#92 - Made For More “Running” w/ Kali Luke
When you think about your life have you ever stopped to think if you were living up to your full potential? There are times when we may be coasting through life and just going with the flow. To achieve great things for yourself, you want to make sure you are giving life you are all. Realize that you were made for more! More than living lack-luster, going through the motions only having enough time for work, paying bills, eating, and sleeping.
At times we wake up and realize that we are capable of more and make changes on our own. Other times we are forced into making a change….. doctor tells you that you are pre-diabetic….someone says that if you don’t get your weight under control you will not be able to have children. Negative things happen to some people and they take that and use it as motivation. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team and became the greatest basketball player of all time. He mentioned that high school coach in his hall of fame speech. He carried that sting his whole career. Tom Brady, drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft. He carried that negative on his shoulder to a 20-year career, made 10 Superbowls, and won 6 of them.
Today we have the privilege of talking to a young lady who loves running. The crazy thing is that she didn’t choose running, running chose her. Being bullied in high school led her to realize that she was made for more than just being someone else's verbal punching bag.
Coach: Thank you for being on the show, take us back to the beginning. Can you still remember those feelings from being bullied in high school?
Kali: Absolutely. I think most people want to forget their high school days, but in the area of running, it’s the gasoline on my fire. It’s what I think about when I need an extra reminder of ‘’why I started running” or when I think “Why does running even matter?” To me, it mattered enough to the Kali that was so consumed in following my academics that I neglected my mental and physical health. To the point where I remember a specific incident of being bullied in high school while we were running the required one-mile test in gym class. I thought, ‘’what’s the point? It’s the only gym, and I only care about my grades, not how fast I run.” Only to have a girl to point out, to my face, that I didn’t even run a half mile before I quit, and that I would always be a bigger girl because I didn’t exercise. There were also later stabs about how I’d never get a boyfriend at that weight. High school girls can be pretty mean.
Back then, I 100% identified with being the ‘’smart kid’’ or the ‘’bookworm’’ and that’s what I thought I would always be. I never excelled at sports and hand-eye coordination did not agree with me. Me and running, as far as I was concerned we were like oil and water. I was determined that it was never gonna change.
After she said that, out loud, in front of people I was friends with, whether she knew it or not my world changed. I took it seriously. All the fears about my weight were suddenly vocalized. I needed to make a change.
Coach: We never want anyone to experience bullying of any kind, but would you say in some strange way that motivated you to make a change?
Kali: Completely. I don’t condone bullying, and I’m sure if I approached that girl today, she would have no clue the impact she had on my life by saying that. I doubt she’d remember the conversation. Her sentence replayed in my head constantly. My best friend at the time was in cross country. She casually asked, “Do you want to go for a run with me?'' And I remember laughing at her question. I asked; “Do you know who you’re talking to?” I finally broke down and said, I have no idea where to start. I’ve never done anything like that. We started with me wearing her old pair of running shoes and we went a half-mile, up and down her street. I was completely out of breath. The next couple of days we went out and I completed the first mile without stopping. We celebrated like crazy.
I got the idea to sign up for my high school’s cross country team in the fall, and we ran a lot throughout the summer to prepare for it. In that summer her family brought me to my first running shoe store to introduce me to running shoes which relieved some pain I was experiencing from my Walmart sneakers.
I joined cross country and excelled to where I made it to the meet right before the state. Which I believe is called sectionals. I advanced my mile time with every race, and I went from absolutely no running to running at state-level competition. In the process, I happened to have lost 50 lbs as I learned how to eat to keep up with the training.
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Coach: After high school, what made you stick with running? Or did you step away from running and came back to it?
Kali: When I went to college, I purely used running as a stress-coping mechanism. To the point where it became unhealthy. I was combining long runs with long weight lifting sessions. I was very stressed with school and moving to a new city and a new environment meant that I was spending 2 to 3 hours in the gym at a time. Weight fell off fast (which was the only benefit), but I didn’t know how to eat to keep up with that high of a calorie burn. I eventually dialed it back to just running, and I kept it up to about 3 times a week. Now since being out of college, I try to run at least 4 days a week, and my husband is good at pointing out when I’m crabby or just not myself he’ll ask; “When’s the last time you went a run?” It’s my therapy, and I’m glad for having something that zens me out as it does.
Coach: How old are you now, and how long ago was high school?
Kali: I’m 27 and high school was about 10 years ago.
Coach: What do you do for a living?
Kali: I work as a Pharmacy revenue analyst for a large medical facility out of Minneapolis, MN.
Coach: How long have you been in your profession?
Kali: I’ve been in the pharmacy industry for about 4 years, but I have been involved in finance for 11 years.
Coach: What moved you to get into this field?
Kali: I work well with structure, and finance/business tends to be very structured in their rules & guidelines. I’ve always had a passion for the medical field while also being good with numbers, and eventually found a profession that incorporates both.
Coach: As a busy professional what is your current exercise routine? When do you get your runs in these days?
Kali: I try my best to remain strict but yet flexible at the same time. In an ideal world, I get my workout in before work, but sometimes I get it in after work. I am following an 18-week course to run my first marathon at the moment. It has me run 4 times a week, 1 day of rest, and 2 days of strength training. I give myself grace like if I’m not in the right mental space today, that’s my rest day, and tomorrow is no excuses to move on with the schedule, or I end up doing 2-a-days to stay on track. Because things happen, and my goal is still there, but I need to make it work out for me.
Coach: Any special diet that you are currently following?
Kali: Just following a calorie deficit overall, and making sure I’m only eating when I’m truly hungry not just when I’m bored. I largely try to focus on balance and making sure I am focusing on getting foods that fuel me for running.
Coach: Kali, what has running done for you?
Kali: Running has given me my true life back. I think in our teens and early 20s we’re just trying to find ourselves, and in some stages of life like moving away from college, or getting married, or changing professions, or having kids, you can lose yourself in those roles to the point where you start questioning who you are. Going for a run reminds me of how strong of a woman I am, and how capable I am. It brings me pride in places when I need it the most.
Coach: Did I see somewhere in your story that you lost 50lbs your senior year of high school?
Kali: Yes! Unknowingly, yes. Honestly, the thing I think that helped me the most, is that I didn’t go into it solely for the weight loss. I went into it with the idea of making myself become a stronger runner. One thing that I learned quickly was that Mcdonalds gave me a different energy tank than a salad and chicken. So I started opting for the salads and chicken. At one point I tried to cut out carbs completely, but noticed my energy levels in my stamina reflected that change in diet. It was a lot of trial and error to realize, “Hey, these fruits/veggies/lean meat people have something here.” because all those foods gave me enough energy to get through my runs. Which was what was most important to me at the time. I love pizza, but that’s something I divulge in on special occasions. Through running, I have been able to maintain a 35 pound weight loss from my original starting weight.
Coach: That’s awesome. How does your family and friends enjoy this version of you?
Kali: My husband notices the most when I run consistently, and when I go on stints without it. My mood is much better when I am running consistently than when I go without. I was just talking to my mom the other day, and I started telling her I wanted her to start running. She asked: “Like...for fun?” My mother noticed that I am a much happier person when I’m running consistently then when I don’t run. It has always brought me a different level of happiness.
Coach: You accomplished an amazing running milestone in 2020 what was that?
Kali: I finished my first half marathon this last spring! It was originally going to be a live event on the 4th of July, and I was in the middle of training for it. I noticed some pain in my right ankle in the middle of my long training run. I decided to continue on and run that half marathon anyway. Afterwards I had 6 weeks of achilles tendon rehab.
Coach: Kali, what are you excited about today, any special goals that you are working on at that moment?
Kali: Currently I’m working towards my first full marathon. I’d like to sign up for a live marathon event, because there’s nothing like running a live event, especially when you need the adrenaline of running a live event. I’m in the beginning of training, but no definitive date in mind just yet.
Coach: Congratulations on maintaining a 35lbs weight loss, realizing that you were made for more and accomplishing some great goals. With a full marathon within your grasp we are all routing for you.
Thank you for being on the show. Before we let you go........ WHAT can you say to our listeners who may be ready to start their journey tomorrow?