member spotlight
Though rare, Kelly
does sometimes find
herself lacking a little
in motivation. When
she does, she merely
adjusts her way of thinking. She tells herself to “put
on my shoes and run a mile and
see how it goes.” She then repeats
this process for each additional mile.
Instead of feeling like she’s spending time
away from her family to train, she has found
a way to balance spending time with them
and doing what she loves. After a good run
or workout at HAC, Kelly can often be found
sharing a meal with her children or watching
them play in the maze. She has also gotten
her nieces and nephews to start training
– some even participated in the Delaware
Relay Race alongside her!
Kelly has participated in numerous races
and won numerous awards – she’s even
sponsored by New Balance! Some of Kelly’s
most notable accomplishments include beating the
Delaware State Record for
the marathon in her age
group in 2006, competing
and winning the Vermont
Marathon in 2010, and
winning the Rehoboth
Marathon in 2009! The big
one though, was Kelly’s
participation in the Boston
Marathon (a goal for many
runners) in April 2016.
Although it was difficult,
she qualified by a landslide! When asked if she
ever “hit the wall,” (what runners often refer
to as the moment during a long distance run
where you suddenly feel like you cannot
physically continue), during the Boston, she
said she never did – she reported feeling
well prepared both mentally and physically,
and attributes that to HAC Master Personal
Trainer, Dina Saitis, whose classes Kelly takes
on a regular basis.
“One of Dina’s classes is harder than a
marathon!” she said in jest. Kelly says that a
major component in the way Dina teaches
is that she leads by
example. She keeps
a very upbeat, fun
and positive vibe when
training her clients, and
Kelly said that she aspires
to be like her. Dina was able
to change the way Kelly looks at
working out and was able to change
her outlook on running.
“Training with Dina has become not only a
physical component to my weekly workouts,
but an emotional one as well. She truly cares
about not only my running goals, but my
entire well-being. Before any weight is even
lifted, Dina asks, “How are YOU?” Her ability
to assess exactly where I am at that moment
is extremely important to me.
“Dina’s small group classes and training
in general have blended strength-training,
flexibility work, and plyometric moves. Incorporating these types of exercises has kept
me injury free and stronger than ever. As
a trainer, Dina asks me to
leave my comfort zone on
a daily basis. Her intense
and creative workouts push
me in a way that I never
thought possible. Her ever-changing plans keep me
on my toes, and ultimately
make me a stronger runner.
“Dina leads by example.
Due to her commitment to
her clients, I am becoming
the best version of myself. I’m a stronger runner,
teacher, wife, and mother.
Finally, training with Dina
has helped me find a balance in my life, and
I consider myself extremely lucky to have
achieved that goal.”
While Kelly knows that distance competitions are her strong suit, with the help of
Dina, she’s decided to try her hand at a new
style of competition – a Spartan Race in New
Jersey next month with over 70 of her closest
HAC friends and Dina all competing with her!
While nervous to take on the challenge, she’s
confident she’ll be ready to go by the time
Dina’s done with her!
Training with
Dina has helped
me find a balance
in my life, and I
consider myself
extremely lucky
to have achieved
that goal.
enhance magazine | SEPTEMBER 2016
7