My mission, through Elements Running Education, is to empower you to run with more confidence and skill; to share knowledge that allows you to train smart and stay healthy; to help you overcome obstacles and push your boundaries.
I want to help you find sustainable ways of making running a fun and exhilarating part of your life, and connect you with a running community you can identify with and feel welcomed by.
My clients are real people with busy lives. As recreational runners, we have so many responsibilities to juggle aside from getting in a run. I create training programs that are realistic and easy to balance with your commitments and routines — while keeping in mind that YOU are worth prioritizing.
As a coach, I research, read, and study so you don’t have to waste time sifting through all of the internet looking for credible information. When you work with me, you’ll benefit from my combined coaching, racing and sports massage experience. You’ll learn how to tune in and listen to your body, when to safely push harder, and how to prevent common running injuries. I emphasize the body’s interlinked connections and holistic wellness, and help you work WITH your body.
As a sports massage therapist, I worked with runners long before I became one myself. I worked on their achy muscles and listened to their stories of training and racing. Can I tell you a secret? I didn’t get it. It sounded hard... and sort of miserable.
But things change. Eventually I came to running the same way a lot of women do: at a time of transition in my life, searching for the “old me.” I had been an athlete most of my life, but in the hectic early years of motherhood, I felt like I had lost that piece of myself. One day, at one of those sticky, noisy indoor play centers, I told my friends:
“I'm going to get fit and strong to feel like myself again.”
It wasn't love at first mile for me. I had tried running before and wanted so badly to enjoy it, but I made all the rookie mistakes. But that time? It stuck. I became a runner at 34 and took my first steps into coaching later that year.
I love working with newer runners eyeing their first race goals, “on-and-off” recreational runners looking for that spark, and intermediate runners training for races and reaching for improvements. I love sharing the science behind training and technique with those who want to learn. I really enjoy groups and community — there’s so much you can learn from each other! Not to mention the friendships that I’ve witnessed and experienced in every group I’ve ever coached.
I believe variety keeps you stronger and healthier.
I mix things up in my own training too. Now at 44, I’m still getting faster, having fun training and racing, and feeling more confident than ever in what my body can do. Running brings me such joy, and I want to share that with you!
I approach running and life with positivity and openness to possibilities. Training can be really hard, but hard doesn't mean bad! I can only discover what I'm capable of if I push myself — setting those challenges is what keeps me on this journey.
What could YOU accomplish given a little help along the way?
Let's find out together! Fill out a coaching interest form to start the conversation.
RRCA running coach in Oregon, USA
Online run club for women
Running programs for recreational runners
Running technique coaching