Hello & Welcome!! I'm Kecia…a wife, a dog mom to 1 chocolate and 1 black labrador, a triathlete, a lover of fitness and outdoor adventures. Come with me on my journey as I push my limits and cross new finish lines!!
Last week was COLD! We saw temperatures as low as -12°F with the feel like as low as -26°F. We kept our outdoor adventures short as those temps are just not good for puppy feet. We also got more snow…that makes over 24 inches since Thanksgiving (basically 2 weeks). We are enjoying some much warmer temperatures this week and seeing all the snow melt away just in time for a brown Christmas.
positive vibes:
Getting some play in after swim practice!
All the snuggles on a cold day!
romping before the snow flies
“That was a cold walk mom. I need to snuggle to warm up!” ~River
My orchid is blooming…and Tim thought it was dead.
growth (progress/process) demands action:
Testing the ankle and excited about the progress made so far.
Run off the bike was a success!
My goals for 2026 won’t happen on their own!
powerful decisions made:
Starting a “brick by brick” strength training set that I am really enjoying!
Who decided bumping my FTP before these intervals was a good idea?!
Last week had us shoveling/snow blowing another 8 inches of snow. This makes over 16 inches in 9 days. It was full of more biking to let the ankle heal a bit more, but I did get an opportunity to run a bit to test how the ankle is feeling.
positive vibes:
with over 16 inches of snow in 9 days, lots of fun can be had
growth (progress/process) demands action:
using our new squat rack has been a game changer!
I got to run for 20 minutes later in the week to test the ankle. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either.
showing up to put in the work in my holiday suit
just keep swimming
powerful decisions made:
there was a lot more time on the bike this last week to let my ankle heal
Soaking up her body warmth after being the race director for the Ankeny Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning. Working in the cold temps from 4 am to 1 pm pulled all the warmth from my body. 🤍
Enjoying time with framily for a “Thanksgiving feast” 🤍
grateful to our neighbor for helping us assemble our squat rack
with 8+ inches of fresh powder, it was time to go sledding 🤍
looks like winter is here 🤍
my baby girl 🤍
My dad painted me this and I absolutely LOVE it! 🤍
growth (progress/process) demands action:
still triiing
powerful decisions made:
showing up early on Friday morning to do the work after 2 full days of race director duties
Yikes! I got behind on posting. Two weeks ago was race week for my first ever ultramarathon, which ended in a DNF. Two weeks before the race, I rolled my ankle during my last long training run and unfortunately it wasn’t completely healed up for race day. I completed 15 miles pain free, but shortly after that, I started to get pains in my hip from the rolled ankle, so I decided to call it at mile 20 instead of trying to push through for another 30 miles to reach my 50 mile goal. Sometimes the hardest decisions are the right ones and I know this was a right decision for me in this moment as I didn’t want to set myself back by making the injury worse.
positive vibes:
all the snuggles with my baby girl 🤍
signs of autumn 🤍
I have some of the best people in my life! Thanks to Steena for setting me up for a successful 50 mile attempt.
this race morning sunrise was 🔥
race mornings with friends are the best 🤍
growth (progress/process) demands action:
pulling myself into race week
not realizing there was a controlled burn at the park until I was running in it
running in the rain with my 2 favorite girls
still triing
powerful decisions made:
Saturday I set out to challenge myself in a very new way. The goal was to run 50 trail miles. I was signed up to run the Stuffed Turkey Endurance Races 10 mile race starting at 7 am and the 50K (31 miles) starting at 11 am. I had planned to run a few miles before the 10 mile race + some extra miles between the two races to get to 50 miles. Unfortunately, I had rolled my ankle on a tree root during my last long run 2 weeks before race day, which messed up my hip. I did all of the things to get my body race day ready, felt good going in, and was excited to take on this challenge. I successfully completed 3 warm up miles, the 10 mile race, and some additional miles post 10 mile race. Sadly at mile 15, my hip started to give me a lot of grief, so there was a LOT of walking to work on my hip while still moving forward. I finished 20 trail miles by this point, but decided that it wasn’t worth digging deep + gritting out another 30 miles to achieve my goal. Mentally I was in a GREAT place and really wanted to get after it, but my body had other things to say. I decided to listen to my body instead of digging myself into a massive hole that I would have to spend a long long long time climbing out of. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is let go of the goal in the moment and listen to the body. I am very proud of myself for doing the hard thing and being confident in myself for making the right decision for me long term. There will be another opportunity to attempt the 50 mile goal and I will be ready when it arises!
Last week started by saying goodbye to my baby girl. When we brought her home at 8 weeks old, she would sleep on my pillow with her belly on my head and her back on the wall above bed. As she grew, it took a while to transition her to lay beside me as a 65 pound lab just didn’t fit there anymore. She gave us so much love over her 13+ years of life. We are slowly adjusting to life as a family of 4, creating new routines, and loving on our adventures together.
positive vibes:
Oh Sweet Basil…you were the light in the darkness, the calm in the fear, the happiness in the sadness, and gave more love than any human ever truly deserves. Our emotional pain is a small price to pay for your peace and a true sign of the amount of love we have for you. We love you so very much! Chase those squirrels + rabbits and run free sweet girl! #fuckcancer
It may have snowed and the temps may have been 7F, but I was not going to give into snow boots just yet (it bounced back up to 71F, so it didn’t last).
Fall…leaves the size of my head.
Movement as a family of 4.
Running at dusk with deer in the field
growth (progress/process) demands action:
Getting to swim with Kylee was a fun way to start the day!
Putting in the work…always
hills with my girls
enjoying the change of scenery
powerful decisions made:
Saying goodbye broke my heart, but I’m so glad you aren’t suffering baby girl.
Last week I had the opportunity to scout out the area + test my fueling for my new upcoming adventure. There was lots of recovery, big boosts in confidence, and big gains in fitness.
Last week I had the Hillbilly Hike 1/2 Marathon on Saturday, but I didn’t taper for it. Instead, I signed myself up for a brand new challenge that will take place on November 22, so I not only trained through this race, but added warm up miles to better prepare for this challenge.
positive vibes:
Our roses are still blooming
This is how we recover…all the snuggles!
There was a lot of this last week.
growth (progress/process) demands action:
Raise your hand if:
🙋🏻♀️ you are loving the cooler temps
🙋🏻♀️ you are enjoying the fall colors
🙋🏻♀️ you like the sound of the leaves crunching under your feet
🙋🏻♀️ you are ready to see the golden ball in the sky
🙋🏻♀️ you are looking forward to the weekend
🙋🏻♀️ you love seeing your fur babies full of joy
Putting in the work on the trainer due to the cooler temps
Happy Halloween
Grateful for these two who helped me wake my legs up for the 5 warm up miles.
powerful decisions made:
So proud of my very consistent pacing for my 5 warm up miles + the Hillbilly Hike 1/2 Marathon.
I followed up my 18 mile day with another 12 miles to prepare for this new challenge I signed myself up for.
Last week was pretty much status quo. I had a solid week of training, a good skin check, lots of snuggles with my girls, time with friends, and opportunities to overcome adversity.
positive vibes:
get your skin checked! pre-cancerous spot removed from my face
fall running in shorts + tank
growth (progress/process) demands action:
distance days are my favorite 🤍
putting in miles with my girls
staying present in the mile we were in to get the work done
powerful decisions made:
I love that when a friend says “I want to ride my first 💯 mile ride to celebrate my birthday. Want to join me?” I have the fitness to say YAASSSS! It was windy AF (24 mph), chilly (feels like 50F for a high), the first 51 miles were into relentless headwind, but when we had that tailwind for the last 49 miles, it was GLORIOUS! Way to stay strong physically + mentally and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Shannan! 💪🏻🤍🫶🏻🎂
Last week was lots of recovery, little movement, and resting. I soaked up all the snuggles and enjoyed some of what Mother Nature had to dish out for fall weather.
positive vibes:
River is “helping” me do some work
These two love their snuggles
More snuggles
The moon had this magnificent halo early Saturday morning
PushMyLimits 
