Episode 30: Ashley Paulson – Pro Triathlete, Olympic Marathon Trials Runner, Bear 100 Champion and Mom of 4!
by Nikki Parnell — October 30, 2020
This week we chat with Ashley Paulson – a mom of four, Ironman athlete, Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier, recent winner of The Bear 100 miler, and a coach for iFit. She does it all in the world of fitness and you can tell from listening to her that – besides her family – fitness is her life and her greatest passion.
We get to hear about how when she was younger, playing sports wasn’t within her family’s means, but she watched her dad run everyday and eventually that inspired her to give it a try. That spark grew into many different athletic pursuits and a lot of hard work to make it to the big competitive stages. 20 years later she’s still running marathons FAST, trying to make it back to Kona, and throwing down on the trails as well.
Ashley shares some incredible stories from her last (3rd) pregnancy (4th child) that will make you do a double take. I won’t spoil it for you but she did an insane amount of races while pregnant. She still stresses the importance of knowing your body and knowing when to take it easy – though I don’t think this girl has an easy button! Ashley isn’t recommending every woman go out and attempt this level of pregnant athleticism, but she does advocate that pregnant women have huge potentials, which is a great reminder! Her pro tip on running while pregnant: tape your belly for runs! That’s brilliant in my book. You also must hear her story about running NINE miles TO HER C-SECTION to have her baby boy!! Wow! She also shares a little on how she manages family life with all the other things she does – she’s still a mom and is still adamant on being involved in her kids’ lives as much as possible. Knowing her family is behind her every step of the way fuels her to keep going.
I really loved hearing about her ups and downs and various attempts at getting an OTQ and how she overcame the doubts – her own doubts and those of others – and finally made it to Atlanta where she lined up at the Olympic Trials in February with all those other amazing women (and had a great day and ran really fast). And recently she was able to switch gears from fast road marathon to mountain ultra when she signed up for the Bear 100… 10 days before it started!
She had an amazing performance but some controversy in the ultra world surfaced around a six-month sanction Ashley served for a USADA violation back in 2015. I asked Ashley about this and she openly and honestly shared about her experience, about contamination, about living under public scrutiny and judgements even though people might not know the whole story, and about showing up on the other side to keep competing even though it would have been easier to run away and hide from all the media and hype. It was a really tough time in her life but one that cemented inside her the reason she shows up to races – she shows up for herself, to do what she loves. She chooses to focus on the positives and keeps doing her thing, which she does very, very well!
Give this episode a listen if you need a boost of energy or can-do attitude! I hope you listen to this one on a run because I sure felt like I could have gone and ran a marathon after talking with Ashley! As always, don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast and share it with your squad! Thank you!
Episode Sponsor:
Huge thank you to this week’s podcast sponsor: #GIRLGETAFTERIT! Girl Get After It is a wellness community focused on bringing women together to sweat, connect and be healthy. They have awesome gear, including some new LuluLemon collaboration apparel, and 10% of all profits go to nonprofits that improve the lives of women and girls nationwide. Go to girlgetafterit.com and use code RUNHARD15 for 15% off your order!
Show Notes:
Ashley’s Favorite Race: The US Olympic Marathon Trials
Ashley’s Favorite Meal: Good Ol’ Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!
That’s it! If you enjoy this podcast, consider supporting Treeline Journal by signing up for our free weekly Rise & Grind Newsletter or becoming a patron through Patreon for as little as $2 a month! Thank you for your support!