05/19/2023
These two ladies are running buddies in the truest sense, always there for each other, on and off the road. Their consistency is inspirational, running year round in all kinds of weather, and not letting work get in the way of self-care. It's been an honor to be a part of their training!
Good Fit Coaching: What age group are you in?
Kelly, 55, Diane, 57. We like it when we’re not in the same age group. 😃
GFC: When did you start running? More importantly, when did you start running together?
Kelly – I was one of those people who was convinced that I could not run. Due to some major life changes, I needed to add something healthy to my routine so, in 2013, I signed up for the Fleet Feet Couch to 5k and gave running a try. It didn’t kill me, so I signed up for the 10k Training Group. After the 10k I realized that running was incredibly therapeutic and was keeping me in shape without having to go to a gym. The next race I signed up for was the Nike Women’s Half Marathon and joined the Fleet Feet Training Group to get me prepared.
Diane - I started to run short distances by myself in 2010, mostly around Spring Lake. In 2014, I signed up for my first race. My daughter asked me to run with her in the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. This race was a lottery system. My daughter got in because she was a college student. I didn't get chosen in the lottery, so I joined the Fleet Feet training group for a guaranteed spot in the race. This is where Kelly and I met.
In this training group, we would always end up in the middle of the pack. We were a little shy so we would stay a safe distance away from each other. During a mid-week training run, Coach Patrick said to us “you two have the same pace; why don’t you run together?” We’ve been inseparable ever since!
GFC: What’s your favorite race and distance?
We have two favorites: The Hot Chocolate 15k in San Francisco and the Cloverdale Vineyard Race Half. These events are the ones that we have repeated year after year due to the beauty of the courses. The 2015 Hot Chocolate 15k was the first event that we did together outside of the organized training group. There have been so many more since then that we have lost count.
GFC: What’s the best thing about having a coach?
For us, the best things about having a coach are structure, motivation and having a knowledgeable person at our fingertips to ask questions. Although it’s cool to get a PR occasionally, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We do feel that by participating in “Torture Tuesday” (hills and speed work), we have accidentally become better runners.
GFC: What are the best and worst memories from your running career?
Other than crippling soreness after an event, we can’t really recall any bad memories. We did miss the last shuttle from Emeryville to the Hot Chocolate 15k starting line in 2018. Neither one of us had the Uber app on our phone so we called a taxi service. The cab smelled bad, it cost us $50 and the driver’s San Francisco driving skills were terrifying! He got us to the start line with a couple minutes to spare and now it’s kind of a fun story.
Kelly – My best running memory was crossing the finish line at the Honolulu Marathon in 2019. Completing a marathon was on my bucket list and my plan was that it would be my one and only. Diane trained with me up to the 20 miler, so she was with me in spirit and I did fundraising for Team and Training/LLS so I was running with a purpose. It was hot and humid but the crowd support, thinking about people who can’t run due to illness and knowing my family was waiting for me at the finish kept me going. After crossing the finish line, I made a bee line for the shower and cried. My race time was nothing to write home about but the feeling of accomplishment was amazing!
Diane - It’s hard for me to choose my best race memory because all my races have been good. I run races just to finish, not to PR. My first half-marathon in 2014 was the Nike Women's Half Marathon. I ran it with my eldest daughter which was special and it made me want to do more.
In 2021, I completed my first and only marathon, the CIM. It was memorable to me because I got Kelly to run it with me and my kids came to cheer me on with a "Go Mom" sign. I was so happy to see them and the feeling of accomplishment after completing 26.2 miles was awesome! [Coach Patrick edit: Diane's only marathon SO FAR.]
GFC: If you could run with anyone, who would you like to go for an easy 5 miles with?
Each other, of course.
