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2013/03/29

Eunji Jen Kim

Interview Conducted on: 2013/03/27



Race: 2013 Two Rivers Marathon (Lackawaxen, PA) on 2013/03/30 in 3:51:54!
Cause: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)

BACKGROUND INFO
Name: Eunji Jen Kim
Hometown: Queens, NY
Current Location: New York, NY
Age: 31
Occupation: Pastry Chef
Blog / Website: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/eunji.j.kim
Twitter: @EunjiJKim
Videos: N/A
Press Articles: N/A
Running Clubs: Marathon Maniacs #4806
Sponsors: N/A

LIKES
Favorite Running Books: The Bible
Favorite Running Websites: Ryan Hall
Favorite Quote: "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free." - Psalm 119:32



RUNNING HISTORY
First Marathon: 2011/01/30 @ 2011 Miami Marathon (Miami, FL) in 4:08:49
Total Marathons: 10
Total Ultras: 0
Total Marathons+Ultras: 10
Marathon PR: 2012/11/18 @ 2012 Brooklyn Marathon (Brooklyn, NY) in 3:43:20
Training Miles / Week: 0 to 20 miles per week

CHARITY RUNNING
Favorite Charities / Running Causes: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)
Fundraiser Sites: N/A
Amount Raised: $2,105
Amount Raised for PanCAN: $2,105



QUESTIONS
1.) Describe your life before running.
I was never involved in any sports growing up so I didn't know that I had a spirit of competition in me. Running has taught me so much about perseverance and resilience. I don't believe that any other sport or activity would have made me as strong as I am now-physically and mentally-like running has.

2.) What prompted you to start running, and how old were you at the time?
I started running when I was 21 because I wanted to get in shape. It was torturous and I don't think that I ever went past one mile. I stopped running for a few years and started again at 25 and ran four miles every morning before work. I signed up for a half marathon and did surprisingly well considering I'd never run more than four miles. I became addicted to running races and finishing fast. I ran 15 half marathons, and many 10k's and 4 mile races before I ran my first full marathon in 2011.

3.) Why do you love running and what keeps you motivated to continue running?
I love the feeling of pushing through the lows and feeling the highs and finishing strong. I feel like there is a story happening during each run. I love the camaraderie of races and especially the community of runners. As long as my feet and heart will carry me, I will keep running!

4.) What is your prior experience with charity running and fundraising?
Running for PanCAN has been my one fundraising experience. I had donated to my friends who raised money for different causes but I had not been one to raise funds. PanCAN is an amazing organization with extraordinary people on staff and I am so grateful to have been a part of their team.

5.) Why did you volunteer to become a charity runner with Kino, and what about marathons appeals to you?
I had not known anybody who had been affected in any way with pancreatic cancer prior to my involvement with PanCAN. Kino had a very close uncle pass away from the disease as well as another one of our friend's mother. At that point, Kino had already raised thousands of dollars and had motivated so many people to run for this-as well as many other causes. It inspired me to see what one person could do and I wanted to get involved. It was an amazing experience from beginning to end. I was so grateful to all of the people in my life who donated money. But the best part was meeting the PanCAN team and coach as well as the survivors (and runners!!) of pancreatic cancer. It was truly humbling and the race was challenging but so amazing. I will never forget my first marathon for so many reasons.

6.) How has your experience been raising awareness and funds for PanCAN/BoMF/WTC?
Since being a part of the organization, I have been an advocate for people to get regular check ups for pancreatic cancer. I have also had the opportunity to link a friend whose father was recently diagnosed to speak with other people who have had family members with the disease.

7.) Describe your 2013 Two Rivers Marathon charity race experience. How different was it compared to not running for charity (i.e. Why do you feel that using running is a useful tool in helping out charities?)?
This was a great race because I was able to run it with my friend, Kino, and represent PanCAN together. It has been the third race where I was running for the organization and it is more meaningful to run for a cause and not just for personal pursuits. Running is a great tool for helping charities because it is a great way to present a certain cause in an exciting way. Social media has also been a great tool in raising funds and awareness.

8.) Do you plan to run a race for charity again, and if so, what charity will it be for?
I would like to continue to run and raise funds and awareness for PanCAN. I am also interested in JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). A very close friend of mine has a daughter who was diagnosed with Juvenile diabetes and is a very strong advocate for awareness and in finding a cure. I am inspired by their lives everyday and reminded about how grateful I should be for my health and for being able to do something I love so much... run!

9.) What are your current running goals?
I would like to qualify for Boston.

10.) Feel free to add anything else, give thanks, or shout outs.
I would LOVE to thank my dear friend KINO-because if not for him, I would have never run my first marathon! And second, third....tenth! He continues to inspire and encourage me as well as hundreds...thousands of others. His running history is amazing and truly shows that if you work hard and believe in yourself you can accomplish some pretty unbelievable things. His charitable works have reached so many people and will only continue to grow. Steven Thunder Lee has been such an amazing mentor to me and I am endlessly grateful to him for his motivation and kindness. He is as fast as he is gracious...and he is FAST!!!!

2013/01/31

Alicia Eno

Interviews Conducted on: 2012/05/18 & 2012/09/17



Race: 2012 Sioux Falls Marathon (Sioux Falls, SD) on 2012/09/09 in 3:20:52!
Cause: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)

BACKGROUND INFO
Name: Alicia Eno
Hometown: Bay City, MI
Current Location: Marion, AR
Age: 35
Occupation: Behavioral Psychologist
Blog / Website: N/A
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.m.juhl
Twitter: @karhu262girl
Videos: 88 Marathon Runner, Psychologist, Alicia Eno (Karhu Sisu Series)
Press Articles: N/A
Running Clubs: Marathon Maniacs #1620, Marathon Maniac Diva #3, 50 States Marathon Club, & Run It Fast - The Club #126.
Sponsors: N/A

LIKES
Favorite Running Books: Running Times, Trail Runner, & Outside magazines.
Favorite Running Websites: Running Times Forums & Marathon Maniacs
Favorite Quote: "Achievement without struggle is not rewarding." - Heather Fuhr



RUNNING HISTORY
First Marathon: 2001/04/21 @ Glass City Marathon (Toledo, OH) in 4:06:41
Total Marathons: 73
Total Ultras: 0
Total Marathons+Ultras: 73
Marathon PR: 2012/02/18 @ Myrtle Beach Marathon (Myrtle Beach, SC) in 3:19:40
Training Miles / Week: 80 to 85 miles per week

CHARITY RUNNING
Favorite Charities / Running Causes: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), Autism Speaks
Fundraiser Sites: N/A
Amount Raised: $161
Amount Raised for PanCAN: $161



QUESTIONS
1.) Describe your life before running.
I was a college student in Psychology, and enjoyed riding horses in dressage and eventing competitions.

2.) What prompted you to start running, and how old were you at the time?
In college I started running when I lived in the dorms to get a way from a bad roommate.

3.) Why do you love running and what keeps you motivated to continue running?
Health is a number one. All of the other number ones are to meet people with similar high motivations, to see all that I can see in travel ( I wish to go to as many places as i can), to experience the good races/bad races, to learn about my own self imposed limits and to try to break them, and to push myself and my goals to see how fast I can become in the marathon.

4.) What is your prior experience with charity running and fundraising?
This was my first for PanCAN. I received very positive and wonderful feedback from others.

5.) Why did you volunteer to become a charity runner with Kino, and what about marathons appeals to you?
Kino is an inspiration to me and I feel lucky to be able to help him raise awareness about PanCAN. If I can help others through my miles, I want to do so more than anything!!! The marathon, no matter how many you run, is always hard-physically and more than that mentally. I wish to see how tough I can get my legs and mind through running marathons.

6.) How has your experience been raising awareness and funds for PanCAN/BoMF/WTC?
I wish to do more and do another race for PanCAN. I feel that others need to know about this and that we can together help others through running.

7.) Describe your 2012 Sioux Falls Marathon charity race experience. How different was it compared to not running for charity (i.e. Why do you feel that using running is a useful tool in helping out charities?)?
I felt I was running the race not just for myself, but for others-I felt I needed to be there, out there, for the whole race and leading up to the marathon.

8.) Do you plan to run a race for charity again, and if so, what charity will it be for?
Yes I do. I hope to run 3 marathons in 2013 for PanCAN.

9.) What are your current running goals?
My current running goals are to break 3:00 in the marathon and to complete all 50 states in under 4 hours in time.

10.) Feel free to add anything else, give thanks, or shout outs.
Thank you for your support Kino so so much and to all the Marathon Maniacs.

2012 Running Year In Review

It's already 2013, wow.
Here's a recap of what I wrote last year: 2011 Running Year In Review

In 2012, I vow to train my ass off and quit making excuses. I know that I can compete on a higher level, but only if I put in the dedication and effort.

Marathon PR Times & Avg Marathon Times
Year PR Marathon PR Date PR Time Pace Avg Time
2008 Philadelphia Marathon (PA) 2008/11/23 4:39:42 10:40 4:50:44
2009 New York City Marathon (NY) 2009/11/01 3:56:07 9:00 4:20:51
2010 Houston Marathon (TX) 2010/01/17 4:05:11 9:21 4:36:15
2011 Portland Marathon (OR) 2011/10/09 3:36:53 8:16 4:01:58
2012 Fargo Marathon (ND) 2012/05/19 3:19:12 7:36 3:38:18
2013 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon (AZ) 2013/01/20 3:50:54 8:48 3:57:10
Lifetime Fargo Marathon (ND) 2012/05/19 3:19:12 7:36 4:04:29
*Marathon indicates road marathons and excludes trail marathons and ultras.

I ran my first marathon in 5:00:15, back in 2008.  I went on to PR the first five marathons I ran (and first 6 out of 7).  It took until my 15th marathon to break 4 hours, at the 2009 Asbury Park Relay Marathon, with a time of 3:59:41, with the help of Marco Cheung & Mike Moschitta who helped pace me.  Two weeks later, I bested that time with a 3:56:07 at the 2009 New York City Marathon.  In 2010, you can see that I regressed.  That was mainly due to coming off a calf strain injury (from the Beast of Burden Summer 100) and focusing on conquering the 100 by running many doubles (and not focusing on marathon times).  I regained my form in 2011 by running 14 sub-4's (6 in 6 straight weeks, all in different states + Germany), and setting 5 new PR's.  I experienced a major breakthrough at the 2011 Berlin Marathon with a 3:38:21 marathon with a huge help from Steven Thunder Lee who paced me for the second half of the race, helping me to negative split.  I lowered that PR, two weeks later, at the 2011 Portland Marathon with a time of 3:36:53, despite being halted momentarily by a passing freight train.  As for my average marathon times, if I didn't run any doubles (2 marathons in 2 days), my average would be significantly lower.

100 Milers
Year PR 100 PR Date PR Time Pace # of 100's
2010 Javelina Jundred (AZ) 2010/10/23 28:23:21 16:47 1
2011 Jerseyville Fat Ass 100 (ON) 2011/04/23 27:12:00 16:19 2
2012 Rocky Raccoon 100 (TX) 2012/02/04 29:21:23 17:36 1
2013 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Lifetime 2011 Jerseyville Fat Ass 100 (ON) 2011/04/23 27:12:00 16:19 4
*100 Milers used to indicate traditional distance-based 100's and excludes timed races.

I tried to break 26 hours at 2011 Umstead 100, 2011 Beast of Burden Summer 100, 2011 Javelina Jundred 100, & 2012 Rocky Raccoon, but for unexpected reasons like injury and torrential rains, my efforts were thwarted.  Again, my ramped up more rigorous training in 2012 will prove to yield faster results, barring injury and freak weather conditions.

2012 Goal: "My ramped up more rigorous training in 2012 will prove to yield faster results, barring injury and freak weather conditions."
2012 Results:
2013 Goal:

24 Hour Runs
Year PR 24 Hour PR Date PR Distance Pace # of 24 Hour 100's
2010 20in24 (PA) 2010/07/17 80.224 miles 17:56 0
2011 NorthCoast 24 (OH) 2011/09/17 104.79 miles 13:44 2
2012 20in24 (PA) 2012/07/14 76.104 miles +13:40 0
2013 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Lifetime 2011 NorthCoast 24 (OH) 2011/09/17 104.79 miles 13:44 2
+ At 2012 20in24, I officially quit the 24 hour race at 17:20:57.

After placing 10th overall at 2011 FANS24 and 29th overall at the 2011 USA Track & Field 24-Hour National Championships (NorthCoast 24), my eyes were opened to what I am potentially capable of.  I will try my best and make the most of 2012 for my running and improve upon my results.

Total Marathons & Ultras
Year Marathons Ultras Total New States New Sub-4 States
2008 3 0 3 3 0
2009 18 2 20 11 2
2010 19 6 25 9 0
2011 23 11 34 13 11
2012 33 4 37 14 28
2013 3 0 3 N/A 2
Lifetime 99 23 122 50 43

2011 was a successful and prolific year in which I was fortunate to have traveled to many states and countries (Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Canada, & Germany) for running, shared lifelong memories with the best of friends, met a lot of inspirational and quality individuals, and set PR's in all distances from a marathon and up (50K, 50M, 100K, 100M, & 24hr).  I also achieved Marathon Maniacs 10-Star Titanium status and have made it into a couple press articles (Examiner.com and Pavement Pieces).

I am now on pace to run my 100th marathon + ultra at Comrades on 6/3/2012.  I am also set to finish my 50 States quest on 12/9/2012 at the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii with my one of my best friends and impressive runner himself, Steven Thunder Lee.

Total Yearly Mileage
Year Miles Miles/Week  Race Miles (%)  Training Miles (%) Days Run (%) RunStreak
Max Days
2008 239.8 4.6 239.8 (?%) N/A (?%) N/A (?%) N/A
2009 756.5 14.6 697.9 (92.2%) 58.7 (7.8%) 73 (20.0%) 3
2010 1,115.2 21.5 1,023.1 (91.7%) 92.1 (8.3%) 71 (19.5%) 3
2011 1,563.7 30.1 1,424.8 (91.1%) 138.9 (8.9%) 76 (20.8%) 7
2012 1,411.5 27.1 1,134.9 (80.4%) 276.6 (19.6%) 136 (37.1%) 43
2013 Goal:
2,600.0
Goal:
50.0
Goal:
1,274.0 (49.0%)
Goal:
1,326.0 (51.0%)
Goal:
200 (54.8%)
Goal:
50
Lifetime 5,086.6 19.6 4,520.4 (88.9%) 566.2 (11.1%) 356 (19.5%) 43

My training miles above are very shameful, and I have no one to blame other than myself.  Many of my race-time bonks could have been avoided with adequate training.  I have made it a resolution to train hard in 2012 and not lose "the gift" as Pre calls this gift of running, see the quote at the top of this entry.

After being inspired by my friend & VCTC + USATF teammate Michael Arnstein aka The Fruitarian, and watching his The Fruitarian YouTube channel, I became inspired to incorporate running more into my daily life.

In particular, this video made me realize this and provided me with the passion to love training and not disdain it:
"Exercise Each Day As If Your Life Depends On It!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tQA3Tvkg_s
You don't have to be a fruitarian to take in his message of a healthy lifestyle.  I no longer view "training" as a chore.  I now use it as a mode of transportation to get from place A to place B, as part of my daily life.

I have started my #RunStreak on 12/25/2011 (it ended on 2/6/2012 after Day 43 due to a sprained toe sustained at 2012 Rocky Raccoon 100, but restarted on 2/9/2012), by running 10 miles with my running buddy Jim Pease and have kept it going since.  The idea of a #RunStreak was first introduced to me by my friend Dave Shannon from Minnesota.  The next time you think, "It's too cold to run outside today", try thinking about Dave and him keeping up a #RunStreak up in St Paul, MN!

With increased training miles in 2012, I anticipate faster road marathon times and better 100 mile & 24 hour results.  Big things are in store!  It is all thanks to friends making me accountable for my training now and to useful tools such as DailyMile and my Garmin watch, to push me to run further and more frequently.