Week #3 Interview – Karissa Schweizer!!!
6X NCAA CHAMPION, Runs for the Nike Bowerman Track Club, American RECORD breaker, and a DAM GOOD CHANCE TO BE IN THE OLYMPICS!!!
Karissa is IOWA NICE (she ran at Dowling Catholic in DSM!) and offered to answer a few questions for the Mae We All Subscribers!
Since she is a TOTAL BOSS on the track and has to stay properly fueled, I really asked about her nutrition!!
Her Advice –
-STAY HYDRATED – LOTS of water and low sugar electrolytes like nuun (one of her favorites) (Rachel’s thoughts – excuse me while I fill my cart with all the nuun’s!! )-Eating a carb based snack/meal before exercising even if you are getting up early. It’s always important to fuel before working out for maximum energy! Toast with peanut butter and honey is a great early morning snack! (Rachel’s thoughts – peanut butter is KEY?! PRAISE BABY JESUS)
– Eat healthy fats. As a runner I’m always hungry and a good way to satisfy that hunger is with eating healthy unsaturated fats. My favorites are avocado, nuts, and fatty fish. (Rachel’s thoughts – ooooh we should get a nutritionist on the Newsletter to dive deeper into this, YES YES?!)
I then asked Karissa how she says positive while running, being in such a competitive field and having to run every day she has to have a rock solid mindset –
-My favorite way to stay positive while running is setting goals for myself. Even If it’s just simple goals like I want to run everyday this week or I want to lower my mile personal best in a month.This way I hold myself accountable by setting these goals and give myself something to shoot for!
(Rachel’s thoughts – like a GAME!! Set them goals and reward yourself with something!! Pat on the back, a new pair of leggings, some ice cream, YOU MAKE THE RULES GIRL)
And let’s get real, I had to ask what her golden running rule was –
Consistency is key! Nothing amazing happens overnight. What no one sees is the months on months of hard work. Consistency leads to good habits which will lead to success!
(Rachel’s thoughts – YAS QUEEN!!!!! Small steps every day add up to being HUGEEE STRIDES over time!!!!)
Other Advice?!
It’s easy to be caught up in your routine and stay in your comfort zone, but by stepping out of your box you get to test your limits and truly see what you can become instead of what you are.As my coach always yells at practice, “be comfortable being uncomfortable”
Week #2 Interviews – Ultra Marathoners
The first two LUCKY interviewees of the Mae We All Running Series are Miss. Claire Nunn and Jessica Adkins!!
Claire is from England and recently ran a 69 mile Wall Run from nearly coast to coast in Great Britain!! Jessica is a mom of 5 and has become a total beast at remaining dedicated to running and she’s seen fabulous results – both physically and mentally!! Some of their advice that I found super enlightening answered the question – “What advice do you have for someone who is just starting out with running?” – Jessica – “I would say running to change your body isn’t a healthy reason. Run to challenge yourself or to dig deep and sometimes outward change will come, but what matters most is the inward strength that we develop.” – Claire : “Never give up – progress takes take and your dreams will come true IF you believe in you the way others believe in you!!”Claire’S ADVICE AND WORDS OF WISDOM ON HOW SHE started from 0 and is working her way to a 100 mile race!!
How did you become a runner?
- I wasn’t in the best place personally and had let a lot of things slip, I decided I was drinking too much and smoking more and I needed to change something. I was watching my brother run London marathon on the tv and my husband said ‘you could do that’ Well that was in 2009, so I decided based on that comment I would change my life! So I did, started with 10 min walks with short burst of run. I ran London in 2010 and it was very hard, I cried a lot at the finish it took 5 1/2 hours!
What motivates you?
- Running is something I can control. To be honest, I run for me and nothing else!
What is your running Golden Rule?
- Never out run your joy of running!! It should always be because you want to, because you have a goal or a challenge to over come. (Rachel’s note – this is my favorite now!! Ever since reading this from Claire I make sure that the JOY of running stays top of mind)
Any advice on increasing mileage?! It can be easy to go too far too fast and hurt yourself (BOTH physically and mentally)
- Do it gently and slowly, gain confidence on the shorter runs and build on that, running is confidence, its about knowing you can do it. I hear a lot of people talking about being 80% mental and 20% physical well this is spot on!! if you believe you can – you will!!
What has been your game changer or proudest accomplishment?!
- I planned from right after the 1st Marathon that I would train to run a race here in the UK called ‘The Wall Run’ this is a run along Harridans Wall, that’s 69 miles. I had dreamed for about 8 years to do this and it was always in my mind that every run before this was simply a training run!! That mindset really worked!! I ran that 2 years ago and I now every run is in training to run 100 miles!! I have a route planned from my home doing a big circle back to my home, my family will support me along the way and hopefully my husband will be on his bike!!! . I had planned to do it this year and I really hope to but with the current situation its not set in stone….. however I will achieve this no matter how long it takes me!!
GO CLAIRE!!!!!! PRETTY FREAKIN INCREDIBLE MILESTONES AND GOALS THAT SHE HAS!! I’M INSPIRED TO KICK IT UP A NOTCH AND TO SET SOME MORE OF MY OWN 🙂
JESSICA’S ADVICE AND WORDS OF WISDOM ON HOW SHE REMAINS TO TRAIN LIKE THE BADA$$ SHE IS WITH 5 KIDS!!
- What is your FAVORITE running mantra?!
- Constant forward motion!! Whether it’s a fast or slow pace, forward is forward!!!
- Focus on either distance or speed, but not both at once! If you are trying to increase mileage, I would put more time on your feet walking before you start running more!! Your legs will get used to the mileage then! Injuries happen when we push too hard too fast – walking isn’t always glamorous, but it is a safe and effective way to run further!
- I love podcasts while I run; especially long. My favorites are TED Radio Hour, The Arm Chair Expert with Dax Shepard and the Rich Roll Podcast.
- Realizing that I can do WAY more than I ever expected of myself. Pushing through difficulty is the only way to be better in running or in life. I’ve learned I’m stronger than I ever thought possible (Rachel’s note – AMEN JESUS TO THAT!!!)