Category Archives: Sacramento elite runners

World Record Marathon Holder in the 55–59 Age Group Jenny Hitchings’ Advice to Run Boston Strong

April 2, 2022 carmenmicsa Leave a comment

Boston 2021 was the fastest marathon in her career so far

Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitching crossing the Boston Marathon finish line, 2021

Whether you are a runner or not, there is a magic marathon revered and appreciated by many: Boston.

With the Boston marathon taking place on April 18th, 2022, let’s hear some wise advice from Jenny Hitchings, who lives in Sacramento, CA with her husband, Andy, and their dog, Mia. Hitchings is the world marathon record holder in the 55 to 59 age group.

“And now at 58, I am still getting faster and still running PRs. My time at the Boston Marathon on October 11th, 2021 of 2:45:32 was a lifetime PR. This is where people ask, how? I wish I had an easy answer that I could deliver in a box with a bow. But I don’t.” — Jenny Hitchings in an interview for Run in Rabbit blog

A five-time Age Group (55–59) American Record holder in various race distances and an Age Group World Record holder in the marathon, Hitchings is also a running coach for individuals, youth, and middle school cross-country. Besides her exciting running and coaching career, Hitching has two grown girls, Molly and Maggie, and is a newly crowned grandma to Olivia (Molly’s baby).

Hitchings’ advice on training and running a strong Boston marathon

Doing harder workouts within her long runs with her fast runner friends and teammates from SRA Elite team has helped her be well-prepared for Boston. Some of Hitching’s favorite workouts were: long runs with fast finishes to practice picking up the pace even though legs are feeling tired, progression runs where the pace starts slower and gets faster with every mile, as well as running GMP (goal marathon pace) tempos and longer GMP mile intervals, such as 3x 2, 2 x 3, 2 x 4.

2. Running many 20-mile runs, or longer. Occasionally, Hitchings tried to run on courses that mimicked the Boston course hills by starting on a slight 3-mile downhill and returning on the same hill around mile 16 to simulate the challenging Boston course. She also advises running on rolling hills to strengthen the quadricep muscles that need to help you transition in downhill and uphill running, which can also be done on trails.

3. Do NOT go out too fast, as Boston starts with downhill running. “If starting too fast or beyond what you know is reasonable, your legs will fatigue and cramp by Newton hills and beyond. Try and run effort based on the inclines, and let it flow on the declines,” advised Hitching.

4. And last, but not least, enjoy the crowds! Smile, pump your fists, and hands in the air, as spectators will scream and cheer louder, which can carry you a long way.

Photo by the race photographers. Jenny Hitchings running with joy at Boston marathon, 2021.

Improving running and athletic longevity

“I have been running since college (for fitness) and more competitively since I was 40, so I don’t have all the wear and tear on my legs like if I had been running at a high level in high school and college,” said Hitchings. “I have a flexible schedule that allows me to run when I want. I have a coach. I train hard, and I have good genes,” she added.

Hitchings’ advice to women runners of all ages, but particularly women over 50 regarding running the best races of their lives:

The first and most important thing is to love running because it makes it easier to be consistent and do what it takes to get out the door, instead of making excuses about why you can’t run or train.
Success has nothing to do about comparing yourself to others, and everything to do with being the best you can be at any given point in your life.
As far as reducing injuries and increasing your running longevity, Hitchings can’t say that she has stayed injury-free over the years. She had an Achilles/heel surgery and a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma injections) procedure on her glute/upper hamstring. Hitchings added that running with no pain felt enlightening! Although she admits to not being great at doing strength or cross-training — Hitchings does enjoy riding outside or on her Peloton — she regularly sees her sports chiropractor doctor and gets deep tissue massage. She also thinks that walking her dog 1.5–2 miles after runs helps her stretch and feel loose.
Hitchings pointed out that getting good or better at running (or anything) takes time: practice pacing, fueling, hydrating, running on different courses and terrain, and adding mileage. “In the end, your training doesn’t lie,” she said.
Sometimes, Hitchings watches dogs run and thinks, “they have it right. They just do it organically. Warm up with a trot, run fast and chase things to get the energy out, slow down because they’re tired, find a stick and chew on it in the shade, because, why not? Then get up and repeat. Interval training at its best without getting injured.”

Photo by the race photographers. Sacramento, CA

Although Hitchings is not running the Boston Marathon this year, she hopes to see her granddaughter Olivia at her next Boston, wearing a T-shirt that says:

“My nana is FAST as AF.”

Meanwhile, happy tapering for Boston, and don’t forget to wave at the crowds!

For more inspiration on how to let “AIR,” which stands for adaptation, inspiration, and resilience guide, please consider buying my print edition or e-book The PR- The Poetics of Running, A Book of Poetry in Motion and Morsels of Love, A Book of Poetry and Short Forms on Amazon, or buy it straight from my blog by clicking on my books link, which will take you to Amazon.

For more info on running and real estate, whether buying or selling, please e-mail me at carmenmicsa@yahoo.com, or call me at 916-342-2446. Also mention this blog and receive a great offer whether buying (credit for closing costs) or selling (commission discount). Running for real estate with joy!

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When Most Racing Stopped in 2020, Running Was Not Canceled – Advice from Two Times Olympian Kim Conley on Running Faster, Smarter, and Happier

September 3, 2020 carmenmicsa Leave a comment

“The lesson I have taken from this year is that there can be unexpected silver linings if we choose to see them. ” Kim Conley, two times Olympian 5,000m runner

Kim Conley, two times Olympian Sacramento local runner running with joy!

I will start my blog with a confession: I did not know anything about the wonderful, speedy, impressive, intelligent, and down to earth Sacramento Olympic runner Kim Conley until last year when I was doing a hilly, solo run around my neighborhood and listened to Deirdre Fitzpatrick’s informative and fun podcast Dying to Ask podcast Kim Conley, Olympian. Make sure to also listen to this year’s podcast How to Think like an Olympian during Covid-19. Needless to say, I was so impressed to learn that
Kim Conley is a 2012 and 2016 Olympian at 5000m and professional runner for New Balance. She grew up in Santa Rosa, California, graduated from UC Davis in 2009, and has lived in Sacramento since then. The more I listened to her talk, the less fatigued my legs felt.

As soon as I got home from my run, I followed Kim on Instagram and became an instant fan. Shortly after that, I started to see her run with speed, intensity, and indelible joy on the bike trail. I greeted her often, but I could tell that she was in floating mode, or what I call levitating between being and nonbeing from the tough speed workout that she was doing that day. A few times I noticed an slight nod, which was enough for me, as I was more focused on admiring her flawless gait, her inner strength, athleticism, controlled buoyancy, and, of course, her smile that obliterated pain, any negative thoughts that we runners experience so often, and any doubts about completing another grueling workout with confidence, poise, and determination.

Kim Conley has built her professional career on the American River Bike Trail

Kim Conley winning the 2014 USATF Championships 10,000m in Sacramento, her first national title, which will always be a special and favorite racing memory.

Kim Conley and her husband Drew, who has also been her coach for 12 years.

Kim Conley’s Advice on Becoming Happier and Faster Runners

Kim Conley advises runners lacking motivation right now due to most races being canceled to create a goal, even if it’s not tied to a virtual race, as it will give us something to work towards. She added: “Goals make me feel like my training has purpose. When the pandemic first shut down normal life, I built up my long run to 2 hours and then sustained a ten-week streak of long runs over 2 hours. It was very different than a race, but it still felt satisfying to accomplish.”
Sign up and support virtual races, such as the ones put together by our amazing running store Fleet Feet. I signed up for their Running is not Canceled race, love the T-shirt, and obviously have included their slogan in the title of this blog. Conley has done some virtual races with organizations she wants to support, such as Running for Office Challenge. Although virtual races are not the same as the real ones, Conley believes that race organizers need our support to get through this time and that it’s no different than ordering takeout from a restaurant where you would normally dine in. The experience isn’t the same, but if we want the restaurant or race to exist when we get through this, we need to help sustain them in the meantime.
Find joy in running means continuing to do what we love! When the Olympics got postponed, Conley acquiesced that the rigors of training and the satisfaction that come with the afterglow of a hard workout, or a long run were enough to overcome her questioning to why she was still pushing herself. Additionally, she used the time to explore new trails (Conley also trains part of the year in Flagstaff, AZ) and develop her training together with her husband and coach Drew differently than they would have done it during a normal racing season.
Find hidden meanings in this year’s low to no racing environment. For instance, when the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, Conley decided to view the extra time as a gift. She has allowed herself to build up mileage again and reduce the amount of cross training, since she had a frustrating injury in 2018 and had to run cautiously in 2019. However, in 2020 Conley has really enjoyed being able to sustain a higher volume of training again, which she hopes that it will yield dividends down the road.
Work on Speed by trying out two of Conley’s favorite workouts by building up to them first, so that you don’t get injured. First workout: 20x400m with 1 min recovery, divided into five sets of four. The first set begins at tempo pace and each set cuts down in pace. The last set is at 3K goal pace. This is a great workout, because it teaches us how to shift to our race pace. Additionally, at the end of the workout a runner accumulates five miles of work. Second workout: 3-4 cut down miles with 3 min rest. There are no set paces for this workout, but Conley is basically running 5k effort. For us mortal runners that would simply mean starting at a pace that we can cut down from in the next mile. The final mile is pretty much all out, as if finishing a 5k. This workout prepares Conley for the mental and physical demands of the 5k. It’s really hard, but having a good day for this workout always boosts any runner’s confidence going into a 5k, 10K, or half marathon race.
Consistency is key. Conley strongly believes that having a coach and a training plan can help structure the training optimally, but ultimately it’s up the individual to get out the door every day and do the work.
Make recovery a priority. Conley sees Dr. Justin Lau at Elite Spinal and Sports Care often, because she is the happiest when she runs pain free. She also enjoys eating a good burger and drinking some good beer for recovery.
Cultivate your Mind with good books. In high school, Conley’s parents gave her John L. Parker’s Once a Runner for Christmas, and she loved it. In her most recent reading, Conley realized that the book is a little outdated and sexist, but if you are willing to overlook that, there is no other book that captures the beauty of the endeavor in the same way. Another of her favorite books are Deena Kastor’s Let Your Mind Run and Becky Wade’s Run the World. I also have learned so much from Deena Castor’s book and absolutely relished the intense and beautiful writing of John Parker’s book. For training insights, Conley recommends Joe Vigil’s Road to the Top and Jack Daniel’s Running Formula.
Let your mind run, which to Conley means to feel the joy of running the workout you are doing that day, instead of worrying that there are no races to run for now.
Run with gratitude. Conley loves that Sacramento has great resources for runners. She has traveled all over the world for training and competition, but has always felt that Sacramento has everything she needs to be successful and that is why she has been able to build her career here. Conley added: “It can be easy to take things for granted when they are right under your nose, but every time I return to this area, I am reminded of what a gem the American River Parkway is. Not many places have so many uninterrupted miles of traffic-free bike path with soft surface options right alongside.”

Kim Conley running the 5000m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Conley plans to move up to the marathon distance by 2024, but for the near future, she is preparing to run in the Tokyo Olympics next year, so let’s all wish her good luck! We are all cheering for you, Kim, and wishing you to run like a savage! A million thanks for sharing your time and resources with all of us mortals!

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