Hi, my name is Erica VanHorn, and I am the runner of the month!

What’s your day job?

I’m a cardiac ICU nurse at UCSF, and I work nights (aka a vampire). Additionally, I'm a certified hospice and palliative care nurse, and am very involved in end-of-life care for my patients. Primarily, I take care heart and lung transplants, and patients that are critically ill with multiple assistive devices (feel free to google what ECMO is). I have also been working with many COVID+ patients during the last year. Please wear your mask and get your vaccine!

How long have you been running?

Around 5 years.

What are your current running goals?

I'd love to run a 50k; I had signed up for one last year (Skyline to the Sea), but it got canceled. Right now, I'm focused on being a Local Legend for the Upper Lake Road Trail segment and just doing as much vert as possible.

What is your favorite Bay Area race?

I love the Skyline to the Sea Marathon and Brazen Racing's Trail Hog.

What are some things that you like to do when you’re not running?

I read a lot, and enjoy watching Game of Thrones and all of the latest Marvel/Star Wars shows on Disney+. I love anything spooky and supernatural (shout out to the Krampus Klub of Belmont Runners, as well as anything involving Halloween and/or vampires). If you ever want to talk about these things ad nauseum, I'm your girl!
Pre-Covid, I loved to travel anywhere, and especially to France, and drink champagne (in and out of France, haha). Of course, I love hanging out with my two cats, Viktor and Vladimir, and my snake, Arya.

Where’s your favorite place to run?

Edgewood Park is my favorite! It has a good elevation gain and is very manageable. Plus, it usually isn't too crowded. There is a special spot at the top, if you go right before dusk, that is just magical. The fog is rolling over the mountains and there is a downhill section that makes me feel like I'm flying. It feels otherworldly.

Do you have a special warm-up or power song when running?

This should come as a surprise to no one. My power song is "Spoils of War, Pt. 1" by Ramin Djawadi, who is the composer of Game of Thrones. It makes me feel like I'm riding on a dragon and gets me focused and feel like a badass, especially when I'm running down the "Switchbacks, Wheeee!" segment. I also love "The Night King" by Ramin Djawadi, which is a 8-ish minute song that can keep me focused and going, during a long run.

Do you have any advice for someone who is just starting out with running?

Take your time, and set little goals for yourself, whether it is a time for a distance, or a distance itself. Being able to achieve these goals gave me motivation to keep going. Also, I'd advise a new runner to try different places to run. I started off running flat,but when I found trail running, I couldn't describe how happy it made me feel. Also, look for videos on Youtube! There's such a big running community and you can take in small bits of information here and there.
Find someone who will be a running buddy (like I did, with my husband), or join a super-cool and fun club, like Belmont Runners.