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Nicole is a self-described “Navy wife” living in Bremerton, Washington, where her husband is a submarine officer. Mom to 16 month old Aiden, Nicole was a teacher before the frequent moves began: “mostly Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Connecticut to here.” Nicole recently completed the Inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon in June while training with Focus-N-Fly. Finishing was the goal, and a time of 2:40:51 provided optimism for future training and shrinking times.
It has always been a goal of mine, but I never had the motivation. After the baby was born, I needed to lose the baby weight, so signed up for the Tacoma Half Marathon. I have only been really running since January of this year.
2. Who is your running role model?
Paula Radcliffe. The fact that they [the elite female athletes] can do it, and so well, is amazing to me because I will never in my life be that fast! Somehow they keep trying and keep getting better even though they are already so good.
My sisters- in-law also. They got me into this. They both singed up for a marathon, and I said, “I can’t let them do it and not me!” We are doing a half marathon in September together. It has kind of become a family affair.
3. What has been your most memorable running / racing experience?
The most memorable one was my first half marathon in Tacoma, when I hit the 10 mile mark, realized I had never gone further than that, and still finished. Accomplishing something I never had before. Making it through. Totally worth it!
4. What have you enjoyed about working with Focus-N-Fly?
I like how it is so personalized. I would email in when I went through some injuries, and Tom was such an amazing support. It was definitely so much more than you would get from a random website.
5. What is one part of your racing routine you can’t do without (sleep, pre race meal, tie shoes certain way, other ritual)?
I definitely enjoy my pasta dinners the night before, taking full advantage of the calories that will be burned off the day after. On race day, I wake up three hours before, take a bagel, an energy drink, a banana and coffee. I have to have my coffee in the morning.
6. What is your favorite place to go for a run?
When I get a chance without the baby stroller…..there are a couple places up here in Washington where you are going around a lake or going on a wooded trail where it is so peaceful.
7. In the next year, what goals do you hope to accomplish?
I want to beat my time at Disneyland Half Marathon in September, and I am hoping next summer to run a full marathon.
Dena Evans joined runcoach in July, 2008 and has a wide range of experience working with athletes of all stripes- from youth to veteran division competitors, novice to international caliber athletes.
From 1999-2005, she served on the Stanford Track & Field/ Cross Country staff. Dena earned NCAA Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year honors in 2003 as Stanford won the NCAA Division I Championship. She was named Pac-10 Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2003-04, and West Regional Coach of the Year in 2004.
From 2006-08, she worked with the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative, helping to expand the after school fitness programs for elementary school aged girls to Mountain View, East Menlo Park, and Redwood City. She has also served both the Stanford Center on Ethics and the Stanford Center on the Legal Profession as a program coordinator.
Dena graduated from Stanford in 1996.
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