Why did you decide to start triathlon training?
I thought about tri’s a few times but finally went for it in 2014,
I saw the Ironman Kona world championships on TV and was drawn into the regular guy next door story, I just finished the NYC marathon and thought why not!
What was your why?
MY why _Both of my kids were serving in Afghanistan at that time and I needed something to distract myself with I decided before I turned 50 would be a great goal. I am a very slow runner, swimmer, and biker but I was up for the challenge.
What year did you start?
2014
Were you athletic growing up?
I was not athletic but I wanted to be, I was intimidated as a kid and was afraid to try out for sports. I was on the junior high track team, but I felt I didn’t belong so I quit.
What was your favorite race or your greatest achievement? (Could be running or Tri.)
My favorite race was Ironman Lake Placid 2015. I finished at 16:54:58 just under the cutoff… one year of training and all I had and it was the most epic event of my life.
What were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
I was slow, older, and never really learned how to swim well. I hired a coach and followed the plan. It meant sacrificing a lot but in the end, it was worth it.
What are your plans for the year?
I am running the NYC marathon this year and want to finish in under 5 hours, I really am looking forward to the race… I also signed up for Lake Placid for 2023 so the training will start again soon.
Tell me about yourself. Are you married? Children? Ages? What do you do for a living?
I’m 57 working at Southside as a NP. I have worked on the pandemic in the medicine department and I will be transferring soon to cardiology. I have been in health care for the past 20 years.
I am a certified wellness coach and have clients who I coach from weight loss to goal achievement. I also wrote a book called my tri, which is more of an autobiography.
I was a teen mom, married for 32 years before I divorced. I am now recently re-marrying and have three grown adult children and 5 grandkids, my children are all married and I am super proud of each one.
My son is a Lt Col, serving in Hawaii, My daughter Jillian is a mom of three, a full-time employee for the state of Washington in IT, and was attached to a special forces unit in her younger years. My eldest daughter Jen, is a mom of two autistic children, and helps her 89-year-old gram out at all times, she also is a hairdresser who is not working at this time due to her family needs but her husband Jim has that part covered.