Commitment to excellence does not happen by chance. It is a way of life – it can be taught, honed, and cultivated through leadership and the support of your team.

Thoroughbred is here to direct, guide, and motivate you along your daily journey toward personal excellence, as you define it.

Commitment to excellence does not happen by chance. It is a way of life – it can be taught, honed, and cultivated through leadership and the support of your team.

Thoroughbred is here to direct, guide, and motivate you along your daily journey toward personal excellence, as you define it.

Schedule

Thoroughbred is a team for athletes – from beginners to the most competitive racers.

Who is a Thoroughbred athlete?

you are.

We were all born with the ability to run. Our bodies are made to run. I want to guide, motivate, and coach you to your best self. Whether you’re taking your first step as a runner or aiming to qualify for the Olympic trials – we will get there together. We run at our individual paces and starting points. We are a team. A team that trains consistently and builds year-on-year. We have a range of runs to match the range of our athletes. Our community runs begin from the studio before hot yoga for 20 minutes. Our racing team meets twice a week for track and hill sessions in preparation for road racing, ultra racing, and of course cross-country racing. You don’t have to be fast, you just have to show up and want to run. I cannot stress enough that we all belong, and there is no doubt that you will progress in a safe, happy, running environment! I can’t wait to run with you!

Hot yoga is vigorous and powerful. It contains a consistent sequence of poses, or asanas, that are linked together by connective momentum. It is an intuitive practice, based on the individual, the day, the time of day, and the energy in the studio – not constrained by rules or routine. Our style of hot yoga follows the natural laws of the body which dictate balance and counter-balance, control and surrender, pose and repose, modification and acceleration. Practitioners receive all of the benefits of the more traditional yogic methods while leaving room for individualized attention, clarity, and play. 

We focus on muscle strength, balanced muscle development, and power. We believe in functional strength. Every one of us benefits from dynamic training with resistance. We will guide you through our 45-minute strength class – developing strong, balanced body composition while reducing the chance of injury.

Our Mission

Thoroughbred Studio embraces the goals of each athlete, whether running, lifting, or practicing hot yoga. We provide every member with the same quality of coaching, teaching, and support – whether your aim is to take your first step as a runner or continue your competitive athletic career. Regardless of your age, athletic background, or previous competitive experience, you will benefit from training and practicing in a fun, focused, and supportive environment.

One run can

change your day.

Many runs can

change your life.

Who We Are

          Founder

Laura Schmitt

Founder

Laura Schmitt is a life-long competitive athlete, educator, founder of Marin Enrichment Preschool and Afterschool, and a Hall of Fame Athlete and Coach.

Laura Schmitt

Before graduating from Redwood High School, Laura set school records in the 1600m and 3200m. She was recruited to UC Berkeley where she competed for 4 years, leading her team to become the first Cal Women’s Cross Country team to compete at the NCAA Championships. She graduated from Cal as a Team Captain. Throughout the following years, while raising her 3 children with her husband Tom, coaching, and founding one of the top preschools in the Bay Area, Laura maintained a world-class ranking (13th in the world) for Masters Women in the 5,000m. She continues to compete.
Laura coached Cross Country and Track & Field at Redwood High school for three decades - amassing 50+ MCAL Pennants, 35 top NCS placements, and 17 State Championship appearances. She coached the first two athletes in MCAL history to win the MCAL Distance Triple Crown of the 1600, 800, and 3200 all within the same day. She has coached athletes to the California State Championships across all disciplines of Track & Field - sprints, jumps, throws, and of course the distances. In the spring of 2013, one of her athletes, Fred Huxham, became the first MCAL male athlete since 1959 to win an individual California State Championship, finishing the 3200m in 8:54.24. In her final year of coaching at Redwood, she coached Liam Anderson, who earned the distinction of being the US National Champion in Cross Country. Liam went on to compete on the West Region XC Champions Stanford team (2021), and earned a place on the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll, twice.

In 2009, Laura was honored as the 2009 NCS Coach of the Year for Cross Country and that same year was inducted into the Redwood High School Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class. In 2010, Laura was inducted into the Marin County Hall of Fame.

Every single day at practice Laura brings the same amount of excitement and happiness as the first day she laced up her own shoes as a first-time runner on a team. It is absolutely the realization of her lifelong dream to share her passion for running with the community that has been her home for over 50 years. Whether you’re new to running, with modest goals for participation, want to set a PR, or are aiming to qualify for the Olympics, your goals and dreams will be embraced at Thoroughbred Studio.

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Jen Silvera

Jen Silvera is a teacher, healer, RN, hospice nurse, and entrepreneur. She co-founded Baptiste Power Yoga San Francisco. 

Jen Silvera

Jen Silvera, RN, RYT 500, Baptiste Tier 3 Influencer, started practicing Power Vinyasa yoga in 1999. As a wife, new mom and ER nurse then, Jen discovered quickly that her yoga mat provided her a "stolen quiet moment" to take a breath. Quickly, she realized that her practice not only provided peace, it also supported her in healing sciatica - among other lesser ailments - while supporting her overall well-being.

Fast forward 8 years, Jen decided to pursue Yoga teaching so she could better support the health of others. She became so enamored with teaching yoga that, with her husband Sean, she created Baptiste Power Yoga San Francisco, where she continues to teach.

Jen's running career has spanned, off and on, since high school, where she first ran hard as a field hockey player on Long Island. Over the years she has run a handful of half marathons and 5k's, and continues to run for the connection to nature and to others that running provides. Additionally, Jen partners running and cycling with yoga, in an effort to maintain optimal physical and mental health.  

Whether it be via her yoga mat or running shoes, Jen's approach to fitness is the same: "suffering is optional." Jen views fitness not only as a responsibility, but as a gift. She acknowledges and teaches that it takes work. She is committed to compassionately and lightheartedly pushing herself, and others, outside their comfort zones and provides support every step of the way. Her yoga classes are challenging and alignment based. You won't hear music in the background. Rather, you will hear the sound of your breath in the forefront. Jen is committed to creating the sound of your breath and the movement of your body as the loudest and most interesting thing in the room!

Jen and Laura met on the yoga mat where they realized they both share a complimentary teaching philosophy and style.

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Kyla Hilboldt

Kyla is a life-long athlete, hot yoga practitioner, and teacher. She competed in NCAA athletics, completed advanced Baptiste teacher training – and has experience both practicing and teaching pre-natal, post-natal, baby, and yin yoga.

Kyla Hilboldt

Kyla's heated power yoga classes are intense, sweaty and fun. Kyla’s intention is to wake students up to the joy that is available to them if they fearlessly follow their hearts. 

Heated power yoga links breath with movement and is both athletic and nourishing for the body and soul. Kyla brings a decade of experience in health and wellness to the practice, and has completed advanced training in Baptiste, prenatal, postnatal, baby and yin yoga. When she is not practicing or teaching yoga, Kyla can be found running and biking Marin's incredible trails with her toddler, and gratitude journaling with the company she founded: Waveflow.

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Caitlin Schmitt

Running has been an integral part of Caitlin’s life for as long as she can remember, whether it be watching her parents leave for their Sunday long run, traveling the country competing in both cross country and track or waking up before dawn with her family for a road race.

Caitlin Schmitt

Caitlin was given the opportunity to continue her journey and love of running at UCLA where she soon became known as “the girl who is always running.” While at UCLA, Caitlin earned the title Most Inspirational Runner. She believes in the long run, the journey, the process.   Caitlin is so excited to have been given the gift of Thoroughbred Studio; the gift to be able to share with her community the joy and happiness running has brought to her.

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Liz Kramer

Liz Kramer

Liz is a teacher, runner, yogi, and fitness enthusiast. She has spent over half her life practicing yoga, and completed multiple Baptiste Yoga teacher training programs. She is also a marathoner, and knows firsthand the beautiful way yoga and running can complement each other.

Liz Kramer

Liz has worked in operations for major fitness and wellness companies for the last 12 years, and understands the fitness industry to its core. She brings a love of music to all her classes, and strives to create opportunities for physical empowerment and joy in every class. Besides fitness Liz loves to travel and is always on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie. She teaches yoga and strength!

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Louis Montaño

Louis is a lifelong athlete and expert strength coach with a passion for training people of all ages – from novice athletes to Olympians.

Louis Montaño

Louis earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, CA, where he competed in Football and Track and Field. After years of teaching and training athletes, from high school through professionals, he found himself happily tackling his biggest challenge yet: training athletes while also teaching and training three kids of his own.

A couple of his guiding principles: one, if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you, and two, you will only get out what you put in.

Louis thrives on helping each person discover and develop their unique form of physical strength through determination, to benefit every aspect of their life.

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Thoroughbred Studio is a space created for health, fitness, kindness, and friendship. 

It’s a running clubhouse for community and connection.

We offer three private individual shower rooms to enhance your experience. We hope you enter feeling welcome – and leave inspired.

Thoroughbred Studio is a space created for health, fitness, kindness, and friendship. 

It’s a running clubhouse for community and connection.

We offer three private individual shower rooms to enhance your experience. We hope you enter feeling welcome – and leave inspired.

Contact Us

  • Thoroughbred Studio

600 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941