The Running Coach Who Learned the Hard Way: My Story

When I was a kid, running was just what we did. My family were all runners, and I felt a lot of pressure to be one, too. I had some success, but the truth is, I never really enjoyed it. A big part of that was because it always hurt. I was constantly dealing with common running injuries like plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and IT band syndrome. Everyone around me—and maybe you've heard this too—would say, "running hurts!" So, I just accepted that the pain was normal. Eventually, I stopped because it simply wasn't fun anymore.

Years later, while in physical therapy school, some friends and I decided to do a Spartan race. To train for it, I started running again. This time, something was different. I was surprised to discover that I loved it. The pain I used to feel wasn't there. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, I had learned a lot about how to train smart and avoid injury, and I put that knowledge to work for myself. For the first time, I was running without pain, and I haven't stopped since.

That experience is exactly why I started Fortified Strides. As a physical therapist, I love helping runners recover from injuries, but I realized I wanted to do more. My passion is running injury prevention—to help people avoid major setbacks in the first place, so they can keep doing the activity they love for as long as they want.

This is why I've become a running coach. Coaching allows me to help more runners and share the science-based approach that changed my own running journey. My goal is to empower you to build a resilient stride so you can train smarter, improve your performance, and run without limits—and pain.