Going where no former thrower has indeed gone before. 🙂 Well, at least this one. We have been out of school for the past week, and one of things I realized was a big anniversary will happen to me next year.
It will be ten years since I retired from competing in track and field. I finished my eligibility at USC in 2006, which ended my throwing career as a 4x All-American, SC School record holder, 2x SEC Champion, and 2004 Olympic Trials finalist.
The USC-UCLA dual meet happened the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby, which got me thinking about what I would do to celebrate this anniversary. A lot has happened in 10 years, and one item that has been on my lifetime bucket list was actually running a race. Not just any race, but a half-marathon. So, I thought, well, what better way to celebrate than to train for a year to run in a half-marathon before the next USC-UCLA dual meet?
With that in mind, my goal is to be a runner in the KDF Mini Marathon next year in April 2016.
With the help of my sister Kristin and several friends, I have gotten some great suggestions on how to train, what to do for the race, and best tips for running. I need all the suggestions I can get for this race. Since I retired from track, I have been still physically active with exercise classes and some running. However, this is going to be a whole new world for me. Tracking my running pace, keeping track of my miles, and working towards building my running base for miles is completely new to me.
I am up for the challenge and I am excited to see what happens with my training over the next year. Along with continuing to work on research, teach courses, and do consulting, I feel that it is always good to set goals to push yourself to grow and become all you can be. For me, this is one goal that I would have never imagined I would actually do, but I am ready to work on this for the next year. I will be posting updates on social media on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #KarenMiniMarathon. Let the training begin! 🙂
Wish me luck! Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
