Colorado Columbines Speech

On November 4, 2017, I was the keynote speaker at an annual awards luncheon for the Colorado Columbines Women's Running Club.  This great group of women support each other and host runs throughout the year, and it was an honor to speak at this celebration.     I wanted to give a little background, soContinue reading "Colorado Columbines Speech"

Reframing the Fail

To fall short, to be unsuccessful, to disappoint the expectations or trust of, to be deficient in – these are phrases Merriam-Webster uses to define the word “fail.”  Lack of success, a falling short, one that has failed – this is what the dictionary says it means to be a failure.  No offense to Merriam-Webster,Continue reading "Reframing the Fail"

Sparking the Positivity Snowball

When Nicole DeBooom had me on her podcast, Run this World with Nicole DeBoom, we talked about being different and Nicole included “Rocking Your Differences” in the podcast title because that concept resonated with her.  If you haven’t listened to Nicole’s podcast, I encourage you to check it out.  She has interviewed many amazing andContinue reading "Sparking the Positivity Snowball"

Race Day Flexibility

The Boulder Half Ironman this past weekend was my "A" race for the 2017 season.  It's THE thing I've been working towards since coming back from breaking my rib late last summer.  I had other important races and goals this year, but nothing was as important to me as this race (as far as athleticContinue reading "Race Day Flexibility"

Hard Work, Persistence, and Goal Crushing

  One thing I remember clearly from my first race – the Bellco Colfax 5k – in 2013 is how utterly exhausted I was upon finishing.  Zach and I went to Denver Biscuit Company afterwards and all I really wanted to do was take a nap (even before devouring my sleep-inducing biscuit with sausage, mapleContinue reading "Hard Work, Persistence, and Goal Crushing"

Being a Test Subject – #itsforscience

This past Saturday I got to be the test subject for a study being conducted at Regis University in Denver.  I was their first amputee subject, so I got to be the guinea pig (which tends to happen a lot in my life).  This particular study was gathering data to show the differences between runningContinue reading "Being a Test Subject – #itsforscience"

Cycling with a Leg Length Discrepancy

In addition to missing a bone in my leg, part of the condition I was born with means that my left leg is 7+ inches shorter than my right.  Nearly 3 inches of that difference is in my femur (the part of my leg between hip and knee), and that difference gets made up forContinue reading "Cycling with a Leg Length Discrepancy"

Choosing Amputation – Alina’s Story

For this blog I interviewed my friend Alina Miller who elected to have her leg amputated following a traumatic injury.  Everyone's situation and circumstances are different, but hopefully others might find Alina's story helpful in their own journey whether that journey involves choosing between amputation and saving a limb or any other tough decision you may be havingContinue reading "Choosing Amputation – Alina’s Story"

Why I Run

I originally wrote this for the Achilles International-Colorado blog in October, but I wanted to share it on here as well. --- We were in the first quarter mile of a Monday evening Achilles workout in Wash Park and I turned to my running buddy Jessica and asked, “You know when I like running?”  SheContinue reading "Why I Run"

Do What Makes YOU Happy

Last Friday some coworkers and I were talking about the fun things we had planned for the long weekend and they laughed when I started listing things I was excited about accomplishing with the extra day off work.  The one that particularly got them was that I was excited to finally have time to draft some waiversContinue reading "Do What Makes YOU Happy"

3 Life Lessons I Learned in the Saddle

While swimming this past Friday evening, I got to thinking about the lessons I’ve learned from horseback riding and triathlon and how those lessons have a broader application to daily life.  Here are 3 of the lessons I learned in the saddle – either on the back of a horse or on a bike or bothContinue reading "3 Life Lessons I Learned in the Saddle"