In honor of our inaugural Team LUNA Chix Portland Run season, I’ll be introducing my teammates via this interview series throughout the next few months…get to know these impressive ladies, and come join us for a run Monday nights from 6:30-7:30 pm in Portland (click here for details)! 

If you’re a soccer fan (and who isn’t here in Portland?!), you’ve got Dr. Katie Phillips to thank for keeping our beloved Thorns players’ eyes on the prize, so to speak. As the official optometrist for the team, she provides the area’s most exceptional vision care (I can vouch as a patient myself!) to help keep the ladies in tip-top shape for game days.

A native of Reno, Nevada, Katie first moved to the Beaver State to attend Oregon State University for her undergraduate degree and went on to receive her Doctorate of Optometry at Pacific University. She’s been an Oregonian ever since; having met her husband while at OSU, they got married in 2005 and have had two adorable kiddos since.

Katie’s always been a great role model for moms who are juggling it all — career, family, fitness, etc. In addition to being a small business owner, she’s also a Hood to Coast veteran and frequent half marathon finisher, so I knew she’d make a great addition to our team when it comes to inspiring others to stay active despite hectic schedules!

1. What’s your favorite route? At this point in my life, any time I am out running I am enjoying my route, although my neighborhood is super hilly, so when I find a scenic flat route, I am loving every second!

2. What shoes do you wear? Brooks Ravenna and Nike Air Zoom Vomero

3. What other run gear can’t you live without? Music! I find that a good running playlist helps the minutes fly by.

4. What’s your best time­saver or “runhack?” If I have the day off, I put my running gear on. It doesn’t guarantee a work out, but it limits my excuses.

5. What do you listen to while running? I am embarrassed to admit I have terrible taste in music. I like upbeat pop music while I run.

6. What are you currently training for? Hood to Coast is first on the agenda, but I would like to get a half marathon on the books before the end of the year.

7. What are your recovery & sleep routines like? At this point I don’t have any specific routines, but a good meal after a race definitely hits the spot.

8. What’s the best running advice you’ve ever received? To listen to your body, and when that doesn’t work­ go visit the experts! Due to pregnancy restrictions and sciatica issues I was unable to run for nearly three years. After a properly-fit heel lift (thank you, Jenni Johnson), continued chiropractic care (Dr. Scott Shephard) and yoga when possible I was able to return to the exercise I love best.

9. What’s your favorite running-­related memory? Before I began entering races, I went to cheer on a friend at several different mile markers as she completed her first marathon. I was so inspired by the runners and moved by the other people rooting on their loved ones, that when I got home that afternoon I signed up for a marathon.

10. Fill in the blank: I’d love to go on a run with ________.  My husband. Unfortunately, bad knees plague him, but it would be a great activity to do as a couple.

Thanks, Katie! So thrilled to be ‘seeing’ more of you now that we get to meet up for our weekly workouts 😉 

Runner friends, shoot me a note — info (at) kineticfix.com — so I can feature you, too!