Christeine Terry is all about personal challenges.
Couple a personal challenge with an endurance event and you are
speaking her language.
I took some time to talk
with Christeine about her experiences with running, kettlebell sport, and how
they are symbiotic to each other.
Christeine began running as a kid when
she would run at the track with her dad during his workouts. In her teens and mid-twenties
she stopped running to pursue other social and academic interests, but her
desire for a personal challenge roped her back in and she set a goal to run a
5K before she turned 30.
So off she went, running on the treadmill for bits at a
time - 30 seconds here, 1 minute there - until she started gaining momentum. Her
first race was the Torchlight 5K. She was hooked; loved it! She returned the following year for the
Torchlight 8K.
A half marathon in Oregon's wine country (her first) followed in
2011. Since then she has run 6 more half marathons.
Her latest personal running
challenge was to break 2 hours in a half marathon. Her best to date had been
2:08. Leading up to the race, she trained an average of 4 sessions at Seattle Kettlebell Club plus 3 runs each week.
Christeine reached her goal at the Seattle Rock n' Roll half marathon finishing in 1:56.
Christeine reached her goal at the Seattle Rock n' Roll half marathon finishing in 1:56.
I asked a few more questions and here’s what she had to say.
ME: "What is your favorite running
distance?"
CHRISTEINE: "The half
marathon."
ME: "What are your challenges as a runner?"
CHRISTEINE: "Trying to run slow on long runs,
getting too hooked on pace, and adding stretching and mobility work to my
training.”
(To address these challenges she sought
the support of other runners at SKC and she attended all the yoga and mobility
classes SKC offers to make stretching and mobility fun.)
ME: "In what ways has kettlebell
training carried over to your running?"
CHRISTEINE: "It has made me
stronger, faster and more powerful, especially running hills. I noticed during
the race that people dropped off at the hills and I was able to power up and
keep pace. The breathing work in kettlebell training helped me find a breathing
pattern to keep pace during my race."
ME:
"What do you love about running?"
CHRISTEINE: "I feel
free. It's me, my breath, my music, and all that happened in the day just drops
away. I find compassion for myself. It's challenging, and there is always
something to work towards. There is a voice that says to quit, but in the end,
I don’t.”
ME: "What do you love about
kettlebell sport?"
CHRISTEINE: "Kettlebell sport
is similar to running, in that there is always a challenge. There is always something to work towards. I
love that it is endurance weight lifting. It's a personal challenge, like
running. I love the community because it is supportive and I love being around
strong women – they’re inspiring!"
ME: "Where is your favorite place to
run?"
CHRISTEINE: "Lake Washington
Boulevard and the Arboretum."
ME:
"Would you recommend kettlebell training for other
runners?"
CHRISTEINE: "Yes!"
ME: "What advice would you give
other runners?"
CHRISTEINE: "I would say that
kettlebell sport training specifically is good for running because it's also an endurance
sport, but one that includes strength training. Also, the focus on breathing in kettlebell sport in order to be successful in long sets helps with breathing
during running. It's good
practice."
ME: "What is on your fitness bucket
list?"
CHRISTEINE: "Go to
Kettlebell Worlds in February 2017 and lift the 16's, Crazy Monkey Kettlebell
Competition, to beat my time in another half marathon, and then to finish a
marathon."
by Allison Moore
 |
| Christeine Terry 2016 |
