Mollie Turner is a mom, runner, coach, writer, and Athlete for Yoga. She has two girls, Emmaline (3.5) and Natalie (1.5). Mollie is an incredibly talented runner, who was not only D1 All American in the steeplechase, but was recently induced to her alma mater, James Madison University’s, hall of fame!

She's in the midst of a stacked spring race schedule where she came close to her half marathon PR, and doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. She also maintains an athlete roster of 15 runners and writes freelance for Salty Running. We caught up with Mollie to talk about balance, what being an AFY means to her, and what’s next.

First of all, geez, you are one busy woman. Walk us through a typical day in the life of Mollie…
Ha! There is no typical day. Just depends on what level of crazy my kids are at. Usually I get everyone dressed and ready and we either head to the gym or to drop off my three-year-old at preschool. I try to get in my workouts in the mornings. Then we do lunch, and I'll get in some work while my youngest naps. After that it's dinner and bedtime chaos, and my husband and I basically pass out.

You began coaching in 2012, how did you get started in that?
I have my MS in exercise physiology and had been coaching high school cross country and track for a while, so I thought it made sense to try doing an online coaching service for all ages. At that time there weren't a lot of people in the online coaching business. I had a few friends who asked me for help training for local races, so I started coaching them and my sister and brother in law, and then gradually the word spread and it took off!

Shamrock Shuffle finish featuring Deena Kastor!

How many athletes do you coach now?
I coach between 10-20 runners at a time depending on the time of year. Usually I try to keep it around 15.

You had your first baby in the summer of 2013, and your second the summer of 2015! Did you know you wanted your kids to be close in age?
No, we didn't plan it that way necessarily, but I think it will be fun for them growing up. It's been tough though, the past two years. Toddler years are a challenge and a joy, and sometimes I find myself going from laughing to crying to laughing within a few minutes.

Real talk: How was the recovery after two pregnancies?
The recovery was pretty slow for me. It took me about nine months to get back into shape the first time, so after Emmaline I had about three months of decent running before I got pregnant again. Then after Natalie it took me about a year.

Mollie + her crew at Boston where she raced the BAA5k before cheering the marathon.

When did you start doing Athletes for Yoga?
I started doing Athletes for Yoga a few months after Natalie was born to help with injury prevention. I had a sacral stress fracture when I was coming back from my first pregnancy so my main goal was not to end up on crutches again!

What is your favorite video?
It's hard to choose. I like How to Activate your Glutes and Couch Reset. And I really like any of the videos in The 5-Minute Reset Collection.

How do you work it into your training schedule?
I usually try to get in a video in the afternoon during Natalie's nap. It can be a little tricky trying to find the time, so that's why I love those 5 minute Resets.

What does being an Athlete for Yoga mean to you?
I think it's important to ultimately strive for balance in your life. For me, I know yoga helps me be a better person and a better mom. It makes me happy, and when I'm happy I can be more present and spend less time worrying and stressing about things.

What’s next on the racing schedule?
I actually don't have anything on the race schedule at the moment. I was originally planning to start marathon training soon, but I'm gifting myself a break from running for now and am going to try to get to the yoga studio more which I'm pretty excited about!

Keep up with Mollie on Instagram, Twitter, her blog, and (as Hops) on Salty Running!

And keep sharing your own journey with #athletesforyoga!

Moms on the Mat: Mollie Turner