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The Art of Living - The Bunny Mom Who Broke 39 Finish Lines (@abigailmichelle) · At Your Own Pace

• MikeRunsMarathons: This episode of At Your Own Pace is brought to you by Strava. Strava doesn't even introduction, right? If you're a runner, if you're listening to this podcast, you probably use Strava. You probably use it to track all of your runs, to look at your fitness score, to look at your miles on your shoes, and to give kudos to all of your friends who are trying to run faster than you. But if you would like to save a little bit of money, On your subscription, if you use the code MIC at checkout, You will save 20% off the cost of your subscription. So make sure you jump on this deal because 20% is not a small amount, and it is one of my favorite apps that I use, and one of my favorite things that I use to stay in contact with fellow runners. Whether it's the clubs that I utilize, like Mission crew or the number of challenges that I can take part in, which selling them and with either discount codes or potential giveaways. Strava is an all-in-one social media endurance. Strava is just an incredible mixture of tracking your data, tracking your information for all of your exercises, but also being able to give you the ability to support other people around you. So like I said, so that's the code so that's code Mike at checkout for twenty percent off. And I apologize for how disheveled my current office looks like. I am in the process of revamping it and have new furniture coming that I have to build still. And I'm going to be redoing this whole area. I'm apparently known as the guy with the yellow poster behind them. So we'll see if that remains what I'll be known for. But without further ado, let's get into the episode. Welcome back to At Your Own Pace. This is the show for runners who are showing up however they can on whatever week life is handing them. I'm Mike, and whether you're chasing a Boston qualifier, your first 5k, or just the next mile, you are in the right place. Usually, every Wednesday, we open up with a little real talk for my week on the run, and then we sit down with someone whose story is going to leave you a little bit more fired up than when you press play. But this week has been rough for me. I'll get into it in a second. So this is coming out Friday. I apologize for the wait, but it's just it's been a week for me. So lace up, settle in, and let's run this one together. My guest today is runner, model, actress, plethora of things, Abigail Michelle. She, in my opinion, is one of the true definitions of resilience when it comes to what this podcast is all about and just what it means to push through the vast difficulties that life can handle you. She is a six star finisher. She just finished her six star journey in Boston this year. and with the chasing stars program with shocks and it was a pleasure to meet her because I got to meet her in person at our shake up run that we did before the marathon and it's just been a real joy to learn about her story, follow her, see her tremendous success, and watch her grow as a runner. And as a person, because the story that she has to share is one that is, I think, just very powerful. Very, very powerful. And I'm excited for you to listen to it. I'm excited for us to jump into it. But before we get to Abigail, I want to start off with where we usually start off, which is just a check-in from how my week it's been. And those of you that listen to the podcast or those of you that watch the video version of this podcast know that usually when I record these, I'm wearing some sort of running attire of some sort. even when I interview people. I wear something that has to do with running, whether it's a marathon or just a shirt from a company that that runners wear. And today I'm not. Today I'm wearing a shirt for the band The Swell Season. my favorite band in the world. And frontlined by my favorite singer in the world, Glenn Hansard. And some of you may have seen in the news that on Wednesday, and I'm really gonna try to get through this section without crying. so if you don't want to hear someone get sappy and talk about a musician, feel free to skip and go right to the interview. But some of you may have seen on Wednesday morning that Glenn Hansard passed away in a motorcycle accident. And for me it has been absolutely devastating. I'm not the kind of person to hold other people up on pedestals anymore. I used to and you know realize that a lot of times your expectations of that person get broken or they things come out about them that you just you can't forgive or come up with some sort of way to get around it. But Glenn has been different for me my entire life. I discovered him back in about 2000, 2006, 2007, when I decided to watch this movie that a lot of people were recommending on Netflix at the time, which was when you had to have the DVDs mailed to you in order to watch the movie. Yes, kids, we used to have physical media. back in the day. But I remember we watched we watched part of it in my dorm room. And I will say the first time we tried to watch it, we turned it off because we couldn't fully understand it because of how heavy the accents were. Granted, this was the very beginning of the movie. It's supposed to be like that. But I gave it another shot a few months later when I got my own apartment. And I was living with my girlfriend at the time and we watched it and I will never forget Just the feeling of what it was like for me to hear falling slowly for the first time. It was one of the most incredible moments I've ever witnessed with music where I saw two people come together and make the most beautiful harmonies. with the most emotion I had ever heard in music before. I'd like to say that I grew up with music without words. Now what does that mean? I was an instrumentalist growing up and a singer and I was in band, marching band, jazz bands, all state bands. I played in college bands when I was in high school. I was in choir, jazz choir, like I was in musical theater. I was in everything that had to do with the arts growing up. I played trumpet since I was in fourth grade. initially it was gonna be a saxophone, but they didn't have any more so I had to pick trumpet. And I stuck with that for the next my goodness, what was I like Nine, so like eight, nine years. So until I was about eighteen. And I I apparently was good. I didn't know at the time. I just somehow picked up music very quickly. It just became kind of second nature to me, was able to play it really well, read it really well. I even wrote music for a little bit and you know, loved singing. I I grew up kind of singing. To myself. no one in my family really knew that I could sing. And then I got a solo in a concert in eighth grade where my family came up to me afterwards and said, Hey, where did that come from? And I said, I don't know. And then eventually my friend, my best friend, forced me into doing the theater program in high school. And so I got to try out for musical theater, which I just fell in love with immediately, and it's still a big part of my life. And Found out there too that I was apparently a good singer and and got leads in musicals, both in the school and in community theater. it's one of the reasons why I moved to New York City to go to college was to be a playwright. I was actually afraid to sing in front of an audition for college and I did audition for the acting program my second year, did not get in. But I was actually terrified of singing For the musical theater program, which is odd because I'm pretty sure I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty sure I would have gotten in. But the music that I listened to was either video game music, instrumental music, musical theater, and then like what was whatever was on the radio. Like I didn't have bands that I discovered. I didn't have I didn't have a favorite band growing up. I had favorite composers of you know, instrumental or musical theater. And that was that was kind of it. And so I made it a goal when I went to college to find the music that I really liked, the bands that I really liked. And it was it took a while of me kind of like fooling around and I discovered that the people that I liked the most were the singers that were in England and the singers that were particularly in Ireland. And when I I had always been in love with Ireland for as long as I can remember. And it's I it's a massive goal of mine to to travel there one day, when it's not a layover. And so I decided to give once a try. And I like I said, it was it was like so many answers came to me at that moment. And I watched the rest of the movie and I balled my eyes out and I I st still consider it my single favorite movie of all time. Like Lord of the Rings is my favorite trilogy, but Once is just there there was no movie like Once. Filmed on a hundred grand budget, like two handicams. It was like rough to film. And somehow they created this movie that was magical. And so I fell in love with with Glenn and Marquetta. And so I found out that they had after making the movie they formed a band called The Swell Season and they were they were kind of they were kind of touring around and I discovered that they were gonna be in the United States. And and I I that was that was history. I traveled the country for for both of them. Glenn eventually went solo and so I saw him. Number of times. I even saw him in a concert in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the area where they have the giant Egyptian exhibit. It was amazing, it was awesome. And you know, I I've traveled to multiple states throughout the country to see him. I I can't even I don't even know how many times I saw him. It had to be at least 15, I guess. And The most beautiful thing. One of the most beautiful things that's ever happened in my life was on June 1st, 2019. I I had just kind of started to figure out who I was. It took me about like a solid ten months or so after ten, eleven months after my attempt in February of twenty eighteen. But I finally started to figure out the you know, the kind, loving, supportive, and most most importantly, happy person I was. I wasn't this depressed brooding person that I initially thought I was. I I I realized that I actually was somebody who could bring happiness to the world. And so I I had I dated this girl for a couple months. I broke up with her a couple months before the the the show. So it was it was like a solid like four-ish month. And I bought tickets to go see Glenn Hansard. I bought third row tickets. It was at the Beacon Theater. And I got very lucky because the person who was supposed to sit next to me on the end n didn't show up. So I had an empty seat. And it was the single greatest concert I have ever been to. Ever. Like it I still get chills thinking about it. I still watch videos that I recorded from it. I try to make it a habit not to record videos during shows because I just want to enjoy the moment. And now that Glenn is gone, I kind of Regret that a little bit, but I'm still really happy that I had the memories. But just the way that he played that show was it was a celebration of life. It was in that moment that I realized like I was meant to be here. Like not in not meant to be at the show, but just I was meant to be on this earth. Like I wasn't meant to take myself out of it. And it was it was really important to me. you know, during the show, I cried multiple times when I started to realize this. And Near at the end of the show, the last song. I'll never forget this. He came out into the audience. And this is a sit-down theater. You think think like Broadway theater. Like a sit-down theater. This is not like a like a venue where you have like just like a gig, like a band comes in and plays. Like this was a sit down theater. Like everyone had chairs and seats and they were fancy and it was, you know, a very posh place. He came out into the audience and was singing. Like he's I and he came over And he stood on the empty seat next to me and sang to people. And I was I recorded that moment because it was I couldn't believe I was like in what world would this specific seat be chosen by him for him to sit for him to stand next to me? Right? And then he went through the rest of you know the the center part of of the audience and was climbing over chairs. It was incredible. There's There's fantastic footage and incredible photos of it online. And I I made the decision after 11, 12 years of following him, to finally get the guts up to wait for him after the show and and say hi. I'd never done it before in my life. I'd been too scared. This was the first show of my life where I went up after the show ended and saw one of the musicians and and got a set list. For the June 1st show at the Beacon Theater. And I I waited outside. Glenn has a habit of he has a lot of people come backstage. He talks to a lot of people because he knows so many people. You talk to pretty much almost any musician, and they will have some sort of connection to him. And so we waited for a solid hour or two. I I don't remember. but I had him sign my poster that I bought. And I introduced myself and I was I was shocked. I didn't know I didn't know what to say. So the only thing I could say was, Thank you for everything that you do to fight homelessness. Because he was a big advocate in Ireland to house the people that were homeless. I believe he was also arrested once for occupying an empty business building. that they believe should not have been should not have been empty and should have been used for housing for individuals suffering from homelessness. And because I worked kind of in that realm at the time. And he said, A rising boat lifts all tides. And I I never forgot that. And I I was there and I talked to him for a little bit. And then I walked away and I left. And I got in a taxi and went downtown to my favorite karaoke bar to meet my friends. This was like midnight by the time we were done. And I just started sobbing. in the car. Just I'd never felt like this before. I was proud of myself for fighting against the fear that I had of not knowing what to say to him, not knowing how to talk to him. And for finally deciding to stay after the show to meet him. I had met him once before back in like 2008 after the twentieth anniversary frames concert at Terminal Five, but and I have a very, very, very grainy picture of us. But it was very brief. And I'm pretty sure they were getting ready to leave. But it's such a kind man. such a he was such a kind man. I I met him several times after that. both in New York City and then I met him in in DC as well and then Pennsylvania. I was lucky enough the swell season broke up in like two thousand nine, two thousand ten. And so the Glenn was Glenn went solo, but he he and Mar, who was the the woman in the band, they did a reunion tour in twenty twenty two, I think. And I jumped at the opportunity. I bought tickets. And I got lucky enough that I was able to find better tickets to be able to bring Emily with me because when I bought tickets, they sold out so fast that I could only get one. And then they went on tour again. And so we saw them again in New York. And then the next day we went down and saw them in DC. And the best story ever happened when we were in DC. We we bought these shirts in New York. And we decided to wear them to DC. And we're walking around, you know, seeing all the sights and everything. I think we had stayed at a hotel that night, so we just dropped our stuff off. I don't remember. And we're walking around, and I I believe we were in the back part of the White House where Lafayette Square was. And I think they were shutting down things because Joe Biden was coming back. And as we're standing there, this this older woman comes up and and asked me. Hey, can I take a picture of your shirt? I was like, yeah, sure, I guess. I thought she was just like a like a fan or something, and she was gonna go to the show. She was like, that's my my daughter is in that band. And I just stood there and freaked out. I was like, are you Marquetta's mom? And I met Marquetta's parents at the White House. And we talked for a little bit. And I talked about how just incredibly important the swell season was to me, how much they helped me in my life, how much their lyrics were life changing for me and helped me get through so many problems when I was growing up as a young adult. And they showed that picture to Glenn and Marquetta. And after the show we waited to meet Glenn. Then Glenn came out and he goes Points at me and Emily goes, You're the two from the picture. that that Mars mom showed us. And I I could have just like collapsed at that point. And it was It was a great moment. And and w I had several moments like that. I had him write down a lyric for me that I just loved. Being a harbor for sorrow that I had planned on getting tattooed on me at some point, but I I just haven't had the time, but now I definitely definitely need to. But the his music was more than music to me. Right? I know there's there's people out there probably like this this person's crazy and like just obsessed with the singer and stuff like that, like like people who are obsessed with like Taylor Swift and and things. But this I felt like was different. I f he felt like a family member to me with the amount of times that I met him and spoke with him and and and I learned so much from him about how to deal with things in life and how to act towards people. And and especially later on when he went solo and I was, you know, as I got a little bit older and I finally started to work on myself in therapy and especially after my attempts when I decided that life was worth living now. I realized that you're not supposed to live your life filling the world with anger and And sadness and melancholy. Being depressed is totally different, but I mean towards other people. You were supposed to fill it with love and support and care and a genuine curiosity for other people, regardless of how long you knew them for. He would meet people and minutes later would invite them to his shows or would get coffee with them. You know, he spoke to us for solid forty-five minutes the last time we saw him and we had just told him that Emily was pregnant. He had he had a he had had a son recently, about I think two years before that, when we last saw him, and he was just he was so happy for us. So ecstatic and I was looking forward so much to having Lulu get to meet him one day and for for us to be like, Glenn, this is daughter that we told you about Emily was pregnant with 'cause I know that he would just have been so happy and so proud. But he he showed me what to give back to the world, what back to give back to the universe, which was just to be a good person. And to make the people that you were with feel like they mattered. You could be a good person and be nice to people. But it's different from letting them know that they're being seen. They matter. That I think is something that's lacking in this world. There's a lot of people that are nice, but they're not kind. And a lot of people that are kind, but they're not nice. And I feel like Glenn was a mixture of both perfectly. And so that's why whenever I meet somebody, you know, have a conversation with someone that I I don't know, I I I I make it feel like they are the only person in the room. I make it feel like they they matter because they do. Their story matters, their history matters, what they're going through matters, what their what their dreams are matters. And And that's what he showed me. You know, he was an Oscar winner. He traveled the world to sing. He was incredibly popular. And I definitely learned that a lot more over the last couple of days from what I've seen on threads and Instagram. I thought that when I had to introduce people to my favorite singer, I would say, you know, he's an Irish folk singer and he's done this, that, and the other thing, and he's known for falling slowly, which won an Oscar. I realized now I never needed to say that because there were so many other people that loved him. And I've been I've been devastated. Devastated. I've cried constantly. just the last two days and it's just I keep thinking it's a sick joke and that tomorrow I'll wake up and I'll have show dates. And in my head I keep thinking about, you know, I can't wait until the next time I see him. I can't wait to see him live again. When's he gonna release tour dates? And then I have to remind myself that that's not gonna happen anymore. And it just breaks my heart. And it breaks my heart because he's got a three-year-old son, Christy. He's got a wife. He's got all of his friends. I mean, his mom passed away recently, his his dad passed away years ago, but his mom passed away recently and she was a big part of his life. His best friend passed away, I think almost like 20 years ago or something. So I try to remind myself that he if there is something after this, he's with those people that he So much. But it hurts so much to know that. The music that he had left unwritten. He was apparently about to start working on a new album. It's gone. It's over. And I'll always have his records and I'll always have his music to play, but just not the same. I miss seeing him on social media. He was so kind and Generous. So that's why this episode has taken a couple days to come out. I just haven't had it in me to to record myself. And I definitely didn't have the the emotional stability to talk about it. But he was such an important person in my life. And I joked saying that he was my dad because he was, you know, fifty six when he passed, but, you know He gave off that aura that he was like a wise dad, wise father. And every time I would see him, every time I would hear him talk, especially during his concerts, God is so philosophical and existential. And he saw more he saw life as more than just something to that you could just be and he saw it as something to be enjoyed and driven by this fierce urgency to live. And he would say and that meant saying yes to a lot of things and learning so much so many new things that that he wouldn't have learned if he didn't say yes. And it just reminds me that at any moment something could happen that could take us from here. This earth, this existence, this plane. And after my attempt in twenty eighteen, I came face to face with the word that I now consider to be the the most dangerous word in in the world. And that is someday. Someday I'll travel to this place or someday I'll chase this dream or put it in running perspective. Someday I'll run a marathon. I'm just not ready for it now. Just can't do it now. And I know that there are a lot of things that come up in life that stop us from from chasing dreams that might unnecessarily be as important as other things that come up at that time. But we use the word someday a lot more than I feel like we should. And it doesn't mean you're a failure by saying I'll do it someday. It just what I see throughout life from people when they keep saying that is a dream just slowly, slowly die. Like a like a flame that slowly extinguishes itself. And that's why when you talk to a lot of people at the end of life, the number one thing that you hear from them are regrets. And and after my attempt in twenty eighteen, it took me a couple months, but I f I finally said to myself, you know, I'm not not living my life like that anymore. I'm gonna go for it. I'm gonna go for things. I'm gonna do what I love, I'm gonna do what I want, and I'm going to Go out at the end of my life, knowing I had no regrets, that I had left everything on the table. And that at whatever funeral service or whatever would be held for me, people would be sharing stories of this, that, and the other thing. So many things that I'd I had done in my life. You know, do you know, did you know about this? Did you know about that? And that's what I I want to inspire in other people. Is Those some days run out and You don't know when that's gonna happen. We like to think that we're gonna live, you know, the the average lifespan of seventy four to eighty five years or something. But for some of us that's not the case. So These these last two days I've just been thinking about Some day again. I it's just like I'll see him again someday. I'll go watch him live someday. We'll see his next show someday. And now something ran out. It's just It's so sad. And I'm sorry if I brought the mood down by talking about this because i it's just a heavy I know it's a heavy topic. And if I could leave you with just one lyric that I hope so many of you Can understand and hopefully news to help yourself in whatever struggles you might be having right now. Will you have suffered enough and warred with yourself? It's time that you've won. Glenn, you will be missed tremendously. There is a hole in music now without you here. And To those of you that actually reached out to me and and, you know, checked in on me or just were there for me when when they found out that this happened, I just I cannot thank you enough. That means the world to me. You know, I I I was expecting to kind of get through all of this on my own by myself and So many of you wrapped your love around me. And that is exactly, exactly what Glenn would have wanted. So Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. and I'm sorry, like I said, if I brought down the mood. I know this was a heavy portion to talk about. there's a heavy portion of the episode. I'm I I know this is also probably longer than what I usually speak about when it comes to this check-in about my week, but I wanted to be open and honest with all of you because that's what I've always promised that I would be with you. But I want to stop talking about me now, and I want to really, really bring in Abigail and have you listen to her incredible story. Because it is one that will leave you inspired. It will leave you wanting to chase your dreams. It will leave you wanting to experience life. It will leave you wanting to leave the word someday behind. And start saying, I'm going to do this right now. So. Without further ado, here is Abigail Michelle. Most runners are one thing. Today's guest is at least three. Abigail Michelle is an actor, she's a model, and she's a serious distance runner with 13 marathons and twenty six half marathons on her resume. She's also a bunny mom, and yes, that is an actual pet. Which is honestly one of the best things I've ever read in an Instagram bio. And on top of that, she's an ambassador for so many different brands for running. You've got Rabbit, Garmin, Honeystinger, Zensa, Shocks, which I'm also part of, Salt Stick, which I'm also part of too. And the list just just goes on. she's a woman who lives a lot of lives at the same time and somehow makes it look intentional. Acting, modeling, brand work, training, racing. 39 long distance finish lines and she's still chasing more. That kind of resume does not happen by accident. It happens because someone has has decided a long time ago to take running seriously and to bring her whole self into it every single time. I've wanted to have this conversation for a while. So Abigail, welcome to at your own pace. Abigail: thanks for having me. I'm so excited. MikeRunsMarathons: I I just for the listeners, Abigail and actually and I met in Chicago for no Boston. We met in Boston. I just so much traveling. Abigail: Haha. MikeRunsMarathons: we met in Boston this year for the chasing stars event that they had for for Shocks Ambassadors. And it was really funny because we went on a shakeout run and then we all came back and we were all just kind of chilling and and eating snacks and stuff that they had out. And I went up to her and I said, I feel like I've seen you. And in that she said the same thing. And then we realized that we were actually just following each other for a long time and we didn't realize it at the moment. So it was just kind of like a aha moment. So it was it was really funny. And it was really great to meet you, Abigail, during yeah, actually in person. Abigail: Yeah, likewise. And you know what? Maybe we will meet up in Chicago because that's my hometown race and I know that you have Chicago on your schedule this year. MikeRunsMarathons: Do you are you running Chicago? Abigail: Well, that's a good question. I have a bib. MikeRunsMarathons: How you do? Abigail: Yeah, I do. Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: How did you what how are are you part of the the legacy or did you get with the ch Abigail: I am a legacy. I started running with Ronald McDonald House charities. MikeRunsMarathons: Okay. Abigail: and I fundraise for them all the time, even if I have guaranteed entry. And I MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: I do have a bib for this year. MikeRunsMarathons: Well, I hope to see you. and hopefully, you know, I I tried to do some sort of meetup last year for Chicago and it just kind of crashed and burned. So I'm I'm hoping that this year I can get it set up a little bit earlier so that hopefully people will have time to be able to get things done because I know the Chicago like marathon period is very quick compared to like something like Boston, which is almost like a week long thing. but talking about marathons. and all these long distance races, I want to talk about how this all started. So before the 13 marathons and before the 26 half marathons, before the ambassadorships, when did running come into your life and what brought you to it? Abigail: 2017. I volunteered at the 26th mile of the Chicago Marathon in 2016. And I was so inspired. at the time, I I'm a severe asthmatic. I was driving around with a handicapped placard, and I carried a nubulizer. And I just never thought that would be in the cards for me. I was training pretty seriously, strength training. I had a a personal trainer for the last two years and then I volunteered at the marathon and I just saw people from all over the world, all types of abilities, and just chasing their dreams. And I vowed to myself I would return the next year as a runner. And I wasn't running at that time. Maybe just like the Fun 5Ks, never taking it seriously, just hanging out with friends. But I did. I I signed up with Ronald McDonald House Charities and I joined a local running club. And I think I had 26 races on the schedule for 2017 in preparation for the marathon. And I thought I would be one and done. but actually, you know, it's so crazy. I ran my first marathon on a spraying dangle. It is not a glamorous story. I was at work, race week, and my foot was asleep. And I got up really quick to go to the bathroom and I fell. So it's just, I had to go to urgent care and they did imaging, and the doctor said, Well, if something is broken, you can't run. And luckily it was a spray. And I said, well, can I run? And she said, okay, but wear some compression socks and don't run until race day. Well, you know, stupid me. I'm like, well, I want to make sure I could still run on it. And I probably shouldn't have done that. and I still told the line. by mile three, my right ankle was as big as a softball. and mind you, I went to the expo in crutches. so I raised so much money for Ronald McDonald's charities that I wasn't gonna miss out on this. And thankfully I didn't have a run coach at the time because I'm sure any run coach would tell me not to line up. and I crossed the finish line, went right into the medical tent, and I have no regrets. And I ended up beating the time of the doctor who treated me. MikeRunsMarathons: Wow. That's crazy. my goodness. Going to the expo and crutches. I mean, I've had ankle issues during Abigail: Yeah, I know. MikeRunsMarathons: the races, especially when I first started for I remember Chicago. I got the mile twenty and then had to run walk the rest of the race and it's not fun, but I can't imagine my ankles swelling up that much and by mile three, that's that's resilience right there. That's Abigail: Or stupidity. MikeRunsMarathons: I look at it, I'm trying I look at it on the positive the positive side because I know non runners would s Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: probably say that, but people who train for these things who see that and push through the pain and push through all the obstacles that they have, that is very inspiring. Now I wouldn't recommend anybody listening to actually do it, but it is Abigail: Yes, don't do it. MikeRunsMarathons: it is a very, very inspiring thing because it It means so much to push through the uncomfortability because that's really what running is, especially long distance running is there's going to be for me, it doesn't matter how many marathons I've run. There's at least one part of the marathon where I go, why am I doing this? I hate this. And then I finish Abigail: All the time. All the time. MikeRunsMarathons: and I go, When's the next one? Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: It's it's ridiculous and it's it's an issue with but I think it's a good issue. but you you've Abigail: It is a good issue. I think you just get amnesia, I think, afterwards. You just forgot. my god. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Yes. I don't remember all the pain. It's it you just remember finishing, crossing the finish line and getting the metal and the start, and that's that's kind of it. my goodness. And then hopefully your pictures are good. So then you're yeah, see, I wasn't dying during this part. It actually looked really nice. But so a lot Abigail: Yeah, yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: of runners they they start with that one race, right? You started with Chicago after being inspired by everybody that you saw when you were when you were volunteering, and you figure out kind of during that training cycle and during that race, what your relationship with the sport is. Right. Take me back to Chicago. You you talked about finishing with the the ankle, the sprained ankle and it being swallow and everything. What did you walk away from Chicago with? What did it teach you? And what did it show you that obviously that was not your one and done because you continued what the that had to do something and spark something inside of you. Abigail: It taught me resilience and it taught me that you know growth happens when you're outside your comfort zone. Running has taught me that it's a metaphor for life. you don't train because you want the pain to go away. You train so you could tolerate the pain. It's still painful for the pros. It's painful for everybody. but you can rise above it. I mean It's your mind and then it's your heart that gets you across that finish line. And so I just channel it in everything that I do. You know how they say that you shouldn't line up and worry about the 26.2 miles. You worry about the mile that you're in. It's just that every step. So that's what life is like. Don't worry about everything. Just concentrate on taking little steps. MikeRunsMarathons: You are absolutely right. And I actually I needed to hear that right now because of things that are going on in my life. So thank you for that. that is a a wonderful way to think about running a marathon. And I I love how you compared it to life because so many people ask me like why I run marathons. My my family does all the time. And I try to relate it back to real life and how you know. There will be difficulties that you face in your professional life, in your personal life, family, friends, work, whatever. And from running, I've learned that as long as I don't give up, as long as I keep pushing through, I will get through whatever issue I'm facing. and it also I tell people all the time, it it kind of makes the problems that you see a little bit smaller because you say to yourself, Well, I ran I can run 26.2 miles. I can finish this spreadsheet. Like I Abigail: Yeah, yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I don't I can write this email. Like I it this is nothing compared to training for like Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: four months to run this race. so I I really love how you how you connected that with like because it's so that's so important, I think, to so many runners. Because the confidence and things that I have learned and gotten from running, I don't think I would have gotten from anywhere else. But so you Abigail: Well, I mean, I think it was always there. You just had to discover it. MikeRunsMarathons: True, true. I think I think you're right with that. there's there's a lot of things I think that came out of me. and I think comes out of a lot of runners once they finally, you know, there's there's always the beginning part where you hate it. But once you get past that part with running, you start to learn a lot more about yourself because of the meditative effects that you get from just running for, you know, an hour. where it's just you, your music if you want. And that's really it. And it's it's wonderful to to be in that place. Now, so you went from a casual runner very quickly to a long distance runner. Yeah, there's 26 races you said in 2017 leading up to Chicago. and that is an entire identity shift, right? You're you're you're Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: most likely I think you were still acting and you were still a model during this time. Abigail: Yeah, and I'm still doing that now. So yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Exactly. So you decided to add a third thing to it, to to to your identity. But when did you start to see yourself as a real long distance runner? Abigail: I still don't. I mean I don't know. It's I I'm just I'm just someone who is having fun and it it feels surreal, right? I mean, if I do think about it and I do see the medals, it it seems unreal to me. because that was never my identity. I wasn't an athlete in high school. I started off as a masters runner. but I I don't even really think of myself as a serious runner. It's just something that I do. Is I don't know, does that sound ridiculous? MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. No, I mean I I feel the same way. Like it doesn't matter how fast you are as a runner. Like I I always tell people if you feel like this sport becomes a I have to do it rather than I get to do it, Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: you might want to rethink, you know, what you're doing because it doesn't sound like you're in it for the fun. You're in it for Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: something else, which brings a whole lot of extra stress when it comes to running, which If you're running twenty-six point two miles, I really don't want to have added stress to the stress I've already got. But that no, that's that's a great answer. And it's it's very humble. You know, I I and I think that's one of the things that I really like about you is that you've you've accomplished so many things and you do so many things, but the way that you, in my opinion, portray yourself is is very humble and down to earth, understanding and caring. and it in it really does inspire me because of the way that you you kind of act around around everybody. And especially when I met you. You were you were probably one of the nicest people I've ever met, and it was it was wonderful. but I want to talk about the other identities that you have. So you're you're an actor, you're a model, now you're a runner, Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: and there are three very different ways of using your body and your mind. But how do how d do they talk to each other at all? Do they is there any way for like the one helps the other? Like have they taught you anything that helps you? Has running helped you with something with acting or with modeling and things like that? Abigail: You know, it's funny, like one of the gigs that I had, I had to pretend to be a runner before I was a runner. And MikeRunsMarathons: Ha ha Abigail: it was before shocks came onto the scene. So I had wired headphones for the commercial. and you know, that saying, Does art imitate life or is life imitating art? so it's it's ironic because I said, well, how am I gonna pretend to be a runner? I have no idea. So here I am supposed to, you know, be running and now that's what I do. And it's I mean, so my main role like during the day is I actually work for a Fortune 500 company as a global change manager. And so when I think about Abigail Michelle, I mean, that's my my legal first and middle names. but that's the stage name that I use to keep those lives separate. And so I actually think of her as third in third person that I manage her. That's how I keep those MikeRunsMarathons: That's rule. Abigail: lives separate. MikeRunsMarathons: No, that's that's cool. That's that's really smart actually. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: So I and there's a performance element, right, to both running and acting because you have to show up, you have to be present, and obviously you have to execute under pressure because whether it's whatever scene you're working on, I I did acting way back when I was younger. so I kind of have an understanding about that. And obviously you're under the pressure when you're running a marathon or half marathon. Has being a performer shaped how you run at all. Abigail: Absolutely. I think it's because you know this from acting, there's a mind shift. And Like for instance, sometimes it's easier for me to act out a scene because I get to wear a mask. I'm in character. but then if it's Abigail not playing a character, I'm very vulnerable. I may have stage fright, doing public speaking, but if I'm in front of the camera, it's not as nerve-wracking. So I try to use some of those techniques when I'm running. Like Boston was rough for me, because I had diarrhea that morning. I did not know if I would be able to finish that race. And I was luckily I didn't have signal because I was thinking about, how much is an Uber from Hopkinton back to Boston? Because I don't know if I can make it. But then I really just Prayed about it and just channeled that energy. What do I do when I try to put my game face on? There's I have to just focus on what I can control. And I just said, Abigail, we're just we're just gonna do this. You're gonna nail that nutrition and go. And and then I did. And I think we have to do that for ourselves, right? You have to be your cheerleader. Cause I since I didn't have a signal, I I couldn't reach out to my coach, I couldn't reach out to family or friends. I had to be my cheerleader. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, and you had to make that mind shift, like you're like you pointed out, you had to go from somebody who was, you know, afraid of being able to finish to we gotta do this. And Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: it's it's I I get that all the time right before marathons where I'm super nervous, but then as soon as I see the starting line, it's like something just flips in my head and it's it's time to go. so I I completely agree with you. I think that that's really important and being your biggest cheerleader is very difficult. Very difficult, especially when you're facing issues leading up to the race. and I I you could have other people who could be cheerleaders for you, but if you don't have that belief in yourself, it's kind of like they're speaking another language to you and you you just don't understand it. So it I think being in that position, that's really powerful for you. So I'm and I I'm glad that you were able to finish and that you you didn't have you know major issues during the race. Because I know some people who had some issues. I don't know if they had issues if if it was this year or last year. but I've talked to people who have had major issues during races and it is it is not fun. Abigail: It is not fun. No, it's it's never fun. But let me tell you, like once I saw the Newton Hills, I was like, well maybe this wasn't MikeRunsMarathons: god, those hills. my goodness. I I I remember last year I was really good at understanding them. I was like, okay, one hill, two hills, Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: three hills. This year I was like, when are we when are we done? Abigail: When is it done? Yeah, I we're just you're going into a wall of asphalt. I mean, you just you got MikeRunsMarathons: Exactly. I was I was like, I just want this to end and when it finally did, I was actually my body was not ready because it's just straight downhill. My my quads were like, what are we doing? Ugh But no, seriously, why did you do this? I can't believe you. Abigail: Yeah. Yeah. Why do you hate us? Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: Now so I wanna talk about the work behind the numbers, right? You have your twenty-six half marathons, you've got your thirteen full marathons. It's not luck that got you through all of those. It's dedicated training. It's really putting in the work and getting that that that training complete so that you can get to the starting line and be able to finish strong. because I know people that finish, I mean, myself included, who finish marathons and then immediately go to the med ten. consistently. Like that was me for like five or six marathons. it's you have years of discipline work. What does your training week actually look like for you? Abigail: Well, it's changed, right? if you already follow me on social media, you know that I've had some health challenges. So we're kind of riding the edge right now of what kind of volume can my body handle now and still build fitness? I think, you know, at my peak when I didn't have health issues, I would probably Tap out at like 150, 160 miles a month when I was in a build. And that's with crest training. And, you know, for the past 12 months, we've had to alter it. you know, we had to incorporate some aqua jogging when I wasn't allowed to run outside. that is not sexy at all and not exciting. it's just it's a necessary thing and like biking indoors, they were afraid that I would fall outside. So I had to bike indoors and and physical therapy, strength training at home and just being really creative. but it's you know, you could still build fitness even when you're recovering from an injury. because I think injuries are inevitable in in our sport. MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely. I have arthritis in my big toe that'll never go away for the rest of my life. So yeah, Abigail: no. MikeRunsMarathons: I found out about a year or two ago because I can't I can't fully extend the the toe. So every time I try to bend down it it it hurts. but yeah, it's this spore is full of injuries. Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: and but how are you doing now? Abigail: Physically, mentally MikeRunsMarathons: Whatever you want to say whatever you want to share. Abigail: You know, it's you know, interesting. I was listening to, you know, some of your past episodes and those who have finished six stars, like, what's next? So Boston was my sixth star. And you know, we sometimes get aggressive with the back to back marathons because these bibs are so hard to get and you just MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Abigail: have to go when it's available. So Boston was not on the calendar for this year for me. you know, my goal race in the spring was originally the New York City half. I didn't find out I was running Boston until seven weeks beforehand, thanks to shocks. And I wasn't sure if I was gonna do it. I was reaching out to my coach and she missed my message and I had to make a decision like within a day. And she said, I would have wanted you to accept that because that's your last star. You should do it. And we can get you across that finish line safely. So we were just never gonna race. We just wanted to complete it. because that wasn't enough time to do a serious build for that course. I live in the Midwest, I have to drive to hills. and I mean, even though I was Training for the New York City half. I wasn't training for Boston. I think it would have looked a little different, what my training cycle would be like. And then now it's I feel like I have freedom to really pick and choose now the races. I'm not sure if I'll go for the nine. I think I'm just still trying to process that we finished a six. and you know, just kind of enjoying it. yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Awesome. Yeah, it's it's really weird completing your six-star journey because you feel so lost after. When I when Abigail: Yeah, you know it's MikeRunsMarathons: I finished, I was like, what do I? I was like looking at everything. Do I do the 50 states? Do I do Abigail: Yeah, yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: continents? Like all this other stuff. Do I go for the nine star? And it was just Abigail: Super haves. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: it was so I was you get the marathon blues, but when you get the six-star medal, it's like I'm really happy I got it. But there's like an extra level. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: You get on top of that 'cause you're like, I worked so hard for this and I got it. I'm really Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: happy, but what do I do now? and Abigail: Exactly. MikeRunsMarathons: it it takes it you have to really think about what you want to do next. And do you do you have anything planned next? Abigail: Well, you know, we're debating about me doing like a fast half in the fall. I said that I already have a bib for Chicago. I actually had a bib for Berlin and I just deferred it. Well, obviously I've done Berlin already because I have the six stars. so I have the luxury of now differing if I need to. so yeah I nothing really solid right now. Maybe trying to do a fast 5k. I'm doing a 10K birthday run next month with people in Chicago. And I wish you lived in the Chicago area, then you could have joined me in the birthday run. because we're gonna do the Stan's Donut run. Yeah. So that will be fun. So I think that's in my future. And also, you know, when I finally did get to run New York, so I deferred 24 and then I ran in 25. I really saw so many athletes in Achilles and just so inspired. Like, wow, these are really the heroes, the unsung heroes. Like they are out there and they're they're doing it, you know, and and and it gets dark and the crowds MikeRunsMarathons: yeah. Abigail: are gone. And so I actually signed up for Achilles Chicago. So MikeRunsMarathons: Well. Abigail: once I'm feeling up for it, then I'll start journey. joining their training runs. And that's I really wanna be part of helping others fulfill their dreams. And it's not necessarily like, I don't know, like, okay, I have the medals and I am not as proud of that as I am with, you know, things that we don't receive accolades for. like helping others. Like I get more joy out of that. than really these medals for myself. MikeRunsMarathons: That is amazing that you signed up for Achilles. It's I and I agree with you with New York. I mean, I I'm pretty sure you probably saw the the gentleman who finished, I think, at like ten or eleven o'clock at night. And Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: just the amount of people that were that just were still there and just walked in walked to the finish line with him was I was so incried. I cried. It was so inspiring because Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: of how just there's nothing like I I just can't explain to people like there's nothing like this that you see during a marathon, I think anywhere else in the world. Like there's they always say like if you lose hope in humanity, go watch a marathon. because you you see those people. You see the blind people, you see the the individuals that are are missing limbs or they're you know whatever the the other issues they may they may be facing, but they're still going. And they don't care about time. Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: They just want to push through and get to that finish line and get that medal. And I'm actually doing a run this weekend in New York on Sunday, for Achilles with New York Road run. Abigail: nice. MikeRunsMarathons: So there will be a lot of Achilles people there, a lot of Achilles runners. So I'm really happy about that. it's a great race and I've done it a couple times and so it's it's gonna be a lot of fun. But I actually initially signed up for Achilles, New York in New York City, but since I don't live there anymore, it's really difficult for me to potentially get up there and and do stuff. Abigail: To the training room. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: So I have to see if there's one like in Philly or something in Jersey. Abigail: Or you could start one. MikeRunsMarathons: I could. in my spare time, yeah. With with work and and my baby and content and all yeah, definitely. Abigail: In your spare time. I know. Yeah. I know. MikeRunsMarathons: but no, it's I I I think Achilles is is is incredible. It's a great organization. And I always admire those people that are the Achilles guides. and it's actually really surprising the rules that they have for Achilles because like you can't be in front of the runner. You to be behind them. Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: There's a certain distance you can be from them. Like all of this stuff. It's crazy. But you know, it's it's to give them the ability to really showcase themselves instead of feeling like they're being dragged by somebody. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: which is which is fantastic. But Speaking of races, right, you have all these races under your belt. And I'm pretty sure a few of them have probably humbled you. And they've Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: they've probably taught you some things and and did not go the way that you planned. is there a race that you would definitely do differently if you could go back and do it again? Abigail: my goodness. There are several. So, you know, like I I ran Tokyo in 24. And you know how they're pretty strict about the rules in Tokyo. And I know in the previous year they weren't allowing people to bring water. And in 24 they they kind of loosened up the rules that we could take sealed box water through the start. And I don't know if the volunteer knew that that rule had changed and it got confiscated. I had walked a mile to the start and I didn't have any water in the starting corrals. And I was panicking. And I called my running coach and I just said, They took my water away. And I was just like so upset. And luckily, you know, 'Cause time difference. So it was like Saturday night here in the States. So she was awake and, you know, unl if it was like London or Berlin, sh it would have been the middle of the night. And then she just told me to focus on what I can control. And you know, the first aid station is not until the first 5K. So it's really hard to make up that hydration on the way and It's kind of warm in Tokyo, especially if you're training in the winter, since it's the first Sunday of March. and so you're training the winter here. And I went to the medical tent after I'd crossed to finish. I just ran like a couple minutes off of my PR and MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: because I am a good angry runner. So if I'm angry, it'll be a good race. not that I try to start angry. And I was released, but I still felt ill and I didn't end up going to my charities after party. So I ran for the local Ronald McDonald House charities there. So it's D H C because there's no R in Japan. And I I passed out on the train. MikeRunsMarathons: God. Abigail: Yeah, and then I woke up to two Japanese nurses on the train that had my legs up in the air and they were trying to give me Pikari sweat and chocolate. So it was MikeRunsMarathons: Nine. Abigail: Yeah. It's just like, no, this is terrible. I should be celebrating because that was my fourth star and here I am. but yeah, I was dehydrated. MikeRunsMarathons: Did you figure out what happened? Hmm. Abigail: because I was still taking you know, salt stick like a champ, but I just could not make up the hydration at that point. Especially if you're just taking from the course. You don't have a handheld. yeah, I I just I just don't think I had enough fluid for the electrolytes to get absorbed. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. I know I I ran twenty four as well, and I know that was the year with the water debacle. Did you Abigail: Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: did you run into any issues with the water during the race? Abigail: No, but you know, it's it's just tough because my last digit on my bib was eight. So that means it's towards the end and you can't throw away like outside of the aid MikeRunsMarathons: Well Abigail: station, so it's tough. Yeah. We could do a whole episode on Tokyo. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Well I'm absolutely. It Tokyo is its own beast. It even though it's so flat, it's all the rules Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: and the way that it's set up and I'm I'm glad Abigail: Switchbacks. MikeRunsMarathons: that la let was it last year? No, no, this year they changed Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: the rules so you could bring water now because they they finally realized okay, we're people are gonna have issues again and it Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: And it was it was hot apparently then hotter than last year. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: and last year was hot. man. But so so we talked about a race that you wish that you could do differently, if if you had the chance. But on the flip side, is there a race that you're the proudest of? Not necessarily because of finish time, but because of something that, you know, really got to you either during the race or after the race. Abigail: New York. I would run New York every year if I could. I feel like if you could bottle up the energy and the love that we feel on the course, I don't think we would ever have war. It's incredible. so anybody listening, you have to run New York at least once. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Abigail: it's not only being inspired by Achilles, You know, I was told in August of last year that I may never be able to run again. And I just kept training and just hoping that they were gonna let me run. And in September fifteenth is when I was cleared to run New York. And I had agreed that I would do a rock walk run, and that's fine, you know, because there are no I mean the time limit is very generous for New York. And, you know, I could take my time and just really enjoy it. And so it it was incredible. And like when we got into Brooklyn it was mile nine. And my I asked my boyfriend, I saw him and he and I said, are we doing this? And then he said, F yeah we are and he didn't say F, you know but MikeRunsMarathons: Right. Abigail: And it was just such a gift. You know, we're never promised another race. I mean, I I love Dina Castor's book, Let Your Mind Run. And running with gratitude, I think sometimes we take it for granted that there's always gonna be another race. And you never know. And you just have to enjoy it. just like with everything in life. You know, our time is limited. We all have an expiration date. And you just have to make the most of it. MikeRunsMarathons: that that's that's actually why I got technically really into marathon running and especially doing the World Marathon majors and traveling the world because I I realized I mean I I talked about it on one one of my other episodes but after my attempt in 2018 that's when I realized the same exact thing like we don't have you know we think we have time but we don't know how much time we have and then we need to make sure that the dash that's in between when we live and when we die is is worth something and you can say that something happened during that and to try to make your life, you know, have some meaning if you can. Whether it's you know a family or a a hobby or something that you love. And and knowing that you didn't just sit there and let life pass you by. is I g I can I completely agree with you. And I think that that is is so it's so powerful and something that a lot of people do not take for granted. Like you said you you're now promised the next race. I always tell everybody when you start a marathon, you can have the perfect training plan. You can have no have your hydration down, your nutrition down. Everything could have gone perfect. Once you cross that starting line, anything can happen. You could Abigail: Absolutely. MikeRunsMarathons: you can pass out, you can trip and hurt yourself, you can break something, and that could be the end of your running career, like your running journey. It That's it. And it could happen at any moment. even during your training, something could happen and it could knock you off from being able to run that race. And so we need to remember. I do this a lot, so this is something that I need to tell myself. We need to rem we need to take in everything that's going on around us. And New York is a perfect example because that was my first marathon. I feel like I got spoiled by doing people say people say that all the time. Abigail: Yeah, that's a that's a hard measuring stick now. MikeRunsMarathons: Because of just those those crowds are amazing. And I will never forget the first time that I came off the Barrizana Bridge and turned in the Brooklyn for the first time. Because I was planning on just listening to my music. I had my noise cancellation on and my headphones and I saw the crowds and I was like, I can't do that. I need Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: to I need to turn my my music off. and I it gives me chills every time I think about it because of how silent it was. And then just how loud it was for twenty five miles. Abigail: I know, it's like a big block party. I just like you know, a part of me wanted to jump off the course and just party with them. I mean, it was incredible. MikeRunsMarathons: you should see some of the videos that some people do. Like they get they get crazy because there's people handing out alcohol. There's I saw somebody actually in Chicago. I actually I I saw her in person, I think it was last week in New York. she did a keg stand. Abigail: I saw that video. I yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Chicago was incredible. so I that like I love when people do that kind of stuff. Like I try to focus because I I I want to run at a specific time or whatnot. Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: But like in 2022 it was like seventy five degrees and I got halfway and I was like, This is not Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: a PR race. We're gonna have fun. So I was like dancing with people, I got pictures of Abigail: Ha ha ha. MikeRunsMarathons: people, like it was it was so much fun just taking in everything. and and I I I feel like one day that's just going to be me all the time. I run New York every year because I I love the energy and I love the crowds. And it's it's just got a sentimental feeling to me because of of living there for seventeen years. So you know it it's it spoils you to kind Abigail: Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: of every other marathon that you might do. I don't I think the closest you might get would be maybe Chicago or Boston, but Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: there's I I don't think you would see a line of people for twenty-five miles screaming for you that don't know you to succeed. It's it's just pr it it is one of the most incredible things. And as Abigail said, if you want to run a marathon and you want the energy, New York is that race. it's it's indescribable just being around those people. Because they will tell you that they believe in you and they don't even know who you are. You could be struggling like hell and they will tell you, keep going, you've got this, and and that that'll that'll push you. yeah, it's it's phenomenal. Abigail: You're gonna make me wanna run it this year. But it's interesting. MikeRunsMarathons: Hey, I mean you you probably could find the charity babe if you wanted to. I'm just saying. Abigail: I probably could, I know. Yeah. You probably wouldn't have to twist my arm that bad. MikeRunsMarathons: yeah, yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm trying to do the fifteen so if you're on fifteen New York marathons, you get like entry automatically into the next year. Abigail: How nice. MikeRunsMarathons: so this year will be numbers twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty five. Number seven. No. Abigail: Okay. MikeRunsMarathons: Six, twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six. It's twenty six, right? Yeah. This would be number six. So at like halfway there almost. and because I I went over a marathons for a long time. So that's my that's my goal. but I've I've digressed, gotten a little bit off topic here talking about how amazing New York is. But it's just wonderful. I'm sorry. It's just it's a great race. Abigail: Yeah, that's no, no, no, no, no. It it it really is. It really is. And I'm not even from New York, but it it really is. You know, I just wanna tell you, you know, you brought this up. I really appreciate your candor about mental health because it's something that I struggle with as well. And it's really been therapeutic for me to find running as well. I was close, but my year was 2006. and I have not done well with medications. they've tried to give me medications like one time they overprescribed and I actually dropped to the ground at work. And they had to rush me to the hospital. And then this the last time, which is a while ago, I started having seizures. So I can't do any medications. but with running, I feel like I'm able to really control those feelings and It has given me purpose. I think because I run for charities a lot too. And and not only just raising money for races, I actually get involved with the charities. Like for Ronald McDonald House charities, I help cook dinners at the local houses. So it's a year long commitment where it's not just about race day. and I don't know, running is has given me a part of myself. Back. MikeRunsMarathons: with you 100%. I'm I'm I'm glad you're still here. you know, it's it people who have gotten to that place, whether they attempt or not, but when they get to that rock bottom spot, Abigail: Mike. MikeRunsMarathons: it's it's painful and it hurts. And I appreciate you for what you said Abigail: I I reclaimed a part of myself through running. so I can really relate and I I appreciate you so much about sharing that part of yourself and being vulnerable because you know it's It's kind of scary to share that part of yourself. But you know what? I I try to be vulnerable too. And I think if for me it's if we could just help one person then it's worth it. MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely. Abigail: yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I really appreciate that. I've I've I take mental health very seriously with with running because of of what it's given back to me. you know, I've I found running at literally the lowest point in my life. And I know it didn't it didn't fix everything. as I as I still tell people all the time, running can be therapeutic, but it is not therapy. so Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: if you if you want something If I recommend still talking to somebody. Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: but you I completely agree with you on on just how meditative and helpful running is because it it one of the things I've learned through therapy is is meditation. I I actually took a class on Zen meditation and and learned a lot about what it does. And the the thing that I was taught was When you meditate, you might not feel anything in the moment. But as you do it over time, what ends up happening is subconsciously your mind is shifting and learning so much more about yourself and moving to a different spot and helping you. and you you don't see it because it happens very, very, very, very slowly. But then one day you wake up and you see like, I'm not this person that I was before. I have shifted into something else. And as you pointed out, it's probably the true person that you are meant to be. Because your mind is finally figuring that out. and so running has has helped me understand myself so much more than I think maybe any other sport that I may have gotten into would do. Even strength training. I hate strength training. So I hate it so much. Abigail: But it's a necessary evil, you know that. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes, it's so n it's necessary, but it's like it's like, it's what's the parks and rec where it's like running is good for you and she's like at what cost? That's Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: how I feel with strength training. but it's it's so like I don't know, I feel like when I run it's just so relaxing. Even though it could be like a very difficult run, Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: it's still a moment where I am just with myself and And that's it. And that's all I'm focusing on is just my mind, my brain, what's going on in front of me and and and it's it's so it's so therapeutic. Abigail: It is. And I'm so glad that you're still here because it's obvious your work isn't done. You have work to do and you're helping people. I mean You've helped me, because I don't feel alone in what I had to go through. MikeRunsMarathons: I appreciate that. And you as you said, if you can help one person, it makes all the difference. And that that's the only thing that I I want to do with my platform is if I can e help just one person, then I know that I've I've achieved the goal that I have. but so I really appreciate it. Really, really appreciate it. and like I said before the episode, I appreciate everything that you do and what you share and how honest and open you are about who you are and the things that you've accomplished and are working towards because you know it it inspires me and I know that it probably inspires other people. especially with the the the number of companies that you work with because you work Abigail: Yo estoy. MikeRunsMarathons: with I mean I'm pretty sure the ones that you have listed on your profile are just kind of like a few. You probably work with more, but like you work with Abigail: I do. MikeRunsMarathons: You work with Rabbit, you work with Shocks, Zenza, Honeystinger, what else I got here? Garmin. We got Boco and Salt Stick, some of my favorite companies. How do you Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: how do you approach the partnerships and decide what fits like your story? Abigail: Well, it's I haven't always been doing the approaching. Sometimes I'm approached, like they'll ask me to test something and I will not endorse something that I wouldn't use myself. Like I wanna be sincere and I wanna believe in it and I think it's important, right? To be truthful. And so MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Abigail: I just I just love these products. my gosh, I got it so emotional. Here my nose is running. But yeah, Rabbit was my first brand that I worked with and that was in 2017. I think I found them accidentally because I am a bunny mom and you couldn't really find them in stores yet in 2017. They had just started and you had to buy direct from them. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: And but they took a chance on me and they watched me grow from beginner runner to now. And you know, I'll have to do an a reveal on Instagram, but they had gifted us six-star jackets that just came in. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: wow. Abigail: They're just so kind and just I met so many people through Rabbit and through these other brand collaborations. I mean so when we were at the shocks event in Boston, you know, I wondered, well, why did they pick me? Because I'm sure there are lots of other people that they could have picked, I'm sure lots of people applied, but when we were all in a room together, it was pretty obvious why we were picked. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: yeah. No, especially when we did the for those that don't know, we did a yoga session and then we did what would you call it like a dancing meditation thing? Abigail: Yeah. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: and at first we were all a little shy about Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: dancing. The guy who was running it was like trying to get everybody involved, but then I would say probably about a quarter of the way through, everyone just kind of dropped their their guard, and we all just Or dancing and and having so much fun and it was it was a really, really, really awesome, awesome moment. And I yeah, you you're right. I mean, I think about this all the time. Whenever a company reaches out to me or wants to work with me, I go, Why do you why did you pick me? Like I Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I got picked for with Meta, their their threads run club because of just how much I post on threads. Abigail: Nice. MikeRunsMarathons: And I met with the person who manages the ambassadorship and I literally asked her to her face, like, why did you pick me? Abigail: Ha ha MikeRunsMarathons: Like I like what do why? Like I don't understand. And she was like, Well, Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: you're the most you're one of the most active runners on threads. I was like, I don't know if that's a compliment or if that if Abigail: Ha ha ha. MikeRunsMarathons: you're making fun of me. but I try to tell myself now that if I got if I get picked for something, it's because I deserve it. There's something that they see in me that I might not see. so same with you. These companies that want to work with you that reach out to you, they see something in you and they want they want that. You bring something to their ethos of their company. and so if you ever get picked for another company, you let me know, I'll tell you the same thing so that you don't put yourself down again. Abigail: And I'll do the same for you. Yeah, I think it's just the universe reminding us, right? If we can't see it ourselves. They're giving you the reminder. Yeah, but MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. yeah. Abigail: that shocks event was amazing. but I think part of the reason why too we were on guard is because, you know, we're supposed to be off of our feet the day before marathon. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: And here we are dancing. Like So it was great. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Yeah. I didn't even think about that. I didn't even think Abigail: Yeah, we're supposed to be off our feet. Yeah, I know exactly. Like things that we're not supposed MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. And we're we're jumping up and down and we're anybody could fall. Abigail: to all the things you're not supposed to do. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. man. That's that's one hundred percent true. now before we move on, I gotta ask Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: about the bunny mom part of your bio. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I won't tell me about it. Abigail: Well, I live with a rescued bunny and her name is Carmen and she's free range. She's litterbox trained and she loves TV. MikeRunsMarathons: Does you have any favorite shows? Abigail: She likes it when there's something like it's musical. So she likes America's Got Talent or you know, if I'm not really watching American Idol anymore. I don't know who is, but I'm sorry. But so maybe if that's on. But she she likes musical things. and then sometimes like while I'm working, 'cause I work from home, I'll see her on the couch watching TV. MikeRunsMarathons: It's so awesome. Abigail: Yeah, so I think I am really living in her world right now. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm. Abigail: I mean, I just support her, so is it MikeRunsMarathons: Mm. How how big is she? Is she like the size of like a cat or Abigail: she's like five pounds. So MikeRunsMarathons: Okay. Abigail: she would be a small cat. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Okay. Abigail: very affectionate, very sweet. but she can be stubborn. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm. Abigail: she'll she knows her name. She likes to give kisses. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I love that. I had a cat actually who liked to lick people. yeah, he would he I called him a dog because he would he would talk to you. He was a great cat. but that that's awesome that you that you have that rescue bunny. I've I've never spoken to anybody who has a a rabbit as a pet. so that that's really cool. And it's it's even cooler that they're free range. So like they just go around your house. That's Abigail: Yeah. Yeah. That's what she does. MikeRunsMarathons: That's so cool. I've never I've never heard of that before. That's so cool. Abigail: Yeah, and she goes to the litter box when she has to go and when when she's done with her business and she gets out. yeah, it it she's very independent. Yeah. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I love that. I love that. I I had a rabbit years ago, but we kept it in a cage for the most part because it was not free range and Abigail: Okay. MikeRunsMarathons: we ended up having to give it away because my it was for my brother, he didn't take care of it, so we had Abigail: yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: f we found a better family for it. But now I want to shift to talking about what what all this is really about for running, right? You've got thirty-nine long distance races, you might have a couple more lined up for this year. What does running still give you that nothing else does? Abigail: What I love about running is, you know, it's like each day it's an appointment with myself. I love starting my mornings with a run. I love watching the sunrise during a run. I love hearing my feet hit the pavement, seeing my animal friends on the trail that recognize me. I love the community that it's brought me, even when I wasn't able to run, I'd still go to run club and I'd walk and just that camaraderie. I feel like running has brought the most amazing people into my life. Very positive, very uplifting, very supportive. I mean, when I had to run walk New York, my phone was buzzing with people who were cheering for me. And I said, Well, you know, I'm gonna take my time because this is a run walk and they st Stuck through it with me. And it's just it's I think it's unlike any other sport. like with the majors, that we could run the same course as the pros, and they're so accessible. I remember going to the expo for Chicago last year, even though I didn't run it because I was gonna run New York. I, you know, I got to meet Clayton and MikeRunsMarathons: Hmm. Abigail: I was telling him my story and he started crying and hugged me. And I don't know, I you know, I I've gotten to meet Dina Castor and she signed my my copy of her book in person. they're just rooting for you. When I was when I started to learn how to aqua jog, Kira Diamato, she was telling me what jogging belt she was using. It's just I I I don't know. I mean I I don't I don't see it like if I played basketball would an NBA player be helping me like that, you know? So it's just we're just all pe people, right? At the end of the day, supporting one another, lifting each other up. It's it's not about that time on the clock for me. MikeRunsMarathons: That is that's so cool that you met all those people. I would fangirl so hard. Even even just meeting a Peloton instructor, I I f Abigail: I know there's MikeRunsMarathons: I fangirled and I ha I always apologize to them. I'm like, I'm so sorry. Like the I met a Peloton instructor once, came out of the studio and I was outside and I froze. And my wife had to speak for me. She Abigail: I probably would too. I love it. MikeRunsMarathons: so I I don't know what I would do if I met Clayton Young and especially Kira D'Amato. I just finished her book Abigail: it's good. MikeRunsMarathons: recently. it that's so cool. and it's you you I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to just what running gives us, besides the running portion. I mean, obviously we do the running, we do the races, but outside of that, there's so much community, there's so much joy and happiness and support from people you don't even know too when you're on the course. but even from the people that you do know who really Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: believe in you and and try to push you to the to the finish line. It's it's unlike anything you see anywhere else. And I love what you said about the pros running on the same course with them is I think that's such such a cool thing because there's no other sport where that happens. I think Abigail: No, and like MikeRunsMarathons: that is the only sport. Abigail: 2018 Chicago Marathon, Paula Radcliffe was the one who put the medal around my neck. And she said, Congratulations. And I said, my goodness, you're Paula Radcliffe is so good. I just took a selfie. I was more MikeRunsMarathons: Right. Abigail: excited about meeting her than me finishing. MikeRunsMarathons: I that happened to me actually last year. I I finished the race and somehow at the same time, Meb finished the race as well. And I literally finished and looked to my left and I went, Holy shit. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: And I went, Meb, I don't want to bother you. I'm so sorry, but you are one of my heroes and I love your book. And he was like, Let's go get medals. And I was like Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I was like, okay. And he put the medal around my neck and I I literally was like, This is This is one of the best days of my life. Like I cannot believe it this happened Abigail: Yeah, it really is. I know. MikeRunsMarathons: at this moment. if Paula Radcliffe Abigail: Yeah. Yeah, they sell MikeRunsMarathons: put a medal around my neck, I probably would cry. Abigail: I I think I was. I'll find I'll try to find the picture. It's so great. I couldn't believe it. And yeah, and I just love how Kara Goucher is like very active on threads. You know, she'll jump into all these conversations. So they're just MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah it's Abigail: they're just all people and they're all trying to encourage us. It's so it's so great. I love it. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, yeah, I lo I love that they no matter whether they've been in the Olympics, one an Olympic medal, one a marathon, what Abigail: You're right. MikeRunsMarathons: have you, they still support the person who is just starting out or is a an amateur runner and might not have as much experience because I mean they were once there as well. So they Abigail: Mm-hmm. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: wanna inspire the next generation of runners to be able to go out there and do what they do. which I think is just It's phenomenal and they really do feel down to earth. It's really weird compared to like like you said, an NBA player or NFL player. Like they're just Abigail: Yeah. Right. MikeRunsMarathons: like they seem like just regular people. Abigail: Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: but they have these like extraordinary talents. So it's it's just so weird to talk to somebody who's like so normal, but then they'll go out and run like a five and a half minute mile. Abigail: You know. And make it look easy. Yeah, I know. MikeRunsMarathons: I think my one of my some I met somebody who told me that I think it was Chicago, they were doing a shakeout run with a group. And as they were running, I think it was Kira D'Amato and Clayton Young. They were also doing a shakeout run. I think they were going the group was going this way, and Kira the Kira and Clayton were going the other way. And they're running, you know, probably like a 10-minute, 11-minute mile, and all they see are just these two people just like zoom past them. And they're like, Abigail: Ha ha ha. MikeRunsMarathons: What is that? and as Clayton Young cured the motto running like five thirty miles. It's ridiculous. so it's it's just so funny. But Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I want to go back to the beginning of your running story, right? Back in 2017 when you saw everything at the Chicago Marathon, 2018, when you finally started everything. what is something that you wish you knew? When you were just getting started, something that would you would want to tell a brand new runner before, you know, their first half or their first marathon. Abigail: Not to be so hung up on pace. you know, like I think you know, a lot of times when I I mean, I'm guilty of it too, posting your Stravas for like an easy run. but I mean, you don't wanna go out so hard all the time because you're leaving it all on the trail instead of race day. You know, it's it's more effort based. And I think, you know, I felt like I f I fell into the same trap that everybody else falls into when they first start running. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, pace is very, very difficult to not pay attention to when you especially when you first start out, because Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: you go on social media and Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: it's just like people running six minute miles Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: and it make and they look make it look easy running around Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: a track or in a race. And if you are just starting out like when I started, I could probably run maybe thirty seconds and then I had Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: the wall. Like you see that kind of stuff and you're like, Wow, I'm a failure. Like I'm never gonna be able to do that. Look at what I can do now. and I think that that puts off a lot of people who want to get into running. They see like they try once and they're like, Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: I'm not fast. And then they just give up. And I I tell people, just like stick it out. Just n every single person I've had on the show has told me running sucks at the beginning. Every single person. Abigail: it always does. Yeah. It does suck in the beginning and then it sucks when you're coming back from injury because you feel like I don't even know how I can even get back to where I was because you have to rebuild fitness. It's you you embrace the suck. That's really what you gotta do. Embrace the suck. It's part of the process. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Yeah, no that's a perfect line right there. I I love that. And I'm kinda doing that right now because I my training for the last two months and then training for Boston was terrible because we had our baby and I just had to make up things and then my body just kind of shut down after Boston for a while and I'm finally now getting back into like actual training. And there are moments where I'm like, Am I back at day one? Like Abigail: yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: When I just started running, 'cause that's how it feels sometimes. But I you just keep going. Abigail: I I I can relate. Boston, I don't know. The recovery was rough, and you're not the only one that said that. I don't know what happened, but I was just like, MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Abigail: I I didn't think it'd be that and then like I want to throw away my garment because it would just tell me my bat my body battery is just not there. Training readiness. Like, why are you not showing me any love? MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. yeah. yeah. It's I tell people that Garmin is the David Goggins of sports. It's so mean. It's so mean. You'll wake up, you'll feel like you had the best sleep of your night. And Abigail: Yeah, it it totally is. It's so mean. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: you look and it's like a score of thirty five. And Abigail: Yeah, I know. MikeRunsMarathons: it's like what are talking about? so yeah, it's I I like it's so difficult at the beginning. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: But don't let that put you off from starting. Like, yes, it sucks, but it it's like any other hobby. Like it's Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: you're not gonna be good like 100% at the beginning, but you keep working at it, you'll finally be able to, you know, see the growth that you want to see. and it's it can be it can be difficult. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: but if you push through it and you keep going, I I you'll see the the change that that comes out of it. Someone is thinking about getting started with running, they see everything that's going on on social media, they feel intimidated, they might either have just gotten started with their running journey and they're struggling, or they're thinking about getting into it, but they see all this stuff on social media and they're just like, I there's no way I could do that. I'm just not gonna do it. What would you say to those people to either continue with their journey or to actually get started? Abigail: I would say the same thing that I would say to myself as a b when I was first starting is you belong. just like I belong. There's room for all of us. It's, you know, comparison is a thief of joy, right? You're comparing yourself to people who have been doing this for years. It's not gonna be immediate, but I promise you the journey will be worth it. MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely. Now, with with the journey, I want to know what do you want every person listening to take away from your story? Abigail: Wow, that's a really open ended question. I think I just want people to always remember why they run. You know, don't lose that joy in running. Don't be so wrapped up in pace. Don't be so wrapped up in even finishing the six stars if that's your goal. Because if it's stops being fun, then why are we doing this? You know, don't lose sight of that. you know, even though we love running so much, it's I think we put so much pressure on ourselves and it's really not that serious, right? Cause my friends and my family don't care about pace, my pace, as much as I do. Like sometimes I'm afraid of disappointing people or disappointing a coach. But really, as long as I gave it my best for the what the day gave me, and that's all that matters. And I should be happy about it. I should be proud. I gave it my best effort. Just like anything in life. You give it your all. And your all might not be the same as your all the next day. Maybe you're capable of only giving 70% one day and then you're only g capable of giving 30% the other day, but it was still your all, and be proud of that. I want you to celebrate the little wins and not just the big ones. MikeRunsMarathons: That is perfect. I mean the little winds end up building up and becoming the big wins, which is something that's really important. I mean, I started out running wanting to run twenty minutes without stopping. Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: And it somehow culminated in 17 marathons. Like it it's it's Abigail: Yeah, exactly. MikeRunsMarathons: a a huge jump. So I I think that that is a a perfect perfect thing for people to take away from your from your journey and your story. and you've been through a lot and you've you've dealt with a lot of things. But you're still here, you're still pushing and you're still inspiring other people. So just thank you for that. Abigail: No, but you know, people like you inspire me. I think we s we lift each other up. And that's what's so great about this running community. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, absolutely. Agree with you one hundred percent. Now I know you know what this next part is. This is what I call the hot seat. These are just some quick fun questions that I ask everybody to to help everyone learn a little bit more about you. so don't think too hard about them. Just give me your first answer that comes to the top of your head. first question is trail or road? Abigail: Road. MikeRunsMarathons: What is your favorite running shoe brand right now? Abigail: Sakany. MikeRunsMarathons: Hmm. Actually, I just bought the Sakany Elite Elite Endorphin Elite 3. Abigail: Yeah. What do you think? MikeRunsMarathons: very bouncy. I Abigail: Ha ha ha. MikeRunsMarathons: ran I ran a 10k race with it last week and finished faster than I had thought I was going to. Didn't hit my goal, but it was faster than I usually have been. and I have two races this weekend. And I'm gonna try to I'm gonna use two different shoes. I'm gonna use that for one race and one for the other. We'll see Abigail: nice. MikeRunsMarathons: how it goes. Abigail: well I'm gonna expect an update about that. MikeRunsMarathons: I will let you know what it's like. I've heard some good things about some of their newest shoes. So I'm I I used to be a Sakany guy, a Sakany Abigail: Uh-huh. MikeRunsMarathons: person. but then I ripped holes in two Sakany endorphin elite or endorphin pros in twenty twenty two and twenty twenty three. So I after that I just gave up on them and went to another company. Now I think you may have mentioned this earlier, but are you an early alarm or late runner? Abigail: Early. MikeRunsMarathons: Thought so. and I probably know the answer to this one, but long runs, do you prefer them to be solo or with others? Abigail: Actually solo. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's the shorter runs MikeRunsMarathons: wow, actually, wow. I like that. Abigail: that I like. I think I like the solitude. MikeRunsMarathons: Hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I mean it lets you just focus on what you're trying to do and especially Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: if it's a very long training run for a marathon. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I personally would not really want many people near me because I'm probably gonna get aggravated. Abigail: I mean there's a little bit of that too. MikeRunsMarathons: I'm gonna get hungry, I'm gonna get thirsty. Abigail: Yeah, that's a little bit of a too. I could I could behave for a shorter period of time. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Now, speaking of marathons, what is your favorite post marathon meal? Abigail: Cheeseburger. MikeRunsMarathons: Okay. Now since you've run Chicago multiple times, have you gotten a cheeseburger like every time you finish? Abigail: No. It's a pizza town. MikeRunsMarathons: Okay, okay. I will say I've never had deep dish pizza. Abigail: Okay, Mike, we're gonna have to have a separate convo c conversation about this. MikeRunsMarathons: Here's the thing. My wife and I, I ran Chicago in 2022 and Abigail: Mm. MikeRunsMarathons: we found this amazing Italian restaurant. It had garlic knot croissants. And we were just like blown away by them. They had a deep dish pizza on there on the menu, but it took 45 minutes to make. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: And so we decided just to get regular food. We went back last year because we were so excited. We found it. We were looking for it. Finally found that we went back. Not as good. So we were upset. Yeah. So Abigail: that is upsetting. Well, we're just gonna have to come up with a list. We're gonna have to plan this trip that you've got coming up in October. MikeRunsMarathons: I am looking forward to that because we w really want good Italian food and I would love to try Deep Dish Pizza. because Yeah, Abigail: Yes. We have some homework to do then. Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: we have to figure this out. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Now on your easy runs, I think I probably know this. Do you prefer music, podcast, or silence? Abigail: you know what? I I do a little bit of podcast or music with my shocks, of course. MikeRunsMarathons: Of course. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: Actually I have my the Chasing Stars one right here. Abigail: nice. MikeRunsMarathons: I haven't used them yet. Because I use I use the Abigail: You didn't use them yet? MikeRunsMarathons: I use the open dots one. So Abigail: Okay. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I love I love those. But I have I have so many shock cyphones in my house. It's ridiculous. Abigail: So do so do I. And I've bought people shocks. I bought my dad shocks. MikeRunsMarathons: Me too. I've given away I've I've had people I had some woman who either had her shocks stolen, I think they were stolen, like at the gym or something, and I was like, I'm so sorry. I have an extra pair if you want them. I'll just mail them to you. I'm not sure if you know running Abigail: That's so kind of you. MikeRunsMarathons: off that Hillary, the the account. Abigail: Uh-huh. MikeRunsMarathons: She needed a pair of headphones for summary she was doing and she was gonna buy them. And I was like, listen, I have that same pair. I don't use them anymore. I'll ship them to you. And I sent them to her and and she used them. So I mean, I think I've had like eight pairs of shocks at one point. It's ridiculous. Abigail: I know. I'm addicted. MikeRunsMarathons: they're so good. And don't tell anybody, but I'm potentially gonna run the London Marathon with the charity. And shock's headphones are going to be in the giveaways that I'm gonna do for people. I have a whole Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I have a you can't see it. 'Cause I moved the camera, but I have a whole like conglomeration of like fifteen things that I'm doing giveaways for. in Abigail: Well, I am gonna do a you can't tell anybody either, but I'm gonna do a Shocks giveaway for my birthday next month. Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: Nice. That is that is awesome. Abigail: Not sponsored by Shocks, but I'll do it my own. MikeRunsMarathons: Hmm. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: That's great. I love that. I'm Shocks is in the giveaway and just watches and all this stuff. It's it's ridiculous. Luckily I have Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: all of it. Don't have to spend like hopefully too much money, but Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I had to raise nine thousand dollars for Boston in twenty twenty four. And Abigail: wow. MikeRunsMarathons: we have a I run a Peloton group on Facebook that has about like eighty thousand members now. And we did so many giveaways. We bought like Abigail: Nice. MikeRunsMarathons: like fifty pieces of merch and went into like a thousand dollar debt in order to raise money from everybody. We did so we did a giveaway so like a huge one where people buy tickets and then we selected everybody who won and it was cr and then we shipped everything out. It was crazy. But but I'm gonna do something like that for London because Abigail: I love it. Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I also am running New York with a charity because I decided I I had a bib already, but that was the last world marathon major I haven't run with the charity. So Abigail: Okay. MikeRunsMarathons: I decided to run with one and to raise five hundred dollars. which is not bad for this year. Abigail: For this year or for next year? Okay, so you're doing Chicago and New York this fall? MikeRunsMarathons: I am doing Chicago, New York, and Philly. Abigail: in Philly. Okay. Well let's just add another one. Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, I got I got sponsored by do you know for the run? Yeah, I got s Abigail: Yes, yes. MikeRunsMarathons: I got sponsored by by them for it. Abigail: nice. MikeRunsMarathons: yeah, he he he I I met with the the the owner, fantastic guy. And I was like, you know, I love your company. I've I've used this stuff for years and he was like, How did you find this? So I was I think it was just like an ad or you came up. but I was like, Yeah, I'm just looking for somebody to try to help me get into Philly. And he was like, How much is it? And told him, he's like, I got it. I was like, okay. So I'm hoping that we can make like we're supposed to make a hat together. He was he was like, let's let's make something and and I'll sell it. And I was like, cool. but I'm hoping that we make like a custom like singlet for me for Philly. That'd be so cool. Abigail: That would be really cool. MikeRunsMarathons: But man, I I love talking to you. This is so much fun. Abigail: I know, we'll have to do a part two. MikeRunsMarathons: what is one piece of running gear that you cannot live without? Abigail: Hm. MikeRunsMarathons: And you can't say your watch. Or no, you can't say your shoes. Abigail: Well it's pr it's probably my watch then. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I agree. I mean it's it's a burden and a benefit Abigail: I know. MikeRunsMarathons: at the same time. Abigail: I know, it torments you, but you know MikeRunsMarathons: I have to I have to put the screen I have to I have to make it, but I need to put the screen on when I run to just show me like my distance and my heart rate. Abigail: yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: I see pace, I'm just like so focused on that. So I need to Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: stop doing that. Do you have a dream race? Abigail: You know what? I think I don't remember what it's called, but there's this race in Iceland. I think it's MikeRunsMarathons: there we run around the the volcano. Abigail: Yeah, and I think it's you're running in the middle of the night, but it's daylight still. MikeRunsMarathons: That is so cool. I've heard about this and I wanna do it too. Abigail: Yeah, maybe awesome. Yeah. I forgot what the race is called. Yes, we should do it together. MikeRunsMarathons: I'm down. My wife keeps telling me she wants to go to Iceland so bad because she loves volcanoes. Abigail: Yes, we should do this. We should really look into this. We could put a shocks team together. Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: We should. We should. I'll tell I'll tell my wife and we should figure this out. That'd be fantastic. now if you could run that race with anybody, who would it be? Abigail: Dina Castor. Mm-hmm. I get so MikeRunsMarathons: Now Abigail: inspired talking to her, you know. MikeRunsMarathons: This next section are Abigail: You MikeRunsMarathons: pieces of information that I gather from everybody to share with listeners and and people online to help inspire them. The first is what I call the motivation library. So if you could make one quote, a mantra or line that gets you th through the tough miles, what would it be? Abigail: You know, I don't know if you noticed like on social media, I took a picture of my gels, because I wrote, I had stickers on each gel for mantras. And every time I took a gel, like I wouldn't know which one was gonna come up. And so the one that I really liked during Boston is like, I am a warrior. So I love these. I am statements and when I first was sick, still have post-it notes around my house that say, I am healthy, I am loved, I am strong. So I think it's just important to have these I am, like put it out there and say them to yourself. MikeRunsMarathons: Now, you said you might run Chicago. Let's say that you are Abigail: Yeah MikeRunsMarathons: and you are running up that tiny hill that they have. Absolutely horri horrible. Terrible. Abigail: Roosevelt, Mount Roosevelt. MikeRunsMarathons: and you're getting to the finish line. What song is blasting through your headphones? Abigail: At that point, nothing is blasting through my headphones because that is the 800 meter marker. And I want to hear the announcer say, you are about to finish the Chicago marathon. And every time I get choked up, I don't want to hear music at that time. The crowd is roaring by mile 24, 25. They are roaring. You're already, you are so close. And you just, you don't want music anymore. You want the music of the people that are just cheering for you. It's amazing. I get, you know, at that moment, I'm always getting emotional. It never gets old. And it feels just like the first time, every time. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. I got chills right now thinking about crossing these finish lines. Dude It's just Abigail: I know. MikeRunsMarathons: it's just so wonderful. Like I'm thinking about every race, like Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: each of the world marathon majors, it's so different. Like you got the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, got Buckingham Palace in in London. Like it's Abigail: Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. Oh, you know, Berlin haunts me though, because I thought the Brandenburg Gate was the finish. I was just like, MikeRunsMarathons: Mm. Yep. Abigail: wait, we're not done yet. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. It's so funny when people pass through it 'cause they're like, I'm finished and then you're like, shit. Abigail: No, I know I got it. And it's not close. I don't know. So I was okay when I was on Boylston. I wanted to own it MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: because it was just so important to me. And I threw my arms up in the air and I never do that. And I was just like, I'm just going to pretend this crowd is just cheering for me. But then I felt like the finish line just kept moving backwards. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. my God. And when you turn on the boilston, you're like, I'm on Boilston, you're like, finish line's all the way down there. Abigail: Yeah, know. It's so far. Why are you gonna keep on moving? MikeRunsMarathons: So it's so funny. Like with with New York it's it's hysterical 'cause it's like Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: you run through Central Park and Abigail: Right. MikeRunsMarathons: you're like, I'm almost done and then you come out of Central Park. And Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: then you run up and then you come back into Central Park. And Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: then you're like, I'm almost done and then there's a big hill. Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: It's like, my god, can we please just like get this finished, man? It's it's so funny. Abigail: It's like that New York attitude and you know, like, you're coming right at you. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. Now these these last two questions are about the essence really of this podcast. And Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: and to help others understand just why running is important to your life. The first question is, what is running giving you that you didn't expect when you first started? Abigail: I didn't expect that I'm stronger than I thought I was. I think my family thought I was a little crazy when I said I wanted to run a marathon. And I don't know if they thought I could stick it out. But usually when people doubt me, that's when I want to prove them wrong. But really, I think I wanted to prove it to myself too. And it's incredible because I'm the person that didn't want to run a mile in high school. And I was never considered the athlete at all. you know, I was the nerdy student, you know, who liked theater, who liked, you know, doing things like that and not, MikeRunsMarathons: Name. Abigail: yes, you wouldn't think that I would be the one doing this. And it feels like a dream sometimes. And I just don't want to wake up because it just feels so amazing. MikeRunsMarathons: Yes. Yeah. That's so funny. I was a theater kid too. I did music. I played I played instruments and I hated sports. Hated sports. I like we I Abigail: Yeah. Hated. Hated it. Yeah. I didn't get it. MikeRunsMarathons: was in marching band and so we would I would have to be at the football games and I would just be like, I don't care about Abigail: haha MikeRunsMarathons: any of this. This is so I would bring like a book with me because I'd be like, I'm not gonna pay attention to this game. This Abigail: Hahaha! MikeRunsMarathons: is ridiculous. man. I no, seriously. Abigail: And look at you now, you're coaching. MikeRunsMarathons: If you had told me thirty years ago, twenty-five years ago that this would be like what I would be doing, I would say you are out of your mind. Abigail: Yeah MikeRunsMarathons: Ridiculous. Because it's like, are you like, I've never liked sports ever. Like, and now I finally it's it's crazy. Abigail: Yeah, yeah. And you are so in it. I know. MikeRunsMarathons: Now, my last question for you is very ambiguous. Abigail: Mm-hmm. MikeRunsMarathons: So it w however it hits you, just l you know, give me the best answer you have. Why do you run? Abigail: my gosh. I mean, it would be cliche to say I run because I can. Well, even now? You know, I don't know if there will be a time where I can't, you know, and I want to enjoy it as long as I can. And I don't want to worry about when they tell me I can't. I still feel strong. It gives me peace. It's my happy place. I just... It's indescribable really to, mean, it's so hard to just put it in just a few words because it's given me so much more than I feel like I've given it. Yeah, I don't know, it's... I mean, I got involved with charities because of it. I mean, I've always done charitable work and I've always done volunteer work, but I was able to connect to other organizations because of it. I'm able to help other people. I love going to local races and sometimes, you know, I have on the schedule a longer run. I love going back on the course and helping others. across the finish line. I know it's just like the little silly things that just make me so happy. I love when runners who are just starting and I could give them advice. mean, I'm also certified, you know, level one RCA, but I'm not actively taking on athletes right now. But I love giving advice. I love helping them out. love. I love making people feel like they can do it too. It's so amazing. And I wanna treat them like the athlete that they are. think, you know, sometimes when the back of the Packers, they don't feel like they're athletes because they're not posting those times. They're just as much an athlete and they're putting in the work. They wanna learn. And I want to give them their props as well, MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. Abigail: celebrate them. mean, they might not be podium, but I mean, sometimes I feel like they're on their feet longer. I feel like it's MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely. Abigail: harder. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. I mean I've heard pro runners say that the runners that they look up to the most are those back of the packers because they you know a pro will run for two hours to two and a half hours. These other back of the packers are six hours and they Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: are on you know, three times as long on the course, two two times as long. And That takes a lot of grit and it takes a lot of resilience and motivation to just keep going. So yeah, that's Abigail: Yeah. MikeRunsMarathons: it it's incredible. Abigail: And the aid stations might not be there. They're worried that the aid stations won't be there. They might have to carry all their nutrition on them. The crowds aren't there. I mean, they are digging so deep at night. That's why I love New York so much is because you're celebrating the back of the Packers. I mean, it's a big party. I think it should be like that all the time. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah, it's it's a fantastic. Abigail: Yeah. man, I'm going to have to find a way to go to New York this fall. MikeRunsMarathons: Well if you do if you do let me know 'cause I'll I'll be there for a couple of days. Abigail: Yeah, that'd be awesome. MikeRunsMarathons: Abigail, I really I really want to thank you. This was an amazing conversation. And I think people are gonna walk away from this episode really realizing something important, not just about running, but just life in general. and that you can also be more than one thing. You can chase more than one dream. And that you can be an artist and you can be an athlete, you can be a performer and the person that's grinding for long runs at like five AM. exactly. Exactly. Abigail: and a bunny mom. Yes, all of that. MikeRunsMarathons: I was gonna say that. You know, it's it's a it's a very, very powerful message. But Abigail: You MikeRunsMarathons: if people can follow you at Abigail Michelle on one word, you follow for your training, your racing, your work, and like you said, your bunny. Abigail: Yeah, my bunny. MikeRunsMarathons: You can also support the brands that she partners with, and you probably would be able to steal a little bit of energy for whatever your next finish line looks like based off of the motivation and support that Abigail provides people. Abigail keep showing up the way that you do because it's the l running community is very, very lucky to have you. And to everyone listening, you do not have to pick a lane. You can run, you can dream, you can build, you can become more than one thing at once. It keep moving and keep stacking finish lines. Abigail again, thank you. Abigail: Mike, thank you so much for having me. I have nothing but love for you and you're such a blessing in my life and thank you so much for having MikeRunsMarathons: Appreciate that. Abigail: me. MikeRunsMarathons: Of course. Thank you so much. And that is a wrap on this episode of At Your Own Pace. I cannot thank Abigail enough for coming on here and just having just an incredible conversation with her. She is such a light in the world and just so sweet and nice to talk to. And I was I just I left that conversation feeling so much happier than before I had it. So Abigail, I know that you say thank you. I know you s you thanked me. for having you on the show, but I genuinely just I have to thank you because of just how much joy speaking to you brought to me. And thank you also for listening to, you know, me talk about Glenn and and me processing his passing and and it just it means a lot to me for for those of you that listen to that portion of the podcast to want to know more about me and and to to hear what my story is like. So it's it I just I cannot thank you enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you. But next week is episode 15. Each season is 15 episodes long. So next week's episode is the season finale of season two of At Your Own Pace. And boy is my guest incredible. I'm so excited to introduce you to them. But I'm gonna keep you all in suspense for now. Because I'm really proud of this. I I Wanted to release this episode so much earlier, but I kept it inside because I wanted to figure out how to make it important because it's someone that is I I look up to tremendously and someone that I just I love. They are just a wonder a great person and many of you know them. Maybe not physically, but you might know them digitally. That's the only hint I'm going give you. But if there is one thing that I hope that you take away from this episode, it's that there's no such thing as too slow, too late, or too far behind. You are right on time, heading at your own pace. And that, you know, this sport belongs to you exactly as you are, wherever you're starting from. And every mile counts, and so do you. This episode moved you, made you think, or made you want to lace up. Just do me a favor, share it with someone who needs to hear it, follow the show, leave a review, and then come find me at Mike Runs Marathons over on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Facebook. And I would love to hear your story. I'm currently in the process of taking on people for season three. Which if you had asked me when is this July now? If you'd asked me seven months ago if I would be a podcast host and would have gotten through thirty episodes of talking to essentially random people and sharing their stories, I would have said you were nuts. But doing this has been one of the greatest joys of my life right now. But if you would like to be on the show for season three, shoot me a message on social media and we'll set something up. But until then, please take care of yourself. Be kind to the person writing next to you. Keep showing up at your own pace. In turn those some days. into right now. I'll see you on the room.