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ABOUT ME
I took a less traditional route in regards to running. I grew up in Texas loving and playing “court sports,” mostly volleyball and basketball. But unless I was actively playing my sport, I actually hated running for the sake of running, mostly because my mind connotated it with “punishment.”
My college experience introduced me to rock climbing, which became an obsession for many years. During late college, I also stumbled across a small area of trails in my hometown of Waco, TX called Cameron park, and found myself running through the trees one day and realized how freeing it felt, and bought my first pair of trail shoes. But it wasn’t until after grad school and moving to California, where I found an endless supply of trail systems, as well as exposure to a more carnal humanistic view of running, did my entire mindset about running, especially trail running, metamorphose into what it is now.
As I continue to repeatedly expose myself to the trails, the more at home I’ve felt, not only geographically, but also within myself. Though I absolutely enjoy being at the race scene and supporting athletes (and finding a healthy level of competition with myself at times), I run now because it’s what creates and supports the feeling of being truly human. After reading Christopher McDougal’s book “Born to Run,” I better understood why I have felt so grounded on the trails - it’s because humans were meant to be there and to experience the freedom of running, something so ingrained in our DNA
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WHY I COACH
My re-invented mindset around running, plus my background in treating injuries and movement dysfunction, is what led me to want to coach athletes through an active injury, as well as in injury prevention. This is because I understand that running is not only part of the human identity, but also the person’s identity. When that identity is threatened with an injury, that athlete’s and person’s world and sense of purpose are also jeopardized. While injuries are never one hundred percent avoidable, I want to help athletes understand that they are not a death sentence to their sport.
I truly love assessing the way individual’s move. What the body can do in open space is amazing. Though hands-on assessment gives so much valuable information, visualizing and dissecting movement patterns is the key to unlocking and addressing any deficiencies and inefficiencies in an individual and an athlete. Through this assessment, my professional aim is to have the athletes 1) understand how to maximize their physical and sport longevity via injury prevention strategies and individualized programming that reinforces the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems, 2) understand and grow comfortable continuing to training with and around an active injury, and 3) understand how their own body works and the inter-regional dependence between seemingly distant anatomical regions. I have seen that the deeper a person understands their own body, the more power this gives them to live better and achieve higher.
to do.
QUALIFICATIONS
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Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
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Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS)
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Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
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Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)