About Me

My dog, Winnie, and me at Ironman Boulder

I'm a Nebraska-born, former Washington, DC'er, and now Colorado girl whose outlook on life has been shaped by all these places. I'm also a vegan and 3-time Ironman who started this blog to take the lessons I've learned from triathlons, Ironman, and running the past 18 years and apply them to life.  My goal is to explore the similarities that endurance sports and life have with each other.  In each you suffer.  In each there's joy.  In each there's a finish line.  And with each, it's always more about the journey than the finish line itself.

I've been a runner since 1997.  I've done a 50k trail race; two road marathons; several 1/2 marathons and 10-milers (both road and trail); and countless 10k's and 5k's.  In 2009 I started doing triathlons and have now done almost 20 triathlons, including seven 1/2 Ironman's and three Ironmans -- Arizona (in November 2011), Lake Tahoe (September 2013), and Boulder (August 2015). I've been a vegan since 2008 a vegetarian for a year before that.

In 2012 I lost two of the most important loved ones in my life.  On May 5th I had to put my 15 year-old Lhasa Apso, Bailey, to sleep.  He'd been my best little buddy for 14 years.  Then on May 25th, my entire universe collapsed when my mom, Patty, passed away from a heart attack at the young age of 58.  She was the light in my life, my best friend, my biggest supporter in all my endeavors, and I miss her every day.  She also was the biggest fan of my little blog and always encouraged me to keep writing...So this, Mom, I continue to do for you....

My mom and me after Ironman Arizona...

In September 2013 I adopted a new companion, Addie - a mixed breed dog from the shelter who was 6th on the list to be euthanized because the shelter was running out of space.  There is no feeling on earth like the warmth and joy you feel when you actually save a life.

My sweet little girl Addie on a snowy walk...

Sadly, Addie developed lymphoma in 2014 and despite doing well on chemotherapy for a couple months, her cancer relapsed.  On December 29, 2014, I made the gut-wrenching decision to say good-bye.  Her loss left a gaping hole in my heart...

But a couple weeks later, my wise little brother sent me a picture with a poem about a dog passing away.  The gist of it is that the dog hopes he or she can leave behind all its toys, bed, and most of all, its human's love, for another dog to share.  Knowing that my heart had so much more love to give, I decided to open it up to another dog...

I'm so glad I did.  On January 25, 2015, I adopted My Sweet Winnie.

Just look at that smile! 

Winnie is the sweetest little girl.  We go on runs and trips together and she wants to be where ever I go.  I'm truly blessed to have found her and I know we'll have a long happy life together.

Winnie and me at El Dorado Canyon in Colorado

This is life. Through all of this, life has gone on. And while my consistency in training has waned at times to get me through the valleys, I know that there will always be another peak on the horizon that inspires me to get back on track.  In many ways, endurance sports and the lessons, the fortitude, the strength I've gained through doing these races and training, have gotten me through those valleys that life puts in front of you.  In both life and sports, it's not really the strong who survive.  It's those who also know how to suffer wisely to become stronger.  That is the only way to truly endure.

If you're looking for a training blog, you've come to the wrong place...Rarely (if ever) will will I write about my actual daily workouts.  Instead, I like to explore the lessons that I learn from endurance events, analogize them to what we deal with in our daily lives, and vice versa.

I think that life is more than training, more than your job, more than just any one thing.  So that's why I've tried to make this different from all the thousands of training blogs out there.  My blogs generally will fall under 1 of 4 categories:  (1) The Race (applying lessons from running, training and life beyond the finish line, along with various workout advice); (2) Transition Area (gear/clothing, technology and equipment); (3) Aid Station (nutrition and recipes); and (4) Recovery (recharging your body and soul).  If you have an idea for a blog that you'd like me to explore, let me know.  Thanks for reading!

Be strong. Suffer wisely. Endure always.