Finish Lines & Milestones: Episode 78

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.

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0:22

Hello and welcome.

This is Ali Bretnacher and we are on episode 78 and marathon season is in full swing.

Congratulations to everybody who completed the Chicago Marathon last Sunday.

I was actually up in Chicago for our our fall break, the days leading up to the marathon and had to go home that Thursday.

0:43

And it was just so hard because I could see people arriving that were there surely for the marathon.

And I got a chance to run on Lakeshore Drive a couple of times and it was lovely.

I ran Chicago.

It's actually almost been 10 years since I've run Chicago, but I ran in 20/10/2011 and then 2014 and 15, so I hope to get back there someday.

1:08

The lottery was not on my side this year, but maybe next year.

And yeah, congratulations to everybody who was there and got to experience it.

I was so jealous.

But I am perhaps, as you listen to this, running my 20 Miller.

I'm getting ready to do the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, which is on November 9th.

1:29

And so that'll be my last big run.

And I'm meeting my friend Becky Riley.

Shout out Becky, her and I are meeting at a Portillo's, which is a actually a Chicago restaurant that I never thought would be where I live here in Central IN.

But sure enough, they made their way down here finally after years of having to stop in Marival to get Portillo's on my way to Chicago.

1:51

But they have this famous chocolate shake and it has chunks of chocolate cake in it.

So I told Becky I was like, what if we meet at Portillo's?

It's right off the Monon Trail, which is our rail trail that goes all the way, like up way north, like all the way downtown.

2:07

Like what if we meet at Portillo's, run 10 miles on the Mona and turn around, run our 10 miles back, and then we'll be at Portillo's.

So that's what we're doing.

And I couldn't be more excited about this plan.

But I'm nervous about this run because it's not just all easy miles time on feet.

2:22

It has some speed, some marathon pace kind of built into it.

Thanks to my coach Rachel Cinders for that.

But I am going for a marathon PR come November 9th, so which will just be right under 4 hours.

My my PR is 357 and so I'm looking to shatter that, but not quite to the level of of a BQ, especially with the additional 5 minutes that would be required for that.

2:49

So anyway, I am so excited that it's marathon season that I get to toe the line soon.

Some exciting news too.

For me, I get to I get to moderate a panel at our Expo.

I'm also on the board of directors for the marathon.

So I'll be there volunteering, get to host a couple of elite athletes from from our friends at Brooks in a speaking opportunity.

3:11

And then of course, Cole Hawker's going to be there, the gold medalist.

So that'll be really fun.

And also next week before the marathon, I have an announcement coming next week about the podcast, which is super exciting.

And I can't wait for you to continue following me on this podcasting journey.

3:31

It's going to be just more and more fun, hopefully as we go along.

So look out for that announcement next week.

And then for this week, the guest that I have is Margo Balterra.

Margo is local to Carmel.

We actually live pretty close to each other and we met in the funniest way.

3:49

We start by telling that story and it's not something you would guess so you'll have to follow me on Instagram to actually watch the video we talked about, but I'm Ally ALYT Brett.

Brett under score runs on Instagram in case we aren't friends there yet, but it's a great story and Margo has so many great stories.

4:10

You're going to find it hard to believe that this woman is almost 60 years old.

It's just almost incomprehensible to me.

Also gives me a ton of inspiration and hope as I continue on my own journey of getting better and chasing my best.

SO you'll find that Margo is a super competitive person and she's also her confidence I think is just infectious.

4:33

I really hope that I can bottle some of that up somehow and use it to my advantage.

But Margo is is extremely impressive.

She almost has six stars will likely achieve her six star next year in Tokyo.

But we talk all about how she got into running, her running journey, some of the races that she's done, how she came to be coached by MEB, how she's she's also competed in track and field at the State Games and even at the Senior Olympics.

5:01

And just that she has so many other random amazing hobbies too.

So she's just an all around incredible, amazing person.

And I cannot wait for you to meet Margo.

Enjoy.

All right.

Are you ready?

I am Margo Balterra.

5:19

Is how you say your last name correct?

I didn't bring any cheese.

I almost did.

Did you really I if I would have had some in my fridge, which thankfully I don't.

We're talking American craft singles people.

Yeah, yes, that's how we met.

5:35

That's how we met.

What a weird way to meet throwing cheese at your face I.

Actually have the picture.

Oh, you do?

Oh so good.

So what?

When was it?

That was before Berlin last year, Yes.

So fall 2023.

Probably August.

5:51

Oh yeah, 'cause it was, yeah, 'cause it was a little bit before.

Kind of when people are starting to get antsy about their fall races.

And Tracy Hunter, who is Indiana Runner girl.

Yes.

What we just randomly saw you guys?

Yeah, I had never met.

You and Angelica was there, and then my coach and I, Rachel Sanders and I were having coffee and you guys were there.

6:11

And it's like, hey, hey, what are you guys doing?

That was actually the first time I met Tracy too.

Really.

Yeah, we had talked and we met through Instagram, but I knew Angelica cause her neighborhood backs up to mine.

OK.

And so she, I knew she was being coached by Tracy and she and she told me about all these reels.

6:35

So I started following Tracy and her reels are amazing.

So they wanted to make a reel about marathoners being nervous before, you know, a race, whatever and since.

But we were all going to Berlin and she saw happened to see this cheese reel so funny, which I had no idea what she was talking about because I hadn't seen it.

6:55

So that's how it all started.

I can't believe that's the first time you met Tracy.

I didn't realize that.

That is so funny.

I'll definitely be reposting that along with this so that people can see it again.

Because it was.

I just remember you guys were there and you're like, yeah, we're making a reel.

7:12

And I'm like, that's I would love to do that.

I'm pretty sure I just invited myself to do it too, and I was all about it because I never have.

I don't have people that I'm around a lot where I'm like making content with other people.

Me either.

7:27

And it was so much fun.

Yes.

And yeah.

So the idea is like, you throw a piece of cheese on someone's forehead.

And in this case, it was babies.

And they would like stop crying, which I have yet to try on an actual human baby.

For the record, have you tried that on your grandchildren?

7:43

No, but I probably will.

Yeah, if you're at like, desperate times, yes.

Yeah, that was so funny.

And then I just assumed that you were coached by Tracy because I knew who Angelica was, and that's how I found out.

You're coached by MEB, which we will talk about.

7:59

And at that time, I wasn't.

OK.

That started when I came back from Berlin.

OK, so soon after.

October of officially the first week of November 24.

I mean, I'm sorry, 23. 23, Yeah.

8:15

It's like, what day is it?

What year is it?

I have no idea.

I like it.

Anytime, yeah.

So it's been almost a year.

That's Yeah.

It's been a year since we've known each other.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then I just see you doing amazing things on social media.

Thank you.

All the time.

And you just told me you're 59 years old, which has blown my mind.

8:35

Thank you.

But yes, I am.

I will be 60 and as a runner I'm excited about that because I move into a whole new age group.

Right.

I'm so ready to be 40.

I am like, OK, I need those extra minutes, please, for Boston in particular.

But yeah, just for age group stuff.

8:52

It's pretty cool.

Yeah.

Yeah, but but I will say here in Indiana and even more so in Florida, women over 50 five, 6065 unbelievable.

I have a friend in Florida in my run group in Florida, just ran Chicago.

9:11

She's 66 ran a four O 2 and she even stopped and took pictures.

So pretty fast.

Women.

Yeah, you know.

I, I love it so much because I used to think that, and I said this, I think just yesterday where I thought when I did a sub 4 marathon, I was done.

9:33

I was like, great, ran a sub 4 marathon, check that.

I'm done.

You know, I don't need to run any more marathons now, right?

That's funny.

But then I've also now realized that Oh my gosh, I'm the fastest I've ever been as I as I'm getting older.

Yes.

Which is so cool because I just always thought, Oh well I there's no way I could ever possibly be as fast as I was before I became a mom.

9:53

Right.

But that's just not the case.

It isn't it isn't and you know the more persistent you are with it and consistent you will get faster at least that was my experience.

I mean I never never thought that at 525354, even 56 years old, I would be win 5 KS overall female and that's happened multiple times and even placed in the top three and a half marathon.

10:25

Never thought that was possible, never even considered that.

That's so.

Incredible.

And it's I was never a distance runner, I was a track runner.

So that's a whole different story how I got into that.

10:40

Right.

Yeah, Let's go.

Let's go back.

Margo.

So are you from Indiana?

I am, I was born in Indiana, lived my first 5 1/2 years in Carmel, OK down the street from where I live now and my parents moved to the South side and I grew up on the South side.

11:04

Went to Southport high school SHS and then after college IU go Hoosiers.

Moved to back to Hamilton County, lived in Noblesville and now I live in Carmel again so.

11:21

So you're definitely from.

I am a Hoosier.

Hoosier through and.

Through whatever that is.

Yeah, I'm a Hoosier.

That's what I now in high school.

Were you a track athlete in high school and then in college as well?

And not in college and started in junior high.

11:39

OK 7th grade we I went out for cross country, but we didn't have girls cross country at my middle school.

I went to Keystone Middle and we only had boys, so I had to run with the boys, but it wasn't official because it wasn't a real girls team.

11:57

So I ended up going into track at in 7th and 8th grade.

Ran the 400 and 800.

And did you have a track girls team for track?

We did and we.

Just not cross country.

No, they ended up getting one at the end of my 8th grade year because there were so many girls that were and it was a big school.

12:18

I'm not sure why not.

Long ago.

That's just like crazy to me to think about.

But I got into running because I was a figure and a speed skater and I was a competitive figure and speed skater from about 8 years old until mid teens.

12:37

And our coach would have us run and everyone thought of it as a punishment.

I loved it.

I thought this is great we had to do, you know, quarter miles, half miles a mile just for endurance, for conditioning, whatever.

And I absolutely loved it.

12:54

So I was doing that before I started track and when I got to 7th grade and they said, you know, track tryouts, I went out and the back then it was our gym teacher was the coach.

13:10

Yeah.

And she pointed out that I was as fast as the boys, so she wanted me on the team.

I said, OK, no problem.

So that's how that all came about.

And then in high school, I did cross country for a couple years, track one year.

13:25

And you know, this is in the late 70s, early 80s.

You didn't really hear about professional runners.

So I didn't think it would go anywhere.

And so I just kind of gave up on it, which I still ran, but I thought I'm not going to pursue that in college.

13:44

I'm not going to.

But there were people there were people my age doing it.

But out on the West Coast or East Coast, it wasn't really a big thing here in Indiana wasn't something you heard about, which now I regret.

But I ended up, you know, I've always run.

I've always been a runner and just continued and then in and I've done the many multiple times, but up until 2012 I would run it, maybe get to 8-9 miles and then just kind of jog or walk and not really didn't really run the whole thing.

14:21

Right.

Didn't like race it?

Right, didn't even know.

The funniest thing is I had no idea that there was a running community and this is in 20.

I mean, I'm, I'm running like all the time off and on, never doing any races.

14:37

Finally started doing some 5 KS before 2012 and I would win, I would win like age group or I would come in the top ten.

And I thought, wow, this isn't, you know, I'm in my 40s.

This is not bad.

And so didn't know there was a running community, didn't know anything about it.

14:58

And in, I think it was in 2011 or 2010, I was in an elevator at work and a guy got in the elevator and he was sweaty, had on shorts.

It was probably October.

It was kind of chilly that day.

15:14

And I said, oh, I go what, What were you doing?

And he said, oh, I'm just out training for a marathon.

And I said, I said, well, how far is a marathon?

What's that entail?

How many miles?

Yeah, your 5K marathon.

15:30

Yeah.

And he said, well, it's 26.2.

And I said you're going to run that.

You're going to run all 26.2 miles.

And he said yes.

And I'm like, OK, that's, that's kind of weird, but OK.

Was that like downtown in like?

15:46

The No, it's actually in a picture in 90 6th St., in one of the office buildings at 96th St., 96th and Meridian.

And I had run a half, but I'd only done the mini.

And being from Indy, I thought the mini.

16:02

I had no idea what the mini meant.

I knew it was 13 miles because I'd ran it.

Yeah, but I didn't realize that was a half, half of a marathon.

I didn't do the math.

Well, I mean who you know.

So I thought there was something special about the mini even though I knew it was 13.1.

16:19

I know it doesn't compute but anyway.

So I finally that was that had to have been in 2010.

And then I kept running.

I did another mini and then in 2012 in August, I woke up.

16:36

I told my husband, I said I want to run a marathon.

And he said why?

I said because how hard can it?

Because I had had a great mini.

That was the first time I had run, run the whole thing.

16:51

That was wasn't the best time, but I thought how hard could it be to run another 13 miles?

That is so crazy to me Margo, because most people would be like there's no way in hell I can turn around and run 13.1 more.

Miles I I just, I just felt like I could do it.

17:07

No, I just felt like OK.

I had no watch, no fuel, no training, no running group, nothing.

Didn't know anything.

But I thought I knew I can do this.

What's so hard about it?

It's just running.

I've been running my whole life, but not that distance.

17:23

And the one thing he pointed out was that the Monumental Marathon that year in 2012, it was the same weekend as parent weekend at IU.

And we have six children together.

It's a blended family.

17:39

I have three, he has three and four of them, I believe at the time were at IU.

So we were supposed to be there. 1 was at Purdue and I said don't worry about it, I'll run the marathon, I'll drive down to IU, it's only 45 minutes an hour away, I'll be there no problem.

17:58

Had no idea what I was getting into.

Oh my gosh.

And I ran the marathon in 2012.

And if you look it up, it's it was probably one of the worst weather is.

It the year where it like sleeted.

18:14

It was sleeting sideways.

It didn't start out that way.

It started out like in the 40s Whatever cold.

But not right.

Crazy temperature dropped.

It was, I think I was out by I was at the 16th mile.

So I think it was around 30 8th St. or something.

18:29

I don't remember what the course was.

Then all of a sudden it just started sleeting sideways and I'm, I stop and I'm crying.

I'm thinking why am I doing this?

And I could see the city like that's where I got to get back to.

I thought I can do this.

And the the most ironic thing happened was I did have music.

18:52

I didn't have a watch, didn't have anything else, didn't even have water.

But I had music, the most important thing.

And the song September came on by Earth, Wind and Fire.

And that song?

My father had passed away unexpectedly the year before and his birthday is September 21st.

19:12

Get.

Out of here.

And that song came on and I just thought, this is for you, Dad.

And I did it and I finished and I was miserable.

There wasn't even anybody at the finish line.

It was like a 439, but it was raining so.

Hard right people.

19:28

Were so cold, bagels were soggy.

I'm looking around like, aren't I supposed to get a medal?

There was nobody even like they were all over on the side.

You had to go find your medal.

So I remember I was driving down to IU and I thought, I want to do this again.

19:45

And if I can do this without training and without a coach and without fuel, what could I do with it?

And that's what I remember getting there.

And my husband and the kids were like, you're crazy.

20:01

Why are you walking funny and what's wrong with you?

Right.

But it was it's an addiction, I.

Can't believe you thought that after that sleep like a normal person would be like cool never doing that again.

Yeah, that's what I should have been, but.

I mean, but we all know how that goes.

20:17

Yeah.

Wow.

So.

That is what an incredible.

That was my first one.

That was 2012.

And yeah, how is Parents Week the rest of Parents Weekend?

I don't even remember.

Yeah, that had to be rough because you're not like sitting down, you're like standing at a beer pong table is what I've been.

20:35

Sure, I think we were at Nick's right?

Eating pizza.

Strombolis that would part would be.

Probably ended up at Kilroy, who knows some.

Many breadsticks as handle.

Some fraternity or sorority, I don't know.

Yeah, but I that was November of 2012 and then Carmel, as you know, is, was then in, I think it was in March or April, I can't remember.

20:59

I'd have to look 2013.

And I thought, what is that, four or five months?

I'm not good at math.

I know you and Carrie are.

Nope, not good at math.

I yeah, my aunt calls me a mathematician because I studied business stats in college, but I'm like, no, not really.

21:15

Not when it comes to like, just doing it in my head real quick.

I'm only good at math during running like distance.

I'm bad at that too.

It's bad.

That I can figure out, but anything else I'm horrible.

Not math at all, but I ended up, I told my husband I said I'm going to run Carmel and in 2013 and I did.

21:33

Please tell.

Me, you had good weather.

It was amazing.

OK, good.

And I, I remember saying to him, I, I did.

At this time, I knew nothing.

I knew there was a Boston Marathon, but I didn't know what it meant.

I didn't know that it was like the Super Bowl of running.

I had no idea.

Still didn't know about running groups, still didn't know about fueling anything.

21:53

I just woke up and said I'm going to run Carmel Marathon and I would get up every day and just go run.

And that marathon I told my husband I was going to take off at least 1/2 an hour and I did.

I took off 28 minutes from Monumental because, he said, you know, that's kind of impossible.

22:16

Like what?

Oh yeah, don't tell me what I.

Don't tell me that, I'll show.

You I'll show you, Sir.

And I did.

Wow, yeah.

So.

Do you remember how far you ran?

Like your longest run before either one of those.

22:33

It wasn't more than 13 miles, really.

No, I never.

At that time I didn't.

I thought, OK, I can run 1/2 marathon, I'll just keep going.

I can't.

I wish you could see the.

Rationale.

The rationale is like.

It's like, what in the world I remember.

22:50

Well, I don't know if it would be my first half or whenever, but yeah, at the mini, just thinking it was probably a hot year, you know, just thinking, turn around and do that again and just thinking, wow, people do that?

That's crazy.

I could.

Never see that.

Never even dawned on me that people I don't know.

I never connected the dots.

23:06

I just thought for the longest time, like I said, I didn't even know how far a marathon was.

And it was always this mystical, like if I met someone that said they ran a marathon, I thought, well, you have to be really special to do that.

You have to.

There's something unique about that.

23:23

It's like the Unicorn, you know, it's like, how, how do you do that?

But then one day I just decided I have to see what this is all about.

And so I did.

And now, 14 marathons later, I'm. 14 still still doing it, still doing it, still doing it.

23:40

Even though I keep saying I'm done, Yeah.

Sorry, honey, my yeah, my dad is keeps saying I just one more, one more.

I'm like, yeah, so, so having, having all your kids, you've three kids that are yours that you had.

23:58

I do.

How was becoming a mom for you Do were you a working mom after that?

Did you stay home?

How did you continue running during?

I was a working mom.

I had my children very young.

24:16

What's very young?

20 I was married at 21, had my son.

I was actually pregnant at 21 but had him by the time I was 22.

Oh my gosh, yeah, that's.

So my oldest is going to be This is terrible.

He was born in 87.

24:31

Oh, I can barely tell.

So he'll be thirty.

I was born in he's.

Gonna be 30.

Eight.

Yeah, I was like this.

Too much math.

I was born in 86 and I'm 38, so yeah.

He'll be 38 because November, yeah, his birthday is coming up.

And then another 1-2 years, exactly 2 years later.

A month late, two years and one month later and and then my daughter 15 months later.

24:51

Wow boom boom, boom.

So by the time I was 26, I had three kids and I was a working mom.

You know I our family owned a business.

So I worked in the family business and got divorced 10 years later and was remarried.

25:12

I remarried in 2013, but my husband and I, Bob is my husband.

We met in 2005.

We have actually been together for 20 years, but we waited and got married.

25:29

We dated for eight years and then got married because we are a blended family.

He has three children also the same exact ages, same sex.

Two boys and a girl like me, two boys and a girl.

That's crazy.

They're all like months apart.

The youngest 2 are almost exactly a year apart in age.

25:49

Both of them have many birthdays.

All six of them are very well educated.

My two of mine have.

They're getting MBAs right now and one of his I believe has a master's degree also.

26:05

They're all successful.

They all own their own homes.

All of them are married except 2.

We have 5 grandchildren and one on the way.

So yeah, it's it's, it's more awesome if that's grammatically correct to say.

26:24

Yeah, you can't say awesomer.

Awesomer to be a grandmother, which I'm called non.

Nona.

How did that come about?

Because my husband is Italian and so therefore I'm IBM Italian by marriage.

That's funny, I've never heard that.

26:40

That's great.

So I'm called Nana and Nana and Paul and we, they're just, I have a 5 year old granddaughter, she's 5 1/2 that just owns me.

Yeah, has me wrapped around her finger.

26:58

All of them do.

They're just, they're amazing.

Are they in this area?

Some of them.

Two are in Fishers and my biological grandchildren, 2 are in Florida, OK by my oldest son and his wife, and one is in Chicago, OK with my daughter and her husband.

27:17

All right, nice.

So not too bad, no?

Like in terms of proximity, that's.

Good, right?

But the and the ones in Florida, I live, I have a home in Florida, I'm a snowbird.

Yeah, remind me where?

In West Palm Beach, OK, so and they're in Port Saint Lucie, so about 3540 minutes north of me.

27:34

OK, so I can it's it's like going from the wet they West side of Carmel to the east side of fisheries.

It's not not far.

My parents are in Bonita Springs.

Oh yeah, that's on the Gulf Coast.

So I'm like learning.

Are they OK?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

27:51

They weren't down there and I, as far as I know, they didn't have any.

They're not on the actual beach.

They're pretty far inland.

OK, so.

Yeah, we're 9 miles, 9 miles in off of the it's 9 miles to the beach from my house, OK, which is far enough away, but you can still get damage and we have tornadoes, but.

28:11

OK, Yeah.

It was pretty bad and I'll be going back.

I'm going back next week.

OK, so but yeah, so.

But the ironic thing about my grandchildren to My daughter's son and my oldest granddaughter were born on the same date, just three years apart.

28:34

That's cool.

Yeah, that's.

Crazy.

And it was the day after my birthday.

It's like, first of all, couldn't you have hit another date?

Right.

And at least have one on my birthday.

Yeah, right.

Just like wait a little longer.

Yes.

Yeah.

So Oh my gosh, wow, 5 and another one.

28:52

When's the next one coming?

December 13th.

December.

Yeah, Soon a boy.

A boy.

Yes, so, so we'll have four boys and two girls, just like my husband and I have four boys and two girls.

That is so weird, Margo, That's you have some crazy, crazy stuff going on.

29:12

Yeah.

So how did you end up, like finding running community?

Like, how did you figure out what that was?

And.

So I had already done Monumental 2012 in 2013.

29:30

I had done Carmel in 2013.

As you know, is the Boston bombing.

So, and that's when I kind of learned about Boston.

I mean, I knew a Boston Marathon, but I didn't really know what it really meant to runners until then because of that bombing.

29:48

That's when Chicago, the Chicago Marathon became a lottery.

I don't know if it's because of that, but that's the same year that they became a lottery.

Prior to 2013.

Chicago is not a lottery.

You could just.

Apply.

I did it twice before 2013, right?

Yeah.

30:04

And you could just apply and if they didn't Max out, then you would get in in 2013.

For what?

And I had no idea what that meant because I ran 2 local marathons and I just signed up and went and Chicago, I thought, wow, I want to run Chicago because I'd heard about the Chicago Marathon.

30:20

And so I applied and I got in and through the lottery.

The thing the sad part was we get there and all everything was all the trash cans were covered up so that because of the bombing had happened in April and Chicago is in October.

30:40

That was the first major marathon after the bombing.

So the security was off the charts.

There were men on in Grant Park or Millennial Park, whatever that's called right there where we start on scalpeling with machine guns.

30:58

And, and so here I am at this major marathon like this is how it's kind of different than it's weird, OK.

And it was just different.

But Chicago was amazing.

I, I mean, I had an amazing time.

31:13

I had an amazing time being there.

And I had an, at a really good time.

And I thought, wow, this is, this is awesome.

Running a marathon of this magnitude, you know, running through that city and still didn't have a watch 'cause this is 2013.

31:30

So in 2014, I kind of, I don't know why, but I think we traveled a lot.

Whoa, oops, did.

You forget the wedding.

Yeah, we got married in 2013.

We got married in 2013.

So we travelled, went to Italy.

31:47

Sorry, honey.

Yeah, I remember we talked about it.

It's OK.

Yeah, but we got married, so we had a lot going on in 2014, you know, sold my house, moved back to Carmel and all this stuff going on.

So 2014, I kind of just took a break from marathons but ran 5 KS.

32:06

But someone had mentioned to me at A5 Ki, first I saw this group of girls and they were all wearing the same shirts and they were all like, you could tell they were all buddies.

And I thought, I want to be part of that.

I want that.

So I just, you know, I'm not shy.

32:22

I just walked over and, you know, as a girl, you can just walk up to another girl or woman and just start talking.

They don't think you're weird.

Guys can't do that.

So yeah, so I asked him and they said, well, we we run with Athletic Annex.

32:40

And I said, what's that?

Yeah.

And they said because Athletic Annex at the time was at 86th St. 86th and Ditch, I think.

So they said yeah, we do group runs and blah blah, blah.

32:55

So I'm like, that sounds fun.

So I told my husband, I said I want to do, I want to get into the running community.

And he said, well, you should go to Athletic Annex and see what it's all about.

Well, that was in at the end of 2014.

So I went and in January of 2015, I went to Athletic Annex.

33:17

By this time they had the little place and off of the Monon the 64th or whatever it was the Little Blue House and they it was Trina Roddybush and Lindsay Hyne.

And they were being the coaches for the Indy women's half and they were starting in January of 2015.

33:43

And I thought, OK, I'll do that.

And they said we'll just sign up.

And every Wednesday and Saturday we would meet and I met a group of women through that and I thought it was amazing.

I was like, this is so cool.

This there's actually a running community who knew?

34:02

And you know, they were, this was before Lindsay.

I think Lindsay had hadn't even started her podcast yet.

She was just getting ready to and she only had, I think she just had her first son at that time.

34:19

Maybe she was pregnant with the second, I can't remember.

But running with Trina and Lindsay, who I thought both were like just amazing runners.

They are.

Oh my gosh.

And and Lindsay, I think was doing some coaching on the side too, she and her husband.

But so I did that.

34:36

And while I was there, I met Tom Burleson, who was one of the owners of Athletic Annex, also OK, and he was coaching Aaron for Garrus, OK, and Rosie Edwards.

OK, I don't know either one of those names.

34:53

I probably should.

Yeah, Aaron ran the Olympic trials out in LA.

She was coached by Tom and so is Rosie.

Rosie is now in Arizona and she's kind of like a sub elite marathon or runner.

You know, I might follow her on Instagram.

35:10

You probably do.

She she was she's still amazingly fast.

So Tom was coaching those two and I remember thinking people have coaches, like even if you're not an elite and you have coaches.

35:25

Wow.

And because Trina and Lindsay were more I I would call them a coach, but they were more like just making sure that we did like they gave us a training plan and that we were following it and that we were showing up in our group and just kind of making it fun, you know, And it was, it was, it was a blast getting to know a lot of people.

35:47

And because it was the indie women's half, it was mostly women.

So that was nice.

We didn't have to deal with men, you know, men being fast and showing off and, you know, can't catch them.

But so, yeah, that's how that came about.

36:08

And I think it was in 2014, I was in New York at my brother and sister in law's house and the New York Marathon, they had the New York Marathon on.

And I said to my sister-in-law, I was just watching it.

And I'm like, that looks amazing.

36:25

That looks better than Chicago.

And I said, I want to run that someday.

And she goes, well, you should I go?

How do you do it?

And she said you have to apply.

So I did.

And I got in.

There you go, like, wow, that was easy.

36:41

Yeah.

Sorry people who keep trying.

Well, it was funny because that was my first.

I just had no idea what I was doing.

I wasn't even on Facebook yet.

I got on Twitter because some of the people in the run group said we'll go on Twit because Instagram was just kind of starting.

36:56

It wasn't.

People weren't really using it like they do now, wasn't the platform it is now.

And Twitter was more of of a thing.

So I remember putting on my calendar that in March of 2015, they were going to announce or you would get an e-mail or you would get some kind of notification or your credit card would be charged if you got in.

37:18

So there were so many people on Twitter saying I didn't get it.

I didn't.

And I'm like, I haven't gotten anything yet.

What's what's going on?

And then all of a sudden my credit card charge went through and I'm like, I'm in, I'm in.

And it was, it was the most amazing.

37:37

I have to say, I think New York is still probably one of my favorite, even more than Boston.

Boston's Boston because I qualified, I've done it and it's amazing.

But New York was, there's something about it I don't.

Have you done New York?

37:53

Yeah, 2018.

Yeah, I did in 20, so 2015 and just.

It was almost like The Hunger Games, though, when you're in that athlete village and the door opens and then the cannons go off.

Oh, do you remember that?

No.

Yeah.

I remember helicopters.

38:09

Helicopters flying over ESPN and then they're playing New York, NY and you're you're up on the Varian side.

I was on the top.

Oh you lucky I was on the bottom.

The P, the P dungeon, or whatever you want to.

Call it that was hilarious.

I remember being in the athletes village and I'm just, I didn't know anybody.

38:29

I was there by myself in the running.

I mean my whole family was in the city to watch me.

My sister-in-law even had shirts.

Team Margo, nephews, everybody came in.

They're all you know at a bar waiting for me to come down the Greensboro Bridge.

38:45

A Queensboro.

At like 6 miles 16. 16 Yeah.

And they were all right there.

But I had, you know, here I am in the athletes village.

I took the bus.

I didn't take the ferry because I got really lucky.

I don't know how this happened, but I was in the first group after once the elites, after the elites took off.

39:04

So there was a group of like sub elites and I was right behind that.

I got to start right behind that.

There you go.

I know I'm like, all right, cool, yay me.

But while I was in the athletes village, I remember, you know, I would walk up to people and say, you know, have you done this before?

39:20

And they would start speaking in another language.

It wasn't Italian, it wasn't Spanish.

I'm like, I don't know what you're OK.

Hey do.

You speak Italian and Spanish.

Spanish, but not Italian.

So but I'm like, I just, I just wanted to talk to somebody because I was so nervous.

39:36

I didn't know what how things worked.

But I kept hearing on that loop announcement of if you're on the top of the bridge, the Verrazano, do not urinate off of the side because it will blow on to the bottom where there are runners.

39:54

And I'm like, who does that?

Yeah, a lot of people, apparently.

Because I was told to make it a do.

Not run on the outside of the bridge, like stay in sides that you don't get peed on.

And I was like, what?

I know I thought everybody ran on the top.

40:10

So I was.

Very disappointed I did too because.

You see all the marketing and you see it on TV.

You don't see anything on the.

Bottom, yeah.

And so you have to like run under it.

It's kind of like.

And then we split, and then we come back together.

You remember that?

No.

Yeah, we split because I'm like, where are they going?

40:27

I just happened to be on the right side, the right side of the street.

And then I'm like, why are they going over there?

And then we all come back together.

But no, it was, it was truly, it was amazing.

I just remember the big doors opening up, the cannons going off.

40:42

And I'm like, what's happening now?

And then you're just walking and you're waiting and people are crying and people are laughing.

I mean, it was just so emotional, but it was, it was truly an experience.

And like I said, my whole family, they were there.

41:00

That's really cool.

And I had friends there cheering and they cheered at right same spot.

Sounds like your family was.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it was magical.

It was.

And that I didn't.

When I ran Chicago in 2013, I didn't know about the world majors.

41:15

I didn't even know that was a thing.

Kind of like I didn't know that there was a running community.

I'm oblivious.

I'm just out here running.

Oh, oh, there's a community.

Oh, there's world majors.

Oh, yeah.

OK.

But I didn't know that Chicago was my first major.

41:32

And and then I ran New York in 2015.

And at New York, someone while we were all standing there waiting to go, someone said, is this, how many majors have you done?

And I'm like, what are you talking?

What's What is that?

And they said for a marathon.

41:48

Yeah, I go, yeah, I did.

I was like, where's that one?

Yeah, Oh my God.

I said no, no, no, there are 6 Abbott World majors and I go Abbott like the pharmaceutical company.

What are you, what are you talking about here?

And they said no, no, it's Abbott World Majors.

And there happened to be a person standing in front of us.

42:05

And I don't know if you've seen this, but they have the.

Oh, the bib that said the.

Bib on the back because they're going to earn their star that day.

That's cool.

And I saw the check marks on the back of some girl and I'm like OK and they said no, she's going to get her six star today and I'm like this well how many have you done?

42:21

And they started naming them and I said, I've done Chicago and now New York, and they're like, well, you only have four more to go.

Like, all right, four more to go.

Now one more to go.

Yes, I 2015 I did New York and then in 2016 I did Carmel again and still didn't know that you had to qualify for Boston.

42:41

Still didn't know anything about it.

I just thought, OK, that's some marathon that I'll probably never do because it sounds like it's some.

Yeah, very elusive and.

Yeah, so in 2017 I also ran the Marine Corps twice because.

My son done that one as a Marine.

42:58

And that was awesome, but.

You're, I don't actually, you know what?

I don't remember what year I did it actually.

I did it in 2017 and 2018 I think.

I wonder when I did it.

I'll have to look it up.

Yeah, and I actually ran it with my oldest son.

That's really.

Cool.

43:13

Who said?

Because my kids all make fun of me from running marathons or like, you're crazy, why are you doing that?

That's you know.

But my oldest son said he was living in DC at the time.

He and his wife didn't have children yet.

43:29

And my other son had become a Marine.

He graduated from IU.

And I guess you have to be under 28 years old to serve, to go in and serve.

And most people go in there a recruit.

43:46

So they'll go in like right after high school or you know, he decided he just woke up kind of like me waking up doing a marathon.

He but on a much grander scale.

He woke up at 27 1/2 and said I want to serve.

And he became a Marine and he went into OCS, which is officer candidate school.

44:06

And because he had a college degree and he became an officer, and then he was sent to, after boot camp and officer training, he was sent to Quantico in Virginia.

44:22

At the same time, my other son, my oldest son had his degree, was getting his master's and he was working at the State House in 2015 and started working for our governor at the time, which was Pence.

44:41

And no one knew at the time that Pence was going to be a person of interest for vice president And he had a team of people working for him and my son was one of them.

And my son was just there getting his political, I think it was political affairs master's and or getting a master's and he had to take a political affairs.

45:05

And so he was doing an internship at the State House.

And lo and behold, when Pence found out that he was potential vice president, he said, I'm going to take a certain amount of people with me, and my son was one of them.

45:21

And I said, you know what?

I don't care who because I didn't even know who.

I mean, I knew who Trump was, but didn't know anything about a mother than a movie star or whatever that show he had.

Didn't really know anything about Pence.

I'm not a political person.

I said that because my son told me that that meant he would be living in Washington, DC, working in the White House.

45:44

So cool.

And I said.

Hey, quick reminder that this episode is brought to you by Athlete Bouquets.

You can shop for gifts for the marathoner or runner in your life by visiting athletebouquets.com and use the code podcast for 10% off your order.

46:07

That because my son told me that that meant he would be living in Washington, DC, working in the White House.

So cool.

And I said that's an amazing opportunity.

I don't care who the president is or who, you know, you got to do this and ended up so when Trump won in 2016 and Pence became the vice president, obviously in November, and no one knew that was going to happen.

46:36

So my son then had to.

He and his wife, they had just built their dream home in Fishers.

She's a nurse at Riley.

And they built their dream home.

They had only lived in it maybe four or five months.

And they said, we've got to move to DC.

And I being the mom I am, I said, OK.

46:54

So I flew with my son and daughter-in-law out to DC.

We went, I'd never been to DC.

And we went across the bridge to Arlington, VA and found an apartment for them.

So they went from this beautiful, Oh my gosh, 3500 square foot home to this 500 square foot apartment with two labs.

47:17

Oh God.

Yeah, and knowing nothing about the city and my kids grew up here in Hamilton County, we don't have public transportation.

Everyone has their own car.

Yeah, you drive everywhere.

And, and even at IU, you know, you have your own car.

So we had to learn the metro system.

47:34

We had to learn, you know, everything.

And it was, it was very interesting.

Anyway, he ends up working in The West Wing, so we spent a lot of time there.

It was amazing, amazing experience.

He's travelled all over the world, been to countries I didn't even know existed and flown on Air Force One and Two.

47:53

We've been on Air Force 2.

What?

Yeah, I have.

Margo, this isn't on my, this is not in my notes, is it?

I don't, I don't want anybody thinking, Oh my God, they're so political because I am not.

I am not.

This was a chance.

This was when my son called me and he had this and he's Vice President Pence said, you know, if this happens, I will take you and whoever else his little team with him.

48:18

I said, Matthew, I don't care who, who is president or whatever, This opportunity is amazing and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

And so, and it was and so at that's when the next year, my other son said, I want to be a Marine.

48:35

He had no idea where, because you could have, he could have ended up in San Diego, which he did end up in San Diego after Quantico.

And so they were both in, one was in Quantico and one was in DC, Virginia.

So they're right there together, like half an hour apart.

48:50

And so I said I want to run the Marine Corps.

And my son, my oldest son, said he, both of my sons did CrossFit and they were good enough that I believe one or both went to regionals.

And that's how I mean, they were like intense, but they thought running distance was crazy.

49:12

I'm like, whatever.

So, so my oldest son, so I'll run a marathon with you.

And I said, but you're working.

And he said, you know, I said, you got to train.

Yeah.

Wait, so the oldest ones in the White House?

Yes.

And so he's like, I'll run a marathon.

Yeah, because, because we knew, because he, because we knew that we could get it.

49:28

If you have anyone who's a Marine, you can get in.

But I didn't even go through that.

I just applied and got in and my other son got in also.

I mean, my son that was in the White House got in.

So that was, I think, in 2017.

And, you know, I had already run multiple marathons.

49:47

He had never ran more than a 5K.

And so we go and my husband and his wife, my son's wife was there and they rode bikes and followed us and, you know, over on the side, we ran it.

50:06

And I, I'll never forget my son saying, you know, before we ran it saying, OK, Yeah, cool.

All right.

Yeah.

This is awesome.

Yeah.

Good for you, Mom.

I can keep up with you.

Like, OK.

Right.

So we did.

We ran it and about, I would say 14 miles in, he was like, mom, Mom, you got like 1 pace because I was.

50:28

I kept, you know how you get in your zone?

Yeah, and I was in my zone and I just kept picking up because I kind of held back because Marine Corps is not an easy one.

That's very hilly as a lot of people.

Yeah, I'm trying to remember the.

It was hilly.

I just.

Remember that one hill at the end?

50:44

Yeah, at the very.

End the fit like literally running straight up a hill.

To the why, why?

Thanks a lot.

Yeah.

You want to see me die?

Yeah, but there were a lot of hills and curves and, you know, whatever and and monuments that you want to see, you know, so cool.

So but I would pick up my pace.

50:59

I would just kind of lose myself in it.

And I'm like doing a sub nine and my son's like mom, mom, like come on.

And I lost him a couple times, but we made it back together and at the end of the first and the second one, because we did it both times together, we grabbed each other's hands and crossed the line and, and it was just something, it was just so amazing that and at as we finished, he grabbed me.

51:26

This is my grown adult son.

He grabbed me and said, mom, I have so much respect for you.

And it just melts your heart, you know.

But and the second one, my son, my other son was a Marine and he actually, the Marines got to come out.

51:42

I was going to ask if he was at the finish or somewhere.

Not at the finish, but he was, I think, when we were in Georgetown.

OK.

And I didn't know this, but while I'm running the marathon, my husband, who is a Villanova grav go cats.

He's wearing his Villanova shirt.

51:59

And he's, you know, Villanova and Georgetown are rivals.

All right.

So he sees the Georgetown band playing and he opens up his jacket in front of him and says go cats and, like, no job.

Yeah.

Thanks, That's funny.

But yeah, so that was yeah.

52:21

I I want to go back and do that one again.

I think it next year's their 50th year at at Marine Corps.

I didn't know that.

Yeah, I have.

My brother and sister-in-law live in Alexandria, VA.

My brother-in-law is actually a big marathoner.

My sister-in-law has done marathons as well.

But they have three kids and they both work and it's, it's very intense.

52:41

But yeah, kind of similar.

They had to start with a small, tiny apt.

I remember going to see them and then they had a little bungalow.

And now they finally have like what I would consider like a normal size home here, which there is like a mansion.

Right.

It's like, right, Yeah.

They were in Arlington, so it was just over the bridge.

52:58

So whenever I would go visit, they had some amazing trails.

Oh yeah.

And I would just get on this trail and I would end up in DC.

It's 4 miles away.

Yeah, yeah, I love running when we go visit.

Yeah.

Very hilly.

It is really hilly, but it's.

53:14

Just.

But it's awesome.

Yeah, it's gorgeous.

Yeah.

OK.

So that's 2017 and then?

In 2017, I also ran.

I'm trying to remember how this happened.

I started running for so Tom Burleson was was coaching me at at Athletic Annex and Tom is an amazing person.

53:35

Love Tom.

He and my because he was a Butler grad and Butler's also a a rival of Villanova.

He and my my husband became buddies and would joke about that.

But somewhere along the line I left Athletic Annex.

53:52

I left Tom as my coach and started running with PBT.

Matt ever saw and started running with that group and I was I felt like I was getting faster.

I was starting.

That's when I started, you know, winning these overall female or first, second or third or in the top ten of, you know, some big race and started running with PBT felt like this is it.

54:18

I'm like the bomb here.

I'm with these people that are like, you know, and did that and I, I can't remember what marathon I did, but I did a marathon and Matt needed somebody to be a pacer because he had the pace group.

54:35

I don't know if he still does.

And he had the pace group for Monumental and he said he needed the five hour marathon.

He needed somebody to pace because there were two women and one had dropped out or something happened.

54:51

And I said I had just ran a marathon three weeks must have been Chicago.

And so it must have been 20, 18, I don't know.

But anyway, so I said, yeah, five hours, come on, no problem.

And he said, well, it's a long time on your feet.

And I said, all right, I'll make it fun.

55:09

So I was actually a pace group leader at Monumental.

And he actually said that would be good for you because I had issues with pacing because I'll run like a 8 minute my like say I'm doing a half, I'll do like a 8 minute and then I'll go to 810.

55:26

Then I'll go to 7:45.

And I'm, I'm like all over the place.

You know, it's always within like 45 minute, 45 seconds, but it's like all over the place.

So he said this will be good for you because what I was told is as the pace group leader, you cannot cross the line in 2 minutes or more under the time.

55:46

So if it's five hours, you can't cross an under 458 because that means you've been pushing, right?

So he said, you know, so I'm keeping that in mind.

So I do this, I show up, I've got my sign with the other woman.

The other woman was, I don't know who she was or where she came from, but Matt found her and a lot of the people, for whatever reason, they weren't, didn't like her.

56:08

Because we would be.

We'd come up to a group.

Sorry lady.

Yeah, we'd come up to a group of people and she would, you know, like if you're running with Rachel and Tracy and all that, you guys are running.

She would just, if you were in her line, she would just go right through you.

56:23

And people are like, and I would take my group and go around.

I'm like, I'm not going to make these people move anyway.

Interesting.

Well, yeah, OK.

So.

You're important, yeah.

So, you know, I'm running with.

I have my group of people and I rant.

I had run enough marathons by that time to know that when people start getting tired or starting to bonk or hit the wall or whatever, their head goes down.

56:47

And I had probably about seven people in my group.

Some had never ran a marathon.

They just wanted to finish.

Yeah, most of them had wanted to break five hours and I'm like, all right, I will.

If you stay with me, I will get you.

OK.

57:02

One girl had just had a baby like 8 months before and she wanted to run a marathon.

And so we're all.

And I, one thing I learned is I just started a conversation and then they would all start talking to take their mind off of it.

Oh, great.

And then the other thing was at one point we're on Washington Street and I, I remember seeing these people stand out there.

57:25

Some people had Halloween candy because, you know, monumentals after Halloween.

And some people had trays of fireball.

And I'm like, I'm going to grab a shot over here, OK, because I need some carbs.

And so I did.

And there I said, you guys keep running and I'll, I'll be right there with you.

57:42

OK.

And they're like, so they're all running.

But I started noticing like the girl that had the baby, she was like her head was going down.

Don't remember her name, But I said, what's your I said, you said you had a baby.

What's your baby's name?

And she was like, Jack, I'm like, OK, I said, she goes, I just can't do this.

57:58

I said OK, well little Jack, little nine month old Jack is at that finish line and you're just going to let him sit there by himself?

Crying and she's his mom.

Oh.

My God, you know, and she's, you know, I mean, she had just had a baby eight months ago, so she was like, emotions are all over.

58:15

Oh no, I got to get there.

Like, yeah, I'm just kidding.

I don't know where he is, but you know.

But I'm sure he's fine.

Yeah, sure, he's fine.

So, but anyway, I just tried to motivate people as much as I could.

And the interesting thing was at the end I could see that the clock was 457 something and but we still had like 1/4 of a mile.

58:37

So I'm telling everybody just go and they're like, well, well what about you?

I said no, no, no, you guys go and I will see you at the end.

And because they're crying, you're like, Oh my God, I did it.

I'm like, and I'm running in circles before the finish line, waiting for the clock.

And the photographer, he goes, hey, the finish line's right because I had dropped the yeah sign.

58:56

Yeah.

And he said the finish line's right there.

Are you OK?

I'm like, I'm fine.

I just can't wait.

I can't go across until it's a certain time.

He goes.

You're supposed to go as.

Fast as you can, ma'am.

Like now I'm a pacer.

He was like, oh, OK, yeah.

But my group ended up, you know, they all wanted my name and number and kept in contact for a while.

59:18

And it was just, it was to me, it was the neatest thing ever to watch these people have their dream, a dream come true, to be part of that, to help them, you know?

I can't believe the first time you paced was a full marathon.

59:33

I just did my first pacing at the Indiana Women's Half.

I know, I know.

I was there.

And it was really special.

I ended up running with like the whole women's rowing team for my.

I I was behind you guys, you weren't.

So I was supposed to run the half but when I found out I was going to have my surgery I switched to the 10K because for multiple reasons.

59:58

But I switched to the 10K and I had never I'd only run one other 10K and I thought.

I didn't want the inflammation and all that because my surgery was like right after.

So which I'm sure that's probably not even a thing, but that was in my head.

So I switched over to the 10K.

1:00:14

But I started out and you and your rowing group were right in front of me.

And I, because I've never raced A10 Ki had no idea.

I'm like, I know what I do in A5 Ki know what I do in 1/2, but I just want to run this.

I can care less about anything.

1:00:30

I just want to run, you know, the 6.2 miles.

And so I was behind your group and then finally I, when you guys, because you guys went somewhere and then we turned.

And so that's when I, but I, I was listening.

1:00:46

I'm like, you know, just.

Oh God, I felt so funny.

I was like hello because I could hear Trina route a Bush behind me.

She was behind me.

I was 155, she was two hour and and so I could hear her being.

Like I was in between you guys.

So you could hear she's like welcome to the two hour pace crew.

I'm like, OK, so I'm going to do that A few minutes here and I was like, welcome to the.

1:01:04

One Yeah, she's done it a lot.

She's done it like a million times, I swear.

And.

My funny story about Trina is and I hope she's not listening to this.

Well, I kind of hope she is.

So I, I've known her, you know, since I started, you know, in the running community.

And I always thought I would, I would love to be as fast as her someday.

1:01:25

And so in the Carmel Marathon in 2021, I was, I trained myself.

I didn't have a coach then.

I used kind of the Hanson plan, a little bit of the Hanson plan, and then kind of like hodgepodged whatever I had done together.

1:01:43

And I, it was the most amazing.

No, there was no wall, no bonking, nothing.

I kept looking at my watch like there's no way I could be running this fast.

There's no way something is wrong.

My watch must be off.

My watch is wrong.

And but I felt amazing and I'm by myself and I'm running it.

1:02:01

And I remember coming up to mile 21 or 22 and there's Trina in front of me and I'm like, holy beep, I'm going to pass her.

And I remember passing her and I to this day feel like the biggest a hole for saying this.

1:02:18

It just like I was just so I was on cloud 9, my running number one, and then to see her, I come up and I said, Trina, Oh my God, I'm going to pass you or I'm passing you or something to that effect.

1:02:36

And I just kept.

Going slower than me today.

I know, I know, I know.

Interpretation there.

I'm like, oh.

But in your head, you're like, Oh my gosh, this is so amazing because I've never, I've always dreamed of this moment.

But she has no idea.

And she's like, yeah, you are.

Thanks.

Yeah, yeah.

She would never.

1:02:53

Think I just I felt so bad.

That's funny.

But and I ended up, you know, getting a BQI had like a 8 minute PR wow.

I had a 16 minute cushion for Boston and that was the year that they said because so I could have ran Boston in October.

1:03:13

Oh yeah.

And I I didn't want my first Boston to be in October.

I wanted to be.

Right experience.

So, but it was, I had a 16 minute cushion and I was so proud of that.

So proud because I'd qualified several times.

The first time I qualified, I qualified but I didn't know there was, you had to have at that that year.

1:03:33

You had to have 7 minutes or something.

I had like 6 something and then the next time I qualified and didn't make the, I had the standard, but I didn't have the cut off again.

And then the the next time I had the 60 minutes.

So I was so proud of that.

1:03:48

And that's when everybody got in.

They qualified.

I'm like, really?

I wanted to wear it on my bib.

I had a 16 minute cushion.

And I was and then and, and it was, you know, like a four, No, it was 355 or whatever it was.

1:04:05

I don't know so, but Boston was, it was amazing.

I went with my running group from Florida and we came up out of the sub.

What do you call it, the subway like the T line?

1:04:21

I think it is in Boston.

We come up, it was, we got there on Friday, I think Thursday or Friday, our group from Florida and the news, the local news was there and they came over and interviewed us.

And it's, it's on my Facebook.

1:04:37

They interview each one of us and they kept wanting to talk about the COVID and we didn't want to because several of the people in our group had ran it in October.

And but they kept wanting to talk about that.

1:04:53

And I just kept saying, I just kind of took the microphone.

I go, well, I'm just glad to be here.

It's this is surreal and I'm at I'm at Boston and I, I wanted to say and I got a 16 minute PR or a 16 minute.

And I have a 16 minute cushion.

1:05:09

Nobody knows what that means, who's watching this, but it means something.

Let me tell you.

But we were, we were all on the news.

Yeah, that's cool.

And just right away it was it was so cool.

And that was when we chased MEB down the street or the hallway down the hallway to try and get pictures.

1:05:26

Didn't know that he was going to be my coach, which he is now.

Has been for almost a year.

So yeah, so you did Berlin.

So like back to the majors.

You did Berlin last year, you did London in.

This past April.

This April.

1:05:44

Yeah, so I just had Tokyo.

And you've done Tokyo virtually?

Virtually and it doesn't count.

That that virtual I did 1 and I did the mini and I did it on the day it was supposed to be the mini and it was really hot and horrible and I was like, you know, the one time I could change the date of a race.

Yeah.

And I didn't.

1:06:00

Well that's, I think that's when I did Tokyo was it wasn't the day, it was that week you had through Abbott because I'm a Abbott World Major Gold member.

Oh, what's that?

What's that mean?

It means I paid money.

No, they had a, they had an opportunity, Abbott World Majors and said if you would like to be a Gold member, it was the first year they've ever done it and we're still in that year.

1:06:30

It should be coming up now for renewal.

But they said if you would like to be a gold member, we're going to take, I think, don't quote me on this, I think they were going to take 250 people and the 1st 250 people.

And I applied, I got it.

1:06:47

You did have to pay a fee.

So some people on the Internet like to say, oh, well, you guys all paid for that.

Well, no, they, they selected people and you had to pay.

So, but I am a gold member so and Berlin, Berlin was my first time as a gold member.

1:07:06

I.

Just keep thinking of James.

Bond I know I just when I said that I'm like.

Gold member or like or the Austin Powers?

Is that what it's from?

Not No, I don't.

So I'm a Gold Club member, so, so in Berlin and in London I could have had breakfast with the Abbott World Majors.

1:07:27

The person that the CEO of the World majors, you can have breakfast, you can run with them.

You can you get into AVIP area which I got the VIP, you get a breakfast you get that would be ideal.

You get because you know, like so in New York, instead of being in the masses.

1:07:45

Right, and waiting for a porta Potti for like 30.

Minutes You have your own bathrooms, your own, you know, air, either air conditioning or heated rooms.

You have a bus that takes.

You they have like a masseuse.

There they have everything.

Yeah, that's nice.

And so all of that, so that's part of it.

1:08:01

That's part of that.

That's cool.

And, and also most of the people that are, if you have 4 or more stars and specifically five stars like myself, I'm probably, I'm not, don't quote me on this, but I will probably hear within the next, I would say after New York, I'll probably get an invitation to run Tokyo through the gold Club, right?

1:08:28

They have so many bibs.

That makes sense.

And there were a lot of people in Chicago from our gold Club that needed Chicago as their final star and they got it.

There were people in London that got it in Berlin.

So I'm and they know I have right my fist, my five stars.

1:08:47

So I will most likely have an opportunity to run it through them.

And it's all like the VIP treatment.

That's cool.

So I just have to decide because of the surgery I had, I wasn't supposed to start training or anything until at least December.

1:09:05

And Tokyo is in March, right?

First weekend of March.

Yeah.

So.

But I just want to run it.

I'm not going to run it to.

Race it kidding me, Margo.

I just want to run it back to this.

The beginning of our conversation where you're like, how hard could it be to run 13 more?

1:09:20

Miles.

Oh, no, no, no.

But see, here's the problem I have.

I know I can run it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But I have a problem with competition.

Yeah, I want to race it, but I no, I shouldn't race it.

See, I actually had an opportunity.

I think I told you this at the Expo when when I came to the indie Women's half to pick up my things, I was actually supposed to run a marathon, the BQ 2IN Grand Rapids.

1:09:45

Yes, you did tell me about that.

And I had been training, so poor MEB, he was training me to run the indie women's half.

That's all that I had on my docket.

OK, that was it for the summer.

And then three, about four, 3 1/2, four weeks out from this Grand Rapids Marathon, which was September 15th, I said, OK, MEB, sorry, we're getting a little change of plans.

1:10:09

I want to run this marathon because if I do, I can double dip anybody that qualifies at that marathon because of the window for Boston, I could run in 25 and 26.

And I and I said, what do you think?

And he kind of hesitated.

And then he said, OK, let's do it.

1:10:26

He said, but you've only ran, I had only run like 1213 miles.

And he said, you can do it.

You know, I'm like, all right, yay.

So, so I had to switch plans and then within the last week, Brett, the week before, that's when I found out my surgery was going to happen.

1:10:46

And so I said, sorry, ma'am, switching over to the 10K, forget the marathon, but that was going to be, I was going to run Boston this year and 25 and then again 26.

But I know myself and I know that I would want to race that.

1:11:03

And there's no way that I would be.

I'd be able to run it, but not to the level that I wanted, so I would be disappointed.

Yeah, so at least you know that about yourself.

Yes, they're just.

Like it's a.

Problem.

Well, I think, you know, a lot of times I won't even admit it, but I do have that self-awareness where I know, yeah, it's just like I'm always trying to compete with myself.

1:11:26

Always.

And forget myself, I'm talking about others.

Well, yeah, You.

You.

I mean, I don't, you know, I would if I, you know, if I was, I, I, you know what, I have gotten some age group stuff, but like, you know, yeah, I would be more competitive with others if I was actually.

1:11:42

A lot faster.

I actually went at first when I started doing 5 KS and halves and I would win in my age group, I thought, oh this awesome.

I didn't even know this was a thing.

And then when I started winning like overall or in the top ten, as long as I'm in the top five or top ten, to me, you know, and especially at these five KS, I'm, I always, I think that's to me, it's amazing, especially as I'm getting older.

1:12:10

And The funny thing is I'll stand on the start line with people who are in their 20s and 30's.

The 20 somethings don't really look at me, but the 30s and 40s kind of look at me like what are you doing up here?

And then when I'm up on the podium after.

Looking down I'm like.

1:12:26

What are you doing down there?

Yeah.

What are you doing down there?

How's it feel?

Because I know that people pass Pat kind of just kind of pass enough, like, oh, she's an older woman.

It's like, OK, well, don't dismiss that, right?

Because there's some fast women in their 50s and 60s.

1:12:42

But you know, now when I went in my age group, it's like, OK, yeah, cool, because I'd rather be in the top five or ten, but but I got to get back to that, so.

What is your 5 KPR?

2222, like 2226, so which is still not super fast, but that was in my 50s.

1:13:05

I was, yeah, ticking it off and then I got planter.

Oh yeah.

And that that I've been had been dealing with for two years and that killed me at Berlin.

It killed me in Boston.

1:13:22

Boston is when it just, it reared its ugly head.

In Boston, I knew I had an issue, but I didn't know what it was.

I could feel like knots in the bottom of my feet.

And then at Boston, those hills, like, what do I have a rock in my shoe?

1:13:37

What is this?

I mean, it was awful.

Yeah, it's really painful.

So, but I, you know, dealt with that and then last year when I was training for Berlin, we had the, the fires, you know, from Canada.

Remember that all the smoke and they were telling people don't be outside.

1:13:54

That's when my pulmonologist can't believe I have a pulmonologist said, I think you have asthma.

And it's like a, it's like athletic induced or endurance induced.

I haven't used an inhaler in over a year.

I don't think I have it.

1:14:12

Marco's in denial.

I'm in denial.

I am because it hasn't like my, my times kind of fell off, but it wasn't because of my breathing, it was because of my freaking plantar fasciitis and not being able to run for 30 days at a time.

1:14:29

You know, And as I started getting back into it just recently over this last summer, I mean, I was doing 7 minute miles and sub seven minute miles.

And I'm thinking, how could I be doing that if I have asthma?

I mean.

I'm sure people do, but I wasn't using an inhaler and you know, I didn't.

1:14:49

I don't feel tightness.

I don't any of that.

So so I'm going to go with I don't have it.

Nope.

Don't have it, don't have it, It's all good.

Yeah.

So let's talk about this like gold medalist track stuff that you did in 2018.

1:15:06

That's.

Well, 2018 and 2019.

So I when I was at Athletic Annex running, somebody had mentioned, well, the first thing that happened was Tom Burleson was coaching me and I was running with Aaron and Rosie and some other women.

1:15:22

And we he was making us do 300 like 203 hundred repeats.

And the believe it or not, the shorter distance they 203 hundred, 408 hundred.

Those are my GM like I can do it.

And I hadn't done it in a long time, but we started, we're running up and down the moon on there and Broad Ripple.

1:15:43

Like we had it marked off.

And of course Rosie and Aaron were like way ahead of everybody.

And I thought, OK, I'm and they're Rosie's like in her early 30s.

Aaron's I think in her 40s.

So this is 10 years ago, 9-10 years ago.

1:16:01

But I'm like, OK, I'm going to keep up with you.

I mean, I was right at 50.

I didn't care.

To me, it's just a number.

So I would stay right behind him.

And Tom said to me one day, you know, your two and three and four hundreds are very impressive.

1:16:18

And he mentioned that there was a thing called the State Games and never heard of that.

I hadn't either.

And it's basically for people over 50.

You can be 49, but people over 50 all the way up to 106.

1:16:35

Have you ever heard of Julia Hawkins?

She's the woman.

She's 105.

I think she's 106 now.

And she has world records, but in the track.

But anyway, so I'm, I'm running these.

And he mentioned that and then I started talking to this other guy at Athletic Annex, one of the runners, and he said, Oh yeah, he said I did it.

1:16:56

So on the even years, they have the State Games and then you qualify.

If you qualify, it's kind of like for the Olympics, the top three go to nationals.

So and then on the odd year, it's always somewhere.

It's the year I did was Albuquerque, NM.

1:17:12

So in 2018 I had to go to the State Games, which was held in Evansville, IN and I could have ran the 5K, but I thought, I want to just try my luck at this track stuff and see what happens.

And I hadn't ran track since high school.

1:17:29

I hadn't, you know, done anything like that.

I mean, I had done them in training, but not actual meat or like child in the blocks.

No, hadn't been in the blocks, hadn't worn spikes, nothing.

So I go down to Evan.

1:17:45

Well, I I apply and they said, yeah, come on down.

Everybody's everybody's welcome.

It's just, it's up to you.

See how far you go.

So I said, OK, I want to do the 50, the 102 hundred and 400.

So I did and I won gold.

1:18:01

I was first in all four events.

And some of these women, I'm thinking, 'cause I was 50, no, I was 52.

I don't know how old I was, but anyway, around there somewhere, 5152.

And I thought, OK, these women, I was thinking the way people think about me, I'm like, but in track I'm like, oh OK, how fast can they be?

1:18:23

They were fast because again, I didn't know there was this whole community.

So I'm a USATF member of the United States track and field because our headquarters is here.

But there there's, they have meats just like they have 5 KS all over the country and even out of the country.

1:18:41

And they compete and they do this like every weekend or once a month, they have championships.

And so anyway, I go, some of these women show up and I'm like, and they're in the full, like, you know, 54 years old and they're wearing the sports bra and the little bikinis and they're, and they're fit and they're ripped.

1:18:58

And I'm like, oh God, what have I got myself into?

And so I'm like, bring it.

And my poor husband was there and he was like, look, you got to, you got to stay focused.

You know, you got to stay focused.

Don't go out too hard and I'm like, OK, he was a collegiate swimmer like what does he know?

1:19:16

But so I do I, I win the 50, the 102 hundred 400 gold medal go to Albuquerque and May end of May, 1st of June in 2019.

So I don't think I ran any marathon.

1:19:32

I think I ran a marathon in late 2019, but I did the nationals.

They call it the Senior Olympics.

So you have your Junior Olympics, the Olympics and the Senior Olympics.

And I'm thinking, I mean, some of my friends like Senior Olympics, like, OK, some of these people were professional athletes who can't let it go.

1:19:56

Yeah.

And whatever sport it was, it wasn't just track.

I mean, it's every, it's just like the Olympics.

It's every sport, swimming, volleyball.

Golf, I mean everything.

And these people I met, I had said I'd heard about Julia Hawkins and I have pictures with her.

1:20:14

She holds world record.

She started running at like 5050 years old when her husband passed away and she still runs.

She's 100 and now she's by 107.

I don't know.

She's still alive and she's runs 50 yard dash, 100.

1:20:29

She runs it not like shuffling.

She runs it and I met her on the track and she, I have the most amazing pictures with her and she put her arm around me and I had the women's 50 to 54 and she had the 100 to 105.

1:20:46

And she goes, honey, you've got 50 years to beat my time.

And I'm like, Oh my gosh.

But it was so at nationals, I ended up in the top eight.

Then you're that you, you medal.

1:21:02

But you know, top three are bronze, gold, silver, bronze.

But the top 8 is on the platform.

And I placed in the top eight on 51102 hundred on the 400.

I was fourth in the country.

And but the woman that beat me, I'm like, whoa, I mean, where did she come from?

1:21:23

And then you get asked by some people, like other runners to be on a relay if you're in the top.

And so there were two teams that asked me to be and I'm like, I've never done a relay.

I've never held a baton, but I hold a water bottle.

So I'm like, what's the difference?

1:21:39

What's the difference?

So I said, here's the deal.

Because we had to, the race was like a couple of like that day and we had to do a 4 by 100.

And so you had to put your team together.

And I didn't even know these women.

Some of them I competed against and beat.

1:21:57

So I'm like, can we still be friends?

But women at this age are like, yeah, right.

We're all friends.

We're giving each other ribbons for our hair, you know, whatever.

And so we we're out in the parking lot practicing handing off.

And I said, they said, well, we need the fastest person, which was me with the fastest times to be the closer.

1:22:16

And I said, but, but I don't want to be the closer because I don't know if I'm going to be able to grab the baton and I don't want to screw it up.

So I said let me be the starter and I'll get us around.

And so I was the starter and which was the safest thing and then our closer, she was amazing and we ended up got third so.

1:22:38

That's so.

Cool.

And it was.

We were like, yeah, 'cause we were like the misfits, you know, these other people, this is what they do.

And all the four of us were just like, we just came here just to see what this was all about.

Yeah.

That's so fun.

So yeah.

1:22:54

That's really cool.

And I, I do want to go back and do that again.

I'll do that next question.

Yeah, I want to do the 408 hundred and 1500.

And I've already talked to MEB about it.

And I said, you know, I have to take a year off of marathoning to do it and just really focus because I've never trained for a 5K, I've never trained for 1/2.

1:23:13

I've only trained for a marathon, so.

I have so many other things I want to ask you about because there's like all these other random facts about you that are just like I want to.

I have kind of two more things really, if we have to choose it.

One is, is the story of how Matt became your coach, like how that kind of came together.

1:23:32

And then the other is I want to go back to the you we glossed over it, the figure and speed skating because I find that fascinating as well.

So.

Skating was my life.

I would my.

How did you find it?

Like, so I was a ice and a roller.

1:23:50

Oh, so 'cause roller skating back in the 70s and 80s that was a thing.

And it's actually coming back now.

There's actually a show on right now.

I just saw yesterday.

It's called Roller Jam.

I have a friend of mine who learned how to roller skate during COVID.

Yeah, yeah, she's a marathoner.

1:24:05

And yeah, she's wild.

I'm not an inline skater, I'm a roller skater, but I was a figure skater.

My, you know, I have older siblings and back in the day, you know, my parents would just drop us off at the skating rink.

And for whatever reason, I just picked it up.

1:24:20

And they would always have on Friday and Saturday nights, they would have races.

Like, you know, you'd be out there skating around the music.

And then all of a sudden they, the DJ would say, OK, all the girls line up and you would win a free Coke or cotton candy or a hot dog.

And I'm like, I'd care less about that.

1:24:36

I want to win.

And I was seven years old.

I'm like, you want to win?

So I would line up and skate and win.

That's what started.

I'm like, I like this winning thing.

So I would do that.

And one of the guys at the rink knew my dad and said, I think your daughter should be on my speed skating team.

1:24:58

And I'm like, yeah, speed skating is fun, but I loved to figure skate.

I love it.

I love to spin, I love to jump.

I love to do all that.

Stuff do that like out of the Chris.

I have done it.

I have.

I have a video of me.

I have a scar on my shin from the damn skates to get my daughter last year.

1:25:17

Horrible.

I loved going to that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My husband was filming me.

It was a couple years ago.

I haven't been in a couple years, but so I started doing the speed skating We and and it was like a travel team, I guess what they call travel team now.

We traveled all over the Midwest.

It was about once a month on Saturday mornings, my coach would come pick me up and then the other team, some other team members that parents were like I've got other kids.

1:25:40

I'm not going to have a 5:00 to drive my daughter to Ohio so she can speed skate and some meet.

So I would go with the team and we stayed in hotels and you know, we had meets all weekend.

And even then, you know, I would do this from age.

By that time I was 10 and, you know, traveled all over and one in state made it to regionals and I actually didn't go to regionals because my parents like this is costing us a lot of money and you don't have time for that.

1:26:10

So I ended up not going, which was fine.

And then but during all of that, during practice, I would be out there just watching the Figure skaters and I would just start mimicking it.

And I always wanted to learn how to spin and I thought I'm going to do it.

1:26:25

And then I would do the toe touches and, you know, the triple, I couldn't do a triple Axel, but I would do it.

And I'm like, I love this.

This is what I love.

And one of the figure skating coaches had a son who was a figure skater and he wanted to be partners with me.

I'm like, I don't want a partner.

1:26:41

I want to do this on my own.

Me.

It's all about me.

So because I, I skated everywhere.

I had like a, a newspaper route and I skated and people in my neighborhood would say they would call me the skater girl because you never saw me without my skates.

1:27:00

I skated everywhere, into the store, through the store, up the stairs, wherever I would go.

Always had skates for years.

That was my life.

But then running, you know, branched off from that because our coach would say, you know, OK, I he would use it as a punishment.

1:27:19

And so I would purposely miss.

And he would say, I know that you're doing that on purpose.

I know you're, you can hit that.

And I'm like, OK, sure.

And say, OK, well, you're going to have to go run a half mile.

Oh, OK.

Dang it.

Yeah, darn.

1:27:34

Everybody else was like, damn it, why are you making us run?

That's how I in soccer I hated hated running.

While I do sprints all day but like don't make me run a mile.

I hate it.

It's funny.

But that's how that's how skating and to this day I still have so much For my 50th birthday, my husband had us kind of a surprise birthday party for me and.

1:27:57

He tried.

Yeah, he tried.

And so he actually gave me a pair of roller skates and I skated in my house in front of all these people.

And he also had, which was really cool.

I should have brought it but it's it's a giant cut out of me.

Yes.

1:28:12

And so my, a lot of, so my husband's an orthopedic surgeon.

So some of the nurses that he works with I just adore and love.

And they come over when we when we have pool parties and, and he has parties for the staff and, and some of the fellows that train under him and all that.

1:28:32

So I've gotten to know a lot of the staff.

And so some of the girls when they see that because they always want it on display.

And she's like 6 feet tall, me 6 feet tall.

That's so great.

And it's a cut out.

It's like what you see the pros have of themselves.

And it was in our doorway, like when you walk into our house and the foray and, and there she is.

1:28:52

And I came down the stairs and I'm like, I had no idea that he had it made.

But the nurses and the staff, they call it Big Margo.

So every party, Big Margot has to be out by the pool.

That's great.

And they take pictures with her.

Yeah, I feel like that should be at the sideline of every marathon you run.

1:29:08

I know.

Has she ever made it to a marathon?

She hasn't.

She hasn't, but.

Come on Bob, we need another big Margot.

He is such, you know, first of all, he's an orthopedic surgeon, upper extremity and thinks that running is just crazy.

1:29:24

You know, 'cause he's not, he's not into the knee, the knees blowing out in the hips.

He has his theory about that.

And whenever anybody says that to me because it's usually the first thing people say, especially when we're at a medical convention or, you know, orthopedic, they're like, Oh my God, I heard you run marathons.

1:29:42

How are your knees?

How are your hips?

He will step in and say, actually her knees and her hips are fine because any he can say the medical reason behind it.

That's cool.

And it makes sense for me.

I'm just like, my knees are good.

Yeah, I don't know.

My hips are good.

1:29:57

Sorry, Carrie.

Oh yeah, Sorry, Carrie.

But love Carrie.

But no, he he has said, though I, you know, I don't know how you do it.

And if he can do just about anything, anything, and he can do it very well, but he can't run.

1:30:17

So I'm like, yes, gotcha.

And he can't skate and he can't play piano.

Yes.

Can he sing?

No.

Okay, got him there.

But he's an amazing cook.

That's nice, especially when.

He's and he likes to shop, yes.

Okay, how did Med become your coach?

1:30:33

And then we'll okay.

So I have been getting the MEB newsletters.

OK, There's a newsletter that anybody can just sign up for.

I don't know how that even came about, but I would get these newsletters through e-mail and sometimes I would read them, sometimes I wouldn't.

1:30:49

Sorry, MEB, if you're listening.

And they were about training or about nutrition or about just being a runner, mental aspects and physical.

And one of them last year must have been in September.

It had on there.

1:31:05

Would you like to be trained by MEB or coached by MEB?

And there was a program called Run dot and then there was coaching by MEB.

And I thought, wow, I would, yeah, I'd love that opportunity.

What are the chances?

You probably have to be some sub elite or elite, you know, and probably have to be a lot younger.

1:31:22

So, but I'm just going to apply.

What the heck?

And so I did, and next thing I knew, a couple weeks went by and I started I'm like, whatever, whatever, I'm just going to unsubscribe.

OK, cool.

Yeah.

Unsubscribe.

Just going to unsubscribe.

Yeah, forget you.

So, And then lo and behold, I get an e-mail and they said we would like to set up an interview and we'd like to talk to you about this.

1:31:46

And so they asked me kind of like what you did, like give me some history, like what you're running resume and what are your goals and you know, things like that.

So I wrote all that down, sent it back in and then the next day or a couple days later, I got a call and they said, well, we would like to interview you on a Zoom call, MEP with MEP.

1:32:05

And I'm like, did I read that right?

Let me go back.

Let me just read that again.

Oh my God.

And so I'm like, OK, and so I call my husband.

He was probably in surgery and I'm like texting him, call me immediately.

He's.

Like are you OK?

Yeah, so I'm like, he goes, what's going on?

1:32:21

I said I'm going to have a Zoom call with MEB and he goes, what?

Who now he knows who MEB Because I'm like, I was always, always, you know, just love MEB and respect MEB.

And so the next day I have my Zoom call and they said it was supposed to be like, you know, 20-30 minutes.

1:32:41

And I'm sitting there my his face pops up on my screen and I'm like trying to act like.

Abnormal.

It's fine.

It's fine.

Whatever.

Hey, man.

What's up?

Hey.

Hello.

Good.

Morning.

Excuse me, I got to like, get something over here.

OK, Yeah.

1:32:58

So, you know, we're talking so nice.

He's just unbelievably nice, just such a good person, genuine person.

And we end up talking and I'm, I'm so intimidated because and I'm not intimidated at all.

I mean, I'll talk to anybody and you know, we all put our pants on the same way.

1:33:18

So and you know what?

So but I started talking to him and he did not make me feel like, because he would ask me about my times and I'm like 22 minutes.

Yeah, 340, yeah.

1:33:33

You know, and I'm trying like, and he's like, what?

What?

And he had it all written down because I'd sent it.

And I'm because I'm thinking he's expecting somebody, you know, with like a sub three and, you know, sub 20 and, you know, whatever.

No, he was like, that's awesome.

That's amazing.

He goes, OK, well, what are your goals?

1:33:51

And I would tell him what my goals were.

And I said, look, I've never trained for a 5K, never trained for 1/2, but I would love to train to see where I can go.

And he said, we can do that.

And we just started talking.

Then we started talking about family.

We started talking about life and ended up talking for almost an hour.

1:34:08

And his assistant was, I think in the background going, OK, OK, you got another one.

And he said, OK, well, it was so nice talking to you.

We'll get back to you.

And I'm like, and I'm thinking, you know, when you have a job interview and you're it ends, you're like, oh God, I feel like it went well, but maybe it didn't.

1:34:26

Maybe I talked too much, maybe I didn't say enough.

And, you know, maybe I'm just not good enough.

And, you know, I prayed about it and I thought, well, whatever happens, happens.

And next thing I know, it was probably within three or four days, I get an e-mail from MEB and said, you know, that he would like to coach me.

1:34:45

And I'm like hello.

Is this a phishing e-mail?

I'm like, all right, who who hacked into my, you know, and so we set it up and, you know, I had to tell him at the time I told him I said, look, this is horrible timing, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity.

1:35:06

The horrible timing was I just come off of Berlin and my planter was awful and and then I had the asthma thing.

And so I'm like, I'm a mess.

OK.

If you had a year and a half ago, you would have been, maybe you would have been impressed with me.

1:35:21

I don't know.

But I was much faster and but I've had to take so much time off and it was like in pieces.

So it'd be like 3 weeks here and then two weeks on.

And I hated that because I like consistency.

So I told him, I said, you know, these are my goals.

I had just found out that I was going to be running London.

1:35:40

And I said, so he goes, what's your main goal?

And I said I want to train for London.

And so we started out with this other program.

He started coaching me through this other program.

And it was, I'm not going to say the name because I don't want to bad mouth it, but it was awful for me.

1:35:58

It works for some people, but it didn't work for me.

And I started having some issues with my knee.

I started having issues with it just wasn't where I could tell I wasn't where I needed to be, you know, in my training.

And I told him and I said, look, you know, I want you as my coach.

1:36:18

This is like a dream come true.

But I don't know what your contractual agreement is with this company.

And if you can't have me as an athlete outside of that, I understand it and I respect it.

Just let me know.

And he was like, well, I want to keep you as an athlete, so let me see what I can do.

1:36:36

And so, you know, he came back and said, let's just try one more time and we'll change things up.

So we tried it again and IA month goes by and by this time we're getting closer and closer to London.

You're like, and I'm getting further and further away from my training where I knew I should be because like I said, I've done, I had already run Boston.

1:36:55

I had already done, you know, enough marathons to know where I should be.

And I said, this just isn't working.

And, and it was hard.

It was so hard for me to have that conversation because I'm thinking how many people would love to have this opportunity to have him coaching.

And it wasn't him, right?

1:37:11

It was the program.

And I just knew that it wasn't working for me.

So again, I tell I tell Carrie I'm like, I tried to break up with him twice and he just wouldn't let me break up.

He.

Wouldn't let it happen.

He wouldn't let it happen.

And so now he became my coach and I am now an athlete of MEB outside of that program and I'm under Howie, his brother that owns the management company and they have, you know, some serious athletes.

1:37:39

So I'm like, wow, I can't believe that he wants to coach me.

And and he's become more than my coach.

I mean, he's a true friend.

And you know, when, when he came here for his brother's wedding back in, I think it was in August, his brother lives in lived in Carmel, but now lives in Fishers.

1:37:59

And you know, I, he said, well, while I'm there, let's try and either do a run or have breakfast or whatever.

And I said, well, I know that that's, you know, your family time, but if you can carve anything out, that's awesome.

Just let me know.

And I said, I'm like 20 minutes from Fishers.

So and I found a place for us to go meet and his hotel happened to be really close.

1:38:20

And, you know, he came over and we had breakfast and just had a great time just talking and just, I don't even think we talked about running.

And, you know, he wanted me to meet his family.

He said, well, they're all here.

I'm like, OK, that's intimidating.

1:38:36

And you know, we just so we got some pictures together and we didn't get to run together, but because his his schedule is pretty busy that day.

But he lives in Florida and I live in Florida half of the year.

But he's on the other side.

He's in Tampa.

But I do have nephews in Tampa.

1:38:53

So, you know, I've talked about going over to Tampa and we can do some runs together and but we talk.

We have a talk schedule.

We have a schedule talk every Tuesday in the afternoon.

And then we like, I text him all the time or he texts me and like, he texts me when he was in Chicago just this past weekend and was talking about the woman who broke the women's world record.

1:39:18

And I'm like, please don't expect that from me because that's not going to happen.

Yeah.

So, so incredible.

That's so cool.

Yeah.

So, but so I'm really looking forward to now that I'm getting through my recovery, I'm expecting to start seriously training in December.

1:39:36

And he will cut out a whole new plan, I think.

I think one of the questions that you had for me was my my next finish line.

If it isn't Tokyo, I don't know what it's going to be, but it might be Tokyo.

1:39:52

And so he'll train me for that.

That's so, yeah.

Do you know Jennifer Connor?

Do you follow her fairest Princess on Instagram?

No.

Connect you with her.

No, I don't know.

She just got her six star at Tokyo last.

Year.

Oh, did she this year?

Oh, that's awesome.

Yeah.

But she also does travel planning on the side and so all the stuff she did while she was there, oh was unbelievable.

1:40:13

So anyway.

Yeah, because we will make just like we did in Berlin and in London.

We stayed in Berlin, we went to Oktoberfest, got to do that.

That was a blast.

We even wore the outfits.

And then in London I had my two brother and sister in law's came over and we ended up traveling for another seven days.

1:40:32

That's awesome.

All over London, so.

Yeah, yeah, man.

OK, so you already answered.

You just answered one of the two final questions.

Other one is your favorite song and mantra.

So my favorite song and running, I don't know why this song, I think it reminds me of my first time I ran in Chicago because it came on when I was running in Chicago is by U2, The Streets with No Name, Shut up.

1:41:02

And that song gets me every time.

That's Todd Oliver's song.

Is it really?

And it's one of mine.

I remember it was like the last mile of Chicago.

That song came on for me.

Yeah, I still remember.

Something about it, I freaking love that song that every time I hear it I think of running like through Lincoln Park or wherever it was in Chicago and it just motivates me.

1:41:23

I love it.

I mean, there's quite a few songs I love.

I love, love, love music to listen to when I'm running.

But, and I even have on my playlist if I'm running a marathon, I have them specifically set so that every 3rd song or 4th song is like a a kick ass song.

1:41:40

Like 1 you really?

Like that, yeah, that don't just keep me going, but my mantra.

I used to say strong legs, like strong legs, strong legs.

But now I changed it to this is my gift.

This is my gift.

When I start getting down, I think this is my gift.

1:41:57

I'm a huge Christian, so I this is my gift.

I am blessed to be able to do this.

I don't have to do this.

I get to do this.

And I know people say that, but like right now, you know, going through recovery, it's so hard not to.

1:42:13

I did go out and run 4 miles the other day, super slow, but I did it.

But it's so when you like, I see like Chicago, I, you know, I see these marathons and I see people out running.

I see people's posts through because I love running through W clay.

1:42:30

I'm like, damn it, you know, I see people run like I'm driving down the road and I'm like, really to run by me.

Rub it in my face.

But it's, I guess my mantra would be, or it is that this is my gift because I feel like, you know, like I said, I'm going to be 60 years old next year and I don't feel it.

1:42:48

I feel when I run, it's the most amazing thing.

I just feel, I don't know, I can't even describe it.

Yeah, like I'm supposed to be doing that.

Yeah, yes.

Gosh, so good.

Oh, thank you, Margot.

So Oh my gosh, I know there's so much we didn't even talk about too.

1:43:06

So yeah.

You didn't ask me about Miss Indianapolis.

I know by the way, she was Miss Indianapolis too, like just, I mean, figure skater, speed skater, Miss Indianapolis can play the piano, all the things.

So cool.

All right.

Well, thank you for doing this.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

1:43:21

Absolutely, and thank you to everyone who has listened.

Yes, and happy running.

Thank you, we did it.

And if you like this episode, be sure to share, rate and review.

Thank you