Lauren Fleshman is getting ready to fly at the NYRR Mini 10K on June 14th! We caught up with her to see how training has been and what her expectations are for the weekend's race. Pull out your Fleshman Flyer Tee and tune in this Saturday!

How has the transition from track to road races been? 
The roads fit my vibe better this year. The track is so intense and metronomic, and while I see myself venturing back there, I'm just not in love with it right now. Combo of physical and emotional factors. The road lends itself toward running by feel, and the environments are so positive! And in recent training sessions for NY I've surprised myself by how fast you end up running when you aren't caught up in checking your splits every 200 meters. It's really invigorated my training.

Are you feeling healthy and fresh in workouts lately? 
Haha "fresh" is not how I'd describe the body of anyone who has a baby/toddler! Sometimes I feel like Mrs. Potato Head, and like someone put one of my legs on crooked! But with each month I have to put out fewer fires, and I can handle more and more quality workouts without feeling absolutely destroyed afterwards. I feel like I'm a sailboat just starting to catch a little breeze, and it's nice, but there's a long way to sail still! The important thing is that the work is bringing me joy, and that's how I know I'll come around and race fast again.

What are your big goals for the NYRR Mini 10K? 
First of all, I want to celebrate women athletes by participating. The Mini is the oldest women's only race in the world, and if you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a fan of women. And the best way to honor women athletes is by taking advantage of this incredible gift I've inherited from the athletic pioneers who came before me, this gift to try hard. I live in a time when I never think twice about running my guts out, making horribly ugly expressions across the finish line, and being strong without fear of being considered a social misfit. To be honest, the pro women's field is, without exception, full of women with far faster 10k times than me, and a lot more road experience. The course will be hard. It's likely to go thru 5k faster than I've run in 3 years...and then I'll have 5k more to go! I want to run a smart race, and when the pain sets in, my goal is to try to relax into it rather than fight it, and to let myself embrace pain in a way I've never done before. 

Describe your feeling about next weekend’s race: anxious, nervous, excited? 
I'm a little anxious about what I'll feel like at 8k, and the mental fortitude I'll need to summon, and for how long I'll need to summon it! But I'm stoked to be a part of a NYRR event again, in an environment that is professional yet symbiotic to the mission of the masses. And I'm way excited to spend the weekend with Sally and her daughters and Jude in NYC! After the race, there might be a little fashion exploration happening.

After this big race, what will training look like and your upcoming schedule? 
I'll be in Seattle for a week with Little Wing! We are doing a little sea level retreat up there. I'll spend 3 days or so luxuriating before hitting some tough sessions in preparation for the Peach Tree 10k on the 4th of July in Atlanta. Also I have some Runner's Worlds to sign and send back to some peeps! Three weeks later I'll be racing the Napa to Sonoma half marathon (the week after watching Jesse race Vineman), and then speaking at the Bay Area Running Camp, and then it's up in the air. Either reboot for next year, or do one or two more races first. 

Most importantly...are you loving Bend?! How is training with Little Wing going?
Don't even get me started on Bend. I'm the happiest I've ever been. And the women of Little Wing are the peanut butter to my jelly. Nobody had a cake walk this year, and we've been tested in our resolve as individuals and each emerged committed. We believe in one another. We show up for one another. There is something magical in this group and now that we've got one year under our belts, the sky is the limit.