Tell us a bit about yourself, where do you live, what do you do for fun, etc.
Hello Runner’s Club. My husband Bob and I live in Spearfish, South Dakota. We are outdoor people and spend most of our time cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, mountain biking, water skiing, running/walking, golfing, hiking…we have yet to try pickle ball but I’m sure that’s coming. At least Bob says it is. We are both retired healthcare workers from VA Black Hills. My career was in nursing. We have 6 kids and 3.5 grandkids who all keep up busy in our time off.
If you had $5,000 to spend at a running store but only 5 minutes to spend it, what few things would you grab first?
Shopping is where I excel so 5 minutes would be no problem! I would buy a treadmill for sure. If no treadmill, I would buy the latest watch and all of my several pairs of my favorite running shoes.
What’s your go-to running outfit?
Leggings, shirt, shoes, Bombas socks, Apple Watch. My go to shoes right now are the Saucony Endorpins, Nike Superfly and Brooks Adrenaline or Ghost. Bob just bought me the Tracksmith trainers for Christmas but I haven’t gotten to use those yet.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why? It could be a few words or a paragraph. (If helpful, it can be someone else’s quote: Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?)
Anybody can do one more burpee. (I had this screamed at me once during a workout in Norway and the Norwegians are in pretty good shape so I tend to say this to myself when I want to quit a workout).
Any pre run or pre race habits?
I always eat breakfast/coffee really early- 5 am. Right before the run/race I have a snack of some sort. I prefer real food. If I’m really motivated, I may do a little warmup but I am the queen of “start your race way too fast”.
What’s one of the best running related investments you’ve made?*
A running coach.
What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever seen or done while on a run?
The eagle flying over Spearfish Canyon before the 15K race was pretty memorable. I always tear up when the play the drums at Crazy Horse before the race and I ran through a monsoon over the Brooklyn Bridge because it was on my list and not going to happen on a different day.
Toughest race you’ve ever done? Why?
I don’t sign up for tough races. My favorite race distance is the 1/2 marathon and the first one was intimidating but I loved it.
What advice would you give to a new runner? What advice should they ignore?
You will never regret a run when it’s over. I don’t know if new runners should ignore advice but they should ignore imposter syndrome. The point is to move your body and try to do it every day. How you move or how fast you move it is less important than not moving it at all.
What, if anything, do you listen to while running?
Audible, podcasts, music during races only.
What’s one running item you think is a gimmick and won’t buy?
Gels. Ugh, I know they have their place but they hurt my stomach no matter how many times I “practice”. For me, real food wins.
If you could go run with any living or dead historical figure, who would it be and why?
Dead- Alexander Hamilton, founder of the First Bank of the United States because his life was interesting and cut short. He was part of the founding fathers and knew a lot of dirt. Also, the Secretary of the Treasury would be my dream job second only to being a broker on the New York Stock Exchange. Living- Sophia Laukli, who is a Salomon Trail Athlete and on the US Nordic ski team. I would love to see how fast she really runs her training runs, what she eats in a day, and what her other training is like. Sophia is the next best Nordic Skier the US has seen in a long time and has already won a lot of ultra trail races.
