Hi guys-  I’m Kristina.  This is me:

Oh, wait?  you want something head on?  OK:

This blog was actually born in my brain a long time ago.  I have a lot going on in my head at any given point-  whether I am planning and training for my next race or big dinner party (the process is scarily similar-  begin thinking long before the event, make a plan, and FOLLOW IT.  Adapt and change the plan as you hit roadblocks or challenges, but do not give up!).   At this point I have bored people to death discussing mileage, speedwork, long runs, the bathroom issues associated, nutrition….  but I digress.  You people probably want to know a little bit about me?  Some context, perhaps.

We’ll start with running.  A familiar story to some-  I was a fat college kid who got fat when I discovered how much I love to cook (and EAT).  I picked up running when I was sick of having to buy the largest size in a conventional store.  I was never really ashamed of being fat or felt that it was holding me back- but I LOVE to shop- so it (my weight) was a major hindrance to shopping.

Post college I did some running, but I didn’t really get into it until I began working at a large consulting firm, and met one of my best friends (and my work wife), Jamie.  We needed to get out of the office to shake off stress- and what began as a lunchtime walk progressed to “I think we should run from here to the stop sign”, and turned into full-blown runs in the course of a few months.  I spent a couple of years moseying on in this manner- mostly slow cruising around the neighborhood, regularly clocking in a 10 minute miles and not really challenging myself to do much more.  The weight dropped off slowly over time, and as my weight changed my running  naturally became faster.  I completed a bunch of 5k races… didn’t really understand “racing”- but loved the atmosphere.  I decided I needed to run a half marathon- mostly because I am goal oriented and wanted a distance that would increase my fitness- but also as a “this will make me a real runner” validation.

First half marathon:  Ridgefield Pamby 1/2 – 1:57.  I almost puked after, but I did it.

I caught the racing bug.  I had set a goal (a <2 hour 1/2 marathon) and made it happen.  Now what?  I decided that I wanted to run a marathon (but not that year) and set my sights on Disney for 2012.  That would give me a little over a year to train.

What a freakin’ year it was.  I spent the entire year making enormous gains in fitness.  Leaps and bounds.  I spent some time injured, too.  I was not coached, I simply listened to my body and created my own workouts.  My breakout was at a local 5k-  I was in the midst of training for another 1/2 marathon  and decided to run this race mostly because my gym friends were doing it.  Logically, I started that morning taking a muscle pump class (I know, right?  great pre-race prep) and a friend asked what I was aiming for.  I had no clue!  She suggested that I should aim for 7 minute miles and see what happens.

Umm, ok.  I went out fast and I held on for dear life.  It hurt my lungs and my legs and my brain and I really thought the finish line would never come.  But then it did- and holy crap- 22:36.  I literally went from routinely running a 30 minute 5k  to 22:36.  In that season I took my 5k PR down to 20:19;  by fall of 2012 I had run a 1/2 marathon PR of 1:34:26.

But the injuries.   They’ll be the subject of future posts, as will my debut marathon experience.  I’ll say this now though- I sprained my ankle.  I had some serious ITBS.  I went to PT and got through it-  trained hard for Disney using Pfitzinger’s Advanced Marathoning (using the 55 mpw plan) and qualified for the Boston Marathon at my marathon debut with a 3:31:20.  WOO HOO.

2012 and 2013 have been hard running years for me.  I am still chasing the PRs that I set in 2011- my injuries in early 2012 were tough.  A bout of plantar fasciitis  caused a DNF in the debut Run for the Cows half marathon in Redding, CT (and left me in a walking boot and not running for 3 months-  that’s what happens when you tear a bit of that strong band of facia)-  when I got back into it I began training for the NYC Marathon (which I had qualified for with the 1:34 1/2 marathon) and was privately coached for a while.  With the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the  NYC Marathon canceled my coach and I decided that I would train straight through and didn’t pick up a fall marathon. I had already completed a 20 miler as part of early training for Boston and was nearing PR shape when I was dealt a suffocatingly bad diagnosis. In late January of 2013 pain that I had attributed to a pull or a strain was diagnosed by an MRI as  a full blown stress injury in my right femur.  And not the more common femoral neck injury (that one is bad, but heals more quickly)- this injury was in the mid-shaft of the bone.  I was on crutches for 8 weeks, followed by pool running and elliptical-ing for month- and finally went running.  3 miles on a treadmill.  WOO HOO.  By the first week of April I had run 6 consecutive miles, and then there it was.  Marathon weekend.  I am going to devote a future post to my Boston experience, but needless to say I toed the line with those 6 miles under my belt and until the bombing and the aftermath had the time of my life.

Since April, I have spent long months building back my base (I am back up to averaging upper 40’s and am building to consistent 50+ mpw), have done some races which have mostly been disappointing (it is REALLY hard to get the reality check of how much fitness you lose when you miss almost 6 months of training), and keep making promises to myself to get back into weight lifting and taking pump classes.  Every ache and pain makes me anxious, but I can feel myself getting stronger.

Anyone still hanging on?  I know, this is a long post.  So with that in mind, tomorrow’s installment is going to be a bit tastier.  Let’s talk about food, shall we?  My food marathon is coming up in a few weeks and I will be taking you all on the ride that is planning for my favorite holiday, THANKSGIVING.  mmmmm.