FEATURE: Meet your Coaches for the 2023 Fleet Feet Racing Team Season

The Fleet Feet Racing Team presented by New Balance launched the 2023 season over the past few weeks, and with a new year of running, a tone was set for the team reiterating the team's emphasis on inclusivity, diversity, responsibility, safety, and support. To steer these values, we're taking a two-pronged approach. Cynthia Kmak will lead the Fleet Feet Racing Team with help from Chris Willis, who will advise the team's sponsored athletes.

To get to know the coaching team better, we asked them a bunch of questions that range from running philosophy to the last TV show they watched. Get to know the coaches below. 

What are your pronouns?

Cynthia: They/Them

Chris: He/Him

Mike: He/Him

Liz: She/Hers

How were you introduced to the sport of running?

Cynthia: I have three sisters. My two older sisters did cross country when I was younger so I wanted to do cross country because that’s what they did. I was in Cross Country and Track and Field in Junior High and was never able to finish a race. I DNF’d every single one. I would hyperventilate and trip over hurdles. My senior year in highschool I tried to do CC again. I wanted to be a runner so badly. I got on the team and the next week got cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I wouldn’t run again on a team for a couple of decades.

Chris: I never remember not being a runner. From being a little kid, foot races with friends in the yard. As I got older and into organized sports, I wasn’t coordinated or good at a lot of the other sports that people were in or I wanted to try. But one thing I was always good at was running and I naturally kind of gravitated towards that and got on the track team in sixth grade. My sixth-grade track coach is still a good friend of mine. He coached me in cross country in high school and he has been a mentor of mine since middle school.

Mike: I didn't really start running till the summer before I turned 25. My friend Nicole asked me to run a half marathon with her to celebrate our upcoming twenty-fifth birthdays. My intention didn't include running the race, but she signed up and I decided to do it also. I found out that I really liked it and have been running consistently since. 

What is your favorite aspect of running?

Cynthia: When I first started running it was to get time away from the rest of my life. I didn’t have a great job and had just gotten out of a pretty rough relationship, and I was overweight. I needed a way out and running gave that to me. I would usually run alone or with one other person. Now it’s a way to connect with folks from many walks of life while doing something healthy.I had always wanted to run and when I was actually able to do more than a mile, it was so freeing for my mind and it calmed me down. It was amazing. And my body felt so much better after I started running. My body and my mind. I was no longer severely depressed. I was so in touch with my body and I was treating it well and my mind well and I was like “man, this is great and I’m never going to stop doing this.”

Chris: My favorite part about running is the community. The really deep relationships that form when you train with someone month after month, year after year, going through the same experiences. With us being apart so much now it’s really driven home how much I miss that. Being around people who understand what training is like also understand that dedication and how important it becomes in your life to the point it gives you structure. The competitive aspect I love and it’s probably a close second.

Mike: My favorite aspect of running is definitely all of the people I have met because of it. 

Liz: I love everything about running, but if I had to pick one thing only, it would be the time to connect to myself physically and mentally through movement, and also with others. I love how a run can help me clear my head and or organize my thoughts, and focus on the run while at the same time taking in the sights and sounds around me.

When you started running after college, did you always gravitate toward a group? Did you run solo at all?

Chris:I didn’t start running with a group until I moved to Chicago and became a pacer for CES.

Mike: I largely ran solo because I didnt know a lot of runners. Occasionally I'd run with my friends Jenny and Aly, but group training was not something I initially knew much about. 

What would you tell someone who wants to get faster?

Cynthia: If you want to get faster, once you have built a good base and find it comfortable to run for up to an hour, add in speedwork and strength training. The speedwork will get you outside your comfort zone and you’ll be able to feel uncomfortable pushing yourself for longer. Adding some strength training to your weekly routine will only help with this as well as be key in preventing injury.

Chris: I always tell people to join a group. Find a group that has the kind of runners in it that you want to be and just learn from them and soak it all up. The answers are all out there. Having people to show up for and having people to be accountable to when you start and make a commitment like “hey I’m going to see you Saturday for a run”, you’re going to show up and that is going to foster consistency. It’s going to foster a willingness to try a new workout that you’ve never done before. It’s everything.

Mike: Best advice on getting faster is to be patient. 

Liz: I always tell people to focus on their training, to do the best they can to follow it, to trust the process, and to be patient, if they put in the work they will see the results of their hard work and dedication pay off even if it takes a little longer than what we want, and to celebrate the small wins.

Favorite workout?

Cynthia: As someone who loves longer distances I’m a huge fan of mile repeats. It’s a workout where you are pushing yourself but you aren’t going all out. Since you have the time you can get in the zone focus and lock in. Then before you know it the first one is done and you will likely surprise yourself at how fast you are able to do several of those. It also translates into any endurance race and helps you focus on the mile you are in.

My 100% favorite workout is mile repeats. I like doing like, seven-mile repeats. When I’m in good shape and when I’m in the zone, I don’t even look at my watch. It’s like my birthday when I’m done with the workout and I’m like “look at those laps!” I don’t know what it is about it. That mile I’m like “how quick can we make this one?” Yea, I really love mile repeats.

Chris: I’ve had the same favorite workout since high school. Five dollars in quarters. 20 x 400 meters. It would be the workout we build up to at the end of the year. I don’t know why. I like those short reps. I like to go fast. Especially when you’re on a track. There’s a perfect symmetry to it. It’s long so you get that stretch through the 14th lap and you’re like “I don’t know if I can finish this” but you get to lap 17 or 18 and you get a second wind. It’s great. No one shares this belief with me.

Mike: Favorite workout is probably something on the longer side (i.e. k's, tempos, repeats). I consider myself someone who is a strength runner

Liz: Yassos!!! I love running 800's, I believe that it has become the classic speed work for distance runners, I like to believe that the workout helps you predict your marathon finish time, but more than anything it helps you improve endurance and running efficiency.

What landed you in Chicago?

Cynthia: I came here to study comedy.

Chris: I moved here for law school.

Mike: I grew up on the north side of the city in Rogers Park

Liz: I came to Chicago almost 26 years ago with my family, like many before me looking for a better life and opportunities, chasing the American Dream, I personally have found all of that and more, this great country has given me the opportunity to do things I never even dream of,  Chicago has been my home since day one, and I think that even with its flaws, Chicago is a great place to live, it has everything, small-big city, cleaner than most big cities, history and traditions, friendly people, great neighbourhoods, lots of art from parks to museums, lake Michigan, I love the lake, the beach in the middle of the city, the amazing lakefront path! And let's not forget, professional sports teams, Go Bears! Go White Sox! Go Chicago!!!! I am a Chicago fan :)

Favorite race you ran, when, and why?

Cynthia: The California International Marathon in 2021. I had the support of so many folks from FFRT run some pace miles with me and do speedwork at the track, long after their races had come and gone. I stayed with my partner Mark’s family in Sacramento and met the vegan ultra running legend Scott Jurek at the expo. There were so many folks from the team in California for that race and it was a delight. The support was great, weather was perfect, it had some lovely rollers and was a net downhill run. I highly recommend it for folks who want a nice December race in mid to high 40 degree weather.

Chris: Chicago Marathon 2018. I have never been better prepared for a race and I had never executed a race better.

Mike: Favorite race is probably Boston 2022. I ran the majority of the race with a group of racing team members and I actually felt good during a Boston.

Liz: I don't think I can pick a favorite race so I will pick my favorite distance, the Marathon, I love it because I get to settle into a pace that challenges my body and mind to work together to get  to the finish line, I honestly like all of the many marathons that I have run, every single one, in recent years, I started my journey to run a marathon in every state of this great country of ours, as of 2023 I am only a third into my goal, I love running in a new city and getting to "know" the city as I run through it, I have enjoyed every one of them, even when some races have been hard because of a challenging course or because my body is not happy with me, I am looking forward to continue to travel to new places.

What is your current running goal?

Chris: That’s a really good question, Max. (laughs)

Cynthia: I want to allow running to take me to places I’ve never been without fear and anxiety of change.

Chris: That used to be a much easier question for me to answer. My current running goal is finding a way to keep running sustainable and supporting all the other things going on in my life.

Mike: Current running goals include breaking 2:53 in the marathon and running a sub 18 minute 5K.

Liz: My running goal is to continue running  for as long as I can, to be healthy and able to complete a marathon in every state, to run all World Majors.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Chicago outside of running?

Cynthia: I love playing different characters and making people laugh. If you’ve ever seen me on stage or got stuck in a carpool with me, you get a good peak at Cynthia at 120%

Chris: My favorite thing to do in the world is to take my kids to a museum and I’m obviously not doing that. But, spending time with my kids, spending time with my family. 

Mike: I love going to concerts. It's something I have regular been doing since high school and music is a big part of my life. 

Liz: I love to spend time with my family and friends, I love having people over for food, drinks and a good time, once a year I love to have of all the important people in my life together, at the same time and place, I also love to dance, I am not that good but I don't care, I dance like no one is watching :)  During the fall, you can find me most Sundays at Soldier Field, I love football!!!

What does your typical Sunday look like?

Cynthia: I usually coach for Chicago Endurance Sports at Lincoln Square, then have a rehearsal and go to one of my many jobs outside of coaching. I usually get home at 9pm, unwind and play some video games or watch TV for a bit.

Chris: Sunday is my non-running day. Sunday is where I spend more time with my kids and my wife. Sunday is like, sleep in, spend time with family, just kind of hanging out around the house, and being a bum. That hasn’t changed. Every day feels like Sunday.

Mike: If I am not working at Fleet Feet Lakeview, my sunday usually involves watching a sporting event of some kind. 

Liz:  It usually involves some running, lots of yummy food paired with a beverage, alcoholic or not, football during the season, and a good amount of time on the couch.

What do you do for work?

Cynthia: I’m a comedian, game host, game creator, personal coach,  and the Lead coach for FFRT and CES Performance.

Chris: I’m an attorney

Mike: I currently coach three seasons at a high school and work for Fleet Fleet.

Liz:  I do accounting for a living, the first 4 months of the year are crazy busy with deadlines and phones ringing all day, but even then I like my job a lot, it gives me the freedom to do what I like.

Favorite local spot?

Cynthia: Urban Vegan or Pick Me Up Cafe

Chris: Wednesday night tacos at Wells on Wells (laughs). Nothing better. It’s the highlight of my week!

Mike: Beard & Belly 

Liz: Planta, downtown, is the newest vegan restaurant in town, the food is amazing, I highly recommend it.

Favorite local brewery or coffee shop?

Cynthia: Dollop (they have Beacon Donuts)

Chris: Half Acre

Mike: Old Irving, Maplewood, or Revolution. I dont have a coffee spot because I dont really drink it

Liz: Pilot Project Brewing and Oromo Cafe.

Last thing you read?

Cynthia: What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo

Chris: Inside a Marathon by Scott Fauble

Mike: Jackal

Liz: Devoted: The story of a Father's Love for His Son.

Last show you watched?

Cynthia: Abbott Elementary

Chris: Parks & Recreation. Rewatching 

Mike: Love Island UK and Jersey Shore Family vacation 

Liz: It's been a while, I can't remember, maybe Ozarks, Mo, Inventing Anna, Keep Breathing, Your Honor, or  Formula One.