CCR: When did you start really running? Why?
Tiffany:
I ran short distances in middle and high school and then took a break
from running for a while. I started running long distances in my
thirties and finished my first marathon in January 2008.
CCR: How has running shaped you since then?
Tiffany:
I think the goals I have set and achieved through running have
contributed to the person that I am. In general, running makes me happy,
and I think that spills over into the rest of my life
CCR: As a child, did you think running would be an important part of your life?
Tiffany:
I’m not sure I thought running would be an important part of my life,
but I always knew that exercise would be. I did not realize how
important running was to me, until I had to stop doing it for a while
because of health issues.
CCR: What is one of your most awesome running memories? i.e. proudest, favorite, most memorable...
Tiffany:
I started training for a marathon through the Team in Training program
in January 2007. I joined the program to honor my mother who has a form
of leukemia. Unfortunately, I myself was diagnosed with cancer while
training for that first marathon. I had to have major surgery, so my
plans to complete that first marathon were postponed. My goal through
the whole cancer ordeal was to get back out and start training again.
So, when I finished my first marathon in January 2008, it was not only a
personal victory, but also a “take that cancer” moment. To this day,
every finish line I cross, I think to myself “take that cancer…you
knocked me down, but not out.” I set another goal to finish a 140.6 mile
triathlon before my five year, cancer-free date, and I achieved that
goal in October 2011….another personal victory and “take that cancer”
moment.
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| Tiffany's First Marathon finish: Walt Disney World 15th Anniversary Marathon (2008) |
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| Tiffany with local running enthusiasts, Kathy Fox and Shelby Augustyniak, at the finish line of the Great Floridian 140.6 Triathlon. |
CCR: What is your weak point? Does it haunt your or drive you?
Tiffany: Right now my weak point is not being able to run like I want to because of health issues (no cancer…thankfully!!). I’m pushing through and I am determined that I will run another marathon one of these days soon
CCR: What do you like to do when you aren’t running? (Do you have a favorite non-running hobby?)
Tiffany:
I enjoy cycling, swimming, and just recently took up paddle-boarding. I
pretty much like to do anything that involves being outside
CCR: What do you do to pay your bills?
Tiffany: I am a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Pediatric ICU at TMH
CCR: If money were no object, what would you love to do?
Tiffany: Travel all over doing half marathons, marathons, triathlons…not only for the races, but to see new places.
- Post race refueling: Chicago-style deep dish pizza following the Chicago Marathon.
CCR: What are some of your most recent “reads”?
Tiffany:
Truthfully, I don’t read a lot about running. I have a stressful job,
so the things I read are fiction books that don’t involve a lot of
thinking!! I do enough of that at work!
CCR: Who motivates you, and what inspires you to keep running?
Tiffany:
Life motivates me. I believe that we should live every day to the
fullest and find something positive and happy about each day. Running
makes me happy, so I keep doing it!!
CCR: What is your idea of the perfect “running” vacation (or weekend)? A non-running vacation?
Tiffany:
I think I have already had my perfect “running” vacation. For my five
year cancer free milestone I went to Big Sur in California with several
of my closest friends and we ran the Big Sur Marathon together. What a
glorious run and the perfect place to celebrate life, friendship and the
beauty this world has to offer.
- A celebration of life on the Monterey Coast following the 2012 Big Sur International Marathon.
CCR: How has Capital City Runners been a positive component of your running career/life-style?
Tiffany: I have learned a lot about my running style and proper equipment by talking to the staff at Capital City Runners.
