Over the Next Hill Fitness
Welcome! We all know, as we age, it’s harder to put ourselves first and get in enough fitness, flexibility, and nutrition. Maybe you’re new to formatted exercise, maybe we need to push to the next level or set some goals. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to run a 5K, a marathon, or even an ULTRA marathon. This podcast is designed to get you moving and headed towards those goals. You’ll have opportunities for general coaching during each episode or you may contact me for personal coaching afterward. Are you ready to get over this next hill in life? Let’s get started.
Over the Next Hill Fitness
S3 Ep 20 Defying Self-Imposed Limits: Ashley Raines' Journey from Non-Runner to Endurance Athlete
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What happens when a violinist with zero athletic experience decides to see if she can run a single mile? For Ashley Raines, it sparked a transformation that defied all expectations—including her own.
Ashley joins us to share her captivating journey from complete non-athlete to endurance sports competitor. Just a few years ago, she was the person who joked, "If you see me running, someone's chasing me." Today, she's completed multiple marathons across the country, tackled half and full Ironman competitions, and even finished ultraruns—all starting in her late thirties.
Her story isn't just inspiring; it's packed with hard-earned wisdom. Ashley candidly shares her early swimming struggles (she couldn't make it across a 25-yard pool without gasping for air), her first triathlon experience (swimming from safety kayak to safety kayak while volunteers cheered her on), and the brutal 97-degree Ironman where she made the cutoff by just 56 seconds.
We dive deep into the lessons she's learned along the way: the importance of proper nutrition and hydration (after severe dehydration nearly ended races), how strength training helped her shave 40 minutes off her marathon time in a single year, and why the limiting phrase "I could never" needs to be banished from our vocabulary.
As co-host of the Everyday Ironman podcast, Ashley brings a refreshing perspective on endurance sports for regular people balancing training with careers and family responsibilities. Her message resonates whether you're contemplating your first 5K or your fiftieth marathon: we often place arbitrary limits on our capabilities that deserve to be questioned and tested.
Ready to challenge what you think is possible? Listen now, and perhaps you'll find yourself asking the same question that changed everything for Ashley: "I wonder if I could?"
Listen to Ashley's podcast here:
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Podcast Introduction and Sponsors
Speaker 1Hello and welcome back to Over the Next Hill Fitness Podcast. I'm Carla Coffey, your coach and host for today's program. Of course, hey, if you need a running or fitness coach, I have some online availability. I don't have too much in-person availability left, which is kind of cool to say, but online I can fit you in just a couple of you. But, yeah, look me up, email me, carla, at coffeecrewcoachingcom. You can check me out on Facebook at Coffee Crew Coaching. Just go straight to the website. But, yeah, look me up if you need a coach, that'd be great to have you on.
Speaker 1This podcast is also brought to you by Hydra Patch. If you haven't tried HydraPatch. I truly endorse this patch. It's super cool. You stick it on your skin. It's kind of like a nicotine patch, but gives you electrolytes instead of nicotine, which is way better, I'm sure, especially during running. Yeah, in the summer it's pretty much a game changer. I really enjoy it. So, yeah, check that out. There's some discounts in the show notes if you want to try it, and if you want to buy one and get one 50% off, I think, is the offer email me and I can send you that special code. There's some other discounts in the show notes as well. So please take advantage of those.
Ashley's Journey from Non-Athlete to Runner
Speaker 1Thanks everybody who has been following and sharing and rating the program. For those of you who've been buying me a coffee, jamie, thank you so much. Shout out to Jamie for buying me a coffee and supporting the program that way, because you guys know I drink a lot of coffee. So it's not just my last name which is spelled totally different, but I do enjoy a good cup of coffee. So today we're going to be talking to Ashley Raines. Ashley is quite the go-getter. You guys are going to enjoy our discussion. We had a lot of fun off air as well and unfortunately I don't know how to like dub those in, but it was a good time. So I hope you'll enjoy that program and we'll see you in the end. Who knows, I know welcome to the show, ashley. Hey, thanks for having me. My pleasure, it's so great to have you here. Oh, are you ready? You had a long ride. It sounded like today. So let's talk about your day and your beginning and all your athletic pursuits. Let's.
Speaker 2Yeah, I just got off a 20 mile ride and, uh, so I'm I'm a little winded, but that's okay. Uh so, uh, I I don't know what you want to know I didn't grow up athletic at all. Uh, I was a violinist and played in orchestra. Uh, I didn't start running until my late 30s and I worked at a university and was spending time on the elliptical and saw the college kids getting on the treadmill and running and I thought I wonder if I could run, like I always had just thought I couldn't run and I told the people I always made the joke if you see me running, you know somebody's chasing me.
Speaker 2I was one of those people and I just thought, you know, can I run? And so I tried. Like I got on the treadmill and I was like, can I run for a mile? That's my goal. I just wanted to run a mile without stopping. And I did, and I was in shock. And I did, and I was in shock, and then I kept running and I think I like I did some walk run intervals and ended up with a 5K and I thought, ok, at least I know I can do it, and that was going to be the end of my journey. And then a couple of days later I was like I kind of want to try that again.
Speaker 1Famous last words, right yeah.
Speaker 2And so I tried again and I was like, okay, maybe there's something to this running thing. And so then I kept running, and then it's kind of turned into a Forrest Gump where I just kept running and running, and running. And, yes, it was amazing. So yeah then it evolved into I ran my first 5k race and I talked to a friend and she was like we should do a triathlon together and I thought that was she's one of those friends.
Speaker 2She's one of those friends and I thought that was the funniest idea I've ever heard. I was like no, that's ridiculous. And for two weeks I could not get it out of my head, like I was obsessed. I was like I, I, that's ridiculous. Like I can't do a triathlon, like who am I? Why would I think this?
Speaker 2But I couldn't stop thinking about it and so I looked it up, I Googled, I'm like okay, what does what? What are the distances in a triathlon? What does it really mean? And you know, and like is there an order? And so I started researching and so it's swim, then it's bike, then it's run, and there are different distances so you don't have to do like those super long ones that we see on TV.
Speaker 2You know, there were shorter distances, there was a sprint and I was like okay, so that's like a 500 meter swim and a 12 and a half mile or 15 mile bike and then a 5k run. And I was like that doesn't sound so bad, right? Like okay, maybe, maybe, maybe this is something I could do. And so I talked to her about it and she was like yeah, let's do it. And I'm like okay. So she starts kind of setting me up and talking to me about training and this and that, and we start riding the indoor bike together at the rec center and running together and and everything's looking good, until I try to swim, because I always thought I could swim.
Speaker 1You know what?
First Triathlon Experiences and Challenges
Speaker 2I did not know how to swim. I jumped in the pool all cocky like and I make it to the other end of the pool so a whole 25 yards and I'm dying and I'm like, okay, I guess I don't know how to swim, and like I wouldn't put my face in the water. It was horrible. So then I just got the kickboard and I just would kick back and forth and finally decided that, as like a 30, what 36, 37 year old adult that I needed swim lessons what 36 37 year old adult, that I needed swim lessons. And so I learned from a like an 18 year old how to swim.
Speaker 2Uh, city Tri I'm in Missouri and it was in it's supposed to be May of 2020, and so I had been training, I mean forever, and it got canceled and so I was like, all right, so I guess I won't be doing a triathlon this year. So I just I got into duathlons and found Ironman did virtual races and it was free because I guess COVID just destroyed everything. And so Ironman decided they were going to do these virtual races, going to do these virtual races, and I was like, huh, okay, and so I just started doing these, like, just do F1s where you would run a little bit, then you would bike a little bit, and then you'd run a little bit more, and so that's how I kept training. The pools were shut down and everything was shut down and then by 2021, like, I had increased my run distance from you know five Ks. I got up to 10 Ks.
Speaker 2And then, the next thing I know, I was running half marathons and I was like, well, okay, if I can run in this and I can bike, my biking was slow, but I was increasing the miles and I thought maybe I can actually do a like a real legit half iron man in person. I hadn't even done a real triathlon yet. I had no idea what I was thinking. So then in let's see 2021, I finally get to do my first sprint triathlon and I think I get into the swim, I get into the lake and I've been swimming in the pool Like I was consistent. I was swimming like at least three, four times a week. I was so proud of myself. It is not the same in the open water.
Speaker 1It is not the same.
Speaker 2It is not the same. And I was like I get maybe 100 yards out it's supposed to be a 500 meter swim, and so maybe we'll say 100 meters out and I am dying, Like I'm just like what is going on, I'm dying, I'm terrified. I find a kayak. I think about turning around and quitting, and I'm just like, oh my gosh, like I've put in all this time, months and months and months of hard running and swimming and biking, and and I'm going to just call it quits and turn around. And this is going to be that. And I decided, no, you're not doing that, you're going to go, you're going to swim, kayak to kayak. And so that's literally what I did. I swam to the next kayak and I rested and they I mean, they were hyping me up, these awesome volunteers and they're like you're doing great. I'm like, no, I'm not, but I'm not quitting. And so I finally made it out of the water. I think I was second to last and it took me about 20 minutes, which was about double the time I was expecting it to take and I got on the bike and and then I got on the run and the next thing I knew I was finished and I was like, wow, I survived. But I had already registered for a half Ironman.
Speaker 2Uh, in two months later and I thought I have got to get my act together, like, uh, I can't swim in open water, like I won't make the cutoffs, and so, uh, things got really scary there. Um, but I got lucky and I found a local tri club and we got in the water and they spent time teaching me how to swim in the open water, how to sight, how to not exhaust myself, and by that first weekend in October I was making the swim cutoff. And so I did my first half Ironman and it was awesome. It was Ironman 70.3, memphis. It was their first race at that location, at shelby farms park. And the next thing I know I'm completely hooked. I'm hooked into triathlon, I'm hooked into long distance running, I'm hooked into endurance sports. And I have not looked back, I haven't slowed down, and so we're I mean you're five of the craziness and it's, I think it's just gotten more insane, is what it's gotten. So here I am.
Speaker 1Very cool. Yeah, I can see all of your bibs there on the wall from all the triathlons you've done.
Speaker 2Yeah, there's triathlons, marathons, half marathons, ultras.
Speaker 1Yeah, I see your states board there. Is that for halves or fulls?
Speaker 2Those are fulls.
Speaker 1Fulls, so you're on your 50 journey.
Speaker 2Yep, I'm on my 50 journey. I am finished number 10 and it will be doing number 11 in a couple weeks.
Speaker 1Very cool, where's that at? And it will be doing number 11 in a couple weeks. Very cool, where's that at? Missoula? Okay, yep, all right. So yeah, have you done wisconsin yet? Not yet, not yet that's on my list that's where I'm at, so you'll have to let me know when you come okay, which one?
Speaker 2what's a good one?
Speaker 1well, I would I probably um the Madison.
Speaker 2Madison. Yeah, that's kind of what's been on my radar yeah, that's it's.
Speaker 1That's a good one. I hear it's hilly it is hilly, yeah, yeah, yeah, we're really hilly here in Madison, but that allowed me to do a lot of hill training, so well, and the hill training is the best training.
Speaker 2Even though it's hard, hard it is indeed yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, so fake speed work.
Speaker 2It's. It is fake speed work.
Speaker 1It is yes.
Speaker 2I know you feel fast when you're running flat.
Speaker 1So your next marathon is next month. When's your next try?
Speaker 2That's a good question. There there are a couple of locals that I will probably do in July and in August, I think. There's usually about three weekends that are kind of back to back with local stuff, so I'll do the sprints there. My half Ironman I'm leaning toward Ironman 70.3, Augusta, which is end of September, Um, but I'm also have really really been considering the 70.3 in Wisconsin. Oh yeah, Uh yeah. I've heard great things about it and um uh, it's the.
Speaker 2I like the idea because they have the half on Saturday and then they have the full on Sunday, so I can go and cheer people on the next day and volunteer too, yeah, and I love volunteering at the races, so I could totally volunteer and have a blast and it would be a fun weekend.
Speaker 1I don't know how hilly the half is, but the full is very hilly.
Speaker 2I don't know what the bike is, but um yeah, I'd have to look, but I've been thinking about it more and more. It was really off my radar because I heard the bike was so hilly and I heard the roads were really rough.
Speaker 1Um, but some of them are.
Speaker 2They have done some repaving for the full, but I don't know okay okay, I'm gonna have to do some more research because I'm something in september is what I'm thinking for for another half, if I decide to do it there's I. I do a lot of relays too, um, so I might end up reeling with a team just to, because that's also fun. So we'll see.
Speaker 1Yeah, we'll see so what's the sign behind you team something recently? Oh it's team Zoot. Oh yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, so you wear the Zoot clothing, do you?
Speaker 2Yep, yep. So all of my triathlons I wear my team Zoot tri kit. Um, this is year five with team Zoot. Absolutely love them. They're a fantastic resource. Uh, their kits are the best. Uh, they, they last and they're comfortable. They have tons of pockets. I love the pockets, um, and they're very colorful too?
Speaker 2Very yeah, I will tell you when I got in a triathlon at first, like I was like why is everything so colorful? Like it drove me nuts Cause. Like everything in my wardrobe was like black and gray. And then I got in a triathlon and it was all these wild patterns and colors. And now I'm like the other day I was looking at new running shoes and like I hated all the gray and black ones. I'm like these are ugly and boring. I want my color. So I've completely shifted into the fun colors of the triathlon community.
Speaker 1Yeah, I call those colorful shoes the fast girl shoes.
Speaker 2I love that.
Speaker 1Yeah, once a season I do have to get a fast pair just because I'm not fast, but I feel if I have those shoes then I'm fast, me too.
Speaker 2What do you like?
Speaker 1For shoes. Yeah, I just switched over to um ultra.
Speaker 2I love ultras.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2I love them. I like the wide toe box, I like the zero drop, yep.
Speaker 1I was wearing zeros, um, but I decided I needed a little more cushion cause they are like zero, zero and I remember they are zeros and yeah they're, they're barefoot running, basically yeah, yeah basically so, yeah, I uh, I did.
Speaker 2I went through a phase where I ran. I was running five miles a day, every day, and I wore my ultras for that every day and the, the zeros. Just I ended up, I guess, kind of overextending the calf and did something and I ended up with a horrible injury on my left leg and could hardly walk. And so I talked to my friend who's a physical therapist and he was like rotate your shoes, stop running in the zeros all the time.
Speaker 1And so now I rotate, I have anything between a zero and an eight millimeter drop to help, and it's made a huge difference yeah so yeah, I rotate every once in a while, but not probably as often as I should yeah, I'm, I become a huge believer in it.
Speaker 2Like I think, I have zeros and fours and eights, and so I try to each run, I try to mix it up so that I'm not doing that because that was tough. I had to tape my leg for a long time and it was no fun. Yeah, injuries, they suck, they do, they do, and especially when you're like if you're used to training every day and you have to sit still for a while. I don't like sitting still.
Speaker 1It's not fun for me, so yeah, yeah, and especially when you're forced to, for sure.
Speaker 2Right yeah. Yeah, and especially when you're forced to for sure.
Speaker 1Right, yeah, yeah. So what other goals do you have coming up? Have um? Are you maybe going to try to qualify for Boston? You're going to do the majors? What? What other things you got on your bucket list?
Speaker 2Oh my gosh. So uh. So I actually got into Boston. I did not qualify. Let me, I will say that flat out I did not qualify. I am not fast enough. Um yet, yet they do. They do have invitational bibs. I happen to know somebody who had a way to get me an invitational bib. I was shocked, I did not know that was a thing. Um, so I got to run Boston in April. It was incredible. Oh good, um I uh. Then I'm doing New York.
Speaker 1I know right, like I've been signing up for, you know, like getting in a lot of years. I haven't gotten in yet.
Speaker 2I know I have friends that I've been trying and trying. Uh, one friend that missed the like the Tom time qualifying cutoff buffer. By like seconds, I mean seconds, like I just couldn't believe it. Yeah, when you run that fast and you're missing it by seconds, I just was shocked. And I got in so I missed the lottery. So this was last year, I missed the lottery, but then they had a virtual lottery. So if you got in and got picked for this lottery, but then they had a virtual lottery, so if you got in and got picked for this lottery, you had to run the virtual marathon around the time of the actual New York City marathon last year and then you could go and run New York this year. So it's ridiculous how much I've had to pay to do New York City this year Cause you had to pay for the virtual last year, which was astronomical, plus the registration for this year was just also ridiculous. But it's New York city. So so here I am. Uh, I, I'm trying for Chicago. They haven't picked me yet.
Speaker 1Neither I've been trying for that one too.
Speaker 2I know, and then I did try for London. So we will see.
Speaker 1They tell you in July, don't they? Yeah, because I tried for that lottery too, so hopefully we'll both get in, wouldn't that be?
Speaker 2great. Wouldn't that be cool, that would be fun. I know, yes, yeah, so I don't. Yeah, the majors, that wasn't a thing that wasn't on my radar until recently. And so now I'm like, hey, I've gotten into two. I might as well see what I can do. Let's try and just kind of go. I mean, sydney and Tokyo are going to be a whole. That's going to be interesting.
Speaker 1But probably a hundred.
Speaker 2Right, exactly, exactly. I mean I think I said somebody that they have tried to get in New York for 12 years.
Speaker 1I've heard that 12 years.
Speaker 2Yeah, oh, that's so long to be waiting and trying, and so that's your endurance right there exactly forget about the training part. You gotta be patient and endure the the sadness of the rejection of the new york city marathon lottery that's stupid email you get sorry. Oh, I know do you remember last year's with the nick guy and like he's like doing like fingers, you know? It looks like you got selected and then you're like sorry, and I'm like who? Who's in charge of marketing here? Guys, like be better, that was horrible.
Speaker 1Let's punch that guy in the neck.
Ironman Experience and Lessons Learned
Speaker 2I know I was like I never want to see Nick again. It was terrible. So, yeah, so those near the, the majors um my 50 States. I want some 40 now. I want to get them all done by the time I'm 50. Uh, so I try to do um, I'm trying to do five a year, um, and so we will see how that goes.
Speaker 1Um, have you done any with mainly marathons, where they do one every day like?
Speaker 2in five days. I've been looking at those. I don't know if I'm ready for that many in a row or like even back to back. I've done like weekends, where I've done like one marathon one weekend and then another marathon the next weekend.
Speaker 1But I don't know I haven't tried to run that kind of back to back like that, but it it looks really tempting to me, because then you can get it all done in a really short period of time yeah, I did that for the east coast because all the states are so together you know, together, right, they're small and yeah, and since I already had Boston, it was like run two races, skip the day that they did um Massachusetts. And then I ran two more. Okay, I did four in five days and my fourth one was actually my fastest and had it been a Boston qualifier I would have qualified. Oh my gosh, I know.
Speaker 1It wasn't a Boston qualifier no no, no, they're not so, had it been, I would have qualified for my age group again. So because I, you know, I ran it in 2017. Okay, and I've qualified, like a total of, I think, five times now, but I've only run it once, because you can't afford to go back, you know it's expensive and so yeah, but just to know that I qualified again was just was enough.
Speaker 2Right that so yeah, but just to know that I qualified again was just was enough Right?
Speaker 1That's the honor, right, yeah, it really is. So that's the honor.
Speaker 2Yeah, I've still got some time to shave off, but I'm getting faster. So yeah, and if you keep getting, older, like we do, you get time cut off. So, yeah, you get that extra leeway. I know Like, yeah, because I think, like I think, because I aged up, so I'm in a new age bracket and so like I think, it gave me an extra like 15 minutes or something like yeah, it's usually between 10 and 12 at least yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2so I'm like okay, I'm, I'm getting closer now I'm getting faster and and I'm aging up so that window's getting shorter, so maybe by the time I'm 60. Oh yeah, um, so, yeah, I mean, I do have a like a time goal in my marathons. Um, that I'm working toward. I'm about 18 minutes. I'm going to shave off 18 more minutes.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 2Maybe I don't. I think by the end of the year. I don't. That's a lot right.
Speaker 1That is a lot.
Speaker 2I've this. Last year I shaved off 40.
Speaker 1Wow.
Speaker 2Yeah. So I'm like okay, I'm doing something right, so I'm going to keep going and see what I can do.
Speaker 1And what is that? Do you think it's strength training?
Speaker 2What do you think you're doing that's made that change? Yes, I think the strength training has made a huge difference. The consistency, for sure, has made a huge difference. You know, when you first get into things, you just don't really know what you don't know right.
Speaker 1Absolutely.
Speaker 2And you know, with experience there comes a wisdom and you're like, okay, okay, so you, you follow and learn what other people are doing and then you, like you can maybe mimic what they're doing, but if you don't understand it, then that's a whole other thing. So then, starting to understand the purpose and speed work, hill training, the zone running, all of those have purpose and meaning and can work toward improving what you want to do, and so, uh, once you kind of understand all of it, then it really helps you get there. So it's been, it's been cool. I mean, I've gotten faster in swimming and biking too. So I'm hoping maybe someday I won't be a back of. Well, I officially know I can't.
Speaker 2For a long time I identified myself as a back of the packer, but I can't officially call myself that anymore. I'm a mid of the packer now. Yeah, mid pack, yeah, boston, I was back of the packer, but it's Boston, right, you've got the best of the best there, where everybody's running super fast and I'm not even a qualifier. So I was back of the pack and I owned it and that was fine. But in regular marathons and in my Ironman stuff, like, I officially moved to mid pack.
Speaker 1So yay, yay, mid pack, absolutely. So now are you doing full Ironmans as well, or sticking with a half?
Speaker 2I've done one full uh and um, it was a little traumatizing. Um so uh, I haven't I'm not for a long time. I said I was one and done, but but Of course, yeah, I mean that was when. I mean really, so I did it in 22. So I'd only done one half Ironman leading up to it. I didn't know anything I had. I really had no business doing it. What?
Speaker 1one did you do.
Speaker 2Des Moines, and that was the only year they did the full, it was 97 degrees and they were pulling people off with ambulances left and right Cause it was so hot.
Speaker 2And I mean I made the cutoff by 56 seconds. Like I was like I think only two people finished after me and it was I mean like just barely, wow. And so like I, just that year, I just I don't know, yeah, I don't know what got into me, but I was like I'm going to do this and I'm going to push through it and I mean I put in the training time right, like I was doing the long bike rides, I was doing the 20 mile runs, I was swimming a lot and so I was making the cutoffs Okay, but I still just I didn't have nutrition dialed in, I didn't understand the importance of nutrition and like what I really needed to be doing. I didn't have a nutrition plan, I didn't have a hydration plan and I that morning, before the race started, I realized my hydration kit for my bike was back in the hotel room.
Speaker 2Oh no was back in the hotel room. Oh, no, yeah. So that meant I had to stop at every aid station to hydrate. Um, I don't, I maybe had one bottle cage on my bike at that point. So, like I, I was severely dehydrated by the. But I think that I can do another one someday, and I think it'll be better Because I'm, I'm, I know more and I won't make the same mistakes, and so we'll see. We'll see, I think that's you know.
Speaker 1I think that's a huge point that you make, that you're smarter about everything you know. It's. I mean, you can do all the training and be physically fit, but if you don't have that other plan and in place with the nutrition and hydration, that's huge. It's huge. And if you get off of it. So I ran a 100 mile endurance run last weekend and I had a plan and it was falling through because the walking up the hills was still so strenuous, it was kind of tough to eat sometimes because your stomach would cramp right. So as soon as you get thrown off that one little thing, so if you don't have a plan, then what if you have no idea what you know? Oh, I was supposed to plan for this. I was supposed to have you know what, know when to eat and what to eat and what's gonna stay in and what's gonna absorb. Yeah, that's huge. Yeah, it is so huge.
Speaker 2Yeah, last year I did so. I've done Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga twice. Last year was the first year I did it and I got severely dehydrated, Severely, and by the time I got onto the run I mean I felt like my organs were going to explode, going to explode and so by mile nine, like I was about ready just to call it quits and have an ambulance come get me, Like I was, like I'm done.
Speaker 2But then some, you know that that drive that is in those of us that do endurance sports, that what I don't know what else to call it, that grit, whatever it is, that resilience where we just can't quit, that kicked in and it was like you have four miles, if you have to walk four miles, you will finish this race. Um, and so I did. I made it, uh, and I didn't think I was dehydrated. That was the crazy part. But what I realized was, um, I had switched my electrolyte drink, um, I had been doing tailwind and I switched it to LMNT and I trained with it. Um, but I think I over-concentrated it in my hydration kit on my bike and so, like it was like basically pulling all the water from all of my organs and like trying to absorb it, and so I had no water anywhere in my body.
Speaker 2It was horrible, Um, and so it was a hard lesson for me to learn, you know cause I really felt like I knew what I was doing at that point. So this year when I did Chattanooga, there was very little electrolyte drinking it was mostly street water and really just relying on fueling and making sure I was fueling on the bike so that I was solid on the run, and then making sure that when I got on the run, I was on fueling and making sure I was feeling on the bike so that I was solid on the run, and then making sure that when I got on the run, I was still fueling and hydrating. And so I I had zero issues and it was. Yeah, it was, it was awesome, it was a. I had a much better race this year.
Speaker 1Yeah, cause. Yeah. Once you either get behind or it gets off at somehow, it's so hard to get back on track it is, it is, it's over.
Fueling, Training, and Body Image
Speaker 2Essentially, you know, I mean, yeah, I've learned, you know so a lot of times, when we fuel with you know, like with a chew or goo or whatever we're doing, and then we have those stomach problems, that's a good sign that we're dehydrated, yep. And so it's like okay, make sure that you're hydrated enough so that it can support the fuel that you're trying to take. And you know, these are things you just don't know until you've had the experience, because I remember, you know, in the beginning it was like, oh, I don't need to fuel, I'm fine, I don't need to carry water. No, we need those things.
Speaker 1So, yeah, some people do it like it's a badge of honor. Oh, I can go this far without drinking water. Okay, but should you?
Speaker 2Right why.
Speaker 1I can let my car coast downhill, but it sure runs better with a tank of gas.
Speaker 2I think that's so true though I Um I was, so I I co-host a podcast, the everyday Ironman podcast, and we had a guest one day talking about um fueling and this concept of how a lot of us have this habit of we want to under fuel when we're training and racing because we're afraid that we're going to gain weight and we're going to counteract all the hard work we're doing. And like that was a light bulb for me, like I hadn't, like I knew that's exactly what I was doing, because for me, weight is always a weight loss has been a huge thing. I have a hormone imbalance and so, like I work out a lot to try and maintain the weight and so when I'm fueling, it's always like, oh my gosh, I'm so afraid I'm going to gain the weight again.
Speaker 2I'm going to counteract all of my hard work, but really all I'm doing is making it harder for myself. I'm making myself suffer more and then it takes longer to recover. And so once I had this conversation, like a light bulb, it really did just turn on. And you know what? I haven't gained weight, increasing my fueling.
Speaker 1Yep.
Speaker 2I feel better. I feel stronger. I shaved off 26 minutes at Chattanooga on the bike this year.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 2So like we've got to do better about really working out and it's usually women.
Speaker 1Did they say that yeah?
Speaker 2Well, it was a male triathlete who's actually elite. He was going pro oh wow, was this guest that we had, and he you know. But so, even at his level, he was still talking about this concept. But he also referenced a female pro who had mentioned she actually fired a coach because the coach was encouraging her to lose weight. And I mean, when you're at that level, I mean and she was top notch female pro triathlete and you know, and he's like, you need to lose 10 pounds Well, 10 pounds can also mean losing power. It can also mean losing speed.
Speaker 1Sure, maybe it makes you faster on the run, Maybe maybe maybe or you're so exhausted because you don't have enough fuel in you to go.
Speaker 2Exactly On top of the whole self image dysmorphia, all of that stuff that we're dealing with. She didn't need that, so she fired that coach. Good for her. And she's having awesome. She's doing great, having great seasons. That conversation is so important to make sure that okay you're not going to gain weight by fueling properly for what your body needs to sustain you for these long runs, long bikes, whatever you're doing.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, I coach as well. And one of my athletes she, wanted to lose some weight and I said well, you can either train for your triathlon and your marathon or you can lose weight. We can't do both. Nope, you can't. You can't do both. You can either train for your triathlon and your marathon or you can lose weight. We can't do both nope, you can't you can't do both.
Speaker 1You can either eat like an athlete or you can not train and not fuel like an athlete, and do that you know at another time. But you can't do both, you just can't you can't, so I can.
Speaker 2Yeah, completely agree, because triathlon and marathon training it's not a diet plan. No, it's not. And we need to stop thinking about it that way, because it's not like you might lose weight, you might. You might gain weight. You don't know what your body is going to do, um, and we just like if you want to lose weight, you can run, that's fine, and you can diet and you can do all those things, and good for you, right, and it might make you a better athlete down the road.
Speaker 1But that shouldn't be your focus. I think they're different. I think you can run to lose weight and you can run to train to be an athlete, but those are two different people in my opinion.
Speaker 2I 100% agree. Yeah, 100% agree. Yeah, 100% agree. Yeah, I, yeah, we, just I. Yeah, I don't think I've lost weight really since I got into triathlon. Yeah, yeah, it's just all about Just stay the same. Yeah, you, just you, maintain, right, it's about maintaining.
Speaker 1Absolutely. There's lots of maintenance going on when you're training, whether it's training maintenance or weight maintenance is all, or eating maintenance, you know right yeah, I know that should.
Speaker 2That's another whole discipline right there it's just that it's crazy. I I know, yeah, interesting.
Speaker 1Yeah, well, hey, I definitely want to put a link to your podcast in the show notes. We'll do that, so for those of you listening. If you didn't quite catch it, tell us the name again.
Speaker 2It's the everyday Ironman podcast and we, just there there's a Mike, my host is Mike Bosch. He and I, we we interview just everyday triathletes and endurance sports athletes, Um, like people that have, you know, regular full-time jobs, your parents, your dog parents, whatever normal everyday people, and we just want to share your story and your journey, um, and learn tips and tricks or things not to do. You know, because we are all like diet. We're all making mistakes and learning from them and sharing those experiences so great.
Speaker 1Well, we'll put a link for that in the show notes, for sure.
Speaker 2Awesome. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1You bet. Do you have any other tips or things that you'd like to let the audience know before we wrap this up?
Breaking Self-Imposed Limitations
Speaker 2Hmm, or things that you'd like to let the audience know before we wrap this up. I think the big thing for me is, over the years, I've just learned that we limit ourselves in what we're capable of. And when I first started this, it was like, oh, I can never run. And then it was like, oh, I could never run 5k. Or oh, I can never run 10k. And you know, we just, I can never do a triathlon. You know, we see, these things I could never.
Speaker 2And when you stop saying those things and you actually start trying, you're going to like you'll be shocked at what you can do. Like I remember thinking after the first, when I ran that first 5k race, and like I was so pumped and I was like, oh my gosh, maybe someday I could do a 10k or a half marathon, Like and that was dreaming big, Like that was me, like so excited about life, and I'm like, oh my gosh, like this is a possibility. And but I also said in that same breath, I can never run a marathon. Like I, like there was no way I could ever run a marathon. And so three years later, I did my first full Ironman. I was running. I ran a couple marathons, I ran a 50k and I ran a 50 miler. Wow, Like it was just like I told myself to shut up, right, Like stop this conversation in your head of oh, I could never, Because you don't know until you try. And so here I am, turned into this crazy person you know, but I'm done telling myself what I can't do.
Speaker 1That's so great.
Speaker 2Yeah, we all need to stop doing that. Oh, I could never Just take that phrase out of your vocabulary. Find new words.
Speaker 1Limiting speech.
Speaker 2Yep. Yeah, for sure, so that's my tip.
Speaker 1I love it, absolutely love it. Well, thank you so much for being on the show, ashley, it's been so great to talk to you. I'm going to look forward to listening to your podcast. I didn't know you had one, so that's great.
Speaker 2Yeah, awesome, I'm excited. Carla, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1Yeah, my pleasure.
Speaker 2Yeah, it means a lot. All right, Well, thanks and have a great day, you too. I'll see you later, bye-bye, bye.
Speaker 1All right. Thanks, friends, for listening in on that session. It was a lot of fun, as always. For those of you who have been reaching out to me through the show notes, I'm unable to answer you back unless you send me an email. So I apologize for that. I didn't know, I thought it was like a texting thing, so yeah, so reach out to me again and put in an email for me. I did put the buy one, get one, half off Hydra Patch discount code in the show notes, so you'll find that there for a little while. So thanks for that, for asking for that.
Speaker 1Also, please follow, share and rate the program Five stars, please. Even if you don't want to, I appreciate it. Thanks for supporting the show with the cups of coffee. I appreciate that and all the reviews. That's really kind of you all. If you know somebody that you would love to hear their story or you want your story on the podcast, please reach out to me. Carla at coffee crew coachingcom, I would love to have you on. It's super simple. It's fun, it can be fun. It's easy. I make it easy. We'll have a good time. I'll have a good time. Hopefully you will too. But yeah, reach out to me, love to hear from you and have a great day, guys.
