Adashia Franklyn Fashion • Fitness • Beauty

Strong, focused, driven, and inspiring, those are a few words that describes Adashia Franklyn. Adashia mind set is to continue to work to be the best version of herself daily, she does this by having faith, staying fit by keeping active in various sports while also being an educator. Her drive and mission to influence and inspire others helps her to continue to be amazing. This month we tap into Adashia’s adventure as we take a deep dive into her journey, her why and what continues to keep her motivated to be the best version of herself.

MSM: Greetings and welcome to Mid Strike, we’ve seen your impressive progression over the recent months via The Running Edge in Miami, so we’re excited to talk about your journey. For our readers, give us an introduction to Adashia. 

Adashia: Hello! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my story. My name is Adashia Franklyn, and I am originally from Kendall, Miami, Florida. My faith is Christianity, and I am Trinidadian American. I currently reside in Broward County, Florida, and I am a certified fitness professional, educator, model, and social media influencer. I am also a proud member of the illustrious Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. 

MSM: We like to ask the question of why, why running, you’re an athlete but as we all know running isn't easy, yet we all tend to fall into it. When did you know that running was indeed a lifestyle you wanted to do?

Adashia: I started running during the height of the pandemic. Before the pandemic hit, I was in my final semester of graduate school. I was working 60+ plus hours a week while attending school in-person full time, so I found it difficult to consistently exercise on my own and practice as much self-care as I should have. I was then sent home because of the pandemic. While quarantined at home, with a lot more time on my hands, I put a huge focus on improving on my fitness and health now that I had a lot more free time. I worked out by myself and with my sister in her garage, and we also walked, rollerbladed, and occasionally ran around the neighborhood. About 11 months later, I found The Running Edge, and the rest was history.

MSM: Give our readers some insight into your run resume, you have a couple of races under your belt, what have been some of your favs and some of the ones you look forward to doing? Any upcoming marathons that you’re looking to tackle?

Adashia: My most memorable races include:

• 2023 Iguana Man 10K (I placed first in my age group)
• 2023 South Florida Popsicle 5K (I placed first in my age group)
• 2023 Rock N’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon (I ran a personal best)
• 2023 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon (my first half marathon)
• Mayor Messam Health & Fitness 5k Run 2023 (I placed first in my age group)
• Thyroid Disease/Cancer Awareness 5K Run & Walk 2023 (I was the second finisher overall, and I placed first in my age group)
• 2022 Women’s Breast and Heart Initiative Pink Walk/Run 5K (I placed first in my age group)
• Mayor Messam Health & Fitness 5K Run 2022 (I placed first in my age group)
• 2022 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A 5K (my first 5K race)

My next race is the Hollywood Beach Half Marathon on November 4, which also happens to be my 28th birthday. When I saw that the race was happening on my birthday, I thought that it would be a great achievement while celebrating another year of life. After the Hollywood Half, I will be running the 2024 Publix Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon in February, and the Bleeding Blue 5K at Zoo Miami, Lord willing.

MSM: Finding that running family can change so many things and open so many doors for us, especially those in the diverse community. Did you feel like the “WANT” to get out and run became easier?

Adashia: Joining the Running Edge was a HUGE proponent in heightening my desire and frequency and running. Before I joined, I was already deep in my personal fitness journey, but I did not at all consider myself as a runner. I was fit but not running consistently. The Running Edge community helped shift my previous perception of running as an arduous way to get cardio in, to seeing it as a tool to invest in the health and wellness for myself and the communities around me. In addition to Coach Toussaint, there are so many amazing people in the group who are invested in bettering themselves, and that is something that I want to be a part of.

MSM: How did you link up with Coach Toussaint and The Running Edge?

Adashia: In late April 2021, I started looking for opportunities to be social outside of the house after being quarantined for almost a year. I then came across The Running Edge on Instagram, and I felt like I hit the jackpot. Again, I was not an avid runner then, but I had never seen an all-Black running group before. The group seemed very aligned with my desire to find a group of like-minded people that I can be social and exercise with, so it was a no-brainer to come out for my first Saturday morning run. 

"I am a big believer in doing what you love when it comes to fitness. Consistent exercise is the most sustainable when you are doing things that you enjoy."

Adashia Franklyn

MSM: You seem like you’re always on the go, what does a typical day look like for you when it comes to your day to day with your training. It's a lifestyle for you and I'm sure that training kicks up when you’re prepping for a race.

Adashia: To be honest, none of my days look the exact same. On the weekends, I typically have morning group runs with the Running Edge and Miramar Run club, as well as other runs and workouts with other groups that I am involved in. During the work week, I work out in the mornings with my workout partner, Dr. Whitney Watkins at 5:30am, unless I have a group workout in the evening. Three days a week I have scheduled group workouts in the evenings: Tuesday Track workouts with Miramar Run Club, Wednesday Open Gym with She Hoops Elite, and Thursday Track workouts with the running Edge. It is not uncommon for me to do both the morning workout and the evening workout, end having at least two to three 2-a-days per week.

MSM: If there’s one thing, I know it is to expect the unexpected when it comes to training simply because we are everyday runners, runners that have working lives so in essence we have to work to find that balance. How do you manage to find that symmetry when it comes to your training? 

Adashia: I wake up early! Waking up early, at 5am, has honestly changed my life for the better. In 2021, I started working in person again, after being quarantined/virtual for almost a year due to the pandemic. When I was home and had a flexible schedule, it was easier for me sleep in and get in a workout whenever I wanted. Now that I had started a new job in person, I used to wake up early as a way to maintain my fitness gains during quarantine. Also, I wanted to wake up earlier due to finding out that the most successful people in the world do so the add extra hours to their day. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and what you do with your time matters. My early rising hasn't changed since, and now my body is trained to rise early. I have so much more time in my day to achieve my goals, and now I wouldn't have it any other way.

MSM: One thing we like to do here is get to know the person behind the runner, the fitness trainer, the athlete. What was lifelike for you prior to fitness more specifically what made you want to make this a lifestyle. We all at some point come to those crossroads. What was it that made you choose the betterment of self both physically and mentally.

Adashia: I started playing organized basketball when I was just seven years old. And before that, I did ballet and jazz dance. Sports and exercise have been an integral part of my lifestyle and experiences and has opened many doors for me. I was a three-sport athlete during all of my secondary education, playing volleyball, basketball, and track and field, and I was also a member in the band as a saxophonist. My talents in basketball earned me a full college scholarship to play Division I basketball at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Even though it is not always easy, a fitness lifestyle is natural for me due to my background. When I went to grad school right out of college, I took a pause from playing organized basketball. After I finished my undergraduate education at St. Joseph's University, I was then called to be a graduate assistant for the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Team under the leadership of Coach Geno Auriemma. At the time, it was either go to graduate school as a graduate assistant, with tuition covered, or go play basketball overseas. I felt that I could always play basketball overseas once I was done my education, but I my opportunity to work for a great program while getting my master’s degree covered would go away if I did not take it. With that, my physical fitness declined, and I did not feel it like my best self-compared to when I was playing basketball in college. Once the pandemic hit, and I was devoted to getting into better shape, it was really a grind, because previously my physical fitness was due to being in team settings or being around people that trained me. When the world was shut down, it was up to me to be responsible for my own physical fitness. I did also realize the value of having a trainer or coach to help you in your fitness journey, and that is when I became a personal certified trainer. In late 2021, I started playing basketball semi-professionally locally and internationally, and I still play various leagues and open gyms to keep my skills sharp.