Ashley Tollakson’s competitive spirit likes to get a head start to the day, typically finishing her run before most people wake up in the morning. Tollakson works hard in between training runs as a full-time attorney during the day and, having struggled through a recent stress fracture injury, finds it essential to take care and listen to her body by doing the extras and minimizing stress as much as possible.
Runners Feed: Take us through a typical day of your life
Ashley Tollakson: My day typically starts between 3:30-5:30 a.m. I like to do my runs in the morning before work and there is nothing quite like the feeling of working hard and accomplishing something before most people start their day. I work from 8:00-5:00, unless I am preparing for a contested hearing or trial, in which case my day is longer. I like to try and squeeze in strength training and core exercises twice a week over my lunch break, and the other days I will ride my bike or do a recovery swim. If a second run is on the schedule, I will typically do that after work. At the end of the day I head home to my prized possession – Whinnie, my Chinese Shar Pei. I take Whinnie for a long walk and eventually get around to making dinner. My husband is an amazing cook so if he is not down in Tucson, AZ training, he usually takes care of dinner. If he is gone – I will usually whip up something quick and get ready to position myself in front of the TV to relax and unwind for a bit. I also like to spend my free nights hanging out with my family and friends. The last hour before bed is usually spent sitting in my Normatec Recovery Boots, stretching and rolling out in preparation for the next day’s run.
AT: I work full-time as an attorney for Hartung & Schroeder in Des Moines, Iowa. I work for and with an amazing group of people who are super supportive of my passion for running. They have been very accomodating and were kind enough to allow me to spend three weeks in December down in Tucson, Arizona for some of my higher mileage weeks. My husband, TJ Tollakson, is a professional triathlete and so it was nice to be able to spend some quality time with him in Tucson really focusing on training and paying attention to the details like stretching, strength training and massage that are often neglected in my busy schedule. I am also blessed to have an amazing support network in my family, friends and sponsors. To that end, I would like to thank Powerbar, CEP and Oakley – they all make outstanding products and do a phenomenal job of taking care of their athletes.
RF: What do you do on a regular basis to make sure you toe the line healthy?
AT: In order to insure that my body is healthy when I toe the line, I really try and focus on the details. I think it is important to take time to stretch, get massage, sit in my Normatech Recovery Boots and get regular chiropractic adjustments. My body definitely takes a beating putting in the constant miles, so it is important to try and minimize the stress whenever possible. I have struggled this past year with a stress fracture in my right tibia and a very tight hamstring as of late. All of these things have really helped in my recovery process. My husband once shared with me a very worthwhile quote. He said, “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.”
Rapid Fire
RF: My onsite support team will include…
AT: My on-site support team will consist of my husband, TJ, family members, friends and my other Runablaze Iowa teammates who are also competing.
RF: How will you be decorating your bottles to make them easily recognizable?
AT: I haven’t really thought about how I am going to be decorating my bottles yet. It’s hard to know what everyone else is going to be doing, so I may just wait and get a sneak peek of the others before deciding.
View our list of 2012 Olympic Trials Qualifiers Here
