Finish Lines & Milestones: Episode 70

Finish Lines & Milestones: Episode 70

Not sure if anyone actually reads this blog, but if you do, I'm going to start trying to post a blog alongside podcast episodes to make sure my website contains all of the great content I'm putting out there into the universe. :)

Here's a link to listen to this week's episode.

Guest: Kaity Wachtel (Wok-Tell)

Show Notes:

Kaity Wachtel⁠ and I met when she became a customer of ⁠Athlete Bouquets⁠ and gifted bouquets to her amazing friends. This was the first time we really got to sit down and have a conversation and we talked about:

  • Almost a decade of OrangeTheory Fitness - 8,500+ classes
  • The fact that she didn’t play a sport in school but was in show choir (we both choose Dixie Chicks for karaoke)
  • How her fitness journey started in college with a boot camp that completely changed her life
  • Comparison is the thief of joy and how social media can be a dangerous comparison game (Katie’s book recommendation: ⁠Worthy by Jamie Kern⁠)
  • How she chooses to surround herself with people who make her better
  • How meaningful and how simple it is to use people’s names
  • Her first race and other races she's done - Indy Mini, Carmel, Monumental, Yosemite, Nashville, Philly, Moab Ultra
  • How we train with the same running coach, ⁠Rachel Sinders⁠, and that the best coaches have their own coaches
  • Becoming 2021 ⁠Leukemia and Lymphoma Society⁠ Woman of the Year!!
  • Her dogs AJ & Roo and their back to school photos
  • Living with Hashimoto’s disease and going gluten free to improve her health
  • Her fear of distracted drivers and a confession I make about my distracted driving
  • Running twelve half marathons in twelve months - why she set this goal and which races she did to complete the year
  • Her bike accident during a triathlon season she attempted

Episode Transcript

 

0:00

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones with Ally Brett Knocker.

Incredible stories and tales of triumphs with everyday people achieving their goals and fitness.

This podcast brought to you by Athlete Bouquets.

Celebrate finish lines and milestones of the people that you love by visiting athletebouquets.com.

0:21

Hello and welcome to episode 70.

This is Ally and another week has gone by of marathon training.

If you're in this season with me and you're specifically in the Midwest or in Indiana, the temperatures were a lot kinder this week.

0:39

Literally I think 20° cooler for my long run.

This past Wednesday did 16.5 easy miles.

Had a chance to listen to a couple of podcasts I will get to in a second.

Then also met with part of my Ragnar team.

0:57

I am doing the road race in Michigan.

September 20th, 21st weekend.

UP starts in Traverse City, goes down to Muskegon and we're trying to get all the details ironed out.

So super pumped about getting closer and closer to that finish line.

And next weekend is the Indiana Women's Running Festival and I will be, I will have a booth at the Expo.

1:21

I will be an MC in the morning.

I will also be pacing the 155 pace group.

So I hope to meet some new friends there and see a lot of familiar faces.

The weather is now in the 10 day forecast as they pointed out on their social and I'm just hoping that it stays as nice as it is forecasted to be.

1:40

So I said I'd get back to those podcasts I listened to on my run this week.

So I listened to two episodes that feature Cameron Balster who just ran around the United States.

I will have a chance to interview him soon.

But Kim was on Nate Spangles podcast Get In.

1:59

Highly recommend that episode and he was also on the drop from Believe in the Run.

So I listened to both episodes.

I can't wait to have an opportunity to meet Cam in person and learn more about his crazy, crazy journey.

But what's nuts is there was also a little stint that he did while he was running around the United States.

2:18

He decided to participate and was invited to participate in the Speed Project, which is a race that occurs every year.

It is from Santa Monica, CA to Las Vegas and basically you just figure out how to get there.

You find whatever path you can.

And so since it's been done before, of course, they knew kind of what they were doing going in.

2:38

But there is a film being premiered tonight.

If you are listening to this, the day it comes out on August 23rd, Friday, August 23rd, Ultra A-Team Sport movie made by John Kuhn is coming out.

They are premiering it at Arts in Lawrence at 6:00 PM and it's about two hours long.

2:57

And they're also showing a documentary, a shorter documentary on the FOMO, which is an ultra here locally.

So if you want to just get a glimpse of the feet that Cam just underwent, you can watch this film.

I got to watch it.

I got a sneak peek on the treadmill.

3:14

I watched it and it was just so incredible.

And then I'm just thinking he ran 6000 miles just to start this race.

It's just it's mind blowing, OK.

And then on Saturday morning, August 24th, there is a meet and greet, Move your feet with Cameron as well.

3:32

And it's going to be at Athletic Annex in Nora starting at 8:00 AM.

There'll be some breakfast and refreshments, opportunities to win stuff.

I think I may make it there, I hope with my two kids, perhaps just to have an opportunity to meet Cam and and hang out with some runners on a Saturday morning and then also tomorrow night or sorry tonight.

3:52

If you're listening to this on Friday and inches to miles showing will be occurring at Carmel in Midtown Plaza by where Sun King is.

I actually just happened to see Timmy Howard's face when I was there recently promoting this event.

So it's put on by the Carmel runners.

4:09

Unfortunately, it's the same night that Ultra is being premiered, but it's because they had logistically trying to get it up to being shown in Midtown Plaza anyway.

So they're gathering at 7:30 PM and then there's going to be a showing of this documentary at 9:00 PM.

4:25

It's a little over an hour long.

It's an excellent watch.

I got to see it when it premiered, gosh, a month or two ago.

But Timmy's story is absolutely incredible.

You can also watch it on YouTube TV or certainly search for his episode of this podcast, I think was 5754 or something like that.

4:41

But Timmy is just absolutely incredible.

And it also features two other athletes that competed in Iron Man like Placid and it's all done with Athletic Brewing non alcoholic Brewing Company.

Anyway.

So I actually my guest this week knows Timmy as well.

4:59

She met Timmy and his wife Stephanie out when they were getting certified as run coaches, which is just what a small world it was in Saint Louis of all places.

And so my friend Katie Wachtel, coach under score Katie KAITY on Instagram.

5:15

She has almost one decade of Orangetheory Fitness under her belt teaching.

She's done over 8500 classes.

My mind is blown.

And you know, she just wasn't always into fitness.

It was something that she discovered after college and or during college.

5:31

She had this boot camp that changed her life, which we talk about.

We talk a ton about, I mean, mental health comparison, how to surround yourself with people who just make you better.

The races that she's done.

We talk about our coach Rachel Senders that we both use.

5:46

We talk about how Katie was the 2021 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year.

We talk about her dogs she loves.

We talk about a health issue she has, her fear of distracted drivers, how she did 12 half marathons in 12 months and a bike accident she had during a triathlon she attempted.

6:07

So just all kinds of great stories with Katie.

I am so thankful to have her as a friend, but really thankful we had, you know, this really our first true conversation.

And I know that you're all going to enjoy this time with Katie, OK?

Here we are.

We're doing it.

We're doing it.

6:23

Hi, Katie, Coach Katie.

It's me.

KAITY Yes.

Does that drive you nuts?

Yes and no.

It drove me nuts for the longest time because I never had like key chains and things but my mom said it makes perfect sense the way my mom said it because my full name is Kaitlin KAITLIN and she said just drop the Lin and add AY.

6:42

So it makes sense for my name but apparently not for the rest of the world.

So I constantly am spelling.

Yeah, well, I can sympathize because Ally, ALLY actually is my given legal name.

No, Allison.

So everybody's like, so is it Allison?

6:57

Or right.

And I'm like, no, it's just ally.

But yeah, I mean, there's a billion ways to spell ally, so and.

I always try to ask like if I'm ever helping with checking at one of our studios, I'll be like, oh, do you spell that with an I or an IE or AY?

And we're always like, like, I get it.

I hear you.

I have the same issues, right?

And some people sometimes, like a Starbucks cup or something will really spell it right or, And I'm like, oh, it's a magical yeah.

7:18

Never for me.

But that's OK.

So thank you so much for doing this.

So excited.

So I have been waiting to do this for a long time because first of all, thank you so much for being such a wonderful customer of Athlete Bouquets.

I love it.

I actually it was in my car.

I almost brought it.

I have my ND 26.2.

7:34

I love athlete bouquets.

It's the best.

But you're so kind.

I mean, we didn't even know each other and you, like, would order a ton of bouquets for your friends doing marathons.

And I was like, wow, this woman is amazing.

And not just because you were a customer, but because you were obviously a great friend and coach and cheerleader.

7:51

Try my best, Yeah, and to support a local business too.

I mean, you can't go wrong.

Thank you, you're so kind.

So you have been at Orangetheory for almost a decade?

Yep, over 8000 classes.

Is that right?

8500 classes.

Now, I celebrated 8000 about six months ago.

8:08

So it's crazy, crazy to think back.

We just celebrated 9 years of the Carmel studio being open this spring.

OK, so yeah, we are closing in on a decade of Orangetheory.

Wow.

Yeah, Does that blow your mind?

It does.

It does to think about having done.

8:24

I can't remember who wrote it, but if you've done something for 10,000 hours, you're an expert.

Yeah, well, you're an Orange theory expert.

So I'm almost there as far as class count is to the 10,000, right?

Obviously there's a lot of time that goes into it outside of the classes, but it's really cool to think about having been a part of a community and a lot of these people, like really cool.

8:40

I'm actually training a gal right now to become a coach who is a founding member at our Carmel studio.

Whoa.

So to see how it's changed people's lives so much, not just their own personal physical abilities, but to think, do I want to change my career to do something different?

So yeah, it's been an absolutely incredible ride.

8:57

So cool.

Yeah, 8500.

I'm trying to think of how, how many?

OK, so like 10.

So it's like, yeah.

What's the math on?

I'm like how many?

Wait, I'm at it's too early for trying to do math, but I was like, wait, so that's like 365 days in a year times 10 is 3.

9:13

So you've done so many classes in a day.

More than.

More than that's like more than two a day, yeah.

Yeah, so when we coach, we do anywhere between two and four classes potentially on a day where it's kind of crazy, you might do more than that.

So I mean, in a given week, I do at least 12, and that's just Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, doing 4 each morning.

9:31

So this morning I got up at 3:30, got myself ready, got my coffee, get to the studio around 4:30, get things ready, and then I'm boom, boom, boom.

I do 5-6 O 5, seven, 10815 people constantly.

So that was one of the things like when COVID happened, I went from seeing potentially 1000 people in a day to my dogs.

9:50

So that was quite the season of being away from the studio.

And it was one of the things that made me so happy when we got to come back after that, not to start with a downer, but it just it made you realize how much you valued the sense of community that comes with it.

So, and that is one of the biggest things that I love about Orangetheory is all the faces and all the people that you get to see.

10:06

Yeah, my sister Morgan and her husband Mike go to your studio.

Yes.

Or did they?

Carmel.

Studio.

Did they meet at Orangetheory or did they know?

They met through Hinge, an app, yeah.

Nice, I always love hearing success stories like that, it's amazing.

Yeah, and I'm sure there are a lot of people have met at Orangetheory.

So Matt and Paige are two head coaches that are getting married in about a month and they just did, instead of their traditional shower, they did a 5K on Saturday.

10:29

We got together outside of Sun King and kind of ran all together.

And they're usually really freaky fast, but I actually got to like run with Paige and one of her other girlfriends just to kind of celebrate their upcoming nuptials.

I love that two people that definitely met, I guess, reconnected because of Orangetheory, and it's really cool to see that come out.

10:44

Is there a term for people who meet at Orangetheory and like get married?

I think we should.

Find one.

Because like, I don't know, I just think of I went to Miami of Ohio, Miami merger is like the name of like somebody who met in college and then we'll.

Have to think of.

Something orange?

I don't know.

11:01

We'll think about that.

Yes, we will.

Or if there is a term that people know somehow I I feel like if you don't know and there's not a term, then there's not a.

Term.

Yeah.

Well, I don't know.

Nowadays there's slang that I'm like, what's a?

What Skippity?

Skippity What?

I can't even, I can't even go there with that because I don't know anything and I feel like such a weirdo or my loser because I'm like, I don't know anything cool or anything anymore.

11:23

Just show up and do what I know right?

Yeah, yes, well, I got, I've gotten to experience Orangetheory and I freaking love it.

It's awesome.

It is.

The treadmills are amazing.

I've talked about my love of treadmills on this podcast, but the treadmills are exceptional.

I love the in person feel like of actually being in a class.

11:42

I've had seasons of life where I've done in studio stuff.

I'm in a season of life where I do more at home stuff because my husband's in the in person stuff and just coordinating schedules.

But I it's amazing.

I can see why you love it and why you've done it for.

Absolutely.

It's even though I've got all the know how and I have a lot of the equipment at home, there's something about a showing up and having somebody tell you what to do for 60 minutes and encourage you through it.

12:05

Because when someone can talk louder than the demons that are in your head saying you know, you can't do this or you're too tired or whatever it is.

And just knowing that somebody going to be there that's going to make you smile that you want to be with.

But it's also just the structure makes sense.

They spend hundreds of hours putting together one month of our basically our fit book, which has all of our workouts in it.

12:23

So you know that it's tested, it's approved.

One of the really cool things that I get to do is I'm a template tester for corporate.

So they might have a template for the month of November that they're trying to put together right now that they're like, we're not sure how the rotations will make sense or what, you know, how long this might take or how many rounds they'll get in.

So then they send it to me and I test it with our members at Carmel or Geist, which are the two studios that I coach at.

12:43

And the members are incredible.

They all give their feedback.

I give my feedback operationally.

And then you get the best product when it comes around in November.

So it's really cool to know that there's so much time and intention put behind that you're not overtraining or under training or doing too many movement patterns that are similar overtime and that that makes so much sense.

13:02

And it's you can lean on it.

It's tested, approved, and you know that it's going to make a change for you.

So yeah, I won't.

Well, I won't say where my husband went recently to try.

He's an F45 guy, so that's where he normally goes.

But he tried something else and he was like, I think people are going to get hurt doing some of this.

13:17

And I'm like, oh, that's not.

Good.

And that's one of my head coaches at Noblesville has been in the fitness world for a long time and he's talked about there's a lot of products that can make you sore and can make you feel like you're working really hard.

But there's not a lot of products that also provide longevity to me.

13:33

I can work really hard in a fitness concept for three months and then end up hurting myself, or I can work for nine years in a fitness concept that only levels me up and allows me to be a more well balanced athlete.

And that's the biggest thing for runners is you have to find some form of cross training that's going to help you prevent injury because most runners are like, I just want to go out and run.

13:50

I don't want to do strength training, I don't want to do other things.

What are the benefits where when you're really finding the strength training and other ways to produce power in your body, you're going to be a more explosive and more successful athlete and you're going to be able to do it for longer.

So not only is it more, you know, strength and skills, it's being able to do that until you're, God, I hope I get to do this stuff until I'm 75, eight years old.

14:11

That might be the first time I could actually get into Boston.

Yeah, I'm just like waiting for the buffers to keep keep increasing.

I feel that, yeah, it would be awesome if you were like an 80 year old coach too.

I would love that.

I've I've made the joke.

I'm like, we're going to change it from orange theory to silver theory.

14:27

Like we're just going to, we're just going to keep doing it for as long as we possibly can.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, Oh my gosh.

That would be the dream.

Well, when will you hit that 10 year mark?

Ten years will be next April.

OK, so we're just under a year from being at the full, full decade of Wow Candy at Orange Theory.

14:44

How many people like within Orange theory nationwide do you think have like 8500 classes?

It's very few.

Is there a like a place you can go to see every like all the members?

So we have each studio has an account where you can look at how many classes a member has done at that particular studio and how many classes a coach has done at that particular studio.

15:05

And we track because we love to celebrate milestones like even.

Just as men.

Had a head coach in Crown Point that hit 2000.

Tyler, who's a coach at Carmel, just hit 5000.

We had a gal last night at West Lafayette who hit 500.

So it's just really cool to see people hit their milestones.

But we track kind of internally to watch those things to.

15:21

But we're getting ready in September to go to convention and they basically say if you're coming to corporate convention and you've coached 56789 or 10,000 classes, let us know because we're going to celebrate.

So I'll be able to tell you it's like first week of October.

How many people get to stand up and say I've done this, but it's very few.

15:39

I think I've heard of a couple 10,000 coaches OK, but we we are few.

Yeah, that's so fun.

I love it.

It's very.

Cool, do they give?

What do you get?

Get anything?

Accolade just for.

Having I mean, I feel like I would like want a T-shirt that says like 8000 or something.

15:56

I don't just make my own or just yeah.

You know, I have a dear friend they actually don't have like predetermined like plaques that have anything over 5000.

So I have a friend that found a really cool business out in Mccordsville that it's like wrought iron and it says 8000 classes.

It's stunning.

16:12

So like kind of invent our own thing.

And that's the thing.

Is it a pat on the back from corporate or from, you know, colleagues is incredible.

But it's, it's the members that are like, Oh my gosh, I've been with you for of your 8000 classes, I've taken 800 classes with you.

That's my startup tenure or whatever it is.

16:28

So I think the, the, the pat on the back or the reward, I think comes more from the interpersonal piece of it and getting to celebrate with team members and, and studio members that have been a part of the ride.

So yeah.

For sure.

Well, and that's part of the reason, yeah, why athlete bouquets came to be, too, because I'm like, you know, something to be like here, especially if you're not, like, I don't know if you're trying to celebrate somebody who's not with you, right?

16:51

Being able to do something like that because these milestones are really meaningful.

Yeah, well when I get to 10K I'll have to have you make me a mug.

I.

Don't even know if that's I'll have to find like a trophy or something.

We'll make yeah.

Rod Iron.

Actually I have a coffee mug at home that looks like a trophy and it says hot mess.

Perfect.

17:07

I love that just make a little hot mess.

A trophy, trophy hot mess.

That's so great.

Oh my gosh.

Well, what I'm so excited to talk to you about today, Katie.

Well, first of all, I should mention that you admitted to me that you have imposter syndrome, which makes me laugh because just wait till people listen to the rest of this.

17:25

I have a lot of people tell me, oh, oh, I I don't know if I should come on your podcast because I just really haven't, you know, actually Eric Varney was like, you know, I haven't really done all the races that my wife has done.

I mean, I'm like, OK, well, that's not why she was on either.

Like it's just every single, every person has a story.

17:43

Every runner has a story.

Yours is incredible.

You've come a long way.

It's not like you just were born and you're like into fitness your whole life there.

I mean, there's a huge journey.

It's a later in life journey.

For yeah.

And so I want to know all about that.

18:00

Are you from this area?

Yes.

So I actually, I went to Carmel High School, OK.

I moved a lot when I was super young, was born in California.

We moved to Tulsa, OK, where my sister was born, OK.

We lived briefly in San Antonio, TX.

And then we landed here in 4th grade.

So basically 4th grade and on.

This has always felt like home.

18:16

There was a brief stint in high school where we thought my dad was going to have us move back to Houston, OK And thank God it didn't workout.

It's just like it would have been really hard.

And another move once we finally felt really settled.

Yeah, so I'm really grateful.

I ended up going to IU Bloomington and then moved back to the area and got my masters in social work, which I'm sure we'll talk about a little later too, at IUPUI and sort of have just fallen in love with the area.

18:40

I love the Midwest.

It makes it beautiful to travel other places.

But then you can always come back home.

Yep.

I.

Agree more and kind of my we always like to play the game with members at Orangetheory, like, oh, what sport do you think I played?

And I'll get soccer, I'll get field hockey, I'll get volleyball.

18:55

I'm like, man, you guys are so nice.

I was actually a show choir kid.

I was going, I was going to be like, what could be the surprising like band or yeah, show choir?

So show choir, that was my thing.

I I danced, played piano, I dabbled in guitar, did vocal lessons.

Give us, give us something good.

Show karaoke song.

19:13

Dixie Chicks and I like to do it in a trio.

I don't love singing by myself, which is why I love show choir.

I loved the dancing solos and tandemore partners, but I love being a part of like harmonizing.

OK, what Dixie Chicks song?

Goodbye, Earl.

I mean, oh, that's interesting.

Or anything.

Spice Girls.

Actually, how does Goodbye Earl start?

19:29

Mariana.

Yep, exactly the France.

Through our high school days.

I bet if we played it I would know the words, yeah.

And that's why karaoke is so great.

'Cause it's exactly I did.

Not to brag and this is a tangent, but I won runner up El Dorado Idol in Mexico in February singing Cowboy Take Me Away.

19:50

Yes, I guess.

And we have to call them the chicks now, right?

Right which OK, fair enough, but that's funny OK, show choir, that's funny.

You're like, that was my sport.

That was my.

Sport and I loved it because it was still it was a challenge you had to practice.

So I think I learned a lot of the the concepts of what sports teach a lot of athletes, but I was never, I was like, I'm not going to run.

20:10

I don't want to run.

I was the kid in 6th grade when you had to like run the timed mile that like wanted to just walk off and not finish it.

So it's pretty incredible to get to the place now, like, you know, orange there, you're doing the mile benchmark and you're like, I can't wait to see what I can do.

It was never me growing up.

I was never competitive about it, but never really did much with fitness until college where I found weight from going out to the bars that I didn't like.

20:30

I didn't like how I was feeling, just kind of sludgy and not strong.

And so I found a boot camp that completely changed my life.

I lost 30 lbs between my junior and senior year of college.

Just a lot of self efficacy and confidence.

Found Extended family because it was like a Bloomington local gym that I became a part of through a basically a mentor with Student Alumni Association.

20:52

And just it, it changed the game for me.

I realized that I was capable of being someone in fitness and at that point I hadn't really been introduced to running yet.

I maybe dabbled a little bit in it, but then moved back home after college, was getting my masters and sort of just started to fall in love with fitness on the whole and thought, you know, maybe this is something that I can do and had a mentor through reforming Indy.

21:11

I got a Groupon, ended up at this little Pilates studio in Indiana, Carmel, IN, and the TRX instructor I took class with was a dancer and a Pilates instructor.

And he was like, you'd be really good at this.

And so I was like, OK, so I got my TRX certification and started just doing TRX classes and a little bit of strength.

21:27

And then I got my ace certifications that I was more in the personal training realm.

And then I spent hours and hours getting my comprehensive Pilates certification.

And this was all while I was also finishing up my masters.

And I, I pursued social work with the expectation of wanting to help people.

21:43

And I thought that that was the place to help people.

So I, I pursued social work and then fitness found me, which is I think why I have stayed in fitness even after graduating with my masters just because I was able to give so much to people and always get so much in return as well.

22:00

See them change and evolve.

Lots of social work.

It's I need to get you the resources so that you can be in survival.

And sometimes when they don't have to continue speaking with you after a certain time frame, you don't know how that child or that adult is.

So it's nice to be able to say like we're in a relationship where it's symbiotic.

22:15

I give you the best fitness routine I can possibly give you, and then you get to show me the results that we can earn together.

So kind of started small with just a couple classes and then like I said, it blew into then I was doing one on ones and working with a client with Ms. and doing, you know, one-on-one session with her, just basically keep dexterity.

22:32

And then I was working with a triathlete doing both fitness and Pilates for her to get her to be that super well-rounded athlete.

And then was running boot camps.

And then Jen Tyson, who actually just retired from coaching, just so sad.

She, she, Scotty and I were the last three starting coaches at Carmel.

22:48

So we're very excited for her next chapter.

But she was like, Katie, you've got to come meet these people that are bringing Orangetheory to town.

The concept is right up your alley.

Like I just think it's, it's screams you.

So I sat down with Sean and Carolyn, who were the ones to bring Orangetheory to Indiana from Florida at that point, first to market at Carmel, fell in love with them with the culture that they were building.

23:07

And the first Orangetheory class I took was day one of training and just fell in love with it.

And obviously then, you know, nine years later, looking in the rearview mirror, it's it's pretty cool to see how we've gotten to this place, but kind of along that time frame, trying different things.

And that's the beauty of fitness is, you know, of course I want everybody to come and love Orangetheory, but there's so many great fitness concepts and so many ways that you can work out.

23:27

And so for me, it's been Orangetheory and obviously supporting people that operate in other ways.

One of my best friends from high school owns pure bar in the area.

And so I love cheering her on for people that want the I mean, you go try to do a bar class.

It's a whole different kind of yeah.

So it's just really cool to see different places that you can get plugged in and different ways that you might have different seasons.

23:45

I think after this year of kind of endurance training, and I've been working with Rachel, my coach, since January, I can't wait to get to the end of November and say, I love you, but I need a break and just to focus on strength training next year and do more, you know, at Orangetheory and outside of Orange Theory, lifting weights and kind of get in that place where I get my strength back in that way.

24:03

But it's it's incredible to see how many different ways people can transform themselves through fitness.

Right.

Yeah, Oh my gosh.

It's just incredible.

And so back to your transformation between, you said junior and senior year at IU.

24:18

Yep.

So at the boot camp, did you also was nutrition a big piece of that?

Yes, transformation.

And it was more strict than I would ever be.

Now I have a macro background now as well to kind of give guidance to both my runners when I coach them.

And then sometimes the people just need help with the structure for their nutrition.

24:35

I can give that structure without being a nutritionist.

Like here's about how you should feel yourself based on your muscle mass, your body fat, your goals, things of that nature.

So they were pretty strict, but it was good to be strict to start.

So I knew what's the baseline?

How can I really lose weight fast and get to a place where I feel really healthy and then build to a place where it's like.

24:55

How do you make?

Incorporate more things back into it.

So yeah, definitely, definitely a a major element of nutrition.

Super important.

And I think that's what a lot of people don't want to do.

It's like, can I just go to the gym and work really hard for an hour to two hours and then eat whatever I want, which would be nice.

And I'm going through a season right now of eliminating gluten because I have Hashimoto's, which is a whole other part of the story.

25:15

But you know, nutrition is such an important piece of it.

So I learned a lot about how to fuel my body, right and how to prioritize working out because, you know, when you're a full time student, it was like I had to go early or I had to say no to going out too late on Friday so that I could wake up and go do my boot camp class on Saturday.

So it taught me a lot of really great habits that I think have continued to be a foundation for my fitness at this point, so.

25:36

And what did you study at IU before you went to get your masters?

Social work.

So it's really cool as I studied social work all four years, minored in psychology, dance and a sign language.

Actually, yeah, I wish that I still use that consistently.

But yeah, three minors because I just, I love learning.

I loved, loved school.

25:52

I don't think I could go back to school, but I just, I love learning.

I will be a lifelong learner.

But then afterwards, because of the relationship with UI, I was able to do advanced standing.

So I only had to do 3 semesters versus the normal 4 to get through my program.

So basically had the one semester off and then boom, went right into the three semesters of a masters program.

26:11

So yeah, it was a hard and fast and I love all the things that I learned and I have so much respect for the profession and will likely at some point incorporate it back in.

In fact, I'm studying right now for my LSW exam so that I can take the exam and potentially get to a place where I create my own brand of life coaching because I think there are so many people that are terrified of therapy.

26:32

So if you brand it as we're going to start with life coaching, we're going to talk about habits, we're going to build structures in your life, we're going to help you stay focused.

We're going to set goals and then when you arguably run into a place where somebody has trauma or somebody has a tough relationship or somebody struggles with communication, then you can get into the therapeutic side of it, which a lot of life coaches have a lot of great things that they can bring to the table.

26:52

But when you get to a place where you have to be therapeutic, you start to rub up against on a place that you shouldn't be able to go straight from, hey, we're talking more surface level structures and things to now.

OK, Talk to me about that tough relationship with your dad or talk to me about that loss that you experienced, you know, when you were younger that now is still causing you barriers to what you want to succeed with in your life.

27:14

What is LSW?

Is that licensed?

Social worker and then the eventual goal would be to get enough observation hours with a clinical social worker that I could be an LCSW and be somebody that consistently could do clinical therapeutic relationship.

Stuff session?

Yeah, that would certainly be unique, I would think in like the the life coaching space.

27:34

And to work with, I didn't realize it was something I was passionate about because I wasn't a youth athlete.

But I think working with athletes a lot of times and one of my best friends, Jess was a collegiate basketball player at Indiana Wesleyan.

And she went from like, I mean, that's a full time job when you're an athlete in college, like it takes up your whole life.

27:54

It becomes an identity thing.

And then you graduate and then it's like, OK, now what?

I hate fitness.

They made me hate running.

I don't want to do anything.

But then they get to a place where they're like, OK, now my athletic build is gone, my drive is gone, what do I do?

And a lot of these people have come back to places like Orangetheory and just like found themselves all over again.

28:11

So to be somebody that could help transition athletes from college who aren't going to continue to pursue that because you know, what percentage actually make it to, you know, WNBANBANFA, all those things.

So how can you help those people transition and find a positive outlet for how they've looked at their body and fueled their body and treated their body over the past four to their whole lives?

28:31

So many kids nowadays I feel like are in these full time jobs as 7th graders doing travel, baseball and things of that nature.

So yeah.

Which is just wild to me.

It's amazing.

But yeah, I think there's there's a lot of things that have come up for me that I would love to be able to potentially use the fusion of the two, fitness, Wellness, space.

28:47

But also, there's so much about emotional, mental and spiritual health that helps you be a well-rounded human that is happy, healthy, and able to thrive, not just survive.

Yes, which is so freaking hard.

Very hard.

Yeah, very.

I don't think we've ever lived in a complicated space than we do right now.

29:05

There's just so much technology and Yep, things to navigate with the political landscape and making ends meet with how high inflation numbers are, it's just, yeah, there's a lot going.

On I know thinking about simpler times, sometimes I find myself doing that being like, you know, as much as I love Instagram, you know, I think about times where it's just so simple.

29:24

Yeah.

You actually had to call me and like we would have to go out to do something versus crazy.

I was reading a book that was basically discussing the concept that right now we update each other by social media.

It's like, oh, did you see my story versus me texting you and being like, hey, Ally, I know that you had, you know, a big race coming up or somebody that had a big interview or somebody that has a baby.

29:43

Like, oh, look, someone says baby was born.

They're so cute.

Did you actually call that person or text that person or go see them?

There's so much of this digital age that has us more aware than ever, but more disconnected than ever.

And I really struggle in that because I'm a very connected person.

29:59

I am a relational person.

I care deeply about people.

And yes, I want to see your updates on social, but there's nothing better than this, you know?

Being actually connected person, yeah, yeah, this is probably the first time we've had, well, we've met in person, but like actually had a real conversation, right?

30:15

Yeah.

You think about, OK, I think I know a lot about you because I've followed you on Instagram or whatever, but yeah, nothing is better than actually being.

Yeah, and I've tried in the past probably two or three years and it kind of I think comes with my own personal transformation to be more vulnerable about things that are not so easy.

30:33

You know, if it's a really tough run and I'm feeling like crap when I get back, instead of just posting it and being like, you know, don't show the time, show the time and be like, you know what, I was under fueled.

It was really hot.

But I'm really proud of myself for getting through the mileage.

But it just wasn't my day versus I think a lot of people.

30:48

I mean, it's part of why I've gotten off of Strava.

I know there's a lot of great things that come with that, the social presence of the running community, but I don't need to go tit for tat with you on pacing.

I respect you and I will cheer you on.

And I don't need to know what you're pacing is.

I I will support you no matter what, Right SO.

Right.

31:04

Yeah, I know.

Well, it's funny because I actually just, I'm like trying to use Strava better kind of for me to like look back on too, to be like, oh.

Historical.

There's how like it went.

But yeah, I posted my workout yesterday, which was hard as hell.

31:21

And, and in parentheses I put like run, walk, because I did, I took some walk breaks.

It wasn't just a, you know, whatever one mile recovery.

It was like a one mile.

Like I walked for like a while and then hobbled a little bit and then walked some more and then got into the next part.

31:37

Because it is, it's there's, it's not the whole story.

And, and also like, I don't, I don't care about other people's paces really.

I mean, but it does make it hard not to compare yourself.

To other people, comparison can be the thief of joy.

It can also fuel your fire to pursue bigger and better things.

31:54

There's a it's the health with which you do compare yourself.

And I think that's really hard for a lot of people.

It can't be like, oh, well, I'm 2 minutes slower.

I find myself even saying that.

Somebody asked me the other day, what's your goal for Chicago?

And I was like, well, it's way slower than all my friends.

32:09

And I've started dating a guy in the past year.

That's like, you realize that your friends are all crazy.

Like the fact that you're comparing yourself to a dear friend who's run a three hour marathon, Like you can't compare yourself to those people you are around incredible people.

So just run your race and like appreciate where you're at and your body and your skill set and the goals that you've set for yourself.

32:27

I will never be a sub three marathon runner and that's OK.

There's a lot of things that I do really well that other people can't do right.

So learn to love that about yourself.

Yeah, I also try to catch myself in situations like that.

And you know, when you are at the monumental, let's say, and it's like, oh, what race are you doing?

32:46

Oh, I'm just doing the half.

It's like I have tried to train myself to be like, oh, I'm running the half marathon because it's not just 1/2 or just a 5K, right?

It's it's the which race are you doing?

It's not just anything.

33:01

And you know anybody, if you run, you are a runner.

No matter your size, no matter your speed model or if you take walk breaks, you're a runner.

And again, I'm reading lots of books right now, and I think the most poignant thing I read recently, if you really want to wreck yourself, the book Worthy by Jamie Lee Kern.

33:21

OK.

I have to read a chapter and then process for a week because it's really big things as far as like you can be confident, you can be happy, but do you understand yourself worth?

But one of the things she talked about is they pulled people and it was basically like 70% of adults and 80% of youth can't experience true joy and joy being unconditional.

33:43

Not I'm happy because you gave me a toy or I'm happy because I got a raise.

But like unconditional just woke up being joyful.

They are robbed of joy because of the constant negative self talk.

And then at least 60 to 70% of those people don't even realize what they're telling themselves on repeat until they're forced to write it out.

34:00

And then they're mortified to what they're telling themselves on repeating your head.

So how many of us are constantly.

And that's why I love being a coach like Lock Guy's with yourself in the mirror right now, tell yourself you're amazing.

Remember something good.

Why did you get out of bed?

To show up today and keep that positive fuel for your next 12 minutes on the treadmill.

34:18

And it's a safe space to force yourself to create new synapses in your brain, to realize that you are a worthy and capable person who is fearfully and wonderfully made by your God.

And to be able to show up confidently and with a knowledge of yourself worth more consistently.

34:34

And that's hard.

It's hard for a lot of us.

You have to.

Constantly practicing and rewiring it.

So I think that's a big piece of like instead of saying just doing something, I, I am showing up and doing this because I made a choice.

I could say no, there's I mean, if 1% of the world has run a marathon, I would love to know what happened.

34:52

How many people have actually gone out and run a full 5 Ki mean?

I think it's something like less than 10% of the world can run a mile without stopping.

Like less than 10%.

I mean, think about that.

You're so hard on yourself.

It took me 14 minutes to run a mile.

You ran a mile without starting.

35:07

That's incredible.

And that's step one in the direction of potentially ending up turning around and looking in the rearview mirror and saying, OK, now I've run 4 marathons.

Yeah, right.

I.

Hated running and now it's my solace.

And now here I am.

Now I love it.

It's my whole personality.

35:23

Exactly.

Well, and it's just like, yeah, thinking about that, I also feel like you surround yourself.

You know, you're with all these people that are doing all these things.

You're in this community.

But you.

Yeah, you forget about the 90% of the world that, yeah, it can't even do what you do.

35:38

I, I think I think about that a lot in terms of the, you get to, I say that a lot.

It's like, I feel so privileged in a lot of ways.

And one of those is my health and being able to run.

So it's like, as Danya likes to say, suck it up, buttercup.

There's people, you know, like her who is still running and you're like, OK, if she can do it or, you know, or if there's people that can't do it, I'm gonna do it for.

36:01

That it's, it's why I surround myself with such inspiring people.

And there are moments where you go home and you're like, I feel like a little slug who's not inspirational at all.

But if you don't, I mean you, you are the summation of the people you spend the most time with.

And whether that's five people or 20 people, that's why when I look around, there's not one person that I'm like, I need to pull them out of my inner circle, like my inner circle, like the gals I'm going to hang out with today, I think all of them are training for something right now.

36:27

And like, Kelly Drew used to be my coach.

She's training for Chicago.

Kelly, similarly, I want to be Kelly when I grow up.

Somebody said I looked like her sister and I was like, I'm going to die.

Sarah, you know, just got to go support her in Boston.

My friend Claire, who's pregnant, I can't wait to train her for her next marathon because she ran one before having babies.

36:42

And I know she's going to be a force when she's done.

My friend Morgan, who would never have, you know, if you had told her in high school, like Morgan, you're going to run half marathon someday, she would have.

No, I'm not.

And now she's out there running like, so these are the people that I get to surround myself with every day.

Again, getting to support Paige and Matt who chose to run a 5K instead of just be showered with gifts and drink champagne.

37:01

Like that's the people that I surround myself with every day.

So there's not a moment where I can sit there and twiddle my thumbs and be like, I don't know what I should do next.

It's like I need another 10 hours in the day to do all the things I want to because of how inspired I am by those around me.

Yeah, I feel that way.

OK, I'm, I'm going to read this because I think it'll.

37:18

But you're you've said one of the things that you're most proud of in your life is realizing your own worth, which we just talked about, and that you are worth it.

And, you know, a lot of that came from people who told you that you couldn't, you weren't gritty enough.

And like a couple of those people are no longer in your life.

37:34

So I think that's a good segue to talk about you are surrounding yourself with people that are making you better, people who told you you couldn't.

How did you how did you remove them from your life?

Well, one was a really tough divorce and it was someone I expected to be like.

37:52

Was one of my dear friends in high school.

We've dated long distance, all of college.

He's a wonderful human being.

I just don't think either of us were the right fit for each other in the timeframe.

And I obviously wish him the best, but it was we were not good for each other at a certain place, you know, he had doubt about what I was capable of.

38:08

And again, he knew me when that was not my personality.

He he was not necessarily someone who could understand the Technicolor of my brain.

He was an engineer, very black and white.

I'm very Technicolor.

There's a lot of Gray areas, there's a lot of colors, there's a lot of adaptations.

And I think realizing that he was going to hold me to a standard of who I was when I was in the season of wanting to grow.

38:29

And we tried therapy.

And it was one of those things where we looked at each other and I was saying that so much had changed.

And he was, he was saying it was all the same.

And I was like, this is the problem.

So much has changed for me.

And you still think I'm the same.

You're not hearing me.

And so again, he's, he's remarried and has kids and I absolutely wish him the best.

38:48

But it's somebody that we had to remove ourselves from each other.

And then the next person I dated after that, it was like in person he would support in one way.

And then behind closed doors, it was like he was just not the support that I needed or didn't believe I could do the things that I wanted to do.

39:05

And so that was very much, there was the one that was like hard because I initiated that.

There was the one that broke my heart.

And then the last person who I will say is still in my life was Scotty Banks.

He's still one of my greatest mentors.

He is someone that will always push me harder than I want to be pushed mentally, physically as a leader.

39:22

And he was the one that was like, you're not gritty enough to do the things that you're saying that you want to do.

And you've got to focus on what that looks like.

And that was sort of a catalyst amongst several other things that sort of pushed me into this season of I'm going to get so uncomfortable and one of my tattoos on my sleeve is a butterfly.

And I should put the cocoon on there too because I was a slimy Caterpillar trapped in my cocoon.

39:44

The goop is exactly what it was.

And it was a very messy season.

And but it was a lot of cutting off branches that I didn't need, pruning myself of people that weren't serving me, bringing people in that really helped to cultivate me.

And I'm still on my way out.

But I can truly say that I feel like I'm coming through that transformation on the other side as a what is it from a bug's life?

40:04

A beautiful butterfly.

Oh yeah, we just watched that.

Not probably last week.

We hadn't watched it in a long time, and I've forgotten how much I love that.

Yeah, yeah, that caterpillar's so cute.

I love it.

Yeah.

Oh my gosh, Yeah.

Wow.

I think that's really, really, really good advice.

40:19

Yeah.

Because sometimes you have to sit with that tough season of life and everybody wants the end goal, right?

They all, they all want to be finishing a race at a certain time.

They all want to be the people that they admire.

Everybody wants to see that end goal.

But they I mean, that was something that I did.

40:35

I did not put that on social media.

I didn't put that I was crying at home.

And that, like my dog was the one thing that made me excited to wake up in the morning in a certain season of life.

So people don't want to see that stuff because it's uncomfortable.

It's it's like, I don't want to have to go through that.

But that's why I am resilient and gritty and more empathetic than I've ever been and want to stop to have those conversations with people because you never know what somebody's dealing with.

40:58

And that's the biggest thing.

When I wrap classes, I always say, go make somebody's day.

Great.

Because you're in it because the fact that you exist and the fact that you stop to have a conversation with someone and share that you care.

Or every time I go out to eat, I always ask for the waitress or waiter's name.

Yeah, because I might be the one table that calls them by name the whole night.

41:17

And I've had people even say, like, it was like, so nice.

Every time I came to the table, you mentioned my name.

I was like, I do that intentionally because you're a person too.

You know what's funny is I do that and my it used to embarrass me when my dad did that.

So growing like he would always do that.

If they didn't mention their name, he would ask for it.

41:33

Or if they did, he would like overuse it.

And I'd be like dad, like it'd just be kind of like, oh, that's weird.

Why are you doing that?

But it's the most important.

Word, but now.

Is towards somebody.

Right now I've realized, yeah, how important that is and how meaningful it is.

Like if somebody at a store goes out of their way to help me or I spoke to somebody on customer service and I forgot what their name was at the beginning, I'll ask for it again and say, Jennifer, thank you again for helping me.

41:59

You know, I, I, I do that.

I do think it's, if there's one thing somebody can take away from this, like that's such a little thing.

Yes.

And you know what else sucks though is that I suck at remembering names.

Sometimes that's hard for you, seeing so many faces.

At least hopefully you have like a CHEAT SHEET.

42:15

I mean like.

On occasion we got a little bit of an assist at the studio.

Yeah, but it's but that's hard.

But you realize, Oh yeah, I, it sucks because when I do forget, I, I, if I see somebody out of context.

Going to be upset with you if you're like can you remind me of your first name?

Like my brain is super jumbled. 9 times out of 10 they're going to be right, no worries.

42:31

When you do it like three times then it's bad.

Then it's hard.

Or if you've like been around somebody for.

Six, I know you.

Should know or I really struggle.

I just like the spelling is so important pronunciate.

I want to make sure I pronounce your name correctly and I'll ask several times if I'm still kind of getting the gist of it.

42:47

And everybody is always so grateful.

Like nobody ever pronounces my name right.

Thank you so much for.

Taking the time to.

Learning how to say it correctly and it's one of the things that I've I prioritize in my classes when I coach is saying your name and tying it to something specific that you're doing that I'm proud of or I'll come over and fix form on something and then walk away and then on mic praise you for we've nailed that deadlift yeah Susie you're.

43:08

Absolutely crushing it, you know, and that's one of the things at Peloton, the whole like shout out thing.

Why it's like such a thing?

Because hearing somebody say your name, Yeah, it's such a it's.

The same concept.

Have you seen the on reels or anything?

It's like pictures of dogs before and after you say good boy or girl.

43:26

I have seen that.

What I would love to do is put it with, hey, Allie, how are you?

Yeah, right.

It's just good morning.

Like there's a different response to if I use your name.

And I work with so many Mamas, but when they get to the studio, all I've heard is mom, mom, mom, mom all morning.

So to just be to be Allie instead of mom for that hour, I think is so worthwhile.

43:46

And it's something that we don't often get to hear.

We're not going to call ourselves by a particular name, right.

Let's.

Yeah.

Like I'm looking in the mirror and like, hey, Katie, what's up?

Like you want to hear somebody else use your name, right?

Yeah.

It is so valuable to be able to hear it so.

Yeah, it is.

Sometimes my kids call me Allie because I think it's funny and I it's so weird.

44:02

I'm like please do not, please do not use my name.

To you I will always get.

Mom.

Yeah.

So at what point, OK, grad school, you started really finding this fitness journey?

At what point did you do your first race?

And what do you remember your first race?

44:18

What distance this is?

Where I have to go back?

To my OK, yes.

So my first race ever, I ran with my dad, OK, and it was one of those things, and I feel like I can say this now because it changed him so much, but he I have genetics for my father, OK, And his his father had quadruple bypass.

44:36

There's diabetes in our family history, just tend to be more on the overweight side.

And I was really worried.

It was before my wedding and I was like, I'm really worried.

You're not going to be around for much longer if you don't start to take care of yourself.

So we trained for and did the Mini together.

And the mini is not my favorite race.

44:53

I know that is an unpopular opinion, but that was my first race and that was 2012 and I made a grave mistake of stopping at the track to wait for my dad.

So that's seven miles in and I waited for a good he's slower than I am, but it was a good 20 minutes.

45:09

And so then trying to take off again after the track was miserable.

So that one took me almost three hours.

So it took me a minute to do that race, but it was the first one that I had completed and I did not train well.

A lot of why I feel like I'm a pretty influential coach is because I've done so many of the things that I'm going to tell you to do wrong and I can tell you why it's important.

45:28

So that was my first one.

And then I mean, from there, I've done so many fun races.

I've done caramel a handful of times, Monumental a handful of times.

As far as half marathons are concerned, I did the mini again.

One of my favorites that started getting me actually training more consistently was doing the Coast to Coast with my dad.

45:44

We did the half marathon in Disney World and then Disneyland.

It was the Dumbo double.

Oh, that's right, it was a 10.

Ki knew that so.

Within a calendar year, you had to do a race in two of the parks.

So that was incredible.

And obviously I'm a big Disney fan.

That's AI wouldn't say it's a little known fact.

46:00

People pretty much are know that I'm obsessed with Disney, but that was a really cool experience.

That was in 2016.

I've done Nashville twice, which is an incredible course.

Just be ready for hills and.

Heats, right?

So is Nashville so St.

Saint Jude right?

So I saw there was a Rock'n'roll Saint Jude.

46:18

Or is that always been Saint Jude Rock'n'roll and I just didn't realize it was rock'n'roll?

I think it's always been partnered up with Saint Jude.

I'm pretty.

Sure.

OK.

I, I don't know why I didn't realize that my entire family did that race without me.

Not on purpose.

I had something else.

I don't know what I'd love to go do that at.

Some point it's it's a really cool course.

46:33

You see a lot of the city.

Like I said, you just have to be ready for some hills.

But yeah, but hills build character.

It's great.

They do.

And then I got to do the Philly half marathon.

Was that 20?

That had to be maybe two years ago.

Yes, two years ago because then my friend Caitlin is from Philly.

So my friend Caitlin, Michelle and I all went and did Philly, got to see her hometown, meet her family.

46:53

And then last year we went back and she did her second marathon, but her sister did her first.

And I got to train Caitlin for her 1st and trained her sister for her first.

And so it was really cool to be a part of that and to be in somebody else's hometown.

And Philly is, I don't know what I was expecting, but I loved Philly.

47:09

Like really cool history and culture and structures.

And that race was really, really neat too.

You're running on cobblestone in certain areas.

And yeah, I just, I really enjoyed Philly too.

So it's been one of those things that I think I would like to get more destination half marathons on my bucket list.

47:26

I just think like watching Sarah Farney go to Boston, have to travel, have to get settled in a place that's not home, and then run something as huge as a marathon.

Yeah.

I don't know that that's in my skill set with my level of functioning anxiety.

Maybe someday, but I think 1/2 marathon I can do.

47:42

Yeah.

Yeah.

And Yosemite was another one that was incredible.

I would say vacation races.

If anybody ever wants an incredible opportunity, they put on an incredible race and they adapted really well because it was the wettest season that they had had in California in a very long time.

So the original course broke like the road broke in half, so they had to completely audible.

48:02

So instead of a roadway we were going to be on, we ended up on kind of a dirt path.

And because of the season being so wet, we were stuck in the mud, literally trying to run through mud.

And it was a good two miles and it was really cool to see.

I think trail runners are just the most exceptional people.

48:20

I would love to get into more trail running because they all want to chat with you.

And, and such a different people are pulling each other out of this muddy stuff when we're up in the the woods and trying to just get through this section.

And then, you know, you're back on the pavement and it's wonderful.

But that trip and that race were just really, really incredible.

It looked it looked incredible.

48:35

So vacation races puts that on.

Yes, and they do them all over the place.

And I actually learned about it from my friend Megan who ran in Iceland.

And so they did.

They're doing one in Ireland which is top three bucket list place to go.

Not in the budget for this year but I think running somewhere like Ireland with a vacation.

48:53

Races would be a really cool.

Because they know safe places to go.

They'll give you suggestions on where to stay.

Yeah, they just put on a really, really great race.

So yeah, Yosemite was really cool, and that was a couple years.

Ago so it was so beautiful.

What was the elevation profile like?

Like was it really hilly or?

49:10

I don't feel like there was a ton of gain and loss, but obviously anywhere like Colorado, California are going to be higher than you are at.

Home.

Yeah, the altitude.

Would be so it wasn't a crazy gain in loss.

There were a couple hills, but I I wouldn't say it was much worse than Nashville because Nashville I always recall being relatively hilly, so I don't recall it being something that was gut wrenching but we also climbed to the top of Yosemite Falls the day before, so maybe it just didn't feel like much, but that was incredible.

49:36

There was the benefit.

Our course had to change entirely, but Yosemite Falls was fuller than it had ever been, and just like your ears were just ringing with how full it was and how loud it was.

Oh, that's cool.

Incredible hike.

So glad you got to do that piece of it too.

Yeah, I we did some of my girlfriends and I, we did a race out in Salt Lake City.

49:55

It was a run revel series and they bust you to the top of mountain and you rundown.

So I we, we rundown this mountain, but the day before we decided to do a hike and so my girlfriends picked out the hike and I'm like, cool, OK, some of them were doing the full and I was doing 1/2.

50:11

So I didn't, I was like, OK, that's fine.

But we did it was like a seven mile hike and it was pretty.

I mean it wasn't crazy, but it was strenuous enough to where I'm like, you guys are going to run a marathon tomorrow or are you insane?

Why are we doing this really, really low on hike?

And it was beautiful and amazing, but I was like, maybe next time.

50:30

Yeah, more days.

'Cause I feel like hiking after is not going to be that desirable either.

But I mean, for 1/2 maybe fine.

But yeah, anyway, more days.

But it was, it was awesome.

It was really fun.

So I, I would like to do more destination stuff as well.

I feel like in my season of life, you know, I got to get these kids to grow up and I don't want them to grow up.

50:51

And so it's like this catch 22.

I, I want to do more things.

But I also, you know, don't want to rush.

They don't want to rush them.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, I'm including them.

I think there's so much too.

I don't have kids myself at this point, but I've watched a lot of wonderful parents race kiddos, and it's amazing how much your kids are watching.

51:07

Like, yes, for you to be able to set, it's such a great vision for what it can be like to be an adult that runs and just to know.

I mean, sometimes I know that you kind of like pen yourself off on your politics.

Your daughter can be there too and like she's watching the whole time.

And I think that's really, really cool that you're.

51:23

Saying that, in fact, a lot of times when I get off, she's like, OK, it's my turn and I'm like, OK, well this is Dane.

Your sister can't really do it.

So it's crazy, but OK.

What have been some race stories like within those experiences, some that stand out for you?

I think my favorite and most transformational season was when I did Chicago and failed miserably and then within a month did monumental and then within another three weeks went and ran Moab, Moab, Utah, the ultra marathon.

51:53

So Chicago was your ultra?

Was in Moab.

Yeah, there's no way to prepare for that.

It was incredible.

But Chicago was so hard.

It was hotter than heck.

They, I think black flagged it while we were on the course.

It was one of those where it was my second marathon.

52:11

I was my second.

No, that was my third.

I was chomping at the bit because I had done Chicago once before.

I sort of knew the course.

I was really excited, was in the same corral with a couple of my friends because I somehow magically got to get bumped up because I asked, but we took off and I thought I was in my pace, but you know, race energy, you just take off and I was running like in the eights, had no business running in the eights.

52:36

And my friend Kelly ran up behind me and she's like, do you know how fast you're running?

I was like, no, feels like oh God, oh shit.

And then basically within the next 3 1/2 miles, I started to cramp.

I was fatigued.

And Tracy Niebrich, who is in my little runner girl circle as well, she was my Angel.

52:54

And she'll tell you I am a solo runner.

I don't like to chat while I'm running.

I like to listen to podcasts.

I like to listen to music.

I like to be in my own thoughts.

I love races because you're around people, but not having to chat.

I'm just not.

I'm not chatty when I run.

And I admire and wish that I could be that way, the way that other people can do that.

53:12

But anyway, Tracy knew she was in for it.

She's like, she's going to need me, but I know she doesn't want to run with somebody.

So I took a headphone out and I was like, you can talk all you want.

I just, I'm in my head, I'm in my body.

I am hitting every step right now.

So me listening to you is going to be probably the one thing you're going to get from me.

53:27

Aside from nods and we ran, walked the rest of it.

It took me one minute longer than my prior Chicago, which was such a bummer because I had trained my butt off for it.

And so I kind of came home.

It's like I still, I still crushed a marathon.

This is great.

Still had fun, was really sore.

Gave myself the week to kind of be in my fields.

53:43

And I was like, OK, monumental, this is it.

And then monumental.

I cut off like 15 minutes.

It was the perfect, beautiful fall day.

Everybody was out on the course.

And this was the season that I was finally running for me because I think my first couple of marathons, it was like, I'll show you, I'm going to do it.

Yeah.

53:59

And, you know, again, making mistakes and not taking enough recovery and not getting my fueling right.

And so I think this was the first year that I like really had prepped and I was really excited about trying to do that marathon distance.

So monumental was like the redemption for the let down in Chicago the the month prior.

54:14

And it was just that was my my 4/21, the fastest I had to run.

I felt great after going up the stairs.

Downstairs, not so much.

And then within a couple weeks we went to Moab and I went with just a really encouraging and inspirational group.

Three of them ran the 50 Miller and then three of us ran the 50K.

54:33

And I, I don't know what I was expecting out in Moab.

I was just pumped to be doing something different like this.

And the first thing they have you do is go straight uphill.

I mean, straight up hill.

And you're also at a higher elevation than when you are at home.

And so I was like, immediately in my head, like, what did I get myself into?

54:50

Yeah, 31.1 on sand, Slate Hills.

At certain points I was looking around was like, I hope I'm on course because I don't see anybody for miles.

But then you'd get to an aid station and you're like, OK, you're on the right track.

And it took me forever.

And I think at some point I want to be able to run a more flat, more terrain that I'm used to style of ultra.

55:11

Yeah, FOMO, like maybe that's in my, my wheelhouse at some point.

But it was exceptional.

And that was the story that I'm getting to it this season is I was about halfway through and my knees started to hurt, which I've never had me pain running at this point.

And I was like, I'm going to have to like wobble to the finish line.

55:27

It's going to take me 3 hours more than I thought.

And I ran into a group that was walking it at this point.

And I was like, do you mind if I walk with you guys for a little bit?

Here comes miss not social runner, like just needing some human engagement.

And you know, it's just kind of talking about where I was hurting.

55:43

I was like, oh, I've got some Tylenol and I took some Tylenol and within 30 minutes I was kind of recharged because of these people.

My body didn't hurt anymore.

And the back half of my ultra was so much stronger than my front half because of these guardian angels that I ran into.

So I think that's, that has pushed me to try to be a little bit more social in race settings because you never know who you'll meet and you'll never know who you need to encourage and inspire or when you might need that encouragement and inspiration.

56:07

So I'm trying to dabble a little bit because I'm such a social butterfly.

Otherwise running is just for me, I think been so personal and so, so low that I'm, I'm just learning how to engage socially in that aspect of it.

But yeah, guardian angels along the way and just to be able to say like I did three really tough races back-to-back and one could have derailed me and have been like, I'm not going to, I'm not going to do the next one because I'm going to bonk that one.

56:29

So.

That's amazing.

Yeah, that was probably what year was that?

That was 20/20/2019.

OK, because then 2020 there were no races. 2021 I'm trying to remember now.

That was 20.

That was 2021 because then 2022 I was off doing something different. 2023 I was training for it and then hurt myself and then this is going to be the road to redemption year for Chicago.

56:57

So 20/21 was my three Fer took a year off and then was training for Chicago last year when I hurt myself.

The 8 hour dream one was the last thing I did last year before being like I can't run, I've got to heal my foot so.

What happened to your foot?

I was having a lot of since getting to connect with Jacob Crow, who's an incredible physical therapist if anybody needs somebody.

57:20

Good.

Just talk.

Whitney Bevins, I think, sees him too.

I think he probably sees anybody that wants to feel better, yeah.

Is Jacob Tempo sports?

Yes.

OK, Yep, that's why.

Because everybody sees Jacob.

Yeah, I.

Find it was because it was because of my calf.

My calf was so tight it was pulling on the attachment and the arch of my foot and I would get out of bed and not be able to walk.

57:41

It hurts so bad.

So he helped me with a lot of stuff kind of early this year to get me to a place where I've, I have felt so good running and now it's just keeping up with keeping my glutes really strong and active because that's where a lot of us lose strength.

And making sure I'm really focused on those smaller muscles and then staying stretched out through my feet and my calves.

57:58

I think I focused so much on quads and hamstrings and it was like lower leg that was my problem.

So much better this year.

Dream Race felt even better this year, further along in my training, feeling really strong than I have in a long time.

And it's really nice to be working with a coach.

Last year I was trying to do it kind of on my own.

58:13

Yeah.

And it's just it's been really nice to have somebody else putting together structures, believing in you more than you believe in yourself to push you.

So I can't speak highly enough of Rachel.

And I would encourage anybody that has a coach, that doesn't have a coach.

You need a new coach.

Yeah.

Are you by Rachel?

Yes.

58:28

OK.

I didn't even realize that.

Yes, you said Rachel.

And then I know there's, well, I know there's a Fisher Fisher's Rachel, but I wasn't sure if she was a coach.

And then I was like, yeah, Rachel's the.

Best yes, she's wonderful and it's been really cool like just to lean on each other too.

And I know that she has a coach and I think that's so important if if you don't have somebody that's continuing to learn themselves and be pushed themselves out of what they believe they're capable of.

58:49

Then you should probably coach.

And again, I respect people that want to be kind of self-made, but I think the best coaches also have coaches to fill their cups.

Yeah, how could you possibly be a coach without AI?

Don't.

That wouldn't make sense to me.

It.

Doesn't make sense to me either, but but that's why I think for me, I was like, OK, I need to get back into a season of having a coach that holds me accountable and then I've been a better coach to my clients that way too.

59:11

Like, OK, I'm held to a standard now I'm going to hold you to that same standard.

So it's been a really cool season again.

Kind of started with her in January and was just like, I want to get to the start line feeling great.

If I can get 420 or faster, great.

If not, I just want to be the same athlete at the end of the race as I was at the beginning of the race and to be really proud of what I did because I do think, you know, there's something to be said for finishing a race and being like, I ran it well.

59:35

Right.

Or like, yeah, I did what I.

I did what I said to.

Do yeah.

Is Chicago the only race you are signed up for this fall?

So.

I knew it had such a great, such a great season.

So I'm I'm an ambassador for two races locally, indie women's, sorry, Indiana Women's Running Festival.

59:52

It's been really started.

Yes, I'm going to be there.

I'm running the 10K, OK.

And there's a couple of us with Orangetheory that are ambassadors this year.

OK, Just I love Todd.

I love what he does.

The fact that we've rebranded it as like a whole weekend event, all for women.

It's just really cool.

So I'm an ambassador for that race.

So I'll be running that one in August, August 31st.

1:00:08

I have codes too if anybody wants.

Yeah, come on.

You gotta come.

I'm pitching the half.

I'm doing pacing for the first time.

Ever.

Oh, you're gonna so. 155.

That's awesome, So.

Hopefully it's not 8000°.

Fingers crossed.

Yeah, but my best friend Alyssa is running the 10 Ki.

Love it.

1:00:24

So that'll be in August and then obviously Chicago will be in October.

And I'm also an ambassador for Monumental and I went ahead and registered for the full because of the prior season where I was like, I know I can do it.

And if anything happens in Chicago, I can confidently navigate into and I just, I love Monumental.

1:00:43

Like I always get such incredible feelings starting that race.

I spectated it, I've run it.

So I will likely, I hate that I'm even saying it out loud, likely run to this fall and then it'll take me to an even 6 marathons to kind of have a season where I step back and focus more on speed.

You know, five KS, 10 KS.

1:00:58

I've been doing that.

Getting back to orange, I think that's the season that I want to head into next.

So I want to again finish this endurance season and training with Rachel all year really well with that second hometown race.

So if anything changes it'll be the half, but I will definitely be running at Monumental as well.

Yeah, yeah.

1:01:14

So.

That'll be the the end of this year at this yeah.

And of course Bolt for the heart.

I have to plug it's one of my favorite nonprofits.

They provide AE DS to 1st responders and areas that may not have that life saving technology because if somebody on the Monon has a cardiac event and there's nothing nearby, first responders get there as quickly as they can.

1:01:34

As long as they have an AED on board, they have that life saving technology.

But we've worked on getting aid stations out in the basically near running.

Yeah, I see.

I see one on the rural Rd. access.

That's one of the ones that we did with our fundraising horrible for the heart last year.

So I love that 5K.

1:01:50

That's like a family tradition that is on Thanksgiving morning.

So and of course it's great because the crisp Kindle market starting up.

So we finish the race and then go enjoy some warm mulled wine and then go on with the rest of your day.

So it's one of my favorite traditions.

OK, Yeah.

Nice.

1:02:05

So that'll be thrown in there too.

OK, I'll probably be limping my way through that one because that's obviously after what would be my second marathon if I run both of them.

Right.

We'll just run it for fun.

Yeah, yes.

Speaking of fundraising, that's a good segue.

Great segue look at.

You miss Woman of the Year and.

1:02:21

Forever may she reign.

Ryan, who is the Band of the Year candidate that won and I, we were the last man and woman of the year because they transitioned to visionary of the year.

So no one can ever take my crown.

Cool kind of fun that's.

Kind of fun Visionary of the year.

Is that to be more just politically correct?

1:02:36

Yeah, and then they have one winner instead of two.

So you have a winner and a runner up versus two female, a male and a female winner and then runners up for them.

OK, I really liked my structure.

I think LLS is incredible and they probably know better about the landscape and fundraising, but I I loved it and.

1:02:53

Change is always hard, no matter what.

Exactly.

It's kind of like, oh wait, but that's different than how it's always been.

I'm just glad it.

Was our year because then I get to keep that time forever.

So 2022 you were LLS. 2021 Sorry, is that right?

Is it right?

Because we had.

I didn't put the year in my notes.

1:03:11

Let me This is why.

This is why I wrote down dates because yes, so 2020 I was on Scotty Banks's team spanking on a cure.

They were runner up to Rich Pence who raised a stupid amount of money, both incredibly inspiring gentlemen.

And then the next year was 2021.

1:03:28

That's when Eric Farney ran.

So I cheered him on kind of like I was never going to run against him.

I had been asked that year and I was like, no.

And then 20/22 was my goal to say yes because Eric Farney asked.

And you know Eric Farney, he comes to you with these puppy dog eyes and he's like, I really want to support you through it.

1:03:43

You're going to be really great.

It's like, fine.

So I said yes, and it's the best and hardest yes I've ever put forth.

They raised over $160,000.

And that was all.

I mean, my team was incredible up until this year where my record was broken.

1:03:59

We were the largest team they had ever seen for LLSS at that time, Man and Woman of the Year campaign and just showed up and the Orange Theory community showed up and my network showed up.

It was just incredible.

And I kind of had three people that I was like, if, if they say yes, I'll say yes.

1:04:17

Claire was like my marketing brains.

Daraber Coulter is incredible in the space of basically asking for funds and philanthropic endeavors.

And then Danya, I was like, if Danya can have my back.

I mean, she just, she knows how to talk with.

People, how to fundraise.

And fundraise.

So I was like, if those three are willing to do it, I can do this.

1:04:35

And they all said yes.

And then the rest of the team came together so beautifully.

I still have lasting friendships from just people that said yes, that I didn't think we're going to say yes and became such incredible members of my team.

And then I mean, I became such good friends with two of them men of the year candidates, Tom Foreman, who is still on the ELT and just an incredible human being.

1:04:53

And then Ryan Spar, who was the man of the year, his team raised over $250,000.

The hockey guys is their their their title.

But I'm still very close friends with the two of them.

And it just to be able to give back in a space that again brings so much to you.

1:05:09

And then in the years that have followed, I mean, people that I've stayed connected with from being on the leadership team, and I mean, Will Yank, who I met two years ago because he was an honored hero and he's now a member at Orangetheory and I get to support him through his, you know, endeavors.

I nominated Sarah Rigg and Marcus Clayton, who are dear friends of mine last year to run.

1:05:29

Sarah was runner up.

She did an incredible job.

Marcus did too.

It just it's such a really cool space of people that just care about curing cancer.

Yeah, I was going to say we should probably back up and you should explain what LLS is and kind of the what the program is.

1:05:45

I don't know if the program's the right word, but.

This is my brain always is so much faster put in the cart before the horse.

So LLS is Leukemia and Lymphoma society and one of the ways that they raise funds for, I mean, it's Cancer Research, it's advocacy for, I mean, especially Eric is a great one to speak about making sure that there are proper treatments for kids because we're basically giving kids adult medications and smaller doses.

1:06:11

So research, patient advocacy, patient support, supporting families while their family members are going through cancer treatment.

So basically one of their ways to do that in several different areas around the country, they do a man and woman of the year or now the Visionary of the year campaign where they take influential people and go back to the imposter syndrome.

1:06:29

I'm not influential, I can't do any of this.

Shut up, Katie, just say yes.

But basically they take these people in, you know, the community and they basically say create a team and raise as much money as you can in a ten week stint.

So, you know, class candidate classes could be anywhere between 6:00 and 12:00 people potentially depending on how many people say yes.

1:06:50

And we're basically all, it's a blind fundraiser.

So you never know where anybody is.

And that was the first question I asked.

Once they were like, you're crowned as the woman of the year.

I was like, how close was the next person at any point?

And he was like, you were far and above out fundraising everybody else.

But we're not going to tell you that.

We're not going to let you slow down, smart.

1:07:06

So yeah.

Not blind.

And it just allows everybody to push themselves as hard as they.

Can that makes a lot of sense.

The grand finale.

So yeah, incredible experience.

And for 10 weeks, it was like a full time job on top of my full time job.

And I was training for races.

And it's a crazy season, but one that I am so grateful for because I think it very much forged a lot of my character and some friendships.

1:07:29

Like I said, I'm still very connected with these incredible people and these stories that have just inspired me to to say yes to some of those hard things.

Yeah.

Yeah, You know, that's kind of been my not necessarily a mantra, but like, just a philosophy.

It's like, if it makes you uncomfortable, just say yes and figure it out.

1:07:48

An example is going back to the Indiana Women's Running Festival.

Todd asked me to be an MC and I was like, OK, sure, yeah, yes.

Uh huh.

Absolutely.

Yes, with a period I know.

Yes.

With one of those things, you kind of like have to say it, OK.

1:08:04

And then in your head, you're like, who wants to listen to me talk on a microphone?

Everybody.

I mean, how many people follow you and listen to your podcast?

It's going to be exceptional.

This is so much better.

That and pacing, Your pacing your first time, yeah, it's going to be an incredible.

I'm so excited.

You're going to be so pumped for that day.

1:08:20

I.

Can't wait to cheer you.

On Thank you.

I appreciate that very much.

So yeah.

Oh, man.

And then I did want to just give another shout out to Sarah and Eric Farney just because if you haven't listened to Sarah's episode, I forget when it was.

What's their the son, their son's name?

Noah.

1:08:35

Team Noah.

So they have a child that overcame and beat cancer's ass.

And so how cool.

Yeah, that's what a great way to support him as well in that community and.

And now he's this ornery teenager that you're just like, I am so grateful that you get to be who you are today.

1:08:53

So know a strong for life.

Absolutely.

And to support such incredible parents.

Yeah.

It's just been an absolute blessing to get to know those two and to be influenced by them and to cheer them on while they cheer me on, too.

It's been.

Exceptional.

It's amazing.

Yeah.

OK.

I want to talk about your dogs.

1:09:12

I could talk.

Look at.

I see.

We should have taken a picture of you before I mentioned your dogs and after I mentioned your dogs.

So Roo and AJ tell me everything.

So I adapted Roo, like I mentioned earlier, kind of in a season where I just kind of need that, needed that indispensable companion who I didn't have to talk to or share how I was feeling, but just sort of knew.

1:09:33

And both of my dogs, I saw them on social media and was instantly like, that's my dog.

And so Redemption Rescue is where I got AJ and Tails and Trails is where I adopted Roo through.

So that was 20.

What's a JS full name?

She's Arlie Jane.

1:09:49

OK, so she's Arlene Jane.

And then Ruthie is Ruth Ann.

They have their cute little old lady names.

And did those, were they named when you adopted them and you didn't change it or did you name?

Them.

Oh, man, Roo Rue was something different and it like matched her litter.

And then AJ was Little Rascals was her litter.

1:10:07

So she was AJ.

But I adopted Rue July of 2017.

And for the longest time, I've still been telling myself in my head that they're three and five.

And I like to get choked up with the fact that they're five and seven.

I can't imagine actually being a parent where you have to know your kids ages every single day.

1:10:24

But yeah, so I've, I've had her for a long time.

But yeah, I got her as a puppy and I went to meet her.

And at first they were like, well, she's still got to get her shots.

You can't take her home right away.

And it's like, OK.

And then the nurse's aide showed up and gave them their shots.

So I had nothing at home.

1:10:40

Everybody was like, Katie, this is not the time to get a lab.

Like you're living in an apartment, you're going through a divorce.

You know, there's this is just not the time to get a dog.

And I was like, well.

Don't tell me what I can't do.

That I think that maybe began my season of I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna take pictures and I did.

1:10:56

I brought her home.

We went straight to, you know, pet supplies plus got all of our stuff.

And she came home with me.

And it's the best decision I ever made for myself.

And like I said, she gave me.

I know it sounds so silly to put so much on a dog.

In that way, but, well, not to me.

She's just that indispensable companion that I needed in that season.

1:11:14

And it was challenging.

And there was, I mean, she was with me for three weeks before she got Giardia and I got a terrible eye infection, like Cellulitis, was in the hospital for five days.

So what?

By the grace of God, I healed and got better.

She was taken care of by friends and loved.

Getting better, it's not fun.

1:11:29

Yeah, it's not great.

So right around the same time like my eye is swelling shut and.

She's pooping.

Everywhere but again, so grateful that we both got out of that season and she's just like she'll hold my hand if she senses my energy change.

She comes and just sits and like whines until I pay attention to her.

1:11:46

She I swear has human eyes like just just that's just who she is.

So she is my my soulmate dog.

When I lose her, you won't see me for probably at least two weeks.

I will take bereavement at that point because she's so much been a part of my life.

And then AJ came into our lives about two years later and it was another one.

1:12:05

Redemption Rescue posted this picture of this.

I mean, she's like me and dog form because she's got light blue eyes.

She literally has freckles.

She's a little anxious, she has separation anxiety, and she's very attached to Rue, which means the two of us will be a hot mess if Rue goes first.

But she's just this little bundle of energy and the two of them together, they're just best friends.

1:12:25

And we've gotten family photos done for years.

I do back to school photos every fall.

You do.

They're the best.

I love it.

So I started it when I first had Roo as a puppy.

I had a friend whose kiddo was starting kindergarten and I had a friend whose kiddo was starting their senior year and they were both just like a wreck.

1:12:40

Just like so emotional and so sad and so anxious.

And there's so much stuff going on with back to school.

There's like what if I just posted like rue is smaller than the backpack?

I'll do a back to school post.

So I started there and people were like eating it up.

They were like, this is just the smile I need to thank you so much.

So I've done it every year since.

1:12:56

So the first year was in the apartment where AJ or where Rue was smaller than the backpack.

The next year, it was our first year in the house and it was still, you know, it was then the size of the backpack and then we introduced AJ into it and then I started the signs that were their.

Grades to go.

So it's just like a little funny thing to try to break up people's stress with back to school.

1:13:12

And yeah, I've had so many people last year with a little, little delayed on it and people were like, where is the back to school picture?

Are you not doing things like, don't worry, I'm going to do it?

Like we were still traveling abroad and had to come back.

And they don't even actually go to people.

Like where do they go to school?

Like they don't go to school, like they're homeschooled, but it's just, it's like funny little thing that that we've done with.

1:13:32

I love it so much.

Yeah, so amazing.

They're my little.

Oh my gosh, they're so cute.

I love it.

Dogs just make me so happy.

And it's one of the things, one of my friends, Michelle, just ran 1/2 marathon and she was like, I'm just like every mile I'm going to find a dog and stop and take a picture.

And she said it's like the best race she'd had because she said so much joy, like just stopping and loving on puppies.

1:13:52

Yeah, that's usually my favorite.

Science is like, you need a power up.

It's a paw power up.

And.

That's a good idea.

They just, I think they bring some pets in general, I think bring so much to our lives, but I think there's just something about dogs.

I think God made dog for us to have that indispensable companion to teach us how to love.

1:14:08

And I think the sweetest story to kind of summarize why I think dogs are so great is it's a little boy and his mom having to put their dog down because he's older.

And you know, the, the mom is kind of talking about how unfair it is, how short their lives are in comparison to ours.

And the little boy and all of his wisdom at five years old says, well, God only puts them on, puts us on planet Earth for as long as it takes us to figure out how to love unconditionally.

1:14:33

And dogs are just a lot faster at it than we are, mom.

So like, they teach us a lesson and they're free to go and gain their wings.

And I was like.

Yeah.

So.

Geez.

Yeah, I think a big way to look at just, they teach us even without words, to just show love unconditionally and to be that indispensable companion.

1:14:50

And yeah.

You've got to watch this.

OK so on the treadmill 2 days ago I watched this Netflix documentary Dogs and it's called like inside the mind of a dog or something.

There's a book and I have it and I need to read it, but tell me what you're.

But it's like an hour and 15 minutes long.

So it's not like super long, but it's basically kind of goes through the history of dogs and like the study of their brain and personality and it's goes inside like the where they like the school where they have them become.

1:15:20

What their one they.

Got therapy dogs?

Thank you.

And like, why some don't make it or do make it and they can serve different purposes if they don't.

But they talk about like, one of the reasons that dogs we like form such a bond with dogs is because their eyes are human.

Like, like there's not many animals, if any others that you can see the whites of their eyes is one of the, you know, and you talk about puppy dog eyes.

1:15:40

It's like, yeah, I get that, but it's just really interesting.

I actually, I didn't finish the whole day.

I need to go back and watch the last like 20 minutes or so.

But it was awesome because you're like, yeah, This is why I love my dog so much.

We are like bonded.

So I have a dog Goldendoodle designer Doug, Doug DUG from the movie up.

1:15:57

And so he was our first baby for sure.

Also need to get on your Christmas card list because of the you mentioned getting pictures with your dogs.

They're amazing.

Yeah, we.

Do Christmas cards every year.

I love that.

Yeah.

So we had to.

Doug unfortunately was not in our family photos this year because he got shaved really bad.

1:16:15

No, the haircuts, that's the toughest part with dogs that don't shed is it's like they've got.

To get haircuts and sometimes.

They aren't your.

Favorite.

Sometimes they're not the human child and they don't get all the attention they deserve.

And he needs to be shaved and he looks hilarious and I'm so sorry, but yeah, so he's not in our real life.

1:16:32

It's OK, he's there in spirit.

It's like his equivalent of getting a bowl cut.

Like we're just gonna skip buying the school pictures this year because they just weren't your best.

Because it's just not the greatest.

I thought about doing it just because it would be really funny, but then just yeah, anyway.

And then the other thing I'll mention is my daughter at night, like, she has just gotten a lot closer to Doug, my oldest, she's 7.

1:16:53

And she'll ask me like every night now, mom, or she'll say, like, I don't want Doug to die.

And I'm just like, OK.

And then she'll be like, so how do you know that they're dead?

And then she was like, and then what do you do with them when they die?

And there's just all these questions that are like great questions, but I'm kind of like.

1:17:09

Dude you need to go to pre sleep.

You're pre traumatizing.

Yourself, you are.

Welcome to my world.

Because I feel like I do that with my dogs all the time.

Like Rue is a little bit more grey around her nose than she's ever been, but she had, you know, white at her chin.

I have to remember.

Like, she also had white in her face to begin with.

But the more grey her face gets, the more every time I just grab her a little face.

1:17:27

I'm like, you're not allowed to die.

I told you this one way when I adopted you.

You're not allowed to leave me.

Nope, not allowed.

I mean, how insightful as a 7 year old to just know that it's not permanent.

And how do I soak all this time up with them?

And I will admit I I will not finish a movie if the dog dies.

1:17:44

I don't know how I am.

Legend ends.

I will not go see Marley and me.

Oh yeah, no.

If I mean the most recent one, that was like, I think King Arthur where they they do like a cross country race and they're with the dog.

Yeah.

So they're they're like kayaking and hiking and rappelling and they run into this dog and this dog like runs the race with them and actually saves their life at a certain point.

1:18:06

I think it's based on a true story.

And I was like, I won't go see it unless I know that the dog lives through the movie.

Like even if the dog is dead in real life, I won't go see it because I just, I know that it's I've had to put dogs down before.

I've had to make that choice.

And it is hard.

Yeah, I'm not ready for that.

1:18:22

So I just, I just want to put myself through having to watch it on a movie.

Yeah, Dutch 10 so.

It's gonna live forever.

Getting up there, but it's fine.

That's right.

When I realized she's actually 7 when I was putting together dates I was like oh.

Yeah, you're like, oh, how I know.

I just, I don't know how that happens.

1:18:39

OK.

So I also wanted to talk about a couple of things that we need to go back to.

One is your health.

You mentioned a word earlier that you had dealt with that I'd never heard of.

Hashimoto's that, so it's an autoimmune condition that affects your thyroid.

1:18:54

So basically antibodies are attacking your thyroid so it just doesn't function as well.

I'm also hypo which means it's under active, which means I hold on to weight more lethargic.

I have that.

Are you on level thyroxine?

Yes, and on Liothionine and I'd seen my regular practitioner, but there's a lot of nuances that with autoimmune and with nutrition that can affect it.

1:19:17

So I was seeing a nurse practitioner, her business is booming and it was just really hard to get the care that I needed.

So I'm kind of in the season of trying to find the right practitioner, find the right things to treat it.

And I think I want to try to get more into the homeopathic space.

So I've eliminated gluten, which I should have done a long time ago.

1:19:35

I've been gluten free for about four or five weeks now.

Definitely feeling some things that are different, but I have a family history of celiac as well, so I'm going to go see a GI specialist in September and see.

I don't know if I get tested for it or just have a conversation about some of the symptoms and see if it's something that I need to be concerned about.

1:19:51

But I'm just worried about basically any sort of intestinal lining damage because you can't absorb nutrients.

The same if you have celiac because there's usually damage to the Celia, which helps absorb the nutrients from your intestine.

So there's a lot.

To it and I I'm still very novice and learning more about it because I think I was sort of like, I don't really want to know that it's an issue I'll get on my drugs for it I'll just keep doing what I'm doing but I turned 35 and I think a lot of things between 34 and 35 really started to change for me and for me like my identity is a lot my hair I'm a redhead and I love I've loved having long hair for my whole life I don't I don't I don't even know what it looks like to have short hair for me but breaking and thinning of the hair because you're less it's more dull in color and a lot of that can come from a lack of nutrient absorption.

1:20:37

So that was sort of like in addition to I'm not going.

To let this happen.

Yeah, between the lethargy and having to fight through some of those things, I was like, it's time to make a change.

So that was kind of my last straw to say let's take gluten out, let's be really focused.

And so once I set my mind to something, I'm good.

Like 75 heart is one of my favorite things that I ever did.

1:20:54

It was like you got through the 1st 2 weeks and you're like, OK, nothing is going to derail me from this.

So gluten free, it took like a ramp up and a step back and then I was like, OK, commit to it or you're never going to know if it actually makes you feel better.

So how far into that are you?

About four or five weeks into pretty much completely gluten free, I'm not necessarily going into restaurants and saying these things can't touch.

1:21:12

Nothing in sauces, nothing that has anything that's wheat based.

I haven't had a beer, which anyway that's known me in a different life.

I love beer, but it doesn't love me.

So right, that's been sadly removed.

And it's amazing how much better and clearer I already feel.

1:21:29

And I can only imagine while I continue to do it and get other gut things figured out and see if there's some like healing protocol that I can go through that will get me back to a better space.

But I'm very inspired by my mom, who has celiac and has struggled with rheumatoid arthritis.

OK, she's like does all of her own cooking at home.

1:21:47

She does a lot of kind of the homeopathic side of things too.

And she's really gotten to a place of longevity.

And she and my dad are healthier than they've ever been.

So like, what an inspiration that, you know, growing up.

She's she still apologizes.

She's like, I wish I hadn't have fed you, you know, McDonald's and Diet Coke and had Cheetos in the house and we were big Schwans people growing.

1:22:06

She's like, I wish that we hadn't done.

We didn't know.

And until you know better, you can't do better.

And now we know better.

And now you're you're an example for me.

And even I'm in the fitness and Wellness space, like to keep showing me different things that I can do to keep my health a priority.

So it's definitely a journey and I wish that my thyroid functioned well and I could do whatever I wanted to.

1:22:26

But I think it's also, it's just another another thing to refine my character and get me focused on what habits are so important.

And there's times where I'm like, God, really one more thing really do I really do my character refine further?

But there's a reason for it.

And I think it's also helped me.

That's a lot of kind of looking in the rearview mirror of things that I've been through to get to this point.

1:22:43

I want my story to be redemptive for other people.

So if there's somebody out there that's like in the early stages of getting diagnosed in Hashimoto's or a hypothyroid or even hyperthyroid condition and they're feeling like they're very much in their heads about it.

It's like it's not a diagnosis that's going to completely derail you from still being able to enjoy things.

1:22:59

You find different ways to fuel your body and you find the right practitioner that hears you and wants to wrap around you in the way that you want to heal.

And I think there's so many different things out there and I hope that are not to get too derailed on anything medical, but I hope that we get to a place in America where we focus on more things like that.

1:23:17

Like dear friends mom, you know, was treated for cancer in Mexico in a way that was based on nutrition and never did chemo.

And she is healed from breast cancer because of the way that she did things.

Interesting.

And I think that, you know, there's obviously so much research to be done and sometimes chemotherapy is the only way you can go.

1:23:38

But I just, I'm interested to see if we get some, you know, medical professionals that are far smarter than I am to look at things that we can do to treat the body or even proactively fuel our bodies quickly to help overcome a lot of the cancer that we see nowadays.

But yeah, our bodies, the fact that our bodies ever fully function is incredible because there's so many things that can go wrong.

1:23:58

Amen to that.

It's insane.

Yeah, well, my, you make me think of my mom because kind of similar.

She was, I mean, growing up, we like, never had sunny delight in the house.

We never had sugary cereal.

Like, she's pretty good.

We still had like, plenty of stuff like Hamburger Helper or whatever.

1:24:15

And I believe me, I am not a perfect parent.

My kids barely eat stuff.

A lot of times they eat a lot of goldfish and some Doritos and Cheetos.

You know, it is what it is.

Got to find yourself.

Got to figure it out.

But my mom, yeah, she she went through a period of time where she was really sick and didn't know why.

1:24:32

Ends up she had a cracked filling and had mercury poisoning.

My mom had the same experience.

Wow, really?

Yep, and so she's all of her fillings have been removed.

Now, yes, and so were mine.

She removed all of our fillings and she went to a doctor here locally.

I'm going to give you his name because, yeah, he was finally able to go more of a, you know, homeopathic.

1:24:50

I don't know the right word.

Homeopathic.

Homeopathic and she now is.

I mean, she's just, she's always been a healthy active person.

And so it is, I mean, she's very much an inspiration for me in that way.

She's also gluten free.

She does not have celiacs, but she has a sensitivity like gluten does not like her gluten, does not like my sister Morgan, you know, So at least now being gluten free is easier because a lot of times there's a food free menu or a lot of like GF options labeled.

1:25:17

So at least there's that.

But.

I think it's it's going to be interesting to see if there's an overhaul soon of how we process our food in America because it's another dear friend that's has celiac and she went to Italy and she can eat the pasta.

Yeah, my mom just can eat the bread.

Because it's not so processed and they don't put a bunch of fillers in it.

1:25:36

And I mean, even their wine, they have higher standards for how their wine is processed.

So to be the greatest country in the world, we've got to get on board with how to fuel right and process our food correctly and.

There's just so much room for improvement.

So much, yeah.

Yeah, my mom, she wasn't brave enough to try gluten on her trip because she didn't want to ruin the trip.

1:25:57

That's very, but especially when you.

Spend yogurt, She said, like, usually dairy doesn't sit well with her, but she was able to eat, like, yogurt better there.

I'm like, yeah, I think there's, there's a lot to be said about that.

So one of the things that when I was researching you, I Googled your name in like Indianapolis and an article came up about distracted drivers.

1:26:17

So I would like to hear your I.

Is your story of your bicycle accident related to that?

No, it's actually different.

Yeah, because I was like, oh, did she get hit by a bike?

No, but I've heard plenty of people right right that have been in.

Season, but yeah and I saw on Instagram like one of your biggest fears is like, yeah, getting hit by like a distracted driver.

1:26:37

So I wanted to talk a little bit about that because I feel like was it yesterday?

Yeah, yesterday I was on my long run and there was some construction and it's at like 161st in the Monon where people are just like flying.

So we've talked about this recently, but there was construction.

1:26:53

So there was a woman there with the stop and the slow.

And so as I'm running by her eyes, like I wish you were here all the time.

And she goes, I've heard that a lot like this morning because it's like people are crazy.

So what that might have been, I'm not exactly sure what.

That's cool that you googled me.

I did Google you sometimes.

1:27:09

Well, I've realized I look on social media and then sometimes I've missed things that are just like just on the old fashioned Internet.

So they are.

So there's there's like an article from I think it's from a coupler a few years ago.

Where you were Stephanie Woods, who is now married.

1:27:26

I think she's.

Yeah, Stephanie Howard.

Stephanie and Timmy, they're an incredible power couple.

Timmy just had a debuted a film that was about his.

Journey through.

I just saw both.

Of them at the State Fair, yeah.

They're wonderful.

I actually ended up going through run coach training with them.

We were in Saint Louis, both from Indiana, ended up in Saint Louis doing a run coach training together.

1:27:42

So that's how I'm connected to them.

Like long before I knew the rest of his story.

But anywho, she was hit while she was running.

OK, I have heard that.

And she had this incredible journey to recovery.

And I just, there have been so many times when I'm out running where it makes or breaks because I get in my head if I have a really great run where people will literally stop and wave me on.

1:28:03

I mean, I'm always like, thank you, like mounting.

I like.

So gratitude, so much gratitude when people stop.

And I would just, if anybody's listening, that tends to kind of just like roll through stop signs or not think about looking at the sidewalk like there is someone out there running that people very much care about who you could potentially bump into and hurt or forced to completely reroute how they're running because of you coming too far out into the sidewalk.

1:28:27

And even if it's not intentional or malicious like it does just it, it can ruin the psyche of a runner and being like, I almost just got hit by a car and there have been a couple close calls while running.

So I can only imagine cyclists.

It's even more scary because a lot of times you're on the road with the drivers, but so often I mean, and then you, you see them and it's like, OK, they're on their phone and they just drove right by me and nearly clipped me or pulled right out into the intersection where I have to go all the way back and around.

1:28:51

And there are times where I'll just proactively go out of the way of right on an intersection because I tend to.

I'm like a creature of habit and convenience.

I'm an out and back girl.

I leave my house, I run, I hit the halfway distance and come back.

It's just I like a lot too.

I like expectations.

I'm kind of typing in that way.

1:29:07

But there's a couple kind of crosswalks with neighborhoods that are along 121st near my house.

And people are either incredible and very gracious and createspace or they're not because they aren't aware of people that are out and about running.

So I think anybody that loves a runner probably knows, OK, I need to stop so that person knows that I'm going to give them space.

1:29:26

Yeah, I'll stop like way back.

If there's way back, if you give them a crosswalk across the street, I'll like stop wave.

Like make sure they know.

And I've even had when I've had a crosswalk sign up, people that zip across because they don't want to wait.

Like is 20 seconds of you turning earlier than you wanted to, like you trying to turn earlier?

1:29:45

Is that 20 seconds saved worth the fear you instill in someone or potentially hitting them?

It just to me, it's not worth it.

Just wait.

And I love to be that person that pauses and is like you're good, you're good or even like protects a little longer.

It just it means the world to just know that you can run safely.

1:30:01

OK, I have a confession.

Yes.

So it's bad.

So thankfully I didn't hurt anybody, but it was back when I worked downtown.

So it's been years and years and years ago, but I still, I am traumatized by it.

I was there's like this awkward intersection by Fogo de Chao, downtown Indianapolis, and it's like on a slant and you're like waiting to turn.

1:30:23

And I was focused on watching the traffic to my right, which is a one way so that I could turn left.

And I was so focused on the traffic and myself and driving that I did not see that there was a biker coming to cross while I was stopped.

Now, I will always say that as a runner and pedestrian, I always watch people's faces for this reason.

1:30:41

And I'm not saying that to make an excuse.

Like he should have made sure I was paying attention.

No.

But yeah, I I kind of tapped him a little bit.

At least it wasn't worse and like you said, it's impacted you so much I felt.

So horrible, like he he didn't get all the way off his bike.

1:30:58

He would have had every right to come up and like scream and pound in my window.

He did give me some choice words, which was well deserved.

And I just was so embarrassed and I was just waving.

I'm like, I'm so.

Sorry, put your.

Hands up.

I'm so sorry, I am such an asshole.

I cannot believe that happened to me.

I can't believe I did that.

1:31:14

Like I'm just so thankful that I did not hurt him.

Yep.

Well, and here's the thing, it's only a failure if you don't learn a lesson from it.

Thank God that was the scenario.

You are even more aware than you already were.

You're such a kind person.

There's no way you would ever maliciously be like, I'm focused on my stuff, you do, right?

1:31:31

So I mean, it just takes that one.

I mean, again, so much of where I am more empathetic and wise is because of all the times I've made mistakes.

So that's just another one of those, yeah.

But that's well said.

Yeah, OK.

1:31:47

Well.

So don't beat yourself up for it for the.

Rest.

I'm gonna go off my chest.

I don't know if I've ever.

I don't know if I've ever shared that story with anyone.

I mean, it's hard.

And we've all had about like I've pulled out when somebody was trying to run and I literally immediately, like, I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah.

So that's where I just sort of have gotten to the place where I'll pull up and really actually stop at the stop sign.

1:32:03

Yeah, not roll out in front of it, see if there's anybody that's coming by and then pull up and and at.

Least I learned a lesson.

I can't believe it's already after 11:00.

Is it really?

Yes.

So you have a party to get to girlfriend.

I mean, I'll take as long as you want.

But I know for you, I'm trying to make sure we didn't like miss anything.

1:32:19

But you did 12 half marathons in 12 months.

That was a super fun year and I went back through all my pictures.

I saved all my pictures to talk about what I did for each of them because.

Yeah, tell me.

Because there was there were some clunky months and then there were so January, I had waited too long and it was like ice storms.

1:32:36

It's like I'm not running outside.

So my friend Claire and I ran on the treadmills at Orangetheory Noblesville it.

Was all the time.

That they were opening up, so we ran all 13.1 side by side on the treadmills, which was great.

And then February was the Be My Valentine race downtown.

OK, I've never done that race.

This still exists.

I don't think it does.

1:32:52

Because I've never heard of it.

It might be it was a different group that put it on than I had ever heard of before, but it was it was a fine race.

The group that I'm going to see for the pool party today, we call ourselves the Bad Ass Busy Bitches. 1st we were just the badass bitches.

I love that.

And then it was three months.

Yeah, in three months we have our dates.

1:33:08

So then we added the busy end.

But I did it with several of them and it was very, very cold.

That's what I recall.

March, we did Sam Costa.

I love the Sam Costa race.

It was snowing that year.

OK.

But that was a beautiful race.

And then Carmel half was April, OK, and that was a great race.

1:33:24

And then May I did inside on the treadmill?

OK, not the mini.

Not the Mini.

I'm not sure why I didn't just do the Mini.

I think I was having a season where I was just like anti Mini.

I don't know.

I don't know what that's funny.

Nothing against the Mini.

The Mini is a great race.

You should all do it.

And then June was the Wabash Half.

1:33:39

I have a dear friend named Matt Chiddick who sponsors the Wabash Half.

At that time it was.

That Wabash IN or is.

That Wabash IN not where Wabash.

College is yeah, that was.

An that was an epiphany for me for this race.

Actually, it used to be an evening race.

Don't love evening races.

Me either.

1:33:55

I've not my.

Jam.

So they've actually changed it to a morning race and I'm hoping to get back out and do it because it was actually, actually beautiful.

You see a lot of.

You know, the kind of like.

Back roads, Amish people, but they kind of do an Outback version of that too.

So that was in June.

July, I ran the Nickel Plate trail as it had opened up.

I had to kind of like do some.

1:34:11

Round way over there I need to come over and run in pictures.

It's really, there's some cool places that are kind of along, I don't know what water, body of water it would be, but the downtown Nickel Plate area has grown so much and they're continuing to expand the Nickel Plate Trail, which is really, really cool.

So I ran around there for the July session.

1:34:28

August I bonked outside after 7 and was super pissed off.

So I went and took an orange theory class, got 2 1/2 miles in in the 2G there and then came back and finished the rest on the Trevor just to get the 13.1 because it was one of those that I waited until the end of the month.

I have to get it done today.

I don't have a retry.

1:34:45

And then September I just ran near home.

October I ran on Halloween near home.

And then November was when I did the Philly half for the first time.

So I got to run that with Caitlin, who it's her hometown, and then my friend Michelle.

And it was a really cool experience.

And then December was the worst race of the year.

1:35:03

So we did the Santa Hustle, terribly cold.

And I feel like there's usually one time of year, knock on wood, that I get really sick.

And I was, I think starting to get sick because then within like three or four days, I was like out down with the flu.

I was miserable.

1:35:20

I had a friend that was kind of cheering.

I thought she had run, I think a shorter distance and we were running the the half and she was like trying to cheer me on.

And she was like, your face.

There was no pulling you out of that dark place you were in.

But I did all 12 for that twelve goal of the 12 months of the year.

1:35:35

What made you start set that goal?

It was a year that I didn't want a gun for a full marathon, but I think once you've done a full marathon, you're like, what else can I do?

And I didn't want to do that.

I admire people that do the run everyday opportunity.

I know my body.

I don't needs rest.

I need rest for myself.

1:35:51

Maybe for my autoimmune condition is a piece of it too.

I also just sometimes don't want to run.

I want to go.

I don't want to do it.

Concert, I want to go, yeah, Sleep in.

Like there's just only so many hours in the day.

And sometimes there are other things that have to take priority over running, but that's me.

I'm not, yeah.

It's incredible.

Whoever run streaks, Jay, I don't work.

1:36:07

If you're listening, Lara Overton, she has a big run streak.

Michael Hartnagel, There's like a few people I follow who are on these, like huge run streaks.

Jean Scherfik in Bloomington is another orange.

Theory.

But yeah, I just I, I think I know myself too, not even just the rest.

I just don't want.

I don't.

I don't want to.

I don't have no desire.

1:36:23

I respect it.

Yeah, so I love running, but I don't want to run every day exactly.

Sometimes I want to chill, yeah, and relax.

And I've had to learn how to do the slow down season.

But this was my way of I'm not going to do a marathon.

This year, So what can I?

Do I'm going to commit to trying to find some diversity and the races that I do.

And that was where, you know, Philly kind of came up and the February and the December races were ones that I hadn't done before.

1:36:44

So yeah, just how do I challenge myself to stay consistent this year even though I don't have a marathon goal?

And that was born.

So it was pretty cool.

I really enjoyed it.

Yeah, that's fun.

My husband might kill me if I was like I'm going to do, but I did look out over the course of the year and see which races I do win and I usually it's about once a month that I do a race of some kind anyway, so and if.

1:37:03

You're already consistently running.

It's not like, OK, I have to ramp up to that.

Mileage, right?

It's like I'm.

Already running this.

Much.

I'm already doing it anyway.

Exactly.

So, OK, well we got to do the end of the podcast.

Stuff.

What was your bike accident?

Though, OK, so I was, I don't, I want to say I'm proud of the dry that like the triathlon season that I attempted, OK, it was chasing a boy that was doing triathlons and I was like, OK, I'm going to do it too.

1:37:28

So I got a great bike.

I was going and swimming consistently.

I already obviously had the running piece down and we were cycling together and came up on a sidewalk and my back wheel didn't come with me.

And I felt really hard.

And I am the number one proponent of wearing a helmet because I, I think things would have been very different if I didn't have my helmet on.

1:37:46

And again, I think my guardian Angel is very tired from prior season and it's like celebrating right now.

Kicked back with her feet up with a mimosa because I mean, I fell, he heard me fall, turned back around.

He called 911 and a gal that was coming back, she's a nurse and happened to have, she had a kiddo that was in a softball tournament.

1:38:08

She had ice in her car.

So she came over, had me stabilized, was putting ice on.

And then I was sent to the ER from there.

And I mean could have lost my teeth, hit my head so hard.

That how fast were you going, you think?

It was downhill, so it was probably a pretty good clip.

1:38:27

And I thought I had my back wheel up.

And that was when suddenly I was not upright anymore.

And it was pretty terrifying in the moment because it's like, I didn't know how bad it was.

But you know, when people are looking at you and they've got whites of their eyes are showing.

And kind of that season of OK, I think I'm I'm done pursuing this person and I'm done pursuing triathlons.

1:38:44

Like this is just not it's not my thing.

I think that was the last of like just let, let that go and.

There was a lot of healing there.

Again, the refinement of my character was literally like stop and you're going to stop right now.

And so I think, you know, I came home and it was like 2 days of just hold up in bed because I had a terrible headache.

1:39:01

I mean, literally like I'll show you the pictures, but don't repost the pictures.

I mean, it was just bloody mess.

And again, to know that I could have lost my teeth, like there was a lot, a lot there that was just it puts things into perspective.

And the next race that I did was the 8 hour Dream run that year.

1:39:17

And it was just that resilience to get up and say I'm going to keep running.

And I actually wore the tank top for the first lap that I wrecked in because it's just like it's like ripped up on the side.

And it was just that moment of like, yeah, fall down seven times, Get up.

1:39:32

Yeah, that's good.

Yeah.

And I should mention too, for people who haven't listened to an episode where we previously talked about 8 Hour Dream, it's a race here locally.

It's on Butler's campus.

You run for eight hours, you do a loop and you try to get as many, just as many loops as you can within an 8 hour time frame.

1:39:50

And you can do it as a team, you can do it solo.

So just.

So that that year I did it with a team of 6 and that's fun because I don't feel like you do as many rounds and there's a lot of socializing.

In the past two years I've done it with a team of four that are pretty competitive and it's super fun.

And you're running really consistently.

1:40:06

I mean it's like within every hour you are running again and it's either A2 mile loop or a three mile loop.

And I'm a two mile loop girly because just the elements because of course they do it on the hottest day of the year.

It's so.

But yeah, that's that's a super great race for anybody that wants to get more mileage in, but always as a home base to come back to.

1:40:23

And yeah.

Yeah, it's really cool.

I went out and spectated for a moment this year and it was just like 8,000,000° and people are like, oh, doesn't this make you want to do it?

And I was kind of like, not really.

But I'm, I'm glad I'm here.

It's a very cool environment.

Right, I'm happy to be here for a stint and drop some things off.

Yeah, yeah.

1:40:40

So OK, now we'll get to end of the podcast.

OK, Do you have a favorite song or mantra?

So I'm a big proponent of the beats per minute. 180 or faster helps me sync my steps up.

Yep, and that is the most efficient running form that you can run with is a steps per minute of 180 beats. 170 or faster and the taller you are.

1:41:02

Anyway, I digress, it's 180 for me.

So I could be listening to a country song, a reggae song, pop, anything that has 180 beats per minute.

I can run to that right now.

Up all night by James Bay, Lumineers and Noah Khan has a really good beat and it just makes me want to smile.

1:41:21

And that's that's just I think my my most recent one, but I mean anything Eminem, I'm I'm an equal opportunity employer when it comes to music.

So pretty much anything from Eminem to Judah and the lion and everything in between.

I've even sort of started to dabble in country, so I just love running to music, period.

1:41:38

So I wouldn't say that there's a particular song that I'm like, that's my race song.

My chick Bad used to be like that's my walk up song.

So sometimes when that comes on, there's a little extra swagger.

But yeah, anything that's 180 beats per minute.

And every once in a while I'll do a Crime Junkie podcast while I'm running just to kind of keep you distracted.

1:41:54

If it's like an easy pace day, just focus on the story, find your rhythm and settle into it.

So that's kind of what I put in my ears.

While I'm That's funny, that would be as long as it's not like a episode about.

Runners, yeah, Which is we could talk for four hours about that concept.

1:42:11

Yeah, and then the 180 beats per minute you can find now there's like playlists and stuff, so it makes it easier to be like, how the hell do I know how many beats per minute a song?

Is and again with my music background, a lot of times I'll be listening to a song and I'm like, yeah, this is the stuff.

Add it to a playlist and.

Yeah.

1:42:26

So does your love of music then also make you the concert junkie that you are?

Yeah, we could probably talk about another 3 hours about that as well.

Percent.

Do you have any mantras?

Because, you know, as a coach you got to probably say some things pretty frequently.

Yes, relentless forward motion I think is one of the things that for life, for running, for fitness, for Wellness, you just have to keep putting 1 foot in front of the other, even on the days that you want to.

1:42:50

You've got to do something for yourself to show up for yourself.

So I'd say that's one that comes up a lot in coaching.

Another one that I've said that people have come back and be like I needed, that was you've survived 100% of your hardest days so far and this moment is no different.

Like all of those things that you've done up until this point have made you resilient enough or refined you enough that you can do this.

1:43:09

I think the other big one, I wrote it down because I didn't want to forget it.

I think one of yours is run the mile you're in.

I love that one.

So I always have that in the back of my head.

But the the idea of remember why you started?

Because I think there are people that run, start running because they want to prove something to themselves.

1:43:24

They want to prove something to someone else.

They want to set an example for someone in their life.

And if you get to a point where you're like, is this even worth it?

Like why am I doing this?

And you can go back to why you started.

And I think a big analogy that I use for myself is just if you from five years ago, six years ago, seven years ago was on the sidelines watching you run right now, would you be making that person proud?

1:43:46

And I think that's one that like that always guts me because I needed who I am now at that time and I didn't think.

That.

And I think there's I had great support, don't get me wrong, but I needed someone that is who I am now for my athletes or who I am now as a friend and to give that tough love.

1:44:02

So I think those moments of like, and sometimes you have to say the curse word, why the F did you start?

Why did you walk out the door for this run?

Why are you training for this?

Or why are you waking up and doing what you're doing every single day?

And if it doesn't fuel you, then you need to find a different why or something else that's going to inspire you better.

1:44:21

See, I think they remember why you started as as super, super important.

And then some of the one of the things that I really like to do when I'm running is to dedicate a mile to a person or an event that you just want to ruminate on for that mile.

1:44:38

And that was one of my favorite races I had.

People's names.

Literally written on my arm all the way up.

And I think that that helps because if you're doing something with your brain that takes you away from what you're experiencing in that moment, and you can think about gratitude or just having that moment to think about anything, but what you're in is just, it's positive fuel.

1:44:59

So I think that that dedicating miles to other things is really valuable as far as maybe not a mantra, but something to help, right?

Another trick or look for puppies.

Yes, look for that's going to be my think of a new one and maybe I just stopped to pet the.

Monumental what could we do Well cuz that the monumental mile in the Indianapolis 5K.

1:45:19

Now we have there's usually the Humane Society or some an organization brings dogs that are available for adoption to that event for our doggie dash mile.

And actually can dogs see the 5K too?

I forget.

I think they have a separate race that's for the dogs.

We do have the doggie miles that that just must be the only one they're doing.

1:45:36

Yeah, I think so.

OK.

So, yeah, and I love that.

So anyway, we could, I don't know if we do that at the marathon or not, where we have dogs around.

Probably not because the dogs are probably for the doggie dash anyway.

It's an idea to have dogs along the route.

Just a thought.

Absolutely.

OK.

So next finish line or milestone?

1:45:53

So you've got next April, 10 years at OTF, Yes.

When's 9?

When do we hit 9000 classes?

Probably early spring.

I'll probably be at 9000 before I hit my dream would have been again.

Taipei would have been 10 years and 10,000 at the same time.

1:46:10

But I think 10,000 will come probably later in the year, next year.

But 9000 will be probably beginning of 2025.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I've even tried to do the math.

Like the math?

I sort of tried to forecast and then your life is always so different, 'cause if I take off or I pick up, it's like.

I think because you do go on vacation, right?

1:46:28

So it's like, yeah, that would be that would be hard.

And your next finish line is the Indiana women's running.

Festival that Indiana women's in August and then Next up after that it'll be Chicago.

So my boyfriend keeps calling it the Revenge Tour.

He's going to make T-shirts and this is how I know I've met my soul mate.

1:46:43

He's going to make T-shirts that say the Revenge tour.

And he was like, you know what, we should put on the back pit crew and the pit is going to have AJ's face and crew is going to be spelled CROO for Roo and have her face on it.

I was like, where did you come?

From You're So Smart.

What's his name?

He's great.

Scott.

1:46:58

Scott, You're Smart.

He's wonderfully smart.

Excellent.

Oh, thanks so much for doing this.

So happy to be a part.

Of it I wish you had better weather weather for your pool party today.

You.

Know it's it's time with people, right?

It's not about the pool.

We don't always get to have the weather that we want, but.

Yeah, well, I'm thinking if we could have just switched because yesterday I had my long run.

1:47:16

It've been really nice to have like today's cloudiness yesterday when it was blazing hot and sunny, but can't have it all.

Yep.

That's all right.

Well, thanks again, Katie.

It was so wonderful to spend this time with you and get to know you better.

Same same.

And thanks everybody, just listened yes and happy running.

1:47:32

If you love this episode, please share.

I am at alley ALYT Brett Bret under score runs on Instagram.

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.