646. Run Your Way with Ashley Desanno

"If you really in your bones know you can meet some goal? Don't quit until you do it."

Ashley Desanno grew up playing soccer, took a break from sports during college (partying > fitness), and then, with encouragement from her now-husband, decided to go for a run one day. One run turned into two, which turned into registering for her first race. Now, she's a 2:58 marathoner who is best known online as @lotsamiles. (Surely you've seen her wildly popular, LOL-worthy, likely-to-go-viral videos, like the one where her son gave his class an oh-so-honest recap of her most recent race.) In this conversation, Ashley, who lives in Portland, OR, with her husband and their two sons, talks about what it has taken to become a 2:58 marathoner. (Spoiler: It took 10 years and eight attempts to get there.) She talks about what it means to "fail forward," about the power of persistence, and about the role running is playing as she grieves the recent loss of her father. Plus, how she chooses to show up online, how she deals with potential backlash, and so much more.

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What you'll get on this episode:

• All about Young Ashley (3:35)
• What Ashley's running looks like in the wake of losing her father, and the role running is playing in the grieving process (4:40)
• Ashley's approach to running and racing right now (9:15)
• How, when, and why Ashley became a runner (11:10)
• What it took to run a sub-3:00 marathoner after 10 years and eight tries — and why Ashley never gave up (16:30)
• The day Ashley ran a 2:58 marathon — and the aftermath (24:30)
• On toxic positivity, and how it shows up in running and motherhood (29:00)
• All about becoming "lotsamiles," what it's like going viral, and addressing "political" topics on social media (34:20)
• Ashley shares her biggest hopes, dreams, and goals on the run (44:15)
• Ashley's advice for building running confidence (48:25)
• What it means to run the Ashley Desanno way (56:55)

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