I met Sonja in 2012, I think? I hired her to coach me for an upcoming marathon. I was running the San Diego for the 3rd time, and my goal was 4:15. My previous marathons were, 4:45 and 4:40.

I remember not having a clue about the caliber of athlete she was. She was so kind, humble and conscientious. She listened and suggested two track workouts for me to add to my marathon schedule. Then, I googled her name and was a bit in awe. I think that I reminded her how talented she was (HA!).

I did not hit my goal of 4:15, but I hit my goal of 4:20 and I would never be the same. Gosh, I remember that Sonja really, really believed in me. . . ME. This had a huge impact on my lagging self esteem. The next thing that I remember she suggested was Magical Running by Bobby McGee. To date, this was one of the best books that I have read about running and positive affirmations. This greatly helped my running and this greatly helped my self esteem.

Sonja became my track coach. She opened the world of track running to me – Because of her example, I coach a group of runners at the track. Sonja helped me hit a 50 mile PR, December 2015. I PR’d by 1 hour and 20 minutes! Sonja designed a core workout that changed my trail running. I have never worked this hard on my core.

Currently, I am working under Sonja’s direction for a 100 mile race I have coming up in September. I consult with Sonja for my gym and core work. I cannot wait to hit the starting line and see what I can do.