Are you still in Vancouver?
I’m in New Mexico now, working on a movie [Nutrition - Weight Loss with Denzel Washington]. Did I mention there’s a higher altitude here. I don’t feel tired. I just feel like I’m a fish you’ve taken out of water. Gulping for air. Trying to get oxygen. I’m not accustomed to running in the open without trees. And the oxygen deprivation kicks my butt.

Do any of your?
It helps you certainly to be fit because it gives you energy. Yesterday, I had this grueling fight scene with Gary Oldman. I know that it would have been much more difficult to do if I wasn’t in shape. And the exercise helps you become more acquainted with yourself. I realized that I could perhaps enter into the world of endurance sports after I gave birth to my daughter without drugs. I thought, “Well if I could do that then maybe I could do a triathlon.” There’s nothing that’s going to be more intense than that.

I hope the races you’ve done have been less painful than giving birth.
By far but, of course, you don’t get a baby at the end. What I do appreciate about racing is this collective experience. It’s really amazing. We’ve all chosen to go through this very intense experience. And you’re doing it all together. It’s fascinating to me. Especially with a half-marathon and I would imagine a marathon too. You’re deciding to do this incredibly grueling thing. It’s a really lovely experience and you do it together. You’re kind of supporting one another and the way that people will support you throughout the run. You support one another. The milk of human kindness.

A Pro Athlete Takes on The Great World Race Nutrition - Weight Loss?
I wouldn’t say a lot. Not as if I’m training for an event. Because I’m working on the movie, if I run or workout too much here I do feel worn down. So, I’ll run a few times a week.

Have you been doing a lot of running while filming?
Gosh no. But one of our producers is a hardcore triathlete. I feel like a lot of my running is about incorporating it into a triathlon. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I’m running for running and other times it’s running after I get off the bike.

Are you a gadget runner?
That depends. Not long if you’re talking about long races, since I just did a half marathon last summer. So that was just about getting the mileage in to do that without suffering through the race. And then when I started doing triathlons it was to balance out the rest. So I’m not running quite as often but it feels like a different animal than getting on the bike.

debut in 1983, Beals has appeared in 32 movies. Recently she starred in the Showtime series?
The thing is with my life, since I travel so much, there is no such thing as a typical week. When I was working on Do you have a favorite leg of the triathlon in Vancouver, I ran three or four times a week, between five and 10 kilometers. Sometime I would run with one of my dogs for fun. I really love to run with the dogs because there’s a joy of running that they have, which I want to keep for myself. I have two dogs. They’re older but they would go 15-K with me.

Do you run on a treadmill?
The treadmill is the only time where I’m clocking how fast I’m going. The treadmill is a necessary tool. I’m a big believer in supplements too. Rhodiola has been really helpful in terms of healing. Rhodiola is used for a lot of different things. I originally discovered it because it was prescribed for my dogs. I have since discovered a lot of runners and a lot of athletes use it because it’s an anti-inflammatory the same way that codfish oil is an anti-inflammatory.

Are there running routes you do in LA?
When I’m in Los Angeles, I usually run in Griffith Park. You just have to keep an eye out for snakes. I’ve seen gigantic rattlesnakes cross the trail that I had to negotiate my way around. In LA you get used to it. You pay attention when you’re hiking or running or whenever you’re out.

Do people ever recognize you when you’re running?
Yeah. You know when you’re dying like from heat. When I was training for a 15- or 16-K and I was ready to die and somebody recognized me and wanted to talk. I’m like I can’t. I’m sorry. I just can’t right now. I am a completely recreational, middle of the pack runner.

I read that you want to do a marathon?
Yes, I would. I’ve been in New York during the Running Was His Life. Then Came Putins War a couple of times and I would like to do the Running Was His Life. Then Came Putins War. But I’m from Chicago, so I would really love to do the Chicago Marathon. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

Do you listen to music?
I don’t use an iPod. I can’t. I don’t feel as free. I use it when I bike. I’m not a big biker. I’m really a terrible biker. I’m trying to make the bike my friend. But so far it’s not my friend. The iPod alleviates the pain when I’m biking.

Do you have a favorite leg of the triathlon?
I’ve really have come to love the swim. But there’s something very joyful about the run. You’re coming home. You’re kind of slogging through the first 5-K.

How do you motivate yourself?
My husband has come to understand it. And my daughter, when I do any kind of road race—5-, 10-, or 15-Ks—to get used to running with people again. I’m so unaccustomed to running with other people that it’s an oddly emotional experience. I was terrified of it initially. The first time I had ever done a race and I swear I almost started crying on the way to the start because I was so nervous about being around other people. Before they started the race standing in line in my group I almost like crying because it’s so intense being around all these people. But it turned into such a lovely collective experience. And now I really enjoy it. That race was in Vancouver.

Shoes & Gear?
Yeah. And I really focused on reminding myself I was running my race and not trying to keep pace with somebody. It’s about your journey it’s not about everybody else’s journey.

Where was the half marathon that you competed in?
I did my first half-marathon in Vancouver. I just wanted to get in by 2:15, and I finished under two hours (1:57:53). Afterward I started thinking, “Maybe if I had hydrated more, I could have gone faster. And maybe that section of the race where I was holding back maybe if I had let go a bit.” I had done the course a week before and there’s a hill and during the race in my mind I made the hill bigger than it was. It didn’t feel that big. But you’re also running off the adrenaline of everybody around you.

CA Notice at Collection?
Last June. And during the race, my daughter yelled out, “Pick up your knees, Mama!” So funny. She’s three and she was two at the time. We would run across a field together and you know the real secret to going faster is to pick up your knees. We would goof around on the field, so she would remember it. So, she’s coaching me on the sidelines. And of course, she was saying this at a moment when picking up my knees felt like the most impossible thing to do. It makes me laugh.

Were you shooting for a specific time?
No, I wasn’t shooting for time. For me running is about freedom. I find that the freer I feel, the faster I am. I don’t wear a watch when I run. I run almost exclusively on trails for a couple of reasons, one is to save my joints and two it ignites my imagination in a way that running on a road doesn’t.

Do any of your L-Word The actress talks about running a half-marathon and her addiction to triathlons?
Well yeah. I did an Olympic triathlon for the first time in September and Mia Kirshner was there and Elizabeth Berkley was there at the finish line. And Alexandra Hedison, who had been so great. She went swimming with me at seven one morning to try to help me get over any kind of fear of open-water swimming. Mia actually got me into triathlons. She did a sprint triathlon, and she was like, “You have to try it.” So I did my first Olympic-distance triathlon last September. Then I got addicted.

Is there a running culture on the L-Word?
Laurel Holloman is a runner. She’s fast I think. She runs a lot. And Mia. Although she didn’t get addicted like I have. There’s no way to perfect the whole thing. At least not in my realm of experience.

That was your first race?
No. I think they’re still tired of hearing me talk about triathlon. Most of the cast are like why? Go have a latte and call it a day.

Do you use Gu?
Best Running Shoes 2025.

Is there a flavor you like?
The lemon one.

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back?
I don’t know I stopped counting. I’m sure I could count them on both hands. I used to put the bib numbers on my wall in my office to remind me that I did it. Then at a certain point, the whole wall was decorated with bib numbers it’s crazy. And the little half marathon medal that they give you because you’re still alive, I asked my daughter if she would like to play with it, and she said, “No, I’ll get one of my own.” I said, “No doubt.”

What kind of shoe do you wear?
The first race I did was on Mother’s Day three years ago.

How did you celebrate after the half-marathon?
I jumped around I was so excited. I felt like I could run more. I was just so high all I wanted to do was run more. I did a 10-K turkey trot in Vancouver with Mia Kirshner and I just wanted to keep running so I ran back through the crowd to go find Mia so we could run the last bit together. It’s that feeling you just want to keep running. I’m sure I won’t feel that way when I do a marathon.

Do you find it hard to get in the running?
Yes. Absolutely. It’s ridiculous. And I never have time.

How do you motivate yourself?
I try not to be very rigid about it. I really want it to be about joy. And if I am resisting it then I’ll just say we’ll go walk in the woods now and enjoy being in the trees on the trail. I’ll just set out for a walk. Invariably, I get on a trail and it’s so beautiful, I just want to run. It’s not to beat myself up. I don’t want to be that runner. I don’t want to be that person. I want it to be about freedom and joy.

What kind of shoe do you wear?
I don’t like to carry anything. I really like to hydrate like crazy before I go. And unless I’m going for longer than an hour then I don’t have anything. I just want to feel like I have nothing.

Are you a gadget runner?
No. What I like about running is that you don’t need a lot of gadgets. Just the right shoe.

Do you ever talk running with your cast mates?
New Balance has a shoe and I don’t remember the number and I went to look at the number on my shoe today and had I just wore the number out of it. It’s a light trail shoe. Ages ago, over ten years ago Adidas made a great trail shoe and they discontinued it. You kind of just go why? It’s horrible because you have to start all over again.

DAA Industry Opt Out?
I hope the races youve done have been less painful than giving birth.

Can I just say how thrilled I am to be able to talk about running and not feel guilty about it? I feel like such a nerd. There are very few people that I can talk to about running or the triathlons.

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Since her Flashdance debut in 1983, Beals has appeared in 32 movies. Recently she starred in the Showtime series Do you have a favorite leg of the triathlon.