Coach Deb

As a kid, running was chasing my brothers around the yard.

Years later, in school, I always struggled with the annual 600 yard walk-run fitness test. The event started with dread and ended with a terrible pain in my side and an overwhelming feeling of failure.

I was fit, but I hated running, and it seemed to hate me back.

Then, in my 20’s, with ten stubborn pounds to lose, after Wendy was born, I started running my way. I ran a bit and walked a bit at an easy, comfortable pace. No pressure.

That’s when the switch flipped, and I fell in ‘like’ with running. Years later, I joined a running group and that’s when I fell in love.

I had stumbled on the secrets, taking it super easy, and sharing the fun with other, likeminded people.

In 2010, I founded Run Tampa, wrote After Your First 5k, and started the Mojo for Running Podcast, followed, a few years later, by the Beginner Runner Podcast.

The fact that I hated running, that I was nothing like an elite runner, has always helped me help other runners.

After 46 years of running, I’m still reveling in new adventures, experiences like qualifying for the Boston Marathon at age 64 and being featured in The Human Race documentary alongside running icon, my hero, Kathrine Switzer? Honestly, that was an equal thrill to qualifying for Boston. No words. Mind blown.

My Podcasts

Plenty of podcasters interview famous runners, and that can be super inspirational, but beyond that, the information often isn’t applicable to 90 percent of the people lined up behind a starting line.

That’s where I come in. I want to take you from where you are in your running journey to wherever it is that you want to go.

I’ve never run into a runner (pun intended - LOL) who didn’t want to enjoy running, to run comfortably for the duration of the desired distance. My goal is to offer practical advice and instruction to help you reach your goals.