Like, what does that phrase actually mean to you, and why does it matter even more once a runner crosses into their 40s and beyond?

beyond?Yeah, so I've-- I have access to a lot of elite and professional athletes through my work, through, uh, living in Boulder and, and whatnot, and I started asking questions to these athletes as I was going down the rabbit hole of learning about ultrarunning in particular.

And I was curious how and, and more importantly, why people do this and what enables them to run 100 miles or run a marathon, you know, in the two-hour range or, or whatever it is.

And there are so many commonalities in the stories, and the people are going about things in different ways, but ultimately, like, I put out 421 podcast episodes, and if I could synthesize all of it into one or two sentences in terms of, like, what is the, the one trait or one qualifier of a runner being able to, to be a, quote-unquote, "successful or happy runner," it's joy.

Like, you have to like what you're doing.

You have to love what you're doing.

You have to know why you're doing it.

It's like, "You're a masters runner." Um, I'm like, "Whoever came up with that term anyway? What are we a master of?" Um, but you know, you are in your mid-30s and, you know, you're training in Boulder and, like, what's the biggest thing that you've, like, personally had to unlearn or change about how you train? Um, as you mentioned, you know, being, like, a four-plus-hour marathoner to actually getting sub-three, going into ultras, um, you know, as you have aged into your kinda mid-30s

But how did that shape you into wanting to start your own running journey?

Yeah, so I was living, I was about to move into Boston at the time.

I was living at home after college and I was running like seven miles a week across three runs.

Not seven miles per run times three, seven miles total across three.

And I was, for some reason, I was inspired to put on my shoes, which were Vibram shoes.

five fingers at the time.

And I put that on, I put on my blue and yellow, which I see behind you.

Can you take me back to a moment on the trail that made you go, okay, this is who I am?

Mm.

And we're gonna run-- Some people are gonna run 52.4 miles tomorrow, and that's awesome.

That's incredible.

Some people are gonna run 26.2 miles tomorrow.

That's awesome.

Some people are gonna run two miles tomorrow.

That's awesome, too.

Hmm