This past summer Kim won the Pikes Peak Ascent where she almost broke the course record and also won the prestigous Mount Washington Road Race in New Hampshire.
Kim teaches second grade and lives in Aurora with her husband Corey and is sponsored by Runners Roost.
Photo by Terri Sommer
Congratulation on your Olympic Trials qualifier at the California International Marathon (CIM), tell us about the race? Did you run at all with the 2:46 pace group?
Thank you, it was an exciting race!
Going into the race I had planned to run with the pacer, but the first few miles were too crowded and stressful for my liking. I decided to get ahead of the pack just to get some breathing room. I stuck behind a small group of people who were maintaining a quick, yet comfortable pace and the miles flew by with ease. The weather was perfectly cool and the course was fast. Around mile 12 the group I had been running with started to pull away, but I fought to keep them in sight as best I could. Between miles 13 and 20, I took in three Powerbar gels with caffeine. I’m grateful my stomach allowed it because I was going to need every extra boost of energy I could get in the miles to come.
By mile 20 my muscles were starting to rebel, my blisters were screaming, and I really started to slow down. I still had two minutes “in the bank,” but I knew that I would quickly use that time up. I did not look at my stopwatch once or get fluids at any of the aid stations during the last six miles of the race. All of my energy was being used to keep moving forward and to convince myself that I could do it. Lots of prayer and pep talks! The last mile of the marathon was probably my slowest. By that point the pack of women who had been running with the pacer had passed me, but the pacer hung back to help me and another struggling runner. He was so encouraging and I am very thankful for his support in helping me finish.
When I turned the final corner, I saw the official clock read 2:45:30. I attempted to sprint, but had absolutely nothing left. I remember a distinct point where I thought, “On no! I’m not going to make it!” I was so grateful to cross the line and hear that I had just barely made it!
What was your training and taper like leading up to CIM?
After my mountain racing season was over, I took a very short break before I started to train for CIM. I wrote my own training plan, which lasted 12 weeks with an average of about 60 miles per week. It was a pretty standard plan in terms of long runs, tempo runs, and some track work. My goal was to keep it both fun and challenging. My husband, Corey, joined me on most of the runs and reclaimed the “household records” on all of the short, fast workouts. (We’re just wee bit competitive with one another!) I did a long taper, about three weeks, which seems to work well for me and marathons. This year I also experimented with gradually reducing my caffeine intake for the three weeks prior to race day. That part wasn’t so much fun, but I think it helped!
You were 36 seconds short from capturing the 30 year old Pikes Peak Ascent course record in 2011. Did you think the record was a possibility before the race and will you be gunning for the course record in 2012?
My training had been much more intense and race-specific over the summer, so going into the race I felt confident that I could take a nice chunk of time off of my previous Pikes PR of 2:41. I thought I might be able to run around a 2:35, but the record seemed a stretch. It wasn’t until I reached A-Frame that I started to really believe I would run sub 2:35, if I didn’t keel over! The last few miles of the race were intense. Lots of cheering and screaming as the clock ticked down. It was an exciting finish, and I plan to return in 2012. I’ll put my heart and soul into the training, and I’ll give it my best on race day to attempt to break the record.
At the Denver Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon you were battling it out with Megan Lund-Lizotte whom you beat by 34 seconds. You guys have a good rivalry going as you’re always close together when you do race each other, but was it different racing on the roads?
It was different racing together at Denver because neither of us were in contention to win. I felt like it relieved the pressure and we were more like mountain running teammates than rivals. Megan is an awesome person and a solid runner. It’s fun to race with her!
How do you balance training for road and trail races?
I try to focus on one type of running (road or trail) at a time. From October through February, I run mostly on roads. In March, I gradually add in hills so that by May/June I am doing all of my key workouts in the mountains. By September, I am usually ready for a break from the hills so I start to transition back into road running. I have followed this plan for the past two years, and it seems to work in keeping me physically and mentally motivated and healthy.
Do your second graders realize that they have such a fast teacher?
Whenever I tell my students that I ran a race, the first words out of their mouths are always “Did you win? Did you get a trophy?” I can’t help but love their honesty and their competitive spirits. We have run together a few times in tag and in a 100 meter dash. They give it their all, but haven’t caught me yet.
In 2003 you ran the Easy Street Marathon in 3:11, as a 19 year old. Not too many college students are out training for marathons, what was your drive to run a marathon at such a young age?
After running cross country and track in high school, I decided not to run collegiately but did continue to run on my own. It was my stress release, my escape, and my passion. I don’t remember what exactly inspired me to run my first marathon. It was probably something like, “A marathon, sounds fun…I’ll try that!” I was very naïve about training and racing, but that was part of the thrill. It was just about doing something that I loved.
Heather Utrata from Englewood, CO wrote in and wants to ask when you’ll get text messaging?
Ha, ha! A part of me likes the simplicity of not having an iPhone, text messaging, twitter account, etc., so I have held off for as long as possible. However, the time to text has come. I’ll make my debut in 2012.
With the Olympic Trials on January 14th, what does your training look like from now until then? Do you think you have a shot to PR again or was the goal to simply make the Trials?
Assuming my body cooperates, I will take two weeks to recover from CIM, then ease into three week of moderate training, and taper for about a week before the Trials. My goal was to make it to the Trials and if did, I would just simply enjoy the experience. I don’t want to get too carried away in the training or the race and jeopardize my ultimate goal of running strong and healthy next summer in the mountains. I will push hard on January 14th, but I’m not expecting to PR.
Favorite pair of Sauconys?
Mirage for training, and Fast Twitch for racing. Thank you Runners Roost for introducing me to Saucony!
Goals for 2012?
Most importantly, I want to continue to enjoy running and to stay injury free. As for racing, I hope to defend my title at Mount Washington and the Pikes Peak Ascent. I will also try to qualify for the 2012 US Mountain Running team (top 4 finish at the Loon Mountain Race) and run at Worlds. I hope to end the year with something new and exciting, TBD!
Without Limits
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