There are people in this world that, quite simply, are infectious. Their uplifting spirit, sincere smile and passion for everything they do is contagious. Malia Crouse is one such person.
Hailing from Maui, Malia moved to Colorado in 2006 but did not get the runner’s itch until 2013, when she ran her first marathon – and won. The rest is history, as they say, and Malia has been gracing the podiums across Colorado and the country ever since.
While Malia’s accolades are impressive, perhaps what’s even more so is her empathetic attitude and wise outlook on running and life. Read on to learn about Malia’s training schedule, favorite races in Colorado, and the many philosophies she instills upon her day-to-day life that everyone could learn from.
Quick Stats
Name: Malia Crouse
Age: 31
Hometown & Current: Maui, Hawaii and Edgewater, CO
Professional & Educational background: I work at Regis University managing our health care school’s Simulation Lab. I have my Masters in Education with a focus on experiential education. I am a proud AmeriCorps alumni and have a passion for service and justice.
Sports participated in: Running has always been a part of my life- whether as a part of soccer or softball in elementary school, to cross country and canoe paddling in middle and high school. I played intramural sports and ran for fun in undergrad at the University of Oregon. When I moved to CO in 2006, I was introduced to cycling, bought my first road bike and before I knew it, was competing in triathlons. I fell in love with the sport and built my way up to the 70.3 or half ironman distance. I competed in the 70.3 World Championships and finished my last triathlon, Boulder 70.3 as the 4th amateur female in August 2013. While I loved the balance that triathlon gave me in my training, it felt like it consumed all of my free time and I was starting to feel burnt out. In October of 2013, I ran my first marathon in Atlanta while visiting my brother and his family and felt a new rush and rekindled fire for running. I decided to “retire” from triathlons and focus on running. I still swim and ride my bike a couple of times each week as recovery and cross training, but I don’t miss racing either of those two disciplines. I took 2014 to figure out some life transitions and was excited to join the Runner’s Roost elite road racing team in 2015.
Years in current sport: I’d like to think my whole life but competitively since around 2014.
Racing Team: Runner’s Roost Road Team
Sponsors/Affiliations: Runner’s Roost, Nuun
The Long Run
What are some of the biggest highlights in your racing career?
I was blessed with a lucky streak and was the first female overall in my first three marathons: Atlanta in Oct 2013, Maui in Sept 2014 and one of the hardest yet most rewarding races to date, Big Sur International in April 2015.
What are your long-term goals? What do you want to achieve as an athlete?
That’s a great question and one I’m not really sure I have an answer to. In the more immediate future, I’ve picked my marathons so far based on location and running companions over speed so I’m excited to see what times I’m capable of. I’m also interested in hitting the trails and hope to take advantage of Colorado’s amazing trails this summer! Longer-term, I want to give back to the running community as much as it has given to me. Whether that’s through youth coaching, pacing, volunteering, maybe putting on a few smaller races myself… right now I’m open to it all and am excited to see where life and the amazing connections I’ve made in the endurance sports community takes me!
Why Colorado? What makes Colorado so special for endurance athletes? What makes Colorado special to YOU?
I’ve been fortunate to live in a few gorgeous locations: Hawaii, Oregon, and now Colorado. I think Colorado is an amazing place to be if you love the outdoors and living in northwest Denver allows me easy access to cycling, running and hiking options. I think access is something that attracts many of us non-natives to the state and I feel like there’s a little something for everyone. I will say that I do miss the ocean and sunsets of Maui, and my skin misses the humidity- It still amazes me how much lotion I go through in a month! I think what makes Colorado special to me, are the people and community I’ve met over my ten years here. I’ve found so many like-minded people that share my passions: from running and triathlon, to the environment and education. Chances are, I can strike up a conversation at a coffee shop, grocery store, etc and find a topic to easily discuss with my new friend. I was invited to serve as the Runner’s Roost Road Team Coordinator last year and love the opportunity to further support the running community in this role. We have over 175 athletes across our three team throughout the front range. It’s turned into my “ohana” or family of support.
Middle Distance
Take us through a “day in the life,” what type of training regimen do you follow?
I’m a morning person so my day usually starts around 5 or 5:30am, quick snack and I’m ready for a workout- whether that’s a recovery swim or spin or a run, I love starting my day with activity to kick start my day and get those endorphins going. Then it’s off to work where depending on what classes I have coming through the Simulation Lab (think mock hospital for Nursing, PT, OT and Pharmacy students to practice in with specific learning objectives), I try to fit in a lunch time strength and core work, Pilates class or recovery run. Then it’s back to the lab till 5 or 6pm (unless I have an evening simulation), home to cook dinner and a mellow evening. I try to power-down from all electronics by 8:30 and lights out by 9:30pm.
What are one or two things you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?
I keep my weekly run mileage pretty low for most distance runners, I’ve never run more than 75mi/wk in my life! I’d like to think that my cross training helps keep me less injury prone and also more excited for my runs. I get excited for tough workouts because I’m not running all the time. I’ve also focused more on muscle imbalances and found that Pilates mat and equipment classes are really helpful to targeted typically weak runner spots like hips, glutes and core.
Do you follow any specific nutrition plans?
In general, I try to eat mostly clean and unprocessed food. I love to cook and bake so a lot of my downtime on the weekends are spent in the kitchen trying out a new recipe and experimenting with a new ingredient, putting my #MaliaMade touch to it (yes, I’ve named my own kitchen creations, lol). Over the last three years I’ve discovered that I’m pretty lactose-intolerant so milk and cheese are out of my fridge now. Ice cream was the hardest to give up, but I have a much happier belly because of it. My stomach can’t handle much solid foods after a hard workout or race so some type of protein shake and a couple tabs of Nuun are really what I go for to make sure I start the recovery process.
Do you have any recommended resources to share?
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with two stellar coaches the past few years: when I was competing in triathlons, Lindsay Hyman now with the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and I currently work with Matt Smith of Sansego. Both have pushed me in ways I never thought possible and I’ve learned so much about myself and the sports I enjoy along the way. I like to follow local and national runners on Facebook and Instagram (Neely Spence Gracey, Lauren Fleshman, Alexi Pappas) to see what they are up to, general motivation, possibly products they are using, books they are reading or publish, etc. though I try to filter a lot of it asking myself “how would this fit into my life (ie. not a professional runner)?” or “would this support my goals and training?”. At the end of the day, it’s my training partners and other running friends that I turn to for support and guidance. I still feel like I’m new to the sport, especially the marathon distance, so any tips I can glean from them is so valuable.
What is your biggest challenge, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
I think my biggest challenge is maintaining balance. My schedule changes periodically throughout a given week so it can be tough at times to plan workouts and ensuring proper recovery. I think mental stress can be just as taxing as physical stress so I try to keep tabs on workouts during especially busy weeks at work. To help manage this, I do daily check-ins with myself first thing in the morning to asses my stress level- am I excited about my workout, am I more tired than I usually would be, have I recovered from yesterday’s workout? It far better to skip or shorten a workout to decrease physical stress, when your mental stress is heightened.
What are your favorite races in Colorado?
What a tough question! There are so many great races here; options galore depending on your desired distance and terrain. I’ve really enjoyed the Winter Distance Series to help keep you motivated over the winter months, but also not take things too seriously. I’ve yet to do a marathon or ultra in the state, but some icon half marathons that I’ve enjoyed are the Platte River and Georgetown to Idaho Springs races- two very different views from city to foothills. I think BolderBoulder 10k is about as much fun and competitive that you can get in one crazy mix. I’ve never seen such impressive slip-in-sliders at speed before! I enjoy both larger and smaller races but at the end of the day, I enjoy races that allow you to connect with your fellow runners (no headphones please!), appreciate the volunteers who are there supporting you, have a little competitive spirit in them, and give back to the community in some way. 3W Races does a great job of connecting with a local non-profit for all of their races. While I wasn’t able to race the Horsetooth ½ Marathon due to weather, I really like that the race directors gave out prizes and entries to next year’s race for random people who crossed certain check points along the course (ie. the 226th person at mile 8) so everyone has a chance to “win” something if they aren’t in the running for a top place. While a little competition is important, at the end of the day, I train and race because I love the sport and the people who share my passion so there needs to be fun involved as well.
Where do you like to train in Colorado?
A lot of my training is dependent on if I can match up with friends and what the workout entails. As I live and work near northwest Denver, we have a lot of great lakes that I can string together loops from. Sloan’s Lake is just down the street and is a favorite, but I feel lucky that I run and connect to the numerous bike paths like the Clear Creek, Cherry Creek and Platte. For longer runs I enjoy the Highline Canal down south and Big Dry Creek up north. Locations are a mix of how much time I have, the time of day and distance or specific workout planned. Again, I feel lucky to have so many great options out my front door or a short drive away!
Sprints
Favorite running shoe: Nike Lunar Racer for halfs or anything less
Favorite post-run/race beverage: Nuun strawberry lemonade and/or chocolate ginger protein shake with one of my homemade muffins or granola bars
Favorite post-run/race meal: Brunch- yes regardless of the time of day. Eggs on avocado spelt bread with salsa, sweet potato hash, with greens and I’m a happy lady. I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of grapes if given the opportunity or chips when I’m craving salt. While I don’t eat a lot of meat, after a really hard race, a burger just hits the spot.
Role models: My parents- they instilled in me the value of family, a strong work ethic, gratitude and a love of nature and sports.. And to smile- if you don’t know what else to do, just smile and be kind.
Day job: Simulation Lab Manager at Regis University
Solo runner, running partner or team/group? 75% of the time I’m a solo runner. I’ve never run in large groups growing up so I’m most comfortable with one or two friends. You get in both a quality workout and social time. Love being a part of a large team, but runs are solo or special one-on-one time for me.
Favorite Restaurant: I don’t think I really have a favorite, but love Thai food and anything with huge “everything but the kitchen sink salads”.
Favorite Coffee Shop: Coda Coffee is a recent favorite as a new addition to Edgewater!
Favorite Bar: Happy Leaf Kombucha “bar” (again a newly relocated to the ‘hood!)
Favorite Running Store: Runner’s Roost
Favorite non-running activity: Baking, pilates and spending time with friends
Favorite TV Show: The Voice. I love to sing though it would hurt your ears to hear me. I am amazed by people who can sing and are far more musically inclined than I’ll ever be.
Favorite book: I was a philosophy major in undergrad for a couple of years and I’ve kept some of my favorite books by Kierkegaard, Confucius and Locke. Not light reading my any means but can put me at ease in some odd way.
Favorite movie: I’m not one who can watch movies over and over, but if I need a laugh and a little feel-goodness in my life, I can put on Juno or most movies by Emma Stone (Easy A, The Help) and that does the trick.
Podium
Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by? That you train by?
I have two. The first is “live aloha” and obviously points back to my Hawaiian roots. This goes back to being kind to others, the earth and one that I can struggle with, yourself. To be the welcoming and helpful person in any given situation. The second is a fun family motto or saying: all in all. We use it to describe everything from a specific experience (a race, interview, date, dinner) to a large trip or life event (a family road trip, buying and selling a house). The base of it is really that there is always something to be thankful for. Not everything is going to go according to plan (yeah that flat tire in the middle of nowhere Kansas was not fun) but there are still positives that can come from those experiences and we are ultimately better for it (I now know how to change a flat and that I should invest in AAA). So I try to live my life with that saying in mind- all and all, yeah, life is pretty darn good.
There are two sayings that I keep in the back of my mind or remind myself of when I’m training or thinking about what’s next and goal setting. The first is from Zig Ziglar: when you catch a glimpse of your potential, that is when passion is born. I think we all have those little glimmers of potential, little breakthroughs in our racing and training and from there, that’s what fuels me to try a little harder, push a little longer and hope for another flicker of what could be next if I continue to work for it. The second is from Jerry West: you can’t get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good. Yes, you are going to have those amazing runs where you’re working hard but it feels easier than you thought it could be. Woohoo- celebrate those days, but also recognize that everyday won’t be like that. You ride out the waves- the highs and lows, but just keep swimming.
What keeps you motivated? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I think I’m most motivated to know that hard work and dedication reaps results. It’s the consistency and little steps that can lead to big outcomes. I was never an outstanding high school or college runner, but it’s something I’ve always enjoyed and have kept with. I think it’s hard not to get caught up in the big picture something and to instead focus on the small goals that help lead us down the right path. A good example is with injuries. We all have them, but if we can find the silver lining from the injury, we can come back stronger and smarter. Missing a race, taking a prolonged break, even a whole year off can mean a lifetime of running as opposed to never fully recovering and possibly cutting your running career short. I enjoy training far more than racing. But I also know that strength and speed can come out of seemingly nowhere in races so I’ve learned to enjoy them and look forward to them as well.
I draw inspiration from fellow runners. I love seeing people set their own individual goals and meet them. People have told me after running a race that we’ve both done that my accomplishment is so much greater than their own because I finished before they did. I get sad and frustrated when I hear that and will bounce right back that their 9 out of 10 effort is the same as my 9 out of 10. We all gave it what we had out there and that’s something for us all to celebrate. The support and encouragement we can gain from each other is far stronger than I think we acknowledge. I hope to see many of you out training and at races this year- if you don’t get a “hi”, “aloha” or a little wave, you know you’ll at least get a smile from me! And remember to live aloha- mahalo!