WEBVTT - Believing in the Run with The Drop Podcast Hosts Thomas Neuberger and Meaghan Murray 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:08.280 Thank you, New York. Today, we're reminded of the power 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:13.139 of community and the power of coming together. Athletes, on 0:00:13.139 --> 0:00:18.989 your mark. The first woman to finish for the second straight 0:00:18.989 --> 0:00:22.470 year here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a 0:00:22.470 --> 0:00:26.488 smiling Miki Gorman. And why not? 2: 29:30, the time for Grete Waitz. Look at 0:00:28.139 --> 0:00:30.690 the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes to the 0:00:30.690 --> 0:00:34.859 line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to the USA he so 0:00:34.859 --> 0:00:44.428 proudly wears across his chest. A great day for Meb Keflezighi. 0:00:44.429 --> 0:00:48.059 Hey, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Set the 0:00:48.059 --> 0:00:51.990 Pace presented by Peloton. We are the official podcast of 0:00:51.990 --> 0:00:54.990 New York Road Runners. I'm your host and CEO of 0:00:54.990 --> 0:00:58.980 New York Road Runners, Rob Simmelkjaer, back with the amazing 0:00:59.010 --> 0:01:02.699 Becs Gentry back for another week as my co- host. 0:01:02.700 --> 0:01:06.990 And Becs, great to see you and happy belated Mother's Day. It 0:01:06.990 --> 0:01:10.920 was your second year as mom of Tallulah. What was 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:12.449 Mother's Day like for you and the fam? 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:16.620 Mother's Day was wonderful and thank you so much. Well, 0:01:16.620 --> 0:01:19.318 I started the day with a wonderful run at Peloton. 0:01:19.830 --> 0:01:22.380 I actually did a Mother's Day run with lovely members 0:01:22.380 --> 0:01:27.990 in the room, which was very touching, emotional, and euphoric 0:01:27.990 --> 0:01:31.170 at the same time. And then we chilled. We honestly, 0:01:31.170 --> 0:01:33.330 we had a really... It was pretty miserable weather, so 0:01:33.330 --> 0:01:35.369 it was a good excuse to stay home, snuggle up, 0:01:35.459 --> 0:01:38.070 do some painting, and quality time. 0:01:39.270 --> 0:01:41.849 Yeah, here in New York, it was not the best 0:01:41.849 --> 0:01:44.760 Mother's Day weather. The afternoon got okay, but yes, a 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:45.480 little bit chilly. 0:01:45.630 --> 0:01:45.780 It did. 0:01:45.780 --> 0:01:48.179 Hope folks out there had a great Mother's Day. If 0:01:48.180 --> 0:01:51.360 they got some runs in maybe with some mother- daughter 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.150 runs or whatever it was, that it was a great, great 0:01:54.150 --> 0:01:57.450 weekend and always a great day to celebrate. And we've 0:01:57.450 --> 0:02:00.540 got ourselves a big, big weekend coming up here, Becs, 0:02:00.540 --> 0:02:03.809 but I actually had a little personal news, at least 0:02:03.809 --> 0:02:06.510 from the running point of view, myself. I can't run Brooklyn 0:02:06.510 --> 0:02:09.389 this weekend because it's hard for me as CEO to 0:02:09.389 --> 0:02:12.210 run our biggest races, but I did sign up for 0:02:12.210 --> 0:02:15.539 a half- marathon. I'm going to run the Fairfield Half 0:02:15.540 --> 0:02:19.739 Marathon up here in Fairfield, Connecticut on Sunday, June 2nd, 0:02:19.740 --> 0:02:24.059 which I'm excited about. I tried, Becs, to run this 0:02:24.059 --> 0:02:27.570 race last year and this was right around the time 0:02:27.570 --> 0:02:29.670 I started to get knee injuries last year. I had 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.030 a big ramp- up of my running in the first six 0:02:33.030 --> 0:02:36.210 months in this job and my knees just went south 0:02:36.508 --> 0:02:38.880 and I wasn't able to make it, but I deferred. 0:02:39.270 --> 0:02:41.490 I'm feeling great and I'm going to give it a 0:02:41.490 --> 0:02:43.680 go on June 2nd, so that should be fun. It's 0:02:43.680 --> 0:02:46.830 a hilly but nice course. It runs along the Long 0:02:46.830 --> 0:02:50.250 Island Sound for parts of it, you get some water views, and I'm excited 0:02:50.250 --> 0:02:52.888 to give it a go at the Athletic Brewing Company 0:02:52.889 --> 0:02:54.510 Fairfield Half on June 2nd. 0:02:54.750 --> 0:02:58.288 Oh my gosh. I'm so excited for you! We've been 0:02:58.288 --> 0:03:02.220 talking about Rob stepping his game up here and you've 0:03:02.220 --> 0:03:04.889 been getting PR after PR on your four- miler, so 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:07.320 this is your endurance time to shine. 0:03:07.830 --> 0:03:11.820 Yeah, it's time to stretch out the legs a little, 0:03:11.820 --> 0:03:14.429 see if I can get to some bigger distances. I 0:03:14.429 --> 0:03:18.209 ran last Friday morning in the park, put out about 0:03:18.209 --> 0:03:20.550 nine or 10 miles and it felt good. So it 0:03:20.550 --> 0:03:22.350 was right after that I said, " Okay, this is it. 0:03:22.350 --> 0:03:25.050 I'm feeling good enough to sign up and commit and 0:03:25.050 --> 0:03:26.669 talk about it." This is when you talk about it. When you 0:03:26.669 --> 0:03:28.350 talk about it is when you're actually doing it right, Becs? 0:03:28.350 --> 0:03:28.351 Correct. 0:03:28.351 --> 0:03:31.169 So I am now talking about running a half and 0:03:31.169 --> 0:03:33.689 I'm looking forward to that on June 2nd, but- 0:03:33.689 --> 0:03:35.100 That is it, the commitment. 0:03:35.609 --> 0:03:38.430 Absolutely. And by the way, I should mention one of 0:03:38.430 --> 0:03:41.670 the things that has really gotten me ready to run 0:03:41.670 --> 0:03:45.689 a half this spring is NYRR Group Training, which I 0:03:45.690 --> 0:03:49.259 have been a lover of since I started here at 0:03:49.259 --> 0:03:53.099 New York Road Runners. It's an incredible program where our 0:03:53.100 --> 0:03:56.370 New York Road Runners coaches meet up with you. You 0:03:56.370 --> 0:03:59.700 can sign up for Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Wednesdays in the 0:03:59.700 --> 0:04:02.550 morning or the evenings, and they just have a great 0:04:02.550 --> 0:04:07.529 program where you run with a group. They divide you up 0:04:07.530 --> 0:04:11.520 based on your speed, groups one through six, and every 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:15.390 single day, there's a different plan. Some days are focused 0:04:15.390 --> 0:04:19.980 on speed work, some days are focused on endurance, pacing, 0:04:19.980 --> 0:04:23.370 tempo runs, and it has made me such a better runner, 0:04:23.370 --> 0:04:25.469 Becs. So it's actually open right now- 0:04:25.470 --> 0:04:25.471 Brilliant. 0:04:25.471 --> 0:04:28.559 ... for folks who are interested in signing up for 0:04:28.559 --> 0:04:31.440 the next session, which is the session after the Brooklyn 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:34.799 Half. You can go to nyrr.org. We're going to put the 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:37.920 link in the show notes, and you can do it 0:04:37.920 --> 0:04:40.469 all around the city. We've got Central Park, we've got 0:04:40.469 --> 0:04:45.540 Uptown Manhattan, we've got the East River Park track downtown. 0:04:45.779 --> 0:04:48.719 We've got Astoria Park and Prospect Park out in Brooklyn. 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:50.790 So I'm a huge fan of that, and if you've never 0:04:50.790 --> 0:04:52.860 tried it, if you want to get better and you're 0:04:52.860 --> 0:04:54.630 in the New York area, you can give it a 0:04:54.630 --> 0:04:56.580 try. We also have it up in Connecticut as well 0:04:56.580 --> 0:04:58.320 with the YMCA in Westport, Connecticut. 0:04:59.730 --> 0:05:00.300 Oh my gosh. No excuses. 0:05:00.300 --> 0:05:01.320 Group training, Becs, it's a beautiful thing. 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:03.480 They're everywhere. I love it. I love running with a 0:05:03.480 --> 0:05:10.169 community. But you pointed it out, Rob. This weekend, this 0:05:10.170 --> 0:05:13.860 weekend people have been training with the group training ahead 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:19.740 of the RBC Brooklyn Half, and I don't know how 0:05:19.799 --> 0:05:22.649 many other people, because I think it's zillions, are as 0:05:22.650 --> 0:05:25.980 excited as I am for the fact that we have 0:05:25.980 --> 0:05:29.460 all three members of the 2024 U. S. Olympic Women's 0:05:29.460 --> 0:05:33.000 Marathon Team running in the MasterCard Mini 10K, which is 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:36.089 the next race after the RBC Brooklyn Half. So I 0:05:36.089 --> 0:05:40.829 just feel like we have moment after moment coming through, and 0:05:40.830 --> 0:05:44.070 I say that because the team training, between all of 0:05:44.070 --> 0:05:45.988 our women right now in the U. S. Team... I say, " 0:05:45.990 --> 0:05:48.419 Our." I know I'm British, but I feel like I 0:05:48.420 --> 0:05:52.260 can say, "Our," on the U. S. Olympic Team here has been 0:05:52.260 --> 0:05:56.698 amazing. Their community is... I can feel them. I feel 0:05:56.700 --> 0:05:58.948 like they'd be going to the group training side of 0:05:58.949 --> 0:06:01.500 things together even if they're sponsored by different people. The 0:06:01.500 --> 0:06:04.409 love is so real and I'm really excited to see 0:06:04.410 --> 0:06:05.700 them shine at the Mini 10K. 0:06:06.390 --> 0:06:09.120 This was a huge deal for us and an incredibly 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:13.320 exciting announcement last week to announce that all three women 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.139 on the U. S. Marathon Olympic Team will be running 0:06:16.139 --> 0:06:20.790 in the MasterCard Mini 10K. Fiona O'Keefe, Emily Sisson, and 0:06:20.790 --> 0:06:24.510 Dakota Lindwurm will all be at the starting line of 0:06:24.510 --> 0:06:27.928 the MasterCard Mini. That's on June 8th. So yeah, that's 0:06:27.928 --> 0:06:31.078 going to be a huge deal. Congrats to them. We're 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:34.109 so excited to host them. Our pro- athletes team did 0:06:34.109 --> 0:06:37.680 such a great job recruiting that amazing field, one of 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:38.611 my favorite races of the year. 0:06:38.611 --> 0:06:38.911 Me too. 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.339 Can't wait for it. But before we get to it, 0:06:41.339 --> 0:06:43.080 we got a lot of work and a lot of 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:47.580 fun coming up in Brooklyn this coming weekend. The RBC 0:06:47.580 --> 0:06:49.979 Brooklyn Half, everybody out there, if you're listening to this 0:06:50.309 --> 0:06:53.789 on the Thursday, the Friday before the race, and these 0:06:53.789 --> 0:06:56.880 are your final preparations, we wish you all the best. 0:06:57.120 --> 0:07:00.150 If you haven't yet, go back and listen to last week's 0:07:00.150 --> 0:07:04.080 episode with Ted Metellus, Ted giving you the 411 on 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:07.499 all the things you need to know from baggage to 0:07:07.500 --> 0:07:09.929 when to show up to what you can expect at 0:07:09.929 --> 0:07:13.890 the finish line, a course review or preview as well. 0:07:13.890 --> 0:07:16.650 So check that out, and obviously we want to make 0:07:16.650 --> 0:07:21.000 sure you enjoy the RBC Brooklyn Half Pre- Party Presented 0:07:21.000 --> 0:07:24.299 by New Balance. That's at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 0:07:24.300 --> 0:07:28.769 2. Get there nice and early. Give yourself time to 0:07:28.770 --> 0:07:32.520 soak that in. Enjoy that. It's such a great event. 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:34.830 Hopefully we get good weather for it, but take your 0:07:34.830 --> 0:07:37.200 time, and then make sure it's not... Just don't go 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.530 in rushed, grab your bib, turn around and leave. No, 0:07:40.710 --> 0:07:43.530 spend a few hours. Make it an event for yourself 0:07:43.590 --> 0:07:46.319 to hang out because it's not just a pickup; it's 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:48.810 a party, Becs, and I look forward to seeing everybody out there. 0:07:48.810 --> 0:07:51.420 Oh, yeah. I can't wait. It is one of my favorite 0:07:51.420 --> 0:07:55.410 weekends of the year. I've run this race. I love 0:07:55.410 --> 0:07:59.219 this race. I love how it starts. It's a really 0:07:59.219 --> 0:08:01.349 early start, which is one thing to note if you 0:08:01.349 --> 0:08:03.960 are finding out about it for the first time. It's a 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:06.780 really early start. We're looking at 7: 00 AM first wave, 8: 0:08:06.780 --> 0:08:10.530 00 AM, I believe, second wave. And we are also 0:08:11.100 --> 0:08:14.670 having to mention it's on Saturday, everyone. It's on Saturday. 0:08:14.910 --> 0:08:17.070 It's unusual. It is. For the amount of- 0:08:17.070 --> 0:08:17.130 Don't be the one. 0:08:17.130 --> 0:08:17.131 No! 0:08:17.131 --> 0:08:23.729 Don't be the one that shows up Sunday. We don't want people 0:08:23.730 --> 0:08:25.500 showing up Sunday. Absolutely. 0:08:25.740 --> 0:08:27.480 I mean, you'll always have people to run with in 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.840 Prospect Park in that area, but it won't be New York 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:34.110 Road Runners. So definitely make sure you show up nice 0:08:34.110 --> 0:08:37.980 and early on Saturday morning. And as Rob said, the Pre- 0:08:37.980 --> 0:08:41.129 Party Presented by New Balance is phenomenal. It is so 0:08:41.129 --> 0:08:44.429 much fun. I'm a Brooklynite. I love that it's over 0:08:44.429 --> 0:08:46.380 this side. I love that we get to show off 0:08:46.380 --> 0:08:49.710 our vibe a little bit over here. When you pick 0:08:49.710 --> 0:08:52.770 up your bib, you are going to get no preview 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:56.580 of the course, which I quite like. It's just the 0:08:56.580 --> 0:09:00.239 area. So Prospect Park, you're going to run Grand Army 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.900 Plaza. If you've never run around that, it is really, really 0:09:03.900 --> 0:09:06.390 stunning to look up. Make sure you look up to the 0:09:06.390 --> 0:09:08.520 top of that monument. I know as runners, we keep 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:10.800 our eyes down a lot of the time, so get your eyes up 0:09:11.099 --> 0:09:13.980 to the sky and see the magnificence of the monument 0:09:13.980 --> 0:09:16.919 there. But then running out to Coney Island, I mean, 0:09:16.980 --> 0:09:19.738 it's a beach. Even if it's raining, you see the 0:09:19.740 --> 0:09:25.559 ocean and there's something very calming and relaxing, I think, 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:29.010 about an ocean, especially on a rainy day. So get 0:09:29.010 --> 0:09:34.889 yourselves counting down in the alphabet to Coney Island. That's 0:09:35.070 --> 0:09:35.879 my cryptic clue. 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:40.470 That's exactly what it is. You go down Ocean Parkway, see 0:09:40.470 --> 0:09:43.170 those letters going down, and you know you're getting closer 0:09:43.170 --> 0:09:46.679 to the finish line. So for everybody getting ready, we 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:49.468 wish you all the best. We'll talk about it a bit 0:09:49.469 --> 0:09:51.959 more later in the podcast, but it should be a great 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:54.300 day. We hope for good weather, of course, and a 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:58.170 great day for everybody showing up at the RBC Brooklyn 0:09:58.170 --> 0:10:00.360 Half. We've got a great show for you on Set 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.960 the Pace today. Our guests today are two of the 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:08.489 hosts of the hugely popular The Drop Podcast, Thomas Neuberger 0:10:08.490 --> 0:10:11.909 and Meaghan Murray. They've managed to turn their love of 0:10:11.910 --> 0:10:15.540 running into their careers. I love it, Becs, when people are 0:10:15.540 --> 0:10:17.910 able to do that. I've been able to do that. 0:10:17.910 --> 0:10:20.488 You've been able to do that. Their website, Believe in 0:10:20.490 --> 0:10:23.849 the Run, is the top running review site online. They 0:10:23.849 --> 0:10:27.030 review shoes and apparel and all kinds of things that 0:10:27.030 --> 0:10:29.578 are so important to runners. And they've also, along the 0:10:29.580 --> 0:10:32.880 way, built a great community of runners who tune in 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:36.420 digitally every week to their podcast. They'll both be running 0:10:36.420 --> 0:10:38.970 the RBC Brooklyn Half for the second year in a row, 0:10:39.270 --> 0:10:41.549 so we can't wait to talk to them about how 0:10:41.550 --> 0:10:44.400 they are feeling about the race. They'll be up in 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:47.789 a minute. Later on in the show, our man Meb Keflezighi 0:10:47.789 --> 0:10:50.010 will be here to interview New York Road Runners' member 0:10:50.100 --> 0:10:54.240 Michael Albeck. As Michael prepares for this weekend's RBC Brooklyn 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:56.400 Half, he's going to share with us how New York 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.400 Road Runners has become an integral part of his whole 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:02.910 family's life. And for our weekly Meb Minute, Meb's going 0:11:02.910 --> 0:11:05.669 to give us his best advice on training to run 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.120 a new course for those of you who are running Brooklyn for the first 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:11.790 time. So all that coming up on Set the Pace. 0:11:12.300 --> 0:11:14.670 Becs, before we get to our guest, it is so 0:11:14.670 --> 0:11:17.580 beautiful outside today, and spring is my favorite time of 0:11:17.580 --> 0:11:19.679 year to start a new workout routine. 0:11:20.219 --> 0:11:22.980 Totally agree, Rob. With the weather warming up, it just 0:11:22.980 --> 0:11:25.980 feels so much easier to get into the rhythm of things. 0:11:26.340 --> 0:11:28.920 One of the things that works so well for me, 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.740 Becs, about Peloton is whether I've got 20 minutes to 0:11:31.740 --> 0:11:34.650 kill or a full hour for a Pilates class or 0:11:34.650 --> 0:11:38.640 maybe an outdoor guided walk, Peloton has everything I need 0:11:38.820 --> 0:11:39.719 to help get me going. 0:11:40.049 --> 0:11:42.780 It certainly does. It is such a great way to 0:11:42.780 --> 0:11:45.450 get a head start on summer with Peloton. You can 0:11:45.450 --> 0:11:47.580 find it at onepeloton. com. 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:51.510 And now, let's welcome in our guests, Thomas Neuberger and 0:11:51.510 --> 0:11:54.540 Meaghan Murray, from Believe in the Run and the two 0:11:54.540 --> 0:11:57.599 hosts of The Drop Podcast. If you're not familiar with 0:11:57.599 --> 0:12:01.170 The Drop, it's a pretty popular podcast that focuses on in- 0:12:01.199 --> 0:12:05.160 depth discussion and interviews relating to running shoes and gear 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.860 and training. Thomas and Meaghan, as well as the rest 0:12:07.860 --> 0:12:10.380 of the team, are big runners and they say running 0:12:10.380 --> 0:12:12.540 has changed their lives. It is great to have them 0:12:12.540 --> 0:12:14.670 on the show. Thomas, Meaghan, welcome. 0:12:15.210 --> 0:12:16.110 This is a trip. 0:12:16.230 --> 0:12:16.231 Yes, thanks for having us. 0:12:16.231 --> 0:12:22.228 I never thought I'd be on with New York Road Runners and Becs. Obviously, this is 0:12:22.980 --> 0:12:24.990 a real honor to be on the show. 0:12:25.290 --> 0:12:28.469 We're thrilled to have you guys. So all right, first 0:12:28.469 --> 0:12:31.319 question, for those who don't know, what is Believe in 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:32.550 the Run? What is that all about? 0:12:33.630 --> 0:12:34.170 Take it away. 0:12:34.889 --> 0:12:37.410 It's always a weird question because I think we straddle 0:12:39.150 --> 0:12:42.030 a couple different areas. So traditional media, we have our 0:12:42.030 --> 0:12:45.179 website where we are, I would say, more on the 0:12:45.179 --> 0:12:49.499 traditional side of doing reviews and long- read articles and 0:12:49.500 --> 0:12:52.619 that kind of stuff. And then we started doing YouTube 0:12:52.619 --> 0:12:56.550 videos to drive traffic to the website and that coincided 0:12:56.550 --> 0:13:01.199 with the trend of people becoming influencers in the running 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:04.800 space. And so we never intended to be one, but 0:13:04.860 --> 0:13:07.738 because our faces were out there and people see what we were 0:13:07.950 --> 0:13:11.549 doing, that's where we started blending, I'd say, the new 0:13:11.549 --> 0:13:15.809 media with the old media, and it just worked well 0:13:15.809 --> 0:13:20.429 together that we have both going for us and cover 0:13:20.429 --> 0:13:23.610 a lot of area. Did that... I didn't even answer 0:13:23.610 --> 0:13:24.179 the question, did I? 0:13:24.179 --> 0:13:24.239 You did. 0:13:25.950 --> 0:13:30.539 We're primarily a running shoe site that dabbles in the 0:13:30.539 --> 0:13:33.210 social world and we have a podcast as well. 0:13:33.480 --> 0:13:33.481 Yeah, there we go. 0:13:33.481 --> 0:13:33.482 A little more succinct. 0:13:33.482 --> 0:13:42.179 I love that. I love the balance here between the two of you. It's fantastic. 0:13:42.180 --> 0:13:42.870 That's it, yeah. 0:13:43.290 --> 0:13:49.410 Great pairing. Okay, so let's talk about what has changed 0:13:49.410 --> 0:13:51.450 because I think just from hearing that, the both of 0:13:51.450 --> 0:13:55.590 you have two slightly different descriptions of Believe in the Run. 0:13:55.590 --> 0:13:58.860 So how it started to where it is today, could 0:13:58.860 --> 0:14:01.350 you talk us through where it's come from and where it is? 0:14:02.010 --> 0:14:06.809 Yeah. It started when I was raising money for a 0:14:06.809 --> 0:14:09.718 charity and I was going to run the TransRockies Run, 0:14:09.720 --> 0:14:14.370 which is a multi- day, over- 100- miles race across 0:14:14.940 --> 0:14:18.478 the Rocky Mountains. And so it was one of the 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:20.549 bigger things I was doing towards the beginning of my 0:14:20.549 --> 0:14:24.479 running, so I thought it would be a great way to raise 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.030 awareness for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center. And so I 0:14:27.030 --> 0:14:30.480 raised funds for that, and so I started a website to 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.780 chronicle my training because back then, there wasn't much in 0:14:33.780 --> 0:14:36.450 the way of... Now there's so many different platforms for 0:14:36.450 --> 0:14:38.699 you to talk about your running. Back then, there wasn't, 0:14:38.700 --> 0:14:41.789 so I created a website. And as I was doing 0:14:41.789 --> 0:14:45.660 the training for TransRockies, people were curious what gear I 0:14:45.660 --> 0:14:48.960 was using and what shoes I liked or what poles 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:50.880 I was going to use on the mountain or jackets. 0:14:51.420 --> 0:14:55.710 So I started talking about that and the brands started noticing 0:14:55.770 --> 0:14:57.779 and they're like, " Hey, if we send you, would you 0:14:57.780 --> 0:15:02.100 talk about our brand?" I'm like, " Are you kidding? This is great." 0:15:02.610 --> 0:15:04.500 I still remember my first thing I ever got was 0:15:04.500 --> 0:15:06.720 a stick of Glide and I thought I just won 0:15:06.720 --> 0:15:09.120 the lottery. I was like, " Oh, this is amazing." 0:15:09.660 --> 0:15:10.979 Oh. Hey, don't knock free Glide. 0:15:10.979 --> 0:15:16.019 Yeah. But then it started to evolve. Meaghan and I 0:15:16.020 --> 0:15:21.150 met at a company that did software for social media 0:15:22.110 --> 0:15:25.680 and we were doing a lot of campaign stuff together and she was like 0:15:26.130 --> 0:15:28.170 a casual runner. You want to talk about that a 0:15:28.170 --> 0:15:28.680 little bit, Meg? 0:15:29.220 --> 0:15:32.219 Yeah. I mean, I grew up playing sports my whole 0:15:32.219 --> 0:15:34.079 life, but I always hated running. And then when I 0:15:34.080 --> 0:15:37.020 went to college, I gave up all sports, so I 0:15:37.020 --> 0:15:39.510 was like, " Well, I should do something active," so I 0:15:39.510 --> 0:15:42.690 just started running a little bit. And then when Thomas 0:15:42.690 --> 0:15:46.770 I met at the marketing company, he was out doing 50- 0:15:46.770 --> 0:15:50.130 milers and I was like, " This guy is nuts," but 0:15:50.130 --> 0:15:52.350 convinced me to sign up for a race and then 0:15:52.350 --> 0:15:54.360 I signed up for a marathon and it just snowballed 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:57.690 from there. But we ended up focusing a lot more 0:15:57.690 --> 0:15:59.880 on Believe in the Run at that time because it 0:15:59.880 --> 0:16:02.220 was getting a lot more attention and brands were noticing 0:16:02.220 --> 0:16:06.571 and sending more product and it just escalated from there. 0:16:06.571 --> 0:16:10.320 Yeah. And then Robbie came on board and he's a 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.388 phenomenal writer. I don't know if you've read some of his 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:16.140 stuff on the site, but he's a tremendous asset, and 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:21.029 we were working, splitting the time. We started our own 0:16:21.030 --> 0:16:24.900 business, Big Run Media, where we did a lot of marketing 0:16:24.900 --> 0:16:28.290 for races and different running events and stuff like that. 0:16:29.369 --> 0:16:33.390 And during the pandemic when everything went to sideways, we 0:16:33.660 --> 0:16:36.660 ended up focusing more on Believe in the Run, doing 0:16:36.660 --> 0:16:40.260 some more stuff, and it's actually one of those, it 0:16:40.260 --> 0:16:42.840 seemed like a tragedy at the time that all the 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:45.900 races were getting canceled and we were losing clients, but 0:16:45.900 --> 0:16:47.820 we focused on Believe in the Run. As a matter of fact, 0:16:47.820 --> 0:16:50.520 that's when I feel like it just lit fire and 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.040 a lot of people see us and they go, " Oh, you guys, 0:16:53.730 --> 0:16:55.350 last couple of years, you just came out of nowhere." 0:16:55.350 --> 0:16:59.879 I'm like, " We've been doing this since 2009. It's been 0:16:59.879 --> 0:17:00.450 a while." 0:17:00.869 --> 0:17:04.650 And do you guys see, I mean, what's going on 0:17:04.650 --> 0:17:09.090 in the running space right now with the explosion of 0:17:09.240 --> 0:17:13.710 popularity, how many people are running, and not just running, 0:17:13.710 --> 0:17:17.218 but to your point, talking about running, creating content about 0:17:17.219 --> 0:17:22.830 running, making running the basis of businesses just like yours? 0:17:23.279 --> 0:17:25.140 What do you think is driving it? Because I get 0:17:25.140 --> 0:17:27.570 this question all the time at New York Road Runners. 0:17:27.930 --> 0:17:31.290 Why? What's happening? Why are all of our races sold 0:17:31.290 --> 0:17:36.779 out? Why do we have 150,000 people trying to get 0:17:36.780 --> 0:17:39.960 into the TCS New York City Marathon with so few 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.570 of them actually getting in? What do you think is 0:17:42.570 --> 0:17:47.220 driving this cultural phenomenon of running being so hot right now? 0:17:49.260 --> 0:17:50.580 I mean, I have my ideas. What is yours? 0:17:50.580 --> 0:17:54.000 Yeah, it's such a good question. I think partially, the 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:57.930 pandemic was responsible for a lot of new runners and 0:17:57.960 --> 0:18:02.850 we're seeing that snowball effect. I think especially during the 0:18:02.850 --> 0:18:05.430 pandemic, that was the one thing where we could all 0:18:05.430 --> 0:18:07.080 just walk out the door and go for a run 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.388 still. And I think that was so empowering at the 0:18:09.388 --> 0:18:11.939 time and a lot of people have just continued that, 0:18:11.940 --> 0:18:14.429 and I think you saw a friend who started running 0:18:14.429 --> 0:18:15.448 and then it was like, " Well, if they can do it, 0:18:15.450 --> 0:18:17.069 maybe I can do it." And I just think it 0:18:17.070 --> 0:18:21.030 was this snowball effect of more people getting involved, and 0:18:21.030 --> 0:18:23.310 because we do have social media where you can share 0:18:23.310 --> 0:18:25.290 it, even if you don't have a best friend who 0:18:25.290 --> 0:18:27.780 runs, you can see someone online who's running and be 0:18:27.780 --> 0:18:29.999 inspired by them. So I think it's just been like... 0:18:30.780 --> 0:18:33.210 I think that's probably where we got this big growth 0:18:33.210 --> 0:18:35.490 spurt, and I'm hoping it continues, but I do think 0:18:35.490 --> 0:18:37.649 the pandemic was probably a big part of it. 0:18:38.369 --> 0:18:40.530 Yeah. And to add on to what Meg's saying because 0:18:40.530 --> 0:18:44.250 I agree, but you go online now and you see 0:18:44.250 --> 0:18:47.009 somebody that looks like you or is starting the journey 0:18:47.010 --> 0:18:51.029 that is like you, so there's more... It's cooler now 0:18:51.030 --> 0:18:55.710 to run. Before, it might've been your dad going, he's 0:18:55.710 --> 0:19:02.130 wearing generic running clothes and the generic blue running shoe 0:19:02.250 --> 0:19:04.978 and it didn't look that exciting. He's going to go 0:19:04.980 --> 0:19:08.069 for his run, mow his lawn, have a beer that 0:19:08.070 --> 0:19:13.200 afternoon. That was the idea of recreational running, where now 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:15.359 you look and there's people out there like Matt Choi 0:19:15.359 --> 0:19:19.859 who are pushing that hybrid athlete, working out, being a full- 0:19:19.859 --> 0:19:22.708 rounded athlete that happens to love running. You look at 0:19:22.710 --> 0:19:28.230 somebody like Herms Runs, who's Alex Hermanson, who he's saying 0:19:28.230 --> 0:19:30.900 to people, " Hey, it's cool. You don't have to be 0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:36.150 in three- inch shorts and 120 and restricting your diet 0:19:36.150 --> 0:19:38.668 and taking it so seriously that every race has to 0:19:38.670 --> 0:19:41.010 be a PR. It can be an event that we're 0:19:41.010 --> 0:19:45.839 all part of." And Heller, there's a whole bunch of 0:19:45.839 --> 0:19:49.829 people out there that are making this content that now 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:56.070 you can identify with, Tommie Runz, these people that are bringing people 0:19:56.070 --> 0:19:59.129 into the sport that maybe didn't see a spot for 0:19:59.130 --> 0:19:59.789 them before. 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.989 I love that. It's so much about the community and 0:20:03.990 --> 0:20:07.350 I think there's been a lot of chat recently about 0:20:07.410 --> 0:20:12.448 run crew culture, running culture, how they were parallel, they 0:20:12.450 --> 0:20:16.198 were intertwined, and now they're going off separately, and I 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:19.138 think that does have a lot to do with brand 0:20:19.138 --> 0:20:25.109 recognition. And I love what you both are saying of 0:20:25.109 --> 0:20:28.320 the you can go on social media or wherever you 0:20:28.320 --> 0:20:31.619 digest your culture, let's say, and you can see somebody 0:20:31.619 --> 0:20:34.980 who looks like you, whoever you are, wherever you are. 0:20:35.460 --> 0:20:39.420 And from what you guys are delivering, you are individual. 0:20:39.599 --> 0:20:45.180 You're not heavily... You do reviews of everything and I 0:20:45.180 --> 0:20:48.660 love going on to online and reading your reviews and 0:20:49.230 --> 0:20:54.149 seeing them because you're honest. And I think real runners 0:20:54.719 --> 0:20:57.898 are. We go through... I mean, the real runner fear 0:20:58.500 --> 0:21:02.490 is what happens if the shoe isn't good enough? And 0:21:02.490 --> 0:21:04.859 it's not the brand, it's not how it looks. You're 0:21:04.859 --> 0:21:08.429 just like, "Oh, what happens if it's not comfortable? What happens if it gives me blisters?" That 0:21:08.429 --> 0:21:13.379 is what reading reviews and listening to you guys, that's 0:21:13.380 --> 0:21:17.820 genuine because you've got the person who hated running, played 0:21:17.820 --> 0:21:20.820 soccer, to the person who will run millions of miles 0:21:20.820 --> 0:21:26.460 over very bad terrain and you're going to deliver honest, honest 0:21:26.460 --> 0:21:30.418 reviews of, " This Glide stick sucks," or, " this one is 0:21:30.509 --> 0:21:36.209 fantastic." And I just think, does it ever... When you're 0:21:36.209 --> 0:21:39.510 doing the reviews, have you ever been too swayed by 0:21:39.510 --> 0:21:43.170 brands or do you find it really refreshing to be 0:21:43.170 --> 0:21:44.189 as free and open as you are? 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:51.779 I will say it's easier naturally to talk about something 0:21:51.780 --> 0:21:54.630 that you feel strongly towards, whether that's negative or positive. 0:21:54.779 --> 0:21:58.830 The words just flow. So we do have an editor 0:21:58.830 --> 0:22:01.800 because sometimes we'll just go off on whether it's good 0:22:01.800 --> 0:22:05.280 or bad, we're just very honest, and so we do 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:07.799 have an editor to make sure it's all correct and 0:22:07.799 --> 0:22:10.529 everything like that. But we found that working with these 0:22:10.529 --> 0:22:14.670 brands, they appreciate the honesty because a lot of times, 0:22:15.780 --> 0:22:17.970 you're just hearing what you want to hear online and 0:22:17.970 --> 0:22:20.520 everything's great and wonderful, but when we are really honest, 0:22:20.520 --> 0:22:23.429 and we've tried so many shoes that we can be 0:22:23.429 --> 0:22:26.609 really nitpicky and say, " Hey, this little minor thing here 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:29.369 stood out to us and this isn't great," and the brands- 0:22:29.369 --> 0:22:29.370 Easily fixed. 0:22:29.370 --> 0:22:31.530 ... the brands love it because they can take it 0:22:31.530 --> 0:22:34.710 back to their team and actually use that as feedback 0:22:35.040 --> 0:22:36.540 to make the next model even better. 0:22:36.540 --> 0:22:39.270 Yeah. When I first started meeting brands, and to get 0:22:39.270 --> 0:22:41.309 to the part about being swayed by them, when I 0:22:41.309 --> 0:22:43.590 first started meeting brands, I was actually a little nervous 0:22:44.009 --> 0:22:47.579 because I felt like, "Hey, I just trashed one of their 0:22:47.580 --> 0:22:50.700 shoes," and I was surprised because we'd go to this 0:22:50.700 --> 0:22:52.890 thing called the Running Event where we get to interact 0:22:52.890 --> 0:22:57.840 with the brands. And I was timid the first time 0:22:57.840 --> 0:23:00.448 I went, and then I started talking to them. They're like, " No, 0:23:00.450 --> 0:23:02.250 thank you for saying that because we took it back 0:23:02.700 --> 0:23:05.430 to the team because we've been arguing for a softer 0:23:05.430 --> 0:23:08.820 midsole and you guys keep saying that. So we say 0:23:08.820 --> 0:23:10.408 it, they don't listen, but when we bring one of 0:23:10.410 --> 0:23:14.309 your reviews or something, it's an outsider saying, 'Hey, this 0:23:14.309 --> 0:23:16.800 needs to be fixed.'" So a lot of times, the 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.099 teams are really happy with us. As far as being 0:23:20.099 --> 0:23:24.269 swayed by the brands, we try to keep somewhat of 0:23:24.270 --> 0:23:27.210 a curtain between our reviews and that. So we don't 0:23:27.210 --> 0:23:30.060 ever charge for reviews. We get the shoes obviously for 0:23:30.060 --> 0:23:32.940 free, they'll send them to us, but we don't take 0:23:32.940 --> 0:23:37.198 a fee for doing a review, and we express to 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:38.849 the brands when we work with them on the other 0:23:38.849 --> 0:23:41.369 side, which is the side like what we're doing with 0:23:41.369 --> 0:23:44.820 the RBC Brooklyn Half where we're working with New Balance, 0:23:45.240 --> 0:23:47.188 we talk to them beforehand when we work with these 0:23:47.190 --> 0:23:51.418 brands and we say, " Hey, look, the reason why you're talking 0:23:51.420 --> 0:23:54.749 to us is because we've been honest about product and 0:23:54.750 --> 0:23:57.449 we're a reliable source for people who want to get 0:23:58.170 --> 0:24:00.540 the best experience out of their running shoes or running 0:24:00.540 --> 0:24:06.090 gear. If we become commercials, then you're not going to 0:24:06.090 --> 0:24:07.440 want to work with us anyway because we're going to 0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:11.698 lose our credibility and our audience." So most of the 0:24:11.700 --> 0:24:14.908 brands have an understanding with us that things aren't going 0:24:14.910 --> 0:24:19.500 to change. Now, it is crazy when we go out 0:24:19.500 --> 0:24:21.450 to a headquarters of a company or something like that. 0:24:21.750 --> 0:24:23.730 For that day or so, you do get a little 0:24:23.730 --> 0:24:26.220 bit of a glow because it's like, I'm sure you 0:24:26.220 --> 0:24:29.219 guys have visited some of these places, they're pretty fantastic 0:24:29.219 --> 0:24:33.060 and these guys know their marketing. They're beautiful, the sport, 0:24:33.119 --> 0:24:36.269 you can feel the sport in the air, and you 0:24:36.270 --> 0:24:38.310 are, for a little while, you're a little drunk on 0:24:39.119 --> 0:24:42.270 love. So I usually wait a little while before, if 0:24:42.270 --> 0:24:44.158 I've got a shoe review for them, I'll wait a 0:24:44.160 --> 0:24:45.030 week or so before I do that. 0:24:45.030 --> 0:24:46.051 Sober up, sober up a little bit. 0:24:46.051 --> 0:24:49.259 Yeah, exactly. You can walk away from those places being like, " 0:24:49.259 --> 0:24:52.168 Damn. If I ever lost my job, that's where I 0:24:52.170 --> 0:24:52.589 want to be." 0:24:52.589 --> 0:24:52.678 Yep. 0:24:55.350 --> 0:24:58.440 I love it. I mean, the honesty is what makes 0:24:58.440 --> 0:25:01.438 it good, right? I mean, the bad reviews are what 0:25:01.440 --> 0:25:02.879 make the good reviews matter. 0:25:02.879 --> 0:25:02.968 Right. 0:25:02.969 --> 0:25:03.029 Yeah. 0:25:03.209 --> 0:25:07.650 So congrats to you guys for being able to carve out that 0:25:07.650 --> 0:25:11.760 space, and it's obviously really valuable to your listeners, so 0:25:12.180 --> 0:25:14.790 it's really awesome. Let's talk about shoes a little bit 0:25:14.820 --> 0:25:17.638 and what you guys are seeing in terms of the 0:25:17.640 --> 0:25:23.400 evolution. I've been running since high school and I've run 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:25.648 in running shoes, and some I've liked and some I 0:25:25.650 --> 0:25:29.340 haven't liked. I never really thought that they would have 0:25:29.340 --> 0:25:33.688 a huge impact on my performance until very recently, and 0:25:33.690 --> 0:25:37.080 even now, I'm still catching up to, " Well, should I 0:25:37.080 --> 0:25:39.840 get one of these plates? Should I get this?" And 0:25:40.138 --> 0:25:42.809 still, I work in the industry and I still don't 0:25:42.809 --> 0:25:45.569 really know what I should be doing for my own 0:25:45.570 --> 0:25:48.840 shoes to get the maximum performance. For someone like me, 0:25:49.140 --> 0:25:52.200 and I'm a decent runner, but I'm not winning any 0:25:52.200 --> 0:25:55.920 races anywhere anytime soon, how much does it matter? Should 0:25:55.920 --> 0:25:59.309 I really be making the hundreds and hundreds of dollars 0:25:59.309 --> 0:26:02.519 or sometimes more that people are spending on some of 0:26:02.520 --> 0:26:06.300 these shoes to get five minutes off my half- marathon time? 0:26:07.500 --> 0:26:12.148 If time's your only concern, then it would depend on 0:26:12.150 --> 0:26:15.510 your level of running. I don't feel like the cost 0:26:15.780 --> 0:26:20.520 to minutes is actually the best indicator of whether the 0:26:20.520 --> 0:26:24.238 shoe is worth the money. I look at it psychologically. 0:26:24.388 --> 0:26:27.390 If you get up in the morning, and Rob, you 0:26:27.390 --> 0:26:29.490 know every day you don't feel like running, but you 0:26:29.490 --> 0:26:31.678 go down and you just got a new pair, and you're opening the 0:26:31.680 --> 0:26:35.280 box, it's fresh, you slide your foot in, " Oh, that 0:26:35.340 --> 0:26:38.369 cushioning. It's brand new. It feels so good," you're going 0:26:38.369 --> 0:26:41.670 to be pumped up to go for your run. Now, 0:26:41.940 --> 0:26:44.369 you get out the door and the foam doesn't feel 0:26:44.369 --> 0:26:48.480 that great. You start running, not having the best running 0:26:48.480 --> 0:26:52.050 experience. That's where the reviews come in. We're trying to 0:26:52.050 --> 0:26:54.209 help you have the best experience. So when you talk 0:26:54.210 --> 0:26:55.650 about what you're trying to get out of the shoe, 0:26:55.830 --> 0:26:58.199 I want you to be motivated to run, be excited 0:26:58.199 --> 0:27:00.090 to get out there. Once you're out there, I want 0:27:00.090 --> 0:27:03.090 you to feel like you're gliding and feel like the 0:27:03.090 --> 0:27:06.570 shoes aren't part... The best shoes are the ones that disappear 0:27:06.570 --> 0:27:10.829 on your feet and you don't feel them. Now, once 0:27:10.830 --> 0:27:12.330 you get to that feeling and you're out there and 0:27:12.330 --> 0:27:15.359 you're doing your weekly mileage and getting things on the 0:27:15.359 --> 0:27:18.150 baseline done, then you get to race day and you get 0:27:18.150 --> 0:27:21.810 to throw on a super shoe that's plated, bouncy, and 0:27:21.810 --> 0:27:25.800 feels amazing, the whole experience is like going to a four- 0:27:25.800 --> 0:27:29.129 course meal. It's like that's your starter, you go there, 0:27:29.130 --> 0:27:32.579 and then next thing you know, the dessert is the finish 0:27:32.580 --> 0:27:34.918 line and you're kicking it through and it's great. 0:27:36.210 --> 0:27:40.020 I mean, we're obviously big shoe nerds, so we could 0:27:40.020 --> 0:27:41.640 talk to you about shoes all day long, but I 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:45.780 do feel like they're extremely important and worth the money 0:27:45.780 --> 0:27:50.160 because like Thomas was saying, the experience psychologically, you want 0:27:50.160 --> 0:27:52.529 to feel good when you're out there running. I do 0:27:52.529 --> 0:27:56.580 feel like these new foams and plated shoes can assist 0:27:56.580 --> 0:27:59.820 you with running faster. And then also, the last piece 0:27:59.820 --> 0:28:02.700 of it for me is the recovery. You feel so 0:28:02.700 --> 0:28:05.340 much better afterwards when you have a shoe that fits 0:28:05.340 --> 0:28:07.859 well and has a good foam and a plate in 0:28:07.859 --> 0:28:10.320 it, or not a plate depending on what you prefer, 0:28:10.559 --> 0:28:14.010 but those aspects just make running not only feel better 0:28:14.010 --> 0:28:16.320 during, but also after, and then you're more likely to 0:28:16.320 --> 0:28:17.550 go back out the door the next day. 0:28:17.550 --> 0:28:18.300 That's a great point. 0:28:18.659 --> 0:28:22.800 Yeah, I totally agree with you, Meaghan. I'm there for the speed element is 0:28:22.800 --> 0:28:26.400 a wonderful bonus to the fact that you can recover 0:28:26.910 --> 0:28:31.109 and get back on the run. Because again, going back 0:28:31.109 --> 0:28:34.410 to that true runner wants to get out almost every 0:28:34.410 --> 0:28:36.359 day or as often as they can, and you don't 0:28:36.359 --> 0:28:40.200 want to be impeded by lower- leg soreness, upper- leg 0:28:40.200 --> 0:28:44.849 soreness, wherever you've run. So that's my big sell on 0:28:44.849 --> 0:28:47.009 these, the foams and the plates as we call them. 0:28:50.189 --> 0:28:52.109 Do you know how many running shoes you've reviewed? 0:28:54.329 --> 0:28:55.890 We were trying to figure that out the other day because 0:28:55.890 --> 0:29:01.290 we probably get over 100 pairs a year. 0:29:01.290 --> 0:29:01.350 Whoa. 0:29:01.620 --> 0:29:04.231 And you can do the math back to... 0:29:04.231 --> 0:29:04.590 2009. 0:29:04.590 --> 0:29:09.570 Yeah. So that is the one thing that I feel 0:29:09.930 --> 0:29:12.480 we have an advantage over. There's only a couple people 0:29:12.480 --> 0:29:15.300 that I would say are anywhere close to us with 0:29:16.170 --> 0:29:19.740 the amount of shoes and the variance of shoes that 0:29:19.740 --> 0:29:24.990 we've tried and run in and reviewed. I would think 0:29:26.220 --> 0:29:29.070 you're probably talking about Jeff Dengate, you might be talking 0:29:29.070 --> 0:29:34.110 about, I think that Sam has been doing it for 0:29:34.110 --> 0:29:40.260 a while, Metzler, who's from Outside. Those are the people 0:29:40.260 --> 0:29:43.529 that I know that I feel somewhat peers towards where I 0:29:43.530 --> 0:29:47.550 can talk about a shoe that was... We went through 0:29:47.550 --> 0:29:50.789 all the trends. We went through minimal to max cushion, 0:29:50.790 --> 0:29:54.870 swung back and forth. So those are the people that I can... 0:29:55.440 --> 0:29:57.540 When they say something about a shoe, I listen. 0:29:57.900 --> 0:29:59.849 Well, I could talk about shoes for the rest of 0:29:59.850 --> 0:30:03.000 this podcast, but we have a race coming up this 0:30:03.000 --> 0:30:07.770 weekend, the RBC Brooklyn Half. You are both participating and 0:30:07.770 --> 0:30:11.070 running and let's talk about that. You ran last year, 0:30:11.070 --> 0:30:12.210 I believe, both of you. 0:30:13.050 --> 0:30:13.860 I shouldn't have. 0:30:15.300 --> 0:30:15.930 What happened? 0:30:17.130 --> 0:30:22.500 Well, I ran London, New York, Tokyo, and Boston, and 0:30:22.500 --> 0:30:25.351 then the half, and my foot was hurting and I think I was- 0:30:25.351 --> 0:30:27.270 Gee, I can't imagine why. 0:30:27.270 --> 0:30:27.450 Shocking. 0:30:27.930 --> 0:30:34.980 Yeah, I think I had a little bit of a stress fracture or the beginnings of one, so 0:30:36.000 --> 0:30:37.469 it wasn't a good race for me. 0:30:37.469 --> 0:30:41.400 I, on the other hand, loved it. It was tons of 0:30:41.400 --> 0:30:44.730 fun. I ran with a couple friends and we actually 0:30:44.730 --> 0:30:46.770 ran it as more of a progression run. So it 0:30:46.770 --> 0:30:50.520 was very, very fun. And yeah, the crowds there are 0:30:50.520 --> 0:30:54.780 great. The course was really fun. I remember the end 0:30:54.780 --> 0:30:58.110 is almost downhill all the way to the finish line, 0:30:58.110 --> 0:30:59.340 which is always lovely. 0:30:59.340 --> 0:30:59.459 Yeah, it didn't feel downhill. 0:31:02.550 --> 0:31:03.869 One of you thought it was downhill. 0:31:09.750 --> 0:31:11.311 Yeah. Thomas was going uphill somewhere. 0:31:11.311 --> 0:31:11.611 I mean, the New York Marathon feels uphill the whole way for me. Yeah. 0:31:11.611 --> 0:31:11.612 Yeah, yeah. 0:31:11.612 --> 0:31:13.620 And what are you guys going to be doing? You've got not 0:31:13.620 --> 0:31:16.650 just the race but some other things going on race 0:31:16.650 --> 0:31:18.450 weekend. Talk about where we're going to see you. 0:31:19.260 --> 0:31:23.670 Yeah. So we are going to come up on Thursday and we're going to host 0:31:23.670 --> 0:31:26.189 a panel. Thomas will be chatting with- 0:31:26.189 --> 0:31:26.790 You know one of the guys. 0:31:26.790 --> 0:31:28.679 Yeah. Who are you chatting with? 0:31:28.680 --> 0:31:31.470 Ted from New York Road Runners. 0:31:31.530 --> 0:31:31.860 Aw, lovely. 0:31:31.860 --> 0:31:34.350 Ted Metellus, our race director, absolutely. 0:31:34.350 --> 0:31:38.010 Yes, yes. And the New York City Marathon. So I'm excited. I already talked 0:31:38.010 --> 0:31:40.350 to him. We did a little pre- interview thing, so 0:31:40.530 --> 0:31:42.719 it was a lot of fun. So I'm expecting him 0:31:42.719 --> 0:31:46.139 to be great. And then we've got Tyler from Endorphins 0:31:46.139 --> 0:31:51.150 Running, and Andrea from Mill City. So we're basically... All 0:31:51.150 --> 0:31:54.330 of us in our own way work with the running 0:31:54.330 --> 0:31:58.979 community and we all work a little bit differently, and 0:31:58.980 --> 0:32:01.830 I think it'll just be an interesting conversation about the 0:32:01.830 --> 0:32:04.409 trends in the running community. You were touching on it with 0:32:04.619 --> 0:32:08.400 run crews and that kind of stuff, and we were 0:32:08.550 --> 0:32:11.910 talking about enrollments and races, and so we're going to 0:32:11.910 --> 0:32:13.830 cover some of that stuff. It should be a fun conversation. 0:32:14.520 --> 0:32:18.120 Yeah. And then after that, we're hosting a party with a New Balance. 0:32:18.300 --> 0:32:20.340 This is all going to be at Smack Mellon is 0:32:20.340 --> 0:32:24.059 the venue in Brooklyn. And then the following morning, we're 0:32:24.059 --> 0:32:27.960 hosting a shakeout run for the RBC Half, and anyone 0:32:27.960 --> 0:32:30.450 who wants to join us for about three miles on 0:32:30.450 --> 0:32:31.260 Friday morning. 0:32:32.280 --> 0:32:33.270 And our shakeout runs have been insane. I've actually- 0:32:33.270 --> 0:32:34.590 Yeah, they're super fun. 0:32:34.650 --> 0:32:34.860 Yeah. 0:32:36.059 --> 0:32:37.050 Always full to the brim. 0:32:37.050 --> 0:32:37.051 Yes. 0:32:37.051 --> 0:32:39.659 Yes, yes. 0:32:39.689 --> 0:32:42.810 Okay. So talk to us, as you are the kit 0:32:43.500 --> 0:32:48.480 king and queen here of advising everybody what to wear 0:32:48.480 --> 0:32:53.009 on race day, how would you best advise our listeners 0:32:53.099 --> 0:32:57.330 to get themselves prepared kit- wise for the RBC Brooklyn Half? 0:32:57.840 --> 0:32:58.800 Do we know the weather? 0:32:58.890 --> 0:33:01.110 I think it's going to be high 50s, low 60s. 0:33:01.470 --> 0:33:02.910 That's pretty good. Any- 0:33:02.910 --> 0:33:03.511 Yeah, with a possible sprinkle. 0:33:03.511 --> 0:33:07.410 Good temps. Yeah, maybe a little rain, maybe not. We'll see. 0:33:08.639 --> 0:33:09.390 Rain never hurts. 0:33:09.420 --> 0:33:09.480 No. 0:33:09.809 --> 0:33:14.002 Unless you're chafing. But I mean, that's (inaudible) - 0:33:14.002 --> 0:33:14.003 Eh, yeah. Back to that Glide. 0:33:14.003 --> 0:33:14.004 Yep, yep. There we go. Full circle. 0:33:14.004 --> 0:33:21.150 Yes, exactly. I mean, for me it would be probably singlet, 0:33:21.150 --> 0:33:24.030 shorts, easy, 13. 1 miles. 0:33:24.420 --> 0:33:29.099 Yeah, I think it's always best to dress knowing you're 0:33:29.099 --> 0:33:31.229 going to get warm because I feel like especially when 0:33:31.230 --> 0:33:33.089 you first go out the door, you always want to 0:33:33.299 --> 0:33:36.090 be comfortable, but you always want to be a little 0:33:36.090 --> 0:33:38.430 cold when you first get out there so that once 0:33:38.430 --> 0:33:39.690 you're out there racing- 0:33:39.750 --> 0:33:40.921 You'll heat up pretty quick. 0:33:40.921 --> 0:33:43.710 ... and you're heated up, then you're actually comfortable in your singlet and shorts. 0:33:45.120 --> 0:33:48.599 And yeah, if it's raining, obviously we'd recommend maybe some tighter clothing to avoid 0:33:48.599 --> 0:33:52.469 that chafing, and then yeah, nothing, don't do anything new 0:33:52.469 --> 0:33:52.919 on race day. 0:33:53.729 --> 0:33:55.259 And a hat. I always like a hat. 0:33:56.129 --> 0:33:56.759 Yeah, we like a hat. 0:33:56.759 --> 0:34:01.230 I like a hat too when it rains because it just keeps the drops out of 0:34:01.230 --> 0:34:04.651 your eyes. Just a little protection. 0:34:04.651 --> 0:34:04.652 The sun. Yeah, everything. 0:34:04.652 --> 0:34:04.653 Yeah. 0:34:04.653 --> 0:34:07.559 I know some people love sunglasses, but I'm like, "Do you have little windscreen wipers on 0:34:07.559 --> 0:34:09.870 them?" Because every time I wear sunglasses in the rain, 0:34:09.870 --> 0:34:12.300 I'm just like, " No, this is terrible." 0:34:14.070 --> 0:34:14.430 Yeah, it doesn't work in the rain so much. 0:34:14.430 --> 0:34:15.239 It doesn't. You look cool. You look very cool. 0:34:16.410 --> 0:34:18.210 Yeah, I'm hoping there's not that much rain so when 0:34:18.210 --> 0:34:20.700 we get to Coney Island, we can enjoy the sunshine 0:34:20.700 --> 0:34:21.780 and the dogs and stuff. 0:34:23.130 --> 0:34:25.830 Oh, absolutely. Well, I think I love that you said 0:34:25.889 --> 0:34:30.089 dress to get warm because it's race day and most 0:34:30.089 --> 0:34:32.940 people are going to be going out and maybe challenging 0:34:32.940 --> 0:34:35.640 themselves an ounce more than they do on their normal 0:34:35.640 --> 0:34:38.279 run, and nothing pains me more than when I see 0:34:38.280 --> 0:34:44.790 people on race day totally overdressed in puffer jackets. I'm like, " 0:34:44.849 --> 0:34:46.919 Oh my goodness me. You probably could have got a 0:34:46.920 --> 0:34:49.200 few seconds off your time if you'd have just taken 0:34:49.200 --> 0:34:50.820 that little puffer off, please." 0:34:50.820 --> 0:34:53.700 So you're not tempted to go help them out? You're 0:34:53.700 --> 0:34:55.560 not tempted to be like, " Hey, just hide that behind 0:34:55.560 --> 0:34:56.310 a tree or something?" 0:34:56.310 --> 0:34:58.620 Oh, no. Dude, seriously, the amount of times I have 0:34:58.620 --> 0:35:01.110 conversations in my head with people whilst I'm running next 0:35:01.110 --> 0:35:02.609 to them, I'm like, " Is it rude of me to 0:35:02.610 --> 0:35:06.839 just be like, 'Can we have a chat?'" And then I'm 0:35:06.839 --> 0:35:10.980 just like, " No, keep going." That sounds like such an incredible weekend. 0:35:10.980 --> 0:35:13.049 I'm sure all of your followers are going to have 0:35:13.110 --> 0:35:16.469 the best time with you, listening to you, running with you, 0:35:16.469 --> 0:35:21.030 and cheering for you, which is epic. I know I'll 0:35:21.030 --> 0:35:23.969 be at the finish line cheering away, for sure, this weekend. 0:35:24.060 --> 0:35:24.180 Awesome. 0:35:24.180 --> 0:35:24.690 Oh, nice. 0:35:25.140 --> 0:35:28.860 Well, we say that. I'm tempted. I'm a little tempted to run it now. 0:35:29.430 --> 0:35:29.431 Why not? 0:35:29.431 --> 0:35:30.870 Oh, yeah. Come run it. 0:35:31.110 --> 0:35:31.111 Yeah! 0:35:31.111 --> 0:35:33.540 Yeah, yeah. I'm tempted. 0:35:33.540 --> 0:35:37.231 We'll get you a pair of these New Balance SC Elite v4s. 0:35:37.231 --> 0:35:37.232 You know what? 0:35:37.232 --> 0:35:39.570 Is that what you guys are running in? 0:35:39.660 --> 0:35:39.661 Yeah. 0:35:39.661 --> 0:35:40.351 Yeah. 0:35:40.560 --> 0:35:40.890 I love them! 0:35:40.890 --> 0:35:41.819 All right. You've tested them out? 0:35:43.020 --> 0:35:44.160 Yes, yeah. 0:35:44.160 --> 0:35:44.219 Yeah. 0:35:44.280 --> 0:35:44.850 And? 0:35:46.260 --> 0:35:47.880 We love them. So we wore these for the New 0:35:47.880 --> 0:35:51.779 York City Marathon this past year. Loved them. We had 0:35:51.780 --> 0:35:53.461 some all- white prototypes, which were very cool. 0:35:53.461 --> 0:35:53.821 So cool. 0:35:54.450 --> 0:35:56.520 But yeah, now we're going to wear the inline colorway, 0:35:56.520 --> 0:35:59.070 which is also pretty good- looking, so pretty excited about it. 0:35:59.070 --> 0:35:59.280 It's gorgeous. 0:36:00.750 --> 0:36:00.751 Yeah. 0:36:00.751 --> 0:36:04.650 You know what? As somebody who has a wider foot, and 0:36:04.710 --> 0:36:07.260 I spread my toes wide when I run because that's 0:36:07.260 --> 0:36:10.590 how I've been coached from my whole career. This width 0:36:10.590 --> 0:36:15.389 at the front of the v4 Elites is my perfect 0:36:15.420 --> 0:36:19.080 shoe width. I'm in love with them. New Balance, I 0:36:19.080 --> 0:36:20.609 can't take them off. I put the Rebels on for 0:36:20.610 --> 0:36:24.270 my slower, steadier runs and then whew, little bit of 0:36:24.270 --> 0:36:26.371 energy into the v4. Oh, they're divine. 0:36:26.371 --> 0:36:27.660 I like the Rebel. 0:36:27.750 --> 0:36:29.250 That's a good combo right there, yeah. 0:36:29.610 --> 0:36:31.919 Chris Chavez from Citius Mag, you guys probably know him, 0:36:31.920 --> 0:36:36.029 he did his first sub- three- hour marathon and he 0:36:36.029 --> 0:36:36.120 was wearing these shoes. 0:36:36.120 --> 0:36:36.121 These shoes, yeah. 0:36:36.120 --> 0:36:37.169 He did it in these shoes. 0:36:38.189 --> 0:36:40.169 I've spoken to a lot of people who are making 0:36:40.169 --> 0:36:40.679 PRs in them. 0:36:41.940 --> 0:36:44.070 Yeah. It's not the lightest one on the market, but 0:36:44.070 --> 0:36:45.870 it has a really nice feel and I think it's the 0:36:45.870 --> 0:36:48.330 most accessible one with the sizing and the fit. 0:36:48.510 --> 0:36:53.460 And like you were talking about, Becs, the wide forefoot is key. 0:36:53.789 --> 0:36:54.059 Yeah. 0:36:54.780 --> 0:36:57.870 I'm still stuck on the fact that Becs was coached to 0:36:57.870 --> 0:37:02.190 spread her toes apart while running. No one ever told 0:37:02.190 --> 0:37:05.730 me what to do with my toes when I ran. 0:37:05.730 --> 0:37:09.089 Clearly this is what I've been missing my entire life 0:37:09.089 --> 0:37:12.270 was I just ran. I didn't think about my toes 0:37:12.270 --> 0:37:13.441 at all, all this time. 0:37:13.441 --> 0:37:13.442 You don't remember the- 0:37:13.442 --> 0:37:14.002 I (inaudible) your feet. It's my thing in class. 0:37:14.002 --> 0:37:14.003 You don't remember the Vibram FiveFingers, Rob? 0:37:14.003 --> 0:37:14.004 No! 0:37:14.004 --> 0:37:14.005 No! 0:37:14.005 --> 0:37:14.006 Oh, yeah. The toe shoes? 0:37:21.330 --> 0:37:22.979 I saw someone running in those yesterday. 0:37:23.370 --> 0:37:26.219 Oh, the shoes that look like gloves where your toe 0:37:26.610 --> 0:37:27.480 has a little spot? 0:37:27.809 --> 0:37:27.929 Yes! 0:37:27.929 --> 0:37:27.930 Yeah. 0:37:27.930 --> 0:37:30.689 You know, I have seen those and it blows my mind. 0:37:31.080 --> 0:37:33.150 And actually, the one guy I know who runs in 0:37:33.150 --> 0:37:35.850 those is a guy who also runs a lot barefoot 0:37:35.850 --> 0:37:38.549 and that's a thing, right? Are you guys seeing a 0:37:38.549 --> 0:37:40.500 lot of that? That's not good for the shoe business, but are 0:37:40.500 --> 0:37:40.680 you seeing a lot of that? 0:37:42.300 --> 0:37:45.810 We saw after Born to Run came out back in... 0:37:46.200 --> 0:37:46.651 I guess that was 2010 or '11. 0:37:46.651 --> 0:37:46.830 Yes, everybody. 0:37:49.500 --> 0:37:54.150 That's what kicked off the barefoot rage and Vibram FiveFingers. You had the Merrell Trail 0:37:54.150 --> 0:37:58.079 Gloves, you had Vivobarefoot, all those shoes came out. And 0:37:59.010 --> 0:38:02.340 look, there's an argument to be made for strengthening your 0:38:02.340 --> 0:38:08.550 feet by being more natural, but we also didn't used 0:38:08.550 --> 0:38:12.239 to run a 100- mile weeks on pavement or 60- 0:38:12.239 --> 0:38:14.609 mile weeks getting ready for a marathon on pavement. So 0:38:15.150 --> 0:38:17.940 I think the people that like it, that's fun for them 0:38:18.090 --> 0:38:20.729 and great, but for the rest of us... 0:38:21.299 --> 0:38:22.530 We'll stick to our max- cushion shoes. 0:38:22.530 --> 0:38:22.800 Yeah, I like the benefit of cushion shoes. 0:38:29.969 --> 0:38:29.970 Yeah, polar opposite. I agree. 0:38:29.970 --> 0:38:29.971 100%. 0:38:29.971 --> 0:38:33.750 They're also hideous. I'm sorry, I'm going to chime in here just on the visual look. 0:38:34.650 --> 0:38:37.079 Nobody looks good in those. I've never seen someone who's been like, " 0:38:37.080 --> 0:38:39.899 Damn, that's a fly outfit he's got on. Look at 0:38:39.899 --> 0:38:42.328 those." Yeah. 0:38:43.379 --> 0:38:45.599 I got to agree. I've got to. The guy I 0:38:45.599 --> 0:38:49.440 saw yesterday was running with his double stroller in them. 0:38:50.010 --> 0:38:51.720 I'm like, " Buddy, honestly"- 0:38:57.239 --> 0:38:57.240 Like imagine you're on- 0:38:57.239 --> 0:38:59.819 "... the foams and the plates are going to really help you with those two kids," because these shoes, he looked like he was sinking into the concrete with every step. 0:38:59.819 --> 0:39:02.189 I'm like, " Oh, the pain!" 0:39:02.189 --> 0:39:05.969 So I have to ask you guys, for those who don't know who are 0:39:05.969 --> 0:39:08.400 maybe hearing your voices for the first time, you are 0:39:08.400 --> 0:39:11.820 married to each other. You did not just meet and 0:39:11.820 --> 0:39:15.870 become colleagues, you became husband and wife. How is that for you 0:39:15.929 --> 0:39:19.950 working together this way as a married couple doing a 0:39:19.950 --> 0:39:22.469 podcast? You're still doing it and I believe you're still 0:39:22.469 --> 0:39:29.220 married, so I guess it's working out okay. 0:39:29.220 --> 0:39:29.221 Yeah. It's great for me. Maybe not for Meaghan so much. 0:39:29.221 --> 0:39:32.460 No, it's kind of how we've always been. We've always 0:39:32.460 --> 0:39:36.660 worked together and that's always worked really well and it 0:39:36.660 --> 0:39:38.580 almost feels like it'd be weird now not to be 0:39:38.580 --> 0:39:41.370 working together all the time just because that's our norm. 0:39:41.640 --> 0:39:49.529 Yeah. If you imagine that I couldn't do half the 0:39:49.530 --> 0:39:52.590 stuff without Meaghan, so it really is a yin and 0:39:52.590 --> 0:39:57.270 yang situation where my brain doesn't work the way hers 0:39:57.270 --> 0:39:58.381 does. I can't even say it. It's not working. 0:39:58.381 --> 0:40:03.841 I'm very analytical, he's very creative. It's very... Yeah, we're opposites. 0:40:03.841 --> 0:40:06.840 And so it really is. I think part of the reason 0:40:06.840 --> 0:40:09.870 I fell in love with Meaghan from the start was that 0:40:10.049 --> 0:40:12.419 I just felt like, " Oh, this is how easy life 0:40:12.420 --> 0:40:15.598 can be when you have somebody who has that other 0:40:15.599 --> 0:40:17.820 side of what you're lacking." 0:40:17.820 --> 0:40:17.821 Aw, I love that. 0:40:17.821 --> 0:40:18.031 Yeah, it's been good. 0:40:23.160 --> 0:40:26.160 Okay, so I really would love to talk more about 0:40:26.160 --> 0:40:28.558 you two running together, you two reviewing together, but we'll 0:40:28.559 --> 0:40:33.390 save that for another podcast. As you are professional running 0:40:33.450 --> 0:40:35.969 reviewers and have been doing this for a really long time, 0:40:35.969 --> 0:40:38.459 and this is not your first race with us this 0:40:38.460 --> 0:40:43.349 weekend, can you give our listeners a full- on review 0:40:43.440 --> 0:40:45.330 of the RBC Brooklyn Half? 0:40:46.200 --> 0:40:46.561 A full review? 0:40:46.561 --> 0:40:46.921 Yeah. 0:40:47.610 --> 0:40:51.450 Yeah. Just a little, not too in- depth, but let's 0:40:51.600 --> 0:40:54.570 see it from your perspective. This weekend's coming up, what are 0:40:54.630 --> 0:40:55.290 we going to go do? 0:40:57.719 --> 0:40:59.700 Well, first of all, the main goal is always fun. 0:40:59.730 --> 0:41:02.250 So that's key. We're going to have a great time. 0:41:02.250 --> 0:41:06.479 I do remember last year, it starts out pretty compact 0:41:06.480 --> 0:41:08.339 in the beginning, so you definitely have to have some 0:41:08.340 --> 0:41:10.169 patience like you should in every race and not go 0:41:10.169 --> 0:41:10.440 out too fast. 0:41:10.440 --> 0:41:12.390 But it also kind of goes downhill. I think, yeah, 0:41:12.390 --> 0:41:14.310 it's easy to go out a little too fast at 0:41:14.310 --> 0:41:14.640 this one. 0:41:14.700 --> 0:41:16.889 Yeah, so I think patience is super important in the 0:41:16.889 --> 0:41:20.040 beginning, whether you're stuck in a crowd or you're just 0:41:20.040 --> 0:41:21.809 holding back a little bit to leave some for the 0:41:21.809 --> 0:41:26.430 end, and then having fun the whole 13 miles. 0:41:26.430 --> 0:41:29.219 Except not the whole 13 because we go into Prospect Park 0:41:29.700 --> 0:41:32.670 and there's a nice little hill you're going to want 0:41:32.670 --> 0:41:34.950 to save some energy for. What mile is that? 0:41:35.550 --> 0:41:36.331 Literally within the first- 0:41:36.331 --> 0:41:37.620 That's in the first few miles. 0:41:37.620 --> 0:41:38.821 Yeah, before the first 5K mark. 0:41:38.821 --> 0:41:42.000 Okay. So you go into Prospect Park and you get a 0:41:42.000 --> 0:41:43.620 nice... It is a- 0:41:43.620 --> 0:41:44.250 It's pretty steep, yeah. 0:41:44.250 --> 0:41:48.330 It's a grinder and it's steep and it's long. Yeah, 0:41:48.360 --> 0:41:50.400 I'm sure all the people who live in Brooklyn are 0:41:50.400 --> 0:41:53.849 very familiar with that hill. So once you get past 0:41:53.849 --> 0:41:57.779 that, I think it's interesting. And then you get into 0:41:57.780 --> 0:42:01.710 that long stretch and it counts down by street so 0:42:01.710 --> 0:42:04.739 you can get an idea of where you are. Can 0:42:04.739 --> 0:42:07.860 you explain to me, Rob or Becs, how that works? 0:42:08.700 --> 0:42:11.879 Well, they're alphabetical. So the farther you are from the 0:42:11.880 --> 0:42:15.030 ocean, the higher the letter, yeah. So as you're seeing those letters 0:42:15.030 --> 0:42:18.300 go down, you're getting closer and closer to the Coney 0:42:18.330 --> 0:42:19.860 Island Boardwalk and the finish line. 0:42:20.310 --> 0:42:23.340 Do you do the whole alphabet? I feel like last year, I was a little dazed. 0:42:24.239 --> 0:42:27.810 It's like a Brooklyn thing. In Manhattan, we do numbers, 0:42:28.349 --> 0:42:31.410 except in the Lower East Side, we've got letters over 0:42:31.410 --> 0:42:33.630 there. But yeah, they do letters in Brooklyn. 0:42:34.920 --> 0:42:37.860 And that's where I started feeling the chafe. So make sure you do 0:42:39.000 --> 0:42:43.860 put on... But you know what, the whatchamacallit? The medical tents were 0:42:43.860 --> 0:42:48.000 great. They had Vaseline waiting there with the little sticks 0:42:48.000 --> 0:42:52.350 in it and you could find some relief there. Overall, 0:42:52.350 --> 0:42:56.040 the support of the race was great. You had plenty of 0:42:56.040 --> 0:42:59.760 water, there's plenty of stops you, felt well taken care 0:42:59.760 --> 0:43:02.339 of, and there were plenty of medical tents for those people 0:43:02.340 --> 0:43:05.490 who are not wearing enough Glide like I was. 0:43:06.300 --> 0:43:08.429 And then I'll always remember that you make that turn 0:43:08.429 --> 0:43:10.979 onto the boardwalk at the finish there and there's just 0:43:10.980 --> 0:43:15.540 people screaming and cheering and it's hard not to sprint 0:43:15.750 --> 0:43:17.850 to that finish line at the end there, which I 0:43:17.850 --> 0:43:19.379 think everyone should be doing anyway. 0:43:20.070 --> 0:43:23.189 And we didn't do something right last year. We didn't 0:43:23.309 --> 0:43:27.120 figure out the public transportation back to Brooklyn. 0:43:27.810 --> 0:43:28.529 Oh, yeah. 0:43:30.000 --> 0:43:31.950 What are the options there when you finish the race? 0:43:31.950 --> 0:43:35.040 Because we stayed, we had a couple beverages. 0:43:35.130 --> 0:43:37.290 You can take the subway all the way back. 0:43:37.320 --> 0:43:40.109 Yeah, mass transit. The subway gets it done every time. 0:43:40.109 --> 0:43:42.929 Or just stay in Coney Island, have a hot dog 0:43:42.929 --> 0:43:45.569 and a margarita and see where the day takes you. 0:43:46.259 --> 0:43:46.440 That sounds better, yeah. 0:43:46.439 --> 0:43:48.931 All right, you heard that from Becs, margaritas and hot dogs. 0:43:48.931 --> 0:43:49.468 Yeah, yeah. 0:43:50.489 --> 0:43:51.239 Oh, I love that. Thank you. 0:43:51.960 --> 0:43:53.670 Not until you've hung out at our party a little 0:43:53.670 --> 0:43:56.700 bit and enjoyed that great party- 0:43:56.879 --> 0:43:58.380 Yeah, and been to our live show. 0:43:58.380 --> 0:44:00.929 ... at Maimonides Park and listened to the live show, the Set the 0:44:00.929 --> 0:44:02.550 Pace Show with Becs and Ali on the Run. 0:44:02.550 --> 0:44:02.849 Oh, yeah! 0:44:02.849 --> 0:44:02.998 Oh, Ali! 0:44:02.998 --> 0:44:06.719 So you're going to hang out, you're going to do all the things, and 0:44:06.719 --> 0:44:09.540 then you'll find your way back to wherever you are staying. 0:44:09.540 --> 0:44:09.600 You will. 0:44:09.630 --> 0:44:13.170 And hey, so nice to have both of you on 0:44:13.440 --> 0:44:16.710 Set the Pace. Again, your podcast is called The Drop. 0:44:17.040 --> 0:44:19.529 It's the place to check out all the reviews and 0:44:19.530 --> 0:44:23.369 the great conversations you guys have. I'm all about Believe 0:44:23.369 --> 0:44:26.040 in the Run, your organization, and we're just psyched to 0:44:26.040 --> 0:44:28.920 have you guys coming back up to Brooklyn, psyched to 0:44:28.920 --> 0:44:32.069 see you out there this weekend. So have a great 0:44:32.070 --> 0:44:33.930 race and thanks for joining us. 0:44:34.320 --> 0:44:37.139 Yeah, it was awesome. We love the New York Road Runners and what 0:44:37.139 --> 0:44:39.270 you guys are doing for the community and excited to 0:44:39.270 --> 0:44:41.399 be part of it, so thank you so much. 0:44:41.430 --> 0:44:42.120 Yeah, thank you. 0:44:42.510 --> 0:44:45.840 All right. Thank you, Thomas Neuberger and Meaghan Murray from 0:44:45.840 --> 0:45:02.100 Believe in the Run and The Drop. For this week's 0:45:02.100 --> 0:45:05.640 Member Moment, we're excited to have Michael Albeck joining us. 0:45:05.730 --> 0:45:08.610 Michael's going to be running this year's RBC Brooklyn Half, 0:45:08.639 --> 0:45:11.969 and running is a family affair for the Albeck family. His 0:45:11.969 --> 0:45:14.820 wife is a rising New York Road Runners program lead 0:45:15.239 --> 0:45:18.450 and their son has run at the Millrose Games with 0:45:18.480 --> 0:45:20.609 the program, and they were both honored at the New 0:45:20.610 --> 0:45:23.430 York Road Runners Youth Night, which took place this past 0:45:23.430 --> 0:45:24.780 week. Here's Meb. 0:45:25.320 --> 0:45:28.560 Thanks, Rob and Becs. Michael, welcome to Set the Pace. 0:45:28.620 --> 0:45:31.650 To start off, we want to ask what we ask 0:45:31.650 --> 0:45:35.069 all our members. What inspires you to start running and 0:45:35.070 --> 0:45:36.268 what keeps you doing it? 0:45:37.199 --> 0:45:44.370 Well, hello. Thanks for having me. What inspired? Running's newer to 0:45:44.370 --> 0:45:46.650 me. I started during the pandemic like a lot of 0:45:46.650 --> 0:45:49.020 people, and it was kind of a coincidence that it 0:45:49.020 --> 0:45:54.989 was around that time, but I've just really enjoyed setting 0:45:54.989 --> 0:45:59.160 goals and accomplishing those goals and sometimes not accomplishing those 0:45:59.160 --> 0:46:02.670 goals. And it's just, I think it's been good for 0:46:03.599 --> 0:46:08.190 my health. I've lost a bunch of weight and it's 0:46:08.190 --> 0:46:09.989 been great for our family. It's something that we do 0:46:09.989 --> 0:46:13.020 as a family together as well. So I don't know, 0:46:13.469 --> 0:46:14.610 it's been a wonderful experience. 0:46:14.969 --> 0:46:17.790 As we mentioned, you are a family of runners. What 0:46:17.790 --> 0:46:21.029 benefit have you seen with having a household of runners? 0:46:21.270 --> 0:46:24.299 It's always good to talk or nutrition. What was that 0:46:24.300 --> 0:46:24.870 like for you? 0:46:25.679 --> 0:46:27.389 Yeah. I mean, we talk about all that stuff. I 0:46:27.389 --> 0:46:32.760 mean, hydration, nutrition. My son, he's 13 now. He's in eighth grade. He started 0:46:32.760 --> 0:46:37.830 running in sixth grade. So it's been great taking him 0:46:37.830 --> 0:46:42.300 to races and cheering him on, cheering on his whole 0:46:42.300 --> 0:46:46.410 team, and he's had a wonderful coach that's gotten a 0:46:46.410 --> 0:46:48.510 lot of people into running that probably wouldn't normally get 0:46:48.510 --> 0:46:52.560 into running. But yeah, it's a constant discussion of who's 0:46:52.560 --> 0:46:56.579 running with who this weekend or today, and who's getting 0:46:56.580 --> 0:47:00.780 out for a run, what distance you're doing. But yeah, 0:47:00.840 --> 0:47:04.049 so it seems like it's a constant topic of conversation 0:47:04.049 --> 0:47:05.070 in the house these days. 0:47:06.090 --> 0:47:08.730 And your wife is a rising New Yorker Road Runners 0:47:08.730 --> 0:47:11.940 program leader. And how does that... I mean, that's pretty 0:47:11.940 --> 0:47:14.639 cool to have your son run and her being involved 0:47:14.639 --> 0:47:17.099 with the New York Road Runners, rising stars. 0:47:17.849 --> 0:47:21.869 Yeah. So like I said, my son, he started running 0:47:21.870 --> 0:47:24.000 with his middle school when he started going in sixth 0:47:24.000 --> 0:47:27.660 grade. And as a coincidence, my wife also became a 0:47:27.660 --> 0:47:32.790 middle school teacher during that time, and at her school, 0:47:33.239 --> 0:47:37.049 the main running coach there asked if she wanted to 0:47:37.049 --> 0:47:39.239 help out as well. So now she has a team 0:47:39.239 --> 0:47:42.750 that is also going to the same event. So it's 0:47:42.750 --> 0:47:45.510 great if there's a during- school event that she can 0:47:45.510 --> 0:47:47.880 actually go to that event and see our son run 0:47:47.880 --> 0:47:51.601 as well as helping out with her team as well. 0:47:51.601 --> 0:47:54.599 Well, I mean, your wife and you have been part of the 0:47:54.599 --> 0:47:57.870 sport. What is that like to see the next generation 0:47:57.870 --> 0:47:59.729 take up the support that you are involved in? 0:48:02.219 --> 0:48:05.250 It's great. I mean, I think these Rising Runners events, 0:48:05.250 --> 0:48:09.059 it's great to see so many young kids getting excited 0:48:09.059 --> 0:48:14.340 to run and they start them with... There's no time 0:48:14.340 --> 0:48:16.709 or anything, it's just exciting to get out there. They 0:48:16.709 --> 0:48:19.950 get some sort of gift, like a hat or a running 0:48:19.950 --> 0:48:22.739 belt or something, and then they get a medal when they 0:48:22.739 --> 0:48:27.630 finish. So I think it's exciting to see people being 0:48:27.630 --> 0:48:31.170 excited about a sport that's very accessible to many people. 0:48:31.889 --> 0:48:33.330 So yeah, it's exciting to see. 0:48:34.199 --> 0:48:36.960 How has that been interaction for you? They always want 0:48:36.960 --> 0:48:39.600 to sprint, no matter what the distance is, whether it's 200- 0:48:39.600 --> 0:48:43.200 meter or 400- meter or a mile. What is that like 0:48:43.200 --> 0:48:45.300 to be able to interact with them? 0:48:47.670 --> 0:48:51.449 Yeah. I guess a lot of the younger kids, since 0:48:51.450 --> 0:48:54.780 I'm not a coach myself, I deal with my son 0:48:55.200 --> 0:49:00.180 or try to help with him, and sometimes it's almost 0:49:00.180 --> 0:49:01.950 the opposite. I feel like he still has gas in 0:49:01.950 --> 0:49:04.079 the tank when I feel like he should be pushing 0:49:04.080 --> 0:49:09.719 a little bit harder. I mean, yeah, I think there's 0:49:09.719 --> 0:49:11.789 times when he could be pushing a little bit harder, 0:49:11.789 --> 0:49:15.000 so trying to get him to manage that in some 0:49:15.000 --> 0:49:18.210 way has been interesting. 0:49:18.780 --> 0:49:23.430 Well, looking ahead, you are taking on the RBC Brooklyn Half. 0:49:23.550 --> 0:49:25.440 Any big goals for that race? 0:49:25.440 --> 0:49:31.710 I don't think so. The last six months, I was 0:49:31.710 --> 0:49:35.790 battling a little bit of injury, like a calf strain 0:49:35.790 --> 0:49:38.549 and one of my hips isn't great. I had a 0:49:38.550 --> 0:49:41.429 great year last year with some PRs that I was 0:49:41.429 --> 0:49:44.219 very excited about, and so I don't necessarily feel like 0:49:44.219 --> 0:49:46.380 I'm going to have a PR in this race. But 0:49:46.739 --> 0:49:50.670 I think especially this weekend, I had a couple races, 0:49:50.670 --> 0:49:52.680 I ran a couple times this weekend and one was a 0:49:52.680 --> 0:49:55.770 5K race and I felt pretty darn good. So I 0:49:55.770 --> 0:50:00.270 feel excited that my body feels pretty good. Like I 0:50:00.270 --> 0:50:02.130 said, I don't think I'll be setting a PR, but 0:50:02.580 --> 0:50:04.859 I look forward to doing this race because it's one 0:50:04.859 --> 0:50:06.690 that I haven't done before. I'm going to have a 0:50:06.690 --> 0:50:10.020 lot of friends that are out there as well. And 0:50:10.020 --> 0:50:12.090 finishing in Coney Island just sounds like such a cool 0:50:12.090 --> 0:50:14.819 place to finish and maybe have a drink if the 0:50:14.820 --> 0:50:16.590 weather's decent once we finish up. 0:50:17.639 --> 0:50:20.279 You know Michael, it's not about PRs all the time, 0:50:20.280 --> 0:50:22.619 it's all about getting to that finish line and especially when 0:50:22.619 --> 0:50:24.420 you're coming from injury, you don't take things for granted. 0:50:24.420 --> 0:50:26.130 You're just going to be happy that you are running. 0:50:26.670 --> 0:50:26.970 Yeah, yeah. 0:50:27.900 --> 0:50:28.529 So look forward to seeing you on the starting line. 0:50:28.890 --> 0:50:29.940 All right, appreciate it. 0:50:30.660 --> 0:50:32.160 Well, Michael, thanks for being with us. 0:50:32.520 --> 0:50:34.080 All right, thanks. Nice meeting you. 0:50:34.469 --> 0:50:34.949 Likewise. 0:50:35.460 --> 0:50:37.349 Thank you so much, Michael, for joining us and for 0:50:37.349 --> 0:50:39.779 being a member of New York Road Runners. Now, it's 0:50:39.780 --> 0:50:41.429 time for the Meb Minutes. 0:50:42.090 --> 0:50:45.060 This week's Meb Minutes is to get familiarized on a 0:50:45.060 --> 0:50:48.090 new course, whether you run a half- marathon or full- marathon, 0:50:48.090 --> 0:50:51.210 it is very important to know where you are. For 0:50:51.210 --> 0:50:53.549 me, when I did the New York City Marathon, I 0:50:53.550 --> 0:50:55.349 could not run the whole course, so I just did 0:50:55.349 --> 0:50:58.589 the last 10 miles of the course just to be 0:50:58.590 --> 0:51:00.989 aware what it looks like, where the hills are, where 0:51:00.989 --> 0:51:04.140 the downhills are, and obviously the most important thing, to finish. 0:51:04.140 --> 0:51:07.410 So as you get ready for the Brooklyn Half- Marathon, it 0:51:07.440 --> 0:51:10.589 is a good idea to run it or drive it, 0:51:10.950 --> 0:51:13.679 or at least be familiar in the last two miles 0:51:13.679 --> 0:51:16.349 because you want to take advantage of what the course 0:51:16.350 --> 0:51:20.430 is like, especially with Prospect Park or the downhills and 0:51:20.430 --> 0:51:22.890 when to finish. So for me, it is a good 0:51:22.890 --> 0:51:25.200 idea to be able to... Even you can Google it 0:51:25.200 --> 0:51:28.290 or you can YouTube it from previous races. So as 0:51:28.290 --> 0:51:30.059 the more you know about the course, the more your 0:51:30.059 --> 0:51:31.649 preparation is going to be and you're going to have a 0:51:31.920 --> 0:51:33.960 good execution on race day. 0:51:34.619 --> 0:51:36.900 And that does it for another episode of Set the 0:51:36.930 --> 0:51:40.140 Pace. Thank you so much to Thomas Neuberger and Meaghan 0:51:40.140 --> 0:51:42.930 Murray of Believe in the Run, and to New York 0:51:42.930 --> 0:51:46.920 Road Runners member Michael Albeck. Again, best of luck to 0:51:46.920 --> 0:51:49.590 everybody running this weekend at the RBC Brooklyn Half. And 0:51:49.590 --> 0:51:52.799 remember, if you liked this episode, please go ahead subscribe, 0:51:52.799 --> 0:51:56.219 rate, leave a comment for the show wherever you're listening. 0:51:56.430 --> 0:51:59.489 Those reviews really help us and helps others find the 0:51:59.489 --> 0:52:02.490 show as well. We'll see you next week. Enjoy the miles.