This month we sat down with Lauryn Falcone, a MD/PhD student, triathlete and a super woman we believe. She is currently studying medicine in West Virginia and almost finished her degree. During her years at school, Lauryn has also been training and competing in Triathlons and soon she will graduate as an MD, looking to do a fellowship and residency in Dermatology. Fitness and health has been her whole life, with influence from her parents who were both in the field and starting her sports career early on in life; beginning with her love for running. It was running that she first became passionate about running because she saw it as a sport she could do for the rest of her life.
Lauryn’s philosophy on health and wellness is that health is important to everyone for the same reasons sport and fitness are important for everyone. She believes that everyone can find their own enjoyment whether its running, yoga, walking, swimming or skating; there is a sport for everyone out there.
Lauryn’s philosophy on health and wellness is that health is important to everyone for the same reasons sport and fitness are important for everyone. She believes that everyone can find their own enjoyment whether its running, yoga, walking, swimming or skating; there is a sport for everyone out there.
Lauryn’s philosophy on health and wellness is that health is important to everyone for the same reasons sport and fitness are important for everyone. She believes that everyone can find their own enjoyment whether its running, yoga, walking, swimming or skating; there is a sport for everyone out there.
She also mentioned that many diseases can be improved by simply being more active and eating better. There are so many benefits to being active that go beyond physical appearance and strength alone.
Lauryn’s non negotiable when it comes to health and fitness is to never make excuses. Although she does encourage taking a break when you are sick or injured.
She says “There’s always going to be an excuse there, you have to push yourself even if you don’t really want to. Most of the time I don’t want to do my workouts; I’m too busy or too tired, but there is always going to be an excuse. You have to push yourself even when you don’t really want to.”
Her biggest piece of advice for aspiring MD students and athletes is not to give up. The road is really long and the learning really doesn’t end. At the beginning, it seems very daunting but when you look back she says, “ it flies by.” Lauryn says the learning never ends because there will always be a moment in your career as a doctor where you will need further education, as new discoveries are made constantly.
We asked her what she does before a big competition to calm her butterflies. She says she embraces them, and accepts them as normal. She uses that adrenaline to fuel her performance and drive her through what she does. She says its very normal to have these feelings before a big event, or a big assignment. It’s inevitable, so may as well accept it as part of the process and use it for better.
When she prepares for a competition she typically will plan her goals and workouts to hit every week before the race. In terms of diet, she tends to stick to a varied diet by eating mostly everything and making sure she’s eating enough. She tries to be realistic with her diet and exercise plan considering she is an MD student as well.
Her top five tips for training for a triathlon are:
1.Get a coach— Especially if it’s your first season or triathlon, a coach can really help with a training plan, the sports psychology and support.
2. Find a training group or partners— If your getting up at early hours like 5am to train, its really helpful to have others to train with. This helps you stay accountable and perhaps even push yourself harder.
3. Have a plan and be organized— Consider what environment your going to be racing in and try to practice in a similar environment. Make sure you have all the equipment you need to practice.
4. Practice open water swimming— it’s very difficult, there’s a reason its first in the competition. Practice it and do not try to wing it, it’s easy to panic the day of when there’s hundreds of other racers beside you.
5. Practice your transitions—Cleaning up your transitions can save a lot of time. Initially, when she was competing she would lose 30-40 additional seconds and that can add up to a loss when your racing.
We asked Lauryn what her favourite brands are. She says for running she uses Salming. She runs exclusively in them and has for the last 3 years. “It’s a very minimalist, low drop shoe and I’ve set all my PR’s running in them.” For cycling she wears the Rudy Project and her gear is Louis Garneau. For swimming she loves the Xterra wet suits, she thinks they are great quality, super durable and they have a wet suit for every condition.
Last but not least, we asked Lauryn what her best piece advice would be for her younger self.
She says, “Try not to worry. I’ve spent so much time in my life worrying about things working out. A lot of people who push themselves feel this way. Be more in the moment, worry less about the future. Something greater will happen when you stop worrying. If it doesn’t work out, let it go and work out on it’s own. When I injured myself running it forced me to take up swimming. This lead me to learn to love an entirely new sport that opened up a door for me.”
We hope you enjoyed this interview as much as we did! We were so inspired by this total boss lady, killing it both in the fitness and health world.
