Latest / The People Run Podcast / #47 How Kara Built a Life Through Running | Kara Dudley

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#47 How Kara Built a Life Through Running | Kara Dudley · The People Run Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: I went to school for dance and theater and was very creative growing up.
0:04
SPEAKER_00: I was voted most musically inclined in high school.
0:07
SPEAKER_00: I was like the lead of all the high school musicals and plays, and like that was what I was known for growing up.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: And I never played sports.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: I think I played basketball for one season and got really bored.
0:19
SPEAKER_00: Um, and just never felt very athletic growing up.
0:27
SPEAKER_01: Cara, welcome to the People Run podcast.
0:30
SPEAKER_01: Appreciate you uh joining on.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: For those listening, I'm just gonna add this.
0:34
SPEAKER_01: We did not coordinate this whole sweater thing here.
0:36
SPEAKER_01: It just kind of happened.
0:37
SPEAKER_01: Um a little chillier on my end.
0:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sweater season, I guess.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: But um, Kara, looking at your story, you took some pretty big leaps with uh coaching, business, life, work.
0:50
SPEAKER_01: Walk me through that turning point and moment where you're like, I'm changing everything.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, starting with the hard-hitting question.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, you know, I always joke that I feel like I've lived 10 different lifetimes in the past 10 years of my life.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: There are so many different eras of Kara, and um, a lot has changed.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: Like looking at my life from when I first moved to New York uh about 13 years ago now.
1:19
SPEAKER_00: I would have never imagined what my life looks like now.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: But I would say the big uh a few big turning points, but probably the first one was 2020.
1:31
SPEAKER_00: I I went to school for dance and theater and was very creative growing up.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: I was voted most musically inclined in high school.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: I was like the lead of all the high school musicals and plays, and like that was what I was known for growing up, and I never played sports.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: I think I played basketball for one season and got really bored.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, and just never felt very athletic growing up and didn't necessarily want to be.
1:56
SPEAKER_00: Um and so I moved to New York to pursue dance and acting and all that stuff.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: Went to college for it, moved here immediately after.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: And I put in a good four years going for it and kind of committing to that lifestyle of just hustling and working in bars and networking and meeting people and putting myself out there and auditioning.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: And I figured out that it just wasn't the lifestyle that I wanted.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: I loved the work and I loved when I was booking things and in plays and all of that.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: And it made me so happy.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: But I quickly realized that I was only happy for like five percent of the year, and the other 95% just felt like an absolute grind.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, you know what?
2:42
SPEAKER_00: I want to feel happy for like 80% of the year.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: That would be a goal for me.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: So I worked at WeWork for about five years, which was awesome until it wasn't, but um had a really amazing, just like coming of age story in New York, like at really cool parties, meeting really amazing people.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I was constantly around entrepreneurs all the time working at WeWork.
3:08
SPEAKER_00: I managed about, I think, eight different buildings throughout like Brooklyn and in Manhattan, and you know, it's it's big buildings of shared office space.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: So I was just constantly having conversations all day about people with big ideas that were just like someone I was passing in the hallway.
3:26
SPEAKER_00: And so I think I was just constantly inspired in that um scenario without even kind of realizing that all of that like entrepreneur spirit was kind of rubbing off on me.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: And um, and I've never been good at listening to people.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: I've just always thought that I I don't know, I I love following my own ideas and visions for things.
3:48
SPEAKER_00: I've always been that way.
3:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I worked at WeWork for a while and I managed the building.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: So I was heading up a team of like 10 to 30 people um at different buildings, and I was in charge of like sales, operations, hospitality, anything you could think of, I was in charge of of like running the business of the building.
4:10
SPEAKER_00: And it was so fun.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: I loved that job.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: It was just like everything I've ever wanted to do, and I never would have thought that would have been it, but it was it was really fun and really interesting and fast-paced.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: And um I I worked there for a while.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: And then when Adam Newman, that whole falling out, happened.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you've watched the documentaries or there's a lot of news out there.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: It was crazy.
4:34
SPEAKER_00: And they kind of gave us the opportunity to stay on um or to take six months of severance, and it was COVID.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: So this was like, I think it, I think it was March actually, March, between like March and May um of 2020.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: And I had actually had a lot of health issues at the time where I was thinking about I would have maybe had to go on leave um for for the things I was going through, anyways.
5:01
SPEAKER_00: And it just kind of felt like it was the universe like handing me this huge gift to be like, get out of here, go do something else.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: So I took the six months of severance, and that was the first really big shift in my life where I was like, okay, um for me to figure out what the heck I want to do next.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: And I never sat down and was like, I want to be a running coach.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: I like I don't even remember thinking that ever.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: I think it happened so organically throughout the years, and I think this was, you know, 2020 was before it was like cool to be a running coach or like a lot of people wanted to do it or whatever.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: It's like I just always knew that I had a love for movement and I'd gotten into running.
5:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, I guess this was 2016, so a few years before.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: And at WeWork, like there was no real running community that I was surrounded by.
5:55
SPEAKER_00: Like, I I knew one other person out of all of my friends that was a runner.
6:00
SPEAKER_00: So I was like the runner girl, and I wasn't even really doing, I hadn't even run a marathon yet.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: But everyone just knew that I liked running.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: And so people would come to me and say, like, Kara, can you coach me to do this thing?
6:10
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, no, like I'm not a coach.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I just had enough people say that to me over the years that I was like, oh, maybe like that sounds like something I would really love to do and think I could actually be good at.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, I've always loved helping people, that's always been what's driven me in life throughout different phases and different careers and all of that stuff.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: I've just really wanted to make uh to feel like I'm making an impact on people around me and in a meaningful way.
6:39
SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, oh, I think I could help other people that are interested in this.
6:45
SPEAKER_00: And so I, this is so me, if you know me, that I just use that severance as like, I'm gonna sit down nine to five, I'm gonna go to this coffee shop every single day, head down, and just like figure this out.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I got my RCA certification, which is just like the tip of the iceberg of everything you need to learn to be a coach.
7:08
SPEAKER_00: But I did that, I set up a website, and I remember like the first day that I was like, okay, start launch, I was like, where is everyone?
7:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like oh, I feel the whole thing, and then you're like, oh wait, I actually have to go like meet people and promote myself and have experience and and you know, all this stuff.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: So I just spent the first year um not uh charging anyone for coaching and just coaching people for free just to get the experience of it and to like really feel like I could um be confident walking in and saying, I I know what I'm doing here and I have the experience.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: Um and I started working at Mile High Run Club, um, which I thought was like the coolest thing in the world at the time.
7:52
SPEAKER_00: And it was really cool, but it was just, you know, people that I had always looked up to were the instructors there.
7:57
SPEAKER_00: And um I started teaching classes there and I started meeting people and this and that.
8:03
SPEAKER_00: And you know, fast forward a couple of years, I now had built this thing that um I I had runners that I was working with, and the way that my brain works is that I'm always like, how can I make this better?
8:20
SPEAKER_00: How can I provide like the most value possible to these people?
8:24
SPEAKER_00: How can I equip them with like every single thing that they would need to be the best?
8:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so over the years started adding like strength programming, got certified to be able to do that, got certified to be able to talk about nutrition and fueling for runners, started adding that in.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: I now just got like a mental performance um certification.
8:47
SPEAKER_00: So now I'm working that into things.
8:49
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's really become built out over the years.
8:52
SPEAKER_00: And I do it full-time now.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: And that was something that took years to be able to get to that point and was never really planned.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, my boyfriend Ned, long story of the relationship stuff, which we'll get into too.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: But um, he's a coach also.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: And we were friends for a long time before we started dating.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: And we always talk about this, but there was one, we like had coffee one day to talk about like one-on-one coaching, and he was doing it and I was doing it.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: And I just remember we sat down and we were like, there would be no way to do this full time, like it would just have to be so successful and go so well that like you could do that.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was shocked when you know, one day I was like, Oh, I think I could actually take this leap of faith.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: Um but yeah, that's that's the long story, sort of short.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: And now I've been doing I've been coaching for six years and have built something that I'm so proud of, and I feel like is a really, really good product and hopefully encompasses like everything that someone would need as a runner to be good.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's it's awesome, but yeah.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: Well, first off, congrats, because that's hella work.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: And to be successful.
10:05
SPEAKER_03: Let me tell you, it is.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: Um no, congrats, and I want to take it back a little bit.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: So when you started all these people that we were coming to you for coaching, what made them come to you?
10:17
SPEAKER_01: Was it like, hey, I know she runs, I just saw her do a marathon, it was your personality?
10:21
SPEAKER_01: Like, how did that start?
10:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've just always been pretty outgoing and bubbly and the person that's like talking to everyone in the hallway.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I think that I've just always had such a love and a passion and like a deep commitment to running that I think that it is probably exuded when you talk to me about running.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I think probably the passion for it and the excitement and the like, uh, I will do anything to get my run in kind of spirit was something that was very obvious to the people around me.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Like I would go on like girls' trips with my friends and everyone would be out drinking and hung over the next morning, and like I would be drinking and hung hung over, but then I would go run like five miles.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: So I think that that kind of thing was like what people started to understand about me.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: Can't I be remiss if I did say this?
11:09
SPEAKER_01: Shout out to the We Work kombucha because I've been at We Work Okay, yeah, that's a tap.
11:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're tap.
11:16
SPEAKER_01: Tap, I I you just took me back a little bit there.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: Um Were you always that confident in the years leading up to like the coaching business?
11:26
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, it's hard to start, but like you start with one cert, you get another cert.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: Like, was there ever a moment where you're struggling with the confidence in like how big this is gonna get, um, or the outcomes, if you will?
11:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
11:37
SPEAKER_00: And I never thought about how big it was gonna get or like where where things would lead.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: And I think I've always kind of been that way.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: Like I've always dreamed very big, but I I feel just very present of like I just want to be really good at this next thing, and like I'm never thinking 10 steps ahead of for goals.
11:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, what's the next goal?
11:56
SPEAKER_00: And then the next and the next.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I think the confidence thing, I don't know.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: I think uh, like I said, I I've I think I've been used to being in sort of like a leadership role, maybe for a lot of my life in terms of like um, you know, being the person that is at the front of the dance class and like kind of leading everyone, and the one that's uh, you know, teaching dance classes, and I was a church camp counselor, and um I did choreography a lot in school too, which I feel like is just kind of leading a big group of people.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: So I feel like I've always kind of found myself in these like pseudo-leadership per uh positions, and I've always felt very like natural at that and I've just loved it.
12:42
SPEAKER_00: And so I think like that gave me the kind of blind confidence that it requires to start something like this.
12:49
SPEAKER_00: And it's not like I've always felt so confident in my abilities.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: I think it takes so long, it takes years to feel like okay, I I can really a hundred percent feel like I can stand behind everything I'm saying and and and I believe myself.
13:04
SPEAKER_00: And it's not like there's never any um imposter syndrome, but it's it's very, very minimal compared to like what it was in the beginning.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: And I think a lot of that too is being a female in the space, and there, you know, being so many male coaches that are revered and and well known.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: And I think it, you know, it doesn't even matter that it's running or coaching or anything.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: It's just like being a woman in general, it's always harder to fight for a voice in a space.
13:31
SPEAKER_00: And I do think that a lot of We work was taught me to be a proud, confident female voice in the room and to speak with authority and to almost like overcorrect to be like more confident that I would have to be in a little bit like I don't know, express more expressive and standing behind all of the facts and the presentations and all this kind of stuff to be able to prove myself.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: So I think something I've maybe I've just been practicing a little bit my whole life.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah.
14:00
SPEAKER_01: No, I get it.
14:01
SPEAKER_01: Um I similar to you, I've been in a lot of leadership positions, and it takes me back what you just said to my time in Florida.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: I had all these like mentorship programs for like my whole team was women, right?
14:12
SPEAKER_01: And I'd be like, nah, go in that room, screw those guys, like you own this building, like who cares?
14:20
SPEAKER_01: You just took me back to that, which is a crazy uh reminder, but hey, yeah, that's important.
14:26
SPEAKER_01: Have you found like challenges, you know, being to your point, right?
14:29
SPEAKER_01: Like you often hear about I'll just be frank and admit, like male coaches, like not really much you hear from like women coaches, but you yourself, you're building a brand around coaching.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: Um, have you found challenges in that space?
14:42
SPEAKER_00: I think the biggest thing that I've noticed.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, we do this really amazing women in coaching panel every year with Erica Stanler.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: And so I've met so many amazing women coaches, and it's it's kind of an amazing place to like process that and to be able to hear others' experience.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: And so I feel like actually this year, I kind of for some reason I just realized that most of the people that I coach are women, and that's probably because men may not trust a woman coaching them or think that this person, you know, even if it's not um conscious, I think.
15:19
SPEAKER_00: I think there's probably an uncon unconscious bias around that.
15:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think for me right now is like I I do want to work with more men, and it's I I think a lot of times people assume that I just work with women because I'm just like a cute, fun girl that's like has some like fun branding and and whatever that kind of stuff.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: But I I do want to work with men.
15:40
SPEAKER_00: I want to work with people that are you know shooting for faster times and BQs and all that stuff.
15:45
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's like maybe the biggest place that I I notice it in my experience at this point.
15:52
SPEAKER_01: Well, talking about confidence and and badass running, right?
15:56
SPEAKER_01: You have run all seven majors.
15:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh first woman to do all seven with the new seven star, if you will.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: At what point did that become real?
16:06
SPEAKER_01: Like you went from running starting 2016 to like, whoa, I'm just gonna do all seven majors.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so funny.
16:12
SPEAKER_00: So, my one friend, um, Mark Um Goldfinger, I have to shout him out.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: He was like the first, he was my only friend at WeWork.
16:20
SPEAKER_00: That was him.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, that ran.
16:22
SPEAKER_00: And he did the six stars at the time, and I'd never heard of it.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: Like, I wasn't part of the running community at that point, and I was like, that is so cool.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: And I love traveling and I love running.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, this is the like this was made for me, obviously.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: So I kind of just got it in my head that I wanted to start, you know, taking those down.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: And I think like back in that day, this was like 2017, there was no rush to do it.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: I feel like now it's like people start doing it and they're like, I have to finish this in a year, whatever.
16:52
SPEAKER_00: And it's, you know, back then I was like, I could take my whole life to do this if I wanted to.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: So I started with New York um and and slowly checked them off.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like when you do get to the last two, you're like, let's just get this done.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it did, it took me, I think, uh, maybe six years or so to get them all done because COVID was sprinkled in there and injuries and you know, all of that stuff.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, but then yeah, Sydney popped up, and I don't know, I I'd kind of decided last year that I just wanted to focus on the half marathon distance because I'd been doing marathons for so long and I love the marathon, it'll always be my favorite.
17:28
SPEAKER_00: But I was like, I should do something that really scares the shit out of me a little bit, and the half marathon has always been hard for me.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was like, let me do something that feels hard all year and try and get better at it and say no to the marathon.
17:42
SPEAKER_00: And then of course, this pops up.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: Um and I had to say yes.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: So, but I wasn't training for it.
17:49
SPEAKER_00: Like I was really training for the half.
17:51
SPEAKER_00: I was kind of like almost in like a base build, I guess.
17:54
SPEAKER_00: Like I was doing high mileage and I was doing workouts, but I wasn't doing any like crazy marathon workouts at all.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: I did like one 20-mile, or I did like two like long-run workouts that had like marathon pace in it.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Like I was not like ready on paper.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I didn't want to be necessarily for this one.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I was like, I bet I could run sub three because that would still be 10 minutes slower than my PR.
18:21
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I bet the women, I I just figured like I think I could finish first female, and that would be such a fun little like side project to work on.
18:32
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I was like, if if I'm not, whatever, but it would be so cool to just like try and do that.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: And of course, I have no idea what I'm going up against.
18:40
SPEAKER_00: Um and uh I actually met this woman in the corral.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: Her name is Robin.
18:45
SPEAKER_00: Shout out Robin if she's listening to this.
18:47
SPEAKER_00: She lives in Canada and she's man, she's this like badass mom that's like older than me, and she just ran New York it in 250, I think, like months before.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: And I and I'd run a flat, I ran Valencia in 250, was my PR at the time.
19:03
SPEAKER_00: And I actually met her, and that was her seventh star too.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, oh my god, I can't believe I met my competition for the day.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: Like it's gonna be me or her, I think.
19:11
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I did end up finishing before her um and did all of the like weird fact checking to make sure that I was the first seventh star finisher.
19:22
SPEAKER_00: And and I was, and it was so fun, and it was just like a cool little like goal that wasn't time oriented.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: And I I did PR.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: I had no idea that was gonna happen.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: Like I was shocked when I PR'd that day.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: Um and I got under 250, which was just something I was chasing for like a couple of years, and it's like, of course, the second that you stop trying to happen to hit that goal, that's the moment that it all kind of aligns.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: So it was such a magical day.
19:51
SPEAKER_00: It has to be like one of the greatest trips of my life was that trip.
19:55
SPEAKER_00: Um for sure.
19:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what uh led to you chasing 250?
20:01
SPEAKER_01: I saw some stuff, you know, you were chasing that for quite a while.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: Like, why that number?
20:10
SPEAKER_01: Correct.
20:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: That's the whole thing.
20:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, man, yeah.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: When I started this, you know, I ran 332 in New York.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: That was my first marathon.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: And I thought it was so fast.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: Like everyone around me was like, that is and it is, it's fast, but um comparatively, it's like so trippy.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then it took me years to run set uh like 320.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to run 320 really bad.
20:34
SPEAKER_00: That probably took me like two or three years, and then and then I this is when the drama comes in, but I I was engaged and um the ending of that engagement, it was like a six-month period of like seeing if it was gonna work, feeling really confused, not knowing what to do, like going to couples therapy, like trying to figure it out.
20:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: And I just kind of knew it probably wasn't the right thing.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: And so in that period of time where it was like my whole life was up in the air and I was trying to figure out what to do, I wasn't even thinking about it at all, but I just started getting like way faster than I'd ever been.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: And it's not like I was like anger running or like, I don't know what it was.
21:21
SPEAKER_00: It was just this, you know, I think this phenomenon happens sometimes that you go through something in life and your body responds in such a way that either you're like on your ass and you can't run, or you're like skyrocketed to the next level.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: And so that's what happened to me.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: And I throughout that training period, I was training for London at the time.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: That was the jump from like 320 to like 302.
21:46
SPEAKER_00: Um and I was like, this is crazy.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, I I'm like, who am I?
21:52
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
21:53
SPEAKER_00: I was like, I was a dancer that just like had never run their whole life and just kind of came to this like for fun.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: And so I I Would have never thought of myself as someone that could do something like that in my wildest dreams.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not the kind of person that's like, I'm gonna do make do that crazy goal.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm like very realistic with this stuff.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: So that blew my mind.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: And then I was like, okay, I guess I have to run sub three.
22:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm like right here.
22:16
SPEAKER_00: So I trained to do that.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: And my first sub three was 254.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: And then from there, I was like, okay, I guess I could just do like almost anything I set my mind to.
22:27
SPEAKER_00: Um, that's when I was like, okay, I think it there's like it's a little bit more limitless than I thought.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, and so from there you just kind of cut down and cut down and create these like small goals.
22:39
SPEAKER_00: So that's where that came from.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: But you know, it took me, I've been running for about 10 years now, and it's taken me such a long time and really hard work, like not easy.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: I didn't just show up to this, you know.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: It's like it took grinding and a lot of um consistency and years of just putting in the work.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't think I'm maybe I'm a little bit naturally talented, but not much.
23:03
SPEAKER_00: Like it, I'm leaning into the hard work side of things for sure.
23:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
23:09
SPEAKER_01: When did you realize, like, you know, obviously starting from 332, you're hearing it's fast, you get to the sub 250, like, yo, I'm kind of fast.
23:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm good.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm kind of good at this.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: Well, actually, the reason I started kind of getting into marathons was the very first.
23:27
SPEAKER_00: So I went through a different breakup in like 20.
23:30
SPEAKER_03: Oh damn.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, these are the two big ones.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: So we're talking about it, but um, that was like 2016.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: That was a very toxic and like verbally abusive relationship.
23:42
SPEAKER_00: It was very trauma to this day, like the most traumatic experience um that I've been through in like a relationship capacity, which is crazy because I've also ended an engagement, but that one was really bad and it left me super depressed um and like unable to get out of bed kind of depressed, um, which like doesn't happen to me anymore or since.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: But um I that that was kind of my like foray into training for something.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: I'd always kind of like ran for fun, but that's when I was like, okay, I think I like need to train for this half marathon to be able to like get out of bed in the morning consistently.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: Because if you give me a plan, like I'm gonna follow the freaking plan, okay?
24:22
SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, if I have a plan, I will do something.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: Um so I trained for that, and it was like Rockaway Beach, end of summer half marathon, which like if you know what that is, it's horrible.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: It's just like on boardwalk going back and forth and like 80 degrees in August, like insane.
24:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I was just on a mission, so I I finished fourth and my time was like 144.
24:49
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I was like, I'm fourth, like that is so fast.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: And that's when I first was like, oh my God, I I think I'm kind of good at this.
24:58
SPEAKER_00: Like I should keep doing it.
24:59
SPEAKER_00: And like now, I mean, you know, that time would not be fourth in like any other race, probably in New York, but it gave me like this sense of like confidence that I could do anything.
25:09
SPEAKER_00: And I think like, yeah, I think that was the very beginning of it.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: But then I think now was like, I think when I ran 254s and I was like, oh whoa, like I think I I could be like really good at this if I wanted to.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, and and good is so relative, it's like I think I'm really good at it now, and I thought I'll think I'm really good at it if I get five minutes faster and whatever it is.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, the confidence piece of it is really important.
25:38
SPEAKER_01: Do you think for you running is more of uh mental or physical?
25:42
SPEAKER_01: Because you kind of mentioned, hey, I could just run whatever the plan is.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: So it's like, hey, you go through these breakups and like, okay, I gotta break off my shoulder.
25:49
SPEAKER_01: I'm good now.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: I you know, I was just thinking about this the other day.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, of like, what's the point of it all for me?
25:58
SPEAKER_00: And it's always been the same point, it's just been to find freedom.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: And like that sounds so simple, but it's like when I'm running, I'm not connected to anything that's like back home or anything that's like I'm just like out in the world by myself in this in the present moment.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: And that is so freeing to me.
26:18
SPEAKER_00: And I think like that's always the feeling that I'm chasing, and whether that's connected to like an experience or a time or just being with someone or whatever it is, it's like it's always connected to like freedom for me.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can relate to that the freedom of like running.
26:38
SPEAKER_01: Everyone has their definition, but I can relate to that.
26:40
SPEAKER_01: That that's fire.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I guess that's the mental component and the physical part of it is like, like I said, I've been a dancer my whole life, and so I feel like this is my new like discipline to be able to like be consistent with something and to show up and to try to get better and all of that.
26:55
SPEAKER_00: And it's like what I think is cool about running is that you can just like keep trying harder and keep getting faster, and like you can't really do that with other sports.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: It's like I've been trying to be good at volleyball my whole life, like I just don't think it's gonna happen for me.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: But like to me, running is just so straightforward.
27:12
SPEAKER_00: It's like, oh, you just show up and you can get better at it, like that's awesome.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that has been my cheat code, I think, is just showing up and being consistent.
27:24
SPEAKER_01: Talking about showing up, how is it like you show up for your workouts and stuff?
27:29
SPEAKER_01: What's your style of care of training?
27:32
SPEAKER_00: I love working out with people.
27:34
SPEAKER_00: I always try to as much as I can.
27:36
SPEAKER_00: It's not always easy to do because I feel like everyone in New York has their own coach and their own program that they're following now.
27:42
SPEAKER_00: So it's really hard to get people to like give up what they're doing to align or whatever.
27:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:47
SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, Ned, my boyfriend, is my coach and I do whatever he says.
27:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm like the most co and I'm like, you just please tell me what to do, and like I'll do it.
27:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I really trust him, obviously, hopefully.
28:02
SPEAKER_00: But he's great.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: Ned has been running since he was five years old.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: He's a 225 marathoner.
28:08
SPEAKER_00: He's has such a beautifully like healed relationship with running, and that he's never so like tied to the outcome of things, or like just so level-headed and grounded about things that most people are not, as you know, they're kind of new to running and just experiencing the highs and lows of failing and winning and all this kind of stuff.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: So I think his spirit of just, you know, coming from a place of really well-roundedness with running is something that I always appreciate and I'm constantly learning from him.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: So, so Ned is my vibe in terms of training.
28:44
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I yeah, I love working out with people.
28:47
SPEAKER_00: I I prefer to work out with people.
28:50
SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, New York is so awesome to run.
28:54
SPEAKER_00: I we live very close to McCarran track, so we're always there, we're always running around Brooklyn and Williamsburg and whatever.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I love it.
29:03
SPEAKER_00: And and I'm very lucky in the job that I do, it's very flexible and I'm in charge of my schedule.
29:08
SPEAKER_00: So I prefer like a long coffee watch the Today Show morning before starting my workout.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, let me sit for like 90 minutes.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: I prefer like a 9, 10 a.m.
29:22
SPEAKER_00: start time, and then I'll probably just like lollygag until noon and then I'll start start my work.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: That's like my ideal schedule, but I do just kind of like gift myself my mornings because that's when I feel the most alive.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm such a morning person, so I'm I have to like give that to myself before I can give to others, I think.
29:44
SPEAKER_01: So we got part of the pre-routine.
29:46
SPEAKER_01: There's uh coffee.
29:50
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
29:52
SPEAKER_01: What what what are you having like in that enjoyment period before you even think about running like food-wise or just coziness of the house?
30:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, black coffee, Pop Tarts.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: I'm usually up a little bit before Ned, so I just have a little moment to myself.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: And then big warm-up routine.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: I've had injuries in my lifetime, so I'm very good about warming up now.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: Foam rolling, pre-run, all that kind of stuff.
30:20
SPEAKER_01: Damn, so you have a whole moment to yourself, like uh significant.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: I have a little high maintenance in the morning.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: Hey, it's earned nothing wrong with that.
30:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
30:33
SPEAKER_01: Kara, of all these races, or even the seven majors, like, was there ever one that you went, damn, this one's breaking me, or like I ain't coming back?
30:42
SPEAKER_00: I've never thought that.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: I've never thought I'm not coming back.
30:46
SPEAKER_00: I've wow, I've never thought about that before, but that is true.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: Um I think the one that broke me the most was so I did I did New York first, then I did all the majors, and then I was like, I'll do New York again as like a victory lap of everything to to celebrate.
31:05
SPEAKER_00: And um I I was trying to break 250 that year, and I just was injured, and it was I was like kind of pretending I was injured and just kept kind of like running through it for longer than I should have and thought it was okay until it wasn't.
31:21
SPEAKER_00: But um, so I showed up to the start line like a little bit injured, really burnt out.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Um, and something I've learned is that I need to do races that I'm not coaching a lot of people for.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: Like I I now tend to pick races that are like outside of the big majors of like uh New York.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: They really, you know, I have I live in New York, so I usually have the most people for New York every year.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: But um, I've realized that I have to like find these pockets of time that I can really focus on myself.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Cause if I have a lot of like calls in the week before and are thinking about other people's performances, it can feel hard to really separate yourself and really focus on yourself on the day.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: So I think there was a lot of that stuff going on.
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, I just like fully bonked at like 13.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: And if you bonk in New York, it have you done New York.
32:14
SPEAKER_01: It was my first one, like you, and I totally bombed it.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: Bonking sucks because it's like, okay, if you feel bad before Queensboro, it's just like it it's horrible, it just keeps getting harder once it starts getting hard.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: So it's a hard place to feel bad.
32:30
SPEAKER_01: You're hitting me in the heart right now.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: Queensboro is where I bonked.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: I think that's what I bonked too.
32:36
SPEAKER_00: Um, it was awful.
32:37
SPEAKER_00: So that that was like a bummer of a one.
32:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
32:40
SPEAKER_00: I do feel like I, you know, maybe get sad for like a day after when there's like a bad performance, but I feel like I am pretty good about just being like, okay, we're just gonna try again and like lessons learned.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: And that comes with like maturing as a runner, I think.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: Like I would not have said that the first few years of running for myself.
33:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, but at this point, it's like, you know, Ned, my boyfriend, says this a lot too of just like, if you just fail a lot, it's like not that hard to fail anymore.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: Like, you just have to get used to like what that feels like, and it's not the end of the world.
33:16
SPEAKER_00: And so I think my relationship with running has evolved so much over the years of going through periods of like feeling really confident, peering all the time, and then periods of like race anxiety and getting like super nervous to race in front of people.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: And then now in this period of like I'm feeling so balanced with it all.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: I think, and that's never ending.
33:37
SPEAKER_00: It's like I might go through another phase of you know having a lot of bad races, and it's like it's never, it's never the end of it, you know.
33:45
SPEAKER_00: You've never like figured it all out, and then you're like, okay, I'm really good at racing, or I always will have this great relationship.
33:50
SPEAKER_00: It's it's forever changing.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, but right now I'm in a pretty good place, which is I'm grateful for.
33:59
SPEAKER_01: No, I love that.
34:00
SPEAKER_01: And and well, shout out Nick because you said a lot of great things and insights there, like having that relationship running.
34:05
SPEAKER_01: Um you yourself, you you talked about a little bit, like getting a certification for the mental side of coaching.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm curious to ask you now, based on what you said, like how do you show up on race day now versus before?
34:16
SPEAKER_01: Like, what goes through your mind?
34:18
SPEAKER_01: Now through your experience now.
34:19
SPEAKER_01: The first one, everyone's like, oh my God.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: So I think the mental performance stuff, it became so obvious to me how important it is to people.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, that I coached because I feel like I just saw myself having so many conversations with people that I knew were really fit to be able to run what they could have done on the day.
34:40
SPEAKER_00: But then maybe they wouldn't have told me this, but I could put together, like, okay, it was them kind of shooting themselves in the foot, probably like an element of this.
34:50
SPEAKER_00: And that was another thing that I was like, wow, people need to know that this is something that is trainable, the mental side of things.
34:57
SPEAKER_00: It's not like you're either born with like a good brain or a bad brain.
35:00
SPEAKER_00: It's like there's techniques and and things that you can do and strategies you can use to be able to feel confident and to feel like you you can not hold yourself back mentally.
35:11
SPEAKER_00: Um so that was really important for me to be able to help the people that I coach with.
35:17
SPEAKER_00: But I think for me, actually, it was after New York that the one I just talked about, it was kind of it started a series of a bunch of just like bad races.
35:27
SPEAKER_00: And um it, I got to the point where I think being a coach in such a big, bustling, beautiful running community in New York, it's like people started to like know who I was and like watch my race results and like who knows if no one cares.
35:43
SPEAKER_00: But I felt that they were.
35:44
SPEAKER_00: I felt like I was being watched a little bit more and being put under a microscope in a way that I'd never felt before.
35:51
SPEAKER_00: And so I think I had to like really be able to create some space and some boundaries for myself to be able to enjoy it.
35:58
SPEAKER_00: So there was a good year that I was like, you know what?
36:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna do any races in New York.
36:03
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go find like random races, like upstate and like outside of the state where I like won't know anyone and can just feel really free to just race and to like fail if I want to and not have to feel like I have a lot of pressure to like do well or it will, you know, impact my business.
36:21
SPEAKER_00: If I don't run fast, will people not want to work with me?
36:23
SPEAKER_00: And these are all like crazy thoughts, but like things that go through your head.
36:27
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I feel like I went through a good like year and a half where I just kind of had to put myself in like a different racing scenario to be able to really enjoy it again.
36:38
SPEAKER_00: And so now I'm in a place where I'm like having fun and I feel like I can race in New York and I don't feel the pressure anymore of like I have to be great or whatever.
36:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it took a lot of changes of and I still prefer to race other places, by the way.
36:52
SPEAKER_00: Like there's something so magical to me about like being somewhere where no one knows where I am, like they'll know where I am because I know what race I'm doing.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: But to me, it's like I'm kind of like in Australia, I was like, I'm on the other side of the freaking planet right now.
37:05
SPEAKER_00: Like it something about it feels so special to just like have that moment totally to yourself.
37:10
SPEAKER_00: So that's one of the things that is important for me racing.
37:14
SPEAKER_00: And um, so just maybe the like this the set of conditions of like where you're at and and who knows about it, and not telling everyone what races you're doing, what your goals are.
37:25
SPEAKER_00: Like that's something that's does feel uh I do feel protective over a bit.
37:30
SPEAKER_00: Um and then the other thing, you know, reading books, and and I say this a lot to the people that I work with is like you can't just like expect to read one book once and then be like super good at the mental side of running.
37:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, you kind of have to always be training it like you're training the physical side of things.
37:52
SPEAKER_00: And so that's why like what I did with the mental performance cert that I got and just like learning and understanding and studying, researching, and all that kind of stuff myself is I do weekly uh mental performance calls with the people that I coach that I'll sit on a call and talk through a different like technique or something like that.
38:11
SPEAKER_00: But it's every single week for 30 minutes.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: And so my idea with that is like, yeah, like you'll learn, but it's like this is always gonna be top of mind.
38:17
SPEAKER_00: And if you're training for an 18-week marathon block and you're thinking about this stuff, everything that's how you make an impact, I think, in what you're doing.
38:25
SPEAKER_00: So whether it's something like that or like reading books throughout a training period and reading them slowly, like um, you know, reading one chapter a night and really letting it like sink in and practicing those things in your workout the next day.
38:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think just having it around all the time is really important.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: And something that's helped me a ton over the last year or so is um meditation.
38:47
SPEAKER_00: There's um some really cool headspace um meditations around like sports performance and training, and they're just like 10-minute things that you can do once a day that just teaches you to be super present and not to like jump 10 miles ahead and all that, you know.
39:05
SPEAKER_00: So I think that stuff of like the finding a way to be present in the moment is probably what has helped me the most.
39:13
SPEAKER_00: And that's a process.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: It's you know, it's like you can't just like will it upon yourself.
39:16
SPEAKER_00: It takes time, it takes like weeks, months, years to feel good at it.
39:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, and and I'm still practicing all this stuff for myself all the time.
39:26
SPEAKER_01: No, I get it and wholeheartedly agree.
39:27
SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's a constant practice is something I like myself enjoy.
39:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, you tell me blow up tomorrow, and then boom, there goes all the training out the window.
39:38
SPEAKER_01: Which is what can happen.
39:40
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
39:42
SPEAKER_01: What do you find, you know, now that you've been doing it a while with athletes and stuff, what do you find most people like think about or struggle with when it comes to the mental side of running?
39:51
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: I think there's like maybe two facets of it.
39:56
SPEAKER_00: One is I think it's so easy to compare yourself now to what everyone else is doing.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, I don't know, it's it's been really interesting because when I first started coaching, I feel like there's not been uh the running side of social media that there, you know, back then in 2020 that there is now.
40:15
SPEAKER_00: It's like now you can pop on and see a bajillion things.
40:19
SPEAKER_00: And even if you're someone that's like, oh, that doesn't affect me, like it does, it affects everyone, even if you're not aware of it.
40:25
SPEAKER_00: Um so it's I've noticed athletes over the years more and more being like, oh, but this person is doing this and that person's doing that, and like comparing themselves.
40:35
SPEAKER_00: And it's funny because like I'm on calls a lot with people, so it's really interesting to see the trends like upfront like that.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that was something that I was really aware of of like, okay, there there needs to be a lot of just like reminding that you're on your own journey, and like a one plus one does not always equal two when it comes to running.
40:55
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's just so many different elements of why someone is successful or not, or whatever it is.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: So that, and then I think that I don't know, I think people can tend to um underpredict how hard a race should be.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel like there's um, I don't know, an expectation that like you train really hard for a marathon and then you get to marathon day and it should feel like you're jogging the whole time.
41:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
41:23
SPEAKER_00: You've trained so hard.
41:24
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, yes, there are some unicorn days like that that you get.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: Like I've I've had two that I can think of off the top of my head out of many, many races.
41:34
SPEAKER_00: But it's like most of the time, it's like it, it feels really hard.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's like figuring out how to accept the pain and to get inside of it and to um say yes to the struggle of it versus trying to resist it and thinking that there's something wrong.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: And that's, you know, our uh what we were coded to do as human beings is to see running as something that we should be afraid of and as a fight or flight response.
42:00
SPEAKER_00: So it's like we have to override our own human coding to be able to run into the pain and not away from it.
42:07
SPEAKER_00: So I think that's probably like the biggest thing that I think could really change a lot of people's running.
42:13
SPEAKER_00: And I think new runners too.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: I think that's probably a really big thing is of just like not knowing what to expect when it comes to like the pain of the marathon or whatever distance that you're doing.
42:24
SPEAKER_01: Kara, I'm at New York City Marathon.
42:27
SPEAKER_01: I just got to the start line.
42:28
SPEAKER_01: The goddamn helicopter's flying.
42:30
SPEAKER_01: I'm nervous as hell.
42:32
SPEAKER_01: Frank Sinatra comes on.
42:35
SPEAKER_01: Um, what do I tell myself to calm down?
42:37
SPEAKER_01: Because I got 26.2 coming.
42:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
42:40
SPEAKER_00: I like to do some deep breaths in that moment and to like breathe in through the nose, breathe out through the mouth, put some like hands on my body a little bit and just like go into my own zone.
42:49
SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, I'm like, no one talk to me.
42:52
SPEAKER_00: Like I'm I'm getting focused right now.
42:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think doing some like breathing exercises to calm down on the start line is great.
43:00
SPEAKER_00: And for me, it's like once I start moving, like it's all gonna be fine.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: It's like you have this like nervous energy because you're having to like stay still for so long, and especially throughout the tapering period.
43:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's like your body just needs to be in motion and to move.
43:12
SPEAKER_00: And once you start moving, it's gonna be okay.
43:15
SPEAKER_00: So I think like whatever it is for yourself to like find a way to calm yourself down.
43:19
SPEAKER_00: Like I remember when I first started running, I would like look at my heart rate on my watch and play a game with myself of like how low I could get my heart rate on the start line.
43:27
SPEAKER_00: Like, how could I calm myself down kind of thing?
43:29
SPEAKER_00: So, and it changes, you know, it's not like you figure out what works for you and now it will work for you for the next 10 years.
43:35
SPEAKER_00: It's like you have to be ready to like evolve with whatever you need in the moment to keep changing these whatever uh, you know, rhythms that you have for race morning.
43:45
SPEAKER_01: That was my actual experience from New York, but that's fun though.
43:51
SPEAKER_00: I feel like the Frank Sinatra is when you're like, wow, this is freaking awesome and terrible.
43:55
SPEAKER_01: That's what brought me back.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
43:57
SPEAKER_01: So I'm on there, it's my first marathon, right?
43:59
SPEAKER_01: You can really It was your first, and I'm like, all right, I've trained for this.
44:02
SPEAKER_01: But then you get to the goddamn Verizon, you're like, damn, that bridge is kind of more inclined than I thought it was.
44:08
SPEAKER_01: Then you got all these helicopters.
44:09
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, this is cool, but I'm like, oh boy.
44:13
SPEAKER_00: In New York, I feel like if you're on the top, you look out and you see the whole city.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: You like can see probably the finish line from really far away.
44:21
SPEAKER_00: You're like, oh my god, I can't believe I have to run all of that.
44:24
SPEAKER_00: It's like kind of a scary view at the very top there.
44:27
SPEAKER_01: For sure, for sure.
44:28
SPEAKER_01: And then you look to the side, the water, you're like, oh boy.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: Fear of height settling it.
44:35
SPEAKER_01: Um, Kara, you talk about gratitude a lot.
44:38
SPEAKER_01: What does that look like, say, middle of a race or or ending towards a race?
44:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: I think, man, it's just so cool to be able to do this stuff, and it's never lost on me.
44:49
SPEAKER_00: And how special is it to be an adult and to have something that like you get to be nervous about?
44:57
SPEAKER_00: It's like, what else do we care about in life in this huge way that you're literally like freaking out for two weeks and calling your mom and like, what should I do?
45:05
SPEAKER_00: And all of these little things.
45:06
SPEAKER_00: Like, there's so few things when you get to this point in your life that you really get to feel nervous about.
45:12
SPEAKER_00: And it's so exciting.
45:12
SPEAKER_00: And I think that like something else Ned says to me a lot.
45:16
SPEAKER_00: This is like this whole podcast is an ode to Ned, but whenever I'm like, he's nervous, he's like, Good, that's awesome.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: And I think that he's helped me like flip my mindset so much to be like nerves are fun and exciting and part of like the roller coaster ride.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: And um, my mom, my parents ran their first marathon when they were 50 years old.
45:38
SPEAKER_00: And I was in, I think I was probably a freshman in college or something.
45:43
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, whoa, that's so cool.
45:46
SPEAKER_00: Like, if they can do that, like I should be able to like run a 5k or something.
45:49
SPEAKER_00: But I feel like that's something that my mom, who ran for many, many years, and I watched her my whole childhood, be very active and like always running races.
45:57
SPEAKER_00: She would run like a half marathon distance every single Saturday.
46:00
SPEAKER_00: And um, and she's someone too that always reminds me like this is like the roller coaster of adrenaline.
46:06
SPEAKER_00: That's like why you like doing this stuff.
46:08
SPEAKER_00: Like you love the adrenaline of racing, like this the nerves before is part of it.
46:13
SPEAKER_00: Like that's fun.
46:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I feel like that, you know, that piece of it all is like something that you have to have perspective of.
46:21
SPEAKER_00: And I think it's something I've worked on for a long time to be able to genuinely feel excited and nervous, but excited for for races.
46:29
SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, it's just, you know, I'll never get over like how my life has turned out.
46:38
SPEAKER_00: Like, I feel so grateful.
46:39
SPEAKER_00: Like, my life is so much cooler than I could have ever even imagined it.
46:42
SPEAKER_00: And it's like because I've taken crazy leaps of faith and done insane things to be able to get here and worked hard, but like I I'm not kidding you when I say wake up every day and I'm just like, I can't believe this is my life.
46:56
SPEAKER_00: This is so cool that like I've created this life for myself and this apartment in Brooklyn.
47:03
SPEAKER_00: I have this partner that like is so amazing, and I have this business that I've built, and I'm I'm how fast?
47:10
SPEAKER_00: What the heck?
47:10
SPEAKER_00: Like, I just literally every single day, it's like my life was so different than this, like like three or four years ago, that it feels like I'm living in a dream.
47:21
SPEAKER_00: So I think like seeing that the the night and day of what things have looked like for me is is a huge piece of the gratitude that I feel.
47:31
SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
47:32
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
47:33
SPEAKER_01: I feel like I need a cue and an applause here for sound.
47:35
SPEAKER_01: If I find it, I'll throw it in here.
47:37
SPEAKER_01: Um but I love how you put that, and obviously, genuinely that's that's amazing.
47:43
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you know, the way you put it, building the life and waking up every day, like whoa, this is real.
47:47
SPEAKER_01: Talking about building the business and the brand, like how do you you just touched on that, you know.
47:52
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes you want to escape outside of the city, and you touched on like doing both.
47:56
SPEAKER_01: Like, how are you so fast while coaching people, building a brand.
48:01
SPEAKER_01: I saw the recent partnership.
48:03
SPEAKER_01: That's a lot.
48:05
SPEAKER_00: That's a lot, yeah.
48:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, first I'll say therapy.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: I go to therapy every single week, and I've done it for many years.
48:12
SPEAKER_00: But truthfully, like that is a huge piece of what keeps me able to keep going and doing all this at such a high level.
48:19
SPEAKER_00: But um, I've always been a very busy person.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm never not doing anything.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: I've been that way since I was like born, probably.
48:27
SPEAKER_00: And I think instead of trying to fight that, I think I've just tried in more recent years to like lean into the strength of that a little bit.
48:36
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think it's just the natural speed that I like to move at.
48:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, but there is, you know, there has to be boundaries of like this is work and this is life, and this is my own racing and my own relationship with running.
48:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think when I first started, there was a lot of like everything was kind of bleeding into itself.
48:57
SPEAKER_00: And it's it's tough because it's like when you do own a business by yourself, it's like it's a very blurry line of like what's your life versus what is working.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: And it's in the running community, it's it's all about building relationships.
49:10
SPEAKER_00: It's like the people that I work with, we have a relationship, a real one, not one that you can just like flip on and off.
49:17
SPEAKER_00: And so I think it does require a lot of boundary setting and being really intentional with like, okay, now I'm in like coaching mode, but now I'm at the track and like I'm gonna focus and do my own thing.
49:31
SPEAKER_00: And like I this is not a place to be able to like have coaching conversations, for example.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's just like creating different buckets for that.
49:40
SPEAKER_00: And that's again something I've worked on for many years.
49:43
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I'm just like, I've always been the kind of person that's like, you can have your cake and eat it too.
49:49
SPEAKER_00: Like you can do it all if you want to do it all, and you can find space to do that.
49:54
SPEAKER_00: And like, do I have mental breakdowns like quarterly for sure?
49:59
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like it's if I don't know, I I feel like I'm just so good at grinding and showing up and like doing the work and waking up early and all that kind of stuff.
50:08
SPEAKER_00: But it does hit me every once in a while where I'm just like, all right, dude, like you need to take a step back, you need to like go to the woods and like touch some grass.
50:16
SPEAKER_00: So it's you know, it's not perfect.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: I'm not perfect at it, but I do love it.
50:21
SPEAKER_00: And that's that's the thing is like I love it all.
50:23
SPEAKER_00: Like I love coaching, I love having my own business, I love running.
50:27
SPEAKER_00: Like, I you genuinely have to be doing this stuff for the right reasons for it to work.
50:32
SPEAKER_03: 100%.
50:33
SPEAKER_00: If any of these things are like just, you know, just coaching for the money or to have like a career life, a life doing it, or if you're just running to to be uh, I don't know, like run this specific time or beat these people or whatever.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: It's like you kind of have to be like really loving it in a way that is sustainable and is honest in a way to be able to be able to do it for a long time.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I don't know.
51:02
SPEAKER_00: I do lose my mind sometimes, but overall it's really fun.
51:07
SPEAKER_01: Like you mentioned, being nervous is usually a good thing.
51:09
SPEAKER_01: It means you care.
51:11
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
51:13
SPEAKER_01: When you're deep in a training block and you got everything you just mentioned going on, like what usually has to give for you so that you can focus on the training block.
51:23
SPEAKER_00: That is exactly what I'm going through right now, actually.
51:27
SPEAKER_00: Um something else to give.
51:29
SPEAKER_00: I think something on the opposite end of that is something that I'm like usually really strict about, and something that I won't compromise is my sleep.
51:39
SPEAKER_00: Like that's something that you know I'm gonna sleep in.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: Like I'm gonna not set an alarm and make sure that I'm getting at least eight hours and maybe more.
51:47
SPEAKER_00: Like that's something that I always try to be really diligent about.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: And when that starts to get compromised, that's when everything starts to fall apart a little bit.
51:56
SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I don't know.
52:01
SPEAKER_00: That's such a good question.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: I I do feel like my energy for um being social and being with friends is probably the first thing to go.
52:11
SPEAKER_00: Like I just know that in these like deep marathon blocks, it's like I'm probably gonna be like head down and like, you know, come June, I'm gonna be hanging out with my friends a lot.
52:21
SPEAKER_00: But right now I'm just kind of like powering through mode.
52:24
SPEAKER_00: So I feel like my social battery is probably usually the first thing to go.
52:28
SPEAKER_03: Gotcha.
52:31
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, you know, with running, it's like I'm I'm kind of like multitasking doing that.
52:35
SPEAKER_00: It's like I'll ask a friend to jog with me or to do a workout with me, and that's how I'm getting in those like relationship moments with people during a big like training block and a big, like a busy work block.
52:47
SPEAKER_00: Okay, yeah.
52:49
SPEAKER_01: Kara, you've built this pretty big and awesome community with uh rerouted.
52:53
SPEAKER_01: How does it feel to have that reciprocated that love and energy back?
52:57
SPEAKER_00: It's so cool, it's so special.
53:00
SPEAKER_00: It touches me like so deeply every single time because it's like, you know, people don't see the hours, and I'm like sitting at my computer every day, like building plans and like doing behind the scenes stuff and just like pouring my love and excitement for people into them and into their plans and all that kind of stuff.
53:18
SPEAKER_00: So I did the NYC half this year, and I it wasn't like a goal race for me or anything.
53:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, but I had so many of the people that I coached that were out there cheering for me, and I just heard my name over and over again.
53:33
SPEAKER_00: And it was just the people that like I could like cry, thank you God.
53:35
SPEAKER_00: Like the people that like I'm always cheering on.
53:37
SPEAKER_00: So it means the world to me when it's like, wait, like you don't have to do this.
53:41
SPEAKER_00: Like it's my job to cheer you on.
53:43
SPEAKER_00: It just is really, really special and means way more than people probably realize when that happens.
53:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it is cool.
53:52
SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, I've had some people that I've been coaching for like four plus years now, and I've just watched them like get married, get a dog, move, get pregnant.
54:03
SPEAKER_00: Like it's it's really cool to be able to like experience people's lives.
54:08
SPEAKER_00: Like in this really weird space, like usually I'm like one of the first people to know about big things.
54:13
SPEAKER_00: Like, man, there's been a couple of girls that have gotten pregnant that I've coached, and they have to tell me because I'm programming running plan.
54:21
SPEAKER_00: You know, so it's like it's so cool to be like to have someone call and be like, okay, only you, my mom, and my partner know about this, so please don't tell anyone.
54:30
SPEAKER_00: It's just it's such a privilege to be able to get like a really up close front row seat to people's lives where they feel comfortable to share things like that.
54:38
SPEAKER_00: And to like, it's really vulnerable to work with a coach because you have to be like, I'm scared, I'm terrified, this thing is going on in my life, I'm going through this breakup, like work is so stressful right now.
54:49
SPEAKER_00: So it's like I don't take that responsibility lightly that I get to be part of that.
54:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, so it's yeah, it's just really touching when people cheer me on it.
54:59
SPEAKER_00: It means a lot to me.
55:02
SPEAKER_01: Looking back now, you know, I know you said this wasn't the goal, like looking back to now, how does that feel?
55:08
SPEAKER_01: Like you have all this going on and like the thought of like we're rerouted before now.
55:15
SPEAKER_00: It's insane.
55:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think you know, when I first started this in 2020, I always had some other job that I was doing.
55:25
SPEAKER_00: And actually, I was so lucky that I had so I had the severance six months after that.
55:31
SPEAKER_00: You can get unemployment from New York State.
55:34
SPEAKER_00: And then I got laid off like from another job after that where I got another chunk of unemployment.
55:40
SPEAKER_00: So all this to say, I had don't tell the government.
55:44
SPEAKER_00: But there was like a big runway of time that I was able to like really be heads down and working on the business and not have another job to focus on.
55:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, other times I did have to, I was working at Mile High, I was doing like marketing for them and I was coaching in the studio as I had uh two other corporate jobs in there sprinkled in while I was coaching and doing this stuff.
56:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I I again I just like really never thought it would be possible.
56:14
SPEAKER_00: It was like such a pipe dream to do something like this.
56:18
SPEAKER_00: And then yeah, when when the engagement ended, that was kind of my like platform to be like, okay, I'm gonna change everything.
56:27
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm gonna, it's like actually, so that ended.
56:31
SPEAKER_00: Then the last corporate job I had had laid me off.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: And I was already had booked um six months of travel, and this all was happening at the same time.
56:41
SPEAKER_00: I like didn't sign a new lease when I left that apartment I shared with that person.
56:46
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I was like, I'm just gonna travel for six months.
56:49
SPEAKER_00: And so it was just like the universe being like, go ahead, like you have no other choice but to try and make this work full time.
56:57
SPEAKER_00: And like, what did I do?
56:59
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
56:59
SPEAKER_00: I think my energy just shifted.
57:01
SPEAKER_00: And that sounds so like woo-woo, but like I just think I had this mentality of like I trust myself enough that like I can figure this out.
57:09
SPEAKER_00: And like, even in the worst case scenario, I know I can still figure it out.
57:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that just like really honest self-belief was the thing that allowed me to like make that leap to do it full time and just to have like a really honest intention with it.
57:28
SPEAKER_00: Like, I was never like, I want to make money and I want to do this so I can like have this platform and have people know me.
57:34
SPEAKER_00: It was just like, I just want to help as many people as I can and like so sick that I get to only do this.
57:39
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't want to do anything else.
57:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, that was wow, almost three years ago now that I did start doing it full time.
57:48
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, and that was it was so special when Solomon uh wanted to partner with us this year because I feel like that was another really big, like uh I don't know, just a landmark in my career of being like, okay, now you've uh sponsorship and someone believes in you enough to be able to give you funds, to be able to put on events and and to be able to support your athletes.
58:18
SPEAKER_00: And it it that was huge to me.
58:20
SPEAKER_00: And I was so grateful because that was something I was kind of dreaming about for a while.
58:23
SPEAKER_00: I was like, it'd be so cool to have a brand to be able to support this so we can do awesome events and be able to like make everyone feel even more special.
58:32
SPEAKER_00: Um so that that was when I was kind of like, wow, like this has come really far and like much further than I could have ever imagined.
58:40
SPEAKER_00: So I'm yeah, always floored and forever grateful for for the people that have believed in me and supported me along the way.
58:49
SPEAKER_00: It's like um one of my closest friends, Emily, is someone that I've known since the very beginning when I first started poaching.
58:57
SPEAKER_00: And she's someone that's just been so supportive and someone that like I can call and be like, what do you think about this?
59:03
SPEAKER_00: Like, do you think I should do this or that?
59:05
SPEAKER_00: And it's just me making decisions.
59:07
SPEAKER_00: So it's like there's Ed and there's Emily that I call a lot.
59:11
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, it just means a lot what when I can like bounce ideas off of people.
59:15
SPEAKER_00: And it's um really special to have people that have just been so um committed to being such a good friend and and to being such a true supporter um for for this long.
59:28
SPEAKER_00: So I'm really grateful for my community that's like allowed me to get to this point.
59:33
SPEAKER_01: What was that like when you got that email or letter from Solomon?
59:37
SPEAKER_01: They're like, hey, we want to do this.
59:40
SPEAKER_00: It was crazy.
59:41
SPEAKER_00: I was like, really?
59:42
SPEAKER_00: I just I like made a yeah, I I had worked with them a few times over the last like couple of years.
59:48
SPEAKER_00: So we'd been building a relationship that at one point it just felt like the next step to like pitch this to them.
59:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, and they said yes like immediately.
59:57
SPEAKER_00: And I I feel like yeah, it it really just felt like the universe kind of coming together to be like this is the perfect next step of everything.
1:00:08
SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, and I I wanted to work with a brand that I really felt connected to, and I really liked the people that I was working with, and and the people at Solomon are so awesome.
1:00:18
SPEAKER_00: Drew is so great that I've been working with for all this stuff.
1:00:21
SPEAKER_00: So it it it felt like the right move 100%.
1:00:27
SPEAKER_01: Congrats on all the success and continued success to come.
1:00:30
SPEAKER_01: Um thank you for helping all the people around the podcast.
1:00:32
SPEAKER_01: I appreciate you.
1:00:34
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, that was so fun.