Athlete Bio {Jessica Karazsia}

I’d been following Jessica on Twitter (@irun26at8) for a year – but it wasn’t until we started training for Boston that we met in real life.  Jessica is awesome, so genuine and beautiful – and I’ve loved getting to know her!  She ran her 1st 50 miler in Novemeber and totally rocked it (and I have a feeling it’s not her last).  I get to hang out with Jessica 2-3 times a week, and love doing my long runs with her.  She gets faster each week and inspires me to get better/faster.  I can’t wait to see what she can do at Boston!

Jessica blogs/tweets about her journey at  
blog: http://zero2fifty.blogspot.com
twitter: @irun26at8

Name: Jessica Karazsia

Age: 36

Location: Falls Church, VA

Years Running: 11

Favorite race distance: Marathon

PRs:
5K: 21:50
10k: 45:49
10 Mile: 1:14:35
1/2 Marathon: 1:41:48
Marathon: 3:39:45
50 Mile: 9:12:07

How did you get into running? I was a competitive tennis player in high school and have always loved working out. My gym workouts got really boring, so I started running outside. One February morning in 2005, I was running and decided that I needed a goal.  I had never done a race longer than a 10K but really wanted to do a marathon before my 30th birthday. I thought I would give training for the Cleveland ½ Marathon a whirl and if that went well, then I would continue my training and run the Chicago Marathon in the Fall. I haven’t stopped running yet!

How many marathons have you run? 7

Do you cross train or lift weights: The majority of my cross training at this point is pool running, yoga and core work. I pool run 1-2 times per week, try to fit in at least 1-2 yoga classes and work my core 3-4 days per week. I truly think that is why I have been able to stay injury-free for so long. When I slack off of my core work, things start to ache.

How do you find/make time to train: It’s tough to find the time, no doubt. I find I am most successful when I do my training in the morning. My day is more controllable in morning. My mood and motivation tend to waver as the day goes on but no matter what – whether I do my run in the morning or at night I always feel awesome afterwards.

Favorite place to run: In DC – The Capital Crescent Trail, eventually moving up on the C&O Canal path.

Favorite/most memorable race: Marine Corps 2010. My marathon PR going into that race was a 4:15. My goal was to run a sub-4 hour marathon. Everything came together that day and I ended up running a 3:39:45, qualifying for Boston. It changed the way I viewed myself, my abilities and my potential in more ways than I could ever list.

Favorite pre-race meal: I usually eat a late dinner (that includes a baked potato) the night before the race. Then a Balance Bar and a banana before the race starts with lots of water.

Favorite post-race food: Pretzels

Favorite quote: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.– Confucius

Favorite running shoe: I am enjoying my ASICS Cumulus right now, but also will rotate a pair of Brooks Ghosts in…on the trail I wear nothing but Brooks Cascadias.

Best running advice: Embrace rest and recovery. I had a really hard time buying into this before I started training with the Capital Area Runners and George Buckheit. I would go out and run the distance that was in my plan as hard as I could for however long I could sustain it. I am lucky I have not been injured. That’s a horrible way to train. Your body needs time to heal and rebuild. By incorporating this into my training, I have seen a lot of improvement already in just the way my body feels and moves.

Running accomplishment I’m most proud of: BQ-ing at Marine Corp 2010 but a close 2^nd would be finishing the JFK 50 Mile race in 9 hours, 12 minutes and 7 seconds.

What races are you currently training for? Boston 2012!