25; Family Ministry Coordinator at Mission Church
I LOVE RUNNING: I love the joy of movement, the love of trails, and running in the community. Being able to run is a gift that most take for granted. The community part of running is hard to beat, though. There’s no better feeling than a post-track/ long trail run grub with friends!
BUCKET LIST: UTMB Mont Blanc. The race is 106 miles with 32,940 ft. elevation gain. It’s my dream and what got me into trail running.
UP NEXT: I’m training for the Swamp Stomper 25k and Sylamore 50k this year.
FAVE FITNESS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Running my first 25k! The Swamp Stomper this past year showed me I was much more capable than I once thought.
MY GROUP: All of our runs at HyperFocus!
SPEED BUMPS: When I ran the Sylamore 25k, I overworked my hips to the point of tendinitis. After that race, I couldn’t even walk. I had never been injured like that before, and I thought it was something that would go away with a few days of rest — wrong! I waited a month to run and then running an easy 5k, it happened again. After a couple of trips to Ortho South, I’m back running again. I still have some hip pain, but I’m thankful to be able to move again and walk after. Please do your strength training and stretching!
FAVORITE JAMS: Anything from Turnstile!
RECENT RACES: In 2023, I ran the Swamp Stomper 25k, Sylamore 25k, and the Great American River Run half marathon.
MOST MEMORABLE FITNESS EVENT: For the 2023 Sylamore 25k, I didn’t train as well as I should have and got injured. It was hard but fun and rewarding to push through the pain and place in the top 15.
BINGE-WATCHING: I’m a big Walking Dead Fan, and the new Daryl Dixon show just came out, so I’m loving that!
BEST EATS: Global Cafe. My go-to the night before a race is their asada bowl or chicken shawarma.
DREAM DINNER COMPANY: Probably Jim Walmsley, the winner of this year’s UTMB. I’d ask him all the running questions, but he seems like the coolest and nicest, down-to-earth guy.
GO-TO GEAR: Hoka, the best gear in the game. I also can’t do a workout without my Coros Apex Pro 2 — sorry, Garmin gang.
INSPIRATION TO BE FIT: During my first year of college, I was in a slump, overweight, playing video games when I wasn’t in school, and eating way too much McDonald’s. During the pandemic, I started biking and eating clean because there was nothing else to do. The feeling of being able to fit in old shirts and pants I grew out of was inexplicably good.
ON MY NIGHTSTAND: “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane C. Ortlund
PET PEEVE: When people overtrain. I’m all for training hard and pushing yourself, but going too hard too quickly almost always leads to injury. Slow down, build your base, and work up to higher mileage. It doesn’t come overnight.
QUOTE: “Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:14
