ATHLETE : LAUREN KORSTROM
CP COACH : GRANT GUISE
Q : What event goals brought you to TEAMCPNZ and what was your goal for these events?
A : I was training for 30km Skedaddle (my longest event yet). My goal was have fuel in the tank to give a good effort in the last 6km, keeping moving on the uphill and ideally finish under 6 hours. I finish at 5:59! Before Skeddadle I did Oxford 21km and now training for the Mackenzie half, Naseby 50km and the WildV1600
Q: What were the 2-3 highlights from your last event?
A : Having the mental toughness to keep moving on the hills. The satisfaction afterwards knowing that the training paid off was such a highlight.
Q: Did you have any tough moments and how did you get through them?
A : Getting up the hills is not my strength, yet. It’s hard to want to keep putting one foot in front of the other and not just stopping all the time. I remember a few times on the track I just had Grant’s voice in my head, just keep moving, you can do it. So I did. Wasn’t fast but it was forward. I also like to visualize the finish line and how awesome the feeling is.
Q: What was your motivation for wanting to achieve this event goal?
A : I just felt so accomplished after a few mountain half marathons that I wanted to challenge myself and see what more I could do. The thought of being able to run around a station that most people would never see was really cool. It’s also a stepping stone to wanting to run ultra distances.
Q: What is your background and how did you get into your sport?
A : I’m from Manitoba, Canada orignally and after a severe horse accident, I got into running to get back in shape for riding. Manitoba is flat prairie land so I did a lot of dirt road running and events in the city. I did some 10kms and 1/2 marathons. That all started back in 2015 and I’ve run on and off since then. I live in Methven now and after seeing some friends in C2C I got really inspired and curious about trail running. I also was getting bored of the roads so I signed up for Mission Mt Somers 21km and I guess I’m a trail runner now!
Q: What is your favourite event/or training mission so far?
A : So far, probably the Skeddadle 30km event.
– As a back of the pack runner accomplishing that distance in the cut off time, feeling good and positive to the end has really given me a confidence boost. The event is also so well done and Island Hills is an epic place to be out running.
Q: Who is your inspiration?
A : A friend of mine named Sommer has really inspired me over the years. Watching her do things like Godzone and C2C 1 day, while working full time and training others is so cool to see. She has also been so supportive and encouraging to me. I don’t know the trail running world very well but Ialso admire Ian Sharman and Courtney Dewaulter from the States. From listening to them on podcasts, I love that they don’t seem to get caught up in the data, heart rate zones and those sorts of details. They’ve learned to really listen to themselves when they’re out, embrace it all and run on feel and percieved effort. Which is something that Grant is aligned with in my training which I appreciate so much.
Q: Who is your biggest fan?
A : Strange to say but I think at the end of the day, I am (we LOVE this!). I think it’s so important to be proud of your accomplishments and at the same time learning from your weakness and working through them. Cheering on and backing myself on what I want to do cuts through the negative and helps me get better.
Q: Do you have an inspirational quote that you would like to share?
A : One quote I live by is from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. When you know better, do better.”
Coach Grant has really enjoyed working with Lauren over the last year to help her build running resilience and self belief to confidently take on and finish the Valley Ultra and the Kathmandu Coast to Coast MTN Run.
At TEAMCPNZ.. we think Lauren is pretty awesome!
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