HOW I STARTED

I was never really an active kid growing up in Northeastern Ohio. I loved school and books were my main focus until college. My dream was to attended the University of Notre Dame and get my degree. When I was accepted, I was thrilled. I loved college and worked towards my BA in Communication; however, it was at Notre Dame that I got my first taste of actually being involved in sports (tennis and hockey). After graduation, I started work at Bloomingdales and my involvement with sports was put on the back burner. I quickly moved from management trainee to Retail Manager and later to HR Director at Lord & Taylor. I was successful but felt something was missing in my retail career.

In 1998 while working for Eddie Bauer, I trained for and completed my first race - the first San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon! It turned out to be a game-changer for me AND my career. My retail focus shifted to running specialty stores and I continued to learn more about the sport of running. I began to mentor and eventually Coach other runners like myself…little participation in high school or college but eager to learn as an adult. In 2000 my love for running led me to start cycling, SPIN certification and eventually to my first century ride in Lake Tahoe. In 2005, I received my A.C.E. Certification in Personal Training and began my studies for Massage Therapy in Palm Springs, CA. I accumulated 720 credit hours for massage and 100 hours of hands-on clinical experience. I have been practicing since that time and I gained my National Certification in Massage Therapy in December 2013. In October 2014, I became certified as a USA Triathlon Level One Coach.

I have mentored for Team in Training, coached runners as the Assoc. Director of the National AIDS Marathon Training Team (Chicago), and led my own team of runners in Palm Springs and DC. Now, I coach runners and triathletes online and across the country.  To date, I have completed 12 Ironmans, 82 Marathons, my first 50K and 50 mile Ultra Marathons, 45 Half Marathons, over a dozen 70.3 events, and many other races of all types and distances. I simply love what I now do!