Cynthia Erivo's Me-Time Is Marathon Training

Erivo doesn't like to disrupt her daily momentum with long breaks between interviews or big gaps in her schedule. She starts moving early in the day, training on the treadmill, sometimes not even listening to music. To others, this may seem grueling, but for Erivo, this training is actually a mental reprieve - a rare opportunity to get grounded and clear her head. I have to sometimes explain that, yes, the training is work for the body, but for me, it's a real time for myself just to be left alone. It's a meditation, she tells Popsugar. When I get to run, I take the time for myself. It's like me-time. I don't really speak to anyone, and if I'm on the phone, then I pick the person I'm speaking to. It's a real time for myself just to be left alone. Erivo actually credits marathon training for allowing her to take on more ambitious projects, including her impressive Dracula adaptation. While it's easy to assume that this amount of running would lead to burnout, Erivo's experience has actually been the exact opposite. Currently, I'm on the stage doing a one-woman show, and it is a lot. And honestly, what's managed to get me through it is this running, Erivo says. It's kept me conditioned, kept me focused, and helped me literally learn. And she means that in the most literal sense: Sometimes I'll run the lines as I'm running just so it's still in my body. Prior to running the London Marathon, Erivo worked with Brooks pro athlete and running coach Erika Kemp to help achieve her goals. She explains how they worked on building the strength and stamina required to run at a speedier pace without having to push and fight for it. But that's not to say it's been a totally flawless journey to the finish line, either. In an April appearance on the Nobody Asked Us podcast, Erivo spoke to the highs and the lows of her training process, including one particularly tough 20-mile long run that didn't go as planned. Everything went wrong, Erivo laughed. I texted Erika halfway through this run - I think it was at mile eight or nine - I was like, 'I really don't think I'm going to get this done.' The beauty of that moment? Erivo managed to push through and finish strong anyway. And as Kemp said on the podcast, It's OK to have a dark moment and be honest about it. This is a lesson Erivo held close throughout the marathon cycle. Not every run has been amazing, but I've still managed to get to the finish line, and that always feels really good, she says. It always feels like an accomplishment. It [proves] that no matter how hard it is, you can always get to the finish line. Image Source: Dave Hashim / Brooks Running You can't always control how your run is going to go. But there are some things that help Erivo feel her best on race day. At the top of her list are the Hyperion Max running shoes (275) from Brooks Running. They're so light - has to be a light shoe, because if the shoes are too heavy, it literally hinders the way I run, she explains. She wore hers with custom charms of her two dogs, Gigi and Caleb. Her other marathon must-haves include bone-conduction headphones (my head is too small for the inner headphones), SiS gels (the fruit salad flavor), a hat for better focus, and a watch or ring (to keep my numbers). For inspired spectators looking to get into running themselves, Erivo's advice is simple. Start by putting the shoes on. Then tomorrow, put the shoes on and get to the door. And then the next day, put the shoes on, get to the door, go to the end of the street. Then the next day put the shoes on, go to the door, go to the end of the street, and maybe one street over, she says. You don't have to start at 5K or 10K or even a mile . . . you just have to start. Related: Anthony Ramos's Next Role? Marathon Runner and Wellness Aficionado Chandler Plante (she/her) is a social producer and staff writer for the Health Fitness team at Popsugar. She has over five years of industry experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine, a social media manager for Millie magazine, and a contributor for Bustle Digital Group. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and is based in Los Angeles.