Every Woman’s Marathon Recap: Transformative Stories of Resilience, Friendship, and Growth

How does running a marathon transform lives? In this episode of Extraordinary Strides, we highlight the incredible stories of the runners from The Extraordinary League who tackled Every Woman’s Marathon, where runners found strength, community, and personal breakthroughs. Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or dreaming of your first race, these tales of triumph will leave you inspired and ready to lace up your running shoes!

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🌟 Brittney Bergholm & Jennifer Nachbur:

• Brittney’s first marathon journey and how a supportive community fueled her determination.
• Jennifer’s farewell to the marathon distance, the lessons learned from years of running, and the spirit of women's empowerment. 

🌟 Mandy Sharp-Sarber & Michele Prunsansky:

• How these runners turned marathoning into a tool for personal growth.
• The sisterhood they built on the course, from strangers to sole sisters, they built a connection to work toward the marathon finish line together. 

🌟 Lynn Kinney & Ashley Lucas:

• Ashley’s perseverance through unexpected challenges mid-race.
• Lynn's expertise on how to tackle post-race blues. 
• How both runners relied on preparation and community to overcome setbacks.

🌟 The Spirit of The Extraordinary League: 

• The unique power of marathon communities to foster connection, resilience, and lifelong friendships.
• How events like the marathon weekend celebrate the extraordinary in every woman.

Why Listen?

If you’re curious about how running can be a catalyst for personal transformation, this episode is for you. With relatable stories, practical insights, and plenty of inspiration, you’ll discover what makes Team Milk's Every Woman’s Marathon an unforgettable weekend! 

Join The Extraordinary League

Feeling inspired to take your training to the next level? Work 1:1 with Coach Christine Hetzel and join a community of runners striving to achieve their goals with personalized plans and unwavering support.

👉 Fill out the application here to start your extraordinary journey today!

Tune in now to hear these incredible stories, and let their triumphs inspire your next running adventure!

Chapters

• 0:02 Every Woman's Marathon
• 5:06 Celebrating Female Empowerment Through Marathons
• 11:58 Female Community and Marathon Support
• 18:02 Empowerment Through Women's Community Bonds
• 27:43 Endurance and Mental Strength in Marathons
• 33:49 Flexibility and Empowerment in Marathons
• 39:26 Training and Superpowers for Marathons
• 52:16 Navigating Taper Madness and Race Travel
• 56:33 Pre-Race Nerves and Preparation
• 1:08:54 From Sedentary to Marathon Runner
• 1:14:34 Support and Perseverance in Marathons
• 1:27:11 Encouragement and Support in Marathons
• 1:35:55 Reflecting on Marathon Accomplishments
• 1:41:52 New Challenges in Solo Marathons
• 1:54:51 Women's Race Preparation and Support
• 1:59:51 Diversity and Support in Marathons
• 2:05:40 Race Day Nerves and Setbacks
• 2:12:46 Marathon Setbacks and Self-Reliance
• 2:17:02 Overcoming Post-Race Blues
• 2:30:33 Staying Focused on Health and Goals

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to Extraordinary Strides. I'm your host, coach Christine Hetzel, and I'm thrilled to have you here with me today. This episode is all about the Every Woman's Marathon by Team Milk, and it's going to be a truly inspiring recap. We're going to dive into the incredible stories from some of our very own Extraordinary League athletes, runners who showed grit, determination and a whole lot of heart on race day. Here's how today's episode is going to unfold. We've got three segments, each featuring two athletes with unique journeys and insights from first-time marathoners to seasoned veterans, from camaraderie on the course to pushing through unexpected challenges, we're going to explore it all, and whether you are a seasoned marathoner yourself or you're dreaming about tackling your very first race, there's so much that you're going to take away from these stories. As always, we're here to celebrate, inspire and empower each other to go the distance, both on and off the course. So, before we dive in, I have a quick ask from you. If you love what you hear today, please leave us a review and share your own race experiences on social media. Tag us so we can cheer you on. You'll find those links in episode notes. And now here's a little teaser. Whether you're a back of the pack champion or chasing those PRs. You're going to really love these lessons, so let's lace up, lean in and let's get started.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Now for our very first segment. I'm thrilled to introduce two remarkable runners who tackle the Every Woman's Marathon from very different perspectives. We have Brittany Burgholm, who courageously took on her first ever marathon, and Jennifer Neckber, a seasoned marathoner who made this her 10th and, what she says, final marathon. Their journeys couldn't be more different, but they're united by their love of running and the lessons they learned along the way. So we're going to explore their unique perspectives, from race day highs to on course challenges and how they've grown to this incredible achievement. But before we dive into the serious stuff, I'm going to bring them in. We'll have a little fun. Icebreaker, first and foremost.

Speaker 2: 2:06

Jennifer welcome on in.

Speaker 1: 2:07

Thank you, christine, so happy to be here, so excited, and Brittany, so excited to have you here. Oh hello, wonderful to be here, yay, okay, friends, tell us because both of you we touched on this actually over the weekend how we are really into our own different styles of music. So if you could create a race day playlist with just three songs that are going to be repeated the entire time to power you through the course, which songs would you pick? I'm going to take you guys doing single like do one, just one. So, brittany, you go first.

Speaker 3: 2:41

Probably my first choice is Leave Yourself by Eminem.

Speaker 1: 2:45

Okay, that's a fantastic one. Jennifer, what are you bringing to this playlist? Pump it by the Black Eyed Peas. I feel like they would riff off of each other really well. Yeah, yeah, okay. What about the second one? I'll let you go first this time. Jennifer, what about you? What are you bringing to this playlist? I know?

Speaker 2: 3:03

it sounds like it's negative, but it's the End of the World by REM. It just gets me going. I can't. It's very fast paced and it revs me up.

Speaker 3: 3:12

And.

Speaker 1: 3:12

I love REM, and sometimes it does feel like that on the course, so I think it's quite apropos. How about you, brittany? What are you bringing?

Speaker 3: 3:23

on that second one on your playlist. I'm going to go Broadway with my Shot from Hamilton.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Oh, you're speaking to my love language. I played it during Marine Corps. Okay, Now how about you, Jennifer, for your final one?

Speaker 2: 3:37

Running Down a Dream by Tom Petty.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Perfect Brittany. What are we bringing?

Speaker 3: 3:43

I'm going off script. I'm going with the ketchup song.

Speaker 1: 3:51

Oh, my goodness, I think it was actually on your marathon playlist, wasn't it? Yeah, did you? Did it end up rolling through? Because you kind of had to shuffle.

Speaker 3: 3:59

It went through. And you know it gave me the last one I needed, the last. It went through. And you know it gave me the laughs when I needed the laughs.

Speaker 1: 4:04

Perfect, Perfect. Okay, let's get into some maybe a little tiny bit more of the serious stuff. So I don't know where you guys were when you first heard about every woman's marathon and what inspired you to go ahead and sign up. But I'm going to start with you, Brittany, because this was your first time tackling 26.2. So tell me how you came to learn about it and what made you decide to pull the trigger.

Speaker 3: 4:27

I think it might have just been a Facebook post or maybe something in the podcast Facebook group that I first heard about it, but I had always been, you know, a full marathon has always been, you know, niggling in the back of my head like that would be something I'd love to do someday. And um, and then you peer pressured me into signing up, which is what I needed.

Speaker 1: 4:51

I don't remember it being that much peer pressure, I think it doesn't take much.

Speaker 3: 4:56

It doesn't take a lot for me to actually do it, but uh, yeah, no, it helps.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Okay, well, I love to hear that there was some positive peer pressure there. Jennifer, what about you? Because did you think?

Speaker 2: 5:13

this was going to be your 10th and final marathon. I wasn't looking for a 10th and final marathon, but when I saw this and I either it either came in an email or I saw it on social media, I don't remember which but I was like okay, that's it, that's going to be. That's the great way to end my you know marathon career with my 10th and final marathon I'm going to do the Every Woman's Marathon.

Speaker 1: 5:34

What made this one so special for you to want to make it and officially declare 10? And is it serious? Is this really it?

Speaker 2: 5:42

I feel like it is it because I, you know, had to talk myself through those final miles, and it's not my favorite distance. I don't. I like the accomplishment of a marathon and the training is lengthy, but I feel like it's definitely a good place to stop. 10 is a nice round number, but anyway, the reason why every woman's appeal to me is you know, I love anything that is going to uplift and empower women, all kinds of women, and I just the whole kind of mission that they were communicating when they promoted this race. I was like I got to be part of this, it's, it's going to be phenomenal and I'm going to love it. I went to a women's college. I worked at a women's magazine in my first job out of college. I've been part of many women's organizations, so it just, it really just spoke to me.

Speaker 1: 6:46

To say that that was a really big draw for me as well was the female empowerment specifically, and a huge shout out to the people who did put this race together and the promotions of it, Because from the very first time I saw it, I was like I don't want to train for a marathon during summer, but I how could you say no to it? It was so incredible. From Amanda Gorman, with that incredible like poetry, to just the imagery was so incredible. But Brittany, it's still a big one. It's 26.2. So why is there anything specific that it was like this one, Was it? I feel like this race was definitely marketed in a way where it felt more inclusive. Is that part of what may have led you to say this is a good one for me to start off with?

Speaker 3: 7:32

Yeah, I'm. I'm usually a back of the pack runner and you know a lot of races out there aren't very time inclusive, so that is definitely something that gave me a little extra confidence boost to sign up for this one.

Speaker 1: 7:48

So I'm going to ask how did it feel to officially go the distance and run the furthest you have? Because it was marathon day where you tackled it.

Speaker 3: 7:57

Yeah no, it felt like a really great accomplishment. I've said this at work with my co-workers and they don't quite believe me because none of them are runners but it didn't feel like I was out there for eight hours. It didn't. I felt, I mean, like my body was definitely physically taxed and just like done, but it didn't feel like it. The vibes from the race were so great and it just felt like I could stay out there oh, I'm hearing ultra it's called.

Speaker 3: 8:31

I know, I know it's bad ghost train, brittany ghost train, I mean at least that one's local.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Yes, exactly oh, okay, see that we, I think we're already in. We're getting to the point where, britney, one of my questions is going to be if it's a one and done, but I think we already kind of have our answer. I'll officially ask that a little bit later, though. So I'm curious, jen, because you have had 10 marathons officially under your belt. Congratulations, that's an incredible feat. How did this specific marathon maybe differ from your first marathon experience, or maybe some of the others that you had?

Speaker 2: 9:11

Well, I mean, it differed a lot from my first marathon experience, because my first marathon experience was, I said, 13, but it's really almost 14 years ago because it was January 2011. So I was A younger by 14 years. B it was cooler and darker because Disney starts so early that a lot of the miles were done before the sun was high.

Speaker 2: 9:45

And C Disney is Disney, so there was the music and the characters and the spectacle of Disney all around and, even though I agree with Brittany, there was so much fun and great vibe along the course. It's just different than Disney. So there's a lot of differences between my first marathon and my 10th marathon, but they both were spectacular and I would not trade either experience for anything and they both were great, even though I felt better when I finished my first marathon than I did when I finished this past marathon. My first marathon is still my PR, like I never, never had all of the stars align, you know, with my body and the temperature and all the things as well as they did for that first marathon, but in a way, this was my most special this marathon.

Speaker 1: 10:44

Oh, I want to definitely get a little bit more into that. I'm going to go back to Brittany, because you've already touched on something that I think I'm hearing a lot from folks after this race was and Jennifer touched on it as well that the vibes were so different or the vibes were so special that it didn't feel like an eight hour day on your feet with extreme physical activity. So what about the vibes? Can you put an actual tangible term to it as to what made it feel so special to you Expo weekend, the actual race itself?

Speaker 3: 11:21

I think it's not really like a word that I can sum it up with. I think it's not really like a word that I can sum it up with, but I think that this was the most accepting race experience that I've seen, with meeting people that you don't know and everyone just being there to help each other or cheer each other on, no matter who they are, whether they know each other, whether they don't a high five from whoever who knows who. I think this was the most I've seen that at any race that I've been at and that was definitely encouraging.

Speaker 1: 11:58

What do you think it was about this race, I'm going to ask you, jennifer, that kind of linked itself to more actual participation, of that welcoming feeling Because, I will agree, from the other races I've done, there was a lot more of that just feeling like you're in it together, which you're always that way in a race, but this one felt just a little bit more so.

Speaker 2: 12:20

Well, maybe it was because the elite field kind of was removed from this. I mean, not that they weren't present, but they weren't. No one was. I'm going to win this race, I'm going to be in the top 10. It wasn't there, wasn't that level of competition that you find in other large marathon races and half marathons too.

Speaker 2: 12:46

And also, I think, you know, when you got a and half marathons too, and also, I think you know, when you get a lot of women together, all kinds of women, they are just generally supportive, understanding, encouraging, you know, wishing for each other to succeed in whatever that looks like for that individual person. And so it kind of this race brought all of those sort of like-minded folks together and and it was just evident because it was overflowing with that sort of love and acceptance but also celebration, like, so much celebration everywhere, like, just starting with when we met up for the shakeout run, you know like, and I could feel it there already and then, of course, at the expo, and I loved my giant yoga, which I got a front, you know, row because I got the sun shining on me. It was a little chilly, so I was like, well, if I'm going to be doing yoga. I want to be in the sun.

Speaker 2: 13:42

Amazing, it was crowded, but it was a friendly crowd. You know what I mean Like people being. If you're squished up against each other, you're laughing about it, that's. That's just how it was. There weren't angry people anywhere that I went and certainly the day the morning of the race, when we were all lining up in the corral was like super supportive and just everybody was high on. You know, let's do this kind of thing. It was fabulous.

Speaker 1: 14:08

Yeah, I mean, guys, we're not like. There's not hyperbole here when we're talking about this. There's no exaggeration. That it felt electrifying like from the minute we got there until the minute we left, and even beyond. Just that sense of community is just so extraordinary.

Speaker 2: 14:21

Right At the airport.

Speaker 1: 14:22

even you know, I think you even met somebody on your plane trip down, or yes, I did who was running, yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:29

Yeah, bonding, experience right there, yes, she was on my flight on the way back too.

Speaker 1: 14:34

So it's just those kinds of little connectors and even if you've done a big city race and known that you're going to come up against other runners, you're going to see other runners out there, it still felt quite different. It felt like really the city had converged upon with women with the same focus. So I think that there was a lot of that. I am curious. You did touch on the elites, which is going to kind of bring me back to the expo. Brittany, what did you think about the expo? I know that you have tackled run Disney races. You've tackled that expo. 5k is what I call it there. You have plenty of races in the northeast that you've tackled what. How did this expo maybe have a little bit of a different flair for you?

Speaker 3: 15:12

if it did yeah, no, uh, I don't care as much in terms of like merch or that type of stuff. So the things that really hit me for the expo was the name wall with everyone's names on magnetic badges with color coded for whatever marathon number this was for them. I thought that was really impactful, and also the panel talk with the race captains was probably one of my top experiences for the weekend.

Speaker 1: 15:46

Absolutely agree. The name wall I've seen name walls before. This one was the best I've ever seen. Truly, the idea of having those colored badges to kind of help identify and that you could take it away as like a keepsake, um definitely made it very, very special. I don't know what I'm going to do with mine, so I'm taking ideas. What are you guys doing with yours?

Speaker 2: 16:06

I have any? I don't. I'm just trying to figure out. Is it in my backpack, right here next to my desk? Where did I put that? I can't remember. I literally put it in my handheld. Oh, you got yours. I put it in my handheld water bottle when I was running because I was thinking do I put it on when I finish the race so people know that I'm in the 5 to 10 range or whatever color I was?

Speaker 5: 16:26

I think you're just 10 plus.

Speaker 2: 16:27

I didn't know what to do I ended up never putting it on, but I thought it was really cool and I'm so sorry that I missed the panel of the race captains, even though I had signed up for that and wanted to go. But you know, I had childhood friends that had come to sort of mark this occasion and for us to all be together after we lost a friend earlier this year, and so that was incredibly special and worth missing the race captain panel, even though I would have really really loved. Because I am like have read you know Alison Desir's book, read Des Linden's book? Have you know cookbooks by these? You know all these things. I follow these people on social media. I love them, but I just I had to. I had to choose, like my childhood friends who were just arriving or go see that and I, I had to choose my childhood friends.

Speaker 1: 17:19

Yeah, you chose well, absolutely which. I want to talk a little bit about that as well, since you've mentioned it. You had a cohort of a Jen's Running Club actually there to help spectate and cheer you on. So clearly forming really strong female friendships has been very important to you Very. Tell me more about how you feel that you've been able to do that and how it's played into your life in these decisions where you do make these really I call them big, audacious kind of goals that you tackle and then having a support crew.

Speaker 2: 17:56

I that has. I feel like my friendships with my friend, my girlfriends, have have gotten me through my entire life. So two of the four people who were in Savannah I've known since fourth grade. And we had a third person. I mean there was a fourth person. There were four of us that were besties in like fourth grade and we lost her to a brain tumor earlier this year. We kind of, you know, stayed friends through junior high and they I kind of separated off a little bit from them in high school but then we, you know, started seeing each other at high school reunions and then started like having these girl weekends, girls weekends, every week, every year. So I, we got closer as older adults with children, you know, like as much years later after we'd been, you know, children together and high schoolers together and things like that.

Speaker 2: 18:51

And I went to a women's college, a very tiny women's college in central New York state, and I forged very strong relationships there too. And then I worked at a women's magazine in New York City and so there were a lot of women there. I mean men work there too. So I've had all of these experiences where I've been among women who have helped support me. I've lifted them up, I seek those things out. I've joined women's organizations. I'm active I've been active over the years in many women's organizations and I'm just I've been active over the years in many women's organizations and I'm just attracted to ways to sort of keep those bonds going and keep that support going, because it gets us all through life. That's what I feel like.

Speaker 1: 19:34

Yeah, first, I'm sorry for your loss, thank you, and it was very beautiful to see you guys all coming together, and I'm going to also kind of caveat this real quick and say I'm very grateful that you didn't make me cry, because I was a little worried that you were going to. But I think a lot of times we get into the game of competition when we hear about these incredible friendships, and so if you guys are in a stage of your life where maybe, as you're listening in and you're thinking, this is what I want out of my life, it's never too late to start and reconnect with some of those individuals that you may have lost in contact with, or to kind of throw your head into the ring and create your new community. But I do believe strongly in the value of having that community, so so important as we navigate life. Brittany, which brings me to you because you throw yourself into these situations with community, and how does it feel? Does it? Is it a little nerve wracking? Is it a little anxiety provoking? A?

Speaker 3: 20:28

little bit. I kind of Grew up. I'm an only child. I didn't grow up with a lot of family around and my friends always, you know, kind of transitioned through stages of life, you know elementary school friends. During that moving on moved around a lot, so a lot of things haven't really stuck. But I think that the racing community is something that's been sticking around longer for me and I'm enjoying the friends that I'm making and the excuses that I can make to see them.

Speaker 1: 21:07

Because travel is usually involved.

Speaker 3: 21:09

Yes, Because all of you down in the South are really far away. But I always I don't want to say no to things, you know, I've always just kind of wanted to be like. You know what's the worst that can happen if I go and do this new thing, Right, what's the worst thing that happens if I didn't prepare well enough for this marathon?

Speaker 3: 21:35

Maybe I don't finish, maybe I get injured and I can't walk across that line, who knows? But at least I got out there. And that's kind of just how I look at each new challenge.

Speaker 1: 21:48

I love that. It makes me think of Brene Brown's favorite quote where she talks about daring greatly and getting into the ring. I think that's really powerful and something that I think that we need to see more women doing, which is why this weekend was so special. We saw women willing to take those really big leaps of faith in themselves to tackle something that maybe felt a little scary. Um, I'm going to bring it back to the race weekend just a wee bit, but, as always, life and marathoning kind of go hand in hand with the lessons that you learned from both. But with the race weekend, do you guys have any specific pre-race rituals or things that maybe you're going to be adding into your pre-race rituals? Moving things that maybe you're going to be adding into your pre-race rituals? Moving forward, that you felt kind of was a big takeaway from Savannah and every woman's marathon? I'm going to go with Jennifer.

Speaker 2: 22:37

I, I really loved doing that yoga the day before and I sometimes have done yoga the day before a race, but it's not really part of my ritual. I'd say More. So I'm like resting the day before and not doing a whole lot of movement, but I feel like intentional movement that's helpful to limber up your body. I mean, I have done like shakeout runs the day before a marathon. You know, especially in the big majors where they have a lovely 5K, that you can runs the day before a marathon. You know, especially in the big majors where they have a lovely 5k, that you can do the day before New York or the day before Chicago. I've done those and that's actually great to do that because, it gets you kind of charged up.

Speaker 2: 23:15

It gets out the nerves that you know, limbers up your body after travel, all the good things, but the I mean yoga the day before just felt like it was just a great way to center myself, like mentally too, you know, not just doing the poses but like, ok, I'm just in and I was. I have not been that like in my head, not in my head in a bad way, but you know what I mean Like kind of calm in my head and present while doing yoga, maybe ever.

Speaker 2: 23:44

And there I was with, like you know, I don't know, 50 people behind me, maybe under that tent, I'm not sure how many people were doing it, but I went like I was not out there, I was in here, like in the moment, and it was really special. So that was a great kind of experience that I would love to incorporate into my pre-race ritual, moving forward Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 24:07

Have to caveat that, friends, and say if you haven't done yoga, let's not do like maybe a 90 minute Bikram class a day before your first marathon.

Speaker 2: 24:15

I will never do Bikram because I don't like to get hot.

Speaker 1: 24:24

I love that. It does help especially. It's kind of a playoff, of a little bit more of that shakeout where you're kind of helping to get into the right mindset and let yourself get limbered in a little flow. So, brittany, what about you? Any pre-race rituals that you have as a takeaway now from this past weekend? Hopefully it's not that we have to stay at a hotel with a big, ginormous chrome dinosaur, because I don't think that's going to happen anywhere else.

Speaker 3: 24:46

No, I don't think that's going to happen anywhere else either. It's actually something that you got me into this training cycle a little bit more, with more meditations than I have used in the past half. So the night before the race I was doing some like calm your nerves and get into the mindset before I went to sleep, and I think that really helped Shout out to one of the race captains from this weekend, Dina Castor, in her book Let your Mind Run.

Speaker 1: 25:21

It's really that's, I think, what cinched it for me. If it works for her and it helped her get gold, and that's going for gold. But I'm going for the best that I possibly can on a day-to-day basis. So meditation and breath work, I feel, is pretty foundational when you're training, so I love to hear that as part of your ritual. I'm going to take it back to you though, Brittany, because you already touched on this race captain expo experience. Was there like something super poignant that any of the specific race captains said that you have as a takeaway now? I mean, they all were brilliant for the record, but something that kind of really resonated with you right then and there?

Speaker 3: 26:02

There. There were several points Um, um, but I liked a lot of um katherine switzer's message, um that she made and I think the way that she made her points with levity, um, really helped and, you know, even though she is one of the most amazing women runners out there, she made the experience feel much more down to earth with that and making sure that we would all just get out there together and have a day and that's how it? Was, so I really enjoyed that.

Speaker 1: 26:47

I have to agree, jennifer, I promise we're not trying. I really do feel like you made the right decision, but I think that what I took away with Catherine was how poised of a speaker that she is and yet she's able to do it in a way that feels very like it's just you're sitting down with a friend for a conversation, so really, really. But plus, I I don't tend to Google and Gaga over elites, but I I have to say Catherine, just we are here today having this conversation because of her. So, um, absolutely amazing about that. Okay, let's get back into race day. We're at the marathon Now. We are actually moving and grooving and you both run at different paces, which I think again, is what makes this race so special being in different paces and still feeling like you're really in the same experience together. But what I'm curious is do you feel that your pace impacted this specific race day experience? I'm going to go with you, jennifer.

Speaker 2: 27:43

Yes, I think I went a little bit too fast for about 22 miles and then I didn't feel very good. And I do, and I love my run walk, I love my Galloway intervals. You know, one minute of run and 30 seconds of walk works really well for me and I'm not like you know, if I need to mix it up a little bit, I do. Like, if I want to take a longer walk or if I feel good enough to start running after 20 seconds, I do that, but I stick to it pretty religiously. But then I started feeling not so great, a little bit, you know, a little dizzy, a little nauseous, not bad, but I mean, it's not.

Speaker 2: 28:21

It has happened before and in fact it happened around mile 24 at Chicago in 2022. And, um, I just started walking more and it made, I mean, in Chicago I ended up not having to really walk that much more and I was just. I think that was blood sugar, I'm not sure. I think it was all the factors this time around. I think it might have been my blood sugar, I think it might have been the overhead sun which we had just when just so folks know there was quite a bit of outdoor, no shade space that we went probably from I don't know mile 19 to 24, maybe, maybe.

Speaker 1: 29:00

A very long time.

Speaker 2: 29:01

Yeah, so we were on the campus of Savannah State University, which was super fun marching band run on a cushy track, but it was all. There wasn't any shade and we had had quite a bit of shade throughout the city of Savannah because of those beautiful big trees with the Spanish moss and that kept us cool and everything. So I, even though I didn't feel like wildly overheated, I just do think it took a toll on me and I just said Well, you know, walking works for me, so I'm just going to walk more. And then when I felt good enough to run, I ran. And if I only ran for 30 seconds, I ran for 30 seconds, and if I ran for a minute, I ran for a minute, whatever. And I just listened to my body and I was like and guess, what I'm almost there and guess what?

Speaker 1: 29:50

This is my last marathon, so let's get it done. That's fantastic. I love that you touched on 60, 30, which I think is such a great interval. I love that you pretty much said to yourself forward as a pace, regardless of the actual speed. Forward is all I need to do to be able to get through this. I love that, um and yeah, that cause she track amazing Brittany. How about you? Did you feel that that impacted you at all on race day? Uh, I.

Speaker 3: 30:14

I definitely agree about the sun and heat. Uh, definitely hit, especially as another northerner up here that is in much cooler temperatures at this time of year. But for me a lot of it was more of my mental state, with some personal stuff going on lately. So I felt really strong with the first 10 or so miles and then after that I walked out the rest of it because that's just what I needed that I walked out the rest of it, uh, cause that's just what I needed, uh, and I feel pretty good about that decision. Um, ended up having to take the trolley through the highway miles, um, but then finished it out those miles that I missed afterwards as a personal choice afterwards as a personal choice, um, and I don't think it hurt or hindered any race experience.

Speaker 1: 31:16

I still had a great time. So I want to touch on that a little bit. I love it and I love how she said first marathon. Did you hear that?

Speaker 2: 31:19

Jennifer Cause I heard that sounds like a second is going to become. I definitely am not getting one and done vibes.

Speaker 1: 31:25

I do want to touch on that a little bit how sometimes we always think of marathoning as just the physicality of it, especially when we sign up, and it's not until we're actually in the training or through the actual race itself that we realize that it is a healing journey for a lot of things. It's a way for us to kind of turn inward, and I am going to get emotional because of all the opportunities that running and marathoning have been there for me to help heal certain different aspects of things that I was going through. So I love to hear, brittany, that you've made the right choice for you. That's, at the end of the day, that is the most important thing we could ask of ourselves is to trust what we need, not what anyone else expects of us. So, with that said, let's get into you.

Speaker 1: 32:07

You guys have some wise words to give to others through your journeys. So what advice would you give to runners that are maybe in pace ranges similar to yours or just in general, when they are potentially thinking of signing up for a 5k, 10k, half or the marathon distance? I'm going to go back to you, brittany.

Speaker 3: 32:29

I think we kind of wrapped it up a little bit with Jen. You know, forward, forward of the pace, left foot, right foot, right foot, left foot, whichever one you want to say first. It's kind of just how I approach every race, whether I'm still feeling super strong or I'm struggling. You know there is a finish line in this race, so eventually you will get there. Whether it's, you know, two hours, three hours, seven hours, you're going to get there eventually and you just got to put one foot in front of the other.

Speaker 1: 33:03

I am going to touch on that a little bit, because there is a runfluencer who posted about that specifically, where the finish line does not have to be the physical finish line that we have gotten so used to in the race distance, and she gave a lot of like shout out and credit to individuals who maybe their finish line looks a little different. That's absolutely true. The finish line of whatever our specific challenge, of what we've decided to set out for, is there, and that's what's so important. Um gosh, I mean, you can't so powerful forward as a pace. I'm okay with if you guys decide to do left, left, then right. If you're like doing a little bit of a skipping, I'm, I'm here for it too, as long as you're safe and don't get hurt. Jennifer, tell me what, what advice you would give, if, if any, beyond, um, the words of wisdom you've already shared?

Speaker 2: 33:47

well I. I just realized that there's something that I did utilize those last four miles that I it's something that you were um sort of training us to do in one of our monthly challenges, which is the breathing technique which I needed in a because I wasn't feeling as well as I normally do. I was like, okay, I'll be breathing in through my nose and breathing out through my, through my mouth. You know, like a four count or a two and a four count. And I remember Brittany and I were commenting in the group, you know, when we were doing the breathing cause it was. It's challenging for me normally in a normal run to actually do the through the nose and out the mouth thing. I'm usually just a mouth breather that somehow works better for me. But when I wasn't feeling well, that breathing settled my system pretty significantly, pretty significantly. But I think the big thing to remember is you need to be flexible about your experience, like we both were, because we didn't know what was going to happen and we both came to a point where our bodies were like, yeah, like the old plan, let's, let's switch it up a little bit. And so we did. So we modified, and it's okay to modify and listen. You absolutely should be listening to your body all the time.

Speaker 2: 35:10

I always I'm not a competitive runner.

Speaker 2: 35:13

So for folks who are competitive, even just competitive with themselves, even if they're not competitive with other people but there are lots of people out there that are competitive with all of those things themselves other people, the elite racers, everything I didn't get that gene, so I'm not competitive but, um, so I don't often have a goal, like I always have a rough goal for my time.

Speaker 2: 35:38

You know people say, oh, what time are you hoping to get? And I'm like I just want to finish because I want to feel good. So I want to have a good time and I want to feel good, and those are like sort of my only must haves, and so I'll do whatever it takes for me to reach those two goals of feeling good and having a good time. And you know, so I think you know you have to take into consideration all of the factors that might impact your ability to do that and then modify so that you can still have that success or whatever success you want to be able to finish. If that's your success, you want to just feel good, in which case you might decide okay, I'm not going to finish this race because I don't feel well enough to finish this race, but it's okay and you just have to be flexible and allow yourself and know that it's the right thing because really innately, we know what's best for us.

Speaker 1: 36:29

So I'm hearing so much like self-confidence, self-reliance, intuition and a little bit of introspection. I love that flexibility of like being super focused on our goal, but very, very flexible. I know it's cliched, but still love that. Okay, friends, I know we've kind of already touched on it. You guys have said some really powerful takeaways, but I'm going to make you do it nonetheless, because I wrote it into our outline. So if you could sum up your biggest takeaway from this marathon in just one sentence, what would it be? And I'm going to let you guys hash out who goes first, who wants to go first.

Speaker 2: 37:06

I'll go first. I want the first time marathoner to finish us up, so I my sentence is this when they gather together, women are a powerful force that exudes excitement, empowerment, kindness, support, generosity and love.

Speaker 1: 37:29

I'm going to tell you, Brittany, that's going to be a hard one to follow up.

Speaker 3: 37:36

Thanks Jen.

Speaker 1: 37:39

But phenomenal. Phenomenal, but phenomenal.

Speaker 3: 37:52

I think my biggest takeaway really is a little less poignant. But no matter what, when you get the raising community together, it's going to be an uplifting good time with people that will support you.

Speaker 1: 38:11

I think that's just as powerful. It's exactly. I mean, it's exactly what we got from the weekend, absolutely. First and foremost, I want to again congratulate you both on such an incredible experience, be it the first of many or the 10th of I mean, I can't say final Jen, I just don't know if I can sign on to that one. But I believe you in honor and respect what you're saying right here and now. So, with that said, I want to thank you both for joining me for this segment. It's so inspiring to hear about both the start and the finish of such remarkable marathon careers. Thank you, christine.

Speaker 3: 38:48

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 38:50

All right, friends, we are going to shift gears and meet two more extraordinary runners. Today we're going to meet Mandy Sharp-Sarber and Michelle Persansky. Their story is one of camaraderie, perseverance and grit on race day, and I think I'm going to tell you guys, they had us all in the league like super emotional seeing the beautiful camaraderie that they had. So Michelle had a stellar training cycle and she faced some unexpected challenges during the marathon itself, while Mandy stepped in to support her and together they pushed through to the finish line. Before we dive into their powerful race day story, let's have a little bit of fun here. So I'm going to ask you, mandy, if you could have had any one superpower to use during the marathon. What would it be and why?

Speaker 6: 39:36

So I don't think I need a superpower during the marathon, but afterwards I would love to be able to recover like an 18 year old. During the marathon, but afterwards I would love to be able to recover like an 18 year old. That's the superpower. I want to be able to go back, shower, throw some clothes on and act like I had just jumped out of bed.

Speaker 1: 39:55

That would be awesome. There is a lot of loveliness by that. But for the record, you did kind of party like a rock star after the marathon, didn't you go out that evening?

Speaker 6: 40:03

I think we got into bed at 1am that next morning. I don't recommend that. There were lots of opportunities for pub crawls and tours that involved vehicles and we chose a walking pub crawl. I don't recommend that.

Speaker 1: 40:19

Well, again it happens. So your one superpower is to have, like instantaneous recovery. Oh, I love that one. How about you, Michelle? Welcome, welcome. And what would your superpower for marathon day would be?

Speaker 5: 40:32

I think I would have to have super hydration. I would not need to drink.

Speaker 1: 40:38

You know, I would love to not have to hydrate or fuel. It's so much of a like fine science. It's like a little bit of science meets trial and error and you kind of have to iterate that and iterate that and, honestly, you just nailed one of the reasons why I want to go back and do the first marathon I ever did. I knew nothing about hydration or fueling for that race, so I think I had maybe one on course fuel. Whatever it was that they handed to me, I didn't know what to drink. I think I just drank water the entire time. I had no clue. So for me, I do think that that is such a great one, because it would alleviate so much stress for us on the marathon day. All right, we're going to get into the nitty gritty and talk a little bit more about it. I'm going to ask first what made you guys both sign up for this race. Michelle, I'm going to start with you. What called you to sign up to every woman's marathon?

Speaker 5: 41:29

Cause this was your first marathon Because they build it as being a flat course. Okay, and that's training in Florida, flat is what we're used to. Um, so that fact that it was a flatter course uh kind of drew me in and I kind of just went for it. I had only done, I think, one. I hadn't done any 5Ks yet when I signed up for it. I had never done any race, I had only run on my own as a solo runner, and I signed up before I had done anything else.

Speaker 1: 42:03

I think that when we chatted for the first time, you were doing your very first race that weekend. So I do I do recall you had already signed up for every woman's marathon. So for you it was that they marketed as it being an easier course to tackle for specifically as flatlanders. Um, got it. That's I. I want to know more about the psyche. Why was the first race you signed up for an actual marathon? I'm going to come back to that. I'm going to go to Mandy Mandy. What made you sign up for every woman's marathon?

Speaker 6: 42:32

Location, location, location. Savannah is such a historical, beautiful city that I didn't even look at the calendar to see the date. I wasn't worried about the elevation, it was the location. I was down, I was there.

Speaker 1: 42:45

Okay. So you wanted to see something beautiful while you're out there because prior to this race, your marathoning experience has to do with dopey right, and you went straight from other race distances to dopey, like there was no marathon in between for you.

Speaker 6: 43:03

There was not. It was returning to running after an injury with a 10k. Hey, that was pretty cool and exciting. So if I can do the 10k, let's jump to the 10 miler, and if I was going to do the 10 miler, let's just do the challenge right do the 5k, 10k, 10 miler, because why go in for one when you can do three?

Speaker 1: 43:23

Right, then this is extra metal, yeah.

Speaker 6: 43:25

Right Finish spring. So I'm surprised. I was like, hey, if I can do 10 miles, I can do 13. Well, why would I only go in and do 5k, 10k, half? Let's just throw the full in there too for fun, and just get dopey knocked out of the way.

Speaker 1: 43:39

Okay. So we heard her like logical runner's math. I don't know how logical that is or rational that is in like regular people's math. But how about you, michelle? Like what made you decide to pull the trigger specifically on a marathon distance? When would it be fair to say that you felt like at that point still a newer runner, or did you feel like you've been running for some time? So this was?

Speaker 5: 44:05

a natural progression. No, there was no natural progression. I just decided, for whatever reason and I really don't even have a reason I just decided, if I was going to go, I was going to go big. Okay, go big or go home.

Speaker 1: 44:34

Yep, and so we started with the marathon distance as our first signup ever, um, and added some other things after the fact. I love that kind of boldness and I feel like it's been really exciting to get to see you blossom into a marathoner. So congratulations on that, both of you. Since this is your first standalone marathon, mandy Okay, I'm curious. Michelle you did have a really strong training cycle and, as you just touched on, since your first marathon and you had done some other organized races leading up to this, but still a little newer at it there was a lot for you to take in all at one time.

Speaker 1: 45:13

I feel like you did a fantastic job. You dove super deeply into arming yourself with as much information and preparation for race day. Yeah, but what would you think worked? What would you say worked best for you that you did during your training? From my perspective, you tackled everything Like you really spent a lot of time in educating yourself, asking the right questions that you were able to prepare. You were ready to self-support for the race. You had the fuel, the electrolytes, everything on your person, your hydration. You really worked that out. But I will say this is the one thing that's very difficult. We trained in Florida. Summer we went to Savannah. That had a little bit of a different climate, which makes it a bit harder, I think, to like kind of nail everything down. But what did you feel was strong during your training?

Speaker 5: 46:04

Probably all of it. Being the Girl Scout, I was always prepared for what I was doing. I always, you know, every challenge you threw at me throughout the whole training cycle, I was always prepared for it to the best of my ability. I you know. I rose to every challenge and I was consistent. Consistency was the key. I didn't miss anything unless I absolutely had to. I think I had the stomach thing twice and that was the only time we missed any days of any sort of training. Did I have to juggle my schedule a few times for family obligations? Yes, but as for just downright missing anything, it was only those two times I had the stomach thing going on.

Speaker 1: 46:49

I don't even think those count, because what we did with those um was we basically looked at you prioritizing a rest day, and again we juggled in a different kind of schedule to allow you to rest up, heal up and then get your miles in. So you really still hit your weekly mileage, or monthly mileage, all of your workouts, because you did your strength training, your mobility, all of that jazz as well. How about you, mandy? What stood out about this training cycle for you? And I'm going to ask you specifically because this was your only this, your first standalone marathon, maybe how it was different for you to do this one versus what you did for Dopey.

Speaker 6: 47:24

Well, you mentioned that it was a transition for you guys coming from Florida to Georgia, right, certainly, when I chose to jump in on this race, I didn't think about the fact that my training, the majority of my miles, would be in the middle of summer.

Speaker 1: 47:41

Worst time ever In North Texas.

Speaker 6: 47:43

Yes, yes, and I live out in the boondocks so there are no streetlights, you know. So training had to be done during the day and if I didn't get that, training in before morning was up. It was a hot Hades run and there were a lot of Hades runs this summer. That was a big challenge.

Speaker 1: 48:04

Yeah, I mean, I think that the official zip code is the surface of the sun as to where you resided during summer training and why I tend to not like summer marathon training. But yes, absolutely, it was a challenging time and that, in and of itself, had to have been very different for you, because you trained for Dopey during our cooler months, because we don't really get winter down here in the South.

Speaker 6: 48:25

Okay, so yeah, so it was, you know. At least, when I got into the bigger miles for dopey it was in our cooler weather, you know, so it was great. Um, this was tough to hit some of those long weekends when it was still a hundred degrees or more outside or the humidity was ridiculous.

Speaker 1: 48:43

Yeah, this is what we have to remind ourselves of before we sign up for another fall race, but I'm sure all of us will do it again. But let's talk about that. Um, so you know that you're getting in your training. It is summer, it does. It does look a little different Now we're getting closer to the actual race. What are you both starting to get excited about for race day? If you're getting excited, or is it something else that you're starting to kind of feel, emotion wise, or what you're thinking of and I'm going to start with you, mandy so leading up to the race, maybe from peak week into taper town and into going into race day, how are you feeling? What are you thinking? What are you most excited about? What are you nervous about?

Speaker 6: 49:21

So really excited about being a single event one day of running, not multiple days, right.

Speaker 6: 49:26

One early day, one, you know, one build into. So the one event was really exciting. I had some additional challenges through training with with getting the lovely visit from osteoarthritis in my knee right. So I'm getting ready for that and just preparing to make sure I didn't overdo or underdo training. Wanted to be able to do my miles but also didn't want to to over exacerbate that knee so that I didn't overdo or underdo training. Wanted to be able to do my miles but also didn't want to over exacerbate that knee so that I couldn't complete the race. Those were things that were on my mind leading into Okay.

Speaker 1: 49:56

Does that add a layer of anxiety? Or do you feel more confident about it because you've cleared it with your ortho doctor? Or is there always that little niggling in the back of our brain Like is Arthur, is what you've named your knee? Is Arthur gonna behave himself, or were you feeling pretty confident regardless?

Speaker 6: 50:15

It made me nervous. The anxiety was absolutely there because it's not the final run in the season for me, right. So absolutely wanting to get to that finish line but not do more damage, and had, as you said, checked in with my orthopedist, right, Made sure I was in contact with him, made sure I wasn't doing anything that they would have said no to. I have a sports medicine chiropractor that I go to. He's lectured me about my frame and marathon running. So you know there was a little bit of a discussion there. Had making sure you have all the right gear. I had inquired with my orthopedist about an offloader to protect that joint through this season. He said he was going to look into it. I got a call after the race that said yes, before you run your next marathon, we've got it in November, let's get you in and get this offloader on you. When's your next one?

Speaker 1: 51:17

I'm like a little late. A little late, but it would help moving forward, I assume for you. Okay, how about you, michelle? Because you had your peak week and then you went into taper and at the same time I don't know if you feel comfortable sharing you're also kind of awaiting a new addition to the family. So there's a lot going on in your life this time of year. It's not just the race, but how did you feel in terms of going into the race week?

Speaker 5: 51:38

I had nothing but anxiety from the last long run all the way through to race day. It was no, never did I get that excitement feeling. It was nothing but anxiety and it just built and built and taper made it worse for me. I you know, I told you I would have things I would get I would focus on and do, but I couldn't even get my brain to focus and do any of my other hobbies. I was just so anxious.

Speaker 1: 52:13

Yeah, it definitely is tough. I don't think people realize how hard taper town can be, because what we're like every we start to question every single aspect, not just of our training, of what we're going to be wearing, what's the weather going to look like, did I prepare sufficiently? So it is one of those times where every single little doubt can be magnified. And would you feel comfortable walking me through, like some of the, maybe the thoughts that you're having that are causing you the most angst during that time?

Speaker 5: 52:48

It was just a back and forth Am I really ready? Did I do enough? Did I? Can I really do this? Is it going to happen? Oh my gosh, I can't believe I did this to myself. It was just a range of anxiety Any little thing from traveling by myself.

Speaker 5: 53:06

I don't normally travel by myself, so that added a new layer to it. Normally, when I travel, I have a family member with me. We're going for something for them, not for me. So this was totally different aspect of it. Is my daughter going to have the baby while I'm running the marathon? There was just so much anxiety. And to top it off, what?

Speaker 5: 53:30

A week and a half before the race, I ended up with my second stomach bug of the training cycle and so, yeah, it was really a tough two weeks and prior to training for the marathon, running for me was an escape. It was my emotion release. So being in taper and being so anxious and having so much other stuff besides just the lead up to the rate the marathon but family stuff going on left me so unable to process all those emotions because I couldn't go run, because I was in taper, and so it was very hard. Two weeks for me, um, actually I think we did almost three weeks of taper Um, but it was a very, very tough time for me mentally and emotionally to get me to race day.

Speaker 1: 54:24

Taper is hard. There is a reason why it has its own official taper, taper madness, taper crazies everybody kind of jokes about it, but it's realistic. I think that my first one I swore that I had broken something, I don't know what like I went to an emergency ortho walking clinic because I thought there's no way I'm able to do the race or whatever the case may be, and that's still something that I always worry about now a little bit, actually, true, because I have broken something before race. But yeah, that's really really normal and I think a lot of first time marathoners and even beyond, anytime you're doing something. That's really a big new challenge. I want to touch on that as well. But I want to get into taking us into race weekend. So we get into race week and you're traveling there by car, mandy, you're flying. Can we talk a little bit about how that may lead into challenges for the race, or was it relatively easy for both of you, or what you would suggest people take into consideration when traveling to a race, mandy?

Speaker 6: 55:29

I'm going to start with you, sure both of you, or what you would suggest people take into consideration when traveling to a race. For me, sure, with flying, my concern is and I always travel alone, michelle very rarely do I ever travel with somebody for an event. I call them my runcations. But for me it's not letting go of my running gear bag. I am glued to that and that creates anxiety for me. Right, you can have my suitcase with whatever I'm going to wear before the race, after the race travel, but my running gear bag is clutched in my hands and I almost hate putting it in the overhead bin because I can't let go of my gear. There's fear of losing that in travel. Outside of that, it's a fairly smooth process, so Okay, okay.

Speaker 1: 56:13

So we would suggest that, friends, whatever you need for you on your person that day, if you are flying, that it's always on your carry on, just like Mandy is suggesting here. And of course, there's always that runcation packing checklist that you guys are welcome to let me know if you need it. I'm happy to email it and send it your way. But what about you? Because, again, when I think of Michelle, you have fondly been coined as our official Girl Scout leader, because in every single training run that we tackled together, if we needed anything, we knew you would have it. How are you preparing for a road trip? Um, and did we add too much pressure at making you our official Girl Scout leader? Did you feel like you had to have extra stuff on hand?

Speaker 5: 56:55

No, pressure, but, um, for driving up. I almost feel like I would. Probably, if a race was in 12 hours of my house, I would drive again. Um, I was able to take everything I needed. Um, I planned for a kitchenette in my, for a hotel with kitchenette, um, so I was able to take my own food. I was able to take everything I needed, my. I didn't have to worry about packing with the limits of what I could take in my luggage. So all my recovery items that I needed and I knew I would want, I took. All my pre-race things that I knew I would want I took. So it took that level of stress away from me because I didn't have to pick and choose what I was going to take with me. I just took whatever I wanted.

Speaker 1: 57:44

Okay, yeah, I would agree. I, as someone who's both had to fly to places and or had this opportunity to drive to Savannah, it was so much more comforting to know that I didn't. I wasn't bound by weight or um the amount of luggage that I carried, but, yes, that's always an exciting thing. So we're going to make it all the way up to Savannah, we both. Mandy, you get there the day before the race, you get there, michelle, two days before the race. Tell me what's going on through both of your minds as we get into our actual race weekend festivities, because, michelle, you partook of the ShakeOut Run and Mandy, I think that you kind of came into Expo midday. So I'm going to start with you, michelle. How are you feeling going into the day before the marathon, which is the ShakeOut Run, the Expo it was only a one day Expo for friends that are listening in and all of those kind of festivities before the race day?

Speaker 5: 58:41

Well, my nerves tripled the moment I stepped out of my car in Savannah and so walking into Friday's shakeout run. I was so nervous and I was so cold. Coming from Florida to Savannah having a cold, I for us a cold snap Um, I was cold. I was already not eating. Well, the nerves were just doing a number on my stomach. So yeah, I was. The shakeout run did not shake anything out of me, nerve wise. I was still so nervous. I hit it well from everybody around. But I was still so nervous even after the shakeout run.

Speaker 1: 59:30

Did that make it worse? I'm serious now. Did you feel like having to hide the nerves because so many of us were there and we're talking about being excited and it being fun? Did you feel like almost kind of alone in that anxiety of intrepidation?

Speaker 5: 59:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, I didn't have like, I knew you, I knew Lynn, but everybody else I really had never met in person before. Yes, we chatted online here and there, um, I didn't really have anybody I was going to bounce all that off of. And, uh, again, I was alone. I didn't have my own personal support person with me, so I didn't have anybody to like, hey, can we go back to the room and let's get this off my mind, or let's go do something else Non-race related for a couple hours and try to get this out of my. You know, get this off my mind. Um, there was nothing if I wasn't with you guys. Get this off my mind. There was nothing If I wasn't with you guys. I was going to be by myself. And that was almost worse because then I sat there and dwelled on it and then it just built even more, because then I was like totally in my head At least when I was with everybody else, I had the distraction of whatever nonsense we're talking about.

Speaker 1: 1:00:50

I wasn't as nervous as I was with everybody else I had the distraction of whatever nonsense.

Speaker 5: 1:00:52

I was as nervous as I was.

Speaker 1: 1:00:53

Okay, Well, you did great, my friend. Um, you were wonderful at baking it. How about you, Mandy? Because you're meeting, you actually have a girlfriend with you at the race and you've got plans to go on a walking tour afterwards. Are you getting any kind of nervousness the day before?

Speaker 6: 1:01:10

You know, the day before I didn't, which was really strange, because I think it doesn't matter how many you run, what distances you run. I think every single event brings its own ball of nerves to it for one reason or another. Right and I, I guess, just having the distraction of everyone and having the sights to see. I didn't think much about it until later in the in the preparation process.

Speaker 1: 1:01:36

Interesting. How do you both feel like you did the night before the race and this is generally the night before the day before a race is pretty foundational to how we feel race day Likely, I'm just going to, I'm talking to people who are listening in. If you haven't done a marathon or any race, you're not going to sleep great the night before. But still trying to get in some restfulness is always helpful. Michelle, I'm hearing from you already Food's just not happening like food and it's just not. You're not able to.

Speaker 5: 1:02:08

No, I was living on pepto at that point um by the time friday night came around, I, it, my pepto was my only friend. Um, I tried to get my normal pre-long run meal down, which is a steak and a baked sweet potato. Um, I, it didn't happen. I got a little bit um, but no and I.

Speaker 5: 1:02:32

I found that I was also under hydrated because Friday we were at the expo and doing other things and I really didn't have my drink on hand like I should have the whole time. I mean, even the shakeout run. I probably should have had a drink with me, because then we got our packets picked up and our bibs picked up afterwards and we were longer than I should have been between drinking which I normally would have been the day before a long run.

Speaker 5: 1:03:04

I would have not been for a long run. I would have not been, you know, a couple hours without a drink in my hand, and I was, and um, so then, not eating properly. On top of it, the night before, well, I would say I hadn't eaten a solid meal since I left home on Thursday morning.

Speaker 1: 1:03:23

Yeah, I, I think that that's well, we know. Um, that's definitely what played into the race day that we're going to talk about a little bit. Mandy, tell me what you're feeling at the start line, Because at this point we've met up, we've taken some group photos, we've all kind of self seated. So in every women's marathon they had some pretty strong suggestions of what corral to go into according to your pace, but they didn't seat us, they didn't tell us specifically which corral we had to be in. So we all had kind of a communication about it. We kind of all went to our corrals. What are you thinking then? Because that's when you're again surrounded by everybody, you're about to partake in this 26.2 miles.

Speaker 6: 1:04:03

Everything I did wrong leading up to it, that's what hit my brain. Everything I did wrong leading up to it, that's what hit out on the curb to grab an Uber at five in the morning to get over to the race line in plenty of time. Right, get to Runner's Village, meet up with a group, say hello. We had joked on Thursday night with some friends. I had dinner with that. I've never met a stranger.

Speaker 6: 1:04:42

Friday morning I met a young lady sitting on the steps. She was running alone and met Eva and we started talking and struck up conversation and she was nervous. It was her first marathon since 2018. It was a return to running for her and for some reason in that conversation, everything hit me. Like Michelle said, friday was a complete disaster. I had a great breakfast Friday morning.

Speaker 6: 1:05:07

I had ice cream for lunch on Friday afternoon because we were at the expo and there weren't any food booths at the expo. There wasn't water to purchase at the expo, so, under hydrated, had ice cream for lunch because Leopold's is there in town and if you've never had Leopold's phenomenal ice cream there in town and if you've never had Leopold's phenomenal ice cream, not a good lunch the night before a marathon, spent more time walking around town because I was with friends instead of focusing on what I should have been focused on. And then dinner had planned on. Hey, I'm going to grab something on the way back to the hotel, because I know what I need some good protein, a good carb. Got back to the hotel and my friend says hey, we didn't stop and get you anything to eat, so I had leftover pizza that was in our fridge in the hotel, so completely got into the corral, knew what my race strategy was.

Speaker 6: 1:05:57

I always go into every race with three goals. Yeah, a, b and C goal. Yep, yeah, number three is always finish. If all else fails, it's to get across that finish line, not be swept. I knew that I had it in me to do a five and a half hour marathon. I knew it was there. Um, all, providing that Arthur was gonna complain. Ice for the day, right, okay, but six hours I would have been happy with. So, um, I got into that that five and a half six hour corral and went. Oh my gosh, I did nothing right leading up to this. This is going to be great.

Speaker 1: 1:06:31

Okay, can I just make this a teaching moment for all of us involved? So this is something I've done as well. I love runcations but, friends, whenever you are tackling a runcation it is a whole other barbecue, because you do have to take into consideration all these things where you still want to go see the city, especially if it's an exciting city, and I have made that mistake so many times. I can't even count in terms of spending. Actually just did it for Marine Corps. I think I clocked 22 miles a day before my race, so definitely knowing to set up our expectations.

Speaker 1: 1:07:03

For me, runcations are usually not a place that I will work towards a PR. It's usually about taking in and soaking in the experience. But I do understand that a lot of us and they are possible to PR with a traveling race just a little bit harder to do so because you have to kind of temper all those things. Okay, so we're thinking of all the things that we didn't do, right. I mean, for the record, I went down an adult slide the two nights before the race. Wouldn't necessarily suggest that, but didn't really lead into my anxiety at all that race course. But now I'm going to ask you, michelle, you are in what I assume I'm pretty sure is the biggest field of runners that you have been to at that point, because while you've done some local races, you also went into training during summer, where we don't have a lot of bigger races here in Florida because of the weather, so I'm thinking you're surrounded by probably the most amount of runners that you ever have been. What are the thoughts that you have at the start line?

Speaker 5: 1:07:56

I think I had my first moment of excitement while we were standing in that corral. It came with an oh my God, I can't really believe I'm here and I'm doing this, but I finally had a little bit of excitement in my gut. Well, at least, I hope it was excitement.

Speaker 1: 1:08:17

Did you have I'm going to follow up that so a little bit of excitement, do you? Were you proud of yourself at that point? Because the marathon is literally just the celebration of the hundreds of miles that you put in leading up to that. So with the excitement, is there a bit of pride as well?

Speaker 5: 1:08:34

I was in awe that I was standing there at the start of a marathon.

Speaker 1: 1:08:40

Would you be willing to share where, two or three years ago maybe, what your physical activity looked like or what you would have been doing on an average regular Saturday morning?

Speaker 5: 1:08:54

July of 2022, I stepped on a scale and weighed 302 pounds and realized that I didn't walk more than 2000 steps in a day and things had to change. And change. They did. Um, I. It was October of 2022. I decided that, after walking for I I took up walking. I immediately decided to build up to walking a mile a day. Um, I got to that mile a day and I added another mile, and I added another mile. In October, late October of 2022. I said I'm going to run. This is boring, walking is boring. I'm going to run. And when I and no lie when I first started, I started Jeffing and I couldn't even run 15 seconds. It was 15 seconds with like five minutes of walking afterwards. Yeah, and I built from there and I did a lot of it prior to dabbling with other coaches, I just used the um.

Speaker 5: 1:10:06

I had a Garmin and I had a Garmin and I used that AI generated Garmin coach thing and it helped me progress to the point where I could run and somewhere in that timeframe I decided I was going to run a marathon. Run a marathon.

Speaker 1: 1:10:25

So, at last count, you towed up the start line at least. Uh what, 150, 175 pounds less than you were just two years before.

Speaker 5: 1:10:37

Um 162 pounds down.

Speaker 1: 1:10:39

Okay, Um, congratulations, my friend. That's a huge all of its own.

Speaker 7: 1:10:44

And.

Speaker 1: 1:10:44

I want to also reiterate that it's not necessarily about size or weight, but it's about being your healthiest self, which is exactly what you focused on, cause I know that you changed so much of your life during that time. You went from being a bit more sedentary it sounds like I'm correct me if I'm wrong to being very physically active. It's a very big priority. So, between running and strength training, you also add in mobility and yoga, and you have added this extra facet to your life where I always hear you doing something. You're always kind of chasing after grandkids or being involved in different things, which I think is I feel like you added so much life and vibrancy to your everyday. Would you say that?

Speaker 5: 1:11:22

Well, that's the key. I became a part of my family's life again, instead of watching from the sidelines.

Speaker 1: 1:11:28

Oh, that is incredibly, incredibly powerful. So you got in the game.

Speaker 5: 1:11:33

Yep, I spent many years watching. I mean it didn't happen overnight, but I would say from the time my oldest granddaughter was born. By the time she was probably two, I was, and she's turning 10 at the end of this month. By the time she was two, I was probably too uncomfortable to do much of anything, and not just physically uncomfortable but uncomfortable in my skin as like, oh my gosh, people are looking at me. So it wasn't just a physical discomfort, it was a mental discomfort as well. But it just took me a little bit longer to get to the point where I had to say I've got to make this change or I'm not going to be here for these grandbabies when they're graduating high school and getting married and having their grandbabies, my great grandbabies.

Speaker 1: 1:12:25

Yeah, or potentially even be here, but not in the quality of life that you really are able to have now. So, again, I don't want to gloss over that. It's absolutely extraordinary in of itself and I'm going to suggest that maybe that had a little bit to do with you wanting to sign up for the marathon as kind of a celebration of how much you have changed and how much in your life you've you've actually focused towards doing things to help you feel your best. Um, so, with that said, you're in a corral, you're surrounded by runners, you're finally have a little glimmer, a little tiny spark of excitement.

Speaker 1: 1:13:02

I'm hoping that we can make sure that happens and you feel it again. Mandy. You are you again, haven't met a stranger. You've made some new friends, I know wherever you're at in your corral. Let's talk about when we start running how we're feeling and maybe when things start to take a turn. So, Mandy, how are you feeling, maybe in that first 10K or first 10 miles, or first 13 miles?

Speaker 6: 1:13:30

Well, I think what first pulled me out of it was getting to the start line. Um, I don't want to give a whole lot of shout out to it, but first marathon ever with a protest and having the protesters there on the and I kept staring at these signs going seriously really help me understand. And then it was time to go Right. So found distraction, found that shiny squirrel to to get me out of my head for a moment. Um, meeting Eva and and starting out in that first 10 K felt great. I felt good through mile 10. I think I made it to mile 10 before the knee started floating a little bit and I knew I pushed Eva to go on. I didn't want to slow her down. She was trying to get to a park to meet her husband and child, but it felt great through 10 miles and I kind of like the aspect of the course of passing other runners coming from the other direction. That was really neat to be able to cheer on folks that were ahead of you.

Speaker 1: 1:14:22

Yeah, I love that or behind you, depending on where you were on the course at that point. So, friends, this course had quite a bit of in and outs. Some folks like it, some people don't like it. It does make an efficient use of the space that you're given whenever you're trying to set up. 26 miles is a lot of miles, so I love that you had that opportunity. I think around that point is when I think you sent me a text that Arthur was kind of letting his presence be known. I think that's also like where we had traveled some cobblestone as well. So, yeah, absolutely that probably aggravated yeah it was, and it was pretty.

Speaker 1: 1:14:58

It was pretty cobbly, that cobblestone, as historic cities tend to have. Michelle had done quite a bit of preparation and she had let us all know that it wasn't going to be quite so shady throughout this entire course, which I think took a lot of folks for surprise. So, michelle, where are you feeling at 5k, 10k and 10 miles? Are you feeling pretty good? What's going through your mind during this time? Cause you again you kind of ran through the course through satellite imagery, so you had a better idea.

Speaker 5: 1:15:35

I feel like what most people weren't quite aware of the Girl Scout in me again. But I I felt really good through 5k and 10k. I even felt good through the half. I let me backtrack there. I said I felt good through the, through the 10k. I did feel really good through the 10k.

Speaker 5: 1:15:47

About mile seven I looked down for the first time really and looked at my pace and I was like, oh, why am I going so slow? Because I really wasn't going the pace I expected myself to be going. There was a lot more congestion than I I've experienced before only going to even that far into the race. There was a lot more congestion than I I've experienced before only going to even that far into the race. There was just so many people and on those out and backs I think it was on an out and back that I really realized that I, how slow I was going. We were passing an aid station and those those splits were very narrow but next to the aid stations, on each side of the outbacks they were, and I had just like practically ran into someone. I had everything I needed, so I didn't need to stop for that water. I didn't want it, I didn't need it. I had it in my vest and so I was on the outside lane trying to just go past and literally another runner just decided she was going from the outside to the inside to the aid station and she's like stopping to a walk while she's doing it and I had to grab her and kind of like push her to the side so I didn't fall into her to try to stop. Um, and I think that was kind of like a downfall for me. I really lost my rhythm in that moment and it really hit me when I I it gave me enough time to look at my pace. I had the pace bracelet on that. I was supposed that I was my focus, my goal, my a goal on my wrist. And I looked at my watch and I looked at that and I'm like, oh, what is going on? Why am I so? Why isn't this clicking for me today? So why isn't this clicking for me today? I soldiered on.

Speaker 5: 1:17:30

I wasn't feeling bad at that moment. I'm going to say it was cooler than I'm used to training in all summer, because I did train in the hotter Florida temperatures and it was cool. I was cold the whole race. I was cold. Looking back in the moment I couldn't have. I couldn't pinpoint it, but looking back I can tell you I did not drink enough, on course, the first part of the race. Um, because I was cool, I was already cold, I didn't feel like I needed it. Um, I wasn't sweating and I wasn't, you know, in my body just wasn't calling for it. But I should have been drinking it anyway. Um, I did eat a couple of my fuels on my schedule in that first bit, but I just wasn't taking in the fluids like I should have been. For me, it was about mile 12 when I really spiraled.

Speaker 1: 1:18:23

Okay, that seems to be where a lot of individuals have discussed where they started to struggle a little bit. So why do you feel? First of all, let's just definitely discuss the fact that you kind of you didn't kind of you went into this race with depleted glycogen stores. So the fact that you weren't able to keep food down over the days leading up to it is definitely part of why that wall may have kind of appeared a bit earlier on. But did you actually feel at my 12 that this is it, this is my wall? Or did you feel like, okay, I'm just going to, I'm going to be flexible, I'm just going to pull back and just keep moving forward and see how I feel?

Speaker 5: 1:19:06

I was at that at 12. I was I'm going to keep going, I can do this, I can, I've trained for this, I can do this. Um, I got about another mile, mile and a half, and I was so not with it. I was really starting to fail. I called my mom. I needed somebody to tell me that I was okay and that I could do this. My husband's not a huge cheerleader. He would have done his best. He did do his best. I called him too. He did do his best. But he's not a huge cheerleader, he's more of a hey, you tried. If you quit, you quit, it's all good.

Speaker 1: 1:19:45

See, this is where, when we have our loved ones, they don't want to hear us in pain and they don't want to hear us uncomfortable. So that is their version of support is to say you don't have to keep pushing into this discomfort. So I completely understand that that is his support. It's just not the support that you necessarily need.

Speaker 5: 1:20:03

I want it. It's not what I need. My mother, my mother told me, and she told me it didn't matter what my time was, just keep going, but that I knew my body best and if I couldn't keep going, no one was going to be upset if I didn't finish. But I would have been upset, yeah, yeah, okay. So at that moment I was sobbing. When I got off the phone with her, I thought I was going to. I didn't think I was going to put another foot in front of another and keep going. A random stranger watching the race opened her arms up and gave me a hug and told me I could keep going. And she got me. That, got me. That got me a little bit further.

Speaker 1: 1:20:44

Okay, okay. So we're talking about now. We're like at the half marathon, point um, after that, mile 12, and then you are rocking and rolling, mandy. You've decided you're going to kind of listen to Arthur, you're going to just enjoy yourself. You're moving forward, I assume, and then did you. What happened next for you?

Speaker 6: 1:21:04

Yeah. So I was cruising along having fun. Um, I had enjoyed, like I said, seeing everybody on the other side of the course. Right Saw you and Ashley, saw her rocking her PR had passed Michelle and Len several times and had commented to myself, as I had seen the two of them pass. I'm like, wow, michelle looks so amazing, after being this timid, concerned, very nervous the night before, to smiling and seemed to be having a really great time on the course, made it to 13. I was so happy. I'm like woohoo.

Speaker 6: 1:21:36

At that point in time I may have told myself I've made it to 13. I can find a party bus and just call it at any point in time. After this right Newsflash, there are no party buses along this course, so I had to keep moving forward as I got to 15, that's where I found Michelle on the side of the course and she didn't look great, and I love to be a cheerleader. I think it's a blast to really help somebody accomplish something that they really want to do. You've been there for me doing that. My friend Kristen has been there. I've always had lots of folks pushing me along and I was fairly confident that Michelle had made some simple mistakes that we all make fuel and hydration.

Speaker 1: 1:22:21

Yep Right.

Speaker 6: 1:22:22

Fuel and hydration, and when you get behind on those two, then the brain kicks in and the brain tells us you're not going another step, whether or not your body can, and your body always can. So I started talking to Michelle and she was just saying see you later to somebody else that had stopped and kind of been along with her, and I had turned around because she kept saying I just can't, I can't. So I turned around and I was going backwards. I said do me a favor, stand up and take a step forward me, forward towards me. And when she did, I'm like you've got it in, you Come on, we're going to keep going. And so we kind of joined up at that point in time and and I decided that we were just going to stick together and see how far we could make it.

Speaker 1: 1:23:02

Oh, I love this. Okay, so what's going through your mind, michelle, as Mandy appears and you're like I don't want to take another step forward, is what I'm thinking, I would be thinking.

Speaker 5: 1:23:10

Actually, at first I was like, oh, how did you get here? Okay, I really I really had no idea how she got there at that moment because I was like when we, when I had seen her and a couple of the out and backs they confused me so much how the out and backs were I thought she was way in front of me because I had gotten turned around on where people were and so in my mind I'm like how did you get back here? So it was very confusing for a minute and I just was not making clear connections in my brain at that moment. That's okay.

Speaker 1: 1:23:49

None of us were, but that's because you didn't have that glycogen. That's okay, we got you, girl.

Speaker 5: 1:23:54

I was so depleted at that moment that I really wasn't making clear decision-making processes. I was so relieved to see a face I knew Okay, because, yes, there were so many strangers that gave me a pat on the back, that stopped for a minute to make sure I was okay, that gave me words of encouragement. But to see a face you knew, even if you only knew them briefly the day before meeting them in person for the first time, it was a face I knew and that made a total difference for me. And, yeah, she told me to just take another step. And every time I started to falter she'd nope, you can make another step forward. Forward is a pace.

Speaker 5: 1:24:41

And we kept moving forward under her motivation. And she got me back drinking and taking fuel in, even when I told her I couldn't chew another bite of those oat bars I was relying on as my real food fuel. Um, you know she didn't trust me drinking out of my, my vest. So we had to start using the uh water aid stations because she wanted to see that I was actually drinking the water and not just saying that I was. So I was the second half. I was after that 15 mile mark. I was definitely taking in more hydration than I had the first 15.

Speaker 1: 1:25:23

So I don't know that you know this, michelle, but Mandy's first appearance on this podcast was for Mother's Day, and I'm hearing some mama bear energy coming from her in this conversation. Is that about right? Wrong with tapping?

Speaker 6: 1:25:35

out when you know your body has met. You know, kipchoge dropped out of the 2024 Olympics at kilometer 30. Right, we're talking about Kipchoge, so we're kilometers, not miles. So right, you know, at mile, kilometer 30, he quit, 12 more to go. A world class athlete knew that. It just wasn't his moment. So if they can drop out and still survive and still run again, then somebody like you and I can call it at any point in time and we shouldn't feel bad about it. But I knew from talking to Michelle she wasn't ready to quit, that we just needed to get back on track. So, yeah, unfortunately I did go. Mama bear honor, it was when was the last time you took a drink? I just drank something. No, you didn't take a drink. So she'd take a drink. Well, what did you just drink? Well, that was my water. Great, now chase it with some electrolytes. Great, now chase that with some water. And we'll keep moving forward. So it was a mama bear moment it was.

Speaker 1: 1:26:37

I think there was a couple of mama bear moments, but we'll talk a little bit more about that as well, so you guys have decided at this point forward is a pace. What does that mean, though? Are you walking, are you skipping, are you jogging, are you run walking? Tell us about how at this point, because while forward is a pace is one of my favorite sayings, and it's a little esoteric, though. What was the actual strategy that put one foot in front of another for you guys to make it from 15 to 26? That's 11 whole miles.

Speaker 6: 1:27:09

That's a lot of miles to go, so what'd you guys do?

Speaker 1: 1:27:11

I might have lied a little bit, um, because adults have to lie in the grown-up world. A little liar, liar. They're going on, okay, what did you lie about?

Speaker 6: 1:27:19

so we were at mile 15 and so we were still in the double digits to go and I might have said a couple times we are in the single digits, we've got this. Um, I did confess to that and and admit that you know, we were at 10. Okay, and that's when I knew Michelle was coming back around, cause when I said we've got 10 miles to go, she's like wait a minute, that's not single digits. Hallelujah, we've got some food going, we've got some hydration going. We're thinking clearly again. So now I have to change my lie. Okay, you've got to be better at lying at this point. Okay, right, got to change up the story that we're telling to keep us distracted.

Speaker 6: 1:27:56

No, michelle was rocking it. We walked for a little bit to start getting her back on track. But then I let her start calling it. You know, I think I suggested the first let's just jog for 15 seconds and see what happens. So, first couple of intervals I was just counting this down to 15. And I may have been very slow in that countdown from 15, but then we'd walk a little bit and then Michelle started calling it we're going to go from that tree to that tree. Fantastic, let's do it. So she never gave up. It was never a, that's it, we're just walking it. So she never gave up. It was never a, that's it, we're just walking. It came down to skipping a few intervals, but there was that, that drive to just to continue to push forward. So we, we still were doing run walk.

Speaker 1: 1:28:35

Okay, this so amazing in terms of now, Michelle, you talked a little bit. You reflected on how the run walk actually was helpful for you. Um, that at first you didn't think you would want to get back into the running, but then you felt like it was a little less uncomfortable because you had trained to be able to continue moving forward with running and walking. So tell me a little bit about that.

Speaker 5: 1:28:57

I was definitely more prepared to do more running than walking because all my intervals I had never walked more than 30 seconds at a time, no matter what we were doing in the training. So when I had resorted to walking, my the muscles that power your walk hurt so much more. So when Mandy did get us going and she did get us running again, and that I think it was probably the second interval in, I looked at her and I'm like this doesn't hurt as bad and it really was a relief to me to get that pain of that was coming from the walking relieved by running again. But had I been by myself I wouldn't have had the courage to try because I felt so defeated in that moment. But because Mandy was there, come on, 15 seconds, we can do this, you've got this. It gave me. Okay, I'll do this with Mandy, because Mandy's here and we can do this. She's telling me I can do this because at that moment I'm going to not going to lie.

Speaker 5: 1:30:06

All the mantras that I had repeated to myself on long runs, all the things I had told myself to that point, they were gone when your brain, when when the lack of fuel and hydration has your brain just kind of skipping out on you. There's nothing that you've told yourself in training that is going to come back into your brain. Right, it really. I mean, and it took a while, like Mandy said, until my brain turned back on.

Speaker 5: 1:30:36

After I had she had talked me into getting more, she was like, come on some fuel. And I was like, oh, I have a gel with caffeine, I'll take that Because I just couldn't think about chewing actual food at that moment, that because I just couldn't think about chewing actual food at that moment. And so I did the caffeine gel and she kept getting me to get hydrated more, and as that came back on board a little bit and perked me back up a little bit and I could think again, then I was like, oh, you know what? I even remember telling some other people around us we can do this, we can finish.

Speaker 1: 1:31:08

So you went, basically you went into self-preservation mode, is what happened. And then we were finally able to get back into having your having a bit of glycogen, having a bit of fuel, having a bit of hydration. You were able to kind of again think clearly, which is what Mandy was trying to tell you all along, which I love, because Mandy was like we can't let go of this finish line because then you're going to be so disappointed. So I'm glad you guys were able to do that. Now, where did you guys pick up a friend? Because I feel like by the time you made it to where I saw you guys, I was near the finish line waiting for you. I see you guys coming up with a friend. So where?

Speaker 5: 1:31:42

did? We had picked up a few. Okay, and he was the master motivatorator and there were quite a few ladies that had said we're just going to stay within mandy's voice and because they liked what she was saying, they were finding encouragement in their own struggles with what she was telling me, and, um, so we had picked up a few. We had quite a few ladies that were leapfrogging us back and forth. Um, I don't know, mandy, what mile we picked farah up at.

Speaker 1: 1:32:10

I want to say it was around 23, 24, 18 oh wow, yeah so she's basically like the tres amigos there, because if you guys have her from 18 all the way to 26, you guys were together forever.

Speaker 6: 1:32:26

Yes, yeah she, she had joined us about mile 18 and was kind of in our periphery for a bit, right From 18 to probably 20 or 21. And then she's like I'm sticking with you guys because you've got me going, and I was laughing because I was just rambling stuff. I didn't realize who was paying attention to me, right.

Speaker 1: 1:32:48

Right, so all you had was ice cream in your system.

Speaker 6: 1:32:51

At that point, my friend, but it was really good peppermint ice cream, yeah. So I, you know I was just rambling things to keep Michelle motivated, because I had heard the I want to quit and I kept saying I promise you, if you quit in this moment, the pain of quitting will last you so much longer than the discomfort of making it to the finish line. We've got this and we had run into. I love that this race had the first time marathoner plaques that people could put on their backs, so we'd come into a first group and I'd be like, hey ladies, like where's the excitement of the finish line? Right, it's so quiet. Come on, you are. You've never been closer today, except for that time they had us run by the finish line.

Speaker 1: 1:33:38

That's around mile 15. That's probably what really hit you hard, michelle, but we'll talk a little bit about that too. Okay, so you're kind of somewhere. Somehow it just became more natural for you to use that pup from your peppermint ice cream to kind of impart it upon everyone else, and so that's where you picked up your friends and your circle, Okay, yeah. So now I'm going to ask you guys I mean, I promise I'm bringing it to an end, even though I'm obviously fascinated, we could talk about this all day long what was your favorite moment of the race for each of you? And I am going to ask Mandy for you to answer that first. And, michelle, I'm going to let you noodle on it. So, mandy, what was your favorite moment of the race for you, or the race day in general?

Speaker 6: 1:34:22

I need three and I'll make them quick, I promise. Okay, have you know? A lot of people were really frustrated with running by the finish line in the middle of the race. Always being a runner working some events but being like mid-race, I never get to see that finishing runner come in. That first runner and I had the excitement of, as we were coming by the finish line, the lead runner was coming in. So seeing the pace car come in, seeing the lead bikes come in them, announcing we were turning to two-way traffic, to see this amazing athletic person running at me was really cool. That motivated me to kind of keep going for a little bit.

Speaker 1: 1:35:00

Yeah, I do love seeing that as well.

Speaker 5: 1:35:02

Okay, so that was really cool.

Speaker 1: 1:35:04

That's a core memory. What other? You had three. What are the other two?

Speaker 6: 1:35:08

We hit mile 25 and Michelle was definitely wanting to end the day and we linked up arms. I grabbed her by arm and I said that's it. We are going, we are doing this step-by-step and we're not stopping. And somebody on the sideline it's going to make me tear up. Somebody on the sideline started screaming that's it, that's what this weekend is about Women helping women and it just it was. That's what the weekend had become. You know, we are stronger together as a human race. We are stronger together and we live in a world that is so judgmental and so divisive that having somebody saying that's what this was about was that final drive of we've got this um and in the, the last one. That really gets to me.

Speaker 6: 1:35:55

As I was looking at pictures from, as we entered the finish line, shoot, um, I had turned to michelle and they captured it. I turned to her and I said this is it? It? That's really the finish line. It's not a lie. This time, that balloon is really it. And Michelle, with somewhat of a grin on her face, said I'm a marathoner, I've done this, and I think that just that made the entire weekend for me. It could have taken us 10 hours, but seeing the accomplishment on her face made every bit of what we went through absolutely worth it, and I could not have been more proud of her in that moment oh, my god.

Speaker 1: 1:36:36

Okay, I'm gonna take a moment. Michelle, you're welcome to have three as well, but what was your takeaway or your favorite moment of that race day? Um?

Speaker 5: 1:36:50

never having done it before, seeing and never being in a race like that, where people were on the sidelines cheering for people, that was such a vibe. Yeah, um, that was. That was something. That was just some. I've never experienced that before. So that was just to see all those different people that you know. We didn't know they, some of them probably didn't even have people in the race, they were just from the neighborhoods in that we were running through out there supporting the runners. Even just I remember there as we were coming into mile 25. Even just I remember there were, as we were coming into mile 25, there was a guy standing on his like balcony that overlooked the road and he's telling people telling us as we came under, you're at 25, you're at 25, why that stuck out. I have no idea, um, and another one would probably be right, as we were outside the coming into the finish line. Um, it wasn't a conscious choice.

Speaker 5: 1:37:51

My body was telling me you were done um and I started to go down and that was when mandy actually physically grabbed me up before I could hit the ground and said no, we're gonna finish, um. And I think shortly, just right after that, you had come out and we were that close, um, and you had come out to see us and Farrah had one arm on the other side. She was just as drained out as I was. I think I was holding her up as much as she was holding me up at that point, but Mandy was getting us both to that finish line, no matter what, um, and I'll forever be thankful for that moment because she did not let me hit that ground when my body was being done.

Speaker 1: 1:38:36

Um well, I am going to give Mandy so much kudos. Thank you so much for making sure that she did make it safely that finish line. But, michelle, don't take away from the fact that you, at every single moment, chose to continue moving forward. That pace is something that you chose and, yes, mandy, we appreciate so much how you helped Friends. I'm telling you guys, the seeing this in person is by far one of the most incredible memories that I will ever have, and I remember seeing you guys out there, and I made a very conscious decision. I did not want to be part of this trio of badasses that I saw crossing that finish line, because you guys did it all Like. You worked so hard for that, so it was so beautiful to see it from the sidelines as a spectator.

Speaker 1: 1:39:18

I want to congratulate you both, and I need to just finish this up with one final question what's next? I know, mandy, you're doing Dopey, and I think that Arthur and you have a really long conversation as to how you guys are going to decide to move forward in your lives together, but I'm curious how what you are thinking is next for you. And then I want to also hear from Michelle. I know you have Shamrock, but what's next for you, both in terms of what you want or how you want to continue moving in this running journey of yours?

Speaker 6: 1:39:50

Dopey's definitely next. And, honestly, I still have it in my heart that I want to PR and I know it's really hard to PR at Disney events specifically right, but I'm absolutely still want to push for that PR. And then it's going to be some break time Got to give your body grace, got to give yourself grace to go through what you need to go through. And there's some treatments I need to do for my knees to to get them back in perfect shape or as close to better shape than they're in today. So I think I'm going to focus on some half series next year, okay, that's lovely.

Speaker 1: 1:40:24

Um, I'm so down with that. That sounds exciting. How about you, Michelle? What's next for you?

Speaker 5: 1:40:30

Well, we are what? 15 weeks out from Shamrock, which I've made a little more challenging because I'm doing the 8K the day before with my she'll be 10 then granddaughter is going to be running that with me, so that will add a little bit of a challenge to that marathon weekend for me. So that will add a little bit of a challenge to that marathon weekend for me, and between now and then I'd like to add in a couple more halves and then after that, after Shamrock, I really don't know what's next. I don't think I'm done. I don't think I'll be done after Shamrock, but I don't know what will come next. Probably some rest, probably a longer downtime, um than between every woman's and shamrock, um, and regroup and figure out what race is next. And a lot of local five Ks, because both, all, all three grandkids, from the four-year-old to the 14-year-old, enjoy running those with me.

Speaker 1: 1:41:28

Super exciting. My friends, I want to thank you both so very much just for giving us that beautiful reminder of running being so much more than the miles that we train with or that we cross the finish lines. Actually, you showed us that it's much more than shiny medals at the end, but it's truly about connections and community. So thank you both so much.

Speaker 5: 1:41:50

Thanks guys, thank you for having us.

Speaker 1: 1:41:52

Now let's meet two more extraordinary athletes, lynn Kenny and Ashley Lucas, and of course, neither of them are strangers to the podcast. Lynn and Ashley both had strong training cycles leading into every women's marathon, but their race experiences were a little different leading into every women's marathon, but their race day experiences were a little different. So Ashley celebrated a massive 43-minute personal record on the course, and Lynn faced a few challenges, with cramping that pushed her back, but that didn't shake her determination. She still crossed that finish line looking strong. Their stories remind us that every marathon's a journey and what happens after the race recovery and, of course, some of those post-marathon blues is just as important that we address it as a race itself. But before we dive in, welcome ladies, so excited to have you both here.

Speaker 7: 1:42:37

Good morning, enjoying the cooler weather down in Florida right now.

Speaker 1: 1:42:41

It is quite nice. How about you, Ashley? How you doing? I know?

Speaker 4: 1:42:44

we're good, except I'm in Pennsylvania and it is a near 35 degrees outside and we're snowing yesterday I have a space here on and it's 65 degrees I think, but I don't know.

Speaker 1: 1:42:56

But it is what it is. Okay. Before we dive into like the race and post race experiences that we both that all three of us have had, I want to ask you guys, if you had to choose one word to describe how you felt when you crossed the finish line, what would it be and why? And I'm going to start with you, Lynn, Just one word Disappointed. Okay, really, that was the first word that you felt. Yeah, okay, I want to know. So tell the podcast listeners why.

Speaker 7: 1:43:33

Well, because you know, like you said, my training cycle had been really strong. All of my long training runs had gone really well. I had had some foot issues but had some medications that made that a lot better and I was just feeling very good and, um, anyway. So, yeah, some cramping in the middle of the race caused me to not be able to get my P. I was only about four minutes, four or five minutes shy of my PR. Um, so it was just, which was my C goal, by the way.

Speaker 1: 1:44:06

Yeah.

Speaker 7: 1:44:07

I had like an A, b, c was. I still thought I for sure I would be able to PR, and it's just frustrating, you know. So it was disappointing when you work that hard and then aren't able to meet a goal.

Speaker 1: 1:44:17

So I do want to dive into that a bit fully, a bit deeper, but I'm going to first ask Ashley what word did comes to mind when you cross the finish line?

Speaker 4: 1:44:29

I really think, um the word that comes to mind is I mean, I can relate to lens is disappointed, um, but very humble. It was probably one of my favorite finish lines um. To cross with the amount of support, um, and having the opportunity to run and, like, be in that atmosphere that's very empowering to women was kind of it was. It was an experience that I don't think any other race could give. So definitely very humble that I was even able to be there, let alone cross the finish line with a bunch of other women.

Speaker 1: 1:45:04

I think that's super powerful. I want to touch on that humble, because when I think of humble or humility, kind of something that comes to mind with both of you, what makes you guys in this specific marathon very unique is that this was your first time doing a standalone marathon, and by that I mean 26.2 miles is a huge, Herculean effort that can be quite humbling for a lot of folks, but this is the first time that you guys well, not you have tackled a marathon on your own before, ashley, but I feel like usually you've done Dopey and I know for you, lynn, you've done Ironman. How did this feel a little different for you in your training and the race itself? And I'm going to start with you this time, ashley and the race itself.

Speaker 4: 1:45:48

And I'm going to start with you this time, ashley. So obviously I have done the Walt Disney World Marathon by itself before. I do not count that one as a marathon in the back of my mind because I definitely was very upset and heartbroken about not getting into Dopey, but was able to secure the marathon and I did not have a great training cycle. Um wasn't working with a coach at the time, was just kind of doing whatever Um it, it just wasn't a great race. So I just it. I yes, I finished it, I did it.

Speaker 4: 1:46:20

The metal was on my wall, but it it wasn't. It wasn't a training cycle at all. Um, so really this was my first training cycle of doing just a single race and a weekend of 26.2. And it was very different. I almost feel like I was I was talking to Cole and I feel like it was more challenging for me to do the single race, to not have the like back-to-back days of running and trying to prepare for the multiple events throughout a weekend or whatnot. So I almost feel like I struggled with it a little bit more than I did when I was training for Dopey or any other race weekend that I've done.

Speaker 1: 1:46:59

Yeah, and I think a lot of that's because training and the goal were very different. Where those were, let's just feel good and enjoy the journey and, of course, stay injury free. This one was specifically with a target of let's see how much of an improvement we can make, which does have a little bit more of difficulty attached to it. So I want to I want to definitely touch on that again. I'm going to bring it back to Lynn, since you talked about that A, b and C goal, specifically with the fact that this was your first standalone marathon and why we had those ABC goals, because this is officially the first time you've done 26.2 all on its own, correct, correct. So how was this a little different for you, specifically since you are a multi-sport athlete?

Speaker 7: 1:47:41

Yeah, I think one is obviously a lot more time on my feet running with the multi-sport. You do a lot more cross training obviously. So my previous like with the iron man, the furthest I had run is 15 miles prior to the race day on at one time. So it's just. It's just different to have that much time on your feet. It was a little more similar, I think, to dopey training, because you do have a lot. You know, I did have the 20 milers and all of that for dopey training as well. So but I agree with Ashley, it's just like the one day and all of the, it's like, oh, okay, I can get a good night's sleep and get up and go run the race. But it's very and I think also led to some of the disappointment piece because it's just one. You know there's this one goal and you've worked really hard for this one specific thing. So, like with Dopey, it wasn't about trying to do a time, it was just going and having fun and enjoying the experience.

Speaker 7: 1:48:49

So, yeah, Depending on what you're, so I you know yeah learning how to carefully set your goals, I think for the race, so that you have some options that maybe would help with some of the disappointment piece of either of you into this conversation.

Speaker 1: 1:49:20

Did you at all think this would be easier because it wasn't a multi-sport, multi-event or a multi-day event? So you kind of went into it thinking this is going to be a little bit easier. I've got this in the bag. Was there any of that going through your mind? Not for me, okay. Not for you, okay. So you knew it was going to be a hard push. How about for you, ashley?

Speaker 4: 1:49:46

I think it kind of was because I was very similar or very used to traveling before race, very used to being not at home for a race and just having a single day. I think I almost felt like it was going to be a lot easier for me. Um, I wasn't going into it tired or free races or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 1:50:04

Got it Okay. So you were going to say something else, lynn. I heard you kind of saying well, I was thinking too.

Speaker 7: 1:50:10

I think part of the reason, too, I did not feel like it was going to be easier for me was because I knew I was going to be pushing with the multi-sport and with the multi-day. There's no intention of me pushing. It's taking everything super easy because of what you're doing, and this one I was going to be pushing. So I knew there was going to be a push, so I felt like it would be hard.

Speaker 1: 1:50:32

Yeah, I want to talk about that because I think that there is a really big difference between push pacing and racing and then just enjoying especially like people ask me often how I do as many races as I do because a lot of them are just easy paced conversation where I'm just enjoying myself out there. Easy paced conversation where I'm just enjoying myself out there. Racing is a whole other thing. So I'm hearing you say, lynn, that you went into this with the mentality of you knew it was going to be a full on race. We did have. We also knew that you had a race a couple of weeks after every woman's marathon. But when we saw the weather, we saw how your training had gone, we decided to prioritize your goals for this marathon. Um, so I I can definitely understand where there was that, that thought process for sure. Actually, I get what you're saying too. Like for you it just feels like I mean, have you ever actually done a hometown? You've never done a hometown half marathon right.

Speaker 4: 1:51:33

Yeah, yeah, that's the the longest distance um hometown half and hometown 10 miler.

Speaker 1: 1:51:46

So for you. A majority of your races have been travel races, so for you.

Speaker 1: 1:51:49

I probably did feel like, okay, this should be like I know what I need to do in terms of travel, because traveling for races can be really hard as well. So I'm going to ask you guys if you're willing to share, like, what were your goals heading into this race when you first signed up, and then how did that change throughout your training and then going into the race? So I'm going to start with you, lynn, so first signing up your training and then going into it.

Speaker 7: 1:52:14

Well, first signing up it was my goal race is actually the half marathon that's coming up, and when we looked at the data, we found that my best half marathons were typically following either a half Ironman or a marathon or something longer. So this was really a train designed initially for a training race for my goal race, which was the half marathon. So that was what led me to sign up for it. So that was the initial thought process. Plus, I really wanted to do it because it was the whole every woman's marathon thing. So it's very cool.

Speaker 1: 1:52:51

Yeah, we. I think we said often that Lynn was the reason we had signed up for it, because you kind of you definitely, and I think I even sent you a message where I wanted to express appreciation and gratitude that you were talking up this Every Woman's Marathon quite as much as you did, because I hate summer marathon training I mean, I don't use the word hate frequently, but I definitely do for endurance, but you were the catalyst. So, okay, so that was your goal originally. And then is that how we kind of kept the focus throughout the training and it wasn't until we saw the weather and we know that space coast has been plagued with hotter weather recently. Is that kind of where it changed a bit for you? Or did you feel confident at some point where you're like, man, I'm really crushing all these long runs. I want to see what I can do at this marathon.

Speaker 7: 1:53:40

Yeah, I think a little of both. I think that you know watching the weather, but I think that was also always something we had kept our eye on throughout. We're going to kind of content, you know, based on how the training is going and what the weather is looking like, for the different races depend on which ones I raced and which like which one is my A race and which one is my B race, kind of a thing.

Speaker 1: 1:54:03

Okay, how about you, miss Ashley? How did it feel like when you first signed up, versus like in your training, and then, leading up to race day, going into race day?

Speaker 4: 1:54:15

So I definitely um signed up because you know Lynn was putting it out in the group of hey, I'm doing this. And then you were like, oh, I'm going to sign up. And I was like, well, okay, um, cause, it was one of my opinion, it's one of the cheaper marathons out there. You know, it was really awesome to have a race of that distance and capacity.

Speaker 4: 1:54:37

That wasn't like $500 to get down there and I mean, travel was easy. So I really think I was just okay, everybody else is going to do it, let's just do a marathon, let's have fun with it. I knew prior to that that I was going to start tackling six stars, um, as I'm able to get in them, and I was like, well, why not? I mean, if worst case, it's kind of a shakeout run after Chicago or New York, if I get into one of those and, uh, didn't work out that way, so definitely kind of just started as okay, everybody's going down. I love traveling with the league and it's always a great time, so it's like I know there's going to be support out there if I need something. Um, so that was really the deciding factor of registering.

Speaker 1: 1:55:24

Okay, I'm gonna follow that up a little bit with. Yes, I think a healthy peer pressure is always good. I love that aspect of the racing community and the running community, um, and the community that we have with the league as well. So I do feel like it's a little bit of like well, if your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to, especially if it involves a medal and time together? Yeah, generally, probably we will, but I'm curious. We talked about our training being a little different for both of you from your multi-stage or multi-sport events. What were your biggest takeaways from your training leading up to this race? I'm going to start with. Who did I start with last time? Yeah, go with Ashley. Ashley. What was your biggest takeaway from training during this race?

Speaker 4: 1:56:12

I really think I learned a lot during this training cycle About myself, about my training, Obviously the distance was nothing new to me, but it was the first time being in our house doing a training cycle.

Speaker 4: 1:56:28

So trying to figure out OK, I have a trail right here but it's not the best trail to run on, so how do I want to do this? Like trying to decide that. But then I also learned a lot in feeling. I tried they had mortal hydration on the course and that was the first time I'd ever heard of it, quite honestly. So I tried a lot more of that and really found that I loved the mortal hydration salty. It was exactly what I needed to get through some of those long runs and feel good about it. Um. So trying different fuels from hydration and like actual nutrition, um, was really probably one of my biggest takeaways from this was is trying those different things, seeing what, okay, this worked for me before, but it's not really doing the trick now. So what do I need to do to change that? So it definitely looked a lot different from that standpoint because it was trying a lot more stuff.

Speaker 1: 1:57:25

I think that's so powerful I've talked about it before, I'm going to drive that point home, so I'm so glad that you mentioned it that we suffer both from palate fatigue and our bodies change from training cycle, training cycle as to what they need. Even the climate, the weather, so many of those different things can impact us. So not being married to just a one specific way of hydrating or fueling, especially if it's no longer working for you, but, lynn, how about you? What did you learn? If anything? What were your biggest takeaways from training for this race?

Speaker 7: 1:57:54

I would say two, two, well, two things. One is that, um, the strength training, you know, I think, is super important. I was much better than I've ever been with the strength training um which, as, as you know, older over 50 women that we, you know we need to do some of that strength training fun. It's not my favorite but I, you know, got really consistent with it and did a lot better with the strength training um, and I think that was the biggest one. Like Ashley, I did try some new things. Um, I do like to train with whatever's going to be on course, whoever's putting on the race. So that's typically what I do, because then you don't have to carry quite as much. So I agree with that. You know, I'm fortunate that my stomach tolerates most things. So, um, yeah, that. So those are the two things that I learned, or did.

Speaker 1: 1:58:53

I want to give you guys both kudos real quick. Lynn, you touched on it. You both absolutely crushed your strength trainings cycle, along with your neither of you like balked at it. Both of you showed up for your strength training and I know that both of you were challenged a bit out of your usual comfort zones with strength training during endurance training. So absolutely want to give you guys a big shout out on that Cause I think that that's where a lot of endurance athletes will start to fall off of, especially when the mileage gets a little bit heavier. I want to ask you guys I want to touch on the mental aspect, because of course, we're talking about how there was a bit of disappointment. There is also like what's next? Feeling, but before we get into that, I want to talk more about the race weekend, specifically from the opinion of you two. So how did you guys feel about this being a women's focused event specifically and I'm going to start with you this time, lynn, because we started with Ashley last- yeah, I really enjoyed that.

Speaker 7: 1:59:51

I just it was so nice. It was so nice um, not, and to me, um, we were actually talking about this last night. We were having a, a group party and talking about some different things and, um, I talked about the not only that it was a woman focus, but the diversity of it. It was just so nice to see just all this diverse sea of women just supporting each other and not caring about you know who's what color or anything like that. It was just everybody was embracing everybody. It was so nice to see and I just I love that.

Speaker 1: 2:00:29

Yeah, I think it was very powerful. I think it was inclusive in every shape. I mean, it was like shape, race, culture, background and pace, which is something that we're starting to see more race directors pay attention to, so that's always a really good one. How about you, Ashley? How did or did the energy of it being a women's focused event kind of make it different for you?

Speaker 4: 2:00:50

Yeah, no, I think I have to agree with both of you. It was really nice seeing the diversity. I mean, in the world that we live in there's so many questions, so it was really nice just to see everybody getting along. Nobody judged one another. You know there was constant on the course of like you got this, or this is my first marathon, like. It was so empowering to see that many people tackling that. Um. And when they had the the name badge wall in the Mount of purple for the first marathon was incredible. Um, and when they had the the name badge wall in the amount of purple for the first marathon was incredible, which I think is is fabulous because it did have a longer race cut off time, so it allowed more people to tackle it and see what they're capable of. A lot of people found out that they can do really hard freaking things, um. So it was really great. And I also have to call out too yes, it was every women's marathon, but the amount of men that I saw on the course was fabulous as well.

Speaker 4: 2:01:44

There were, there were few and far between, but there were so many out there supporting Um and and I mean I ran with you um, coach Christine, but there was a guy running alongside his girlfriend for probably I bet you four miles and he was a spectator, running in spectator clothes just to keep her going. Yeah, and like it shows the amount of support that these women had on that course. It was incredible. You know, you don't always see that like you go to the world majors and you like the spotlight is on all the elites, but I think this one turned the spotlight to the other normal people.

Speaker 1: 2:02:23

You are so like. You nailed it. I think the fact that it's every woman's marathon it was not just it's the elite field, and then you regular, ordinary folks get to run after the elite do it was really a highlight and a focus of making each woman feel very special. But I love how you guys were talking. I wasn't going to talk about that the support system but since you mentioned it, let's touch about it, because I think all three of us are quite fortunate that we have really good support systems. How do you feel like that plays into your training and leading into these race weekends or these big endeavors?

Speaker 1: 2:02:58

And I'm going to let you guys decide who wants to take that one first. And the reason why I'm going to let you guys decide is I'm going to. I'm going to talk a little bit. Ashley is well. You guys have very committed relationships, but they span a bit of a difference, lynn. You've been married for quite some time, ashley. You no longer think that you guys are in a new relationship, but you guys have definitely moved into a stronger commitment over the last couple of years. So tell me more about that.

Speaker 7: 2:03:23

Well it's. It's funny as far as when I started doing the longer distance types of things, you know I have this and he used to go with me to races and whatnot when I didn't have supports. He's very happy when I'm in a club or a group and he doesn't have to go, so he's very thankful for those things. But if I don't have somebody, he's always willing to be there. He's been like on a long bike ride. He's been the SAG vehicle, which is a support vehicle that follows cyclists. He's been the SAG vehicle, which is a support vehicle that follows cyclists.

Speaker 7: 2:04:02

He's done like gone 60 miles at, you know 15 miles an hour to stay with the bikes to keep us all safe and have snacks in the back when we need to stop, and so you know those kinds of things, even though he doesn't understand if there's something specific I need, like if I have a double, like a workout in the morning and a workout in the evening. I do not like working out in the evening, so I'm like okay, I have to do X, y, z, workout in the evening, and when I get home he's like just go, and he'll like kick me out of the house, make me go do the thing and you know, whatever I ask, even though he doesn't, he's like I don't understand why you do it, but he still supports me in doing it, even though he still thinks it's crazy. But he supports me, that's okay.

Speaker 1: 2:04:45

They don't have to understand us, they just have to be willing to support us. And you actually I know you actually even came home to like a really big congratulations and I know that you got some messages while you were on the course. I think you both got messages while on the course. So where do you feel like that support system plays into your training? And I'm going to ask you specifically from how you guys deal with it in a communications level, because he knew you as an endurance athlete. I think you guys, like you, are already into the endurance, but your training has progressively gotten heavier or stronger, like more of a focus. How does he deal with that and the fact that you guys maybe don't have as much solo time?

Speaker 4: 2:05:27

I think it's a lot more. He kind of motivates off of me and I motivate off of him Um, like he'll come home and be like, well, you're working out, so I have to work out, um. Or like we we've done I'll typically do my training runs in the morning, if I can, um, and he'll come home and run on the treadmill in the evening, so that way we both have our own time. Or like he'll come home and start dinner, um, while I'm running. And we've done a lot of our strength training together, which I think has helped me obviously in this training cycle to boost my capacity, because some of the stuff I was doing I couldn't do solo, in case something happened.

Speaker 4: 2:06:11

So it was really nice to have that kind of support system. And and obviously just, he kind of knows my routine of, okay, this is I'm running this day, so the next day I'm doing strength, or vice versa, um, so he kind of makes me stick to it and it's like okay, you have a 20 mile training run like go, like similar to Lynn, like kicks me out the door, out of the bed, like go. So definitely a different, a different. Tough love, got it.

Speaker 1: 2:06:40

So what I'm hearing basically, though, is that there seems to be really good communication, a lot of that encouragement, I will say, and it's always great to have that extra little bit of motivation. Okay, let's get into the mindset, because I think there's a lot to unravel in that. So I would like to know, going into race day, how you both handled any of the excitement that sometimes can be a little bit of nerves. Did you have nerves the days leading up, or the day before, or the morning of Lynn? How about you, my friend?

Speaker 7: 2:07:23

Did you have any nerves leading up, or I, I had some, but again, I think that was where the disappointment happened, because I felt really strong and confident at at the beginning, you know, when I got there, so, um, the sleep was okay. Ashley and I shared a room, so she might be able to tell you if.

Speaker 4: 2:07:40

I don't know that.

Speaker 7: 2:07:41

I got up more often than I usually do. I usually wake up during the night, but I felt like I slept reasonably well. We went to bed really early. It wasn't a Disney race, so we didn't have to get up at 2amm so I felt like I was a fairly well rested. I mean, there was the nervous jitter and you know it's a little chilly for the Florida girls. So it's like okay how many layers do we want in the morning? That kind of those kind of questions. But yes, the more excitement you okay.

Speaker 1: 2:08:18

So you felt more excitement. You didn't necessarily feel anxiety or nervousness, quite like nothing more than the typical normal stuff. Right, how about you, ashley?

Speaker 4: 2:08:29

yeah, I think, kind of leading up to it I had very similar, was very confident in my training the last week or so before I left I was definitely very antsy because I ended up getting sick. So it didn't just feel fabulous and I was kind of like disappointed, like okay, I've gotten this far and like did I eat something bad or is it something I'm training with? Like what happened? I was kind of getting in my head at that point right. But leading up to like the week prior I felt really strong and really good and then that kind of took a toll on me, but then kind of settled back down and got like coming up to the start line. Like once I arrived in Savannah I was like okay, I'm here, let's do this. Um kind of attitude nothing, really nothing really normal, like outside of the normal for a pre-race jitter. Like okay, I'm here, I'm ready to go. Like come on, I don't want to sit here anymore, kind of feelings.

Speaker 1: 2:09:29

Got it Okay. That's pretty fascinating. I think I still get like little jittery when it's a. I know that if I was going for PR I would have some of that little fluttery, excitement, little anxiousness, but that's just also how I'm programmed, and likely because I drink way too much espresso. But I'm going to bring it back to on course. So you both have your specific goals go out of the gate. You're still feeling confident. It's incredible. Everybody feels usually wonderful when you're first starting off. We have that excitement.

Speaker 1: 2:10:03

When, along the journey, did you start to feel this isn't going the way that I really want it to go? I think for you, lynn, it's going to be when you actually, probably physically, got hit with cramps. But I'm curious if there was anything prior to that, because again, when we reviewed your metrics, you were perfectly on pace. You had everything. It was just kind of all clicking through. So at any point, was it a mental aspect that kind of came to play, or do you feel like it was the cramps that like hit you in the journey? And then, ashley, I'm curious, while I ran with you, I don't know if there was a specific time that I felt like this isn't going the way that I want it to go. So, ashley, I'm going to go with you to answer this question first.

Speaker 4: 2:10:46

Um, for some reason, mild wealth is kind of sticking in my head of where I started getting in my own head of, okay, this is hard, my legs are starting. They weren't. I have to say this is probably my first race ever that I really wasn't dealing with cramps per se. I was just like I know I had to stop a couple of times and just stretch it out, but it was more or less like my hips are achy or my back was achy and I just need to move um in another direction other than running. Um, so I had some stretching, but I really think it was mile like 12 ish that I started getting in my head like, okay, why am I doing this? Like there's all these amazing people here but yet I'm trying to PR, and I think I just from that point got in my head enough that I let it affect my race and kind of slow me down.

Speaker 4: 2:11:40

I was getting hot. The med tents were definitely an issue for me Because as soon as, like, my hands started going, I knew I needed ice. But finding that med tent and waiting for that med tent and stuff, like I think, just from that first stop that I had to stop and get ice. I was in my head of like I can't do this.

Speaker 1: 2:12:01

That's interesting that you say that. You said something to the effect of I'm surrounded by these incredible people. Why am I doing this? Can you tell me more about what that means for you? Like, are you thinking why am I trying to work so hard? Why am I not just enjoying this, trying to work so hard? Why am I not just enjoying this? Why am I even out here, like what was exactly? What do you mean? Why am I trying to do this? What? What was that specific aspect of what you?

Speaker 4: 2:12:23

were thinking. I think it was just really like, why am I trying to do this? Like I I know we had the conversation earlier in the week of um I I set a very big, audacious goal and missed it by 40 some minutes. But I was like why did I ever think that that I could do that? Prior PR was over six hours. Both of my prior marathons were over six hours. I was like why, why can I even get under five hours? Like there's no way I can get anywhere close to a five hour anything. Um and I was up there with the people that are running five and a half ish marathons. You know those pace groups were right around us. We never saw them until the back half Um, but we were floating between the five hour and the five, five and a half hour PR for a good chunk and I was like at that point I was like I'm not, I don't belong here, I belong farther back.

Speaker 1: 2:13:23

Interesting. I don't okay. I want to kind of I definitely want to come back and touch on this a little bit, but I want to make sure that we don't get too far away from Lynn's um, like where you it hit you on the course. Was it the physical aspect or is there any point that it kind of happened, mindset wise, for you?

Speaker 7: 2:13:41

Well, I mean, yeah, mile nine, I got calf cramps, which was an electrolyte issue, at least you know, with all the fueling and training. Yeah, I know like what different things are when they hit right, right.

Speaker 7: 2:13:55

So I felt like what different things are when they hit me. So I felt, you know, I was like kind of listening to that in the on the app it would tell you every mile your anticipated finish time is whatever. I think my goal was six, five, 45 to six, and it was like your anticipated finish time is five, 52. I'm like, all right, I'm good, I'm good 'm good, you know. So I was mentally like she was telling me stuff that I liked, I felt strong, and then I started cramping and every and I couldn't run. So I had to, and I knew it was electrolytes. So I, you know, took some extra electrolytes, but I knew that was going to take time to kick in. And then had some technology issues with the app for a little bit. And then, you know, message coach Christine, like I'm cramping, I can't. So I was frustrated, but then I did, and then she was like well, just do 30, 30s, you know I don't have to run three minute, you know, just do what you can. So I got started, I got back into a pace, I got back to running, the cramp subsided, I was able to, you know, find a rhythm that was at least working. It was a lot slower but I was still moving. So that was at mile around mile nine, so I think it took me about a mile or two and I had the same problem Ashley did with the med tent.

Speaker 7: 2:15:17

I was gonna go get my calf wrapped to see if that would help, but they had no wrap, so then I'm just so.

Speaker 1: 2:15:23

That wasted me four minutes just waiting for them to not do something actually I think we came to the conclusion that it was 10 minutes that you ended up waiting between both the med tents for ice, but okay, so we're gonna caveat this here. I want to make sure that we are well aware. You guys have likely heard at this point in this podcast episode where we've waxed poetic about how an incredible of a weekend it was, and it was we're not taking that away it was an inaugural race weekend. With an inaugural race weekends, there's definitely going to be some little hiccups, and these hiccups unfortunately really transpired with what I feel is one of the most important parts, which was the med tent not necessarily being well-equipped, or at least not where we were at and when we tried to access them. And I would say a lot of this also could have potentially led from the day before being at the expo, which was phenomenal and truly some of the most incredible experiences and speakers that we could ever possibly hope for there wasn't access to hydration or electrolytes there or fueling. Even so, that kind of it being the day before a race definitely led us to going into race day not at our rhymed best, Like if it was a hometown race or if there would have been a little bit of a break between the expo and the race day, I think. So lessons learned on our part? We already I mean always, we're always going to advocate, of course, being self-reliant.

Speaker 1: 2:16:41

This was just kind of a little bit of extenuating circumstances, I would say, because you both did carry all of the things that you needed for yourselves. But there's still some things that I would have never thought that a med tent wouldn't have ice bags available for us, or, you know, Vaseline or wraps for, like, legs or whatever the case may be. So yeah, I think that there's a little bit of that. I want to bring it back to if you don't terribly mind, and I'm so sorry I don't want to. If this is something you don't want to talk about on the podcast, I'm okay with it. But, Ashley, I'm hearing you say that I don't belong here. Why did that go through your mind when you're talking about your pace and did that feel very self-defeating at that point for you?

Speaker 4: 2:17:24

I really think it was just. I started getting in my head. It was that bad person that we always put to the side in our brain. She had she had total control. Um, I don't think it was anything that anybody had done, said, did, um, it was just. I got in my head. I was like this is not going to happen. Um, I told you.

Speaker 4: 2:17:50

When I went out the gate I was like I don't want to know what time I'm shooting for. These are my goals. But I was kind of following you, right, right, and there were definitely points that you were dragging me along, and I'm so thankful that you kept dragging me along, because I would have never gotten down to where I did had you not. But I just I was so defeated because I had a really strong training cycle, I felt really good going into it, but just something that day didn't work and I kept going in my head. I was like this is, it's not today. I know we set this is my goal race, this is, this is where I want my PR. But I kept it just stuck in my head that it's not going to happen today. It's I. I don't belong right here, right now. I don't feel good Like. This is not where I'm meant to be, okay.

Speaker 1: 2:18:45

So a little bit of inner mean girl thoughts kind of played into it when you were starting to, because they kind of go together. Our physical, our perception of how we feel physically allow sometimes those little seeds of doubt to kind of blossom. While we're out there rocking and rolling, I will say you still aren't giving yourself enough credit, because I mean you are quite literally 10 minutes off from your B goal that you set. So that's 10 minutes that we had at the med tent. Quite literally I can pull that stat up we were 10 minutes waiting for ice bags. So can we say for a fact that that's what would have taken for you to get that B goal. I can't swear to that. But that's where we did spend those additional 10 minutes of where your actual finish time changed.

Speaker 1: 2:19:35

But I get it because this is how you feel, so let's keep going. Where your actual finish time changed, but I get it because this is how you feel, so let's keep going. You guys are both talking about disappointment. Are you also thinking about what did you feel with that disappointment? When did it stop or has it stopped? Are you still feeling disappointed?

Speaker 7: 2:19:54

Well for me, fortunately, you know, like we talked about this was I switched it to. Well, it's, it's my d goal. If this is a long run training race, got it or train.

Speaker 7: 2:20:07

This is a long training run. I'm gonna finish my marathon and then in two weeks I'm doing space coast and I'm gonna fix the problem. I go into problem solving mode. That's kind of one of the things when I was dealing with that last four miles it's like, okay, this is not going to plan, but I have a race in two weeks. So what do I need to do now to not push and not whatever, because I want to really race in two weeks my half marathon?

Speaker 1: 2:20:33

Okay, so that actually makes a lot of sense. You problem solved on the course right then and there, and you switched it automatically to. I'm just going to make sure I don't hurt myself or I don't blow out here so that I can go into my next thing that I have down the road, which probably allows you to resolve those feelings of disappointment a little bit easier. How about you, Ashley?

Speaker 4: 2:20:54

I think kind of the disappointment went away probably when I got back home, when I really or maybe even at the airport, when I talked to like my parents for the first time of, okay, I did this, getting that kind of reassurance that it was still like, getting that kind of reassurance that it was still like it's okay, you still PR'd, you still did it.

Speaker 4: 2:21:26

And then walking in the door and seeing the surprise that Cole had left me since he wasn't home, kind of just like, okay, I still had a very strong run, I still was able to do it.

Speaker 4: 2:21:33

I was still very proud of myself at that point. So I think that's kind of where the the disappointment had went. Um, just kind of taking it a lot in to consideration, like reflecting on the race, like what can I change? What was in my control that didn't go right? Um, like I know, um you had given me one of the Morton gels um to just get get more fuel in my body because what I had wasn't working right then and there, so like, okay, I know I need to try to add that into my training runs for following races. So I definitely think the disappointment has kind of went away. I'm very, very thankful that my next race is not until February so I can actually like sit and I know there's stuff in my final surge. But I'm like you know what I'm stretching, but there's not much more I'm doing right now because I think this is the only time I have not had training runs.

Speaker 1: 2:22:31

Yeah, yeah, probably over a long time, because you went off of one training cycle a teeny little recovery sip and then right back into another training cycle. Yeah Well, for a long time, because you went off of one training cycle, a teeny little recovery step and then right back into another training cycle. Yeah, so I love to hear you guys both say that. I think that, ultimately, one of the best things that we can all do when we cross the finish line is to celebrate, regardless of whether or not it was what we wanted it to be. The fact is is that that was just like the end cap of months and hundreds of miles that we have run. But then too, if our goal is to continue running is to iterate and to figure out how we can evolve and learn from that specific issue. So it sounds like a lot of that has happened for you both.

Speaker 1: 2:23:09

I'm going to now touch on post-race blues, because that's where this conversation really was leading to, because there's always a little bit of that, and I think we all three handle it very differently. Of course, lynn, you are our official mental health professional, so I know that you'll have some tips, but I'm kind of curious as to how all three of us handle post-race blues and how other people may feel with their post-race blues. So, ashley, what do you do to help you with post-race blues? Because if you didn't experience it for this one, I know you had to have after you did your perfect run there has to be like there's just a little bit of when you have a really big endeavor and you work so hard on it, there's a little bit of a letdown of like, what's next? What do I do with myself? What do I do with my hands? So what do you usually do to help you combat post race blues?

Speaker 4: 2:23:58

Yeah, I actually think like this one. Thankfully, um, I don't really have them, you know, I I know I have a bunch of races back to back, starting in February at princess Um. So I know there's going to be other races, but I think that's kind of after springtime surprise last year, when I completed the perfect season, I had the Pittsburgh half marathon about two weeks later. I think it was two or three weeks later. So I had that to kind of combat.

Speaker 4: 2:24:24

But after that race in Pittsburgh, that's when I kind of hit like OK, what do I do now? It was very like a shock to me. I was I just ended up starting to run again and I was like I'm just going to do whatever. You know, I know I'm going to continue racing, I'm not going to let it go and just stop running altogether. Um, because I I found a really wonderful support group with a league Um it's, it's very fun to be around everybody. So I knew it's something that I wanted to continue with um, since I'm still a fairly newer runner. Um, so I really struggled for a little while but just started getting back into it. I didn't let myself sit around and not train as long, um, just got back into short little training runs or walking um, where this time I'm definitely dealing with it a lot differently. That I'm like okay, my feet hurt, I'm just going to sit here and I feel good.

Speaker 1: 2:25:28

I think I officially promised that while we were on the course.

Speaker 4: 2:25:31

I said yeah.

Speaker 1: 2:25:31

I promised that I would give you a longer recovery so that you could. I was like just just a little bit more here, and then I promise you a really long I think I called it a super long, sexy recovery. So we will, I will make good on my promise. I really I definitely have all intents and purposes of making through that. That follows through. But, Lynn, I'm curious about you because I feel like again, we're hearing you go into problem solving mode. That is usually how I approach it.

Speaker 1: 2:26:01

I will say that after the world marathon majors, it was the only time that I chose not to go into my next goal. I let myself just kind of sit in the feelings of I don't know what I'm doing next. I really don't know. I need something to work toward, but I don't want to rush it. I kind of want to find something that feels good to me. Not sure what that would be, and that's something that is something I've never done before and I loved that experience actually and, looking back, it was exactly what I needed to get me motivated back out. But, lynn, what are your thoughts of how you personally tackle it and then what you would say people should do from a professional standpoint?

Speaker 7: 2:26:33

Well, I think well for me personally. I mean, there's a couple of things. It's, you know, having that like kind of. Like Ashley said, I have the well to me, I have the one in next weekend, but besides that, you know, I'm looking to next year. I haven't decided exactly what I'm doing race wise, but you know I will be doing something.

Speaker 7: 2:26:56

But in the meantime, I think for me personally it's just getting back into some of the social runs. You know, sometimes when you're in a training cycle for a race, everything is so pace oriented you can't, and I really enjoy the social aspect of running. So, like this morning, I went out and ran with some people and we got to go. I got to stay for Starbucks because I didn't have 20 miles to run. It was amazing, yeah. So I love that.

Speaker 7: 2:27:23

Yeah, nobody's still around at Starbucks when I finished, normally because they'll run with me at the beginning when it's still dark, but then they've already had their Starbucks and have gone home by the time I'm finished. So it's I's. I just, you know, use it to spend more time on the social aspect and I really enjoy that. That helps, um, and also just getting staying in a routine um for me, and that's also one I would say professionally is sticking with. Even if you pair, you don't maybe do something as intense, but as far as the routine of this is the time of day that I exercise. But if you're on a post race thing, do something, try something different you know, go to a.

Speaker 7: 2:28:04

Zumba class or go do just something fun if you're in between, and but keeping that consistency of the movement of some sort um is, I think, a good way to help with that. And I love what you said, christine, about, you know, not jumping into the next goal. You don't have to jump right into it. You can just let me do about a month of trying new things at that exercise time of day and keeping that and then that and the sleep. I mean, as I know you've mentioned it so much, but every time I see a new client we always start with their sleep.

Speaker 1: 2:28:45

It's like it's a foundational aspect of everything. Feel better is take a nap. Yeah, correct so so.

Speaker 7: 2:28:55

So we do talk. You know talk a lot about that when you're dealing with that. And just that consistency with the sleep to. You know sleeping around the same time. So if you're used to getting up at 5am to work out, continue that. You know, go to bed at the same time and get up at 5am and keep that routine, even if you do different things at 5 am than you were doing, keeping a good routine helps.

Speaker 1: 2:29:22

I do not want to get up at 3 am for long runs ever again. I will, because I probably will do another fall marathon. But I agree with you the routine is so important. I love what you're telling folks to do. This is the time, every single time, you went for a long run and you were jealous because somebody else was going to brunch or somebody else was going to the farmer's market or somebody else was going to spin class or a different type of yoga, and you were just running. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to take that extra bit of time to kind of fill your cup in all these different myriad of ways that maybe you were side-eyeing while you were running or wishing that you could have done. So I love that. I love how focused you are on keeping that routine.

Speaker 1: 2:30:02

I have a question to wrap this up for both of you that may be unfair to ask here. So you're welcome to tell me that you're kind of keeping it to yourself or you haven't really thought about it, but what is your next big audacious goal? Will it be quite as audacious? Are you thinking that there is something specific? I know, ling, you've already touched on your next goal. We're looking at it coming down the pike here with the half marathon, but I feel like you still plan even further out than that. So do you have some goals that you want to share with us?

Speaker 7: 2:30:33

Well, as you know, through this training cycle, you know I'm having some issues with one of my feet that I've been putting off surgery for a long time. So my big audacious goal for next year is trying to figure out logistically how to possibly do that in the spring and figuring out a good plan for not being able to exercise for about three to six months, with the plan of coming back a lot stronger at the end of that. So that's, that's going to be a whole new type of challenge. So that's so. I'm really not thinking about anything else right now because, as I did point out to my husband, if I have to take a month off from work but I'm not signing up for races, yeah it may be a cost savings especially with some of these race registrations Okay.

Speaker 1: 2:31:23

So I love that you touched on that, because I talk about it quite frequently. Not every season should be a season that's focused on a run goal. There are definitely other opportunities to challenge ourselves, and they may not come with a shiny medal out of in a finish line, but they're just as valid and just as important. So what I'm hearing you say is that you're really addressing your health so that your body can feel its best as you pursue whatever's next for you.

Speaker 1: 2:31:46

That sounds okay, Ashley. How about you, my friend? I'm hearing you say that you're loving like not getting up and going running early in the mornings, that you get to be with Cole, you guys get to have some like social time, but what are you thinking is next on your heart?

Speaker 4: 2:32:00

I really think, um, obviously we we have this conversation prior to going down. Mine is very similar to Lynn's of focusing on something not race related, um, but changing my shoes for running. They're just, they're not working anymore. I absolutely love my Brooks, but kind of around the 15 ish mile mark like that half marathon mark is, my feet are done. So I think that's kind of. My next goal is finding the right shoe for me so when I get to Shamrock or Pittsburgh next year my feet aren't dying halfway through it, um, and I can kind of get a little bit farther in that and then set that next kind of pace goal. Um, I know we had during women's we had an unofficial half marathon PR, so I'm ready to get that. Yeah, I don't think any of my um upcoming races on my schedule will be a good fit for that to kind of just make that happen. So, figuring out the shoe thing and then finding that those right races to attempt the PR marathon again and eventually that half as well.

Speaker 1: 2:33:16

I love this, friends. I want to thank you both so much for being vulnerable and honest and forthcoming here, but what I hope that the biggest takeaway for me and whoever else is listening in is that you both approached this race and navigated its own challenges, the own obstacles, and I love how you both allowed yourselves to process, feel the emotions that you felt, and then are working so steadfastly on. How can I learn from it and grow from it? Because I think that's what really the running that we partake in is all about is how do we become better and iterate and evolve, and I love to hear that from you both. So, friends, your stories remind us that every race is more than just smiles. It's about growth, determination and the ability to reflect on our experiences. So thank you so much for joining me.

Speaker 7: 2:34:02

You're welcome. It's a pleasure being here. Thanks for having us.

Speaker 1: 2:34:07

I want to thank again every single one of these wonderful ladies who came out and had such a really fun weekend and clearly're willing to be very honest and vulnerable and sharing all the different emotions from the Every Woman's Marathon weekend. So again, thank you, brittany and Jen, michelle and Mandy and Lynn and Ashley. With that said, friends, as we wrap up this episode, I want to take a moment for us to reflect on what made this race weekend so special, and not just for me, but for so many of us. You heard all the ladies give their thoughts and their emotions into it, and, while I'm no stranger to the marathon distance, I think choosing to take on the half this time wouldn't have carried the same weight or impact for me personally, and that's why I think that this specific weekend was so powerful and so poignant to seeing us all tackle these 26.2 miles. It was a weekend that was full of a power of community and how it came alive in such an extraordinary way again, as you've heard. So, while I love that, what we saw was women saying, yes, this is outside of my comfort zone, but I'm going to give it my all, and that collective determination created an atmosphere that was nothing short of empowering and inspiring, and it struck me how often women hesitate to pursue opportunities unless, if we feel overqualified, even when it comes to our fitness, we'll lift lighter weights than we're capable of or underestimate our own strength. And while we've made tremendous strides in challenging those norms, there's still that shadow of doubt lingering for many of us, and this weekend was different. It was a reminder of just how powerful we can be when we let go of that doubt and step fully into our potential. Watching so many women conquer 26.2 wasn't just inspiring. It was a celebration of what we're capable of and what we embrace when we tackle those challenges head on. So as much as I value inclusivity across all distances in the running community, there is something uniquely special about seeing so many women come together on that challenge of 26.2. So I do look forward to the Every Woman's Marathon coming back again and I highly encourage you all.

Speaker 1: 2:36:08

If you've been listening and you've been thinking about this and maybe you feel like you had a little bit of fear of missing out a little FOMO, you're going to want to tackle and sign up when they do officially open up those registrations, or don't wait until then If it's sitting on your heart to tackle the marathon distance. Get moving on that now. Now I do want to discuss this few takeaways for anyone navigating race day emotions, whether you're riding the high of a PR or processing a little bit of disappointment. I do want to follow on some advice that we touched on with Lynn, of course, but first and foremost is you want to celebrate your journey, not just the finish line. We get really wrapped up into that race day and that race day performance and truly it is a celebration of all of the hundreds of miles that came before we even towed that start line, because, even if the race didn't go as planned, you showed up, you took on the challenge and that is worth honoring and celebrating every single step. I also would like you to think about reflecting, not dwelling. So think about what worked and what didn't. Again, you heard the ladies discuss.

Speaker 1: 2:37:12

We had all of us sat down and we had a conversation afterwards as to what do you feel went really well? What may have been missing? What can we improve upon? It's really important that you have that growth mindset if you continue to want to challenge yourself in any facet of your life, so you want to look at it as a tool for growth, not a source of regret, and this one's a big one. Be kind to yourself.

Speaker 1: 2:37:34

Recovery is more than just the physical rest. It's about giving yourself the grace to process your emotions and recharge mentally. You've been on quite the journey for quite some time. It literally is a marathon, not a sprint. So of course you're going to feel a wide range of emotions here and it's time to just kind of let yourself process them all and then, when you've done all those wonderful steps, set your sights forward, whether it's another race, a new goal or simply finding joy in running again, have something to look forward to to help ease those post-race blues. So now, my friends, remember that every race teaches us something, even if it's not what we expected. Use those lessons as stepping stones to your next big accomplishment.

Speaker 1: 2:38:15

Now, if today's stories inspired you and you're ready to take on your own running journey to the next level, I'd love for you to join our extraordinary league. You've heard these women. They're truly the community that keeps you moving and grooving. There's a waiting list application available for interested in becoming part of this incredible community. I'll have it in episode notes. But we also host fun monthly challenges that are done virtually. They're open to everyone and they're perfect for staying motivated and connected. So visit the link in episode notes to learn more, sign up or just explore what we're all about and, as always, feel free to connect with me on social media or share your thoughts about this episode. Thank you for listening and remember it's that little bit of extra that makes us extraordinary. Until next time, keep striving toward greatness.