Latest / C Tolle Run / 463: Dakotah Popehn - I Want To Run As Fast As I Can
Transcript
- Carrie Tollefson: Before we get started today, I wanted to give a quick shout out to the amazing team at Shocks. They gifted me these: a pair of their limited edition Chicago Marathon, co-branded. Open run Pro 2 headphones while I was in Chicago for the marathon, and I was so excited. They are so pretty and friends, they are still available. I love that you can listen to your music or your podcasts while you are out on the run and you can still be aware of what's going on around you. Check these out. They are so cute. They are beautiful. They're blue with a little bit of gold. You can see them right here. I love them. You can head on over to shocks.com and go shopping. They're still available. And then you can listen to Dakota and I on the run. Thanks so much again, Shocks. Hey everyone, I'm Olympian Carrie Tullifson and welcome to the CTALIRN podcast. Today we have one of my favorite Minnesota runners back on the show, Olympian herself, Dakota Popane. Dakota is coming off another Chicago Marathon where she ran a personal best of 224-00. That's 224 flat. She finished 12th overall and was the second American woman right in front of her Minnesota Distancy Elite training partner and C Tally Run guest, Elena Hayday. Super excited to recap Chicago. Chicago, but there is also so much going on in Dakota's life. She is writing a book. She's continuing to grow as an athlete. She's enjoying married life with Montana. She travels, she's golfing, she's doing all the things. And you know what is really cool is that she loves watching her teammates get after it in life and on the run as well. We're gonna catch up on all of that, including what she's learning about herself and how she wants to keep. Cranking down that time and keep getting after it. So, thank you so much for joining us today, and let's get after it. Carrie: Dakota, you're back on Sea Tally Run. Dakotah: I am so happy to be back. We were just talking. I'm not it's been a lot like a handful of years at least since I've been on C Tally Run, which feels criminal because we could have done this literally on the run. Carrie: I know I think we should do it weekly, to be honest. And when you're ready, we could just Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: talk about that. But yeah, I mean, lots has changed. I mean, obviously, still once an Olympian, always an Olympian. So we're always there. but you're you're just like knocking time off every time you tow the line. So I was right at the finish line at the Chicago Marathon, and I got to see you, and it was just so fun. 224-00. I know it might just burn just a little bit. But tell me about that. Big day, twelfth overall, second American. Really a strong performance again. You still you excited, happy. What's the feeling? Dakotah: Yeah, I mean a little bit of everything still. I I certainly am disappointed, like this is I think my fourth time running t in the two twenty fours, which I think is like kind of my average day now. And if two twenty four is my average day, that's a pretty good place to be. I'm just really, Carrie: Yeah. Exactly. Dakotah: really wanting to have my breakthrough race that I feel like I have had coming for a while. But Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: given, you know, like the conditions and I very last minute have I've well, for like about the last year, have been dealing with nerve pain in my hamstring, but I d it wasn't until about ten days before the Chicago marathon that I finally realized what was happening. So given the conditions of the weather and also the conditions of my body, I'm I'm okay with it. I'm okay with the two twenty Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: four. I would have loved to be two tw twenty three fifty nine, but It is what it is. I'm just happy I Carrie: I thought you were Dakotah: got so I thought so. I saw fifty eight, to be honest. When I crossed the finish line, I saw fifty eight. So Carrie: I did too. Dakotah: I don't know, man. I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to see a slow mo replay. Carrie: Dig into that Well, even I think I'll have to zoom in, but I think that you are crossing that finish line and it looks on my c on my picture that it's under. But I know like Dakotah: Niet ja. Carrie: maybe where you were standing in line at the start line, all that stuff matters. But tell me a little bit about the hamstring. Like what do you think that's what's going on? Dakotah: Yeah, so it actually I noticed it for the first time in Chicago last year. I have Carrie: Uh-huh. Dakotah: this thing where I've been having to like run on a certain side of the road to keep my hamstring from burning and I've thought it was a muscle weakness issue. I thought like my ham my right hamstring wasn't as strong as my left. And I kind of casually brought it up to my chiropractor that all of Minnesota Distant Elite sees. He's the greatest chiropractor on the planet. that I was kind of getting anxious for Chicago because when it starts to burn I start to lose track of where my foot is. And he goes, You silly girl, that's not that's not burning, that's nerve pain and you're you're f you can't feel your foot. And so Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: it took almost a year for me to realize what I've been going through. but now that we know I have some sort of nerve impingement somewhere, I think by my piriformis. Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: you know, I've now I'm able to put some, you know things together. I've never known what nerve pain felt like, but now I do. So Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: now we can take care of it and get back on the right track so that I I can feel my right foot when I'm running. That's gonna Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: be quite the quite the blessing when I have that back because even in the marathon I started to have like the hamstring issues around mile four. So pretty Carrie: it's that early. Dakotah: early on I started to wonder like, I hope I can finish today. And so it it kinda comes and goes a little bit. So Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: there were times that it was fine and times that it really started to struggle. But overall I'm just glad to, you know, see the finish line. Carrie: Yeah. I know going in there were, you know, thoughts of you being able to run low again, like close to two twenty. two twenty two was what you kind of were thinking, but then you scaled it back to two twenty three pace, right? Like, Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: where where do you think your ceiling is right now? Yeah, I mean, maybe we don't even have one, right? Like as athletes we hardly like Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: we don't like to do that, but like d where do you think your fitness and your training points you to? Like where do you think you can run? Dakotah: Yeah, when my body is all connected and everything's feeling right and my hamstring's not acting up the way it has been, I can really comfortably run like five eighteen, five nineteen. So I think I can run under two twenty when I can get my body right. I think the issue stems from like we are trying to grasp every small percentage. So I'm trying to run the most amount of mileage, run as fast as I can, and we're just trying to get all the juice out of every squeeze for sure. Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: And so I think sometimes you need moments of rest and periods of recovery, which this was a big year. Like I I don't think that running three marathons in a year is like what's best for me and for my performance. But my love of the grandma's marathon will never hold me back from getting on that starting line, unfortunately. Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: So, I think n you know, now that our sights are really set on twenty eight, now we really have to start thinking about, you know, the Olympic trials over anything else that I I'll take some time to make sure I can get, you know, my body right and then work on some speed, top end speed stuff to get me to get me to a place where I can actually run the full twenty six miles at that pace. Carrie: Yeah, and I feel like, you know, you put it out there and you are very, you know, vocal about your goals and that you have this awesome belief in yourself, which is I think why everyone gravitates to you so much, is that it's fun to hear somebody actually say it. It's it's okay to say you're proud of yourself. You believe in yourself, and we love that about you. but I also think like there there are moments that you understand like versus or let's talk about Sharon Laketti. She had to run this flat fast course because she knew for her career this needed to be done. And I think when I look at you as an analyst and as that big sister type gal in this group that we both run have run for, I feel like you have been talking and wanting to hit that time. And I I do think that's important to you. You've won races. You've made that Olympic team. And I think now it just comes down to the point that you know you're ready for this. So like where is it Chicago for you that you think it's gonna happen? Where do you think like when you dream about the next couple of years? Cause it's coming up. So where do you feel like you have to do this? Dakotah: Yeah, I think Chicago's like obviously the best bet and I love this idea that the USATF champs are going to be there next year Carrie: good. Dakotah: because I think that rising tides floats all boats and it's just gonna bring a lot of talent to Chicago and a lot of a b hopefully a big group of women who are trying to run really, really fast. Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: and so I think that I mean obviously we gotta see where the wind takes me. But Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: you know, I'd love to go back to Chicago and try to do it there. I think that it's such a fast course when you run it right and and get and get a good weather day, like As a Minnesotan, we you know, it's cooled down here like the last month. So when we had that sixty degree morning, Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I I was that's why we ended up pushing my pace back to two twenty three is because obviously we've lost some heat acclimation with it being in the forties up here. So I feel like the heat kind of held a lot of people back and really made everybody suffer in that like last out and back. So Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I think that going back to Chicago on a nice cool day will be the place Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: that happens. Carrie: Yeah. What do you have you been doing differently? Like this race seemed like it went pretty well. I mean, you did your job and you were one of those top Americans. You ran a new PR. what do you think you can do differently? Dakotah: I think The thing that suffered the most in this training block was stopping at grandma's and having, you know, to obviously do a full reset after that. I'm somebody who really has to work on their top end speed to be ready for a marathon. Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: I can grind all day long. Like I can go out Carrie: We know that. Dakotah: Yeah, I can go out and run a 28-mile run at sub-six pace, no problem, Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: and then go golf 18. Like I Carrie: Ha ha Dakotah: like I have no problems with that, but I need to really have time in my block to focus on my speed, which I had to skip this go round because because Carrie: Wow. Dakotah: I'm crazy and I just had to win the marathon. but yeah, I mean so that'll be the thing that we definitely slow down and like work towards for my spring marathon. Carrie: Okay. Yeah, pulling back a little bit and and mapping out your your years a little bit differently. let's talk about Chicago a little bit in the sense that you're being chased by your teammate, Elena Hayde. And, you know, having some fun there. So tell me a little bit about what that was like, you know, you being in the big sister role, being in Chicago again with your teammate. and also just kind of tell us about the race. Like, did you ever see Elena out there? Were you always in those two different packs? We didn't get to see a ton of the women's race on camera, which is always unf or the American side especially is always unfortunate. But tell me about your race. Dakotah: Yeah, so unfortunately, yeah, never really ran with Elena. I do think her fitness Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: is in a place where she could have. I think if it hadn't been warm, we would have worked Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: together more. I think our fitness is very similar. She just felt a little less confident in the heat, which know thyself and I'm proud of her for Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: you know, being able to listen to her body that way. But it I really just ran with Rory the entire time just staring, you know, staring at his luscious locks. and he did a really great job pacing and was super positive and when things started to blow up for me around like twenty two Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: twenty one. He was just like eco mode. He was trying to just keep me from like hemorrhaging pace and trying to like keep he he knew how badly I wanted to go under two twenty four also. So he was really willing me. He did everything he could to get me there. the legs just didn't hold up. But it was super fun to be there with Elena and I think it's really special what Minnesota Distance Elite is doing right now. since Boston of twenty twenty five, we've had the second American in every United States based major. So I think we're kind of somehow under the radar, which is super fun and I'd love to see like there's been so many great Carrie: Always always said. Dakotah: progressions. Yeah. I think that like Alina doesn't didn't receive the acknowledgement she probably should have going into Chicago. Chicago and now, Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: you know, having run again 224, hopefully she'll start to get that going forward. And it's crazy to be like the big like the big sister on this team because when I joined and you know it was Heather Camp and Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: Megan Payton, those were kind of like I always call them like the grandmas and Carrie: I know. Dakotah: now I'm the grandma. I'm the one who takes a long time to warm up and I'm the one who needs to slow down you know, on the warm ups. And like really I don't know, I feel like this old sage woman and even today I was saunaing with Kaylee Kaylee Hughes and I was Carrie: Uh-huh. Dakotah: giving her all this marathon advice because it was top of mind from Chicago and as she's about to debut in her her marathon in New York, it Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: just feels really special to be the person who I get to like I get to share all this wisdom to all Carrie: So fun. Dakotah: these younger athletes. Carrie: I know, I saw that you called them out, Annie and Kaylee, and you're like, okay, you guys just turn in New York. And I totally agree that our team is a little bit on the underdog type thing, but It was fun when I was giving NBC my picks. I said, obviously I think we need to talk talk about Emma Grace Hurley. And I said, Elena Hayday is someone I think. Those two stories are big stories, and I thought that would be interesting. I said my safe bets would be Dakota and Susanna Dakotah: Mm-hmm. Carrie: Sullivan. I said, and Natasha Rogers, like you three are just consistent and always a great story as well. But I thought that Elena's story does need to be told. She works very hard. She's, you know, full-time student and research all the things that she's doing. And she's trying to chase you and Annie. And she's doing a great job of of doing it. Dakotah: Yeah, for sure. And I think because she's so busy, you know, like I think people kind of just go, she shows up to races and then she just goes off and lives her life. But she's like doing a lot. She's getting her doctorate, like she and I'm gonna mess it up. Like neuroscience. Yeah. Yeah. Carrie: Yes. Studying neurological. Yeah, neuroscience. It's just and I mean those of you who listen to see Tally Ron know that she was just on the pod, but if you're new and just listening 'cause of Dakota, which we love to, go and listen to her podcast with us because it was amazing to hear. And she gave you so much love and and just there's a really cool vibe going on at Minnesota Distancy League right now. Dakotah: Yeah. And I think that that is also something I'd love to reiterate. Like, I see on other teams and I hear about it on other teams that like sometimes the team aspect doesn't work for everybody because there is like the feeling of fighting for resources or fighting for spots or whatever. And we just don't have that somehow. And I mean, I it's par partially Lundo and his great coaching and his like Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: fostering of an environment that doesn't allow that. But Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: it's also I'd say us as personalities. Like when Annie beats me in a workout, I don't really care, you know? Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: And like I I am just excited for her and I'm trying Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: to like just keep up as much as possible or if Elena out kicks me in a four hundred, I'm just doing everything I can to keep up. So it's Carrie: Yep. Dakotah: just like a beautiful we have a really beautiful environment right now on Minnesota Distance Carrie: You do Dakotah: League, and I think it's really causing us all to be better athletes. Carrie: For sure. Do you know that Elena's runs 60 seconds for the quarter? Then and it was like Dakotah: That's so fast. And I believe it. Carrie: that's what got her into the sport. So she's like gonna try and do an all out quarter one of these days to get under 60. I think maybe it's 58. Maybe I'm wrong. She might have like been like noticed when she ran her 60, and then she's gotten down to 58, but I just think that's so fun. Yeah. She's speedy. That's great. Dakotah: I I believe it. When we do quarters, I make her give me like two or three seconds. Yeah. And then I'm fighting for my life and she usually will still beat me. So Carrie: I love that. You know, there is so much history here in this state. Even even we had another woman that ran two twenty nine thirty, Amanda Mossberg. Do you know Amanda? Dakotah: Mm-hmm. yeah, so she was like a training partner with Minnesota Distance Elite for like a minute, and I think maybe her job made her unable to train with us. But I would love if she was showing up to practice. But Minnesota, we produce such great athletes. Not to toot our own horn, but Carrie: I know, it's weird though. I toot I toot it's hard all the time. I'm like, what is with it? I mean, even just in the industry itself. Like, you have people that are, you know, like Kara's on TV with me. Like, Dakotah: Mm-hmm. Carrie: you have people that are in the shoe companies. It's just like a weird, it's very weird how little our state seems at times, but how how much it's just, you know, it's like an octopus. There's just like people everywhere. Yeah. Dakotah: Everywhere. Yes, for sure. I mean I think our grittiness has to do with it. Like we're I feel Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: like as Minnesotans we're gritty because we just have to survive such harsh environments. But also Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: for whatever reason I think we produce very hard working people. Carrie: I do too. Dakotah: you know, like that Midwest kind of like just get her done mentality. Carrie: Yeah. Yeah, you definitely have that. Okay, so talk a little bit about the book. Because that Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: has you told me a little while ago that you had, you know, some big announcements. but this is gonna be big. Lots I was with you a little bit this weekend in the in the couple times I was with you, so many people were like, I can't wait for your book. It was really cool. So Dakotah: Mm. Carrie: you excited about it? Was it fun? Was it hard to write? Like tell me all the things. Dakotah: it was everything. I've Carrie: Hmm. Dakotah: never done like traditional, super traditional therapy or anything. but it felt very very much like therapy for me. Carrie: Really? Dakotah: And my ghostwriter, Brett Whitter, he I should have paid him to be my therapist along the way because we put together so many things in my life that he was like, you see these connections, right? Like the reason Carrie: Mm. Dakotah: that you're like this today is because of these things that happened to you when you were Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: a child. So it was super exciting at first. Like I was super excited to get a book deal and I chose Brett. Surprisingly, I thought there was no chance I'd ever choose a male to help me be to help Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: me write this book. And got on the phone with him. He's written really great stories about women who have gone through really hard things. So just felt like a really deep connection to him and like knew that he was gonna like treat my story with a lot of care and be very gentle with it, which was super Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: awesome. But yeah, once I got started, it got really, really hard. Number one, because I'm pretty introverted, and so spending like hours and hours on the phone every day was pretty pretty difficult. But also Also because like I'm tell I t I tell the hardest stories of my life. Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I things I've never even talked about, things I had to share with my dad for the first time. things Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: that Montana didn't know about me. so that part now, it's very fun to have the book out there, but now I have the realization people are gonna read it and now Carrie: Yes. Dakotah: I will be talking about those things so much more. And I it's gonna be good. Like I know that these are stories that need to be out there because I think that they will help a lot of people. I think it'll help a lot of women. but it was hard. It's very scary now to think that other people will know what used to be my deepest, darkest secrets. Carrie: Hmm. Yeah, I mean, not that not that I'm excited for that, it to know that you went through pain, but also I am I'm looking forward to having young women be able to relate and to hear that you are not just this amazing runner, but you we all know you're this amazing person, but to think that you've gone through a lot and you've been able to overcome so much just by towing the line when we know you're caring a lot. Dakotah: Yeah, and I I think it's important too because we all carry heavy things and all hard things happen to everybody. And if you've gone through life and you're like, My life has been rainbows and butterflies, like go stay inside a box and never go back out into the world. Like I'm so Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: jealous. But I think sharing hard stories and honestly, like I need to give a nod to Kara Goucher, 'cause like reading her book Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: f for the first time was the first time that I was like, I I could tell my story because I'm seeing other women tell their really hard stories. So I hope that, you know, if it doesn't inspire somebody else to write a book, at least it inspires other people to talk about the things that are hard. Because if we carry them alone, these hard things, they're so much heavier. But by putting them out there and sharing them with people that you love, they become lighter. Carrie: How hard was that conversation with Montana when you're like, I think I wanna write this book and I have to tell you there's things that I need to kind of let everybody know in order for me to really heal. Dakotah: Yeah, it it was hard for him not not because like these things happened t well, not because like I was sharing these things, but because they happened to me. So when he read the Carrie: Yeah. Yeah. Dakotah: book for the first time, like Number one, I've known him for four four or five years and he's never read a book and he read my book all in like one sitting. Literally one sitting, on a like a Carrie: I'm sure. I'm sure. Dakotah: Sunday. And I saw him smile, I saw him laugh, and I saw a lot of tears too. So Carrie: Mm. Dakotah: I think You know, he he just felt very sad for some of the things that I've gone through. And he's gone through hard things too, so if anything, like it just opened more dialogue for for us to have like a deeper connection and a relationship that way. But yeah, it was really cool to see him read it and also to see him cry because he's not really a crier and he's gonna hate that I'm talking about this. But I was like, Yes, we got him. Carrie: love him. I do. He is just such a good guy. And I think the world of running just has fallen in love with him as well. You know, when he proposed at the Olympics and just like, you know, some of us did know that you would were going through things and he really came into your life at the perfect time and just I mean, really kind of reignited the spark. Dakotah: Yeah, for sure. I mean I've I've run my best running since meeting him, obviously. And Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: not and now and that he's probably gonna listen to this. I don't want him to have Carrie: No. Dakotah: too big of a head. but I think I think that he was a big part of that. And just Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I don't know, like not that you need somebody else to make you whole, but he definitely adds Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: a lot to my life and Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: Keeps me very grounded and you know, makes things not so serious. and brings a lot of light Carrie: So fun. Dakotah: and life to my life. Carrie: Well, you do the same to him. I mean, I know that you guys got your new house and you you Dakotah: Uh-huh. Carrie: you got him that little toy of his. He's got his gulf simulator, Dakotah: No. Carrie: so he's pumped. Dakotah: I know, yeah, yep. I'm gonna be a two sport athlete pretty soon. see if Carrie: Mm, yeah. Dakotah: Low will will sponsor me in golf as well. But yeah, he's I yeah, you're right. We've added a lot to each other's lives and yeah, we're happy to have bought a house together finally and Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: now we get to do all the fun renovations. As soon as we get off of this call, I'm going back to painting my bathroom since I've been doing nothing but marathon training since we bought this Carrie: Yeah it Dakotah: house. So I'm gonna take advantage and finally get rid of my mustard yellow bathroom. Yeah. Carrie: You did that l after grandma's when you won too. You went home and instead of like it was like Sunday. The race Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: was on Saturday, right? Is that right? And you were on Sunday already painting. Dakotah: Yeah, yeah. And we've started painting. Yeah, 'cause the guy who sold us his house, it's a great house. We think it's beautiful. his paint choices were questionable at best. So this has been an ongoing project. Carrie: I love it. I you you don't you tackle everything. Hey, we've mentioned your golf game a little bit. Tell me what your what what do you score on a golf game? Dakotah: I can get it right around a hundred. I've never broken a hundred, but like one two, one five, which is not very good. So and I'm very aware of that. Carrie: It is it is good. Dakotah: it's it's just enough to be like fine at it. Like I don't hold up the game at all, but I am Carrie: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Dakotah: I I duff it every now and again for sure. Carrie: So you golf and then I don't know, I can take this out if we can't say it, but you're also doing something else coming up. you can. Dakotah: I can say this, yeah. I yeah, I'm gonna be joining I'm going to try to do high rocks for the first time in in Tampa. So that's in like two weeks or something, not enough time. Carrie: So what? And tell me who you're doing it with. Dakotah: I'm doing it with Randy Zuckerberg. Her and I have become Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: good friends over the last few years. And Carrie: huh. Dakotah: she does just the craziest things like Coca-Dona 250. She'll Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: do all these crazy like FKTs. She'll run, you know, a marathon at midnight in New York. Like she does just the weirdest, Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: craziest things. Her and I are very similar in that. Carrie: Uh-uh. Dakotah: but she's done a handful of high rocks and talked me into it somehow. so she's correct. Yes. So they're gonna do male yes. Carrie: my gosh. And her husband and Montana are gonna do it too. Are you guys competing against each other? I can't remember how that worked. Okay, mail. Dakotah: So they're gonna do like there'll be partners and then we'll be partners. Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: I couldn't I couldn't ever be synced up with Montana because then you have to do the men's weight. And Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I simply don't think I could ever push whatever it is, three hundred and fifty pounds or whatever on the slut, Carrie: my gosh. Dakotah: which is crazy. I don't even know if I'm gonna be able to push to women's weight. So Carrie: you're gonna be great. It's gonna be so fun. Dakotah: It's gonna be lot of fun. it she assures me that it's a running race. Like at the end of the day, Carrie: No Dakotah: runners are the people who are good at it. So we'll see. but it's all very casual because the only real goal d there's two goals. Have fun, don't get injured. And I Carrie: Yeah. Yes, exactly. Randy's been on the show as well, and she does have some epic adventures out there. Yeah. Dakotah: She's amazing. She's literally like her mind I would love to get inside of it and hear what's going on. I know all. I know. Carrie: And how she does it all. I mean, you know, I don't know how she does it all. But you I think I I can see you heading to that world of ultra maybe down the road or some trail stuff. What do you think? Dakotah: Yeah, I well I certainly I actually really wanted to take Des fifty K world record this year. It just didn't it didn't work out on my calendar. But we Lundo and I have already talked about it. It is something that I'll I'll try to take after the Olympic trials or the Olympics, whichever. hopefully Carrie: Okay, yeah. Dakotah: the after the Olympics, but I do it almost on every like long over distance long run. So I Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: just need to go do it on like a certified course essentially. And then yeah, I would love there's something super intriguing about like a hundred miles to me. And someday I'd love to do Cocodona, but that's like very far past my career. Carrie: You just love to run. speaking of strength training and stuff, we when we were talking before we hit record, you know, you are doing some cool stuff. Like you do your altitude tense, but back home here you do a lot of newer things. I mean, sauna training has been part of it for a while. Not when I was really I actually used to take baths all the time after my runs because I just was a bathwoman. Like that's what I did growing up and I still love to take baths. So I kind of was like thinking, the warm water for me is better than cold. tubs which now they kind of say could be true. So I was a little ahead of my game. But you do all these things. Let's talk Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: about some of the things you've added into your training in the last few years. Dakotah: Yeah, so sa Sana's probably the one I'm most consistent with. I'm super Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: lucky to have it's essentially just like a fishing house with a wood burning stove out back so I can get that going anytime I want. Carrie: That's so cool. Dakotah: Yeah, it's super nice to have. I do sleep in an altitude tent at about eight thousand feet most nights after a marathon it Carrie: And Montana just sleeps in there with you. Dakotah: So I have now I have a head it's called like a head bivvy. So it just goes from essentially like my rib cage up and it's just me in there. We Carrie: Mm-hmm. Okay. Dakotah: have both slept we have like a full altitude tent that goes over our bed, but our dog sleeps in bed with us now. Yeah, we can't kick him out. He just he literally will snuggle up like in our arms at night. So what are we supposed to do? He can't he can't be up there. Yeah, he Carrie: Yeah I know it's so hard. Dakotah: can't be at like 9,000 feet with me. So I bought this little head bivy. thing. Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: that's another part of my training. I do have an ice bath which I I don't like I don't it's not the part of my day that I'm like, yes, I can't wait to ice bath today, but Carrie: so hard. Dakotah: I just go in for like three minutes, usually after a nap to try to like wake up a little bit before I start getting on. Carrie: my gosh, Dakota, that is like torture. Dakotah: I know, but it does get me out of like when I take a nap, I kinda get into like a nap hangover where I have a hard time turning it back on and like being a functioning human again. So the the Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: ice bath kind of like zaps me out of that. Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: gosh, what else do I do? I feel like I Carrie: Do you do you s take your naps in the head thing? Dakotah: Sometimes, like right now I won't, but if I'm in true marathon training, I will. just to get like the extra forty five minutes or hour if I'm napping for them. Carrie: Mm. And you can have your arms in there so like you could read or no? Dakotah: You can, yeah, yeah. It's pretty spacious. If anything, it takes up way more than half of the bed. So poor Montana's like on the edge of our bed. but Carrie: Ha ha. Dakotah: Yeah, so that that's another another tool for sure. But I just feel Carrie: My gosh. Dakotah: like I try to get like every ounce out of my training. Like I Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: don't wanna ever look back and be like, gosh, I wonder if what would have happened if I had done this or that. Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: So essentially anything that I see that has a lot of you know, good science behind it, I'm trying to do in Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: my training. Carrie: But it's interesting that you ran your PR this time without going to altitude training. Dakotah: Yeah, I I've never been to like when I do do altitude training, I haven't been what's the word? I haven't done my blood testing regularly enough to know how how beneficial it is for me or not. Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: but I think sleeping at altitude is like g good enough for me, I think. but Carrie: Mm-hmm. I see. Yeah. Dakotah: I do enjoy altitude and I I do believe we'll go back to Utah this winter to you know, number one get out of Minnesota, but also trying to get a little extra benefit. Carrie: Yes. Get a little boost. Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: what excites you right now about the running world? There's so many cool things happening. There's some young folks that are, you know, coming up. We're watching Emma Grace Hurley kind of tackle a lot of the different distances. I think that's exciting for me to see that she's finding joy in not only the marathon, but the five K and the half and all that stuff. you know, we're we're watching a lot of different things happen, but you obviously have always stayed kind of that consistent steady eddy up there in the results. So what excites you right now? Dakotah: Well, I was gonna I was going to say Emma Grace just because she is so versatile and I saw an interview saying like she thinks she'll only do one marathon next year. It's like, how didn't you get bit by the bug? Like I I can't imagine not doing two a year. so Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: we'll see. I'd I'm gonna believe that when I see it personally. But I just think just the competitiveness that I I think we're seeing slowly happen amongst like the world stage for American women. I feel like the men have kind of been there for a little bit, especially in the marathon, Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: but I think we are turning a corner where we can start to be competitive on a world stage and Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I just feel like the men and women, the American men and women, kind of go back and forth. Like the women are do really well and then the men do well. And right now it's fe felt like the men have been doing really well since the Olympics. And Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: I think we're gonna start to see the women catching back up. Carrie: I think so too, with the drive that you all have and kind of the friendship. It seems like there's a lot of really tight women there right now that are trying to help each other. I mean, we see that on the men's side too. We saw, you know, Clayton and Charles and Vinny all working together in the Chicago Mirror thing. And that was one of my favorite things. I saw Clayton and Vinny having a moment at the very end, 'cause that's where we were sitting right at the finish. And it was so cool to see this young guy like looking at one of his idols, right? Like, this Dakotah: Right. Carrie: is someone he's looked up to for a long time. long time and I could just see it and he just even said thank you so much for everything. And then I see like you standing there and waiting for your teammate Elena and she's just so excited and it was one of the best spots. Like I didn't know if I was gonna love being back down out of the booth out or out of the studio this year. I absolutely loved it, Dakota. It was the Dakotah: It was Carrie: coolest spot. Dakotah: It was super fun to cross and you'd be right there. And I was like, hey, and then I realized you're probably on live TV. And I was like, my gosh. Yeah. Carrie: Yeah. I I was and I didn't care. I said and then I I think I commented on something. I was like, I'm sorry if I blew out everybody's ears and my mic was hot because I was cheering so loud for my girls. Dakotah: Yeah. It was so fun. It was so fun to see you. And it's just like I that's why I'm excited for them to host the the USATF champs next year's 'cause I think it'll be bring in a larger contingent, hopefully, of Americans. And it's just so fun to all run together and like push each other because Carrie: Mm-hmm. Dakotah: Anybody who's run a marathon knows it's not really you versus the person next to you. It's you versus the distance until like mile twenty four. So Carrie: Mm. Yeah. Dakotah: I think it can really help us all run a lot faster. And I loved gosh, I love Chicago so much. I loved crossing that finish line, you being there and Allie and Lindsay, like the in the Carrie: Yes, yes. Dakotah: Kara in the booth, like or up at the studio. Like I just feel like Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: they've done a lot to elevate that race. Carrie: Yeah, and they keep a lot of us in the sport, which is you know, doing other things. I think they appreciate that, which is really cool. you're gonna run grandma's again this year, or at least you're gonna be there. I will prefer be there yet. Don't know what we're gonna do. Yeah. Dakotah: I will for sure be there. Yeah, so my book technically gets released June twenty second, but I'm going to make sure that we have a bunch of books for early sale up at grandma's. Carrie: Up in Duluth. Okay. Dakotah: I will not be doing the full with a hundred percent certainty, just because Carrie: Okay, yeah. Dakotah: we are will be going into that Olympic year, but I will do the half. we'll see at Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: what type of level because there's kind of a lot going on between you know, my book being released and also I'm starting a charity team with the American Carrie: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Dakotah: Cancer Society for grandmas. So I'm sure we'll have some events going on that that will Carrie: That's what I was wondering. That's what I was gonna ask about your charity team. What what entails? Do you still have space? All of that. Dakotah: Yes, so Connie's crew is a name. Connie is the name of my mom. Carrie: It's so nice. Dakotah: So it's an honor of her with the American Cancer Society. We do still have bibs. I think I have unlimited bibs. So come on, come all. You know, raise your way into the full, the half, the 5K, whatever. grandma sold out in record time once again, to nobody's surprise. So instead of, you know, trying to get your bib through a transfer, it's super easy to just you know, fundraise and then you're running for more. as well and I'm certain that we'll do something where we're all getting together up in Duluth in some capacity for for Connie's crew. So Carrie: And they're probably gonna get a book? Dakotah: Yes, that will definitely be an easy an easy thing to do also. So Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: I'm I'm super excited. It's gonna be like probably the craziest year ever at Grandmas for me, but it'll be a lot of fun. And I just can't imagine anywhere else to release my book. Carrie: Yeah, I know. Dakotah: truly my book was supposed to come out in like October of next year and sometime in like June I was like, wouldn't it be really fun if I released my book, you know, for grandmas and my publishing house was like it's like an impossible time. timeline but we will figure it out to do it for you. So Carrie: that's so cool. Dakotah: they they've been just super awesome. Carrie: I can't wait to read it. before I let you go, we gotta do a couple little run dots. And these ones are very easy. I'm not going real hard on you. So Dakotah: Okay. Yeah. Carrie: these are the run or rapid fire. I should say run dots, rapid fire. sauna Dakotah: Love it. Carrie: or cold plunge. I know it. Sauna. Yes. Late Dakotah: Sana Carrie: day or pool day? I don't know. I think I think I know this one too. Really? Dakotah: Ooh, I'm more of a pool day. Carrie: You would have I would have gotten it wrong. Dakotah: I d depends on the lake. Like sometimes we get the green algae and stuff. I don't know. I just I'd like to know what's under me. Carrie: Yes okay. I see, I see, okay. Golf or pickleball? Dakotah: that's a tough one. Probably golf, 'cause it's better for me. Carrie: Okay, I I I we gotta play both, but I I think I'm gonna wait on the pickleball. I'd rather go golf with you because I get nervous with pick a ball. Yeah, I'd stay away from that for the next couple years, please. Okay. Dakotah: Yes, that would be fun. I've been in I've injured myself playing pickleball before. Unfortunately. So Yeah. Carrie: Lipstick, because we have seen you wear the stain, or lip gloss. Dakotah: Yes. Ooh, more of a lipstick if it's a stain. Like I like I like the dry feeling versus Carrie: Yes. Dakotah: the gloss. Carrie: Did you wear any during this race? Dakotah: no I didn't. I was very I hardly brought any makeup in general to Chicago. I packed really well except for my like toiletries. I didn't even drink to toothpaste. Luckily Montana did. Carrie: Well, yeah, we we will get that for you for sure. Dakotah: Yeah. Carrie: okay, fancy dress or comfy sweats? Yeah. I know, I Dakotah: comfy sweats. I love to live like this. Carrie: do too. Cook dinner in or head on out. Dakotah: I mean head on out every time. Especially especially if we're ordering Huh. Carrie: I know, but who can afford it these days? I said, who can afford it these days? It's crazy. it's so good. And it takes Dakotah: I know. We we live like a mile from a Chipotle, so we're bringing Chipotle home twice a week at least. Carrie: you you got you said you either have to go uphill or downhill, so you're gonna have to do either one. So you get a little workout going to and from. Okay, beach Dakotah: Totally, yes. Carrie: vacation or mountain adventure? Because you do all of the adventures. Dakotah: I know, we had such a travel heavy year. I think I like the beach though. I like to relax. I'm such a go-go-go person. I need to chill Carrie: Mm-hmm. Relax. Yeah. Dakotah: more. Carrie: And no no vacay after this this marathon. This is kinda your MO is to go do that. Dakotah: No I know every I was like everybody thinks we're like these just absolute travel junkies. It was a crazy year of travel. We went to Switzerland and Ireland and Portugal, Carrie: Yeah. Dakotah: but that's not like our norm for sure. Carrie: Yeah. Okay, okay. So gonna be home just painting and doing some things. That's good. Okay. Dakotah: Painting, yeah. Carrie: Would you rather have a Minnesota summer or a Minnesota winter? Dakotah: Minnesota summer. I'm never here for a Minnesota winter. Yeah, definitely. Carrie: You get the hack out. Yep, I'm with you. I mean, I just wonder sometimes if you miss being on the ice. Dakotah: no, not as much as I miss the sun and the vitamin D. Carrie: Okay. Okay. Now this one I thought would be interesting. Are you a window seat gal or an aisle seat gal? Dakotah: I am a window seat, which is perfect because Mont Montana's an aisle seat. I I like to Carrie: yeah. Dakotah: lean up, I like to be out of everybody's way. I don't Carrie: Me too. Dakotah: go to the bathroom on planes unless I'm gonna die. So Yeah. Carrie: Yes, me too. I'm with you. And I also like to be able to lean. You better Dakotah: Me too. Carrie: watch out if I'm on the aisle, 'cause I might just lean on you. I'm sorry. dance Dakotah: I'll be leaning anyway. Carrie: party in the kitchen or karaoke in the car. Dakotah: karaoke in the car where nobody else can hear me. Carrie: I don't know, I think it'd be fun. Sweet or salty? Dakotah: Sweet all day long. I have such a sweet tooth. Carrie: Okay. okay. Manicure or pedicure? Dakotah: manic character 'cause I don't have a lot of toenails. Carrie: I don't either. And when they do the scraping on the bottom, I can't handle it. Can Dakotah: I don't like it. Carrie: I don't either. I laugh and then I'm like, this is it hurts it's stop. Okay, let's just be done with it. Okay, Dakotah: I know. Carrie: better title. This one I didn't know for sure. Author or Olympian? Dakotah: I mean Olympian, but author's like really close. You know. Carrie: Yeah. I know it's gonna be so fun. It's gonna be so fun. win a major or set an American record. Dakotah: it's not an American record. I mean either one, yeah, for sure. Carrie: Either one. You could say both. You could do it either one. Win Chicago in the American record next year. Done. Dakotah: Totally. Like I'm not gonna turn down either, but I Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: just love running fast. I'm a s I I'm like a race car. I just wanna go as fast as I can. Carrie: Yeah. Okay, so the book is gonna be available potentially up in Duluth. Dakotah: Yes, otherwise it's available for pre-order anywhere that you order your books. You can go to my Link Carrie: Okay. Dakotah: Tree in my Instagram bio. and yeah, you can order wherever wherever you order your books. You think this hurts? Carrie: And the title is Ooh, okay. Lady, I gotta mention you're wearing them right now. We gotta we gave a Dakotah: Nice. Carrie: shout-out to Shocks, but this is the beautiful box you get, and you are a longtime ambassador and you know, wearer, whatever you use say, of Shocks. You love them. So thanks to Shocks for supporting you and supporting us. Dakotah: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, if you're looking for headphones running, I can't imagine a better one that you can hear everything but also hear your music. And also when you're around your house with your husband. This way he's not like screaming at you while you're doing like whatever whatever projects you're working on. Carrie: Yes, yeah, I love it. Well thanks so much. Congratulations on everything. Becoming an author, doing great again in Chicago, and can't wait to see what's next. Dakotah: Awesome, thanks so much for having me on. Carrie Tollefson: Thanks so much for joining me today on CTALIRUN. My guest was Dakota Popane. You can find her on social media at Dakota Lindworm. I think one of the coolest things about Dakota's journey is that she's never stopped believing in herself, but also figured out how to enjoy the ride along the way. I'm excited to read her book. I'm excited to see what's next in her running. And of course, I love following her adventures with Montana. And a special thank you to Rundot for supporting CTollyron and for producing this show. Andrew Harley and Sarah Bernie are our awesome producers on three different podcasts: the Try Dot Podcast, the Rundot Podcast, and of course CTollyRun. Also, big shout out to Shocks. Go get your earphones. Go to shocks.com and get your limited edition Chicago Marathon Shocks headphones. I love them so much. Okay. Most importantly, if you are listening, if you're watching, or you continue to support CTALIRON, I love sharing these stories with you and I appreciate you being part of our community. So please head on over to Ctolyron.com slash review and leave us a review there. And check out us on social media. We're at Carrie underscore Telefson and also at CTallyRon. Until next time, keep on running, you guys, and remember to get after it.