I grew up mostly on the rolling hills of eastern Kansas, but spent a handful of my formative years in the Bay Area. I could never shake the coast mountain energy and memories from the time I spent in CA drew me back West and up to Seattle, where I live now. 

I spend my winters running the Issaquah Alps, most often the mystical Tiger Mountain. Once the summer starts to work it's magic on the high country, I tend to range further and the N. Cascades. Unique desert terrain tends to capture my daydreams and I love traveling to Utah and Joshua Tree for big runs. The air is so different from the NW out there and something about open dry landscape really lets the spirit wander.

When I'm running on the Olympic Peninsula, I'll go out of my way to hit up Next Door gastropub in Port Angeles. Crab cakes and IPA have got my heart strings. They'll sometimes host local DJ's as well and it's fun to catch the coastal vibe in there.

Running is my muse! The ability to cover ground and explore deep nooks in the wilderness in just a few hours sets my spirit free and keeps me dreaming. There's that ecstatic peace when you lock into the groove, and that space opens up a channel of inspiration for my music work. Melodies will form in my mind matching the rhythm of my feet and breathing, and I take dozens of voice recordings on my phone trying to capture those moments.

When I became a papa in 2017, I had to rediscover how running fit into the picture. Time, which was so fluid before, became a jigsaw puzzle that can be pretty challenging. I was used to choosing trips spontaneously, often after I'd already left the house with packed car. Now, planning ahead for big mountain days and fastpacks goes a long ways towards making it happen. It will be a while before I'm able to get in of consistent weekday miles, but getting in more volunteer time at ultra races around the NW (where the family can come along) and joining the crew of Aspire Adventure Running have deepened my connections to the running community and made sure there's plenty of trail time. I've got to add that none of it would work without the ultimate crew of my wife Jenna and our daughter. Heading up into the N. Cascades last summer for a 2 day fastpack, we blew a tire on a gnarly mountain road. Rather than let it derail my plans, Jenna took the car and the baby out to Darrington on a spare and got it swapped out while I heading into the Glacier Peak Wilderness. If you're a runner with kids, you know that's true love.