Finish Lines & Milestones: Episode 161: Chikage Windler - Chasing Tornadoes and Marathon PRs

Finish Lines & Milestones: Episode 161: Chikage Windler - Chasing Tornadoes and Marathon PRs

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Guest: Chikage Windler @chikageweather

Show Notes:

⁠Chikage Windler⁠⁠ and I were connected by mutual friend Rob Rueff. Previously based out of Indy, Chikage is now an award-winning TV meteorologist based in Austin, Texas.

During this episode, sponsored by ⁠⁠HUUG⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Batch⁠⁠, we talk about:

  • Running the canals in Indianapolis on her lunch breaks when she worked at WTHR from 2011–2013
  • How she got into running after moving to Austin — starting with a jogging stroller and a newborn, and showing up to the Cap 10K dressed as the sun 🌞
  • Her 18 marathons to date, most of them in Texas, and the "marathon she loves to hate" — the Austin Marathon
  • Finally cracking the sub-four barrier at the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge on her sixteenth try 🎉
  • Being the Austin Marathon charity chaser in 2017 — running the race from the very back for Camp Kesem
  • What it's like being a meteorologist who also runs races — knowing too much about the forecast, consulting with race directors, and the Cap 10K this past April where she tracked storms overnight then ran the race on zero sleep
  • Her go-to weather app recommendation (RadarScope) and why your phone's generic weather app isn't cutting it
  • The collarbone she broke getting out of her car after a 13-mile training run, the surgery that followed, and the 200+ miles she walked in a single month because she couldn't run
  • Falling at a trail race on New Year's, falling at mile 25 of the Oklahoma City Marathon, and somehow still worrying about blood on her shoes 👟
  • Her 80-year-old mom running her first half marathon in 35 years at OKC — and hitting a 15:32 pace right in the middle of her goal window
  • Her breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 — keeping it almost entirely private while continuing to work on-air every day, and how running was the one thing that made her feel like herself again
  • Running a 5K with a mandatory dozen donuts mid-race (and the strategy of smashing them into four stacks 🍩)
  • Her mantra: "I love hills" (borrowed from friend Bill Schroeder — she does not actually love hills)
  • What's ahead: her first Spartan race, the Moonlight Margarita Run, and the Chicago Marathon in October 🌬️

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This is a ⁠⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠⁠ podcast.

Episode Transcript

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

Chikage: running kept me sane. It was the one thing where I was like, nobody that I'm running with knows my story. I'm just another runner.

Ally Brettnacher: Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones, a podcast for everyday runners. I am your host, Ally Brettnacher, 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 Hug.

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For this week's episode, I sit down with Chikage Windler. She is a TV meteorologist based in Austin, Texas. But she did spend a couple of years doing weather here in Indianapolis

She has truly seen a lot, from tornado chasing in college to running her 16th marathon Before finally cracking that sub-four-hour barrier. We talk about what it's like to be a runner who actually understands the forecast, how her 80-year-old mom just ran a half marathon, and the very real and personal story about how running carried her through a breast cancer diagnosis that she kept [00:02:00] almost entirely to herself.

Plus, a race that includes eating 12 donuts during the race. Enjoy this episode with Chikage.

Ally: Hi, Chikage. Welcome.

Chikage: Thank you so much for having me, Ally. I'm so excited to chat with you a little while.

Ally: Yes, I'm so excited. And before I forget, thank you to Rob Roof for connecting us.

Chikage: Absolutely. So

Ally: the intro.

Chikage: long, long ago I used to work in Indianapolis, which I know is where you're based, and Rob is also in Indy, and so that was our connection.

Ally: Yeah. How long did you work here?

Chikage: I was only there for a couple of years, but I worked at WTHR and, my favorite thing to do when I was there is on lunch break and on dinner break, I would go run the canal, like almost on a daily basis.

Ally: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Now it's so different too, probably. What years were you here?

Chikage: I was there from 2011 to 2013.

Ally: Okay. Gosh, I'm trying to remember when they, like, rebuilt... Like, there's tons of apartments there now, and a lot more to do around that area. it was probably there back then too. I, my frame of reference in time is, is kinda hard

Chikage: It goes by [00:03:00] fast, yeah. But I mean, I loved it and when I wanted to do a little bit of a longer run, 'cause our station was downtown, you know, I would usually run from my station down to the circle, out to the zoo, and then back around. but I had like a, a great little path and the canals and the fountains and all the monuments.

It was so fun.

Ally: Yeah, perfect, 'cause it was right off of Meridian, the

studio, right?

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: I can... I totally picture where it is.

Chikage: We were like one mile north of the circle on

Ally: have you run here? Have you run a race here?

Chikage: So I did the, um, in Broad Ripple I would do the Turkey Trot.

Ally: Yes.

Chikage: that was the only official race that I did while I was in Indianapolis. Um, I spent a good amount of time in Indy where I was pregnant, so I wasn't really like in the whole let's train kind of thing.

And to be honest with you, I didn't really dive in deep into, "Oh, maybe I'll do a half marathon. Maybe I'll do a marathon," until I moved to Austin.

Ally: Okay. Yeah, and so what year did you move to Austin, which is where you are now?

Chikage: Um, 2013 is when I moved here and, um, I had just had a baby, so I had a newborn and as [00:04:00] many moms can definitely a- associate with or, or relate to, you know, when you're trying to lose the baby weight and make sure your, your son or daughter gets a good amount of sleep, you're like, "Oh, let's do the bob. We'll get the jogging stroller going."

So as soon as she was six months old and they said it was okay for me to do the jogging stroller, like that was our routine. Every single day getting the miles in. We would stop, do parks and playgrounds and snacks and whatever we needed to do, but it was so good for me because I got to get outside and enjoy and it was so good for my daughter as well.

Ally: absolutely. Okay, and I told you before we started recording, I listened to you on Weathering the Run podcast, which was a great conversation from a few years ago, and you said that your kids did not run at all. Is

Chikage: No,

Ally: the case?

Chikage: that is still the race-- the case. However, I will say my kids are awesome in that they recognize how fun it is to go with me to races. So, in January, which it was an epic race for me because I PR'd, the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge was an incredible trip. I went there [00:05:00] with Visit Baton Rouge, and my oldest daughter came with me.

And no, she's not a runner. But yes, she went to the, VIP tent and hung out for the entire three hours and fifty-eight minutes that I was running. and she, like, was sending me the cheers through the app. So I would be at mile four, mile five, and she'd be like, "Mom, you're doing great." So they're supportive.

They just don't run themselves.

Ally: That's okay I love that Everybody needs a support squad That's

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: That is so special And congratulations on your sub four

Chikage: Thank you. I mean, it was a long time trying. Uh, it was my sixteenth marathon and, you know,

Ally: gosh

Chikage: why did it take so long? And I'm still-- And I've run two marathons since then, and I did not improve. Instead, I've just kind of been going back to... So it's a, it's a real challenge, but I was-- That day was perfection. It was cold weather, which is what I love.

It was a flat course, which is what I love. And I was just so excited for a new experience. I'd never been to Baton Rouge before and spend any time there. And so exploring the city and running [00:06:00] the race, it was phenomenal. Like, anyone who wants to, uh, to get a, a PR on a course, I think that's a really, really good place to start.

Ally: Yeah I never I've heard of the Louisiana Marathon but I knew nothing really about it so that's good to know That's

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: when in January is

Chikage: It's, like third week of January.

Ally: Okay

Chikage: I think this year it was on the sixteenth or second-- uh, sixteenth or so. Um, it-- uh, ironically, it fell on the exact same day as one of the iconic races here in Austin. Used to be the 3M Half Marathon, now it's the Austin International Half Marathon. Same race, different name.

And I run it every single year because Austin is very hilly, and the 3M Half/Internet-Austin International Half is downtown-- downhill to downtown. So it is known for being a fast course, one of the best ones here in Austin for PR'ing, and I love it, and I run it every single year. But when I had the opportunity to go to Louisiana, I was like, "You know, I've been chasing this sub four.

I've heard great things about the course." I'm like, " I [00:07:00] really-- I need to do this just to, to see if I can find some magic." And I did.

Ally: I'm so glad you did

Chikage: Thank you.

Ally: marathon in Austin is in February correct

Chikage: Correct. Austin Marathon, and I've run it-- I've-- I should probably know how many times I've run it. I think I've run it- Close to 10 times, something in that range. And anyone who lives here can attest, and I'm the same way, I'm like, "It's the marathon I love to hate."

And by that, I mean, I absolutely love it. It's the hometown race. I'm going. The vibes, the energy, it's so great, and I wouldn't miss it for the world. As far as the course is concerned, Austin is hilly, and that course is unforgiving. Uh, so even, like, I ran Austin a month after PR-ing in Louisiana. And I was kind of like, "Oh, you know, maybe, maybe I just...

Once, once you break through, maybe it just keeps on going." and so for the first half, I was sub-two, and I was like, "Okay, keep it going. Keep it..." But the bottom half is really tough. There's a lot of hills, and it's just, it just is hard. And it was a little warm, and, [00:08:00] you know, all of the things compounded.

So I ended up at 4:09. you know,

Ally: still

Chikage: is what it is.

Ally: for that course

Chikage: Oh, thank you.

Ally: I did that race in 2017 it must have been Yeah I was pregnant with my first daughter

Chikage: Oh, no kidding.

Ally: hilly I remember those hills I was like What am I

Chikage: so speaking of 2017, that was a really special year for me at the Austin Marathon because there's a charity chaser, and what that is, is you start at the very end of the race. Yes. You start at the very end of the race, and then for every person you pass, there's a s- a, a, an amount of money that goes to a charity.

And the year that I ran it, um, Camp Kesem, which is at the University of Texas, and they help, kids who are going through cancer. They have an amazing group of college students who are part of this and, and help younger kids who are, who have family members who are experiencing cancer and that kind of thing, and they do that support.

So they were who, was the beneficiary of every person that I [00:09:00] passed. I wish I were faster. I would've made them more money.

Ally: So was it like a d a dollar for every person Do you remember like

Chikage: So I don't remember exactly what the increment was, but we had a, a, a match sponsor who was, you know, helping boost that, that money as well, and it was just so fun. So at the time, it's a different program now, but at the time it was called Austin Gives Miles. And, uh, and it was just so cool because as the charity chaser, you know, I was, like, picking them off one by one by one.

Ally: That would be

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: that Lance Armstrong's also been the charity chaser there so it's a

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: freaking deal That's

Chikage: Exactly. Like, I think Lance Armstrong was the year after me or the year before me. I can't remember exactly what the order was, but whatever the case, I was like, "Well, it's a little bit of a difference in, uh, athleticism."

Ally: Yeah that's so great though I That's so cool to think about that you might have passed me while while running on those hills

Chikage: Yeah. It was tough.

Ally: pregnant and we surprised each other Well I surprised my friends when I got there and told them all I was pregnant I knew my

Chikage: [00:10:00] Oh, well.

Ally: but we got to run that together Um and my friend Celina still lives in Austin so I have to shout out her too cause I need to come back and visit

Chikage: Yeah, absolutely.

You are welcome anytime, and I would say previously when TRE was here in Austin, the running event, that would have been the perfect time also to come and visit, and it's such a great time. Now it's in San Antonio, so you can go there

Ally: Yeah yeah absolutely Okay so Chicago I wanna go back to seventh grade when the whole weather thing

started for you. Did you grow up-- Were you born and raised in Oklahoma Is that

Chikage: So I was born in Kansas, but I moved to Oklahoma when I was one, so obviously I have zero recollection of what Kansas was all about. so I grew up in Oklahoma. It's the heart of Tornado Alley. And throughout, my life, you know, it was just commonplace, like, "Oh, tornado sirens. Get to the safe spot."

Like, You just have this extra weather awareness when you grow up and live in Oklahoma.

Ally: and so I

Chikage: grade, I was doing a project which is a lot like science fair, but it was called History Day, where you had to dive into a historical subject, and I [00:11:00] decided to do the history of the weather as my project.

and my partner and I, um, actually did really well. We ended up going to nationals with our project. But it was everything from, like, Ben Franklin with the kite experience and e-experiment and lightning to modern-day NEXRAD radar and going to the severe, uh, the National Superstorms Laboratory and interviewing people there.

And the takeaway for me was, wow, this is an actual job that I would really enjoy doing. And what's interesting is, throughout school, I was always a really good student, and I ended up, uh, on a full scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. But at the time when I was growing up, my best subjects were all the language arts types of things, writing and reading and all those things.

Math, I was-- I mean, I was good at everything, but math was not my thing. And so for me to say, "You know what? I want to do this," and, like, committing to calculus and engineering courses and all this kind of thing, and I do not regret it one little bit.

Ally: didn't realize that engineering and calculus would be [00:12:00] integral to your profession how

Chikage: I-I...

Ally: weave in

Chikage: So if you think about, uh, how the atmosphere works, you have initial conditions, like before a storm forms, and you have to look at all the different parameters and look at instability and is something conditionally unstable or is it, you know, this kind of thing. So there's a lot of math that goes into the computer models and looking at how the atmosphere works.

So yeah, I had to t-take calculus and engineering math and differential equations and statistics, and then I even took some engineering courses like rigid body dynamics and then atmospheric thermodynamics. I mean, it is-- If you get the full-on Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, you are almost an engineer.

Ally: incredible Yeah and so growing up in Oklahoma you mentioned you know tornadoes were kinda commonplace but there was one in particular that was really memorable for you right The

Chikage: Well, I mean, I grew up, I did K through five in Moore, Oklahoma, and that is where two F5, now EF5 tornadoes have [00:13:00] hit. And so the, the first one in '99, destroyed my piano teacher's apartment, and I was in the, Gifted and Talented program, and it destroyed part of the school that I went to for Gifted and Talented.

Obviously, I was no longer in school there, but I was like, "Oh, that's my school." So then the 2013 tornado destroyed my childhood home, like flattened it, and the entire neighborhood. And it also hit my elementary school, Plaza Towers Elementary, and which unfortunately, that was the school where children passed away because the tornado hit and they were taking shelter and they didn't make it, so...

Ally: awful So crazy Man Yeah So I guess as a kid growing up I would I would be afraid of storms when like not understanding them And so was that kind of part of the reason why you got so interested in it or cause you wanted to better understand it Or was it just kind of the environment you were in you were like Okay this is you know something I could do

Chikage: I found that it was just around me a lot, severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings and, [00:14:00] and at some point it just clicked in me that I was like, "I don't wanna be scared of these things, so I'm just gonna figure out everything about them that I can. Learn as much as possible about them." And then I was like, "Well, if I'm gonna learn everything I can about them, I may as well use this for good and help other people."

So I kinda set out... As, as soon as that seventh grade project on the weather was done, and I was like, " You know, I think I could do this." And I was coming up in a time period when very male -dominated field and women trying to break into that field and, uh, and it was just right place, right time. I ended up having some doors open for me just because of the fact that I was an up-and-coming female meteorologist with serious credentials because I tornado chased in college, and I did really well in school and, you know, had two degrees.

So yeah.

Ally: Yeah

Gosh tornado chasing I can't really fathom that It's that's pretty incredible really And then so running and growing up athletics weren't really in your repertoire until you got to Austin you said It was really the first time you [00:15:00] ever did races

Chikage: Yeah, as far as running's concerned, uh, back when I was in school, I actually played varsity tennis. I was number two doubles and, and that was my sport. Uh, and I loved it, but what's interesting is growing up, my mom and dad were recreational runners, and almost every weekend they would be doing a 5K or a 10K.

My mom was really fast and competitive. My dad just went along 'cause my mom went. but I would tag along as well, and so I have some, you know, fond memories of going to races to support them, and then at some point it was like, "Hey, why don't you enter the kids' run or the fun run?" I was like, " Okay." And so I, I ran a couple of fun runs when I was a kid.

that didn't necessarily turn me into a runner, but it kinda planted a little bit of a seed. And then when I was in college, I would run laps at, we called it the Huff and Puff, but it was the, rec center at OU. would run laps there and then, you know, as I got out of college and started, dating my husband, my first job out of college was in Norfolk, Virginia.

Virginia Beach is a great place to go and run. so part of my [00:16:00] dating my husband was that, he didn't run, but he would rollerblade. So I would run, he would rollerblade, we'd do the boardwalk four miles, we'd stop and get a frozen lemonade, and then we'd go jump in the ocean, and that was like our routine, which I'm like, that's

that's not a bad way to kinda like enjoy running.

Ally: Not at all I've on I've gotten to run there one time and I still remember it

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: did you meet your husband

Chikage: So we met in the business. as, I'm a meteorologist, he used to be a photojournalist, a videographer, and, uh, so we met through the, through the business.

Ally: Oh that's cool

Chikage: so I have him to thank for many things, including helping me become more polished and better at my craft because not only did I do weather, but I would also do reporting.

And so he many times would shoot some of my standups and some of those types of things. So,

Ally: Really cool

Chikage: vividly remember multiple times him saying, "Do it again. Do it again. Do it again," until, because he knew th- he knew I could do better with practice, and so he just, he pushed me.

Ally: [00:17:00] Oh that's special Okay and so after Norfolk where'd you go

Chikage: Oh, you're- Ally, I've been all over.

Ally: have Or I guess just like rattle off the places cause you've

Chikage: Sure.

Ally: right

Chikage: well, I'll go, I'll go chronol- chronologically. Um, so, you know, Norfolk, Virginia, which is where I met my husband, and then from there we went to Dallas, and then from Dallas to Washington, DC, Washington, DC to Boston, which I've never run Boston, but I have my Boston Marathon media jacket from, you know, a long time ago,

Ally: Oh

Chikage: and I ju-

Ally: cool

Chikage: live weather in Hopkinton at the start, you know, so I'm, like, very familiar with the Boston Marathon.

I just haven't run it yet. I gotta qualify someday.

Ally: Wow

Chikage: really fun. And then from Boston to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minneapolis-Saint Paul to Indianapolis, Indy to Austin. So been

Ally: Okay that's really That's incredible I The Boston thing I didn't think about when you lived there how you would have a piece in the weather for race day

obviously. Like that's such a huge day in the city of Boston obviously so you'd be in Hopkinton The years you were there were there any memorable weather [00:18:00] years during that time

Chikage: No. Y- honestly, the only memorable thing I remember from from one of the years with Boston is, not when I was broadcasting live, but when one of my coworkers was bros- broadcasting live, there was a streaker. So we literally were like, "Did we just see what we thought we saw? There was a streaker in the background of the live shot in Hopkinton."

It was crazy.

Ally: Wow Lot of questions there Like who was it A runner Like you're thinking What are they doing

Chikage: just, I can't remember exactly how it was, but, but, like, that just sticks with me very much.

Ally: good story

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: I'm glad it wasn't you That'd be really interesting to power through that. oh my gosh Okay and so when you got to Austin how did you discover the running scene

Chikage: So honestly, there... You know, you've probably heard the motto, "Keep Austin weird", right?

Ally: Yeah of course Yes

Chikage: one of my coworkers had told me about this big race called the Capital 10000, the Cap 10K, and it h- it's every April. And she said, " You know, you ought to try this." And I was like, [00:19:00] "Um, I've never run..." Like, I had done the five-mile Turkey Trot in Indy or whatever, but I was like, "I really haven't run races."

She said, "Oh, it's fun. You just, people dress up, they wear tutus, they, like, go all out," and this kind of thing. And so I figured, "Why not? This sounds like fun." So I found a sunshine costume, like big yellow sun. Uh, and I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna go run this, and I'm just gonna do it for fun." I later learned that, yes, people do dress up, but the vast majority of the people who run are actually, you know, runners.

'Cause I thought I would get there and that I would be... It would be weird if I weren't wearing a costume.

Ally: Yeah Oh my gosh that that feeling of getting there and being like Wait a minute I'm dressed as the sun and there's like But that's perfect Oh my

Chikage: Yeah. So I mean, that was really my indoctrination. And then I, you know, of course- Having had a, a baby not long ago, not long before that, I kind of, like, set some goals for myself. I was like, "Okay, you know, I'm doing six miles, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm gonna try to do my first [00:20:00] half-marathon."

And so the 3M Half, now Austin International Half, was my first half-marathon that I ran. And then from there, I had a co- coworker who's like, "Well, if you can run a half-marathon, you can do a full marathon." So, you know, y- it's just like this slippery slope. Someone, like, dangles the carrot and says, "Hey, have you ever thought about..."

And then before you know it, you're running marathons.

Ally: Oh my gosh What was your first marathon

Chikage: It was Austin.

Ally: It was Austin

Yeah. Man so funny That's the typical progression I guess You know

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: and you're like Well just gotta do that again and it'd be yeah be a marathon So how many to date you've done almost 20 marathons right And

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: halves

Chikage: 18 marathons. and most of them have been in Texas. Like, the majority of what I've done is a lot of Austins, College Station, which is a great alternative to Austin if you don't want the hills.

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: then Twin Cities, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, and Oklahoma City. and then I'm really excited because in October I won the lottery, so I'm going to Chicago.

Ally: [00:21:00] Yeah that's really exciting You gotta do like a shirt that says Chikage in Chicago or

Chikage: I, seriously- 'cause, I mean, honestly, my last name is Windler, so the Windy City. There's a lot of parallels there.

Ally: Yes Okay and I also meant to say I love that your name has wind in it

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: Yeah Uh we were talking about puns earlier too It's like man all the

Chikage: Yes.

Ally: all the perfect puns for that for Chicago would just be wonderful

Chikage: Absolutely. Yeah, the year that I was the charity chaser for Austin, they came up with the tagline, "Run like the Windler."

Ally: Oh yeah See that's that's awesome That

is absolutely awesome Uh okay what do you want people to know about weather and like forecasting for race day and things like that I find that so interesting You and I have messaged about that a little

Chikage: Yes. Well, I mean, I think it's common knowledge that race conditions being optimal is becoming harder and harder to find. And, you know, it's not just me saying, "Oh, it was such a hot, muggy, rough race." I mean, Oklahoma City, that I most recently ran, was a hot race. It was 64 at the [00:22:00] start, 93% humidity, and when I finished it was 75 degrees and sunny with a headwind, you know?

And some, some people are great at that. I am not. I need the weather and all the conditions to kind of line up for me in order for me to have my best day. I did not have my best day. So as a meteorologist, sometimes it's a, a benefit, and other times it's a detriment to know too much.

Ally: Yeah that's interesting

Chikage: w- I am constantly, if I have a race that I'm running, I'm constantly looking. You know, is it gonna rain or is there going to be lightning? Are we gonna have high humidity? You know, what are the dew points? What are the temperatures? 'Cause it- you have to have all the things work in your favor.

For instance, Boston this year, so many people had phenomenal weather, which doesn't always happen. So you just need everything to line up.

Ally: Yes Okay so I usually am right when the race day's in the 10-day forecast I'm like stalking it For you or just when you recommend other people like what is the [00:23:00] really the time where it's probably dialed in Like how many days before

Chikage: Well, if everything's kind of looking consistent, sometimes, you know, I'd say five days out I feel pretty confident. But there are some occasions, in fact, the Cat 10K for 2026 this past April, I literally did not know if this race was going to happen because we had a severe thunderstorm watch that was in effect until 7:00 AM that morning of race day.

And as it worked out, the lightning didn't happen. The s- the watch was canceled in the nick of time. I actually was at the station overnight tracking storms and didn't sleep. And I went and I ran the race and, you just sometimes you have to thread the needle and that's exactly what they did.

They were able to get the race in just barely. and the day before I would've said it's iffy. You know, even early that morning I would've said it's still iffy. And then b- by about 5:00 AM, okay, this race is gonna [00:24:00] happen. You know, but it was close.

Ally: Yeah I mean you know like Carmel and you mentioned you had a you had a write-up on Cap City and you know mentioned Carmel I mean it's just so hard

Like the, it was looking like a sure thing like it was definitely gonna have thunderstorms then all of a sudden it started changing and you're like Oh no

Chikage: Yeah. I mean,

Ally: know

we could've.

Chikage: I do not, envy the position of a race director, but in the instance of Carmel, I think that they were erring on the side of caution because the Storm Prediction Center days in advance was putting Indiana in, risk of severe thunderstorms, and it looked like it was going to coincide with the timing of the race.

So they have all of these, you know, plans in place and all these people and volunteers and infrastructure that they have to accommodate for, and they, they made the call. But you know, hindsight is 2020, but I feel like maybe they could've waited just a little bit because things were shifting.

Ally: Yeah I think the reason from what I gather is they wanted a backup date instead of potentially having to cancel and the only way they could secure that was if they made their decision early

Chikage: How

Ally: It's so What a [00:25:00] Yeah damned if you do damned if you don't kind of a situation for them But anyway I just I find it so fascinating to be in the field you're in and also be a runner because obviously weather plays such a important role in in the sport

Do you have friends that text you

Chikage: Yep.

Ally: Cause I feel like maybe you know if I I need to make friends with a meteorologist so I can have the inside scoop

Chikage: I do, and I would say if you're a friend of mine, you probably care more about the weather than you ever did before because of the fact that you I'm influencing you, 'cause I'm constantly thinking about and talking about the weather. But what I find is, if it's just like, oh, I'm giving a generic forecast to all of the runners in Austin versus my friend who texts me, I'm like, "Oh, pressure's on," because look, this is like a person in a relationship that I really wanna foster.

So, uh, it can be tricky, but yes, I have lots of people who will reach out. And then honestly, I consider it such a compliment that I also have race directors here, and in College Station, that I'll consult with, as we lead up to a race because I have that information. I have the, [00:26:00] the access to the computer models, and for me, it's like the least I can do to kind of say, "Hey, here's what I'm seeing."

And in some cases, it's even races that have- other sources, you know, that they're consulting for, you know, meteorological advice and that kind of thing. But I'm like, "I'm gonna go ahead and give you my two cents anyway," because I know how important it is and, and how much, in order to get a race to happen, uh, how important that is.

Ally: Absolutely Okay favorite Well this is probably not a fair question but favorite weather app

Chikage: So RadarScope is the best. I mean, it's 10 bucks. It's the best paid radar app in my opinion. It's one that I've used for many years. I have multiple radar apps that I use, but I would say, that one in particular is one that I think is great.

Ally: Okay Yeah I have What do I have now Somebody made me download WeatherBug I think is the latest uh that that I use if that's what it's called I find that obviously not of all not all of them are created equal which can be so frustrating So as a runner I'll have like four different apps that I'm looking at to try to gauge what the weather's actually gonna be or [00:27:00] pick my favorite forecast and I'm like Well this one must be right

Chikage: Well, I would say with respect to RadarScope, it doesn't do forecasts. It's just looking at radar and velocities, and so when I'm tracking storms, that's the thing. it would be wrong of me not to, to say your local TV station has its app. My, my local TV station has its app, and we, we often tell people to go to it as well.

But honestly, I would say if you're using your generic Apple app or something like that, it's not taking into account, humans, and it oftentimes will not be your go... It should not be your go-to because it's not taking into account all the things that we as people can see and can add to a forecast.

So you're much better off with your local TV station meteorologist, a trusted source, the National Weather Service, as opposed to, "Oh, well, my phone says" kind of thing.

Ally: I I like the advice to download your local TV station's weather app

especially for us, like local races is a lot of what I do personally kind of like

Chikage: Mm-hmm.

Ally: you Chikage in Texas I do a lot of [00:28:00] races here in central Indiana so I'll need to do

to your you know marathon journey and chasing that sub four hours at what point you realize Okay like that's a goal I wanna set for myself How far into your marathon journey

Chikage: You know, I feel like that happened pretty quickly because I don't remember what my debut marathon was, but it was in the fours, and I knew I had better in me, or the ability to run a faster time. And some of my closest friends were like, "Chicago. You need to do a race that's not hilly like Austin if you're gonna try for this goal."

But for me it was like, "Well, Austin's my race. It's, like, the local race. Why would I go anywhere else?" So it took me a while to kind of wrap my head around the fact that, you know, if I wanted to be serious about, trying to get my, my marathon goal, I needed to look at other places that might be more favorable for me.

What's funny is I was initially thinking, "Okay, my goal race is going to be Twin Cities [00:29:00] 2025." It's October. You know, I, I had my oldest daughter in October in the Twin Cities, and it snowed, so I was like, "Oh, it's gonna be cold. It's gonna be great. The course is beautiful. I can't wait to do it." the weather was warm, but beyond that, I was also injured because I fell and broke my collarbone, during training, like

Ally: No

Chikage: to it.

So, so there were just a lot of things that didn't work out. But I still have to say, even though the weather in T- in the Twin Cities, they had set a record high the day before the race, it wasn't great weather-wise, but I still love the Twin Cities, and that course is amazing, and I hope I can get back there someday.

Ally: I've heard great things That's

an also a race I've never done that race but people seem to really really love it

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: okay back to breaking your collarbone So when you My husband broke his as a kid and I think I remember him saying like there's nothing they can do Like you don't Did you wear a cast or does it have to like

Chikage: So I, I wore a sling initially, and then I got surgery, and they put plates and [00:30:00] screws in,

Ally: man

Chikage: And then I supposedly was training for my marathon, but I could only walk. So I actually walked, if I'm not mistaken, it was a ridiculous amount of, of miles. I think I walked over 200 miles one month in training 'cause I couldn't run.

Ally: Yeah So you gotta walk

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: And then that's not the only time you've fallen You've also fallen a couple times during races I know I don't know Recently in OKC too I saw

Chikage: Yes. Do we have a trend here? Okay, so let's get back to the, the first big fall. I mean, I've, I've had little falls here and there. I did a trail race i- here in Austin at Lake Travis. it was New Years of 2025, and some of it's te- technical and rocky and this kind of thing, and I'm being very careful and watching my step and this kind of thing.

We get to a flat area that's almost a straightaway where there really aren't any rocks or vines or things sticking out, and somehow I managed to trip and fell. And I, in this [00:31:00] instance, I actually, there's a little scar right about he- here. I actually busted my forehead open, so much so that when I crossed the finish line, the race director's like, "We're not gonna take pictures right now.

Why don't you go and get patched up, and then we'll come back around?" then I wasn't actually running when I, um, broke my collarbone, but I had done a, a 13-mile, training run. And it was after I was at home in my garage getting out of my car, and I just felt really, like... I had what I thought at the time was kind of pulled a groin, muscle or something like that.

So I was kind of dealing with that, and I was... As I was walking out of the car, I saw spots and I'm like, "Oh, I'm about to go down. Let me fall gracefully." And I did not fall gracefully. And our garage is concrete, so I fell and hit, and literally pulled one of these with my husband where I called him. I'm like, "I've fallen and I can't get up."

You know?

Ally: infomercial for sure

Yeah.

Chikage: okay?" And I'm like, " I don't know." You know, we go to urgent care, and they're like, [00:32:00] "Well, let's take some X-rays." And at the time we were worried about my shoulder, and they're like, "Oh, your shoulder X-rays came, came back fine." They're like, " But it looks like your collarbone's broken."

I'm like, "No." so then I heal up from that, and Louisiana happens. I finally get my sub four. I'm so happy. I'm running the best of my life. and then did just fine in Austin. Oklahoma City, historic- Like, last year when I ran it, I ran four hours and 40 seconds, so it was, at the time, my PR. It was almost what I wanted.

So I was hopeful that I would do pretty, pretty well at OKC. Uh, but the weather wasn't conducive, and I just... I hit the half and I was at two hours, and I was like, "Do I..." And then the sun comes out, and I'm like, "Do I go for it, or do I just say, 'Okay, it is what it is,' and just finish the race and let that be?"

And so I had already pulled back on speed, and I was just in the whole preservation mode. We're just gonna finish this one. And so I hit the tw- mile 25 marker, and I'm like, "Okay, you just [00:33:00] have one more mile. You can do this." And it- a little bit of a downhill and I was getting ready to make a right turn, and I just lost my footing.

You know, I, my, my, my shoe hit something and I just, and I knew I was going down, and I just couldn't catch myself. So, uh, another runner comes up behind me. Oh, I love your nails by the way. Another runner comes up behind me and, uh, and he's like, "Are you okay?" And he pulls out his hand and he picks me up, and I'm like, "I'm okay."

And so then I'm running the rest of the race the whole time. And it's crazy how, what goes through your head.

Ally: funny

Chikage: And instead I'm running and I'm thinking to myself, "Please don't let any blood fall on my shoes." Yeah. cause I, I love the shoes.

Ally: Like I don't wanna buy new shoes because these have blood Did you get any blood did you get any blood on your

Chikage: I didn't.

Ally: Okay

Chikage: honestly, I'm, uh, I'm still healing from that. so much so that my, my next race is, a little bit in [00:34:00] jeopardy, just because I can run and I'm running just fine, but one of the things that I did is I fell also on this elbow. And so I got x-rays and everything, and I still don't have the mobility I want and I can't push, pull, twist, lift like I need to.

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: and I'm doing my first Spartan.

Ally: Oh Oh shoot Okay I was like well you don't really need your elbow while you're running but maybe a little bit for the Spartan race Oh

Chikage: so I'm, I'm going to go and I'm going to do what I can, but I, I know I'm very limited as far as that's concerned. So I'm not, I would say I'm not hurt but I'm not in Spartan shape if that makes any sense.

Ally: That does make sense

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: Dang it That's such a bummer Okay and then also at that race was your mom right Does your

Chikage: Yes. So I mentioned to you that my mom and dad used to do 5Ks and 10Ks when I was little. However, my mom, you know, she at one point, I remember growing up and she was very much like, "I wanna [00:35:00] qualify for Boston. I think that'd be amazing." So she had done several half-marathons and did really well. She did one marathon.

I can't remember which one it was. It was either in Oklahoma or Texas. And, uh, and she hurt herself, injured herself somewhere along the way. She just never really got back into running after that. And so when I came to Oklahoma to visit, 'cause they live in Oklahoma City, when I came back there to, to run OKC in 2025, she came and she cheered for me.

And at the finish line she's like, "You know, I wanna do this." And I was like, "Okay." So whenever the Oklahoma City Marathon had their sale where it was like 26% off for 2026, I told my mom, I'm like, "Okay, Mom, this is our time. If you wanna do it-" Sign up now. And so she signed up for the half, I signed up for the full, and I didn't want to, you know, push her at all or make her feel like there were any expectations.

Ally: Right

Chikage: we were trying to figure out when her last race was previous to [00:36:00] Oklahoma City this year. It was probably about 35 years previous. So for perspective, my mom is 80.

Ally: That is amazing

Chikage: And she absolutely crushed it doing a half marathon.

Ally: That is in that is really impressive

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: That

Chikage: mean, it's-- I'm so proud of her. So her-- she had told me that, uh, I would just check in from time to time on her training, and she'd be like, "Well, okay, I ran six miles." I was like, "Okay, that sounds good." And then I would check in with her again, and she'd be like, "Well, it's really hard." I said, "I know." I s- you know, "Don't feel any pressure."

and so the day of the race, she told me, "My longest run was 10 miles." I said, "Okay, that's fine. A lot of people, that'll be their longest run. No problem." So her goal was to run between a 15 and a 16-minute pace. You know, she didn't wanna get swept, which I don't think she ever had any possibility of being swept, 'cause for the half marathon they give you plenty of time.

And, um, her pace at the end of the race was 15:32. Boom.

Ally: at that

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: dab in the middle

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: That is that is really [00:37:00] special

Chikage: Mm-hmm.

Ally: dad Is your

Chikage: So he, yeah, he does not run anymore. He's, he... You know, some people have issues that pop up later in life, and so he has a walker and a cane. but back in the day, he used to run with my mom all the time. so it's, pretty amazing because my mom has already said to me, she's like, "You know, I think I could be a little bit faster if I train a little bit more.

So next year..." And I was like, "Ooh, next year we're gonna do this again."

Ally: let's go You're

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: I want your genes

versus my dad's genes I have my I have my I hope I have my dad's running genes My mom was the first in our family to run but she no longer runs cause of hip issues My dad just did his what he called his final marathon last year

Chikage: Mm-hmm.

Ally: and he's now 70 And so I'm just like Ugh I just wanna be running when I 80 Like wow

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: That's really special

Chikage: And after the race, 'cause I was convinced, I was like, "There's no way there's anyb- anybody faster than you, Mom, at your [00:38:00] age." We checked in the age groups, they were from 75 to up. And so wouldn't you know it? There were three 70-year-old women who were faster than my mom. However, she was the fastest 80 year old, but the age group is 75 plus, so she was fourth in her age group, but she was the fastest 80 year old.

Ally: Yeah I recently had a conversation with a guest of mine

who was 80, actually. and he's like we need to have age groups go up higher Like how else do you inspire people you know like your mom to keep keep at it Obviously she has her own motivation to keep at it but it's like man yeah she should be able to win her age group if she's still running at 80

Chikage: Yeah. Well, and

Ally: directors

Chikage: ironically we were chatting and I, and she said to me, she's like, "I think I'm gonna stick to the half marathon." But she said, "I did look and there was one person, one woman that was in her 80s that ran the full marathon." She's like, "Hmm." She did it in six hours and change. She's like, "Should I, or should I stick to the half ma-" So it's funny, [00:39:00] like it's so cool having a conversation with your 80-year-old mom where these are the things that you're discussing.

You know? I love it.

Ally: I love it too Oh my gosh Okay and then in talking about genes I'm gonna use that opportunity to talk about your heritage

i am I correct in saying you're you're half Japanese or your mom is half Japanese or

Chikage: So I'm half Japanese. My mom is Japanese. And, uh, and what's funny is we were actually, my youngest daughter has many more Asian features than I do, and so we were actually laughing about it yesterday saying, How did it skip a generation?" Because I, looking at me, I don't have the typical Asian features that you would expect.

But my mom and dad gave each of, their kids, I'm one of three girls, Japanese first names and American middle names. And, uh, and so Chikage is the name of an actress that was popular back in the 1960s. Her name was, uh, Owashima Chikage. And [00:40:00] so in Japan they do last names first and then first names last.

and so Chikage has a couple of different translations. The one that I always grew up knowing about was thousands of views or vistas. And so that's what my parents were like, "Oh yeah, that's what the translation for Chikage is." So I was like, "Oh, I'm just imagining like mountains and a scene, and like looking way out in the, you know, the distance."

I was like, "That's really cool." But then when I was older, Chikage is currently a, an anime character, actually a male anime character in, in Japan. Uh, but the other translation, which it c- you know, it depends on how you translate my name, the other translation is blood shadow.

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: or vistas out of blood shadow 'cause the shadow and the, you know. So yeah, there's a very dark meaning to my name or there's the very, aw, rainbows and puppies and flowers and, you know.

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: So I kinda lean that way.

Ally: Yeah you can be like Well it's a Blood [00:41:00] Shadow day on like a day you have a bad day and then it's you know Yeah Yeah That's that's really wild What are your sisters names

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Marker

Ally: What are your sisters names

Chikage: So my oldest sister's Mayumi, and her name translates to true bow, like a bow and arrow that shoots true. And then my youngest sister's name is Michiko. She's named after Princess Michiko, and her name translates to beautiful, wise child.

Ally: Oh there you go

Chikage: But I would say probably the, the most like poignant name is my mom's.

Her [00:43:00] name is Kazuko, and she was born in '45, and we all know what was going on during then. Kazuko translates to peace child.

Ally: Okay Yeah that's really special

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: you been o have you traveled to Japan

Chikage: No, it's on my bucket list. Like someday I'm gonna get there. I- maybe I'll have to run a marathon there. You never know.

Ally: that's a pretty pretty good excuse to go over there if you can win the lottery and get into Tokyo would

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: pretty

fantastic.

Chikage: been. I would love to go someday but it would just be really cool. My, my dad was in the Navy during Vietnam, and that's how he ended up meeting my mom. So, I would love to go there and explore and see that and kind of... I, a lot of times we tease that I'm only 49% Japanese because a lot of the, the traits I don't have, and I I haven't been there. And then here's another one that's pretty funny is my daughters, my youngest daughter especially, like she's a pro with chopsticks. I don't eat with chopsticks. I'm a fork girl.

Ally: That's

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: There you go Oh wow That's really [00:44:00] that's really fascinating Well I'm sure l I think like I've seen or read I mean most people are ask you about your name first thing It's like Where

the heck... Where does that come from

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: I'm sure you've explained it a lot but that's that's pretty special and really cool meaning behind your name too

Chikage: Thank you.

Ally: okay I don't know how to transition to this eloquently so we're just gonna go for it when you filled out the survey that

I send my guests you mentioned there's something you don't talk about a whole lot but that could be really helpful to talk about with people who are listening and that is the fact that you are a cancer survivor So what is the what is the story behind that

Chikage: So the story is, honestly, I've, I've always considered myself to be like the picture of health, you know? I might not eat that well. I do have a sweet tooth, and I do lean a lot toward, you know, fast food and that kind of thing, but I never, ever expected that an, a routine exam would come back and have me in a situation where all of a sudden I was facing surgery and treatment and what have [00:45:00] you.

But back in 2022, and it's so crazy because I, kept it so tight to the chest I did not tell anyone but my immediate family and, like, a couple of friends, and then the people that absolutely, positively had to know. I didn't tell anybody else. And meanwhile, I was on the air doing my job as a TV meteorologist every single day, just keeping it to myself.

Ally: Bye Jeez

Chikage: Uh, I... routine mammogram, and they said, "Oh, we need to get a recheck," which this was not the first time I've had a recheck because they have, like, misreads and, uh, at another point. The first time I was, like, alarmed and scared and everything, and they're like, "Oh, no, you're fine. It's, it's, it, you know, we just need to get a better look."

So this time when I get the, "Oh, you need to do a recheck," it didn't alarm me.

Ally: they

Chikage: I was like, "Oh, this happened last time. I'm sure they're gonna check it and whatever." So they do the recheck, and they're like, "Oh, we think we need to do a biopsy."

Ally: and

Chikage: They're like, "We don't necessarily think there's anything going on, but we just wanna rule it out."

So again, I go in for the biopsy in the mindset of, oh, they're just being extra [00:46:00] careful, as opposed to, wow, this could be a thing. And then even at the biopsy, they, um... which I'm so bad with, I'm so bad with this stuff. Like, I ha- I'm a fainter.

Ally: this could be nothing Yeah I'm so bad with So like I I have a major Oh yeah Collarbone Yeah

Chikage: literally during the, uh, during the, the biopsy, I, I...

'cause I was kinda like in and out. They're like, "Oh, grab the smelling salts. Make sure she doesn't like..." I'm so bad. but anyway, so even getting the biopsy, you know, there at the time, they said, "You know, we're looking at it l- 50/50. We're gonna send it, send it off. We'll, we'll get back to you and let you know."

So even then, my radar wasn't necessarily up for, like, oh, I have cancer. It was more like, well, I'm getting a little more concerned, but I don't necessarily know. and then I was ac- actually in Pittsburgh at a weather conference, and I get the call in my hotel room. I'm by myself. I don't have my family.

It's just me. And, uh, and my doctor [00:47:00] says, " Yeah, it came back, and it's positive for cancer." And, uh, it, like, it hit me like a ton of bricks, and not gonna lie, the last day of the conference, I decided... You could, you could listen to it through their app remotely. So I was like, "I'm just gonna listen to it in my headphones, and I'm just gonna go be a tourist in Pittsburgh."

So I went, and I saw the Mr. Rogers exhibit. I went to, like, the, the stadium, and I I spent the whole day basically outside just going, "I can't believe this is happening," And you know, y- your initial thing is denial. This can't be the case. And then after that, I was like, "Okay, this is real.

What's next? What are next steps?" And there, there's a lot to it. So then I end up meeting with- surgeon and an oncologist, and, you know, you, you end up having your whole care team and everything. And, and they basically were like, " It was caught very early stage. This is not a situation where we have any concern whatsoever that, you know, your life is, is at risk [00:48:00] or anything like this.

What it is, is if we don't do something now, it could escalate to something where it could be something that's a lot worse." but when, you know, when you have kids, the first thing that they said when we told them was, you know, "Mom, are you gonna die?" I'm like, "No, no, I'm not gonna die. However, I do have to get treatment."

So, I mean, I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. Even if it's early stage, like, it doesn't matter if you have stage zero or, or stage four. Cancer is cancer. it's not easy to navigate and it's hard. for me, the thing that made my life make sense during those ton of dark times was running. I was like, oh, just normalcy.

Well, what's funny is the first thing I asked the breast surgeon when she was talking about doing, doing surgery was, " So I'm a marathoner. Can I still do my marathon in December?" So I had two surgeries in September. I had radiation through part of October and [00:49:00] November. the day before Thanksgiving was my last round of radiation.

Thanksgiving Day, I ran the Turkey Trot here in Austin, and the whole time I'm running, I'm, like, crying as I'm running because I'm like, "Okay, this has been a lot."

Ally: Yeah Yeah

Chikage: but, but running kept me sane. It was the one thing where I was like, nobody that I'm running with knows my story. I'm just another runner. I'm not a patient.

I'm not someone that needs to be cared for. I'm just another runner, and that felt so good. That's like, that's what I needed. I didn't want anyone to look at me differently or treat me differently. I just needed to be another person, which I think is why, you know, some people are very public about their diagnosis.

I was

Ally: Right

Chikage: you know, nobody knew, and that's how I wanted it because I didn't want people to look at me and say, "Oh, is she weak? Is she okay?" Like, " can she save my life during a tornado warning, or is she, too weak to do so?" So for me, it was very important for me to, keep on [00:50:00] keeping on, and the one thing that helped me there was running.

Like, every morning, usually it was at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning, I would have radiation, and then in order to get myself out of the funk, 'cause you're in a funk, I would come home, and I would just go out for a run. You know- Depending on the day, it was three miles. Sometimes it was five or six miles or whatever, whatever I felt like.

And then I would come home and I'd be like, "Okay, I'm, I'm back to me again." Shower, makeup, get dressed, and go to work. So I didn't miss work because of it, um, except for those days I had surgery, which that's a whole other thing is when people are saying, "Oh, how was your vacation? How was your time off?" And I'm like, "Um, yeah."

Um, yeah. And, and then, uh, interesting fact I did not realize until I was actually in this situation, most stations air the health stories and the stories relating to cancer and what have you right before [00:51:00] weather in the newscast.

Ally: Great

Chikage: when literally there would be, like, a story, I mean, there were some that were extremely close to home, a story about a breast cancer thing,

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: then you'd hear the stinger, "And now Storm Tracker Weather with Chikake Windler."

And I was just like, " Oh," you know?

Ally: It's like how do you how are you not like just like sobbing or How do you get your brain to work in

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: type of environment Did you When did your work I mean does your work even still understand to this day like know what you went through or

Chikage: I mean, I ha- I told my, my news director and my HR manager because in order to be able to have, you know, those days for surgery or whatever, yeah, I had to. But I will tell you, I was probably a model patient because, my, my surgeon said, you know, "Typically we'll give people, like, five days of, like, you don't have to go to work kind of thing."

they didn't do surgery on Fridays, so I would have surgery on a Thursday, and I was back to work on Monday, like nothing happened.

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: Oh, [00:52:00] ugh.

Ally: Man Yeah

Chikage: but yeah, I mean, I don't... I will say this universally. I don't think it's necessarily my work or my workplace or, or even my friends group or anything like this.

I would say if you have not personally dealt with cancer or a close friend or family member, you really are probably never going to understand what it does to you, not only physically, but psychologically, you know? And to that end, the first mammogram that I had post-cancer, I told you I'm a fainter, right?

I fainted. I'm literally in the middle of getting my mammogram, and I- i- you know, and I was just, I was so nervous. I was like, "What if they find something? What if, what if I'm not cured? What if the... What if all the things," you know, what if? I literally fainted. I come to and I have doctor nurse, EMT all standing over and being like, "Are you okay, okay?

You hit your head. Are you okay?" And [00:53:00] I'm like, " I'm fine." And I was like, "Oh my gosh."

Ally: have to do the mammogram again or did they get what they needed Or

Chikage: I'm

Ally: was it

Chikage: worked out. They may have still had some images to do after the fact.

Ally: Yeah Well I'm also like trying to I've never had a mammogram I've gone in for one but then I thought I might have been pregnant at the time and so we did ultrasound instead but I was like prepared to do it and then they asked me Might you be pregnant I was like Oh shoot Like yes I actually might be I'm not entirely sure

Which I didn't think about at the time Obviously you can't do that while you're pregnant So anyway S but but you're standing right When you get a mammogram

Chikage: Um, yes. So n-

Ally: that's

Chikage: yeah.

Ally: like picturing your poor boobs like hanging on for dear life and then you're like Uh down

Chikage: So since then, because now I'm like, "Okay, you have to prepare for everything that you, you know, everything." So now when I go in for, what ha- what used to be frequent and now it's, because I've [00:54:00] been good for a while, it's now just annual. now when I go in for m- for my mammograms, I will tell the technician from the get-go, " Hi, just wanna let you know I have a history of fainting, and you may have to take a little bit of extra time and care with me."

And they are amazing. So now,

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: be like, "Okay, we did one image. Would you like to sit down for a little bit?" And I'm like, "Yes, please." and so even, even now, even though it's out of my head, I've been, all the screenings have been clear for a while, I shouldn't have any concern, I still will just take that extra minute and be like, "Yes, I'm gonna sit down for just a second."

And then I'll be like, "Okay, I'm ready for number two." So we'll do the different angles and everything, but I just, I take breaks because I know, I know that I'm a faint risk.

Ally: Yeah Have you have you ever fainted during a race

Chikage: I haven't ever fainted during a race. This is so funny though, because I, I have fainted while I was out on a, like, on a training run. and [00:55:00] I mean, some of the things are, it's bad on me, for instance. through my job, I'm super busy. and I used to try to squeeze in events during my dinner break. I don't do that anymore.

Now if I'm gonna em- MC an event or something, I'll just take the day off or figure it out. But there was an event for, I, I can't remember what organization, but I was MC-ing for an organization And literally went from doing the weather to going to this event, emceeing the event, going to do the weather, and then the next morning at 6:00 AM, I was out the door with a friend to go, do a, training run.

And the one thing that you forget to do when you're so busy with all these things is eat. And so even though it was a plated dinner, I had emcee duties, and I had other stuff going on, so I literally did not eat dinner that night. And then I went the next morning and was running, I can't remember how many miles.

But my friend tells me, we were chatting side by side, and then she said, "All of a sudden, I looked over at you, and you just looked a little off." And then she said, [00:56:00] "You just went down." And yeah.

Ally: Wow Oh my gosh I mean

poor you, but like also your poor friend because that's you know she's like Oh my gosh But

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: that you have fainted before Was she at least aware that you might faint

Chikage: So the... I think that was really the first time, 'cause this was prior to the breast cancers and all this kind of thing. It was, you know... and that taught me a lesson which I've kept with me forever, which is, if you're gonna go to an event, make sure they know you need to eat,

Ally: Yes Yeah

Chikage: then, and I'm really good about, like, hydration and this kind of thing now as well. Like, I think you learn through life experience sometimes the hard way. but what was ironic is another one of our friends that we would run with didn't run with us that day, but we saw her once we were heading back, you know, like our last mile basically, and stopped, and she saw that I was like, you know, I had the war wounds and the road rash and what have you.

And she's a nurse, so she literally checked me out from head to toe. And she's like, "Okay, it's [00:57:00] superficial, but don't be doing this."

Ally: Oh

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: friends like that for

sure. Wow Yeah So one more note about the whole cancer experience that you've had And I I can't help but think about Ally on the Run Do you follow

Chikage: Yeah. I follow her, yeah.

Ally: Yeah which I'm sure is h maybe hard I don't know Uh I won't speak for you but it's You know she's so public about it and she I just remember being like she's like I hate pink I don't want nothing to do with it I don't wanna do the walks I don't You know everybody has their own you know personal experience with it How is that for you I mean in the running world there's so much you know there's so many walks or races that are for for breast cancer and breast cancer survivors How does that sit with you

Chikage: You know, back when I was experiencing it and in the middle of it, I remember even just in the waiting line, i- in the waiting room at the doctor,

Ally: Right

Chikage: me. I hope nobody know- like, sees me sitting here." I don't want to be that sick person. I don't wanna be that person that

Like, not to [00:58:00] say that when you're a cancer patient that there's a stigma, but I feel like there's a perception that you're not as capable when you're going through something like that. And, and I wanted to be like, "Look, I am strong. I am resilient." Like, this is, I'm down, but I'm not out. And I, and I just, I was almost angry at cancer, if that makes any sense.

And so in the very beginning, I literally was just like, "Nope, pink, uh-uh." and when nonprofits would reach out and offer services, I was like, "Uh-uh. No. Nope. Thanks, bye, see ya." Don't, like, no. That wasn't me. I think I did so much in denial and kind of trying to, to set myself apart from being like, "Oh, yeah, no, no, no, I'm not, I'm not one of those people."

And now it has really come full circle because I actually emcee our local Austin, Komen gala every year. And I mean, and that's a way that every year I will share my story with these people who all have some [00:59:00] connection, whether they're just supporters or they have family members or they're survivors themselves, or s- many of them are actually currently fighting metastatic breast cancer or other types of breast cancer.

And, uh, and I see how meaningful having the community and the support from nonprofits, whether it be Komen or other, other nonprofits that, that really do make an incredible impact. So me personally, I was just like, "Uh-uh. Nope, don't want it." But now as I see my role as being someone who can actually uplift people who are experiencing cancer, share some of the ways that research is making a difference, help raise more funds through, whatever I can do,

Ally: awareness

Chikage: it, does, it makes it, it makes it a l- a, in hindsight, much more meaningful situation now, now that I'm through it.

I think when I was, when I was in it,

Ally: Yeah. Like Yeah Like

Chikage: Now that I'm through it, I'm like, "Oh." There, like,

Ally: gets [01:00:00] the

Chikage: that I'm, you know, a public figure. I'm known obviously for being a television meteorologist. I'm known locally for being a, big part of the running community here. and, and now I'm actually pleased to say that I've been able to be a

Ally: to

Chikage: good contributing factor of, of helping raise funds for breast cancer and breast cancer research.

Ally: raise awareness Yeah That's amazing Yeah Well thank you for sharing that cause

I know it's... I can't imagine it's easy to talk about but I know that somebody listening will absolutely appreciate you sharing that MC-ing is-- Does that come with the public figure territory Like how did you get your first MC job Very fortunate to

Chikage: it's absolutely part of... You know, every TV station will have, people that will say, "Oh, hey, I have this event. We'd love to have someone either be a speaker or, or emcee," whatever the event is. And so I'm very fortunate to have organizations that will reach out to me, and I've enjoyed being [01:01:00] able to, to help them kind of be an extra extension of their publicity for whatever their event might be or whatever their cause is.

And some of them are super personal and special to me. Like,

Ally: member

Chikage: which they just changed their name. It's now Central Texas Tails of Hope. But it's the, the one of the local animal shelters

Ally: CCA

Chikage: that I and my family adopted two pets from. So we have two dogs that are terriers and terrier mixes, Skipper and Ewok, and we adopted them, like five years apart, from this really...

It's a small, local, grassroots, animal shelter. And every year they have their anniversary dinner, and I've just been so honored that they ask me. They're like, "Chikage, will you please be our emcee?" And of course I will, yes, because it's something I'm passionate about, and so I can speak...

Ally: it's

Chikage: I love when you can do an event where you're speaking not from the script always, but from your heart and from your personal experience with [01:02:00] them.

Ally: Yeah I bet Have you ever done finish line or start line MC-ing before

Chikage: I have actually, just recently. Uh, it was, uh, the Cupid's Chase 5K. there's a, a, an organization called Community Options, which it's nationwide and they have races across the country. But, Community Options helps people with developmental and physical disabilities. You know, it provides them resources.

So for instance, some of the volunteers at the race were some of the, the people that they help. it was so cool to see, you know, these people handing out the medals and everything, because they are so capable of so much, uh, and they just need a place. They need a voice. They need someone that will, will help them, and that's what this Community Options organization does.

But they asked me if I would be their, uh, like their s- what do they call it? Like a honorary chair or something like that. And so they, they gave me a megaphone and had me start off the race, and then I ran it after. [01:03:00] so I've had, I, I've had that opportunity a couple of times. and I'm often amazed and honored by the fact that people think enough of me to ask me to be a part of something that is so special to, to those organizations.

Ally: Yeah Do you get recognized a lot out on the run Like will people just recognize you and be like Hey Chikage

Chikage: Yeah, well, um, here's a good one for you. I recently ran the Round Rock Donuts Donut Dash, and I'm not sure if when you were visiting Austin if you had heard about the Round Rock Donut?

Ally: I'm not

Chikage: Okay, so Round Rock Donuts is an iconic, donut shop that is known for their Texas-sized donuts, which I mean, they have donuts that are basically as big as your head, but they're amazing.

You've gotta look them up after.

Ally: I'm interested

Chikage: so they also have the regular-sized donuts, but they ha- for the last eight years, they, in conjunction with Round Rock Texas, which is a suburb of Austin, have done the Donut Dash 5K. And you can run it casually, or you can do the Challenger Division. So I did the Challenger Division.

And with the Challenger [01:04:00] Division, you will run the first mile, and then you're at the donut pit stop. They hand you a dozen donuts that you have to eat before you can continue on to finish the race.

Ally: Dozen

Chikage: And a dozen,

Ally: donuts

Chikage: donuts. And so if you finish the race in under an hour,

Ally: Oh

Chikage: win the challenge. Um, so I did it for the first time last year, and it was hard, and it took me 20 minutes to get those donuts down, and I was like, "Oh, my gosh."

So this year, I was like...

Ally: by the way Did you like smoosh them all down

Chikage: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. So that's the strategy, and, and it wasn't something I thought of myself, but I had someone recommend to me. They're like, "You know, grab three donuts, smush them down as l- as l- like, almost like meat tenderizer. Do, do,

Ally: Yeah

Chikage: do that, and then you're only eating four donut stacks, if you will."

Ally: Yeah Right Which is

Chikage: yeah.

Ally: but

Chikage: So this time I did it again, and, and I was, like, at an 8:22 for the first mile. The, the mile marker was, like, 0.98 miles, at least on my, on my tracker, for [01:05:00] the donut pit stop, and I was like, "Oh, I'm at an 8:22. This is great." Okay, so I sit down. I'm like, "Okay, surely I can improve on last year."

And I was doing great. I was, like, halfway through, and I had only been sitting there for seven minutes. I'm like, "Hey, this is good. I'm on track for, like, 15 minutes for destroying this dozen donuts."

Ally: Oh my gosh

Chikage: so mile one was 27 minutes. So it's, uh, you know, it is what it is. but then you're, you're running the, the last two miles after having eaten a dozen donuts.

Not even kidding you, I, I got up, and I start running, and I was like, "Ugh." And I was like, "I am literally burping donut."

Ally: Yeah I was like they probably have buck they gotta have like buckets at that finish line

Chikage: There's big trash cans around.

Ally: Yeah yeah

Chikage: but I ended up doing mile two in 8:43. I was like, "Oh, okay." And then-

Ally: Wow

Chikage: three, there, there was an uphill and I had to, like, navigate a bunch of walkers and that kind of thing. So my mile three was in the nines. But I finished in 45 minutes and improved on my time from last year.

Ally: [01:06:00] my gosh I can't believe you've done it more than one time I feel like o I don't know I like donuts though but that's a lot of donuts That's

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: Chikage

Chikage: thank you. But yeah, I've been really fortunate to be able to do some really fun events and, like, just, the- almost the weirder, the better. Like, I've got another one coming up in, in the summer. It's called the, uh, the Splash and Dash. And south of Austin, there's, um, a couple of cities that have, like, tubing along the rivers, and that's kind of one of the summer recreation things.

So in a town called New Braunfels, there is, uh, there's a b- a couple of different rivers that people will grab an inner tube on and they'll float down. So the thing with this race, it's a 5K, is you start, you run halfway, you jump in the river, you tube, not very far, just through this chute. There's a little chute, and then you go back, and then you run back, and that's it.

So literally, yeah. So that's coming in June. Yeah.

Ally: That's fun. Well, I guess, you know, to, to your point back to the Keep [01:07:00] Austin Weird, I mean,

yeah, they should have a bunch of just weird, crazy races for you to do there.

Yeah.

Chikage: there used to be a festival called the Keep Austin Weird Fest, and one of the... You know, among the, the things that people will ask me to do, like MC events, that particular event when it was held asked me if I would be one of the celebrities inside the dunk tank. However, it was not a dunk tank filled with water.

Instead, it was a dunk tank filled with barbecue sauce.

Ally: Oh, no. And you did

that?

Chikage: I did that. It was crazy.

Ally: up your nose? I feel like that

Chikage: Oh,

Ally: hard.

Chikage: and the thing is that there was a little bit of spice to the barbecue, so, like, when you would dunk and you'd go, "Oh, okay."

Ally: Clear out your sinuses. Here we go.

Chikage: so in general, yeah, there's a lot of fun, fun, weird things, but I wouldn't have it in any other way.

It's just, it, for me, like, I, I have a blast being out in the community and, you know, if, if someone sees what I'm doing and is [01:08:00] inspired or, uh, excited or maybe signs up for a race that they wouldn't have signed up for otherwise, or maybe starts running when they would've never done it, it's really cool.

But to that end, at the, at the Donut Dash, I had multiple people that I didn't know. I, I saw people that I did know, but I had multiple people that I didn't know. They were like, "Hey, Chikage," and they were waving at me. And then as I was eating my donuts, there was a guy who's like, "Hey, you're the weather lady, right?"

I was like, "Yeah." He's like, he's like, "You're the reason I'm here. I saw you talk about this last year, and so I signed up this year." And I'm like To know that there are other people who see me and, and are, and are like, "Oh, I know her. I follow her on social media. I watch her on TV." it's cool. And then for me,

Ally: really cool.

Chikage: like, being able to have people come up and say, "Hey, can I do a selfie with you?"

Or, you know, "Can we do a picture?" You know, at races and stuff. It like, that is so cool to me. I love it. I love that someone thinks enough of me or follows me and, and is interested enough in my running journey or whatever, that they [01:09:00] wanna, they wanna do that. It's fun.

Ally: Oh, I love that. I'll have to have my friend Selena come find you at the next race that

Chikage: Yes, absolutely.

Ally: yeah. Um, okay, I'm gonna ask you the end of the podcast questions now ' so the first question is, what is your favorite running song and/or mantra?

Chikage: So this one is actually, one of my running friends who has inspired me for many, many years. His name's Bill Schroeder, and used to live in the Austin area, now lives in Colorado. But we used to, to run a lot when he was here in town, and now whenever he comes and visits, we still run. He's one of those that's done all 50 states.

He'd done all 50 states sub four. He's done all the continents. You know, if there is a, a challenge, he's done it. Like, he's an, an incredible inspiration. But he also knows that I had been hoping for and fighting for that sub four. And so part of his training was his mantra, which I've kind of adopted even though I don't agree with it.

It's like, when you see a hill, he's like, " Don't look down, look, look out." And he [01:10:00] said, "Just say, 'I love hills. I love hills. I love hills. I love hills.'" So between you and me, I hate hills.

Ally: Yeah.

Chikage: suck. I, like, do not like hills. if I can choose a race that's not hilly because of... Yeah, like, but every time I'm in a race and I hit that hill, I'm like, "Bill."

He's talking to me right now. We're like, "I love hills. I love hills." so my mantra, but it's the mantra that is the one that I use every single race, where I'm like, "I love hills."

Ally: Yes. Yes. I love that. We have a race, a half marathon here that has one big hill on it, and we have-- we put timing mats at the bottom and top now,

Chikage: Mm-hmm.

Ally: Kill the Hill, so that, you know, kind of just to make it a little bit more fun. But I remember I've done the same thing where I'm on that hill and I'm like, "What hill? There's no hill here. Oh, this feels great on my butt. Now I'm using different muscles. Like, this is great." I, yeah. So I can really appreciate that because how else? Like, what are you supposed to do? Just be like, "I hate this. It's awful"? That's not gonna help.

Chikage: Yeah.

Ally: that's great.

Great advice.

Chikage: there's a race that's part of the [01:11:00] Austin Distance Challenge, which is a series of races that you can complete. It does include the Austin Marathon and the Austin International Half. and it's through the Austin Runners Club, and this particular race is called the Decker Challenge Half Marathon, and it's easily the hilliest official race in town.

And their,

Ally: Perfect.

Chikage: their signage is What The Hill.

Ally: perfect. Okay, and what

about

Chikage: yeah.

Ally: song, Chikage? What's your favorite running song, or one of them?

Chikage: So I would say not necessarily a running song per se, but l- lately I'll just tell you my playlist has been something that my, my oldest daughter kind of put together for me. And let me-- I don't wanna,

it's a combination 'cause you know how you can do a playlist where you've got multiple things all together?

so it's part Kim Petras, it's part Horse Girl, it's part Charli XCX, and then a little bit of Dua Lipa. So that's kinda like, when I'm running, that's what I'm currently listening [01:12:00] to is all that, and it's like they just kinda choose different songs through the way.

Ally: I love that. That's perfect. It's perfect. Okay, and then next finish line or milestone.

Chikage: So I would say the, the biggest one ahead is Chicago, and maybe I can heal up from all this stuff and, and, and get it all together. but between now and Chicago, my first Spartan race. I'm gonna be doing, uh, there's a fun one called the Moonlight Margarita Run,

Ally: Oh my

Chikage: in...

Ally: many cool runs.

Chikage: Which obviously at the finish line, guess what you get?

Ally: Yeah,

Chikage: Margaritas. So,

Ally: Excellent.

Chikage: there's, o- one that's at like a, a challenge, a night mile challenge where y- they wanna basically

Ally: Love that.

Chikage: get a personal best either in the mile or whatever distance, which I'm excited about. And that one I'm gonna be doing the 5K part of it 'cause I'm like, "I wanna test myself and see if I can PR on the 5K."

Ally: Yeah.

Chikage: so I'm one of those that runs a lot. I like, I j- I have a lot of [01:13:00] races, but then my goal races are the marathons I would say.

Ally: Yeah. That's so fun. I love it. Well, I just have so enjoyed following you,

Chikage: Thank you.

Ally: it is just, yeah, it's so fun to see all the stuff that you're doing, and you are an inspiration, for sure.

Chikage: Thank you.

Ally: it. So I'm so glad that Rob connected us and that we

got to do this.

So thank you so much.

Chikage: Of course. And I'm surprised you haven't asked me to come out and do Indy Monumental someday.

Ally: Oh, shoot. Well, you better c- did I forget? I'm the worst steward of the city. Yeah, usually I'm like str- you know, Strong-arming people to, like, come to... I'm like, "Okay, when are you gonna come to Indianapolis?" But, flat and fast and good weather. Usually that's what we're known for, so it would be a great place to come back.

You can do a little shakeout run on the canal where you used to run

Chikage: Mm-hmm.

Ally: yeah, it's definitely one. I mean, obviously you've got Chicago in October, but man, Indy Monumental is, is super fun. I would love to have you come, come do that.

Chikage: It's on my list and, um, someday I hope to, to get it done. Um, we'll see how, we'll see how Chicago goes.

Ally: [01:14:00] I know. I can't, I can't wait to cheer for you.

Chikage: Thank you

Ally: Well, thank you, Chikage, and thank you to everybody who has listened, and happy running.

Ally Brettnacher: If there's one thing you do after listening to this episode, head to the show notes and sign up for email newsletters. I send a Finish Lines and Milestones newsletter every Friday, I share about my own personal running journey, products I love, and about the latest episodes, so you don't wanna miss those.

And you need to go follow Chikage. She is Chikage Weather on Instagram, which is C-H-I-K-A-G-E Weather. You can also follow me at allytbrett_runs, which is A-L-L-Y-T-B-R-E-T-T underscore runs, and I will see you again next week.

Thank you so much to Hug and Batch for supporting this episode, and you for listening.

Bye.

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