By Reviewer Ashley,

Apolo Anton Ohno Trades in His Skates for the ING New York City Marathon … all with Subway’s Support!

Apolo Anton Ohno, usually known for his 8 Olympic medals in Speed Skating, is making headlines as he prepares to run the ING New York City Marathon this Sunday. Thanks to Subway, I had the chance to talk with Apolo and his trainer via conference call and get a behind the scenes look at his journey to the marathon.

It all started when Subway’s Famous Jared Fogel challenged Apolo (along with some of Subway’s other Famous Fans) to complete the NYC Marathon. With the marathon just around the corner, Apolo is hanging tough and couldn’t be more excited to run.

In the interview, Apolo described his training regimen pretty in depth. It was interesting how different it was from the usual training Ohno was accustomed to with speed skating. He said that it was both a physical and mental change that he had to make in order to prepare for the ING New York City Marathon. It wasn’t about all-out, big and fast, but more about pacing and endurance. What really drives Apolo? Well, he just has that “No Regrets” mantra that he truly lives by. He says that he wants no regrets in the preparation, no regrets in the execution, and no regrets when he crosses the line. That’s a mantra he applies to all aspects of his life. One other big motivator in for the ING New York City Marathon is that Subway is planning to donate $26,200 ($1000 for each mile that Apolo runs) to Special Olympics.

With the perspective of a mom, I was really excited to ask Apolo what advice and thoughts he had on getting moms up, active, and healthy. His answer was both inspiring and completely logical. First of all, Apolo made it clear that he truly lives by his mantra “No Regrets.” The more he talked though, the more it became so specific to moms. Apolo says that the biggest excuse given about exercise is that there is just not enough time. (Which we all know is true…) The fact of the matter though, according to him, is that no matter how small you start, even if it is only 15-20 minutes a day of physical activity, you will begin to feel the benefits and get hooked. That is 15-20 minutes a day that is just for you. Your mind can be clear. It is all about you, your body, and your mind. He continued on to say that once you start exercising regularly, you can feel such a difference in your mental clarity and efficiency. (Who among us couldn’t use more of that, right?)

In addition to exercise, eating right is also key to living a healthy lifestyle. According to Apolo’s marathon trainer Todd Rushworth , having the luxury of scheduled eating every 2-3 hours really is best to increase your metabolism and keep your body burning calories. That doesn’t mean you should be popping a candy bar every few hours, but watching your portion control and eating good foods will help lead you down the road to healthy living. Todd and Apolo both agree that Subway is definitely a great stop for eating healthy when you’re on the go. When I asked Apolo what his “go to” Subway sandwich was, he said the footlong Turkey on Honey Oat – double meat. =) It’s actually making me crave a delicious Subway sandwich right now!

How about you MomStart readers? Could you use a trip to Subway? Well Subway has teamed up with MomStart to giveaway a $25 Subway gift card. Make sure you enter to win the giveaway… and make sure to cheer Apolo on as he runs in the ING New York City Marathon this weekend!

All artwork is courtesy and property of Subway.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Disclosure – A product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this post; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Ashley:

Ashley has a background in teaching Kindergarten and working with children K through 8th grade. She is now a SAHM and President of our local MOMS Club chapter. She writes her own blog at Momicles.