lthough I consider myself a New Yorker at heart, I actually grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. That’s on the Red River up in the northwest corner of the state tucked in between Arkansas and Texas. As long as I can remember, at least since I was 5, I have wanted to be a veterinarian, and had lots of pets — dogs, cats, birds, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, and even a horse. And besides the live pets, I had tons of stuffed animals. I got my own horse, a beautiful gray Anglo-Arab, when I was twelve. That summer I worked for the stable cleaning the stalls to pay for his room and board, and I’ll tell you, that was a lot of work. I was very involved in riding and showing in hunter-jumper competitions from the age of 11-19. But that was pretty much the only sport I was involved in until taking up tennis in high school and college.
I was constantly outside however, and often went camping at the Lake of the Pines over in Texas with my parents. We would sometimes go up to Arkansas to Lake De Gray and Table Rock Lake, which stretches for miles along the White River valley in Missouri and down to Arkansas. My father had a boat and those were great places. I have always been a lover of the great outdoors. But unfortunately I haven’t really been back to camping till last month when I went to Yosemite.
I have also always loved to travel, and was fortunate enough during the summer between my junior and senior years in high school to take part in a month-long French language study course in Quebec, Canada, in which I not only attended formal classes, but also stayed with a wonderful French speaking family. They weren’t supposed to speak English to me and at first I couldn’t understand their French-Canadian accent, but they were very patient and spoke very slowly until I got the hang of it.
My first memories of running were when I was about 7, and my dad was a runner. I remember riding my bike around the neighborhood with him while he did his evening runs, and watching him participate in the Dallas White Rock Marathon. This, no doubt, played a role in influencing my decision to take up distance running as an adult (that and my Cherokee Indian roots!). My family was small, I have no siblings and my mom passed away when I was 15. But I now have 2 step-sisters (20 and 21) and a step-mother who is really great — and we still go to Table Rock Lake (and of course my dad has a new boat). And they all came up when I ran my first New York marathon in 1998 — it was really special.
attended undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University in Shreveport which was a small commuter college. This allowed me not only to save money by staying local, but to also continue to work for a local veterinarian during my off hours and weekends.
I began to run somewhat seriously in college, but rarely competed. I do remember one race where I came in second place in my age group — but don't
tell enyone, there were only two of us!
It was during my early college years that my love of travel extended beyond the borders of North America, and I was able to participate in yet another month-long French study program abroad, in Angers, France. This was about 2 ½ hours out of Paris, but we would visit Paris every weekend which is when I fell in love with that city. It still ranks as my favorite city in the world (one of the reasons it later became the place where I ran my first marathon!).
After graduating in 1989, I attended LSU Veterinary School in Baton Rouge which is about 6 hours from Shreveport. I would go down to New Orleans every weekend so I hardly ever went home. I fell in love with south Lousiana music, food, and culture — it’s a wonder my liver survived!
Unfortunately due to the rigors of the veterinary curriculum, my running took somewhat of a backseat, but never disappeared from my life.
My fondest running memories at this time were after I adopted a retired racing greyhound named “Hope”, who accompanied me on all my runs. I had her from the time she was 1 ½ till she was about 9 when she passed away. These dogs are truly a runner’s best friend, as they are much more content to trot along beside you at a leisurely pace, rather than sprint a short distance (I can definitely relate to that philosophy!).
It’s funny that my current pet parrot “Gaucho”, the only pet I can have in my small New York apartment, is also a “rescue”. He couldn’t go back with
the other birds so I volunteered to take him. But the zoo couldn’t just give him to me, so he’s on permanent loan. And he has free medical care
for life, and that’s better than what I have!
It’s just one of the peculiarities of the rules and paper work we live with.
fter graduating from veterinary school, I moved to New York to participate in an internship at the Animal Medical Center. Although very stressful at times, I loved the fast-paced environment in which I was working, and truly fell in love with the city. I also developed a passionate love for the Yankees, which has only grown over the years.
After my internship, I decided to remain in New York, and worked in private practice for several years before deciding to relocate to a veterinary clinic in south Jersey, which also enabled me to work at the Cape May Zoo once a week — a truly wonderful experience!
Along about this time, I took up running more seriously, and ran my first marathon in Paris (April 1998), followed by the New York Marathon in the fall of the same year, and the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans the following February. All three of these marathons were truly special — Paris because of the sights and sounds (including women on the sidelines cheering “Allez les femmes” to all the other women), New York because, well I think we all know why that one is so special in many ways (but it was the first time my dad came to cheer me on, so even cooler!), and New Orleans for the family, food, and fun factor.
However, and not surprisingly, I developed an iliotibial band injury after my 3 in 1 year, which necessitated that I back off my mileage and put any more marathons on hold. I still kept running though! I also continued to travel a lot, and became an avid cruiser.
I remember running around the track on the cruise ship, having to do 10 miles training for some marathon or another — while my friends sipped frozen drinks on the pool deck and waved up at me! I also got to go on the ever-popular backpacking adventure through Europe, visiting London, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, and Amsterdam (where “coffee shops” don’t just sell coffee!).
In 2000, I moved to Boston to complete a 3 year residency in Veterinary Pathology at Angel Memorial Animal Hospital and Tufts University. Although I tried my best to become a Red Sox fan, it felt like betrayal and torture, so I gave up and kept silently rooting for my Yankees. Running continued in force; Boston is truly a runner’s town. I ran almost every morning around Jamaica Pond (a beautiful site right near where I worked) with my mentor, and once I started at Tufts, I ran cross-country (even in knee deep snow) right near the veterinary school mornings before work. I think they thought I was nuts, but I loved the sense of freedom it gave me!
I also got back into marathons at this time, running in Ocean City RI (where I PR’d in 3:54), and Vermont City. Many local races too, including the YMCA World’s Largest Race, run coast-to-coast on the same day. I got a second-place medal in my age group in this one, and there were more than two people in my age group! The other activity I took up during my stint in Boston was yoga, which to this day has become an important part of my workout routine…and surely one of the reasons I continue to run relatively injury free — knock on wood!
After completing my residency and passing my board exam I couldn’t wait to move back to New York and was able to get my dream job, working as a pathologist at the Bronx Zoo. During this time, I lived on City Island in the Bronx. It is a wonderfully quirky place that looks more like a New England fishing village than part of the city, and has great bike paths going all the way to the zoo and beyond, so I ran to/from work on many occasions. I also ran the Marine Corps Marathon at that time.
I ran the NY Marathon again in 2006 with a friend I have known since high school. I had a great time, but shortly thereafter experienced my first (and I hope last) case of serious runner’s burnout and ran very little for the next year. I always knew I would come back to it.
The other activity I became very involved with was community theater…a lifelong love of mine. I started out working lights, sound, stage managing, etc. but soon found myself on stage and never looked back. Nearly all the shows I have done to date have been with the City Island Theater Group. Even though I now live on another island (Roosevelt), I will brave the commute to the end of the 6 train and beyond to act with the folks that have truly become my extended family.
In 2007, I made the difficult decision to leave the Bronx Zoo. Although I truly loved the time I spent there, I felt it was time to explore other career opportunities, and took a position as a Comparative Pathologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This proved to be a wonderful decision, not only from a financial, logistical (much shorter commute), and intellectual standpoint, but also from the fact that my job is constantly evolving, always challenging (but in a good way), and never boring. I also get to do a lot of teaching, which I really love.
And around the same time, I decided it was time to start running again. I just needed to miss it enough, and also to get involved with other runners to help motivate me. I volunteered to help at the Marathon start in Staten Island in 2007 (if you’ve done this, you know you have to get up around 3AM, but it is so worth it!), and was fortunate enough to have a front row seat to see Paula Radcliffe cross the finish line and hold her baby up to the crowd afterwards — so inspirational! And I figured if Paula can do it so soon after having a baby, I really have no excuse!
So, I started to run again in 2008 to qualify for the 2009 marathon. It was during the long training run in 2008 that I met pace and Isabel Johnston and told her I was interested in joining the Flyers, which I did in the summer of 2009. Initially, I just joined to take part in the coached speed work sessions, but quickly realized how wonderful the camaraderie is and now enjoy the social aspects as much as, if not more than, the running aspects.
So this little story of my life begins with my love of animals and ends with my love of the Flyers. It's all good!