ISUDU Fitness Magazine
PREDATOR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
By Jamila Young
Kim Malonson
Age: 47
Height: 5’3
Weight: 105
Birthplace: Pensacola, FL
Current Residence: Marietta, GA
Family: Married, one child
College Degree: University of West Florida, B.S. in Business Management
Biggest Obstacle: I believe the only obstacle that frustrates me is my age. I do not recover as fast from long races as I used too and I am getting slower. Other than that I am very lucky that I have not had any major injuries.
Greatest Achievement: My son. In my “exercise” life it was the Goofy Challenge at Disney World last year. It consists of a half marathon on Saturday morning and then 24 hours later on Sunday morning is the marathon. I did both races and we now go every year!
In A Perfect World…
I Would Live… in a warmer climate. I do not mind running in warmer temperatures, but I hate running in cold ones. I love to be outside but only when it is in the 50s or higher.
I Would Drive…I am not really into cars but I have to admit my wish lately is a “Vespa-type” scooter. I do not like big cars or SUVs. I think they either give you the opportunity to grow into the car or you find more “stuff” to keep in the car.
I Would Vacation…We have been to Disney World every year for the Goofy Challenge marathon, and we never get tired of going. My ideal goal vacation is a trek all the way up the Appalachian Trial (although it would take about 6 months of my life and it is NOT something my husband is interested in doing!
Favorite Quote “To get something you have never had you must do something you have never done…”
Early Beginnings Kim Malonson lives by these words in her everyday life. Growing up in Pensacola, FL, Kim proved to be an athlete. She excelled at golf and received a golf scholarship to Troy University. Like several student athletes, she realized her dream was not to be a pro golfer but she maintained the spirit of fitness and athleticism that would resurface later in her life. After deciding not to play collegiate golf anymore, she went back to Florida and received her business management degree from the University of West Florida.
Since that time, Kim’s discipline and love for athleticism gradual was restored. After finishing school, she later moved to Marietta, GA. To stay active, she joined a Sunday ALTA tennis team. She bonded with a member of the group who expressed how she had a great time running at Kennesaw Mountain. Kim was drawn in by a new athletic adventure and joined her the next day, never to look back. The duo began to run three times a week in the summer. During the winter months, Kim began to run on her own 5 times a week. Motivated and ready for a challenge, Kim ran a half marathon at the end of that year. With a sense of accomplishment, Kim knew she could push herself to go farther. The following year, she ran a full marathon and has consistently added challenges every year such as triathlons.
Living A Life for Fitness Over the years, her love for fitness and exercise grew so much that living without it seemed unimaginable. Initially, she began to teach fitness classes as a way to earn extra money and because it was a part of her everyday life. After being immersed in fitness, exercise and nutrition for many years, people began to come to her with questions which confirmed she was knowledgeable. Kim states that her goal in each of her exercise classes is to be the most approachable person in that room so any new person would feel at ease asking her any question. This hope has turned into reality, and she now teaches classes at LA Fitness.
Presently, Kim has completed 11 marathons and several half marathons. She has not stopped there. She has also pushed herself to complete an Olympic distance triathlon and her future plans include participating in the 2014 Ironman half triathlon. To prepare for these runs, Kim utilizes ISUDU’s Jonathan Walker as her personal trainer at Complex Fitness and Performance. She has cardio, strength and flexibility routines to maximize her fullest potential. She also supplements these core workouts by attending other fitness classes in the Atlanta area to stay current and acquire knowledge that she can give to her students in her classes at LA Fitness. Kim’s diet does not include many supplements. She leans on the idea that a clean diet is a good diet. She mainly eats raw fruits and vegetables but is not a true vegan. She states that she would eat meat if she had a carving for it, but she doesn’t!
With all of Kim’s accomplishments, she stays humble, and is thankful for her life experiences that have gotten her this far. She says, “When God takes something from your grasp, He’s not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.”
TYPICAL WORKOUT:
I wake up very early 4:00am, and I take a spin class at 6:30. Depending on the day, I sometimes have to teach a class after this.I do yoga one day a week and try to fit in another if I can. I run 5x a week (that’s my passion) and I workout with Jonathan one to two days per week. So on a daily basis I am typically attending 2 classes and teach one with a run in the afternoon. I enjoy taking other classes to get ideas for my classes in addition to enjoying the workout.
TYPICAL DIET
Breakfast: For breakfast I will make a smoothie with whole fruits like an apple, half a frozen banana, frozen blueberries. I add two heaping handfuls of fresh greens like spinach or kale or turnip greens.
Lunch: For lunch I switch to raw vegetables in a smoothie (always adding 2 handfuls of some type of greens). A typical lunch smoothies would be half a roasted beet, greens, roasted cauliflower with a cup of green tea. With my smoothie, I have sliced raw mushrooms or celery that I like to dip in salsa or gourmet mustard. My treat at lunch is a piece of fruit, whatever is in season. My favorite is mango but I also love cinnamon apples.
Snack: Easy…Air popped popcorn.
Dinner: For dinner I always have a salad. I have been making warm salads lately. I sauté a lot of greens with some roasted squash (I love spaghetti squash) add beets, tomatoes or whatever vegetables that I have. I put that on a plate and top with cold greens (some type of lettuce), very little bit of nuts and sprinkle ground flax seeds on top. For my dressing I spray on a no-oil balsamic dressing that I make.
Late Night Snack: Night snack is usually a cup of Nestle fat free hot chocolate (I need my chocolate fix) I sometime have this during the day too.
