Kristina Folcik – Durango Running Coach
$150.00 / month and a $19.00 sign-up fee
Holistic approach for beginner to advanced road, trail and ultra running, nutrition, menopausal women, and strength. Helping you feel better emotionally and physically while training for your fitness goals.
Description
With a holistic approach to the sport, Durango running coach Kristina Folcik is committed to helping beginner to advanced athletes on the roads and the trails find a balance of training and racing that’s both mentally and physically health, with a focus on nutrition and strength. Kristina also offers one hour zoom sessions (which can be broken up into two 30 minute sessions). See below for more info and reach out to Kristina to get started!
LEVELS: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
TYPES: Road, Trail
DISTANCES: 5k/10k/Half Marathon, Marathon, Ultra
TRAINING PLATFORM: Steady State
TRAINING PLAN: Individual, customized training plan
COMMUNICATION: Unlimited email, unlimited text
RESPONSE TIME: Within 24 hours
LOCATION: Durango, CO
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: Yes, 1 hour zoom sessions where you can talk with Kristina about race prep, nutrition, training, balance, mental health, making peace with trauma, injury guidance and prevention, or anything you need to discuss about your running journey – emotionally and physically. See session below and reach out to Kristina with any questions!
SPECIALTIES
- Exercise recovery specialist
- Certified Senior Fitness Trainer
- Works with hikers and walkers too
- Beginner/Advanced
- Road, trail and ultra running
- Nutrition coaching
- Corrective exercises
- PTSD management
- Menopausal women
- Beginner athletes
- Strength training
- Mindfulness
- Stress management,
- Holistic approach to your sport
- Older athletes
- Cancer survivors
- Triathlon/Iron Man (finished Ironman Lake Placid in 2011)
PHILOSOPHY
My coaching is unique because I help you find internal peace while adjusting your training to reduce stress and increase fitness. When you work with me, you get an endurance coach, strength coach, life coach, nutrition coach, corrective exercise specialist, and your biggest cheerleader—all in one place. I strive to provide the most caring coaching experience for everyone I work with.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I have been coaching endurance athletes since 2011 and since 2021 began coaching full time. I coach athletes of all abilities and ages including those who have been through cancer treatments (I understand how to train you safely and work with your oncologist if needed). I work closely with Steady State Health for any athletes who need physical therapy.
I have 30 years of experience in healthcare and believe that working with other providers when needed can help you be your best self while helping me coach you safely through injury and illness.
ABOUT ME
I’m Kristina Folcik, and I want to share a little about my journey and how it has shaped the way I coach. I’ve held numerous FKTs (Fastest Known Times) and course records, and I’ve won races in every distance from 5K to 100 miles. But this journey isn’t about me—it’s about YOU and helping you reach your goals. 💪
Back in my teens, I had no self-esteem, no hobbies, and lived off junk food. Around 19, I was introduced to mountain biking. It was challenging but fun, and I met an incredible group of people who encouraged me to race. There were only a handful of women racing back then, but they were so kind and supportive. The men encouraged us to keep showing up, and I eventually found myself racing cross-country at the expert level and downhill at the professional level.
After a series of very bad crashes, I walked away from racing and began exploring other sports. I discovered high-altitude mountaineering and climbed Denali in 2010. However, after some life changes, I found a gift in running. I became an elite trail runner for several years but experienced severe trauma from racing and life events. I was constantly in a success/injury cycle and realized that being competitive was not healthy for me because of the type of relationship I had with my sport.
I still loved endurance sports and wanted to remain involved. After recovering from traumatic life events, I found forgiveness and unconditional self-love. This transformation led me to become a healthier, happier athlete, and I was determined to help others overcome past trauma and build a healthy relationship with their sport, nutrition, and themselves. I am still out there running and mountain biking, better than I ever have…I just do it for myself now and I enjoy helping others have a wonderful experience with their sport.
Your health is your wealth—I am here to help if you need it! 💖
BIG INFLUENCES
I started out racing mountain bikes using the Maffetone Method which worked really well for me. I trained for years by heart rate and when I became an elite trail runner walked away from heart rate based training and found myself constantly overtrained or injured. I returned to the Maffetone Method and when then 80/20 coaching program was born I signed up right away! I admire Matt Fitzgerald and have loved his books and philosophy and I am proud to be a certified 80/20 coach.
I believe that recovery is the key to progress and incorporating speed work and moderate efforts with strategically place easy workouts helps athletes spend less time sidelined. Kelton at Steady State Health kept me from needing surgery on my feet and I began collaborating with him to work on my athletes who were dealing with injuries and he has been a large influence on my coaching as well. He has taught me the importance of incorporating strength training into how I train my athletes as it helps prevent the inevitable muscle loss that comes over time while improving gait and posture.
Having a healthcare background gives me the ability to understand the human body and discuss any questions I have with medical professionals I have worked with over the years.
RACING HISTORY
Course Records at Superior 100, TARC Fells, Terrapin 50k, Worlds End Ultras 50k and 100k, 1st place at Cape Cod Marathon, Various FKTs, podium at several races across the United States and have place first at 5k, 10, half marathon, marathon, 50k, 50 mile and 100 mile races.
CERTIFICATIONS
- ISSA Personal Trainer
- First timers to seasoned athletes
- Trail and Ultrarunning
- Marathon running
- Overall Well-Being and longevity
- A.S, B.S in Human Science at the University of New Haven
PRs
- 5k PR 6/2016- Hollis Fast 5k 18:20.8
- Marathon PR 10/2015- Cape Cod Marathon 3:00:16
- 50 mile PR 6/2013 – Cayuga 50 mile 8:23:00
- 100k PR 8/2013- Hampshire 100k 10:21:12
- 100 mile PR 11/2016 – Pinhoti 100 21:54:51
- White Mountain 100 FKT 39 hours, first person to finish the route
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- Thorne Nutrition Ambassador (reach out for a 25% discount, I love their supplements and their products are certified clean for sport) or get a 15% discount with this link.
- Granite Stater of the Month 9/2020
- 10th place World Snowshoe Championships 2015
- 4th place at the INBF Springmania figure competition, May 22, 2021
- Professional downhill mountain biker until 2008
- Denali summit 5/25/2010
- US Highpointer 33/50 high points
CONTACT KRISTINA
Finding a coach who is a great fit for you is really important. We encourage you to email your coach prior to signing up so you can connect, communicate, and ensure a good athlete/coach fit.
PUBLICATIONS
SOCIAL
Katie Pothier –
Kristina has been great and so flexible and encouraging when I just kept getting sick
Rivka –
I worked with Kristina last year training for my first 50k. She was attentive and intuitive and supported me physically and emotionally. Her eclectic fields of training help her to be the best support in any situation and she truly loves her work. I chose her to help me train for my first fifty miler and she is amazing!
Amber Somers –
I have so many amazing things to say about Kristina. She is so much more than a trainer. She has helped me so much. I’ve struggled with a lot of physical stuff this past year and Kristina has provided workouts to help strengthen me and she’s always adjusted my training according to what my body needs. Most importantly she’s helped me have a healthier mind by encouraging me to be kind to myself and also suggesting meditation. She has been a huge part of my healing journey.If you want a coach that works with body, mind and spirit kristina is perfect.I love running, however, I have gone through an emotional roller coaster with it this past year for numerous reasons. Kristina was there and encouraged and supported me. I can’t imagine going through it without Kristina as my coach. She is the BEST!!!!!
Zach –
I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of running events, but I never truly enjoyed running, it was a love/hate relationship for me with bulk of my feelings falling on that latter. But this all changed after I started to train with Kristina. It didn’t take many training sessions for me to realize that most of why I hated running previously was because I had approached it incorrectly! Thankfully, Kristina had an approach that opened my eyes to this. This was the missing key for me to find my happiness in running – something I had never experienced before. Thanks to Kristina, I found exactly what I didn’t know I needed and I can safely say that I have loved every piece of my training plan to this point! In fact, I even look forward to each out my scheduled runs (never thought I’d say that)!! Kristina has been an awesome coach that is responsive when I have questions, encouraging, and proactive with injury prevention/soreness. I can’t recommend her enough and am grateful that I jumped into this journey with her by my side! Thank you, Kristina!!
Hank Xi –
If you are seeking a running coach, physical therapist and mountain guide all in one, train with Kristina!
Over the past two years she’s helped me become a much stronger runner who can maintain consistent high mileage without sustaining major injury. With her highly personalized training plans and caring personality, she has supported me through a variety of adventures: 100+ milers, multi-day stage races through the mountains, trail and road relay, backyard ultras, as well as self-supported traverse efforts. She is always quick to response to my questions about training, nutrition, recovery, route suggestions and many more. She is constantly learning and researching the latest scientific findings, incorporating them into the already well-thought-out training and recovery plans she creates for me.
Under her guidance, I have achieved race goals and challenged my limits in ways I never imagined. Work with her, and you can too!
Clinton –
I started with Kristina about a month and a half before I had a 100k ultra. With the limited amount of time we had before the race she put together a plan and we attacked it! With this being my first ultra I had a lot of questions on certain ways my body was feeling or even just my mental space from spending long hours training on the weekends, she was able to be very supportive and helpful. Without her coaching Im certain I would have showed up to the race under trained and not made it to the finish line! I’m excited to get signed up for another ultra and be able to do a start to finish program with her! Her responsiveness and ability to adjust training schedules based on personal needs is one perk to working with her as well!
Michelle Corley –
I really enjoy working with Kristina and her wholistic approach to training and fitness. She is very prompt and I do believe she genuinely cares about her clients reaching their goals. I lean on Kristina’s expertise to help me be a better ultrarunner. Given my history with certain injuries, not only does Kristina provide me tailored workout guidance to help me achieve my race goals, but also direction on how to improve my mobility and strength for the areas where I seek more balance.
I highly recommend Kristina as a coach. She has a very diverse background which is ideal for any athlete seeking to take their training to the next level!
Mandy Charpentier –
Kristina is a fantastic coach! I had gotten myself in a tough spot by not doing zone 2 training. My previous coach “told” me about it but did not provide me with the tools Kristina has! I’ve performed threshold tests and have specific guidelines for keeping my heart rate in zone 2 and building up my aerobic endurance. It’s a long road but I have seen the effects already. I am doing more strength training, running, and even back to road biking with less fatigue compared to the past. She understands balance and is willing to adjust my schedule when I find a new adventure to throw in while still maintaining the focus of my long term goals. She also incorporates nutrition guidance and journaling prompts which help keep me on track. We both ended up in the same random location and we’re able to meet in person. She’s a wonderful human!
Carol –
I’ve been working with Kristina for about 9 months now and can’t say enough about her! When I first reached out to her about a 50 mile mountain trail race I was not a runner and had no idea what I was doing. She created and guided me through a personalized, goal-specific training program that has not only transformed by fitness, but the way I view nutrition, rest and recovery, and most importantly-myself. Kristina is the only coach I’ve ever had who genuinely cares about her athletes as whole humans. Her positivity and zest for life is infectious! I am proud to call Kristina my coach…. And the ultimate hype-woman! 🤗
Don Dearborn –
I’ve been working with Kristina for 6 months, and I previously knew her as RD for some races I had done in New Hampshire. I’m making amazing headway in my mountain fitness. Three things I especially value about working with her: (1) Positivity. She is infectiously positive (while also being realistic). (2) Specificity of training. She understands what I’m training for — including the tough kind of mountain trails here in northern New England — and she tailors my training plan accordingly. (3) Balance. She gets that I have other important commitments in my life, and our regular meetings help to plan my training around those other priorities. I can make headway as an athlete without wrecking the rest of my life. Overall, she provides accountability without judgment, and I’m making incredible progress under her guidance!
Ethan Banks –
I’ve been working with Kristina for a year and a half now. She’s transformed my mountain endurance training from my winging it as best as I could with books and blogs to actual knowledge. I also went from being injured regularly to not being injured at all even though my weekly training mileage is higher and my ridiculous mountain days are longer. She is a fountain of knowledge, all of which she shares willingly. She’s always studying new things to make her a more capable coach which she incorporates into the training, too.
Kristina also cares about me as an athlete. If there’s anything I appreciate about her more than anything else, it’s that. She knows how to adjust my training when I’m having a hard time in other parts of my busy life. She doesn’t berate me when I miss a workout. That doesn’t mean she’s soft, because she’s also challenged me to do things I didn’t think I could do, and wouldn’t have tried without her pushing me. But it does mean she’s balanced.
I am in the best shape of my life because of my work with Kristina. I can climb faster, go further, and endure longer because of her. If you work with her and actually listen & do what she says, you’ll be a better athlete, too.