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Guest: Anthony Bruns

Show Notes:

Anthony Bruns ⁠is 46 years old and ran a 2:33:38 in the MARATHON at CIM (California International Marathon). And he was disappointed... you get the idea, he's fast. Thank you, ⁠TJ Dailey⁠, for the introduction.

During this episode, sponsored by ⁠Noogs⁠, we talk about:

• His “ultimate hypeman”, ⁠TJ Dailey⁠, a friend he’s known since kindergarten (⁠EP 68⁠)

• Being part of a running family and competing in Junior Olympics 

• Experiencing burnout and losing his love of running

• Running his first marathon in Chicago during college and breaking three hours

• Dividing his running life into three parts - youth, college and then adult running

• A diving board accident that happened in his early 30s that nearly ended his running career - and required a full leg cast for six weeks

• Rekindling his childhood friendship with TJ Dailey after years of not seeing each other by pacing him for 20 miles during a 100 mile race

• Mindset - if you believe it you can do it 

• Using Strava to say super motivated during COVID by stealing segments 

• Breaking 2:40 by the age of 40

• Trying super shoes for the first time 

• The Great American 5,000, a virtual race from San Francisco to New York 

• Winning the Masters age group at CIM 

• Chasing Colorado soil records (fastest times run in the state of Colorado)

• How he keeps track of all of his race times

• What it’s like to line up as an elite Masters runner at Boston

• Experiences at other races like CIM and Disney 

• How he runs most of his marathons without taking water or gels 

• CIM 2025

Sponsor Details

• ⁠Noogs⁠ - Use code ALLYB15 for 15% off your order

Past Guests Mentioned

• ⁠TJ Dailey⁠ - ⁠EP68⁠
• ⁠Mark Guyer⁠ - ⁠EP59

Episode Transcript

FLAMS EP 144 - Anthony Bruns

[00:00:00] This is a Sandy Boy Productions podcast.

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones, a podcast for everyday runners. er, and if you run, you're a runner and every runner has a story. Join me each week as I share these stories and we celebrate finish lines and milestones together. This week's episode is brought to you by one of my most favorite running fuels This brand was started when the founder Paige Foot could not find a fuel that she enjoyed. These are designed to taste like sour candy. And they do taste like sour candy, but they have all the electrolytes and carbs that you need to fuel your run. They have the best flavors, like my personal favorite is electric watermelon.

They have lemon zinger, wicked apple, blue raspberry [00:01:00] blast. And then they also have two new caffeinated flavors, poolside, pop, and strawberry lemonade. So if you wanna try Noogs, you can go to nukes nutrition.com And you can use code ALLYB15 for 15% off your order. You can also buy nukes on Amazon. So thank you to Nukes for supporting this podcast. This week's guest came highly recommended by TJ Daley, who has been on this podcast previously. He was episode 68. So if you wanna learn more about tj, who has mentioned quite a bit in this episode, go listen to that.

But I bring you Anthony Bruns, who is. A super talented runner who is not a professional. I love getting in the mind of guys like him who are really pushing themselves and going after insane Records, he's 46. And he is still running so fast. So during this episode, we talk all about his running journey and we hear how he grew up in a small town in a running family, even participated in the [00:02:00] Junior Olympics growing up.

He didn't run in college. But during college is when he ran his first marathons. He also loves. Participating in team events like Hood to Coast or Ragnars. and we talk about last year's CIM and how that race went for Anthony.

And you know, even though people run fast. They can still be disappointed in their times just as much as you or I could. And so I really liked hearing about Anthony's mindset too when it comes to that. so I hope you enjoy this episode with Anthony Bruns.

Ally Brettnacher: We're recording.

Anthony Bruns: Okay,

Ally Brettnacher: we're here. Anthony Bruns. Yes. Is I used, it's Bruns, right? It's not like Bruns.

Anthony Bruns: You're probably the first person to pronounce it right On the first try. Even though it's a very simple last name, it's Bruns B runs.

Ally Brettnacher: And you know what? I just realized that it's Bruns.

You literally have run in your name.

Anthony Bruns: In my name. Yeah. I don't have RNs. I don't have, I'm not Burns or Bruss.

Ally Brettnacher: Burns.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's the typical one. Yeah, that's one. I have to, my daughter's getting that now. She's a junior and she's enough athlete [00:03:00] and everyone announces her name is Burns and she gets so irritated and I was like, you know what?

That's, it's a lifetime of it being called Burns. I'm sorry.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Well, and at least your last name's not Brett Knocker, so.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: I'm telling that it could be worse.

Anthony Bruns: I wasn't even trying to pronounce your last name, so.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, it's German. Yeah, it's a rough one.

Anthony Bruns: Yep.

Ally Brettnacher: Well, I am so glad we're doing this. This is gonna be so much fun.

You've never been on a podcast, which I find so interesting because TJ Daley from Mic Shisha Track Club sent me your like, resume. I should forward it to you, see how much he bragged on you. But he, he did me a solid, because you're nowhere to be found on the internet really? Unless I'm digging through ATH links and Strava.

Anthony Bruns: Yep. That's where I belong. I have, social media is not my thing, so Strava is where I, where I live, but yeah. TJ is the, the ultimate hype man. He is been my friend since kindergarten. So like it's, we've been through so much together. And him starting, you know, the MTCI don't know, 2017, 2016, and [00:04:00] watching it grow to what it is now, it's been, it's been an amazing journey watching, you know, him connect with the, the Indianapolis, you know, running community and starting his own events.

Mm-hmm. And being a part of that, at least the backseat, watching him do that and being a part of, you know, his club and being, helping him grow that, you know, that as an ambassador, I guess, for him. So it's been a lot of fun.

Ally Brettnacher: Wow. What is your first memory of tj?

Anthony Bruns: You know, I do remember being in kindergarten with him.

I, I can't say that like, that's like a vivid memory, but, you know, we went to a very small Catholic kday school together. There was, I think by the time we graduated there was 13 kids in our class. So TJ and I have been very close throughout. Uh, yeah. So, so I mean, I don't, people who don't know tj, you know, he's.

He is an interesting, interesting dude. Very wild. You know, very unhinged in, in a sense. So Kim and I kind of play off each other, you know, I have the ideas and he's the executor of those ideas, and that's kind of how our relationship has always been. We got ourselves into to lots of trouble, you know, over the years, but, you know, obviously we went to high school [00:05:00] together.

We're from Marion, Indiana, so we went to Marion High School together. And then, you know, we kind of went our separate ways in college, but we found each other throughout life, you know, through, you know, marriages and gonna weddings and things like that, and seeing each other, and then really connecting again.

And, um, like 2015 when, uh, TJ really started getting into running, he was just kind of went from couch to a hundred mile, you know, type of thing. You know, he's, he's just got those kinds of ideas and, you know, I was just kind of along the journey with him, you know, he is, I've always been a runner and he's, you know, when he started running, we just kind of reconnected over that sport and, you know, been really close ever since.

Ally Brettnacher: You if you're not on like Facebook and social media, how do you keep in touch over all those years? Like old school, like phone calls? Texts, I guess,

Anthony Bruns: I guess, I mean, I'm, I might be the, I'm 46 years old. I probably got a smart phone maybe 15 years ago, you know, so like, I didn't, I, I just don't have those types of connections, but yeah, I mean, I don't even know if I had TJ's phone number for, for the longest time.

I really don't know. Like, it was just, I don't remember how things were done back then. [00:06:00] Right. Like, we just kind of like found each other. Right. Maybe an email. I don't, I don't even remember. That's

Ally Brettnacher: so funny. Yeah. Well, you're not alone. There's a few guests that I've had over the years that don't have social media and literally we will exchange emails every once in a while and it's the best.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, it is good. It's

Ally Brettnacher: just like, I have no idea what's going on at all in their life. Right. And it's, it's kind of nice in a way. So,

Anthony Bruns: yeah. No, I know, like TJ has a podcast and I, I'll sometimes remember to listen to it or he'll

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Send, he'll send like a Instagram reel or something. I was like, I can't even see what you're sending me.

I have no idea what that is.

Ally Brettnacher: I don't have these apps, man. I cannot

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, just, uh, explain to me, explain to me what you're showing me. 'cause he is, you know,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah, that's

Anthony Bruns: funny. There's always some crazy thing happening in the running world and he wants to share it. And I was like, oh, that's awesome. You know, tell me about it.

'cause I can't, I can't view it myself. So, um,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. That's great. So TJ says that your family, like growing up the Bruns family was like the running family in the city. Is that fair?

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, I think that's fair. I mean, grew up in Marion, Indiana. It's a small town, Indiana. I mean, it's. [00:07:00] Smaller now than it was when we were there.

So like

Ally Brettnacher: Really? That's funny.

Anthony Bruns: Well, it's, you know, it's a dying factory town. You know, we, I think we was like 40 some thousand people when we were in high school. I think it's in the mid twenties now. So it's, it's, it's a depressed economy, but it's, it's still home. Right. And, uh, it's produced.

Ally Brettnacher: Some,

Anthony Bruns: some great people, some great personalities.

You know, I know you had Cameron Zer, you know, on a while back. Mm-hmm. And he's from, from Grant County, you know, TJ's from there. And there's lots of guys that are on the Machin mic track club that, you know, are from there that, you know, it's just, just a great, great family of community of people. But yeah, I mean, the town has always supported my family.

My sister and I are kind of, you know, standout runners from a very young age. You know, my, my dad was a runner through college. He went to, uh, Marion University in Indianapolis, ran there. He ran barefoot. You know, there was just, didn't have the means to have that. But I, I didn't really remember my dad running so much 'cause he had some kind of hip issues and he just kind of fell out of, of running.

But my mom picked it up. So my whole life, I just remember my mom kind of being the [00:08:00] runner, but she, you know, in reality didn't pick up running until, you know, in her midlife, you know, in her thirties or whatever. Yeah. When I, when I can remember. But

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: they would. They would take us up to Huntington, Indiana, you know, home of home of Dan Quail, the home of the vice presidents there.

And we would do one, one race a year. It was a mile race. And I, I remember my sister and I would be racing whatever, and we'd, you know, start off when I was six or seven doing, you know, seven 30 minute, you know, seven 30 miles or whatever, and then progressing into, you know, the low sixes. And then I think my parents realized that we had, we had some talent and we joined, you know, like a, a u teams and we would, you know, go to all those events.

And it was just kind of like we became this like running. It was my sister and I, and then I do have a younger brother and sister. They're. Much younger than me, and I always tease my parents, tease that I was such a bad kid, that they didn't wanna have any more kids after me. So, and then

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: by the, by the time they're like, okay, he is, he is good.

Like, okay, now we can start over. Now we can

Ally Brettnacher: have

Anthony Bruns: more kids. Yeah, more kids. Oh my gosh. So, so I was talk about my sister and I, it's like my sister Laura and I we're two years apart and then there's [00:09:00] seven years and then there's, I have a younger brother and sister, Chris and Sarah, but they all, they also ran, but as, as youth, it was my sister and I and my mom.

And we would travel, you know, all over Indiana and all over the Midwest and then Junior Olympics and things like that. We'd go to all these big events and you know, it was. It's a lot of fun. You know, I had had a great affinity for running and you know, we've showed great promise. I mean, we, my sister and I both finished, you know, top five nationally in, in our events, you know, probably from eight years old to maybe 12 years old, you know, that's kind of

Ally Brettnacher: crazy.

Anthony Bruns: The, the years that we did it. Yeah. I mean, just, it was great, you know, and as a, you know, we're both competitors, so it was, it was a great, great thing to feed our competitive spirit. But Go ahead. I

Ally Brettnacher: was gonna ask you about, uh, the Junior Olympics.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: I don't know anything about the Junior Olympics. So could you kind of paint a picture for like, what that experience was like from what you remember?

Anthony Bruns: And maybe it's. It's different now, but it was, I mean, back then it was a huge deal. Like I, it felt like you're going to the real Olympics, you know, like, so you'd go to like your state meet and you'd qualify for a regional meet, which would be like a [00:10:00] multi-state meet. And then you'd have to get in like the top three, you know, like we were racing against the best kids from Indiana, Illinois, and I don't know what other states.

But then you would go to the Junior Olympics and they'd have like an opening ceremonies and you, you'd have all these, it was not just track, it was, it was basically the summer Olympics for all the

Ally Brettnacher: sports.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, for kids and Wow. Split it up between, you know, age groups. I think there was like two year age groups, you know, I think there's a Bantam Boys and The Midget Boys, which I always thought was a funny name.

And then they had like the youth. Yeah. And so it was great. You, of course, then there's no really no internet back there, but I remember, I think I had like a National Geographic kids or something. I remember them having like a, a, a whole segment on like this kid from Oregon. I don't remember his name. He probably fizzled out, whatever, but I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna race this kid that's like on the cover of this National Geographic Kids magazine.

It's like,

Ally Brettnacher: wow.

Anthony Bruns: So it was just like, it was cool. Right. And you do the whole ceremonies and you do the whole staging before your race and they walk you out and they say your names. And

Ally Brettnacher: do you have like a kit, like a USA Junior Olympics kit?

Anthony Bruns: I didn't get the kit [00:11:00] for like USA, I had the kit for like the club team that I was representing, which was that.

Were

Ally Brettnacher: team at you. Okay.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, a team outta Huntington. So you're still representing, you know, your, your club and it just, I don't know. Okay. It's just fun and it's, it's hype, right? It's, it's a lot of fun and it's,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: it definitely gave you a lot of experience, racing experience and, and definitely stroked your ego a little bit to say that you went to the Junior Olympics and you know, as a kid going into middle school, you know, coming back home and, and racing against.

The kids around, you know, grant County or wherever, it's like, Hey you, you're not touching me. You know?

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, yeah. No

Anthony Bruns: kidding. Um, and so like that, that really kind of like set the tone of like, you know, like, Hey, I'm competitive. I'm good at this sport. This is, this is the sport that I love and where I can kind of get the value out of what I want out of a sport, which is being super competitive and, and, and having, you know, fun with it, you know?

And then my sister and I both, you know, both ran well in, in Grand County, but like I never lost a meet in middle school. And it was kind of like, when, when, you know, it is like all these times you're like thinking like, I can't be beat. Like, I'm just like the best. Right? And so it was really [00:12:00] exciting to like have that as a, as a youth.

But I think looking back on that, that put a lot of undue pressure on me. You know, as I start progressing through like high school and you start losing things and you start getting beat by people and it was like, oh, it is a real, like, reality check to say, yeah, okay. Like maybe talent alone isn't like enough, you know?

And so that kind of, I brought that up 'cause it kind of feeds into. Where I'm at now, because, you know mm-hmm. My, my, my freshman year in high school, you know, I, I still hold the freshman record at Marion High School. I ran like a 1624 and it was kinda like a surprise. Like, I had no idea, like, I didn't really run five Ks in middle school.

And I was like, the coach asked like, Hey, what's your, what's your goal for, you know, it was like, I don't know, like 18 minutes. Like that sounds pretty fast to like, and then I know like. First meet was like 17, 12, and we had a pretty good team that year. So we all kind of competed with each other. And I got down to the, you know, the 1624 and I was like, okay.

And everyone was like, holy cow. Like Anthony, you're gonna be like the best. Right? Like, this is, this is an amazing freshman year. And, and so like all this pride, all [00:13:00] this pressure was like put on me right as a, as a freshman. And I honestly never got better from that moment in high school. Like I think I ran about the same my sophomore year.

I had a stress fracture in my foot my junior year, which I ran on for half the year. 'cause I run through everything.

Ally Brettnacher: Denial. You're like, Nope,

Anthony Bruns: there's

Ally Brettnacher: a

Anthony Bruns: number.

Ally Brettnacher: I

Anthony Bruns: got

Ally Brettnacher: this. Nope,

Anthony Bruns: everything's good. Everything's good. They'll ignore that.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: You know? And then, you know, my junior year of track, I kind of like, you know what I was so mad about?

The broken foot in cross country is like, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put some effort in. And I, I was a two mile specialist, so I ran a two mile, uh, I made state, uh, my junior and senior year for track, never made state in cross country. I was never a person on anyone's radar. Right? Like, I, I had a great freshman year.

I was a great middle school runner, right? Which, you know, who, who really cares about that, you know, at that point, but never really mounted too much in, in high school where I thought maybe I would go. And I, you know, I made it to state, I was happy to make state, and that's basically where that ended, right?

I was like, eh, I'm at state, you know, and I just kind of fell outta love with running. You know, and it's just like, you know what, like, there's too [00:14:00] many expectations. I'm not running well because I'm not having fun anymore and I don't love running. And well, my older sister had the opposite. She ran, she made state.

Ally Brettnacher: I was gonna, I

Anthony Bruns: was gonna ask Yeah, yeah, yeah. About her. She, she made state every year in cross country and in track and you know, she went on to run her freshman year at University of Michigan, then she transferred to University of Colorado, uh, where she ran, you know, under Wetmore. She's actually in the book of running of the Buffaloes.

You know, her name's not, but her, you know, she was part, she lived those moments, right? With, you know, Adam Galcher and all those guys. So it's, uh, wow. She had, she had a, a very exciting running career through high school and college and, you know, maybe me just being, I wanted to be different. I was just like, eh, that's.

That's not for me. You know, that's, that's my sister's mm-hmm. Path, and that's not my path. I have half-assed looked at some colleges who say, you know, there are some D two schools that gave me some attention, but I was like, you know what? I just, I just wanna go to college, you know? So I ended up going to Purdue.

Okay. I did talk to the, I did talk to the coach there, and, you know, he showed no interest. I mean, I says like, eh, yeah. F you. I'm, I'm just gonna, okay. Yeah. It's gonna be my thing. Yeah, that's fine.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm. Yeah. [00:15:00] That had to be hard in, in high school with your sister on the team and being like, yeah. And then the pressure on yourself.

No wonder you got burnout. I mean that's Yeah. Gotta be, that had to be a hard time. Yeah. And especially in tho those years of just becoming a human. Right,

Anthony Bruns: right, right.

Ally Brettnacher: Growing into an adult. Yeah. That's hard.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, it was tough. And you know, it's like looking back on it. I also didn't try, like, I just, I have a, I always have a good engine.

I have a good talent. But like you looking back on what kids do today and what we were doing back then, it was like, no. I was like, I was like, what are we doing here?

Ally Brettnacher: Like, I think about that. Yeah.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: Like,

Anthony Bruns: Like

Ally Brettnacher: what, I could have been much better, like at almost anything I think about if I would've just Yeah.

Would've tried.

Anthony Bruns: No, absolutely. But, but

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: this, at the same time, all that leads up to your life today. Right? So like, I don't regret any of it. Mm-hmm. Like, like, I don't know, like I, my sister can't run today. You know, she's been burnt out from, you know, years of hard pounding and training, you know, and so it's like,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: she, I'm not saying she sold or sold to the dough, but like, that's what she did.

She, you know, most college runners don't last past their college [00:16:00] years, you know, if they do, maybe just, you know, recreationally or whatever. There's, there's obviously a few that make it, but like, I think it's a real grind on the body, you know? And so,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: as a, as a 46-year-old still running, I'm kind of grateful that I've.

Had this longevity that I have and didn't, didn't use it all up, you know, at the time. But also at 46, what I'm doing and what I could have been doing when I was 22. You know, like, who knows? That was, that was like 1998. So like, I was 18 and we just decided like, uh, as me and two other guys and we just went up to Chicago from Purdue and was like, okay, let's do this thing.

And I remember running in, well, I knew that even though I went to Purdue, I, I always ran in my IBU basketball shorts. I was kinda like the OG coordinator Walter, but I always tore. Yeah. I never wanted to feel my legs. I was always very like anti the, uh, split shorts and those types of things, but mm-hmm.

Running in the IU shorts, the tidy white, and then my, uh, I had to set cotton T-shirt and, you know, whatever trainers they [00:17:00] had on back in the day. Mm-hmm. And I just, we just, I just ran and I remember, I think I ran like a 2 58 and I was like, I don't know what that means, but everyone's like, you broke three me.

And I was like, well, yeah. Like, okay. Like that's like the gold standard is like, okay, like, so, like,

Ally Brettnacher: wow,

Anthony Bruns: so what's, what's next? Right? Like, what do, what do you do? And so I qualified for Boston on my very first marathon. So I go, I go around Boston, I go around like a 2 54. I was like, oh, it's great. Like, I'm excited.

Like, um, this is at the time, you know, marathoning wasn't like fast, big deal in, in America. So like breaking three was like. I kind of the gold standard, you know? And all through college, I, I do Chicago, Boston, Chicago, Boston, Chicago, Boston. You know, I did it like four, four years in a row and I think I ended up Wow.

Pring at like 2 47, right? And it was like, and that, that was my PR until I was 40. You know, I, that, that was

Ally Brettnacher: crazy. Yeah. So,

Anthony Bruns: and mm-hmm. You know, so I got that. I got through college and you know, I, I always break my life into these, uh, not always, but like [00:18:00] these running moments, right? Like, I had my, I had my youth, I had my, through high school, and then I had, you know, these college years and then my adult life when I get a real job and you get married and you, you have kids running was very pathetic.

You know, through those years. I, I'd jump in, I ran Boston 2003 only because I had qualified a year before. I didn't train at all because I got a new job. I just got my first job and I was like, should I even run Boston? I was like, ah, sure. Let's just go do it. Since I already signed up and I, I think I got a rude awakening.

I got three 14 or something there and just like, eh, like whatever, like I'm kind of love running again, right? Kind this.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: um.

Anthony Bruns: Renaissance with it. And now I'm, now I'm focused on life, you know, and

Ally Brettnacher: life. What was your job? What did you study at Purdue and what did you do after you graduated?

Anthony Bruns: So, funny enough, like most kids, no one knows what they wanna do with their life, right?

Um, yeah. And, you know, I really had no idea. All I know is like, going back to like, you know, stories with tj, like, we both cannot sit [00:19:00] still. We both have an engine that just needs to keep moving, right. And a desk job or whatever, sitting in an office is, does not work for me at all. And I know it doesn't work for TJ either.

He, he's, he's got some funny stories about his life. But the point is, is that I took a, uh, a test, an AP not active two test, but like a test that kind of tells you what you're interested in for, for, for work, right?

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Like a, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. I dunno, whatever, but like. It was very specific of what I was supposed to be.

It was either a book mobility driver or construction.

Ally Brettnacher: Wait, a what? Driver? A

Anthony Bruns: bookmobile. It didn't even have those anymore, but like, I, I

Ally Brettnacher: don't even know what that means. I was like, wait, did I hear you correctly?

Anthony Bruns: It's like a, the hell

Ally Brettnacher: is that?

Anthony Bruns: It's like a mobile library, right? Like I, I'm not sitting still. So like the, it picked up on the fact that like, I don't wanna be.

Somewhere. So I was like, well, I'm gonna be a book model driver. That's the est thing I ever wrote. Yeah. So I was like, alright, well what's this construction thing about? Right. So like, so I, I went to Purdue and went to the building construction management program and I, I did look at a lot of colleges that had [00:20:00] that program, Colorado State being one of 'em.

Uh, Dayton has a good program, but I wanna stay in state and a lot of my friends were there. So I was like, whatever, I'm just gonna get to Purdue. Which in hindsight was probably the best decision ever made because outside of Indiana, Purdue is a Ivy League school, you know, like I went to, yeah, I moved to California, I went to move to California, um, right after Purdue and people hired me.

I was like, oh, Purdue. I was like, yeah, Purdue man. Yeah. Oh, isn't that Ivy League? Yeah, of course. Yeah, that's, it's an Ivy League school. Yeah. Yeah. I'm super smart. But anyway, so yeah, I graduated with a building construction management degree. Uh, went to work for a contractor out in California. Uh, I was out there for four or five years, kind of just, you know, doing the, the after college thing.

Having, having a good time, you know. Skiing, the surfing mountain, biking, whatever, and just enjoying getting the hell out of Indiana, right? Like, um, I was like, mm-hmm. I've been here long enough. Let's, let's, let's go, let's go as far away as I can go. And, and not as far as far as west as you can go from Indiana, so, well, you should go to Hawaii.

But, so out there doing, doing that, but, you know, just [00:21:00] enjoying that kind of stuff and not really focused on running anymore. But I, you, I think, so like 2003 was kinda like the last marathon for a little while. And then some of my buddies, a couple of them, you know, Caleb Chambers, who's an MTC and another guy who lives out in California now, but who's from Marion.

Like, Hey, let's, let's get together once a year and do a marathon. I. All right, let's do that. So like in 2007, I kind of picked up the pieces again and said, all right, let's go do some more marathoning. You know, we did just some random ones like Atlanta and Marine Corps and Minneapolis, the Twin Cities Marathon, and just Portland, la, San Diego.

Just kinda like all over, just having fun. Right.

Ally Brettnacher: That's so cool.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, it was a good time. Yeah, I was kind, that's a

Ally Brettnacher: lot.

Anthony Bruns: But I started to, you know, enjoy running again, but I was only doing like. 30, 40 miles a week and you know, I, I range from a 2 55 to a 3 0 5 and still I was around three hours, so that felt like I was being successful.

Right? Yeah. But still, still nowhere near my, my PR of, of 2 47, you know, from, you know, my, my college days, [00:22:00] but I didn't, didn't really care so much about all that. So, um, just having fun and I kind of rekindled some, some love of running. And I had my daughter in 2009 and, you know, some of my best memories are, you know, having the, the running stroller and, and running with her.

Yeah. So like, it was just times. Right? So that's 2009. And then like, so yeah, so 2012, I, uh, my son was born and I had it just come off a ski injury where I had broken my wrist. So I couldn't, couldn't help my wife really with dealing with, with a newborn.

Ally Brettnacher: She, I'm sure she was so thrilled when you broke your wrist.

Anthony Bruns: She was so thrilled,

Ally Brettnacher: man.

Anthony Bruns: Um, and it's, it's, it's so. It's still one key for me to, to be that way, right? Like, I just, I'm, I'm very careless with my body. Um, I, I throw it around for the sake of enjoyment. So finally June, I get my, my cast off. I'm like, all right, I could be, I could be the dad that I wanna be, you know, and we're back in Indiana, I'm at my folks' house, um, they have a lake and I have a diving, and of course all my siblings are back.

We're all having a good time. And I'm like, Hey, watch [00:23:00] this. You know, just, just like I did when, uh, just like I did when I broke my wrist, I was like, I was doing a 360 on my skis and my sister's like, Hey, I missed that. Do it again so I can get a video.

Ally Brettnacher: Oh no.

Anthony Bruns: And then I do it again and I break my wrist, right?

So, so it's similar thing. I was like, Hey, I'm gonna. I'm gonna go on the diving board here, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna, does

Ally Brettnacher: that video still exist somewhere, Anthony? That's so crazy.

Anthony Bruns: There's a picture, I have a picture of both of those in action. I have a picture of me in the air, like going, ah, falling. Yeah. As I land on my wrist, and then I have a picture of, of this moment where I'm on the diving board getting, I'm gonna do a one and a half to the, into the lake.

Right. It's like, and so I, I go out and I, I, I, I bounce, I go up, come back down to do the second bounce to get, you know, the extra bounce and my left foot slides off the side of the diving board, and as the diving board rebounds, it smashes my, uh, my right knee.

Ally Brettnacher: Oh, no.

Anthony Bruns: And it, uh, it completely shatters my kneecap.

Like I, I'm in the water. I'm just like, and my dad's a physician, so like, he's like, well son, you [00:24:00] just, you know, ruined your burning career. Or, you know, like you're, yeah, but like, like I'm swimming. Not moving my leg. I'm swimming to the store and I come out and, and you know, if you lay down your knee, you see the, the ball of your kneecaps up.

Well, mine was concave. Like, it was like, there's nothing there. I was like, what the fuck? Like, where's my knee?

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: And

Anthony Bruns: uh, what happened is it, it um, it shattered it and the, the tendons that held it together pulled apart. So half my kneecap was up in my thigh and another half down lower, and I didn't

Ally Brettnacher: even know that was possible.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, yeah. It's disgusting. That's

Ally Brettnacher: crazy.

Anthony Bruns: Disgusting, right?

Ally Brettnacher: And awful. Yeah. Yeah. Ugh.

Anthony Bruns: And so I'm like, so I'm like, oh, whatever, 30, but 2012, so I'm like 32, 3, 3 years old. Okay. So, okay. And then like in west, my dad's car, but, you know, he is, he's always pessimistic about things and he is like, well, you're, you're not gonna run again.

You know, all these things. Right. And looking at the injury, I, I believed him. Right. And, and, and, you know, I, I was in Marion. My dad's like, you know what? I know a doctor here. He knows a doctor in Denver. So [00:25:00] like. Let's get you booted up and then we'll, we'll send you back to Denver and get the surgery done there.

And you know, luckily the, the guy who, orthopedic guy who worked on me here is the orthopedic guy for, for the Broncos. So like, he is well renowned and it was good. I was like, all right, you know, whatever. I don't great. I don't really care. Like, just fix me please. You know? And, um,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: So what they had to do, I have a huge scar from the middle of my thigh down, just below my knee where they had to like go retrieve, you know, the pieces and then pull 'em, pull 'em back together, and then kind of like, I, I have like a half-ass knee cap, right?

They had to pull out all the small pieces that shattered, and then they had to take a bigger piece that remained on the bottom and kind of tach all the, all the tendons to 'em. So I have a really deformed looking knee. And over the years, you know, that's been, I don't know what, 14 years, whatever, and the, the amount of arthritis and like, uh, calcium build.

Like I have like literally like bone growths in there that it looks really like disgusting, right? And like the people are like, the orthopedic people are like, well, we can take them out, but they're not bothering you. And I was like, well, that's not bothering me, so let's just. Leave 'em in there, you know?

[00:26:00] And

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: they said, well, you know, as much as you're being active, that's actually slowing down the rate of, you know, arthritis and all these things. So just, just keep doing what you're doing. If you can tolerate the pain, then go for it. And I was like, all right. You know, like I kind of a glutton for punishment.

I kind of, you know, I, I get off on like feeling the pain and, and pushing through it, right? Like, that's part of the reason why I love running so much is that like, I kind of look forward to the pain coming. Um, and then, you know, like I always tell myself when you feel the pain, you just smile, you know, like, ah, I like that.

You know, and, and it kind of changes your brain to like be able to push through it. But I, I always say like, my knee never doesn't hurt, never not, it doesn't, never, not hurt, but like, it's, it's a pain I've had forever. I just put it, you know, in the back of my head and just like, I just put it away. But

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: it's changed.

Everything about me. It's changed my mindset. It's changed the way I run. You know, like I run a different cadence, you know, put, puts different pressure on my body, different areas. So like, not saying that, that moment is like, became like the, the kid from, uh, that baseball movie where he broke his arm and now I can throw a 99 fastball.

But like the same time, it, like, it's, it's given me like a [00:27:00] new purpose. Like it's, it's a new, it's a new challenge, a new mountain to, to climb, right? Like, you tell me I can't run, well no, I'm gonna run. You tell me I can't run fast. No, I'm gonna like, whatever. Like, it's just giving me this little, a chip on my shoulder to like push a little harder.

So anyway, that's 2012. I didn't run for three years after that. I just, you know. Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: I was gonna ask how long it took. I mean, that sounds, how long did it take you to walk again?

Anthony Bruns: I mean, I was in a cast. A full leg cast for like six weeks.

Ally Brettnacher: Oh my God.

Anthony Bruns: Um, and then there's like, you know, that's

Ally Brettnacher: insane.

Anthony Bruns: Then there's like the, you get it off and like, there's atrophy is ridiculous.

I mean, it looked like I had like three different people's legs, you know, and

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: yeah,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: But it's like, I took me a while to build up the strength. Right. And again, I, I'm not one to like stretch or do the right thing. And so when PT is prescribed, I'll do PT for as long as it acts, the benefit of it, right.

And I didn't, I didn't do it nearly long enough. I'll tell you that. I, I have very little like quad [00:28:00] strength in, in my right side because I didn't do the work I needed to do, which, which changed how I run in my stride now. And like if you get on one of those machines where you have to sit down and push the weights up with your, your legs, I, I can barely, I can, I literally can barely push five pounds alone on my right side, you know?

Whereas my left, wow. My left side, he can do whatever. So like I know I'm weak and I know all the problems I need to do, but I'm too stubborn to go and like correct those things.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Yeah. It's a very runner of you.

Anthony Bruns: Yes. Thank you. Yes, thank you.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Okay. Quick question.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Quick tangent about the full leg cast.

Yeah. 'cause I've never met somebody who has been in a full leg cast. Yeah. Can you even sit. Do you have to prop your whole leg up? Like what was, what was that like? Or did you just block that outta your memory?

Anthony Bruns: I mean, I, I ki I have pictures of it, so I remember, but I mean, yeah, it's at a moment of time that I wanna remember.

Well,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: I was in Denver. I had, I had to ask my boss to come pick, it was my right side, so I couldn't drive. So I had my boss to come like,

Ally Brettnacher: oh, my,

Anthony Bruns: pick me up every morning, drive me to work. And, you know, it just like, just [00:29:00] like, I know, it just sucked because you couldn't do things you wanna do for yourself.

Of course, you're, you're on cru, you're on crutches. There's no way you're hopping around like that. So, yeah, it's just a matter of getting to work and doing your work and getting a ride home and, and not being able to do the things you wanna do at home because you're, you're worthless. Yeah. You know, and mind you, son, I was born in May, this was August.

So my son's not even, you know, six months, seven months old. So like, I'm just a total,

Ally Brettnacher: oh my gosh.

Anthony Bruns: Waste of a father that, that first year of my son's life, you know? So it's like, so anyway, it's like, yeah. It, it was, it was a tough year, obviously. That's

Ally Brettnacher: crazy.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: That's crazy.

Anthony Bruns: So yeah, from that I'm just like, my mind's like, I just, whatever my mind was elsewhere, right?

I'm not thinking about running, I'm not thinking about doing any of these things anymore. And so I wanted to fast forward to 2015, I think it was 2015, they're like, TJ can correct me if I'm wrong, but TJ's running his first a hundred mile, uh, race up in, uh, South Dakota. And that's about five hour drive, uh, from, from where I live.

And he doesn't, he didn't ask me, but his brother Trent called me. He is like, Hey, [00:30:00] we're all pacing TJ on the second half of this hundred. And it's me, Trent, and Todd, Richard, his two brothers. And he is like, we need one more. Would you be willing to come up and run with tj? And I was like, well, I haven't been running for three years, but like, how fast does, does TJ think he's gonna go?

And he's like, I dunno. He is like 12 minute files or whatever. I was like, yeah, I can. I can do that. Like, how far do you want me to go? I was like, I don't know, like 20 miles. I was like, okay. You know, I was like, so like at that moment I was like, well, I'm gonna tell, my wife was like, I'm gonna leave early in the morning.

I'm gonna drive five hours to I up. I know near Sioux City and I'm gonna surprise teach today. I'm gonna run. 20 miles with him. I hadn't seen TJ in, it's my, my wedding probably until like 2005, 2006. You know, it's been a while. He disappeared into Seattle doing his, uh, red Bull and club scene and his bodybuilding and all, all the things that TJ s things that he does.

And, uh, I kind of fell out. But from that moment I reconnected with TJ on that, on that run, he, you know, I saw him on that mile 40 to surprise him and said, Hey, I said, I'll be running with you from 50 to, to mile 70, basically.[00:31:00]

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: And

Anthony Bruns: And we got the reconnect, um, on that, those 24 miles that were, were very slow and, you know, and very challenging for me as well as for him.

So I don't know if I was a great pacer 'cause there was sometimes that, like, I was like, I told him, he was like, he remembers it too, as distinctly he is like, I can actually cannot start off running slow. I, my knee hurts so bad, I need to run. At a quicker pace, and then I'll slow down, then I'll slow it down and you can catch me.

Like, I can't like do this little thing. So it was just kind of funny, like every time we stopped to get, you know, fluids or fuel or whatever, I'd take off running faster, steering him, and I'd have to slow down and he, we'd run together, but we just, we reconnected that moment. We've not, not connected, you know, since that moment on running and, and other things.

So it was, it was a good, pivotal moment for me to get back into running. And then for me to, um. Kind of have TJ in my life again, which,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Um, not saying that TJ is like my only friend, but like, he's one of those guys that unites people. Right. And he can really

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Just bring people together. And before tj, like I ran every run by myself.

I'm just, I'm gonna go run, I'm doing my thing, [00:32:00] whatever. And since tj, like I've, I've always had people, right? And I've always had a, a someone behind me, someone cheering me on a cheerleader or something. Right? And, um, it, it's all, you know, it's all because of the, the height that he brings and the, the community that he can, he can create out of really anything he wants.

But, uh, he chose the running community, which I'm a part of, which I'm, I'm so grateful for. So, yeah, that kicked it off right? Uh, when I was at 2015. So what, 37 or 36, something like that. So,

Ally Brettnacher: and how much time bet between, like the time that you got the call from Trent to the a hundred mile race, how much time did you have to go from zero to 20 miles?

Anthony Bruns: I don't think I had any time. I mean, it wasn't like he called me the day before, but like I, I definitely didn't go out and like, oh, I gotta get ready for this. I'm just, but probably, I dunno, maybe a couple weeks I think. Um,

Ally Brettnacher: okay.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah,

Ally Brettnacher: I mean it's hard for me to imagine, but

Anthony Bruns: that's kind like. I get to a little bit later, but like my mindset is like, it's stupid to say, but if you believe it, you, you can do it.

Right? Like you can. So it's just a [00:33:00] matter of if you say you can do it, you can do it right? If you say, oh my God, I haven't run in three years, I can't do 20 miles, then guess what? You're not gonna do 20 miles. Right? So you're, you're gonna fall apart. So I've always been a big believer of the mental aspect of running over the actual physical aspect of running.

Mm-hmm. Um, and it was like, 2015 was kind of my, a renaissance year. And, uh, I think I ran, I ran monumental that year. I ran like a two 50. So I, I come back, my first marathon back, it's two 50. I was like, all right. Like,

Ally Brettnacher: geez,

Anthony Bruns: I'm almost back to pr, you know, at the time was my PR shape. And I ran, I ran the Colorado Marathon, which is up in Fort Collins, uh, here.

And it's, it's a, it's, it's a mostly downhill race, but it is altitude. Uh, I ran three flat and I qualified for Boston. Right. And at Boston 2018, I think that was the, I think that was the Ryan Hall year when he like, had previously set, well, unofficially the American record. And it was just a fast year, but it was a, it's one of those real snowy spitty, like just crap years.

But when it, when it was that way, I was like so excited. I was [00:34:00] like, this is like, the adversity of, of this weather makes me so excited because I know bitch, everyone else here is bitching about it and they're so down on it. And like that just brought my, like spirits up, like, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna get this right.

And I ran a 2 47 at Boston, so pretty much, you know, my pr so that's 2018, I think. 2019. I. I turned 40, right? So I was a year out from mm-hmm. From turning 40. And so I got this new confidence, right? I ran, I just ran a two 50, then I ran a 2 47. I was like, okay, I'm back to where I was when I was 19, 18, 19 years old.

Like, um, without really, again, training for anything. Like, you'll laugh if you see my training logs, which were on Excel spreadsheets at the time. And it's like, I go back, I was like, oh, my long run was seven miles, or I had a 24 mile a week or whatever. It's like, what am I doing? Right? So, but anyway, it got my, got me interested in running again.

And by this time, I think 2017, I actually joined Strava, like from the harking of, of my friends. Like, you gotta get on this thing. I was like, why? It sounds so stupid. Like, I don't need that. I don't need that. I gotta buy a new watch. I gotta get a [00:35:00] watch That does GPS now. Like, so it's just like all these like transformation for me to like go from like just running off a field to like.

Oh wow. That's how fast I'm actually running. Uh, 'cause I have a GPS watch now, or that's how far I'm going. And now I have this tool of Strava that says how fast my pace was, and now I'm like self competing with myself. Right? Like, I think the first year I was on Strava, I told TJ I didn't run that many miles.

I run like 45 miles a week, but there was never a run. That average was over seven minutes. Like I was like, every run I have to do this year, I have to be faster than seven minute pace average. You know? So like, it'd just be like these, wow, these competitions with myself. Like I

Ally Brettnacher: uhhuh if

Anthony Bruns: I was tired at the beginning, then I'd make sure I'd sprint like a five 30 mile at the end just to like get there.

It was just, you know, it was kind of dumb, but like over that time, what I was doing was interval workouts without really even knowing it. Right? Like, and

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: This whole thing about comms, right? Like these, uh, these segments that you can take and you can crush someone's soul by taking their, their segment.

And, and that was pretty exciting to me, right? Like, and back then there wasn't nearly as [00:36:00] many of 'em, but like I had made it a goal to get from two mile radius from my house. I had to have every single crown. Like, and when. Someone took my crown, I was so

Ally Brettnacher: amazing.

Anthony Bruns: The next day I was out there taking it back.

Right. And then, you know, co COVID hit, and the COVID stories are, you know, some of the best for the runners, right? Like all this extra time that you have. Yeah. And, uh, all this community that you can build, you know, virtually on Strava or, or whatever. And it really took off for me. Mm-hmm. Like, wow. Like before COVID people got segments by just running their normal pace.

But during COVID it felt like people were targeting segments. Right. And I was like, what? There's no, what? How's that? A four 30? How's that guy doing a four 30 pace? And he did a nine minute average for his whole run. You know, I was like, so I was getting like, I get pissed, right? Like, it was like, no, you're not

Ally Brettnacher: right.

Anthony Bruns: No. 90 minute miler is gonna take my segment. You know, like, yeah. So, so I would just go out and during that time and just. Take crowns. Like that was, that was my thing. And it, it's kind of like the, the asshole thing, like to say, [00:37:00] but like, that was got me motivated. That kept me going

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Through those times.

And it got me super fit. Like it was like, it was kind of ridiculous about that competition with myself and I guess with virtually with others got me to a point where like, I was working out almost every day without even knowing that I was working out.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: And I remember telling tj, he is like, you know what, like 2 47 is my best.

If I can run under two 40, that's elite. That would make my day if I could, when I'm 40 years old, my midlife crisis is I wanna break two 40, I wanna do a seven minute pr. Right. And so TJ does, does his research, does all these things, and he, he just says,

Ally Brettnacher: it's coming in the mail.

Anthony Bruns: And I was like, all right, what's coming in the mail?

You know? And I get, I get a book and it's the, the Scott F book inside the marathon. Right. And it's a great book. I know, I think Mark Geier probably read it too. We heard him talking about it, but it's like, it's, it's a good access pass to, uh, an elite runner's training. Right? Like he, he tells you. Every day what he's doing.

Right. And I was like, and I was dumb enough to like just say like, well, that's what I'm gonna do. You know, I'm not gonna run Scott Fle [00:38:00] paces, but I'm gonna try to run as close to him as possible, but I'm gonna follow this thing to a t this And it, it so happened that I got the book, I was running New York Marathon, I think that was November of 2019.

And, and Scott Fle had run, uh, New York Marathon the year before when he wrote the book. So I got the book when he started his training. And I had the same race plan. Same, you know, every day was the same. 'cause the days were the same, everything. So it was like, this is awesome. Like, I'm, wow, I'm just gonna follow this.

I'm just gonna follow this to a t And I could, you know, like I went from 45 miles a week to 70, 80, 90 miles a week. Right? Like, like that. And of course, you know. Body's feeling like crap, you're injured. And just like, I'm not stopping, I'm running through, you know, the plantar fasciitis. I'm running through the hamstring, I'm running through all this stuff.

I'm just, we're going, we're, we're doing this. I'm not stopping for anything. 'cause this is my race plan. This is my goal, and I'm, I'm, I'm gonna do this thing. And, um, training is going great, right? Everything is going good and I don't know when, it's probably a few weeks. I don't know, maybe a month prior to the race again, TJ's like, I'm gonna send you something.

I was like, all right. It is like, [00:39:00] and he sends me a, the, the, the very first pair of vapor flies, right? The, the, the green pair. And I was just like, what are these? So you gotta try these. I, because I don't know, I didn't know any of this stuff. I'm just. Just running. Right. I don't know all the stuff. And he is like,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah, that's crazy to think you're like, not on social media.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: You're not like overwhelmed with ads for like absolutely

Anthony Bruns: everything. Right? Everything right. And

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: TJ's so connected with everything. Technology. He's on top of everything. So like, I just, everything I need, I ask him and he gives me his opinion and I, I buy what he says. 'cause I know he's done the research, but I remember putting them on and going to the track and it was, it was a broken workout.

So don't, I don't, this isn't like a, a full thing, but I did nine miles at 5 0 7 pace on the track. And I, again, it was, it was a broken tempo and I had some, some stops in there, but like, I was like, what? Like. What just happened? Like is it the shoes, is it the, is it a, is it a placebo effect that the shoes are telling me?

They're like, right, what? What is this? Like I was not touching these paces on the track a couple weeks ago, and now all of a sudden, like I feel invincible, right? Like I have these shoes [00:40:00] on and I'm just running an unimaginable times. Right? And I think it was pumpkin dash or something. It was just some small, small, local 5K.

It was two weeks out prior to. The New York City Marathon and I put their shoes on. My PR in high school for a 5K was 1624, and I ran a 16 flat. Mm-hmm. I'm just like, oh, I just PRD in the 5K at 40 years old. Right. Like, uh,

Ally Brettnacher: and

Anthony Bruns: did you win? I won, yeah, because just,

Ally Brettnacher: I was

Anthony Bruns: gonna say, yeah, because it was, I mean, there was like 30 people in this race.

I had no, no business. Well, whatever. You probably still have one. Yeah. I have no business running that fast. It's kind of embarrassing, but I, but it's like, holy cow, I just PRD in the five KI never thought I'd ever come close to, you know, high school times. Right. Like, I was, I was a kid. Why, why would I expect to do that now?

And so anyway, like feeling great. I go out to New York, I was actually contemplating, I was like, do I wear these shoes? Is it cheating? Like, I remember having that moment with myself was like, but then I show up and, you know, there was the green pair and then there was the pink pair back then, right? And okay, the pink pair was the women's [00:41:00] pair, but the green pair sold out, so almost 90% of the men had the pink pair.

So anyway, everyone around me had either the green shoes on or the pink shoes on. So it was like, eh, fuck it. Like I'm, I'm just, yeah, I'm just, I don't feel bad now. Like whatever. Right? And

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: so anyway, like his typical TJ fashion, you know, he's got this text chain of like, you know, 30 people from M TC on there, and they're just hyping me out.

I didn't have my phone, but like, just reading it after, like, just play by play of what I'm doing and how I'm running and running New York and, you know, I'm, I'm running like five 50 pace for the first

half. And then, you know, I'm like, wow. Way below like my normal, you know, where I'm usually at the half and you know, of course I hit a wall.

Coming up Central Park and I, I think I have like two miles to go and I'm just doing the math, right? Like, I gotta break two 40.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: I gotta break two 40. That's

Ally Brettnacher: so

Anthony Bruns: hard. Gotta break two 40. And you, you come round to the, you hit mile 26 and you have like a 0.2 mile sprint into Central Park, and it's like, turn, and I, there's a big billboard and it like, tells you your time.

And I'm just like, okay, like what do I have to do? And I, I had to run like, I don't know, like a sub five pace for the last [00:42:00] 0.2 right. To like get my goal. And I crossed the line and, uh, 2 39 58. And I'm just like, I was like, I did it, but now what's next? So it's like,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Right. Yeah. It's like I, I did that. I didn't run that, that, that very well.

I didn't actually execute my plan at all, but I hit my goal and I, you knowing you hit, you have those barriers that you, you beat. And then it's like, well, once you beat 'em and it's like, wow. Like I, you feel renewed or you feel like maybe unstoppable in a sense. Like, oh, I just did that. Like now, now I can do whatever I can do.

I don't know. Who knows what's next. Right. And um, yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: How did you celebrate that?

Anthony Bruns: Oh, with a, a very lonely walk to the subway station and, and, and, and miss trains and my family worrying about me because I was 30 minutes late. 'cause I kept getting on the wrong train, so I didn't have a phone and I just kind of, you know, that post marathon like fog?

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Especially there. Yeah. It's like you're walking

Anthony Bruns: like

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Aimlessly from what feels like miles and miles and,

Anthony Bruns: yeah. Yeah. It was definitely like a home homeless guy on the train with the, you know, the, the marathon blanket and, [00:43:00]

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Anyway, uh, I don't remember how I saw it, but I was just. Just stoked.

Right? Like, just super excited to, to have done that. And that was the moment, right, that, that moment, that grit that got me below, if I ran, ran 2 40 0 2, I would've been so pissed, right? Like, so.

Ally Brettnacher: Oh my gosh.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yeah. And so like the grit that I, I allowed myself to like, do and like, and, and push and like, I just knew I had more in there.

Like I knew there was something. Left in the tank. I didn't know what, but I knew I could beat 2 39. So kind of an off topic story from that.

Marker

Quick break in the show to remind you that this podcast, finish Lines and Milestones is a Sandy Boy Productions podcast, which means this show is part of a network of shows. So if you are looking for other running podcasts to add into the mix, you can look for, I'll have another with Lindsey Heine, the Trail Network, the Mother Runners, and Inspired Souls.

See all of these shows@sandyboyproductions.com. Now back to the show.

Anthony Bruns: Like I knew there was something left in the [00:44:00] tank. I didn't know what, but I knew I could beat 2 39. So kind of an off topic story from that, like a couple of, I'm really close to my high school friends.

We have a group of like five or six guys, TJ's one of them. And we decided to celebrate our turning 40 same, you know, same year down in New Orleans. So you get down there and we party and do our thing. I think, I think we're out to like, it was premeditated, but we were out till like three in the morning.

But the next day I had told the guys like, Hey, there's a, there's a half marathon in New Orleans. And you know, I was like, egg and TJ on, he is like, Hey, we're gonna do this thing. Couple other guys, there's a 5K. He's like, you guys are gonna do the 5K, we're gonna do down this as like a buddy thing. Right? A group thing.

And uh, I had run, I had not run monumental at that point, but I had run the indie mini many times during that college time. Right. And I, I'd run two 18, I think it ran maybe two 17. And it was like super stoked about those times. And, and that was my PR at the time. And after showing up at this, I think it was called the Old Man River, which is kind of, uh, appropriate for being 40 and just feeling, you know, like being old.

I was like, all right, let's go do this old, old man [00:45:00] river thing. And I just remember running was out three in the morning. We got up like six, went down there and I ran a, I ran a one 13 and I was just like, okay, like, uh, I just prd by five minutes or whatever, you know, seven or four minutes.

Ally Brettnacher: Geez.

Anthony Bruns: And the half that, that was maybe a month after New York.

So I was just like, okay, like the bells are going off in my head and like, okay. Like, I'm like, what's going on? All right, let's go. I'm super ex excited about, you know. The possibilities now. Like, and um, I think, I think actually I have my timeline a little wrong. I think COVID was after this. I think COVID hit that March after this.

Ally Brettnacher: Oh, it would've

Anthony Bruns: been, yeah,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah, yeah. That's

Anthony Bruns: right. So I apologize for that. Yeah. But this is, this is what happened. And then COVID came and I, that's, I really started to like digging into all these things. You know, there's, you had two years there of, of really no racing, at least mask list. Mm-hmm. Um, and part of what MTC did, I dunno if you've heard about this when it was going on, it might still be going on, but it was really prevalent during COVID, which was the, the Great American 5,000.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, I was gonna ask you what that was, 'cause you mentioned that.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. So that's [00:46:00] a, it's a virtual race. So it was perfect for COVID from San Francisco to New York. The original one was teams of 24 and each person. Okay. And, and each team could run 24 hours a day. You couldn't load up more than 24 hours in, in a day.

Right. So we just said, okay, there's 24 of us, each of you, each of us runs one hour, run as many miles as you can in one hour until we get from San Francisco to to New York. Right.

Ally Brettnacher: Wow.

Anthony Bruns: So we have, you know, we have a eclectic mix of guys. Some guys are doing, you know, eight minute pays, nine minute pays, which is fine.

But then there's people like me who are like, I, I gotta get as many miles as I can every day, you know? So like,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: So every day for I think, I don't know, three weeks, you know, I'm running like, you know, just stupid fast stuff, right? Like, just trying to get as many miles as they can, and we end up winning.

And, and, and there's teams on there, you know, I don't know if as many people took it as seriously as us, but like, there's teams with, you know, pros on their team, you know, and like, uh, Kira damato was on a team, and there's, and her husband, like, there's all these different, these big names on there. And it was like, you know, we,

Ally Brettnacher: how is this tracked?

Anthony Bruns: Is

Ally Brettnacher: it on a [00:47:00] website or like in Strava

Anthony Bruns: or, yeah, it's, it's on, yeah, it's on a website and you upload your miles and you have to, uh, add your Strava link so they can verify, right? That you're not cheating.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Whatever. So yeah, we won. And, uh, I just remember like,

Ally Brettnacher: wow,

Anthony Bruns: three weeks straight, just everyone just running, you know, hard as they.

They could and, and just how that kind of like, kind of destroyed your body a little bit, but like the same time, like it, how, how helpful that was to like, you know, to continue the journey of, of what I was trying to do.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And meanwhile, how old are your kids at this point, by the way?

Anthony Bruns: So

Ally Brettnacher: this is during COVID, so Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: So maybe. Third and fifth grade, or third to sixth grade maybe.

Ally Brettnacher: Okay.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Um,

Ally Brettnacher: it's like meanwhile they're at home doing like e-learning.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yeah. It was

Ally Brettnacher: probably,

Anthony Bruns: yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Chaos of the family alongside

Anthony Bruns: this

Ally Brettnacher: is

Anthony Bruns: right. Yeah. Yeah. So it was, it was my break from getting outta the house to get outta the house. And it was something fun that, but we were able to do as a group.

Right. It still something like, it felt like you were part of something and some of the, some of the best running memories are with that, that crew and doing those types of things because it's amazing. I think you've, I've heard you [00:48:00] say you've done some, you know, ragnars and things, but it's amazing what you can do for others in a relay.

It's not, you wouldn't push that hard for yourself, but you push that hard because you see the other people on your team pushing that hard, right? Mm-hmm. So I've always run some of my best running when I'm with like my group, because one, I'm inspired by them and two, like I inspire them and then it's like.

This kind of like back and forth and Yeah. It, it's fun.

Ally Brettnacher: Yes.

Anthony Bruns: And so I can't remember how the, I know we won, but I, I know it came down to like a pretty close finish for that first year that we did the Great American 5,000 and we did it a couple years later. But rules had changed, uh, where you could run as much as you want.

It didn't have to be in 24 hours. So we had, we had Cameron on our team, you know, balls there. So he'd just go out. Oh

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: He'd go run like 50 miles and like,

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: just

Ally Brettnacher: send, just send Cam out. He'll be fine.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. So I mean, that one fell. We destroyed, we, I think the next person was like, in Kansas, you know, they have a virtual map where they're at, you know, like, like,

Ally Brettnacher: oh my gosh.

Anthony Bruns: People are like, people are like, ah, these guys, you know, it was like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't mess with M tc. Yeah. But, um, but anyway, those are, those are a good times. But anyway, [00:49:00] so yeah, so COVID o's hitting, we're doing all these COVID things, and so I signed up for SIM in 21 California. Mm-hmm. California National Marathon.

So I've never done that one before. But for whatever reason, I think it, I felt like it was, you know, it was a fast one. It's, it's a huge landing spot for people from Colorado. Like it's a, we can train here for most of the winter until, until that point, and winter usually gets bad years, but that's kinda like the good timeframe for a lot of guys training here in Colorado.

So I knew a lot of guys going and, and whatnot, but I was like, oh, I don't know. I don't know what to expect. Right. I'm just gonna, I'm gonna go run the first half in control and then I'm just gonna try to race the second half. And so this is 2021. I think I ran. I ran the first half in one 15, so I was like, all right, like that's controlled.

That's fast, but it's not like stupid. And then it's like I feel really, really good. You know? I closed the second half into one 10, which is a half marathon pr, and I just took 14 minutes off of my. Best marathon time from two years prior, you know, during, because, you know, 'cause COVID had hit, geez. So I didn't do anything in between.

So like, I just [00:50:00] like what? I'm like, so how am I going? I'm like 42, 43 at this point. And it was like, I just ran a 2 25 45. Like now what? Now what's the,

Ally Brettnacher: well, and And you won first place

Anthony Bruns: Masters Runner? Yeah, I was first place masters runner that year. I still have the backpack to show for it. I carried it around.

Ally Brettnacher: I was gonna say, what was the hardware? A backpack.

Anthony Bruns: It's a backpack with the age group champion on it. I actually wore this last weekend. Everyone's like, oh, how'd you do it? I was like, oh. But I was, I wasn't the top 10 list for a while. But then they had the trials there. Like a lot of people went for the trials last.

West Olympics. And so a lot of fast masters went. And so I got knocked off the list, but you know, I was still super proud of, of that run. I, I,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: I was actually talking to Guyer about it a little bit, and he is like this, those moments where you just feel invincible, like nothing can stop you. Like you, you don't, there's not a bad feeling in your body.

You're just floating in space and you're just, you're just going for it. And like, I think I've done over 30, I don't mean 31, 3, 2 marathons and like I can probably pinpoint one or two of them that I felt that way on. And so, like, to me that was like just a very magical race for me. And, uh, one that I would love to [00:51:00] duplicate over and over again, but just never been able to really find that magic.

Yeah. But, so anyway, okay, so now I'm like, that's

Ally Brettnacher: incredible.

Anthony Bruns: Now I'm feeling like. You know, my head's getting big, you know, I'm feeling like, all right, let's do this. And I'm, I'm in the, you know, a couple years into my forties and the, the master scene in Colorado is pretty intense.

Ally Brettnacher: I can only imagine

Anthony Bruns: that.

Yeah. Yeah. Actually,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: there's guys here that, you know, again, I was running by myself most the time. I didn't really have a lot of running friends here. That's changed a lot since the last couple years. But, um, there's guys that I had been following, you know, there's people who, you know, masters who were running like 1530s, 1540s in the 5K, and, you know, whatever.

Just some amazing people. And I started getting into like some of the, the more US a TF masters racing here. And I was competing with these guys, guys that I, I looked up to and like was saying like, I, I'll never beat that guy, and I'm, I'm beating that guy, you know? And it was super exciting. And, you know, of course become friends with these, these people and you just kind of, um, you have camaraderie and you race a lot over, you know, smaller, usually smaller races, five [00:52:00] Ks.

There's a lot of mile races out here and things like that where you're getting after it. But, so it's. It's pretty crazy. So during that time, I, I, I go run, I look up or we look up, I'm even sure how I find up. TJ probably found it for me, but the, the, the, the Colorado Soils records for, um, they have 'em for the mile.

They, they, they list him for the mile of a half marathon. The marathon, I'm sure there's a 5K somewhere or whatever. So it's like, well, it's Colorado. I mean, this is like one of the running meccas. You just. Pros that live here. I mean, my daughter's racing against v and CU Peppers and Gouchers and you know, like these are people who are pros, their parents are pros and they, but they're not running, you know, anymore.

So, but I also found that, uh mm-hmm. People train here, but they don't race here, you know, like they, so, so it's like looking at these things like, wow, these times are really fast, but they're from 1982. Like, what, where are mm-hmm. Where's all the recent times? Right. So I was like, I was looking at it, I was like, okay, well the half marathon time for my age group was like 1 0 9 something.

And I think the marathon was like [00:53:00] 2 28 something. And I was like, all right, let's do this. And the, and the mile was four. 2089 or 4 28, I think. And so like I start focusing on more like being in Colorado and trying to like, get these records. 'cause I was like, this is exciting, this is something different.

Um, as you know, training for a marathon is, is not sustainable for every, you know, blinking moment of your life. So it's like, it's nice to like split it up to like, okay, let's train for a half, let's train for a 5K, let's train for this mile. And I had some, some great races. I mean, I've lost the mile and a half, uh, this past year.

Uh, I still hold the, the, the marathon record for 40 to 44. And I also own the record Incredible for the, uh, half marathon, for the 45 to 49. And I'm gonna try to get the marathon record here this spring. But yeah, I ran. Uh, it had a, it's called a Mile High Mile. It's up in Boulder. It's a track meet good masters there.

It, it was, it was one of those beautiful nights, uh, you know, Colorado Knights. But, but [00:54:00] the, they had a, a malfunction with the, um, the stadium lights and they, they went and turned, turned on. So, uh, for our race, which was the second to the last race, they pulled like 30 vehicles onto the track and turn their headlights on.

And like, the atmosphere was just like electric. Right. Like, that's so cool. Yeah. It's so cool.

Ally Brettnacher: It's like fast and the furious, like

Anthony Bruns: in

Ally Brettnacher: a

Anthony Bruns: parking lot ready

Ally Brettnacher: to throw down,

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns - Audacity: like,

Anthony Bruns: and the, the track is lined all the way around the inside with people, you know, screaming and then That's cool. And the outside was with cars, you know, trying the lights on.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: And uh, one of my good running friends here, but he is Neil McDonald, who's an amazing miler, uh, and 5K guy. He's a couple years younger than me, but, you know, we had a great dual, like it was just a matter of like, just him and I just. Going back and forth, getting after it. And you know, I, I had the record at, I think I had it at, uh, 4 24 26, and he took it back this last year or the 4 24.

But, and now I can't go back in time 'cause I'm too old now to get that record back. But I, I guess I could break it all, all outright, but that's a little harder to all

Ally Brettnacher: together.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. [00:55:00] But, uh, but there you go. But it's just like, those moments are just so fun. Like I, that's the kind of stuff that fuels me.

Just like having those types of experiences is like, it's unreal, right? Like that's not just going out to a track meet rather it's, it's about this environment is, is pretty electric, the same, same for the, the, the half is, you know, similar And then the full, which I ran the Colorado marathon again, which is, uh, 17 miles of.

Uh, downhill, I'm not gonna lie. And then pretty flat towards, towards the finish. But you know, you're at altitude, you're pretty high altitude. And that one, yeah, another one that I was able to just kinda like, just lock in and, and, and run my pace and, yeah. Broke that record by a bit, by a minute. Uh, even with a 40 minute bathroom break or 42nd bathroom break.

No, I was like,

Ally Brettnacher: damn.

Anthony Bruns: No, no one wants to.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, still

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns - Audacity: that's,

Anthony Bruns: yeah. No one wants to take that long of a bathroom break. But

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: it was fun. And so, so I ran like a two 20, yeah, 2 28 21 there. So at altitude, and again, you know, it is, was downhill a little bit, but you know, a lot they, they like to say that the downhill negates the [00:56:00] altitude.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. So, question about Yes. Colorado soil records.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Yes.

Ally Brettnacher: Where do you look that up

Anthony Bruns: there, you know, I mean, you have to Google it, but there, once you Google it, you can find it. There's a, there's a, a body, a governing body, not really a governing body. There's like a, it's not like it's, uh, a website for every state that's just.

Colorado has their own someone who's tracking Colorado Stats.

Ally Brettnacher: Okay.

Anthony Bruns: So it's just on there. He has like a list of all those records and then he also has, you know, track records for, you know, all different ages and, and whatever. But yeah, it's not like a, a website that has. Everyone's soils records is just some guy's, it'd

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns - Audacity: be

Ally Brettnacher: really cool if that existed.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Oh, I think so too. Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: I was like, oh, does it exist? Like, that would be pretty cool. TJ probably knows where to find all the Indiana stuff. I bet.

Anthony Bruns: Yes. Yes, he does. He's,

Ally Brettnacher: and, and if not, yeah, he will.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: He, he,

Anthony Bruns: He, he, he had to dig to find the mile ones, the mile one's listed somewhere else too. So like he knows where to find that stuff.

But I, I, once I have it, I, I have it. I know where it's at, but like, yeah, to, to tell someone, to find where they can find their own state. I have no idea where those things lie or exist, so, [00:57:00]

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. So do you keep, do you have a spreadsheet of all of your race? Times and, you know, like websites where things like this exist.

How do you keep track of everything? Or is it all in Strava?

Anthony Bruns: I mean, most of it's in Strava and app links. I, I, I do have a, a spreadsheet that I kept track of all my halfs and fos on. It's on a yeah. Excel spreadsheet on a computer that I can't access anymore. So like the last like four, four or five years, I just kind of rely on, you know, technology to kind of record those things for me.

But

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Um, but it's nice to go back and look and, and see, you know, the progression. And I think Alyx does a nice job as long as you can find all the races on there to like Right. Sorting it and finding it and, and seeing how, how you've progressed. But, um, yeah, I don't recognize my current self to where I was, you know, in this sport.

But I, I definitely attribute a lot of it to just like feeling like I have a lot to prove from what I missed out on as a, you know, as a youth maybe. Like, I, I didn't like, eh, I didn't, I never met my potential. Let me meet my potential now. Right. You know, type of thing. Yeah. Not for anyone but myself, you know, but it's just more [00:58:00] like, you know, like I don't, I wanna live with a regret.

Of like, what could I have ran, you know, I can already do. 'cause you know, if I could run this fast now, what could I have run 20 years ago? Maybe not, maybe not, you know, maybe this is all about maturity and like mental toughness, right. So I

Ally Brettnacher: think there's something to that.

Anthony Bruns: Yes. Yeah. So I, I don't, I try not to play those mind games too much.

I'm just really happy living in, living in the moment

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Of those things. So,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: But

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns - Audacity: yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: And showing your kids too, like, hey,

Anthony Bruns: look.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: my daughter runs, my son runs begrudgingly, but I, I, I shut up. I, I don't say a word. I lets the high school coach do his thing. I do like to beat the high school coach and we race, so he, so he knows who I am, but, uh,

Ally Brettnacher: just so you know who the real winner is here,

Anthony Bruns: sir.

Yeah. Just so you, just so you know, but I'll let you, uh, I'll say

Ally Brettnacher: you can coach her, but I'm better. No, I love it. Yeah. Have you ever had a coach? Have you ever been coached or you just been self coached this whole time?

Anthony Bruns: You know, so. I mean, obviously in high school I had a coach, [00:59:00] but they, I used the book, uh, as my coach for a little bit.

So kind of going into, uh, I ran SIM in 2023, you know, because I had run, I had run Boston, a part of the elite pro field, which is it's super exciting experience, you know,

Ally Brettnacher: being Okay. Yeah, we need to talk about that.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns - Audacity: Hold

Anthony Bruns: on. Uh, okay, I go, go backwards.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: sorry. I did jump into that. So I had qualified, uh, as a master to be part of the Master's Corral group, uh, that ran.

Started with the pro elite field. Wow. So I was number 75 out of like 78. Like, I was like just barely made it in by the hair of my chin, chin, chin, you know? So, so we start the pro, women start like five minutes later and then like five minutes later, like the masses start. And so you get

Ally Brettnacher: like an email that, that makes you aware of this.

Like how did you know that you made it in? I

Anthony Bruns: don't, I don't even know. I think so I have a, you might have heard his name, but like, I have a, an acquaintance out here, Fernando Ada, who is an ex pro runner on his youth. He's a couple years behind me, but, uh, someone I'd run with every once in a while. He is a great person for me to chase because I, I can't beat him, but [01:00:00] like I said, but he is, he's at least in sight, you know?

And I think he told me about, Hey, you should sign up. Uh, check this out, see if you can sign up for it. And I was, you know, like I said, I just barely made it in. I wouldn't like the, the next year I wouldn't have made it in with my 2 25. It was like 2 22, you know, so like. Things keep getting faster. So I was lucky to, to make it in, but I was gonna take full advantage of, of that opportunity.

Right? So I've run Boston, you know, numerous times, but never like with that much like hype and fan fear, but like mm-hmm. Starting off with the profield, you know, I think, you know, like I saw Scott Foible, the guy's, the guy's book I was reading was sitting right there, you know, I was rubbing shoulders with, you know, the Africans and you know, like just walking out with them, being announced with 'em all.

I think there's a, I should have sent it to you. There's a picture from the TV of me just like standing in the back, just like, what, what am I doing here? You know, I did not belong in this, yeah. This, this, this group. You know? And, and furthermore, I'm the slowest, one of the slowest ones in this group, and five minutes later the pro perimeter coming and I don't wanna be the guy that gets gobbled up on tv, you know, by the, yeah, by the pro women.

So like, I had [01:01:00] a lot like going for me, like to be motivated and be happy. And that was, that was my PR race. I mean, I ran a 2 23, 3 9 there. And I remember at the halfway point I saw my wife and a bunch of MTC guys that were come out to watch, and TJ was running as well. So, but wasn't just me, but I remember telling them, I was like, this is too fast.

This is too fast. Like I was, I went through like a 1 0 8 high, you know. I'm like, I'm at, I'm at a half marathon PR pace, you know, which,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Not new for, not new for me in the past at Boston. 'cause it's so downhill. I've, I've run two 17 there in the past and then ran, come back with like a two 40, you know, but

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: But I, I got stuck at this group and I just never fell off this, this pack. And I, I finished, uh, second in the Masters, uh, it was 40 seconds behind cab, the guy I trained with here in Colorado.

Ally Brettnacher: Geez.

Anthony Bruns: And, uh, I beat out another guy by like three seconds for, you know, he was right behind me for third. And just an amazing experience.

Like, I, it was like, I don't know, like that moment, it's still my pr I've still been, you know, chasing that [01:02:00] ghost of 2 23 and it's not a PR course. You know, Boston is not,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. That's what's most insane to me.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Because it's like, I have not run it yet, but

Anthony Bruns: yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: So I hear.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, it's not a PR course. The, the first half is a PR course, but the second half is definitely not a PR course.

So I've been chasing that ghost of that race for a while. That and that sim course 2 25, you know, it's like, it gives you the ability to know that you can do it, but we all know how fickle the, the marathon can be. It can give if and, and take it away very quickly. So

Ally Brettnacher: is the second place masters at Boston?

Did you get something cool? You have to have all kinds of age group award stuff that you've gotten over the years.

Anthony Bruns: Oh, I have a ton of, you know, tons of medals and things. I, you know, honestly, the, I got a vase, I got a glass vase that says Boston.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. That's so interesting to hear. Like what they give out.

You're like a vase. Okay.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Thank you. And, and a check. I did get a check for 3,500 bucks so that I am a, uh, a paid athlete now. There we go. Yeah. How about that?

Ally Brettnacher: That is a big deal. That's amazing. It,

Anthony Bruns: it was cool. I mean, I,

Ally Brettnacher: now, now I have to, now I have to kick you off my podcast. 'cause this [01:03:00] podcast is only for everyday runners.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Everyday runners. Yep. I, I had to pay taxes about this. So just everyday person like that.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: Uh, so that gave me the, they gave me the confidence to say, okay, I pr on Boston, it's Olympic year, the qualifying standards two 18. That's a big ask for me, but you know what? Hell, I'm gonna go for it. Right.

Let's, let's do this. And so when you ask about, uh, did I have a coach? No, but I did in a sense hire Fernando Kada between Boston and, and Sim of 2023 to like get me there. He's someone who's been there. He's, you know, he is run 2, 2 14, 2, actually two 11. So he, he knows how to race. Uh, he, we've run together enough as, as you know, acquaintances to know that he knows how I operate.

He knows what motivates me. Um, I always wanna do my own thing. I don't. I liked running easy. He'll no, you gotta go do nine miles at nine minute pace. No, no, I'm, I don't have time for that. I'm gonna go run it at seven minute pace or whatever. That's easy enough, you know, type of thing. But, you know, he was pretty strict on me and, and, and those things.

And he kind of gave me some [01:04:00] discipline. It was the first time I actually had running discipline versus just me going out and chasing someone's segment on a Strava or

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Doing whatever suited me in the moment.

Ally Brettnacher: But still no easy runs.

Anthony Bruns: No easy run. I mean, definitely, no, there were definitely easy runs.

He made me. Okay. He got mad. He, he got mad. He said, I,

Ally Brettnacher: I was gonna say like, he probably, damn

Anthony Bruns: it, he told me I was uncomfortable. He told me I was uncomfortable. So, so I had to, had to listen, I had to listen a little bit.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, that'll do it. That's what I needed to say.

Anthony Bruns: But up until this point, I ran free. I ran without like, expectation.

And this is the first one that put some expectation on me. So I talked about the mental game of things like it, it came into play on this one and I, you know, I put the work in, I was, I was in the best shape of my life. I went for it. You know, there's hundreds of other guys going for it too, right? So there was, I was not alone and, and a pack of 200 people running, you know, 5 10, 5 15 pace.

And I got to about mile nine, you know, my wife was there. My, my buddy tj, my buddy Caleb, my buddy Corey, all NCC guys, they came out to watch me. You know, it was so awesome that for the, their support. [01:05:00] Um, I didn't wanna like, let anyone down, you know, but like, I got to the point where like my eyes were just like, oh my God, I do, I belong in this, like, this group of like, you know, like.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: I'm,

Anthony Bruns: I'm, I'm running as hard as I can, you know, and can I hold this for another, you know, 12, 15 miles? Like, I have no idea. And I, I, I let the head game get me a little bit. Like, I was like, you know, I got to the halfway point. I'm a 1 0 9, I have to split another 1 0 9 to qualify or better, right? Like.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Yeah.

I,

Anthony Bruns: I, I, I, I, I let it get to me and I said, I, I, I can't, I don't think I can do it. You know, in, in my head I was telling myself this. Right. And then, you know, the later miles in a marathon are, are harder. And then soon as you hit a mile that tells you you're not gonna make it. You fall apart. You're like,

Ally Brettnacher: okay.

Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I, I, I finished at 2 39. It was funny, I finished in 2 39, pretty much the same time I finished New York in, when I was trying to be elite at breaking two 40. Right. And

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: I could be, mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: I could be, mm-hmm. I could have been more happy then. I could have been [01:06:00] more pissed in that moment at, you know, like, yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: So interesting.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Very interesting how you mm-hmm. Like, change your, your mindset a little bit. And it really, it really, like, I took a step back. I was like, you know what? Like, I need to have fun. I, I need, I, I can't, I'm just not someone who needs to be serious about running. I want to be fast, I want to be good about it, but I, I don't, I've never done well with the pressure of.

The best thing about being over 40 in a masters is there's, there's little expectation When I can beat a high, can I beat a high school kid? I'm not supposed to beat him. Like, so, whatever. Right? Yeah. So, so I, and now I'm on 46, you know, um, I ran the, uh, the monumental mile this year. 'cause part of the U-S-A-T-F, uh, masters Mile Championships, it's like, you know, Brian Lindsay, those guys, and they're all super fast.

I was like, I was super like, intimidated by these guys, you know, and he's actually older, but you know, some of the guys who are 40, 41, I was like, you know what? I shouldn't be beating you. You're, you're 40, you're a young guy. You know, like, yeah. So I, I kinda looked at it like, there's no expectation for me as, as 46.

I, I guess I was 45 on that race day, but there's no, there's [01:07:00] no expectation here for me to, to be beating you. So like, I'm gonna run. How I wanna run and I don't care. Mm-hmm. Come beat me. Beat me like, I'm not scared because I shouldn't beat you. Uh, that's how I look at it.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: So after, after sim I did the, uh, dopey challenge at Disney.

So just another like, okay, what? This is dumb. Let's go do this. This will be fun. And hey, what if I go try to win? 5K, 10 k, half in, in the full, in the process, right? Like, I tried to look it up and I DJ of course, found the record and to see if I could, could do it, and I didn't. I did end up beating the old record, but there was a, a younger gentleman there, he's like in his twenties from Chicago, was also there and had the same intention.

So it was

Ally Brettnacher: damn

Anthony Bruns: quite a battle. You know, he, he won the five KI won the 10 K, uh, he won the uh. Half. I was second to all those except for the 10 K. And then of course, you know, this is four days in a row, getting up at five in the morning and, and trying to, and then, you know, of course you're there with your family, you're gonna the park all day after the race.

Like I just go home and crash like seven and they're all, you know, gonna the [01:08:00] pool and doing dinner. And I'm just like, I'm done. And the marathon shows up, you know, and it's like, ah, I don't know what to expect here. And, you know, I just, I, I think I, I ended up running like 2 30, 2 38 or something on that one.

But it was like, you know, I was on, I was, I was in the, I was in the hunt to be in the top five and then just kind of like, you know, just like, okay, I think I've had enough Disney. This

Ally Brettnacher: is a lot. Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: I'm a little, little Disney out.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. I mean, okay, so when you won the 10 k what did you, what did you get for winning?

I'm just so curious. Always about awards, because I dont get them, Anthony,

Anthony Bruns: I don't, I don't think you get anything. I think you just get, uh, the shirt and a medal.

Ally Brettnacher: No.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, that's,

Ally Brettnacher: that's crazy. Disney has a huge opportunity to give you something so cool.

Anthony Bruns: They,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: That, that event is, is a little messed up. So the, the 5K was fine, the 10 K, so you have to take a bus, you can't drive, really drive there.

And the bus got lost on the 10 k, uh, the day of the morning of the 10 K. So I had to start. So when I say I won, I won on time, but I didn't actually win. You

Ally Brettnacher: did break the tape. Yeah. Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: That's

Ally Brettnacher: annoying.

Anthony Bruns: But I started with like, you know, there's, I don't know how many [01:09:00] people, it's, it's a ridiculous amount of people.

And I started with like, I don't know, the B corral of, you know, a or the elite corral. And I was, yeah, just, I mean, I was just weaving through. I probably ran an extra half mile, you know, just weaving Yeah. On that. Yeah. And then, and then they had like a, a rainstorm on the, uh, a half marathon day, and they're like, well, we're gonna make this a seven mile, half marathon.

I was like, well,

Ally Brettnacher: oh, I remember that.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah. So it was just like a, I had a pretty poor experience with Disney and running their, their things. They couldn't get their buses there on time and they, I don't know, doesn't it always rain in Florida? You know, like,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah,

Anthony Bruns: can we not just run the rain here?

Type of thing. But, you know, I'm sure they're so worried about whatever liabilities there are. But anyway, that was, that was a good time. I. It is one of those things is like, it's really fun and you get, like, I had a mound of shirts, you know, you get a shirt for every race plus a, a dopey and a goofy challenge, which was doing the half in the full and then doing all four of them is the dopey.

And it was fun. It was a good time. It was just getting back to the roots of having fun running and, and, and just having, having a good time. So, [01:10:00] and that's kind of where I, I've been, you know, I've done the Colorado marathon after that. I've been the Colfax Marathon, which is another one here in Denver. Kind of got out of the marathon game for a little while.

Then my body was just kinda like I hit when I started this whole process at 39. I was like, I'm gonna do this till I'm 45. And that's, that's about as much as I think my body can take. So, so, yeah. So I, I hit 46. Yeah. And then like, I kind of like, or 45, I hit 45, turned 45. And it was like my body just kind of, my mind kind of said.

You're done, like you've, you hit this, right? So I kind of went into this little mini like running depression of like, ah, I don't like this anymore, or whatever. And I just kind of like start focusing more on like half marathons and, and shorter just to kind of get my body a rest. So, coming back after last year, coming into 2025, I was going to do the elite field for the Colfax Half Marathon.

And I was training for it, training for, I was training with a buddy here at Christian Stevens, who's, he's a rebuff graduate, but, um, I know him through a, through the Jacob Rich, who's his coach. [01:11:00] So anyway, just another someone, I could be his, his dad. So I'm training with, you know, it always, always feels, always feels funny, but he's a good kid and he, he humors me by running with me fast sometimes.

So, but anyway, I'm just like, I'm running and I was like, I don't feel like I can run. These paces anymore for a half marathon, I think I'm gonna switch to the marathon, you know, because I feel like I'm more in a marathon shape again. So it, it'd been close to over a year and a half since I'd run a marathon until, uh, last, last May.

But come to find out, uh, I didn't really have a choice 'cause I, I had signed up for the, um, the half marathon, but I actually never hit send, so I

Ally Brettnacher: Son of a gun.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. I was like, ah, well uh, I'll run the marathon 'cause they're still opening. So I ran that, um, just ran it to run it. I ran a 2 35 there and I was just like, you know what, like, I kind of like the marathon again.

I'm going to. We get through the summer. I hate running in the summer and the summer's always track season here, you know, so I was getting after the miles again, I joined this U-S-A-T-F, Masters's Long Distance Grand Prix for Colorado, which is like a six, six event thing. And it was fun to run against the other masters.

It's all age graded. So being [01:12:00] 46, I get a benefit of over someone who's 40 because, you know Yeah. Age grading. That's cool. So I ended up winning that, which was a lot of fun, but it kind of got me excited again. So then I, you know, I, I was like, okay, I'm ready. I'm gonna go back to sim. 'cause my first race there was the best, the second race.

Yeah. Was a huge disappointment. I, I need redemption. I need to go back and make it happen. Right. And so I was with K again and he's, he had a, he just had a baby. I think people at forties having babies are, are crazier than me. So I, I respect that.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. My best friend just did that.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Crazy.

Anthony Bruns: It's craziness.

Good for them though. And um mm-hmm. I love seeing it. So he is getting back into it. I'm trying to get back into marathon shape. So we're. Working together, we're putting in some, some good workouts. I'm, I'm feeling, I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling great and I, I, I get there and I, I see that the 45 to 49 age group age group records 2 27.

I was like, yeah, I can do that. I mean, I can run that in Colorado. I can run that at sea level. That's not a big deal. But, you know, my eyes a little bit bigger now. I think I can, I think I can [01:13:00] pr, I think I can, you know, I'm always looking to, to beat that Boston time because I, I still don't feel like it's a legit pr like I, I, there's, there's more in there from, from that race that I just haven't found yet.

And I'll preface this with the fact that I run most of my marathons without taking water or taking gels. So,

Ally Brettnacher: okay. I was gonna ask you about nutrition because this whole time we never talked about nutrition at all.

Anthony Bruns: There's a reason why, there's a reason why you haven't talked about it. 'cause my diet is that of a 13-year-old boy where I eat and burn calories.

I don't bother thinking about eating healthy. A lot of times, you know, I eat healthy, but like when I'm marathon planning, I'm not ever once thinking about gels when I need to take 'em, how many calories they should be taking in this, that, and the other. And that's, there's a big reason why I fluctuate in my, my marathon times and, and, you know, and this and that.

But I am just like, by pt, I'm very stubborn about who I am and how I am. And a part of me has a badge of honor saying that I ran a marathon without taking water. You know? It's the dumbest Yeah, it's the dumbest, [01:14:00] it's the dumb A badge award, but it's like, that's who I am. Like I thrive on adversity. I thrive on knowing that I, I have a bad knee and you don't.

I thrive on knowing that I've done this. And you have, like, I thrive on those things that are, make life harder to achieve what I've achieved. So dumb, dumb, I'm, I'm not saying that smart, but anyway. Fast forward to, uh, last weekend, get the sim, and it's, it's a beautiful running weather. It's 42 degrees. It's overcast, it's misty, it's, it's, it's heaven.

It's kind of how it was in 2021, just like, I'm just having to flashback, like, oh, it's gonna be a good day. And like I had told you before, like, a lot of guys from Colorado go there and run. So I, I knew a handful of people. Mark Garry was there too, from Indiana. Um, Jesse Davis. A lot of these guys who I look up to and, and, and race against were there.

So like, it was, it was, it was kind of a homecoming, but there's a kid from here that I've run against. He's like, reached out on Strava. I was like, Hey, do you want, we've been kind of training the same, do you wanna run together? I was like, sure, let's do this. You know, say, what do you wanna run? He is like, I wanna run sub 2 25.

I was like, great. That's what I wanna run. Let's [01:15:00] run, let's run five 30 s for the first half. He's like, all right, let's do this. We're running. I mean, we talked, we just talked at 5 25 Pace, just chatting. I can't

Ally Brettnacher: believe you can talk. That's

Anthony Bruns: insane. Yeah, just talking and having a good time and feeling great.

I never felt better. I mean, through eight miles, we're just having a good time and we're passing Sarah Hall, we're passing the, the motor, the motorcade for the women. I'm like, Hey, I gotta, I'm actually gonna run ahead of you 'cause I don't wanna be on tv, you know, whatever. And just like. Just feeling great, you know?

And, and that's the beauty and the bitch of the, of the marathon, right? Like, you, you feel on cloud nine and then it, it hits, and God, it hit me so hard. I, I could feel it coming. Like I, I was on pace. I went through a one 11 mid at the half. It's like, great, you know, if I can, if I can close and even a one 13, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna do, well, I'll be close to a pr, I'll be super, super happy with this.

Get to, you know, mile 18, mile 19. I'm like, okay, my pace is like 5 40, 5 45. I'm like, I'm slowing. But like, dude, almost a 10 k [01:16:00] away from the finish line. Can it be right? Like, can you, could you just hold this? Could you hold sub six, dude? And I hit 20 and both my hamstrings just like light up, like fire, like the, where attaches to the back of your, your butt and down to my knee, just like shearing pain.

And it was like, and so as soon as, uh, sees up and I was like, I started to run faster and it just starts hurting. And I'm just like, Ooh. You know, like that, that's not good. Like I. I'm gonna keep going. I'm, I'm not, I've never dns a race. Well, I take that, I did DNS one 5K when I pulled my hamstring a while back.

But anyway, I, I, I'm very prideful in the fact that like. You start something, you finish it right? No matter how bad it hurts or how mad you're gonna be. And, you know, running those last six miles, and I wouldn't say I was slow. I mean, I was like 6 26 forties, you know, like it's, you know, it's, it's a minute and a half off of where I was at, but it's not like I was walking.

But it felt like you're walking, right? When those moments when you're just getting past by all the people that were behind you. Yeah. And your, your mind just goes like, ah, shit. Like, here we go. [01:17:00] Here we go. You know? And then Guyer, bless his heart, passed me, tap me, let's go Brus. It's like, no man, I'm not, I'm not going.

Ally Brettnacher: I know,

Anthony Bruns: I'm, I'm just trying to finish right now. And then you finish disappointed. I read a 2 33, right? Like it's a 2 33. Why am I so mad? It, it, it, but at the same time, I was well off of the goal that I wanted and it was mm-hmm. Just, and I always tell people it's like training for a marathon is like, it's like a half of your, your year, right?

Like it's, you dedicate so much to it, to this one singular moment. And when you don't hit your goal, it's like it's crushing. If it's a 5K or whatever, it's like, ah, whatever, I'll, I'll get to do another one next weekend or whatever.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: But the marathon is, it's, it's, that's what I love and hate about it.

It's like, it's so, so fulfilling and so, so crushing at the same time that I always want to go back and, and do it again because like, it got me, but it didn't like defeat me, you know, fully, you know, so I, I ped for, you know, [01:18:00] a day or whatever, and then like, now I'm like online trying to figure out where, what marathon I can run in the next month or two that I can get into, right?

Like,

Ally Brettnacher: right.

Anthony Bruns: Because I, I'm not, I'm not. Pissing away the four months of training. Yeah. For something that I was not happy with. So

Ally Brettnacher: you could've gotten on a plane to Hawaii.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

FLAMS - Anthony Bruns: yeah.

Anthony Bruns: You could just say, screw it. Yeah. Yeah,

Ally Brettnacher: man.

Anthony Bruns: So, yeah, I mean, that's, that's it mean, that's the, that's the story of, of me in, in a nutshell, in the sense of, of my running career, I wouldn't say phenom, but like middle school phenom, if that ever exists to, to mediocre, to falling outta the sport, to finding my love again, to finding that competitive edge and, and, and wanting to, to kinda relive those, those moments.

I'm still fired up. I'm still fueled to continue and, and see where, where I can go. Like I'm 46 and a half, so like I still am running. In PR shape. Uh, a lot of guys are doing that now. Like I see a lot of my friends, or [01:19:00] TJ is one of them, but like, there you always go, you, you want to quote like pre-funding, but you know, like there is no, there is no limit.

There's, there are no limits, right? Mm-hmm. Like it's without limits, you know, whatever. It's like if you believe it, you can achieve it. I said it earlier, I just, I truly believe that like you can, and for me it's, it's proving someone wrong. It's proving something that's been said wrong, like, I love bucking authority or the, the norms, right?

That's mm-hmm. That, that drives me to, in, in life in general. Not just running, but like, I like to, to say if something's not normal, I like to make it happen, you know? So. Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. Well, well, I can't wait to keep cheering you on now that we've met. It's

Anthony Bruns: fun. Yes,

Ally Brettnacher: yes. Incredible. We're

Anthony Bruns: travel trends now.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, we are.

You can see how slow I run in comparison. It's all relative. I'm not knocking myself Right, right. Because I'm fast as I've ever been, which is great. Yeah, that's great. Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: And you'll keep getting faster.

Ally Brettnacher: Keep getting faster. Um, that's the idea, I hope. Um, okay. I'm gonna ask you the end of the podcast questions now.

Yeah. Okay.

Anthony Bruns: Okay.

Ally Brettnacher: Which one, one you kind of just answered, but the first question I ask [01:20:00] everybody is, what's your favorite running mantra and or song?

Anthony Bruns: Okay. I don't really, I don't listen to music at all. When I run music that does pump me up is like, I'm kind of big into like late eighties, nineties punk rock, but like, I fast guitarist like really get me going, but I don't listen to music when I run.

So, but if I'm in the car listening to that and I get out and I go run, I'm pretty damn pumped up. But I, yeah. My, my mantra is, is what I have on my, my Strava tag. It's a Teddy Roosevelt, uh, quote. But I like it 'cause it kind of encompasses what I am, but it says, nothing in the world is worth, uh, having or doing unless it means effort, pain, and difficulty.

And, which is a little, you know, it's a little depressing in a sense, but nothing comes easy. Right, right. That's, that's what it's saying. Like, and you, um, and it kinda really talks to me in running senses where you have to put the effort in, you have to go through the pain. It's, it's all gonna be difficult.

It is never easy. You know, in a sense it's one of the hardest things you can do to your body. And, and for me, the mind as well, right? Like, it's, it's a, it's a, it's something that you really have to like, be [01:21:00] able to bounce back from immensely strong, so. Mm-hmm. But yeah, that's, that's my mantra.

Ally Brettnacher: That one's a great one too.

I like it a lot. Um, because selfishly then I just take people's mantras and I use them.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, yeah. Use it yourself.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. For my own benefit. And then the, the last question I ask is, what's your next finish line and or milestone? Yeah. So obviously you just mentioned you were hoping to find another marathon.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Um, are there, are there other RA races that you're already registered for next year that you know you're gonna do?

Anthony Bruns: The only one I'm registered for is the Colorado Marathon again. So I can try to, uh, attempt the 45 to 49-year-old, uh, soils record in the marathon, which is 2 28. Okay. So it's, I still gotta get after it and I can't, can't be, uh, it's not slow.

Ally Brettnacher: What, what, what month is that one?

Anthony Bruns: That's in May. Uh, may Early. Early May. Yep.

Ally Brettnacher: Okay.

Anthony Bruns: Uh, that's the only one I've, I've signed up for. I've, I've dabbled in, I did a, a 50 miler, a couple, uh, last two summers ago, and I signed up for another 50 miler in this training block that I deferred to next year. 'cause I did, I was doing the, the sim.

So I, I always want to get into the trail running [01:22:00] 'cause it's peaceful. It's, it's nice. Like, but I also don't wanna waste the opportunity on the road because being an old trail dog, that, that can happen, you know, forever.

Ally Brettnacher: Yes.

Anthony Bruns: So, I, I hope I'll probably keep postponing my, my trail career until I feel like I'm absolutely done on the roads, but, um, right.

Ally Brettnacher: Until you're retired.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah, yeah,

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. You know.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: exactly.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, I get that. Wow. 50 miles.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. I mean, I'm not a hundred mile guy, but you know, all it is is I, I'll probably piss some people off, but it's uh, it's glorified hiking, you know? That's what, a hundred mile running,

Ally Brettnacher: glorified hiking. I've never done it, so I don't know.

But yeah, it does. I think a lot of trail runners would appreciate that though too. Yeah. Yeah. They'd be like, well, yeah, like we run the flats and then everything else is like,

Anthony Bruns: yeah, yeah. Crawling grow up, right?

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's incredible either way, so,

Anthony Bruns: yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: No, but like, there mean, it's cliche to say there really is no finish line, you know, it's, it, mm-hmm.

Whatever the finish line dissolves, you know, another, another one pops up. Right. So it's just, yeah. You just keep chasing what's ahead of [01:23:00] you, and as soon as you cross one, then another one, you know, is right there for you to, to try to chase. So I, I, that's what I like about, you can have an a goal, but there's always a, another goal above your a goal that once you achieve it, you know, so.

Yeah.

Ally Brettnacher: Yeah. And so will you get back to Indy anytime you come back, ever?

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. I'll actually be back next weekend for Oh

Ally Brettnacher: yeah. For the holidays, I guess. Yeah,

Anthony Bruns: just for the holidays. Okay. To visit my folks. They're still up in Marion. Um,

Ally Brettnacher: okay.

Anthony Bruns: But I mean, my kids love it. My parents have some acreage and some, you know, ATVs and some things they don't get to do in the city.

So my, that's

Ally Brettnacher: fun. Yeah.

Anthony Bruns: My kids love it. Drives my wife crazy. 'cause she's always worried that my son's gonna be like me. Yeah. And hurt himself on stuff, so.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Which he

Ally Brettnacher: mm-hmm.

Anthony Bruns: Which he will

Ally Brettnacher: undoubtedly.

Anthony Bruns: Yeah. Undoubtedly. So, so yeah, we don't make it back much, but like, we try to make it back once or twice a year.

Unfortunately. It's all, we usually make it back, so.

Ally Brettnacher: Mm-hmm. Good. Well, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for doing this, and, uh, thank you to everybody who's listened and happy running.

Anthony Bruns: All right. Happy running. [01:24:00]

Ally Brettnacher: If you enjoyed this episode of Finish Lines and Milestones from Sandy Boy Productions, please share rate review. I couldn't do this without you and your support, And thank you to nukes for their support on this episode of the podcast, and I will see you next week. Bye.