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 2nd 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!

Comments

  1. Jessica is the best. I’m a big fan. I owe my JFK 50 time to her. 🙂

  2. Yayyyyyy for Jess! I totally agree — inspiring runner, wonderful person. Can’t wait to run with you guys some time soon!!!

  3. nice profile on jessica!

  4. wow! Jessica rocks!

  5. Nice profile! It’s always nice seeing you two before and after runs – wish I was speedy enough to keep up during runs as well! 🙂

  6. Jessica is awesome! I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know her over the past few months. A strong runner, super sweet, and let’s not forget stylish! 🙂

  7. Great bio on a great runner! 🙂

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