After having a stroke and heart surgery in 2011, my running journey & determination to become a fitter individual began. I had no clue how to start running and jumped right in full force. Cowtown 2012 was my first half marathon. I followed a typical running plan and put in miles and miles of running in a very short time frame. I went on to run several more half marathons – 1 each month – and found that my energy level decreased, my race times weren’t improving, and I began having lots of knee issues.
I began CrossFit in May 2012 but continued running 5 days per week with mileage totaling over 30 miles per week. With CrossFit training, I definitely became stronger, my posture improved, and I was able to hold myself up better. However, I was still having issues with my knee. Chris at CFW continued to preach to me about how running less is more and encouraged me to try to follow the CrossFit Endurance program. I’ll be honest, decreasing my runs from 5 days to 3 days per week scared me. So, I kept running and didn’t change a thing. Finally in November 2012, I ran the San Antonio Rock n’ Roll Marathon and had to walk the entire last half of it due to my knee injury. I was upset and discouraged. I had had enough and was ready to try something new.
I looked into CrossFit Endurance and began the program in December that year. There was a half in February that I wanted to prepare for. I wanted to work on my form, recover my knee, and run a sub 2 half marathon. After following the CFE program religiously, I reached my goal. I ran the Texas Half Marathon in February 2013 in 1 hour 52 minutes, injury free! That was a 11 minute PR!!!
Since then, I’ve never looked back. My training consists of running 3 days per week (sometimes less) and 4-5 days of crossfit workouts. I’ve ran a few long distance team relays with CFW – Capitol to Coast twice and Texas Independence Relay once. For all three team relays, my CFW team did minimal running and did an awesome job! CrossFit Endurance changed my way of running so much that I received my certification to coach in May 2013.
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In addition to being a mom of three, Kelly is a Licensed and Registered Dietician in the State of Texas. She holds her CrossFit Level 1 as well as CrossFit Endurance and CrossFit Kids certifications.