Latest / Hurdle with Emily Abbate / RUNNING THROUGH: Deirdre Keane, Nurse Practitioner (As Seen On 'Humans of New York')

Transcript

RUNNING THROUGH: Deirdre Keane, Nurse Practitioner (As Seen On 'Humans of New York') · Hurdle with Emily Abbate

0:00
Speaker 1: We have these massive fears of how difficult things are
0:02
Speaker 1: going to be, and they are difficult, but when you
0:05
Speaker 1: think of worst case scenario, it usually ends up much better.
0:24
Speaker 2: Hey, everybody, Emily body here coming to you with the
0:28
Speaker 2: final installment of this special Running Through series. If you've
0:34
Speaker 2: been listening this week, then you know the Drill Global
0:37
Speaker 2: Running Day was on Wednesday. So I felt as though
0:41
Speaker 2: it was only fitting that we wrap up season nine
0:44
Speaker 2: and celebrate all week by bringing.
0:46
Speaker 3: Five back to back episodes to the feed.
0:49
Speaker 2: I on the show am all about bringing hurdler's content
0:54
Speaker 2: that encompasses all that is wellness. But as you know,
0:59
Speaker 2: running holds a very special place in my heart. It's
1:02
Speaker 2: helped me get through some of my biggest hurdle moments
1:06
Speaker 2: and connect on a deeper level with so many So
1:10
Speaker 2: throughout the week, I have brought you stories of inspiring
1:13
Speaker 2: women who have also turned to running during some of
1:16
Speaker 2: life's biggest, darkest hurdles, getting vulnerable about everything from grief
1:22
Speaker 2: and loss to depression and postpartum depression, talking about how
1:27
Speaker 2: running and sport has helped them persevere, rediscover their self worth,
1:32
Speaker 2: and put on a brave face to finish things off.
1:36
Speaker 2: For this week of content, I am chatting with Diarre Drakeine.
1:41
Speaker 2: She became a low key internet sensation after her life
1:45
Speaker 2: story was told on Humans of.
1:46
Speaker 3: New York at thirteen years old.
1:49
Speaker 2: Her father passed away three years after being diagnosed with
1:52
Speaker 2: skin cancer, and years later, with very little running experience,
1:57
Speaker 2: she signed up for two half marathons. Then came her
2:01
Speaker 2: first full marathon in honor of her father, which she
2:04
Speaker 2: finished in under four hours.
2:06
Speaker 3: And the rest is history.
2:08
Speaker 2: So she's talking to us about that entire journey today,
2:12
Speaker 2: about picking up running and the love of this sport
2:15
Speaker 2: in honor of her dad and how it has changed her.
2:19
Speaker 3: Plus we also talk about her big exciting goal.
2:23
Speaker 2: Her big to do coming up of doing the World
2:27
Speaker 2: Marathon Challenge, which is seven marathons on seven continents in
2:33
Speaker 2: seven days.
2:34
Speaker 3: It is absolutely crazy.
2:35
Speaker 2: I'm so so excited to follow along with her on
2:39
Speaker 2: that journey. I do want to note that after today's episode,
2:43
Speaker 2: Hurdle is going on a season break, but I figured
2:46
Speaker 2: leaving you.
2:46
Speaker 3: With five back to back episodes.
2:49
Speaker 2: Was a good enough way to hold you over until
2:52
Speaker 2: I pop back into the feed with season ten. Now,
2:56
Speaker 2: of course, before we get to today's episode of Got
2:58
Speaker 2: to give some love to my friends at Tracksmith for
3:02
Speaker 2: sponsoring this week of content. Tracksmith is a brand for
3:05
Speaker 2: runners inspired by a deep love for the sport. They
3:08
Speaker 2: craft incredible gear for training, racing, and rest des and
3:12
Speaker 2: create experiences that make running more rewarding, more connected, and
3:16
Speaker 2: more meaningful.
3:17
Speaker 3: Their summer collection features.
3:18
Speaker 2: Pieces designed for running in the heat, as well as
3:21
Speaker 2: staples for your vacation adventures. From their silky smooth twilight
3:25
Speaker 2: styles that seem to disappear while you're running, to comfortable
3:28
Speaker 2: short tights that can carry all of your stuff on
3:30
Speaker 2: your long runs, from your fuel to your cards to
3:33
Speaker 2: your keys, these are staples that work as hard as
3:36
Speaker 2: you do. Explore their collections and stories at tracksmith dot
3:39
Speaker 2: com and use the code hurdle to two for free shipping. Also,
3:45
Speaker 2: you can do some good with your purchase. Tracksmith is
3:48
Speaker 2: working with me to support an organization that is near
3:50
Speaker 2: and dear to my heart. Five percent of all sales
3:53
Speaker 2: using the code hurdle to two will go to benefit
3:57
Speaker 2: every Town. Every Town is in a Mare organization which
4:01
Speaker 2: advocates for gun control and against gun violence. And after
4:06
Speaker 2: the recent shootings at rob Elementary and just so much
4:10
Speaker 2: that is going on, in our country. I feel super
4:13
Speaker 2: passionately about the opportunity to do my part and contribute,
4:18
Speaker 2: So please consider doing some good.
4:21
Speaker 3: Use the code hurdle to to at checkout.
4:23
Speaker 2: Five percent of the proceeds will go to every town
4:26
Speaker 2: and you'll get free shipping at tracksmith dot com, at
4:30
Speaker 2: Hurdle podcast at Emily A body with that, Let's get
4:35
Speaker 2: to hurdling.
4:53
Speaker 3: Today.
4:53
Speaker 2: I am sitting down with deir Drakeine. She is a
4:57
Speaker 2: nurse practitioner. Are you still at Memorials Longe Caut I am.
5:01
Speaker 2: I currently work in their pediatric intensive care unit. Oh
5:05
Speaker 2: my goodness, you are a real life superhero.
5:10
Speaker 1: Don't know if i'd call myself that, but I like
5:13
Speaker 1: to do my part when I can.
5:15
Speaker 3: Well, you're doing more than just your part.
5:17
Speaker 2: You are on the show this week as a part
5:21
Speaker 2: of our Hurdling Through Running Through series, talking with just
5:26
Speaker 2: beautiful people who have used running as a tool to
5:30
Speaker 2: get through some serious life hurdles. So you found is
5:37
Speaker 2: fame the right word? Fame is a strong word. You
5:41
Speaker 2: had some eyeballs on you after appearing on the Humans
5:45
Speaker 2: of New York Instagram. Talk to us a little bit
5:48
Speaker 2: about how that came to be.
5:51
Speaker 1: So I was very fortunate that my friends actually nominated
5:55
Speaker 1: me for Humans of New York. Brandon Stanton last year
6:00
Speaker 1: doubt to people to submit New Yorkers who are unusual
6:06
Speaker 1: and different and who should be highlighted as a Human
6:09
Speaker 1: of New York on his page, and a group of
6:13
Speaker 1: nine of my friends got together. They wrote this beautiful
6:16
Speaker 1: email submission unbeknownst to me, and told them about my
6:20
Speaker 1: running background, working during the pandemic, and going through a
6:25
Speaker 1: more difficult time recently. Apparently a resonated with Brandon because
6:30
Speaker 1: he reached out to them and said, I would love
6:32
Speaker 1: to interview your friend. Would you mind giving me her
6:35
Speaker 1: phone number? And one day I got a text message
6:38
Speaker 1: from him. Definitely thought it was a joke, but after
6:42
Speaker 1: some reassurance, he convinced me that I was indeed Brandon
6:44
Speaker 1: from Humans of New York and that he would like
6:46
Speaker 1: to sit down and talk to me just about my
6:48
Speaker 1: life and see where the interview went. And it wasn't
6:52
Speaker 1: supposed to be about running, but that's where I.
6:54
Speaker 3: Went to, but that's where it went to. So at
6:57
Speaker 3: the time of sitting down with him, you were at
7:00
Speaker 3: thirty three time marathonor.
7:02
Speaker 1: Yes, I know, I still can't believe it. I'm now
7:05
Speaker 1: up to thirty eight.
7:07
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, look at you go. That is truly phenomenal.
7:11
Speaker 2: Now you yourself talk to us about when you got
7:16
Speaker 2: in to running.
7:18
Speaker 1: So I always wanted to be a runner, which sounds
7:22
Speaker 1: like a strange thing to say, but I think a
7:24
Speaker 1: lot of people can relate to that feeling. It's just
7:27
Speaker 1: so so hard to get started, and I never underestimate
7:32
Speaker 1: that difficult beginning. My dad was a massive marathoner, and
7:37
Speaker 1: throughout her childhood he was for a New York City
7:40
Speaker 1: marathon every year, so I dined for half marathons, ten
7:42
Speaker 1: k's and then my dad originally developed cancer when I
7:48
Speaker 1: was ten, started in his forehead, and despite multiple rounds
7:51
Speaker 1: of radiation and chemo, it continued to come back, and
7:55
Speaker 1: by time I was thirteen, he was considered terminal. But
8:01
Speaker 1: despite all of that, he found so fortitude and running.
8:06
Speaker 1: I'll say it gave him a lot of comfort, to
8:09
Speaker 1: the point that he refused to give it up. The
8:12
Speaker 1: day before his last surgical resection, where they took a
8:15
Speaker 1: tumor size of a golf ball out of his jaw,
8:18
Speaker 1: he ran the New York City Marathon, and not only
8:21
Speaker 1: did he run the New York City Marathon, but he
8:24
Speaker 1: ran it as an aid for someone who was visually impaired,
8:27
Speaker 1: who became his really good friend through Achilles International. So
8:32
Speaker 1: that was a type of mentor I had in my
8:35
Speaker 1: life until he fortunately passed away when I was a teenager,
8:38
Speaker 1: and after that I always wanted to run, just as
8:41
Speaker 1: a way to contribute to his memory, to follow in
8:45
Speaker 1: his footsteps. But as I mentioned, it was just so hard,
8:49
Speaker 1: like I would start walking and then I would try
8:51
Speaker 1: to run, but eventually, after maybe half a mile, start
8:55
Speaker 1: walking again, and eventually, I don't know what it was.
8:59
Speaker 1: I just got myself to the point where I was like,
9:02
Speaker 1: mind over matter. I know I'm physically fit, there's no
9:04
Speaker 1: physical reason why I can't run, and I just pushed
9:07
Speaker 1: myself and I refuse to quit. So once I got
9:11
Speaker 1: to that point and got to the half marathon training point,
9:16
Speaker 1: I felt like it was probably a lot easier. But
9:19
Speaker 1: after I ran my first marathon, it was surprisingly not
9:23
Speaker 1: as difficult as I thought it was going to be.
9:25
Speaker 1: I think because I put the work in and I
9:28
Speaker 1: got the bug and I haven't looked back since. I've
9:30
Speaker 1: probably on average run like four marathons a year. It's
9:34
Speaker 1: my favorite way to travel, it's my favorite way to decompress,
9:38
Speaker 1: it's my favorite mode of therapy. And it's just a
9:41
Speaker 1: moment in time that I take just for myself and
9:44
Speaker 1: myself alone.
9:46
Speaker 2: I want to talk a little bit more about your
9:49
Speaker 2: dad and the volunteering that he was doing while he
9:55
Speaker 2: himself was struggling so much. Do you remember him ever
10:02
Speaker 2: complaining about his circumstance or was this truly just such
10:07
Speaker 2: a joy for him that complaining wasn't a part of
10:10
Speaker 2: the picture.
10:13
Speaker 1: So he definitely was not a complainer, and he enjoyed
10:18
Speaker 1: what was left of his life so much that we,
10:21
Speaker 1: as his children, we didn't think he was going to
10:24
Speaker 1: die because he never approached his illness as the end
10:29
Speaker 1: of his life. He looked at it as just another
10:32
Speaker 1: obstacle that he was going to overcome to the best
10:34
Speaker 1: of his ability or work around, and he took advantage
10:37
Speaker 1: of every single moment. So with that outlook, when eventually
10:43
Speaker 1: he did pass from cancer, we were so surprised, Like
10:47
Speaker 1: we thought our dad was going to live forever. He
10:49
Speaker 1: was our superhero. He was a teacher in the inner city,
10:52
Speaker 1: in the Bronx. He loved those children. We would all
10:55
Speaker 1: go on field trips together. Who'd bring us with us.
10:57
Speaker 1: We'd skip school and we'd go down watch Broadway Show
11:00
Speaker 1: with them. He would take them to races on the
11:02
Speaker 1: weekend and would all run the kiddie races together. And
11:05
Speaker 1: then on the evenings he would volunteer with his friend
11:09
Speaker 1: at Achilles International and they would run and train for
11:11
Speaker 1: New York City Marathon. I'm very blessed to have had
11:16
Speaker 1: him for a moment in time. I obviously still wish
11:18
Speaker 1: he was with me, but he definitely set the foundation
11:21
Speaker 1: of who was going to become as an adult and
11:23
Speaker 1: as a runner.
11:25
Speaker 2: Do you remember the run where maybe you realized that
11:31
Speaker 2: you were capable of doing it for longer than you
11:34
Speaker 2: ever envisioned.
11:38
Speaker 1: Trying to think, I guess yes, I do. Remember. I
11:44
Speaker 1: was during the summer between sophomore and junior year and
11:49
Speaker 1: I started running around the reservoir and normally I would walk.
11:53
Speaker 1: It was very fit at the time. I could walk
11:56
Speaker 1: up to twelve miles a day. I just couldn't transition
11:58
Speaker 1: it to running and today work today. One day I
12:02
Speaker 1: decided today's the day. There's no excuses. It's early in
12:06
Speaker 1: the morning, it's not that hot, You're going to go
12:09
Speaker 1: and do as many laps around this reservoir as you
12:11
Speaker 1: can without stopping. And let's say that's not the best
12:15
Speaker 1: way to do it, but it worked in that instance.
12:18
Speaker 1: And next thing I know, I did eight loops of
12:22
Speaker 1: a two mile reservoir and I did sixteen miles. So
12:26
Speaker 1: after that, I was like, Okay, I'm signing up for
12:28
Speaker 1: a half marathon and I signed up.
12:29
Speaker 3: Whoaa loo.
12:33
Speaker 2: So you went from I can't run to I'm going
12:36
Speaker 2: to run sixteen miles.
12:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's pretty much how I look at most facets
12:43
Speaker 1: of life. It's all or nothing with me. But like
12:46
Speaker 1: I said, I had been working out in the gym,
12:48
Speaker 1: trying to get myself physically capable of running, and that's
12:53
Speaker 1: when I realized for me, it was more mental and
12:56
Speaker 1: I could overcome that barrier by pushing myself and just
13:00
Speaker 1: refusing to quit, which is not a great mindset. Like
13:03
Speaker 1: that is that led to me having a lot of
13:06
Speaker 1: difficult times more recently when I realized I've been pushing
13:10
Speaker 1: myself too hard and I'm physically exhausted and mentally exhausted.
13:16
Speaker 1: But at that time it was enough to like push
13:18
Speaker 1: me to start running and the next Let's be real,
13:21
Speaker 1: the next week, I couldn't run. I was in so
13:24
Speaker 1: much pain and so miserable, but I knew I could
13:28
Speaker 1: do it because I did it once. That meant I
13:30
Speaker 1: could do it again. And that was how my running
13:35
Speaker 1: hobby started.
13:38
Speaker 2: People are listening to this and they're like, that sounds
13:40
Speaker 2: like my own version of personal Hell.
13:43
Speaker 1: Yeah it was. I did not enjoy it at all,
13:46
Speaker 1: but I was just like, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going,
13:49
Speaker 1: And like a lot of us can relate to when
13:52
Speaker 1: we finish that workout, when we finish that race, we
13:54
Speaker 1: never look back when regret it. It definitely taught us
13:57
Speaker 1: something like maybe you should not run that far, or
14:00
Speaker 1: maybe you should give yourself some breaks or more water,
14:04
Speaker 1: but you never truly regret it because you did something
14:06
Speaker 1: for yourself in that moment.
14:08
Speaker 3: I love that.
14:08
Speaker 2: So do you think about him regularly when you're lacing
14:12
Speaker 2: up and getting out there.
14:14
Speaker 1: I will always put a song or two in my playlist,
14:18
Speaker 1: my marathon playlist, so I make sure I think of
14:21
Speaker 1: him during it. Are You with Me is like one
14:24
Speaker 1: of those songs. And then every time I comes on,
14:27
Speaker 1: I look to my left or my right wherever, no
14:29
Speaker 1: one's standing and I'm like, I know you're there. And
14:32
Speaker 1: then there's other times when I'm really struggling, like the
14:36
Speaker 1: Boston Marathon in April Mile twenty heartbreak Kell. It was
14:41
Speaker 1: just you always forget how hard heartbreak kell is, and
14:46
Speaker 1: that is why it's called heartbreak Kell. I'm sure, but
14:48
Speaker 1: going up that I just started speaking to him and
14:51
Speaker 1: I'm like, Dad, like, get me to the finish, get
14:53
Speaker 1: me to the finish. And it sounds bizarre, but I
14:57
Speaker 1: really feel his presence during those times of need. And
15:02
Speaker 1: then more recently, I'm graduating this week with my MBA,
15:04
Speaker 1: which is very exciting. So I love thank you. I
15:09
Speaker 1: love going for runs before these big life events just
15:12
Speaker 1: as a time of solitude and reflection, and I kind
15:16
Speaker 1: of speak to him during those times. I wish you
15:18
Speaker 1: were here. It's another event that you can't be here.
15:22
Speaker 1: But truthfully, I know it's thanks to you that I'm here.
15:25
Speaker 1: I did not get this far on my own, and
15:27
Speaker 1: I'm one hundred percent certain about that.
15:31
Speaker 2: Do you think that you would have been as steadfast
15:33
Speaker 2: as you became about getting into running if he hadn't
15:37
Speaker 2: been such an avid runner himself.
15:40
Speaker 1: I don't think. So it's Honestly, it's really hard to tell.
15:44
Speaker 1: I do sometimes think of this alternate universe that we
15:47
Speaker 1: could have lived together, where we run marathons together and
15:50
Speaker 1: we could volunteer at Achilles International together. But we know
15:55
Speaker 1: how annoying we are with our parents. When our parents
15:58
Speaker 1: want us to do something, typically we don't do it,
16:00
Speaker 1: just because we have two difficult children. However, when you
16:04
Speaker 1: lose a parent, there feels like there's so much more
16:06
Speaker 1: in the line that you want to honor their memory
16:09
Speaker 1: and you want to keep a piece of them alive.
16:11
Speaker 1: And I think that's what I was doing when I
16:13
Speaker 1: started running.
16:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, and what a beautiful way to do that.
16:19
Speaker 2: So you spoke about, you know, that original sixteen mile day,
16:23
Speaker 2: when you recovered from that sixteen mile decision, talk to
16:28
Speaker 2: us about signing up for your first few races, your
16:30
Speaker 2: first half marathon, and then eventually your first marathon, which
16:34
Speaker 2: I mean that's a whole hurdle within itself.
16:37
Speaker 1: Yeah. So I would spend the majority of my summers
16:41
Speaker 1: in Ireland. I'm very fortunate that both my parents are
16:43
Speaker 1: from Ireland, so we'd go back and stay with my
16:46
Speaker 1: grandmother's during the summer. And Ireland's a beautiful but very
16:51
Speaker 1: hilly place to run. So I looked up half marathon.
16:55
Speaker 1: So I was like, I'm going to transition all this
16:57
Speaker 1: flat running I've been doing the Bronx New York to
16:59
Speaker 1: the into Ireland. And I found a half marathon and
17:05
Speaker 1: a fifteen mile run that were a week apart in
17:07
Speaker 1: County Kerry, which is probably the most hilly county in Ireland,
17:11
Speaker 1: and I signed up for it. People were like, I
17:13
Speaker 1: know you ran sixteen miles, but I don't think you
17:16
Speaker 1: can do two races a week apart because there were
17:18
Speaker 1: two different Sundays, seven days apart. I was like, no,
17:21
Speaker 1: I did it, Like I can do this. I did
17:24
Speaker 1: sixteen miles. I can do anything I set my mind
17:26
Speaker 1: to and obviously it was painful, but I did it.
17:30
Speaker 1: And knowing that, I was like, I'm going to train
17:32
Speaker 1: for a full marathon this fall and I was going
17:36
Speaker 1: into Sorry I think I misspoke, I said earlier I
17:38
Speaker 1: was going into my junior year. I was going into
17:40
Speaker 1: my senior year. So I looked up marathons near Boston.
17:44
Speaker 1: I went to Northeastern at the time, and I found
17:47
Speaker 1: the Manchester, New Hampshire Marathon that fell on my dad's birthday.
17:51
Speaker 1: November third of twenty ten, I was like, this is
17:56
Speaker 1: a sign. I'm running the marathon, my first marathon, Dad's birthday.
18:02
Speaker 3: Wow, I have chills sitting here. Oh my god.
18:07
Speaker 2: And so the lead up to that, the build up
18:11
Speaker 2: to a marathon a completely different beast than training for
18:16
Speaker 2: a half marathon. Talk to us about the headspace that
18:19
Speaker 2: you got in at how running a vaulted you this
18:22
Speaker 2: during this time, Did you still love it just as much?
18:25
Speaker 2: Were you kind of like cursing the day that you
18:27
Speaker 2: made the decision to do this? Like where were you at?
18:31
Speaker 1: It really depends on the day, and I think any
18:33
Speaker 1: runner could speak to that. Some days you go out
18:35
Speaker 1: there and you're like, I love my life, I'm obsessed
18:38
Speaker 1: with running. Running is my true love. But there's other
18:41
Speaker 1: days where you're like, I cannot believe I have to
18:43
Speaker 1: go for a run right now. I do not want
18:45
Speaker 1: to do this. And that's really what it was like.
18:49
Speaker 1: I was going into my senior year. I was training
18:51
Speaker 1: for a marathon when all my friends were going to
18:54
Speaker 1: fund parties, and I had to be mindful. On Saturday morning,
18:57
Speaker 1: I had to get up for a twenty mile run.
19:00
Speaker 1: But those are small sacrifices. You make when you're looking
19:02
Speaker 1: at the bigger picture, and for me, it was always
19:06
Speaker 1: to commemorate my dad, just to do the one marathon.
19:10
Speaker 1: It's also funny looking back in those times, because I
19:13
Speaker 1: didn't have a smart watch, there's no way I was
19:17
Speaker 1: able to track how fast I was running. I would
19:20
Speaker 1: go on I think map quest was the map you
19:22
Speaker 1: would use back then on my computer and try to
19:25
Speaker 1: map how long my runs along the Charles would be,
19:28
Speaker 1: to see how close to twenty miles I could get them.
19:31
Speaker 1: So a very different era, and also having the one
19:33
Speaker 1: pair of sneakers that I probably should not have been
19:36
Speaker 1: running in because I'm sure I ran more than like
19:38
Speaker 1: three four hundred miles from them. But there were different times.
19:42
Speaker 1: And then I got to the point of the marathon,
19:46
Speaker 1: showed up that morning so nervous. I remember I was
19:50
Speaker 1: wearing like three quarter lens like dungaroos, the other kind
19:53
Speaker 1: of flare at the end, with my hot pink nighty
19:56
Speaker 1: sneakers and a hot pink top and a white cotton
19:59
Speaker 1: T shirt over it, saying like a memory of John
20:01
Speaker 1: Keen and starting off and thinking like I don't know
20:04
Speaker 1: what I'm doing. I should not be here. I don't
20:07
Speaker 1: deserve to be here. I'm twenty one. All these people
20:09
Speaker 1: look so seriously professional, and I'm an idiot to think
20:14
Speaker 1: I can actually accomplish this.
20:18
Speaker 2: And how did you get out of that mindset and
20:20
Speaker 2: into the I am going to effing do this mindset?
20:26
Speaker 1: And that's the beautiful thing about running, like literally and figuratively.
20:31
Speaker 1: I just put one foot in front of the other.
20:34
Speaker 1: I was like, you have no choice now to go
20:36
Speaker 1: but to go forward. You're not gonna quit without even trying.
20:40
Speaker 1: And I said to myself, I was like, the half
20:42
Speaker 1: marathon finishes here. If at the half marathon point you
20:46
Speaker 1: cannot play this, that's okay, Like you tried your best,
20:50
Speaker 1: you won't hurt yourself. But let's give this like a
20:53
Speaker 1: real shot. So I got to the half point and
20:57
Speaker 1: I was like, screw it, I am on a row.
21:00
Speaker 1: Well I had them doorphins had kicked in, the goose
21:02
Speaker 1: had kicked in. I was feeling myself and I was
21:05
Speaker 1: feeling Miley Cyrus as I ran with my iPod. But
21:10
Speaker 1: of course mile eighteen it started hurting a little bit.
21:14
Speaker 1: I just the pain was not as terrible as I
21:17
Speaker 1: thought it was going to be. And I think that
21:21
Speaker 1: was just a valuable lesson to learn in life, Like
21:23
Speaker 1: we have these massive fears of how difficult things are
21:26
Speaker 1: going to be, and they are difficult, but when you
21:29
Speaker 1: think of worst case scenario, it usually ends up much better.
21:33
Speaker 1: So I pushed through, and the last five miles I
21:36
Speaker 1: was like, I only five miles to go, Like, let's
21:39
Speaker 1: go as hard as I can. That lasted for about
21:42
Speaker 1: a mile and like five miles is still pretty far
21:44
Speaker 1: to your dra And across the finish line with this
21:47
Speaker 1: older guy that I kept trying to pace off and
21:51
Speaker 1: I didn't realize my iPod was playing this loud through
21:53
Speaker 1: my headphones, but he said to me as we crossed
21:55
Speaker 1: the finish line, he was like, how many times did
21:57
Speaker 1: you play party in the USA? I was like, many
22:01
Speaker 1: many times.
22:03
Speaker 3: What an amazing story.
22:04
Speaker 2: And so by the end of it, I mean, that
22:06
Speaker 2: feeling was just so beautiful that you decided, man, I
22:11
Speaker 2: should just keep doing this and doing this and doing
22:13
Speaker 2: this and doing this again.
22:15
Speaker 1: Yeah. It never got to the point that I thought
22:18
Speaker 1: it was going to bring this many I was like, Okay,
22:21
Speaker 1: that wasn't terrible. I want to do another one and
22:24
Speaker 1: I grad. I wanted to graduate and have the typical
22:27
Speaker 1: last final year of college experience. And after graduation, I
22:31
Speaker 1: moved to Ireland and I was like, Okay, let's use
22:34
Speaker 1: this as a way of traveling Ireland and traveling Europe.
22:37
Speaker 1: And I did the Dublin Marathon, the Belfast Marathon, the
22:40
Speaker 1: Cork Marathon and started improving on my speeds and knew
22:44
Speaker 1: when I moved back to New York that I was
22:46
Speaker 1: ready for the New York City Marathon and I was
22:48
Speaker 1: going to take that city by storm and memory of
22:51
Speaker 1: my dad.
22:52
Speaker 2: Wow, So talk to us about that emotional experience, because
22:56
Speaker 2: I would imagine it was really, really special.
23:00
Speaker 1: So the first New York City Marathon got canceled because
23:03
Speaker 1: of Hurricane Sandy, rightfully so I remember at the time
23:07
Speaker 1: though I was very upset. I think it was canceled
23:09
Speaker 1: at me two days prior. But the following year I
23:13
Speaker 1: remember urning it and having my mom and my sister,
23:16
Speaker 1: my brother cheering me on, and there's something just I
23:22
Speaker 1: don't know. It felt almost like divine intervention. Running my
23:27
Speaker 1: father's footsteps and feeling him with me, starting off in
23:32
Speaker 1: Staten Island, crossing the Arizona into Brooklyn, running through Queens
23:37
Speaker 1: and then hitting after Manhattan and hitting the Bronx our
23:40
Speaker 1: home burrough before descending into the city. Literally knowing that
23:45
Speaker 1: my dad ran that exact course over twenty times and
23:48
Speaker 1: doing it for the first time in his memory was spectacular,
23:52
Speaker 1: So to the point that even now when I were
23:56
Speaker 1: in New York City Marathon, I've done it around with
23:58
Speaker 1: five times, but it never loses is that special sensation
24:01
Speaker 1: of him being with me and literally following in his footsteps.
24:04
Speaker 2: What would you say the role is that running place
24:09
Speaker 2: in your life?
24:10
Speaker 1: So yeah, I talk so much about running. Running is
24:15
Speaker 1: definitely a massive pillar of who I am as a person,
24:19
Speaker 1: but it's also the foundation because there's so much more
24:22
Speaker 1: to me. Obviously, I'm not professional runners. I have to
24:25
Speaker 1: work for a living and I'm a student, and I've
24:27
Speaker 1: tried to be a good friend and family member. But
24:31
Speaker 1: it gives me that mode of just going out there
24:35
Speaker 1: and letting it be a therapeutic release for whatever's bothering me.
24:40
Speaker 1: I would argue that it makes me a better person
24:43
Speaker 1: because I'm taking that time for myself to do something
24:47
Speaker 1: that improves my physical quality of life and my mental
24:50
Speaker 1: quality of life. And I've really seen running like pull
24:53
Speaker 1: me through tough times. It's also a time for me
24:57
Speaker 1: to chastise myself. And I know I've done something wrong
25:00
Speaker 1: because I just get to reflect on it and take
25:03
Speaker 1: away all those external distractions like my phone, my television,
25:08
Speaker 1: my dog, who you may keep hearing in this podcast,
25:11
Speaker 1: but just a time to reflect with my thoughts and realize,
25:14
Speaker 1: like you weren't correct and what you did. Like when
25:17
Speaker 1: you get home, you're going to take your phone and
25:19
Speaker 1: you're going to call that person. You're a text that person,
25:21
Speaker 1: but you're going to do right. You want to be
25:23
Speaker 1: a better version of yourself. And I don't think if
25:27
Speaker 1: I didn't have the opportunity to set aside time for
25:32
Speaker 1: just me and my thoughts, I wouldn't get to those conclusions.
25:36
Speaker 1: So I'm thankful for running, just for making me it's
25:38
Speaker 1: a better person holistically.
25:40
Speaker 2: What would you say that your reason for continuing is
25:47
Speaker 2: these days? And what races are on your bucket list
25:51
Speaker 2: that you have yet to check off?
25:54
Speaker 1: Wow? I try to think of the why I runquestion
26:00
Speaker 1: or the answer to that question pretty frequently because it's
26:04
Speaker 1: such a huge part of my life, and I don't
26:08
Speaker 1: know if I really know the answer. From being honest,
26:11
Speaker 1: I know why I started. I know, like I mentioned
26:13
Speaker 1: to commemorate my dad's memory to follow in his footsteps.
26:17
Speaker 1: But now it's part of who I am. It's just
26:21
Speaker 1: so essential to my well being, and I truly didn't
26:24
Speaker 1: realize that until last spring. I had my mental health
26:29
Speaker 1: challenge in a way that I never thought was possible
26:31
Speaker 1: and experienced depression, probably for the first time, and running
26:36
Speaker 1: was my only constant prior to that. Like I mentioned,
26:40
Speaker 1: running was like a mode of therapy, a mode of
26:43
Speaker 1: self reflection, but I never utilized it as a way
26:47
Speaker 1: to grieve and to process like very tough feelings, or
26:53
Speaker 1: to get through a time where you feel like your
26:55
Speaker 1: whole life is thrown upside down. So after that, I
26:59
Speaker 1: kind of realized that running is a massive love my life.
27:03
Speaker 1: But races are different. I think I love marathons because
27:08
Speaker 1: I find the distance conquerable and I love the validation
27:13
Speaker 1: it gives me, which may not be the best, but
27:16
Speaker 1: I love the fact that I can train, put the
27:19
Speaker 1: work in, put the distance and the speed in tow
27:23
Speaker 1: the start on race day and give it my all,
27:27
Speaker 1: knowing that I put the foundation in, that I tried
27:30
Speaker 1: my best, and usually it works in my favor. Of course,
27:34
Speaker 1: we all know we have those days where for whatever reason,
27:38
Speaker 1: you're having a bad day. You didn't drink enough, you
27:40
Speaker 1: didn't sleep well enough, you train too hard, it doesn't
27:43
Speaker 1: work out. But for the most part, for me, running
27:46
Speaker 1: has been consistent where if I put the work in,
27:49
Speaker 1: it'll give me the results that I want.
27:51
Speaker 3: How many marathons had your father run.
27:54
Speaker 1: I would say in the twenties. I don't have an
27:56
Speaker 1: exact number, but he did New York City for over
27:59
Speaker 1: fifteen years and a few Dublin marathons.
28:01
Speaker 3: Wow.
28:02
Speaker 2: So just so many takeaways, so many beautiful things that
28:05
Speaker 2: you have from your running journey.
28:08
Speaker 3: For someone who.
28:09
Speaker 2: Aspires to develop this same relationship with running, to find
28:14
Speaker 2: this calm that you talk about, to be able to
28:17
Speaker 2: better navigate their emotions and deal with their feelings, what
28:22
Speaker 2: advice do you have to beginner runners out there?
28:26
Speaker 1: You just want to start running right. You don't want
28:28
Speaker 1: to put this weight on, this burden of running being
28:33
Speaker 1: this end all be all for helping you through tough times,
28:36
Speaker 1: for making you a better person. More than likely it
28:39
Speaker 1: will end up doing all that. But the point of
28:42
Speaker 1: getting started is getting started right, being able to run,
28:45
Speaker 1: getting through the pain, and being able to enjoy running.
28:48
Speaker 1: Like you have to hit that point where you can
28:50
Speaker 1: go for a run and right, this isn't miserable. I'm
28:54
Speaker 1: actually loving this. I'm not focusing on how much it
28:57
Speaker 1: hurts my feet or hitting the pavement, actually looking around
29:00
Speaker 1: me and enjoying my environment. Before you can start the
29:04
Speaker 1: process of like, Okay, now that I'm comfortable at my
29:08
Speaker 1: running pace, what are the benefits I'm going to reap
29:11
Speaker 1: from running. It's a gradual process, and I can pretty
29:15
Speaker 1: much assure anyone that if they keep going and they
29:19
Speaker 1: put the work and the time in like, they will
29:21
Speaker 1: get there. But I know other people find that in
29:24
Speaker 1: cycling and CrossFit classes and bar classes when you're just
29:29
Speaker 1: perfecting a technique or doing anything you're passionate about. But
29:33
Speaker 1: it's art reading, Like, there's so many different things that
29:37
Speaker 1: you can do where you can reap the benefits where
29:39
Speaker 1: you see something that you love is positively impacting you.
29:44
Speaker 1: It doesn't have to be running. That's my thing. So
29:47
Speaker 1: I would say anyone who wanted to try running, just
29:49
Speaker 1: start it. See what happens. Like, if it's for you,
29:52
Speaker 1: it's going to work out. But it is a great
29:55
Speaker 1: way to see the world and physically improve your mindset
30:03
Speaker 1: and body.
30:06
Speaker 3: I love it. What are you excited about right now?
30:08
Speaker 3: What are you looking forward to.
30:11
Speaker 1: So much? So this week is such a great week
30:16
Speaker 1: for me. So I'm actually happy that you asked me
30:19
Speaker 1: to do this podcast this week because I felt like
30:21
Speaker 1: it was another positive sign. I'm graduating from NYU Ster
30:25
Speaker 1: and my MBA. Yesterday was our commencement for the entire
30:29
Speaker 1: university at Yankee Stadium where see Taylor Swift and she
30:33
Speaker 1: got her honorary doctorate. I'm a massive Tate te fan.
30:38
Speaker 1: I just I know some people love her, people love
30:41
Speaker 1: to hate her, but I just think she's a phenomenal
30:44
Speaker 1: persons person, businesswoman and musician. And then tonight there's an
30:50
Speaker 1: award ceremony where I'm receiving an award from school, which
30:53
Speaker 1: I'll find out what it is. And tomorrow is our
30:56
Speaker 1: MBA graduation.
31:00
Speaker 2: A week you have nothing going on this week, so
31:02
Speaker 2: thank you for making the time for me.
31:03
Speaker 1: Oh No, I love to plump all these positive things together,
31:07
Speaker 1: and I think it's just a time where you're like,
31:11
Speaker 1: I'm going to look back on this week and reflect
31:14
Speaker 1: on what a positive week it was. But I also
31:18
Speaker 1: want to say that not every week is perfect and
31:22
Speaker 1: I've learned that this week. Like I've had moments where
31:25
Speaker 1: I've been very sad my father's not going to be there.
31:30
Speaker 1: I was thinking about being this age and not having
31:32
Speaker 1: a partner when so many of my friends are bringing
31:34
Speaker 1: their significant others. I'm a strange for my sister, so
31:38
Speaker 1: she won't be there. So all these areas of your
31:43
Speaker 1: life where you feel like you're lacking, even if you're wrong, like,
31:46
Speaker 1: they are brought to the surface, and it is good
31:50
Speaker 1: to deal with them during the happier times as well
31:53
Speaker 1: as the tough times, because they are going to wear
31:56
Speaker 1: their ugly heads. But I just run through it. I
32:00
Speaker 1: deal with it. I think about it. I think about
32:04
Speaker 1: how much I miss my dad and my sister. I
32:06
Speaker 1: think about how nice it would be to have a partner,
32:10
Speaker 1: but also the wonderful benefits I have in my life.
32:13
Speaker 1: I'm not held responsible to anyone. I get to do
32:17
Speaker 1: things independently in my way, which better or worse can
32:21
Speaker 1: be a positive. And life is not meant to be perfect.
32:25
Speaker 1: You're meant to make the most of what you're given
32:27
Speaker 1: in this crazy world. And I try to do just that.
32:31
Speaker 2: And that takes perspective right, Like it's not as though
32:36
Speaker 2: you're not entitled to have feelings about all of those things,
32:40
Speaker 2: like you are allowed to wish that your dad was here,
32:45
Speaker 2: or feel some kind of way about the fact that
32:49
Speaker 2: you don't have a partner at graduation, or that your
32:53
Speaker 2: sister is not there, Like this is just a part
32:55
Speaker 2: of life. You wouldn't be human if you didn't have
32:57
Speaker 2: feelings about these things. But for you to so beautifully
33:01
Speaker 2: articulate your perspective and the gratitude that you have despite
33:05
Speaker 2: that circumstance, that's really important and such a really really
33:09
Speaker 2: great takeaway for anybody that's listening to this.
33:13
Speaker 1: And that perspective is usually hindsight right when you're going
33:18
Speaker 1: through the emotions. Of course, you try to ride above
33:21
Speaker 1: them and take a bird's eye view, But I also
33:25
Speaker 1: give myself some slack, like it's okay to cry, be
33:28
Speaker 1: sad about this and then let it go because it's
33:33
Speaker 1: outside of your control and you really have to focus
33:36
Speaker 1: on all the wonderful positives that are going on. And plus,
33:41
Speaker 1: like Taylor said something yesterday at graduation that really resonated
33:45
Speaker 1: with me, like you can carry so much more of
33:48
Speaker 1: the good things in your life than you can with
33:51
Speaker 1: the heavy and toxic things. They take their burden, They're
33:54
Speaker 1: harder to carry, they are heavy load. Where the positives
34:00
Speaker 1: it feels like they're unlimited to what you can carry,
34:02
Speaker 1: you can carry like all those wonderful friendships, relationships, aspects
34:07
Speaker 1: of your life where it takes one or two negative
34:10
Speaker 1: parts and you really can feel like you're drowning.
34:14
Speaker 2: Definitely, definitely right now for you when you look back
34:22
Speaker 2: on the humans of New York aspect of that moment
34:27
Speaker 2: in your life. I'm sure there were a lot of
34:30
Speaker 2: individuals that reached out to you and talk to you
34:34
Speaker 2: about your story.
34:35
Speaker 3: Can you talk a little bit about what that was
34:38
Speaker 3: like for you?
34:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, I will say I had so many fears about
34:47
Speaker 1: that story coming out. I felt like I was a
34:52
Speaker 1: very fortunate person and I didn't have a right to
34:56
Speaker 1: be that sad, or that I should have be more
35:00
Speaker 1: positive and more grateful for all the positives in my
35:04
Speaker 1: life that outweigh the things that are making me incredibly sad,
35:07
Speaker 1: and I didn't want to be judged for that. So
35:10
Speaker 1: there was massive contemplation and fear prior to finally telling Brandon, like, Okay,
35:16
Speaker 1: I'm okay with you releasing this, but the love I
35:20
Speaker 1: received was just overwhelming. It really I don't think I'll
35:25
Speaker 1: be able to compare to anything in my life. I've
35:28
Speaker 1: had people reach out from so many different areas of
35:30
Speaker 1: my life, and not only that, my dad's life. Like
35:33
Speaker 1: students he taught. I had three or four students reach
35:37
Speaker 1: out to me and say that your father is the
35:40
Speaker 1: only teacher that did not make us feel different because
35:43
Speaker 1: of our backgrounds when he taught us in the Bronx.
35:45
Speaker 1: And to hear that is so validating and just made
35:49
Speaker 1: me so proud to be his daughter. But it definitely
35:56
Speaker 1: reaffirmed that it's okay to be yourself. It's okay to
35:59
Speaker 1: let people know when you're sad, and it's okay to
36:03
Speaker 1: tell people when you're not okay. You will find support
36:07
Speaker 1: and the people that aren't willing to support you probably
36:10
Speaker 1: aren't worth your time and effort. I'm fortunate that I
36:13
Speaker 1: didn't really have that problem. I was so supported. But
36:17
Speaker 1: Umans of New York is a very special platform where
36:20
Speaker 1: they're for whatever reason, seems to be no negative energy around.
36:24
Speaker 1: I think Brandon does such a great job of sharing
36:26
Speaker 1: people's stories and just bringing them to positive light.
36:30
Speaker 3: For sure.
36:30
Speaker 2: I mean, I was just yesterday scrolling back through so
36:33
Speaker 2: many of the comments of so many people saying that
36:36
Speaker 2: they could see themselves in your story, and what a
36:38
Speaker 2: beautiful opportunity for you to connect with so many other
36:41
Speaker 2: individuals who have also run through trauma at this point
36:46
Speaker 2: in their lives. So as we cap off things here,
36:50
Speaker 2: the final couple of questions. One, what sneakers are you
36:53
Speaker 2: running the most in these days? I, like most people,
36:58
Speaker 2: love my Nike vapor flies.
37:00
Speaker 1: They are just phenomenal. I remember when they came out
37:03
Speaker 1: before the New York City twenty nineteen marathon and then
37:07
Speaker 1: I prd with them at that time. Ever since then,
37:11
Speaker 1: I've just kept them with me.
37:12
Speaker 3: Do you have a favorite song on your running playlist?
37:15
Speaker 1: Oh? Man, Oh that's a tough one. Okay, let's see Gucci, Fendi, Praduct,
37:21
Speaker 1: Merk and Cremont and all Changemokers.
37:24
Speaker 2: Final question for you right now, you have an opportunity
37:29
Speaker 2: to offer yourself a piece of advice Back when you
37:34
Speaker 2: started with running, back when you were still working through
37:38
Speaker 2: the emotions that go hand in hand with losing one
37:42
Speaker 2: of your best friends.
37:44
Speaker 3: What is it that you tell.
37:46
Speaker 1: Yourself, Tirdra put one foot in from the other. It's
37:50
Speaker 1: going to be Okay, you've got this. You don't realize
37:54
Speaker 1: the support system you've around you utilize it until then.
37:59
Speaker 2: Just keep running, Jess, keep running. Deirdre so so grateful
38:03
Speaker 2: that we can make the time for this. Let us know,
38:05
Speaker 2: Let the hurdlers know. How do they follow along with you?
38:08
Speaker 2: How do they keep up with you? Give us the details?
38:12
Speaker 1: Uh, you can find me on Instagram. My handle is
38:17
Speaker 1: my first name, middle initial, last name, so it's Deirdra
38:20
Speaker 1: m keene and I'm doing a fun adventure this October
38:24
Speaker 1: which you guys should follow around follow me on. I'm
38:28
Speaker 1: doing the World Marathon Challenge, which is seven marathons on
38:31
Speaker 1: the seven continents in seven days. So, my god, I know,
38:36
Speaker 1: I know. It's been something that has been on my
38:39
Speaker 1: bucket list since twenty eighteen. I always wanted to find
38:45
Speaker 1: a time in my life when I was able to
38:47
Speaker 1: do it. And last year when I really hit that
38:50
Speaker 1: depression and fell in that hole, I was trying to
38:53
Speaker 1: find ways to climb out, and two ways that I
38:57
Speaker 1: thought would be helpful would be getting a dog, signing
39:00
Speaker 1: up for this World Marathon Challenge. They're not the reasons
39:04
Speaker 1: why I got out of the hole. I work through it,
39:07
Speaker 1: I seek professional help and I gave myself time. But
39:12
Speaker 1: they have both been incredible. My dog is now my
39:15
Speaker 1: new best friend here in the background. Yes, lady Gray,
39:18
Speaker 1: you're my best friend. And the World Marathon Challenge is
39:21
Speaker 1: something I'm so excited for. We start in Antarctica. From
39:25
Speaker 1: there we go to South Africa. Then we go to
39:29
Speaker 1: Australia and Perth, and we do Dubai for Asia, do
39:34
Speaker 1: Madrid in Europe, we go to Brazil for South America,
39:38
Speaker 1: and we finish in Miami in North America. And that
39:42
Speaker 1: is supposed to be October twenty fifth to the thirty first,
39:45
Speaker 1: So stay tuned to see how Deirdred does.
39:48
Speaker 2: Oh my god, just there's some questions that need to
39:55
Speaker 2: happen before I let you go for the World Marathon Challenge.
39:59
Speaker 2: Can like anyone's and just pay to be a part
40:01
Speaker 2: of this, yes, So you.
40:04
Speaker 1: Have to prove that more than likely you would be
40:06
Speaker 1: able to complete it. And I think Richard Donovan, who
40:10
Speaker 1: is the race director, he kind of looks through your
40:13
Speaker 1: race history to see have you done a marathon before?
40:16
Speaker 1: Is a great start. But when I told him, I
40:19
Speaker 1: think I had done thirty plus marathons at that time.
40:22
Speaker 1: That I wanted to sign up. He was like, yes,
40:26
Speaker 1: that seems reasonable. I think you would be a reasonable
40:29
Speaker 1: candidate to complete this.
40:31
Speaker 3: Wow.
40:32
Speaker 2: And so you just like pay the cost and then
40:35
Speaker 2: they coordinate all of like where you stay and getting
40:39
Speaker 2: you from A to B.
40:41
Speaker 3: Yes.
40:41
Speaker 1: And then so between pain myself and finding corporate sponsorship,
40:47
Speaker 1: I've been doing a mix of both to pay for
40:49
Speaker 1: the full cost. But they have a chartered plane that
40:54
Speaker 1: takes us from every location, so there's kinably be like
40:57
Speaker 1: thirty runners. The race started twenty fifteen. Obviously there was
41:01
Speaker 1: a pause the past two years with the pandemic, but
41:04
Speaker 1: it's a good mix of like pro athletes like Ryan
41:07
Speaker 1: Hall did it in twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, and then
41:11
Speaker 1: like the average show like myself, but everything is set
41:15
Speaker 1: up from food, medical aid, flying and we just kind
41:19
Speaker 1: of have to tie our shoelaces and start running every day.
41:24
Speaker 3: Oh my god, how do you feel about the idea
41:26
Speaker 3: of running in Antarctica?
41:28
Speaker 1: I feel better after this last winter. I so I
41:34
Speaker 1: knocked with the cold, I've rainods, my fingers become numb,
41:39
Speaker 1: and then I lose sensation when I'm cold. So I
41:41
Speaker 1: was terrified of the idea of running on an antarcticad
41:45
Speaker 1: but I started running through like the worst of the winter,
41:48
Speaker 1: and I went to Colorado this winter and it's an
41:51
Speaker 1: alpine running. I'm like, if you're dressed appropriately, have heat packs,
41:55
Speaker 1: like it is manageable. If anything, I'm more fearful for
42:00
Speaker 1: all the war marathons because everywhere else is coming fairly warm,
42:04
Speaker 1: like seventies to nineties. Yeah, being dehydrated for six days
42:09
Speaker 1: in a row, like you're losing not only water but electrolytes,
42:13
Speaker 1: that's a little more concerning for me. So I'm looking
42:16
Speaker 1: for have.
42:17
Speaker 3: To get you hooked up with some element packs.
42:19
Speaker 1: That's okay, wonderful. I'm looking forward to like a lot
42:22
Speaker 1: of heat training this summer New York City ninety degree weather.
42:27
Speaker 3: So excited to follow along with you.
42:29
Speaker 2: We will have to reconnect leading up to it and
42:32
Speaker 2: after it, for sure.
42:34
Speaker 3: Best of luck, my thank.
42:36
Speaker 1: You, thank you, I appreciate it.
42:39
Speaker 3: And congrats again on such a cellar week.
42:41
Speaker 2: You can make sure to follow Hurdle over at on
42:44
Speaker 2: the socials at Hurdle podcast and I am over at
42:47
Speaker 2: Emily a Body another hurdle conquered.
42:50
Speaker 3: Catch you guys next time.