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My Story

My sport beginnings…

When I was five years old my parents enrolled me in dance and tumbling class. My mother hoped I would be an elegant ballerina; naturally I pursued tumbling and gymnastics, which I continued into college. When I was a child I also had the opportunity to participate in swimming, water skiing, golf, downhill skiing, soccer, and tennis.

Collegiate gymnastics and my first injury…

Gymnastics is a sport for the young and fearless. In my early 20s, during my second year of college at UCSB I suffered a mysterious shoulder injury that the doctors, physical therapists, nor athletic trainers could cure. This was to be my first transition to other activities. Fortunately I lived in a beautiful place with lots to do and took to social golf outings, bike rides, sailing, and rollerblading along the Santa Barbara beach.

New scenery brings new sports…

I moved to Tucson, AZ for graduate school where I taught weight training, hiking, and volleyball as a graduate assistant. To escape the oppressive summer heat I fled to the mountains and began to rock climb. After graduation I made my way to Los Alamos, NM. Living in a snowy climate for the first time I started cross-country skiing and snow shoeing in the winter and went rock climbing, mountain biking, road cycling, and trail running in the warmer months.

Competing in endurance sports…

Shortly after learning the basics of Nordic skiing I entered my first race. I was instantly hooked and my competitive nature quickly returned. Ski racing in the winter led to bike racing in the spring, summer, and fall. My goal was simply to keep up with my husband, a former pro mountain biker. With increasingly longer rides, harder training, and the assistance of a coach I also reached the pro level.

In 2004 I was privileged to represent the USA at the Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Austria.

Surgery and my second sports transition…

On my way to turning pro I tore my quad muscle and had two knee surgeries on the same knee. After my rookie year while training for a triathlon, I had my third and most serious knee injury and operation. No longer able to run and not fully recovered from that set back I had hip surgery and found out I have severe osteoarthritis.

Overcoming osteoarthritis...

The doctor told me I was too young for surgery and to come back in 15 years for my hip replacement. Until then I should moderate my activity and not do anything that hurts. Needless to say I was devastated!

To cope I tried everything I could think of including - massage therapy, chiropractic, heat, ice, anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, exercising and not exercising, herbs, acupuncture and Bikram yoga. Then, my massage therapist attended a seminar on posture alignment therapy at the Egoscue clinic in San Diego. She became a devoted advocate and gave me a copy of "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue.

I was skeptical because I had been introduced to The Egoscue Method before, tried some of the exercises, and felt no better. She was convincing though and I started reading the book. I admit, I was impressed! The approach made scientific sense, was based on exercise which of course appealed to this exercise scientist, and it was something I could do myself.

I won't say that The Egoscue Method was the panacea that instantly took my pain away but I will say it works! I've been doing a daily menu for the past two years and have my pain under control and my body in a position that allows me to enjoy all my favorite sports.

My sports history has taught me…

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