Hi I’m Susie, an avid runner and RRCA certified running coach. I’ve been running on some level for most of my life; I loved “the mile” in gym class and enjoyed when my soccer coach made us run laps. I joined the cross country team in high school because I realized I was much better at running than the actual soccer part, and I’ve never looked back.

I continued running for fun throughout college, and ran my first marathon in 2017 just after graduating. I made countless beginner mistakes, hit “the wall,” and painfully shuffled over the finish line. Pretty quickly, the initial pain wore off, and I started thinking about all of the things I could change to do better next time. I knew I was capable of a faster marathon and eager to try again, but I was also intimidated and humbled by the distance.

When a coworker informed me I was close to qualifying for the Boston Marathon (something I thought was only for professional runners), I set aside my reservations and signed up for another marathon in September 2018. I bought a GPS watch, trained harder, improved on my previous mistakes, and ran a 3:21 to qualify for Boston. I was ecstatic. Still, I thought, but what if I did this next time? Could I go faster?

I’ve now run eight marathons, and have improved my time from my original 3:40 to a 2:52 in the fall of 2024. With each marathon and each training cycle, I’ve learned more about myself, the marathon, and how to train and race smarter. I’ve also had so much fun along the way.

After informally coaching friends and family for a few years, I started Shakeout Street Running to help others achieve (and surpass) their goals. Running has improved my life in so many ways. If I can help one person experience the incredible sense of joy, community, and accomplishment that I’ve found through running, then I’ll have accomplished my goal.

I coach all levels of runners, from taking on your first 5k, to tackling the half marathon, to improving you marathon time to qualify for Boston (and beyond).