As a Zap newbie, this is my first blog, so I think that I will take the opportunity to introduce myself.  My name is Alissa McKaig, and I hail from Indiana, although please do not confuse me for a Hoosier…I am a Purdue Boilermaker to the core.  Go Black and Gold!!  My athletic background was not in running, but in swimming.  My two older sisters swam competitively, so naturally, I followed them into the pool.  I played soccer too and absolutely loved it.  I never would have even attempted running if not for a back injury in middle school that forced me to take nine months of down time from any form of exercise.  At the end of that time, I started running four miles every day to get into shape for high school soccer.    I loved the consistency of running; I ran the same four miles and enjoyed watching my time get faster and faster.   Improvement is a heady and addictive joy, and after that first taste, I was captivated!  My sophomore year, I ran for the cross country team, after much cajoling and prodding from my family.  Running was a private experience for me, and I was sure that competing against other people would ruin it.  However, just the opposite happened; competition spurred me on and made me want to run farther and faster.  Running fully had its hooks in me from that point on, and I have never looked back!!  It’s amazing to me that running has brought me this far.  I knew I wanted to run in college, but never in my wildest dreams as a high schooler did I envision I would be running as a professional!!  It is such an amazing opportunity, one for which I am so grateful.

I have never lived outside the Midwest, outside of one short stint in Texas, and am so excited for this opportunity to train in the mountains.  North Carolina is beautiful, although to be honest, the mountains are kicking my butt.  After being here for two months, I am slightly more adjusted, but I’d be lying if I said those first few weeks were not rough.  However, what does not kill you makes you stronger, right?   I’m not dead yet, so I must be more fit!!  I have raced a few times this fall, a sort of slow ramp up to club cross country nationals, and I am pumped to keep racing and see all this training pay off.  I am happy to be part of the Zap family, and hopefully the updates you receive in the next couple of months will be full of good news and fast racing!!

  I am writing this blog as I enter my fourth week at ZAP Fitness. I came here by way of Indianapolis, Indiana and Grand Valley State University.

My first few weeks at ZAP have been filled with many new experiences: food (believe it or not I had not eaten a green vegetable in my life until a few weeks ago), mountainous terrain, living in the dirty south, coaching, and new teammates. Most important is the fact that nothing here felt strange or uncomfortable, and my new teammates felt like old teammates from day one. I am very lucky to have been able to rejoin my college teammate and friend Nate Peck. There aren’t too many guys in post-collegiate groups that have the opportunity to continue to train with their college teammates. 

My first few years of college were plagued with injury and setbacks, but that has passed and allowed me to improve significantly in the last couple of years. I’ve been given a unique and exciting opportunity here at ZAP to be able to push my body to it’s limits and reach my goals in running. I’m looking forward to hitting a large training block this fall gearing up for some big 5ks and 10ks this spring on track.