It's the weekend of the Manchester Marathon! We sat down with our amazing ambassador Salonie to ask her all about her training, preparations and who inspires her (spoiler alert: her grandma is INCREDIBLE!)
When did you start running?
I first started running about 5 years ago and completed my first half marathon in 2017 then I took a break because of work commitments and really started back properly in December 21 to mainly to help with stress and anxiety.
You're running the Manchester marathon! What made you decide to enter?
Last year I ran London marathon and felt I made a load of rookie errors which reflected in my time. I also really enjoyed the whole experience. Therefore Manchester for me hopefully will be a marathon PB 😜
How has your training gone?
I’m not going to lie there has been ups and downs. The first 13 weeks of 16 I would say were brilliant I was following a plan, joined a run club and was seeing really good progress! My body felt stronger and my mind felt really positive. The last 3 weeks however have been a real push and struggle ‘to get it done’. Marathon training takes a lot of commitment and time and maybe the past 3 weeks I’m ready to have a bit of a break 😅
How are you feeling about it?
I’m feeling good about the marathon I feel like I have to trust my training and I can’t wait to cross the finish line with a PB (hopefully). I’m not going to lie I always feel self-doubt and anxiety in the prep to big races like this but I’m trying to dampen those self- doubts and be more confident in myself :)
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What will you do the day before the race?
The day before the race I have to work 😢 luckily it’s a half day so after work I’ll pack my bag and check I have EVERYTHING about 10 million times before we leave for Manchester! We’ve booked an Italian restaurant for dinner so there will definitely be lots of carb loading! But mainly I’m going to try and not feel too nervous!!
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What are your race day kit essentials?
Race day kit essentials are my shorts with pockets, headphones, watch, GELS, SPF and Pretty Athletic Rescue Balm and sweat proof gel cleanser!! And MOTIVATION 😂😂
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What is your race day breakfast of choice? And fuel for the marathon itself?
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Breakfast has to be Aldi’s chocolate protein porridge pot and a cup of tea! For me hi5 aqua gels fuel my marathon.
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Who inspires you?
My main inspiration especially when it comes to running/activity is my granny! My granny’s dream ever since she was a child in India was to climb the Himalaya mountains, her family and friends would laugh at her when she would say this as they were very poor and would never have been able to afford to go on a trip that big, and they would say it’s too dangerous for a woman to do that!! However at the age of 65, and as a retirement present to herself after working as a nurse for the NHS - she only went and climbed to Mount Everest base camp 😱 Her dream came true and her determination to hike to base camp is literally if you put your mind to it you CAN achieve it!
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What is your favourite Pretty Athletic product?
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There’s too many great products to choose one favourite but my top 2 are the Rescue Balm because of its versatility- so many ways to use it and it’s super effective! I also love the Recovery Boost facial oil because it has been a skin saver through winter training- it smells amazing and isn’t too greasy like some other facial oils and it really keeps your skin nice and hydrated!
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Thanks so much to Salonie for sharing and good luck for the marathon!!
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