WEBVTT - Becs Gentry Recaps Her Extraordinary Journey Running 7 Marathons on 7 Continents in 7 Days 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.180 New York Road Runners is a non- profit organization with 0:00:03.180 --> 0:00:06.540 a vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through 0:00:06.540 --> 0:00:10.200 the transformative power of running. The support of members and 0:00:10.200 --> 0:00:13.830 donors like you helps us achieve our mission to transform 0:00:13.830 --> 0:00:17.100 the health and well- being of our communities through inclusive 0:00:17.100 --> 0:00:21.360 and accessible running experiences, empowering all to achieve their potential. 0:00:21.810 --> 0:00:25.950 Learn more and contribute at nyrr. org/ donate. 0:00:29.910 --> 0:00:34.350 Thank you, New York. Today, we're reminded of the power 0:00:34.350 --> 0:00:39.210 of community and the power of coming together, athletes, on 0:00:39.210 --> 0:00:39.779 your mark. 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:45.479 The first woman to finish for the second straight year 0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:49.080 here in the New York City Marathon is Miki Gorman, a smiling 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:53.490 Miki Gorman, and why not? 2: 29: 30, the time for motorbikes. 0:00:53.850 --> 0:00:56.490 Look at the emotion of Shalane Flanagan as she comes 0:00:56.490 --> 0:00:59.820 to the line. Pointing to his chest, pointing to the 0:00:59.820 --> 0:01:03.660 USA, he's so proudly wears across his chest. A great 0:01:03.660 --> 0:01:05.039 day for (inaudible) McCluskey. 0:01:10.110 --> 0:01:13.440 Hey everybody, and welcome to another edition of Set the 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:16.560 Pace, the official podcast of New York Road Runners. We 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:19.980 are presented by Peloton, and I'm your host, Rob Simmelkjaer. 0:01:19.980 --> 0:01:22.980 I'm the CEO of New York Road Runners. With me 0:01:22.980 --> 0:01:27.000 here, still recovering, I've got to imagine from her unbelievable 0:01:27.360 --> 0:01:31.709 world adventure, Becs Gentry from Peloton. Hi Becs, how are you? 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:35.730 Hi. I am doing very well, thank you. Aside from 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:39.300 calling myself a bear who wants to be in hibernation 0:01:39.300 --> 0:01:44.430 with this gray sky right now. Otherwise, I'm rolling. 0:01:45.150 --> 0:01:47.610 Yeah, we finally got some rain around here the last 0:01:47.610 --> 0:01:50.580 few weeks. It'd been so sunny for so long, but so 0:01:50.580 --> 0:01:53.490 dry. So the rain's a good thing, but yes, it 0:01:53.490 --> 0:01:55.950 can definitely lead to some days that make it hard 0:01:55.950 --> 0:01:59.100 to get up and motivate hard even to get up 0:01:59.100 --> 0:02:02.730 and motivate to run. I'm really curious, Becs, to hear 0:02:02.730 --> 0:02:06.150 about what you've been doing since the Great World Race. 0:02:06.150 --> 0:02:09.120 And by the way, today's the day that we're going 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.359 to really go in deep with Becs to hear all 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:16.919 about this incredible adventure. That's right. Becs is our interview guest today, 0:02:16.919 --> 0:02:19.980 so I can't wait, Becs, because there's so many questions 0:02:19.980 --> 0:02:23.790 I've been wanting to ask you about that trip, about 0:02:24.030 --> 0:02:28.620 those runs, about just how you feel coming out of 0:02:28.620 --> 0:02:31.019 that. So a little bit later on in the show, 0:02:31.019 --> 0:02:33.419 it's going to be all about Becs and the Great World 0:02:33.419 --> 0:02:35.790 Race. I can't wait to hear it. Are you ready? 0:02:35.790 --> 0:02:36.630 Are you ready for me to grill you? 0:02:36.930 --> 0:02:39.269 I am, actually, I feel like I am. It's starting 0:02:39.269 --> 0:02:42.090 to become something that is being processed in my mind, 0:02:42.090 --> 0:02:45.389 so of all the people to ask the questions first, 0:02:46.290 --> 0:02:48.180 this is the best podcast for it to be on. 0:02:49.260 --> 0:02:53.340 Appreciate that. Thank you. And I know our listeners are so curious. 0:02:53.490 --> 0:02:56.669 They are. And we have a little extra as well, Rob, 0:02:56.669 --> 0:02:59.430 as well. We are not just going to be hearing 0:03:00.030 --> 0:03:03.989 from me today, though, a little surprise for you. Joining 0:03:03.990 --> 0:03:07.020 us later in place of our usual member moment interview, 0:03:07.080 --> 0:03:09.210 we are going to be joined by the woman who 0:03:09.210 --> 0:03:13.829 claimed the crown in this year's Great World Race, my 0:03:13.830 --> 0:03:17.370 wonderful friend Hillary Kupish will be joining to help with 0:03:17.370 --> 0:03:18.450 this debrief. 0:03:18.810 --> 0:03:22.290 Wow. Can't wait to hear from her and what it 0:03:22.290 --> 0:03:26.760 took to beat you and so many others over those 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:30.360 seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. So that 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:32.340 sounds awesome. So we'll talk to Hillary a little bit 0:03:32.340 --> 0:03:35.130 later on as well. And then Meb will still be with 0:03:35.130 --> 0:03:37.530 us later in the episode for our weekly Meb minute. 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:40.860 Today's tip from Meb is all about hydrating during those 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:44.580 winter runs, whether you're up here in the northeast or just 0:03:44.580 --> 0:03:47.760 running in temperatures colder than you're used to. That's actually 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:50.220 something I sometimes have to remember is just because it's 0:03:50.220 --> 0:03:52.830 cold doesn't mean you don't need to drink water. So 0:03:52.830 --> 0:03:56.040 Meb will give us some tips on that. Before we 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.980 dive into our conversations with Becs and Hillary, this past 0:03:58.980 --> 0:04:02.940 Saturday, we hosted the Ted Corbitt 15K in Central Park 0:04:02.940 --> 0:04:06.180 honoring one of my predecessors and the first ever president 0:04:06.180 --> 0:04:08.400 of New York Road Runners, they call him the father 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:11.700 of American long- distance running Ted Corbitt. We were joined 0:04:11.700 --> 0:04:14.460 by more than 4, 000 runners who braved a very 0:04:14.460 --> 0:04:17.789 cold morning to celebrate the life and legacy of Ted 0:04:17.790 --> 0:04:21.120 Corbitt. And Becs, we thank them every week, but this week, I 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:24.029 think a special and big thank you to our staff 0:04:24.029 --> 0:04:27.060 and our volunteers who went out in some very cold 0:04:27.060 --> 0:04:30.450 temperatures and they didn't get to run. And I went out 0:04:30.450 --> 0:04:32.940 and I ran just to frankly stay warm, Becs. And 0:04:32.940 --> 0:04:35.370 that really did help, although, it took a while. But 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:37.409 thanks to everybody out there because it was a chilly 0:04:37.410 --> 0:04:40.410 day and we had a nice crowd on hand. But 0:04:40.950 --> 0:04:43.560 thanks again to all of our folks who helped put 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:46.289 this race on. Big congrats to our winners, by the 0:04:46.290 --> 0:04:49.680 way, from last Saturday. For the women, it was Erin 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.770 Gregoire with a time of 53:02 from the Brooklyn Track 0:04:52.770 --> 0:04:57.539 Club. The non- binary winner was Abdoulaye Sow from the 0:04:57.540 --> 0:05:00.839 Bronx Burners and the men's winner was Owen Ritz with the time of 46: 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:05.310 53. Owen hailing from the New York Athletic Club. 0:05:05.580 --> 0:05:09.330 Wow, what incredible times on that cold day, I was 0:05:09.330 --> 0:05:11.070 thinking of you all whilst I was here teaching my 0:05:11.070 --> 0:05:15.150 Peloton class in the warmth of the Treads studio, but 0:05:15.180 --> 0:05:18.270 it did look like everyone was smiling and had the 0:05:18.270 --> 0:05:22.080 festive fun with them in those miles. So yes, big 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:24.570 thanks to those volunteers. It's something that I always say 0:05:24.570 --> 0:05:28.110 to runners whenever people ask me about tips for their 0:05:28.110 --> 0:05:31.200 first races, no matter what distance, one of the things 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.320 I always tell them is thank the volunteers while you're 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:36.480 running. If you forget while you're running, thank them at 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:38.430 the finish line. Just make sure you get a thanks 0:05:38.430 --> 0:05:41.010 out there because those people show up, they stand in 0:05:41.010 --> 0:05:44.790 the cold, the wet, the hot sun, and they make 0:05:44.790 --> 0:05:46.800 sure that we're all safe to do the runs. So 0:05:47.220 --> 0:05:47.001 big (inaudible) . 0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:50.460 A 100% our head of volunteers at New York Road 0:05:50.460 --> 0:05:53.640 Runners, a woman named Donna Finney always says, " When you 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.790 see a volunteer, thank a volunteer." And that was definitely 0:05:56.790 --> 0:05:59.159 a good day to thank them on Saturday and those 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:00.240 frigid temperatures. 0:06:00.660 --> 0:06:04.200 Ready to elevate your running, the Peloton app is your all- in- 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.620 one training partner, offering on- demand and live classes in 0:06:07.620 --> 0:06:12.150 running, strength, meditation and more. To become a better, faster 0:06:12.150 --> 0:06:15.419 runner, you need more than just miles. You need a 0:06:15.420 --> 0:06:19.529 balanced approach. Strength training builds the power to push harder. 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.710 While meditation helps you stay focused and build mental strength 0:06:22.830 --> 0:06:27.000 to push further. With workouts from 10 to 60 minutes, you can 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:31.050 train anytime, anywhere. Try the app for free for 30 0:06:31.050 --> 0:06:33.690 days and download it now from the app store or 0:06:33.690 --> 0:06:37.980 Google Play, terms apply. Find your push, find your power 0:06:38.250 --> 0:06:44.940 at onepeloton. com/ race- training. All access memberships separate, Peloton, 0:06:45.150 --> 0:06:48.120 the official digital fitness partner for New York Road Runners. 0:06:48.720 --> 0:06:51.420 Well, we've been talking about it for months here on 0:06:51.420 --> 0:06:53.159 Set the Pace. And so if you listen to us 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:57.180 here or you follow her on Instagram or take her classes, you know 0:06:57.180 --> 0:07:00.420 that my true beast of a co- host, Becs Gentry, 0:07:00.420 --> 0:07:04.320 has just completed an incredible physical and mental test, seven 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:09.000 marathons in seven days on seven continents. And now, we 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:13.080 finally get to hear all the skinny on Becs's incredible 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.501 adventure. So, Becs, first of all, again, congratulations. 0:07:16.501 --> 0:07:16.502 Thank you. 0:07:16.502 --> 0:07:20.130 I'm so in awe of you. I have been ever 0:07:20.130 --> 0:07:23.820 since you even said you were taking this challenge on. 0:07:24.330 --> 0:07:27.000 And so the first question I want to ask you 0:07:27.390 --> 0:07:30.690 is why, and I don't think we really ever dug 0:07:30.690 --> 0:07:34.140 into the why you decided to do this and take 0:07:34.140 --> 0:07:36.840 this on. So when you were first approached about it, 0:07:36.900 --> 0:07:38.850 what was the thing that made you want to do this? 0:07:39.990 --> 0:07:44.760 I was essentially inspired by David Kilgore, who we had 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.820 on as a guest on Set the Pace a while 0:07:47.820 --> 0:07:50.790 ago to discuss the Great World Race. So he was 0:07:50.790 --> 0:07:55.350 my kickstarter of, can I do this? Should I do 0:07:55.350 --> 0:08:00.120 this? But my why is I'd say twofold, Rob, it 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.840 is my daughter. I want to be able to tell 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:08.160 her the boundaries that were put in place for women 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:11.760 before my time and the boundaries that were broken through 0:08:12.030 --> 0:08:14.970 during my time as a female athlete, as a female 0:08:14.970 --> 0:08:18.720 in this world. And to show her that no matter 0:08:18.750 --> 0:08:22.560 how you identify, you can do anything that you put 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:26.490 your mind to, but you have to work for it. 0:08:27.090 --> 0:08:29.730 And this to me was a prime example. It hit 0:08:29.730 --> 0:08:33.360 my other why, which was me. And some people may 0:08:33.360 --> 0:08:37.800 say that's selfish, but in order to inspire other people, 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.140 to light up other people, I have to make sure 0:08:40.140 --> 0:08:43.590 that my light is still bright. And in order to 0:08:43.590 --> 0:08:48.600 do that, I am not necessarily somebody who goes shopping 0:08:48.600 --> 0:08:51.840 and that fills up my cup. I want to adventure, 0:08:51.900 --> 0:08:55.290 I want to experience things. I want to create personal memories 0:08:55.290 --> 0:08:59.250 and anecdotes and experiences that I can share with my 0:08:59.250 --> 0:09:04.650 family and friends and beyond. And weirdly, it's running. And 0:09:04.650 --> 0:09:08.160 so I've always loved adventure running. That's where I started 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:10.350 going around the world to do funny races here and 0:09:10.350 --> 0:09:15.300 there, unheard of races. And so I thought, what better 0:09:15.390 --> 0:09:18.090 than the Great World Race to go around the world 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:22.020 in seven days and take on the challenge of running 0:09:22.020 --> 0:09:25.110 a marathon in every single continent? 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:29.819 Becs, we sometimes have guests on the podcast, female runners, 0:09:29.820 --> 0:09:34.079 moms who run marathons and do it really well. And 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.240 one of the challenges I know is just fitting all 0:09:36.660 --> 0:09:41.760 this stuff in, the training, the actual race. I'm curious what 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.880 it was like when you first brought this idea home 0:09:45.690 --> 0:09:48.929 to your husband, to your young daughter, like, " Hey, I'm 0:09:48.929 --> 0:09:52.410 going to do this crazy thing." And not only obviously 0:09:52.410 --> 0:09:54.480 the time you'd be traveling for the race, but I 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:57.240 mean, the amount of time you have to be training. 0:09:57.809 --> 0:09:59.670 How much of a team effort did this have to 0:09:59.670 --> 0:10:02.700 be to even get ready for this for you and your family? 0:10:03.030 --> 0:10:06.750 Oh, golly. This was a huge team effort. So Austin 0:10:06.750 --> 0:10:12.090 was actually the nudge to my acceptance of doing this 0:10:12.210 --> 0:10:16.230 race. I wanted to do it, but he is my 0:10:16.230 --> 0:10:19.140 biggest cheerleader. He believes in me more than I believe 0:10:19.140 --> 0:10:23.700 in me most of the time. And he was so 0:10:24.960 --> 0:10:28.679 encouraging for me to do this race. And we sat 0:10:28.679 --> 0:10:30.270 down and I said, " You understand that if I do 0:10:30.300 --> 0:10:33.600 this for most of this year, I'm going to be 0:10:33.780 --> 0:10:39.390 stepping back from parenting duties on an equal level to 0:10:39.390 --> 0:10:41.459 you. You're going to have to do a little bit 0:10:41.460 --> 0:10:44.520 more for me to be able to succeed in the training. 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.670 I can't half- ass this in the long." That was the long and short of it. 0:10:48.780 --> 0:10:52.800 And he's super dad, he's an absolute super dad. He's 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:56.370 born to be a father. He's incredible with Tallulah. So at 0:10:56.370 --> 0:10:59.910 the start of the training, it was difficult. I hate 0:10:59.910 --> 0:11:02.610 missing wake up time. I hate missing bedtime. There's the 0:11:02.610 --> 0:11:04.350 two things in my life that I think are going 0:11:04.350 --> 0:11:07.110 to disappear very soon. She's going to be an independent 0:11:07.110 --> 0:11:09.330 woman who doesn't want me to wake her up, doesn't 0:11:09.330 --> 0:11:12.209 want me to cuddle her and read her books to 0:11:12.210 --> 0:11:15.270 bed. And so I cherish those times and even missing 0:11:15.270 --> 0:11:18.630 one a week really plagues me with guilt. So I had 0:11:18.630 --> 0:11:22.559 to get through that by myself of it's temporary, this 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.470 is something that's going to be a very good example 0:11:25.470 --> 0:11:30.540 for her in the long run. And then Austin just 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:34.170 is a very good at getting up early, which is 0:11:34.230 --> 0:11:37.800 fantastic. So the days when I went out even earlier, 0:11:37.980 --> 0:11:40.500 he's great at getting up, getting himself his coffee and 0:11:40.890 --> 0:11:45.000 starting his daily routine before Tallulah wakes up because thank 0:11:45.179 --> 0:11:49.440 whoever above this child loves to sleep. So she goes 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:52.559 down easy and more often than not, she will sleep 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:55.500 till 7: 00, 7:30. Yesterday, she slept till eight o'clock, gone 0:11:55.500 --> 0:11:55.829 eight o'clock. 0:11:55.830 --> 0:11:57.420 Wow. Wow. What a gift. 0:11:57.929 --> 0:12:00.390 Yeah, we can actually get some work done. We can 0:12:00.390 --> 0:12:04.679 actually both start our days relatively well before Tallulah's normally 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.620 up. And there were days because I trained through spring 0:12:07.620 --> 0:12:10.950 and summer in New York, there were days where actually 0:12:10.950 --> 0:12:13.439 I'd got my workout done by the time she was up 0:12:13.830 --> 0:12:15.600 and running so I could still drop her off at 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:17.790 school or spend an hour with her before our nanny 0:12:17.790 --> 0:12:23.640 arrived. So the daylight being longer hours was really in 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.240 my favor to still be a mom on a level that 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:28.500 made me feel happy. 0:12:28.860 --> 0:12:32.309 Yeah, that's a good time of year to be able to do this in the fall 0:12:32.309 --> 0:12:34.530 when you've got those long summer hours to work with, 0:12:34.530 --> 0:12:37.260 it's so much harder to train over the winter months 0:12:37.260 --> 0:12:38.040 when there's no light. 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:38.189 It is. 0:12:38.970 --> 0:12:41.760 So before we even get to the start backs, the 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.880 journey to the starting line, I always tell people the 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:46.710 hardest thing about running a marathon is getting to the 0:12:46.710 --> 0:12:49.770 starting line. You had to get to seven starting lines. 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.339 And I'm just wondering, and I know you had some bumps 0:12:53.340 --> 0:12:56.250 along the way in training, you had the incident with 0:12:56.250 --> 0:12:57.540 your bed post. 0:12:59.010 --> 0:12:59.011 For the natural bump. 0:12:59.011 --> 0:13:00.960 Yes, where you banged your foot on the bed and that 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:04.470 set your foot back quite a bit. But how many 0:13:04.470 --> 0:13:06.780 doubts did you have along the way as to whether 0:13:06.780 --> 0:13:07.770 you could pull this off? 0:13:08.250 --> 0:13:12.120 Oh gosh, at the start, there was a lot, because 0:13:12.210 --> 0:13:15.839 I had sort of said yes to it along the 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:20.400 same time that I ran Tokyo Marathon, should I say, 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:23.580 and I got my six star medal and I felt very 0:13:23.580 --> 0:13:27.840 good about it. However, I didn't enjoy running the Tokyo 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:31.679 Marathon. I don't know whether I was just falling out 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:34.410 of love with marathon road racing or whatever was going 0:13:34.410 --> 0:13:38.400 on. Also, I've admitted this on many of platform, I 0:13:38.400 --> 0:13:41.730 didn't train to the extent I'm used to training for 0:13:41.730 --> 0:13:44.309 Tokyo Marathon. I went into it in my personal opinion 0:13:44.309 --> 0:13:48.570 rather undertrained, so therefore underprepared, which leads me to understand 0:13:48.570 --> 0:13:53.970 why I didn't enjoy it. So I think once I 0:13:53.970 --> 0:13:56.610 started getting into the routine, I sort of felt like, " 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:59.520 Oh my gosh, this isn't enough because this is what 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.250 I should be training for one marathon, not seven, as 0:14:02.250 --> 0:14:06.915 you said." And I think just as the mileage started 0:14:06.915 --> 0:14:09.750 to increase and I was really tired or I was 0:14:09.750 --> 0:14:12.809 searching for ways to just add in mileage in my 0:14:12.809 --> 0:14:17.460 day, it was quite overwhelming at the start. And I did 0:14:17.460 --> 0:14:20.790 have to sit down and just think, okay, what can 0:14:20.790 --> 0:14:25.680 I do to make this " easier" for myself? Even though 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:27.720 it's going to get harder, I just had to make 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:32.430 it more manageable, more doable because the more obstacles that were 0:14:32.580 --> 0:14:35.460 in the way, the easier it is for me as 0:14:35.460 --> 0:14:38.130 an Aries to just go, I'm good, I'm just going 0:14:38.130 --> 0:14:40.800 to step back and not do this because it's not 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:45.450 the way I want it to be. So I sat down and I looked at my 0:14:45.450 --> 0:14:50.070 work schedule, I looked at my social schedule and I 0:14:50.070 --> 0:14:54.960 carved out ways to add in miles. Now, I'm very 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:56.940 lucky, I live in New York. New York is one 0:14:56.940 --> 0:15:02.609 of the most highly populated cities for runners. Everyone runs, 0:15:02.610 --> 0:15:04.170 and I know a lot of our listeners might be 0:15:04.170 --> 0:15:06.780 based in locations where it possibly isn't that safe to 0:15:06.780 --> 0:15:10.440 run to work, to the grocery store, to whatever appointment. 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:13.380 I am very lucky, I choose to live here, so 0:15:13.380 --> 0:15:17.520 it's not all luck, but I am able to redirect 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:23.100 my commute to foot and that's what I did. I'd 0:15:23.310 --> 0:15:25.920 send my Peloton outfits or anything I needed for the 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.320 rest of the day. I used to send my laptop 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:31.860 here in an Uber car on a Tuesday morning. So 0:15:31.860 --> 0:15:34.980 I'd run here, set up my laptop, then we'd record 0:15:34.980 --> 0:15:40.710 the podcast. And it was all very manipulated for my 0:15:40.710 --> 0:15:43.860 success. And I don't mean success is in my win, 0:15:43.860 --> 0:15:46.020 but in my success to me in that time was 0:15:46.020 --> 0:15:49.950 just happiness and feeling that I had done what I 0:15:49.950 --> 0:15:52.620 could do the best I could do day by day, 0:15:52.620 --> 0:15:55.440 week by week to get my training in. And that's 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:57.870 where it had to be on a sort of daily 0:15:57.870 --> 0:15:59.790 basis. I wanted to make sure when I went to 0:15:59.790 --> 0:16:03.870 bed and I looked at my Coros app that I 0:16:04.050 --> 0:16:06.450 was like, " Yeah, I made the most out of that 0:16:06.450 --> 0:16:08.760 day." And that was a really good lesson for me to 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:10.979 learn in the long run of, okay, make the most out 0:16:10.980 --> 0:16:13.680 of your day really, especially in summer in New York 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:16.710 City, nobody cares if you turn up sweaty because everybody 0:16:16.710 --> 0:16:21.600 is turning up sweaty. So again, train for ultras in summer. 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:24.840 I couldn't agree more. All right, so you get on 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:29.820 the flight, you get yourself to South Africa, Cape Town, which 0:16:29.820 --> 0:16:32.609 is your first staging ground for the first race in 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:37.470 Antarctica, and the first race started a day early, so the 0:16:37.470 --> 0:16:38.910 whole thing started a day early. 0:16:38.910 --> 0:16:39.030 Yeah. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.480 Why did that happen and how did that affect you? 0:16:43.500 --> 0:16:46.830 Oh my goodness. So let me just say the flight from 0:16:46.830 --> 0:16:51.030 New York to South Africa was so daunting. Austin literally 0:16:51.030 --> 0:16:53.790 stayed at the security on the other side in LaGuardia 0:16:54.210 --> 0:16:56.280 until I had gone around the corner. I think he 0:16:56.280 --> 0:16:59.100 was so worried that if he left, I would just 0:16:59.220 --> 0:17:01.620 run back out and be like, " I'm not doing it. I'm not doing 0:17:01.620 --> 0:17:04.770 it." He stood there like a security guard watching me 0:17:04.980 --> 0:17:09.690 go through. And so once I got there and I 0:17:09.690 --> 0:17:11.459 had all of this idea that I was going to go 0:17:11.460 --> 0:17:13.080 sit in the Delta lounge and have a glass of 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:17.040 champagne, and then I was like, no, I'm so nervous. I can't even, no. 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:18.570 I just sat there with a glass of water, sort 0:17:18.570 --> 0:17:22.410 of shivering with nerves. And then I got to South 0:17:22.410 --> 0:17:24.480 Africa. I had a wonderful flight. I actually ended up 0:17:24.510 --> 0:17:27.929 meeting about four other runners from the US that were 0:17:27.930 --> 0:17:31.680 on the flight from Atlanta to Cape Town, which was 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:35.700 lovely because that immediately got the conversation flowing. I think 0:17:35.700 --> 0:17:40.619 people's nerves were relaxed. I had a wonderful air hostess 0:17:40.619 --> 0:17:43.830 on the flight who she could not believe what we 0:17:43.830 --> 0:17:47.399 were all doing. I was, I think, the only mom 0:17:47.490 --> 0:17:49.440 and I was by myself, and she was a mom 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:52.619 of two I think as well, older kids. She just 0:17:52.619 --> 0:17:54.510 took me under her wing and she kept just bringing 0:17:54.510 --> 0:17:58.470 me over the nicest champagne to drink. I think I 0:17:58.470 --> 0:18:00.658 had about four glasses of champagne and was like, " I 0:18:00.659 --> 0:18:05.700 got to stop." I do not normally. I don't normally drink 0:18:05.700 --> 0:18:08.939 that much ever and be on a flight. I was like, " 0:18:08.970 --> 0:18:12.600 Oh geez." But it was a 15- hour flight. So I 0:18:12.600 --> 0:18:15.540 watched the movies. I had a good cry because we 0:18:15.540 --> 0:18:18.510 all know we cry more when we're in altitude. That's 0:18:18.510 --> 0:18:22.859 my excuse, anyway, and I slept and woke up and 0:18:22.859 --> 0:18:25.470 I was in South Africa and felt, thank goodness, fine. 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:28.650 We all got off the flight, got to the hotel, we 0:18:28.650 --> 0:18:30.600 were supposed to have... So the next day was going 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:33.240 to be briefings, and then we'd have Thursday as a 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:36.960 free day to organize ourselves. And then Friday morning was 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:39.960 takeoff to Antarctica. So I have family in South Africa, 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:42.810 my mom's side of the family reside there. I was so excited 0:18:42.810 --> 0:18:44.609 to see my aunt, my uncle, my cousins who I 0:18:44.609 --> 0:18:49.109 haven't seen in 10 to 15 years, something like that. So we 0:18:49.109 --> 0:18:51.480 went for the briefing, and David Kelly, the race director 0:18:52.200 --> 0:18:55.410 just says, " Okay, great, got some updates for you. We 0:18:55.410 --> 0:18:58.590 will be leaving for Antarctica at 4: 45 AM tomorrow morning." 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:05.280 Silence. The whole room went from this buzzy, excitable hum 0:19:05.730 --> 0:19:10.950 to dead silence, and I think I definitely burst out 0:19:10.950 --> 0:19:12.750 laughing because I thought it was a joke, was like, " 0:19:12.750 --> 0:19:16.260 Yeah, a way to crack the ice, David, hilarious." I 0:19:16.260 --> 0:19:19.800 think everyone else was like, " Ha, ha, ha, great joke." And he was like, " 0:19:20.130 --> 0:19:24.480 No," this is Irish guy. He's very straight down the 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.810 line. He was like, " No, I'm serious. We're going to 0:19:27.810 --> 0:19:30.750 Antarctica in the morning. We have to leave early." So there was 0:19:31.260 --> 0:19:34.350 a huge weather front that come into Antarctica, a huge 0:19:34.350 --> 0:19:36.930 storm coming in that would've meant if we'd have gone 0:19:36.930 --> 0:19:41.369 on Friday, we would've risked having almost whiteout conditions for 0:19:41.369 --> 0:19:44.040 running. But that wasn't the worst. It would've been potentially 0:19:44.040 --> 0:19:49.020 getting stuck in Antarctica, which is the worst, or the 0:19:49.020 --> 0:19:51.300 options were pull it forward a day or push it 0:19:51.300 --> 0:19:54.359 back by five days. So the logistics team of the Great 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:59.040 World Race took the good idea of pulling it forward 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:03.510 a day. And so that was it. I mean, I 0:20:03.570 --> 0:20:06.419 don't like change like that, but honestly, it was probably 0:20:07.380 --> 0:20:09.869 since having Tallulah who arrived three weeks early, I've really 0:20:09.869 --> 0:20:12.480 had to come to terms with the fact that life 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:14.340 does throw you curveballs and you have to be able 0:20:14.340 --> 0:20:16.679 to pivot quite quickly. So thank goodness, the past two 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.320 years I've really honed that skill in and I just 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:22.740 sat there like, " Oh, this is going to be insane. 0:20:22.740 --> 0:20:24.899 The rest of my afternoon is going to be awful." 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:30.600 Yeah. But I think in hindsight, having lunch with my 0:20:30.600 --> 0:20:33.240 cousins and my family was a good distraction for a 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:37.230 couple of hours. And then once they left, I was 0:20:37.230 --> 0:20:40.470 in my hotel room just organizing everything, I had packed, 0:20:40.470 --> 0:20:42.300 organized and ready to go, but we just had to 0:20:42.300 --> 0:20:46.859 get one bag ready for Antarctica, and then we had 0:20:46.859 --> 0:20:49.830 to have everything else ready because once we arrived back 0:20:49.830 --> 0:20:54.450 from Antarctica, we had a few hours sleep, literally two 0:20:54.450 --> 0:20:56.700 hours sleep. We ran the Cape Town leg and then 0:20:56.700 --> 0:20:59.310 we were leaving, then we were going. So everything had 0:20:59.310 --> 0:21:03.390 to be organized and in its place. So that was 0:21:03.450 --> 0:21:05.730 just, yeah, it was pivoting, it was going with the 0:21:05.730 --> 0:21:07.919 emotions and getting it done. 0:21:08.220 --> 0:21:11.070 So you get to Antarctica, good conditions? 0:21:12.690 --> 0:21:14.910 Perfect, absolutely beautiful. You know what? It was sunny. 0:21:14.910 --> 0:21:17.250 Sunny, beautiful, the pictures looked amazing. 0:21:17.430 --> 0:21:20.460 Blue sky, it wasn't even that cold. 0:21:20.460 --> 0:21:21.000 Like what? 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:26.040 When we landed, it was minus 12 Fahrenheit when we landed, so 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:32.070 it was pretty cold. So below zero for everybody, let's 0:21:32.070 --> 0:21:33.990 say, let's just call it that, it was below zero 0:21:33.990 --> 0:21:36.090 for every, whenever you measure your weather in. 0:21:36.090 --> 0:21:38.790 Temperature in. Yeah, that's pretty cold. 0:21:38.970 --> 0:21:41.850 Yeah, it was pretty cold, but there wasn't wind, which was the 0:21:41.850 --> 0:21:44.970 scary thing is that you could have 40, 50 mile per 0:21:44.970 --> 0:21:47.850 hour freezing winds in your face. So we were layered 0:21:47.850 --> 0:21:52.470 up and I definitely took off my outer shell layer 0:21:52.770 --> 0:21:55.770 within the first two miles of the race, and I took off 0:21:55.770 --> 0:21:59.460 my huge thick gloves within the first four miles of 0:21:59.460 --> 0:21:59.609 the race. 0:21:59.609 --> 0:22:01.320 And you're running on an ice road basically? 0:22:01.500 --> 0:22:04.590