Lauren Ashby is a Nurse, Yoga Instructor and Runner who lives in San Clemente and teaches at Epic Yoga with Dr. Katie. She recently ran her first marathon and we were curious to know how her yoga practice influenced her marathon training and race. In this interview she tells us about creating balance in her training and how mindset work really paid off!
1. What inspired you to sign up for your first marathon?
One of my close friends got me into running and after seeing her running a marathon about a year ago, she inspired me to! I also wanted something to look forward to as I finished my last year of nursing school. It definitely helped me stay on track with fitness since I knew I had to train to be able to run it.
2. How did you create your training plan? Did you stick to it?
I looked up a running plan online and asked my friend who has run marathons if it looked reasonable. It didn't have strength training in it, so I added it on my shorter run days, which was a suggestion she offered. I printed out the schedule and put it in my room and crossed off the days. Running was such a great break for me to destress and clear my head, instead of dreading running (which I totally used to) it started to feel more like a reward after studying!
3. What are the top 3 lessons (can be mental, physical, spiritual) you learned during your training journey?
The mental aspect of training was the biggest lesson for me. I learned just how much of an impact the words you speak to yourself and your mindset can affect your running. I changed the way I spoke about running, even on days I felt tired and not motivated. I would tell myself I'm excited and it is a gift to be able to move, which usually got me in a more positive mindset and ready to enjoy my run. That change in mindset helped me so much! I especially noticed how mental the race would be on my 20 mile run during training. It was a hot afternoon in a place I never ran and I wasn't running along with my friends (which I usually did). After 15 miles, I started to become more "doomsday" about the run and talk myself down. It clicked for me at 18 that it wasn't my body slowing down, it was mental. The last two didn't hurt as bad after I figured that out haha!
4. As a Yoga Instructor and Nurse, what tools did you apply to your training and on race day?
During training, I made it a goal to practice yoga at least twice a week and stretch after my runs. Running was very time consuming, so it was hard to balance everything, but it was super important to my recovery and mental and spiritual well being. I made sure to fuel myself and drink loads of water the day before the race and during the race. I met Katie through yoga and she helped me so much with my hip flexor pain I had pretty much all the time running. After my 14 mile run, I realized the pain wasn't going to be sustainable and I needed to seek help. Katie was so knowledgeable about how my body moved and gave me exercises to build strength back and take away from the pain. After a few weeks, I was hip pain free and still am! I'm so grateful, it makes running so much more enjoyable when you don't have pains after and during!
5. Do you think Yoga is a useful addition to run training? Why or why not?
I think it was a great addition. It helped me really dial in my breathing and my mindset while running. It was also great to stretch and strengthen my body in ways I don’t get from running. I also have such a passion for yoga, not doing it anymore and only running would've made me want to stop running. I think it's all a balance and it complimented my running so well!
6. Will you do another Marathon? Which one?
If you asked me before my marathon, I would have said no, one and done haha! Now that I've done one, I am so excited to sign up for another!! I ran it with some of my friends and we have been looking at some in October. I'd love to try a trail half marathon and then do a full, we were looking at one in Big Sur that looks incredible!
7. What advice would tip someone interested in running a half or full marathon to actually sign up?
I would say figure out your schedule and find a plan that works for you. Print the plan out and make it a priority and sign up. For me, once I paid the money, I was committed and didn't want to show up to the race day having spent money to be unprepared and consequently in pain. I would also suggest finding people to run with or switching up the places you run! I had trips planned and it was so fun to run in different areas like SLO, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. I'd also say to prioritize rest and if you miss one short run it is not the end of the world, life happens, just move forward and stay positive!
Are you training for a spring race?
Balanced by Katie offers Runners Assessments and can identify the best places to stretch and strengthen for your body and to ensure success in your race!
If you resonated with Lauren and her story, sign up for one of her classes at Epic Yoga, YNG, and Yoga Six San Clemente. https://www.epicyogasc.com/