Training for Greatness

This week has been one for the record books. I have put in a lot of time running, training, and working on finding out the right mix of food to properly fuel my workouts. I am just finishing up week six of Nike Women's Marathon training and have 9 more weeks to go. I haven't missed a workout yet and I hope to keep up that consistency.

This week was a hard one, Monday I had to do my workout on the treadmill, 7 miles, and they were tough to grind out. Luckily, the Olympics were on TV while I was running and was able to push myself harder in my workout while watching track athletes dominating their events.

Tuesday was NTC and then Wednesday I had to do hill repeats 6 times. I slept through my alarm and had to run the sprints after work. It was 100 degrees outside and I had to run them anyway. I almost skipped them or pushed them to a later day, but when I thought about the Olympic athletes that train every day, my #SistersInNike and the Nike Women team, I knew I had no choice but to push through the heat and do those hill sprints! They were incredibly hard and I was sweating instantly, but I am proud of not letting myself skip. It's this kind of attitude that will get me through the Nike Women's Marathon at my goal pace of four hours.

After learning from my mistake Wednesday, I woke up Thursday morning and went for an early five mile run before the day heated back up to 105F! Today I did taekwondo and Leah Kim's Yoga Routine. I feel so much better after stretching out my muscles and relaxing my body. I got to try out my new yoga mat, a thicker one than I had before, and absolutely love it. It is so much easier on my body, especially my knees.

Saturday is my rest day and then Sunday I plan on tackling 15 miles! This will be my longest training run yet and I hope to run it well. I'm aiming for 2:10. It is also Nike's day to "Find Greatness." I am pledging to make it my most active Nike Fuel day yet and have a goal of 12,000 Nike Fuel.

How will you "Find Greatness" on August 12? Run, bike swim, skip, jump, box? Any movement counts. Get out there and help us make this the most active day ever! 

Find Your Greatness - Nike Style!

Nike just launched a great new campaign called "Find Your greatness." It is basically a campaign that is promoting the ability of each person to strive for their own personal best. Greatness is not reserved for the select few, it is accessible to everyone. The movie is incredible and will make you want to reach for your goals and train harder every day. It shows how anyone can become great with hard work, perseverance and belief.

This year I feel like Nike Women has given me the opportunity to find my greatness. They have given me opportunities that I never thought possible and pushed me beyond my limits. I am running faster and longer distances than I thought possible and I still have a lot to improve on. With an individualized training plan from Nike Trainer Marie Purvis and motivation from the ladies at Nike Women, each day is a new adventure. I don't want to waste a minute of my opportunity and will continue to train to be better every day.

My Sisters In Nike have created their own greatness as well and have reached for new goals. They are amazing and supportive. Athletes come from everywhere, in every sport and in every shape. My Sisters In Nike have taught me that no matter how I am feeling, with their support I can get through any workout. Together we will finish the Nike Women's Marathon stronger than we were six months ago. I hope that we will be able to run many races together in the future and my dream is to be able to run the Hood to Coast race together in Portland with my Sisters In Nike and with Nike Women! One step at a time, but a girl can dream right? Check out our new Facebook page at Facebook.com/SistersInNike for more updates!

Today I found out that I was the third place finisher in the Nike Heel Kicks Challenge! All of my training is paying off. I loved seeing my Twitter handle @superwomankw on the leader board. Thanks Nike Training and Nike Women!

Here is my video doing Heel Kicks for my third place finish! What a fun time. I just got this Nike Women's Running dress and I LOVE it! So lightweight and you don't have to worry about it riding up while you run. Perfect when paired with a pair of dry-fit capris. 

Happy training everyone. How do you Find Your Greatness? I'd love to know, share it in a comment below or tweet @nikewomen, @niketraining and me @superwomankw! Now go out there and show the world what you are made of!