Having access to Athlete Blood Test services has been hugely beneficial as an elite athlete. Monitoring my blood levels regularly helps me take advantage of certain training and recovery methods and make informed and smart decisions about my training throughout a long season or race build up. I’ve found it helpful to get blood work done when I’m starting a training cycle or buildup to establish a baseline. I’ve also prioritized monitoring blood levels both before heading into an altitude training stint and immediately after returning from altitude. Knowing my blood levels regarding certain micronutrients, red blood cell analysis, metabolics, and iron allows my coaches and myself to make better decisions about training at altitude to maximize its benefits and minimize risk. This may involve increasing or adjusting various supplements and tracking recovery to ensure my system is responding to training as intended. Another super important time to have my blood levels monitored is about 6-8 weeks out from a key race. For me as a marathoner, I like to do this about 8 weeks out from race day. This gives me time to make any adjustments to training, recovery, supplement intake, etc. as I head into peak training. Ideally, I want to maximize my efforts and avoid any issues that may occur as a result of sub-optimal blood levels. Using Athlete Blood Test services is a great way to help control the ‘controllables’ as I train for an upcoming season or race build-up. It has value for all levels of competitors, no matter one’s age or experience in the sport.

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• A.K.A./Nicknames: CMack
• Hometown(s): Springfield, Mo
• Alma mater(s): Missouri State University
• Primary sport/event: distance running – marathon
• What you are working toward now: building consistency to be ready for my next marathon race opportunity 
• Day job (if you have one): Community Engagement Manager for a small non-profit, The High Desert Food & Farm Alliance
• Proudest athletic accomplishment: Acheiving the “A” standing for the 2020 Olympic Trials marathon (sub 2:37)
• Facepalm/most embarrassing athletic moment (bonus points for photos if you have them): breaking my big toe doing drills at the gym just 3 weeks after qualifying for the Olympic trials last fall.
• Funny athletic moment/memory: 
• Favorite non-athletic/sports hobby/activity: Cooking and eating 🙂
• My personal “walk up”/motivational/current theme song is….
• Best junk food ever created: I love salt & vinegar chips after a long trail run
• Favorite recipes (please include links to one-or more if you are a kitchen whiz!): Marathon bolognese from Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.
• Favorite cocktail/drink of choice (if applicable): I’ve been pretty into whiskey sours lately. 
• Family info: Married for 10 years to my husband Travis. We got a pandemic puppy this spring – an English cream retriever named Atlas 🙂 
• Secret talent: 
• Professional (non-athletic) superpower: turning lemons into lemonade
• Personal (non-athletic) superpower: packing lightly
• Favorite athletic/sports book: Really looking forward to Lauren Fleshman’s upcoming book. Running Rewired, by Jay Dicharry is a really great resource as well.
• Favorite athletic/sports movie:
• Anything else we should know about you? My husband and I owned and operated a remote Canadian fishing lodge in NW Ontario for 8 years before I recommitted to running at an elite level and started training for the marathon.