Latest / The Steep Stuff Podcast / Allie McLaughlin | 2024 Pikes Peak Ascent Champion

Transcript

Allie McLaughlin | 2024 Pikes Peak Ascent Champion · The Steep Stuff Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up guys?
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, james Lauriello, and we are fresh off Pikes Peak weekend, just coming off that high of highs and kind of getting back into reality.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: On that, though, riding the high, I've got some really exciting episodes to bring to you guys over the next few weeks, and we're going to be kicking this off with none other than Colorado Springs and mountain running legend.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: At this point, miss Allie Mack joins us on the podcast.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Allie joined us just before this weekend, so just before her third win at the Pikes Peak Ascent that she was able to run this weekend.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Really fun to have her along to share her journey and just kind of the running journey she's been on is really exciting.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Allie Mack is one of my favorite people in the sport, someone I really look up to, and just really exciting to finally get to sit down and chat with her and just learn more about her running journey.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: We talked a lot about her race at OCC, the way she races, nutrition.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: We talked about all kinds of fun things.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: It's definitely a special episode and something I really think you guys are going to enjoy.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: So, without further ado, I hope you guys love this one.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: None other than Colorado Springs legend, miss Allie Mack.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: It's time.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Thank you, Ladies and gentlemen, we are live, alright, we're live.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Now what's going on?
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: Hey.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Allie Mack joins the podcast.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, super excited to be here.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: I've seen the podcast grow and super excited to be here.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: I've seen the podcast grow and you've had some awesome people, a lot of Colorado, so I'm excited to join it.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like it's just like the perfect fit, because you're from the Springs.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: It just kind of makes I don't know, it just makes great sense, you know, being here in the Springs Absolutely.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like I'm drifting away most of the year, but um, but it's always home.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: I'm here for the month and then I think we're just um talking with some friends and family.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: I think next year I'll be in colorado a lot more oh, really okay, are you?
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: you're not in the springs right now?
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Right, you're technically washington, right yeah?
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: um my boyfriend lives in, he has a house in spokane and um he had a bad wingsuit accident in december.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: Um broke a lot of things, so we spent all winter there and um, I love it up there.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: It reminds me a lot of the springs, just minus pikes, peak, that's like.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: Honestly, all it's missing is like high elevation but lots of trails, lots of hills.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Um, yeah, but then we're usually in the van in the summer and then we're.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: We've been here the last um like we going to be here for the whole month.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, cool, cool.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: That'd be fun, are you?
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Are you hanging out around, uh, like the marathon and the scent next week?
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I was going to do golden trail and they conflicted this year, but how the year panned out, just not racing Like I would like to, um, and and since I'm in Colorado and it's very, very hard to not race the ascent or the marathon when you're in town, so it'll be my fifth year in a row are you gonna do it?
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: I I signed up for both oh, I didn't know this.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Like this must have just happened.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, like okay like uh, I got home from Chamonix and I waited a few days to make sure I like wasn't injured.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: And then I wrote uh, jordan and Ryan see if I could still register.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: And they said I was.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: I'm surprised like so I didn't.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: I don't know if you know this.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Like we're, I'm partnered.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: I do know.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: So I don't know if you're free next Friday, but if you want to come to the press conference we'd love to have you.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Um, I'll be honest, like in my head it's just been, I don't know.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: It's been a weird year and so, and like my performance, haven't been where I know they could be and you know what, like with golden trail, trail running has grown so much and there is a lot of, there's a lot of media around it and I used to love it and I think this is my first year that it's like kind of got into my head.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: But then, like I saw, I saw that you're gonna be there and the whole thing, and I'm like I think, as, as people of the sport, like it's our job or I don't want to call it a job it's um, it's really special to like be involved in that stuff, even if it's like a head game sometimes.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: Like I will absolutely be there, yes, let's dive into that a little bit.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Let's uh, as far as like that, because it's funny, I have, um, I have co-hosts for everything I've got, usually like my, my normal co-host, nick, for instance.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: He's running the rut this week, so I was purposely like I don't think I should put, like I don't think you should do the race preview kind of thing, just because I don't want to get like I know how I would feel, um, yeah, you talk about people that you're racing right a lot of these people are friends and I'm like, oh, this is awkward, like you know, and you don't want to like give a top 10 then, because it's like, if you leave out, you know, if you're, if you leave out a friend, that's like kind of weird you know so it's like it's a.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: It's like I don't know.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: The media game, as well as being an athlete, is very strange yeah, and I used to be so cool about like headspace and stuff, but I think, yeah, the more competitive it gets and the more I realize, the more I talk about something like, okay, so my two best years in my trail running career was 2014 and I'd say 2022, and 2022 was so awesome.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: I was just, even though I had been in the sport a long time, I was just kind of like floating through life and um, and I was still working quite a bit.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Um, like I said, we met at air by working for air vipa and um just running around doing contract work, which is pretty tiring in its own way.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: And then, yeah, I just um, I was having a lot of fun, I was partying a lot too, and um and just like not, and I knew I had very little.
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: I was doing a lot of new things, like um it was my first 50k um came that I.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: I won Mount marathon that year, which was like that's a.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: That was that landed on the perfect year to do it.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: I had a lot of training on the incline, blah, blah, blah.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Like that went well.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: But then the rest of the season it was just kind of like all right, let's try.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: I got into O occ and I was like I remember going in so oblivious I was gonna go.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: So that in my mind I was like I'm gonna go set this record and I went out super hard and and I went for it and it was awesome.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: I bonked but like had no regrets, it was so awesome, like didn't overthink anything.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: And then, yeah, I came home like pretty tired but turned around, jumped in golden trail series, made it to the finals.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: And I knew those few girls that year it was nianke, sofia, mod was it here.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: You lost your phone or you know.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: You had your phone and like you lost your luggage, right, I just showed up and just like beat the shit out of everybody in the first race with like two hours.
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: I was just talking on the podcast about this the other day.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Thank you, yeah.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: So again, I just, I mean, if I went back to that time I probably was a little nervous, but I just felt no pressure and so I yeah, I um out of Denver.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: Okay, the finals were in Madeira, um, off the coast of Portugal, and I flew out of the Springs, I think, flew up to Denver immediately out of Denver, had like a three hour delay, got to Toronto, missed my connection, so I had to spend 24 hours in Toronto.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: Then I got a late flight to London and we were delayed.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: We were like on the plane on the tarmac for three hours.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: So then when I got to London, it was a big rush and I had time, but they wouldn't let me through security.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: They saw my ticket.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: They're like, oh, you're too late, and had time, but they wouldn't let me through security.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: They saw my ticket.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: They're like, oh, you're too late.
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: And and I had friends, taber and eli, were gonna be on my same flight and I was messaging them and they're like, we haven't boarded, you're fine.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: And I'm like they won't like physically, let me back there.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: And that I was pretty cool, like chill, until that moment, like I just I started crying and everything, and the lady's like you're only gonna be like like a few hours late.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: I was like, no, I was like I was supposed to be there yesterday.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: Like I got delayed in toronto and then I had.
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: So then I think I went to lisbon, porto.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: I had like three more flights, got in, landed at midnight, um had to get a cab.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: I jump in the cab, not thinking I don't have cash in their money, so I we're already driving.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: But I like ask what?
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: And he's like you know, we're like talking over Google translate he drops me off at an ATM.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: Well, I only had a credit card.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: I didn't take my debit card, so, but luckily it's like us time, it's like normal time.
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: So what do I do?
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: Like a little girl called my mom and I'm like, and she's trying to get me a code from my bank that I can use my credit card.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: We don't get it figured out.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: So finally, like, after like a lot of back and forth, he takes me to the hotel where Golden Trail is and it's like, by that time I think it was like 2 in the morning I did see one guy I knew, but no one had cash, and so he talked to the guy at the front desk and we all communicated that he would come back the next afternoon and I could pay him then.
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: And I'm like what?
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: What a blessing.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Like I just don't see that happening in the U?
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: S.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: And this guy was a sweetheart.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: Um, he did come back the next day with his girlfriend.
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: I tipped him like 200%, um, but anyway, so at that point it's two, it's like two 30 in the morning, get my room.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: I was dreaming with Sarah Alonso.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: She was so sweet and she kind of woke up but like was like so happy that I made it.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: And then, um, yeah, I woke up like five hours later and had to race.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I raced and it was.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: It was awesome weather.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: It was like it was like cloudy at the start, super like crazy pouring rain most of the race and then nice at the finish again.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: But anyways, yeah, so, oh, and I, yeah, I never my checked bag never showed up, so I didn't have like I again, I didn't really care.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: I didn't like usually carry nutrition at that time, like now it's like, oh, like I'm all into nutrition, but it was an 18 mile race, I didn't need food or water and but we did have to have a few things we were supposed to carry, and one was a phone.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: I don't remember I didn't wear a vest or anything, so, yeah, so I carried my phone through the race, which I do all the time in training, but everyone thought it was so funny.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I remember just watching the video and I was like this is amazing.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: It was a comfort thing, I loved it, and so then, um, yeah, yeah, and then again I was like I maybe I took pressure off myself because of all the travel, but also I didn't have to talk to anyone the few days before the race.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: I was just like yeah, well, coming back to pressure, I think that makes a huge difference is yeah, I didn't have too much energy like this and like I guess I guess because you've raced occ now three times and like we'll kind of branch into that in a little bit.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: But I don't know.
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: I kind of agree with what you're saying with pre-race, the nerves and then the media, and all this Even at the Cirque Series races.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: These are 800 people races.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: They're not that big, but I've stayed very far away from the start line before and then come two minutes before just to hop in.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: Well, they got in music bumping.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's too much energy.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, at least for me at least well, yeah and no, I think you're right.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: It there's, it's like a bell curve.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: There's a amount that's good, and then you can like start going downhill when there's too much yeah um, and so I I really enjoyed not being there in the.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: I was worried I was gonna miss the race but like not having to be there for all that pre-race and then even though it can be fun.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: But then I knew like I was like all right, me and gay Sophia, they have this.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: But then we went out and like I was planning on just staying behind them, but within the first mile I just kind of like floated ahead and I was like and that's how a lot of that year went.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: Legendary performance, by the way, absolutely legendary.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: And so I'm just trying to get back to that mindset.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: And I mean I've had off years before, like the few years before that, yeah.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: So I just it's hard because I don't see that in other athletes, like really top athletes, I feel like they're more consistent and I don't know.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: I feel like I have a good year and then I struggle a little and then I have a good year so, yeah, just kind of dealing with that right now.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: Understood, understood, well, I mean, dude, your performance at oss was amazing.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: I love the way you race, by the way, like you take it out hard and like you're you're not there like I don't know.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: I've had christina on the podcast as well, like we talked a little bit about like her strategies and things like that for racing and I don't know, somehow we were talking about you as well, um, because I know you guys are friends.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: But like, just like I don't know, even watching on the live stream, like the way you take it out and the way your composure and just everything, it's very inspiring well, thank you I had you picked as my favorite.
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: I I'm not going to lie.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: I was like, oh, Ally Mack's going to do it this year.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: One of these years, you're going to do it.
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: Thank you, I believe that too and I really, yeah, it's a puzzle piece and I will say I tried to actually start conservative and in my mind I did because I wasn't in the lead ever, so I was like I took it out conservative, conservative and but it's crazy, I've I have started to listen to other people.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: Usually I've lived in my own little world, but they're um, I've listened to a few podcasts of like previews and this and that, and hearing what they talk about and so many people have said have talked about my 2022 occ, where I did just, I was like 10 minutes ahead at one time before I bonked and they have a point.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: So this whole time, the last few years, I'm like, okay, I just need to pull back and pace better.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: But the reality, I think, is a lot of people are saying just, we need to go out that fast, we're capable if we want to push the sport and like break time and stuff, and I think, honestly, that is what happened.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: That's what's happening.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: If you look at the times for those first five miles when I took it out really hard in 2022, that taught us leaders we it was about my I ran the same times and I was in fifth, most of the first half, and and so yeah, so I think everyone's like, oh, we can take it out harder and not die, and so I think that's in like it was really a compliment, and so I took it well that, yeah, they're like, no, she didn't take it out too hard, that's just what we all need to do and so, anyways, but it was kind of I'm kind of bummed because, like man, these last few years I'm like oh, oh, I need to start out slower.
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: But really everyone's else is like, no, we're gonna go fast, and I'm like, okay, what do I do?
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: yeah, yeah I need to just keep my going out hard and I just need to like you'll stick it on my endurance.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, what do you?
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: What is your nutrition?
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Like I'm sorry I'm bouncing all over the place because, like I, have so many questions for you and it's very hard because, like you have, so many insane performances, so it's like hard for me to just ask you about one race.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: But I'm very curious like what does your nutrition look like now?
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: Well, that's a fun topic because it has changed drastically.
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: It used to be pretty much nothing during the race, because I would do races less than two, three hours, and then OCC, you know, my first time is was like, oh, just, we'll take some gels.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: That's not true.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: In 2022, I did practice, or I mean 2020, um, when a lot of things were canceled.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: There was the Moab marathon and there's the Pikes Peak marathon.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: So those were my first marathons because I didn't have any joy, like, if I wanted to race, that's what I had to do.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: Um, I mean, I'm sure there were shorter ones, but those were appealed to me.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: So, yeah.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: So I did Pikes Peak and, yeah, I like was told, you know, you should eat 30 minutes in.
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: And actually that one was not a good example, because I only took one gel and I had it on the way up and I was like, oh, downhill, I'll be fine.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: I started to, well, well, yeah, was that the no?
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: That was not the year I fell.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: No, that is the year I fell.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: I fell three times.
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: So I like not only was I bonking, I had blood coming out of my knee, I had no food, I had a little bottle of Kahlua in my oh dude, I remember reading this article, yeah, yeah.
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: And um, and I Like there wasn't an aid station nearby.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: I thought I was going to pass out.
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: It was like I didn't know what was happening.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: But then, like later, I was like, oh, that's what bonking is so, and I say that Kalua saved my life, but anyways.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: So then Moab Marathon, very methodically, like 30 minutes took a half a gel.
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: Then I would take a half gel every 30 minutes and then made it through that one, pretty good.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: And and then, like I don't know if I got cocky or something, but then, like I started running again back to my normal thing, where I was like I don't think it's like, you know, the shorter ones didn't really need it.
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: And then OCC happened in 2022 and I was like, all right, that's, I did take gels, but I just don't think I I think I got behind and I got hit hard in Valor Scene, which is like 28 miles.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: I still have a big climb.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: So then let's see, another year goes by.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: I don't really remember how I handled last year.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, it just wasn't as methodical.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: And then Japan Golden Trail Series.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: Oh Kobe yeah.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, 13 miles, oh, easy peasy.
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: Two gels, like I'll be fine, like Morton, caffeinated, that's my go to.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: Oh, my gosh, I have never gotten slapped in the face so hard.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: I went out hard and I did not eat.
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: Well, I like, I was like I'm good, I'm like I felt I was just going so hard that I like thought I was feeling good, didn't feel like I need it at.
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: About a couple things happened in that race Twisted my ankle, a few other things, but like then bonked hard.
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: It was like they were four little loops, like separate loops.
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: On the third one started getting super dizzy and like it was just so many things were happening.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: And then when I was bonking, I think I, I don't know Clicked in my head like I need to like eat the rest of my gels.
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: But I only had two with me and um and then Christina's husband actually he was crewing, kind of both of us.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: He was at there, um at the like pass through.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: And I think he told Christina after the race like oh, I feel bad, I should have made her take more.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: And she's like no, she wouldn't have to.
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: Like she had her race plan.
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: She were like, and he's, and she Like I would not like yeah, it was just too much to figure out in the race to like take more.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: At that point Bonked really hard, felt horrible, horrible, like for like a week after I and I I just destroyed myself and I think a lot of it was going so high and it was so much elevation, and so that's when I it's a very technical race too right.
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: Yes, it finally clicked that wow, maybe what everyone's been saying, like Instagram and around these ultras and stuff, how important nutrition is.
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: So then, coincidentally, I got to sign a little contract with the feed and Japan and signing with them just gave this whole motivation to.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: Maybe this is like.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: Maybe this is like that's what's fun about ultras.
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: There's so many pieces.
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: So it's like I know how to like run in certain ways, like I have endurance and I have speed, but like let's work on nutrition.
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: So that's what this year was all like.
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: A lot of it was about was just getting used to it, like pre, during, post, and I did a lot of.
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: I did several 50k runs in July actually, well, not several.
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: I did like two 35 mile runs and then like 220 mile runs and like just like dialing that in of like I yeah, I mean I don't know like specifics I usually I do, uh, eat like a decent breakfast.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: I try to eat before all runs.
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: I used to do a lot of fasted runs and now like just injury prevention I heard it's really good too.
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: I mean I don't love it like I.
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: There's something about like just waking up and just like going out the door, but we're I'm very much similar, so that's why I may go back to that.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: Um, I like like my saturday runs are actually, for the most part, are fasted like my longer runs.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: I don't know it, it works that.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Um, I like like my saturday runs are actually, for the most part, are fasted like my longer runs.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: I don't know it, it works for me.
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: I like to wake up, have my.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: I actually I take that back.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: I'll like ag1, okay, and then I, I just won't eat, yeah and I think like something small at least, however, but yeah, no, when I I mean, it's not a great example, but just telling the truth.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: Like I mean, that's the thing, like 2022, like man, like I would like drink a lot on Saturdays and have my best Sunday run like on nothing in the morning, and um, but I, I mean I'm getting older and and want to take good care of my body, so, um, um, and I think there is science about injury prevention, so I do try to eat before most runs and then, yeah, I have a whole little, like I have my favorite gels.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: Um, I like to mix the brands a lot.
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: Um, I'm not I haven't like really got a science down to like which ones are in what and stuff, but um, yeah, I had a really good plan going into occ and it.
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: It's just a bummer when, like, my time was about the same, a little slower than the year, I bonked and and I ate so well and hydrated and trained and to like not see that results and everyone's like oh, it takes time, like don't give up on, like your changes, and I won't, but I also.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: I also think what I was doing before worked so yeah, I mean, sometimes you gotta do what works for you, you know I agree, and so I'm like, am I just?
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: I still like as far as nutrition, I still think it's super important.
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: Um, I love like eating healthy outside of like the actual run too, and like my favorite is like post-run nutrition, Like I usually try to have like protein or chocolate milk, like within like 20 minutes of finishing.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: I'm really big on that.
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: I think that's like just getting muscles fed quickly is like best for recovery.
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: But other than that, I agree, I think I'm kind of I gave in to listening to so much out there and I'm like and I'm thankful for everyone giving knowledge and stuff, but I'm also like I've I've done this on my own before, so I don't think I need to follow everything that's being said out there.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: I appreciate it and I'm gonna learn from some of it, but I think I went too far in well, I think it's just interesting because, like this year, we saw more than ever like the big craze was like 100 to 120 grams carbs per hour, yeah, and like.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: And then we saw like the entire men's elite field implode at utmb and it's just, I don't know.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to remember.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: I think it was like brett hornig who made a great like.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: His elaboration was basically like I think someone like a david roach can get away with it at leadville because it's a flat race and you're, it's a constant burn, it's it's, it's pretty consistent, right with pacing, but something like anything.
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: I would even like argue like an occ or something like that, because it's a lot of up, it's a lot of down and your, your heart rate is variable in in some ways I would say.
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: I mean, you're probably backing off a little bit on the downs and obviously pushing it on the ups.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: I don't know, everybody races differently, but like my thought is is like it's not a constant, the burn is different than something where it's just consistent like a flat pace.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I again I used to just like be fly by night and just wing stuff and I, but I've really got gotten into love these conversations I've gotten in.
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I like talking about this stuff.
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: So this is fun right now and I totally agree about the, about something about Leadville or even like a road marathon right right yeah, that consistency with and there's so many variables, also just like being able to eat.
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: There was a time in OCC that it got pretty hard.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: Um, it was really hot up one of those hills, one of the hills Now it was that big one coming out of Triant which is about halfway, Just like I thank goodness, I'm very thankful I have not gotten many stomach issues, like even integrating all the food Like it's been great this year.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: I mean knock on wood, but but also with the rate you're burning.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: I don't fully understand all that.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: However, I there is some sensation I've noticed in myself that like, okay, I don't want to wait too long to eat, but if I do, I feel like my body just gets comfortable and I slow down and so, like I usually try to start with a more in drink mix, so I'm not like eating the first hour or so, or half hour or something, because if I start too early I can't tell you what it is, but I, I really do think I slow down.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: However, I understand getting that in early.
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: It's gonna help later in the race.
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: But um, it's a weird phenomenon that I'm like all right, I yeah, so I, I don't know, we'll figure that one have you tried bicarb yet?
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: no, but I've been've been.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: Everybody keeps talking about it.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: So if you want to talk specific, like I am a Morton fan I've been I just like the caffeine and I like how simple it is.
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: That's the gel cooked for me this year.
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: Yes, okay.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: Sweet.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: And then I've um, I, I still do spring, I think it's.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: I like I just like some of the real food thrown in there.
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: And then um, and then goose, Um, I like their flavors, and then I went and precision, yeah and uh, those were kind of the like four.
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: I alternated and very cool.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: So you just got back from sham.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: I mean, you're going back, I would imagine next year, right, Are you going to try?
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: So I actually, well, I have to re-qualify, okay.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: So I and I've heard this from other people it's interesting like after you have a couple like tough years and I know a few people who dropped out this year, they're just like I'm over Chamonix and I'm like hold on, like I feel you.
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: That, like I feel you.
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: That's what I said last year.
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: Last year was just like, overall, not a super fun time for me.
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: I was out there like we're all friends, you know everyone, you recognize so many people, but in, but I was also alone out there, I didn't have like anyone that traveled with me and stuff, and it just like didn't have a great race and, um, I did get to paraglide out there, which was awesome, but anyways, last year I kind of had a bitter taste, but I went back this year, even though the race didn't well, had a fantastic time, so many good stories and so and it's becoming, it's becoming like the world champs of our sport.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it really is.
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: There will be world champs next year, but still, there's something about UTMB Like, say what you want about it, people think it's too corporate, we won't go down that rabbit hole.
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: It's bringing the real competition in our sport and it's what I and I think most people have always dreamed of.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: So, yes, I will absolutely be going for it again, even though I like, oh, I don't want to run another 50K, but yeah, I registered for Puerto Vallarta and Thailand.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: Oh, cool, still in this year, which I do feel rather exhausted, but I think I can turn it around, take a month or so a little chiller, because I've had that conversation too.
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: There's been times I am injured, only have a month to train and do super well, and then this year I had such great training like I like am injured, only have a month to train and do super well.
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: And then there's a year this year like I had such great training and like I'm like I think I would have done better if I didn't train so hard.
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: So, um, yeah, so hopefully I can requalify because I, yeah, I definitely want to give it a shot yeah, and worlds is next year too.
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: You think you're gonna do a world's qualifier?
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: I?
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: would love I'm.
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: I'm already anxious to see when what the qualifiers are and I don't know what distance um I would.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: I would like to either do either vk classic or the 40k yeah, the classic appeals to me.
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: I love the classic race.
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: It's like a um series yeah, yeah, and it was cool like we I know we're talking about this kind of before the pod, but like if we finally got one in the Mountain West and we finally was a Cirque Series race in Snowbird.
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: I really hope they can continue that and just use that as the qualifier for it, use a qualifier of some sort like that for next year.
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: It's so perfect I mean you can't get more mountain running than that and the spots that they have, that, the peaks that they go to.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: So, um, I used to be part of atra, which worked with usatf and and they kind of make some of those decisions.
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: I have not been in on any of those conversations in the last year, but I kind of want to like get back in yeah, yeah see what's going on, or see, is it too late to like be like.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: You have to do this.
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: I didn't know it was like a bidding process.
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: That's kind of strange.
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think it's kind of like the world champs, it's the same thing.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: So it's really so for the US.
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: It's kind of race directors just wanting to do it.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: Usa track and field or Atra chooses Um.
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I, and I would think if cert got it last year, I would think they're bidding again, hopefully, yeah, so so let's take this, I'm going to, I'm going to bring it back, we're going to talk, start from the beginning.
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: And because I got a way ahead of myself with asking about this, you see, and all this um, allie Mac became Allie Mac, and I think the best way to start with is kind of like your formative years in Colorado Springs, kind of how that led you to see you, and then we can kind of go from there.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like it's a long one, or it's getting longer because I feel like I'm getting old here.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I grew up in well, I mean, my dad was in the Air Force but we were here since like middle school and I played lacrosse and ice hockey and then threw it in middle school and stuff, and then high school lacrosse and hockey again.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: But I was, I played on a girls team in Denver for hockey and come my, but that's when I started running.
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: A few good friends I'm actually they.
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: That's when I started running.
• 29:50
  Speaker 2: I um a few good friends Uh, I'm actually.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: They live in Spokane now, so like I have a friend group there.
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: But um, they um took me to the incline for the first time in 2000.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: Let's see, I was a freshman in high school, so um, 2006, I think it was fly up the inc.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: God, did you fly up the incline then?
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: They remember it better than me.
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: Like it was really funny because their older brother, our brothers, were seniors, we were freshmen and their brother and a few other guys were like very good cross-country runners.
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: But I think I just found this out like recently.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: We were reminiscing and he said they took bar trail that day and we took the incline because they didn't want me to beat them.
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: They were scared I would beat them, which I don't think I would have, but that's what they said.
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: The story was that's amazing um, but yeah, anyways, like learned what the incline was and um, and then getting into, or like to make varsity lacrosse in high school you had to run an eight minute mile.
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: So we would do that at tryouts and I would just like go.
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: That was the first time I got under six and, uh, I realized how much I loved running.
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: Like I said, I loved the sports but like, yeah, just that.
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: So I started running on my own a lot and it just it was really special.
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: But, um, I did not make.
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: So girls, hockey, how it goes, there's a triple a team, double a team, a team, and I mean guys hockey is the same way, but with girls there's just not as many.
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: So the level you have like a very elite team and if you don't make that team, the level really drops off.
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: Now this was over like 15 years ago.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: It's probably.
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: There's probably a lot more in the sport now.
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: It may be different.
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: But going into my junior year I did not make that triple A team and so I could have still played hockey, I still could have been on a team and everything, but the level just dropped so much and it was like, if I'm not on that team, like what's the point, like, unless I like I I w I did want to play in college and stuff, but it'd be kind of hard to play in college, not playing on that elite team, so um, so that was kind of like it was such a bummer to not make that team.
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: But I uh, it was like all right, it's cross country time, because I had wanted to do cross country but balancing all three just wasn't gonna work.
• 32:01
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I uh started, or I yeah cross country in my junior year at air academy and um, just across the street.
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: Yes, that's so.
• 32:10
  Speaker 2: And gosh, those years were so special.
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: Um, I got, and I got a stress fracture cause I didn't know what I was doing that first year, but, um, I still was able to run in the state meet and then just, I got a taste for, like, what structured training was and competition.
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: Those were some of my first races that year, um, and then I had lacrosse in the fall, or I mean in the spring, um, so I didn't do track formally, but they let me run in a few meets, which was super fun were you a midi?
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: what were you?
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: Um, oh, absolutely, you're a midi it makes sense, because you run as running yeah um yeah, so that was like again, I enjoy it.
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: the lacrosse team was so special though like I think I had my closest friends there, but I still enjoyed the running the most and yeah.
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: So then I trained really hard that summer.
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: I won state my senior year of cross country.
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: We won state in lacrosse.
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: Wow, did you get a big ring?
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, no I wish.
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: But like, yeah, senior year was pretty awesome.
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: But like, yeah, senior year was pretty awesome, and uh, and then, yeah, and then I, I was talking with um cu boulder, mark and heather, and then also the coaches at oregon, and I end up choosing.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: I, I really liked mark and heather, that was kind of my big decision of why I went to colorado, but also also I got to stay in colorado, which is special.
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: And then I got to see you and my freshman year went awesome.
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: I got fifth at Nationals, loved training under Mark and Heather, but then I no rhyme or reason really, I mean we could analyze it but like, yeah, just kind of got in an injury cycle.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: And you know people always say, oh, colorado, they ran you into the ground.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: And I think, like you know, wetmore had a little bit of I don't want to say history of that, but that's kind of the look like everyone thought, especially after running with the Buffaloes book.
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: But he softened up a lot, especially like in my generation and apparently even like last generation.
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: But yeah, so I got stuck in an injury cycle and it was just, it was rough.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: So, um, yeah, so I got stuck in an injury cycle and it was just it was, it was rough, so I really didn't race again.
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: The rest of the four years I did like a home meet my senior year.
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: Um, did you go to?
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: school.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: Sorry, interrupted.
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: Did you go to school with the more brothers?
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: no-transcript him.
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: He was so awesome, like great, like just a great mentor friend on the team, and then Joseph actually lived down the hall in my dorm that's so crazy.
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: I just had him on.
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: What a nice kid, and he's a teammate of mine at Las Perdidas.
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: Love him actually, yeah, crazy.
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: Then their cousin.
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: Her name is Michelle.
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: She's not a runner or anything, but she's a musician and I would see her and her sister at the Air Force gym when I'd come home and I'd always be swimming because I was injured, and long story.
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: We ended up becoming friends and she lived in Nashville and after college I wanted to move out there.
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: She had a room open in their house.
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: I lived with her a couple years and she's back here and she's one of my very best friends and it's just I always small world.
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that we have this.
• 35:20
  Speaker 2: So like the scent is always fun scent marathon, because she supports me so much and everything.
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: But then she always she's like oh, my cousins are coming too.
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: And I'm like well, obviously, yes and I'm trying to go seth now into coming out to the elite night.
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: I think joe I didn't know joe was signed up to trying to get him in as well.
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: It's so funny.
• 35:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love it like I feel I mean, you're gonna make it awesome, but without golden trail.
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: It's gonna be a little lower key probably and I think that's gonna be like yeah, that's why I was so excited to know that you were coming.
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: I was like, oh my gosh, like it's a cause before that.
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: I mean at least, for are you doing both the marathon in the center or just one of the right?
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: I would love to Um and like I'm okay, like I feel like it's a year for that, when I'm not like going like, I'm not, like, uh yeah, when I'm just like not having super fast times or racing super well, I'm like, well, let's just have fun and do it all.
• 36:12
  Speaker 2: However, I did go up there this weekend and Peter Maximo, if you know him yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah we.
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: I was like I just want to go up there, like get some altitude in, we'll just hang out and let's just like hike down the trail a little bit and run Well, down the trail a little bit and run well.
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: We like start hiking down and I literally I just wanted to hike but like I took the lead and, before I know it, like we're both just like flying and it was so fun.
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: But oh my gosh, my knees hurt so bad and I'm like I don't know if that's from occ, but I'm like I don't know if I can do the marathon actually so we will decide that at like 12 o'clock on saturday I like it.
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: I like it.
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: Okay, fair enough, fair enough.
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like you got to get through one at least.
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: And then and then I figured out, um, really quick not to do it.
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: Sorry, I'm all over the place, but to go back to college do we were you?
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: was Andy in that era?
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's.
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: I mean, I'll be honest, a lot of those years are a blur.
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: I mean, I obviously remember the people I was around but, um, I've, it seemed, I've blocked a lot of those memories out.
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: But there's something about like andy, having he having known him for so long, and he's such a caring person, like you know, he knows everyone's stats and like I just I feel so comfortable with it.
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: Like, and he's such a caring person, he knows everyone's stats, I feel so comfortable with him.
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: If he's at a race, he's just comforting to be around.
• 37:36
  Speaker 2: He was in Japan.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: It was so fun to hang out with him.
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: We reminisced about so many CU stories.
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: That's funny.
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: It's great to have some buffs in the trail community.
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: Quite a few.
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: I know Adam Peterman DeJ was he.
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: Was he like after you?
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: he was right after me and same with tabor and stuff, but something about that I forgot tabor ran for and I tabor's my coach.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: I should know that that's funny yeah, but I had no idea, I forgot she ran there too.
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: Oh my god, like so.
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, quite a few of the biggest names of the sport were yeah and um, yeah, I think that bodes well.
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: I did it for just I don't know.
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: I think a lot of kids now like in cross country, like collegiate cross country, like trail, you had to kind of navigate it when I started in 2014 and stuff and you had another right people.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: But now, especially with the trail team and stuff, there's so many.
• 38:30
  Speaker 2: He's doing so much great stuff to like let college kids know what else is out there, rather than just going trying to like go pro and track or the talent in our sport.
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: I swear to god, like year by year it gets so crazy, like it's.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: It's amazing yeah, especially with the the kids coming in, because I don't, I don't think we had this rush of college kids.
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: No like they're coming with so much speed from from racing cross country and track.
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, it's awesome.
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: I generally it's cool.
• 38:59
  Speaker 2: I'm, it's a bummer.
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: It wasn't like that when I joined, but I actually I loved how, how I got in the process.
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: Everybody's got their own story.
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: The process is unique.
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: So, so you go through college, did you continue running after?
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: I know you had this like stint in Nashville as well.
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, let's, let's talk Nashville.
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: I'm curious to hear about that, that part of the story that was a wild time in my life.
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: Um, no, it was really special.
• 39:25
  Speaker 2: Um, what happened?
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: What?
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: Okay, I had always so.
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: When I moved back from college I was just gonna take like a few months off.
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: You know, like college was so stressful.
• 39:37
  Speaker 2: Now it was so easy, but like I don't know, I just wasn't like ready to, I didn't know what I wanted to do.
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: But then after like a month I got super bored, got a job at I heart, fell in love with all that stuff, especially country music.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: Do you know the Bobby Bone show?
• 39:52
  Speaker 2: No, okay, and if you're not into country music, that would make sense.
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: My sister would know she's into it, okay.
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: He's on in Colorado Springs, but it's a morning show, so there's like five of them.
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: But Bobby's like the main host and he's you the main host and you know he's.
• 40:11
  Speaker 2: You know you think of a country radio host.
• 40:12
  Speaker 2: You think like old but I don't know, he's probably like 40 now but um, but yeah, just like I don't know.
• 40:15
  Speaker 2: I just love the dynamic of the show and I loved listening to it and he's part of I heart radio.
• 40:19
  Speaker 2: He's syndicated out in nashville.
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: So like for a while my dream was like to be an intern on that show and stuff and I really wanted.
• 40:25
  Speaker 2: I was like I'm gonna move to nash one day and my mom and I actually went and visited the town.
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: What a fun town.
• 40:31
  Speaker 2: Yes, In 2014.
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: And I ran the St Jude half marathon on the roads.
• 40:35
  Speaker 2: Got to see the whole city just from the race and then I got to meet everyone on the show because I had that iHeart connection and, yeah, it was awesome.
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: And then I had a really good year running that year and I was like why would I move to Nashville when I have my beautiful mountains and I like to?
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: wait, Wait.
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: So the year right before it was the first time you won the ascent right.
• 41:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it was that year, 2014.
• 41:02
  Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, and that same year I went out to visit Nashville, but then, and then I was like I don't want to move, like I have Colorado, but then that next year I started having really bad hip pain and turns out I had a torn labrum, had to have surgery.
• 41:12
  Speaker 2: And it was just this like, yeah, this whole realization that I shouldn't make big decisions, like I shouldn't put things off because of running, like running is awesome and special, but there's so many other things Because, well, yeah, I really I gave up moving there because I wanted to train here and then I got hurt anyways.
• 41:32
  Speaker 2: So, um, and again, this was when, like, it wasn't like I was sponsored or anything like, but running was still such an important part of my life that I would like make big decisions around it.
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: Um, but I learned quickly in that time not to do that.
• 41:46
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, then it was like I was right after surgery, I was on crutches at the gym on the Air Force Academy, run into Michelle, um, seth and Joseph's cousin, and I was just, she was like Whoa, I haven't seen you in years, what's up?
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: And I was like I just, you know, I have a big mouth.
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: I'm like I just want to move to Nashville one day, blah, blah, and she's like I live there and and so then she was like I'll let you know, or we were just we stay in touch.
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: And then, like six months later, she randomly texted me and was like, hey, we ever.
• 42:13
  Speaker 2: Do you still want to move here?
• 42:14
  Speaker 2: We have a room.
• 42:15
  Speaker 2: And that was like, literally I was like, all right, we're moving to Nashville.
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: And so again, I wasn't running much.
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: I had the hip of labor In that time.
• 42:23
  Speaker 2: I had met some base jumpers, knew I wanted to skydive.
• 42:25
  Speaker 2: I get to Nashville Running's, not even like on my radar.
• 42:29
  Speaker 2: I hadn't ran in a long time.
• 42:31
  Speaker 2: I moved there January 20, um 2017.
• 42:34
  Speaker 2: And it was like not great weather, but moved there like hoping to get in the film business with iHeartRadio, but no set plans.
• 42:43
  Speaker 2: I had a lot of contacts.
• 42:44
  Speaker 2: I was just going to get a restaurant job First couple of days.
• 42:47
  Speaker 2: Didn't have a job yet and job yet.
• 42:50
  Speaker 2: And I was like, well, I guess I'll just go for a run and see the city and everything felt good.
• 42:54
  Speaker 2: So I started running again.
• 42:55
  Speaker 2: But yeah, but I ended up getting some really awesome film jobs in the country music industry.
• 43:01
  Speaker 2: Old Dominion was, if you know, that band.
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: That was my first.
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: That's so cool.
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, first project, I mean again, but, um, but my big job was at a pizza place that was super special, um, that's where I made most of my money and um, and would just like run every day and but mostly got into skydiving then, and skydiving is an interesting sport, like it sucks you in even more than running.
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: Like you spend a lot of money and time, like for every I would work during the week.
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: I did have to work some weekends, but like I, yeah, pretty much every thursday, friday, sir, like I'd leave thursday night, friday, saturday, sunday, spend at the drop zone which was an hour and a half away, um, yeah, and you, just, you just jump out of planes and you just keep how did that become a thing like with you, like do you just, are you?
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: I don't know, is it like an adrenaline thing or like is like that seems pretty crazy, like it's like I want to jump out of a plane.
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: This sounds like fun what it was.
• 43:59
  Speaker 2: Um, I had been sent, uh, a youtube video by a good friend, um, of some base jumpers in my lab and they're they're jumping off the Fisher towers and some the.
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: The way that video was filmed was just like I would have dreams about it, like I want to do this and yeah, I just I had to do it.
• 44:24
  Speaker 2: And so then when we went to, I took a trip out to Moab and we went skydiving.
• 44:29
  Speaker 2: We went out to moab, um, and we went skydiving.
• 44:31
  Speaker 2: We went out to dirt bike but we went skydiving to.
• 44:34
  Speaker 2: The people who we skydived with were base jumpers and I was like, oh, like I want to do that.
• 44:39
  Speaker 2: And they're like, well, we're gonna go if you want to come watch us.
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: And then we watched them.
• 44:43
  Speaker 2: Coolest thing in the world.
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: And again, this is when my hip was.
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: I was still recovering, but I just wasn't into training a bunch and I was just ready for it.
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: I was just like I just want to do something so wild and crazy and just I don't know.
• 44:57
  Speaker 2: I watched them and it just seemed like something that very little people do.
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: And again, so much time has passed and so much now I am a base jumper and so it's like I it's fun that you asked the question, cause I like go.
• 45:13
  Speaker 2: I can see everything in that moment.
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: But I've also forgot so many of the feelings of like yeah, being having before all this cause, like it's been eight years now, or seven maybe, but the whole path that it took me on and I think that's what's so cool about just like life in general is like the little decisions, even injuries, how they like shape your path in life.
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: Because skydiving was awesome.
• 45:36
  Speaker 2: I am more into base jumping now.
• 45:38
  Speaker 2: I will skydive once in a while to stay current.
• 45:40
  Speaker 2: But like that whole like drop zone life it was fun, but I don't I don't see any do you skydive solo?
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: do you have like that high of a surface?
• 45:48
  Speaker 2: yeah, totally, oh, yeah, yeah, totally.
• 45:50
  Speaker 2: Oh, my God, that's so crazy.
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, my hands are sweating Like thinking about that.
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: Skydiving is actually the easier part.
• 45:57
  Speaker 2: The base jump is a little more intense.
• 46:00
  Speaker 2: But yeah, those years and the people I've met through skydiving and the way it's formed me.
• 46:13
  Speaker 2: I was very I sheltered myself cause I was so into running.
• 46:14
  Speaker 2: So like I didn't I mean I'll be honest it sounds dorky but like I didn't have.
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: I mean I definitely had a lot of friends but I wasn't like super social, like I mean those were my friends, I see you, like the team and I, but like at night, like I didn't go out and stuff, and I kind of relived my college years through the skydiving community the next four years, when living in Nashville and I uh, yeah, it, it, um.
• 46:37
  Speaker 2: It changed me in a lot of ways, like you know, just not being so so confined by running, I guess.
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it makes you see that there's other things out there and you could be.
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: It's fun to be a beginner at stuff too.
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: I think that's a great way to say it.
• 46:53
  Speaker 2: But even like with like all the OCD things, like you can get through running or like being super healthy, like I realized like yeah, just some of those went away and it just opened the store of freedom for me.
• 47:04
  Speaker 2: And I know like it's hard to describe, like people think I'm so crazy for Baychampiana and I know my parents like don't even like talking about it.
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: I don't blame them.
• 47:15
  Speaker 2: And I've seen the bad side now too, and, like with Dylan, my boyfriend, his injuries were quite horrible, like it's quite a miracle that he's fully recovering.
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh.
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: But being in the hospital those first few weeks, like you see the ER, nurses, nurses, and like just I remember one of the girls like just coming in and like changing the sheet while he was on the bed and just like being so efficient and like that was like I was like holy cow.
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: She is so badass.
• 47:43
  Speaker 2: Like base jumping is so stupid.
• 47:46
  Speaker 2: Like base jumping is so stupid, like we're just doing it for fun, but she's like taking care of people and saving lives and like and and my dad was an ER doctor and so and I think I understood then where he was coming from, seeing people come in doing stupid stuff.
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: However, so I totally I understand that side, but then, like you know, give it a few months, yes, yes, like he's recovering and stuff, but I think both of us we've been through this like emotional roller coaster.
• 48:14
  Speaker 2: That's like, yeah, base jumping is kind of dumb, like it could kill us or mess us up for the rest of our lives, but the like freedom and value of like.
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: What is that feeling like when you're jumping out?
• 48:27
  Speaker 2: I mean it's dead air.
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: So you do you really?
• 48:30
  Speaker 2: I mean I don't really lose my stomach all the time, but for me it's.
• 48:33
  Speaker 2: It's funny because Dylan, we've jumped together a few times.
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: He was a wing suiters and I was.
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: I just do regular clothes just jump off, and so we don't.
• 48:43
  Speaker 2: We didn't have a lot of the same jumps.
• 48:45
  Speaker 2: Usually I would jump, he would like wait for me, or he would jump and I wait for him.
• 48:56
  Speaker 2: But a few times we did jump together.
• 48:57
  Speaker 2: He's like he's so calm, like he just loves it, it's just so peaceful for him.
• 48:58
  Speaker 2: I, he's like I love watching you jump every time, because you're scared to death, are you?
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: are you really?
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: I okay if I'm somewhere, like we jump at the bridge in twin falls, idaho.
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: It's a bridge.
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: There's things that about a bridge that are much better than jumping a cliff, in case you're not going to like smack the wall or anything.
• 49:15
  Speaker 2: So like, if I'm there for like a week and just jumping every day, I get very comfortable.
• 49:19
  Speaker 2: I get much more comfortable.
• 49:20
  Speaker 2: But like doing cliffs in Moab, like yeah, I usually get up there and terrified sometimes, like I don't know why I'm doing it.
• 49:29
  Speaker 2: But then like, but I do know why I'm doing it and it's not so much like yes, it's a great feeling, like I have this.
• 49:36
  Speaker 2: I, because I'm new, I have like 55 jumps I'm still not like or I'm just like so terrified I have really.
• 49:44
  Speaker 2: I've talked to people like I need to get over this, but I'm so nervous that, like that second, like I don't even feel when my shoes coming out quite yet.
• 49:53
  Speaker 2: So yeah, it feels like it's not coming out every time and they'd like it's the longest second of my life and I don't love that feeling, but it's something about gosh.
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: I wish I should have read the quote before.
• 50:07
  Speaker 2: But there's a really talented wingsuiter in the sport.
• 50:11
  Speaker 2: She lives in Moab.
• 50:12
  Speaker 2: We actually saw her, though, out in France, and she had a great quote about base jumping.
• 50:16
  Speaker 2: That's just like when you're jumping, just the weight of everything you've ever wanted to overcome, just like goes and like I don't know.
• 50:28
  Speaker 2: I know that's like very philosophical, but it's true.
• 50:30
  Speaker 2: I was thinking about it today.
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: I haven't jumped since December for multiple reasons, but in October I'm we're going to go jump all month at the bridge and I'm like I cannot.
• 50:40
  Speaker 2: This year has been awesome, but it's also been really hard, like performance wise and like with Dylan healing and all this stuff that I'm like I cannot wait to.
• 50:46
  Speaker 2: Just that feeling of just just nothing else, like just letting go of everything.
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like again.
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: I know it's cheesy philosophical, but it's just like no, but it makes sense ready for that feeling.
• 50:57
  Speaker 2: And and then the community is just, it's a little different than running Cause it's not so much competitive, it's just everyone's on their own journey, but you have friends to jump with and and I mean, I'll be honest, we're like just from from the adrenaline where you're just, yeah, you feel so high at the end.
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like a different, it's almost like an elevated experience in a lot of ways.
• 51:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, um, I definitely.
• 51:21
  Speaker 2: I think the break was good, um, to focus on running and and just like busy, like we weren't in the areas.
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: That is great to jump.
• 51:28
  Speaker 2: However, I did find a spot on pike's peak that is going to be my dream spot to when, in base jumping, when you, when you're the first person to jump a spot it's called, you opened the exit and for like forever, base jumpers will always recognize like, oh, I mean, it's hard to know all the time, but if you look it up, we have, like, we have places you can find information where it's like, oh, so all the time, but if you look it up, we have, like, we have places you can find information where it's like, oh, so-and-so opened this exit.
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: And if I could open the exit on Pikes Peak.
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: No one's ever done anything off that peak before, as far as you know, to the best of your knowledge.
• 51:59
  Speaker 2: No, yeah, I mean maybe Rogue or something.
• 52:02
  Speaker 2: I would be surprised, not, but I also I would yeah, yeah, I'm gonna do more research, but, um, everyone who I, who I've told, like they're like, oh, I'd be so proud or that'd be so awesome if you could open it, um so like I don't know when that would be, but that's a goal in there.
• 52:16
  Speaker 2: But anyways, we can talk about running, but yeah, space jumping that's so cool.
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: Sorry, I little side.
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: I feel like like running is obviously like not just an identity, but it's what you do for your job, so so it's a little bit different than like.
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: This is more.
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: This is a passion as well, yeah.
• 52:32
  Speaker 2: And I I I do love talking about it, so I could go on and I love integrating the two.
• 52:37
  Speaker 2: I plan to do this workout, like I mean, I'm not yeah, we'll call it a workout but um, in twin falls, where it's a 400 foot Canyon and you have to like you jump off the bridge and then you land and then you climb out and you can like it's kind of like mount marathon the first half, but then there's a few like handheld spots you have to like crawl around, um, but yeah, I want to do like a 10 or 20 jump day where we just you can do, you can go unpack so you don't have to spend as much time packing a parachute.
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: So we're gonna.
• 53:08
  Speaker 2: There's a, there's a guy up there who does it all the time, like does big days, like that, and he's super fit too.
• 53:14
  Speaker 2: Um, he needs to get into ultra running, we're getting him there.
• 53:18
  Speaker 2: But, um, uh, yeah, we're gonna jump and then, yeah, and just like we're gonna time ourselves and try to like hustle back up and then just, yeah, not pack, just do unpacks and just see how fast we can do like a 10 or 20 day.
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: And um downhill legs yeah exactly, exactly.
• 53:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's going to be the whole, like I don't know.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: I don't like an extreme version of taking the gondola down.
• 53:38
  Speaker 2: Totally Um yeah, so it's going to be an uphill workout.
• 53:41
  Speaker 2: I want to like make a little film about it.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: Oh, dude, that, oh my God, so cool.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: So there's a few things I also want to get to as well.
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: One of them you did mention was, like Mount marathon, which I don't know.
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: Like I, I plan to do that race next year.
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: Hopefully I can get in.
• 53:55
  Speaker 1: I want to see what I know.
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: They've changed sponsors a few times, so it's hard to like, you know, unless you go through the uh, you know, like their process it's hard to like get a sponsor, bib and stuff like that.
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: So, um, but that said, what an experience.
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: You set the course record, you won the damn thing.
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: What was that like?
• 54:12
  Speaker 2: Oh man, Again it was super, super special.
• 54:15
  Speaker 2: Um, but again it was 2022, when everything was just like for me, I mean it was really exciting, but it also I was just kind of like oblivious to a lot of the media stuff and so, um, yeah, yeah, it was really special because I had talked about it with friends from since like 2014.
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: Um, it's your goal.
• 54:37
  Speaker 2: It was yeah well, people would always tell me about it, like back in 2014, like when I won the ascent that year, like, oh, you would be so good at mount marathon because they knew how I could do the incline really fast.
• 54:46
  Speaker 2: But, like the down, I was like, oh yeah, that's cool.
• 54:48
  Speaker 2: But at that time I was very terrified of downhill, cause I had come out of CU with lots of injuries, a few bone injuries, and so I just was like downhill is not for me, so I specifically would buy it, like I would do the ascent and do like uphill mountain champs and stuff like that.
• 55:06
  Speaker 2: And so it was like everyone would always tell me about Mount Marathon, but I never really took it serious, cause I was like I don't know.
• 55:12
  Speaker 2: And then, and then, you know, back to Nashville.
• 55:14
  Speaker 2: I moved to Nashville and all those like running, the running dreams just kind of like faded for a while, which I think was like kind of good, um, but yeah, uh.
• 55:24
  Speaker 2: Then come back 2020, I think I think it was.
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: I moved back at the end of 2019 and I think I for some reason I don't know why, but I think that's when I applied to get into.
• 55:37
  Speaker 2: I think that like early that year I was starting to train and I think zach and I zach miller I think, I know we applied together and then 2020, and then covet happened and it got pushed to 2021.
• 55:51
  Speaker 2: And then I was still filming a lot and I had a wedding to film on July 5th the next year and so I deferred again because they let us, because people were still kind of weird about COVID, and it worked out because those were not my like fittest years either, and then it just landed that like all right, deferred to 2022.
• 56:08
  Speaker 2: And then that year just everything came together.
• 56:10
  Speaker 2: But again, I had known about it but it hadn't been a huge goal because things kind of disappeared when I was in Nashville.
• 56:17
  Speaker 2: But then I was like cool, I'll try Mount Marathon.
• 56:19
  Speaker 2: And then, yeah, and then having deferred two years, and then 2022 came along and like I was doing the incline, my plan was just treat the incline like Mount Marathon.
• 56:31
  Speaker 2: You start from Manitou Springs, you run the road there's like a half mile road at Mount Marathon Go up, go and then go hard down and in those COVID years really taught me that like my body was now durable to handle, um, downhills.
• 56:44
  Speaker 2: And yeah, and something changed too in Nashville.
• 56:47
  Speaker 2: I think that break, I think, um, something like I definitely was more durable coming out of that situation?
• 56:55
  Speaker 2: Um yeah.
• 56:57
  Speaker 2: So then, um yeah, going to mount marathon.
• 56:59
  Speaker 2: I had been, I hammered the incline for like two months.
• 57:02
  Speaker 2: I would do it every seven to ten days, like because it's hard to recover if you do the downhill sucks yes, yeah I like you can hammer the.
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: I mean like I'll I do.
• 57:11
  Speaker 1: I haven't done one in a while, but I I during like season where I'm trying to like do more specific stuff.
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: I'll do a workout like once a week and then maybe two easy ones a week, something like that.
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: So usually like three times okay, that's impressive.
• 57:25
  Speaker 2: No, but not downhill, though the downhill is the worst part.
• 57:28
  Speaker 2: Um, yeah, no, it will just.
• 57:31
  Speaker 2: Uh, it's something about those like mini squats and it takes a few days to recover.
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: I don't like this dude.
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: I always feel like I'm gonna fall in the steeps, like like, have to like lean back a little bit.
• 57:42
  Speaker 2: I don't know, it's very weird well, and you know I don't really get that, but I I am very short and so like same um, I can't imagine like joe, like how he feels going down yeah I don't.
• 57:53
  Speaker 2: I bet he takes the trail most times.
• 57:54
  Speaker 2: I don't think a lot of people do take it, but I think for training for mount marathon like specific.
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's very specific yeah, and then.
• 58:01
  Speaker 2: And then you get down and if you just like I mean you're gonna be tired but rip the road down to memorial park, um, yeah, I would try to do like a sub six mile going there and I, I think I was very well prepared and so, um, yeah, and then, do you know sean urchinger?
• 58:21
  Speaker 2: no no, really awesome guy in town.
• 58:23
  Speaker 2: He's in his 50s, I think, but he grew up in um in alaska but he lives here now.
• 58:31
  Speaker 2: But he's been doing mountain marathon every year since he was 12 and he does the incline a lot and I've known him for several years but ever since 2020, actually that I'd been planning for mountain marathon.
• 58:42
  Speaker 2: He was kind of like they're coaching me in different ways, but then he was out there for the race in 2022 and was just the best mentor I could have asked for.
• 58:52
  Speaker 2: He took um, he took me up, we uh showed me the course, but then it was the day before the race that helped the most, cause there's two ways you can go, and there's the um, there's the cliffs and the roots, and everyone I was staying with was going to take the cliffs and so and I thought that's what I would do too, having run it, I thought that like seemed more efficient.
• 59:14
  Speaker 2: But then ran into him the day before.
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: We were just kind of checking the course out again and he was like no, you need to run the run the cliffs time yourself, see how you feel.
• 59:24
  Speaker 2: Then we're going to run the roots time yourself.
• 59:26
  Speaker 2: And I was like this is the day before the race.
• 59:28
  Speaker 2: I'm like doing a workout, but I did it and it blew my mind how much better I felt on the roots and my time was actually a little faster.
• 59:39
  Speaker 2: And then he was like don't go tell any of the Solomon people.
• 59:41
  Speaker 2: And I don't know, if I did go open my mouth to them, but they were so set on their plan I may have told them I was thinking about it like they wouldn't have changed.
• 59:53
  Speaker 2: But then, yeah, come race day also.
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: That was the only race, okay didn't killing take the roots too sorry you know what?
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 2: okay, I should know this, but I kind of just am in my own world sometimes.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 2: I think you may have we should look that up.
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: I'm curious.
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I need a jamie here or somebody to like.
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 2: I need a fact checker, yeah but yeah, no, I'm so excited that you're gonna do this because it'll be interesting, like, yeah, I would love to like kind of coach you on what I learned and then when you get there you can make your own decisions, but at least, like know what to look for.
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: Again.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 2: I talking about like pre-race stuff.
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 2: Normally I hate analyzing the course and like talking about race a ton, but interesting at mount marathon.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 2: I let it slide because for three or four days how many days we were there we were staying with.
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 2: We stayed in the solomon house.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 2: Actually, they were just very generous because, uh, we didn't have a place to stay, so they let us stay with them.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 2: So much fun, but that's all we talked about most evenings.
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 2: Everyone would kind of do their thing during the day and then every evening we'd just talk about the course and where'd you go today?
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 2: Which way are you going to go?
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 2: And I actually really enjoyed it.
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, that is a course, it's good to do that, and I remember being at the starting line Most races.
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 2: I'm either feeling like I really don't want to do this or I'm nervous.
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: Was 22-22, the early start or the late start for the women?
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 2: The late.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: It was late.
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: Yes, because we watched the men's.
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 2: We watched the men's and I actually remember going and seeing their pathways and I'm like, hold on, I kind of changed.
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 2: There was like another turn, like going into the forest, that I'm like I'm going to cut it even tighter there.
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 2: And I remember being at the start line, Like I've never been so, like I've never been so ready and focused, Like I had a plan to the T of like where I was going to turn into the woods and the take the routes, this and that.
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 2: Like I actually felt I knew every step.
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 2: And so then we go out in our like little lead group and, um, I remember one of the girls she runs for the North face.
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 2: She was sweet Cause she, she told me after the race she was like, yeah, when you turned like you kind of like threw everyone off, Like people were like what is happening?
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 2: And yeah, and so I sneaked up the routes and then I was able to be so fast, or fast enough, that when they rejoined I was already past that section.
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 2: So though they I don't know what the other girls thought, but they lost sight of me.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 2: They like didn't know if I was behind their heads, that's so interesting that was and that was what sean said.
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 2: He was like if you can beat them and get past, they won't know where you are well, plus stuff bottle next to right.
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 1: Like you want to be away from that, oh I don't know how they did on the cliffs.
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 2: I think like people were probably like climbing right behind each other.
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it would have been not not great yeah, yeah so especially like yeah, no matter where you are, like if you go, if I think the routes are usually less taken, um interesting might be.
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, thank you for that.
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to do that race.
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: I'm so excited.
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: I want to.
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: I'm going to be out there long enough to do that and I think I'm going to like cirque alaska next year.
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 2: That course looks amazing straight up a mountain there's something about alaska and just like their mindset um, it's a, it was a super fun place to be.
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 2: Um, yeah, they're just they're tough and it's I mean trail running is is tough.
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 2: We're like everyone's tough, but like they're a different level and it was cool to be there.
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 2: Oh my God, I can't wait.
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: So I've got a few more questions for you, one of them that interested me and I don't know if you've ever been asked this because, like I listened to a ton of interviews with you before this and I couldn't find I'm just like very curious as, like how, at what point in time did you like, like when did on come to you and was like, hey, you should join our team?
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: Like what performance spurred that?
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: And then like how did that?
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 1: Like?
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 2: because that that's kind of life-changing in a lot of ways um, yes and okay, I will make sure I answer your question, but I'm gonna back up just a little bit of like I mean just trail running in general.
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 2: I all, like in high school, would train on trails all the time, like to me there was no difference between road running and trail running, like it's running.
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 2: And then you get to college and I realize like, oh yeah, our coaches do not want us going up the incline on the weekend.
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 2: And so I realized, okay, there's a difference there.
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 2: But kind of my, so then kind of my dream was, you know, I would always see in high school I'd always hear about the ascent every year and see the newspaper of bloody knees and I'm like I'm going to do that one day.
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: And then it was, yeah, once college, that first year I was, yeah, I was out of college, I was healthy again and I got to run it.
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 2: And I got to run it and, um, and, and I was running against girls and women who were, uh, at the time, like, yeah, to me I think they were sponsored, they were making a living off of it.
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 2: I don't know exactly what they're making, but it was like you know, it was Solomon, it was their handful of brands out there.
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 2: And that was my dream and it was confusing to me because I was like I don't know how to get a sponsor like I was beating a lot of them.
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 2: I mean granted my knowledge.
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 2: Now they were doing sierras and all way back.
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 2: They were doing different things I really wasn't into that scene yet.
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 2: That was a little long for me too.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 2: Um, so, yeah, they were definitely doing more, but like it, that was the dream, and but like no one well, I probably wasn't asking enough questions, but, like, also, no one would really like tell, talk about it and and so, like, there was one day one of my best friends, shannon.
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 2: Um, she was on the US team in 2024.
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 2: She doesn't race as much now, but, um, we're just, she was kind of in the same boat.
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 2: We, we just dreamed of being sponsored and we're like we'll just make our own company.
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 2: We it's still somewhat alive, it's called Mutt Wild, it's.
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 2: We've had clothing, we've had all that.
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 2: We used to film races before.
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 2: Filming races was like a thing.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 2: It's funny that I film race for Aerovibe because that was what I was doing, like on my own in 2014, making race videos and stuff in 2014, making race videos and stuff, and then I just had no business since, but Jamila's created this awesome empire of live stream and stuff, but anyways, yeah, so we had Mutt Wild and that was like we'd wear those shirts, whatever, and that was our little sponsor.
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 2: But then our lives went in different ways and moved to Nashville and didn't care anymore.
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 2: But, yeah, then I came back in 2020.
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 2: Again, races were canceled.
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 2: So it was odd.
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 2: I was like with my mom at the grocery store and I got an Instagram message from a guy I had met, andrew Weedings, his name, he works for ON that he I had met him on my official visit to Oregon.
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 2: He was an Olympic 800 runner, a really cool guy, guy he was working for on and they were starting a trail team and, honestly, how it all happened, like I say, oh, I just like got lucky, they reached out, but it really did it well, hard work.
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of hard work, yeah because, um, david kilgore, who's the manager now?
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 2: He was not the manager at the time.
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 2: He had given I think.
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 2: I think that's how it worked.
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 2: I think he gave Andrew my name because we had ran at CU together and he knew and he had been seen.
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 2: I did trails in 2014 or like throughout the years up until 2020.
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: And they were.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 2: I think he ended up transferring because he was there.
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 2: I might be wrong on that, but he was there for like two of my last years and then I'm not sure if he finished there or what, but yeah, we overlapped Super fun guy, but yeah, and so it was just kind of like those years actually did matter, even though I'm like, yeah, I think someone was watching and so went on, started a trail team, but again it was 2020.
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 2: And I, someone was watching and so went on, started a trail team, but again it was 2020 and I hadn't been, I'd been in nashville, I hadn't really like taken running super seriously.
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 2: I mean I did, but, um, but it was funny.
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 2: I think they were like kind of looking for an ultra runner but like andrew, like you know, he's coming from the track, like you know, they're asking if I would, if I would be running 100 miles.
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 2: I'm like, no, I don't think so.
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah so there was like a little confusion there, but it was also a very soft contract, like I mean, it wasn't salary or anything so but it was still super special to be on a team and and I, I it wasn't really a performance necessarily, I don't think at that time.
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 2: It was just kind of like they knew I, they, they were starting a team and my name was put out there and I did get to that's when I ran my first Pikes Peak Marathon and then I won the USA Truck and Field Trail Marathon Champs and so I did run well that year.
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 2: And then 2022 came along.
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: That was yeah.
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so it was 21.
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 2: Yes, it was like two and a half years I was with them, I think, and then my contract was coming up and then I won worlds and stuff and it opened a lot of doors and yeah, yeah, and that's when hoka yeah that's life-changing in a lot of ways it really is um, I mean, it's a dream come true and I guess, like it took a long time and I know it's, I also know it's not forever, so it's.
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 2: I will say I think it's got to my head a teeny bit of pressure wise, like I think you know, and people always say this happens to athletes.
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 2: It's like, oh, they sign something big and then they don't perform and I'm like, ah, it'll never happen.
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 2: And I think it's happening just a titch, because I I'm constantly like nervous.
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 2: It's like, oh, no, like what if I don't get resigned and stuff.
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 2: But it happens to everyone and I think I mean I don't, you know, people are like, oh, it's not all performance based and I wouldn't put that pressure on yourself.
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 1: You're like easily one of the best in the world, so I would thank you so much.
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 2: I think I need a.
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 2: It's so, so special and I think we need to, whatever moment we are in life, just enjoy it.
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 2: And because didn't have it before might not have it forever, but this I just keep reminding myself.
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: I'm living my dream out completely right now, and don't worry that it might not be forever, Just love it right now it's so crazy Because, like, what is it like like being on a team with like dude like judith wider and jim walmsley and joe gray?
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, obviously joe is local, so and everybody knows joe, it's a different, like different.
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: But like you know, it's just so crazy that you know, I don't know like how does it like being on the team like that?
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 2: you know it's um.
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 2: I mean it's super special, obviously, but we do so much like drum running, so cool, that like we kind of do our own thing yeah, that's true and you know, even if we, you know I don't talk to them a ton throughout the year, but like when you guys, for instance, like when you go to sham, is everybody together?
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 1: yeah, absolutely and it's.
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 2: it's that's really special and I actually have thought like, oh, if I spend a month in Europe next year, I would love to see if Judith would want to train together.
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 2: I mean, we'd definitely probably go on runs, but yeah, little things like that.
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 2: But then, because trail running is so it's not, everyone has their own structure.
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 2: I mean, she has a family and kids.
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: It's very much a solo sport in a lot of ways yeah, um.
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 2: So.
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 2: So training wise, it doesn't really make a difference like who's on your team, but being there it's like super special to like.
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, just um, we had a.
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 2: We had several hoka events, um, like some for the public and then some just ours, and uh, yeah, like you know, we've I've known jim for many years, like after he was at the academy I forgot he was at the air force academy yeah, well, and he, he's funny because I remember being at a wedding he was at and then a group of us did the incline, like he was over.
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 2: He was so overrunning and I remember we did the incline together and he's just like, yeah, um, I just I'm overrunning, like you know, I'm trying to get back, but like, like I'll, like you know, I'm just being lazy, and then I'll like be hungry and have a snack, and then I'm like, well, got to wait three more hours to run.
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 2: And then like, and then I just don't run, and then the next, literally the next year, is when he's like starting to run ultras.
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 2: I was like, okay, you are so funny.
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 2: He was like.
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 2: Dude that's crazy.
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 2: So to see him like just his journey, and then to know Zach so well but like more, so, like I know Zach a lot better, but Jim to like have seen him hung out with him gosh, that would have been 2013, I think.
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 2: And then I do, I'll run into him, like at hookah events or like western, and you know, I like when I saw him, I saw him after he won western this was before I was with hookah, I think, but still, like we were in the I was filming in the tent.
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 2: Afterwards, like it was several hours, but he was still in there and like I totally didn't think he knew who like would remember me like so long ago and um, and he's like oh, hey, hey, and like see, like now that I've been around, I probably wouldn't feel the same, but just a couple years ago, when I hadn't been in the scene for a while, yeah, it was really special, like so crazy those people to like remember who I was, and yeah, it's cool, but like to answer your question like it's really not that much different than yeah anything else that's fair.
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: That's fair, it's just.
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: It's just interesting, like I don't know.
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 1: Like this is something like you as well.
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 1: Like you, you are like all right, so this is kind of goes.
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: Another question I was going to ask you next is like now that you have become like one of the biggest names in the sport in a lot of ways, like I know we've talked about pressure and stuff like that, but is it like weird being kind of being a celebrity, like can you like go to the grocery store in Colorado Springs without someone be like hey, allie, how's it going?
• 1:13:33
  Speaker 2: It's not that much.
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 2: However, I will say usually when we have you been to the principal's office yeah.
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 2: Cocktail bar.
• 1:13:39
  Speaker 2: It's the last few times I've been there.
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 2: There's someone I totally don't know that will like be, like, are you Allie?
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 2: Or like they recognize my and um I.
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 2: It's fun, yeah, because it's.
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 2: It's not crazy like a real, like tv celebrity, but it's like really special when people do recognize, because I always there's been.
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 2: A few times I've been weird.
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 2: I just like I'm like, oh hi, like.
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 2: And then like don't really engage in conversation, which I feel stupid, but like it's cool.
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 2: Usually if they recognize you, they're probably a runner too, and so I love like, especially in colorado, because it's like, oh, they, there's a good chance they do the ascent or marathon if they're living in colorado and like that's usually my go-to is like, oh, like what do you run?
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 2: And um, and there's so much history with the ascent, like you know the people you run into you never know they've, they've lived here their whole life.
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 2: They like it's kind of a thing to do every year, so, um, but yeah, no, it's it's what about in sham, like can you go anywhere without people like trying to take?
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 2: pictures.
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 2: Um, this year was not that bad.
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 2: Um, all right, I should say it's not that bad, like no, like no one really cared about me this year.
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 2: But, um, there I um, well, it was neat actually.
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 2: I was in champe lock, which is like the, the wellCC it's the first aid station, but it's like an hour away, and we stayed there a couple nights and there were these through hikers.
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 2: I went to, yeah, I went to the little market in the morning and when I came out she was like, oh, you race, like can we get a picture?
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 2: And that, like I love little things like that.
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 2: I I've, I've seen, like zach miller, try oh my god, zach's like yeah, so like so, like for me.
• 1:15:22
  Speaker 2: No, I probably like.
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 2: Five or six people the whole entire weekend asked for a picture which I absolutely love, but like it's not, um, I'm not at that level.
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 1: No, that's so crazy, though still I I, because I've asked joe this before I'm like dude, can you walk around the springs, like go to the grocery store, without anybody like saying hey, joe, what's up?
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 2: and like you know who's this guy?
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: you know, like I don't know, it's just it's just interesting to me, like, um, I don't know, because, like, our sport is like it's in the process of achieving that level and it, I mean if it continues on the trajectory it's on.
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: I mean there's obviously a talk of the olympics and all this other stuff, like in the next 10 years.
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: It's like dude, like it's, we're at that cycling level pretty soon.
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 2: You know, it's weird, it's crazy I the olympics is a big talk and I like it's been a thing for so many years and I'm like gosh, I'm gonna age out.
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 2: Not age out, but just like let's go like performance, performance size, probably like right when it gets in.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 2: But I'm really excited to keep trying, because I think it's crazy that is not.
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 2: But I've also I've heard some trail runners speak from the other side that they don't want it in the olympics, which, and I like I kind of do we even have like out of season testing yet, or anything like that?
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 2: um, yes, okay it's gonna be super specific.
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 2: It's just weird.
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 2: I think it.
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 2: I think it.
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 2: Maybe it was a money thing, but when I got third at the world champs in 2014, I for that.
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 2: Next year I was on a um yeah, um, gosh, I don't know what it's called it's like a testing pool, yeah, where they would show up randomly at my.
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 2: I had to fill out whereabouts and they came three times that year to my house that's so cool.
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it scared me every time, because it's like six in the morning like doorbell ringing um, but no, and it went well.
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 2: Um, but then I won world champs and then and nothing like I mean I got drug tested that day, yeah, but I never got put on and I think I did hear the history or reason of that.
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 2: I like I don't know again if it was a money thing or something, but kind of kind of bums me out that that's not the case you think you'd be getting stronger testing, but um, but at least we have water at most events.
• 1:17:31
  Speaker 2: Golden trail has had that now.
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 2: They weren't using water for a while, so I think it's out there, but it definitely should be more yeah, I think it'll get there in the next few years, especially like I know utmb.
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 2: Um, I think it's same thing, it's water right yeah, it was not two years ago, it was um quartz, which that's a whole nother yeah, that's a yes, but I believe that's a whole nother.
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's a yes, but that's a whole nother.
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 2: Podcast yes, that's so crazy.
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: So, on the topic of competition, I'm gonna start winding down in a couple seconds, I don't want to take your whole evening but, like, on the topic of competition, you strike me as a fiercely competitive, like a fierce competitor, and I think that's like one of the things is like I just absolutely love about that's.
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 1: One of the things is like I just absolutely love about that's one of the things I look for and admire in athletes.
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: But like, even like something like you just said about the Olympics, like I wish I hope, like you know, there's a lot of people that like I wouldn't say sandbag, but like they're very picky and choosy on their performances.
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 2: You seem like the kind of person that's like anytime, anyplace, anywhere, let's fucking go, thank you.
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 2: Like, how is that?
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 2: Is that how you are for the most part, um and again talking about going through seasons I have had I do have seasons where that fire is not quite there.
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 2: Like, yeah, I'll still show up and go, but like in the middle of the race I'm like, oh, like after the race I'll read it.
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 2: I'm like what is happening?
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 2: Like high school man, I had that like every training.
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 2: Like I had demons, like in a good way, like I could I would push so hard, and like there's seasons that I lose that and I don't know why, I don't know where it comes from.
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 2: Like, but yeah, it's like up and down, however I do.
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 2: Yes, I'm kind of changing my schedule now, like I'm gonna do pike's peak inside golden trail, but part of that's like I just want to be in colorado like I would love to go mix it up.
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 2: I know I'm not having my best year, um, but there's many reasons I'm choosing this day and it's yeah, I want to spend as much time in colorado and blah blah, but anyways, still, yes, for the most part, it would be so easy to like you know you're not doing well or what you know it's gonna be hard competition.
• 1:19:37
  Speaker 2: But, like, I think I can't back in 2014.
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 2: I think I was picky about races because I was more worried about injury.
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 2: I didn't race that much and I like wanted to be like on my game.
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 2: But now is you're right, um, I'll, yeah, anytime anywhere yeah, yeah, I love that even if I lose, like I'm still, if I'm healthy, like we'll go for it it's kind of like this weekend we'll or pikes peak, I don't.
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 2: And again, it's not gonna be a super competitive, but I don't.
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 2: I people there's gonna be women who show up, yeah ladies are showing up that the field's gonna be.
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: Oh, I'm so excited.
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 2: I can't wait to live commentate yeah and so, like I I mean honestly I'm kind of scared because it's like usually I know people I'm racing, but I'm not.
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 2: I don't think I'm gonna know many of these people like I think anime is gone.
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I believe I, I yeah did um hear that, but um yeah, so it's going to be a great surprise, but I'm like you know what I think as soon as you're.
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 2: I'm also very competitive behind scenes.
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 1: Ooh, let's hear it.
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 2: It's not a good thing.
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 2: Only a few people in my life.
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 2: I talk a lot of shit and I need to stop, but yeah.
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 2: But then I realized how special Like talk a lot of shit and I need to stop, but um, but yeah.
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 2: But then I realized how special like like sabrina stanley level of shit.
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 1: No, she's so scary.
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 2: No, I don't know what she's like, but no, um dang, I lost my train of thought sorry, sorry no, um is.
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 2: Oh.
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 2: I think if you're scared to lose, you can really lock yourself in a box and I've seen that with some, some of the girls I compete against, where they I mean, I don't know what's going on in their personal lives or whatever but I think they do kind of lock themselves in a box Like they can't race if they're not everything's not perfect or if there's a chance of losing.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 2: And I really got over that real quick.
• 1:21:30
  Speaker 2: You lose a few times and you realize it's not that bad.
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 2: You just got to go harder the next time and and I I could have easily been one of those to like lock myself in the box and and not want to race if I was scared of losing.
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 2: But, um, I've definitely had some.
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 2: I've had some bad losses, but I've had some really good wins.
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 2: So, I think you got to do both.
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was there and not to go on the subway, I was.
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 1: I witnessed the broken arrow one.
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: Was it two years ago that when you won the 20, I think it was when you won the 23 K?
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: It was when you weren't, when you were wearing the orange shorts, I can't remember what year that was.
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 2: And when you're Harley's your dog, and Harley was like hugging you at the at the finish line I was like, oh my god, this is, this is one and I think you reposted that picture.
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 2: It was like one of the coolest photos and running that year.
• 1:22:22
  Speaker 2: But and so, yeah, that's like broken arrow.
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 2: I have this loyalty to that race because it changed some views that I was having when I first raced it and like, yeah, it really gave me confidence and, like this year, I had been pretty sidelined for six weeks and then I had like a few weeks of training before that and I had no idea how it was going to go.
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 2: But I was like this is broken air, like I honestly don't really care what place I get If my dogs are the finish line.
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 2: I love this mountain, I love these people.
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: And yeah, again, just to reiterate, like you can't be scared to lose, yeah, oh my god, even like somewhat injured, you have amazing races, like still put it together.
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 2: It's crazy for that reminder, because I think I've been in this like little, like pity party all year and I'm like you know what.
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 2: No, it could, it could, it could be a lot worse well, and you know what the other thing, too, is like.
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 1: All it takes is like one to pull yourself out of it.
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: And then you're like you're back on.
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: You know, obviously this is what I've experienced was like very small beans compared to like your situation.
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: But like, dude, like I had before I raised Alta, like I missed like two and a half weeks.
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: I was three weeks of training with COVID and like to eat table and Eli, my coach, was like we pulled it together super quick in like a week and a half, two weeks to like get me to the start line and it's just like it was so amazing to me like what you can do in such a little amount of time to get yourself to a start line and like and then, who knows, like just shock yourself.
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 2: It's crazy and like again I, I like being night.
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 2: I used to like being naive and I still do.
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 2: I think overthinking too much, but I'm really I'm getting curious.
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 2: So like, physiologically, is what is going on?
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 2: yeah in the body, when those like when you come back to running and how you can get in shape or have a really great race after one week or whatever, or like, or what is overtraining doing to the body, like I'm just I'm starting to get more into that, but I think it's like too deep for my like uh, attention.
• 1:24:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I have one more question.
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry I have so many what Like?
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 1: I just and I don't want to go too deep into this because I know this can this can open up a serious, like long conversation.
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 1: But like, what is your training look like from a specificity perspective?
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 1: Like, do you do a lot of like roads and like flat stuff and then get more specific as races start to come closer flat stuff and then get more specific as races start to come closer.
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 2: Like, what do you do?
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, sometimes I ask myself the same question because I'm I haven't been great at periodization.
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 2: Um, I have a pretty good structure still from college, um that we would do and um, just like weekly stuff and I've gotten away with it.
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 2: But this year I'm like that's what I'm questioning myself.
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 2: I'm like, did I, did I like totally not peak for OCC?
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 2: Like because I was feeling great at the end of July, had a great 35 mile run, blah, blah, blah.
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 2: But from what I would like to do in general is this year I did a lot of road stuff in the winter being in Spokane and I think I did too much.
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 2: I was doing actually joined Orange Theory, shout out to Orange.
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 2: Theory Right, and I was.
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 2: It's just like I was just sprinting on a treadmill.
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 2: So easy to go hard on oh yeah, like doing like one minute all outs constantly and then, and then I would actually go do an outdoor workout of like a tempo or repeats or whatever, and okay, this is a long way around your question, I'll hurry up.
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: No, no, no.
• 1:25:43
  Speaker 2: I really think doing so much of that this winter did not set me up for longevity peaking in the fall, but I do not regret it at all.
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 2: Like it was.
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 2: Um, it was a lot.
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 2: We were going through a lot in the winter with Dylan recovering and being it was cold in Spokane and stuff and like it I.
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 2: But we had a great time and I I loved those workouts.
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 2: It kept me going and I'm like you know what that's more to me, getting through those months like happy and stuff.
• 1:26:11
  Speaker 2: Um, it was more, I think, more important in a way, like then having been like not running, depressed and yeah but, um, but anyways, in general, yes, I would take the winter easy, then start um, I'm really big on specificity, like tuesdays, like um half mile repeats and then and I do like to do those flatter so like, like, say, like Santa Fe type of stuff and then my tempos.
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 2: Either I will do like either Ute Valley or the incline.
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 2: If I'm in Colorado Springs, the incline is my tempo.
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: It's such a great place to do.
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: It's perfect.
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and so, yeah, friday's tempo, and then long Sunday and medium Wednesday, and so, yeah, fridays tempo, and then long Sunday and medium Wednesday, and so, yeah, they're two big workout.
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 2: Well, I would say those are like I consider those all kind of workouts, but yeah and then.
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 2: But yeah, coming closer to a race, I don't really change.
• 1:27:06
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't say I necessarily cut down because, yeah, I think in college we would start doing shorter stuff, like quarter miles, and doing more with less rest.
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 2: I haven't really dialed that in peaking wise.
• 1:27:17
  Speaker 2: I think I just usually kind of do that all year and then, before race, like maybe just do like a little lighter or something.
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, um.
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I think I've I've questioned about getting a coach this next year because I think I know I'm capable of doing it myself.
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 2: But I think, after doing it so many years, you're just like, like maybe I could do something different that's interesting, yeah and or just like this year, it was a lot of like, a lot of thinking.
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 2: I I don't I don't remember thinking so hard in years past like just trying to like I don't know, uh, just get the be the best.
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 2: I and I think I like I overanalyzed a lot Interesting.
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 2: So I'm like I understand the coach aspect of just taking I have my own knowledge but just taking that pressure off.
• 1:28:01
  Speaker 2: But then again I'm like, ah, if we're just here, I'll just, I'll go back to my incline and we'll just, I do, I love and like it's just so steep and so fun.
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 2: And there's like a little community there, although sometimes that can be exhausting, because you just want to go for a workout and then you see like 10 people, you know everybody wants to take a picture with you.
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 2: Well, you, yeah, yeah, who inspires you?
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 2: Oh, my Um, oh gosh, I I should have prepared for these questions.
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 2: I would say like every day there's someone different.
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 2: Especially social media is so awesome.
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 2: Like I love reading everyone's like view after races and stuff, but I'd probably say right now my boyfriend Dylan recovering he has not been in a like.
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 2: I mean, he's just very level-headed, but he has not been in a like sad or bad mood since the accident and like I came home from Japan pretty injured, just like an emotional wreck, and like he's seen me through all my like not being able to run and I'm just such a baby and like sad and depressed, and he's just like handled it so well.
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 2: And so whenever I think of like like getting upset about injury or not running, um, yeah, he inspires me to just like not like put so much pressure on it and just be happy.
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, just enjoy.
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 1: I love that yeah all right, we're gonna get in some funny ones.
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 1: Now what's?
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: Your take on bigfoot, especially now that you're in like spokane in the pacific northwest.
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: Bigfoot's out there, man, I'm gonna be so worried.
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 2: I just kind of roll my eyes.
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 2: Um, we were on pikes peak yesterday and you see, uh, the bigfoot side and the sasquatch.
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 2: I mean I don't really believe in them but I think it's a fun little I don't know with my nieces.
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 2: They haven't been up Pikes Peak yet, but we'll, we'll go all Bigfoot on them.
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 2: That's hilarious what's alright.
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 1: So if you don't believe in Bigfoot, I don't know about this one.
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: What's your take on like the aliens?
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 2: I mean, there has been like times I've seen crazy things Really, like you know, like I don't know you, just at night there's been like weird lights.
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 2: You're like there's no explanation for like that, especially like a lot of times.
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 2: Well, yo, first time seeing the Northern Lights.
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 2: Oh, I've never seen them.
• 1:30:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think seeing all that dance around not that I thought those were aliens at all, but it really like it kind of sparked it, like I mean there might be more out there.
• 1:30:45
  Speaker 2: I don't, I've never really believed in them, but then the whole, like a51 is all it's interesting to me.
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 2: I just, I guess I'm like I don't know, I'm like just too into like running and base jumping to care.
• 1:31:00
  Speaker 2: Fair enough fair enough.
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 1: Well, on that note, ali mac, thanks so much for coming on the podcast I appreciate it.
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been awesome oh, it has been.
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 1: What'd you guys think?
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 1: What a fun episode.
• 1:31:12
  Speaker 1: I want to thank Allie Mack so much for coming on the podcast and just sitting down to chat all about her story.
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 1: It was just really exciting and really special for me because she was one of the first people I thought of when we got this podcast started.
• 1:31:26
  Speaker 1: That would be a great fit to sit down and talk about the steep stuff, because, yeah, allie Mack crushes it on the steep stuff.
• 1:31:31
  Speaker 1: Just really exciting.
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: Um, guys, if you're not already following her, hop on Instagram, give Ali Mac a follow.
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 1: She's a really fun follow on Instagram.
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: Uh, lots of base jumping.
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 1: Uh, content, um, with that, with the Hoka parachute, as well as Harley the dog.
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 1: Um, yeah, just really exciting stories to follow along.
• 1:31:50
  Speaker 1: Um, shoot her a DM, dm, let her know what you guys thought about the episode and, most importantly, wish her congratulations on her third win, the Pikes Peak Ascent.
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 1: Allie Mack is very much still creating history for herself and we are very much in the Allie Mack era at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon, which is pretty incredible.
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: She continues to write history at this race, so it was really special and really just fun to have her, uh, in her hometown race in this race and throwing down at it.
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: Uh, so hopefully, cheers to many more for miss Allie Mac.
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 1: Uh, guys, if you enjoyed this episode, please, please, please, hop on Spotify and Apple.
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 1: Um, and give us a rating and review.
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 1: Five stars would be absolutely amazing and really appreciate that.
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 1: Um, and yeah, hope you guys have a great rest of your week on to next week.
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: Enjoy, thank you.