About Me

My running adventures started as a geeky fourteen-year-old freshman who went out for Cross Country at the request of a friend who I think wanted someone he could beat on the team.  Eight years later and I'd ran not only Cross-Country and Track in high school, but also two years at Umpqua Community College and two years at Western Oregon University.  Life intruded after that, putting running into the background as I started a teaching career that ten years later moved into a longtime career working f various affiliates of the National Education Association, a profession that has taken me to several states.​

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Running took a serious backseat to work and life – with my conditioning and waistline suffering for it.  The turning point came when I moved to Iowa a few years ago as I rededicated myself to fitness.  Moving to Urdandale, their network of well-lit bicycle paths rekindled my passion for running.  I thought I would be content with just running five days a week on those trails.  But when a friend had me compete in the “Run for the Roses” in Ames in 2017, everything changed.  Running in this small 10K immediately brought back everything I’d previously experienced with racing.  From nervousness at the start to the fatigue in the final miles to the exhilaration of knowing that I'd actually done OK.  Everything that I did not realize I was missing came back to me on that Sunday morning.