Latest / At Your Own Pace / 165 Marathons Later and the Love of Running Continues with Nadia Ruiz (@IronGirlNadia)
Transcript
- MikeRunsMarathons: This episode is brought to you by SaltStick. you've ever bonked at mile 20 wondering what went wrong, the answer is usually electrolytes. SaltStick replaces what you sweat out with just the sodium, the potassium, the magnesium, the calcium, so your legs keep doing what you have been trained to do and you don't get those cramps, which I know so many of us are so used to getting. If you use the code, Mike runs marathons, SaltStick's website, you'll save 20 % off your order. So make sure you go grab a tube of And that's our cool down for the week. I want to thank you so much for spending part of your run, your drive, or your walk with me, or however you listen to this podcast, because it genuinely means the world to me. If today's episode hit, share it with a running friend, leave a rating, and come find me over on any form of social media and Mike Runs Marathons. We have new episodes every Monday. And until then, I want to remind you to run your race at your pace, because we are resilient. And I'll see you out there on the road and on the trails. Today's guest is someone who really embodies what it looks like to push your limits and redefine what you're capable of. If you follow Iron Girl Nadia, you'll see more than just running, you'll see strength, you'll see endurance, and a mindset that is built around showing up for hard things. She's not just training for one lane, she is building a version of herself that's standing across the board. stands out to me is that her journey isn't about chasing perfection, it is about chasing growth and being willing to do the work that comes with it. Everyone, welcome back to At Your Own Pace, the show for runners who are showing up however they can on whatever week life is handing them. I'm Mike of Mike Runs Marathons. And whether you're chasing a Boston qualifier, your first 5K, or just the next mile, you are in the right place. I wanted to talk about a couple of things that have happened over the last couple of weeks since Boston. You see or Lulu in the background. I'm on dad duty right now, so I have absolutely not a in the world whether or not that happens. But if you hear some grunting, little bit of crying, that is her, as was And we are back. So you know the drill. Grab some water, find your stride, and meet me in the conversation. Today's guest is someone I've been so excited to introduce you to. Fast Chews or my favorite Bonk Breakers at SaltSick.com because I guarantee you they will make a world of difference in your training and in your racing. Her story is absolutely incredible, goes back to when she was a kid and the amount of things that she's been able to accomplish since her very first marathon up until now is extraordinary. And what she has lined up in the future is even so in my opinion. So I'm excited to talk with her about how she's built that mindset, how running fits into everything else that she does and what she's learned by consistently pushing past her comfort zone. So let me bring in... Bye. Every Monday we open up with a little real talk from me and 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. So lace up, settle in, and let's run this one together. I'm so excited to speak with my guest today, Nadia Ruiz, who goes by the name Iron Girl Nadia on social media. Her story and her dedication towards completing the world's most difficult marathons in the world. it's been two weeks since Boston, right? And it's been a struggle. I'm not gonna lie. Now, it's not just a struggle mentally because everyone knows if you run a marathon that when you finish your race, you get the post-marathon blues. They are real. I can attest to that if they're running 17 of them. It doesn't matter how many I run. After every marathon, I feel the same exact way where you've trained for... 12, 16, 20 weeks, potentially half a year or more for your race and then it happens and then nothing. are kind lost. You don't know what's next potentially if you don't have anything lined up and you're sure where you're gonna You're kind of lost. And I have felt that after every single marathon. Even if I have one or two lined up which includes 165 finishes overall, is incredible. And I cannot wait for you to hear not just about the mentality that's gotten her to these achievements, but about what's next and how she keeps falling in love with running over and over again. But before we get into today's guests, let's start with where we always start with a check-in. And here's what's been on my mind this week. Nadia, thank you so much for being here. Nadia: Thank you so much for having me. MikeRunsMarathons: are you doing? Nadia: I'm doing great, doing great. Just moving along with training for the next goal races and along and balancing life and work and all that good stuff. MikeRunsMarathons: I feel you, I feel you on that. actually want to start with the question that I ask everybody, which is how is your training going? I know that you have a lot of things lined up. you know for the future which I usually do Nadia: Training is going smoothly, smooth as it can be, given what my goals are. Goal races, have ⁓ Boston Marathon coming up shortly. And then I have the big goal race, which is the Everest Marathon. And so, I mean, with any big goal race that we have, anything that is scary, that we're doing for the first time, whether it's your first marathon, a PR, a BQ attempt, or big adventure, there's always the feeling of, I wish I could do more. I wish I could squeeze in more. I wish my body can take more. So that's kind of where. I have the coaching hat, I have the athlete hat on me and just trying to balance everything that I can. But it's going as smoothly as it could be. MikeRunsMarathons: That's good to hear. And you just finished the LA Marathon, right? Nadia: I did. So I just finished the LA Marathon with my dad. That would have was our 28th consecutive LA Marathon. So 28 years in a row. I will say that that is a very difficult streak to keep up. had put out a poll out there like just to see kind of what streaks have like for races. And it really is hard to just try to keep it up. mean, we were running LA Marathon in our teens, 20, or my teens, my 20s, 30s and 40s now. So ⁓ it's different once you get older. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm-hmm. the most I've done is run New York five times, you know, ⁓ I, what you just described, you have been running for a very long time since you a teenager and I want you to take me back to the beginning. So how did running come to you? Was it running that came first or was it another fitness journey that brought you to running? What got you started with it? And I have three marathons lined up for the rest of the year. Yet after every single one, I feel two things. One, obviously sadness for the race being over. And two, I feel like back at zero. Like my endurance goes back to zero. My aerobic capacity goes back to zero. And I know it's a mind game. I know that I actually have the strength already inside me to run another race. But I just feel like I lose all my fitness. And it's kind of like I'm starting back over at level one. Nadia: actually discovered it for reasons. ⁓ It around middle school, those preteen years, ⁓ and discovered I had an engine inside of me because my mom had enrolled me into boxing, community boxing, and I did that competitively for three years. And this comes coming from, I'm a child. My older sister and younger brother were pretty athletic as little kids, as parents put them community sports, and I just couldn't do I tried basketball, I tried soccer, I tried any kind MikeRunsMarathons: And it really frustrates me because that Boston's over and it's been two weeks, one, dealing with an injury that I had before the race. I'm technically dealing with two. ⁓ One, have a kidney stone again. For those of you that don't know, after the Boston Marathon last year, I technically ran Tokyo and Boston with a kidney stone and it stuck and I needed to have surgery to get it taken out. Literally the day after I got from Boston, race was on Monday. I came back Tuesday, Tuesday night, I felt pain. Nadia: type of coordinated sport and I couldn't do it. I just not sure what was wrong with me. And I was like, if my brother and sister can do it, why is it that I can't? And so I just kind of relied more on my brain and my artistic side and was competitive arts until when my mom found boxing and she's like, you know, they're giving a really great deal. ⁓ was kind of suffering a little bit with bullying as many kids do in their preteen years. ⁓ she's like, let's put you something where it can kind of develop your self-confidence. MikeRunsMarathons: ended up in the hospital, Wednesday was the surgery. So it was not the homecoming that I wanted. But two, I have periodontal tendonitis, which those of you that don't know what that is, it is different from tendonitis of the ankle, and that is on the lateral side of the foot. Nadia: And it really did because I discovered that I had an engine. I immediately jumped into training after school. It was like three hours a day after, after school, five days a week. So going from like zero training, zero nothing to 15 hours a week of training and just building that, that engine and that, that skillset that's where I was like, ⁓ I can run. I have this little thing in me. And at the same time I had watched on TV that I remember world championship. And that's what really. MikeRunsMarathons: so the outside of the foot. And it almost feels like you have plantar fasciitis on the outside of your foot rather than on the bottom. And it hurts. When you walk, you feel it every single step. And went to go an orthopedist because ⁓ I talked to my physical therapist and he thought that I had a stress And was four days or five days before we were supposed to leave for Boston. Nadia: put in the spark I was like, wow, what is this? You swim 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and then you run a marathon. I thought it was just unreal that human beings can do that and they also do it for fun. What really touched ⁓ heart was the real stories out there. And Ironman did a really good job to doing a feature every fall, season to share the stories outside of pros. And it was people that were suffering from loss, from divorce, from... MikeRunsMarathons: So I went and got an x-ray. They had it looked at, not broken, which is fantastic. But the tendon is very sore inflamed. so was in a boot for almost right up until left for Boston. And I noticed that tendonitis to kind of go away, which I was ⁓ really happy about. And once started the race Monday, I was really afraid that I was going to feel that pain the entire time. Nadia: anything that was a hardship in their life. And they created this goal inside of them and said, I want to be an Ironman. I want to prove to myself that I can compete at this endurance event for this long and see if I can do it. So I literally told myself at 12 years old, I want to do an Ironman one day. So once I started researching and how expensive the sport is, how you have to be 18 at least to do it. So I just chose one of the sports and I thought, MikeRunsMarathons: But luckily the pain away immediately after I started and I only felt it afterwards. So ⁓ have DOMS. Some of you probably have it as well, Nadia: that running was gonna be the easiest. And again, ignorance is bliss. I just decided that I'm gonna do an Iron Ma- Sorry, marathon. And I signed up for my first marathon. And the only one I knew at the time, that existed at that time was the LA Marathon. That was 1999. So I signed up when I was 14 years old. MikeRunsMarathons: Wow, that is an incredible story. It's so funny being 12 years old and seeing people complete Ironmans and being like, I wanna do that at 12. That is a mindset of discipline. And so you have a plethora of things under your belt that you've completed. Ironmans, marathons, what have you. And I'm sure that that mentality about why you do types of races and events has changed. But at what point did you realize that you weren't just exercising, you weren't just working out, but you were building something bigger for yourself? Nadia: You know, right from the beginning, seed was planted because I was inspired of real people sharing their real stories and overcoming hardship. And mean, we all go through different journeys in our life. And at that time ⁓ I my parents as my heroes and I still see them as my heroes. And it me see them vocalize and think that my mom is one of eight, my dad is one of eight ⁓ and the majority my extended family. MikeRunsMarathons: delayed onset muscle soreness, And I took about week after so that I didn't do any running at all. I did a little bit of biking. And I think I may have gone on one run. But I decided that I wanted to rest, take care of myself, and try to come back a little bit stronger because I had the Broad Street run in Philly about two weeks after Boston. Nadia: are overweight or obese. of my two grandmothers have passed away from type two diabetes. Both of my grandfathers have either passed away from prostate cancer or prostate problems. And so it was almost like we were told and believed, my parents, was that that was in our future and chronic disease was going to be in our path and there's no way to avoid it. So I wanted to, ⁓ I everything I could about science. I was always fascinated about the human body and physiology and MikeRunsMarathons: So I rested, went for a couple runs this week, this past week, I felt fine. I out a new shoe from Swift Running, and it fantastic. So I'm really happy with it. decided to, you know, and was lucky to an ambassador for the Broadshear Run. So I went on Saturday to go film some footage for the expo. it was really cool. I really it. And then. Nadia: I just, saw these human beings, it doesn't have to be that way. I know that we have power in our own life to make choices, our habits make choices, like to just transform our lives, whether it's movement every day, it's food choices, our groceries, all of those things. And I was just exploring this through my sport. It just, it opened up avenues windows into own eyes and like, what is possible? And so the passion and the fire really was how can I transform MikeRunsMarathons: Sunday was the race. And I don't know what it is about the Brawler's Grounds, but I ran it last year. about after mile three, I literally felt like I was going to throw up after I got to the 5k mark, because it humidity was high. was like 85 % humidity. At the I was taking medication that made me not well at all with the heat. And so I... Nadia: my life and show that it's possible to help transform my parents' lives and their mindset. And this again was happening when I was 12, 13, 14 years old. just sport unlocks that in your mind. And if you allow it, if you search for it, if you dig and reflect and push and go into those very uncomfortable places. And so that's where the passion started and it continues to this day because it is a very empowering and life. MikeRunsMarathons: Walked around the rest of the race, almost dropped out at mile five because I was just, I felt so sick. I didn't throw up or anything, but I just felt so nauseous. this year I got to about mile two and a half and I was like, you know what? This is not a PR race. I'm not going to try to ⁓ myself. I'm not going to try to send it. So I walk around the rest of the race after that and finished about five minutes slower I did last year, which kind of frustrated me. But I had a plan A, which was, you know, Nadia: we'll throw at you some challenges in your life. It won't be easy. And so when we're going in our 20s, discovering ourselves or establishing our careers in 30s and going through different stages, like running and sport can help us process those emotions throughout that time. MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely, I completely agree with you and I identify your story because I'm the only person in my family who does anything remotely athletic Everyone else in my family thinks that I'm insane every time I run a race or run a marathon because they just don't understand it and be able to talk to individuals like yourself who understand kind of Sub-115, B was 115, and then Plan B was sub-120. And I finished in 120.37, I think. So I technically hit one of my goals. But my tendonitis afterwards came back with a vengeance on the way home. Walking to the car was totally fine. We got in the car. We drove home. We got home. I got out of the car, and I could have put any pressure on my leg, on my foot. The fact that it's not just the physical action of running, but what comes with it and what you learn during the training and what you learn from yourself during the race ⁓ that is just indescribable. And to have who kind of understood this at such a young age is such a... It hurt so bad. There was such a burning feeling and such a stinging feeling whenever I would put pressure on the left side of my foot that I just I couldn't. So I'm technically walking with a hobble. I am walking on my tiptoe on my left foot and regularly on my right foot. I have my boot that I'm wearing and it's a struggle right now. Like I know I'm probably not going to be able to run for the next week. So I'll be biking a lot more doing some strength training. But you know it. an incredible thing to realize when you're, you know, a teenager because I don't know many kids that age that were probably thinking about Ironmans or, you know, you realize that you can't do an Ironman until you're 18, so you up for a marathon thinking that that is easier. And so you talked about kind of a couple different things of what helped you. get into this, the Iron Man, seeing the real stories, realizing from looking at your own family, it doesn't have to be like this with what they've gone through for me, and then can show other people. what, and now push to, my opinion, essentially the limits, ⁓ you continue to push them, and shows people that your limits are not what you think they are. But what drew you towards pushing your limits physically, just continuously to keep going and finding I didn't have the greatest race at Boston. struggled after about mile 19. And was happy in general that I finished because my training cycle was completely out of whack since December due to medical issues. And then we had Lulu. And so it's just all over the place. So I'm happy that I finished with the time that I got. A little bit happier that I finished in general because I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it. But it wasn't the time that I wanted. And so when I went to Broad Street, I was like, you know what, maybe this will be kind of my redemption race. once again, it was not what I wanted. I have the Brooklyn Half Marathon in two weeks, which by then my body should be fully recovered, one for the marathon and hopefully from this tendonitis. I'm really afraid of it because the Brooklyn Half is hit or miss. It's either super, super hot or fine. new things to challenge. Nadia: Well, as a child, I had told myself, I had wrote these goals down. told myself, I want to find and explore what is the extraordinary version of myself. Because I knew early on and I recognized early on that I'm not going to be the fastest. I'm not going to be the strongest. I'm not going to be the prettiest. I'm not going to be the most financially wealthiest. I'm not going to be. There is like always the top number one. And it's like, that's where you were saying, like, I'm not aiming for perfection. And it is true. MikeRunsMarathons: Last year was unique for me because flew in from Georgia, where I was for work for about a week, flew in the New York City, took an Uber that was supposed to take me from JFK over to where you pick up your in Brooklyn, which for the couple of years has just been like a nightmare because of where it's located all the way in downtown Brooklyn along the East River. And on my to pick up my bib, the Uber got into a car accident. And it was a Nadia: because it's just that self-reflection and recognizing that there are somebody out there who is number one, but it may or may not be me. And at least though, I can pursue and create an extraordinary version of myself. And whatever that means, I want to pursue that. So human body, the human mind is it thrives in growth. It thrives in searching. It thrives in exploration. And I just, again, I learned that early on and I think a lot of the... MikeRunsMarathons: like powerful car accident. Luckily, I wasn't injured physically. But then I felt fine afterwards. I literally walked off of the highway. The cops blocked the highway for me so I can get off and exit so I could go to expo. ⁓ had my suitcase from work. I had my backpack from work. It was like 80 degrees. I was wearing a suit. It was ridiculous ⁓ felt for the rest of the day until that night. I would say probably around 11 o'clock at night. I was walking home. Nadia: The wisdom that I just acquired so early was because I read books like you wouldn't believe. I read and read and read. I was always in the library. And I learned early on is that you can learn so much from others because it's almost like a cheat code. If you read autobiographies, if you read biographies, they're telling you their ups and downs and they're telling you like how they got to a certain way. And you can then apply and pick and choose like, what do you want to apply into your life? What will work in your life? And so this is pre-social media. MikeRunsMarathons: I was walking back to my hotel that I had bought because I decided that I deserved a little treat because of what had happened the accident and to feel really dizzy, got a really bad migraine. just, I felt like I couldn't stand up and like things properly and just kind of toss it off to, have a migraine. That's just what happens to me every once in a while. Took some time and I went to bed. Woke up the next day, felt nauseous and sick still, but decided I Nadia: pretty like having a personal computer at home or pre like the internet being available with everyone. So it was just learning from others and learning and how that I can apply that to myself having loving and nurturing and disciplined parents that were very strict with me as well. My dad is extremely tough on me, but I needed that. I think it's very important to have that and me to just push myself and discover and explore myself. MikeRunsMarathons: pay for this hotel, I'm going to run the race still. I started running the race and I was good until probably mile two when we got into Prospect Park. felt like I was I was going to die. I was so nauseous. I was so dizzy. I just I couldn't run for that long or else I felt like I was going to throw up. And I called my wife and I was like, you know what? I think I'm to get to the top of Prospect Park, which is about like mile three or four. And just going to keep going and leave the park and. Nadia: explore that extraordinary version of myself to find what is possible, what can I pursue? And I think also just understanding that we evolve as human beings and we evolve in our life. And so it's important to evolve those goals in order to keep that fire alive because sometimes life will really smack us and with some challenges and so it will test us. And that's the time where you dig deeper. You dig deep with like... Why am I doing what I'm doing and what do I want to do with this struggle and what is it teaching me about myself? So I think endurance sports and running has really allowed me to kind of just self-reflect a bit throughout my life. MikeRunsMarathons: and DNF. But I got to the top of the park and I was like, let me see how I feel getting back to the bottom of the park. And I got to the bottom of the park and I was like, I'm okay. I walk ran and decided to walk run the rest of the race, which is just straight down Ocean Parkway. And I finished in like 137 or something. I don't remember the time at all, but it was not it was not terrible. And I came home, went to the ER, found that I had a concussion and that was that. I felt better kind of the next day because they gave me some medication and I was able to kind of rest some more. But I remember actually after my wife picked me up at the train station. I just I got so sick and so dizzy and it was awful. So I'm hoping that this year goes a little bit better because I'm not doing that this time. I'm taking Amtrak up and unless Amtrak gets into some sort of accident with another train, I should be fine going up to. York City and then going to Brooklyn. They changed the spots. It was in Prospect Park, which is so much easier to get to. And excited to pick up my bib. I got a hotel again because I felt like I deserved it after ⁓ everything been going on. And I'm to a decent time. I ran the United half in 1.34, which was a huge surprise for me because of everything that had gone wrong with my training. And that was in March. And so I ran probably the 10 miles. Nadia: Well, I think sport and running teaches a certain skill set that set of discipline, focus, persistence, resiliency, all of those skills that you learn to be just to better yourself translates well in life. And that's kind of why I have wanted to a lifelong runner. So even since like little girl, I said, I want to be extraordinary. ⁓ And I also and set that goal. It's like, I want to run for the rest of my life. So what does that mean to me? And how am I going to MikeRunsMarathons: I think most them were either seven-minute miles or other seven-minute miles. I was really happy with that. Then I slowed down for the last three. But for my PR is I think what I did last year, which was a surprise. But the issue with Brooklyn is it's usually so humid. The race really early and I remember there being fog for the last couple of years as you were running and getting so hot so quickly. I'm not on the medication that can overheat me anymore, so I'm hoping that that plays a role in me being okay while I run. Nadia: evolve that without knowing like what is it going to feel like to be in my 20s, 30s and 40s and beyond. I created that those goals just to explore that. So I think the skills that we're learning in our sport very, transferable and it helps us just be disciplined, be focused, be resilient and be a fighter. MikeRunsMarathons: But I'm a little nervous going into the Brooklyn half because it's not a difficult course per se. I've run around Prospect Park so many times. I used to live in New York City for 17 years. Park used to be my best friend when I lived in Brooklyn. But it's the mind games that I'm playing on myself because these last two races is extraordinary. I OCD. that you actually just segue into my next question, which is great, because I'm actually gonna be 40 next year. And I've thought about this consistently and I'm glad that you brought it up. But how has becoming stronger physically changed the way that you approach running now, from your 20s to your 30s to your 40s? Nadia: Definitely being an athlete competing in decades of my life has allowed me to explore what does strong mean, what does strong mean for me, because it is very, very easy to compare ourselves with other people who ⁓ are same age, our same gender, or maybe who have the same number of years of experience, but. MikeRunsMarathons: to be perfectly frank, where I have these obsessive thoughts where I start thinking about something in my mind just won't stop thinking about it, fixates on it, and it spins and spins and spins. that's kind of what I've been focusing on ⁓ you know, I'll zone out, my wife will ask me if I'm okay, but really what I'm thinking about are these races and, you know, the future of my running, because I have big goals for Chicago. And I know that's like four months away, but it's struggle think that you can hit your goal, even though it's that far away, when you've seen ⁓ Nadia: In reality, it's that's like you've probably heard it before. Comparison is the thief of joy. We shouldn't be comparing ourselves. It's great to find inspiration and ask and it create aspirations within ourselves from what others are doing. That's very important. But the moment that you focus on your own personal journey of like, what is extraordinary to me? What does strong mean to me? It does rob you from the joy that you have in your own path. I think that's very important for us to just find. MikeRunsMarathons: you know, things not work out for you. And I know a lot of people say, you know, got to rest after Boston, you ran a marathon, it takes like four weeks to recover. My body usually recovers after a couple of days fully from from a marathon. When I ran New York in 2024, I went for a run the next day. Like I was I was, I felt fine completely and started my training for Tokyo. You know, I think the race is on November 1 or 2. And the next day, I was back out there training. So Nadia: What is the value that's in my life? I have a lot of value. I have a lot to give. I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a lot to focus on where I can focus on my strengths or focus on my weaknesses. And so that's where focusing on how can I be the strong version of myself at age 40, at age 50, 60, 70, 80. And that also goes for like backwards, like 30 and 20. And so like, I was exploring that then. MikeRunsMarathons: I know that's not going to happen now, but I'm hoping that by the time I run the broke one half things have kind of calmed down with my body. My tendonitis is gone my body is and Boston is of my body. And then I have several races lined up for the summer. So I'm hoping that everything is fine with that. But what trying to say is instead of complaining about how things went for the last couple of races and the fear that I have is those of you have this Nadia: because ignorance is bliss. And when I was 20, I didn't know what it was going to feel like to be 30. I didn't know what it felt like to be 40. And I don't know what it's going to feel like to be 50, 60. Now, it doesn't mean that I ask other 50-year-olds, 60-year-olds, but that it's not going to be the same within myself. So what a 50-year-old is going to feel ⁓ is probably going to be very different from what I feel because my journey, what I have shaped myself to this day, is very different from them. So... MikeRunsMarathons: feeling of dread after finishing a marathon, the sadness, this feeling of emptiness, it is okay to have. Totally okay to have. It is normal. You work for so long to get to finish line and especially after you deal with a marathon weekend like Boston, because it's incredible. There's so many wonderful things happening. It's, I think, the longest marathon weekend that you really have since the race is on a Monday instead of a Sunday. So get to experience so many shakeout runs. The expo is awesome. Nadia: it's really important to just do a lot of self-reflection and taking that time to find the joy and recognizing what I have accomplished, your personal accomplishments, what are the things that you're really good at? What are the things that you have in your life that really give you joy and light and fire? fundamentally, it's always love. It's always our family. It's our parents, children, pets. Those are the things that... MikeRunsMarathons: Newbury Street turns into like its own expo all by itself with everything that pops up with the companies that show up. You have the finish line that's open, which I don't think is really available for any other world marathon major. So you get to really experience what it looks like. You have the 5K that's on Saturday that runs across the finish line. Like the entire weekend is just packed full of things. have the going on at City Hall, which is for the Fan Fest, which is great. Nadia: Even when those last moments of life we reflect on and it's like, I wish I had just a little bit more time, but those are the meaningful things in our lives. It's not tangible things. It's not materialistic things. Those are things that are important. we should of course have like a roof over our head and food and basic necessities, but really, really find the gratitude in the little things that we have. And that allows us to then pour more into our cup because the more we have in our cup, the more we have to pour into others. MikeRunsMarathons: I don't think that I've seen that really at any world marathon major either. So there's just so many things to do and you're so pumped up. You're so just full of energy. You're so happy because of not just your training, but because of everything that's going on in the weekend. And then the race happens and then that's it. You wake up on Tuesday or you finish on Sunday and you have Sunday night and you're just like, what do I do now? And I know the answer from a lot of people is you sign up for your next marathon. It's not always the case for other people. Nadia: And so that's how I approach my athletes and my coaching philosophy as well as to teach others. The majority of my clients and majority of my athletes are their ⁓ 50s. then I have the, next set is ⁓ 30s 60s because it is literally exploring that question of what is the strongest version of you right now in this year today, because we can explore that. It doesn't matter if you're not in your 20s. MikeRunsMarathons: But it's OK to have that feeling of emptiness because you've worked so hard to get there. And whether or not you sign up for another race after you finish Boston is up to you. But be proud of what you accomplished because you did something, that 1 % of the population on Earth has been able to complete, but two, ⁓ you the Boston Marathon, which is probably considered the most prestigious marathon in the world and one of the most difficult to get into. Nadia: It doesn't matter if you're in your 70s, we could be functional, we could be mobile, we could be thriving and not be dependent. Those are beautiful goals to have. So as I help my athletes discover that for themselves, I am continuously always discovering that for myself for every year of my life, because every year brings on new discoveries within yourself. MikeRunsMarathons: I cannot express how much I identify with so many of the different things that you just said. Definitely be proud of that. Show off your medal. Show off everything that you bought. Wear all of the merch. Wear that jacket until it tears. And then when it tears, get it fixed and wear it again. Because you an extraordinary, incredible person. And don't let your mind tell you that you're not. This is also a pep talk for myself. And I'm hoping that I listen to myself. But please remember that. And those of us that start over training for another marathon shortly after running Boston, Starting with the portion, mean, I cannot tell you when I first started running, I refused to run outside because I thought that I was going to be judged and compared to all the other people that were running around me. I live in New York City at the time, so I was afraid to run in Central Park. I was afraid to run in Prospect Park because I was thinking, ⁓ people are going to look at me. They're going to judge me because I was much heavier than I am now. So thought that they were going to just take one look at me and be like, this guy is not a runner. And so didn't run outside for probably the first five-ish months. I ran on the treadmill in a gym. Give yourself grace. finally when I did decide to run outside I realized nobody is looking at me They're all focused on themselves and getting better themselves. But now the advent of social media ⁓ my goodness the amount of comparison that you can do in just probably about 30 seconds just by scrolling is is just it's insane and the amount things that I see online for myself that make me judge and compare myself to people is now is is ridiculous and for those individuals that are thinking about getting in the running or As long as you maintain consistency with your training you just put one foot in front of the other, you will get to whatever you have set for that future race that you have. or are just brand new runners that are seeing these posts about people running sub three marathons, running six, five minute miles. All these endurance sports are immediately jumping into a marathon, things like that. They could be very put off when they try to do that and then realize that they can't do it because of just their own endurance levels and things like that that they have to build up and not knowing that where those individuals started from is where they are right now. And that's not really talked about a lot. So I'm really glad I'm just going to take it one step at a time. Unfortunately, that one step at a time is going to be half regular foot, half boot. So just try to, I'm just going to try to remind myself that this isn't my forever and then I'm going to be okay. And looking forward to when I don't have to wear this boot anymore because it makes it not just so much easier for me to walk and obviously to run because I'll be able to, but it makes it easier for me to carry my daughter because carrying her car seat is a when I'm limping in a boot. So. that you point out to your coaches that we can make you the best that you are right now. Don't think about how you were when you were younger, because I beat myself all the time. I didn't start running until I was 31. And I was like, if I had started running in my 20s, I can only imagine what I would be like now. And so to be able to have this kind of grounding of let's focus on now, let's focus on today and see what we can do to make you the best runner you can be right now, instead of looking at all this noise is just wonderful and much needed in this sport, especially Nadia: Thank MikeRunsMarathons: That's what I'm looking forward to. But with that being said, we're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna hear from the folks who helped keep this show on the road. And then I'm going to bring in Nadia and we're gonna talk about her just incredible story. I cannot wait for you to hear this because when I discovered her on social media, I was like, is this a real person? I cannot believe someone has completed many races and accomplished so much in her life since she was a child. So sit back, relax, grab whatever you need. We'll be back in a second. with the way that things are kind of portrayed now with all the running influences that we have online. And you touched on it a little bit when you were talking about your decision ⁓ being runner and endurance athlete and working through your strength and things like that. And you brought discipline. and this happens to all runners, it doesn't matter how many years you've been running, whether it's 50 years or five years, what does discipline look like on the days where the motivation isn't there? You do a lot of races, you do a lot of endurance events, I'm sure you have those days where the motivation just isn't there for you. How do you get yourself up to go and do it? And then then we'll get started with Nadia. Nadia: Two things. ⁓ reminding myself all the little things matter. All the little things, whether it's good or bad. Because sometimes when we think about our big goals, they look so big that we're just like, you know what, I'm just going to skip training today. I'm going to skip training for a few days. I'm going to skip training for a week. Or I'm going to start next season. I'm going to start next year. If keep looking at the big picture and not looking at the small impact that we can make with the little things, I think that's where discipline can fall. But if you remind yourself it's the little things that really matter, it helps you create the skill of discipline. Because disciplined is a skill and you have to practice it. You have to apply it. And you can make those steps that you're about to make smaller and more manageable and more like edible, then it makes it a little bit easier to start and to keep going. Because all of us as runners or endurance athletes, we know that it is the hardest to get out the door. Really, no matter what, your goals are, or whatever your motivations are, or how fired up you were when you set your goals, getting out the door on those tough days, after a long work day, after an emotional day, after a fight, after something, it's getting out the door. And once you get out the door, if you just tell yourself, I'm gonna go walk for 10 minutes, or I'm gonna go run for 10 minutes and see where I'm gonna feel at that point, and then commit. They just go out, and then it's like, you know what? That was the hardest part. And then it just starts to flow. And it happens to me, even though I've been competing for 29 years now, it still happens to me. And I have to remind myself like the little things, the little things. And then this might sound contradictory, but the second thing is really looking at the big thing, the big macro goal and reminding yourself of that powerful why. We do hear that very often now of why you have to find your why, you have to explore your why. But once we have it, That's not enough. You also have to remind yourself, remind yourself during these tough times. And the power of repetition, the power of creating thoughts and repeating those thoughts, the power of writing something down and putting it somewhere where it's visible, where you are more accountable for yourself, those are the small steps that you can create in order to be disciplined. Again, it's not easy. ⁓ it's not easy when you are, to anything, to start anything new, especially as adults, it's very hard. very, very hard, whether it's a new sport, a new for running, even if you want to like learn finance, learn real estate, learn like go purchase your first home, you want to do something new for the first time, it's very scary. So we have to look at the big, create the reason why we want to do that, remind ourselves often, but most is to remind yourself a little things matter each day and that's how we create the skill of discipline and also it. MikeRunsMarathons: Hmm. I always- Absolutely, I always tell everybody that there's- see in movies and in TV shows that there's just one day where everything completely changes for somebody. And what I tell people is it's you do, you know, 1 % better every single day. You do one little thing that cascades and builds up and up and up. And that leads to the big aha moment and the big change that you're looking for and the growth that you look back from where you were six months ago to today and you don't realize, ⁓ my goodness, how much I've grown versus, you know, what... could have happened, or what didn't happen if you had waited and said, I'm gonna start next year. think that that's one of the worst phrases that you can use when it comes to trying something new is, I'm scared or I'll start later. Because what ends up happening is as you pointed out earlier, You want to fill your life with experiences. You want to fill your life with these moments that you can remember and that you can hold on to because, you said, the tangible things in life, they don't matter. They're not going to be there forever. But those moments, those thoughts, those memories, they will be there and you could be proud of yourself and you can feel like you had a life fulfilled. if you don't, if keep trying to put something off like that, it's going to eventually eat away at you and you're not going to feel like you had. life that had as many things as you could have possibly done. Which what got me into running. Now, with the of sport events you've done, marathons, Ironmans, things like that, was there a moment in your training where you felt like you wanted to quit, but you didn't? And if so, what you through that? Nadia: I've had several moments where I've wanted to quit, several, I'm immune to it at all. But again, back to remembering my why and remembering the little things matter and remembering when I also reflecting like on my dark times, reflecting on injuries, reflecting on times in my life where maybe I ⁓ wasn't able be committed to my training as. as much and I really wished I would have maybe remembering when I was injured and I really wish I could have been running and training, myself remind myself of my own personal experiences allows me to find that gratitude, this moment's like I have the opportunity to go train right now. I have the gift to go move right now. It is a gift to move. And so ⁓ want to capitalize this opportunity and get out the door. And so those are the things that help remind me to get out of my own personal tough moments. because I have them. mean, there's been plenty of training sessions where I've cried. I've had to release. It's a moment of release. It's a moment of releasing the emotions of whatever I'm going through in life movement has that power for us. And I have to remind myself, like, you will feel better once it gets done ⁓ you will feel better during. So get yourself out the door because you remember how it feels not to be able to. run or not or to be injured or to be in a tough really dark spot in your life and not being able to have the privilege to run because it is a privilege to be able to do our sport for fun and to do this for a hobby and so I think reminding ourselves of that those hard times it it's important. MikeRunsMarathons: One of my favorite signs that I see during marathons is there may come a time where you may not be able to run, but today is not that day. And I'm reminded of the privilege that we Nadia: Yes. MikeRunsMarathons: to be able to run because we might not always get to, there might be something that happens to us, or either or something that pulls us away from it. And to able to do it right now in the prime our when we're healthy is a gift. ⁓ And the ability to our own feet is something that we sometimes take for granted, and let alone be able to run a 5K, 10K marathon, ultra marathon, what have you. And I think that what you is just perfect for expressing that one, matter how much experience you have, is immune from that feeling of, don't want to do this anymore. Because I cannot tell you how many times that's come up with me, not only during my training, but during my races. And then kind of on the flip side of that, how do you, you push obviously to these limits, but how do you personally define pushing yourself without hitting that burnout? Because I know that that probably is something that's... I would assume on your mind all the time. Nadia: things also. One, I have experienced burnout a few times throughout the last 29 years of racing and I'm not immune to that either. And like, thankfully now I don't really get ⁓ the because I my body through aging of racing for 29 years kind of puts me in check already. But I definitely ⁓ have gotten and burnout in my 20s because I felt like I was a warrior and could do everything and anything. And honestly, when I look back at it, 20s were a wonderful decade. Definitely a wonderful decade to be an athlete. And wish I could go back to it. And when you were mentioning about comparing your younger version of yourself, again, we're all guilty of it. We can think of that time. But definitely, ⁓ just... Pushing myself is a beautiful feeling. I think it's a gift. Again, it's a gift to move and to evolve. It also comes with evolving my goals. So even though I've been racing for 29 years, my running goals have changed throughout each season, throughout each period my life. Like in my teens, it was all about the short distances, about cross country and track. And I ran LA Marathon kind of for fun. every year. And then in grad school and undergrad, again, I wasn't now a competitive athlete. I chose not to be a collegiate athlete because I knew I wasn't going to be that top 1 % to go professional and run a 225 marathon for a woman. So was like, I want to run for the rest of my life. And so I rather invest in my career first. so my goals changed again. That kept it exciting because then at that point I was like, I feel happy that I can go run the perimeter run UCLA for four miles during a break, a study break. And then when I finished, that's my goals evolved again, where it still made it exciting. I'm like, now I want to pursue my Ironman goals. So from my twenties, after grad school is where I started doing the triathlon training and getting excited and fired up and a lot of emotions and, you know, achieving those goals. Then after, like, I went into a different phase of my life, a career change, a life change, a setback, a loss, making that transition, like going to 30, that's when I was like, I'm going to move into ultras. I like that was, needed that time to just ride out the mountains. I needed that time to feel the pain of enduring, of going that distance and doing stage races and doing the hardest things I could feel like I could do at the moment while I was processing emotions at the same time. So that's my running and goals and my addiction basically to endurance has evolved throughout my life because of whatever I'm going through in my life. If it's a good time, if it's a bad time, if it's just a, you know, you're going through the motions, like whatever it is. I went through the ultra phase for a few years and then I, and it wasn't until like, again, all throughout this, was still racing marathons and ⁓ marathons were like for fun until finally where I felt like I almost ended my career in running. I felt like I had a, a bone injury that and almost about to end everything. And then I was also during COVID and I didn't have any outlet. I didn't have any resources. I didn't have any connection. I lost my business. I a ⁓ aside my business. it was a dark time and such a difficult time, especially when I was robbed of everything. I felt I was stripped of everything. And so it was self-exploration at that time. what, how am I going to rebuild? And how am I going to rebuild myself emotionally, mentally, physically? And it was from moment of 2021. ends till now of rebuilding myself and really finding a gift of running again and the love of running again being so grateful to run again. I I went for eight months not being able to run. I literally walked, walked my fitness and did prehab because I was on a list. I had basically gotten a bucket handle tear, meniscus tear on my right knee, ⁓ that happened in January, 2021. And so I was put on a non-essential quote unquote, non-essential list of ⁓ at that time, if you remember, there was a backlog of surgeries. So because I was considered unessential, they're like, we don't know when we're going to be able to put you in, but when we can, we'll get, we'll call you and say, okay. So with my physical therapist, Nori, and we were just working for eight months walking and then pre-hab, pre-hab, pre-hab, pre-hab until the point where the fall of 2021 is where you probably remember ⁓ the major marathons started to come up and like the bigger races. And that's where Boston Marathon was in the fall. LA Marathon was in the fall and those are the two streaks that I've kind of kept up. And I was like, well, I've been doing so much prehab and walk training and also hiking. my PT is like, if you want to start it, just it or jog it and see where you go from there. I was like, okay, let's try it out. ⁓ And you have this fire of emotion and desire, sometimes you will amaze yourself what you could do physically. And I was able to... to do those two marathons with still the bucket handle tear and do them almost pain-free. And I was like, wow, I could run again. I was ecstatic and I felt reborn again. So that's where I was rebuilding. So this is where my marathon phase came up. I was like, I want to do everything I could now to just focus on the marathon because I thought my running career was over. And that was basically last five years that I've been just focusing because now my body doesn't recover the same. it really does change. I I felt my body changing at 30. I felt my body changing at 35. because was going through all the stresses and during like just isolation and COVID, it went even through more changes and struggles. And it was just a huge feel of relief that I could run. And so now I find so much gratitude in it now. ⁓ Each time run like a three mile, four mile, I'm ecstatic. I'm happy because I know what it felt like. to not be able to do it and potentially think that I would never be able to do it for the rest of my life. That was because that was a childhood goal. That was one of my childhood dreams. And it's like, I want to run for the rest of my life. So it scares me. I'm sorry. It scares me to think of the day when I won't be able to run. And I think that's why I find so much gratitude in having the opportunity to be able to run and make a choice to run today. MikeRunsMarathons: and I completely agree with you. think about sometimes the day where I might not be able to run and ⁓ joke with my wife all the time. She says, what if you can't use your legs? I said, then I'll get robot legs or a wheelchair. I don't care. I'm going to do something because just I can't picture my life now without this sport in some capacity. want to know what the biggest moment that you've had where you said, didn't think I could do that. Whether it's marathon, an ultra, another endurance event, an Ironman. What comes to is kind of like the biggest moment where that thought popped into your head when you finished it. Nadia: For sure, my first Ironman. I think because it was my childhood goal and it's the whole reason why this journey started. It was because I wanted to do an Ironman. So I signed up for my first race. I signed up for my first marathon. I went the process of making sure I took care of my career, my professional development first, and then I went for after the Ironman. through that journey from, it was around age 25, 26, where I started doing like sprint and Olympic and just building up and reading all the books at that point, like doing whatever I could to teach myself and how to properly and in the hours and a lot of crying. I remember what's happening at that time, just that self doubt, like, ⁓ can do this? What am I doing? These people have these 15, $10,000 bikes. These people have like six figures. I was a teacher at the time. I go six figures on their resume. the numbers are just so different. And go, and they have all these resources and I don't. And they go, I'm just going to be a workhorse. I'm going to put the time in as much as I could to prove to myself that I can do this as a teacher. I can do this coming from a humble background, from an immigrant background. And as a woman, as a Latina, as like, so it was reminding myself of, yes, I do have maybe perhaps these disadvantages, but that gave me more power, more empowerment to say, I will work at it. And the biggest thing I think that really made that one more meaningful and aside from it being my childhood goal and my childhood dream was right before a couple months before my race, I did the Ironman Sonoma in Sonoma County. It was called Mineman at the time. My dad got diagnosed with cancer. So this was in 2010 and he got diagnosed with prostate cancer and we were very distraught. because he was still in his mid fifties. was too mean to think that now and to get to that then. And now it's like, he was too young. I don't want to lose my father. I don't lose my best friend. I don't want to lose my hero. And I just said, you know what? Whatever it takes, I'm going to, it was summer at the time. I'm going to take a break from work. I'm going to stop training. I'm going to be there for my dad, be there for my family, be there for my mom. If she's going through it as well, that did that heartbreak. But My dad said something very powerful to me. he said, he's like, Mija, this your goal. This is your dream. I am to be there at your finish line. I'm going to be there. And by him saying that, he was saying that he was going to fight this cancer. Not only fight it, but he was going to beat it. And how can someone say that when they're so probably afraid inside and not know the answer? Because I knew he didn't know the answer. He knows he doesn't know the answer, but That doesn't matter. He was committed mentally to beat it. And it's like, if you can be committed to beating cancer, I can be committed to achieving this goal because even though I can't see the future, I'm going to do it no matter how scared I am. And that's why it became so meaningful because he went to that finish line. He beat cancer. He fought cancer. And when I the finish line to my first Ironman, I ran to his arms and it like, ⁓ you it. Like I told my dad, like you did it. Like you did this, you beat cancer and I'm here because of you, because you believed in yourself. believed in you. You believed in me. And I think that's what the power of love does. MikeRunsMarathons: I have chills and goose bumps right now just thinking about that because that is so powerful. Wow. I only imagine the emotions that were just like everywhere at that finish line You started young at around 12 of saying, I'm gonna run an Ironman. I'm gonna do all of these things. I started running marathons when I was a teenager. You've had these big goals that you've accomplished and that you've gone after and that you've not been afraid to back down from. But is there something that comes to mind that you are capable of now that you would have been intimidated about at the start? Nadia: climbing mountains at a pretty aggressive pace. will say during my ultra phase, I how much of a mountain goat I was and is, I guess. I was really good at running mountains. Here in Southern California, we are blessed with certain, like if you take an hour drive and you can climb 8K, 9K, ⁓ 10K summits they're beautiful, you're a remote place and we are blessed in the area. We don't have very many 14ers. We only have a couple in mid and Northern California, but at least we have quite a bit of playground around here in Southern California, if you just go take the drive. So that's where I discovered, I like, I can really run up these. And that's where I was like, I love, and then being competitive from road space and being from cross country track, your short distances and your competitive for pace and aggressiveness and going into that threshold place. was like, plying it to the mountains and that just, that's where I was like, this is special. ⁓ I love the trails. I love the mountains. I love the feeling. And I realized that when I got above like 12 K 13,000 feet altitude where people start to really break down, like I can push harder. I don't know what it, what it is and what it is. Like, I mean, I've gotten tons of blood work done and there's nothing out the ordinary. There's nothing special in my blood. Like maybe I have. I mean, my ferritin levels are normal, my hemoglobin is normal, everything's normal, but I just, can push harder when it's up there, when people are limited in their oxygen availability. And so that's where it allowed me, like, I love this feeling. And you do get a feeling of highness, but it's almost when you are limited in oxygen and your brain starts to think a little differently and process things a little differently and your body starts to slow down and your lungs start to be on fire, your legs start to be on fire, but that's where I feel life. I really do feel alive. And that opened up the door of like, I do to climb more mountains. I want to see the world in different places. And that's where I ended up doing Kilimanjaro last year. It's been a goal that was a goal in my mind for over a decade. And I just, didn't on it. That was the problem. And it wasn't until COVID when I thought I couldn't run anymore. And then I started running and then I did road marathons and racing road marathons. And I was like, let's get back into the mountains, let's get back to the trails and see if you could wake up your mountain legs again that you had in your early thirties. And they were there and my lungs were there and the spirit of course is there. So that's why I went after that goal last year and I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro. But I never liked to do things the same as everybody else. Most people that climb Kilimanjaro do it anywhere between six to eight days. And I think it's around 30 to 40,000 people who attempt every year and it's only about 60 % success rate. For me, I didn't want to do it that way. I wanted to do it in a day. just, why? I just told myself, I want to climb it in a day. And I always wanted to do it in a day. This goal wasn't born last year, it was born a decade ago. And I did the research and I saw that some of the top of the ultra runners in the world have done it in a day. Like if it's physically possible in them, I know I could do it. I know I could do it. And that's where the determination was. I'm going to prepare. my mind because I don't have the physical ability to go run, you know, 14 years around here in Southern California very easily to get the proper training to do that. I don't live in Colorado. That's kind of our nearest ones where you have 14 years all around you. So I did what I could to prepare physically, but I did a lot more mentally to prepare. And I was very fortunate to come out of there successfully, safely, most importantly. But to do it, I summited Kilimanjaro in 17 hours. So that was quite the feat. I don't think a lot of locals that were there, a lot of mountain guides, even the government, when I was getting my visa there, they're like, you're going to climb it in a day? Uh-huh, yeah, right. I mean, even when I was climbing it and passing all the campsites and all the checkpoints, each of the guides that were there, like with their groups, are like, you're doing it in a day? Like, what? What? And I just kept going and kept going at each checkpoint. So it was a very special, special experience. MikeRunsMarathons: More power to you, because I am deathly afraid of heights. I've climbed, I I'm on the East Coast, so when we say mountains for you guys, it's probably like hills. But I've ⁓ few small here, just standing on the edge of a cliff terrifies me. So ⁓ give anybody who mountains, does trail running and climbs those high mountains, UTMB, what have you, you guys a different beast. can't even imagine climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in a day. Wow. I was expecting you be like three days instead of six days, but a day. Damn, that is insane. Now, I want to take a step back and go ⁓ kind back to the beginning, you know, to put on our beginner shoes. And... We talked about this a little bit earlier with the comparisons and the judgments that we see from other people and ourselves If there's somebody that feels like they're not strong enough or fast enough where they don't think that they're built for this kind of sport whether it's ironmans or Marathons or ultra marathons. What would you want them to hear? Nadia: The small steps matter and we all started with small steps. All of us, all of us. We all learned how to walk with those first few steps and we didn't succeed with those first few steps. It took a lot of failure. We had to crawl and we had to try again and again and again in order to be able to walk. And so when we want to start this running journey, all of us had to start with those first few steps. And sometimes we don't see the beginning journeys of people who maybe outwardly very successful in it, but just reminding ourselves like this is my journey and I know that small steps will count and I want to start with small steps every day. MikeRunsMarathons: Now, the flip side of that, if you could go back to Nadia, 12 old, seeing these Ironman championships, seeing the stories of these individuals, thinking about wanting to get started with this and then running their first marathon, if you could give yourself one piece of advice back then, what would it be? Nadia: Keep going because it's gonna be all worth it. a lot of times, I a lot of times all of us, we live with regrets in our lives. A lot of us live with comparing to our version of ourselves and say, what if I had done something differently? And you know, it's very to think of that, ⁓ but we have to remind like we are who we are because of all of our experiences, good and bad. They have shaped us who we are. We are resilient and strong and who we are because we struggled. MikeRunsMarathons: Tell me more. Nadia: Struggle leads to growth. Struggle forces us to find that stronger version of ourself to come out on the other side. And I know struggle and dark times hurt. They are hard. But on the other side, when you go through it and you come out the other side, look and you're like, wow, look who I became. Look what I did. This is why things that make us are so impactful. Whether it's going for your first sub three, going for your first BQ. having your first child. is again, we associate pain, pleasure and accomplishment, all that's together. And that's why birth, giving birth is so powerful for moms because it's an extreme release of pain and connection that only mothers understand and they describe it. And it's so vivid, even though we all forget the pain, but that memory, that memory of it is so empowering and we become stronger because of that. MikeRunsMarathons: I love that. It's funny actually, my wife, just had a baby two months ago and she tells me consistently that she doesn't remember the event. says she blacked out and I keep telling her, I remember every moment of it and I will tell her the whole story. And she'll be like, ⁓ that happens? I don't remember that. But she remembers. when we saw that baby for the first time. And be moment that neither of us will ever forget. But yes, ⁓ keep and don't quit before the happens is one of the most beautiful things that ever learned in this sport in general because of the sport can give you back as long as you just continue to try to make progress one day a time. Now, this next section that I have is called the hot seat. So these are just quick rapid fire questions that don't think, answers off the top of your head, don't think too hard about them. Just to gauge kind of who you are as a runner. So let's start with our first one, which is trail or road. Nadia: True. MikeRunsMarathons: What is your favorite running shoe brand right now? Nadia: Ooh, it's a hard one. To race, I would say the Alpha Fly. To train in, 361 and Hoka. That's a hard one. There's so many good ones out there. MikeRunsMarathons: Okay. I feel you on that. I two ⁓ racks that are just completely filled with shoes that my wife hates me about because I can't pick one that I like. Are you an early alarm or a late night runner? Nadia: I am not an early alarm. I am a opposed to alarms. am a anytime I can squeeze it in at this point. I do work for myself and so I do have that luxury now to be able to run at any time. MikeRunsMarathons: I love that answer. I wish that I could give that answer. But I also hate waking up early, so that would answer my qu- my- give you my answer right now. for long runs, do you prefer to run them solo or with others? Nadia: that's hard. solo, I have, I probably do about 95 % of my training solo and I feel there's a lot of growth that can happen and potential there. training partners help tremendously help you dig into places that you probably don't, you can't, you alone. So they are very important. Even like community runs are very helpful. But I think it's important to learn to alone and you find a very different. part of yourself. MikeRunsMarathons: Absolutely. My ⁓ friend and I helped train each other in 2024. And because of that, we both hit massive PRs by the end of the year for our fall marathons. And I don't think, at least for me, I don't think I would have been able to do it without his support and without his pushing me to continue to grow. So I completely agree with you on that. Now for your marathons, what is your favorite post-marathon meal? Nadia: Mmm. I love food. That's another one that's really, really hard. I think what's easy is probably... I just, eat a lot. I mean, you can ask my husband, he just, he knows like I eat probably more than him. I mean, that's just the endurance person in me. So anything you could put in front of me. Now at this point that with the slower metabolism and getting older is trying to eat as wholesomely as possible. But come to mind. Unfortunately, love fries and a burger just sounds so scrumptious. So those are kind of like that come into mind. MikeRunsMarathons: What did you get after the LA Marathon? Nadia: This past one. Yeah, actually my dad Tony and I, went to go get Peruvian and I got mariscos. ⁓ yeah, so I got mariscos. Yeah. Peruvian food, they're really good at making mariscos, mariscos dishes. so delicious. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Nice! Awesome! I used to have a Peruvian place that was by my apartment in New York City when I lived in Queens and I loved it. And I knew it was authentic because the girl was dating at the time her dad was in the Marines, or not in the Marines, he was in the Army and he had spent a lot of time down in Peru. And so when we went there and we had food with him, that was the test. And he was like, I approve of this place. Now for your easy runs, do you prefer music, podcasts, or silence? Nadia: That's a hard one. I'm really mixed. like a merengue person. I love merengue because it makes me happy. So even if it is an easy run, I to my merengue and just puts myself in a really good mood. If it's longer easy run, it's definitely podcasts. listen to quite bit of books, of podcasts, of autobiographies. I that's where my learning comes in a lot. MikeRunsMarathons: Mm. ⁓ yeah, I discovered audio books about two years ago, I used to think that I couldn't run without anything but music. But once I started to do that, my heart rate came down during my easy runs. I didn't run as hard. And I realized that they really, they really relaxed me when I when I'm Now, obviously, I don't listen to things like the murder podcast and the true crime things. So that my heart rate down. But yeah, it's Those have very much helped me in my in my zone to easy runs. Now what is one piece of running gear that you can't live without and you can't say your shoes? Nadia: Hmm. I can't live without. I know, man, these are kind of hard. I don't know why they're supposed to be simple. know. just depends. Like if I'm running at night, my headlamp, I'm running during the day, it's gotta be a hat. I have to have sun protection. Everyone knows me as running in long sleeve and a hat. And because I've been racing for 29 years, I'm really good about just protecting my son and aging gracefully is very important. Skincare is very important. So that comes with sun protection. MikeRunsMarathons: Yeah. Okay, now those are perfect answers. what is your dream race? Nadia: My dream race? I'm going to do it. I am going to go do my dream race in a couple months. My hope is that, again, do it safely and successfully as the Everest Marathon. dream race that I do have is ⁓ Antarctica Marathon. I want to see the most remote places in the world. I want to just experience it and just step where people, not very many people have stepped. MikeRunsMarathons: Or if you, yeah, if you have agreements. is a huge goal of mine too. It's just so damn expensive. ⁓ Now, now if you could run ⁓ Everest Marathon, for example, with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Nadia: Yeah, know. My dad, my dad, I think that's, I think it hurts because like, I can't take him this time. It's just logistically, it's really complicated and it's really long and it's really expensive. And it's just, that's, I wish I can bring my dad along with me, but you know what? He's gonna be with me. He's gonna be in my heart. I know he believes in me. And when I get to that starting line and get to that finish line, it will be very special. MikeRunsMarathons: I thought you were going to say that. Absolutely. He'll be there right here in spirit too, which is I lost my grandma in 2023 and she was my biggest running supporter and I run on my marathons now with her, uh, mass card either in my hat or in my shorts. And, um, I always picture her with me, start line all the way to the finish line. So I know exactly how you feel with that. Um, and you kind of answered my last question, but I want to see if there's anything else do you have on top of that, but what is next for you? Nadia: Like me after Everest? Well, yeah, I mean, the only reason I found like the Kilimanjaro Summit and Kilimanjaro Marathon, the Everest Marathon is because I think it was about 10 years ago, maybe a little bit more than 10 years ago. I used to browse all the all the blogs and all the substacks and all the articles online. What are the top 10 hardest marathons? Top 10 like I want to. And everybody has their different opinions and everybody has like what they what they will rank and what they will. And I'm not talking about MikeRunsMarathons: After ever. Yeah. Nadia: like hottest or coldest or ultras, like I just want to see and I compare and contrast. Like what do I want to do now? Even though these are your opinions that you're sharing that. So that's kind of what I almost have a to-do list. I want to see those places and experience them. And hopefully when I can bring father along and when husband can, he can come along too, because I am very grateful that the two most important men in my life, they also run and they also understand this language that I follow. and they love it too, they're just as passionate about it and they follow their own journey and when we get to run together it's very special. next one is potentially Jungfru Marathon. It ⁓ stated the most beautiful marathon in the world. It's right my birthday and so if I can squeeze it in this year that will be great. If I can't, that's okay. I'll look at it ⁓ next year. ⁓ it's in MikeRunsMarathons: ⁓ I love that. That's awesome. That's great. Best of luck with the Everest Marathon. can only imagine how difficult that probably is going to be. Now, these next two questions ⁓ are information that I gather from everybody that I interview. The first is, if you could pick a quote, a mantra, or a line that gets you through the tough miles, what would it be? Nadia: Never give up, never give in, give it all you got. MikeRunsMarathons: that short, sweet and simple and very direct. Now I want to picture you at Everest Marathon in a months. You're crossing the finish line. You can see it in the distance. Obviously it's beautiful all around you. What song would be blasting through your headphones as you cross that finish line? Nadia: Eye of the Tiger. I'm a huge Rocky fan. Eye of the Tiger. MikeRunsMarathons: Have you done Philly before? The marathon? Nadia: Have I done which one? Oh yes, yes I did. Yeah I did, it was actually in 2010 or 2009. It was beautiful, beautiful. And you know, I did of course the steps and then I did the whole arms above the head. It's just, I grew up with those movies. I definitely still find inspiration then, I still find inspiration now. I mean, I'll pop it in just clips to get myself going. That's another way I kind of get the heart going. MikeRunsMarathons: The Philly Marathon. on. yeah, there's some great quotes from those movies. Now, before we wrap up, I want to bring us back to the heart of what this podcast is really about. What running really means to you. The first question is, what has running given you that you didn't expect when you first started? Nadia: empowerment and the belief in myself. didn't when I crossed that first finish line, I felt I do anything. now people ⁓ say very often you really do feel that feeling and it translates to other areas of your life. Like I can do anything. And that first one that becomes so special, so special. And it's not just the first marathon. It could be your first 5k, your first half marathon, your first ultra, your first like ⁓ just All those first moments are very, very, very special. MikeRunsMarathons: I completely agree with you. My life changed in so many different ways after I ran my first marathon. I feel like I became almost a different person because of what I learned and how much realized the limits that I set for myself were meant to be broken. And then my last question, I know this is very broad, so this be a difficult to kind of try to answer as much as can, but why do you run? Nadia: to feel alive because I can. and because it's a gift. I truly, truly feel alive each time I get to move my body. And it reminds me that I am alive and it reminds me that it's a gift. MikeRunsMarathons: I love that. No, you're absolutely correct. is everything, especially in this type of sport that we do. So I can, I ⁓ % agree with that But Nadya, are actually all the questions that I had for you today. I really want to thank you for this conversation that had. What really stands out me is the way that you've built strength, not just physically, but mentally, by continuing to show up, and take on things that challenge you, a way to remind ourselves that growth doesn't come from just staying comfortable and it comes from leaning into what's hard and seeing what's on the other side of it. And if you're not and you're not already following her, her username is irongirlnadia. So make sure you go and check her out. Her profile and her posts are incredibly inspirational. Her story is is just wonderful and inspirational for anyone of any background experience level of running. So make sure to definitely check it out. Her journey is a really powerful example of what's possible when you commit to doing the work and for trusting the process. So I really want to thank you again for jumping on and taking the time to speak with me and best of luck in Everest. Nadia: Thank you so much. Thank you. It was a pleasure. MikeRunsMarathons: Again, I wanna thank Narnia for joining me today on At Your Own Pace. Her story of resilience and perseverance starting from such a young age is just flat out incredible. The things that she's been able to accomplish since she ran her first marathon as a teenager all the way up to now with the Everest Marathon coming up in a few months and with Boston coming up in two weeks something that I think ⁓ many people can identify with. Not just because of the types of events that she does, but also because of how much resilience and hard work she puts into accomplishing these goals. it is no easy feat to not run a marathon, but to run these types of endurance events, Ironman's most difficult around the world, that I think many can really learn not just what running is all about. but what we learn from the sport besides becoming physically fit or becoming more active.