Extraordinary Strides

Chasing Goals: Amanda Hill’s Marathon Journey with Shamrock Weekend

• Christine Hetzel • Season 3 • Episode 25

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Get ready to be inspired! 🎉 Amanda Hill, a dedicated 1:1 athlete with Coach Christine, joins us for an insider's look into her journey to conquer her first full marathon at the Shamrock Marathon Weekend! 🏖️ 

Known for its inclusive, family-friendly atmosphere, this Virginia Beach event offers race distances for all ages and abilities and an expo packed with must-have gear. Amanda dives into her training journey, sharing how she balances the rigorous schedule with everyday life—all while enjoying the unique excitement that makes Shamrock Weekend truly special.

Whether you're ready to take on your first marathon or crush a new personal best, Shamrock Marathon Weekend has something for everyone. From the high-energy, big-city vibes to a close-knit, welcoming community feel, it’s the perfect stage to chase PRs and even aim for a Boston qualifying time! Amanda reveals how a strong support system, including a partner ready to handle life’s logistics, helps keep her motivated and focused as the distances get longer and the goals even more exciting.

Imagine the thrill of crossing epic finish lines alongside friends, family, and a vibrant crowd cheering you on! With top-notch swag like exclusive tech t-shirts and gear collaborations with brands like Lululemon, plus a legendary beachside after-party complete with live bands and ocean views, Shamrock Marathon Weekend rivals the excitement of events like runDisney. And you’re invited to join in on the action! 🌈☘️

Kick off your training with us and join the Shamrock & Stride 16-week program—perfect for those who want to be race-ready for this unforgettable weekend! Check out the details and commit to training here.

Ready to secure your spot at the race? Register for Shamrock Marathon Weekend here and take that first step toward your personal victory!

Have questions or want to chat? Send me a text!

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Speaker 1:

Hey, extraordinary Strides listeners, Today we're gonna dive into something really exciting our 16-week Shamrock and Strides training program for the iconic, yingling Shamrock Marathon weekend in Virginia Beach. And friends, there's distances of all kinds, but this program is designed to support runners of all levels with a mix of endurance runs, strength sessions and targeted workouts to have you crossing that start line injury-free and that finish line feeling unstoppable. So, whether you're training for the full marathon, half, taking on one of the fun challenges or the 8K, this plan is tailored to meet you where you are and guide you every step of the way. And speaking of Shamrock Weekend, we have our very special guest today, amanda Hill, because Amanda is gearing up for her very first ever marathon. However, she is not a stranger to this course because while she's tackling 26.2 miles and training for it, she has absolutely conquered the Shamrock Half Marathon weekend and she's channeling that same spirit and determination to go all in this year. So we're going to talk a little bit about what her training looks like, but we're also going to dive super deep into what makes Shamrock Weekend so special and why we want you to join in on the fun. Amanda has insights on balancing the demands of a full training schedule with everyday life, and she's got a little bit for us on that incredible swag.

Speaker 1:

So, as I speak, I also want to let you know, before we bring Amanda in, that I, along with several league members, are heading to Savannah to join over 7,000 women of a weekend of female solidarity and the running community, a reminder of the incredible camaraderie we can experience when we come together as runners. So wish the league a lot of good luck and maybe a little pixie dust for every woman's marathon weekend. Now, friends, that's the kind of love and community and spirit that we can bring together as a group. So that's why we want to see you at shamrock, and amanda is here to give us all of that scoop. So, amanda, welcome back, friend. I'm so glad to have you here again. Thank you for having me again. I love chatting with you. You really are so much fun. You crack me up on the daily, my friend, but you also inspire me on the daily because you're so consistent and so focused on your goals. So let me ask you why, shamrock? What was it that called you to originally tackle this race series?

Speaker 2:

um, well, I mean a. It's local so I don't have to worry about traveling. That's a big plus for me. But, um, also, it's just the fact of like the atmosphere is just, it's on point from the expo. I mean even now, like I released in the um extraordinaryinary Strides Facebook group, like the photos of the medals and just the energy that JNA just gives out. Like it's a huge town event. Like people come from all over to run Shamrock and it is just great.

Speaker 2:

I mean no matter what distance you do, like the, the one miler for the kids is so much fun. Like my son's run that twice already and I've done the 8k and the half marathon. They have a little leprechaun dash for kids, I think under five. So it's just. It's just like a fun family like weekend. Like if you have mom that's running the marathon and dad you know with the kids and everything, that it's just a fun family weekend. Like the expo my first time going there was huge and I was only just doing the 8k and I was like, oh my gosh, this is huge. I'm like I want to do the half and then, like now, I want to do the full because it just it just seems so great to do like full circle it, I love it, I feel like it kind of it is the perfect way to get in that extra distance for the friends.

Speaker 1:

For you guys that aren't aware, this is the Yingling Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach. It's coming up for March 15th and 16th of 2025 and, as Amanda already said, there's literally a distance for every single person in the family. So it's a very inclusive race weekend. But beyond that, she's here to tell us and she's actually sporting it right here and now about not just the scenery, not just all of the wonderful course support, not the incredible expo. She's also going to tell us about the swag, because when you pull up this race, if you ever go to race raves, you're going to see that this ranks wicked high in terms of its swag. So let's start. We're going to build up to the swag. Let's start with the expo. How does it work? Is it a little bit more? Is it overwhelming? Is it a smaller?

Speaker 2:

expo. It's not as big as Run Disney, so like if you're thinking like races like Run Disney or like World Majors, it's not that big, but it's bigger than like your run in the middle like 5k, 10k or like small town half marathon, so it is one of the biggest expos that we have around here.

Speaker 2:

We have, let's see, we have like other like vendors that come through like raw threads, all that, you know, with the custom made shirts for Shamrock. Um, we have gooders, um outlets for the sunglasses, we have iv and like immunizations for like energy boosts and they have, um, what else do they have? I'm trying to think we have um just so many more like different little things. They have, like like, of course, you know every expert you go to they have like this kind of running shoes, um belts, hats, all that stuff. You know, things that you don't think that you or you forget to bring with you, like, oh, I forgot my fuel, I forgot a hat, I forgot a flip belt, I forgot a socks or socks, yeah, spy belt, um, I forgot a socks or socks, yeah, I forgot a body glide.

Speaker 2:

You know it's all going to be there. So when I first went to the Expo I was like, oh my gosh, it's so crazy. And you do want to get there early because it's a lot of people are there, it's I mean, I'm I'm not lying, I'm taking the day off for the show.

Speaker 1:

OK, so I'll take it.

Speaker 2:

OK, just because, because you know I live local, it opens, I think, at like noon or two. I want to get there early, get parking, because it's just you know not the part of like getting your bib, getting your race shirts and you know the race specific merch, like you know, jna and Lululemon have it's. You know the other things. And then there are other like panels, like the world majors have, they have, you know, run clubs, they have personal trainers. I believe Marcel Dinkus has been a speaker the last two years from Peloton, so there's just like a lot of energy, a lot to take in. It's a full, a full two day expo on Friday and on Saturday, and then, of course, sunday is the wonderful race and post race party.

Speaker 1:

OK, so for somebody who's going new to this race weekend, yes, are we going to suggest that they should block an hour, two hours, three hours, how long should they block?

Speaker 2:

It all depends like if you're local and you're coming here, of course you know I would. I left work early last year. I left at like noon and or one o'clock and I I bought myself about an hour, hour and a half just because I knew what I wanted. And but if you want to take heat of like the expert panels and all that stuff, I mean you may want to block a couple hours the event guide when they come up with it they'll have like who's speaking when and all that good stuff. I didn't stay because I had a very busy weekend with my son also running that weekend, so I didn't.

Speaker 1:

But I think this year I'm definitely going to partake in that because I do have the back, the backup, backup parent the other the other person that can help me out with the child care, so I can fully take in the whole expo experience definitely want to talk about that, because I know you have a great support support system, and we want to talk about how that can make such a big difference when you're training for these endurance races.

Speaker 1:

I know you've done it both ways, but but still now, friends, according to the website, there's gonna be about 50,000 people. So, as Amanda already said, between spectators and the actual participants, this race will be a race. We can be about 25,000 participants. You're going to want to allow I would say, especially if it's your first expo, or the first expo there, I would say at least a couple hours, and then, if, of course, you're coming with us, you're going to want to have fun and have some lunch with us, or whatever the case may be. But it sounds like Friday is the day to do it, even if you don't have to run until Sunday, just so you can kind of have Saturday as a rest day or relax a little bit more laid back.

Speaker 1:

So then tell me about these courses, because I know again, they have every single distance imaginable. But what are we looking?

Speaker 2:

at Like what are the conditions going to be? What should we be training for? So the weather in Virginia Beach in March can either be super warm and sunny or it can be super cold, windy raining. We've even had snow. Super cold, windy raining, we've even had snow. So it's all you know train in any weather condition.

Speaker 1:

It's very flat. Wait, am I going to have snow, Cause you know I, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

You might, I mean, if you're coming up here, you might.

Speaker 1:

Okay. Okay, she didn't tell me about that until right here, this very instant, but that's okay, I'll forgive her for it. So we should train for all potential weather conditions, as you should for any race. Amen, I mean seriously, but more so than that. It's more of a windy.

Speaker 2:

It's more windy, like, because we're right at the beach. So you know I I hate doing this, but I recommend running into the headwind just so you can get that extra resistance training. That's one thing I really didn't do last year, when I did the training for the half last year and then I'm training for the full this year. I'm like you got it. The wind's not going to be on your side. Embrace it, right, embrace it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So I know a lot of folks, whenever they do have headwind during a training, may think like I'll just change course. But again, knowing that you can't have that available to you race day, so just embracing it, I usually use a kind of little bit of like a mental trick or mantra where I think of slicing through the air. I don't know that it actually helps, but at least it keeps me moving forward. So that does help quite a bit. How about elevation?

Speaker 2:

Um, there's not a whole lot of elevation. We do have, I think, like one or two overpasses that you are going to run over, and if that's it that's if you're doing the full, if you're doing the eight K or the half it's not that much of an elevation. I don't remember. My elevation came from the half. I know the AK wasn't really any elevation at all, it was just very windy.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so we'll have a little bit of overpass work, um, but for the most part it's really flat. It seems like it's also very inclusive, pace wise. It seems like there's not particularly super stringent cutoffs. They do have to reopen the roads, so it's not going to have all day, but it doesn't seem like it's that big of a concern. Have you seen people out there that have been doing run, walk or walking for the Lunker courses?

Speaker 2:

I did the half last year. I know when I was finishing the half there was a female who was walking during the full because she was still on the course and she was going like the full. But run walking is very it's very friendly. For that I ran walk for the half. The half limit, believe, is four hours and the full limit is seven hours or seven and a half hours, I want to believe you have to have like 18, 17 takes and that's from when the last runner crosses the the start line.

Speaker 2:

so, um, if you want to, you know, push up in into an early corral. It's not like run disney or the world majors, you know you can jump into a different corral. It's not like Run Disney or the World Majors, you know you can jump into a different corral. If you are jumping into a corral, that's faster than you go to the back of that corral, though. Like, don't cut off the people who are actually set to be in that pace corral. But we do have pace groups for the half that go up to two hours and 45 minutes, and then the full, I believe, goes to five hours for pace groups that are designated by our local running store. But I honestly just find another person to run with and I'm like, hey, what's your time? Oh, this is my time. Let's just run together and we'll try and get there.

Speaker 1:

I love how this race is almost like the best of all worlds. It has a bit of big city vibes because it has so much spectators, it's got quite the big of the party. Clearly, the J&A goes all out as we're going to talk about swag, because she's wearing like one of the best shirts I've ever seen and they collaborated with Lululemon. But collaborated with Lululemon but also has a little bit of that friendliness where you don't have to feel so anxious. It's while they do have fast runners there, cause it is a Boston Boston qualifying course and it looks like it's actually a really strong contender If you're looking for a PR or looking for a BQ, but it doesn't feel like it's a super overly elite course. So really inclusive and also allowing for you to kind of be more in control, where you don't have to feel as anxious about that start time. And can we get like a double amen for the fact that you do not have to be there at three o'clock in the morning.

Speaker 1:

I'm so excited about that portion of this. So, again, ashley has a group block for us with a hotel for this weekend, which I was super excited about. But let's talk about training before we talk about the swag. Okay, tell me what you personally have been experiencing in terms of switching it up from a half, which you feel very confident about now, I feel like half is your jam to a full, like what made you decide officially to make that is your jam to a full, like what made you decide officially to make that.

Speaker 2:

That decision, um, I I hate to say it like the half I became very comfortable with because, like I finished shamrock half back in um march and I was like right, typically after like some of the halves, like oh, I get that runner's high I didn't get it.

Speaker 2:

I was like okay, like I felt like there was still more I could do, like okay, like all right, well, let's buff it up to the full. And I was thinking about it before I even ran the half, and then I had talked with my boyfriend and he was like right afterwards, or a couple days afterwards you know, the whole post recently was like, what am I gonna trade for now? I think it was like, go for the full. So I, I mean, it's just like I, I just wanted to do. I've always wanted to do a full marathon and I'm just so very fortunate that there is a full, like literally like 20 minutes for my house phenomenal full, not just like any full, like a really good one.

Speaker 2:

I don't have to like worry about like super traveling and all the logistics and flying and all that stuff. So I you know I wanted to make that big change and I feel ready now, like I wanted to do it last year and I'm glad I didn't because I wasn't ready but now I feel ready, like I'm stronger, I am knocked on wood, injury free.

Speaker 2:

I've been very healthy, um, one of the best running years since I've been consistent with running I've been this year and I think my lowest mileage month was June and I only had 38 miles just because I was like you know, I need to take a rest and that was it.

Speaker 2:

Like I've had like a lot of great miles, a lot of great endurance, um, and just growing with the sport and growing with my knowledge of like how to, how to navigate through workouts, like okay, like, oh, this isn't gonna work out for me, like I mean, I can't do eight of the 800s but I can do five of them and still get a decent workout in. You know, just just navigating workouts to make it fit into my schedule. I do know that you know the longer miles are coming and all that stuff. I'm in the beginning phases of marathon training, but I do know that you know the longer miles are coming and all that stuff. I'm in the beginning phases of marathon training, but I do know that there could be those days of like oh, it's Thursday, you got to run eight miles.

Speaker 1:

Go for it. You're, you are in the beginning, but you've actually been about into it for about a month, and we did already start with a really good base. So it's not like cause you were already training for a half. So she's not necessarily. You aren't going from like a couch to marathon. You already had quite a bit of endurance. Actually, you were trained for a half, so we're able to kind of springboard off of there. What I think is fascinating about what you said was that I think one of the things that we have to remember and I know that this sounds like really counterintuitive, because it's a decision that impacts us so greatly is, though, that, if we are sharing space with others, that we have to kind of get everybody's buy-in, because, realistically, this is such a big time commitment. So tell me, you got buy-in immediately. Not only did you get buy-in, but you got encouragement. Is that what you feel helped move the needle for you to have more consistency, to have more of that? You're able to kind of put blinders on and focus on your training?

Speaker 2:

absolutely like, absolutely like having that support for us and I'm not saying that has to be like significant other, be like a best friend, right um, sibling parent, something of that nature, but like having, having like it does take a village in just a life in general. And I told him and said the warning is, like you know, you saw me go through half marathon training and that was about like three months.

Speaker 2:

I'm like this is double that and this is a lot more miles. And like I said three times on the weekends that I'm gone for three, four, maybe five hours running, he's like okay, and your point? He's like what do you want for dinner?

Speaker 1:

it's. I know it's so fantastic. We love seeing the fact that he's, like always, so supportive with foot rubs and being there to handle the kids and bringing home like all this amazing dinner type dishes for you that support you in your training. Yes, so what so far do you feel like has been the hardest part about managing all the different facets? Because your mom, you're in a relationship, you have a busy, demanding work schedule super busy, demanding. You're a bowling coach. You already said like you're very close to your sibling. I mean there's so many different hats that you wear. What would you say to somebody who's maybe considering marathon training as to how you balance it off?

Speaker 2:

You have to also make sure you take time for yourself. Like, granted, like you know, you're doing this marathon for yourself. You have to take the time for yourself. You have to, you know, give yourself the self-care and it's not always. You know bubble baths, you know massages, you know know lighting a candle. It's just, you know, taking that time just for yourself. It's like, say, be quiet and, like you know, be alone with yourself. Um, so, I will say like the hardest thing, though, is is that you know taking the time for myself, because I'm like, okay, right now, you know, I'm in the process of moving and all that stuff.

Speaker 2:

I'm like, okay, I got to get my run in in the morning, go to work, be a parent, try and have some time, you know, to myself. But it's just seeing what you can offload. Like, okay, hey, like I need 30 minutes. Can you take care of the kids so I can get 30 minutes to myself? Or hey, I'm going to finish my run and then hop in the shower. While I'm showering, Can you make me something to eat, because I'm going to be really hungry.

Speaker 2:

And something like that. So I think the hard thing is asking for help, because women in general, we want to be able to do it all. But we're like okay, I need your help. I really need your help.

Speaker 2:

I need you to do this, or hey, can you bring me out a water bottle, or can you send Derek out to bring me a water bottle? You know something of that nature. So I think that, and then also, now that it's day, like saying finally, that we literally have no fun time to get the um, get the runs in during daylight, so it's just like yeah, so like safety, safety measures, like okay, like hey, you know I'm going out for X amount of miles, I should be back around here. Start worrying at this point, you know like hey if I'm not back by this time.

Speaker 2:

You know, did you fall down? Did you get lost? No, I got lost.

Speaker 1:

You know what I love about this conversation, amanda, is that most individuals that I coach, one of the hardest things I think that specifically as you touched on that women have is asking for help, because we're so used to being the caregivers that handle everything for the family or for every other aspect, it's hard for us to ask for it. So you're already like a thousand steps ahead of the game, because most other individuals that's usually what, like the hard part is like somebody's got to help you so you could take care of your training, or somebody's got to help you you could, you know, show up for a meeting or whatever the case may be. So I love that you're expressing that. So folks really take it from like directly from her, in terms of the fact that you have to communicate your needs, like people are just not going to guess what you need, so please do communicate it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely Like. I think that's like a big, big part of it, cause, like I, I had 10 miles this past week and I was like I was talking with my other half. I was like, okay, so when do I want to do this? Do I want to do this before bowling or after, because the weather was great either way? So I was like okay. And he was like, well, if you do it before, you know we have after to do stuff as a family.

Speaker 2:

He's like I got Derek, you know, do this. And he's like okay, so what time are you going out? All right, and you need to be home by what time? Okay. So, so you definitely have to get out of bed by, you know, five o'clock in the morning, but it's just like just communicating your needs or like even like getting a sounding like speed board, like OK, like what plans do we want to do with the family? Because you can't forget the family time, because, like, granted, yeah, they are there and they're going to be so proud when you cross that finish line, but you can't forget about them. The four to six months that it takes to train for the marathon, it's like you have to. You know they deserve your time too. So as hard as a mom I get it, but like you need your time, you're going to get that time, those 15, 20 miles.

Speaker 1:

Exactly.

Speaker 2:

But you know you have to.

Speaker 1:

you know, show up for the family and they could be like it doesn't necessarily mean like going out anywhere and be like, hey, you know putting a movie on together and not falling asleep during it. I mean, can you give me the tips for that? Because there's still not a movie that I can when I'm in training, I'm going to fall asleep. If I'm sitting down for longer than 25 minutes, it's definitely going to be sleepy time.

Speaker 2:

But um, I know they all laugh at me. He's like so are you sleeping? Like yeah.

Speaker 1:

Usually I try to pretend that I'm not, but everybody knows that I definitely am. But that's I mean, that's part of the training and, again, that's why you strategically did give yourself a down period of mileage so you could spend that quality time before you ramped up your mileage. So I was incredibly smart. While we talk so much about running seasons and, yes, everybody wishes they could run all the miles all the time and do all the races but realistically that's just not possible if you want to be there for the family as well, or be there for your friends or the people you care about Okay, let's talk about it. I've touched about the swag. It is literally so incredible that if you guys I'm not kidding If you go to Race Raves, it has one of the highest scores in swag I have ever seen were you surprised the first time you got your swag back.

Speaker 2:

So the first race I did was uh, sheer moth, it was 8k. The shirt. You know like it was.

Speaker 2:

You know, a typical tech t-shirt their shirts have improved over like the last like three to five years. So like, this shirt is like 10 times better than the shirt that I first got, but it's great quality. Like the, the design stays on there. I don't have that shirt anymore because I got rid of it, but like the design stays. It's a great breathable shirt. Um, let's see they also like. Even like when you cross the finish line, it's like trick or treat, like they literally give you a bag, like a clear, like you know drawstring bag and you're like that's right, you said that yeah and like, of course you like a clear, like you know, drawstring bag and you're like, okay, that's right, you said that, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And like, of course you get like a water bottle, banana like a snack, and then like, like the AK, they don't have like a koozie. Uh, the marathon and the half marathon, get a sprint towel that with the Shamrock design on there.

Speaker 1:

Wait like a like a, like a full sprint towel.

Speaker 2:

The design on there wait like a like a like a full sprint the front door, yeah, seriously, yes, oh, my goodness, okay, oh. And then, um, like, you get the shirt. Now the only downside and I just thought about this and of course, all you run disney friends who are coming up here to do it like when you do goofy, dopey, everything's that. You know they have the shirt. That's just like goofy and dopey. If you're doing dolphin or whale, you're not gonna get a shirt that says whale or dolphin. But they do sell shirts that have like the whale and dolphin and it has the names of everyone who did or who signed up for that challenge on the back.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, and then you know lululemon has partnered with shamrock and they have a lululemon like table, all of their stuff. There's a Sprint hat that was custom designed for Shamrock with all the King, neptune and beer and all that stuff. Oh my gosh. And then J&A comes out with their own swag each year. I wish I had my sweatshirt right now, but the past two years they had great sweatshirts, um, t-shirts, long sleeve shirts. They have like wine glasses that you can buy and it's not like run disney where you have to join a virtual queue. It's like literally first come, first serve get, get to the expo, get your stuff some of it's even online, like it's online, yeah so you guys could like.

Speaker 1:

If you are considering this, or, now that we're entering into the holidays, you want to ask if something underneath the Christmas tree maybe a couple of these different items from their website, along with that race registration might be it, because, seriously, this Lululemon high rise skirt is adorable. I know I mean we all need it, but okay, so the swag is incredible. The after party let's talk about that.

Speaker 2:

Well, okay, I'm not trying to shit on run Disney, but you know, um, with the half marathon and fall, you get at least four free drinks. You can use them for beers crazy for. And then you get free food. So, um, normally it is a stew because you know saint patty's day, but I think last year they went to a gourmet gang that had sandwiches so they have a vegetarian option for our vegetarians and little bunk cakes. Um, they have live bands. The party goes, I think like 1.30 or 2 on the beach, but it's a whole party weekend. Wow, it's on the beach. So people are like, you know, there's a PR bell, there's a band, there's photo ops that you can take, it's all such a great atmosphere.

Speaker 1:

So I think what I love the most about this is that, first of all, it is I love that you're comparing it to run Disney, because a lot of the folks are listening likely have done run Disney or are familiar with it.

Speaker 1:

While it may not, as you mentioned, have a couple of things that run Disney has, it brings so much more to the table, especially for the fact that you are getting quite the steal in terms of the registration. For example, their marathon is the same cost as a run Disney 5K. I mean right now I'm sure the price is going to go up. So it is important that you guys know that they're going to have a staggered approach to the registration. Pricing does go up, but come on, like, seriously, like, the half marathon for Shamrock is like a hundred dollars less, 120 less than if you were to do a run disney half, so right out of the gate. So you're saving money that way. You can instead put that money towards some of the cool lululemon collaborative gear, if that's something that steals your heart. If not, you could always just reserve more, for you don't even need it for drinks, because they're going to have drinks for you at the finish line, so you could just-, and people are always like throwing away their extra drink.

Speaker 2:

It's like before this upcoming year I never stayed for the full party. I'm like, okay, I got my soda. I'm like, all right, here's some free drinks.

Speaker 1:

Like they're laying around. So it's really important, friends, that if you are going to train for this, that you train to go not just the distance of your race, but you train to be able to stay afterwards for the after party, because that's where the fun is going to be at. So, with that said, as we're going into it, what are you most excited about with your training?

Speaker 2:

All besides, you know, going into it with you because I believe you're doing the full right. Yeah, I'm going for you.

Speaker 1:

OK, that's what you told me about snow. And now I'm like what?

Speaker 2:

Okay, look, if that happens, then we are screwed.

Speaker 1:

We'll be okay. We'll be okay, we'll be fine, we'll figure it out, we'll figure it out.

Speaker 2:

No, it's just like coming together because, like we do have run Disney, I do not love the 2am wake up.

Speaker 2:

I do not love the standing for three hours in the corral before starting the race. I'm like, no, that's okay. Um, I'm just like a most forward to like seeing how I can grow as a runner honestly and seeing how I can you know how the miles take me, and like how things change and how the mindset is and how I push through the you know 12 to 15 random miles. Like randomly running a half marathon on the weekend but not getting a medal. I don't know if I dare just start moving on old medals at the end, like here mom, you did it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, why not Seriously make up your own rules? So is there a distance that feels kind of like scary or exciting for you that you're ready to tackle?

Speaker 2:

Exciting Like I'm really excited to like hit like 15.

Speaker 1:

You know, I just like really hit.

Speaker 2:

You know, I've hit 13 and all that stuff. I'm scared of the 20, of course, because like that's the, that's the, but like if I can do 15, I can do 20. Like I just tell myself that.

Speaker 1:

If you look back to your training and your race day at Princess, with the start line walking, the finish line walking and all the park stuff, you probably did like 16, 17 miles. If you could do 16, 17 miles that day, you definitely could do 20 miles. So you've got this, my friend. I feel very confident about what you've got. Okay, let's do a little bit of this or that, because I feel like you are again so much fun. So I want to know, for a post-run treat at Shamrock, would we say that you would prefer more of like a Shamrock shake? Are you going for something sweet or would you prefer like the stew or like a corned beef cabbage kind of a deal?

Speaker 1:

Um, I know you're a vegetarian, so that's a tough one. Well, actually I'm no longer vegetarian, but well. I'm definitely proud about that.

Speaker 2:

Okay, yeah, so, but I honestly I avoid like a lot of dairy before a race because, just you know, gi upset. So I'm gonna go for that shake and then I'm gonna ask somebody to go get me a quesadilla because I want that.

Speaker 1:

That sounds delicious. Okay For a race day energy boost. Do you wish that the race announcer would have like a super incredible sunrise pep talk, or do you just want to hear that music totally?

Speaker 2:

bumping. Well, okay, I'm not trying to spoil it to you, but our race day announcers do dad jokes. Okay, so like we get those and then like all throughout that he's so cute You're gonna love him. But I enjoy like the pumped-up music. Like the pumped-up music, like get me in the spirit. You know all the good vibes. And with Shamrock there are DJs along the course.

Speaker 1:

Like it's a party.

Speaker 2:

It is a party and it's a party. It's a vibe like what is your pump up? Song oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's a britney spears work bitch okay, are you gonna keep that for this marathon training cycle? Is that gonna be?

Speaker 2:

your go-to much. Okay, it's like her vision board has like britney spears with that lyric they're going okay.

Speaker 1:

Best marathon motivation to get you out the door. Is it knowing that you're gonna come home to some foot rubs in like a deliciously prepared meal, or is it envisioning that incredible medal at the finish line?

Speaker 2:

Right now it's a medal. I like doing the 26.2. Yeah, but then after I get that I'm like, okay, now where's the foot rubs? They're both, they're both motivation. Give me a foot rub while you're driving.

Speaker 1:

Maybe we'll have to have that as part of the after party. Okay, so you've run through Disney and you've done Shamrock Weekend.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Which course do you like best? Okay, take out the characters. Just talking about courses.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to say Shamrock just because of like the crowd, like there's not really an area where there's not really like supporters or you know, people cheering you on or people handing you like out snacks. Like I'm on Shamrock, like I don't drink alcohol, but there are people handing out like shots of beer, shots of liquor, as you're running yeah um, and then we run through one of the military bases and there are people who are like holding up signs that you run better than the government and I'm like we're literally on the military base um, it's just I I enjoy that yeah, the only aspect I wish we had was, of course, c Cinderella's Castle.

Speaker 1:

Like if I could have.

Speaker 2:

Cinderella's Castle here we're good. But like I was thinking about that, I was like you know what I really love the Shermont course. It's just because, like the crowd and like seeing dogs on the course, like I get to see pets on the course. You know that's a great thing.

Speaker 2:

And um, and also, just you know, the hometown is giving back. As opposed to like Disney, it's a lot of like. Oh, I saw this on Tik TOK. I was a lot of overpass and like highway miles. I'm just like, I'm like it's so. It is a magical thing, like running through the castle or running through.

Speaker 2:

Epcot and Hollywood Studios. But it's something about like having like the crowd support and like the local police and fire department. Like it was so weird when I was at Disney and I was like I'm so used to thinking like all the volunteers and being you know different, like school kids helping out and all that stuff, and so I was like you know what I'm like, I love the hometown race, I do.

Speaker 1:

I'll tell you this the crowd support, from what I'm seeing by the numbers, is like almost as big as some of the like almost majors like, seriously, it's pretty incredible.

Speaker 1:

25,000, like people 25 to 50,000 for crowd support is pretty incredible. So I think that if you guys are looking for that bit of energy, that you get000 for crowd support is pretty incredible. So I think that if you guys are looking for that bit of energy that you get from the crowd, this is definitely the one for you. Plus, you're going to be joining us at the Extraordinary League. We're going to have a lot of fun there that weekend. I have a couple more questions for you, amanda, about what you feel you have learned in your training that can help you on race day, but also that you think that other individuals could take as a lesson if they're on the fence signing up for a marathon.

Speaker 2:

I mean obviously like trust your training and trust the process. Um, not every run is going to be your run. So you can't say like you know. You can't come off of say, like a weekend I had two weekends ago where I was supposed to go out for 10 miles and I barely made it to six. I was like you know what, like I got it out here for something, this is not my week.

Speaker 1:

And then but then, like two days later, you were sick. I was like okay, so you knew exactly what it was Exactly. I'm not feeling that great.

Speaker 2:

But it's just like trust the training and like right now you may not feel ready, but you have it in your heart. You're like okay, can I do this, can I do this? You may not feel ready, but like I would hate for someone to say, like you know, four months from now, because we are about four months out from Jamrock, oh man, I could, if I had just signed up and like even signing up for the half or signing up for the 8k. I don't want people to think like, oh, I'm just, you know, doing an 8k.

Speaker 2:

An 8k is a hard race right five miles and it goes by so quickly. Like definitely. Like go out there and like take the risk, like if you just stay comfortable and you're like, oh, I'm just, there's no 5k, actually I'm not gonna do it. Like no, like bump up to that 8k or, you know, for all you 10k lovers, like and you've done a few of them like bump up to that half, like no, it seems daunting, but like just, I mean both full send. Like you're gonna have a lot of support along the way. I mean I'm telling you I, as tired as I am when I'm running, if I see you out there, you look like you're struggling. I'm gonna pat you on the shoulder like come on, like let's run for 30 seconds, like let's just get it out there, just to get the momentum going.

Speaker 2:

And there are plenty of times that I've finished the races around here and like other athletes have come up to me and said you know, thanks to you, I finished. I was like a little old me, like middle of the pack me, like okay, I'm, like you know, pushing them along the way, like so find, find your tribe. Like come join us. Like you don't have to fully, you know, be training with us, but come join us for like just the whole experience. Like you know we're here, you know we've been where you're at as far as half marathon, I'm sure know. If I don't have the answer, I'm sure I'm going to find somebody else who does.

Speaker 1:

I mean, the answer is literally that is, just don't think that where you're at today is where you're necessarily going to be in four months. So definitely taking that risk, or calculated risk, of knowing that you can fly and, if not, failure, is such a beautiful step up to bigger, better things anyway. So I love that. Tell me what you are going to do. What's the first thing that you want to do as soon as you cross that finish line as a marathoner?

Speaker 2:

Well, I'm going to find Daniel, of course, because he's, you know, been there for me, yeah, and then I'm going to, you know, just enjoy the moment, like, really soak it in, like.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to cry, of course, I'm probably going to cry like from mile 21 on.

Speaker 1:

We need you to save the tears for a little bit more than that, because you need that hydration. But yes, there's a lot of emotions about crossing that finish line. My friend, thank you so much for sharing this journey. Friends, I'll have the link for where you can sign up for Shamrock. Again, we're not being sponsored by Shamrock. Amanda told us how great this race was and we wanted to definitely find a great way for the league to get together. I know the Disney Day Drinkers are going to be there as well, so if you are a run Disney person, there's going to be a huge group of Disney folks there. But we're going to have a great weekend. We would love for you guys to join us. I can't wait to see you and cheer you on every step of the way for that marathon, my friend. So thank you so much for sharing your time with us. Absolutely Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1:

So, friends, there you go. It is going to be a full on party, no matter what you're looking to get out of the Shamrock weekend. So, as we wrap up, if Amanda's journey has you inspired, we'd love for you to join us in Virginia Beach for the Shamrock weekend. Take advantage of Shamrock and Strides, the 16-week training program with the Extraordinary League. It's the perfect way to prepare for an unforgettable race weekend with all the support, guidance and community of the league and, you know, maybe a coach here with Coach Christine and myself, the league, and you know, maybe a coach here with Coach Christine, myself. So head over to Extraordinary Strides, use that link in episode notes to register for Shamrock, register for the 16-week training program and then get ready to lace up and have a fantastic time to start your journey towards your own little rainbow and pot of gold at a finish line. With that said, thank you so much for joining us. Have an extraordinary weekend and keep striding every single step of the way toward your big, audacious goals.

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Christine Hetzel

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