1
00:00:00,450 --> 00:00:02,820
Kirra Michel: Life  is  always  challenging  no  matter  where  you  are,  but 

2
00:00:02,820 --> 00:00:06,510
Kirra Michel: it  is...  I  have  a  really  nice,  beautiful  life.  I 

3
00:00:06,510 --> 00:00:10,080
Kirra Michel: had a nice, beautiful life,  but  I  just  couldn't  find  the  joy  inside.  So 

4
00:00:10,140 --> 00:00:13,830
Kirra Michel: I  was  definitely  running,  hoping  to  find  something.  But  it 

5
00:00:13,830 --> 00:00:16,500
Kirra Michel: turns  out,  no  matter  where  you  go,  there  you  are. 

6
00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,840
Kirra Michel: So  the  depression  came  with  me,  it  followed  me.

7
00:00:24,750 --> 00:00:27,630
Becs Gentry: Welcome  to  Set  the  Pace,  the  official  podcast  of  New 

8
00:00:27,630 --> 00:00:31,200
Becs Gentry: York  Road  Runners,  presented  by  Peloton.  I'm  your  host  and 

9
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,280
Becs Gentry: Peloton  instructor,  Becs  Gentry.  This  is  a  special  day  for 

10
00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,360
Becs Gentry: me  because  today  marks  my  one- year  anniversary  as  co-

11
00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,200
Becs Gentry: host  of  Set  the  Pace,  partnering,  of  course,  with  the 

12
00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,310
Becs Gentry: wonderful  CEO  of  New  York  Road  Runners,  Rob  Simmelkjaer,  who 

13
00:00:47,700 --> 00:00:50,400
Becs Gentry: as  luck  would  have  it  can't  actually  be  here  to 

14
00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:54,360
Becs Gentry: celebrate  with  me  today,  but  I  am  told  by  our 

15
00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,930
Becs Gentry: wonderful  team  that  we  apparently  have  a  recorded  message  for 

16
00:00:57,930 --> 00:01:01,560
Becs Gentry: him.  So  Lou,  let's  play  that.

17
00:01:01,830 --> 00:01:04,860
Rob Simmelkjaer: Hey,  Becs,  I'm  sorry  I  can't  be  there  this  week 

18
00:01:04,860 --> 00:01:08,610
Rob Simmelkjaer: for  your  anniversary  show.  I  cannot  believe  it  has  been 

19
00:01:08,610 --> 00:01:11,220
Rob Simmelkjaer: a  year  since  you  joined  us  on  Set  the  Pace, 

20
00:01:11,220 --> 00:01:14,789
Rob Simmelkjaer: and  it  has  been  so  awesome  having  you  as  my  co-

21
00:01:14,790 --> 00:01:18,209
Rob Simmelkjaer: host.  I  think  about  all  the  fun  we've  had  together 

22
00:01:18,209 --> 00:01:23,610
Rob Simmelkjaer: from  your  amazing  connection  to  all  of  our  runners  and 

23
00:01:23,610 --> 00:01:26,670
Rob Simmelkjaer: the  great  interviews  we've  done.  So  much  fun  talking  about 

24
00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:31,319
Rob Simmelkjaer: both  of  our  running  adventures,  especially  you  and  your  unbelievably 

25
00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,940
Rob Simmelkjaer: inspiring  journey  in  the  Great  World  Race,  which  I  think 

26
00:01:35,940 --> 00:01:38,069
Rob Simmelkjaer: was  one  of  the  coolest  things  we've  really  had  to 

27
00:01:38,069 --> 00:01:41,160
Rob Simmelkjaer: talk  about  on  Set  the  Pace.  And  then,  of  course, 

28
00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:43,920
Rob Simmelkjaer: there's  the  advice  you've  given  me  on  my  running  and 

29
00:01:43,980 --> 00:01:47,490
Rob Simmelkjaer: how  valuable  that  was.  I  still  remember  how  helpful  your 

30
00:01:47,490 --> 00:01:50,730
Rob Simmelkjaer: advice  to  me  in  Tokyo  was  in  getting  through  that 

31
00:01:50,730 --> 00:01:55,290
Rob Simmelkjaer: race.  So  bottom  line  is  people  love  you,  our  listeners 

32
00:01:55,290 --> 00:01:59,010
Rob Simmelkjaer: love  you.
 All  of  your  students  at  Peloton  love  you. 

33
00:01:59,190 --> 00:02:00,930
Rob Simmelkjaer: They  all  want  to  meet  you.  They  all  want  to 

34
00:02:00,930 --> 00:02:04,230
Rob Simmelkjaer: talk  to  you.  They  all  love  listening  to  you  on 

35
00:02:04,230 --> 00:02:06,510
Rob Simmelkjaer: Set  the  Pace  because  you've  made  such  a  positive  impact 

36
00:02:06,510 --> 00:02:09,780
Rob Simmelkjaer: in  so  many  of  their  lives.  And  of  course,  most 

37
00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:14,280
Rob Simmelkjaer: importantly,  we  love  hearing  all of  the  stories  from  home  and 

38
00:02:14,610 --> 00:02:19,680
Rob Simmelkjaer: about  Tallulah  and  all  the  excitement  with  Austin  and  him 

39
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,460
Rob Simmelkjaer: running  as  well  and  his  London  adventure,  and  Berlin  coming 

40
00:02:23,460 --> 00:02:26,070
Rob Simmelkjaer: up  later  too.  So  the  whole  family  is  part  of 

41
00:02:26,070 --> 00:02:29,880
Rob Simmelkjaer: the  podcast,  and  we  absolutely  love  that.  So  happy  anniversary. 

42
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:31,830
Rob Simmelkjaer: It's  great  to  have  you.  I  feel  like  I'm  talking 

43
00:02:31,830 --> 00:02:34,500
Rob Simmelkjaer: to  my  wife  right  now.  Happy  anniversary,  honey.  Just  kidding. 

44
00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:38,310
Rob Simmelkjaer: Happy  anniversary  on  Set  the  Pace.  It's  been  great  having 

45
00:02:38,310 --> 00:02:41,760
Rob Simmelkjaer: you  and  we  will  do  many,  many  more  shows  together.

46
00:02:42,150 --> 00:02:45,480
Becs Gentry: Oh,  my  goodness,  not  me  crying,  not  me  crying  over 

47
00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,570
Becs Gentry: that.  I  cannot  believe  it  has  been  one  year  of 

48
00:02:48,570 --> 00:02:52,620
Becs Gentry: doing  this  incredible  podcast,  and  it  has  been,  as  Rob 

49
00:02:52,620 --> 00:02:57,089
Becs Gentry: said,  just  wonderful  with  the  incredible  guests  that  we've  had 

50
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,019
Becs Gentry: since  I've  been  co- host  with  Rob.  It's  eye- opening, 

51
00:03:01,110 --> 00:03:05,250
Becs Gentry: heart-opening  in  all  the  most  wonderful  ways,  and  I  can't 

52
00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:08,310
Becs Gentry: wait  to  continue  to  bring  this  brilliant  podcast  to  you 

53
00:03:08,370 --> 00:03:12,750
Becs Gentry: all  and  enjoy  Miles  with  you.  Talking  of  Miles,  what 

54
00:03:12,930 --> 00:03:16,350
Becs Gentry: a  weekend  we  have  just  had.  I'm  sure  a  lot 

55
00:03:16,350 --> 00:03:19,769
Becs Gentry: of  you,  if  not  all of  you,  tuned  in  on  Monday 

56
00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:26,010
Becs Gentry: to  watch  the  129th  Boston  Marathon  take  place.  There  were 

57
00:03:26,010 --> 00:03:30,450
Becs Gentry: records  broken,  there  were  battles  to  be  had,  there  were 

58
00:03:30,450 --> 00:03:33,389
Becs Gentry: hills  to  be  eaten  up,  and  boy  did  every  single 

59
00:03:33,389 --> 00:03:36,300
Becs Gentry: runner  do  it  in  style  this  year.  It  was  a 

60
00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:39,810
Becs Gentry: beautiful  day  up  in  Boston.  The  sun  was  shining,  the 

61
00:03:39,810 --> 00:03:43,200
Becs Gentry: wind  was  hardly  blowing.
 And  we  had  one  of  our 

62
00:03:43,230 --> 00:03:47,100
Becs Gentry: previous  guests,  Sharon  Lokedi,  take  the  crown  on  the  women's 

63
00:03:47,100 --> 00:03:51,060
Becs Gentry: professional  field.  And  we  had  John  Korir,  whose  brother  Wesley 

64
00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,480
Becs Gentry: also  in  the  past  has  won  Boston  Marathon.  So  two 

65
00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,140
Becs Gentry: brothers,  isn't  that  incredible,  have  both  won  the  Boston  Marathon. 

66
00:03:58,290 --> 00:04:02,790
Becs Gentry: So  congratulations  to  those  two  and  to  the  all of  the 

67
00:04:02,790 --> 00:04:07,740
Becs Gentry: incredible  runners  who  took  part  in  Boston  Marathon  this  year. 

68
00:04:07,740 --> 00:04:12,750
Becs Gentry: You are  all  unicorns.  But  this  weekend,  let's  talk  about  what's 

69
00:04:12,750 --> 00:04:16,620
Becs Gentry: up  ahead.  This  weekend  here  in  beautiful  New  York  City, 

70
00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,700
Becs Gentry: we  have  the  Maybelline  Women's  Half.  Maybelline  New  York  is 

71
00:04:20,700 --> 00:04:23,520
Becs Gentry: proud  to  be  the  official  title  partner  of  the  newly 

72
00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,080
Becs Gentry: renamed  Maybelline  Women's  Half,  taking  place  on  April  27th  in 

73
00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,830
Becs Gentry: Central  Park.  In  partnership  with  New  York  Road  Runners,  this  sold-

74
00:04:31,830 --> 00:04:37,110
Becs Gentry: out  race  brings  together  5, 000  women  for  13. 1 

75
00:04:37,110 --> 00:04:42,210
Becs Gentry: miles  of  empowerment,  strength,  and  community,  and  represents  Maybelline's  continued 

76
00:04:42,210 --> 00:04:46,410
Becs Gentry: commitment  to  supporting  women  and  mental  health  through  movement  connection 

77
00:04:46,650 --> 00:04:50,250
Becs Gentry: and  their  global  Brave  Together  initiative,  which  provides  long- term 

78
00:04:50,250 --> 00:04:55,170
Becs Gentry: support  for  those  facing  anxiety  and  depression.
 This  year,  Maybelline 

79
00:04:55,170 --> 00:04:58,740
Becs Gentry: is  once  again  partnering  with  NAMI,  the  National  Alliance  on 

80
00:04:58,740 --> 00:05:02,520
Becs Gentry: Mental  Illness,  to  raise  awareness  and  funds  during  this  powerful 

81
00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:07,080
Becs Gentry: event.  Now,  running?  No  problem.  Come  out,  cheer  loud  and 

82
00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,529
Becs Gentry: stop  by  the  race  day  festival  at  the  Nuremberg  Bandshell 

83
00:05:10,529 --> 00:05:16,620
Becs Gentry: for  entertainment,  activities,  and  free  Maybelline  samples  and  giveaways.  That 

84
00:05:16,620 --> 00:05:20,310
Becs Gentry: to  me  sounds  like  exactly  where  I  would  want  to 

85
00:05:20,310 --> 00:05:23,610
Becs Gentry: be  spending  my  Sunday  if  I  was  here  in  the 

86
00:05:23,610 --> 00:05:26,700
Becs Gentry: city.  So  to  all of  the  incredible  women  who  are  going 

87
00:05:26,700 --> 00:05:29,100
Becs Gentry: to  be  towing  the  line  in  Central  Park  this  weekend, 

88
00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:31,529
Becs Gentry: this  is  one  of  my  favorite  races  of  the  year. 

89
00:05:31,529 --> 00:05:33,839
Becs Gentry: I'm  actually  upset  that  I'm  not  going  to  be  here 

90
00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,570
Becs Gentry: because  I  will  be  cheering  Austin  on  in  London  for 

91
00:05:36,570 --> 00:05:40,290
Becs Gentry: the  London  Marathon.  So  I  want  you  all  to  channel 

92
00:05:40,380 --> 00:05:46,289
Becs Gentry: love,  community  and  passion  for  rising  up  together  as  one 

93
00:05:46,290 --> 00:05:49,710
Becs Gentry: and  supporting  our  friends  and  those  in  our  community  who 

94
00:05:49,710 --> 00:05:53,880
Becs Gentry: are  suffering  with  anxiety  or  depression  right  now.
 So  come 

95
00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:57,960
Becs Gentry: together,  run  those  miles  and  shine  bright,  May  is  Mental 

96
00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,469
Becs Gentry: Health  Awareness  Month.  So  in  preparation  for  that,  and  also, 

97
00:06:01,529 --> 00:06:06,150
Becs Gentry: of  course,  this  weekend's  Maybelline  Women's  Half  my  lovely  friend 

98
00:06:06,150 --> 00:06:09,419
Becs Gentry: and  Peloton  instructor,  Kirra  Michel,  will  be  here  today  to 

99
00:06:09,420 --> 00:06:12,839
Becs Gentry: chat  to  us  about  her  running  journey  and  also  lead 

100
00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,200
Becs Gentry: us  through  a  meditation  specifically  for  all  of  our  runners 

101
00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,490
Becs Gentry: out  there.  Also,  later  in  the  show,  New  York  Roadrunner 

102
00:06:20,490 --> 00:06:23,490
Becs Gentry: member  Andrew  Kyle  is  going  to  share  how  he  is 

103
00:06:23,490 --> 00:06:28,260
Becs Gentry: celebrating  his  40th  birthday  year.  And  finally,  today,  we  have 

104
00:06:28,260 --> 00:06:32,790
Becs Gentry: a  special  Med  Minute  with  HSS.  HSS's  Allison  Greer  will 

105
00:06:32,790 --> 00:06:36,180
Becs Gentry: be  here  to  talk  best  training  practices  when  you  have 

106
00:06:36,180 --> 00:06:40,380
Becs Gentry: multiple  races  on  your  docket,  something  I  could  have  done 

107
00:06:40,380 --> 00:06:41,460
Becs Gentry: with  last  year.

108
00:06:41,970 --> 00:06:44,760
Rob Simmelkjaer: Looking  for  new  ways  to  keep  you  moving?  Step  into 

109
00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,660
Rob Simmelkjaer: the  strongest  and  fastest  version  of  you  with  the  Peloton 

110
00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:51,719
Rob Simmelkjaer: app,  whether  you're  chasing  a  new  PR  or  just  getting 

111
00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,659
Rob Simmelkjaer: started,  be  the  runner  you  want  to  be  with  program 

112
00:06:54,660 --> 00:06:58,620
Rob Simmelkjaer: designed  by  experts  who've  run  the  race  themselves.  Track  your 

113
00:06:58,620 --> 00:07:02,970
Rob Simmelkjaer: progress  in  real  time,  celebrate  every  win  and  stay  motivated 

114
00:07:03,150 --> 00:07:06,270
Rob Simmelkjaer: every  mile.  Learn  how  to  transform  the  way  you  run 

115
00:07:06,510 --> 00:07:12,450
Rob Simmelkjaer: with the  Peloton  Tread  or  Tread  Plus  at  onepeloton. com/ race-

116
00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:16,890
Rob Simmelkjaer: training.  Peloton,  the  official  digital  fitness  partner  of  New  York 

117
00:07:16,890 --> 00:07:17,580
Rob Simmelkjaer: Road  Runners.

118
00:07:18,270 --> 00:07:23,040
Becs Gentry: Today's  guest  is  my  dear  friend,  Kirra  Michel.  Kirra  is, 

119
00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:28,260
Becs Gentry: of  course,  a  Peloton  yoga  and  meditation  instructor  whose  grounded 

120
00:07:28,260 --> 00:07:33,720
Becs Gentry: presence  and  powerful  classes  have  inspired  thousands.  Originally  from  the 

121
00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,170
Becs Gentry: coastal  town  of  a  Lennox  Head  in  Australia,  Kirra's  childhood 

122
00:07:37,170 --> 00:07:41,610
Becs Gentry: was  filled  with  movement,  from  surfing,  dancing,  and  gymnastics  to 

123
00:07:41,610 --> 00:07:45,060
Becs Gentry: everything  outdoors.  But  it  wasn't  until  she  moved  to  New 

124
00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:48,630
Becs Gentry: York  in  her  twenties  that  she  discovered  the  transformative  power 

125
00:07:48,630 --> 00:07:52,170
Becs Gentry: of  yoga  and  meditation,  tools  that  have  helped  her  navigate 

126
00:07:52,170 --> 00:07:58,200
Becs Gentry: burnout,  perfectionism,  and  personal  healing.  Now,  from  the  Peloton  stage 

127
00:07:58,260 --> 00:08:02,190
Becs Gentry: to  Times  Square  and  beyond,  Kirra  teaches  with  a  beautiful 

128
00:08:02,190 --> 00:08:07,050
Becs Gentry: mix  of  strength,  softness,  and  soul.  And  she's  here  with 

129
00:08:07,050 --> 00:08:09,180
Becs Gentry: me  on  Set  the  Pace  today  to  talk  about  the 

130
00:08:09,180 --> 00:08:14,400
Becs Gentry: intersection  of  yoga,  mental  health,  and  mindful  movement  for  runners. 

131
00:08:14,550 --> 00:08:15,630
Becs Gentry: Kirra,  hello.

132
00:08:17,070 --> 00:08:18,990
Kirra Michel: Ciao.  Thank  you  so  much  for  that  intro.  That  was 

133
00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,780
Kirra Michel: really  beautiful.  So  thank  you.  And  I'm  so  excited  to 

134
00:08:21,780 --> 00:08:22,230
Kirra Michel: be  here.

135
00:08:22,650 --> 00:08:25,830
Becs Gentry: Yay.  I  am  so  honored  to  have  you  here.  I 

136
00:08:25,830 --> 00:08:29,640
Becs Gentry: know  Rob,  my  co- host,  is  really,  really  down  that 

137
00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:31,740
Becs Gentry: he  is  missing  this  conversation  with  you.

138
00:08:31,740 --> 00:08:34,290
Kirra Michel: I  know.

139
00:08:34,380 --> 00:08:36,120
Becs Gentry: We  spend  a  lot  of  time  together  in  the  green 

140
00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:40,170
Becs Gentry: room  at  Peloton,  and  Kirra  and  I  are  kindred  souls 

141
00:08:40,170 --> 00:08:44,219
Becs Gentry: from  very  different  sport  backgrounds,  but  I  think  our  heart 

142
00:08:44,220 --> 00:08:48,420
Becs Gentry: and  soul  lay  in  very  similar  places.  So  I've  always 

143
00:08:48,420 --> 00:08:51,300
Becs Gentry: felt  such  a  bond  of  honesty  with  you.  I  feel 

144
00:08:51,300 --> 00:08:53,970
Becs Gentry: like  I  can  always  be  my  complete  open  Becs  book 

145
00:08:53,970 --> 00:08:55,500
Becs Gentry: to  Kirra,  and  she's  like, " I  get  you."

146
00:08:56,490 --> 00:08:58,080
Kirra Michel: Yep,  yep, yep.  Absolutely.

147
00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:00,810
Becs Gentry: Whether  it's  Tim  Tams  or  chocolate.

148
00:09:02,070 --> 00:09:04,620
Kirra Michel: Yep,  missing  home.  Even  though  our  homes  are  different,  they're 

149
00:09:04,620 --> 00:09:05,640
Kirra Michel: similar,  but...

150
00:09:06,090 --> 00:09:10,050
Becs Gentry: Yes,  exactly.  So  let's  talk  about  that.  Let's  talk  about 

151
00:09:10,050 --> 00:09:14,550
Becs Gentry: home.  Now,  a  lot  of  people  who  maybe  don't  do 

152
00:09:14,550 --> 00:09:18,990
Becs Gentry: your  Peloton  classes  or  don't  follow  you  yet on  Instagram,  may 

153
00:09:18,990 --> 00:09:24,030
Becs Gentry: not  know  that  your  family  is  actually  American,  but  you 

154
00:09:24,270 --> 00:09:28,110
Becs Gentry: are  Australian  growing  up,  as  we  said  in  Lennox  Head, 

155
00:09:28,110 --> 00:09:32,610
Becs Gentry: Australia,  and  you  moved  to  New  York  in  your  twenties. 

156
00:09:32,910 --> 00:09:34,290
Becs Gentry: Just  give  us  a  little  background  there.

157
00:09:35,309 --> 00:09:37,590
Kirra Michel: Okay,  so  I'm  actually,  yeah,  my  dad  is  from  New 

158
00:09:37,590 --> 00:09:41,520
Kirra Michel: York,  my  mom's  from  Delaware,  and  I  was  born  in 

159
00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,420
Kirra Michel: Santa  Cruz,  California.  So  when  I  was  three  months  old, 

160
00:09:45,420 --> 00:09:48,090
Kirra Michel: my  parents  moved  to  Australia  with  my  older  brother  and 

161
00:09:48,090 --> 00:09:51,420
Kirra Michel: myself.  And  so  I  grew  up,  I'm  an  Aussie,  but 

162
00:09:51,420 --> 00:09:55,740
Kirra Michel: with  very  American  parents.  So  I'm  a  little  bit  culturally  confused.

163
00:09:57,330 --> 00:09:59,429
Becs Gentry: I  love  that,  but  it  makes  so  much  sense.

164
00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:02,550
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  yeah.  It's  the  best  of  both  worlds,  I  think. 

165
00:10:02,790 --> 00:10:05,309
Kirra Michel: And  where  I  grew  up  was  just  the  most  gorgeous 

166
00:10:05,670 --> 00:10:09,179
Kirra Michel: beach  life,  surf  town,  mellow  place  to  grow  up,  so...

167
00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:12,870
Becs Gentry: Yeah.  Wow.  Even  if  you'd  stayed  in  Santa  Cruz,  that 

168
00:10:12,870 --> 00:10:16,860
Becs Gentry: would  be  also  very  beachy,  very  surf  life.  But  now 

169
00:10:16,860 --> 00:10:19,890
Becs Gentry: you  have  a  little  more  calmness,  let's  say,  from  the 

170
00:10:19,890 --> 00:10:22,319
Becs Gentry: Australian  side  of  life.

171
00:10:23,370 --> 00:10:27,569
Kirra Michel: Yeah.  I  think  California  and  Lennox  is,  they're  kind  of 

172
00:10:27,570 --> 00:10:31,829
Kirra Michel: similar,  just  with,  well  back  30  plus  years  ago,  just 

173
00:10:31,830 --> 00:10:34,170
Kirra Michel: a  lot  less  people  than  California  had.

174
00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:38,819
Becs Gentry: Very  true.  Okay.  So  you  moved  here  in  your  twenties. 

175
00:10:39,150 --> 00:10:43,199
Becs Gentry: And  you  have  openly  said  that  it  was  obviously  exhilarating. 

176
00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,470
Becs Gentry: Moving  to  New  York  is  going  to  be  exhilarating,  but 

177
00:10:46,470 --> 00:10:49,650
Becs Gentry: it  was  also  quite  tough  for  you.  So  take  us 

178
00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:53,100
Becs Gentry: back  to  that  time.  What  were  you  chasing?  What  were 

179
00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:55,080
Becs Gentry: you  trying  to  leave  behind?

180
00:10:56,790 --> 00:11:00,150
Kirra Michel: Yeah, so  I  was  studying  full- time  and  working  full- time 

181
00:11:00,150 --> 00:11:06,330
Kirra Michel: in  Sydney.  I  was  studying  architecture,  and  I  was  just 

182
00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,360
Kirra Michel: struggling.  My  mental  health  was  struggling.  I  was  dealing  with 

183
00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,960
Kirra Michel: depression  with  a  little  bit  of  anxiety,  and  I  just 

184
00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,000
Kirra Michel: was  confused  about  the  direction  of  my  life.  I  was 

185
00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,280
Kirra Michel: three  and  a  half  years  into  my  studies  and  just 

186
00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:19,140
Kirra Michel: not  quite  sure  if  this  is  what  I  wanted  to 

187
00:11:19,140 --> 00:11:27,090
Kirra Michel: do  anymore.  So  on  a  whim,  I  finished  my  assignment 

188
00:11:27,090 --> 00:11:29,460
Kirra Michel: off  at  2: 00  AM  on  a  Sunday  morning,  closed 

189
00:11:29,460 --> 00:11:32,370
Kirra Michel: my  computer  and  said, " I'm  done."  I'm  going  to  defer 

190
00:11:32,460 --> 00:11:35,550
Kirra Michel: uni  for a year.  So  deferring,  as  you  know,  is  just  taking 

191
00:11:35,550 --> 00:11:38,219
Kirra Michel: a  year  off.
 So  I  went  to  work  the  next 

192
00:11:38,220 --> 00:11:41,460
Kirra Michel: day,  told  them  I'm  done.  I  went  to  uni  on 

193
00:11:41,460 --> 00:11:44,069
Kirra Michel: Monday,  told  them  I  was  done.  And  I  bought  an 

194
00:11:44,070 --> 00:11:49,800
Kirra Michel: round  world  ticket.  So  I  went  to  Indonesia,  Singapore,  India, 

195
00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,290
Kirra Michel: Qatar,  New  York.  And  I  think  a  lot  of  people 

196
00:11:52,380 --> 00:11:54,360
Kirra Michel: when  they  hear  that,  they're  like, " Oh,  she  did  her 

197
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:58,020
Kirra Michel: eat,  love,  pray  moment."  No,  I  was  just  running.  I 

198
00:11:58,020 --> 00:12:01,350
Kirra Michel: hated  yoga,  I  hated  meditation.  So  for  all  the  runners 

199
00:12:01,350 --> 00:12:08,670
Kirra Michel: out  there  who are like,  I  can't  meditate,  yeah,  neither  could,  I 

200
00:12:08,670 --> 00:12:12,660
Kirra Michel: was  looking  for,  I  think,  my  purpose.  I  was  looking 

201
00:12:12,660 --> 00:12:15,179
Kirra Michel: for  something  to  be  passionate  about  again.  Something  to  give 

202
00:12:15,179 --> 00:12:18,059
Kirra Michel: me  life.
 I  also  wanted  to  see  how  privileged  I 

203
00:12:18,059 --> 00:12:21,900
Kirra Michel: was.  I  wanted  to  go  to  different  places  and  see 

204
00:12:22,890 --> 00:12:25,980
Kirra Michel: how  easy...  Life  is  always  challenging  no  matter  where  you 

205
00:12:25,980 --> 00:12:31,589
Kirra Michel: are,  but  it  is... I have a really nice, beautiful life.  I  had  a  nice,  beautiful  life, 

206
00:12:32,610 --> 00:12:36,210
Kirra Michel: but  I  just  couldn't  find  the  joy  inside.  So  I 

207
00:12:36,210 --> 00:12:40,679
Kirra Michel: was  definitely  running,  hoping  to  find  something.  But  it  turns 

208
00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:44,610
Kirra Michel: out,  no  matter  where  you  go,  there  you  are.  So 

209
00:12:44,610 --> 00:12:49,439
Kirra Michel: the  depression  came  with  me,  it  followed  me.  And  I 

210
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,360
Kirra Michel: ended  up  in  New  York.  It  was  kind  of  by 

211
00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:57,960
Kirra Michel: accident.  I  ended  up  staying  here  indefinitely.  And  New  York 

212
00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,229
Kirra Michel: just  kind  of  gave  me  a  second  to,  it  was 

213
00:13:01,230 --> 00:13:03,870
Kirra Michel: so  exhilarating,  it  was  so  full  on,  there  was  so 

214
00:13:03,870 --> 00:13:07,440
Kirra Michel: much  happening  that  I  kind  of  just  threw  myself  into 

215
00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:12,120
Kirra Michel: work.  I  threw  myself  into  a  new  life,  but  eventually 

216
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:13,140
Kirra Michel: it  all  caught  up  to  me.

217
00:13:13,830 --> 00:13:13,831
Becs Gentry: Mm-hmm.

218
00:13:13,831 --> 00:13:14,311
Kirra Michel: Yeah.

219
00:13:15,809 --> 00:13:20,790
Becs Gentry: Wow.  So  when  you  say  it  caught  up  to  you, 

220
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,390
Becs Gentry: is  that  because  you  feel  like  you  continued  to  utilize 

221
00:13:27,390 --> 00:13:31,650
Becs Gentry: the  same  patterns  of  overworking  yourself,  heading  towards  that  burnout, 

222
00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:37,110
Becs Gentry: and  you  didn't  necessarily  change  the  way  your  day  looked? 

223
00:13:37,110 --> 00:13:41,699
Becs Gentry: So  tell  me  about  what  a  day  back  then  looked 

224
00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:44,790
Becs Gentry: like,  and  then  now  what  does  your  day  look  like.

225
00:13:44,790 --> 00:13:48,390
Kirra Michel: Yeah.  So  you're  completely  spot  on.  So  I've  always  used 

226
00:13:48,420 --> 00:13:54,179
Kirra Michel: work  and  fitness  as  escape  mechanisms  or  tools  just  to 

227
00:13:54,210 --> 00:13:57,240
Kirra Michel: kind  of  get  by.  It  helps  when  you're  good  at 

228
00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,809
Kirra Michel: the  things  as  well.  You  get  accolades  for  being  good 

229
00:14:00,809 --> 00:14:04,380
Kirra Michel: at  these  things,  even  though  they're  just,  not  just,  but 

230
00:14:04,380 --> 00:14:09,300
Kirra Michel: they  can  be  used  as  tools  to...  avoidance  tools.  So 

231
00:14:09,750 --> 00:14:13,890
Kirra Michel: back  then,  okay,  so  when  I  moved  to  New  York, 

232
00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:17,550
Kirra Michel: I  was  in  the  restaurant  industry.  I  was  working  in 

233
00:14:17,550 --> 00:14:21,240
Kirra Michel: nightclubs,  which  is  just  so  against  everything but...  I  don't  drink. 

234
00:14:22,410 --> 00:14:25,590
Kirra Michel: I'm  not  a  big  partier.  So  some  of  these  things 

235
00:14:25,590 --> 00:14:32,130
Kirra Michel: just weren't  in  alignment  with  what  I  really  believed  in.  I 

236
00:14:32,130 --> 00:14:33,960
Kirra Michel: was  making  money  in  that  world  and  I  was  trying 

237
00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,090
Kirra Michel: to  get  into,  eventually,  I  was  trying  to  get  into 

238
00:14:36,090 --> 00:14:39,000
Kirra Michel: the  world  of  fitness  and  then  in  time  meditation  and 

239
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,140
Kirra Michel: yoga.  So  I  was  working  in  the  evenings,  and  then 

240
00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,330
Kirra Michel: I  would  finish  late.
 I  would  take  the  train  home. 

241
00:14:45,990 --> 00:14:49,380
Kirra Michel: And  then  sleep  for  a  few  hours,  and  then  get 

242
00:14:49,380 --> 00:14:52,440
Kirra Michel: up  nice  and  early  and  start  my  life in the  fitness  world. 

243
00:14:52,860 --> 00:14:55,200
Kirra Michel: So I was  kind  of  working  these  two  full- time  jobs  and 

244
00:14:55,200 --> 00:15:00,450
Kirra Michel: not  really  sleeping,  which  when,  by  that  time,  taking  care 

245
00:15:00,450 --> 00:15:03,330
Kirra Michel: of  myself  did  become  a  big  aspect  of  my  life. 

246
00:15:03,810 --> 00:15:06,810
Kirra Michel: And  because  I  was  working  basically  these  two  full- time 

247
00:15:06,810 --> 00:15:09,180
Kirra Michel: jobs,  I  didn't  really  have  time  to  take  care  of 

248
00:15:09,180 --> 00:15:11,790
Kirra Michel: myself.  I  didn't  have  time  to  eat  healthy.  I  didn't 

249
00:15:11,790 --> 00:15:14,460
Kirra Michel: have  time  to  work  out.  I  didn't  have  time  to 

250
00:15:14,550 --> 00:15:18,060
Kirra Michel: have  these  daily  rituals  and  these  practices  that  I  had 

251
00:15:18,060 --> 00:15:22,710
Kirra Michel: eventually  started  to  implement  to  create  a  little  grounding  in 

252
00:15:22,710 --> 00:15:29,400
Kirra Michel: my  life.  So  yeah,  nowadays  my  life  looks  very,  very, 

253
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,790
Kirra Michel: very  different,  and  I'm  really  grateful  for  that.  But  I 

254
00:15:32,790 --> 00:15:36,840
Kirra Michel: usually  get  up  and  I  meditate.  Now,  meditating  did  come 

255
00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,239
Kirra Michel: in  time  when  I  moved  to  New  York.
 Life  was 

256
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:42,780
Kirra Michel: so  busy  and  so  chaotic,  and  there  was  millions  of 

257
00:15:42,780 --> 00:15:46,350
Kirra Michel: humans  around  me,  and  I  just  felt  this  energy  that 

258
00:15:46,350 --> 00:15:49,950
Kirra Michel: I  couldn't  figure  out  how  to  ground.  So  meditation  is 

259
00:15:49,950 --> 00:15:55,980
Kirra Michel: something  that  I  started.  And  I  started  with  this  sangha, 

260
00:15:55,980 --> 00:16:01,800
Kirra Michel: this  community  called  Dharma  Punx.  And  there,  everyone  is  tattooed, 

261
00:16:01,980 --> 00:16:04,770
Kirra Michel: everyone  has  piercings,  everyone  has  strange  colored  hair  or  strange 

262
00:16:04,770 --> 00:16:07,950
Kirra Michel: haircuts.  So  it's  just  like  the  quirky  weird  people.  It's 

263
00:16:07,950 --> 00:16:12,510
Kirra Michel: like  the  weirdos.  So  we  went  to  feel  like  we 

264
00:16:12,540 --> 00:16:15,300
Kirra Michel: belonged,  and  there  was,  like  I  said,  community,  a  sangha 

265
00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:21,480
Kirra Michel: there.  And  I  remember  being  there,  and  my  teacher,  he's 

266
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:27,720
Kirra Michel: really  interested  also  in  neuropsychology.  If  it  wasn't  for  him, 

267
00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,000
Kirra Michel: I  don't  know  if  I  would  be  really  into  meditation 

268
00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:35,790
Kirra Michel: because  I  have  what's  called  monkey  mind,  where  every  human 

269
00:16:35,790 --> 00:16:38,640
Kirra Michel: does,  it's  all  over  the  place.  We  ping  pong  and 

270
00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:41,790
Kirra Michel: then  you  add  social  media  and  technology  into  it,  and 

271
00:16:41,790 --> 00:16:47,100
Kirra Michel: we're  just  everywhere  but  here.
 So  he  kind  of  explained 

272
00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,890
Kirra Michel: meditation  to  me  in  a  way  that  made  sense.  I 

273
00:16:49,890 --> 00:16:52,350
Kirra Michel: wasn't  trying  to  make  my  mind  stop  or  still  or 

274
00:16:52,350 --> 00:16:57,090
Kirra Michel: go  blank,  but  just  becoming  aware,  feeling  really  grounded  physically 

275
00:16:57,090 --> 00:16:59,880
Kirra Michel: in  my  body,  using  my  breath  to  help  down  regulate 

276
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:03,060
Kirra Michel: my  nervous  system.  And  then  becoming  more  of  the  observer 

277
00:17:03,150 --> 00:17:06,300
Kirra Michel: of  the  busy  monkey  mind  rather  than  trying  to  make 

278
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:11,730
Kirra Michel: it  stop.  So  that  became  a  daily  thing  for  me. 

279
00:17:11,730 --> 00:17:14,670
Kirra Michel: And  for  a  long  period  of  time,  it  had  to 

280
00:17:14,670 --> 00:17:16,500
Kirra Michel: be,  it  was  like  this  is  my  non- negotiable.  I 

281
00:17:16,500 --> 00:17:18,690
Kirra Michel: have  to  meditate  every  single  day,  and  sometimes  it's  20 

282
00:17:18,690 --> 00:17:21,330
Kirra Michel: minutes,  sometimes  it's  45  minutes.  And  even  that  became  too 

283
00:17:21,330 --> 00:17:27,240
Kirra Michel: restrictive  for  me.  So  now  I  try  to  meditate  every 

284
00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,100
Kirra Michel: day,  and  if  I  miss  it,  I  miss  it.  And 

285
00:17:29,100 --> 00:17:31,800
Kirra Michel: that's  a  big  release  for  me  that  I  didn't  allow 

286
00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:36,030
Kirra Michel: for  a  long  time.  I  have  meditation  practices,  breath  work 

287
00:17:36,030 --> 00:17:40,290
Kirra Michel: practices.  I  try  to  journal  a  decent  amount.  I  have 

288
00:17:40,290 --> 00:17:44,220
Kirra Michel: to  spend  some  time  alone.  Just  adding  these  little  different 

289
00:17:44,220 --> 00:17:46,050
Kirra Michel: practices  helps  so  much.

290
00:17:46,290 --> 00:17:50,580
Becs Gentry: Yeah.  Oh,  my  gosh,  that's  all  so  interesting.  And  I 

291
00:17:50,580 --> 00:17:54,060
Becs Gentry: think  it  is  a  beautiful  thing  to  recognize  that  everybody 

292
00:17:54,060 --> 00:17:59,460
Becs Gentry: has  monkey  mind.  I  love  that  description.  I  call  it 

293
00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:04,080
Becs Gentry: squirrel,  like  when  a  dog  sees  a  squirrel,  like, " Squirrel, 

294
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,980
Becs Gentry: squirrel."  But you are  so  right,  especially  if  you  live  in  a 

295
00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:12,960
Becs Gentry: metropolis,  like  New  York,  you  a  hundred  percent  suffer  from 

296
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:18,000
Becs Gentry: this  constant  hamster  wheel  of  stimulation  right  in  front  of 

297
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:22,560
Becs Gentry: your  face.  And  it  seems  like  such  a  wonderful  journey 

298
00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,710
Becs Gentry: that  when  you  found  the  Dharma  Punx,  you  found  your 

299
00:18:25,710 --> 00:18:30,960
Becs Gentry: teacher  who  made  you  feel  that  you're  accepted  into  this 

300
00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:36,540
Becs Gentry: awesome  community  and  showed  you  that  meditation  wasn't  the  same 

301
00:18:36,540 --> 00:18:39,270
Becs Gentry: for  everybody.  Because  I  think  that  is  a  stigma  that 

302
00:18:39,270 --> 00:18:41,940
Becs Gentry: has  been  attached  to,  not  just  meditation  and  yoga,  but 

303
00:18:41,970 --> 00:18:46,109
Becs Gentry: all  sports,  like  running.  It's  not all  the  same.  It's  not 

304
00:18:46,109 --> 00:18:48,570
Becs Gentry: all  the  same  for  everybody.  We've  had  this  conversation  one- to-

305
00:18:48,570 --> 00:18:52,320
Becs Gentry: one  in  the  past.  Do  you  remember  the  first  time 

306
00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:56,220
Becs Gentry: you  actually  meditated  though,  and  you  were  like, " Oh,  this 

307
00:18:56,220 --> 00:18:57,420
Becs Gentry: is  amazing."

308
00:18:58,980 --> 00:19:02,310
Kirra Michel: Listen,  I  don't  know  if  there  was  like,  no,  there's 

309
00:19:02,310 --> 00:19:05,220
Kirra Michel: no  moment  where  I'm  like, " Oh,  that's  it."  It's  one 

310
00:19:05,220 --> 00:19:08,340
Kirra Michel: of  those  things  where,  I've  never  classified  myself  as  a 

311
00:19:08,340 --> 00:19:11,250
Kirra Michel: runner.  I  love  fitness.  Running  has  never  been  my  thing. 

312
00:19:11,790 --> 00:19:14,430
Kirra Michel: And  so  now  I'm  dipping  my  toe  into  it,  because 

313
00:19:14,430 --> 00:19:16,649
Kirra Michel: I  realized  that  I  need  some  cardio  in  my  life 

314
00:19:16,650 --> 00:19:21,300
Kirra Michel: and  it's  good  for  my  heart.  And  I'm  not  at 

315
00:19:21,300 --> 00:19:23,490
Kirra Michel: the  stage  yet  where  I've  hit  that  runner's  high  or 

316
00:19:23,490 --> 00:19:29,280
Kirra Michel: that  steady  state.  I'm  still  struggling.  But  I  know  that 

317
00:19:29,430 --> 00:19:33,480
Kirra Michel: I'm  putting  effort in  and  I'm  doing  one  foot  after  the 

318
00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,520
Kirra Michel: next,  after  the  next,  after  the  next,  and  I'm  trying 

319
00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,740
Kirra Michel: to  focus  on  my  breath  while  I'm  doing  this.  And 

320
00:19:37,740 --> 00:19:42,570
Kirra Michel: it's  similar  with  meditation.
 No,  I  don't  remember  the  very 

321
00:19:42,570 --> 00:19:47,910
Kirra Michel: first  time  that  I  did  it  because,  similar  to  running, 

322
00:19:47,910 --> 00:19:51,300
Kirra Michel: like  I'm  running  even  if  I  haven't  gotten  to  the 

323
00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:54,510
Kirra Michel: steady  state  or  to  the  runner's  high  yet.  So  meditators 

324
00:19:54,510 --> 00:19:57,540
Kirra Michel: are  still  meditating  while  they're  sitting  in  there,  just  observing. 

325
00:19:57,780 --> 00:20:01,950
Kirra Michel: They're  watching  the  mind.  So  I  don't  want  people  to 

326
00:20:01,950 --> 00:20:05,639
Kirra Michel: think  that  meditation,  I'm  waiting  for  that  moment,  and  until 

327
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,850
Kirra Michel: I  get there,  I'm  not  there  yet.  I  want  people  to 

328
00:20:08,850 --> 00:20:12,359
Kirra Michel: realize  that  just  sitting  and  being  still,  and  I  know 

329
00:20:12,359 --> 00:20:15,359
Kirra Michel: that,  I  mean,  I  don't  want  to  generalize  everyone,  but 

330
00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,060
Kirra Michel: I  know  a  lot  of  runners  like,  you  like  to 

331
00:20:18,060 --> 00:20:23,100
Kirra Michel: be  busy.  Running is  a  constant  thing.  So  that  even  the 

332
00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:28,170
Kirra Michel: thought  of  sitting  and  being  still  can  sound  really  scary 

333
00:20:28,170 --> 00:20:30,330
Kirra Michel: to  so  many  people,  the  way  that  running  sounds  scary 

334
00:20:30,330 --> 00:20:37,080
Kirra Michel: to  me.
 So  it's  given  yourself  the  grace  to  realize 

335
00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:39,629
Kirra Michel: that  if  you're  finding  a  little  bit  of  stillness,  even 

336
00:20:39,630 --> 00:20:42,960
Kirra Michel: if  the  mind  is  still  crazy  active,  that  you're  actually 

337
00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:48,390
Kirra Michel: working  towards,  you're  putting  the  reps  in  towards  softening,  releasing, 

338
00:20:48,390 --> 00:20:50,909
Kirra Michel: noticing  tightness  in  the  body.  Can  you  release  in  that? 

339
00:20:50,910 --> 00:20:53,820
Kirra Michel: Can  I  release  my  jaw?  Okay.  My  mind  is  really 

340
00:20:53,820 --> 00:20:55,889
Kirra Michel: busy.  Can  I  just  sit  with  the  busyness  of  my 

341
00:20:55,890 --> 00:21:02,580
Kirra Michel: mind? We're  not  trying  to  get  somewhere.  There's  no  specific  destination. 

342
00:21:02,580 --> 00:21:05,160
Kirra Michel: We're  working  with  what  we  have.  And  if  right  now 

343
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,500
Kirra Michel: we  have  monkey  mind,  cool.  Let's  work  with  monkey  mind. 

344
00:21:07,500 --> 00:21:10,320
Kirra Michel: Let's  just  watch  it,  instead  of  being  like, " I'm  not 

345
00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:14,310
Kirra Michel: there  yet."  That's  what  I'm trying to  not  do  with  running.

346
00:21:14,310 --> 00:21:14,459
Becs Gentry: Yeah. " Where is this peace and quiet?"

347
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,600
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  yeah.  Where's  my  steady  state  run?  It's  not  here  yet.

348
00:21:20,369 --> 00:21:22,740
Becs Gentry: Okay.  You've  just  nailed  the  best  analogy,  and  you  may 

349
00:21:22,740 --> 00:21:27,511
Becs Gentry: have  just  convinced  me  to  try  meditating  again,  because  I do not  do it.

350
00:21:27,511 --> 00:21:27,781
Kirra Michel: You used to.

351
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:32,850
Becs Gentry: I  use  running  as  my  meditative  state  because  that  does 

352
00:21:32,850 --> 00:21:35,580
Becs Gentry: quiet  my  mind.  It  really,  and  that  took  ages  for 

353
00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:37,800
Becs Gentry: me  to  be  able  to  get  there.  Anyway,  this  isn't 

354
00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:42,540
Becs Gentry: about  me.  Okay,  so  let's  rewind  to  when  you  first 

355
00:21:42,540 --> 00:21:47,310
Becs Gentry: joined  Peloton  after  finding  your  way  in  yoga  and  meditation 

356
00:21:47,310 --> 00:21:51,510
Becs Gentry: and  becoming  a  teacher  yourself,  which  involves  spending  a  lot 

357
00:21:51,540 --> 00:21:55,530
Becs Gentry: of  hours  of  study  and  practice  in  the  yoga  world. 

358
00:21:56,220 --> 00:22:03,419
Becs Gentry: You  went  from  leading  classes  in  quite  intimate,  calm  studios 

359
00:22:04,109 --> 00:22:08,580
Becs Gentry: to  classes  being  broadcast  to  thousands  and  thousands  of  people 

360
00:22:08,580 --> 00:22:12,240
Becs Gentry: around  the  world. Do  you  remember  how  you  felt  after  your 

361
00:22:12,270 --> 00:22:13,770
Becs Gentry: first  live  Peloton  class?

362
00:22:14,820 --> 00:22:18,899
Kirra Michel: Gosh,  so  I  deal  with  a  lot  of  anxiety  and 

363
00:22:18,900 --> 00:22:24,840
Kirra Michel: a  lot  of  nerves.  I  mean,  listen,  after  it  was 

364
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,320
Kirra Michel: exhilarating.  It  was, " Oh,  my  God,  I  did  that."  That's 

365
00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,540
Kirra Michel: wild.  And  it's  so  strange  as  well  because  you're  in 

366
00:22:30,540 --> 00:22:34,140
Kirra Michel: a  room  with  no  one.  No  one.  Just  the  cameras, 

367
00:22:34,140 --> 00:22:38,490
Kirra Michel: eight  cameras.  But  on  the  leaderboard,  you  know  that  there's 

368
00:22:38,490 --> 00:22:40,919
Kirra Michel: hundreds  of  people,  that  thousands  of  people  are  going  to 

369
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,560
Kirra Michel: take  it  at  home.  But  so  afterwards,  I  was  exhilarated. 

370
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:49,680
Kirra Michel: Beforehand,  I  was  so,  so  nervous.  And  again,  using  these 

371
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,790
Kirra Michel: practices,  down  regulating,  breath  work,  finding  a  little  bit  of 

372
00:22:53,790 --> 00:23:01,409
Kirra Michel: peace  and  quiet  and  envisioning.  So  using  visualization  meditations  where 

373
00:23:01,650 --> 00:23:05,010
Kirra Michel: I  can  just  see  myself  doing  the  thing,  doing  the 

374
00:23:05,010 --> 00:23:09,720
Kirra Michel: damn  thing.  And  then  also  just  trusting  that  I've  done 

375
00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,680
Kirra Michel: enough.  And  I  think  sometimes  I  also  deal  with  imposter 

376
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,530
Kirra Michel: syndrome  from  time  to  time,  and  just  trusting  that  I 

377
00:23:16,530 --> 00:23:19,859
Kirra Michel: have  done  enough,  I  know  enough,  and  trusting  in  myself 

378
00:23:19,859 --> 00:23:22,320
Kirra Michel: that  I  could  get  through.  Turns  out,  I  got  through 

379
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:23,188
Kirra Michel: it.  I  survived  it.

380
00:23:23,189 --> 00:23:24,600
Becs Gentry: You did very  well.

381
00:23:25,530 --> 00:23:29,760
Kirra Michel: Yeah.  It  was  scary.  But  scary  doesn't  mean  we  don't 

382
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:30,300
Kirra Michel: do  the  thing.

383
00:23:31,050 --> 00:23:36,180
Becs Gentry: Yep,  that's  so  true.  Okay,  talking  of  imposter  syndrome,  I 

384
00:23:36,180 --> 00:23:42,570
Becs Gentry: think  it's  a  very  obvious  word  that  goes  with  being 

385
00:23:42,570 --> 00:23:46,560
Becs Gentry: a  Peloton  instructor,  a  celebrity.  People  do  think  of  instructors 

386
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:51,480
Becs Gentry: as  being  celebrities.  And  I  think  we  both  feel  very 

387
00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:59,070
Becs Gentry: similar  sometimes  of, " What?  What?  I  enjoy what I do. I enjoy  my  practice,  and 

388
00:23:59,070 --> 00:24:01,050
Becs Gentry: I  get  to  share  it  with  other  people."  But  can 

389
00:24:01,050 --> 00:24:03,030
Becs Gentry: you  talk  about,  has  there  ever  been  a  time  where 

390
00:24:03,030 --> 00:24:08,550
Becs Gentry: that  celebrity  aspect  of  Peloton  has  clashed  with  the  authenticity 

391
00:24:08,670 --> 00:24:12,750
Becs Gentry: of  what  you  practice  and  how  you  keep  it  real 

392
00:24:12,750 --> 00:24:13,350
Becs Gentry: to  Kirra?

393
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,510
Kirra Michel: I  think,  yeah,  I've  a  really  hard  time  with  that 

394
00:24:18,510 --> 00:24:24,210
Kirra Michel: word.  Similar  to  you,  everything  you  just  said.  I'm  just 

395
00:24:24,210 --> 00:24:25,679
Kirra Michel: doing  what  I  love  to  do,  I'm  just  sharing  it 

396
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,050
Kirra Michel: with  people,  because  this  is  the  way  my  heart...  This 

397
00:24:28,050 --> 00:24:30,780
Kirra Michel: is  the  passion  that  I  was  looking  for,  that  helps 

398
00:24:30,780 --> 00:24:33,270
Kirra Michel: me  with  my  mental  health  is  being  of  service  to 

399
00:24:33,270 --> 00:24:39,840
Kirra Michel: other  people.  So  I  think  the  thing  that  I  struggle 

400
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,170
Kirra Michel: with  the  most  around  this,  honestly,  is  still  social  media, 

401
00:24:44,730 --> 00:24:47,879
Kirra Michel: having  to  present  and  show  up  and  share  different  pieces 

402
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:54,300
Kirra Michel: of  my  life.  I  think  that's  the  hardest  part.  And 

403
00:24:54,300 --> 00:24:57,689
Kirra Michel: then  I  guess  the  other  aspect  to  that  is  also 

404
00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:01,230
Kirra Michel: it's  still  around  social  media.  I'm  very  much  a  one- on-

405
00:25:01,230 --> 00:25:08,010
Kirra Michel: one  person.  That's  kind  of  how  I  teach  classes.  I 

406
00:25:08,010 --> 00:25:10,470
Kirra Michel: don't  love  being  in  big  groups  of  people,  I  like  one-on-

407
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,710
Kirra Michel: one.  I  love  to  connect  with  people.  And  so  people 

408
00:25:13,710 --> 00:25:17,010
Kirra Michel: share  their  stories  with  us  as  instructors,  how  much  we've 

409
00:25:17,010 --> 00:25:19,980
Kirra Michel: helped  them,  what  they've  been  through,  what  they've  gone  through, 

410
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:24,600
Kirra Michel: and  just  the  screen  and  not  being  able  to  actually 

411
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:32,490
Kirra Michel: connect  with  people  is  really  hard.
 And  this  is  why 

412
00:25:32,490 --> 00:25:34,560
Kirra Michel: we  do  what  we  do.  We  love  sharing.  We  love 

413
00:25:34,619 --> 00:25:37,200
Kirra Michel: helping  people  get  through  different  things,  whether  it  is  a 

414
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,639
Kirra Michel: physical  practice  or  if  it's  something  more  emotional.  And  that's 

415
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,060
Kirra Michel: the  gifts  of  being  on  this  platform,  being  a  Peloton 

416
00:25:45,060 --> 00:25:48,930
Kirra Michel: instructor.  It's  such  an  honor.  But  there's  so  many  people 

417
00:25:48,930 --> 00:25:50,490
Kirra Michel: who  want  to  share  little  bits  and  pieces  of  their 

418
00:25:50,490 --> 00:25:54,480
Kirra Michel: life  with  us,  and  we  don't  have  the  capacity  to 

419
00:25:55,140 --> 00:25:57,270
Kirra Michel: give  back  the  amount  that  I  want  to  give  back 

420
00:25:57,270 --> 00:26:01,379
Kirra Michel: to  each  person  in  person.  So  I  guess  the  two 

421
00:26:01,380 --> 00:26:03,960
Kirra Michel: elements  is  how  much  of  my  life  do  I  actually 

422
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:07,560
Kirra Michel: want  to  share?  Because  I'm  not  the  type  of  person 

423
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:11,190
Kirra Michel: that  wants  to  share  everything.  I  also  believe  that  I'm 

424
00:26:11,190 --> 00:26:17,340
Kirra Michel: just  doing  what  I  love  to  do.  Yeah,  I  have 

425
00:26:17,340 --> 00:26:18,359
Kirra Michel: such  a  hard  time  with  that  word.

426
00:26:19,590 --> 00:26:22,470
Becs Gentry: Same.  We're  very  much  on  the  same  page  when  it 

427
00:26:22,470 --> 00:26:25,560
Becs Gentry: comes  to  this.

428
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:25,561
Kirra Michel: Yeah, absolutely.

429
00:26:25,561 --> 00:26:28,169
Becs Gentry: I appreciate your honestly  with  it.  Okay.  Let's  talk  about  yoga  for  runners, 

430
00:26:28,170 --> 00:26:32,310
Becs Gentry: because  our  listeners  are  majority  runners  here,  and  they  are 

431
00:26:32,310 --> 00:26:36,359
Becs Gentry: always  after  ways  to  get  stronger  and  better  themselves.  So 

432
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,780
Becs Gentry: let's  talk  about  the  differences  between  a  yoga  class  that 

433
00:26:39,780 --> 00:26:44,220
Becs Gentry: is  designed  for  runners  versus  a  general  yoga  flow  that 

434
00:26:44,220 --> 00:26:50,730
Becs Gentry: you  might  teach.  Talk  me  through  a  yoga  for  runners... 

435
00:26:51,330 --> 00:26:55,650
Becs Gentry: You  know  I've  taken  them.  Pretend  I  haven't.  What  would 

436
00:26:55,650 --> 00:26:57,660
Becs Gentry: people  expect  from  a  Yoga  for  Runners  class  with  you?

437
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,320
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  so  when  I'm  programming  a  yoga  for  runners  class, 

438
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,480
Kirra Michel: I'm  trying  to  figure  out  the  mechanics,  what's  going  on 

439
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,100
Kirra Michel: in  the  body  when  you're  running.  I  want  to  figure 

440
00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:07,560
Kirra Michel: out  the  areas  of  the  body  that  are  tight  that 

441
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,260
Kirra Michel: are  maybe  overworked.  I  want  to  figure  out  the  areas 

442
00:27:10,260 --> 00:27:12,990
Kirra Michel: that  are  underworked  that  need  a  little  bit  more  strengthening. 

443
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,909
Kirra Michel: I  like  to  get  into  the  feet.  I  like  to 

444
00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:21,450
Kirra Michel: get  into  the  calves,  into  the  hips,  hip  flexors, the hamstrings.

445
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:22,830
Becs Gentry: The  hamstrings.

446
00:27:23,940 --> 00:27:27,990
Kirra Michel: Runners,  my  friends,  let's  get  into  your  hammies.  Want  to 

447
00:27:27,990 --> 00:27:29,670
Kirra Michel: kind  of  open  up  and  loosen  the  quads  a  little 

448
00:27:29,670 --> 00:27:33,540
Kirra Michel: bit.  So  there's  different  areas  that I  want  to  work  on, 

449
00:27:33,540 --> 00:27:38,189
Kirra Michel: the  posture.  And  then  the  part  that  maybe  runners,  I 

450
00:27:38,190 --> 00:27:41,220
Kirra Michel: don't  know,  some  runners  definitely  think  about  it,  some  runners 

451
00:27:41,220 --> 00:27:45,240
Kirra Michel: definitely  don't,  the  breath.  Yoga  is  really  based  around  the 

452
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:49,920
Kirra Michel: breath.  And  so  we  learn  in  yoga  that  if  we 

453
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,650
Kirra Michel: can  control  our  breath,  we  can  start  to,  we  have 

454
00:27:52,650 --> 00:27:55,260
Kirra Michel: a  better  control  of  the  rest  of  our  body,  we 

455
00:27:55,260 --> 00:27:57,540
Kirra Michel: can  down  regulate,  we  can  soften  the  things  that  don't 

456
00:27:57,540 --> 00:28:00,689
Kirra Michel: need  to  be  working  as  hard.  So  I'm  really  figuring 

457
00:28:00,690 --> 00:28:04,680
Kirra Michel: out  what  you  guys  need  as  runners  in  order  to 

458
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,550
Kirra Michel: help  your  running  practice.  I'm  a  big  fan  of  cross-

459
00:28:08,550 --> 00:28:11,760
Kirra Michel: training,  so  figuring  out  where  your  weaknesses  are  and  working 

460
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:15,750
Kirra Michel: on  those  weaknesses.  And  unfortunately  the  weaknesses  or  areas  that 

461
00:28:15,810 --> 00:28:18,480
Kirra Michel: we  typically  don't  want  anything  to  do  with  because  they're 

462
00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:22,200
Kirra Michel: a  little  painful  and  it's  really  uncomfortable.  And  my  thing 

463
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,290
Kirra Michel: is  that  if  it's  really  painful  and  uncomfortable,  we  probably 

464
00:28:25,290 --> 00:28:26,640
Kirra Michel: need  to  spend  a  little  bit  more  time  there.

465
00:28:26,790 --> 00:28:27,570
Becs Gentry: Absolutely.

466
00:28:27,660 --> 00:28:29,520
Kirra Michel: So  those  are  the  kind  of  aspects  that  I  definitely, 

467
00:28:30,150 --> 00:28:35,250
Kirra Michel: even  the  core,  I  mean,  listeners,  it's  your  whole  body, 

468
00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,680
Kirra Michel: right?  But  really  focusing  on  those  areas  that  you  need 

469
00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:45,540
Kirra Michel: to  work  on  the  most.  Yoga  classes  in  general,  9 

470
00:28:45,540 --> 00:28:47,250
Kirra Michel: times  out  of  10,  we  kind  of  hit  the  whole 

471
00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:50,430
Kirra Michel: body.  So  I  think  that  every  single  yoga  class  is 

472
00:28:50,430 --> 00:28:53,130
Kirra Michel: probably  going  to  be  helpful  for  runners.  But  a  runner's 

473
00:28:53,130 --> 00:28:57,630
Kirra Michel: class  is  specifically  designed  for  you.  And  I'm  also  speaking 

474
00:28:57,630 --> 00:29:00,030
Kirra Michel: to  that  and  how  it  might  relate  to  parts,  different 

475
00:29:00,030 --> 00:29:06,300
Kirra Michel: areas  of  your  running.  And  then  also,  again,  I  don't 

476
00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:09,480
Kirra Michel: want  to  overgeneralize,  but  a  lot  of  the  runners,  I 

477
00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:12,930
Kirra Michel: think,  with  Peloton,  and  I  might  be  wrong,  but  a 

478
00:29:12,930 --> 00:29:16,650
Kirra Michel: lot  of  the runners,  I  think,  might  not  be  yogis  yet. 

479
00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:21,180
Kirra Michel: So  I  also  am  known  for  some  complex  sequencing.  So 

480
00:29:21,180 --> 00:29:24,810
Kirra Michel: when  I'm  doing  a  Yoga  for  Runners  class,  the  sequencing 

481
00:29:24,810 --> 00:29:27,990
Kirra Michel: is  very,  very  doable.  I  think  a  lot  of  people 

482
00:29:27,990 --> 00:29:30,180
Kirra Michel: are  very  afraid  of  me  and  my  classes.

483
00:29:30,690 --> 00:29:34,530
Becs Gentry: By  that,  she  means  that  she  can  really  cram  in 

484
00:29:34,530 --> 00:29:36,330
Becs Gentry: the  moves  and  make  you  flow  through  them  quickly,  so 

485
00:29:36,330 --> 00:29:37,860
Becs Gentry: you're  sweating  more  than  a  HIIT  workout.

486
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:42,240
Kirra Michel: Mm- hmm.  Exactly.  Exactly.  The  Yoga  for  Runners  class  is 

487
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:44,610
Kirra Michel: not  that.  We're moving nice and  slowly.

488
00:29:44,730 --> 00:29:48,180
Becs Gentry: No,  because  you  understand  that  we're  a  little  tighter,  and 

489
00:29:48,180 --> 00:29:50,670
Becs Gentry: we  need  a  little  bit  more  time  to  transition  through 

490
00:29:50,670 --> 00:29:54,330
Becs Gentry: the  poses  and  maybe  a  little  longer  to  get  that 

491
00:29:54,330 --> 00:29:56,190
Becs Gentry: breath  under  control.

492
00:29:56,220 --> 00:29:56,221
Kirra Michel: Yeah.

493
00:29:56,221 --> 00:29:56,222
Becs Gentry: Now, you are doing it, you get it.

494
00:29:56,222 --> 00:30:03,870
Kirra Michel: Yeah.  And  again,  again,  again,  listen,  I'm  so  new  in 

495
00:30:03,870 --> 00:30:08,370
Kirra Michel: my  running  journey,  you're  my  co- worker,  and  I'm  like, "

496
00:30:08,370 --> 00:30:14,070
Kirra Michel: Great."  Obviously,  I'm  not  a  running  coach,  but  you  are 

497
00:30:14,070 --> 00:30:15,960
Kirra Michel: someone  who  I'm  next  to.  And  I'm  like, " Wow,  when 

498
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,420
Kirra Michel: will  I  be  able  to  run  for  10  minutes  without 

499
00:30:18,420 --> 00:30:24,570
Kirra Michel: wanting  to  break?"  So  it's  like,  I  think,  inspiration  instead 

500
00:30:24,570 --> 00:30:30,870
Kirra Michel: of  intimidation.  Comparison  just  will  destroy  us.  So  knowing  that, 

501
00:30:30,870 --> 00:30:34,410
Kirra Michel: okay,  so  Kirra  is  known  for  longer,  harder,  intense  classes. 

502
00:30:34,410 --> 00:30:35,940
Kirra Michel: I  love  to  invert,  I  love  to  do  hard  things, 

503
00:30:36,270 --> 00:30:39,630
Kirra Michel: but  that's  not  necessarily  the  goal.  The  goal  is  just 

504
00:30:39,630 --> 00:30:44,310
Kirra Michel: what is it that  you  need.  My  goal  to  run  seven  marathons,  or 

505
00:30:44,310 --> 00:30:46,709
Kirra Michel: even  one  marathon  yet,  okay?  It's  not  my  goal  if 

506
00:30:46,710 --> 00:30:49,320
Kirra Michel: I'm  being  honest  with  you,  but  my  goal  is  just 

507
00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,060
Kirra Michel: to  take  care  of  myself  and  what  it  is  that 

508
00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:56,610
Kirra Michel: I  need.  So  as  a  type  A  fitness  person,  a 

509
00:30:56,610 --> 00:31:00,510
Kirra Michel: lot  of  us,  just  because  I'm  saying  it's  a  little 

510
00:31:00,510 --> 00:31:03,300
Kirra Michel: slower,  doesn't  mean  you're  not  doing  the  yoga.

511
00:31:03,300 --> 00:31:07,110
Becs Gentry: Yes.  That's  very important  to  understand  as  well.  It's  just,  as 

512
00:31:07,110 --> 00:31:09,510
Becs Gentry: you  say,  it  takes  you  time  to  figure  out  how 

513
00:31:09,510 --> 00:31:13,020
Becs Gentry: these  new  movements  and  how  these  new  practices  are  going 

514
00:31:13,020 --> 00:31:15,959
Becs Gentry: to  fit  into  your  world  and  into  your  routine.  And 

515
00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:19,410
Becs Gentry: if  you  rush  it,  then  you're  never  going  to  fully 

516
00:31:19,410 --> 00:31:22,260
Becs Gentry: understand  the  benefits  of  it,  like  with  meditation.

517
00:31:22,260 --> 00:31:22,320
Kirra Michel: Yeah.

518
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,830
Becs Gentry: Okay.  So  if  someone's  training  for  a  marathon,  and  again, 

519
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,080
Becs Gentry: this  is  not  one  of  your  personal  goals,  but  you've 

520
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:32,700
Becs Gentry: trained  people  who  have  run  marathons,  how  would  you  recommend 

521
00:31:32,850 --> 00:31:36,720
Becs Gentry: somebody  would  incorporate  yoga  into  their  week  for  a  marathon  training?

522
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,970
Kirra Michel: I  would  definitely  incorporate  it  in  not  just  kind  of  like, "

523
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,709
Kirra Michel: Oh,  I'm  hurt  and  I  should  do  this."  So  it's 

524
00:31:43,710 --> 00:31:47,400
Kirra Michel: preventative.  It's  not  just  after  the  fact  when  your  muscles 

525
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:49,980
Kirra Michel: are  needing  a  little  bit  of  support.

526
00:31:51,330 --> 00:31:51,390
Becs Gentry: Yeah, it's not just recovery.

527
00:31:52,230 --> 00:31:57,180
Kirra Michel: Exactly.  Exactly.  So  it  really  depends.  It's  hyper  individual.  I 

528
00:31:57,180 --> 00:31:59,790
Kirra Michel: think  that  everything  is  very  hyper  individual.  But  I  would 

529
00:31:59,790 --> 00:32:03,210
Kirra Michel: say  two  to  four  times  a  week,  anywhere  from, I don't know,  15 

530
00:32:03,210 --> 00:32:06,720
Kirra Michel: minutes  to  an  hour  long  class.  And  yeah,  I  think 

531
00:32:06,750 --> 00:32:10,110
Kirra Michel: that,  again,  the  yoga  runners  classes  are  wonderful,  and  there's 

532
00:32:10,350 --> 00:32:12,480
Kirra Michel: a  handful  of  us  on  the  platform  who  do  these 

533
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,690
Kirra Michel: classes,  and  there's  different  lengths  of  the  classes.  I  know 

534
00:32:15,690 --> 00:32:17,910
Kirra Michel: that  you've  also  had  Mariana  on  as  a  guest,  and 

535
00:32:17,910 --> 00:32:22,830
Kirra Michel: she  has  a  program  on  the  app,  which  is  a 

536
00:32:23,340 --> 00:32:29,910
Kirra Michel: preparation  for  your  marathon.  So  I  would  recommend  between  two 

537
00:32:29,910 --> 00:32:33,930
Kirra Michel: to  four  times  a  week.  And  again,  any  yoga  class 

538
00:32:33,930 --> 00:32:35,640
Kirra Michel: would  be  good  depending  on  your  level.

539
00:32:36,030 --> 00:32:39,720
Becs Gentry: Yeah.  Okay.  And  would  that  include  meditation  as  well,  or 

540
00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:42,510
Becs Gentry: is  that  an  additional  practice?

541
00:32:42,570 --> 00:32:46,710
Kirra Michel: I  mean,  listen,  it's  again  individual.  You  don't  want  to 

542
00:32:46,710 --> 00:32:49,440
Kirra Michel: put  so  much  on  your  plate  ever  that you  are  more 

543
00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:53,010
Kirra Michel: stressed  out  about  prepping  for  it  than  actually  enjoying  any 

544
00:32:53,010 --> 00:32:58,800
Kirra Michel: of  it.  But,  and  yes,  I  would  definitely  add  in 

545
00:32:58,890 --> 00:33:05,850
Kirra Michel: some  meditation,  some  breath  work.  And  you  can  do,  I 

546
00:33:05,850 --> 00:33:07,380
Kirra Michel: mean,  if  you've  got  all  the  time  in  the  world, 

547
00:33:07,380 --> 00:33:09,690
Kirra Michel: you  can  definitely  add  in  meditation  classes  and  breath  work 

548
00:33:09,690 --> 00:33:12,510
Kirra Michel: classes.  But  I  would  recommend  doing,  I  don't  know, a  10 

549
00:33:12,510 --> 00:33:16,710
Kirra Michel: minute  meditation.  I  recommend  every  single  day  of  the  week. 

550
00:33:16,770 --> 00:33:19,410
Kirra Michel: But  if  you  have  two  or  three  or  four  days 

551
00:33:19,410 --> 00:33:21,510
Kirra Michel: a  week,  you  want  to  add  those  in,  definitely  do 

552
00:33:21,510 --> 00:33:24,720
Kirra Michel: that.  You  could  be  doing  visualization  meditations  where  you  are 

553
00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:29,640
Kirra Michel: visualizing  yourself  competing,  finishing,  enjoying  it,  crossing  the  finish  line, 

554
00:33:30,540 --> 00:33:33,090
Kirra Michel: feeling  as  good  as  you  can.

555
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:34,170
Becs Gentry: Yes  to that.

556
00:33:35,700 --> 00:33:39,900
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  or  just  meditations,  maybe  a  body  scan  meditation  where 

557
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:43,230
Kirra Michel: you're  going  through  your  body  and  you're  releasing,  you're  relaxing. 

558
00:33:43,230 --> 00:33:45,360
Kirra Michel: And  I  would  also  add,  find  some  gratitude  for  your 

559
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:48,390
Kirra Michel: body  along  the  way.  I  think  so  often  we  focus 

560
00:33:48,390 --> 00:33:51,600
Kirra Michel: on  the  areas  that  aren't  working  well,  that  might  be 

561
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,400
Kirra Michel: holding  us  back  a  little  bit  and  we  forget  that 

562
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:57,990
Kirra Michel: everything  else  actually  works  phenomenally.  So  as  you're  kind  of 

563
00:33:57,990 --> 00:34:04,050
Kirra Michel: working  through  a  practice  where you are  releasing,  relaxing  areas  of  your 

564
00:34:04,050 --> 00:34:06,420
Kirra Michel: body,  just  to  kind  of  get  out  of  that  tightness, 

565
00:34:07,050 --> 00:34:07,950
Kirra Michel: add  in  some  gratitude.

566
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:12,150
Becs Gentry: Oh,  yes,  I  love  that.  I  love  the  visualization  for 

567
00:34:12,150 --> 00:34:14,640
Becs Gentry: our  runners  to  think  about  them  crossing  the  finish  line, 

568
00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:19,290
Becs Gentry: getting  that  medal  and  completing  the  thing  that  they  have 

569
00:34:19,290 --> 00:34:21,600
Becs Gentry: been  putting  in  all  the  time  to  train  for.  That 

570
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,860
Becs Gentry: is  truly  something  that  stands  out  there  for  me.  Okay. 

571
00:34:25,860 --> 00:34:31,380
Becs Gentry: Talking  of  all  of  this  meditation,  would  you  be  open 

572
00:34:31,410 --> 00:34:34,500
Becs Gentry: to  leading  us  through  a  short  meditation  before  we  say  goodbye?

573
00:34:35,310 --> 00:34:36,570
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  I'd  absolutely  love  to.

574
00:34:36,780 --> 00:34:39,150
Becs Gentry: Oh,  my  gosh.  Okay.  This  is  the  first  time  I've  meditated.

575
00:34:39,150 --> 00:34:42,480
Kirra Michel: How  much  time  do  I  have?  Oh,  gosh,  we've  got  this.

576
00:34:42,570 --> 00:34:45,089
Becs Gentry: A  nice  short  couple  of  minutes  just  to  give  people 

577
00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:49,170
Becs Gentry: the  time.  Whatever  you  think.  Give  people  a  teaser  of 

578
00:34:49,170 --> 00:34:51,000
Becs Gentry: what  they  can  get  if  they  go  ahead  and  take 

579
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,200
Becs Gentry: one  of  your  classes.

580
00:34:52,860 --> 00:34:55,020
Kirra Michel: Okay,  great.  All  right.  So  I  want  everyone  to  find 

581
00:34:55,020 --> 00:34:58,170
Kirra Michel: themselves  in  a  tall,  comfortable  seat.  If  you're  standing,  you 

582
00:34:58,170 --> 00:35:01,230
Kirra Michel: can  definitely  stand.  If  you  are  busy  and  you're  driving, 

583
00:35:01,230 --> 00:35:03,930
Kirra Michel: please  don't  shut  your  eyes.  Do  what  is  best  for 

584
00:35:03,930 --> 00:35:06,270
Kirra Michel: you  in  the  area  that  you're  in  right  now.  But 

585
00:35:06,270 --> 00:35:08,219
Kirra Michel: if  you  do  have  the  ability  to  shut  your  eyes 

586
00:35:08,219 --> 00:35:10,410
Kirra Michel: or  softly  gaze  down,  I'm  going  to  recommend  you  to 

587
00:35:10,410 --> 00:35:14,310
Kirra Michel: do  just  that.  And  then  we're  just  going  to  start 

588
00:35:14,310 --> 00:35:19,860
Kirra Michel: by  checking  in,  tuning  in.  So  begin  to  notice  your 

589
00:35:19,860 --> 00:35:24,000
Kirra Michel: breath.  Start  to  breathe  in  and  out  through  your  nose. 

590
00:35:31,739 --> 00:35:35,040
Kirra Michel: And  see  if  you  can  elongate  the  exhale  for  an 

591
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:38,550
Kirra Michel: extra  count  or  too.  And  when  we  work  for  longer 

592
00:35:38,550 --> 00:35:42,030
Kirra Michel: exhales,  we  start  to  down- regulate  and  soften  through  the 

593
00:35:42,030 --> 00:35:49,469
Kirra Michel: central  nervous  system.  We  start  to  communicate  with  the  body, 

594
00:35:49,469 --> 00:35:52,350
Kirra Michel: letting  the  body  know  that  we're  safe  and  that  it 

595
00:35:52,350 --> 00:36:02,100
Kirra Michel: can  relax,  it  can  soften.
 And  your  next  exhale,  see 

596
00:36:02,100 --> 00:36:06,450
Kirra Michel: if  you  can  allow  your  shoulders  to  relax,  to  release, 

597
00:36:14,190 --> 00:36:17,069
Kirra Michel: and  just  start  to  notice  the  cyclical  rhythm  of  your 

598
00:36:17,070 --> 00:36:30,360
Kirra Michel: breath.  Start  to feel  into  the  physical  sensations  of  the  body. 

599
00:36:31,830 --> 00:36:35,790
Kirra Michel: Notice  the  feet  or  sit  bones  touching  the  ground  or 

600
00:36:35,790 --> 00:36:44,820
Kirra Michel: the  chair.  Feel  the  spine  nice  and  long,  lengthening  all 

601
00:36:44,820 --> 00:36:46,620
Kirra Michel: the  way  up  through  to  the  crown  of  your  head. 

602
00:36:52,110 --> 00:36:58,200
Kirra Michel: So  the  strength  of  your  legs,  of  your  hips,  of 

603
00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:08,520
Kirra Michel: your core,  and  finding  that  gratitude  for  your  body,  for  moving 

604
00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:18,719
Kirra Michel: the  way  it  does,  for  breathing,  for  holding  you  in 

605
00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:31,529
Kirra Michel: a  supportive  place.  And  we'll  finish  with  a  mantra,  which 

606
00:37:31,529 --> 00:37:34,500
Kirra Michel: the  mantra  is  a  vehicle  for  the  mind,  so  it's 

607
00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:39,600
Kirra Michel: a  place  to  hold  your  mind  steady.  And  the  mantra  is, "

608
00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:49,830
Kirra Michel: I  am  steady  and  I'm  strong."  I  am  steady  and 

609
00:37:49,830 --> 00:38:01,739
Kirra Michel: I'm  strong.  And  just  check  back  in  with  how  you're 

610
00:38:01,739 --> 00:38:05,250
Kirra Michel: feeling.  Again,  try  to  soften  any  areas  of  tension  or 

611
00:38:05,250 --> 00:38:13,050
Kirra Michel: tightness.  And  when  you're  ready,  slowly  begin  to  flood  your 

612
00:38:13,050 --> 00:38:15,960
Kirra Michel: eyes  open,  bringing  yourself  back  in.

613
00:38:22,469 --> 00:38:28,950
Becs Gentry: Wow.  Wow.  Okay,  I'm  in.  That  was beautiful. Thank you, Kirra.

614
00:38:31,410 --> 00:38:32,219
Kirra Michel: My  pleasure.

615
00:38:32,610 --> 00:38:36,570
Becs Gentry: Well,  I  hope  that  has  inspired  at  least  one  person 

616
00:38:36,630 --> 00:38:40,739
Becs Gentry: to  feel  more  grounded  on  a  daily  basis.  Remind  people 

617
00:38:40,739 --> 00:38:42,509
Becs Gentry: how  and  where  they  can  find  you.

618
00:38:43,380 --> 00:38:47,969
Kirra Michel: Yeah,  I'm  on  Instagram at  Kirra  Michel,  and  then  I'm  on 

619
00:38:47,969 --> 00:38:50,160
Kirra Michel: the  Peloton  app.  They're  the  two  places.

620
00:38:50,700 --> 00:38:54,510
Becs Gentry: Yeah.  Yes.  Go  get  your  yoga  on  with  Kirra-

621
00:38:54,630 --> 00:38:54,631
Kirra Michel: Please.

622
00:38:54,631 --> 00:38:59,460
Becs Gentry: ... your breath, work,  your  meditation,  and  all of  the  goodness.  Kirra,  thank  you 

623
00:38:59,460 --> 00:39:02,610
Becs Gentry: so  much  for  joining  us  today  on  Set  the  Pace. 

624
00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:06,420
Becs Gentry: Good  luck  with  your  running  journey,  and  thank  you  for 

625
00:39:06,420 --> 00:39:09,540
Becs Gentry: keeping  me  grounded  as  a  colleague  at  Peloton.

626
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:12,180
Kirra Michel: Thank  you  so  much.  Thank  you  so  much  for  having 

627
00:39:12,180 --> 00:39:15,540
Kirra Michel: me.  And  yeah,  this  was  fun.  I  hope  that  if 

628
00:39:15,540 --> 00:39:19,290
Kirra Michel: anyone  has  any  questions,  reach  out  to  me on  Instagram.  We're 

629
00:39:19,290 --> 00:39:21,270
Kirra Michel: here  for  you.  We're  your  coaches.  We're  here  to  help 

630
00:39:21,270 --> 00:39:26,009
Kirra Michel: guide  you  into  some  new  unexplored  territory.  And  thank  you 

631
00:39:26,010 --> 00:39:27,480
Kirra Michel: so  much,  Becs.  I  appreciate  you.

632
00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,620
Rob Simmelkjaer: New  York  Road  Runners  is  a  nonprofit  organization  with  a 

633
00:39:43,620 --> 00:39:47,010
Rob Simmelkjaer: vision  to  build  healthier  lives  and  stronger  communities  through  the 

634
00:39:47,010 --> 00:39:51,120
Rob Simmelkjaer: transformative  power  of  running.  The  support  of  members  and  donors 

635
00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,300
Rob Simmelkjaer: like  you  helps  us  achieve  our  mission  to  transform  the 

636
00:39:54,330 --> 00:39:57,600
Rob Simmelkjaer: health  and  well- being  of  our  communities  through  inclusive  and 

637
00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:02,489
Rob Simmelkjaer: accessible  running  experiences,  empowering  all  to  achieve  their  potential.  Learn 

638
00:40:02,489 --> 00:40:06,360
Rob Simmelkjaer: more  and  contribute  at  nyrr. org/ donate.

639
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:10,680
Becs Gentry: Today's  guest  is  Andrew  Kyle,  also  known  to  many  as 

640
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:16,200
Becs Gentry: the  Bearded  Marathoner.  After  quitting  smoking  in  2017,  Andrew  signed 

641
00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,510
Becs Gentry: up  for  the  New  York  City  Marathon  and  found  something 

642
00:40:18,510 --> 00:40:23,489
Becs Gentry: he  hadn't  expected,  a  profound  sense  of  joy,  purpose,  and 

643
00:40:23,489 --> 00:40:29,790
Becs Gentry: belonging  through  running.  Since  then,  he  has  completed  25  marathons 

644
00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:33,270
Becs Gentry: with  a  goal  to  run  100  and  one  day  cover 

645
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:38,160
Becs Gentry: all  50  states.  This  year,  as  he  turns  40,  Andrew 

646
00:40:38,160 --> 00:40:41,430
Becs Gentry: is  going  all  out  on  New  York  City.  He's  taking 

647
00:40:41,430 --> 00:40:43,860
Becs Gentry: on  the  four  New  York  Road  Runners  Five- Borough  Series 

648
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,100
Becs Gentry: and  the  New  York  City  Marathon,  and  a  100- mile 

649
00:40:47,190 --> 00:40:51,270
Becs Gentry: ultra  marathon  across  New  York  City.  Just  back  from  the 

650
00:40:51,300 --> 00:40:54,420
Becs Gentry: 50k  Diez  Vista  race  in  British  Columbia  as  a  training 

651
00:40:54,420 --> 00:40:58,170
Becs Gentry: run  for  his  100- mile  NYC  ultra  run,  here's  Meb 

652
00:40:58,230 --> 00:40:59,219
Becs Gentry: with  Andrew  Kyle.

653
00:40:59,670 --> 00:41:02,910
Meb: Thanks,  Becs.  Andrew,  welcome  to  the  Set  the  Pace  podcast. 

654
00:41:02,969 --> 00:41:03,839
Meb: How are  you  doing  today?

655
00:41:04,530 --> 00:41:09,569
Andrew Kyle: Thanks.  I'm  Okay.  I  am  recovering  from  a  long  run 

656
00:41:09,570 --> 00:41:10,200
Andrew Kyle: this  weekend.

657
00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:12,719
Meb: What  was  that  long  run?  Can  you  tell  us  what 

658
00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:13,440
Meb: you  did  this  weekend?

659
00:41:14,010 --> 00:41:19,530
Andrew Kyle: Yeah,  so  I  ventured  up  to  Vancouver  to  race  in 

660
00:41:19,530 --> 00:41:25,739
Andrew Kyle: the  Diaz  Vista  50k,  which  was  in  this  great  mountainous 

661
00:41:25,739 --> 00:41:30,360
Andrew Kyle: area.  I  think  I  climbed  about  7, 500  feet  this  weekend.

662
00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:34,710
Meb: Incredible.  That's  amazing.  How  you  feeling?  How's  the  body  feeling? 

663
00:41:34,710 --> 00:41:40,259
Meb: And  you  were  obviously  2017,  you  gave  up  smoking  now 

664
00:41:40,260 --> 00:41:42,360
Meb: to  be  able  to  be  in  nature.  What  was  that 

665
00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:43,020
Meb: feeling  like?

666
00:41:43,650 --> 00:41:48,450
Andrew Kyle: Yeah,  it  was  incredible.  I  think  it's  for  someone  who 

667
00:41:48,510 --> 00:41:52,440
Andrew Kyle: primarily  runs  the  streets  of  New  York  City,  doing  a 

668
00:41:52,440 --> 00:42:01,050
Andrew Kyle: trail  run  is  both  amazingly  beautiful  and  equally  horrifying  simply because 

669
00:42:01,739 --> 00:42:05,489
Andrew Kyle: of  the  terrain  is  so  not  even.  I  think  I'm 

670
00:42:05,489 --> 00:42:09,359
Andrew Kyle: really  feeling  it in one of  my  ankles  and  my  right  foot  today. 

671
00:42:10,290 --> 00:42:12,719
Andrew Kyle: But  I  think  I  am  hopeful  that  it  will  be 

672
00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:17,820
Andrew Kyle: a  very  fast  recovery.  It  was  actually  a  really,  really 

673
00:42:17,820 --> 00:42:21,090
Andrew Kyle: good  training  run  for  this  really  big  run  because I  think 

674
00:42:21,390 --> 00:42:25,500
Andrew Kyle: just  being  out  eight  and  a  half  hours,  and  that 

675
00:42:25,500 --> 00:42:28,589
Andrew Kyle: was  not  something  that  I  expected,  but  it  was  eight 

676
00:42:28,590 --> 00:42:34,650
Andrew Kyle: and a  half  hours  of  pure  nature  uneven  runway  trails  and 

677
00:42:34,650 --> 00:42:38,520
Andrew Kyle: everything.  And  just  a  great,  great  experience.

678
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:43,260
Meb: I  have  never  done  50k, but quite close to this 42  kilometers,  which  is  a  marathon. 

679
00:42:43,260 --> 00:42:45,299
Meb: But  can  you  take  us  back  to  the  moment  when 

680
00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:50,730
Meb: you  decided  to  enter  the  lottery  for  the  2018 NYC Marathon?  What 

681
00:42:50,730 --> 00:42:53,430
Meb: was  going  through  your  mind?  And  how  did  that  moment 

682
00:42:53,430 --> 00:42:56,040
Meb: set  the  stage  for  everything  that  came  after?

683
00:42:56,700 --> 00:43:01,799
Andrew Kyle: Yeah,  that's  a  great  question.  So  my  closest  friend  from 

684
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:04,800
Andrew Kyle: college  had  gotten  into  the  New  York  City  Marathon  the 

685
00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:07,260
Andrew Kyle: year  before,  but  she  deferred  it.  And  so  she  was  like, "

686
00:43:07,290 --> 00:43:10,140
Andrew Kyle: Oh,  you  should  apply  for  the  marathon.  The  lottery,  it's 

687
00:43:10,140 --> 00:43:12,630
Andrew Kyle: time  for  the  lottery."  And I  said, " Oh,  yeah,  I'll  do 

688
00:43:12,630 --> 00:43:15,330
Andrew Kyle: that,"  because  it's  impossible  to  get  in  through  the  lottery. 

689
00:43:15,750 --> 00:43:18,239
Andrew Kyle: So  I  was  like, "I'm  never  going  to  run  a  marathon. 

690
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,899
Andrew Kyle: I was  a  smoker  for  a  very  long  time."  And  then 

691
00:43:22,469 --> 00:43:24,210
Andrew Kyle: I  woke  up  that  day  and  my  credit  card  was 

692
00:43:24,210 --> 00:43:26,550
Andrew Kyle: charged,  and  I  was  like, " Wait,  what  does  this  mean?"  And so I was like, "

693
00:43:27,030 --> 00:43:29,670
Andrew Kyle: Oh, I guess  I'm  running  the  marathon."  And  so  it  was  just 

694
00:43:29,670 --> 00:43:33,120
Andrew Kyle: this  kind  of  moment  of  like, " Oh." I  mean,  it's  fantastic. 

695
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:34,830
Andrew Kyle: It's  amazing.  I'm  going  to  get  to  do  this  with 

696
00:43:34,830 --> 00:43:40,530
Andrew Kyle: my  best  friend.  And  then  just,  it  changed  kind  of 

697
00:43:40,530 --> 00:43:43,860
Andrew Kyle: my  perspective  on  like, I had  to  build  out  a  training  plan, 

698
00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:47,520
Andrew Kyle: get  ready  for  this  amazing  feat  when  I  had  not 

699
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:53,310
Andrew Kyle: been  running  at  all  because  I  spent  my  time  smoking  cigarettes.

700
00:43:54,750 --> 00:43:57,450
Meb: Well,  these  alternatives,  New  York  City  Marathon  is  my  favorite. 

701
00:43:57,450 --> 00:44:00,359
Meb: And  you  do  a  great  job  to  accomplish  that.  But 

702
00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:03,839
Meb: you  have  called  running  the  first  athletic  thing  that  ever 

703
00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:06,810
Meb: really  stuck  for  you.  What  do  you  think  is  about 

704
00:44:06,810 --> 00:44:09,719
Meb: running  that  creates  that  shift  or  that  meaning?

705
00:44:10,860 --> 00:44:16,080
Andrew Kyle: Yeah.  I  want  to  say  it's  really  about  just  the 

706
00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:24,420
Andrew Kyle: experience  of  seeing  everything  around  you  as  you're  running.  I 

707
00:44:24,450 --> 00:44:27,750
Andrew Kyle: worked  on  a  lot  of  self- awareness  training  through  one 

708
00:44:27,750 --> 00:44:30,900
Andrew Kyle: of  my  grad  school  programs,  did  meditative  practice  every  day 

709
00:44:30,900 --> 00:44:36,480
Andrew Kyle: for  month  for  two  summers.  And  just  kind  of  taking 

710
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,780
Andrew Kyle: that  understanding  of  what  meditation  is  like  and  applying  it 

711
00:44:39,870 --> 00:44:43,980
Andrew Kyle: and  seeing  how  it  aligns  with  running  so  much  was 

712
00:44:43,980 --> 00:44:49,440
Andrew Kyle: really  important  for  me  and  just  really  powerful.  And  so 

713
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:52,920
Andrew Kyle: I  think  just  being  able  to  be  constantly  kind  of 

714
00:44:53,340 --> 00:44:56,040
Andrew Kyle: in  the  mindset  of  I'm  going  to  finish  this  thing 

715
00:44:56,340 --> 00:45:00,989
Andrew Kyle: I'm  setting  out  to  do  something  really  tricky,  difficult,  intense. 

716
00:45:01,950 --> 00:45:03,450
Andrew Kyle: And  then  I  think  the  other  thing  that  was  just 

717
00:45:03,450 --> 00:45:07,890
Andrew Kyle: really  magical  is  the  surroundings  that  you  put  yourself  in. 

718
00:45:07,890 --> 00:45:10,080
Andrew Kyle: So  as  you're  running,  even  when  you're  running  through  the 

719
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,630
Andrew Kyle: streets  of  New  York  City,  as  you  change  your  routes 

720
00:45:12,630 --> 00:45:15,960
Andrew Kyle: and  you  explore  new  places,  I'm  trying  to  run  every 

721
00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:19,050
Andrew Kyle: street  in  Queens  currently,  and  it's,  I  discover  something  new 

722
00:45:19,110 --> 00:45:24,930
Andrew Kyle: every  single  run,  and  bizarre,  beautiful  and  just  amazing  about 

723
00:45:24,930 --> 00:45:25,351
Andrew Kyle: the  city  that  we live in.

724
00:45:25,350 --> 00:45:30,390
Meb: It is an  amazing  city.  But  you  have  spent  years  running  mostly 

725
00:45:30,390 --> 00:45:33,750
Meb: solo  and  you  just  recently  joined  the  Front  Runners.  Can 

726
00:45:33,750 --> 00:45:36,660
Meb: you  tell  us  what  it  was  like  stepping  into  the 

727
00:45:36,660 --> 00:45:40,440
Meb: community  the  first  time  and  how  that  changed  the  experience 

728
00:45:40,590 --> 00:45:41,250
Meb: of  the  sport?

729
00:45:41,880 --> 00:45:44,850
Andrew Kyle: So  running  with  the  community  has  been  interesting.  As  you 

730
00:45:44,850 --> 00:45:48,390
Andrew Kyle: said,  been  running  solo  for  most  of  the  time  in 

731
00:45:48,390 --> 00:45:52,710
Andrew Kyle: my  running  experience.  And  I  think  there's  just  a  lot 

732
00:45:52,710 --> 00:45:56,070
Andrew Kyle: of  power  in  going  out  with  a  group  and  joining 

733
00:45:56,070 --> 00:45:58,739
Andrew Kyle: a  group,  and  being  a  part  of  the  community  has 

734
00:45:58,739 --> 00:46:03,029
Andrew Kyle: been  really  exciting.  I  did  a  few  runs also  with  Woodside-

735
00:46:03,030 --> 00:46:05,850
Andrew Kyle: Sunnyside  Runners.  So  both  of  them  are  really,  really  great 

736
00:46:05,850 --> 00:46:08,550
Andrew Kyle: groups.  And  I  think  the  first  time  I  went  with 

737
00:46:08,550 --> 00:46:12,060
Andrew Kyle: Front  Runners,  I  think  what  was  really  surprising  and  great 

738
00:46:12,060 --> 00:46:14,190
Andrew Kyle: is  just  the  amount  of  people  who  come.  I  think 

739
00:46:14,190 --> 00:46:16,799
Andrew Kyle: my  first  run  with  them  was  mid- January.  It  was 

740
00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:20,069
Andrew Kyle: extremely  cold.  I  expected  maybe  five  people  there,  and  there 

741
00:46:20,070 --> 00:46:27,719
Andrew Kyle: were  almost  50.  And  then  just  the  routines  and  after 

742
00:46:27,719 --> 00:46:31,830
Andrew Kyle: the  run,  going  out  to  grab  food,  grab  drinks,  the 

743
00:46:31,830 --> 00:46:34,920
Andrew Kyle: Saturday  morning  runs  with  the  bagel  breakfasts  are  just  incredible. 

744
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:37,920
Andrew Kyle: So  it's  been  a  great  experience  and  I'm  looking  forward 

745
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:40,739
Andrew Kyle: to  hopefully  being  more  in  New  York  City  to  be 

746
00:46:40,739 --> 00:46:43,980
Andrew Kyle: able  to  join  more  runs  because  it's  been  difficult  with 

747
00:46:43,980 --> 00:46:45,810
Andrew Kyle: a  lot  of  travel  over  the  past  few  weeks,  but 

748
00:46:45,989 --> 00:46:47,430
Andrew Kyle: it's  great.  I'm  loving  it.

749
00:46:48,029 --> 00:46:51,120
Meb: Thank  you for  sharing,  Andrew.  This  is  great.  And  the  camaraderie 

750
00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:54,000
Meb: of  the  sport  is  amazing.  But  before  I  let  you 

751
00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:55,950
Meb: go,  this  is  a  big  one  for  you,  big  year, 

752
00:46:55,950 --> 00:46:59,130
Meb: five  pro  races,  a  100- mile  ultra  marathon,  and  you 

753
00:46:59,130 --> 00:47:02,160
Meb: turning  40.  What  does  this  moment  in  your  life  feels 

754
00:47:02,160 --> 00:47:05,069
Meb: like?  And  why  mark  in  such  an  epic  goal?

755
00:47:05,459 --> 00:47:12,000
Andrew Kyle: Yeah,  it's great.  Part  of  it  is  really  being  able  to 

756
00:47:13,530 --> 00:47:16,770
Andrew Kyle: say,  I've  been  running  for  this  long  and  wanting  to 

757
00:47:16,830 --> 00:47:19,320
Andrew Kyle: kind  of  show  up  a  little  bit  more  in  New 

758
00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:22,049
Andrew Kyle: York  City.  I  realized  a  few  years  ago  I  would 

759
00:47:22,050 --> 00:47:24,570
Andrew Kyle: run  a  few  of  the  Five- Borough  races  as  one-

760
00:47:24,570 --> 00:47:29,160
Andrew Kyle: offs,  and  I  realized  that  all  the  medals  match  and 

761
00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:32,670
Andrew Kyle: that's  pretty  cool  and  amazing.  And  so  I  think  just 

762
00:47:33,420 --> 00:47:36,450
Andrew Kyle: this  feet  of  a  hundred  miles  also  feels  like  such 

763
00:47:36,450 --> 00:47:41,219
Andrew Kyle: a  huge  thing,  and  I'm  really,  really  excited  to  experience 

764
00:47:41,219 --> 00:47:44,310
Andrew Kyle: it  and  just  push  my  body  to  do  something  that I never 

765
00:47:45,210 --> 00:47:47,219
Andrew Kyle: in  my  life  would've  imagined  doing  until  now.

766
00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:50,969
Meb: Pretty  awesome.  Well,  happy  early  40th  and  have  a  great  year.

767
00:47:52,860 --> 00:47:53,191
Andrew Kyle: Thank  you very much.

768
00:47:53,191 --> 00:47:55,980
Becs Gentry: Thank you  so  much  for  joining  us,  Andrew,  and  for  being 

769
00:47:55,980 --> 00:47:58,530
Becs Gentry: a  member  of  New  York  Road  Runners.  Now,  onto  the 

770
00:47:58,530 --> 00:48:01,739
Becs Gentry: final  part  of  our  show,  the  Med  Minute.  This  week 

771
00:48:01,830 --> 00:48:05,130
Becs Gentry: on  our  Med  Minute  with  HSS, we  are  joined  by  Allison 

772
00:48:05,130 --> 00:48:09,270
Becs Gentry: Greer,  a  physical  therapist  at  Hospital  for  Special  Surgery,  who 

773
00:48:09,270 --> 00:48:13,380
Becs Gentry: leads  their  running  mechanics  analysis  program.  She's  a  former  collegiate 

774
00:48:13,380 --> 00:48:17,190
Becs Gentry: runner  who  now  helps  athletes  recover  smarter,  run  stronger,  and 

775
00:48:17,190 --> 00:48:20,250
Becs Gentry: stay  in  motion  for  life.  We  talk  about  the  unique 

776
00:48:20,250 --> 00:48:24,960
Becs Gentry: needs  of  female  runners,  especially  during  peak  race  season,  and 

777
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:27,360
Becs Gentry: how  to  train  wisely  when  you've  got  more  than  one 

778
00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:29,671
Becs Gentry: race  on  the  calendar.  Here's  Meb.

779
00:48:29,671 --> 00:48:33,989
Meb: Thanks,  Becs.  Allison,  welcome  to  Set  the  Pace  podcast.  How's 

780
00:48:33,989 --> 00:48:34,410
Meb: it  going?

781
00:48:35,430 --> 00:48:36,719
Allison Greer: Well,  thank  you  for  having  me.

782
00:48:37,259 --> 00:48:39,150
Meb: Great  to  have  you.  It  is  April  and  we  are 

783
00:48:39,150 --> 00:48:44,218
Meb: fully  into  race  mode.  Someone's  got  a  half  marathon  this 

784
00:48:44,219 --> 00:48:48,060
Meb: week  and then  10k  the  next  week.  What  should  training  be 

785
00:48:48,150 --> 00:48:49,440
Meb: like  in  between  training?

786
00:48:50,100 --> 00:48:53,940
Allison Greer: Well,  the  first  step  in  tackling  two  endurance  races  on  back- to-

787
00:48:53,940 --> 00:48:57,540
Allison Greer: back  weekends  is  creating  a  really  intentional  plan.  And  this 

788
00:48:57,540 --> 00:49:01,290
Allison Greer: plan  will  include  which  race  you  want  to  prioritize.  And 

789
00:49:01,290 --> 00:49:04,110
Allison Greer: so  for  example,  if  that  race  is  the  first  weekend, 

790
00:49:04,110 --> 00:49:06,690
Allison Greer: so  that  half  marathon,  then  we  think  about  the  week 

791
00:49:06,690 --> 00:49:09,420
Allison Greer: following  that  as  more  of  a  recovery  week,  allowing  us 

792
00:49:09,420 --> 00:49:11,279
Allison Greer: to  recover  as  best  as  we  can  for  the  race 

793
00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:15,300
Allison Greer: on  the  next  weekend.  Alternatively, if  we  choose  to  prioritize  the 

794
00:49:15,300 --> 00:49:18,630
Allison Greer: second  race,  we'll  use  the  half  marathon  in  that  preceding 

795
00:49:18,630 --> 00:49:21,480
Allison Greer: weekend  as  a  build  into  our  training.  So  for  example, 

796
00:49:21,480 --> 00:49:23,370
Allison Greer: we  would  use  that  as  part  of  our  long  run 

797
00:49:23,820 --> 00:49:26,340
Allison Greer: for  the  weekend  before  the  race  as  kind  of  building 

798
00:49:26,340 --> 00:49:27,900
Allison Greer: into  that  last  week  of  training.

799
00:49:28,410 --> 00:49:30,989
Meb: No,  sounds  great.  But  how  about  if  the  weather  is 

800
00:49:30,989 --> 00:49:33,390
Meb: super  nice in  the  spring  and  they  want  to  do  it, 

801
00:49:33,390 --> 00:49:34,770
Meb: what  advice  do you  have  for  them?

802
00:49:35,670 --> 00:49:37,469
Allison Greer: Well,  it's  a  challenge  to  run  races  on  back- to-

803
00:49:37,469 --> 00:49:40,650
Allison Greer: back  weekends  for  certain.  I  think  really  paying  close  attention 

804
00:49:40,650 --> 00:49:43,140
Allison Greer: to  your  body  and  listening  to  how  your  body's  tolerating 

805
00:49:43,140 --> 00:49:47,730
Allison Greer: it.  So  watching  for  any  signs  of  injury  or  fatigue 

806
00:49:47,730 --> 00:49:52,290
Allison Greer: is  certainly  important.  Setting  appropriate  expectations  that  it  probably  isn't 

807
00:49:52,290 --> 00:49:55,290
Allison Greer: realistic  to  run  a  PR  in  those  two  distance  races, 

808
00:49:55,469 --> 00:49:58,290
Allison Greer: two  weekends  in  a  row.  But  then  training  just  like 

809
00:49:58,290 --> 00:50:02,010
Allison Greer: you  would  and  equipping  yourself,  hydration,  fueling,  all of  the  things 

810
00:50:02,010 --> 00:50:03,630
Allison Greer: that  you  can  do  to  set  your  body  up  best 

811
00:50:03,630 --> 00:50:06,300
Allison Greer: for  the  challenge  of  completing  two  endurance  races  on  back- to-

812
00:50:06,300 --> 00:50:07,080
Allison Greer: back  weekends.

813
00:50:07,860 --> 00:50:11,400
Meb: Awesome.  What  are some of  the  early  signs  that  runners  might  be 

814
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:12,420
Meb: doing  too  much?

815
00:50:13,590 --> 00:50:17,010
Allison Greer: Certainly  this  is  an  important  question  because  inevitably  within  a 

816
00:50:17,010 --> 00:50:19,830
Allison Greer: training  block  there  are  some  ups  and  downs,  and  it's 

817
00:50:19,830 --> 00:50:22,739
Allison Greer: important  to  understand  that  this  is  normal.  What  we  think 

818
00:50:22,739 --> 00:50:25,680
Allison Greer: of  as  red  flags  as  clinicians  are  symptoms  that  are 

819
00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:29,370
Allison Greer: constant  or  progressive.  So  for  example,  when  we  think  about 

820
00:50:29,370 --> 00:50:32,820
Allison Greer: performance  fatigue,  we'll  certainly  all  have  workouts  within  a  training 

821
00:50:32,820 --> 00:50:34,920
Allison Greer: block  that  don't  go  our  way,  but  what  we're  looking 

822
00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:38,160
Allison Greer: for  here  is  really  the  inability  to  keep  up  consistently 

823
00:50:38,190 --> 00:50:41,430
Allison Greer: within  your  training  plan.  Or  when  we  think  about  symptoms 

824
00:50:41,430 --> 00:50:45,060
Allison Greer: of  pain.  As  clinicians,  we  look  for  things  like  swelling 

825
00:50:45,060 --> 00:50:47,790
Allison Greer: or  the  inability  to  run  normally  because  of  your  pain 

826
00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:50,460
Allison Greer: as  signs  that  we're  doing  too  much.  And  then  we 

827
00:50:50,460 --> 00:50:52,950
Allison Greer: think  it's  also  really  important  to  keep  close  tabs  on 

828
00:50:52,950 --> 00:50:57,120
Allison Greer: your  emotional  health.  If  you're  experiencing  feelings  of  decreased  motivation 

829
00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:00,420
Allison Greer: or  decreased  enthusiasm,  and  again,  if  these  are  constant  or 

830
00:51:00,450 --> 00:51:03,149
Allison Greer: progressive,  those  are  certainly  signs  that  you  might  be  doing 

831
00:51:03,150 --> 00:51:03,301
Allison Greer: too  much.

832
00:51:03,301 --> 00:51:08,040
Meb: Those are  all  great  advice.  Let's  shift  to  with  the  Maybelline 

833
00:51:08,130 --> 00:51:11,640
Meb: Women's  Half  coming  up,  I want  to  talk  specifically  about  women 

834
00:51:11,640 --> 00:51:15,180
Meb: and  running.  What  should  we  be  doing  differently  when  it 

835
00:51:15,180 --> 00:51:16,770
Meb: comes  to  recovering  for  women?

836
00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:20,310
Allison Greer: This  is  an  interesting  question.  There's  some  literature  to  support 

837
00:51:20,310 --> 00:51:25,290
Allison Greer: that  women  require  decreased  recovery  time  after  endurance  races  compared 

838
00:51:25,290 --> 00:51:27,870
Allison Greer: to  males,  and  this  is  because  women  have  different  body 

839
00:51:27,870 --> 00:51:32,250
Allison Greer: systems  that  can  influence  our  ability  to  recover.  For  example, 

840
00:51:32,550 --> 00:51:36,690
Allison Greer: women  tend  to  use  both  fat  and  carbohydrates  for  fuel 

841
00:51:36,690 --> 00:51:39,719
Allison Greer: during  their  endurance  events,  and  this  can  help  them  recover 

842
00:51:39,719 --> 00:51:42,360
Allison Greer: a  little  bit  more  quickly.  Also,  the  presence  of  the 

843
00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:47,250
Allison Greer: sex  hormone  estrogen  may  decrease  muscle  damage  due  to  exercise. 

844
00:51:47,969 --> 00:51:51,330
Allison Greer: Regardless,  it's  important  to  have  an  intentional  recovery  plan  after 

845
00:51:51,330 --> 00:51:53,489
Allison Greer: an  endurance  race.  And  we  think  of  this  as  a 

846
00:51:53,489 --> 00:51:57,630
Allison Greer: very  active  plan.
 And  this  can  include  hydration,  which  should 

847
00:51:57,630 --> 00:52:02,549
Allison Greer: include  both  water-  and  electrolyte- based  substances,  refueling  with  both 

848
00:52:02,550 --> 00:52:08,009
Allison Greer: carbohydrates  and  proteins,  getting  an  appropriate  amount  of  sleep  and 

849
00:52:08,010 --> 00:52:13,350
Allison Greer: promoting  movement.  This  might  include  some  light  stretching,  walking,  biking, 

850
00:52:13,650 --> 00:52:16,380
Allison Greer: or  swimming.  And  I  think  the  other  thing  that's  important 

851
00:52:16,380 --> 00:52:19,260
Allison Greer: to  keep  in  mind  is  that  the  recovery  for  one 

852
00:52:19,260 --> 00:52:22,980
Allison Greer: event  is  a  continuous  event  with the  preparation  for  the  next 

853
00:52:22,980 --> 00:52:25,650
Allison Greer: event.  And  really  we  think  of  this  as  a  journey 

854
00:52:25,920 --> 00:52:27,960
Allison Greer: from  the  start  of  the  race  to  the  end  of 

855
00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:31,320
Allison Greer: the  next  race.  In  other  words,  the  more  effective  we 

856
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:33,690
Allison Greer: are  with  our  recovery,  the  better  prepared  we  are  for 

857
00:52:33,690 --> 00:52:34,680
Allison Greer: the  next  race.

858
00:52:35,580 --> 00:52:38,100
Meb: Allison,  I  like  to  say  pre- hab  instead  of  rehab, 

859
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:42,239
Meb: but  are  there  injuries  you  see  more  often  in  women 

860
00:52:42,239 --> 00:52:44,910
Meb: runners?  And  what  do  you  think that is? You  might  have  already  answered 

861
00:52:44,910 --> 00:52:46,650
Meb: it,  but  can  you  elaborate  a  little  bit  more?

862
00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:50,880
Allison Greer: Certainly.  We  definitely  see  different  injury  patterns  in  women  versus 

863
00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:53,070
Allison Greer: men,  and  this  is  again  because  we  have  different  body 

864
00:52:53,070 --> 00:52:56,580
Allison Greer: systems.  One  example  would  be  a  bone  stress  injury,  and 

865
00:52:56,580 --> 00:52:59,160
Allison Greer: that's  an  overuse  injury  to  a  bone.  And  we  certainly 

866
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:02,340
Allison Greer: see  these  more  often  in  women  than  men.  Some  common 

867
00:53:02,340 --> 00:53:06,000
Allison Greer: examples  include  a  stress  injury  to  the  foot  bones,  we 

868
00:53:06,000 --> 00:53:08,940
Allison Greer: call  those  the  metatarsals,  the  shin  bone,  we  call  the 

869
00:53:08,940 --> 00:53:11,880
Allison Greer: tibia,  and  the  hip,  whether  that's  the  femoral  neck  or 

870
00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:14,430
Allison Greer: the  pelvis.  And  there  are  a  few  differences  between  males 

871
00:53:14,430 --> 00:53:16,500
Allison Greer: and  females  that  make  them  more  prone  to  these  types 

872
00:53:16,500 --> 00:53:19,890
Allison Greer: of  injuries.  One  is  our  bone  density.  Women  tend  to 

873
00:53:19,890 --> 00:53:22,560
Allison Greer: have  lower  bone  mineral  density  and  a  higher  rate  of 

874
00:53:22,560 --> 00:53:27,239
Allison Greer: bone  loss.  Two,  we  think  about  our  hormones.  Estrogen  is 

875
00:53:27,239 --> 00:53:31,080
Allison Greer: an  important  hormone  to  help  build  and  keep  bone  density. 

876
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:34,770
Allison Greer: And  fluctuations  that  women  experience  in  estrogen  can  certainly  impact 

877
00:53:34,770 --> 00:53:37,560
Allison Greer: our  bone  health.
 And  then  the  third,  we  think  about 

878
00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:41,850
Allison Greer: nutritional  deficiencies.  Some  really  important  nutrients  to  build  and  help 

879
00:53:41,940 --> 00:53:45,030
Allison Greer: sustain  bone  health  are  calcium  and  vitamin  D.  So  as 

880
00:53:45,030 --> 00:53:47,760
Allison Greer: female  runners,  it's  really  important  that  we're  paying  attention  to 

881
00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:51,149
Allison Greer: our  intake  of  those.  Another  injury  that  we  see  more 

882
00:53:51,150 --> 00:53:54,360
Allison Greer: commonly  in  females  are  knee  injuries,  specifically  in  the  front 

883
00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:57,300
Allison Greer: of  the  knee,  which  we  call  patellofemoral  pain  syndrome,  also 

884
00:53:57,300 --> 00:54:00,120
Allison Greer: known  as  runner's  knee,  or  pain  on  the  outside  of 

885
00:54:00,120 --> 00:54:03,718
Allison Greer: the  knee,  which  is  an  irritation  of the  iliotibial  or  IT 

886
00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:08,310
Allison Greer: band.  And  this  is  often  due  to  anatomic  variances  between 

887
00:54:08,310 --> 00:54:12,060
Allison Greer: women  and  men.  For  example,  women  often  have  wider  hips 

888
00:54:12,150 --> 00:54:14,730
Allison Greer: relative  to  our  height,  which  creates  a  different  line  of 

889
00:54:14,730 --> 00:54:17,730
Allison Greer: pull  at  our  knees.  We  also  tend  to  be  overall 

890
00:54:17,730 --> 00:54:21,960
Allison Greer: weaker  in  comparison  to  our  male  counterparts.  And  these  anatomic 

891
00:54:21,960 --> 00:54:25,260
Allison Greer: things  can  lead  to  biomechanical  changes  when  we  run.  So 

892
00:54:25,260 --> 00:54:28,410
Allison Greer: for  example,  in  female  runners,  we  tend  to  see  more 

893
00:54:28,590 --> 00:54:31,920
Allison Greer: rolling  in  of  their  knee  as  they  land  and  absorb 

894
00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:35,100
Allison Greer: load.  We  also  tend  to  see  a  stiffer  knee  or 

895
00:54:35,100 --> 00:54:37,950
Allison Greer: less  knee  bend  as  we  absorb  the  load  of  running. 

896
00:54:38,370 --> 00:54:43,680
Allison Greer: And  these  biomechanical  faults  can  result  in  overstress  and  overuse  injuries.

897
00:54:43,980 --> 00:54:47,880
Meb: Amazing  information,  Allison.  And  there's  exception  to  the  rules,  obviously. 

898
00:54:47,880 --> 00:54:51,390
Meb: I  was  also  have  issue  that I  had  in  2007  when 

899
00:54:51,390 --> 00:54:54,690
Meb: my  vitamin  D  and  my  calcium  was  very  low  and 

900
00:54:54,780 --> 00:54:57,779
Meb: typically  what  they  saw  on  women  saw  in  mine.  So 

901
00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:00,960
Meb: for  those  of  you  guys  that  are  male  also,  having 

902
00:55:00,960 --> 00:55:03,029
Meb: a  base  is  always  important,  whether  the  male  or  female, 

903
00:55:03,030 --> 00:55:04,530
Meb: to  be  able  to  just  kind  of  know  who  you 

904
00:55:04,530 --> 00:55:06,870
Meb: are  and  be  in  tune  with  your  body.  So  great 

905
00:55:07,620 --> 00:55:10,530
Meb: information  and  keep  running  and  stay  healthy.  And  thank  you 

906
00:55:10,530 --> 00:55:11,969
Meb: Allison  for  being  on  the  podcast.

907
00:55:12,330 --> 00:55:12,600
Allison Greer: Thank  you so much.

908
00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:16,529
Becs Gentry: And  that  does  it  for  another  episode  of  Set  the 

909
00:55:16,530 --> 00:55:20,730
Becs Gentry: Pace.  Thank  you  to  today's  guests,  Kirra,  Michel,  Andrew  Kyle, 

910
00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:25,200
Becs Gentry: and  HSS's  Allison  Greer.  If  you  like  this  episode,  please 

911
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:27,960
Becs Gentry: do  go  ahead  and  subscribe,  rate  or  leave  a  comment 

912
00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:30,750
Becs Gentry: for  the  show  on  whatever  platform  you  are  listening  on. 

913
00:55:31,260 --> 00:55:33,870
Becs Gentry: This  not  only  helps  us,  but  it  helps  others  find 

914
00:55:33,870 --> 00:55:37,799
Becs Gentry: out  about  the  show  too.  Thanks  for  listening.  Get  those 

915
00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:39,540
Becs Gentry: miles  in,  and  we'll  see  you  next  week.