My background consists of a Ph.D. in Recreation Resources from Colorado State University, 1994. In my doctoral work I studied the psychophysiological benefits of recreation in restorative outdoor settings as part of a program of research in health benefits of leisure, which gave me a strong background in exercise science, physiology, and social and behavioral sciences.
I have coached adult athletes of all ages, including collegiate cross country and track athletes. I taught exercise science, wellness, and kinesiology for two years at the college level. After that I had my own business as a certified personal trainer working exclusively with women aged 40-80 with existing health conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, and cardiovascular disease.
I went back to school for nursing in 2005 and I am now a registered nurse. I worked in a hospital intensive care unit for nearly four years before starting in oncology, in an outpatient infusion clinic, in 2010.
I have been a runner since 1984 and have competed at distances from one mile to 135 miles, at 24 and 48 hour fixed time events, and in July 2011, I ran the Badwater Ultramarathon 135 mile race in Death Valley and turned around and ran back to the start, for a total of 270 miles in approximately 5 days.
About Me
- Alene
- I have been running ultramarathons since 1991 and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 2003. After several frustrating years of suffering from fatigue and unexplained swings in my weight, clarity of thinking, energy levels, and mood, I finally found an endocrinologist in 2004 who helped me. Soon after that, I started an informal group, a spin-off from an ultrarunning discussion list. I knew there had to be other runners out there who struggled with the same thing. When I first posted my story to the list, people came out of the woodwork. By sharing my story, it helped all of us start a discussion about how to get the best care from physicians, who are often dismissive of our concerns because we appear to be so much healthier than the general population. Once we get treated, many of us find we feel better than ever. I want to help other athletes who struggle with thyroid disease to minimize their suffering and get on the road to treatment as soon as possible.
What I do now
Health Coaching, Cancer Exercise Training, Cancer Wellness for Clients & Caregivers