I began running in 1998. I've been running competitively ever since! I've had to take time off for injuries and childbirth, after years of searching and misdiagnoses, I'm finally SURE I have Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome and Functional Popliteal Artery Entrapment. My legs always bothered me, but I normalized it for a very long time and just thought it was a combination of training fatigue, being injury prone, and being a wuss. I've probably had it for a while and just managed it with low mileage, frequent breaks, and lots and lots of warm baths and foam rolling. I'm trying not to look to far into the future, but even as an older mom of three I can't help but wonder what else I'm capable of.
Wife and Mom
In 2006 I met and fell in love with Matthew Germain after years and years of waiting, he proposed and we got Married in 2014. We have two girls, Raea Elizabeth, and Maebel Ann and they bring more love and light into our life everyday! In June of 2022 we found out we were expecting number 3! Unfortunately this resulted in 2 subsequent pregnancy losses, but we finally had our Rainbow Baby, Iris Marie. I struggled a lot with my mental health throughout pregnancy after loss, but committed to daily exercise (physical and/or mental) and it really sparked an interest in the psychology of stacking small habits in order to create big, long term changes. I can not continue seeking treatment for fPAES until after I finish breastfeeding in a year or two after giving birth, and I continue to navigate the long term mental health challenges associated with this shift in identity. I also continue to seek alternative ways of maintaining habits even when my nervous system rebels and my legs trigger me to spiral.
Teaching
I began teaching in 2010 and have been doing it ever since! I am licensed in Moderate Special Needs k-12. All of my students have Autism Spectrum Disorders, and most of them require Behavior Modification to help them access their education. Over the last 14 years I have become an expert at understanding the relationship between behavior and intrinsic and extrinsic reward systems. I've also spent over a decade analyzing barriers (both tangible and perceived) and how an individual can get over that barrier and begin to meet their goals and thrive. This year, due to my mental health after such a long journey, I have decided to focus on rebuilding myself and my own inner strength so that I can be a better teacher into retirement and also be a better mom and coach. I continue to coach during this time since sharing my knowledge helps me stay connected with some core concepts I learned when I first began running. I use a lot of behavior momentum techniques above to help individual athletes develop consistency and life long success.