trust the process.