Latest / The People Run Podcast / #40 400 Laps. 100 Miles. More Than Just a Race | Sean Rhodes

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#40 400 Laps. 100 Miles. More Than Just a Race | Sean Rhodes · The People Run Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: People are like, oh, you're doing something cool for mental health, but you're basically mentally burying yourself on the track while you're doing it.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: So but that's also the point.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the People Run podcast.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: Today I have Sean with me.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Sean is about to run 400 laps around on a track.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you heard that right.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: 400 laps around a track, 100 miles, getting ready for Sony 100.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: He's done this before.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Round two coming this year.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to talk about it.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, welcome to the podcast, man.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Fitz, thank you so much for having me on, man.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking forward to this episode.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure, man.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: Let's jump right in.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, so you got Sony 100.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm correct me if I'm wrong here, second time you're doing this.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me all about it.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, there's a cause behind it, and what's it like?
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thanks so much for for starting with this.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's something that I take a lot of pride in, and it's it's uh it's an amazing event.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to truly put it into words, but really what it started as is a vision that I had from from the Lord to do something special for mental health.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um based on just challenges and different things that I went through, but also would see other people go through, and specifically kids, and just not knowing how to express their emotions, you know.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And really, I just did some research in Charleston.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: I was living in Charleston, South Carolina at the time.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, did some research on some nonprofits and just walked in their building one day and pitched this idea to them.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And looking back, they probably thought I wasn't sane.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: But since then, we've we've developed a really special bond with Charleston Hope.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So they're a nonprofit that basically goes into underdeveloped schools in the area and works to improve their mental and behavioral health resources, specifically with like therapists that work directly with these kids that are just going through a lot of trauma or are going through a lot mentally and really just work with them on sharing their emotions and talking about it and getting them to a better place.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we did it last year for the first time.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: It was truly amazing.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and this year, you know, it's gonna be a lot bigger.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: We opened up more distances for people to participate and we got a lot more people involved.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: So um the the core group of us, there's there's over 18 people running 100 miles this year so far.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: So really looking forward to it.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be it's gonna be a fun day out there.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, when I think of running a 100 miles, 400 laps around track, there's a lot of mental thoughts that are gonna come up in the middle of the race, you know.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of like a great cause and also going through it in the race.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what what attracted you to do it specifically for mental health?
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I know you said you shared a little bit, it was a calling, but what attracted you to pick this?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I get this question a lot because people are like, oh, you're doing something cool for mental health, but you're basically mentally burying yourself on the track while you're doing it.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So but but that's also the point.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: So originally, actually, it was supposed to be a one-mile loop in Charleston, this place called Hampton Park, and we were gonna make it the Hampton 100.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the city we couldn't do it like an overnight event at that area.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, the track was the next option.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And after thinking about it, you know, I thought in my head that would be a a lot more mentally difficult to actually do it at the track.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: But the point is to, you know, get through that mentally and just have that community around you to show people that no matter how hard like a mentally daunting task is or a mentally daunting situation is, you can get through it.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: You can't do it alone.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's you have to have help, you have to have support, but you can get through it, and that's ultimately the point behind why we do it at the track.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned there's other distances, so you got 100 miler.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: What else you got in this one?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we opened it up a lot this year just because I wanted to make it inclusive to all types of runners.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we got on a hundred miler, we have a 50 miler, a marathon, a half marathon, and then a 5k and 10k option as well.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: So um, this this race specifically, I've I've seen attracts more of the ultra marathon distance.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think people want to come out there and put a big effort.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's there's more people doing those distances so far than some of the lower ones, but I think some of the lower distances will also bring some last-minute signups of people that just want to come out there and and be around the environment and you know watch us run some loops essentially.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: So dope.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what was the first one like?
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think uh if I saw right, you did it on 21 hours.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure there's some lessons there.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_01: What did you learn on the first one?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I learned a lot, man.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I did it, yeah, 21 hours and 27 minutes.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, the first 50 miles, I had a really good training block.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the first 50 miles felt really strong.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like I was like, oh, this I mean, it was hard, you know, but I felt pretty good.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I would say around mile 60, I hit a really bad low.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I had done ultras before, not 100 miles.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: That was my first 100 miler, but so I kind of knew what that low felt like, but this was like a whole different type of low because when I hit that, you know, you still have in your head, that's when that mental barrier starts to come in.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I still have like over 30 miles left of this race, you know.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: And and when you hit a low and you know you have that much farther to go, it becomes really, really difficult.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I got to a point where nutritionally I was just really struggling and I couldn't keep anything down.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: I had to take a longer break than I wanted to for like 20 minutes or so after one lap and just really try to get it together.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: I remember I was just really nauseous, so I just decided I was gonna walk a couple laps going into the race.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't really want to walk, that was one of my goals, but I was like, I have to walk and just shake this off right now.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I think I walked one or two laps and then I was right back at it.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then I remember being at like mile 75, and I looked down and I'm like, I feel like I have fresh legs right now, like I'm I haven't run at all.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: It was the craziest thing ever.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that was that was kind of my first experience of like the up and downs of like a true 100 miler, like in that ultra distance.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it it's it's insane.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think I can truly explain it until you know the people listening that have done one, you understand, I'm sure.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it was it was incredible, just an incredible experience to go through all those highs and lows.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I love Bastion.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: You're in the middle of this, you're at mile 75, legs come back.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: What what's going through your mind right now?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is a great question.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: I actually I took a video at mile 76, I think, and it went it went kind of viral on Instagram, and I I had something playing in my head.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Faith's a big part of who I am and and and being rooted in Jesus.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I was replaying the verse Romans 5, 3 through 5 in my head, and and what that verse is is not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I took a video and I was just like out there kind of soaking in the moment, and I was just like, what a blessing it is to suffer, you know, like for the people that can't, and to ultimately learn more about ourselves to give ourselves more hope.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that was kind of the thing that pulled me through that low.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and really, since I've been growing in my faith, it's made these ultra-marathon distances that much more purposeful and really helps me during some of those low moments.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's really cool, man.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: That play that back and I start to come back to and push you through the last 20.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: I I'll truly never forget.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: I I vividly remember the moment after I went through that low and then I snapped out of it.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's really just like you snap out of it.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's so weird.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then I remember specifically looking at my legs, and I was like, man, it feels like I have fresh legs right now.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I was clocking my fastest splits of the whole run, like mile 75 to like 90 or 95.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: I was in like the low nines, or like um even got into like some eight-minute miles that late in the race, and yeah, it was crazy.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: How do you train for that?
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, obviously, you know, a hundred miler, you you train for terrain, you go on hails, but this one's a loop and a track.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure it's got some mental training, some running.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, lots of mental training.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So most of my long runs right now are on a track.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I go out there and do a bunch of loops just to get mentally prepared.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also do at least one other run on the track per week as well.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: So my coach has me keeping in some like longer kind of threshold speed work right now, nothing too intense just because I don't want to wreck my body too much with all the volume I'm doing.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: But um, so I do that on the track as well.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm getting in just a ton of laps on the track per week, just getting mentally prepared for for what we're gonna do out there on May 8th.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, May 8th, that's that's coming up soon.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: We're a little over three weeks out, so I'm looking forward to it.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: But um, but yeah, training for it, it's training for an 100 miler, obviously, man, it's just it's just a lot of volume.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm running six six days a week right now.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I would probably run seven, but Sunday, I I again I just I I like to take it as as a Sabbath and just be present with the Lord on Sundays.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I never train on Sundays, but if I if I if I you know wasn't in tune with my faith, I would probably train on Sundays.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but the Lord keeps me humble there.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, man, it's just a lot of volume, a lot of a lot of zone two running, um, keeping it chill.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I like to I personally like to still include a little bit of um speed or threshold work just to keep that turnover in the legs because I I really love to run marathons.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's like what what my A distance is, so I can't just do all easy runs.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: My you know, I have to do some type of speed or something to mix it up.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: What's the logistics like?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I know you're part of organizing this, you got people and support, but what what does the logistics look like to organizing such an event?
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm learning a lot.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: We'll say that.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm learning a lot.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um I actually went to school for sport management and had a lot of event management classes, which I never thought I would use something I learned from school, but I'm I'm starting to learn some of it.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I coach athletes for a living, so I always make the joke like I don't I never use anything I learned in school for for what I do for a living.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: But so I'm I'm getting it to use some of that, and it's really just a lot of communication.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that's the biggest thing is like if I'm just overly I'm I just make sure to overly communicate with all the different parties involved, just so I can cross my T's and dot my I's, you know, and and not have any loose ends.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and there's there is a lot of people involved, but I also have a lot of help, you know.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously the nonprofits our biggest partner that we that we raise the money for.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I have some really amazing people helping me this year that I couldn't do without because obviously what makes this event different is that I'm also participating in it.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: So day of my fiance is a huge help.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then we partnered with another lady um named Amanda, who has really been a huge help.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: She she does some other large-scale events in Charleston, so she's really gonna help with day of things.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I'll be in the pain cave.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, it's just it there's a lot of different different angles, and really I would I would say it's just a lot of communication and a lot of a lot of emails going back and forth.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: But all great people that I all great people that I'm working with, so yeah, I couldn't be couldn't be happier about it.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: What's the food look like on course?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so runners, so basically what we'll have there for people is we have tailwind nutrition.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Are you familiar with tailwind?
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Tailwind, yeah.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have tailwind out there supplied for the runners and then hydration covered.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: So we have like a water tank out there.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but runners are encouraged to bring their own food.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have like little things like gels and stuff.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but runners are really encouraged to bring their own food.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm what I specifically eat, um, I do I do gels, tailwind, and then for like solid foods, I like like a peanut butter, um, peanut butter banana sandwich, uncrustables, rice krispies, different things like that.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, like later miles, I'll crave random things, and it'll just be whatever pops in my head.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, hey, can you can you grab me this real quick?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And um I like to say my secret weapon in Ultras, man, is a is a is a tall boy, ice cold white monster.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's my secret weapon in ultras.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: You don't crash middle of like I don't know, mile sixty, you you tired and the caffeine rush just kicks in.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: That tall boy monster does it.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: It does it, man.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I I don't at first it was kind of just a joke, but for for the for the 100 miler last year, it brought me back from the dead, and then I had a 50 miler.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: I ran in the survive the night 50 miler at uh the BPN ranch, and I went through a I went through an extreme low um at like mile 35.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was just I couldn't keep fuel down.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um I was going to the bathroom, I was like, I need something to bring me out of this, and I took, I drank like chugged one of those after one lap.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: It was golden man for the last 10 miles.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: So they they they've they've done me justice.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't know why, but it's my secret weapon now.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is working, get it.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the caffeine.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I like to save the caffeine for a little later when you need it, but I think I've also learned I might go caffeine a little earlier now.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, a little earlier on caffeine.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I probably drink a little too much on my end.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's my problem.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, really?
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: You a big caffeinated guy?
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a big caffeine guy.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I also wake up super early, so caffeine is like a sustained effort throughout the day.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I feel you.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: I feel you.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: I I know this is your podcast, but I'm interested too.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, so do you do you primarily are you primarily marathon training right now?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like, is that your your main distance that you're trying to ask?
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh right now I'm taking a break year.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: So I've done mostly marathon.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: This year is all speed.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I'm doing 5K.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: I just did one a weekend ago to kind of test.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm coming back from some like getting my health and base back up.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I got a couple 5Ks this year.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh got a high rocks event coming in June, Hyrux, New York.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm doing that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, let's go.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um go visit home.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'm also gonna do the bandit 5K like five days before.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I got you.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: 5K Hyrocks is kind of the go, and then I'm doing indie half in the fall and November.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: I did the marathon last year, this year I'm going for the half, and then we'll jump back into marathons next year.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, marathon's my jam, kind of like you said, is your A race.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um just I I want to bring the times down significantly.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that's awesome, and I think those 5K builds can do a lot of justice for the marathon.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the longer distances in the marathon is so normalized now on social media, but there's a lot that you can benefit from those shorter distances as well, for sure.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's definitely, I think, to your point with social media, there's so much marathon that everyone's kind of training for those distances, but not everyone grew up with speed, which is my case.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I need to work on the you know, work on the weakness and then get stronger.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: For for sure.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I actually have a plan with my coach for uh the Chicago marathons, like my A race this year.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: I have a plan with my coach to do in our build, like do some 5K's, 10K's, 15k, like in the build.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I'm looking forward to that, man.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: I like those shorter distances.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: They're honestly specifically the 5k, it's like my kryptonite.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: I've never like ran a really good 5k before.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: I've ran I've ran some great 15k's, but like I don't know, something about the 5k, man, it's just it's tough.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Uh man, I could tell you this past weekend I was dying out there, man.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: After like I was good for three, four K of it, so somewhere in like 2.5, 2.7, and then I just like oh crap, I still got more to go.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I find it hard.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's crazy.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, me too.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you it's one of those distances you think in your head, you're like, oh, I can hold this for three miles, no problem, or 3.1 miles, no problem.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: And then you know, you get 2k in and you're already gassed, and you're like, oh my gosh.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's a tough distance, man.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: I I want some redemption on the 5k this year for sure.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I want to by the fall, I got a fall 5k, which is where I kind of want to do a PR and we'll see.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um let's go.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see where we're at.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, talking about marathons, right?
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: You yourself had a big uh marathon, um I think it was Marine uh Marine Marathon Corpse, right?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um and then you also ran an ultra like six days in between.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what was that experience?
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Why'd you even choose that?
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: So what happened was I committed to the Marine Corps Marathon.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: That was kind of my A race of the year last year.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I wanted to get a big PR there, and then I also applied for the BPN survive the night 50 mile.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a blind lottery that you had to apply for.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then my name got called and they hosted it a week later.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, I can't miss this opportunity, but I still want to run this marathon.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a whole thing that I eventually called the double prep.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we train, I trained really hard, man, for that.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: And probably one of the hardest I've ever trained last year, just the intensity of the training.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I had two, you know, looking back, two successful days out there, all things considered.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think looking at the 50 miler, um, I had I'm grateful for what I accomplished there, but I know that I left some on the table just because I would be lying if I said my legs weren't absolutely demolished in that because they were, you know, I felt like I recovered really well, like going into the 50 miler.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, all right, I'm fully recovered, I'm good.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: But like 25 miles in, I just all that soreness kind of came back, and it was just like it was a struggle.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, gridded it out and was grateful to be out there.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's a big opportunity, you know.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: You get selected for the blind lottery, and obviously you got a big jar.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: If I saw right 240 for you, and you finally crush your sub three by a big margin.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so la the year before that I ran a 259 at Marine Corps.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the same race.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I got sub three, that was my first sub-three, and then I really my goal was sub my goal was 250.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's like the goal I put out there to the world.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I'll run a run at 250.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but as as the training went on, I remember I had a 15k, I ran a 54-minute 15k like a month before the race, and I was like, I could probably go lower than than than 250, you know.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: I just felt like my fitness was I just spent the whole like spring and summer building, and I really just kind of was underestimating myself looking back on it.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: But um, I think that's the power of just like what you're doing right now, you know, just taking the time to really build.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: It it's it's hard because everyone wants to put races on the calendar like that, but there is a lot of power in just putting your head down and like grinding for for a long time, you know.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, consistency is the name of the game.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was a great race out there.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like the Marine Corps Marathon, I think, if you're listening to this, I think it's a great race.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think it gets a lot of people get a little scared of it because they see the elevation gain.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's like 800 feet of elevation gain, but the hills are kind of spread out.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: You get a lot of downhill too.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I really like it.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: You work a lot of different muscle groups on that course.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think it's a great course.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: I have some clients running it this year.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, it was just a perfect running day, too.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: It was like 57 degrees, like no humidity.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, prime race day.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then yeah, six days later doing the flying out to Austin to do the 50 mile.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: It was nuts, man.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: What went through your mind after you finished BPN?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: You're like, wow, I just ran a 244 Marine, I just did the BPN Ultra.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Well what it goes through.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: I really at the at the present moment I was so glad to be done that race because I was in the pain cave for a long time in that race.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I really also tried to do a really uh a good job of just soaking it in.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think the Lord's like one of the things he's showing me in life right now is just to be more present, and that was like a goal, a big goal of mine this year, just to be more present in the moment.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I really just try to soak it in.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I remember on loops just looking around, and after the race, just looking around, like how cool it was to be out there at the Bear Ranch with um surrounded by the BPN community.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like they put on an amazing event.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure a lot of people listening just tuned into their uh go one more ultra as well.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're BPN is doing something really cool, and it was just cool to be a part of one of those events.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I was just trying to soak it in as best as I could.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: And a part of me was also sad because like I had worked really hard for those two events, and then I was it was just over.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think the post the post-race depression hit in hit in pretty early, but again, I was I was just grateful to to have experienced that and ultimately was surrounded by a lot of loved ones, so that's what mattered most.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, just just really try to be present in where I was.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of hard to do after just running a marathon six days before.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: There was just it was so much travel and everything, and like life was finally like stopped, it felt like, and I was like, man, I just I can't believe I just did that.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: But it was like it also showed me, man, like what we're capable of.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people were asking me, like, you think you'll be able to recover, or like, are you even gonna be able to finish the 50 mile or like that close to a marathon?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's I think as humans we we uh we underestimate ourselves a lot.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: That begs me to the question like you lift also, and I know you.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: You've done a show bodybuilding wise.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: So we got basically lifting, run it, you run speed, you do marathons, you do the speed work, you do ultras.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Some would say you can't do all that.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Here you are doing all of them.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: How's that?
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great question.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think to some extent of that, I'm starting to find that it is true, depending on what your goal is, right?
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like if your goal is to do all of them and be good at all of them, I think that I think that's very possible.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think it's very, very, very difficult to be like excellent at all of them, you know.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the bodybuilding experience was great, and it's ultimately that was what I did bodybuilding before I got into running.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: I was a runner in high school, but I took a long break and bodybuilded, and um ultimately the running showed me discipline in a lot of that, and then I segued into running from there.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I would say it's definitely possible to do it all without a doubt, because I think I was doing it at a time.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's people doing it out there.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's again, I I am really focused on running now, and like yeah, it's it's hard to bodybuild six days a week and also get in 80 miles a week, you know.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: So um I've really transitioned my strength approach, but I also feel like it's what makes me unique as a coach because I know how to build someone a really sick physique while also you know showing them how to correctly program like a run program, you know, and like using functional fitness in a way to keep them healthy while they're running as well.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's like one of the things that I I uh like as as being a coach, like being able to do both of those things for people and just show them how to balance it.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um there's a yeah, it's it's a tough question because there is people out there that do it.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: I I one dude comes to mind that I follow online.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um his name's Hybrid TG.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: He's you have to follow him.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: He's crazy, he's a crazy dude.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, crazy dude.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we've messaged each other a couple times on Instagram.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's I mean, he's like his goal is to bench 405 and run a sub 230 marathon on the same day, or 225 marathon, I think, on the same day.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, there's I mean, he's like he's like you know 0.0001% of people, but yeah, I don't that's what I'm saying.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you can't limit anything, I don't think, at this point.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's people proving all sorts of different limits wrong.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I've seen his stuff.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've seen him do some crazy lifts and then go do like a tempo six, seven miles.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Shout out to him.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh and like five something paste.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, Jeez, this guy is a beast.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_00: He's crazy.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, yeah, he I remember one video he ran like a 228 marathon on a treadmill and then was benching 225 for like 12 or something.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, something crazy like that.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like he was just a psycho.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: So there's people out there that that do that, but um, me specifically, man, now I I like to I think strength training is crucial for runners, like especially marathonners, um, at least like two to three days a week in the gym.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: And what I really transition to is like obviously bodybuilding, you're doing the whole push-pull leg split, like hypertrophy, go until failure.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what I transition to is like full body, so I lift full body a lot.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I find that I find that with full body I can still lift pretty hard and like do some of that hypertrophy work that I did in bodybuilding, but I'm not as like wrecked and not recovered from my runs.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I were to do a leg day, like a pure leg day during a marathon build, like and and train like I did when I was bodybuilding, I mean it would definitely affect my running, you know.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, fatigue.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: I like to find that balance.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: How do you find that balance?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: You kind of touched on a little bit.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you do full body, do you do still do hypertrophy or you switch rep ranges or functional movements a little bit?
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: So for compounds, like I still like to back squat, front squat.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'll do like dumbbell bench and overhead press.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: I I love those like compound lifts, but I'll really stick to like four to six reps for those for those lifts or like six to eight for the compounds.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe leave like one to two reps in the tank for those.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not like pushing to complete failure for those.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then like accessories, you know, some of the smaller muscle groups, like biceps, obviously, and stuff.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm going till failure working more hypertrophy.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, I I mix like I would say like how I term it is like functional bodybuilding.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Now there's a there I don't know if you know who Marcus Philly is, that's like his coin term, but it it's like I mix functional movements that are gonna make me a better runner with still some of the hypertrophy stuff that you'd see like a bodybuilder do um to keep like the a leaner, more fit physique, I guess you could say.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Push-up challenge.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: You have a push-up challenge ball, and I see it almost every day.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, how that part and what are we up to now?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I want to give a shout out to Kalai uh Boina, he's uh one of my boys from Charleston.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you follow some crazy runners on Instagram, you probably know who he is.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: He's a savage.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but he he was doing a pull-up challenge last year, and I just saw on a story he'd be cranking pull-ups every day, like after his runs.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I was like, man, that's like I was just got motivated by it.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: I had just met him because I was living in Charleston at Charleston at the time, and I told him I was like, I'm gonna start a push-up challenge.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I just randomly started it one day.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was uh 125 push-ups at the time.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_00: Took me like 12 minutes to do it, or maybe more.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um and just kept every single day hitting 125.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: When I got to day 100, I raised it to 150.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we're on day, I think today was day 347.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we're coming up on a year.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and now I'm crank, I'm doing 150 in like two to three minutes consistently now.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that just shows it's cool, man, because people ask me all the time, like, has the chest grown?
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I I feel like the chest has definitely grown, but also like it's just a clear visual of like how consistency works, man, with anything you do, like just showing up every day, you'll see the progress, like going from ripping them in 12 minutes to now two to three minutes.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like it consistency works, you know.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it speaks to that endurance too.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Now you just knock it out faster, so you're probably getting a lot more endurance from it now than you know hypertrophy and whatnot.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I can knock them out quick now, too.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's the thing, is it's it used to like obviously reps were a lot slower when I first started, but I can I can knock them out quick.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I randomly the other I haven't barbell benched in a while just because I've been prioritizing endurance.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I was my most reps on 225 on the bench was like in my life was like eight, I think.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: It was either seven or eight.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: I randomly just did it one day, warmed up, and then threw two threw 225 on and got nine reps, like after not doing it for a while.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and this was like right after a run, too.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like it's it's working for for something.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's keeping it.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, when did running all start for you?
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: I know you went through some ups and downs before you got to where you're at now with running.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like, when did it all start for you?
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so in high school, I was football and basketball were my main sports.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's what I grew up playing, that's what I was super passionate about.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I was I was good at in high school.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_00: I the track coach wanted me to run track one year, so I ran track.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: I was good at track, I was good at like the 800.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think I raced the 400 too, but I sucked at it.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then he wanted me to he wanted me to run the uh I was really good at the mile.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like we would always do a mile time trial in football for like summer conditioning, and I would be really good at it.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then in track, he was begging me to run the mile, and I I just at the time I hated running.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I there's no way I'm ever running the mile.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that sounds terrible.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then um, so I just did the 800 in high school, I think, and and maybe a couple 400s, but and then in college, completely got away from running.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um really just went through a time in my life when I was drinking all the time, like just living a bad, you know, a college lifestyle, if you will, but also just really developed really bad mental health struggles during that that time as well, which really didn't pop up until after I graduated because you're you're stuck in that cycle of college, right?
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: You don't really realize it.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: And then when I got out of college, um, got into some trouble and just went through some tough times um and and ended up moving to Charleston.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's what got me into bodybuilding.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, that led to running.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to challenge myself more after bodybuilding, and that led to running.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I dove right into a marathon prep um for my first race ever, which you know, looking back, it was kind of dumb, but that's what I did, and um I ran a 305 in my first race.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: And at that point, I was like, I had people kind of telling me like I didn't even know I was so naive to running at the time, but people were telling me like that was a really good, like, that was a really good time for your first race.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I was just I was kind of like, yeah, like it is what it like.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't know at the time, but I feel like I've I God's like naturally gifted me in running, and I have a really good like body for it, if you will.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm long, kind of lanky.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: So at that time I was like, all right, I feel like I just want to keep going with this.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm I'm I feel like I can get really good at it, or at least I guess really good subjective, but um, you know, or at least improve and challenge myself more.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: And what do you think about it now?
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then you know, I you know you mentioned earlier before, like I didn't know what 305 was.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: How's it feel now?
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: 305, and now knocking on 244, who knows next time around in the fall?
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's the thing with the marathon.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's there it's a parallel to life.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think you get to one spot and you just want to keep going, there's never an end.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but I I also think with the marathon, it's like the point of it is to keep improving, you know, and maybe you get to a point where you just want to run them for fun, and I think that's amazing that people do that too.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like however you want to go about it, I think everyone has different goals with it.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm in a season of life right now where I want to be really competitive with it.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it it's it's cool look looking back, like seeing each marathon I've ran in my life, I've I've PR'd in each of them.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it's cool to see the progress.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: I I've paced a lot of people in marathons too, so I'm not counting that, but like any anyone that I've ran, I've PR'd, and I feel like that's gonna end someday, and I'm it's gonna mentally crush me.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: But um, I'm trying to keep the street going with the PRs.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: What's that competitive mean to you now?
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: You just you said I want to be competitive.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: What's it mean to you?
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a good question.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: I uh I think about faith when I think about this question now, and um specifically the verse uh Hebrew, it's in Hebrews chapter 12.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's verse one through three, but um Jesus tells us to run our race with endurance.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: And when I think about that, I just think about putting like full effort, full pursuit into everything I'm doing.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just running, like I try to carry that mindset with just life in general.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like whatever I'm doing, I try to get full effort, full pursuit.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's like you're gonna have bad days.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone has bad days, but if you can just show up and give your best effort and stack consistent days, it'll pay off, you know.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: And and that's what I'm really what I want to do with the marathon and what being competitive means to me now.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's like understanding what running your race looks like.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: You openly share your faith, even so now, right?
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: How does that change your relationship with running?
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh sounds like there's a lot of ways there that it has there.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's changed my relationship with running.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do a lot of my prayer on my runs.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I, you know, I talk to the Lord on my runs, and maybe for anyone listening, it if if faith isn't something that is big for you right now, um, and you don't know, or you don't know how to pray, or whatever it may be.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: I s I started praying, like getting really vulnerable with the Lord just on my runs, just kind of laying it out there, like sharing with him like what I was struggling with, what I was going through, um, what I needed help with, what I was thankful for.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: And really that's what kind of sparked my whole journey in faith um in general.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's definitely huge.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of parallels between running and faith as well.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was just talking about this.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm in a men's group here in my local area in church, and we were just talking about this because with running, like with the ultras and stuff, especially, you get to a point where like you really cross over a line of discomfort.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: And again, this line is is subjective depending on where you're at in your journey.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: But you cross over this line of discomfort, and that's when you really start to learn a lot about yourself, and you're like, wow, like this spot, getting over this line is such a valuable place to be.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I wouldn't have learned this stuff if I would have stayed on the other side of that line, you know?
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's the same thing with faith.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's like if you don't get vulnerable with God and get a little uncomfortable with him, it's really hard to grow in the way or get as close to him as he wants you to get.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: So you gotta start to lay down some of the stuff.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: I I I've learned a lot about just being a Christian, it's it's really about surrendering a lot and and not so much being perfect, no one's perfect.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, that's that's kind of the parallel I make between the two, and I think there's there's so many similarities there.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: No, I love that.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that's an amazing analogy there, and you know, speaking on on your faith there as far as that line, you know, it's why we do the hard things, right?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_00: You get to that place you wouldn't have gone before.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: You keep choosing those hard things.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like uh why do you keep choosing hard things?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_01: Ultras, 100 milers, 400 around a track, you got another marathon to fall.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't I just think that there's more that God wants to show me about myself, honestly.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think each each really hard thing I've done, I've learned something new.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's how to get through a dark moment, whether it's just learning something about myself in the pain cave, whatever it is.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: I just think there's a lot of there's a lot of valuable lessons in suffering, and that's the beautiful thing about these races and endurance, right?
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's chosen suffering.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: There's people out there who are going through suffering that they don't get to choose, you know, people with cancer, whatever it is.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, like this is chosen suffering that I'm trying to steward well and like learn about myself, and I just think that's such a blessing, to be honest.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like, to be able to do it is definitely a blessing.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what would you say is like talk bringing it back to endurance?
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, now that we've done a few of these things, you've done a few ultra uh uh marathons and marathons, like what's one of the mistakes you've made over and over you finally learned from.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_00: Really good one.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh running your race.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't go back to scripture again, but so like I can use the BPN race for an example.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I tell my clients all the time, don't worry about what other people are doing.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: We have a plan, like, stick to your plan, excuse me, stick to your plan, just focus on running your race.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: And when I showed up to the BPN race, obviously there's a lot of people there, like a lot of influencers, if you will, a lot of good runners there.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, my goal was to come in that top three, but what I did was I I started the race way too fast.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: I started the 50 miler at like a 650 minute per mile pace on the first like two laps.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: So not something I could have sustained for 50 miles, especially six days after a marathon.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: But my adrenaline was just so high, and I I just was focused on other things around me and not focused on my race.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think if I would have been focused on my race, toned back that pace, started a little slower, I could have ultimately got a better time as a whole.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: So I would say, and that's that's a a mistake a lot of people, a lot of people make.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you really just have to understand why you're doing it and just be focused on your race and no one else's.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone had a different path to get there, you know.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't you can't be focused on everything else around you.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, talking about your path and your journey.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: What are you enjoying most right now?
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, me and my me and my fiance are are doing some wedding planning right now.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: So um I'm trying to be, yeah, yeah.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to be really present with her.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um there's just been times in my life where I've neglected certain priorities because I'm I'm so wrapped up in building the business and running and training.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_00: So one of my goals this year was just to be more present in life as a whole.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because ultimately, like without these rate, these races and everything, like it doesn't define me at the end of the day.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, um, if running was stripped away from me, I know I would be okay because of the people I have around me and the relationship I have with the Lord.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I try to just be present in that and know that running is is um it's a gift at the end of the day.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if that gift were to be ripped away from me, I know I would be okay.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just trying to I'm just trying to be present.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: Love that.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: What's the support like also in Charleston?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: I know you got a big community out there, Charleston.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: You got people coming up for Stony as well.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I live in Maryland now, but for the past like five years, I just moved back to Maryland this past October to to be with family.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we're in Maryland now.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: Me and my fiance are from here, small town called Cumberland, Maryland, just to uh to be closer with family.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: But Charleston's extremely special, man.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: They have there's just an incredible community in Charleston.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's lots of younger people moving there now, younger, young, active people, a lot of runners moving there now.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's just an incredible community because there's it's a very faith-oriented community um as well, and just really good people.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we're gonna start to see a lot of people, a lot more people moving there in the next couple years.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's truly special.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and and community is a big part of that area, which I think is why people love it so much.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_00: Gotcha.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's dope, man.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um what would you say you're chasing right now?
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you got Stonia, I know you got that coming up next, but what would you say as a whole this year you're chasing?
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh within endurance or just anything?
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: Let's do both.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, with endurance, um my A race, like I touched on, is the Chicago Marathon.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I know this is probably boring for the listeners, but I really just want to go into this race um and have like not a specific time in my head and just like really put in the work and see what I can do.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if I had to ballpark it, I would like to be in like a 236 to 238 marathon range if all goes according to plan.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but again, put in the work, see what we can do, and and we'll be grateful for it.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um and then I would say life-wise, man, just again turning back to faith, um just continuing to learn to surrender to the Lord and and knowing that I can't do it on my own, and just chasing that.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: So um and and just being present, like I said.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's that's been a big goal this year that I'm chasing and and slowly finding.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, how are you gonna drop that like that on Chicago?
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_01: Be like, look, this might be boring, but I might go for a 230 and see what happens.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, I just I just meant boring because I wasn't gonna say a uh a specific time, but yeah, I I really wanna I really want that to be Yeah, yeah.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: I want that to be a big it's gonna be a big build.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm essentially kind of starting that build already.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like I know I I have the hundred miler, but we're still doing some speed work because of that um race.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's gonna be a big build, but I'm looking forward to it.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_00: I've never been to Chicago, so it's gonna be a really cool atmosphere.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: My my parents are coming.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: We already we already got everything Airbnb and everything secured, so I'm looking forward to it.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: Now Chicago will say, man, that goal you have is amazing as far as enjoying it.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: Chicago crowd is is pretty dope, nice flat race, but the vibes also like the crowd comes out.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a really cool race uh and environment to be a part of.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, so so you think I can go fast on that course?
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_00: Give me your give me your take of the course.
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's proven at this point, like the world record is there, everyone goes faster.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like for sure, for sure.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you ran Marine Corps in 244 with you know, granted, you said the hills are like separated a little bit.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_01: You ain't got no hills to do with.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm excited to see how it translates.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes sometimes flat can be harder for people because it's like the same muscle group you're pounding, but I don't know.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to see how it translates, and I think if all goes according to to plan, I can stay healthy.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um hopefully I can run a good race.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_00: But as you know, man, the marathon's a beast, you never know.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: So you feel the ultras help translate and help build that base.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you're running a lot of mileage, obviously.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um for an ultra.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it just helps it just helps build your aerobic base because ultras are a lot of ultras are a lot of zone two running, or at least more than probably a Traditional marathon build.
• 44:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you're just you're just your floor is just elevating so much.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_00: So that when you go into like a marathon prep, um your floor is already so high, your aerobic floor is already so high that your ceiling can be that much higher, you know.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's been very beneficial for me specifically, and and that's really what I've been doing these past couple years is like I do a marathon and then I do an ultra after and then ultra early in the year.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I kind of use the ultra building as like a base builder for the marathon prep.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: How does your uh change from one to the other?
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of similar, to be honest, which is crazy, but um I haven't got up into I've only ran like you know, there's some people out there hitting consistent 100 mile weeks.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: I've only ran one 100-mile week in my life.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um so my last for that marathon and 50 miler build, I was really hovering around like that 80 to 90 mile-ish mark.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it felt really good there.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_00: But this year I talked to my coach, like I really want to build up to like 100 mile weeks for um this marathon prep.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I would be there right now in this ultra prep if it wasn't for the injury I ran into.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm I'm still I'm kind of around that like 70, 80 mark right now, just because of the injury.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: So this prep didn't go necessarily as planned, but um, if all goes well, I would love to slowly progress up there for the marathon build and then and then maintain a couple hundred mile weeks.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think I've seen the volume really translate well.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, if you can stay healthy, so I'd love to see what that kind of volume can do since I've I've never been there.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, like all the elites, you know, are doing that kind of that kind of volume.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_01: So what do you do for recovery?
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: You know, obviously ultra takes a lot of pounding.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you do it mileage, and then you go back to speed.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: You do some now, but you do more speed, obviously, later for the marathon build.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do a lot of mobility, and really what this looks like for me is first off, I I spend like 10 minutes warming up before my runs.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that there's people out there like just covering their ears because they like to just slice up the shoes and go.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: But so I try to warm up really well.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, specifically like my glutes, my glutes are super underactive, so I try to get the glutes activated.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then every night I do some mobility.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_00: I do the same circuit every night, it's just like lunges, pigeon pose, hip flexor stretch, um, calf stretch, just some basic stuff, but it works for me and it's repeatable.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I do that every night.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then my fiance actually recently just got me um some compression boots for my birthday.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so uh the compression boots have been game-changing, man.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've never had them before.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_00: So they're I've been doing that every night, just like when I'm chilling on the couch with my fiance late at night, just kick those babies on.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: And the the last thing I do is cold plunge.
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just actually got my cold plunge hooked back up, but like for my last marathon prep, I was cold plunging basically daily.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it really, I feel like for me, I think there's research out there that like it doesn't necessarily help with recovery, but it helps with inflammation um for me, which is why I really like it with running when I when my joints get a little inflamed and stuff.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I just like it.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: I just like the cold plunge.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I get good solitude in there.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_00: So that is kind of that's kind of what I do for recovery now.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've seen the the mix on the cold plunge too.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: I've done it like it's kind of like that doctor answer where they'll tell you, hey, if it feels good, keep doing it versus the other.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_01: I find I don't do it often, but when I do, I do feel like inflammation definitely helps, and I get sleepy too, which is great.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and like the uh I don't know, yeah.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_00: You run into people who are super for it, and then you'll run into like cold plunge haters out there, and I'm like, I don't know, I just like it, so I'm gonna keep doing it.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_00: I have like uh it I think it's from I don't know the company off the top of my head, but I have a little chiller so it stays super cold.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's nice and and I enjoy it.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I just got that hooked up, hooked back up today, actually.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_00: So it's funny you ask that.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_01: If it works, whatever, right?
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_01: You get the result.
• 48:24
  SPEAKER_00: I agree, I agree, man.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, especially if it's something like the cold punch for me that just makes me feel good, it's like, why not do it?
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like I don't really care what the research says at this point, it just works for me, so I'm gonna keep doing it.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_01: What would you attribute a lot of your uh success to right now and continued oncoming success?
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: Man, you might know the answer, but uh Jesus honestly, like he yeah, yeah.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I just I didn't get to touch on my whole testimony on this podcast, but he changed my life, and um yeah, man, it it's he's done really awesome things for me and and the people around me.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I would be I would be lying if or I would be doing a disservice if I didn't give him credit um for all he's done in my life and and will do.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_00: So definitely Jesus and my fiance, man, just she's been here.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_00: We've been together since we were like 17.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm 27 now.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: So she's been here kind of through it all.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um my my my parents are have been a great support system my whole life too, through the ups and downs.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of people, I have a lot of good people around me, which I'm extremely grateful for.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because I know you know some people may not have that out there, that type of support.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm very grateful for it and I try to extend that gratitude for sure.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_01: The the testimony, give me the shorter version.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's it's hard, it's hard to do that, but um I guess I can start.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_00: No, for sure.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I love, I mean, I think sharing the testimony is is one of the most powerful things ever.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: But essentially, man, I just I started drinking from a really young age.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I had an I had older brothers, and it wasn't their fault.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: I was just, you know, I would like sneak up, see what they were doing, and and and you know, I just started drinking from a really young age, like 14, like getting drunk, losing my virginity at 14, like just doing all these things that you know at the time it was cool, and I was like cool in school and I was good at sports and all this stuff.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_00: I was super prideful.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then you know, segueing that into college, I like my whole personality was just like partying and drinking, you know.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know it at the time, like I said, and I was always someone that was was really good in school too.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I always say I had a mask on, like it looked like I was doing really good to my parents and and to everyone else.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was like living counterfeit pretty much, like I was doing really good, getting good grades, I was partying, like life was cool.
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but towards the end of college, like I started to to just struggle mentally a lot and just get these like thoughts in my head, and like I would like snap out of it at parties and just be like, this is like this isn't what life's supposed to be.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I got like at the time I didn't even know Jesus, but I know that that was him at the time telling me like there's a lot more to life than than this cycle.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and anyways, I graduated, moved back home to kind of like figure out my next steps and ended up getting in trouble with the law.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like I got pulled over and got a DUI.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you'd think like that would have been like, all right, I'm done, new chapter.
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_00: But I ended up moving to Charleston, continuing bad habits with drinking, um, until one day, at this whole time too, like I've always I've lifted and been in the gym since high school.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_00: So during this time of like bad habits, I also had some good habits to like on the flip side of that.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I was lifting, like um started drinking a little less, and then I had a bodybuilding coach reach out to me on Instagram and he just said, Um, when will you be stepping on stage?
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_00: And like I was like, at that time I really thought nothing of myself.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I was I didn't think very highly of myself because I was just I viewed myself as a bum, like that just drank all the time on the weekends and lived an average life.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but like him saying that, and just like it was like, whoa, he like it's like the first time since like high school sports, somebody had like acknowledged that I could be good at something.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, I uh committed to the bodybuilding show, and that experience really just changed my life and it showed me like what I was capable of.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_00: And from there, I just never looked back.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's what started my whole running journey.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: And again, we've touched on the parallels between running and faith.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_00: But after that bodybuilding show, I committed to that first marathon that I that I ran the 305 in.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: After that marathon, I met Edwin Martin, who is my brother now, but also like the catalyst to me finding Jesus.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_00: He was like the first person that like openly talked about Jesus in front of me and like shared his faith and was bold in his faith.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_00: And um I I I shortened this, but like I was I went to a private school, like Catholic school growing ups, and and it was just like kind of strict.
• 53:17
  SPEAKER_00: I really didn't care about it at the time, like it was just a lot forced on me.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: So like I had a bad relationship towards it.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but he showed me like how different Jesus was, and it wasn't like about tradition or about being like perfect, and like he just showed me all this stuff, and and he is kind of the one who really like helped me change my life, and at the same time, my fiance was like pushing us to go to church, so she was a big catalyst in it as well.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been a really slow cooker journey since then.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, it's not like that moment my life changed and I never sinned again, but it was like you know, I it was it's been a slow cooker growth, and I've been learning to surrender new things um all the time, things that I was blind to.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, it's it's crazy to look back on, but he's he's just been working in my life a lot in these past four or five years.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um and if I could give anyone some encouragement out there, um, you know, it's if you are trying to, you know, find purpose in your faith, like it's not gonna happen overnight.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_00: Just like you do anything, show up consistently.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's amazing, man.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I appreciate you sharing it.
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_01: I love the journey.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, now you're on uh a newer path and and crushing it, man.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I appreciate it.
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, butt for other words, right now.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, that's cool, man.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's an amazing, amazing story, man.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you shared that.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely, man.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_00: I like I said, I think sharing our stories, sharing our journeys is is one of the most powerful things we can do.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate you asking.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_01: Sean, I appreciate you coming on, man.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for sharing it.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_01: This has been awesome, uh, great conversation with you to everyone listening.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_01: This has been the People Run podcast with Sean.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, go check him out.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_01: He's about to go crush a 100 miler here on the track too.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_01: And he's got a lot coming up at the rest of the year, man.
• 55:12
  SPEAKER_01: Tune in and um, you know, we look forward to seeing more from him.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you so much, Fitz.
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you having me on, man.
• 55:25
  unknown: Uh we got uh