My Hobbies & Interests
Trail Running
Running is a part of how I spend my free time. My terrain of choice is rocky terrain through the woods of the Appalachians, though you can still find me doing speed work on the roads on occasion. I've raced plenty of races, from 5Ks (PR 17:31), to half marathons (PR 1:27:26), and marathons (PR 3:08:58).
Ultrarunning, the sport of running events longer than a typical 26.2 mile marathon, was a big part of my life. As an accomplished runner, I've completed eight marathons (26.2 mi), twelve 50Ks (31.1 mi), three 40 milers, two 50 milers, and two 100Ks (62.2 mi).
And while I continue to run today for the love of the sport (and for mental and physical health benefits), my ultrarunning has taken a backseat to other pursuits (it takes a fantastic amount of commitment to racing ultramarathons!). However, I wouldn't be the person I am today without having participated in this sport with the intensity that I did.
Catch me if you can! Follow me on Strava.
Storm Chasing
I've been fascinated by weather since I was a kid. I grew up glued to The Weather Channel. Jim Cantore was my idol. In college, I was one meeting away from switching majors from Business Management to Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
One spring afternoon in 2012, I came to the realization that Colorado is on the western edge of tornado alley. Since then, I've devoted much of my free time studying weather, chasing high plains storm setups, and obsessing over various kinds of cloud species and varieties. I love weather (and specifically cloud identification) so much, I've recently launched What's This Cloud.
I'm an active participant in the NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program and have chased four tornadoes in Colorado since 2015. Here are some of my albums and videos from storm events I witnessed:
Photography
I’ve recently taken up photography, primarily focusing on nature photography, specifically birds and landscapes. I’ve always been a birdwatcher and I spend a lot of time outside, so I thought I’d marry these activities with photography.
Other Interests
Aside from running, weather, and photography, I spend free time hiking with Makoto my Shiba Inu, golfing, skiing, reading, and college football (go Jackets!). I'm especially interested in music, and have focused much of my energy on playing bluegrass guitar and mandolin.
