Latest / The People Run Podcast / #12: Running with Type 1 Diabetes Is Hard. She’s Tougher with Sofie Schunk

Transcript

#12: Running with Type 1 Diabetes Is Hard. She’s Tougher with Sofie Schunk · The People Run Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Point, I want to grow big enough that I can take on anyone and everyone who has a vision and a goal, even if it's just general health, or just like I want to learn how to run a 5K living with type 1 diabetes or having a full-time job and kids.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I have some people that fall into that camp too.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, like watching people have like three kids and a full-time job try to fit in a 5k is almost as hard as like just living with type 1 trying to fit in a 5k.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's a different type of like reasons and stress and like things we have to consider in training, but hello, welcome back everyone to the uh People Run podcast.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: This is your host, Fitzmae, here.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, thanks for listening in.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_02: Today I have Sophie, uh, new guest here with you guys, who is a uh diabetic athlete, Olympic trials qualifier, certified coach, who's helping many runners, like hopefully some of you listening out there.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um she's a biomechanical engineer.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_02: Whoa.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: Uh she's doing it all, you know, and putting her footprint into the running space of community and doing big things out there.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: She's also the founder of Embrace the Grind.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um welcome, Sophie.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: How you doing today?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Good, how are you?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for the intro.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um Yeah, of course.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I feel I could add a few more, but uh, good.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: I mean every time I listen to it again, I'm like, dang, I I am doing too much sometimes.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And there's times where it just like all comes together and and like the motivation takes a hit and like okay, which one's my priority today?
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: But um truly I I don't know what I would do without all of it.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So there's nothing, no no single one of those I want to take off my plates.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: So as they say now, I want to give you some of your flowers, even though that was part of the intro, you're doing great and amazing things, um, which is why I reached out as well.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and let's get right into it.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, how did you fall into running and and love running?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, so this is always like a two-folded answer for me.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think growing up, I was always just like a multi-sport athlete, but I wouldn't say I ever focused just on running.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was, I mean, I grew up in Albuquerque and I'm like 10 years later back in Albuquerque, but uh Albuquerque is just kind of a mecca of just different sports.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: That said, I never just went for a run as a kid.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I was playing soccer, I was skiing, I was playing basketball, I was swimming, all of the things that kind of like touch on running and endurance sport, right?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: So uh long story short, I only like the only strict running I did was track in high school and loved it, but I didn't go above the 800.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: So the 800 and 400 were kind of like my distances.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then my sophomore year, so I had kind of a pretty good freshman year for a freshman.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: I I made it to state in the 800 and ended up getting second in like my third time running it, so that was awesome.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: But then come my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and so it completely changed the sports element for me.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And um, the first year was tough.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like you go through a lot of physical changes, and um, we can dive into that if we want, but um, it was one of those things where I had to like look at sport in a new light, and at the end of the day, it actually gave me an in to my fueling and to my glucose management.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but now you have all these risks, right?
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have to be in range for optimal performance and um just that alone and like the limited technology back when I was in high school, uh, it was really hard to run.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I focused on soccer, ended up playing soccer in college.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I was a goalkeeper.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So um every time I tell people that, and and now I'm doing marathons, they're like, You were a goalkeeper?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, well, in college, like goalkeeping is actually a pretty um physical sport, like it's it's a lot of training.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: The ta training's intense, like it's a lot of up-downs, like you're basically doing burpee straight for like two hours at practice, but it's not endurance, right?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I think it was a different type of fitness, and uh really my um college soccer career was was great, and I I absolutely loved playing soccer.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: I still play to this day.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but there was something missing, and and what by my junior senior year, I wasn't um a starter by any means.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had started my sophomore year, and um I was always on the traveling team.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: So uh we started traveling and had a bunch of games in the East Coast because we were in the Big East Conference, and um my assistant coach uh he was a big runner, and so we'd have like an hour uh to go like explore the new cities, and I just started asking if I could join him on his runs, and so it was like my junior senior year of college that I started just running for an hour on those trips and um seeing new places and started to kind of see how that helped manage my diabetes, the like slower endurance effort.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like a form of medicine.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that was like a really cool, like, oh, I can do this with diabetes.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then um when I was done playing college soccer, uh I'd always loved the weight room and speed and strength conditioning, so that was always part of me.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: I I basically like walked up to our university president, he had to run with the president run club, and I was like, I want to run.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so ever since then, like while I was writing my thesis, um, running was literally what got me out the door, and and so that's kind of how I fell into it.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that would have been like around 2016 time frame.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_02: So okay.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: Well we'll touch into uh diabetes here in a bit, but uh what I do want to ask you is um well, first off, soccer, funny you say that.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: You're like the fourth, maybe fifth person that I've heard started with soccer.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think I'm gonna have to start lacing up some cleats or something because there's gotta be a secret.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: We need a soccer team.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's gotta be funny enough, some of them are Olympic qualifier too, or or they just got really good at running.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_02: But to start origin with soccer or football, for those of you um I'm Spanish, so we say football uh, you know, in other countries as well, too.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: But there there's gotta be some correlation with soccer.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_02: I I'm done.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm buying cleats right after this.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: What is it with soccer?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_02: Do you have any idea or thoughts on that?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like why a lot of people start.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't, but even like to this day, I I think of all like my teammates and stuff, and like they not all of them run anymore or at all.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, you could have taken them post-college soccer and thrown them in a marathon, and you'd probably have like a whole nother like league of like super fast marathoners out there.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's it's honestly like the the fight and like the endurance side of it, but also just like willing to like push through like hell basically.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh there's a lot of that in soccer and and um the mentality of just like you have to stay switched on for like the full 90 minutes.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um it you can't fall asleep, and so I think that's kind of the game of running too, and and so it translates.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, that's a good point.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you're you're going on there for 90 minutes back and forth, back and forth, especially if it's a really good match.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: The cardio's gotta be insane.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: So for you probably have some fast Twitch translating over.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um Damn, I missed my calling.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: I should have played soccer.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um joking aside, right?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned you started then running on some of these trips um for an hour.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: What was those early like first runs like?
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um by then, I I'm assuming you were maybe and correct me if I'm wrong, diagnosed already with diabetes.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_02: You said it helped.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: What were those first few runs like?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: And like you mentioned, there's no media at the time probably or much science data to help you out.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um I and like again, they were an hour.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even think we would run for an hour because um I vividly remember well, so like soccer was a little more manageable because I could put like my glucose meter and snacks and stuff like on the sideline, or like my trainer would have it, or like when I was in goal, like just put it in the goal box and so have access to that.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, with running, yeah, you can have access to it, but like you're not always carrying everything, it's a constant duration, right?
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think the the biggest thing was uh just being confident in that like my blood sugar is not gonna go low during that, and like a low blood sugar uh for those that aren't familiar with it, basically it feels like you're just bonking over and over again.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And like for us with diabetes, can't get it up naturally.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're having to like eat something or take in sugar, and like once you go hypoglycemic, it's it's really kind of like freaky, like your brain almost starts to shut off, and like you you basically get tunnel vision.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: I get super shaky and sweaty, I'll talk like a million miles an hour, and you get like complete hit to your performance, like your legs feel like absolute dead weights, and so I think just getting the confidence of like knowing I was going with someone who like knew my situation, like carrying snacks, and just like um around the that time a CGM came into the picture, which is a continuous glucose monitor.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of having to like finger prick every however much you like can handle, you're getting a constant reading every five minutes, and so that was a big game changer too.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the first few runs, honestly, like I I couldn't even tell you, like I didn't know what I was doing, so it's nice to follow someone around.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: And then um fast forward after I was done with those like one-hour exploratory runs, and I was in grad school actually training people doing halves and full marathons.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: I remember the first time I ran over 10 miles, and I like was so pumped, but then I like went home and I like chugged like a whole thing of like chocolate milk, and I was like, Oh, this is awesome, and then saw my blood sugar spike, and it was one of those like oh okay, well, cool.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like we saw double digits for like the first time ever, and it's like something to celebrate.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: And now 10 miles sometimes is like an easy um in-between day for me, so yeah, but a lot of learning in the early days, that's for sure.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: And we we all have them and and stories are could be insane.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: We're switching from like all the fast twitch sprint stuff to just like oh, like I have to kind of slow down so that I can go for further, and like that's a hard mentality to switch to because like I think I mean, even myself included, we start too fast, and like your goal is to go for an hour, but if you start too fast, nah, you're not gonna make it for an hour.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, that must have been a a wall transition because you're used to 800s and then you're running for distance, plus you're playing soccer, which is technically fast switch, high intensity, or VO2, depending on the match.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you still, you know, like you said, doing burpees and whatnot, or or jumping in laterally.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: Were you lifting in those times too?
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_02: It sounded like yes, right?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So um we were a D1 program, so we had lifts like three to four, four mornings a week, 5 a.m.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: on the dots.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and more in like the off season.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and and I truly love the weight room, and and to this day I still keep in touch with my strength conditioning coach.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And every time I go back up to Marquette, I um go to the gym.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, lift uh I I started with lifting myself, so I I can relate.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um still love it to this day.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's changed, obviously, as I'm sure you know, you know, we can't be bodybuild bodybuilding anymore.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like we're just gonna do that, it's very counterintuitive.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, I I've that's a lesson.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um I had to learn the hard way, unfortunately.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's just you know, you break down, it's just you can't do both at the same time.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: You think you can, maybe when younger, but even then it's probably not intuitive.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: What what was the transition for you?
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what made you go, okay, look, I'm playing soccer, I'm strength training, I'm in this D1 program, I was doing 800s as well.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'm running longer now.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um w when did that switch happen to like I'm going for longer distances?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good question.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think just starting to run with the run club um at our university um really helped because I had like a group to follow that were like training for a half marathon, and so I would just jump in on their runs and their workouts, and um they they don't care if I say this, but they're all older guys, so like our professors and and whatnot, and one of them was actually type one, so he was the second athlete I met that had type one, um the first was actually a cross-country runner at Marquette, and so he was like, Oh, you can do this, but he was a walk-on and like we had very different um stories and stuff, so he would at least like introduce the technology to me.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: But then um, John, the one I met, uh, who was a he worked at the university.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: He was diagnosed later in life, though, like at 35.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so he was an Iron Man guy and had done an Iron Man without diabetes and then did one with, and just kind of was there to be my mentor of like this is the difference.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um, he's the guy I did my first ever like quote long run for um, I think when they were training for the half marathon when I did like 12, and I remember having to like stop and like take sugar, and then yeah, just like learning from him, I think was really important.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so that transition kind of just happened naturally because I just needed a new challenge after soccer, and and those guys like caught me out of bed in the morning, like when I was trying to do my thesis and write my thesis, and um they one day were like, Oh, we're we're doing this half, like you should join.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so I jumped in the half marathon and um it went pretty well.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: And and then like, all right, now you have to join us for the full marathon in the fall.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, absolutely not, like, I'm not doing um fast word.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up doing the full because I can't say now.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Was that just for uh time frame there?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: Was that like a little bit after college?
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um it would have been in the 2015, 2016 time frame, and I started in 2010.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: I graduated with my bachelor's in 14, and I stayed at Marquette for my master's.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was mainly in that grad school like years of 2015 to 2016.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_02: What drove you and like kept you inspired to keep going, you know, with type one at the time?
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: It sounds like you had some mentors.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_02: Was it the mentors, or what else kept driving you to like, hey, I'm gonna stick with this endurance thing?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just competitive and I wanted a challenge.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um at the time I didn't realize it, but showing people that you can do marathons and you can uh do not just a marathon, but a competitive, like fast marathon for a time performance goal with type one.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And um actually a lot of the training helps your diabetes long term.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: That said, like I could sit on my butt and not work out and probably keep my blood sugar steadier just because of the like, oh, we have to fuel more, and like a lot of that fuel is sugar, and so sometimes you overcorrect and you spike your blood sugar, you're working out really hard, and so you're gonna lower your blood sugar.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, because like we're being athletic, you're gonna have these fluctuations you have to adapt to.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: But in terms of like overall health, it actually does help your your like metabolism and and um endocrine system, which is where uh type one kind of is rooted.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: Well, what was you you mentioned fast times, uh, and I'm sure we'll get to the faster ones later, but what was those first half and full times like?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember the half time, but I remember surprising myself.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: I I think it was under 130, and I had no expectations um whatsoever.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I just kind of ran with the group I was training with.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my first full, I ran in 252, which um looking back, I'm like, wow, like I am so fortunate.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: I had such a such a positive first marathon experience.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: And like ran a 252 and placed third.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because that was in 2016, and so that was the Olympic trials year before I even knew what Olympic trials was.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so um the two girls that placed ahead of me, um, I was actually like gaining on the second place girl, and they had been trying to go for the 245 because that was the standard at the time.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I had just like no joke, I had planned on running my marathon at seven-minute pace because we did like this.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: The the guy who was kind of coaching us or just like leading the run group, his like go-to workout the week before marathon is to not look at your watch and run three by mile at what you think is your marathon effort, and that's probably like where you should start.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I was running them at like 645, and I'm like, oh, that sounds good.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my watch died at mile two.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I had no watch.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm like, oh, I'll just run.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then I realized like I as I was running, they had like clocks and stuff, but like the math, and I was like, oh, I think I'm like under what the my goal pace.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: But then one of the um cross-country coaches at Marquette, he ended up running with me.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, what pace are you running?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: And he's like 620, and I'm like, oh no, like I'm gonna bonk.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is at like mile 15.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, You seem fine, like you should just stick with it.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, I think if I'd had a watch on that first marathon, I might have like held myself back a bit.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I actually like ran faster than I planned on and realized I was capable of it.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And um, since I was so diligent on like having to fuel a lot because of my type one, like I it worked out well, right?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't say that's that's worked out that well since.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: But I had a great first experience, ran a 252.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: The girls that uh got first and second, um, I met them and and asked them about their goals, and that's when the whole like Olympic trials marathon idea popped in my head.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um even though I was like, Oh, I've got a long ways to go.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but like that was the first time I ever heard about that.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: So no, that's cool, and you had a great experience, like you mentioned, and then you got you know which isn't always the case.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's been the other ones in there too.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: Question for you on the the running without a watch.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_02: Is that something you still practice today?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like I feel like that encourages people to just run off hill and pace.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh I I do it less than I probably should or want to.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and mainly it's just to like check, like keep hold myself accountable for like not running too fast.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I I do truly think like if you're coming back from an injury or illness or just like stressed in general in terms of like your career, personal life, I think running without a watch is a really powerful tool uh because you truly listen to your body, and and that's sometimes when you can surprise yourself.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like I think if we're like putting mental boundaries in our head, um, it can really like cause another stress response in your body that you don't need.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_02: I agree with that as well.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: That was coaching too.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm actually about to write a an article on um, I have the title of it, but it's gonna be on uh what the heck is race pace effort and what does that mean?
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then like, quote, dare I say run without a watch, because a lot of the athletes I coach now, um, I'll just prescribe if they're newer or they're kind of in their off season, like, hey, let's run 5k effort.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: And they're like, what's 5k effort?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: I just need 5k pace.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, okay, imagine yourself running a 5K.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: You're on that verge of redlining, right?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: But like you're you're not like you're at threshold, but not quite.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And like that's the pace I want you to run at, or the effort I want you to run at.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and when you're in season, that might be a 630 pace.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: When you're out of season, it's probably closer to seven.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I need it on effort.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want you to go try to hammer 630s because that's your 5k pace and feel like absolute garbage and then like hate running, you know.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so yeah, similar thoughts myself, and that's exactly why I asked the question.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I feel like oftentimes we have so much tech nowadays that we kind of get wrapped up in it or like feel is different, or we're chasing last year's PB versus where I'm at today.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that's a whole rabbit hole within itself.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: It is, and it's it's so tough, especially in this day and age, and then add in environmental factors and everything to us.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, environmental, friends, uh social media, whatnot.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_02: We'll touch on it a bit because I do want to ask you about coaching.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: But um walk me through like your day-to-day a little bit.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: So you got work, but biomechanical engineer.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: How do you balance?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I I I introduced a little bit, you you run, you coach, you got um type one, you're managing that, and you do it a very well high level.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'll say, um, how do you manage all that?
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um on a day-to-day basis.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if I could fully answer that, I mean I I should be paid for that answer.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: But this is like it's not perfect.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's really not.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: And like I know other people who do like this magnitude of things, and and I'm sure you're you're close.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: I know you run, you coach, you you probably have a another day job, and what uh throw in people that also have families and stuff, like it's it's a lot, and I think the biggest learning lesson is not every day is gonna be perfect, and you've gotta learn how to adapt um and not hold yourself to uh like hold yourself to 100% on the day, and that might be 50% another day, 120% another day.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's kind of been my thing is like manage the effort, and um, it's not just for training, it's for life, and and I think when I'm off balance and not managing my effort well, I like then struggle, I can see the effect in my own training.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, sometimes that's okay.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, hey, this is a season that I'm focusing on my athletes because there are a lot of them are racing, I don't have a goal race anytime soon.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I have a big deliverable at work, and so those are my two things.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of like shift my priorities by season, and still it's like not perfect.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes like a season uh is three or four of those things that I'm having to focus on, and it's hard.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so then you have to find one that gives a little bit.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, for instance, um right now, uh, my day-to-day, I mean, I so I actually so this is a good example.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: Today I was supposed to go run a hill workout this morning, and and you know what?
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: I woke up and yesterday I had I've kind of had to shift my schedule because I was out of town this weekend in the mountains and did a lot of mountain training, which um great training, speed, hills, endurance, like we did a Like long run, but I'm kind of like feeling the effects two days later, and I have some like big work deadlines this week.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so this morning I'm like, you know what?
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like the hills are not a great idea.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna take my dog for a walk, like check in with my body, get a lot of work done this morning because I'm really productive in the morning.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so from about like 6 a.m.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: to before this call, I was just working on deliverables, stuff I have this week, and it's a day like I know I can control my schedule in terms of work.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, that hill workout needs to get done this week, but I'm gonna probably do it tomorrow and I'll do like a medium long run tonight, which kind of helps me reset.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like those days that I'm like, okay, I'm stressed in this aspect of my life, so I like to um account like work stress, daily stress, diabetes stress.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: My blood sugars are also like on the higher end today and and yesterday just because I'm coming back from altitude and training.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so like that stress is like the equivalent of a tempo effort in my mind, and so I'm not gonna just go run a tempo run on top of like already being in that state of like tempo effort.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, okay, today's a great day for like a medium long, easy day.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, like I don't need a short day, I need a medium long day, but then the medium long day can be at whatever pace I want.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: So um after this, I'll like get some good food, um finish up some work, wait till it's a little bit cooler, and like Tuesdays are also my gym days, so I'll do like a medium long run in gym.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'll keep it more on just like power explosive, like not super heavy, because I know I have that hill workout tomorrow now.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um say I woke up and I felt great and I was ready to run hills this morning, I would have done the hill workout and then I would have done more like a power um heavier gym session tonight because I like to keep hard days hard, easy days easy, um, and keep the theme the same.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's kind of how I structure my week.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: And and again, like I have athletes, I'll do some coaching calls.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think I won this afternoon, and um that tonight I'll just go over everyone's logs for the week.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: And and I always have athletes ask, like, hey, can I move this work out?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: And most of the time the answer is yes.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Other times I'm like, today's a day, you actually got to get it in and um do what you can, let's manage the effort.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I I hold the same standard for myself.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, that's kind of what the days look like.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I have some fluidity because that's the way to keep myself sane and like make sure my priorities are being met.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um well, it sounds like healthy as well, too, which is important.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: And and uh like again, like a couple weeks ago, I went out to Grandma's uh marathon because one of my athletes, um she's insane, she's had such a cool marathon progression.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: She's not type one, but she works full-time at Sandio where I work, and she just ran a 233 at Grandma's uh on a tough day.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so I also raced the half, and so everyone's like, oh, how'd your half go?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: And like my instinct is to say, oh, like I'm really disappointed.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I should have still been running faster, even though I've not been focusing on half.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: I went out there to support her.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: My goal was focused on her.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, I still ran a 119, which is like, but in my mind, I'm like, oh, that's three minutes slower than my PR.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: I should have been at least a little closer to like 115.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm like, wait, wait, why?
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I might this is my season of coaching, work, and then training to just like train for general fitness so that I can really switch into focusing on my key races in the fall.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, if I was in 115 shape right now, I think I'd be concerned.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: So um just trying to remind ourselves that like, hey, like especially if you're taking on this much on your plate, like you can't always be at peak fitness or you're not always gonna peak perform.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_02: No, agreed, and I like how that approach of yours with like seasons and just kind of sounds like you take some time to reflect on okay, what's this moment in a couple months looking like versus you know, and yeah, and like in a couple of months I'm gonna have to take some sacrifices, of course.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, but but right now I'm like, let's just do it all.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_02: How does um you know with type one glucose monitoring affect you?
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: And for those listening, you know, I would love it to you can share.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and obviously I'll for those listening, I'll have some links and stuff of Sophie's stuff, but can you share for those listening with uh type one or or those with some insight, what is like, for example, a high block mileage for you and monitoring glucose?
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you got gels at play, you got food at play, it can the different impacts to you in the day.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_02: What what's that like for you?
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh great question.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: So um I'm trying to think the best way to answer this.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, like my mileage honestly is I I don't really like count mileage um per weeks, but I'm usually like I I do try to run almost every day.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Mondays are my like flexible day if I need a day off.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um the the funny thing is like more often than not, Mondays are my more free days.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, well, I'm gonna go run because I have time.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: But um it's usually just one of those watchless runs where I take my dog who like limits my pace, especially in the summer.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: But um the the mileage really, like now that I've been healthy for like years, not had injuries, um, I'm usually around 50 to 60, like no matter what.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of like my baseline and my baseline metabolism that really helps me lock into my like my daily like calorie protein, carb needs, which again, um, I think I sent you the article I just released.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, people are like, oh, how many carbs do you eat a day?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: How many do you eat in like an hour run?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, honestly, I don't like anti-what some people are trying to do is like I absolutely need to have 60 grams of carbs an hour during my run.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, that just like sometimes that would completely spike my blood sugar.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, like I'm a big fan of you need calories during the run, but it's not always just short acting like glucose because for me, like running at 250, I'm gonna feel terrible.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas I'd rather have like a few like gummy bears or like something that has a little more protein in it, like every 15 minutes, so that I'm not spiking.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so just like little things like that, and um for that 60 50 to 60, like just general mileage when I'm in off-season, it keeps me at like a very predictable baseline for my diabetes.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so then like I kind of fuel the carbs around my runs.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I still have a workout day a week, so it's either track tempo, um, hills, and then I have a long run a week.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, when I get into season um for the first time ever, actually, like post-trials, I tried to do 90 plus mile weeks before trials and ended up slightly injured, but now like I'm able to sustain 95 mile weeks, like no problem.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so a lot of that has been slowing down easy days, increasing my feeling, increasing my carb needs strategically, um, not feeling with carbs all at once, but like throughout the day.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so really like honing in on that nutrition and the needs.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because as a type one, you still need carbs, you still need um protein's a little bit more important, and creating like a mixed meal out of those carbs.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: So combining the carbs with fat and protein helps absorb and not completely spike so you're doing this all day.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Because like if you're roller coastering, that's like literally how your mental health is gonna go, that's how your physical health is gonna go.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so like literally, if I look at my blood sugars and it's going up and down, I'm like, well, this is fun.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm trying to keep them as flat as possible.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: And my understanding is correctly that um, and correct me if I'm wrong any moment here, but that in your for you at least, you're having protein with carbs, albeit maybe a little bit during your runs as well, to kind of offset those spikes and that works for you.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: It does, and it's it's hard for a lot of people on stomach.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: But um, when I say protein, it's not a lot.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like, so for instance, hairboo gummy bears have like one to two grams of protein in them, and like you would never know it, but just that alone um slows the absorption.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: Things like you can, there's not protein in them, but they're like uh super starch, so they're meant to absorb slower.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the Huma, for instance, has chia seeds.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a big fan of chia seeds.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do like chia pudding like every morning that just has a little bit of fiber, so like anything like extra mixed into the carbs is gonna help.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: Or you just take what you would in like a single serving and spread it out a little bit over like 20 minutes, and you kind of effectively create like that low glycemic type of food.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: The only problem with that is like you're holding like half gel packets or like half um scratch two packets, like while you're running, and it's just awkward because like they'll either spill or like yeah, but working.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: No, I get that.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh a big fan of Yuma myself here for for similar reasons.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_02: Uh at least as the slowing down, it's just easier on my stomach.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: I find um that's that's one of my favorites when I'm not like racing and just in general.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: I just like the more natural feels too.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like um, I've been into like date fix, it's like just pure dates, and then um the honey stinger has honey.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I'm not really like brand tied to anything, it's just more natural foods are um better too.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: Agreed, that's kind of my thing.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: The more well, I should say nowadays, the more natural food.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_02: What's your uh pre-run feel like uh you know, breakfast or or long run breakfast, race breakfast?
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I mean like you guys are probably people that are listening that heard my stuff before are probably sick of me saying sourdough avocado toast.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: But like it's it's just such a go-to, and it's funny because now all my friends that like I go camping with or like trips on, they're all into it.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: And and I don't know, we always joke like who came across it first, but like you can always find loaves of sourdough bread and a ton of avocados and like the everything bagel seasoning because that's just what we all eat, and they're like now cyclists.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: They used to run.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, actually, one of my friends used to run for Atlanta Track Club, but yeah, we all just like sourdough, avocado toast, and sourdough has like the natural occurring um like pre- and probiotics, and so again, like while it's not protein, it's something that's going to absorb slower into the system and be more sustainable.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then the avocado also helps as like a sustainable fuel, even especially for longer endurance efforts.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: When if you're gonna go sprint, it's not gonna help you as much because you need like fuel right away and fast.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_00: But like for those longer efforts, even with sprint workouts, like having that two hours before it's still gonna be there, right?
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: And and I'm always a fan of a little bit of dark chocolate with my coffee because you know, like priorities, but yeah.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: Dark chocolate really win, okay.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, raw, like 80% plus.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: I will admit I'm not the craziest about dark chocolate, but here in my household, there's there's a whole dark chocolate epidemic, and I'm just like, can I just get the regular?
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, it's not the same benefits, but hey.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned friends.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm curious, like with running so much, um, you know, in Taiwan and Olympic Wildfire.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: What's the support like?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_02: Family, friends, and stuff.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: What's their thoughts on it?
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: This is a good question.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, so my family, my sister ran track in college.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_00: She ran at Texas Tech, uh tracking cross-country.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: So she whereas I played soccer, she started in soccer too, but she had some like back and hip issues, so running just uh suited her.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: So she gets the sport.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like she was honestly my first, I call her my first coach.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, she basically just told me to go run, but between us, just following her around when she'd come back um for holidays.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'd be the soccer player coming back and she'd come back from and have like an eight-mile run, and I'd have like just go exercise.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I just follow her around and I'd like cap out at four and she'd keep going.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so definitely like she understands the sport.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my mom and dad are both athletic themselves.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Think I'm a little bit crazy, um, but what's um yeah, and they and they they're totally supportive.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: They came to Olympic trials.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's it's one of those like um they get it, but then sometimes like when we're on family vacation, and and I'm like, hey, I have a two-hour run today, they're like, Do you really have to run two hours?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but they're starting to get it more and in like some of my biggest fans and supporters, and um think it's cool like seeing how um more and more type ones are are doing the same thing.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: My mom's friends will like see things and like pass along information, and um yeah, but then um, so that's my family, my friends all kind of are some form of athlete or other, and and we're all super supportive of each other, like our text messages, friends supporting friends doing crazy things.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: We're all like tracking each other.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: One of our guys is a para-triathlete, and and so he is an above me amputee.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we all kind of have like our our whys and support each other, and yeah.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh have a running group here, Duke's track club.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also have um a foundation which is loosely um related to Embrace the Grind.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's Diorie Sports Project, it's a nonprofit, so uh another like whole cohort of type one athletes, and we have like our own group message of just like throwing questions in, like, hey, this happened to me during my long run.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: Has anyone have had this happened, their CGM, like it kind of like uh glitched out?
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: What do I do?
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: So just all of those resources where it's like you could throw a question in the chat and someone's gonna respond.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_02: So that's really cool.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, have a whole network making it happen.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_02: Talk to me about Embrace the Grind.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: How did that start?
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you're the fond of Embrace the Grind.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us for those listening, um everything involved with Yeah, so um Embrace the Grind.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let's see.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I've been actually I've had an athlete for at least 10 years.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my first athlete, and she's still with me.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: I met in San Diego, and um, because I used to live out there when I worked for DEXCOM, and she or the JDRF, so at the time it was JDRF Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, had a um half marathon team for the San Diego Rock and Roll.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and they asked me to be a volunteer coach, and so I had about five people with type one, and then uh my friend Annie like stuck with me since then, and um yeah, so she was kind of my first athlete, and and through the years, like it's either been word of mouth, people are like, hey, I want to do Boston for the first time.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_00: Will you help me out?
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's how it started, and I just realized that I had this love for like giving back everything I've learned and all like the lows and the highs, like literally and figuratively, of running with type one and as a full-time uh professional and how to fit training in.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, that's kind of how I grew my business, and then um again, it wasn't formal, kind of on the side during COVID.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: I started picking up a little a few more athletes, and then I decided to go get certified, and so I took um a couple of different courses, and then I also took like CPR and all that stuff through like um I was also soccer coaching at the time, so that I had to say no to.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't coach soccer anymore, but um, which is a bummer, but it was also like giving away my weekends when I gotta get runs in and stuff.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, so then the last couple years I honestly started to have a vision of like what is my why and like my mantra.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um I finally just had to like pull the trigger.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: A couple of my close uh friends were like, you need to just like business this.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, okay, and then one of my other friends is like, hey, like I've been working in building websites, like let me just help you like play around with ideas.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we'd meet for coffee, and so it was a lot of them starting to hold me accountable because I just kept kicking the can down the road.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then one time I was running.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think the first idea I had was like, Oh, I should make it an acronym of like BG, like blood glucose.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think I first thought of back to the grind.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so it was gonna be like BG racing team or something, back to the grind, and then I was like, oh that's kind of like I don't know if I love the back to, I'm like, because where are we coming back from?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so then I was like every day.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: I know I was like, this is now gonna be awkward, and it was really because I wanted that BG.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_00: But um when we started looking at like domain names and stuff, I don't know how I came across embrace, but I was like, you know what, every aspect, like I was having I think a tough week where it was just hard to get out the door.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had so many things going on.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: I also like moved, like rented my house, and I'm like, this is just literally a grind that I have to get through because I still have a race in two weeks that I'm gonna do, and I've gotta go get my long run in, I've got to get this workout in.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: And like, if anyone that knows me, they know I'm gonna get my work outside no matter what, even if it's at stupid hours of the day on the treadmill.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I'm like, what am I doing?
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm embracing it, like I have to, like, there's no other option.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's kind of how the name came about.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: I floated it to a couple of my athletes who had been with me for a while, and um, they're like, Oh, I love it.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so then that kind of came about and made the website and um had to put my mission like on a page, and so yeah, um, that's that's where we are.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: But nice and dope.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you started coaching through Embrace the Grind, right?
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_02: What are some uh I'm curious, you know, as a fellow coach, what are some of your you've done it for some time now, what are some of your philosophies that are yours for coaching?
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I think the biggest thing is um the initial conversation is so key and just like learning and and I tell like my athletes, I'm like, at some point I want to grow big enough that I can take on ever anyone and everyone who has a vision and a goal, even if it's just general health, or just like I want to learn how to run a 5K living with type 1 diabetes or having a full-time job and kids.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I have some people that fall into that camp too.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, like watching um people have like three kids and a full-time job try to fit in a 5K is almost as hard as like just living with type 1, trying to fit in a 5K.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's a different type of like reasons and stress and like things we have to consider in training, but um, I think right now I can't just take on everyone because I have a full-time job, right?
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm kind of capped, but the initial conversation I will always have um with anyone interested, and it always comes down to like, okay, I'm not gonna like call you up and be like, you need to get out of bed and get your run in.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: I trust that you're gonna have like that ounce of motivation, you just need um some boundaries around it, right?
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: Or like we need to like have baby steps, like we can't just jump to like the main goal.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some people are really good at like limiting themselves and telling themselves no, like I don't feel that great, I'm not gonna run.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_00: Others, like where I where I come from as an athlete, are like, oh, it hurts a little bit, we can run through it, like learning how to tell them no, or like let's not overdo it, or like I prescribe six to eight miles, and they always do the eight.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's someone that I I'm like I feel like I'm cheating myself if I only earned six.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, well, literally, six was prescribed, like you're still meeting the goal of the workout.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: So some some of my athletes like that.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I will if I if I give them six to eight and I know they're tired, I will only put six, not six to eight, because I know they'll still do the eight.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so um, philosophies are hard days hard, easy days easy.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think a lot of coaches have that philosophy, but when I say that, I like truly mean it.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: And like a lot of athletes don't know what easy means, and like Strava and all that stuff plays into it.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: And um, as a type one, like if like I kind of have them like check in with me on what are their blood sugars and what is their range been, because if they've been high and low, like that basically like I'll wake up feeling like I was hit by a train.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, you're already starting your run compromise.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, this is an easy day where I'm like our easy range could be 8 to 8:30, but I want it on the 8:30, or I want you to just go run flat, like no hills.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_00: Other times when I'm like, hey, we need to push this, and like the effort needs to be high because I know you've been feeling good, you've been feeling strong.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this is gonna be a hard day, and and it's gonna be a longer day, and then I'm I want you to go do your gym session like that night, or if you can that day, um, because we got to train the body to be resilient.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but then the next day is like very tapered back, right?
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's pushing when like you can push hard and really taking it easy when you just can't.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, and then um I'm a big fan of life too on the side of running.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, like if they want to go on a camping trip or ski trip in the winter, like I'm all for that.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I think the biggest thing I've added to my coaching is factoring in like um kind of equivalence, right?
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if they go ski all day for an hour, I'm like, let's just do 30 minutes because you just skied all day and let's do 30 minutes of like a shakeout.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can't fit it in, that ski time is the equivalent of probably a one to two hour run day, um, depending on how hard you're going.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so, not trying to make up workouts, but actually using cross-training as like a running equivalent versus like myself in the past, I've gone skiing all day and I'd have an eight-mile run and I'd do both, and then I'd have a longer the next day, and I'm like, wow, I feel really tired.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but like again, those back-to-back days can actually be really powerful for marathonners and ultra runners, for instance, because you are running on tired legs as long as you're smart about it.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, enough too.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that makes me a little unique too, is just the strength training aspect.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and obviously I have a whole side of like diabetes management too, but um yeah.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's funny you brought up strength.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_02: That's exactly what I wanted to touch on.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_02: How do you blend your your preference of blending both?
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so um, well, one history is really important.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm not gonna throw someone who's n has zero history of strength training into barbell workouts, yeah.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I do think like one figuring out time management and the days that they have more time.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and if not, like then we've gotta like come up with a compromise.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, hey, you have a 20 to 30 minute routine right before, right after you run.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that's like all we can fit in, but it's better than nothing.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so figuring out what they have time for, what their goals are, if their goals are speed and power or something shorter than a marathon, um, strength training looks a lot different.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's if it's marathon and they're injury prone, we kind of like have to break down what that injury is, and it's usually always coming back to like hip strength, lower back strength, um, foot strength.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: For like lower leg injuries and just adding in some of those, like either activation exercises, but then also uh the eccentrics and like different types of like isometric exercises that you basically go through every step of a marathon, like the single leg stuff.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it does look different for a lot of people.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_00: If I have an athlete coming to me who did a sport in college and is and is like like knows all of the powerlifting days, usually if they're still interested and have access to a gym, one to two heavier lift days I think is important.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then another, I guess, philosophy in terms of strength training.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I have some athletes that their goal is solely either to like lose weight, and that's great, like if that's your goal.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I always tell those types of people, I'm like, hey, if we're in a losing weight um block, we cannot have a performance goal tied to it.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it sometimes challenges their mentality.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: They're like, Well, what do you mean?
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we can't go for like a time goal while I'm trying to lose weight.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, because they're just counterintuitive.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, time goals you've got to feel for, and I'm not, and I it's you're risking too much injury there.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, you either focus on losing weight, and we're gonna really keep runs um not full out, and we have like some interval training and then some long endurance efforts, and then we'll do some more weight training um to build that resilience while you're on this weight loss journey, and then when we switch to a performance goal, it's all focused on like the running workouts, and I need you to feel through it.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's another piece of the puzzle, too.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_02: No, that that last one's music to my ears.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_02: I find that a lot myself in coaching.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I've had it in the past myself.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's like, yeah, one losing weight is one thing, but you really need to eat for this marathon.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_02: The longer the distance, obviously, ultra same thing you have to eat.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_02: So when you try to take some of that off and do the other, it's you're just asking for it.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a hard like realization to come to because I I think you can have either goal, but like both, I've never had I wouldn't call it like not successful, but just something has to give and a frustration will happen.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: So like mentally it's tough, physically it's tough.
• 46:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and I the the biggest thing is I don't want anyone to start to hate the sport.
• 46:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think if you try to do both, you're gonna hate the sport.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um be trying to run these like fast workouts on like a depleted system, and it's just like that's not fun.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_02: Um not fun at all.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_02: Recovery goes to the toilet, um, which means you can't run as much.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, on that, you've been coaching a while, I guess.
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say are some of the key things that always come up for you within like athletes, some some key let's say commonalities that come up both on the spectrum of success and also like you wish people knew more.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think the importance of short speed efforts for marathoning.
• 46:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I mean, like we all know that that's a thing, and going to the track is a thing, but the why behind it, um, so there's that, and then I think navigating injuries is always a big one, and like when to call it and like how serious is too serious, and like how everyone has a different pain tolerance um when it comes to workouts and when it comes to injury, and so um navigating those waters.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I think going back to the speed training for marathoning, like I'm a huge advocate, and and a lot of what like I've learned in like my physiology courses and just over the years of even like biomedical engineering is like you want to start least specific to most specific.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_00: So, like if you have a three-month block, and that's another thing, like a lot of these athletes come to me thinking they need a five-month block for a marathon, and I'm like, but if they're already like decently fit, I'm like, why do you need a five-month block?
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you're going from like couch potato to marathon, yeah, five months is probably like you're already coming to me with your 50 mile prep per week and you think you need five months.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, no.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that's when I would start more with speed, and or finding and kind of like navigating through what's the athlete's strengths and weaknesses, and um so a lot of my marathoners, their weakness is strength or sorry, speed and track.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they can tempo for days, but like give them like four hundreds or two hundreds, dare I say, on a track.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_00: They're like let's like no.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's funny because my mentality is I I'm like putting me on the track, heck yeah.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like yeah, and so just focusing on like learning new things to really like one, it helps just with cadence and with form.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, two, I think it helps uh the body, especially as a type one, use different fueling systems.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're doing sprints, when you're doing hills, when you're taking like long recovery for really short duration efforts, it actually teaches your body how to like use glucose in the in-room sense, but also have to rely on fat stores at the same time.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas like longer endurance efforts or tempo efforts are gonna be solely that like fat burning, less reliant on like the immediate glucose source.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so if you can combine both, then you can use both um in a marathon, right?
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because like even though the marathon is really using that aerobic capacity, um, there's gonna be a point in the marathon where you're not feeling great and it's gonna feel like a sprint, or at the end when you're trying to hit a time goal, where you need to be able to like rely on how like you've done the anaerobic training that teaches your body to use glucose fast.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so teaching the body to do both is important, and I think it's uncomfortable for a lot of athletes to start in speed and then get into the longer tempos, but it really I think like helps.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_00: And um, on that note, balancing weaknesses and strengths in workouts instead of like giving athletes all of their workouts geared around their weaknesses.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, like for me, for instance, one of the biggest things I changed uh working up to Olympic trials or trying to qualify was like I had a coach who was like, Hey, like you struggle with long endurance tempos, and that's what the marathon is, um, which is ironic.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_00: But like with like 14-mile marathon pace runs, and I was just miserable.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, this is the last thing I want to do.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I should be able to do it, but um like mentally, I was just like, this isn't fun.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, we still did those workouts, but then like a few days later, I'd be on the track doing 200s, and it seemed silly, like people knowing my goals, but I was like, it's those workouts I look forward to.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then we started combining the two.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I do some like hill repeats and then go for a tempo and then end with hill repeats.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like looking forward to what I like to do.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so those combo workouts can really help like just train the mind, train the body.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah.
• 50:36
  SPEAKER_02: No, I like that and agreed.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, like if you're having fun, the stuff you do like doing, you're gonna keep going, and you do need to push it a little bit at times, but the the balance is key.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I love how you touched on having to work on both systems because at the end of the day, and you're a mile 24 or whatever, your heart rates up in the sky and you're running slow, the heart's still moving fast.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've never triggered that in a workout, it's seem like it's you that's where the brain is like, I can't do this.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: But if you've had to do it before, it's like okay, I can push through it for a little bit, then usually it comes back around, right?
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_02: You touched on a little bit earlier, but like when did the moment go, you know what, I'm gonna go for this, and uh you went for it.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_02: What was that?
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it was the year of.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: So uh maybe like don't do this at home type thing, but like this next like four-year block, I'm like, I'm gonna like actually qualify three years in advance, not the year of, but um long story short, so my I went through like a big kind of like relationship like ending after like five years, and it was tough and not the easiest, and so I just started kind of running a lot more.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: Not that I wasn't running, but I was like, all right, how fast can I like get?
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so just started jumping into some of the workouts with like our club here, the Duke's track club, and they were all training for marathons, and and so just like getting back into like being very like let's see how fast I can do this temper workout, let's see how fast it can do this speed workout.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_00: But I also wasn't running the high mileage because it was ski season and I'm a huge skier.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so this would have been like December, January, December 2022, January 2023.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_00: And so I like on a whim, just I was supposed to do it with my family, but then my dad ended up having to go to the UK for work.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, went out to run Arizona Rock and Roll Half Marathon and went out there and like had never run, actually I think I'd done it once, but really had never like consistently run under 120 and a half.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I ran like a 115 off of like just a few tempo runs and a few speed workouts on a day.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_00: It was pouring rain in Phoenix, and just and that's not an easy course.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I basically told myself I was just gonna stick with the front pack as much as I could and like take my fuel and just see what happens.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I didn't really plan on sticking with the 115 pack, but when I realized it and and like at the time like felt pretty good, I was like, why not?
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so running with a really experienced pack in like that moment in time.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um one of the girls I had raced before and she'd beaten me by like four minutes.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I probably have no business running here, but like even her, like she was like, Hey, what are you trying to run today?
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, because she wasn't having a great day.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I just want a PR.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: And like at this point, I'm like on a course for a PR, and she's like, just manage your effort on the hills.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so it was like kind of freaky because we were running like 540s, and then we got to the big hill um going up into Papago Park, and like she slowed the group down to like six-minute pace, and and I'm like looking at my watch, like we're like really slow now, like kind of freaking out, and she's like, it'll come back, it'll come back, like just stay patient.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think slowing down to that six-minute effort, which is probably the equivalent of like a 530 on a flat, like saved my race.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so you get to the top, and it's like not three miles left downhill, and I just remember like having so much energy um and running like 530s the rest of it, and having a big PR, and and so like that off of like minimal training.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I called my coach and he was just like, Yeah, I think I think we should go for Olympic trials if you're up for it.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you've got eight months basically to qualify.
• 54:08
  SPEAKER_00: Since you did that off of like minimal training, like I think you have it in you, and so um we immediately signed up for grandma's in June, CIM as a backup, and then started training.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, was really excited about it, went out to Carl's Bad 5000, ran a 5k PR, um, had a blast, and then had like a 20-mile long run the next weekend, went well, and started to get this like weird like hip thing and like sciatica and like work was really stressful, and just like everything started like kind of unraveling like a month before grandma's, and I'm just like, I don't think I can go run a 237 at grandma's.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so we kind of had this like hard talk, like, is it worth still going to try?
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I don't think my body can.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_00: So we ended up just taking like a month off, which was freaky because now we're like, no, no, like I was running, it was like a month of like run how you feel.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I truly like trusted it, even though it was hard knowing I'm like, now okay, now we're putting all of our eggs in one basket.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but like then around the same time, McCur the McCurdy Micro New York marathon came up, and so it got into that.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_00: So then I had the October one, and it was a little sooner.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, cool, like now I have a goal.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so going into that one, could not have had more of a perfect training block.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_00: I hit every single workout, every single pace, um, was so excited about it, fueling, like had all my bottles set up, um, hadn't run a marathon.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think what got me.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, fast forward to the end, I didn't qualify at this one, but like I felt amazing for 18 miles and then like started cramping, basically had to like crawl across the finish line.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and was I still ran a 242, so I PR'd, I think I had ran a 249 in 2019 um when I had tried to qualify for the 245 um and had a rough day of diabetes and and everything, and that was the last time I'd ran a marathon was 2019.
• 56:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so the McCurdy one was frustrating because my blood sugar spiked to over 300.
• 56:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I did not know the impact of adrenaline on blood sugars because I hadn't been in a marathon situation where I had this huge like goal, right, in a long time.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: And adrenaline is a power, powerful thing, especially when it comes to blood sugar.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I guarantee people without diabetes, they spike the same, um, but just not to that level, and like their body can correct with insulin on the spot, whereas ours can't, but like adrenaline spikes are a real thing, and so um was reminded that the hard way.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so I remember like sitting at dinner that night and like knowing I had the fitness to run a 237 based on like my 18 miles at it, and it was literally just the cramping from like my diabetes, and just um yeah, so I was like, we're gonna do CIM like six weeks later.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that was like a not questionable decision, like it was gonna happen, I was gonna go for it again.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_00: But like the biggest thing was like nailing down my insulin, and um, so CIM I didn't even have an elite bib, I was only in the seated start, and so it made it even difficult because I didn't have bottles or anything, but at the same time, like the bottles at New York spiked me because I put carbs in them, and so I realized hey, like I'm a salty sweater, so I need electrolytes.
• 57:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, even more so, especially like type one.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um basically what happens when your blood sugar is high is all of the water from your muscles tries to flood your like blood basically to bring down the concentration of sugar, and so it just causes you to cramp.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it makes electrolytes important, it makes hydration important.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, knowing I didn't have bottles at CAM, it might have actually helped because I knew I could only do water, and then I would take like salt tabs and then rely on like my um food for carbs.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so yeah, like I mean, we went back to the drawing board.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_00: I I um was able to get medical on board and like have insulin on the course, and so I knew like with the spikes, I had to take insulin during.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_00: Worked with like one of my diabetes mentors, and um just with all the things had to practice those next six weeks of like taking insulin during and all the above.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's funny because like I was so focused on like figuring out how to take insulin while racing because that's what was gonna hold me back.
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, like did not have a great training block.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like I got an infection from my glucose meter, I had to be on antibiotics, like Thanksgiving was in there, and so I was like hanging out with family, like sleep was in, like, decided to have a glass of wine.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, why not?
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I gotta live my life, like um, just could have been it was not like the perfect build up to New York, right?
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like, yeah, those six weeks were I was questioning it, but then I lined up and I'm like, hey, like you've been training at this pace for now like six months, like we've got this, and started the first 10 miles, felt terrible.
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, well, this is great.
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, but then I just was like, just believe, just keep fueling, keep like um saw a friend and uh she was having a good day too, and she's like, just tell tell your body to shut up, and like turned around at like 18.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_00: I started in the seated and probably like the hundred and hundred and fiftieth like female, like there was a whole group trying to OTQ, and then by 18, there was an official like counting up the like place, so he was like ninth, because I was with a group of four females, and he was like ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth female.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, How the heck did I go from like probably 150th to like 12th?
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so it was that like inspiration I needed and confidence I needed.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Well, I must have just been so like focused and not noticing what was happening, and um, so really cool.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_00: And uh by 22, I kind of in my mind knew I had it, even though I still had four miles to hold at that pace.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I I just started to get this excitement, and I think just being excited, and like I was trying to smile at everyone, like just enjoy why I was there, and like even like take the fact that I kind of had this like thank goodness, like I know I'm gonna actually do it out of my brain.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was just trying to like enjoy the experience, and I think I forgot that at New York.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_00: I was so focused on the goal at hand.
• 1:00:10
  SPEAKER_00: Really cool, and uh rounded the final turn at CAM and like saw like 236 low, and I'm like, all I have to do is like sprint it in, and actually the last mile, my foot started hurting, and so I was like, of all things, and and my friend literally was like, You can run a freaking six-minute mile on a bum foot, like one mile like fine, like she's like, You're too good.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_02: But mine's just not saying that at the time, though.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_00: But and I I don't even know what it was with my foot, like it didn't bother me after, but it was just funny, like, why my foot?
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, but yeah, so it was pretty cool, and it was like a like surreal, like finish line experience because I my parents had been at New York but couldn't make it to CM.
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like a little I went through this like little like sadness they weren't there, but at the same time, I'm like that was cool, and so I just like yeah, yeah.
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_02: So what was a post like um after you cross, you hit OTQ, what'd that feel like?
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think it was I went through like a mix of just like wow, like I like I knew I had it in me, I had my doubts, but then just like was trying to remember like the why I started this in the first place, and um, I think for a little bit I forgot it and just was really focused on performance and just trying to like be one of the fastest marathoners in the country, and and I that's not my why.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_00: My why is to inspire people that are full-time um engineers have a disease, and like you can still go do hard things, like it just might take a few times, and I think just that all coming together, like yeah, it took me a whole like eight months dedicating to it with like a month in there that I I like couldn't even race like at grandma's, and um so yeah, like less than perfect, but like all of that makes like you should always line up even if you're doubting it, because you never know how the day is gonna go, and so um yeah, just like never taking it for granted.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I I was obviously like ecstatic, and like my mind the weeks after was like, I want to go compete at trials, and my body can tell me the opposite, but um, you've been training for a marathon for like almost a year now.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like let's put so then I just had a blast, it was awesome, and like the support around like Albuquerque was really cool, and I was coaching at the time, and so like all of my athletes were so excited, and they had never like heard of what Olympic trials were, and um the cool thing is now like I think this next wave, like we're gonna have a lot of athletes from Albuquerque going for it, and I mean like the girl I coach, and then some of the men that we've been training with, it's it's gonna be cool.
• 1:02:43
  SPEAKER_02: So so are you going for it yourself or more on the coaching side?
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I I think I'd be kidding myself if I said I wasn't gonna go for it.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like um, I was talking to someone yesterday about it and they had asked me the same thing, and I was like, Yeah, of course.
• 1:02:57
  SPEAKER_00: And and I'm like, it's not gonna be easy.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think it's it's wild because I think my friend I'm coaching, like, I mean, now she could she could probably run a 237 or sleep, but I'm like, for me, I'm not, I I don't think I think I have more in me in the marathon.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_00: I still just don't think it's gonna be easy.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I've been having some fun on trails, and I I think I've got some unfinished business on like some 50Ks, and and I'd love to get a little bit like closer on like the pro trail scene.
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I am getting pulled that direction, but I think it's just making me stronger, and um, I mean, I think I want to qualify for trials as soon as I'm able to, and um then spend some time on the trails building like a ton of strength and then seeing how competitive I could be in in 2028.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I think in 2024, like I got there and just kind of had it had a fun, it was my victory lap.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_00: I was not my b my physical, like I had a stress fracture.
• 1:03:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I'm not gonna be competitive, but I'm gonna have a blast.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think if I could go be competitive, it would be really fun.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_00: And just have like teammates with me too.
• 1:04:02
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 1:04:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it'd be cool to have a whole crew there and a few of you guys are trying for it.
• 1:04:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I'm trying to get another type one to just like go for it.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like she's um I think she's like she's running a 311 right now, but she was diagnosed while she was in the Air Force Academy.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_00: So and she kind of reminds me of myself.
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like she just she literally told her doctor, like the week she was hospitalized, I'm supposed to run Chicago next week and I'm still gonna do it.
• 1:04:28
  SPEAKER_03: Oh no.
• 1:04:31
  SPEAKER_00: So she's kind of got that fire.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um Young uh has like some learning to do, but like it would be so cool to get more type ones out there too.
• 1:04:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, she's got you in her corner, which will help some some uh some of those lessons you have to learn maybe the hard way.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_02: Where would you say the the mindset?
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I'm just gonna say here, you have like this strong, amazing mindset and willing to go through walls and fire, it sounds like, uh especially in some of the races you described already on this on this episode here.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like, where does that come from?
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know you say competitive, but yeah, you know, it's it's crazy because both my sister and I have it, and um my parents are always like, Well, I don't know how we both like inspired you to do this, and we're we always I think now that we're older and more mature, we're we're we realize it's because they didn't force us and we fell into love with sport and like training on our own and like just see how cool it can be like to like overcome physically um and get push yourself further uh when things are going against you and like just to prove to yourself like you can do it, and I think it translates to work, it translates to relationships, it's like what you put in is what you're gonna get out, and um it's not always gonna be pretty.
• 1:05:46
  SPEAKER_00: So like it's those less the learning lessons in the lows that like really make the highs great, and um yeah, like the it's crazy how like you can be really resilient and And take that to like kind of your day-to-day life and uh use it to inspire others and find community.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_00: And um yeah.
• 1:06:08
  SPEAKER_02: So you have any like sport inspirations like women in sport or or like athletes or anyone that you're like, oh, this person, you know, when I'm in that cave, I think of this person.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_00: I really should have more, I'll be honest.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think I just like watching athletics in general because you always see like the underdog story or just like those that are doing all the work behind the scenes, and um as much as social media can be kind of showing not all the story and like you know, just not the best, but like at least you can see insight to a lot of these athletes now and like what their day-to-day looks like.
• 1:06:47
  SPEAKER_00: But I think um when I was in like grade school, I did our book report on Jesse Owens, like uh the the runner um way back when like first like African American to make the Olympics and all that, and I think like that was where my mind was at, like as a kid, even just like oh, you can have all these like negatives against you, but like still push through, um, and just building that mentality and and like changing the negatives into a positive.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, hey, if I didn't have diabetes, I wouldn't get to see what my blood sugar is every minute of the day.
• 1:07:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and while that can be like stressful and and like data overload, especially as a type A person, at the same time, I'm like, I have an insight to what my body's doing.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, sometimes I'm like, why is it stress?
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why is it high?
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, like I'd rather know than not.
• 1:07:34
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 1:07:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's cool.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say to someone, you know, out there maybe listening to this or that wants to get into the sport and has uh type one diabetes?
• 1:07:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think just um just start small.
• 1:07:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh little wins, give yourself grace.
• 1:07:51
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the biggest thing I had to learn is like not every day is perfect.
• 1:07:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you can still make the most of a workout and just remind yourself your body knows effort and it's constantly going through more effort than a lot of people without diabetes.
• 1:08:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so um when you're putting a stress on your body like diabetes, you have to adjust your workouts.
• 1:08:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so if that means an hour run becomes an hour of just movement and you have to put in some walk in there, like your body still knows it was active for an hour and like giving yourself grace, like, hey, it wasn't a perfect hour run, it was an hour walk run, even like just workouts to like go off of effort, not pace, and and just try to like not look at the watch all the time.
• 1:08:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um track everything and and just figure out that balance that works for you and know like one day, like this exact meal, this exact dose of insulin might work, and then the next day it won't, and it's just that's life and um tracking maybe what was the difference.
• 1:08:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like, was I more stressed?
• 1:08:48
  SPEAKER_00: Was I this?
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_00: Was I that?
• 1:08:50
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah.
• 1:08:52
  SPEAKER_02: Sweet, dope.
• 1:08:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well, if you were listening, take some of those, write some of those down.
• 1:08:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Sophie, everyone, um, I want to ask you before we we head out here, what's next for you?
• 1:09:03
  SPEAKER_02: I know you mentioned some trails, uh trails, Olympic qualifying, you know, but you got time for that.
• 1:09:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um what do you got coming up?
• 1:09:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so well, I'm transitioning to a new job right now, but um which is gonna be awesome, and and I'll save the details for another time, but uh kind of getting a handle and calming down some of the life things, and then um I have a couple of fun races coming up in August, and we're actually doing Trans Rockies again with four type ones, so that's the 120 miles across um mountain ranges in Colorado.
• 1:09:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so last year we had two of us, this year we have four, so that'll be awesome, and we're gonna try to like document a lot of pieces, and the four of us all have very different management strategies, so it'll be fun to learn from each other.
• 1:09:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then my A race, well, let's call it an A minus race, is uh Kodiak 50K in October, so that'll be a mountain race out in California.
• 1:09:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I have some unfinished business in the 50K.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_00: I I tried to do Canyons in April, and while it went okay, I um had a tough last couple miles, and so I'm really excited to go back after trails.
• 1:10:10
  SPEAKER_00: And um then the plan is to take that strength of the 50K and go into a road training block.
• 1:10:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'll have a little bit of downtime, but then I am signed up for the marathon project in December and also potentially CAM.
• 1:10:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll decide between one of those two.
• 1:10:25
  SPEAKER_00: So a December marathon, road marathon, and the goal would be to try to get the qualifier, depending on how my body turns around from the 50k.
• 1:10:32
  SPEAKER_02: Then when's the 50k the the next one?
• 1:10:35
  SPEAKER_00: October 12th.
• 1:10:36
  SPEAKER_02: October, okay, and then and two months after go race.
• 1:10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll kind of be like my first like let's get after the aerobic training, and then um, yeah.
• 1:10:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I think um if there's one thing I've learned about myself is like having the seasons of training, and so fall winter is gonna be like my season, and and I think the back-to-back racing I sometimes can get stronger off of, and so um not always is the case, but I think for someone like myself, like having the like kind of goals along the way really does help, and so and it helps me um practice the adrenaline rush of diabetes before the event in December.
• 1:11:16
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_02: No, that'll be a good base.
• 1:11:19
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, training for 50k is a whole different beast to say the marathon, but there'll be a lot of time off feet there and then right into let's get some speed in or whatever.
• 1:11:29
  SPEAKER_00: So it'll be it'll be like, okay, focus on the climbing and the endurance strength, and then roll right into some marathon pace tempos and some track work.
• 1:11:37
  SPEAKER_02: You'll for sure be strong too going up the hills and elevation and whatnot.
• 1:11:42
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 1:11:44
  SPEAKER_02: Well, uh, thank you, Sophie.
• 1:11:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh everyone listening.
• 1:11:47
  SPEAKER_02: Hope this one resonated with you.
• 1:11:48
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, there was a lot shared here.
• 1:11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, sorry, I go off on my soapbox.
• 1:11:53
  SPEAKER_02: Oh no, it's great.
• 1:11:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's uh great insight.
• 1:11:56
  SPEAKER_02: And and you know, for those listening that want to have some takeaways, definitely check it out.
• 1:12:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, share if you like it.
• 1:12:01
  SPEAKER_02: Uh thank you, Sophie, for hopping on.
• 1:12:03
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone that's been the People Run podcast.
• 1:12:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh see you until next time.
• 1:12:08
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.