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Introducing Ashley White a Mile2Marathon Athlete and regular at our Ottawa group workouts. Ashley is a Director with the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry, and the National Oral Health Promotion Officer for Indigenous Services Canada. Ashley’s work includes supporting and advancing self-determination of First Nations and Inuit, and closing the oral health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. 

When not at work, Ashley can be found running, hiking, paddling, skiing, snowboarding, camping or fat biking with her friends and partner around Ottawa. Outside of sport, Ashley enjoys knitting, crocheting, eating baked goods and volunteering with her therapy cat for the Ottawa Humane Society.  Ashley is a cat mom to two male rag dolls, Timmy and Karen. This week we caught up with Ashley to learn about her journey into running, how she fits it into her busy schedule, and why she started working with M2M. Thanks for taking the time to share with us, Ashley!

When & why did you get into running?

As a child, I spent many hours scrambling over rocks and tundra in many  communities across northern Canada with my sister.  Because of this, my parents felt it would be a natural fit for me to start xc running at the age of 9. 

How do you fit running into your life?

I am able to fit running into my life for three reasons.  First and foremost, recognizing my  privilege as a guest on the unceded, unsurrendered lands of the Algonquin people.  I am able to run through any neighborhood in Ottawa or Gatineau without having to worry about being attacked for the color of my skin. This is unfortunately not the same reality faced by the many thousands of missing, murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit people and racialized people in Canada and beyond. Secondly, I am very fortunate that I am able to make my  mental health a priority, and running is a huge outlet for me.  Thirdly, running is a huge part of my social life and has become my main form of socialization during the pandemic.  

Why did you start working with M2M?

I decided to join M2M because I wanted to become a smarter, (maybe faster haha) and more consistent runner. It’s a really great feeling to be cheered on by an Olympian and crew of elite coaches and fellow athletes every week.

Best running advice you’ve been given?

Comparison is the thief of joy. This advice can not only be applied to running, but to every aspect of day to day life. Daniels’ Running Formula is also full of many great takeaways that have stuck with me as well, such as “don’t waste your time wishing for things you don’t have – do your best with what you have”.

The person that inspires you in running, sport, or life?

My wonderful friend Kali is someone who has always inspired my running.  Kali was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 1.5 years old.  Her commitment to running and never giving up because of her disability is not only uplifting, but motivating.  She has kept me going on many runs in the dark at -40 temperatures.  I have channeled that same energy many times on solo long runs at +30.