HEALTH FIRST PHARMACY Manager Kim Hunger pictured running the OUC half marathon in Orlando in December. Hunger recently wrote a column about her life as an elite runner for Florida Today. Running after 40 means being more thoughtful about training, nutrition and recovery, she says.

Kim Hunger is a Health First Pharmacy Manager, wife and mother of two. She’s also a former sprinter at Florida Atlantic University who transitioned in her 30s to distance running. In the last two Boston Marathons – both run since turning 40 years old – she’s finished in the top 11% and 15%, respectively, for women. She is the top female finisher in the Vero 5K and 10K and in the “masters” group at the OUC half marathon in Orlando in December.

In a column for Florida Today June 11, 2024, Hunger shares her experiences transitioning from sprinting to distance running, the mental challenges, the strain of so many hours training – and recovering from training – and avoiding a common distance running hindrance, “long, slow legs.”

"I work speed into my regimen. On Tuesdays, I do 1-to-2-mile repeats; they’re not sprints but they are fast. On Thursdays I do shorter, faster intervals with recovery jogs in between. That’s to keep from having 'long, slow legs,' it’s called.

"I don’t want to lose my fast-twitch muscle fibers. It’s important I have that kick at the end."

READ the full column and find out more about Kim at Florida Today HERE.

READ the full feature in Florida Today HERE.