Issa Rae is a wild card–it’s hard to predict what she’s going to do next. We couldn’t have guessed the actress, writer, producer, and all-around powerhouse would complete the Portland Marathon, which is 26.2 miles, in four hours and 16 minutes.
Rae took to Instagram to share her recent finish and celebrate one of Portland’s most beloved indulgences as a reward for her hard work: Voodoo Doughnuts.
“Went to Portland to run a marathon🏃🏾♀️🏁” Issa wrote in a caption under the post.
“To my girl who asked for a picture right after, i’m so sorry. I was very in pain and very ugly. thank you for understanding,” she added in parentheses.
The actress ended the caption with, “Thank you to my man 🥰” referring to her husband Louis Diame, whom she married July 2021 in the southeast of France. He wasn’t pictured in the carousel, but was there cheering her on.
Some fans may be surprised to see the Insecure star and creator is a runner, but in previous interviews, she explained that the hobby helps her slow down. Considering Rae works in a fast-paced industry, it sounds like running is a healthy outlet.
“It’s about feeling good and feeling your best. It’s not about being perfect,” she said in a Zoom interview with Refinery29 in July. “That movement, and running especially, has just felt like such a great release. It makes me happy. And that’s so weird to say, because it’s something my younger self couldn’t imagine finding happiness and in movement in that way. I’m not a dancer, I don’t consider myself athletic by any means. But this is mine.”
She also told PEOPLE in the summer that running has helped her embrace Epsom salt baths as part of her self-care routine. “I love to take baths. I’ve taken up running, so I’m constantly sore and do a beautiful Epsom salt bath maybe once or twice a week,” she said. “I’m a candle collector, and so I accumulate. I have at least two, and then I just soak, and I might listen to a podcast, music or an episode of reality TV like Temptation Island.”
Rae’s journey as a multi-hyphenate has been rooted in authenticity and perseverance. She built her brand from the ground up with these values, starting with the launch of her comedy web series Awkward Black Girl, to the hit series Insecure with said values. It’s refreshing to see her take that hard work and perseverance into running and crush it as usual.