Fortified Under Pressure

My running journey started when I was 22 years old, a little over 13 years ago.

I was never a runner.

I was never an athlete growing up.

Fast forward to when I first picked up a pair of running shoes. I had just saved enough money to move out of a home where I was in an abusive relationship—one that almost killed me, not just physically but also tried to steal everything from my soul.

As I trained myself to run 1 mile, then 2, and eventually the entire bridge loop here in NSB, I became obsessed. Obsessed with the internal tug of war, the battle within that said I couldn’t go on, and yet still I persisted.

I had never heard of a run coach, an ultra marathon—nothing. I just ran because running saved me from the pain. It helped me move through it. And slowly but surely, I slipped out of it, and that went on for years until, finally,

In 2017, I got sober. I finally left that abusive relationship for good. I worked a program and put on my running shoes again.

It wasn’t until I met a fellow runner, who I learned was an ultra runner and coach at my gym almost 4 years ago now, that my world completely opened up. I signed up to coach with him, and from that moment, I became dedicated to finding out how I could test the perceived boundaries I set for myself time and time again.

I’ve gone from placing at races, being in the top 10, finishing in the middle pack, and even DNFing a couple of races. I’ve been injured, depressed, and overwhelmed in life, juggling it all while navigating CPTSD and all that comes from living with a past of abuse and trauma.

And still, each finish line was an honoring. Each injury a lesson. Every time I said, “I can’t keep doing this,” I did.

My failures have always been my greatest teachers. The miles are a reward for all the work I’ve done internally and externally.

I’m here for the everyday athlete—to show and guide you, no matter your goals. Whether that be just to fall in love with running again or even for the first time, running a local 5k, or your first ultra. I want to share my experience of the fortitude I was forged in under pressure and show you the way through.