Member Spotlight: Kim P.

Get to know member Kim P. in our latest Member Spotlight!

Are you from Louisville originally?

No, I am originally from Poland, NY

Tell us briefly about your family members
I have a great hubby of 30+ years who is very supportive of my running & often comes to races to help “crew” or take pics of me & my running buddies. He’s an avid cyclist. We enjoy biking, kayaking, hiking & discovering new places. I have 4 wonderful kids aged 18-26. One of them runs & I'm trying to convince the others. At first I think they thought my running was a little weird (because none of the other moms my age were doing it), but now they think it’s at least a little cool.

Why do you run?
Fitness, health, weight loss, *stress relief, because I CAN & I love it & being outside! Now I also do it to socialize w/ my MRTT-er friends!

Favorite Non-Running Workout:
Elliptical at home w/Netflix - but this varies too!

Where is your favorite place to run? Why?
This is evolving. I love the Parklands, especially the trails at Turkey Run, but love running in new areas. On our monthly MRTT runs one of my favorites was thru Old Louisville. I run whenever we visit family in NC & Syracuse area & love the adventure of a new run!

What is the one "thing" you absolutely need to run?
Good running shoes.

What is your favorite post-run indulgence?
Coffee with my MRTT buddies!

What has been your favorite race and why?
Urban Bourbon 2018 because I had been injured most of late summer/ fall & not able to train like I wanted. I was able to finish & even PR (even if by 9 seconds) by running 2 min-30 sec intervals with a friend! It got me “back” & I’ve been going strong & smart ever since! Plus the after party was a ball.

Name your bucket list race(s):
I haven’t really been able to pursue this as I haven’t been able to travel much for races. Due to some family responsibilities. But I’d love to do a Ragnar race, Yamacraw, Run the Bluegrass, the Iron Horse Half... I plan to try to do great local races at least once before traveling farther.

At what point did you call yourself a runner?

That’s a funny question but I was running at the Parklands on some trails & a school or camp field trip came upon me. The teacher yells out: “WATCH OUT for the RUNNER!” I remember smiling to myself & finally accepting, that I was, indeed a runner!

Favorite training plan?
I don’t have one but do subscribe to some of Jeff Galloway’s walk-run principles for injury prevention.

What do you tell yourself to keep going during a tough run?
It varies, but “you GOT this”, “you’re doing something many folks WISH they could”, I distract myself by appreciating everything around me including people, nature, architecture, I pray for others & myself and I talk to my dad who has passed (because thinking of him makes me smile & he’d be proud of me)

What have you struggled with during your running journey and did you find a solution?
A few injuries. First, a severe high hamstring strain playing volleyball in Fall 2017. It took a very long time to heal & longer to be able to do hill work. I still haven’t attempted a lot of speed work, probably partly due to fear. I finally made myself go to a Physical Therapist who did dry needling a few times (didn’t go more as dry needling was out of pocket expense). It took a lot for me to go because of this injury it literally in your butt cheek & I was embarrassed to have anyone examining at or touching that chubby area! Then late summer 2018 I thought I had the same thing to a lesser degree on the other side. I tried rest & cross training but every time I tried running pain would worsen. Eventually, I found out that my Sacroiliac joint was misaligned. Once it was adjusted & I followed up w/ home physical therapy suggestions I was able to slowly resume running! Bottom line: I need to not wait for so long to seek help or treatment.

What three things do you most want to accomplish (running or non-running related)?
1- I would really like to inspire more women (including my 2 daughters) to take up running or run/walking (especially young girls, older women like myself or women of different body types, sizes, abilities etc, who don’t believe it’s possible). This includes Being a coach for a Girls on The Run team again (I did it for my daughter’s team in the past).
2- Train smart & injury free so I can complete my first full marathon this spring! KDF
3- I would like to eventually do relay Dualthalons with my husband- but haven’t really told him that yet!