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Speaker 2: Thank you, New York. Today we're reminded of the power
Speaker 2: of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on
Speaker 2: your mark.
Speaker 3: The first woman to finish for the second straight year here in the
Speaker 3: New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling Miki
Speaker 3: Gorman. And why not? 2: 29:30, the time for Grete Waitz.
Speaker 4: Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes
Speaker 4: to the line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to the
Speaker 4: USA he so proudly wears across his chest. A great day
Speaker 4: for (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: All right, team, welcome to Set the Pace presented by
Speaker 5: Peloton. I'm your host, Becs Gentry flying solo today as
Speaker 5: Rob is off in Paris with his daughter for the
Speaker 5: final weeks of this year's incredible Olympics. And yes, I
Speaker 5: am going to be right behind him heading to the
Speaker 5: games later this week too. I cannot wait to get
Speaker 5: over to Paris. I have been glued to the NBC
Speaker 5: broadcast and just watching primetime every evening, catching up on
Speaker 5: all of the medals, all of the wins, and all
Speaker 5: of the drama as well. Not that it has been much,
Speaker 5: but it's been a really, really strong year. I've got
Speaker 5: to say. I think the women have been really, really
Speaker 5: floating the Olympics this year. Watching the women's triathlon yesterday,
Speaker 5: just the women came over the line, they were on
Speaker 5: the floor. They gave it their all. And I haven't
Speaker 5: been to the Olympics, but I got close and I
Speaker 5: know what that feels like. So I can't wait to
Speaker 5: get out there. I'm hopefully going to watch some of
Speaker 5: the games. I'm going to be running the Marathon Pour
Speaker 5: Tous on Saturday night. And then I will be doing
Speaker 5: lovely, lovely commentary hits for the women's marathon on Sunday
Speaker 5: morning. You can also find me on the NBC social,
Speaker 5: which is going to be really, really exciting. Training as
Speaker 5: well as all of this, I've got to say, it's
Speaker 5: inspirational watching the incredible athletes out there in Paris. It's
Speaker 5: really giving me the energy I need to get out
Speaker 5: for my miles and my training for this bizarre race
Speaker 5: that I am still doing. This was the back of
Speaker 5: a 114- mile week, which is just mind- blowing. I
Speaker 5: can't believe I'm saying that, but I am also in awe
Speaker 5: of my body that's allowed me to do it. And
Speaker 5: I got to finish it off with one of my
Speaker 5: most favorite races in Brooklyn, which was the Brooklyn Mile.
Speaker 5: And I say it's one of my favorite, because I
Speaker 5: get to run it with Austin and Tallulah. We ran
Speaker 5: it last year when Tallulah was teeny, tiny. And we'll
Speaker 5: talk about it more, but we got to run it
Speaker 5: this year together as a family. And Tallulah actually ran
Speaker 5: over the finish line by herself, which was tear- inducing
Speaker 5: and pride- elevating and all of the good stuff. So
Speaker 5: that was finishing out a really big day and a
Speaker 5: really big week. But there is nothing more inspiring than re-
Speaker 5: listening to podcasts when you run. And that's what I've
Speaker 5: been doing. I actually listened to last week's episode with
Speaker 5: the Paralympic power couple of Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike,
Speaker 5: who will both be heading to Paris in a few
Speaker 5: weeks for the Paralympic Games. And they also did help
Speaker 5: inspire the choice of our guest for this week. So
Speaker 5: yes, shortly. Hold on, hold on. We will be joined
Speaker 5: by Tallulah's dad. Before we get to Austin though, who
Speaker 5: is patiently waiting, I want to share a little about this
Speaker 5: week's member moment highlight that Meb will be sharing shortly.
Speaker 5: Joanna Carter is a lifelong runner who began her journey
Speaker 5: in Barbados. And she's returning to running here now. She's
Speaker 5: 75 years old. She continues to inspire others through her
Speaker 5: participation in New York Road Runner's Striders, where she remains
Speaker 5: committed to staying active and celebrating her resilience by training
Speaker 5: for half marathons. Joanna and her fellow Striders will be
Speaker 5: taking part in this weekend's Percy Sutton Harlem 5K. So
Speaker 5: if you'll be out in Harlem this weekend, keep an
Speaker 5: eye out for those New York Road Runner's Strider shirts.
Speaker 5: Make sure you say hi and give them some really
Speaker 5: good words of encouragement. Now, because we only have 13
Speaker 5: weeks until the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, I absolutely
Speaker 5: cannot believe it. Nope, nope. 13 weeks does not feel
Speaker 5: like long enough. But needless to say, this week's Meb
Speaker 5: Minute will be focused on what you should be thinking
Speaker 5: about 13 weeks before the greatest marathon in the world.
Speaker 5: So of course you got to stay tuned for that.
Speaker 5: Whatever summer plans, Peloton is here to help you meet
Speaker 5: your running goals. Whether you're tracking your own route, trying
Speaker 5: a new trail, or crushing interval runs, Peloton offers a
Speaker 5: variety of running and walking content to keep you moving
Speaker 5: anytime, anywhere. Feel supported the entire way and get ready
Speaker 5: to move with Peloton. Try the Peloton app in the
Speaker 5: Apple, Android, and Google app stores today. Peloton, the official
Speaker 5: digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners. All right,
Speaker 5: should we move on to the main event of today's
Speaker 5: show? This is a guest I know very, very well,
Speaker 5: but I may learn a thing or two about him
Speaker 5: today. And I'm so excited to better introduce him to
Speaker 5: our Set the Pace crew. Here is the man who
Speaker 5: changed my world, my inspiration and my partner in everything,
Speaker 5: including with our wonderful daughter, Tallulah, Mr. Austin Curtis. Hi.
Speaker 6: Hello.
Speaker 5: We're not sitting side by side doing this together. We've
Speaker 5: separated ourselves into different rooms so we can actually have
Speaker 5: a good conversation here.
Speaker 6: I'm sitting in Tallulah's nursery chair, which I've spent many,
Speaker 6: many of hours here. So it feels quite comfortable, but
Speaker 6: it's always funny (inaudible) you on, actually me trying
Speaker 6: to be quiet when you guys are recording these and
Speaker 6: now I'm on the other end of it.
Speaker 5: Yay. Well, thank you for sharing your day with us today. So
Speaker 5: the reason why I wanted you on, I was inspired by
Speaker 5: Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike last week and their absolutely
Speaker 5: beautiful relationship that they share. The support that they give
Speaker 5: one another through their training, through the highs and the lows,
Speaker 5: and through their journey of life. And I know when
Speaker 5: we met our lives were very, very different. And here
Speaker 5: they are. Well, here we are, should I say. And I
Speaker 5: think I want to ask you, about when we met.
Speaker 5: There are so many things that people could ask you
Speaker 5: like how you met? Why you met? And what's your favorite
Speaker 5: answer? What do you like telling people about how we met?
Speaker 6: I think we met, both of us it was... Our paths would've
Speaker 6: crossed at some point, but they crossed that weekend that
Speaker 6: I decided to stay back in the city. It was
Speaker 6: around July 4th and I know that, because it was my brother's birthday.
Speaker 6: And our car broke down, it overheated like going through
Speaker 6: the Holland Tunnel and I was just like, "Wait, I'm not sitting in a tow
Speaker 6: truck with you 200 miles to the beach house. I'm
Speaker 6: just going to go back to our place (inaudible)
Speaker 6: and hang out." And we met watching the Women's World
Speaker 6: Cup. Actually Team USA. And we met at a bar
Speaker 6: at 10 AM on a Sunday to watch that game.
Speaker 6: And I think we decided it was good luck if
Speaker 6: we took a shot every time USA scored. But I
Speaker 6: think we started as friends as first. There was very
Speaker 6: much a physical attraction, but I think I just saw an energy
Speaker 6: that you had that was intoxicating and someone I wanted
Speaker 6: to spend time with. So after that day, we just
Speaker 6: made a plan to go for a run and went
Speaker 6: from there.
Speaker 5: Running bringing everyone together. You see? And we actually met
Speaker 5: through a friend who I knew through running. So we
Speaker 5: always tell people that we kind of met thanks to
Speaker 5: running in many ways.
Speaker 6: Yeah. Our friend pulled the group together that went to
Speaker 6: watch that soccer game. And that's how we met.
Speaker 5: Wild times. And that was over five years ago now.
Speaker 5: Look at us fly. Okay, so now we've got the nitty-
Speaker 5: gritty out of the way in the relationship conversation. I want
Speaker 5: to tell people or I want you to tell people a little bit
Speaker 5: more about your journey in sports. Everybody knows that you
Speaker 5: run, we often run together, but your background isn't necessarily
Speaker 5: running, unless you can call it running on ice, I
Speaker 5: suppose. But you played hockey. That was from when you were
Speaker 5: born. I can attest to Austin's dad, I think maybe
Speaker 5: still has a tiny hockey boot of yours or something.
Speaker 5: But you literally say you played hockey from when you
Speaker 5: could walk, all the way through from University of Colorado
Speaker 5: and Boulder to the men's league, right? In Chelsea Piers.
Speaker 6: (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: Had to get it in, babe. Very proud of the men's league.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's a glorified men living out their childhood dreams
Speaker 6: is the men's league.
Speaker 5: But hockey was your first sport love, right?
Speaker 6: Yeah. So I grew up in the Philadelphia area, so
Speaker 6: Philly Flyers, Eagles, it was... Philadelphia is a very blue
Speaker 6: collar sports town, at least the upbringing that I had.
Speaker 6: So there was an AHL team called the Phantoms. And
Speaker 6: they always ran promotional deals. So we seemed to always
Speaker 6: have tickets to go see the Phantoms play. Hockey is
Speaker 6: not a sport that anyone in the family had played
Speaker 6: before. But after going to a number of the Philadelphia
Speaker 6: Phantom games I wanted to play. And asked my parents if
Speaker 6: I could and had no idea what we were getting
Speaker 6: ourselves into. And I think if they did, they would probably
Speaker 6: have pushed another sport, because it's quite early mornings, late
Speaker 6: nights. And at the level that I started to play
Speaker 6: at, quite intensive in travel and expensive as well. So
Speaker 6: that is... Yeah, I grew up playing ice hockey. Became
Speaker 6: quite talented I would say, and started playing on some
Speaker 6: select teams and club teams, and got to see a
Speaker 6: lot of the East Coast, Canada, and travel quite a
Speaker 6: bit for a young teenager. And had little brother, Quinn,
Speaker 6: kind of follow in my footsteps and started playing hockey.
Speaker 6: But it was a very new sport for the Curtis
Speaker 6: family. And paved the way and what that allowed. But
Speaker 6: it's just a sport I loved. I tried... I would
Speaker 6: say I'm decently skilled at other sports, but not really
Speaker 6: great at any other. But hockey just came very natural
Speaker 6: and I enjoyed it. So just kind of focused on
Speaker 6: that and it allowed me to play in college, and
Speaker 6: now in a very glorified men's league. Which I think
Speaker 6: is really just an excuse for guys to probably get
Speaker 6: out, continue to play, and have a couple beers after the game.
Speaker 5: You're very humble. I remember the first time, one of
Speaker 5: our early dates, and you took me ice skating. And
Speaker 5: I was petrified, because I am Bambi on ice. I
Speaker 5: move in one direction and that is running. You think
Speaker 5: running and ice skating might go kind of well together,
Speaker 5: but no. I got it in the end, but you were
Speaker 5: such a good teacher and very patient and your skills
Speaker 5: were evident there. And then having since seen you play
Speaker 5: hockey in not an actual match, but at our friends
Speaker 5: league, you are very, very good. Very, very humble. But
Speaker 5: that leads me to ask you then why you transitioned
Speaker 5: away from hockey and into running focus. Because I know
Speaker 5: we're going to talk about your Ironmans as well, but
Speaker 5: running focus, what was the reason?
Speaker 6: No, hockey, it was always something I enjoyed. In off
Speaker 6: seasons there were... We did training. It was a lot more time
Speaker 6: spent in the weight room than cardio- focused exercise. But
Speaker 6: there was that element to it. So it wasn't super
Speaker 6: foreign and a hard or unnatural transition to running. But
Speaker 6: I think plain and simple was when I moved to
Speaker 6: New York after university, there was a void that needed
Speaker 6: to be filled. I was very used to a routine
Speaker 6: schedule of at least being on the ice once a day, sometimes
Speaker 6: twice a day. So that would be two to three
Speaker 6: hours of some sport- related element in my daily activity.
Speaker 6: And when I moved to New York, I was out of
Speaker 6: college, I had an internship and a job in a
Speaker 6: retail store, but didn't really have the means to... One,
Speaker 6: continue to play hockey in York is quite difficult. But also
Speaker 6: join, even have the... To (inaudible) enough money to
Speaker 6: join a gym membership. So I knew that... I remembered
Speaker 6: training in the off season was running. And I had a
Speaker 6: pair of running shoes and decided to see and give
Speaker 6: that a go. And what became very challenging runs, just
Speaker 6: to make it a mile or two, I started to find
Speaker 6: that I could go a little bit further. I remember
Speaker 6: I lived over on the East Side on 34th and
Speaker 6: 1st. So right on the running path. And I remember
Speaker 6: the first time I went for a run and I went
Speaker 6: down and I was just like, " Oh, man. I'm getting pretty tired, but I just
Speaker 6: want to make it to the bridge." Which was the
Speaker 6: Williamsburg Bridge. I got back and I didn't even have a
Speaker 6: watch at that point, so I couldn't track how far it was. And I
Speaker 6: put it into MapMyRun.
Speaker 5: I used to love that app.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it was only like 2.5 miles and I was gassed.
Speaker 5: We all got to start somewhere.
Speaker 6: Exactly. And a couple of the guys that I was living
Speaker 6: with, they wanted to join in. So each night we'd
Speaker 6: go out and go for a little run. And I just
Speaker 6: incrementally tried to get further. So it was the Williamsburg
Speaker 6: Bridge. And if you're familiar with the East Side, it's
Speaker 6: Williamsburg, then it's Manhattan, and then Brooklyn. And the ultimate
Speaker 6: goal was to be able to run down to the
Speaker 6: tip of the island and back. So that took some time to get to, but I made it and kept going.
Speaker 5: That's the thing about running, I think once somebody in
Speaker 5: your friendship group starts, especially if you live with a
Speaker 5: bunch of people, it is something that others want to
Speaker 5: join you on. And we've seen it amongst our friends
Speaker 5: when we both start training. They know we're runners, but we'll
Speaker 5: start training for something and then all of a sudden
Speaker 5: one of our friends is like, " Oh, hey, I went for
Speaker 5: a run today because I saw you did." And even in our neighborhood,
Speaker 5: we've made friends on our road and people have started
Speaker 5: running because they see us running all the time. That's
Speaker 5: the way running goes. And I think starting out small,
Speaker 5: especially if you are following in somebody else's inspiration is
Speaker 5: fantastic. And then building up to running to the tip of
Speaker 5: the island and back up to 34th, awesome. I mean,
Speaker 5: that's a pretty long run. That's no easy feat. Done
Speaker 5: it once or twice.
Speaker 6: Yes. Today.
Speaker 5: So when you first... Today... When you first did your marathon, your first marathon you
Speaker 5: did in 2016, right?
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 5: And we... Well, I didn't know you then. I say
Speaker 5: we. But you did just under a five- hour marathon.
Speaker 5: So 4: 55 was your time for the Philly marathon
Speaker 5: in 2015, sorry. So that's an incredible time. But then
Speaker 5: obviously your passion for running and training intensified because your
Speaker 5: personal best over the 26.2 is the New Jersey Marathon over in
Speaker 5: Asbury Park in 2019 where you got a 2: 57. Which
Speaker 5: is nuts. That is a two- hour difference in your
Speaker 5: marathon time. So what changed? What did you do differently?
Speaker 6: A lot changed in that time, I think. No, when I first started running,
Speaker 6: it was just to fill that void of a miss
Speaker 6: for hockey and training and also just years, 15- plus
Speaker 6: years of having that discipline. I needed and also wanted
Speaker 6: to have that. But a lot of things came into
Speaker 6: play in that I'd say I moved to New York
Speaker 6: in 2013, 2014. And by 2015 ran my first marathon. And
Speaker 6: in that time I met David. And that's how you and I
Speaker 6: eventually met years later. But David was a collegiate runner
Speaker 6: and when he moved to New York, I would start running
Speaker 6: with him and that was the first time I had
Speaker 6: ever run with someone that it looked absolutely effortless. And
Speaker 6: something that... And I was competitive. And so I wanted to see
Speaker 6: if I could run faster. And so I would just go out
Speaker 6: with runs with him, whether it be longer runs, faster
Speaker 6: runs, like tempo runs. But he was a great training
Speaker 6: partner to have in the city. And then also knowing
Speaker 6: I have a twin sister, Michaela, and she was a D1
Speaker 6: collegiate gymnast. And when she graduated and kind of wrapped
Speaker 6: up her gymnastics career, because it more or less finishes
Speaker 6: after college, she also was looking to fill a void.
Speaker 6: And so she started running. And we have a childhood friend
Speaker 6: that had run the Philly marathon in 2014 that we
Speaker 6: went and cheered on. And I think it was both
Speaker 6: of us at that point, we didn't say anything to
Speaker 6: each other, but kind of knew that was something that
Speaker 6: maybe we wanted to do. And it's one of those
Speaker 6: things that if you aren't necessarily... We're so tied into
Speaker 6: the running community that it seems like every conversation with
Speaker 6: friends and colleagues, it's just like, " What's next and what are you
Speaker 6: doing?" But the idea of a marathon, I try to
Speaker 6: think back to when that seed was first sown. And
Speaker 6: for a lot of people when they first see something
Speaker 6: like that, they question and ask themselves, " Is that something
Speaker 6: I could ever do?" So when Michaela and I saw our
Speaker 6: friend Mike Sundry ran a Philly Marathon, next year came around
Speaker 6: and we were like, " Hey, we should think about doing
Speaker 6: this." And so that's who I ran my first marathon, was with Kayla.
Speaker 5: Hand in hand over the finish line. Mr. And Mrs. Curtis.
Speaker 6: That was the first Ironman when they announced that. She actually did a marathon before that, it's a
Speaker 6: very small one from Cape May, New Jersey to Stone
Speaker 6: Harbor. And I jumped in and ran 17, 18 miles with
Speaker 6: her. And I was running quite a bit, but that
Speaker 6: was at that point the longest I had run. And
Speaker 6: it was... I think once we finished that I knew
Speaker 6: that I was like, " Oh, I can train for the
Speaker 6: Philly marathon." But I didn't have any idea how to
Speaker 6: train. A quick Google search was this is your 16-
Speaker 6: week step training program. And Michaela has... She was studying
Speaker 6: personal training and coaching and so she did a little
Speaker 6: bit more of the research than I did. And she
Speaker 6: would send over like, " Hey, this is what we should
Speaker 6: be doing this week." And I remember distinctly, she came up
Speaker 6: to New York, it was our first 20- mile run that
Speaker 6: we both were going to do. And I had mapped it out on MapMyRun,
Speaker 6: and it took us up the west side loop of
Speaker 6: Central Park, back down the west side. And it was
Speaker 6: a week before the... Because Philadelphia Marathon is always after
Speaker 6: New York. But they had the grandstand set up and we
Speaker 6: ran through that and it just got you so excited for what
Speaker 6: was about to come. And also a slight distraction on the six, seven
Speaker 6: miles we had left to run down the west side.
Speaker 6: But we both, we were following our training program, but
Speaker 6: that week neither one of us ran. So we were like, "
Speaker 6: All right, we'll see how this goes." And I remember
Speaker 6: nearly dying in the Whole Foods on Chambers Street. That to say that that
Speaker 6: first marathon was, I think I was just so focused on completing the distance.
Speaker 6: Time was never a question. I had no idea what to
Speaker 6: expect. I just wanted to complete the distance. I wanted
Speaker 6: to run it with Michaela and enjoy it. It was the
Speaker 6: Philly marathon. It was very close to home in both location
Speaker 6: and in the heart. And that was the first experience.
Speaker 6: And after crossing that line, I think many people have
Speaker 6: one of two thoughts is, " I want to do that again
Speaker 6: and have that runner's high." Or, " That's it, I'm good." And
Speaker 6: I had the feeling of there was more left in
Speaker 6: the tank. And I wanted to see what I could
Speaker 6: do. Sub- three, that idea did not come for a
Speaker 6: couple more years. It was more of like, "Hey, can we go under
Speaker 6: four hours?" I think was the next thought.
Speaker 5: Chipping away.
Speaker 6: Yeah. And then it was sub- 3: 30. And then
Speaker 6: it was, " I think I might be able to do
Speaker 6: this sub- three." Because I was around a bunch of
Speaker 6: guys that they would just call each other like, " Oh,
Speaker 6: he's a 27 guy, he's a 19 guy." And I had to ask
Speaker 6: them, I was just, " What do you mean, like a 27 guy?" And it's just like
Speaker 6: they don't even put the two in front of it. They just know that they are sub-three. And I wanted that. So I'm a 57
Speaker 6: guy at the moment
Speaker 5: And in between all of that I have to give you props because I think anybody
Speaker 5: who ran the 2018 Boston Marathon deserves an absolute round
Speaker 5: of applause for completing that race because that was... I
Speaker 5: got pictures of you and Dave just powering through that
Speaker 5: race in my mind whenever I think about it. You got
Speaker 5: to the finish line when a lot of people didn't. So
Speaker 5: that I'm sure helped add a little bit of an
Speaker 5: edge before the New Jersey Marathon as well.
Speaker 6: Absolutely. That was pure grit to get through that. We
Speaker 6: woke up that morning. We were sitting in this Airbnb kind of by the finish
Speaker 6: line. Yeah, by the finish line. And we had a bus
Speaker 6: to catch. And we just opened the door and he was
Speaker 6: at the time in OTQ shape. And I think he had a quick
Speaker 6: realization that that just was not going to happen that
Speaker 6: day, which is tough in many ways. I, on the
Speaker 6: other hand, just was like, " All right, we'll see what we can do."
Speaker 5: It's just some rain.
Speaker 6: It's just some rain. And it just got worse and worse and worse. So yeah,
Speaker 6: that was... I mean, what a crazy race day experience
Speaker 6: that was.
Speaker 5: Unreal. Well, that kind of just sums up a bit
Speaker 5: of your grit and your determination and that has translated
Speaker 5: very well into what I still think is utter insanity.
Speaker 5: That is the full Ironman. And you've done three, which
Speaker 5: is even weirder to me. I live with you, I have
Speaker 5: a child with you. And I still think that is
Speaker 5: just bizarre. And watching you train for your most recent
Speaker 5: one, which was Ironman Indiana was awe- inspiring. The hours
Speaker 5: you'd spend individually or those disgusting brick sessions. It was
Speaker 5: COVID. So you were kind of locked up in our
Speaker 5: apartment on the Peloton bike to get your long rides
Speaker 5: in and between tread and when we could get outside
Speaker 5: for you to do your runs. And then you actually
Speaker 5: did get to a pool as well for that, but
Speaker 5: it wasn't as much as you wanted. And you still
Speaker 5: absolutely crushed Ironman Indiana in 11 hours and 20 minutes.
Speaker 5: Which I mean, I was exhausted watching you and hearing you and
Speaker 5: trying to find you. And that grit and that determination,
Speaker 5: I think... I know your parents and I can see where
Speaker 5: you get it from when I look at them. But
Speaker 5: for you, where do you think you get that willpower
Speaker 5: and determination to keep moving for 11 hours and 20 minutes?
Speaker 6: Well, I always say hats off to the support crew
Speaker 6: for those races. Because I have cheered Michaela on during
Speaker 6: some Ironmans that she's done, that I did not race
Speaker 6: side by side with her. And they are long, long days.
Speaker 6: Even at a world record pace that's still seven, eight
Speaker 6: hours of cheering across three disciplines. And you're trying to
Speaker 6: see them and your athletes in different spots. So hats
Speaker 6: off and thank you so much for coming to the race
Speaker 6: in Muncie, Indiana there.
Speaker 5: That's an experience.
Speaker 6: But as far as training for that, I think... Oh, man, I have followed
Speaker 6: Michaela in her athletic ventures. And the marathon was a
Speaker 6: bit of both of our ideas when we first started
Speaker 6: training for that. And then our Aunt Georgia, she did
Speaker 6: an Ironman and that was in honor of our mama (inaudible)
Speaker 6: . She was a collegiate swimmer and that was always her
Speaker 6: strong suit. And as she was a bit older, she
Speaker 6: started cycling with friends. And I think in that world,
Speaker 6: the KONA Ironman was always the pinnacle and they broadcast
Speaker 6: it. I remember always watching that and just seeing those athletes
Speaker 6: push themselves through three disciplines in the scorching heat, it was... And it
Speaker 6: always came down neck and neck. So the idea of
Speaker 6: an Ironman was always in the background. And I think (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: (inaudible) it's always in everyone's background. You pulled it forward.
Speaker 6: Pulled it forward.
Speaker 5: I think about it. And then I realize that I would either
Speaker 5: drown when I'm swimming or fall off the bike because
Speaker 5: I'm scared of un- clipping myself. But you made it
Speaker 5: happen. Three times.
Speaker 6: And so I think the first Ironman that I had gone and seen was Michaela
Speaker 6: doing one in... It was either North or South Carolina.
Speaker 6: And they were ready to start. It was a rolling
Speaker 6: swim start. And I had been in touch with her during her
Speaker 6: training, because I think I was training for a marathon.
Speaker 6: But I did not understand the discipline that you need
Speaker 6: to have to put together a training block for a full-
Speaker 6: distance Ironman until later when I signed up. But I was
Speaker 6: standing at that start line and the sun was coming
Speaker 6: up. And the bagpipes, the Scottish bagpipes were playing. And
Speaker 6: I was just quite emotional watching Kayl go out and
Speaker 6: just almost gladiator style, like, " Whoa, she's going to go
Speaker 6: swim two miles, bike 112, and run a marathon." I
Speaker 6: couldn't fathom that idea. And then to watch her accomplish
Speaker 6: that... And there's a little caveat in that, and that's
Speaker 6: I think maybe what inspired us to run our first,
Speaker 6: or to do our first Ironman together was there was
Speaker 6: quite a bad storm that came in. And it actually
Speaker 6: canceled 30, 40 miles of the bike. So it wasn't technically a full-
Speaker 6: distance Ironman. They still gave medals out, they did all
Speaker 6: three disciplines, but they had to shorten up the bike course.
Speaker 5: Michaela needed retribution.
Speaker 6: So there was a little asterisk on her name, on her finish. So she wanted retribution. And I had... We were a couple of years out of college
Speaker 6: at this point. But I said to Kayla at the
Speaker 6: finish line, I was like, " Let's do this together." I think
Speaker 6: that was the first thing I said after congratulations. And
Speaker 6: a week or two later I sent her a link
Speaker 6: for Boulder Ironman. And I thought to myself at that
Speaker 6: point, if I'm going to do one of these, I want
Speaker 6: to do it in a beautiful and very familiar scenery.
Speaker 6: And we signed up for the Boulder Ironman. And that
Speaker 6: is where we crossed hand in hand, Mr. And Mrs.
Speaker 6: Curtis, by the announcer's idea. But that was, yeah, it
Speaker 6: was the training for an Ironman and triathlons in general,
Speaker 6: I quite like it's broken up across three disciplines.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you like the change, yeah. You like to switch it up.
Speaker 6: I think you might switch over after this, 777.
Speaker 5: No way. No chance. Not a chance. Unless you're trying to off me. But then
Speaker 5: that started you guys off. And I think from my
Speaker 5: standpoint, one of the toughest things I've ever seen for
Speaker 5: you on the sporting side was the Ironman... Where were
Speaker 5: you going to do it? Texas?
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 5: It was Ironman Texas. And you and Kayla had both
Speaker 5: been training for this one again to do together. And
Speaker 5: you were fully trained. And you were three, two weeks
Speaker 5: out, maybe?
Speaker 6: We were tapering. Yeah, we were tapering.
Speaker 5: Yeah. You were in taper. And they canceled. They canceled
Speaker 5: it. So you had done the complete training cycle, both
Speaker 5: of you. And it was just unreal to watch and
Speaker 5: just to see you train and it kind of... There
Speaker 5: was nothing you could do. You couldn't even do it
Speaker 5: virtually because the world literally shut down. But you got
Speaker 5: Muncie Indiana in not too long after. And now you're
Speaker 5: chasing your Six Stars with the marathon with Berlin and
Speaker 5: London left to go. You... Well, we both just did
Speaker 5: Tokyo. We both had a wonderful time in Tokyo. I got to see
Speaker 5: you finish Chicago and New York. And New York, I
Speaker 5: was actually at the finish line to see you come
Speaker 5: in, which was one of the most emotional and incredible
Speaker 5: moments for me. But now you are not running everything
Speaker 5: with Kayl. You've now got another training partner in me.
Speaker 5: And I think people always want to know what it's
Speaker 5: like for us to run together and train together. So
Speaker 5: I'm going to give you a green card here to
Speaker 5: be honest, because I know your honesty, you're very polite
Speaker 5: normally when other people ask. But you can go for
Speaker 5: it. What's it like?
Speaker 6: Well, I mean, we've shared a fair share of miles both training for... I mean, our
Speaker 6: most recent race, Tokyo. Actually I did not train really
Speaker 6: at all for Tokyo, because I was quite sidelined with
Speaker 6: some... Just being sick and the holidays and it just...
Speaker 6: But we still had a fun time on that race.
Speaker 6: And Chicago and New York were quite last- minute decisions
Speaker 6: and actually decided by you. So I don't feel so
Speaker 6: bad pushing you into the 777 (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: You've got your own back.
Speaker 6: But those were... Yeah. I had always wanted to run New York. It's
Speaker 6: such a special race. I've cheered on a number of
Speaker 6: friends, have been on the sidelines for many of years. I'm not a huge fan of
Speaker 6: training for fall races, because it just... Running in the
Speaker 6: summer, the heat is tough. Just kind of...
Speaker 5: That's why we're different.
Speaker 6: Yeah. Takes a bit away from social life. And I
Speaker 6: think that's different now that our social life is...
Speaker 5: I was going to say, what social life? (inaudible)
Speaker 6: This was in our early 20s, I think. I didn't want to train during the
Speaker 6: summer months. But both very, very fun races. Different. Each
Speaker 6: have their special moments. New York being able to... I
Speaker 6: got to see T and give her a kiss right
Speaker 6: by our house in Brooklyn. And then knowing that you
Speaker 6: were at the finish line, we both had very special
Speaker 6: days for us in New York. But as far as
Speaker 6: running with you, we've had some very good runs and
Speaker 6: some very frustrating runs.
Speaker 5: We've fallen out (inaudible) . Let's be honest. We've fallen
Speaker 5: out on one or two runs.
Speaker 6: I think with the public listening, I want to just
Speaker 6: clearly define going for a run and asking someone to
Speaker 6: go for a run, whether it's a significant other or
Speaker 6: a friend, and just what the unspoken rules are in
Speaker 6: going for a run is that the slower person decides the
Speaker 6: pace. And the other person that accepted the, " Let's go
Speaker 6: for a run." Matches that pace. And I would say
Speaker 6: most of the time we are even keel, even though
Speaker 6: I know that I'm holding you back. But every once
Speaker 6: in a while, as much as I love the view,
Speaker 6: you're a few steps ahead of me. And if I decide like, I'm feeling
Speaker 6: fit and want to push you a little bit, I
Speaker 6: just know you have so much more left in the tank.
Speaker 6: And so even if I become even with you again,
Speaker 6: you just keep pushing it faster and faster. So I
Speaker 6: know that I just don't stand a chance. And I...
Speaker 5: I'm your coach. Listen, I'm your coach. I'm just trying
Speaker 5: to help you get that speed workout in even when you didn't know
Speaker 5: it was coming.
Speaker 6: That's it.
Speaker 5: I've definitely had my ponytail pulled a few times by you.
Speaker 6: Yeah, absolutely. So I sneak a headphone in my running
Speaker 6: belt in case I find you 20 steps ahead of
Speaker 6: me. And I think that's the most difficult and challenging
Speaker 6: is, why do we not just run next to each other? But
Speaker 6: it's not like you're miles ahead of me at this point.
Speaker 6: And sometimes we do have those runs where we warm
Speaker 6: up together and you have a speed session and you go on and we
Speaker 6: know our way home so we see each other back there. But
Speaker 6: it's the runs that I find you only about 50
Speaker 6: feet ahead. And I'm just like, " Why wouldn't you just run with me?"
Speaker 5: I blame our New York pathways. And that you're always
Speaker 5: moving out of someone's way. And you're a gentleman. You
Speaker 5: let me go first. But yeah, I know. I've been
Speaker 5: really trying to hone that in and I think it'd be really (inaudible) .
Speaker 6: Yeah.
Speaker 5: So let's talk about your... Now I realize that it
Speaker 5: is kind of payback for signing you up for Chicago and (inaudible) .
Speaker 6: 1000%.
Speaker 5: New York. And Tokyo. All in a few months. Which
Speaker 5: is now concerning me. But you and David Kilgore are
Speaker 5: the reasons why I'm doing 777 this November. And obviously
Speaker 5: David was the real- time inspiration. You and I sat
Speaker 5: there and followed him on his journey in February, 2023
Speaker 5: when he did the race and we were just in
Speaker 5: awe. And absolutely exhilarated by his performance on those seven
Speaker 5: runs around the world. And then you just, as you
Speaker 5: put it the other day, planted the seed and kept
Speaker 5: watering it. And here we are. Here we are. Me asking you to
Speaker 5: join me for many miles or as many as I
Speaker 5: can or as many as you can training. And I think I
Speaker 5: want to know what it's like live living with somebody who's
Speaker 5: training for this race.
Speaker 6: To be on the sidelines. Yeah, no. I mean, watching...
Speaker 6: We were in Naples, Florida. Which is a much shorter
Speaker 6: drive than New York to Miami. And we were following
Speaker 6: David that week. And I know you had him on
Speaker 6: here recently to talk about this challenge. And we were going to
Speaker 6: go see him at the finish line, because he's a
Speaker 6: friend of ours. I was introduced to him by you.
Speaker 6: And we had joined him on just... Who randomly decided
Speaker 6: to go for a 100- mile run around New York. And
Speaker 6: we've seen him do that. And I knew... I knew
Speaker 6: that... I know what makes you happy and your gears
Speaker 6: turn. And after Tokyo Marathon, I knew you wanted that
Speaker 6: sixth star. But you were ready for another challenge. And
Speaker 6: it's I think a very different challenge. And you're familiar with
Speaker 6: the distance and you've constantly, every time, I mean, take
Speaker 6: Tokyo away from it, but every race that you've trained for is
Speaker 6: always obviously time- focused. And so this was a challenge
Speaker 6: that was the same distance, but more endurance. And I
Speaker 6: mean, there's so many elements to what you're about to
Speaker 6: embark on. Mental, physical, spiritual. But it was when we saw him finish
Speaker 6: that, I knew, I could see that you were eyeing it up. And I just
Speaker 6: had to vocalize it and put it out there. So
Speaker 6: we both knew that it was on the table. And
Speaker 6: I'd let you sit with it for a while. And I
Speaker 6: think after... We talked about it right after the race. And it
Speaker 6: wasn't until after Tokyo that I think that you were like, "
Speaker 6: Okay, I'm ready for something." And that seemed to be
Speaker 6: what you kept coming back to. I know there were
Speaker 6: some other races that you have on your list that
Speaker 6: you'd like to do one day, but this is something
Speaker 6: that you may not be able to do or want
Speaker 6: to do at a later point in your life where
Speaker 6: some of those other races are. And I know you've
Speaker 6: got a big birthday in a couple of years and
Speaker 6: you want to do it before then, so this seemed
Speaker 6: like a good year to do it. Training with you is
Speaker 6: actually nice. Because our friends, Kersh, who's your coach is
Speaker 6: giving you some times that are much more in my wheelhouse to
Speaker 6: run (inaudible) . And I can actually, by coach's guidance,
Speaker 6: pull you back to run slower (inaudible) , because it's
Speaker 6: more time on feet than distance ran.
Speaker 5: It is.
Speaker 6: And so we've had some very nice runs recently. And it
Speaker 6: also helps that you might have 80, 90 miles on your
Speaker 6: legs during the week before we go on that first
Speaker 6: run, so I know you're a bit more tired.
Speaker 5: I feel like my training has sort of helped amp
Speaker 5: up yours. Just a little bit. Given you that motivation
Speaker 5: to start going to track workouts with Alex Kay from Peloton, Matt Wilpers,
Speaker 5: Tunde. You go out on a Wednesday morning and you
Speaker 5: do that workout, which I think is... Both of us
Speaker 5: have got this energy right now.
Speaker 6: No, I think it's like you mentioned earlier, it's like
Speaker 6: our neighbors have seen us run and have always had food
Speaker 6: around and gone for runs. We've seen two of them
Speaker 6: run the marathon this year. And a couple more running
Speaker 6: their first half marathon. And so there is this energy
Speaker 6: around, and that's not just running, that's in many elements I find in
Speaker 6: life is when you're surrounded by people that motivate you,
Speaker 6: it's tough to not be inspired by that. So seeing
Speaker 6: you run and have the discipline, it reminds me a lot
Speaker 6: of Ironman training, because it's the hard work are done in
Speaker 6: the shadows. You're not rewarded every day with messages, compliments,
Speaker 6: congratulations. It's not until your race day or race week for
Speaker 6: what you're training for that people come out and wish
Speaker 6: you luck and congratulate you. And so I have a
Speaker 6: front row view of seeing the sweat, the tears, the
Speaker 6: excitement, the nerves. I see all of that. And that very much
Speaker 6: pushes me to... I'm not training for anything at the
Speaker 6: moment. I go in cycles of training. I don't always have something on the calendar. I'd like
Speaker 6: to just enjoy running as well and I think that's... I've
Speaker 6: had some time goals that I've hit. And I've been very excited by that. But it's also finding
Speaker 6: the joy in sharing miles with you, sharing miles with
Speaker 6: friends. Recently the track workouts have been very fun to have a group to
Speaker 6: suffer with. Because the track is not-
Speaker 5: And our little girl.
Speaker 6: And Tallulah.
Speaker 5: And we get to share a lot of miles with Tallulah in the stroller. And we got to share a mile with
Speaker 5: her at the weekend. Not that we're pushing her into running.
Speaker 6: Yeah. She's pushing herself into running. She is... No, and I think that's
Speaker 6: inspiring too of just, she's at an age now where
Speaker 6: she's nearly two. And she sees us and what we do and she knows
Speaker 6: what we do.
Speaker 5: Yeah. She knows mama run. Mama run.
Speaker 6: And she's been to your work and has seen a
Speaker 6: live class, so she very much knows what we're doing.
Speaker 6: She enjoys going for a run. Even our babysitter is...
Speaker 6: She only goes to her... We have two strollers. We have
Speaker 6: a jogging stroller and a standard one. I'm actually about
Speaker 6: to put the standard one in storage, because she only
Speaker 6: wants to go on the jogging stroller.
Speaker 5: Yeah. She only wants to go on the jogging stroller. That's it.
Speaker 6: And it's... Yeah. It's (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: Well, what can we do? We've got the inspiration, we've
Speaker 5: got the little girl who is there. But well, thank
Speaker 5: you for being my inspiration. Thank you for being my
Speaker 5: push and my support network. Without you and T, there's
Speaker 5: no way I could be doing this at all. I'm
Speaker 5: going to be pushing you to get your Six Star
Speaker 5: Medal very, very soon. We're hoping for London to be
Speaker 5: your Six Star next year. We'll have a big celebration
Speaker 5: there. And whatever future... I'm thinking the coach role. I
Speaker 5: think you'd be really good at the coach role. But
Speaker 5: thank you for...
Speaker 6: I've got one client.
Speaker 5: You've got one client. You've got me. Thank you for joining us
Speaker 5: today for this episode, Aus, it was nice to chat with
Speaker 5: you about running and have honest conversations about couples' running goals.
Speaker 6: Yes.
Speaker 5: Where can people find you if they wanted to check
Speaker 5: you out on social?
Speaker 6: @becsgentry on Instagram. No.
Speaker 5: You can find him on Instagram.
Speaker 6: What's my... AustinJCurtis on Instagram. I am a very... It is
Speaker 6: running, baby, and...
Speaker 5: Pretty things.
Speaker 6: Yeah, pretty things (inaudible) .
Speaker 5: Well, thank you my love. And good luck for all
Speaker 5: of your next miles.
Speaker 6: Thank you.
Speaker 5: Joining us today is Joanna Carter, a member of New York
Speaker 5: Road Runners Striders. A free walking and fitness program for older
Speaker 5: adults, age 55 and up. Joanna's passion for running sparked
Speaker 5: in her childhood in Barbados has had to be put
Speaker 5: on hold at times due to health challenges. However, her
Speaker 5: determination to stay active was never waned. After discovering the
Speaker 5: Striders program, Joanna has found renewed inspiration and such a
Speaker 5: supportive community helping her reclaim her love for running. Now
Speaker 5: she's in her second year with the Striders. She continues to
Speaker 5: build her strength and mobility aiming to celebrate her 75th
Speaker 5: birthday by participating in a half marathon. Proving that it
Speaker 5: is never too late to reconnect with the joy of fitness.
Speaker 7: Joanna, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 8: Thank you for having me.
Speaker 7: It's an honor to have you. Thank you for being with us.
Speaker 7: You have been running all your life, but you recently
Speaker 7: joined Striders. It turns out this is your second time
Speaker 7: around with the New Yorker Road Runners after a long layoff. Can
Speaker 7: you tell us about what brought you to NYRR first
Speaker 7: time around the 1980s and now in the '90s?
Speaker 8: Well, in the '80s I was up here and I wanted to
Speaker 8: run, because I always found that running was a release. Getting
Speaker 8: out and being able to run, freedom sort of thing.
Speaker 8: So I looked around and asked which clubs would have
Speaker 8: me and stuff. And I found New Yorker Road Runners. And that's
Speaker 8: why I went with them. Plus, it was Central Park
Speaker 8: running and that sort of thing. At that time most
Speaker 8: of the races were over there. The runs and so
Speaker 8: forth. So that's why I joined New Yorker Road Runners the first time around.
Speaker 7: That's great. What brought you back to running after long, not
Speaker 7: being able to do?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I was cycling and stuff, but this time I had this weird idea again, "
Speaker 8: Let me jump back into running." Because I wanted to
Speaker 8: celebrate my 75th birthday this year. And I said, " What
Speaker 8: a better thing to do?" Kind of celebrate and run. So I
Speaker 8: found the Striders on Facebook and I said, " Let me
Speaker 8: see." Because I figured if there... They had the exercise
Speaker 8: class and I know what exercises can do for your body
Speaker 8: to prepare you for running. And I said, " Let me
Speaker 8: join them." And plus it would be with a group and that sort of
Speaker 8: thing. And it's turned out to be very helpful. This
Speaker 8: Striders exercises and that sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Exercise is important at all levels, but as we get
Speaker 7: older is even more crucial, more important. In that regard, why
Speaker 7: did you join Striders and how has that been going?
Speaker 8: It's been going pretty good, being with the group. And
Speaker 8: I must also mention to you too that I've been
Speaker 8: trained while I was working, I trained to be NASM. So
Speaker 8: I know the importance of exercise and running. And plus
Speaker 8: when it was with New York Road Runners, I did a thing with Grete Waitz,
Speaker 8: a camp. And I also did the running with... I don't
Speaker 8: remember the names of... There was a husband and wife team that
Speaker 8: used to run, do training races in Central Park. And
Speaker 8: that's where I learned to sprint and do... Because I
Speaker 8: used to train on my own, never had formal training.
Speaker 8: But that group in the park helped me a lot
Speaker 8: to really get into placing. Because I was running and
Speaker 8: stuff. But I like to compete, I like to, if
Speaker 8: I run, I want to finish, I want to finish
Speaker 8: up front. So that training helped me, in Central Park
Speaker 8: training. I can't remember the name we used to call
Speaker 8: it. But yeah, I know that training and exercise and
Speaker 8: nutrition and all that helps with running. Yes.
Speaker 7: It's a complete effort from walking to strength training to
Speaker 7: mobility to nutrition.
Speaker 8: Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 7: It is important to have those moments, but you can
Speaker 7: get away when you are in the 20s, 30s, or 40s. But what do you tell the Striders on to get
Speaker 7: them to get into a routine?
Speaker 8: Well, the thing is, I've been even trying to get
Speaker 8: people to join with the Striders and stuff, but I find it's tough
Speaker 8: because when you get older age like me, it's hard
Speaker 8: to... I got a young... Not young. A person I
Speaker 8: met (inaudible) a volunteer. Because I usually do bike
Speaker 8: volunteering and stuff. And I told her. She joined up
Speaker 8: with me, she got the shirt and everything, but she
Speaker 8: hasn't gone back. And she got the shirt before I
Speaker 8: got my shirt. And I find it's very tough when
Speaker 8: you're a certain age. I've been sending out notices to
Speaker 8: friends. And even have a card I'm going to take
Speaker 8: over tomorrow at a class to let her put up
Speaker 8: in her church, because I find that when people get older,
Speaker 8: we sit and we don't want to bother. But if
Speaker 8: you move, it helps you to... They don't realize that
Speaker 8: the movement helps you to continue with everyday life and
Speaker 8: that sort of thing. You know? Yeah.
Speaker 7: Absolutely. Mobility is a positive energy to everybody. And doesn't
Speaker 7: have to have be age or gender. It's always good
Speaker 7: to be able to be positive example. But you'll be
Speaker 7: running the Harlem 5K this weekend.
Speaker 8: Yes.
Speaker 7: What are you looking forward to?
Speaker 8: Just placing and better time. Because right now, I just... Because really this was supposed
Speaker 8: to be a fun thing. The competition, yes, in my
Speaker 8: mind I still, I like to see that I'm the
Speaker 8: top with the Striders. Because I've been doing that. So what I
Speaker 8: do each time is see if I could progress a
Speaker 8: little more. Because I wasn't running for a long time. So I know I have to, as you
Speaker 8: say, (inaudible) then crawl, then go for it. So
Speaker 8: yeah, now it's just to finish. Finish strong. The first time
Speaker 8: I did it, I said, " When I get to the last mile, I'm going to speed up." No, I did not no speed up. But the second race I did, I found I (inaudible)
Speaker 8: . And the last one I did, I had that last mile going. So it takes... When you haven't ran for a while it takes a while. And I even look back and say, "You know, Joanna, you probably
Speaker 8: should have keep doing your little running and stuff." But
Speaker 8: I switched over to cycling and that's what happened. Yeah,
Speaker 8: I just stopped running and I was cycling. I would walk
Speaker 8: though. Because I used to walk. When I would start running,
Speaker 8: I used to go for walks. In fact, that's how
Speaker 8: I found out, you (inaudible) seen that I had
Speaker 8: something bothering my heart, because at work I would notice
Speaker 8: I go downstairs and I couldn't breathe. And I didn't
Speaker 8: know what it was. And I was walking. And I told my primary
Speaker 8: care doctor, something is not right. And they sent me and
Speaker 8: found that my right atrial was having a problem. So
Speaker 8: I had ablation done. So I was walking for a
Speaker 8: while before I started running back and riding. But I'm
Speaker 8: good now. I'm good now. Because they tested me. I
Speaker 8: put in my notes that I'm going to celebrate my
Speaker 8: 75th by doing a marathon. And the doctor could read
Speaker 8: my notes, because I'm at all these different hospitals (inaudible) NYU.
Speaker 8: I told that doctor, my doctor at Presbyterian who's checking
Speaker 8: my heart saw it, and he told me... I forgot
Speaker 8: that it was to mention it to him. And he said, "
Speaker 8: Wait, I noticed you're going to run. Wait, you didn't
Speaker 8: tell me anything." And I said, "How did you see that?" He said, " In
Speaker 8: your notes." So yeah, and he sent me for a
Speaker 8: stress test. He said, " You're good to go." But I
Speaker 8: am not good to go this year for a marathon,
Speaker 8: because I listen to my body so much. For years
Speaker 8: I've been doing it. And it says, " That is a
Speaker 8: bit..." So I'm going to do the half on Staten
Speaker 8: Island and that will be my celebration. Then I'll be 75
Speaker 8: when I'm running it. I'll be 75 years (inaudible) . Yeah, this year.
Speaker 7: Well, congratulation on being healthy and moving and mobility. It's
Speaker 7: wonderful to see. You've been an example to others. But
Speaker 7: later this month you will be running the greatest Gallop
Speaker 7: Race you ran almost 30 years ago.
Speaker 8: Yes.
Speaker 7: What does it feel like to return to the race
Speaker 7: with so much more life experience behind you?
Speaker 8: Yeah. When I first was signing up, because I had my
Speaker 8: coach checking it for me, what could I do and
Speaker 8: so forth from the Striders. And I didn't see that one up.
Speaker 8: And then I saw that it's for members only. So I
Speaker 8: sent her a note and said, " Could I get it?"
Speaker 8: Because I had such great... I have to look for it, because she
Speaker 8: has signed a card for me and so forth when
Speaker 8: she was alive and stuff. And I had such fond memories of her. So I have to be in that
Speaker 8: one since that's also part of the celebration. When I saw
Speaker 8: that, I was like, " Gee, I have to run that
Speaker 8: race." So I got in and I'm so happy that
Speaker 8: I would be able to do it. Although it's close to this one. Because normally I
Speaker 8: wouldn't let two races be this close at my age,
Speaker 8: but I wanted to run it this weekend. And then
Speaker 8: I saw that and I said, I would just go
Speaker 8: and finish it just to celebrate her and myself at
Speaker 8: the same time. That sort of thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Absolutely. Grete is an icon and what she did with Fred Lebow
Speaker 7: and what she have done for the New Yorker Road
Speaker 7: Runners is incredible. I'm glad we'll honor her and glad you're going to participate.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I'm going to her camp. I still have her notes and stuff. She give
Speaker 8: us things, how to run and stuff. I still have
Speaker 8: her printouts. Yeah, I keep those and stuff. And I
Speaker 8: thought, when I was at my job I used to share
Speaker 8: them with other people. Yeah.
Speaker 7: Wonderful. Well, keep up the great work. We're so delightful
Speaker 7: to have you here and keep up the great work.
Speaker 8: Thank you for having me and so glad I could
Speaker 8: even speak to you because this is also a pleasure.
Speaker 8: This is when I saw your name, I said, " Jinx, I'm
Speaker 8: going to talk to him." So yeah, I appreciate this.
Speaker 7: Well, I appreciate you and thank you for cheering for me and supporting me over the years.
Speaker 5: Thank you for joining us, Joanna, and for being a member
Speaker 5: of New York Road Runners. And now back to Meb for
Speaker 5: this week's Meb Minute.
Speaker 7: This week is be consistent. Consistency was the bedrock of my
Speaker 7: success. I ran on the same day each week, which
Speaker 7: builds discipline and steady improvement in my fitness. Find a
Speaker 7: routine that works for you and stick to it. It
Speaker 7: pays off in the long run. For example, I had
Speaker 7: an 8: 30 practice every single day of practice. Even
Speaker 7: when I was in college, I had eight 08:00 AM classes
Speaker 7: and it just works to be able to have consistent and
Speaker 7: stay to the target that you want. And fitness will
Speaker 7: come together slowly but surely. And you can make those
Speaker 7: progress make big time. So be consistent and you'll do great.
Speaker 5: That does it for another episode of Set the Pace,
Speaker 5: a huge thank you to Meb, Joanna, and of course Austin.
Speaker 5: Rob, I hope I held down the fort well enough
Speaker 5: and I'm going to see you very shortly in Paris.
Speaker 5: If you like this episode, please go ahead and subscribe,
Speaker 5: rate, or leave a comment for the show on whatever
Speaker 5: platform you're listening on. This not only helps us, but
Speaker 5: it helps others find out about the show too.