Shaluinn grew up in southern California, where she has been running since she was 5 years old. As she puts it, she has been running longer than fellow FNF’er and recent “In the Hunt” blogger Brooke Wells has been alive! Shaluinn graduated from Louisville High School in 1996, where she helped the team to a Division IV state cross country state championship her senior year. Shaluinn attended and competed for Stanford, where she graduated in 2000 with a degree in American Studies. After several years at Google, where she currently is Product Marketing Manager for Google Apps, she took the 2008-09 school year to complete a Master’s degree in Management at the Stanford GSB’s Sloan program. Married to fellow Googler Ramsey Allington, Shaluinn lives in Palo Alto.
FNF: How did you start running?
SF: I got into running because my mom ran, before the industry of jogger stollers was born. I would play in the long jump pit while she ran laps, which I thought was a playground for kids while their parents were running! One day I told my dad was I going to run a whole lap, and when I actually did he was pretty impressed. So, the next time they had sign-ups, I started age group track and did my first cross country season at age 5 ½. We ran a little under a mile and I was really afraid…of bugs and everything.
I ran in high school and at Stanford. In 2005, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, which was a big motivator to try and qualify for Olympic trials in 2008. I took a year off after the trials to go to school, I’m now back, thinking about going for 2012.
FNF: Who is your running role model?
SF: I don’t know if I have a running role model…I think I learn from a lot of women, those who started women’s running like Joanie [Benoit Samuelson]. I have had the opportunity to race a couple times now and I seem to always finish right around her, which is kind of exciting and scary at the same time.
I also try to learn from a lot of current leaders, like Shalane Flanagan. Any of the women who are successful - they all have the same thing in common: they are fearless. I had the chance to meet Greta Waitz once at Google too. All the greats, their coaches talk about how hard they worked and how pain wasn’t an obstacle. However, maybe that is something that is unique to the marathon – people always ask me about that race. You really have to learn to soak in misery. Once you can do that, then you really own it.
FNF: What has been your most memorable running / racing experience?
SF: The US Olympic Trials were huge. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to run a race. Ramsey said he had never seen me look so refreshed after a marathon. It was such a different experience than Napa [where she had qualified the month before]. The Trials were something that I had really been looking forward to for a while and it had slipped trough my fingers a couple times. So, that was really a good one for me.
FNF: What have you enjoyed about working with Focus-N-Fly?
SF: Tom is one of the best coaches I have ever had. I think the program really works. I tell this to people who are relatively new to it: you will do you best if you commit fully to it, and I do my best when I really just trust it. I really enjoy my training group and the people I work out with as well.
FNF: What is one part of your racing routine you can’t do without (sleep, pre race meal, tie shoes certain way, other ritual)?
SF: I always have pasta pomodoro the night before.
FNF: What is your favorite place to go for a run?
Huddart is always a treat. It doesn’t ever really get old.
FNF: In the next year, what goals do you hope to accomplish?
I just want to run fast. I have some metrics for what that means, plans to PR and hit certain training goals, but I am just focused on really running fast. We have a good schedule planned on the track and in the fall I will start to think about getting back on the roads and running a good half marathon.
