Q: Hi Alexandria! You represent such a strong combination of power, beauty and performance. For us it is such an honor to have you representing the shoes in this way. So first off, thank you!
A: Thank you for asking me! I love doing shoots and I love to run so when I was asked to do a shoot in Kiki Price shoes on one of my favorite tracks, I said, “Yeah!!”
Q: Tell us a little about your life as a runner? How did you get into it?
A: I grew up in Chicago and everyone in my family was very active. My parents had us all in sports. I started with tap and ballet. Eventually I got into competitive running and ended up at the University of Texas where I competed professionally. Now I’m a physical and motivational coach which combines everything I learned running, both the mental and physical disciplines required to achieve your goals.
Q: How do you feel running?
A: It’s different every day. Some days you feel good, and some days you’re just completely wonky, but regardless, running gives you an opportunity to be outdoors, to give you a space to just let go.
Q: That’s a gift you were given that I was not! For me when I’m running, if you can call it that, I always feel like I’m carrying a backpack full of rocks up a hill!
A: When that’s the case, I tell my clients, start off with something small like walk a minute, jog two minutes. And a good playlist can really help.
Q: What do you listen to?
A: This may sound a little odd but I like to listen to jazz: Al Jarreau, Bowie James, and Sade.
Q: That’s unexpected! I love that. Tell me a little bit about how you prepare yourself for race day? Do you have any special rituals?
A: Race day actually start two weeks before the actual race. Nutrition, for example, I would eat a lot more carbs two weeks before and then the week before eat a lot more protein.
The mental aspect leading up to a race, like the US Trials, is so important. The US Trials are the most intense of all.
Q: Why is that?
A: Well, you’re competing against people that you’ve trained with or that you know so it’s a mental thing, the pressure. People maybe don’t realize how it’s much more of a mental challenge than it is physical. You have to say to yourself, I’ve done everything I can, I’m just going to go out there and execute my race and have fun, I’m going to just be and do.
Q: What specific mental preparation did you do before races?
A: Meditation, visualization of your race, for example for the 100m, you have different phases you have to visualize: you have the drive phase, transition phase, on top phase… 5-7 phases you have to mentally walk yourself through. You would do that mentally while you’re walking around the track before a race.
Q: What was/is your best way to get into the zone?
A: Being around friends and family, my partner is a key part of that and then listening to my music and getting in tune with my body.
Q: One of the things that fascinates us as spectators of track and field is the lengths that you athletes put into your hairstyles, makeup and nails. Can you tell us a bit about that?
A: It’s a runway! It’s a lot about how I can show my personality while also not having it get in my way when I compete. You want to feel glamorous, you want to look nice, you want to feel good.
Q: When did that start being a thing in competitive track and field?
A: It started a lot with Flo Jo (Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner). She had her one-legger track suits, her nails, her hair, her makeup, she was very glamourous. It was something that was needed in our sport. As an athlete you struggle with your femininity because you have this masculine quality as well, you’re strong, toned and lean. So amping up your glamour and putting your aesthetic twist on your appearance combines the two and makes you more confident.
Q: How did you learn to put all these aspects, your training, your mental preparation, your beauty and style together? Did you have a mentor?
A:You know what, and I’m not going to cry because if I do I’ll ruin my makeup, but my most important mentor was my high school coach, Monica Dawson, and she passed on Friday.
I was very tomboy-ish in junior high and she took me aside and helped me understand how important it was to take care of myself outside of my training routine, things like drinking a lot of water, taking care of my skin, sleep, having my hair done whatever it may be to always look put together.
My mom also helped me figure out my personal style. She’s a girly-girl. She doesn’t like to sweat.
Q: Who inspires you aesthetically, creatively?
A: Well it all starts with my mom, Cynthia Anderson. I have pictures when I was two or three and I’m wearing her heels and pearls.
I love Tracy Ellis Ross. Love that she can be free and flowy and funny but still give you that face and serve you so much attitude. She’s magnificent in her photos and life in general.
And Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry and Rihanna. Whenever Rihanna cut her hair I would do the same!
I’m also inspired by drag queens from a fashion and make-up perspective.
Q: Tell me about your work as a trainer.
A: I love being a health and wellness coach. For me it goes way beyond the personal training side of things. I tell my clients, “I only see you for one hour, but there are 23 other hours in your day that play into you reaching your goals."
I want them to know they don’t need to be a professional athlete to prioritize their body, it’s their temple and they need to take care of it if they want to age well and be able to chase after their grandkids, continue to hike, do all the things they want to do.
I’m a big fan of Normatec compression boots for recovery. They are the best things ever!
If you’re sore, tight, have a lot of lactic acid buildup, I highly recommend you use this tool.
Q: Where are you planning to wear your Kiki Price shoes next?
A:On a plane! Down Congress Avenue! To happy hour! They’re so comfortable! I thought, when I saw them online, that they looked very high but it’s actually a perfect size heel to be able to move in, you can wear them all day.
Q: Oh I love that! Let’s plan a happy hour outing together as soon as possible! When you’re not training how do you like to dress?
A: I’m a heels girl. If I’m not working out, I don’t want to wear sneakers. I’m a dressy girl. You can give me a kitten heel, a stiletto, a wedge, I like to dress up. I’m comfortable being 6’3” in heels! I never wear flats.
I like to travel, host friends, go out for happy hour, the dressier the better!
Q: Favourite place in the world?
A: My favorite country is Italy. I love the culture and the fashion you see there. Regular people dress so creatively and with so much individuality. I like the freedom to be goth one day and a pretty princess the next.
Q: Thank you so much, Alexandria, for taking this moment with us and for representing Kiki Price in such a beautiful and fierce way!