Hi, I’m Amy!
I am so excited to be here, coaching with Jess at Pace of Me, and am honored to share a bit about my running journey and how it led me down the path to coaching.
I started distance running in 2007 while living in Boston, drawing inspiration from all of the marathoners who flooded my beloved city every April. Though I was always a very competitive athlete playing soccer, softball, basketball, and flag football, I was more focused on speed over distance in my running. I trained haphazardly and without much understanding of the sport for a few years, with less consistency or commitment than necessary, crossing my first marathon finish line at the Walt Disney World Marathon in 4:45 thinking my dream to one day run Boston was a bit unrealistic. Over the next few years, I moved to North Carolina, got divorced, worked through a lot of mental health issues, ran in a few obstacle course races of varying distances, played a lot of softball, soccer, and flag football, and eventually made my way back to distance running and met my husband. In 2013 I decided to train again for a marathon. This time I trained a bit more, but I still had no idea what I was doing, taking plans from any online sources I could find. I crossed my second marathon finish line at the City of Oaks Marathon, which is VERY hilly, in 4:04 and immediately began to dream again. My next marathon in early 2014 did not go as well as I had hoped (spoiler, I didn’t train well AT ALL) but shortly thereafter I found out we were pregnant! I ran as much as I could during my pregnancy, completing 3 half marathons until I was told to curtail my running a bit because of my medical history and some complications. By the time we reached my halfway point, I was no longer able to run but I was stoking a fire inside to get back to running in my postpartum life.
Once I was cleared to run safely after giving birth to my daughter, I embraced treadmill running with her nearby and then eventually stroller running with her. We put in A LOT of miles together and she continues to grow up with a very strong running influence. When she turned a year old, I saw the potential to train for a Boston Qualifying time and knocked out a 31 minute PR and sealed my Boston Marathon entry. I gained a new focus for consistency and commitment to the process and it really paid off for me. Since then, I have run the Chicago, Boston, and New York City Marathons as well as Richmond and Wineglass, PRing in both of those with my current PR being a 3:07 and my sites set on breaking 3 hours!
The biggest change in my training came from working with a coach who could truly tailor my training and help me stay consistent as well as introduce me to all of the other important factors necessary for racing success: good nutrition, strength training, maintenance in the form of PT and massage, and quality sleep. In the midst of my running success, I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes. I had already been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and Celiac, but this was an even greater personal health challenge for me. Instead of stopping me, though, it propelled me to work smarter and harder at training. I am constantly inspired by every runner I meet, whether they are working towards making running a consistent part of their life, chasing big time goals, or running for the pure joy of it. I believe in the process of running and training, that we do get out of it what we put into it, and that the journey is the entire point.
Jess began coaching me in the summer of 2020 and we also started training together quite a bit, sharing a lot of miles and cementing our incredible friendship. On one of our runs, she mentioned potentially expanding her coaching business and easily convinced me to get my certifications and join her on this journey in helping others. I am incredibly honored and privileged to be able to share in this with Jess, to join her as a team, and to expand her vision for compassionate, invested coaching.
I find my biggest joy in coaching others, sharing my experiences and knowledge, and getting a front row seat to one of the best shows on Earth. Running has helped me navigate so many things, both big and small, introduced me to countless close friends, and brought me endless joy and I want to share that with you!
