April 4, 2026

Ep. 33: Grief, Growth, and the Next Run: My Interview with My Wife, Monica

Ep. 33: Grief, Growth, and the Next Run: My Interview with My Wife, Monica
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Season 1

In this deeply personal episode of Through Their Stride, my wife turns the mic on me to ask about my running journey, the grief I've experienced after losing my mom, and the lessons running has taught me about life, resilience, and moving forward.

We talk honestly about the highs and lows, what grief has changed in me, and what's next from here. If you've ever found strength in running, or needed a reminder that life isn't linear, this episode is for you.

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Because every time I tow the starting line of a marathon, I kind of feel like mom has been with me.

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And so I was like, I'm just gonna run run more one more race with mom.

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And I'm gonna enjoy the streets of Austin with her and um feel her on my shoulder, feel her right beside me talking to me.

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Welcome back to Through Their Stride.

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I'm not your host, Sam Sutton.

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I'm his wife, Monica.

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I'm here to put Sam in the passenger seat today so that you can learn more about his story and his desire to share the incredible stories of ordinary runners just like you.

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Sam's earliest memories go back to early mornings watching the scenery go by as his mom pushed him and his twin brother in their stroller while training for multiple marathons.

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Baptized into running at such an early age, the sport has always been a part of Sam's life.

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Though he didn't begin seriously pursuing marathon distances till experiencing a knee injury, doctors said would likely prevent him from running again.

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Since then, Sam's run five complete marathons.

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He's a two-time Austin Marathon finisher, and he's completed the marathon to marathon, Dallas Marathon, and the Desiree News Marathon in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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He's made major gains from his first marathon, which he completed in six hours and 50 minutes, to his current PR at 3 hours and 50.

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When he's not training for marathons, he's actively encouraging other runners like myself to achieve goals they think are impossible.

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This is a story about finding connection and community through a sport commonly thought of as a solo activity.

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It's a story about overcoming fears and facing anxiety head on, time and time again.

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It's a story about the power of other people's stories, about discovering inner strength through the hurdles we overcome together.

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And it's also a story about running toward grief instead of running away from it.

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Sam Sutton, welcome to Through Their Stride.

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Thank you.

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That was really awesome to have myself um introduced.

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That's usually not how that goes.

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I love that.

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How does it uh feel to be in the passenger seat today instead of in the driver's seat?

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It's pretty good.

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Feels like I'm in the hot seat a little bit, but I've been interviewed in the past.

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So um I hope you guys can hear me okay.

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That we're standing a little bit further away from the mic than usual, but uh it looks like the bar is doing what it's supposed to do.

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So yeah, it feels good.

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Good.

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Um well Sam, can you take us back to the beginning?

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Um, to when you started running as a child.

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What are some of your earliest memories of running with your mom?

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Okay, so well, before I tell you about my earliest running memory, I remember when I was a kid, I would wake up in the mornings.

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Most of the time, this would be a weekend morning, uh, but sometimes in the weekdays.

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And mom would be just getting back from a a long run or a training run of some sort.

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And um I would be like sitting watching cartoons with a little like yo play yogurt, and she would come into the door, and then like we would eat breakfast and and talk about her run and talk about the cartoon that I was watching.

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Um, and I knew that she was running because like it's just I knew that she ran.

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And then and this is how I remember this story, and it could be totally wrong.

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Um, I've never said this on record, but when I was six years old, I ran what back in the day it was called How the West Was Run, and it was a 5k, probably a 10K too, but definitely a 5k in the city of Keller in Bear Creek Park.

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Um, and what had the way I remember it is that I was sick, I was playing sick from school, and I didn't want to go to school, so I acted sick, and then she was like, I have this may this 5k that I'm doing, and so I gotta go.

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You're just gonna have to fend for yourself.

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And I was like, Oh, I want to come.

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And she was like, You're not sick, let's go for this 5k.

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Um, and so we went and ran the 5k, and um that was really fun, and and I I might my name made the paper because everyone's name made the paper as finishers, but it was like really cool to have my name in the paper.

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Um, so that was like my first runner's high moment.

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Um and yeah, and then I didn't run really again at all until middle school.

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Um, and then I was training for cross country, and I was like, hey mom, I ought to go on runs with you because I haven't run in like 11, like seven years, and uh I need to get ready for cross country.

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So I um we were like running training runs in our rent house neighborhood before moving to Melissa, and uh and then seventh grade I ran cross country and eighth grade I ran cross country, um loved it, and then was gonna do ninth grade in cross country, but I decided to do the cool thing in Texas and play football, and I was 60 pounds and had no business being on a football field, but did it anyway and uh never got hurt per se.

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I got a concussion for tackling with my head down, and I broke my knee fell falling on a concrete in like for fun football.

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You've had like a lot of concussions.

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Yeah, I think I've had five.

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Yeah, okay.

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Yeah.

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Um, yeah, protect your head, people.

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I haven't.

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Um, and uh so I did that, and then I didn't really run again until my senior year of high school.

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I'm gonna stop just a minute.

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Um, going back to middle school, can you tell me a little bit more about that coaching experience?

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I know you've been doing some coaching this year and thinking a little bit more about um how to encourage young people.

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What was it like whenever you stepped into cross-country for the first time?

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Yeah, so my seventh grade year.

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Now I have to think about this because I didn't run track my uh seventh grade spring year, but I ran cross country and I really liked cross-country my seventh grade year.

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We had a cross-country coach who was like a former runner, and he was really good at what he did.

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Um and I made great strides that year, I remember.

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Um, and I also remember racing to the finish line with one of my friends who, you know, Dustin Wilde, um, side by side, like elbowing each other to the finish line.

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And that was a cute 12-year-old moment.

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But uh, it was great.

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That that year was great.

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And then between seventh and eighth grade, I went to the University of Dallas.

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Um oh, we have a kitty coming.

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Oh, no.

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Our cats like to climb on the furniture and we let them.

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We're bad cat owners that way, but that's all right.

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Anyways, go back to the uh so I that was great.

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And then we uh between seventh and eighth grade, I went into a running like academy at the University of Dallas, which is where she went to college, and we were likely there at the same time.

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I was um at the university for a summer camp that summer, and I actually remember the running group being there um and sharing kind of the lunch space with us.

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I think I was a little too cool for school at the time, so I probably didn't notice Sam.

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But yeah, um I didn't notice you either, but you know, place at the same time.

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Yeah.

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Um, so I ran and uh was a lot faster than the kids in my own group and faster than a few in the group above me.

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And what I remember, and again, I'm th 12, 13 years old, so brain could be fuzzy, but I do remember um getting bullied at that camp um for being faster than some of the kids, and kids threw water balloons at me outside of their dorm.

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Um, and then I was like super sad about it, and I was at the cafeteria at the University of Dallas, and this man, like big old guy, just comes over and is like, What are you crying about?

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And I'm like, Well, you know, none of the kids like me, and you know, I was like really upset, and he was like, Well, I seen you running, and you're one of the fastest kids, and like keep your head up, and I was like, Okay, thank you.

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So that was a really good experience.

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The that whole uh the whole camp besides that moment was a good experience.

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And then after that, I ran into eighth grade, and eighth grade was not so good.

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I had uh our head football coach was our cross-country coach, and he was like not a runner and knew nothing about running.

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He was just doing it because we didn't have a cross-country coach that year, so he didn't really know how to train us, and I think we all felt a little uh let down by that.

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And then I had a really bad experience in the final race that year, which was probably my fault because I probably didn't eat the right way before the race.

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And I was running and we were at Northwest ISD, which is a big school up in DFW, and uh I got really bad side stitches, and I remember my mom on the side of the road, you better get your button gear, you better keep moving, you're coming.

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And I was like, Mom, I'm dying.

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That sounds like Angela.

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Yeah, and so I was like, uh, and I got through it and did horribly, and uh it was fine, but I did kind of scar me from running for a minute.

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Then I went into the spring season and I was doing soccer, baseball, and track.

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And something had to give because my grades were slipping.

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But the reason I chose track to give and get away was because I had a track coach who picked on me for not knowing how to tie my shoes, which wasn't the case.

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I had old shoes and my uh my laces were kind of old, and so they just weren't staying tied.

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And so I had to stop.

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This is like the first practice, and and they were like, Oh, we gotta stop again because Sam doesn't know how to tie his shoes, and everyone kind of like looked at me and laughed, and I was like, So then I didn't run for five years after that.

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So, you know, the importance of a good of a good co I ran, but I didn't run competitively, I just ran on the roads, hobby joggling.

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Yeah, you've mentioned your mom a few times as we're kind of talking about your early running journey.

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Um, how did your parents encourage fitness and running and how did that kind of shape your family's culture as a whole?

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And maybe some of your earliest ideas about sport and athletic ability.

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Yeah, they were uh they were really big as far as that in that regard.

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They were both athletes.

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Um, my dad was a basketball player growing up both my parents were basketball players growing up, but my dad also was a competitive weightlifter um when he was in his 20s and early 30s.

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And my mom, which if you guys have listened to this podcast in the past, have listened to my mom's episode, and she was a two-time Boston marathon runner, um, cyclist, um, tennis player, a beast of a tennis player.

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And so both of them were really um like they had a they had a hand in my my mine and my brother's athletic careers for sure.

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We were both very athletic growing up.

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I'd say he's better at the ball sports than I am, um, but I'm also a better runner than him, so you know.

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Maybe I don't have hand eye coordination, but I can run away from something.

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So um, but it was good, and so that was a big deal.

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Uh sports was always a big deal.

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I think my dad said it once that he was the reason he wanted us to be in a lot of sports was because he found it really beneficial for teenagers um and young kids to learn how to use their body.

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Um, because a lot of people don't, I mean, a lot of kids grow up not knowing how to use their body.

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And so he was always saying, like, you have to know how to like move.

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You have to know how to throw, you have to know how to catch, you have to know how to look over your shoulder while you're running.

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You have to know because if you know how to use your body and you're more in tune with your body, you're gonna be more confident in yourself growing up.

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So, and that was true.

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So I've been really inspired as someone like joining into the Sutton family by how um encouraging both of Sam's parents have been.

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Like they just seem to always be cheerleaders to you and Adam.

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Like, I did not grow up in a family culture where it was a common thing when you would call to check in to say, like, how's your training plan going?

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Or like, what are you training for?

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Um, and so I really appreciate like your dad still often checks in on those things.

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Like, if you wanted him to put together a fitness plan for you for weights, like your dad would be like overjoyed to send you um a weights plan.

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Yeah.

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Um, so it's been really cool just to kind of see that um, that they weren't just encouraging you as kids, but that that kind of pattern has continued into adulthood.

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I remember the first well, okay, so and well, we'll probably get to this in your questions, but one of the first things that we we did together as a couple was train for a half marathon.

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Uh, which if you've opened this episode, you clicked on the thumbnail and it's a picture of she and I finishing our first uh half marathon together, uh holding hands and side by side, tired, dog tired.

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Dog tired.

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Uh and we'll get to that.

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But um we it was a yeah, I remember that one day we went to my mom's house and it was like your first time going to my mom's house, and we uh played first off, we did like a five-mile hike at like five.

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We got up got up at like 5 30 a.m.

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I feel like I have to give some context to this as well.

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Um, so I grew up in a like very like traditional kind of like southern household where I feel like our idea of like bonding time together was like spending time in the kitchen, sitting around the family table and like eating dinner and having good conversation.

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I'm also part of a very musical family.

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So like we would get out instruments sometimes and jam together, or we'd watch a lot of music videos and talk about the music that was inspiring us.

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I am not from a high activity family.

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Um, and so I've really come into my athleticism really post-college and kind of early adulthood, um, and have really found a lot of solace in movement.

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Um, and I was just kind of starting to get physically active at the time that I met Sam.

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So I had just gotten to the point where I could run maybe three miles, you know, all at once.

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Um, and was feeling really accomplished about that.

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So we go to his house for the first time to meet his mom.

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And um, over that weekend, like we wake up in the morning.

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Um, she is up in the morning, she's an energizer bunny at like, I don't know, 4:35 a.m.

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Yeah.

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Uh Sam takes after his mother.

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So like as soon as he hears her up and going, he's like, okay, let's go, you know?

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And so then um, like I kind of creep out of bed around 6 a.m.

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And I'm like, oh my gosh, it's so early.

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And I'm still, you know, finishing my coffee.

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And his mom is like, okay, like who's ready for like a four mile hike?

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Like, let's get up, let's go, let's go.

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And, you know, I'm like trying to win her over.

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So I'm like, of course I'm ready for a four-mile hike.

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So like we get all suited up, we go do that.

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And then I'm like, okay, cool.

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Like we did the four mile hike.

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Now is like the time when we're gonna rest.

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And then she's like, okay, like I reserved the pickleball courts for two hours, so we're gonna go play pickleball.

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And I was like, I think it wasn't reserved pickleball courts.

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I think we just played pickleball that day in the street.

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Oh, right, yeah, because it was like COVID shutdown time.

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So we like got out some talk and played pickleball in the street for two hours.

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Um, so we did that, and then I was like, okay, cool.

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Like now's the time where we're gonna like sit around the table and we're gonna eat food and we're just gonna like hang out and rest.

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And then she's like, okay, like who's ready to go swimming?

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Let's like get in the pool.

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Um I I was like in the sh in the pool with uh mom and Adam and everyone, and I was like, Where's Monica?

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And I'm no mom said, Where's Monica?

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And I said, I don't know.

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I was like, let me go, let me go check.

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And so we went into the we were staying in a little like um, they had like a little side house outside of their house that was like for people to stay in.

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And so I went in there to find you, and you were like curled up in a ball, and you're like, I just need a minute.

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I just need a minute.

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I remember I had like all the lights off in the room, you know.

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It was just like totally at a days done, done, done, done for the day, but ended up taking like a 30-minute rest and then jumping back into activity with them.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, that was a funny day.

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Um, and that showed you that that was our uh our family.

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So yeah, it was my intro into the Sutton heightened activity into doing like turkey trots um on Thanksgiving mornings, um, which was a key feature of um your family and again, y'all's kind of just athletic atmosphere.

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Yeah.

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Um, as we kind of keep talking about these different experiences with your mom, um, I know you and your mom actually did do quite a bit of running together as you got back into running.

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Um kind of end of your college career post-college before she stopped running herself.

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Uh it wasn't post-college, it was pre-college and and early college.

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Um, yeah.

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So um take me back to some of those running experiences with your mom.

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What were some of your favorite runs that you got to do with her?

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Yeah.

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So in 2013, I decided to run my first half marathon uh uh after like kind of last semester of high school.

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I was homeschooled, by the way, in high school.

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So um I told mom, I was like, I want to run a half marathon.

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And she was like, All right, well, I'll write you a training plan and uh we'll uh we'll train together because I'd love to do Cowtown again.

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Cowtown, you know, I mean, y'all know it's the Fort Worth, major Fort Worth marathon.

00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:38.079
And so we trained all winter for Cowtown and laced up, and I was in my basketball shorts, and uh that's what I usually used to run in, and uh no idea about running gear or equipment in those days, so I just laced up a pair of ASICs and you know, basketball shorts, and uh I don't even know what I was shirt I was wearing, but ran that in two hours and two hours and some change.

00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.599
I think it was like either low low twos.

00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:45.839
I don't even think it was two tens, it was like two oh three or two oh four or something like that.

00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:54.880
And I remember like the crowd was electric, um, and I was like hyping up the crowd at the very end, coming around the bin.

00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:57.920
And uh I was like, man, I'm gonna do this for life.

00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.920
And I was like, this is amazing.

00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:01.920
And then mom came in.

00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:05.519
I don't know if mom finished before or after me.

00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:06.160
I don't remember.

00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:11.279
I just know that I finished and then I was looking for mom and I found her, but she I think she'd already finished.

00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:14.640
Um and so that was fun.

00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:18.240
And then uh 2014, I wanted to do it again.

00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:19.759
I told her, I was like, I wanna do this again.

00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:24.799
I know like I only have like 10 weeks to train, maybe, and I was like, but I'd love to do it again.

00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:27.200
And she was like, let's do it again, round two.

00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:46.400
And then I got like the worst rotavirus, um, like two weeks before the race, and like threw up 25 times in one night, like 72 hours sickness, like and then I didn't run for like a whole week after that because I was like, Oh, my body's just beat up.

00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:57.279
I think I weighed like coming into college, I weighed like 130 pounds, and I went to the doctor that next day after initially getting sick, and I weighed like 115.

00:19:57.599 --> 00:19:58.240
That's wild.

00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:02.720
And the doctor's like, you need to eat a cheeseburger, and I'm like, I'm literally dying.

00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.359
Like, I can't keep down water.

00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:16.720
And so I um, you know, rested, and then uh uh after like two weeks, I was like, Hey mom, are we still doing cowtown?

00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:19.680
And she was like, Well, do you think that you can?

00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:22.880
Because like you've been sick, you've not been training.

00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.839
And I was like, No, I got it, like, let's do it.

00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:27.440
I got it, I want to go.

00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:29.119
So I ran and was miserable.

00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:32.480
I think I finished in like at that one 214.

00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:42.640
And uh, but I don't want to do it again in 2015, and Adam was like, my brother, my twin brother, was like, Oh, you got me hooked.

00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:44.880
I want to go, I want to see what this is all about.

00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:51.599
So he was I was like, Yeah, you and I can train together in college, and we can mom can train on her side, and then we can train on our side.

00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:57.119
She was training for the marathon that weekend, um, and we would just train for the half.

00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.240
But Adam would never do the weekday runs with me.

00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:02.880
Um, he would just never do the weekday runs.

00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:03.200
Uh-huh.

00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:06.079
And then Sunday would come along, like, all right, it's time for the long run.

00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:08.319
And he's like, Yep, it's time for the long run.

00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:17.039
And he'd come out and like disgusting, run the long run with me and just log it out and like, you know, barely barely be walking at the end.

00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:19.359
I think he missed the 12 mile or two.

00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:22.559
And uh he was like, I was like, Are you sure you're ready for this?

00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:23.440
And he's like, Yeah, I'm ready.

00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:24.799
I'm good, I'm ready to go.

00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.279
And so we're hubris of young boys.

00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:27.599
Yeah.

00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:28.480
Oh my gosh.

00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:38.079
And then we get two half marathon or the race weekend, and it snowed like crazy the days leading up to it.

00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:41.519
And um, it canceled the marathon.

00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:49.839
So, because I think there was like ice on a bridge that was key to where they were running, and so they were like, Okay, well, everyone's just gonna do the half.

00:21:49.920 --> 00:21:51.200
If you want to do the full, you can do virtual.

00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:52.880
And mom was like, I ain't doing virtual.

00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.079
And like, no one heard of virtual in 2015, so we were like, no.

00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.839
So um uh we all laced up with a half.

00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:01.359
And she was like, well, this is actually kind of fun.

00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:03.279
I get to run a half marathon with my twin boys.

00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:04.000
You know what I mean?

00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:09.599
And so there's a cute, some cute pictures of that weekend of the three of us together, befores and afters.

00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:11.200
And there's a before we're all smiling.

00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:15.759
Well, Adam barely didn't smile back in the day, but um he was wide-eyed and happy.

00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:29.519
And all three of us were he was in like a New England Patriots hoodie and uh sweatpants, and I was in sweatpants, and you know, we didn't know what we were doing, but we went out there, and that was the first half marathon where I broke two hours.

00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:32.559
Uh it was a 159.40 something.

00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:38.160
And Adam ran, he was like, I'm gonna run the whole thing.

00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:40.720
He was like, I'm not gonna walk at all.

00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:45.200
If it's just like 13 minute miles, I'm still gonna be in a shuffle.

00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:46.079
You know what I mean?

00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:50.799
So he ran the whole thing and he had the had to be taken into the medical tent at the end.

00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:59.119
Because he he he just he was white as a ghost and like um didn't train as good as good for it.

00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.400
Well, and like neither of y'all knew how to like really fuel.

00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.759
Yeah, neither of us fueled.

00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:08.000
Uh we didn't take any gels, we just took course hydration and that was it.

00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:14.160
So raw dog in every race before um before 2022.

00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:27.759
Like the first time that I did um uh half whenever we were doing our half marathon training together, Sam and I Sam was still very much um in this kind of pose of raw dogging his way through um his training schedules.

00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:32.960
Yeah, we I my whole thing was like, why would you eat, why would you eat on a run?

00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:36.960
You want to run fast and like food is just gonna make you slower.

00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:37.839
So why would you eat?

00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:38.640
That was my thought.

00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:44.000
And um, I had never done long distance running before, and he had done quite a bit.

00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:45.599
So I was just trusting him.

00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.559
Like, okay, I guess this is like what you do.

00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:48.960
Yeah.

00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:58.160
And I remember vividly going on probably our last training reserve before the Hub Marathon, and it was supposed to be maybe like 12 miles, 11 miles, even.

00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:01.119
I think it was supposed to be 10 miles.

00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.640
And uh Sam misjudged our course.

00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:07.039
So we ended up doing closer to 12.

00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:11.119
We brought no hydration with us, none.

00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:12.480
Um, no fuel.

00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:20.319
And we ended, I we ended like a mile uh away from uh away from our house.

00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:25.519
And um yeah, we were like walking on 290.

00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.200
Oh my gosh, dying.

00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:32.160
I don't know why we just I decided to run our last half of that on 290, but it was tough.

00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:34.960
And like luckily there was a water burger like right next to the room.

00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:36.240
That's what we were like gunning for.

00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:39.519
Yeah, so we gunned for the water burger and both got these like giant rotten.

00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:41.839
But I felt like I was gonna die.

00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:43.759
I was like, is this how you always feel?

00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:46.160
Like, and I'm like, yeah, it's just the half maritime.

00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.839
I mean, it's just like long runs.

00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:51.359
Like that's just you, that's just how it is what it is.

00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:51.920
Mm-hmm.

00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:53.920
Yeah, you you've learned a lot more since then.

00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:55.359
Um both both of us have.

00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.279
But you were talking about my mom, so yeah, yeah.

00:24:57.359 --> 00:24:59.519
We can go back to talking about your mom though.

00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:00.160
Yeah.

00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:07.839
So we ran, and um, we would, you know, we ran all those 13, 14, 15 races.

00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.359
We didn't run together after that in races.

00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:12.960
Um, well, no, that's not true.

00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:20.240
In 2017, we ran a 5k together um in the July 4th 5K.

00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:23.119
Um, and she did really well that that day.

00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:26.400
Um, and that was fun.

00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:36.160
And then 2018, she was diagnosed with cancer again because she'd been diagnosed years, and uh that was like the worst bit of it.

00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:41.920
She had to go through a really bad um, like sorry, cats.

00:25:42.960 --> 00:26:37.680
Um, we should probably push that one in so they don't Yeah, that's I jump up on the table, but um so we ran that, and then after that she was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, and she had to go through months of chemotherapy, and that was the first time she'd done a like that like r like intensive chemotherapy, and she trained for a half marathon while thr facing chemotherapy, and I didn't run it with her because when I decided to start training, because I was like, I'm inspired by mom to start training for this half marathon with her, I decided to jump off of a uh um like a really tall ledge while running, and that's when I dislocated my knee, so that was yeah, that that was rough.

00:26:37.839 --> 00:26:57.680
But we then we ran it the last race that we ran together was a 10K at the Fort Davis Mountains, and I think that may have been the last time that she ever ran a race because she was trying to get into trail running and that one kicked her butt and she was like, I'm not a trail runner.

00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:02.559
And then that's when she also realized, like, oh, my meniscus is like really bad.

00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:02.880
Yeah.

00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:05.759
So she was like, I think I'm gonna switch to cycling and hiking.

00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:08.720
So that's when she made the switch to cycling and hiking fully.

00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:15.039
We'll talk more about your mom in a minute, but um, since you brought up the knee injury, I would like to circle back to that.

00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:19.279
Can you tell us a little bit more about um the day that that happened?

00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:30.720
Um, what the injury looked like, what recovery was like, and again, kind of how your mom helped you to get back into the wagon again um with athletics as you were recovering.

00:27:31.039 --> 00:27:31.839
This is so fun.

00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:34.960
I haven't done a podcast just introducing myself before.

00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:39.680
So, like you guys get to learn everything about me, um, which is great.

00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:43.279
Um, this is probably something I should have done for episode one, but we didn't do it.

00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:47.440
So consider this the redo of episode one.

00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:59.920
Um but uh anyways, so my knee injury, so I dislocated my knee and I called my mom and told her what happened, and she was like, Oh, get up, you're fine.

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.079
And I'm like, No, my knee is like going the other way.

00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:03.200
And she was like, What?

00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:04.480
What do you mean?

00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:10.720
And it's like taken to the hospital, they come to my I'm in San Angelo at that point, and they're in DFW.

00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:16.799
So they drive down from DFW to San Angelo, find me in a hospital bed in the in the ICU.

00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:32.160
Um, and then at that in the in the recovery of it all and like the figuring it out, at first I had to be in an external fixator, which if you don't know what that is, it's where they like drill metal rods into your bone and like through your muscle.

00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:33.119
No, thank you.

00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:37.440
And they did that to my leg to keep it like in place like that.

00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:47.519
So that way an artery could heal that was uh kind of affected during the um during the damage, the impact.

00:28:48.480 --> 00:29:01.359
So um, and they told me at that point that I would probably need reconstructive knee surgery because they were like, if your knee goes backward, it's highly likely that you've torn all of your ligaments.

00:29:01.519 --> 00:29:05.359
And so I was like, well, I'm probably not gonna be running for a long time.

00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:15.279
And uh I don't think he ever told it he may have told me that I wasn't ever gonna run again, but he's definitely told me I wasn't gonna be doing a whole lot of stuff again.

00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:19.039
And so I was like, okay, well, that stinks, but that's what I do.

00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:25.119
Well, it also introduced a lot of like anxiety in your coming back into any kind of sport.

00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:34.640
Yeah, whether or not he said that you would never run again, there were a lot of warnings about how you ran, like avoiding any kind of jostling, and like stop and go sports.

00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:41.359
You're still really nervous about ever trying like skiing or snowboarding again, and you're not supposed to roller skate.

00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:46.720
Like there were quite a few warnings about the possibility that this could happen again.

00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:47.119
Yeah.

00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:51.680
Um, if you were to approach sport, and if it did happen again, that that would kind of be the end of your knee.

00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:52.240
Yeah.

00:29:52.480 --> 00:30:06.960
And so after my knee injury when when I was in the healing process, they looked at my leg because they had to do an MRI and everything, and they said, Well, actually, the only thing that you tore was your PCL.

00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:10.079
Everything else was stretched, but it wasn't torn.

00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:18.319
And the doctor said that was likely because I am a runner, and so the the ligaments like strengthen in in the sport of running.

00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:21.599
So um he was like, Yeah, there you're fine.

00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:23.680
You probably just can't do stop and go sports.

00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:28.799
You probably, you know, if you want to do something like that, you probably need to be fitted for a brace.

00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:35.759
Um, and so I was like, Well, the only sports that I really play are running, and at that time I played softball.

00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:38.640
And so he was like, Well, you don't need it for softball.

00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:43.039
And uh, so then never get it.

00:30:43.119 --> 00:30:48.319
Um, and then when I started running again, my first run and what was with Victor.

00:30:48.559 --> 00:31:03.440
Well, again, even before then, like sticking with the injury for a little while was so bad the pain, especially when you had the fixator and if anyone even like touched it, touched the fixator, yeah, and that was like 10 out of 10 pain.

00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:09.359
And um, we had to be careful not to get it wet, too, because like rust, you know what I mean?

00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:13.279
And if rust gets in your body, then it's a whole lot of other issues.

00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:18.799
So uh they had to shower me with and like cover my leg and towels.

00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:22.319
Um, and so when I was in the fixator, it was rough.

00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:32.160
And one time my dad was like trying to help shower me, and uh, I was like in a lot of pain, and he like pulls my thing and he was like, get over it.

00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:41.359
I'm like, ow! And mom like really got mad at him for that, and uh that was just you know new territory for him.

00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:44.000
But um so that was yeah, that was rough.

00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:45.519
Um, that was a rough little time.

00:31:45.599 --> 00:31:56.799
So well, you've mentioned to me too that like your mom was pretty instrumental in getting you back up and going again, um, just because there was a lot of pain in the process of like starting to get active.

00:31:57.200 --> 00:32:00.160
Yeah, well, she she was very pro out.

00:32:00.400 --> 00:32:16.480
And like we talk about this when some mom passed away in uh this past January, and I'd always said she was always really like instrumental in getting people back to where they were and like making them better versions of themselves, like back to where you were, and then some.

00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:41.279
And she like did that for me, and she was it, she was like my caretaker for my knee, and then um she one time I remember it was like I was like sitting on the couch and stuff, and she was like, get out the weights, like we're gonna do some upper body work because like you can't be just becoming a vegetable, you can move your upper body, you can move your chest and your arms and everything like that.

00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:54.799
So that's I still have some photos of me bench pressing with a uh um with an external fixator on my leg, um, and doing some curls and like pissed off because I was like, I don't want to be doing this.

00:32:55.039 --> 00:33:07.759
Um well, and then also uh we went to a different doctor uh in Grapevine who told me uh that I wasn't moving my ankle.

00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:11.599
And he was like, You can you you can move your ankle, and I'm like, No, I can't.

00:33:11.759 --> 00:33:18.160
Cause my cause like my it was like the injury had basically like told my mind that I couldn't move my ankle.

00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:20.880
Yeah, it was like I could only move my toes.

00:33:21.200 --> 00:33:24.799
And he was like, You gotta move that ankle, and I'm like, I can't.

00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:30.000
He was like, You can, you just kind of forgot how because of like the injury.

00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:34.720
So he was like, You gotta go to physical therapy and figure this out.

00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:44.319
And it's like I remember going to physical therapy and um walking into the office, and the physical therapist was like, Oh, you're too like you're it's too early.

00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:45.839
You don't need to be doing this just yet.

00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:49.119
And mom was like, No, he does because he's not moving his ankle.

00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:50.799
And they were like, What?

00:33:50.960 --> 00:33:55.519
And he was like, We still have to work with him because like we gotta figure out how to move his ankle.

00:33:55.599 --> 00:33:56.079
And she was great.

00:33:56.160 --> 00:34:06.240
I don't even remember her name, but she was like, this physical therapist was really good at her job and really like supportive and helpful and getting me back.

00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:29.760
And um, she was like, um she was saying, like, okay, like you gotta we gotta do these exercises where you're pulling the a towel and you have to do this every like 15 to 30 minutes when you're at home, and then she we would have our own exercises in the uh uh in the room, and it was just pulling my foot up to be able to tell myself that I could do that.

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:37.280
And then and then later it got to where I didn't need the towel, and she was like, Well, then you just flex your foot up and down every once in a while.

00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:47.199
So, because the problem was if I didn't do that, my Achilles would shrink, and then once I got back to like running, my Achilles would pop, and so that's a whole other list of problems.

00:34:47.440 --> 00:35:00.800
So uh yeah, and then but mom was really like she was proactive in that and was like, Hey, we gotta get this done, we gotta start moving that ankle, and then like she got me in PT once that that external fixator came off.

00:35:00.960 --> 00:35:04.559
She was like, Okay, you're going back to PT and we're gonna start learning how to move your whole leg again.

00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:11.519
So yeah, she was very instrumental in that and got me running and working out really quickly after.

00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:14.639
So quicker than the doctor doctor thought was possible.

00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:26.320
You mentioned um that your mom passed this year, and that's been something um really difficult for both of us and for your family to sort through.

00:35:26.559 --> 00:35:33.679
Um, as I was preparing for this interview, I um found a few quotes by one of my favorite authors, Brene Brown.

00:35:34.079 --> 00:35:42.800
Um, and this one really stood out to me as um something that kind of applies to the space in life that we're in right now.

00:35:42.960 --> 00:35:54.639
Um, so she said, we run from grief because loss scares us, yet our hearts reach towards grief because the broken parts want to heal.

00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:01.920
And when I think of you, I don't see someone who's running away from grief.

00:36:02.000 --> 00:36:04.320
I almost feel like you're running towards it.

00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:14.719
Um, and you've been really consistent in your running all throughout this process of your mom dying and throughout this time after her death as well.

00:36:15.039 --> 00:36:37.440
So I was curious if you could talk into um what it's been like to train and especially what it was like to train for the Austin marathon um while your mom was kind of actively in this dying process to lose her and then to run that marathon, anyways, just I mean, maybe two weeks, three weeks after your mom's passing.

00:36:38.400 --> 00:36:38.960
Yeah.

00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:44.079
So yeah, it was a very healing experience.

00:36:44.320 --> 00:37:06.880
Um, so back in uh October of 2025, this past year, it's past October, uh, was when she was, and if you had been following me on Instagram and everything, you saw that I was posting about her being hospitalized with a new cancer diagnosis.

00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:11.280
Well, I'm not uh she already had cancer, but it had like metastasized.

00:37:12.639 --> 00:37:20.559
So she had been having headaches through all of September and she was like, Yeah, I just can't get rid of this damn headache.

00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:28.559
And she was like, I can't figure out why, and you know, I I need to um I need to figure this out.

00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:37.280
So she'd go to the doctor and they'd give her a steroid, and then this would go away, and then she'd go back and they give her another steroid and would go away.

00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:48.079
But after the after the second steroid, uh she her had headaches came back, and they were like, Well, you need to go to the ER, because if your headaches keep coming back, there's a sign of something that's actually really wrong.

00:37:48.320 --> 00:38:01.760
So she went to the ER, and that's when they told her that her she had multiple tumors in her head, the primary primary one being in the back of her skull, like right behind her ear.

00:38:03.199 --> 00:38:06.960
And she they originally thought she was gonna die that weekend.

00:38:07.119 --> 00:38:33.360
Um, this was like a week after I ran a 5K sub-20, try to do sub-25k, and you know, she's always been my like main supporter, and I felt like I, you know, a lot of my running is kind of like in her like try to like le like run in her legacy um and keep her legacy living on.

00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:38.559
So I was already feeling a little guilty about like not hitting the 5k um sub-20 goal.

00:38:38.639 --> 00:38:43.360
I was like 21, 13 or something, and I felt like I kind of held back in the last mile.

00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:50.400
Um, and then she had all this, and I felt even more guilty, which is so stupid because like it doesn't matter.

00:38:50.559 --> 00:38:54.639
Like, time is a time on a clock is not what anyone cares about at the end of the day.

00:38:54.719 --> 00:38:55.920
It's like, did you push yourself?

00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:56.880
Did you work hard?

00:38:57.039 --> 00:38:57.760
And I did.

00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:13.679
So um, but yeah, so she lived that out, and then I started training for the Austin Marathon while she was um dealing with these last few months of her cancer battle.

00:39:13.840 --> 00:39:27.280
Um, going to hospitals, being told either that she can do chemo or that she can't because her white blood cells were too low, blood cell count was too low, um, navigating back and forth.

00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:36.480
What and then her brain fog got worse and worse because it was like she had eight brain tumors on her head, one tumor on her spine, one on her lung and her liver.

00:39:37.199 --> 00:39:39.760
So uh it was eating her alive.

00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:55.519
And um in January she passed, and we got to see her in her last few days, and there was a moment where she um we were talking about doing a 5k in her honor the day of her funeral.

00:39:55.679 --> 00:39:57.519
Because I mean it was coming, like it was imminent.

00:39:57.599 --> 00:40:04.639
She wasn't moving, she was like sitting in her chair, um catatonic, basically not being able to move.

00:40:04.719 --> 00:40:06.320
All she could do was breathe.

00:40:06.559 --> 00:40:23.119
And um she when we were all talking about it in the room, she almost like stood up from her chair and her eyes got like really wide, and she looked right at me and I came over to her and I was like, Oh, hi, mom.

00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:27.440
And she was like like forced to smile almost.

00:40:27.760 --> 00:40:30.960
And um at that point we're like, Well, we're doing the 5k.

00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:46.320
So that was a hard week, a hard uh weekend, and um uh my coach, I remember tell she told me she was like, Well, we don't have to do this race.

00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:51.760
If you're not feeling up for it, you know, you should be taking time to be with your mom.

00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:57.280
And and I was kind of like, Yeah, I still think I still want to race, but I was having trouble running that week.

00:40:57.519 --> 00:41:06.719
And it was like the day before her funeral, she was like, If you're gonna run that marathon, you better get up and uh uh go do do your five miles because those miles ain't gonna run themselves.

00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:10.320
And I like I heard it in my brain and I was like, Okay, mom, I'll go run the five miles.

00:41:10.480 --> 00:41:18.880
And it was like right after the winter storm, so like all the roads were still icy and I had to like navigate that, but ran five miles and listened to my episode with her.

00:41:19.280 --> 00:41:22.320
Then I ran the marathon a few weeks later.

00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:29.920
And also, like just to speak into that like 5k um that we did in memory of her.

00:41:30.159 --> 00:41:35.519
Um, I feel like it ended up being this really beautiful gift to everyone in the family.

00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:35.920
Yeah.

00:41:36.079 --> 00:41:49.360
Um, and I was so just again encouraged that like that was the example that she set that we would have that idea even to go out and do something on the day of a funeral instead of just kind of like wallowing in the morning.

00:41:49.519 --> 00:41:50.639
Like it got us all out.

00:41:50.800 --> 00:41:53.039
It was beautiful weather that morning.

00:41:53.280 --> 00:41:55.119
I mean, just absolutely gorgeous.

00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:56.079
Yeah.

00:41:56.400 --> 00:41:58.400
Um, and it was, it was a tough morning.

00:41:58.480 --> 00:42:00.880
It had been a tough night the night before.

00:42:01.039 --> 00:42:06.159
Um, just kind of processing, you know, the realness of what we were stepping into.

00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:20.400
Um, but man, I've never been more thankful for an excuse to just walk or run three miles with a bunch of people um who really loved your mom and had carried her during the final weeks of her life.

00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:27.199
Um, it definitely made me think, gosh, this is something we should do more before uh funerals.

00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:34.159
Um and maybe it's something that I want to do, um, you know, or make an option for people, you know, before my own someday.

00:42:34.239 --> 00:42:35.360
So it was really inspiring.

00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:35.920
It was.

00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:46.719
Yeah, I remember my brother came out, um, his wife and Mark, my stepdad, um, and my stepdad gave the dog to Tamra.

00:42:46.880 --> 00:42:48.400
Or I think Tamara took the dog.

00:42:48.480 --> 00:42:50.159
I think it was like she was like, I'll do it.

00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:52.480
The dog, by the way, is Cooper.

00:42:52.639 --> 00:42:54.880
Yes, he was Sam's mom's dog.

00:42:55.039 --> 00:43:00.800
He's like a little Great Pyrenees Labrador mix, just the cutest little pup.

00:43:01.039 --> 00:43:01.360
Yeah.

00:43:01.599 --> 00:43:05.119
And so he, Tamara was like, Well, I'll take the dog, it's fine.

00:43:05.360 --> 00:43:07.280
And this dog wanted to run.

00:43:07.840 --> 00:43:23.679
And which is funny because like he's not really a runner, but I had been running him a little bit prior, so maybe I don't know, but he wanted to go, and so he was running this 5k, which was kind of crazy because again, he's not a runner, he's a big dog, like running hurts him.

00:43:23.920 --> 00:43:33.519
And uh Tamara was like having to hold on to him and run, and so she got a run in, which felt kind of like a mom moment, like you've got y'all are gonna run this race.

00:43:33.840 --> 00:43:43.920
And then my friend Jackson was late to the race and uh was like he he parked and he wanted to catch up.

00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:52.000
So me and Adam are like walking together, and I just hear boom, boom, boom, like behind me, and uh Adam's like, someone's getting after it.

00:43:52.079 --> 00:43:55.679
And we look behind it, it's Jackson who like isn't athletic at all.

00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:59.760
Sorry, Jackson, if you listen to this, and uh, but he was sprinting.

00:44:00.079 --> 00:44:00.719
And he stopped.

00:44:00.880 --> 00:44:02.239
He's like, hey guys.

00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:06.400
And he like run a mile at this point, probably at like a five-minute pace.

00:44:06.559 --> 00:44:06.719
Yeah.

00:44:06.960 --> 00:44:08.880
And was like, hey guys.

00:44:09.199 --> 00:44:11.039
Just no, sorry, I just know guy.

00:44:11.199 --> 00:44:13.199
And just totally out of breath.

00:44:13.519 --> 00:44:16.000
And like we were walking, and me and Adam were like, it's cold.

00:44:16.079 --> 00:44:16.960
And he's like, I'm not cold.

00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:18.960
I just ran a mile as hard as I can.

00:44:19.760 --> 00:44:24.079
And uh, so you got it, mom got us running some way, somehow, that day.

00:44:24.159 --> 00:44:25.519
So that was beautiful.

00:44:25.679 --> 00:44:26.559
It was a beautiful day.

00:44:26.719 --> 00:44:28.559
Okay, now you can talk about the awesome marathon.

00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:32.880
Yeah, I just didn't want to skip over that because I thought that was such a another kind of beautiful moment.

00:44:32.960 --> 00:44:33.119
Yeah.

00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:34.960
Running brought us all together.

00:44:35.280 --> 00:44:43.599
Yeah, well, if you remember, I had some bad runs um between January 13th.

00:44:43.840 --> 00:44:50.159
I guess no, because I I guess I didn't have a whole lot of time, but I had some bad runs leading up to the race that you had to come rescue me on.

00:44:50.719 --> 00:44:55.679
Some and uh I was not feeling good before the race.

00:44:56.159 --> 00:45:05.039
Um like I wasn't feeling good in the months leading up to it because I was like, man, my fitness feels like it's been lost, and I was like, I don't know if I'm gonna do this.

00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:12.960
But the week of the race, I was just kinda I kind of came to came to Jesus moment and I just was like, you know what?

00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:14.320
I don't even really care about the time.

00:45:14.400 --> 00:45:20.239
Like I do have an A goal of three 340 in mind, but I was like, I don't really care.

00:45:20.559 --> 00:45:26.239
I was like, I just want to feel like because every time I tow the starting line of a marathon, I kind of feel like mom has been with me.

00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:29.920
And so I was like, I'm just gonna run run more one more race with mom.

00:45:30.159 --> 00:45:37.840
And I'm gonna enjoy the streets of Austin with her and um feel her on my shoulder, feel her right beside me talking to me.

00:45:38.000 --> 00:46:14.880
So I like curated a playlist of songs that I remembered going back and you know as a kid that I liked, and then that she and I would listen to, and every time a song that would really come on that was like of her, it would felt feel like like I don't know if I'm part of the Austin Marathon course on Enfield Road, when you're coming up this like beast of a hill, there's a moment where the sun is like hitting the ground and it's like the sunrise is hitting the ground and it's like really sparkly and beautiful, and that kind of felt like a mom moment, even though I'd seen it before, but I don't know, like it kind of did.

00:46:15.360 --> 00:46:20.400
And the whole way out like there were moments that I'd feel her mo more and would like cry a little bit.

00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:25.360
And uh yeah, definitely ran that race with mom and for mom.

00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:29.840
And I finished in 352 30, so uh like two minutes off my PR.

00:46:29.920 --> 00:46:41.199
My PR is 350-12, and uh it was you know very, very emotional, um, all the way up until the moment where I puked my guts out right at the end of the race.

00:46:41.360 --> 00:46:46.400
Um and uh don't take course hydration that you're not uh familiar with.

00:46:46.639 --> 00:46:48.960
So that's my on a hot day.

00:46:49.039 --> 00:46:50.320
Um that's my advice to that.

00:46:50.559 --> 00:46:51.119
Oh my gosh.

00:46:51.199 --> 00:46:54.639
Yeah, he finished the race and immediately like lost his chunks, yeah.

00:46:54.800 --> 00:47:04.159
Um, but was also like too tired to not like to even be, I think, aware of the fact that he was throwing up and then about to like lay in it.

00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:07.119
And I'm like holding him back by his collar.

00:47:07.280 --> 00:47:11.119
We had three different people come up to us and they were like, Do you need emergency like care?

00:47:11.199 --> 00:47:14.320
And I'm like, no, he just ran a marathon, like he'll be fine, we're okay.

00:47:14.639 --> 00:47:22.880
And I couldn't get off of the ground because when I threw up, my abs um like cramped up and it was like I couldn't pick my body up.

00:47:23.119 --> 00:47:28.079
And I think I like whispered to you, like like looked up and I was like, I'm in so much pain.

00:47:29.920 --> 00:47:37.280
And uh we f I finally was like, it's okay, I just need you to not lay in your vomit because people think you're really sick if you do.

00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:39.039
And so finally I stood up.

00:47:39.199 --> 00:47:40.800
I think after that moment I stood up.

00:47:40.960 --> 00:47:41.360
Yeah.

00:47:41.519 --> 00:47:46.159
And we walked back to the hotel, because thankfully we got a hotel right on the start line.

00:47:46.320 --> 00:47:46.719
Yeah.

00:47:47.039 --> 00:47:53.280
And um uh then I threw up again when I got to the hotel and like was had chills.

00:47:53.360 --> 00:47:57.440
So I probably had a little bit of like heat exhaustion, but you know, we get through it.

00:47:57.599 --> 00:48:02.719
So um yeah, that was a rough day, but uh it was a very beautiful day.

00:48:02.960 --> 00:48:04.719
Um so yeah.

00:48:05.519 --> 00:48:12.320
Um if you could take your mom with you for one more race, what race would you want to take her on?

00:48:12.800 --> 00:48:17.039
Well, like I said, I I feel like she's uh with me in every race.

00:48:17.519 --> 00:48:28.239
But that's a good question because I think that every race from here on out will definitely be with mom.

00:48:29.760 --> 00:48:34.239
Like actually, like I ran the Deseret News Marathon, and I actually this was weird.

00:48:34.480 --> 00:48:39.920
Actually, I did feel her uh when she was with me at the Deseret News Marathon.

00:48:40.159 --> 00:48:54.480
Um like mile 13, I did kind of feel like she was with me and uh started crying, even though she was still alive at that moment, alive and well, like this was in July of 2025, so she didn't have any like she wasn't um having headaches or anything.

00:48:54.719 --> 00:48:57.519
And she was like texting me during the race, so she was fine.

00:48:57.840 --> 00:49:03.280
But um we um what's your watch doing?

00:49:03.679 --> 00:49:04.880
Sorry, just ignore it.

00:49:05.039 --> 00:49:12.480
I think um this is my first time being on a podcast, and I think it's picking up on um maybe some anxiety fever happening.

00:49:12.800 --> 00:49:19.679
So I keep getting like all of the like anxiety um warnings or like stop what you're doing and take a deep breath.

00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:22.400
Please, like don't let your heart die.

00:49:23.119 --> 00:49:24.320
But I'll just take it off.

00:49:24.400 --> 00:49:25.280
It's over there now.

00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:25.920
Okay, sorry.

00:49:26.079 --> 00:49:28.159
Sorry, but that was funny.

00:49:28.480 --> 00:49:34.800
But anyways, so going forward, I feel like she will be with me on a lot of races.

00:49:35.920 --> 00:49:43.280
So I would like to do a little bit more destination races in some places where she hasn't been before and would like to go.

00:49:43.519 --> 00:49:50.800
Um I'd love to do one in Georgia because she wanted to run the uh Appalachian Trail.

00:49:50.960 --> 00:49:52.079
I'm not gonna do a trail run.

00:49:52.800 --> 00:49:55.440
So I that's what he says now.

00:49:55.599 --> 00:50:01.280
Um I would like to do something in that area because and then I think I would like to run.

00:50:01.599 --> 00:50:02.400
He'll do a trail run.

00:50:02.559 --> 00:50:03.599
No, I won't do a trail run.

00:50:04.079 --> 00:50:05.760
Um maybe I will, I don't know.

00:50:05.840 --> 00:50:06.639
We'll see.

00:50:07.119 --> 00:50:11.679
Um I feel like I want to run the San Francisco marathon.

00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:14.079
Um and with that one's hilly.

00:50:14.320 --> 00:50:21.199
It was hilly, but it's beautiful in that like I think you get this I don't know if you go over the Golden Gate Bridge, but you like see it.

00:50:21.360 --> 00:50:24.800
And I feel like that'd be something that would be like, Mom, look at this, you know what I mean?

00:50:24.880 --> 00:50:26.559
And she would love that.

00:50:27.280 --> 00:50:30.639
Um I'd love to do Boston.

00:50:30.960 --> 00:50:34.400
I mean, that's always been my goal, but I feel like it matters a little more now.

00:50:34.639 --> 00:50:40.480
Uh I'm a 350 marathoner, which is like an hour away from the time I need to hit.

00:50:41.440 --> 00:50:42.559
So I got a minute.

00:50:42.639 --> 00:50:46.079
And but like given that you've dropped three hours off of your first.

00:50:46.639 --> 00:50:49.440
Okay, but like I didn't feel at all my first marathon.

00:50:49.519 --> 00:51:02.159
So that's I say my first real marathon is like the 425 that I did in um uh in marathon to marathon in West Texas.

00:51:02.400 --> 00:51:02.639
Yeah.

00:51:02.880 --> 00:51:05.840
Um so but I have dropped what is that?

00:51:06.960 --> 00:51:11.920
15, 05, 55, 50, so 35 minutes.

00:51:12.320 --> 00:51:16.159
And I feel like you're also like just really coming into your form for speed.

00:51:16.400 --> 00:51:17.280
Yeah, for sure.

00:51:17.519 --> 00:51:19.679
Especially in this build for the sub-25 case.

00:51:19.920 --> 00:51:23.039
Yeah, it's been a really good build, uh, coach, if you're listening to this.

00:51:23.280 --> 00:51:32.320
Um I I was hurting for for everything, this last uh ladder workout that she had me do on Wednesday.

00:51:32.480 --> 00:51:34.559
Uh or yeah, Wednesday.

00:51:34.800 --> 00:51:39.760
Um, and then she has me doing 12 minutes at 6 30 pace this coming weekend.

00:51:39.840 --> 00:51:41.280
But it it's really hard.

00:51:41.440 --> 00:51:44.960
Um but it does really work that top end speed.

00:51:45.920 --> 00:52:02.079
So I'm very curious as to what a marathon will look like after this because I think I'm gonna be building some speed, and I think I actually built a lot of speed because I did we did the 5k trading right after Deseret.

00:52:02.559 --> 00:52:10.400
Um and um I did 353 or 352 and a half in Austin.

00:52:10.960 --> 00:52:17.440
And Austin, if you do a 352 in Austin, I feel like you're probably running like a 340 something on a normal course.

00:52:17.599 --> 00:52:19.840
So like Yeah, it's a it's a tougher course.

00:52:19.920 --> 00:52:20.559
Yeah, sure.

00:52:20.800 --> 00:52:26.480
So I I mean, yeah, I think 330 is not out of the question uh at an upcoming race.

00:52:26.639 --> 00:52:27.119
So we'll see.

00:52:27.199 --> 00:52:32.400
That's like in the sevens, but you can do high sevens, I feel like I could do for 26 miles.

00:52:32.559 --> 00:52:33.920
Yeah, I believe in you.

00:52:34.239 --> 00:52:52.079
Um I'm gonna switch gears just a little bit from talking about your mom um to talk just a little bit about us, because I would say that like we met around about the time that you were just starting to get like serious again about distance running.

00:52:52.239 --> 00:52:57.920
Yeah, you had run a few half marathons before we met, some of the ones that you described running with your mom.

00:52:58.239 --> 00:53:05.920
Um, you ran some half marathons with friends, um, with Victor, and then with um a female friend.

00:53:06.239 --> 00:53:07.440
Yeah, my friend Kelsey.

00:53:07.599 --> 00:53:08.079
Mm-hmm.

00:53:08.559 --> 00:53:16.960
Um, and famously, the first night that Sam met me, um, he asked me, you know, about my like running credentials.

00:53:17.039 --> 00:53:19.679
And I was like, oh yeah, I can run like three miles.

00:53:19.840 --> 00:53:20.159
Sure.

00:53:20.320 --> 00:53:22.400
And he was like, you can run three miles.

00:53:22.559 --> 00:53:25.119
I bet you could run a half marathon.

00:53:25.280 --> 00:53:30.400
And like I had never even thought about that as being a possibility for me.

00:53:30.480 --> 00:53:42.159
So I was like really um feeling complimented that this like cute guy was like believing in my unathletic potential enough to think that I could run a half marathon.

00:53:42.400 --> 00:53:49.039
And then he kind of like soft pitches this idea of like, you know, I could get you to like be able to run a half marathon.

00:53:49.119 --> 00:53:51.599
Why don't we like train for a half marathon together?

00:53:51.840 --> 00:54:02.639
And I think like my prayer and my hope and finding like a partner was always to find like an adventure buddy, like someone who really wanted to like go out and do things together.

00:54:02.960 --> 00:54:14.320
Um, and so that really appealed to me, this idea of like, okay, yeah, let's like just jump into getting to know each other through this like super intense and um committed activity.

00:54:14.639 --> 00:54:18.800
Um, and so we started training for that first half marathon.

00:54:19.280 --> 00:54:28.880
And um, I am interested in just kind of knowing what some of the highlights were of that training program that we did together, that marathon that we did.

00:54:28.960 --> 00:54:31.360
Um sorry, not marathon, half marathon.

00:54:31.679 --> 00:54:34.480
You'll do one someday at the cowdown.

00:54:34.719 --> 00:54:38.159
Um and um we can start there.

00:54:38.239 --> 00:54:38.559
Yeah.

00:54:38.800 --> 00:54:39.119
Okay.

00:54:39.360 --> 00:54:41.280
Um, you'll do a full someday.

00:54:41.440 --> 00:54:42.880
Um I don't know.

00:54:43.119 --> 00:54:43.679
She will.

00:54:43.920 --> 00:54:48.239
Um but starting the half marathon.

00:54:48.480 --> 00:54:56.559
Okay, so uh I think one of our first half marathons was our first training runs in the half marathon built was a night run.

00:54:57.199 --> 00:55:02.960
And we ran through actually our neighborhood where we live now, but it wasn't really built out yet, which was pretty funny.

00:55:03.119 --> 00:55:13.280
Um and then there was like a full moon that night, and so there we there's this like pretty photo of us like taking a selfie with the full moon behind us, and I think that's super cool.

00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:17.199
Um, there was one long run we did up on Crab Apple.

00:55:17.280 --> 00:55:24.719
Um I think we did a couple, but I remember going up Crab Apple together, and like that was a really pretty moment and beautiful experience.

00:55:24.960 --> 00:55:33.440
And even our that one that we got lost, or like not lost, but got um that we finished too early on was a pretty run um through game and lane.

00:55:34.000 --> 00:55:35.679
Uh never run on game and lane.

00:55:35.920 --> 00:55:36.239
Mm-mm.

00:55:36.480 --> 00:55:39.119
Yeah, no, that's another story for another day, perhaps.

00:55:39.440 --> 00:55:46.719
But um we have learned the hard way that there are some dangerous areas uh to run in Texas.

00:55:47.039 --> 00:55:47.840
Yeah, they are.

00:55:48.000 --> 00:55:49.599
So don't run on game in lane.

00:55:49.679 --> 00:55:53.280
But um beautiful run, uh, beautiful runs.

00:55:53.519 --> 00:56:00.719
Um fun to it was fun to see you like learn how to run and learn what you could were capable of.

00:56:01.039 --> 00:56:10.400
Um I feel like now if we actually got you like fueled well, you could probably run it like because we ran that in like two hours and 40 something minutes.

00:56:10.480 --> 00:56:11.920
Uh no, it was like way less than that.

00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:13.280
It was like closer to 220 something.

00:56:13.519 --> 00:56:15.599
The block said 240 on the on the photo.

00:56:15.679 --> 00:56:15.840
Yeah.

00:56:16.159 --> 00:56:18.079
I thought it was closer to like 220 something.

00:56:18.320 --> 00:56:18.960
It may have been.

00:56:19.039 --> 00:56:20.320
It may have just been a heat thing.

00:56:20.400 --> 00:56:21.760
It may have been 220 for us.

00:56:21.920 --> 00:56:22.239
Yeah.

00:56:22.480 --> 00:56:25.519
But anyway, you could run that way faster than that.

00:56:25.679 --> 00:56:26.000
Mm-hmm.

00:56:26.159 --> 00:56:26.480
At this point.

00:56:26.800 --> 00:56:27.840
No, I think so too.

00:56:28.000 --> 00:56:38.960
I mean, kind of the funny story about this half marathon that we ran together was that we did commit in this dating process to um doing the whole training schedule together.

00:56:39.119 --> 00:56:41.280
And I'm and yeah, and we did.

00:56:41.440 --> 00:56:44.079
And I'm an extremely social person.

00:56:44.559 --> 00:56:55.760
Um, and so I really loved training together because it was an excuse just to be together and do something that was um, you know, just another way of spending quality time together.

00:56:56.000 --> 00:56:59.280
Um, and I just thought that that's what running was going to be together.

00:56:59.360 --> 00:57:09.840
We would always just kind of be running the same pace and um, you know, enjoying the moon or the scenery together and having like all these like beautiful moments.

00:57:10.400 --> 00:57:19.360
Um, and about a week out from our race, again, we've trained every single one of our training runs together up to this point.

00:57:19.599 --> 00:57:26.800
A week before the race, Sam drops a bomb on me that my pace is not his pace.

00:57:26.960 --> 00:57:30.079
Um, and says, Well, you're not gonna care, right?

00:57:30.320 --> 00:57:34.400
When I run my race for the half marathon.

00:57:34.559 --> 00:57:36.480
And I was like, run your race.

00:57:36.639 --> 00:57:38.719
Like, what do you mean, run your race?

00:57:38.960 --> 00:57:45.519
And he's like, Well, you know, like I just kind of want to try to like break my last PR and like you can't run that fast.

00:57:45.840 --> 00:57:47.840
So you're not like gonna mind, right?

00:57:48.000 --> 00:57:49.119
When I like run my race.

00:57:49.199 --> 00:57:52.320
Like you'll you'll think I said you can't run that fast.

00:57:52.559 --> 00:57:53.679
It was implied.

00:57:55.599 --> 00:58:00.079
And so um, I was pretty like conflict avoidant at that point in our relationship.

00:58:00.239 --> 00:58:01.599
I didn't really know how to do that well.

00:58:01.760 --> 00:58:08.159
So um I feel like I wasn't able to like vocalize to Sam exactly how crushing this idea was to me.

00:58:08.320 --> 00:58:08.480
Yeah.

00:58:08.800 --> 00:58:13.599
But um at the same time, I was like, well, I guess this is just what we're gonna do.

00:58:13.760 --> 00:58:16.800
So like maybe this is just what I've been building towards.

00:58:16.880 --> 00:58:30.719
There were a lot of things that I think I was really processing and overcoming from like my early life, some letdowns that I had been through, that I was still very much carrying close to my heart.

00:58:30.800 --> 00:58:36.639
And kind of going back to that Renee Brown quote again, I feel like they were all reaching out to be healed during this time.

00:58:36.800 --> 00:58:43.039
So I was like, well, maybe this run is gonna just be a healing moment for those um particular wounds.

00:58:43.119 --> 00:58:47.039
And this is something that I just need to go through by myself.

00:58:47.199 --> 00:58:49.519
Um, and so I had adjusted to that idea.

00:58:49.599 --> 00:58:54.960
I'd made my playlist and, you know, had my podcast lined up that I was gonna listen to for the duration.

00:58:55.119 --> 00:58:57.280
I get to running and I really am having a good time.

00:58:57.440 --> 00:59:02.559
The cow town, I think for anyone who's running like a first half marathon, good Texas, right?

00:59:02.880 --> 00:59:04.239
I highly recommend it.

00:59:04.400 --> 00:59:08.079
Um, I mean, a just the whole community gets out.

00:59:08.159 --> 00:59:10.079
They call it the worst parade ever.

00:59:10.400 --> 00:59:15.920
Um, and so like the whole community of Fort Worth like lines the streets almost the entire way.

00:59:16.079 --> 00:59:18.639
So you have people cheering you on.

00:59:18.880 --> 00:59:26.320
Um, there's almost like kind of a competitive nature to like the signs that people make to cheer on um the runners.

00:59:26.400 --> 00:59:30.320
There's a lot of interactive signs where they want you to like touch their sign or do something.

00:59:30.639 --> 00:59:32.559
There's a lot of those at every race, and I love that.

00:59:32.719 --> 00:59:33.199
I love it.

00:59:33.440 --> 00:59:40.400
Yeah, but I just think like they have like more per capita at this one than a lot of the other races that we've been to.

00:59:40.719 --> 00:59:49.199
My favorite part of that race, I think it's like the Marine Corps mile or something like that, mile nine when you go on the bridge and you have all the Marine Corps veterans lined up.

00:59:49.440 --> 00:59:53.679
It's all uphill, so it's like the hardest mile of um It is the right, yeah.

00:59:53.840 --> 00:59:56.239
Yeah, and so the Marine Corps there like cheering you on.

00:59:56.320 --> 01:00:02.800
Generally, there's people like at the top of the hill with cowbells, like ringing the cowbells, and you're like, we're gonna get to it.

01:00:03.039 --> 01:00:09.199
Um, and then they also the year that we did it, I don't know if they do it every year, but they have like a concert every mile.

01:00:09.440 --> 01:00:17.840
So like at the mile marker for every mile of the run, there's another performer like performing and singing, and music is something that like really matters to me.

01:00:18.079 --> 01:00:19.920
So that was really vibrant.

01:00:20.239 --> 01:00:27.199
When we ran this half marathon, it was also like a, I don't know, like just a couple of weeks before the COVID shutdown.

01:00:27.360 --> 01:00:27.519
Yeah.

01:00:27.679 --> 01:00:30.719
So they were joking about it and it wasn't funny for some people.

01:00:31.199 --> 01:00:31.519
No.

01:00:31.840 --> 01:00:41.360
But like it was still this like really poignant moment looking back on it of like how open that was and how much like the community had come together.

01:00:41.519 --> 01:00:47.920
And then to imagine like just a few weeks later how isolated everyone was from one another.

01:00:48.159 --> 01:00:52.320
Um, but anyway, so I'm like running the race, having a good time.

01:00:52.559 --> 01:00:55.199
It's around like maybe end of mile nine.

01:00:55.360 --> 01:00:58.639
So I've like gotten through that that hard uphill mile.

01:00:58.960 --> 01:01:03.840
And um, I get a call on my phone and it's Sam.

01:01:04.079 --> 01:01:14.880
And like in that moment, I'm like, that like he has finished the race, and he is calling to let me know that he is done.

01:01:14.960 --> 01:01:15.119
Yeah.

01:01:15.280 --> 01:01:19.599
And I still have like X amount of miles that I need to finish.

01:01:19.840 --> 01:01:22.639
Um, and so I didn't answer the phone.

01:01:22.800 --> 01:01:25.280
No, no, I was like mad at that point.

01:01:25.519 --> 01:01:27.360
Yeah, but that's not what happened.

01:01:27.519 --> 01:01:30.480
So um God smote me actually.

01:01:30.719 --> 01:01:38.480
Um so what happened was I was having a really good race and feeling myself.

01:01:38.559 --> 01:01:40.400
I was like, I'm gonna break two hours again.

01:01:40.480 --> 01:01:46.400
I might even go like 55, like I'm kicking this marathon, half marathon's butt.

01:01:49.199 --> 01:01:49.920
That's true.

01:01:50.719 --> 01:01:54.400
Um and so I'm like, let's go.

01:01:54.559 --> 01:02:00.880
So, but then I started feeling my knee injury, like a mile around mile nine, and I was like, Oh, my leg really hurts.

01:02:01.039 --> 01:02:08.880
I was like, I'm like hobbling this thing in, doing my freaking best, um, not doing well.

01:02:09.039 --> 01:02:12.880
And then at mile 11, I was like, I'm just gonna walk this in.

01:02:13.039 --> 01:02:18.960
And I was like, Well, I was like, I'll just stop here and I'll call Monica because she's probably not so far behind.

01:02:19.280 --> 01:02:35.760
So um, I called you and you were at mile nine and you didn't answer because you were like, This jerk is like calling me because he's finished, he's like, you know, and like he's just like trying to see where I'm at.

01:02:35.920 --> 01:02:38.079
And uh I was just like, well, where's Monica?

01:02:38.239 --> 01:02:42.000
And I was like, then I I was like, well, I'll just wait for her because she's not far behind.

01:02:42.159 --> 01:02:59.119
Um, and so then you came around the bend uh there, and uh you were like I was still confused because at this point I'm seeing him, and now I'm thinking not only has he finished, but he's walked back to very and I'm still not done.

01:02:59.280 --> 01:03:04.239
Yeah, so like I'm still a little salty for sure whenever I see you.

01:03:04.480 --> 01:03:06.159
And so I was like, let's go, let's go.

01:03:06.320 --> 01:03:07.519
I was like, let's finish this thing.

01:03:07.599 --> 01:03:08.480
And so we finish it.

01:03:08.639 --> 01:03:13.440
My we see a friend of mine at mile 11, and he like was like, You got it, go, go.

01:03:13.760 --> 01:03:22.320
So we run, and then Well, and the thing I was gonna add too is because of your knee hurting as much as it did, we did probably walk about a mile.

01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:25.760
Yeah, we and then we like ran the last bit in.

01:03:26.159 --> 01:03:41.679
But I would say a lesson I've learned as a runner over time is probably the worst thing you can do for your run, especially in a distance run, is walk because it just takes so much more energy to get back into your run again once you've fallen out of it.

01:03:42.159 --> 01:03:49.119
So that last mile was really brutal trying to get our legs to like even shuffle into a run.

01:03:49.440 --> 01:03:56.320
Um, so that said, uh well, and then like we did, we finished the race hand in hand, which was like really lovely.

01:03:56.559 --> 01:04:00.480
It was much closer to what I had imagined the run was gonna be.

01:04:00.800 --> 01:04:01.679
So you got your moment there.

01:04:02.000 --> 01:04:02.880
We both got our moment there.

01:04:03.039 --> 01:04:05.039
Yeah, we both got our moment there, which was really sweet.

01:04:05.440 --> 01:04:09.760
Um, but when we think about the time, yeah, I think the time could have been so much faster than that.

01:04:09.920 --> 01:04:16.639
If we knew it would be time, like, yeah, had we not stopped, had we um eat a four-course meal the morning before.

01:04:16.880 --> 01:04:17.360
Oh my gosh.

01:04:17.519 --> 01:04:22.480
Sam's mom is like all about fueling, and like we hardly ever fueled for runs.

01:04:22.639 --> 01:04:25.760
Like, I might eat like a half a banana or something before going on a run.

01:04:25.840 --> 01:04:26.800
That was my normal.

01:04:27.039 --> 01:04:36.320
And that morning, his mom was like, Here's a bowl of oatmeal, here's a bagel, and of like peanut butter toast, a cup of coffee with cream in it, like all this different stuff.

01:04:36.800 --> 01:04:37.199
You gotta eat.

01:04:37.599 --> 01:04:43.599
You guys, my gut has never been more rotten in my life than after I finished that ice.

01:04:43.679 --> 01:04:46.400
Like I thought that I was never gonna get out of the bathroom again.

01:04:46.559 --> 01:04:47.280
It was awful.

01:04:47.519 --> 01:04:56.159
Yeah, and so I rode home with my friend Patrick, who had showed up and watched us, and he ran rode home with mom, and you're like, Can we stop?

01:04:56.320 --> 01:04:57.440
And she was super understanding.

01:04:57.760 --> 01:05:00.480
I literally made her stop like four times on the way home.

01:05:00.639 --> 01:05:02.639
We had to stop at um roadside bathrooms.

01:05:02.800 --> 01:05:03.199
It was bad.

01:05:03.440 --> 01:05:04.800
And she was like, Yeah, we can stop.

01:05:04.880 --> 01:05:08.239
So she would stop and go to the bathroom.

01:05:08.400 --> 01:05:09.679
And yeah, that was rough.

01:05:09.920 --> 01:05:11.440
And then we had to drive home that same day.

01:05:11.599 --> 01:05:15.119
And we did, and then I like barely walked for the next week.

01:05:15.360 --> 01:05:16.480
It was, it was tough.

01:05:16.639 --> 01:05:17.119
Yeah.

01:05:17.360 --> 01:05:28.639
Um, well, during the time that I've known you since we trained for that run together to the train that you're currently in, your the training program you're currently in today.

01:05:29.199 --> 01:05:33.360
Um, I feel like you have grown a lot as a runner.

01:05:33.599 --> 01:05:40.159
Um, what are three areas that you could highlight or three lessons maybe that you've learned since then?

01:05:40.320 --> 01:05:40.639
Yeah.

01:05:40.800 --> 01:05:46.559
Um, that have helped you to improve um as a runner as a whole?

01:05:47.039 --> 01:05:50.239
So, first off, don't raw dog a marathon.

01:05:50.880 --> 01:05:59.199
Um, don't go into a marathon with no fuel uh and rely purely on course hydration because you will bonk.

01:05:59.519 --> 01:06:15.760
Um What I learned most is fueling is the difference between feeling good at mile twenty six and bonking at mile 17, uh which if you don't know the word bonk, some people don't, uh is just hitting the wall and it feels like a hangover in the middle of a race.

01:06:16.000 --> 01:06:24.639
Um, so fuel the rule of thumb is 90 grams of carbs per hour, but really it's whatever works for you.

01:06:24.880 --> 01:06:27.840
Um, so if it's more than that, great.

01:06:28.000 --> 01:06:30.079
If it's less than that, that's fine.

01:06:30.159 --> 01:06:36.639
But like you still do need to be taking in some sort of um nutrition uh during your races.

01:06:37.519 --> 01:06:48.880
Also um practice nutrition and fueling during your um during your training because it's gut training.

01:06:49.039 --> 01:06:58.639
And so when you find a gel and a hydrate and electrolyte that works for you, use that and use it the whole way.

01:06:58.719 --> 01:07:03.199
Don't say, well, I'm out, so I'll just use this goo or something.

01:07:03.360 --> 01:07:07.760
Whatever you don't use, don't use it because it's not gonna be beneficial for you.

01:07:08.079 --> 01:07:21.920
Yeah, I was gonna interject something about that because I feel like that was something that you have really improved on even in the last two years, where um often you would train pretty consistently with your fueling.

01:07:22.079 --> 01:07:36.880
Um, you would have like very consistent hydration tools, and then we would be in a rush, maybe, or you would be in a rush whenever you were packing and would forget those things, and then we'd get out to like remote parts of Texas where it's very difficult.

01:07:36.960 --> 01:07:40.880
I mean, like unless you're like purchasing something off of Amazon, you're just not gonna find it.

01:07:41.039 --> 01:07:41.440
Yeah.

01:07:41.599 --> 01:07:45.840
Um, and it would completely change your race the day of.

01:07:46.079 --> 01:07:52.079
I I went to uh well, I guess I marathon to marathon uh for my the second time around.

01:07:52.159 --> 01:07:57.119
I did a half because I got sick and I couldn't train, so I had to bump down to the half.

01:07:57.440 --> 01:08:05.840
Um and uh and I forgot my gel like like electrolytes, my gels.

01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:12.320
I brought my water pack, like my my vest that I run with, but um I forgot all of my nutrition.

01:08:12.639 --> 01:08:13.920
We were in bad shape that day.

01:08:14.000 --> 01:08:18.560
I was running the 5k and I literally forgot my shoes at the hotel.

01:08:18.880 --> 01:08:20.239
Although I had wear my slides.

01:08:20.479 --> 01:08:25.520
Yeah, I ended up having to drop Sam off for the and then go back to get my shoes.

01:08:25.760 --> 01:08:30.640
Yeah, so they bust me out to the half, and I'm three three miles in.

01:08:30.880 --> 01:08:35.760
Um, I'm not feeling great because I don't think I fueled well the day before either.

01:08:36.000 --> 01:08:48.079
Um, and that I took my first like gel that I had, and it was like not, I don't even remember what it was, but it wasn't a good gel and made my stomach hurt more.

01:08:48.399 --> 01:08:50.239
I just ran walked that thing.

01:08:50.399 --> 01:08:55.439
I think I got so my PR for the half right now is uh 138.38.

01:08:56.239 --> 01:09:01.199
Um and that was like a 157, and it was like I feel awful.

01:09:01.359 --> 01:09:06.960
And also I didn't bring my headphones that day, so I had to run with headphones that didn't work.

01:09:07.439 --> 01:09:19.760
Um because I bought some at like a local gas station, and like they kept one would play and then another would play, and then none of them would play, and then they go really loud, and be like, so finally I was like, screw this.

01:09:19.840 --> 01:09:23.359
So took them off, put them in my back, and I think I threw them away.

01:09:23.520 --> 01:09:27.199
But um as the kids were saying would say, they were chopped.

01:09:27.359 --> 01:09:28.159
They were chopped.

01:09:28.239 --> 01:09:29.840
Um, they were awful.

01:09:30.319 --> 01:09:33.439
Um, so yeah, remember your stuff.

01:09:33.680 --> 01:09:40.640
Um and as far as in training goes, do your like speed work, do speed work.

01:09:40.880 --> 01:09:44.960
Um, don't do just long like easy runs the whole way.

01:09:45.199 --> 01:09:50.720
Um that was one thing you introduced to me through Nike Run Club.

01:09:50.960 --> 01:09:59.600
And Nike Run Club is a very good place to start if you were trying to get into running and you want to train for a race.

01:10:00.000 --> 01:10:15.840
We're not sponsored by Nike Run Club in any kind of Nike, if you would love to sponsor a young athlete um in a cat, um then you know, I could always be down for a Nike sponsorship.

01:10:16.159 --> 01:10:27.199
But um anyways, yeah, they uh they're really good because Coach Bennett has like these programmed speed workouts that he'll talk to you in your ear.

01:10:27.359 --> 01:10:33.680
Another coach on the team will talk to you in your ear, and uh it gives you a lot of motivation and structure.

01:10:34.640 --> 01:10:40.000
But do your speed workouts, still run 80 to 90, 70 to 90 percent of the time.

01:10:40.079 --> 01:10:41.760
It depends on who you like who you are.

01:10:41.920 --> 01:10:49.439
If you're a brand new runner, it's probably closer to 90% of the time easy because you're just trying to get into it, but definitely incorporate speed.

01:10:50.560 --> 01:11:04.640
And then lastly, don't forget the easy run because, like I said, it needs to be the majority of your workouts, and it's really easy to get into, and I still do it from time to time where you're like, I don't understand why I'm running easy, it's not helping me at all.

01:11:04.880 --> 01:11:12.079
And I'll go run my easy run at like a 730 pace, and then I'm like too tired to run the entire rest of the week.

01:11:12.319 --> 01:11:21.760
I feel like that's such a I don't know, maybe reflection of like the manosphere kind of thinking where it's like you're not training if you're not killing yourself, yeah.

01:11:21.920 --> 01:11:28.079
Um, or like you're not training if you're not like working out at your absolute highest level the time.

01:11:28.479 --> 01:11:38.880
Well, I don't even know if it's the manosphere, because I don't really follow that kind of stuff, but like well, no, I'm just saying kind of like the effect of that on um running culture, yeah.

01:11:39.119 --> 01:11:46.479
Yeah, because I mean, like, even like a lot of women would do the same thing where they're you know running really fast and people just do it.

01:11:46.560 --> 01:11:49.039
The comparison, comparison is the thief of joy.

01:11:49.359 --> 01:12:00.239
And I think we compare ourselves to people we see online because like Jeff Cunningham talked about this in a podcast recently where it's like you know, what you see on Instagram isn't real.

01:12:00.399 --> 01:12:14.319
People like want to have the good hair and they want to like have the good outfit where they're not sweating and they want to like post their good workouts and everyone's posting their great workouts, but no, not everyone has good workouts all the time.

01:12:14.399 --> 01:12:15.760
And it's a rule of thirds, people.

01:12:15.840 --> 01:12:20.800
Like you're gonna, you're gonna have workouts in your training block that just don't go well.

01:12:21.039 --> 01:12:30.079
Well, and like I guess what I'm trying to say too is like an easy run that's supposed to be an easy run that you run easy, yeah, is a good run.

01:12:30.319 --> 01:12:30.880
It's a good run.

01:12:31.039 --> 01:12:33.039
You did the really well.

01:12:33.199 --> 01:12:33.439
Yeah.

01:12:33.600 --> 01:12:33.840
Yeah.

01:12:34.079 --> 01:12:40.640
Because one the the problem, you go out of an easy run and you go into a 730, you've changed the day.

01:12:40.800 --> 01:12:42.239
This is now a speed workout.

01:12:42.880 --> 01:12:48.399
And now you have a speed workout tomorrow, and you're like, I'm supposed to run 6'10 paces?

01:12:48.560 --> 01:12:49.039
Mm-hmm.

01:12:49.279 --> 01:12:50.960
I'm tired from yesterday.

01:12:51.840 --> 01:12:58.640
Um, so my coach is really good about letting me do what I do and meeting my own consequences.

01:12:58.880 --> 01:12:59.279
Yes.

01:12:59.600 --> 01:13:02.000
Um, and then I'm like, why did I feel poorly?

01:13:02.159 --> 01:13:04.000
And it's like, well, natural consequence.

01:13:04.239 --> 01:13:04.560
Yeah.

01:13:05.119 --> 01:13:07.439
You ran 730 in your easy run yesterday.

01:13:07.680 --> 01:13:10.159
I'm like, okay, so it makes sense.

01:13:10.399 --> 01:13:10.960
Yeah.

01:13:11.439 --> 01:13:14.880
Um, I have another question for you about us.

01:13:15.359 --> 01:13:20.319
Um, how has our partnership had an impact on your running?

01:13:20.640 --> 01:13:21.920
Uh very has it?

01:13:22.079 --> 01:13:22.960
Yes, it has.

01:13:23.199 --> 01:13:27.199
Um, very good, a very good way because you're the person.

01:13:27.279 --> 01:13:30.720
Well, like I said earlier, you're the person who got me to learn how to do speed workouts.

01:13:30.880 --> 01:13:35.520
And um I don't know if you're the person who told me to fuel.

01:13:35.680 --> 01:13:39.119
I think I learned that from Nike Run Club.

01:13:40.079 --> 01:13:46.159
But you did definitely help me to fuel on my race, on my long runs.

01:13:46.319 --> 01:13:53.279
Like you were the person who originally bought me a water pack that I didn't like, but I think I was the one who chose it, and then you bought it.

01:13:53.439 --> 01:13:55.119
So it was just a bad water pack.

01:13:55.680 --> 01:14:00.399
Um, so I was like, no, I'm not gonna run with this because it hurts it's hitting me in the back and I don't like it.

01:14:01.439 --> 01:14:10.079
Um and then you were like, well, let's set out gels and or not gels, but let's set out uh like hydration on the course.

01:14:10.399 --> 01:14:15.760
And uh then we did that for a while until don't run on gaming lane people.

01:14:15.920 --> 01:14:28.640
Um and then um uh then we switched to the water vest and we did some research on the water vest, and I found the one that works for me that I've been using for the last two years now and works really well.

01:14:28.800 --> 01:14:30.560
Um, so get a good water vest.

01:14:30.640 --> 01:14:35.840
I don't even know what the brand is, so I can't I think it's Solomon, but I don't know.

01:14:36.079 --> 01:14:50.640
It's a trail running vest for sure, but I would hands down recommend the vest um over like a belt because I feel like the belt pulls your pants down, and then like holding a water bottle is never fun because you feel like you're gonna drop it all the time.

01:14:50.880 --> 01:14:51.279
Right.

01:14:51.439 --> 01:15:03.439
Um, but yeah, you've been very helpful in that and uh and help helpful in like helping me like like the other day I was scared of my workout and I was like, I can't do that.

01:15:03.600 --> 01:15:06.079
I was like, this is gonna be a hard workout, I don't know that I can do that.

01:15:06.159 --> 01:15:18.720
And you're like, you are curious about the challenge um and ready to take on anything, and like you were like saying the like positive opposite, and I'm like, Well, you're annoying.

01:15:19.119 --> 01:15:23.279
I was like, but then I started- Why aren't you just letting me have my feelings?

01:15:23.359 --> 01:15:27.279
Yeah, and I was like, Because like your feelings aren't being a good coach to you, yeah.

01:15:27.600 --> 01:15:37.520
You know, like you need to turn your feelings into like an acknowledgement of the difficulty, but also like the positive coaching that you need to hear that's gonna help you to get through it.

01:15:37.680 --> 01:15:44.960
Yeah, you know, and so um after that, I think I still well during the conversation, I think I started saying better things, and then you're like, see?

01:15:45.279 --> 01:15:46.720
And I was like, okay, fine.

01:15:47.359 --> 01:15:51.840
And um, then the workout ended up, I ended up hitting all my paces and did just fine.

01:15:51.920 --> 01:16:01.840
So well, and in that particular conversation, you were saying, like, I am scared of the like train, the the training program that you had for that day.

01:16:02.000 --> 01:16:02.079
Yeah.

01:16:02.239 --> 01:16:08.640
You were saying, like, I don't know that I can run like X pace for you know, X amount of time.

01:16:08.800 --> 01:16:08.960
Yeah.

01:16:09.119 --> 01:16:20.159
Um, and so the spin that I was trying to give to that was like, you're excited to discover or to like unlock a new skill and a new pace for a new distance, you know.

01:16:20.399 --> 01:16:24.800
And then I think I started saying, I was like, well, it's not like I haven't run these these paces in the past.

01:16:24.960 --> 01:16:34.159
I mean, technically I've done because it actually it wasn't, it was the one last weekend when I had to do like 25 minutes at seven pace or something like that.

01:16:35.119 --> 01:16:40.319
Uh and I was like, Well, I guess I've technically held faster than that for like 21 minutes.

01:16:40.399 --> 01:16:41.680
So, like, what's another four more?

01:16:41.760 --> 01:16:43.680
And you're like, what's another four more?

01:16:43.760 --> 01:16:45.359
And I was like, Okay, you're right.

01:16:45.600 --> 01:16:49.520
So, and then I did really well, I held like 650-something pace for 25 minutes.

01:16:49.760 --> 01:16:49.920
Right.

01:16:50.079 --> 01:16:54.560
And we kind of talked about how like that's something I've had to learn to do too with CrossFit.

01:16:54.640 --> 01:16:54.720
Yeah.

01:16:54.880 --> 01:17:05.439
Um, since I started picking up CrossFit, there are days where like I'll read the um Wad for the day, uh, which is just basically the workout schedule, and I'll read what we're supposed to do.

01:17:05.520 --> 01:17:09.520
And I'm like, there is no way I'm gonna be able to do that workout schedule.

01:17:09.680 --> 01:17:10.239
That's just not possible.

01:17:10.399 --> 01:17:11.199
Yeah, it's just not possible.

01:17:11.279 --> 01:17:17.920
But then every single time I go, and it is possible, and I unlock new skills that um I didn't know that I could do before.

01:17:18.159 --> 01:17:25.279
But I've had to kind of start thinking in these micro chunks where it's like, okay, I'm gonna do this set four different times.

01:17:25.439 --> 01:17:34.000
And I love fours because fours um feel really doable because you get one set done, you're like, okay, I only have like three more of these to do.

01:17:34.159 --> 01:17:35.439
I can do three more of this.

01:17:35.600 --> 01:17:39.520
And then you do the next set and you're like, okay, I'm already halfway done with this thing.

01:17:39.680 --> 01:17:41.680
Surely I can do this two more times.

01:17:41.920 --> 01:17:42.159
Yeah.

01:17:42.399 --> 01:17:51.920
And then like you get to that final um stretch where you're like, okay, like I've I've done three quarters of this thing, like I can absolutely do this one more time.

01:17:52.159 --> 01:18:07.439
Um, so we've been talking a lot too about like how do we kind of like create micro micro chunks of runs and think in terms of like completion of those micro chunks instead of thinking of like the whole thing, you know, that you have in front of you.

01:18:07.680 --> 01:18:08.720
Yeah, and that's been good.

01:18:08.800 --> 01:18:22.640
I've been like better at piecemealing things, but also I've been feeling a lot like I've like ha felt like felt my mom's voice and like calling through these uh the speed workouts in this 5k build.

01:18:22.720 --> 01:18:30.239
And I just hear her saying, like, the only one who can stop you is you believe in yourself and you can do it, like you know, burn the matches, let's go, you know.

01:18:30.880 --> 01:18:36.560
Um, and then you know, me going through it and it's like you're not gonna die, just pick it up, you know.

01:18:36.640 --> 01:18:38.800
Like I just hear that, and you know, come on.

01:18:38.960 --> 01:18:41.600
And so uh I and then I've been finishing them.

01:18:41.840 --> 01:18:59.199
I think the only I've been there's been a couple that I've finished a little bit under pace, um, but it's not like one of the things that I've been really bad at in my training plan is pausing my watch to take a stop and rest and then get back into the which just makes my stats look good, but it doesn't actually do anything for me.

01:19:00.239 --> 01:19:08.399
Um, and I've had moments in this plan where I've wanted to pause the watch, and I'd be like, I'll be like, just pause it, just stop.

01:19:08.479 --> 01:19:11.439
And then I'm like, nope, like I hear it in the voice, like, nope, keep going.

01:19:11.600 --> 01:19:16.800
Like, and I'll keep so I've been I I haven't paused my watch, like, okay, actually that's wrong.

01:19:16.960 --> 01:19:24.720
After this last one, there was no rest built in from like my speed 400 into my recover mile.

01:19:25.199 --> 01:19:27.199
And so I did stop for like 23 seconds.

01:19:27.279 --> 01:19:29.600
I was like, just give me a minute after my 400.

01:19:29.840 --> 01:19:32.079
So, but I did the work, so that's good.

01:19:32.239 --> 01:19:33.119
Yeah, so that was good.

01:19:33.279 --> 01:19:33.920
Yeah.

01:19:35.039 --> 01:19:51.920
Um, as we're kind of talking about your running experiences and some of the things that you've learned, um, you've really notably shifted over the last like year to two years towards wanting to tell other people's stories and not just focus on your own builds.

01:19:52.399 --> 01:20:01.119
Um, so I'm curious um what brought you to wanting to start this podcast and why should we care about so many different runners' stories?

01:20:01.520 --> 01:20:02.800
Yeah, well, you did.

01:20:03.039 --> 01:20:08.319
Um so I had started a podcast, don't look it up.

01:20:08.479 --> 01:20:10.159
I found it on Spotify the other day.

01:20:10.239 --> 01:20:11.680
Apparently, it's still up there.

01:20:12.239 --> 01:20:14.079
The audio is so bad.

01:20:14.159 --> 01:20:14.720
Don't look it up.

01:20:14.880 --> 01:20:16.239
Not even gonna say the name of it.

01:20:16.479 --> 01:20:27.439
Um, but I did that a couple of years ago, and um it just didn't, like I said, didn't sound good, wasn't really going anywhere, and I was like, well, I'm not gonna do this.

01:20:28.000 --> 01:20:58.079
Um, but as these past two years have gone on, I have started kind of like getting better equipment um and getting um more tips and tricks, and um I did like a my marathon build um like documenting that on my YouTube channel last year, and then I've been documenting documenting my 5k build on my YouTube channel at this point, getting better equipment for that, and then I was like, well, I'd love to restart my podcast.

01:20:58.239 --> 01:21:02.000
I'm a journalist at heart, and um, so I did that.

01:21:02.079 --> 01:21:09.039
I started it back up in August on a new channel called Through Their Stride, which if you're listening, you know where you're where you're at.

01:21:09.279 --> 01:21:13.840
Um and uh so episode one did really, really well.

01:21:14.000 --> 01:21:19.600
Still my highest viewed episode with Caleb Dale, which is a local um runner here in town.

01:21:20.239 --> 01:21:30.159
And I had had a few like back to back to back each week, and then I kind of got um you know a little tired and like the numbers weren't taking off as much.

01:21:30.239 --> 01:21:36.640
Um, because at the end of the day, sometimes we can become numbers people and get really lost in that.

01:21:36.800 --> 01:21:53.920
And so I I stopped and then uh started, wanted to start again, and shout out to Christian Warwick, who um if you want to go look back a couple of episodes, he's the host of the Marathon podcast, and I interviewed him uh a couple of months ago, so good interview, so go listen to it.

01:21:54.079 --> 01:22:06.720
Um but he was very helpful in telling me what equipment to use, what recording apps to use, um, and helping me kind of get back on track.

01:22:06.960 --> 01:22:25.600
And I feel like it's been a really fun and good experience getting to interview a lot of professional athletes, um, sub-elite runners, influencers, but also like just people who are running because it makes them feel good, or they're running for a purpose, trying to raise money for people in need.

01:22:25.840 --> 01:22:29.840
Um just trying to discover things of themselves.

01:22:30.079 --> 01:22:51.920
Um, and that's been something selfishly for me to like bring to get tips of, but also like just fun to like um immortalize uh these stories, like put them in a place where people can find them at all times and they can be out there for the world to uh discover.

01:22:52.399 --> 01:23:01.359
Because like even if you are not a 220 marathoner, yeah, like your story matters.

01:23:01.520 --> 01:23:08.319
You're like you matter, you're capable, um, and you're like your story is important to hear.

01:23:08.960 --> 01:23:14.800
Um, and I think a lot of runners who are running, you're doing something that's a noteworthy.

01:23:15.279 --> 01:23:21.680
And whether you're running a marathon in five hours and 30 minutes or two hours and 30 minutes, you're running a marathon.

01:23:21.920 --> 01:23:23.520
Like it's a big deal.

01:23:24.239 --> 01:23:39.199
And so a lot of these runners t carry these great stories that nobody ever gets to hear because it's like you know, you're you're not Connor Mance or Rory Linkletter or Jess McLean.

01:23:39.439 --> 01:23:40.640
Shout out to all those runners.

01:23:40.960 --> 01:23:42.800
We'd love to interview you anytime.

01:23:43.439 --> 01:23:44.000
Yeah.

01:23:44.239 --> 01:23:49.600
Um, you know, but you are still like really cool, you know?

01:23:49.920 --> 01:23:52.800
And so it's just been cool to hear other people's cool stories.

01:23:52.960 --> 01:23:53.439
Mm-hmm.

01:23:54.000 --> 01:24:03.920
Um, as you've been interviewing people, we've kind of noticed that um a secondary and kind of unanticipated fruit of this is that you are creating a running community.

01:24:04.079 --> 01:24:12.079
Yeah um, even though you know you may not be running a regular run clip, though you've talked about maybe starting um in the future.

01:24:12.239 --> 01:24:21.520
Um, you still have this community of runners who've been on the podcast who cheer each other on if they are um, you know, pursuing new goals.

01:24:21.840 --> 01:24:26.319
Yeah, I think there was a guy that I interviewed um a couple of interviews back.

01:24:26.560 --> 01:24:37.279
Um, and uh after I got done interviewing him, a previous guest who lives in Austin and this this guy lived in Austin was like, We should get in some runs together.

01:24:37.520 --> 01:24:39.680
And I and he was like, Oh yeah, that'd be great.

01:24:39.760 --> 01:24:43.199
And I was like, I don't know if that actually happened, but I'm really hoping that it did.

01:24:44.479 --> 01:24:50.479
So um it's really cool to see that kind of stuff happen and people cheering each other on and liking other people's stories.

01:24:50.800 --> 01:24:58.880
Even like with the Austin marathon, like it seemed like there were a lot of people who had been on the cast who were kind of like checking in with each other, like, oh, are you running the Austin too?

01:24:59.119 --> 01:25:01.520
Like, what what are your goals for the Austin?

01:25:01.600 --> 01:25:04.159
Like, you know, maybe we should all meet up together, like in the corral.

01:25:04.319 --> 01:25:05.359
And I think you actually did meet up.

01:25:05.600 --> 01:25:06.880
I met one of the one, yeah, yeah.

01:25:07.199 --> 01:25:08.399
Carlos Sanchez.

01:25:08.560 --> 01:25:11.279
Um you should go back and listen to that episode.

01:25:11.439 --> 01:25:20.079
Um, Carlos and Mia Sanchez are going to be running uh the Boston Marathon together as a uh grandfather-granddaughter duo.

01:25:20.479 --> 01:25:25.039
Um, I will be sure to link that in the comments because Boston is like three weeks away.

01:25:25.600 --> 01:25:30.479
Um and so that was really cool to meet him to meet Carlos in the corral.

01:25:30.720 --> 01:25:35.279
He's lives in Round Rock, so it was like just he goes to the Austin Marathon all the time.

01:25:35.439 --> 01:25:35.680
Yeah.

01:25:36.000 --> 01:25:40.880
Um, and his wife is like a really good artist in that she makes really cool running shirts for them.

01:25:40.960 --> 01:25:42.479
And I'm like, that's really sweet.

01:25:42.640 --> 01:25:49.600
So um, yeah, it's been fun to uh there's been a lot of runners that I've been hoping to meet at races.

01:25:49.760 --> 01:25:58.720
Um, I was hoping to meet Brian Vote um at the Austin Marathon and Summer Jowers, um, and but I didn't get to meet or run into them.

01:25:59.199 --> 01:26:07.359
Um Brian was not there because he had been injured and gave his bib away, and then uh summer we just didn't meet up.

01:26:07.439 --> 01:26:18.399
But yeah, uh it's been cool to hear from like other runners and see what they're doing and like reshare their running uh results, and um yeah, it's been fun.

01:26:18.720 --> 01:26:29.520
As you're building this community and kind of watching it organically grow around you, do you have any hopes for what um kind of characteristics would define this community?

01:26:29.680 --> 01:26:41.840
What maybe um some common virtues isn't really the word that I'm looking for, but maybe some common characteristics um that would be held, or values maybe that would be held between the people that are in this community.

01:26:42.159 --> 01:26:48.880
Yeah, I think one of the main things is don't get so bogged down in a time.

01:26:49.680 --> 01:26:54.000
Remember that your time doesn't identify you as a human being.

01:26:54.159 --> 01:27:05.760
Um, you are a really cool person who runs, which is also really cool, but you are probably a really cool person outside of just hitting the pavement every day or hitting the trails every day.

01:27:06.319 --> 01:27:13.760
Um, you're a mother, you're a um, you know, you're really good at what you do at your work.

01:27:13.920 --> 01:27:17.600
You're a teacher who inspires and a coach who inspires kids.

01:27:17.760 --> 01:27:23.119
You are a person who inspires other people to come out and run and be better versions of themselves.

01:27:23.279 --> 01:27:30.319
Like you guys are all doing stuff outside of running and with your running that is really cool.

01:27:30.880 --> 01:27:37.359
So just remember that like you guys are all cool people and like you're lifting each other up and continue to lift each other up.

01:27:37.520 --> 01:27:44.479
Don't don't be hateful on social media and uh off social media, um, which none of you have that I've seen.

01:27:44.640 --> 01:27:59.760
So I'm just I'm not saying that you've done that, but like continue to be good people, continue to be um you know uplifters of other people, and uh yeah, let's just all um cheer on each other as we go toward our goals.

01:28:00.159 --> 01:28:01.439
Goals in our lives together.

01:28:02.560 --> 01:28:05.520
You mentioned teachers who inspire students.

01:28:05.680 --> 01:28:09.760
Another hat that Sam wears is that of Coach Sutton.

01:28:09.920 --> 01:28:16.479
He's been coaching some high school track students at the school that I work as a principal at.

01:28:17.520 --> 01:28:26.000
And I'm curious how that coaching experience has maybe impacted your training or maybe some of your thoughts around running.

01:28:26.399 --> 01:28:32.640
Well, it's impacted it a lot because I would say that I've learned more from the kids than they've learned from me.

01:28:43.039 --> 01:28:45.520
Yeah, I'm not going to say their names because y'all are minors.

01:28:45.600 --> 01:28:50.720
But um yeah, so uh that's been really great.

01:28:50.880 --> 01:28:58.640
Uh I think I've learned a lot about how to sprint um and be more efficient in my stride.

01:28:58.880 --> 01:29:10.960
Um and it's just been really wonderful to see these kids uh come into themselves and um do something that's more than just running.

01:29:11.199 --> 01:29:13.760
I think they are getting incrementally faster.

01:29:13.840 --> 01:29:29.600
I mean, they are because you can just look at their times from races, but like they're also becoming better people and they're becoming like better teammates and friends and uplifters of not just their own teammates, but people at other like meets as well.

01:29:30.800 --> 01:29:46.960
And that's just been really cool to um to see that and to know that like um that there's still good in the world and it's happening right in front of my eyes and like in front of each other's eyes of the kids.

01:29:47.279 --> 01:29:48.399
So that's been really fun.

01:29:48.479 --> 01:29:59.600
I think I've learned a lot about being um just being more humble uh and being more of a team player and less of a person who compares themselves to other people.

01:30:00.319 --> 01:30:15.600
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the most inspiring things to me whenever I go to watch um Sam's kids run is that um the athletic culture at um our school um is like you said, one of uplifting others.

01:30:15.760 --> 01:30:28.000
So um after the kids run, it's not uncommon to see them kind of hunt down everyone who was in um the race with them just to shake hands with them and compliment them on their run.

01:30:28.079 --> 01:30:31.199
Like even if they ran faster than them, if they ran slower than them.

01:30:31.359 --> 01:30:36.000
Yes, they just want to make that like human connection and like cheer that person on.

01:30:36.159 --> 01:30:36.319
Yeah.

01:30:36.479 --> 01:30:38.079
Um and it's so cool to see that.

01:30:38.159 --> 01:30:40.079
Like it's not just about winning for them.

01:30:40.239 --> 01:30:49.279
Yeah, it's like about participating in this like communal moment together, um, where everyone is like striving to be their best, which is really cool.

01:30:49.520 --> 01:30:58.720
It's like that one time when one of my kids um is a uh like he forgot his spikes one time and was like, I need spikes.

01:30:58.880 --> 01:31:04.399
And he had saw one of his kids that he used to run at a previous school with, and he was like, Hey, you can borrow mine.

01:31:04.479 --> 01:31:07.359
And so he like borrowed his spikes, and I was like, Oh, that's like really cool.

01:31:07.520 --> 01:31:13.039
Like, you know, so yeah, they're all running with them and not like against them.

01:31:13.199 --> 01:31:14.479
No one's against each other.

01:31:15.119 --> 01:31:18.000
So yeah, which has been really cool to be able to see.

01:31:18.159 --> 01:31:18.720
Yeah.

01:31:18.960 --> 01:31:21.600
Um, okay, we're gonna switch gears one last time.

01:31:21.760 --> 01:31:27.039
This is kind of the last topic that I wanted to touch on today, because I do think it's a really important one in your running experience.

01:31:27.119 --> 01:31:55.600
And it's one that we've touched on briefly, but haven't really talked about head on just yet, which is that um your particular running um experience and you growing as a runner has really been a big process of learning how to face athletic and sport-related anxiety, um, learning how to reframe some of the negative thoughts that you encounter um in your mind as you're approaching races and getting ready for certain parts of your training program.

01:31:56.079 --> 01:32:08.560
Um, what has it been like for you to kind of face some of these anxieties and um grow as a runner who still does struggle with anxiety from time to time?

01:32:10.640 --> 01:32:12.079
Uh yeah.

01:32:12.319 --> 01:32:16.640
So I think um, could you repeat the question just one more time?

01:32:16.720 --> 01:32:17.439
Just the question part?

01:32:17.760 --> 01:32:18.159
Yeah.

01:32:18.479 --> 01:32:20.079
Um I'll make it simpler to you.

01:32:20.399 --> 01:32:25.520
What has your experience with running um with athletic anxiety been like?

01:32:25.840 --> 01:32:26.159
Okay.

01:32:26.399 --> 01:32:44.319
Yeah, so um I definitely like, well, I just I think I have anxiety about a lot of things in life and as trying to be like trying to prove my worth, but also like getting into the um not the comparison game, but like the uh um what's it called?

01:32:44.479 --> 01:32:45.680
Like imposter syndrome.

01:32:45.840 --> 01:32:46.159
Yeah.

01:32:46.720 --> 01:32:52.479
Um and can show up sometimes feeling like, well, I'm not as fast as get as that guy.

01:32:53.119 --> 01:32:55.760
Uh or I'm not as fast as whatever.

01:32:56.399 --> 01:33:01.119
And um, you know, and it happens sometimes at work too.

01:33:01.199 --> 01:33:07.039
Like, oh, I'm not as good of a writer as my coworker, or I'm never gonna please my executives.

01:33:07.199 --> 01:33:17.439
Um, and I'm like, you know, I I can become a little bit like jaded, and um, but I think it's always good to know that that doesn't really matter.

01:33:17.520 --> 01:33:25.680
Like the other day I was running uh before one of my speed workouts, and I started I started thinking like, well, no, I'll never be as fast as like people.

01:33:25.840 --> 01:33:26.880
What are I even doing?

01:33:27.039 --> 01:33:27.840
You know what I mean?

01:33:27.920 --> 01:33:30.159
Like, what am I why am I even doing this?

01:33:30.239 --> 01:33:34.159
And then I I kind of snapped out of it and I was like, yeah, but you know what?

01:33:34.239 --> 01:33:35.520
You're a really cool person.

01:33:36.239 --> 01:33:42.720
Like, and you're doing this for you, and you are doing something incredible.

01:33:43.439 --> 01:33:45.920
Cotterman's is doing something incredible.

01:33:46.079 --> 01:33:56.720
You are doing something incredible, and there's no more you know what I mean, like there's not more incredible, it's just incredible in their own ways.

01:33:56.880 --> 01:34:11.039
Yes, um, so keep doing incredible things, and like you're gonna fail because you're just a human being who fails because everyone, every human being fails, and you're also gonna be successful, and like you're gonna be successful more than you're gonna fail.

01:34:11.760 --> 01:34:19.520
Um and having that mindset in everything you do, running and life and everything.

01:34:19.760 --> 01:34:25.279
If you can just remember that like most of the things that you do is successful.

01:34:25.520 --> 01:34:28.880
Like the other day, you play golf, you were practicing golf with your coach.

01:34:29.039 --> 01:34:40.000
She's she took up has been taking golf lessons, and the golf coach said, you know, you act like ever whenever you hit a good shot, like it's such a big celebration.

01:34:40.239 --> 01:34:43.039
Yes, yeah, but most of your shots are good.

01:34:43.520 --> 01:34:48.800
So like Yeah, he was trying to get me to um stop watching the ball.

01:34:49.119 --> 01:35:00.800
Because like essentially, anytime like I hit the ball, instead of following all the way through on my shot and then like ending with my um gosh, what do you call it?

01:35:01.199 --> 01:35:03.680
My um your thing you holds.

01:35:03.840 --> 01:35:04.239
The club.

01:35:04.479 --> 01:35:05.520
The club, sorry.

01:35:05.840 --> 01:35:11.920
Ending with your club like all the way over your other shoulder and your like chin on your um opposing shoulder.

01:35:12.159 --> 01:35:30.880
Um, I'll kind of like stop when I hit the ball um and have like a little bit of a pause before going all the way through because it's like I'm almost like checking to make sure, like, is the ball actually gonna go in the direction that I want it to, where like I'm surprised that it's actually like going up in the air um in the way that I would want it.

01:35:31.119 --> 01:35:31.600
Yeah.

01:35:31.840 --> 01:35:32.239
Yeah.

01:35:32.479 --> 01:35:35.199
And uh, you know, you're getting a lot better at that.

01:35:35.359 --> 01:35:40.640
And it's knowing that you're like most of your shots, you are doing the right thing.

01:35:41.199 --> 01:35:53.520
And it's like same in running, like it's the rule of thirds, like you are gonna have a bad workout every third workout or something, you know, along those lines, and you're just gonna learn from it.

01:35:53.600 --> 01:36:00.399
And you should learn from your mistakes instead of saying that you're a failure, because you're only a failure when you accept failure.

01:36:01.279 --> 01:36:12.159
Um, but if you don't accept failure and you take every like bad day as a lesson to learn, then you'll never stop learning a day in your life.

01:36:12.399 --> 01:36:14.880
And you're gonna become an even more successful person.

01:36:15.199 --> 01:36:22.880
And as you go on, you're always gonna be learning and learning new things and being a better version of yourself than you were the day before.

01:36:23.119 --> 01:36:29.359
Um always just take everything in like as a learning experience.

01:36:29.600 --> 01:36:30.800
Don't take it in stride.

01:36:30.880 --> 01:36:34.239
I always hate that's a cliche that take it in stride, take it on the chin.

01:36:34.399 --> 01:36:36.800
If you always take things on the chin, you're gonna have a broken chin.

01:36:37.359 --> 01:36:40.319
Um so like learn from it.

01:36:40.479 --> 01:36:46.239
Realize you did probably make mistakes in in your bad days and do better next time.

01:36:46.880 --> 01:36:57.600
So instead of letting those like bad days define your next experience or expecting the next experience has to be bad just because the last one was don't just say, Well, that was a bad day, move on.

01:36:57.680 --> 01:37:15.279
Don't do that because you're not gonna learn anything, you're just gonna forget it and you know, you can be a goldfish in some regards where you're you learn it and be and be like, don't take the bad day into your next and then think you're a failure, but also don't just forget about it completely because you you should learn things.

01:37:15.520 --> 01:37:15.680
Right.

01:37:15.760 --> 01:37:27.039
Yeah, it's like getting to a place, and I think that we've started doing this more and more with your races, where it's like, hey, like, so you didn't quite make the PR that you wanted to.

01:37:27.199 --> 01:37:40.479
Like instead of like concentrating on every single thing that went wrong and then letting that be something that like keeps you from getting up and like getting into your next training program, it's like, hey, let's think of like what are the two to three things that you would change for next time.

01:37:40.640 --> 01:37:41.600
Yeah, you know, yeah.

01:37:41.920 --> 01:37:45.680
And then like let's carry those into the next training program.

01:37:45.920 --> 01:37:46.159
Yeah.

01:37:46.319 --> 01:38:01.279
Um, but we're not gonna carry like the weight of this whole thing as being like a failure because it wasn't you got out there, you ran, you you know, did really hard work, you maybe got close to the PR that you were hoping to um top.

01:38:01.439 --> 01:38:07.600
Um, but now we have some lessons that we can actually apply into the next um training schedule.

01:38:07.920 --> 01:38:08.479
Well, cool.

01:38:08.640 --> 01:38:12.720
Okay, the last thing that I wanted to do was kind of a mental um activity.

01:38:12.960 --> 01:38:13.680
This has been fun.

01:38:13.920 --> 01:38:14.800
This has been really fun.

01:38:14.960 --> 01:38:15.119
Yeah.

01:38:15.520 --> 01:38:24.640
Around um, again, kind of reframing some of the anxiety that you experience and that maybe other runners experience as well.

01:38:24.800 --> 01:38:30.479
Um, because I think like we were talking about that conversation that we had even last weekend where you were, no.

01:38:33.119 --> 01:38:33.439
No.

01:38:33.840 --> 01:38:34.399
Anyways.

01:38:35.520 --> 01:38:35.760
Yeah.

01:38:35.840 --> 01:38:56.640
So we were like talking about um him kind of saying, like, hey, I'm I'm scared of this, or like really carrying a weight about moving into the next part of his training program, and me trying to do more of a positive reframe, not to like negate the feelings he was having, but more just to present a positive possibility.

01:38:57.279 --> 01:39:05.680
Um, and so my idea for this activity is I'm gonna read to you um a negative thing that might go off in someone's mind.

01:39:05.920 --> 01:39:07.920
Okay, pre-run or during a run.

01:39:08.079 --> 01:39:08.319
Okay.

01:39:08.560 --> 01:39:14.079
And then um my challenge to you is to give a possible reframe another way to think about it.

01:39:14.319 --> 01:39:14.560
Okay.

01:39:14.640 --> 01:39:14.800
Okay.

01:39:16.560 --> 01:39:19.760
So um here's one um from last week.

01:39:19.920 --> 01:39:23.520
So tomorrow's run feels scary.

01:39:24.560 --> 01:39:26.159
Well, it's just like what you said.

01:39:26.319 --> 01:39:30.880
You are excited for a new challenge and potential things that you can unlock.

01:39:31.199 --> 01:39:31.680
I love that.

01:39:31.760 --> 01:39:36.479
I'm excited for a new challenge and for the potential skill I'm gonna unlock.

01:39:36.720 --> 01:39:37.359
Great.

01:39:37.680 --> 01:39:39.039
Um, next.

01:39:39.680 --> 01:39:43.199
I don't know if I can do these intervals.

01:39:44.319 --> 01:39:51.600
You are curious if you can become a better running version of yourself.

01:39:52.399 --> 01:39:57.359
Okay, I'm curious if I can become a better running version of myself tomorrow.

01:39:57.520 --> 01:39:58.239
Love that.

01:39:58.479 --> 01:40:05.680
Um, okay, this one's kind of like a mid-race um thought that um I've heard before from you and from other runners.

01:40:05.840 --> 01:40:21.039
Um, maybe something happened along the way and you found yourself in this moment where you still have several miles to go to the finish, um, but you're starting to feel like because of whatever happened, you're probably not gonna make that PR.

01:40:21.279 --> 01:40:28.239
So the thought is I've probably already blown my PR, so it doesn't matter if I slowed down for a while.

01:40:31.039 --> 01:40:41.359
How close can I get to my last PR, even though something went wrong?

01:40:41.600 --> 01:40:49.039
And also, how can I better respond to the situation in front of me?

01:40:50.319 --> 01:40:58.560
If I can elaborate, there's always going to be better be things that happen to you in races and in life that you can't control.

01:40:59.199 --> 01:41:04.239
You can always control the controllables and you should, you should prepare as best as you can.

01:41:04.880 --> 01:41:13.039
But when it comes to things that you can't control, what you can control is your response to them.

01:41:13.359 --> 01:41:25.520
So how can I respond to the thing that happened that I was didn't plan for, and how can I use that response to get as close to my PR as possible?

01:41:26.079 --> 01:41:27.600
Hmm, I love that.

01:41:27.840 --> 01:41:29.359
Um, okay, last thing.

01:41:29.520 --> 01:41:31.520
This is rapid fire favorites.

01:41:32.000 --> 01:41:34.880
So I'm gonna give you a topic, you're gonna tell me your favorite.

01:41:35.119 --> 01:41:37.760
Favorite marathon that I've done?

01:41:39.600 --> 01:41:41.359
Oh, probably Austin.

01:41:43.359 --> 01:41:45.279
No because rapid fire rapid fire.

01:41:45.520 --> 01:41:47.600
Um favorite half marathon.

01:41:48.159 --> 01:41:49.520
Oh, San Marcus.

01:41:49.920 --> 01:41:50.880
Favorite gel.

01:41:52.800 --> 01:41:54.079
I don't even know.

01:41:55.119 --> 01:41:57.680
I've been using BPN lately.

01:41:58.399 --> 01:42:03.119
I think Morton probably gives me a little bit more um energy.

01:42:04.479 --> 01:42:07.039
But the taste of BPN is better.

01:42:07.520 --> 01:42:08.800
Favorite electrolyte?

01:42:09.119 --> 01:42:09.920
Dry water.

01:42:10.319 --> 01:42:12.880
Favorite song to sprint to.

01:42:13.600 --> 01:42:14.079
Oh, I don't know.

01:42:14.399 --> 01:42:14.720
Oh.

01:42:16.239 --> 01:42:16.479
No.

01:42:20.079 --> 01:42:34.319
Reincarnate reincarnated by um uh who was the rapper who or uh uh singer who sang it last, not this past year's um halftime show, but the one before.

01:42:35.279 --> 01:42:37.279
I'm gonna fail this question.

01:42:37.680 --> 01:42:38.000
Oh no.

01:42:38.319 --> 01:42:38.960
Abysmally.

01:42:40.960 --> 01:42:44.000
We will look at it and we'll put it in the comments below.

01:42:44.079 --> 01:42:44.479
The song.

01:42:44.720 --> 01:42:47.039
I mean everyone knows who he is, but yeah.

01:42:47.279 --> 01:42:47.680
Yeah.

01:42:48.239 --> 01:42:51.119
I I am very bad at like pop culture questions.

01:42:51.279 --> 01:42:52.880
It's not my my forte.

01:42:53.439 --> 01:42:55.039
Though um, yeah.

01:42:55.279 --> 01:42:55.600
Okay.

01:42:56.159 --> 01:42:59.760
Um favorite pre-run fuel.

01:43:00.720 --> 01:43:05.840
Oh, a peanut butter and jelly toast sandwich um and coffee.

01:43:06.159 --> 01:43:11.840
Um I've been using, though I've been using overnight oats for this recent training plan, and that's gone really well.

01:43:12.640 --> 01:43:13.920
Favorite shoe.

01:43:15.920 --> 01:43:16.720
Gosh.

01:43:18.560 --> 01:43:21.520
Uh oh man.

01:43:21.680 --> 01:43:34.239
Well, I had a really good experience with the Mizuno Neozans in my last two marathons, although that started to make me uh have a little bit of foot pain recently, but maybe it was just because the shoe was old.

01:43:34.319 --> 01:43:36.159
The Mizuno Neozans are nice.

01:43:36.319 --> 01:43:40.720
Also, the Adidas Boston 13s have been really, really nice.

01:43:40.960 --> 01:43:44.560
So so right currently it's the Adidas Boston 13s.

01:43:45.039 --> 01:43:45.680
Nice.

01:43:46.079 --> 01:43:48.800
Um most controversial question.

01:43:49.039 --> 01:43:51.359
We have two cats, favorite cat.

01:43:52.239 --> 01:43:53.039
Oh, Ella.

01:43:53.199 --> 01:43:54.159
Ella, sorry.

01:43:54.319 --> 01:43:58.960
Um, my but I love both my cats, but Ella's my cat.

01:43:59.039 --> 01:44:03.359
I we adopted her for me in December of 2020, so that's my cat.

01:44:04.319 --> 01:44:05.840
I'm gonna have to tell Pat.

01:44:06.159 --> 01:44:07.039
That's fine.

01:44:07.279 --> 01:44:09.199
She doesn't like me, anyways.

01:44:09.760 --> 01:44:11.600
And then um, final question.

01:44:11.760 --> 01:44:22.399
This one isn't necessarily rapid fire, but if you could do any half marathon with me as an encore to our first half marathon, um, where are we going?

01:44:22.560 --> 01:44:24.079
What race would you want to do?

01:44:24.479 --> 01:44:31.840
Well, we actually are probably going to be running a half marathon and training for one together uh in the near future.

01:44:32.239 --> 01:44:38.720
Uh, I know our dream one is the halfling marathon um in Sweden, which apparently I look Swedish.

01:44:38.960 --> 01:44:39.680
No, New Zealand.

01:44:39.840 --> 01:44:41.279
New Zealand, not Sweden.

01:44:41.520 --> 01:44:43.439
New Zealand, I'm so sorry.

01:44:43.920 --> 01:44:45.600
Everyone, it's in New Zealand.

01:44:45.760 --> 01:44:47.920
It's the Lord of the Rings set in New Zealand.

01:44:48.159 --> 01:44:48.640
Yes.

01:44:49.039 --> 01:44:51.359
Um but so that'd be cool.

01:44:51.439 --> 01:45:06.159
But I feel like we could do a destination race um somewhere like uh at a national park, like uh, you know, like I know there's like a a destination race website that does these things.

01:45:06.720 --> 01:45:11.680
Um we could look up one of those and do it like at Yellowstone or something like that.

01:45:11.840 --> 01:45:12.960
That would be like super cool.

01:45:13.119 --> 01:45:13.920
Yeah, that would be really cool.

01:45:14.159 --> 01:45:15.199
Or somewhere in Canada.

01:45:15.520 --> 01:45:23.039
Sam knows that my love language is um hiking in national parks or just getting off the beaten path into the the wilderness.

01:45:23.359 --> 01:45:24.319
Oh wait, wait though.

01:45:24.399 --> 01:45:24.800
Yeah.

01:45:25.039 --> 01:45:26.880
A half marathon in Maine.

01:45:27.199 --> 01:45:29.039
Ah, that would be that would be really good.

01:45:29.199 --> 01:45:29.359
Yeah.

01:45:29.520 --> 01:45:29.600
Yeah.

01:45:29.840 --> 01:45:30.479
Sign me up.

01:45:30.800 --> 01:45:37.600
So I mean, if anyone wants to like sponsor two runners to go like run the halfling and we'll rock the costumes for sure.

01:45:38.560 --> 01:45:38.880
Yeah.

01:45:39.039 --> 01:45:41.439
So, well, thank you so much, Sam.

01:45:41.600 --> 01:45:41.680
Yeah.

01:45:41.920 --> 01:45:44.000
Um for letting me interview you.

01:45:44.479 --> 01:45:49.520
Yeah, um, just for all the work that you've done um to start this podcast and keep it going.

01:45:49.680 --> 01:45:54.960
It's been an inspiration to watch you grow as a runner and also to watch this community grow around you.

01:45:55.439 --> 01:45:56.159
Yeah, it's been fun.

01:45:56.239 --> 01:46:00.960
This is probably my longest episode on a whopping 106 minutes.

01:46:01.119 --> 01:46:02.319
So here we go.

01:46:02.960 --> 01:46:03.520
Bye.

01:46:03.840 --> 01:46:04.319
Bye.