About Me
I’m pretty sure I was born an endurance junkie though I didn’t really stumble into my first endurance event until I ran my first marathon at the age of 25.
But let me back up a bit. I grew up in the Midwest, the oldest of four and the only girl. My parents did a fabulous job of exposing us to sport and allowing us to choose our own athletic path as we saw fit. As a child I was a less than mediocre athlete, awkwardly growing into my body as many teenage girls do. I chose sport for the social aspect in high school and not because I had any talent as an athlete. In middle school I started running cross country, as team sports weren’t really my thing. I continued running through high school and added downhill skiing in the winter and track in the spring.
Eventually, I graduated college with my BSN and moved out west to start my so-called adult life. I found mountain biking via ultrarunning via triathlon via running. With a lot of adventures in between. But since this blog is named Lovethismtblife let’s focus on that!
I was 35 when I bought my first mountain bike as a gift to myself for completing my thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I started racing two weeks after I bought my bike. Let me tell you all my ignorance was truly bliss! From the moment I started, I was hooked!
That first year I raced Cat 3/Beginner. I found myself a coach because I had no idea how to train on a bike. After the first year I moved to Cat 2/Sport. My third year of racing I pushed myself way outside my comfort zone into racing Cat 1/Expert. This was not because I was winning Cat 2 races but because I wanted to challenge myself to be the best competitor I could be and to me that meant racing with the best. I had the mentality I’d rather finish last in Cat 1 race, then have the glory of winning any Cat 2 race. As I truly knew for myself, that wouldn’t be the best I could be and there would be more to give.
Those first few years in Cat 1 were some of the most intimidating and scariest times I spent lining up at start lines. I was doing, what I know now to be a strength of mine, hard and uncomfortable things. I believe to grow, not only as an athlete, but as a human being, this is the place we need to go: being ok with feeling uncomfortable.
It’s now been 8 full years since I’ve been riding, training and racing. I’m entering my 9th season/year of racing in 2023. Reflecting back, it’s amazing how it could possibly be already that long. But let me tell you, my love for mountain biking has only continued to grow exponentially since that first day on the trail in 2015. I have made the best of friends. Seen the most beautiful remote areas that the trails can bring me. Traveled to experience some of the best XC MTB events in the US. Spent countless hours of free therapy spinning the pedals in the wilderness. And I’m here to share this story with you!