Kelly Liljeblad | Blog

Epic Running In Boulder

Today was one of those runs where you never want it to end. When I am training hard for a race, I tend to run the same familiar trails everyday. I know the footing, the turns,the elevation,  everything about the trail. I don’t get lost and I know exactly how far I will run. Today, I decided to try something new. I headed to South Boulder to run a mixture of the most popular trails here. Dowdy Draw, The Ditch, Marshal Mesa, and who knows what else I ended up on. I printed out a map with a 12 mile loop and brought it with me. As I left the car, I looked at the map and said ,”Screw it! Let’s have fun.” I chucked the map and did what Kim and I loved to do together when we were kids ” Be explorers of trail blazing” that’s what we called ourselves. We would hang out in the forest for hours. It was a great run. Just about 2 hours of nice easy running. There are endless trails here in Boulder and the beauty is amazing. As I ran these trails today, I couldn’t help but to look around at the scenery. I felt so grateful that I am able to do what I love everyday, in such a beautiful place. There is always something new to explore. As you can see from the pictures, It was another cloudy shitty day here in Boulder!!!   Training is going well. I am entering into a big base build phase where I will be banging out many many miles. Mostly aerobic running and hill work. perfect for the trails!    

USA 10 Mile Championships

My race a few weeks ago seemed to have been overshadowed with my excitement for the Hawaii Ironman. The race went very well and I finished 3rd behind Kara Goucher and Katie McGreggor. It was my first big race in a while and I was so excited to race it hard and be in the mix. I felt very happy with my race plan. Training at altitude, I was a little unsure as to what pace I would be able to handle. As a result, I feel I went out a little slow. By mile 4, I was in 5th place. 3rd and 4th were running together 15 sec up the road.  By mile 6 I was still 15 seconds back. We were running the same pace. I knew the last mile was all downhill and didn’t feel I had the leg speed for a final kick, so I decided I had to surge and catch up. I surged at mile 6-7 and caught up to the girls. Then the race started and it was really exciting. Everything I love most about racing. Surges, matching surges, real racing, no time trials. I surged, they surged with me. It was great. Then at mile 7.5 I threw in a big surge and broke away a little. I decided this was it. Surge and keep surging! I just went as hard as I could and told myself to get to mile 9 because then it is downhill for the finish. I tried not to look back, but I really wanted to bc I knew she wasn’t far back! My last 3 miles were probably around 5:30 pace and I was really happy about that. It’s great to be back and look forward to some great races this winter. I had a wonderful weekend and it was great to catch up with some old friends.What’s next? Not sure yet. I’ll decide in a week or so. One thing I know is that I will be training someplace warm this winter, hopefully with the sis!!!!  Thanks for reading   

Rollin The Dice

As my friend Cam Widoff said” Lining up at Kona is like rolling the dice. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how fit you are. You still roll the dice that everything goes according to plan. And sometimes you get stuck with cat eyes .”Kim was very fit mentally and physically, more than ever. She had a tough swim. Her shoulder has been really sore all week. On the bike, for some reasons her salt tabs weren’t in her lunch box on the bike.  She posted about the 5th fastest bike split of the day and felt as if she was holding back. Starting the run, she could feel a little off. Her legs were really seizing up and cramping. Possibly because she didn’t have her usual salt intake.  Her belly started to feel bloated and yes, the worst followed. GI issues, a few trips to the porta pottie and lava rocks, and muscle spasms forced her to withdraw at mile 15. It was a very difficult day for Kim. As you can imagine, she is very upset, but is very experienced and mature about the situation and knows that this happens in Ironman. You never know what’s going to happen. It’s the excitement of the Ironman.  Kim had a great year and we are all very proud of her. She’ll come back strong at in the next one.Madam Pele through in some surprises out there yesterday.Thanks for supporting Kim.Kelly 

Freakin Go Time For The Sista

Well we are here. The biggest race of the year for any pro triathlete. Kona baby and this place is kickin. There is so much excitement in the air here. It is great. What a love for the sport and love for testing one’s own mental and physical abilities.  I really enjoy meeting people from all over the world. Kim is ready to seek a little revenge from last year. Last year was painful to watch. Kim started the race with an injury which later she discovered was a stress fracture of the femur. I thought I was tough one year when I ran the world championships on a stress fracture (didn’t know at the time) but she raced an ironman with one. She also didn’t know til after the race. So, needless to say last year was devastating for Kim.I have to say, I have never seen her more relaxed. So many people freak out and waste way to much energy worrying. She is very calm and confident. I ran with her the past few days. Some nice easy runs and some nice quick strides.  Kim and I had a blast training together in Boulder this summer. I like to think that on race day, I will be pushing her just like I did all those tempo runs out by the Boulder Res.  Kim and I are so close. I am so lucky to have my very best friend be my twin sis. We share so much together. When she races, I swear I am right on her shoulder. I feel her pain, feel her struggles, and feel her glory. It’s unexplanable.It’s going to be a great day. The whole family is here to cheer. Brian, my bud from HS Tanja (T dog), mom, and Brians whole family. We are looking forward to some excitement.Another shout out for my bud Michael Lovato. The Lovatos are amazing people and I have really enjoyed becoming great friends with them. Also to my friends Fee Docherty, Alex, Brad Seng, and many others. I’ll be cheering.See you all at the finish line. PS no  Kim was not drinking in that picture, but we were!!!! 

Kim Wins Ironman 70.3 Cancun

Here is her race report

A Win in CancunSeptember 26th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »Well after 6 weeks in Boulder, I wasn’t quite ready to go home, so I made a last minute decision to race the Cancun 70.3. The race went well and it was good to see that my fitness and heat tolerance is on track for Kona (see my homepage for a race report).  I am now home in Vermont.  The weather has been great and I got to do my last long ride under sunny skies and upper 70 temps.  I felt great and could definitely feel the difference biking at sea level.  It was nice to be able to drink out of my water bottle without gasping for air!   Late September is my favorite season in Vermont.  The leaves are starting to change, but it is still sunny and relatively warm.  I am home for just a few more days, then I am off to Hawaii for 2 weeks!Funny, she forgot to thank me for all those tempo runs over by the Boulder Res!  ha Oh, and for cooking her dinner, keeping the fridge constantly packed (Kim eats more than you can imagine, sometimes I’m like “Wow you eating again !!”  ), giving her massages, and being her run coach. Don’t worry Kim, I forgive you. Just buy me a Kona Longboard lager and we call it even. Seriously though, I am so happy for Kim. She is on her way to a great race in Kona.  Go Kim! I’ll be joining her this week. Here’s a picture which was taken after a 13 miler with 2×4 mile tempo.  Check back for updates!!     

The Sistas Training

The past few weeks have been a blast. Training has been going very well and I am finally feeling like I am getting fit again. I’ve been popping in a few local races to test the sticks. (That’s what Kim and I call our skinny legs!)  I did a really fun race last weekend called the Skirt Chaser 5k. The men start 3 min after the women and you just run for dear life trying to hold them off, knowing that they are trying to run your ass down. I won the race and all the girls were so excited that a woman won. It was really fun. It kind of reminded me of the Tufts 10k. Lots of women all cheering for each other and yes I did wear a skirt for the race After all it was the Skirt Chaser!  The next big race will be the USA 10 mile championships. I am a little nervous for this one as there will definitely be a lot of really fast girls, but I am also excited to get back on the racing scene and have fun doing what I love most.Here are some pictures of Kim and I getting ready for a high altitude run on the Switzerland Trail in Boulder. It’s a jeep trail which starts around 8000 ft and climbs to 9000 ft. Perfect for an easy recovery run.   Of course we have to goof off as usual.  

Aetna Park to Park 10 Mile Road Race

What a fun weekend Kim and I had. It is going to be so sad when she leaves me.We both decided to journey down to Denver to test our fitness at the Park to Park 10 miler. I can’t remember the last time I woke up at 4 am. Oh yes I do, Ironman Lake Placid!! That’s just way to early for me!The race went well. We had different race strategies. Kim is in the peak of Ironman training and planned on doing it as a progressive  tempo effort. She started at a medium effort pace and progressed in speed throughout the race. She ran a strong race and was happy with her results. I wasn’t sure of my current fitness level or what I was capable of running, so decided to run the race steady and then hit it hard the last 4 miles. I figured it’s always better to have a fast strong finish, then to slug through the last few miles feeling like shit.  The pace went out at 5:50 for the first mile (remember it’s at altitude!) and I held back. I kept the #1 and 2 girls in check but went at my own pace. I felt great and it was so fun to be in a race competing for the win. At the 5 mile mark, I increased my speed and was in 2nd place. I was gaining on 1st place and was 10 seconds back. I was increasing my speed to 6 minute miles but at mile 6.5, I was still 8 seconds back. I figured if I wanted to win the race I had to surge, get on her heels, and be competitive. Sometimes in a race the hardest thing is making that decision and saying to yourself, “Go and go now” (and don’t change your mind 5 seconds later!) Flip the switch. I did and ran side by side for about a half mile. I again decided if I wanted to win, I had to throw in another surge. I did and thought to myself, “Run hard to mile 9 and don’t look back” I always do this in racing. Anyone can run the last mile hard.  It’s the third and second to last miles that often win a race. I dropped the pace to just under 6 and ran strong towards the finish. It was great to be back racing. My last road race was in January. Racing is so great because you can do things in racing that you never imagined in training. Earlier this week, I ran a hard tempo on the hills and only ran 6 min pace. My last 4 miles of this race were under 6 min pace! Special things happen when you hear a gun go off.Kim and I made a pack before the race. We said if I win the race then I have to go to Kona! Well I’m going to Kona for the World Ironman Championships! Whoo hooo. I always draw so much inspiration from watching the best Ironman athletes in the world race. Living in Boulder, I have met so many incredible athletes, many of whom have become great friends. I am so excited to watch Kim race once again. Win or no win, Kim is the toughest athlete I have ever met!! Go Kimmy. I am so excited to do some training and surfing in Kona. I just hope I don’t surf like I did 2 years ago. Everyone on the beach hated me and especially the 50 year old woman who somehow got tackled and buried on the beach by my surfboard.  Another shout out to my great friends Scott Strode and Amanda Lovato who are racing in WI this weekend. Good luck!!    

Boulder Camp

Here are some pictures from our camp. As you can see we had a blast. Look forward to next year                                                                                                                                                                                              

Boulder Camp

We all had a great time at the Boulder camp this weekend. It was a huge success and sooooo much fun. Check back later this week for a recap of the weekend. 

Oh So Close

This is Kim as she crossed the finish line last weekend . After gaining the lead at mile 16 on the run, Kim  was past with 3 miles to go in the 146 mile race. Please check out Kim’s website at Kimloefflerracing.com for a race report.This was the gutsiest race I have ever watched. The rain started at 6:45 am and it freaking poured and I mean poured until the next day. Kim had a tough swim and came out of the water about 11 or 12 minutes down. She came back with an incredible bike, posting the fastest bike split of the day and narrowed the gap at the start of the run to 7 minutes. I was really worried about Kim on the bike because it was only in the 60’s but pouring rain. I was FREEZING watching and I knew she would be shivering on the bike and she was. Kim got really cold on the bike and as a result probably expended way to much energy fighting to stay warm. She started the run with a calorie deficit. She hung tough and ran as fast as she could. At 16 or 17 , Kim was winning.  By 20, Kim was struggling to hang. Her energy was zapped and as much as she tried to refuel, the cold had beaten her on the bike, and energy and fluids were low. I was getting updates online from friends and I learned about Caitlin coming up. She was having an incredible run. I knew Kim had no clue and I so wished I could tell her somehow, but I had no way of getting out there to tell her. I saw Kim on the hill at 23, just 30 seconds after the pass occurred. I could tell that she was devastated and that there was nothing she could do. She kept fighting. I am proud of her because she raced that race to win. She never held back. She never took chances and always kept the gap within reach. It was a smart race. She gave it her all in the swim, bike, and run. Kim lost 7 pounds in the race and was severely dehydrated.  She crossed the finish line in 2nd place and I knew that as disappointed as she was, she gave it her all. That’s why people admire Kim, not because she is a good athlete but because she pours her HEART out in every race.  She really did, and that is why I know that she will be an Ironman champion someday.  Just gotta keep fighting. Her day will come. I know it will because she won’t give up on it. EVER