This week we’re talking to Kevin Pool, an elite runner, race manager, course director and co-founder of Blistering Pace with his wife (and friend of the pod) Michelle La Sala. Kevin discovered his talent and passion for running in the 5th grade and a competitive high school cross country program pushed him to develop and dream big. After college, it was a lonely job with the park department and lots of solo running that inspired him to run his first marathon. From that first race, Kevin was drawn to the distance and the allure of chasing improvements and his best. Kevin shares the highs and lows of chasing the Olympic Trials Qualifying standard in the marathon -- the races that broke his heart and the ones the races that were so perfect they kept him going. Kevin shares how he’s giving back to local runners and how training partners and the community helped him achieve more than he ever dreamed.
Some highlights from our conversation:
🏃🏻♂️ How his high school cross country inspired him to step up as a runner
💫 How those dream races keep you going
💆🏻♂️ How to process the stress of a goal race
⚡️ Running his first marathon on 5K training
🏅 What inspired him to chase after the 2012 OTQ standard after not hitting the 2008 standard
🙌 The power of training partners and proximity to people who are chasing after similar goals
👀 Getting to mile 22 and feeling your goal time slip away
🧩 Figuring out the puzzle pieces of the marathon
🤝 How he’s giving back to local elite runners
Follow Blistering Pace on Instagram @blisteringpace
You can find us on Instagram and Twitter @Runnersofthebay
Check out our website www.runnersofthebay.com and send us an e-mail at runnersofthebay@gmail.com.
This week’s episode with Kevin Pool is brought to you by:
EverAthlete, the online strength and mobility training community for outdoor enthusiasts! Visit evertathlete.fit and use code ROTB50 to get 50% off your first month!
UCAN. Go to ucan.co/discount/ROTB/ for 15% off your order!
Music is California by The Spectacular Fantastic.
Editing by John (JB) Barley.
