the insider: shay mitchell

Shay Mitchell is the kind of girl who is so otherworldly gorgeous that you want to hate her, but so thoroughly charming that you can't help but totally love her. I am proud to say that I have exactly one thing in common with the Pretty Little Liars megababe: we are both runners. I caught up with her in San Francisco before the 10th Anniversary Nike Women's Marathon and got the scoop on her new hobby. Plus, check out the gallery below for some personal pics from her training diary and get inspired to hit the ground running.

So has running always been your thing?

I'm into fitness and like to mix it up with rock climbing, boxing, pilates and strength training, but I was not a runner before I started training for the marathon. I had only run on the treadmill for like 20-30 minutes at the gym. Now I run from my house in LA all the way to the beach. It's amazing.

I bet training became a pretty big part of your schedule. Has your style changed at all?

My style has changed, actually. It's more urban. I wear printed leggings directly from my workout to set.

What shoes do you put in the miles with?

Nike LunarGlides

What's your power song?

Definitely "Eye of the Tiger."

What's the best benefit of training?

I'm all about carb loading. I've been eating tons of pizza and pasta. After the marathon I'll be eating clam chowder in a bread bowl.  

I'm sure you're busy pretty much every second of the day, but when you have some down time what Instagram accounts do you scroll?

National Geographic, Time and NYLON! I'm really into photographic inspiration.

What's your secret talent?

Making music videos in my car. Not while driving, though, of course!

Do you have any tips for NYLON readers interested in running the Nike Women's Marathon next year? I hear you get a Tiffany's necklace!

It's true, you do! Honestly it's just about setting the goal and knowing how amazing it will be to achieve it. Then it's just taking the first step.