About Me

I began my fitness adventures in high school playing field hockey and track & field.  Following graduation, I enlisted in the Air Force and found a passion for 5k fun runs at my different assignments.  After injuring my knee, I was told I would be limited in running but never complete a marathon distance.  To prove the experienced medical professional wrong, I completed my first marathon in the 2004 Phoenix Rock n Roll with my long-time fitness buddy; then again in the 2007 Tokyo Marathon.  I have enjoyed a number of fun runs of all distances (short of marathons), with the obsession to collect shirts and medals.

To continue my active lifestyle while living with knee arthritis, plantar fasciitis & a partial plantar tear, I found the mixture of yoga, aqua aerobics and cycling to be just as aerobically challenging but less demanding on joints.

Spinning was my first earned certification in 2012.  I taught as a volunteer at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Camp Resolute Support in Kabul, Afghanistan; Osan Air Base, South Korea; Kunsan Air Base, South Korea; and now at the Pentagon in DC where I am also a volunteer Aqua Aerobics instructor.

 

For me, fitness is about the adventure with friends while benefiting from a healthier lifestyle, reduced pain, increased range of motion and still show up to run 5ks in my 90s.  Imagine the stories I have from these adventures:

- Uber Asphalt scavenger hunt on bike through the streets of St Louis (MO)

- 4 mile obstacle course in a sand mine cave (Crystal City, MO)

- Eating cupcakes every mile in the Gateway Cupcake & Bottle Cap Dash (St Louis, MO)

- Scenic run through the village of Todos Santos (California Baja Sur)

- Having all flights halted for a 5k on the Dulles International Airport runway (VA)

- Earning a worn but polished horseshoe medal at the Bird in Hand half marathon (PA)

- Competing against furry friends at the Paws in the Park 5k, yes the puppies beat me (Charleston, SC)

- Operations paused for runners to speed down the dirt road into a quarry.. to only have the hill coming back out (Vulcan Quarry Crusher Runs-TX)

- Jumping over cars, swimming through a paper mill, struggling on the Stairway to Heaven at the Tough as Nails (Wheeling, WV)

- Realizing the Spartan is just as hard in any country and burpees will never be my strong point (Seoul, South Korea)