Today on the Doc On The Run Podcast we are talking with Kim Conley, about the strategies she uses to recover quickly after hard training blocks, or when resuming training after a world-class event.
I am sure most of you listening know Kim Conley…2-time Olympic athlete and middle and long distance track star.
Part of what I find so inspiring about Kim is the way in which she has pulled it out and come back in the final meters and final seconds of races to secure the win.
On the 2012 Olympic trials Kim passed her rival Julia Lucas in the final meter and won by only 4/100ths of a second and surpassed the standard needed to qualify her for the Olympics by only 21/100ths of a second.
She dis similar thing in 2014 at US outdoor championships and the 10,000 meter event. After leading for eight laps and with only 200 meters to go, she got passed, but then charged back, and out sprinted her competitor to the finish line to win the 10,000 meter title.
Kim is really and truly a multifaceted runner. She’s not just a middle-distance athlete because, the next year she won the 2015 USA half marathon championship.
Kim also qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games and competed in the 5000 meter event at the Games in Rio.
We’re really fortunate to have Kim on the show today to share some of her strategies and tactics that have helped her stay fit, train hard and recover after all those hard workouts throughout her career.
Kim, welcome to the show!
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: So, before we get into some questions maybe you could just give us a little bit more detail about your passion for running and how made it form running in High School, in Santa Rosa to making to the Olympics.
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: Sooner or later, all of us as runners will have to deal with some uncertainty and adversity in making it to the finish line. Right now, obviously there’s a lot of uncertainty for athletes in training. Much of us are having trouble getting to the starting line, since so many races have been canceled. No doubt, with the range of events and locations around the world where you have competed, I’m sure that you have had some race that has been canceled or changed at the last minute. When you think back on all of your various races around the world, what was the one time when there was some sort of adversity or anxiety inducing change that you had to deal with?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: We all feel like to get stronger because of our training. But no tissue repair happens when you’re training. Tissue damage happens when you’re training. Tissue repair happens when you’re sleeping.How important do you think sleep is to your running recovery?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: I think most runners believe they should sleep more. But there are all of these little things we should probably do more effectively but most of us, just don’t. But sometimes we shift into high gear and we are little more deliberate, and a little more intentional when we are in training. Do you do anything special with sleep to recover faster when you’re in hard training or race preparation mode?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: Recovery, in its simplest sense, is just a process of rebuilding tissue, after you stimulate a healing process which begins as tissue damage induced by a hard workout. It takes building blocks to rebuild that tissue damage. And that means sound nutrition. What are your nutritional habits? And how do you think your diet has changed or evolved over the past few years?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: I have heard lots of different athletes talk about their secret weapons to help them recover faster. Some people take naps, others get massages. Some have secret recipes.
What is your secret weapon to recover faster, or maybe even decrease your risk of injury when training?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: After racing a lot of people just take time off. They take what seems a casual approach to recovery. They rest, or maybe do something less-structured like go on a “vacation.”
What do you do to recover in the first 24-48 hours after you finish a championship event?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: Out of all of the runs and race if you have done, when you think about all of the experiences and images in your head, what experience is most memorable to you and why?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: Undoubtedly all of the race cancellations from 2020 have caused some chaos in your training and racing schedule.
Is there any the race you’re currently focused on and how are you staying motivated through all of this uncertainty?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: You recently posted a quote on Twitter which reads, “ I know that our bodies were made to thrive only in pure air, and the scenes in which pure air is found.” – John Muir
Tell us what that quote means toy and the significance of posting it now.
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: Okay…last question…
You could go back in time and talk to Kim Conley ,the young girl just starting high school at the beginning of ninth grade, what would you tell her?
What one piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Kim Conley: (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Dr. Segler: I’m going to go ahead and say everybody, all of you listening right now, should go follow Kim social media, and check out her website. We’ll have all the links in the show notes episode under the podcast section at DocOnTheRun.com.
I’ve certainly learned a lot today and it’s really been great having you on the show!
Kim , thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to share all of your rapid recovery strategies with our listeners today. And if anybody is trying to figure out how they can follow you, connect with you, or reach out to you directly, how can they best find with you?
Kim Conley (check out the podcast audio to hear what Kim had to say)
Links about Kim mentioned in the Podcast Episode:
Please add links you want us to publish on on our website DocOnTheRun.com and promote through social media channels.
Website: https://kimfconley.com
Book link: https://fieldhouseasheville.com/2018/10/31/new-book-announcement-underdog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimConley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfconley/
Email: https://kimfconley.com/contact
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kfconley
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If you have a question that you would like answered as a future addition of the Doc On The Run Podcast, send it to me PodcastQuestion@docontherun.com. And then make sure you join me for the next edition of the Doc On The Run Podcast!
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