Welcome to my blog and a little snapshot of my life!
I’m Michelle, and I love running around the lakes of Minnesota, running after my boys, and racing anything from the 5K to the marathon. I have been running since I was 10 years old to train for the mile in grade school and continued to run competitively through high school and college. I was a very average runner in high school and college (Division III), but with some dedication and more structured training, I have been able to improve my times and become faster–even after having two kids.
I was born and raised on a family farm (my parents have pigs, corn, and soybeans) in southern Minnesota. I went to college at Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) where I earned my B.A. in physical education and health education. My husband, Craig, and I met at a summer camp in Minnesota (Camp Omega), and then moved to Alaska in August 2007. We have two sons–Cullen who was born October 2014 and Bjorn was born September 2019. And we can’t forget about our dog, Sadie, who is a black lab/pit bull mix that we adopted September 2013.
I have been an online running coach since January 2014, and I absolutely love what I do. (If you are interested in my coaching services, check out my Coaching page.) I initially wanted a little side hustle gig that I could do while also staying at home with both Cullen and Bjorn since they were born. But my work exploded in the last few years, and I now have my own coaching business plus make income through blogging and influencing on Instagram. I never thought I would be where I’m at with my career, but it is better than I ever imagined!
My husband, Craig, makes frequent appearances on the blog as well. We were married on June 7, 2008 in Minnesota and rode on a hay wagon pulled by a John Deere tractor down main street after the ceremony. Fun fact: the date of our wedding is 06-07-08 (which was not planned), and we started dating in 2006, got engaged in 2007, and married in 2008.
He is my best friend and makes me laugh all the time. We have a lot of fun together hiking, biking, going on coffee dates, traveling, and going for walks. Craig will run with me occasionally and do a few races a year, but he’s mostly a casual, fair-weather runner. But he is my biggest supporter and assistant coach!
I love running! I am seriously addicted to running and can’t get enough of it. I run six to seven days a week and race as often as I can. I have run 13 marathons including the Boston Marathon in 2013 and the NYC Marathon in 2018. I have come a long way in just a few years, working my way up to 100 miles a week, winning the 2013 Kenai River Marathon, placing 19th at the Twin Cities Marathon, placing 1st at the Moose’s Tooth Marathon at 9.5 months postpartum, and finally securing my big, dream goal of a sub-3 hour marathon at the California International Marathon in December 2021.
In 2022, we made the decision to move to Minnesota after spending 15 years in Alaska, so we sold nearly everything we owned, packed a small U-Haul trailer with what was left, and moved back to my hometown so Craig could farm with my parents and eventually take over the farm of corn and soybeans as my parents are wanting to retire. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride as we navigate this new chapter, but I am hopeful we made the right decision for our family.
As for food, I love trying new recipes and cooking in the kitchen. I am not a vegetarian, despite what many people think. My diet consists of whole grain, vegetables, fruit, lean meats/proteins, and healthy fats. I enjoy a balanced diet and eat healthy 90% of the time.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the blog!