Join Coach Christine in this inspiring episode of "Time for Brunch," where we start with some exciting events planned for our community.
We're launching special audio workouts for the RunDisney Summer Series, beginning with a fun mix of virtual and in-person activities. The first event, a summer virtual and in-person fun run, takes place on June 1st.
This event is free, and you can find more details and RSVP here: First Summer Virtual and In-Person Fun Run. Following closely, we celebrate Global Running Week from June 3rd to June 9th. We invite listeners to run one mile per day and participate in daily themed challenges with chances to win prizes. Join the celebration here: Global Running Week.
What do Disney, brunch, and running have in common? More than you might think. Our guests bring the spirit of Disney to life, sharing how the parks' enchantment fuels their drive and desire to chase down athletic dreams. Imagine crossing a finish line on Main Street, the jubilation of post-race celebrations, and the possibility of brunching with celebrities like Oprah or Chris Pratt.
Tyler Williams shares his journey of overcoming personal obstacles through running, finding a special connection in the RunDisney events. His inspiring story can be followed on Instagram at Tyler Williams.
In another powerful segment, Stephanie Humphrey talks about her ongoing battle with cancer and how she continues to inspire many by running through her treatment. Her courageous story is shared on Instagram at Running Through Breast Cancer.
Step into the shoes of remarkable people who show us that resilience isn't just for the races. Our guests share how they've turned adversity into a challenge with a "try me" mindset. You'll hear about the transformative journeys that begin with a single mile and lead to marathons, Dopey challenges, and perfect runDisney seasons and beyond!
Their stories are a call to action, an invitation to find your own pace in the world of running, to discover healing in movement, and to recognize that within a community of runners, you're never really running alone.
Have questions or want to chat? Send me a text!
Join the newsletter list for updates, special offers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Join fellow pod and running enthusiasts at The Stride Collective community on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.
Join Coach Christine in this inspiring episode of "Time for Brunch," where we start with some exciting events planned for our community.
We're launching special audio workouts for the RunDisney Summer Series, beginning with a fun mix of virtual and in-person activities. The first event, a summer virtual and in-person fun run, takes place on June 1st.
This event is free, and you can find more details and RSVP here: First Summer Virtual and In-Person Fun Run. Following closely, we celebrate Global Running Week from June 3rd to June 9th. We invite listeners to run one mile per day and participate in daily themed challenges with chances to win prizes. Join the celebration here: Global Running Week.
What do Disney, brunch, and running have in common? More than you might think. Our guests bring the spirit of Disney to life, sharing how the parks' enchantment fuels their drive and desire to chase down athletic dreams. Imagine crossing a finish line on Main Street, the jubilation of post-race celebrations, and the possibility of brunching with celebrities like Oprah or Chris Pratt.
Tyler Williams shares his journey of overcoming personal obstacles through running, finding a special connection in the RunDisney events. His inspiring story can be followed on Instagram at Tyler Williams.
In another powerful segment, Stephanie Humphrey talks about her ongoing battle with cancer and how she continues to inspire many by running through her treatment. Her courageous story is shared on Instagram at Running Through Breast Cancer.
Step into the shoes of remarkable people who show us that resilience isn't just for the races. Our guests share how they've turned adversity into a challenge with a "try me" mindset. You'll hear about the transformative journeys that begin with a single mile and lead to marathons, Dopey challenges, and perfect runDisney seasons and beyond!
Their stories are a call to action, an invitation to find your own pace in the world of running, to discover healing in movement, and to recognize that within a community of runners, you're never really running alone.
Have questions or want to chat? Send me a text!
Join the newsletter list for updates, special offers, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Join fellow pod and running enthusiasts at The Stride Collective community on Facebook or follow us on Instagram.
Time for Brunch. Empower, inspire, connect, ignite your journey.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Time for Brunch, the podcast where we chat about running, life and well, everything in between, just like we're out on a long run or sharing a stack of pancakes after a morning race. Hello friend, I'm Coach Christine, a Level 2 RRCA and ACE Health Coach, along with the host of the podcast. And I'm Coach Christine, a level two RRCA and ACE health coach, along with the host of the podcast, and I'm thrilled to have you here joining us today. We've got an incredibly inspiring show lined up with two amazing guests who are part of the Run Disney community. They embody the spirit of overcoming challenges and pursuing passions and are out here sharing their story to inspire you as well. But before we dive into these incredible stories and bring these guests on here, I've got some exciting news to share about what we've been cooking up for the community Because, first up, we're kicking off the summer with a special treat for all of you, run Disney fans, especially with that Run Disney Summer Series Virtual on the horizon.
Speaker 2:We're launching some audio companion workouts designed to enhance your fun run experience, and our first episode is going to drop in just a couple of weeks. We'll have a live chat via Messenger during the run where you can share your selfies, your shiny new medals. We're going to have some games that we're going to be playing, some trivia and, yes, we'll definitely be talking about Mickey waffles and all things Disney. Mark your calendars. We're dropping that. On June 1st, if you're here in the Orlando area and want to join us in person, we're organizing a fun run right on Disney property. It's completely free, just part of the fun we want to bring to our community. So, whether you're virtual or you're joining us in person, we are excited to bring this community together. We want you to join in on our Facebook group for all the details and to RSVP.
Speaker 2:Leading right from that, we're going to keep rolling with the fun into Global Running Week, because why limit ourselves to celebrating running for just one day with Global Running Day? So from June 3rd to June 9th, we're going to challenge you to run one mile per day or commit to one mile per day, and each day is going to have a fun, unique theme, from tropical theme to maybe a little bit of tiki-taki. Who knows? You'll have to join us to find out. Now, friends, again, you're going to want to join the Facebook community page. We're going to have some fun pop-up challenges with prizes during that week and again, I cannot stress how much we're looking forward to that. So, without further ado, let's welcome our very first guest, tyler. Tyler has a very inspiring life story, filled with personal triumphs, overcoming a lot of challenges, and I'll never forget reading his story on the Run Disney community page and thinking, yeah, we need to have him here on brunch. This story needs to be told to the masses. So welcome on in, tyler.
Speaker 3:Hello.
Speaker 2:So excited to have you here. As you know, your story was incredibly impactful when you shared it on the Run Disney page because it really resonated and touched with a lot of folks. I can't wait to get into it. But before we dive into it, I'd love to know if you could go on a long run and then have brunch with any celebrity. Who would it be and what would you like to order at brunch?
Speaker 4:Okay. So, Oprah, could you imagine the conversation that would come out of Oprah after like six miles on a run?
Speaker 2:I think I would be just happy being anywhere near the room that Oprah is in, Talk about being in the room where it happens. I want to be there for that. So I'm inviting myself to your long run. So afterward you're having brunch with Oprah. What are you ordering?
Speaker 4:So probably just like a simple little French toast. You know nothing crazy I mean. I feel like she would probably pull out all the stops, but I would say they're pretty simplistic.
Speaker 2:Well, considering that she has her own avocado orchard and she can make her own fresh avocado toast at any point in time. Yeah, I think that definitely. She could make sure that our buffet of brunch is well stocked. But very cool, I officially inviting myself and Oprah. This is your official invitation. If you are out there listening, we'd love to have brunch in the long run with you. So let's get into a little bit about running before we start fantasizing about that brunch and long run with Oprah. How did you get into it and if you want to share a little bit about, maybe, what it's meant for you so far, yeah, running has been like my therapy.
Speaker 4:It has been my personal time and space to give to myself. So many times I feel like we hear you know I don't have time for this, I don't have time for that, but when you look back at your day, you realize you've spent so much time. You know watching TV, scrolling through, you know the social media apps or whatnot, and I think you know, looking back at like my day, I can say, instead of spending an hour sitting on my phone today, I spent an hour. I gave it to myself, I checked in with myself and that's really kind of what running is for me. That's kind of what it is and what it has become for me. It's become truly like my therapy.
Speaker 2:So I think most runners that have been on their journey for a while will resonate deeply with that, because at some point it does transition and it becomes much more than what it originally was. Most I'm curious about you specifically, but I know most runners come to running specifically because of, like, a physical fitness. So was that the case for you? What made you decide to get that first lace up and out the door? Or has running always been a part of your life and you were running track or cross country as a kid? I a part of your life and you were running track or cross country.
Speaker 4:as a kid I was like kid in school that when it was time for the mile I was in pain, I couldn't do it, I was sick. I had to go to the nurse. There was always something that I knew in the mile. Looking back at it, how sad.
Speaker 4:But no and so in 2020, I'm sure, like a lot of people, we kind of went through this lull where we had a lot of time to spend with ourselves and some of us didn't really know what that meant, and so in 2020, I kind of discovered myself and discovered a lot of my past. Traumas were actually things that were causing a lot of anxiety and depression, and those types of things and feelings that I had never really worked with before that I finally had time to face and they were very real when they came.
Speaker 4:My roommate one day was like hey ty, hey Tyler, let's go for a run, it'll be fun. And I said absolutely not. So I went because I had nothing better to do and it was only a mile. I felt horrible after my legs hurt, I felt sick, I felt nauseous. I don't recommend like trying to run an eight minute mile as your very first mile that you ever run. We learned a lot from that moment but I think that like it just started off as something simple, tiny and you know, now we're running like marathons, dopey and so many big things.
Speaker 2:Okay. So we went from trying to go all out for our first mile which is something that most people do, I think, tend to do, because we just associate that mile from that one mile test when we were younger as kids, where you go kind of go out in your full effort when did it transition? Where did it become? Okay, I didn't die. I kind of wished I would have died because it felt horrible. I don't feel great, but where did it transition from that to like I'm going to do dopey, because we're leaving out like a lot in between, because most of us don't go from the mile to dopey within just a couple of years. So how did that story happen for you?
Speaker 4:So, with my like mental health struggles and things like that I had in 2020, going into 2021 and whatnot and learning, I felt like the only thing that I had that I could truly measure and give myself a little bit of credit for, or, at the end of the day, that I felt proud of, was what I did on the pavement how far did I go, how hard did I work?
Speaker 4:And I'm not going to lie when I first started running, it was a really unhealthy relationship that I had because I ran to purposely tire myself so I could sleep. So I didn't have these racing thoughts, I didn't have these feelings. It really started to kind of grow into a more like I kind of want to do this, like endurance, you know, type thing. When I did a digital 5K and then run Disney continue doing the digital races, so I did the like a wide and dine digital 10K and I did that one because, okay, I haven't done that before, I want to try it and it's virtual. I don't worry about the shame of taking too long, I'm not going to feel like I'm competing with anyone, I'm running my own race.
Speaker 4:So I did it virtually. I ordered it. It came in and I was so excited it was my first like actual medal. The other 5k I signed up for. It's just like a hey, upload your time. But then I did that 10k and I wanted to work. It felt good, I did something hard that I've never done before. I just chased after that feeling. So I kind of went back and forth and I told my roommates I said I'm going to sign up for this half marathon. I said it's 13 miles, I can do lots around the neighborhood, it doesn't matter if it takes me all day long, like I'm going to do it. They looked at me like I was absolutely crazy.
Speaker 4:I did it, I registered for it, did it and as soon as I was done, my roommates they were so cute, they were in the yard with like signs and everything as my like finish line, but it was the same moment they like meddled me and things like that. But then, like I did the half marathon and I was like we get this feeling and I think that like runners we can kind of like all agree like we always chase after wanting to like do more, do better, just because of that feeling that we chase, and so I kind of back and forth like what I to do? Well then, in-person, red Disney started back up again and I'm like I don't know, I've never done an in-person race. So I started back at the 5k just to learn and see kind of what it's about or how the courses are, how everybody works together, things like that. And then it just kind of same thing just started chasing the feeling 5k led into 10, led into a half. Then it got to the point where I've done the challenges.
Speaker 4:I really wanted to do a perfect run Disney season and I was sitting there and I realized the only way to do a perfect run Disney season is to do the dopey. So I went back and forth and I'm like I can do a 5k, I know that I can do a 10k, I can do a half marathon. I was like, all right, marathon she's beast. But I knew that I had enough time to train for it. I feel like marathon was the first run that I actually disciplined myself enough to fully train for and not just like, oh, I'm going to do a couple of runs this week like actually train for. Like at the time I, you know, I didn't even see my friends, like I had no life. It was literally like work, go for a run, eat dinner, go to bed or vice versa. I was like wake up, go for a run, go to work, and that, I think, taught me a lot about myself and I feel like that's where I really a lot of the healing was. For me was during that marathon training.
Speaker 2:So much here, from the fact that it sounds like you have created a kind of almost like a family of supporters, with your roommates and your friends being there for you, to the fact that you talked about how you felt very proud of yourself, and that is something that I think that, really, even if we don't necessarily have the best run, there's always that sense of pride that we're able to take into the rest of our day. That does start to translate into other aspects of our life. I'm going to kind of take it back a little bit more, though. So you did mention and talked about how great your friends and your roommates were in supporting you, but you also have mentioned that you had a really close relationship with your mom and you had a really good support system, specifically with your grandfather, I believe. Is that correct? Yes, okay, so what did they think about your running at this point, or are you still in a close relationship with them?
Speaker 4:Yeah. So when I was younger, I was about 10 years old we moved down to Florida. My brother was born and after that my parents had faced a little bit of a loss. They had faced a little bit of a loss with a miscarriage my mother had and it kind of separated them. They didn't really heal from that well In doing so. Eventually my brother was born. It was a happy moment for them, but it still couldn't really shake it and so my parents ended up separating when I was about 10 years old, and then they'd never really divorced, they never really had like a set agreement.
Speaker 4:So it was always, you know, you're going to it was with my mom for a couple of months, with my dad for a couple of months, back and forth. My dad was the very much working type. He was, you know, working nine to five, monday through Friday, whereas mom was the stay at home mom, you know, and that was kind of the life that she had for herself and that's what worked out. And so you know, here she is now alone. Essentially she felt, with two children and no job, no way of having a job. My mom also never drove a day in her life. So there's a lot of factors that could turn into it. So it was kind of always a teeter-totter back and forth between a mom with mom, with dad, for a couple months at a time. Of course, being young and in school, like those things, are really hard. You can't form friends, you can't form those types of things. You're always switching schools, you're always going back and forth. Well, this is where my grandparents recognized those things and they said Tyler is entering his like most developmental years. He's going into socially, he's going into school. And I was getting in a little bit of trouble and they were like how about you just come stay with us for a little bit? It doesn't have to be long, doesn't have to be anything crazy, let's do a month or two. Just come stay with us, let us help you out with some school things, kind of get you back on track.
Speaker 4:The age of 14 on I lived with my grandparents. I never went to school. It was never a hard feeling with other parents. It was just that they were able to provide the perfect support that I very, very close. And when I was about 16 years old I had come out as gay to my parents, my grandparents, my grandparents, immediately they kind of laughed and they were like, come on, girl, we know my mom was like, yes, like, oh my God, like you're shopping, we can have fun. Like I can actually celebrate you being your authentic self, like I never wanted to because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. You know so many things like that. My father never had an issue with anyone you know being gay or part of that community, but I think the struggle lied with the fact that his child was and that's something that some people do go through, that's something that I've learned over time, that I've seen. So it did put a really hard grip on our relationship and so it did put a really hard grip on our relationship and so all of that I ended up graduating high school.
Speaker 4:My mom and I were very close. That summer I was driving, I would pick her up after work and she had got herself a little job and we'd just go to the little department stores and go shopping and we'd go to dinner and just we built a really strong, close, friend-like relationship because we didn't have to worry about that mother-son, of course. We like relationship because we didn't have to worry about that like mother son, like of course we had that, but it wasn't like she had to be like disciplinary mom. It was a very cool mom. We were very close, very close, sharing a lot of close things about our lives and things she didn't even know about me. Just very close. Well then that summer she actually suddenly passed away from a heart attack oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 4:It happened so suddenly, unexpectedly. My grandmother and I were there, we were over in Tampa on a trip and, yeah, just happened right then and there, right in front of us. It was probably the most like traumatic event and like the first traumatic event I truly had to like, experience like that and that started a lot of feelings and emotions in me. And this happened summer of 2019. And so after that, it kind of kick-started me into like I don't want to live in town anymore and so I said I'm going to move to Disney. I want to be a performer so bad, that's my dream. And my grandparents pushed me and supported me 120%. They made it happen. They went with me to look at apartments Every weekend, every day that I could, you know, do a half day of school. They were truly like my biggest cheerleaders. And so I moved up here.
Speaker 4:2020 happened pandemic. I just started working at Disney. Then, with the pandemic, I was part of the Disney College program. With that, they kind of ended our program and said thank you so much for your time and sent us on our way.
Speaker 4:For a lot of people that meant going back home. That was okay. For me, that meant I don't have a job anymore because I live here. I wasn't living in college program housing. I had my own apartment with a roommate, a friend of mine from high school, and so it was just very difficult for me. For the first time I actually had to take a minute to reflect on some of those things in the past, had to take a minute to reflect on some of those things in the past. I didn't have as much going on, and so in doing all that I struggled so much with, like, my mental health and I didn't know I didn't have an outlet to get it out. So just all of these emotions between you know, my mother and the relationship with my father, and being in a city that truly celebrates being your authentic self, but not being able to because of the pandemic, and then also losing the job that I've dreamed about since I was literally like five years old, like I would walk around the living room in a tigger costume, like I was, like I'm in a parade, like it was everything that I wanted to be.
Speaker 4:And so here I am, 18 years old, living in Orlando, with zero dollars in my savings, zero dollars my checking, and it got to be too much for me, and so there was a night that I decided I was like I don't want to do this anymore, I don't want to fight, I don't want to deal with it, I don't want to face it. This isn't fair. I attempted to take my own life that night and my roommates actually were the ones that, like, helped me, you know, caught me, saved me, whatever I went into, of course, you know, hospital and psychiatric facilities, things like that and then I was discharged from those facilities with very limited to no resources, honestly, which was really disheartening. Looking back at it, it's honestly really sad that that happens, but I'm like what do I do? And so I struggled with those feelings again.
Speaker 4:I'm like I feel like this, but I don't want to go through this process again. I'm like what do I do? What is my outlet? Where can I go? You know, I'm like there's got to be something. There's got to be something I can do. And I struggled. I tried so many different hobbies, I tried so many things that just didn't work for me. I started seeing doctors and I was starting to take on different medications and none of them just made me feel like myself and I hated it, and so my roommate.
Speaker 4:One day he did cross-country in college and he said hey, I'm going on this like run today just for fun. This was that one mile run that I talked about. He goes come on, it'll be really fun. I'm like absolutely not do enough bribing I did, and for months I was tossing and turning, couldn't sleep at night, just like I would be up all night sleep during the day. It was just horrible.
Speaker 4:I went to bed at like nine o'clock that night and I slept all night long. For the first time ever, I woke up feeling so retouched, so refreshed. In that moment I knew that, like this is where it happens. And so over that summer I don't know if you know anything about running in summer, but but it's not fun.
Speaker 2:Not in Florida, no, it's definitely the fact that you started running in summer in Florida and stuck with it.
Speaker 2:That's a huge testament to running being something you're likely going to do for the rest of your life, because most people would have given in right then and there, yes, yeah. First of all, again, I think so many people who came to running, especially during the pandemic, can resonate, and even myself. I didn't come to running during the pandemic, but I found that it was a time because we did have to kind of tackle things a little differently, that maybe running away from some of our previous issues or previous dealings of emotions that we had buried is. It was a great opportunity, unfortunately, to kind of also kind of dig those up and really kind of actually deal with them step by step, as you're tackling running or coming to that. So absolutely, I can completely understand why it became so such a vital part of your life and thank you so much for sharing that, because I think it's extraordinarily important for us to hear and understand that running really is such a much more transformative gift than we ever would give it credit for, and also for being so brave to talk about how you got to that point.
Speaker 2:We're so glad that you did find running and you kind of have found it as well as part of your therapy. I'm curious if you at any point do you have doubts about, like is this something that I do love because it has been such a big, extraordinarily important part of your part of your life, or do you see yourself wanting to change the way that you do your running? Is run Disney something you continue to plan on doing, or are you thinking of other goals as well? Let's dive a little bit deeper as to like what it looks like now, day to day for you and what you want to do moving forward with it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, two years ago I was like OK, I did some run Disney.
Speaker 4:It's fun. I did that person once and I was like I want to like work hard, I want to push myself, I want to like get into like big marathons and like things like that and there's great support systems for those things, there's great pages and communities that build those. And so I sat out a couple of Run Disney weekends I think it was like Wine and Dine Marathon weekend, things like that and I kind of watched it all. I went and spectated because I had some people that I had known. And then over the last year.
Speaker 4:year and a half, I have built so many relationships through Run Disney that I will always do Run Disney. I will never not do it again. If I'm not running, I'm there cheering. I'm going into the parks during the day with my friends. These are people that truly are community that I didn't have since I've moved here. Since I've been here, these people have become my family. I've met one of my best friends through Run Disney. We've come to this point now where, like you know, those things might be fun those big races and you know, the big city races right now but there's nothing like Run Disney. There's nothing like the community that's going to be with you and surround you.
Speaker 2:I love that you're pointing that out, because we have listeners who maybe haven't done Run Disney or they haven't been as interested in Run Disney, and occasionally they'll write me and be like why are you so obsessed with it? And I think there's just something so beautiful about being at Ren Disney and feeling so welcomed and supported and inclusive, regardless of shape, ability, pace, lifestyle. There's like literally nothing that feels as welcoming as that community of Ren Disney. So I absolutely feel you on that. That's definitely a very important part of my life as well, tyler.
Speaker 2:So you go from having a lot of these different things going on in grief process. It does sound like you are definitely in the throes of grief process of so many different things losing your mother and your job and then kind of coming to that healing process through running. So I'm curious what would you tell others that maybe are on the fence as to is this running thing really as great as we say it is? Or what would you say to others that may be in that process of darker time or relating to you and your story of grief or not feeling like they can sleep well or not feeling authentic in their lives? What are some of your words in that?
Speaker 4:Something I heard a while ago and like something that I use for these things. Is you turn why me into? Try me when you're having?
Speaker 4:those moments you're having those thoughts and you're thinking why me Turn that into, try me Lace up? It doesn't matter if you're going for a mile run, if you're going for, or even a walk, just get outside, move your body. So many times I've had friends that I've reached out and they're like they need to go somewhere. I need to do something. Let's go to dinner. I have a lot on my mind and I'm like let's meet out the trail. Let's go for a little walk. The downtown is about a mile away from this little stop. Let's stop there and walk to dinner, and just something about getting out gets you going and gets you moving and it makes you feel amazing. And so those people that are going through those things, that have never tried it before, that are over the fence, that want to just do it one time, give yourself that 15, 20 minutes to yourself. I promise you, I promise you you'll do it again and I promise you you're going to feel amazing.
Speaker 2:I love that. You said 15 to 20 minutes. So friends, listen to Tyler in regards to that. Don't try to tackle that first mile in eight minutes, because it's not going to feel as great.
Speaker 2:Give yourself a little bit more leeway. Let's do 15, 20 minutes for that first time out of the gate. But so much valuable advice there and wisdom I love and I just want to call that out again. The why me, to try me, and in terms of what I'm hearing you say, is kind of watch me as I continue to grow and kind of take flight, is what I'm hearing you say.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and really it's about just watching yourself. It's looking, it's being able to look in the mirror and look at that person and say you did a hard thing today. Even really it's about just watching yourself.
Speaker 4:It's looking, it's being able to look in the mirror and look at that person and say you did a hard thing today, even if you know you think that everything is awful and you don't have everything you might want. You don't have the things that you think you need to do or whatnot. When you look in that mirror at the end of the day, when you're washing your face before you go to bed or whatnot, you look in that mirror and you say you did a hard thing today. And if that's the only thing you did today, then that's enough.
Speaker 2:That's very powerful right then and there, and I think it's always a great way to start our days that way or to finish our days with that sense of pride, which also brings me to the next question. So you had a brush with your dream opportunity of being at Disney. I want to talk clearly. Disney means quite a bit to you. It is something that's important. Run Disney means a lot to you. So, if you're okay with that, I'd love to chat a little bit more about Disney and if you could share, maybe, some of your favorite run Disney experiences or memories, one that sticks out to you the most.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 4:So, like growing up we didn't have a lot of money so we didn't really come to Disney a lot.
Speaker 2:I was talking about my childhood right, so like there was a lot going on there, going on there.
Speaker 4:I came when I was 16 years old for the very first time with my grandparents, and in that moment I was just captivated. The characters, the parades, it was just everything that I've ever thought of and more Like it was so much more than the commercials on TV. So with that I kind of chased that experience. Every time I go to Disney now I'm like I want that my friends hate it. I'm watching the parade, I'm watching the show, I know the music, we're staying for fireworks, we're doing breakfast, we are doing a full day.
Speaker 4:Like some of those favorite experiences, though, like during my Red Disney weekend, the first, most amazing one was the marathonth one. I got to do the half marathon with my two roommates that got me into running. We are very, very good friends now and that was the first race we got to do in person together, and so it was just so amazing and special because we took something as a simple summer project and we were literally like running a half marathon together and cross the finish line together and like we never thought that would happen. That was like my first, like core run Disney memory, and then the most recent one I mean spectating the marathon was a thing in itself. I did not run the marathon this past year at Disney and just spectating that was like a core memory in itself.
Speaker 4:Standing on Main Street watching the first runner come down and a weak athlete running like five and a half six minute miles for a marathon is just so like, oh my god, like that person didn't do that one day, all the way to the very last person who is doing a 16 minute mile, that didn't think they would ever make it to mile eight. And there I am standing on main street, usa, watching them do it in their very first marathon, and just the tears of like these people and the emotion that you feel, the connection and something I love and I learned in that moment and something that I think is super important, is that, like in that moment, I'm standing there, I'm cheering for every single person going by. No one cares about your background, your beliefs, your anything. We are just humans supporting other humans doing hard things, and that is so important and that's why that is such a core memory for me, because you saw it in just massive numbers.
Speaker 2:You gave me chills because that's exactly how I feel about it. There's a quote with Catherine Switzer and I'm trying not to get too emotional, but she talks about how, if you're losing faith in human nature, to go out and watch a marathon and essentially it's a hundred percent there's something about being in the running community, whether you're watching it or you're actually participating in it where you are able to regain your faith of humanity just being a beautiful like. We're all doing our very best. We're there to support each other and it does not matter anyone's background at that point. So that's what I love so much about it, and something super magical about being on Main Street. I cry every single time at every run Disney weekend that we do, like Princess, or Marathon Weekend, where we get to see come down Main Street. It's just always so incredible. So, talking about Main Street, what is your favorite park? Are you able to pick favorites?
Speaker 4:I am my favorite is controversial. My favorite park is Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Speaker 2:Okay, I can see that though, because if you love the performance aspect, that would be where you would go to all of the different shows and attractions. But why is it your favorite park?
Speaker 4:Oh, what kind of day do you want to have? Do you want to ride thrill rides? We've got Tower of Terror, rockin' Roller Coaster. I mean even Slinky Dog, come on now. Great ride, ride the Resistance, I'm not going to Do. You want to do a chill day? Is it rainy? There's so many indoor rides. You have Star Tours, toy Story Mania. There's this tour of terror inside. All the rides are inside except for Sleepy Dog. If you want to have a day where you do no rides and you just want to go watch shows, you've got Beauty and the Beast, you've got Frozen, indiana Jones, fantasmic and a fireworks show and if you're lucky you can even catch like a lot of things at Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land. If you have a day that you want to do shopping, there's literally, literally like two main streets of stores. Like I could sell that park. I could sell it.
Speaker 2:I am literally thinking we need a VIP tour with Tyler, as, like, where's the Instagram with a VIP tours with Tyler? Because that's definitely something that I feel like we need to make happen. Of course, going to be dropping in your Instagram, because you do share so much about your running journey there and I know that you have inspired folks, regardless of how you feel about that kind of terminology, but you do because you are really just, you're selling the parks, you're selling being our best authentic lives and going after it. So with that, we started with a who. What would be your favorite celebrity to have a long run one brunch with? Who would you want to have a character wise? Who would you want to have a post celebration with after you're done with your next race weekend?
Speaker 4:Mama Odie.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's such a good one.
Speaker 4:You know, you know that woman knows how to have a good time.
Speaker 2:Such a good one and I will say I think this is the first time that anyone's chosen her as their go to character, so showing her a little bit of extra love and definitely having a whole lot of extra fun. With that said, again, I just want to thank you so much for sharing the story, and I also want to really mention how much incredible stuff you've already done in such a short time. I can't wait to continue watching your journey because I could see you potentially being that front runner at Main Street during a marathon weekend in the future, so I love that. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much for having me. This has been so fun.
Speaker 2:I feel so lucky that Tyler was able to come on and chat with us and share this incredible story, and I know that it resonates with so many individuals that truly running came to us in a way that helped transform our lives from so many different aspects, but especially for our mental health. And as we lead into bringing in our next guest, I can tell you that you will absolutely continue to feel inspired and so connected to her as well. So, without further ado, let's bring on in our next guest, stephanie Humphrey. Stephanie is not only a devoted wife and mom, but also a triathlete a little bit on the hiatus of the triathlete, but you'll hear why because she's also a dedicated family nurse practitioner, a three-time Dopey Challenge finisher going on that fourth one right around the corner, a courageous breast cancer warrior. Her journey through the realms of endurance, sports healthcare and her battle with breast cancer embodies the essence of resilience and hope.
Speaker 2:Now, friends, I am not going to keep you from Stephanie any longer, because she truly is an incredibly inspiring woman. Welcome, stephanie, to Brunch. Thank you for having me so excited to be here. I am going to start it off with a little bit of an icebreaker that we have around here because, of course, what's better than long runs and then following it up with some delicious and nutritious food? But if you could have a long run and a brunch with maybe any celebrity running non-running track, whatever makes your heart sing, who would it be and what would you order for the table?
Speaker 3:I have two boys I call them mr nine and mr four just for social media safety and currently mr nine's hyper fixation is jur Park, both world and the original. So I'm going to have to go with Chris Pratt. I would love to go to on a long run with Chris Pratt because I think he would just keep me laughing the entire time. And if anyone hasn't tried the million dollar bacon from first watch, it is bacon that is like coated with like black pepper and with maple syrup and sugar. I'm like it is amazing. I would order that for both of us.
Speaker 2:I think that's a brilliant and that is one of the things I ordered from First Watch as well, and they actually have some really delicious items there. I love so much of their food. So, friends, whenever you do head down into maybe the southeast I think it's more of a southeast brunch location Definitely want to check out First Watch.
Speaker 3:I think Chris Pratt would be so much fun, and there's one Disney World, so by my neighborhood.
Speaker 2:So if you can't get into Disney, all of those great hotel restaurants or any of those dining experiences, maybe make your get on that wait list for first watch while you guys are down here. So we're going to have breakfast. We're going to have brunch with Chris Pratt after a long run. I do agree with you, it's going to be lots of fun. Maybe he can also sneak you into Guardians of the Galaxy without a queue afterward.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, that would have been awesome.
Speaker 2:So I want you to tell us a little bit more about yourself. How did you get into triathlons, how did you get into running and then, of course, tackling some of these big run Disney challenges?
Speaker 3:I was in the army, so I'm an army veteran. I commissioned in the army in May 2006, and I finished my commitment in June of 2012. I hated running because I had to do it and I was made to do it, and I suffered a lot of overuse injuries because of all of the running that was forced upon me. And so when I got out of the army, I let me back up. When I was deployed to Iraq, I was got really heavy into weightlifting, working out of the gym, and I was working on changing my running form from a heel striker to a forefoot striker, because that was a lot of the reason for my overuse injuries, along with bad shoes and bad form and bad terrain.
Speaker 3:But another soapbox for another day. So I picked up a triathlete magazine and the model on the cover looked very fit and strong and I'm like well, I like her physique. So I picked up a triathlete magazine and the model on the cover looked very fit and strong. I'm like, well, I like her physique. I picked up the magazine. I'm like, I want to do a triathlon. I needed to be on the bike anyways to get some cardio, since I wasn't running a lot at all, it just gave me a little bit of variety. From the cardio aspect, I picked up the triathlete magazine aspect, and so I picked up the triathlete magazine. When I got out of the army, I did my first sanctioned 5k a month or so before my first sprint triathlon, which was, I think, in July of 2012.
Speaker 2:So a lot there. First of all, thank you for your service. Oh, thank you for paying your taxes. That does help, doesn't it A little bit. Oh, thank you for paying your taxes. That does help, doesn't it A little bit. But also, you got into triathlons, where what did you feel was a big hurdle, if any? Because I think for a lot of folks when we think of triathlons, there's a lot more logistics into that than there is getting into running, clearly. So did you face any obstacles or hurdles, or was it pretty smooth transition for you?
Speaker 3:That's a tough one. I was scared of the run. I was scared of running, swimming. I swam a lot growing up competitively or on any teams, but I was a fairly adequate swimmer and biking I wasn't concerned about it. But there was. When you get into triathlons they say, you know, get a hybrid bike just to make sure that you like it, you can put road tires on it and you can put aero bars on it. So I did that. And then I bought a road bike a few days before or something before my first triathlon, which was dumb, and then about a month later I bought a triathlon bike because I loved it and my husband calls it going full stupid.
Speaker 3:So there's just, you know, zero to 100 with me. I never ease into something, I'm just dive headfirst right into it.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So I think the hardest part of the triathlon is just learning all the gear.
Speaker 2:It's fascinating to me because, for me, the triathlon. I am such a weak swimmer, so that was definitely very overwhelming. And with cycling as well, it's the weakest of my three sports, for sure. But for somebody who states that running was the one that you had most fear of, isn't it ridiculous? Now it's the one that you do the most, including Dopey, which is essentially an ultra marathon, and, granted, I know it's broken up over four days, but between the lack of sleep and the lack of recovery time, friends, it's a multi-day ultra marathon is essentially what it is. So how did you go from I'm going to do triathlons, I am already strong and fit, I feel pretty good and what I do here, I feel very confident in swimming and biking, and then I'm okay with running into all of a sudden transitioning into an ultra marathoner for all intents and purposes.
Speaker 3:So at the time I ended my career in the army when we were stationed in Savannah, georgia. My husband was also in the service and he was also stationed in Savannah. He was a pilot. So I did a lot of Olympic distance and sprint distance triathlons in the area and linked up with the Savannah triathlon team, which they're phenomenal. I miss my friends there.
Speaker 3:My friends were bad influence and I'm very susceptible to peer pressure and they just kept saying you need to do a half stuff, you need to do a half. I'm like I don't want to run a half marathon, that's scary, like you can do it. And so finally I did that. I don't want to run a half marathon, that's scary, like you can do it. And so finally I did that. I did my first half marathon distance triathlon. It wasn't an Ironman sanctioned brand race, because Ironman is a brand but people use it synonymous as to relate to distance. So I did beach to battleship before Ironman bought that race. That was October, november. Oh man, my first one wasn't there yet.
Speaker 3:So 2013, that sounds right 2013. So then it was like well, I finally did it. I did fairly well. I survived. I didn't die. The swim was a current swim in the river in North Carolina. It was a really cool race. I really liked it and I was like, well, you know what, for my first full, I can't believe I was thinking that I want to do that race again. This would be poetic, it'd be really cool. So yeah, that was. I just got roped into it and started doing stuff. And then my friends got you need to do a full stuff and you need to do a full. I'm never going to run a marathon. You know what's the first thing that happens when you say you're never going to do it.
Speaker 2:So I think most people listening in can relate to either being on either side of that either pushing their friends into it or having that little bit of extra encouragement, shall we say, to take the plunge Now, along the way, quite a bit has happened. You have, as we mentioned, tackled several distances. You have obviously tackled your full marathon and beyond, and you also have faced a diagnosis of breast cancer. Can you take us back to a little bit about how that diagnosis came to be, how you found it out and how it's impacted you with your training?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I was one of those people that started Monjaro, the injectable diabetic medication for off-label use for weight loss, and I started that September of 2022. And I lost my job October of 22. So I've been unemployed since October of 22. I accepted a position in December of 22. And then in March they took the position away. It was terrible. I went to a deep state of depression, but I think that was just the universe telling me something. But anyways, so I started the Monjaro medication. I started losing a lot of weight and I lost over about 75 pounds when the clinical trials only lost 25. And it's one of the only FDA medications on the market that crosses the blood-brain barrier to act on the appetite center.
Speaker 3:I've never felt full in my entire life, so I have a propensity to overeat and binge, and I just don't know what the feeling of full was, and that was the first time I've ever felt full. It was awesome. But I lost so much weight that my colon, my little sad sacks of breasts, just were so deflated. They were deflated little balloons, and so I felt a lump around May-ish, february-ish of 23. And I sat on it for a few months. I had a Mirena IUD and I didn't know what my cycles were. I didn't get a menstrual cycle and I wasn't tracking ovulation because I didn't have any fallopian tubes. I had the doctor pull those out with my second C-section. As a former ER nurse, I saw too many women come in. Oh I can't be pregnant. I had a tubal ligation. Well, no, they fused back together. Congratulations. I had the surgeon take them out.
Speaker 3:Okay, I had the surgeon take them out Okay, so made sure that the lump wasn't changing with time, hormones and no change in shape, size, texture, whatnot. So two or three months later I had my well-living visit with my VA provider and she ordered a mammogram and an ultrasound which triggered an ultrasound guided biopsy which triggered my diagnosis in August of 23. I got linked in with the breast cancer or the breast surgeon with the VA. They didn't do mastectomy with reconstruction there, so they talked to me about all my treatment options. I went in there and said knee jerk reaction, I want it off, I'll take it all off, I don't care. They did their due diligence and told me a lumpectomy, other procedures are available to me, and so I hem and hawed over that decision for a while. I'm in no real rush per se. I'm just going to just wait and chew on it for a while and hope that the universe tells me, sends me signs of what I need to do. That was a really big decision to weigh, because the lumpectomy I would be able to get back to running in four weeks, a double mastectomy I was out for six weeks and so it's like okay, well, honestly trying to talk myself into a lumpectomy.
Speaker 3:And then the few things happened that pushed me over to the mastectomy side. My aunt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she was like a mother to me. So that is my paternal grandfather that died of pancreatic cancer, my dad with prostate cancer, twice, the second one five years status, a radical prostatectomy, and then my paternal aunt with pancreatic cancer, which are all mutations of the BRCA2 gene. So, as well, I was convinced I had the BRCA2 gene, so I went on. Then I had a dream that I was in the OR and I looked over and I saw my breast tissue on the specimen table. Felt realistic in the dream. So I woke up and I was feeling myself like, okay, they're still there, all right, that was not real. So that kind of actually pushed me over to the mastectomy side. I don't have the BRCA2 mutation, but so this is considered a presumed condition from my deployment being near burn pits and all the toxic substances over there.
Speaker 2:Okay, so the diagnosis was not that long ago then, and the treatment wasn't long ago either. So it's fair to say I assume that you are currently, with your social media handle, being running through breast cancer. I assume you're still in the process of recovery or actively seeking treatment.
Speaker 3:A little bit of both. I had my double mastectomy on October 27th. That was a week before the wine and dine races, a week before I was to do the 5k with my then eight-year-old and a week before I was set and nearly completely paid for a perfect season for Disney. Because I heard somebody talk about a perfect season during Springtime Surprise last year and I'm like, well, that sounds cool, let me just give all my money to run Disney. Yeah, I was going to do anyway. So what's? Another few 5k's added and sprinkled in there. So I wasn't really too upset about missing out on the Wine and Dine weekend. I was more upset and devastated that I wasn't going to be able to do the 5k with my eight-year-old and that was his first Disney 5k. His first Disney race was during my Adobe weekend. He did one of the kids races, which I really pray. If we're on Disney's listening to this, please bring it back to Walt Disney World please. I've got a four-year-old that really wants to do it. He's not 5k ready.
Speaker 2:Yet we did the one at SeaWorld and that was atrocious. I'm sure that they will figure out a way to bring it back, because so many people have been asking for it. Plus, I think it really does bring in that whole family atmosphere of what we're on Disney can bring to the table. Okay. So I feel that most people are thinking, oh, my goodness, this is like all of those feelings of being overwhelmed, scared, and then there's also that side of I am losing out on some of the things that I've planned for. There's that disappointment, there's just a lot of mixed emotions with it. When were you cleared and or when did you get back to running at this point, I was out for six weeks for running.
Speaker 3:But the day of the expo I had my first plastic surgeon follow-up appointment and I talked to the nurse practitioner there. I said I felt great the day after surgery. I was raising my arms, I was walking around. I forgot that I had surgery. It just felt that I did maybe a thousand pushups and a very heavy upper body day at the gym. I didn't feel bad at all and so I told her I was like I feel fine. Can I go walk the races at Wine and Dine? And I promise I'll walk slow. I feel fine, I feel great. And she said well, her exact words were it's a gray area, since you still have your drains in. A lot of people get swollen and they can't even walk to their mailbox. And I said well, I guarantee you don't have a lot of patients that did a virtual marathon the day before their mastectomy either. Yes, point two training run the day before my mastectomy for virtual breast cancer awareness. Pick your own distance race.
Speaker 2:And so I mean well, first of all, you're not the average patient by far. I think anyone listening in can hear that you have such an extensive medical background yourself. It's not like you aren't well aware of all the different components. You are also incredibly fit going into this. Of all the different components, you are also incredibly fit going into this. So that does clearly make it completely different or it does usually make a good impact and positive effect on your recovery. So we now make it past wine and dine.
Speaker 3:So, yes, I did show up for wine and dine races. I walked them all. Okay, I had JP drains in still, I had my little drain belt bag and I had an abdominal binder holding them onto my body so they didn't flap everywhere. And I walked the 5K with my eight year old. Then eight year old he's just recently turned nine and then I walked the 10K in the half marathon. And when I crossed the half marathon finish line I've crossed a lot of finish lines before, but that one hit different. That was just surreal that I just did that.
Speaker 2:And no, you did, and still absolutely in amazement with it. So we go from that and then you fast forward to the Dopey weekend. Are you at this point back to running, are?
Speaker 3:you at all?
Speaker 2:do you have trepidation about Dopey or do you feel like, hey, I showed up for wine and dine. I was tenacious. I know I'm going to make Dopey happen.
Speaker 3:No. So we were on a cruise when my six week hiatus expired, so my first run back was the Castaway K 5k with my eight year old. I think I'd missed the loop or something. So my Garmin only read 2.1 miles. But I don't care. It was my first run back. I'm taking it. I'm keeping the medal. Nobody can take it from me. Yeah, I'm with you. Then I did a 30 minute training run on the boat because I really wanted some really ridiculous Garmin map, but I messed something up with my settings and my Garmin so it didn't even look cool. I was like man. That was terrible, oh my goodness. So note to self if you want a ridiculous looking map on your Garmin, don't mess with any settings. Lesson learned.
Speaker 2:And by that you're talking like the GPS art that folks love to do. Yeah, yeah, I'm so bad at those I don't follow directions very well, so I'm not going to have a Garmin tell me what to do.
Speaker 3:I to do. I don't know what I did. I messed up with some sort of Garmin GPS satellite settings and I don't know, but so I didn't get my stupid looking map in the middle of nowhere in the ocean that I really, really wanted, just going circles around the boat in the middle of the ocean drowning or something.
Speaker 2:Sounds like you have another possibility of signing up for that, to make that happen in the future, exactly. But one thing that's been really clear is that you are tenacious, you have a certain determination, I mean and by certain I mean like it comes out of your pores how would you suggest to others that may have some obstacles, challenges, medical or otherwise, what are some of the ways that you kind of dig deep to get that tenacity to keep pushing through?
Speaker 3:A few things. You have two decisions. You either curl up or you show up. And there are moments where I call it sitting in my feelings and there are moments where I was just so depressed Of course I'm human I would sit in my feelings and I would cry and I would be depressed and I give myself a time limit and I'm like, okay, well, I'm just going to sit in my feelings for an hour and then I'm going to get back to doing stuff, or I'm going to. For the rest of the day I'm just going to do nothing. I'm going to throw myself a nice pity party, and but then you just can't stay in your pity party. You just got to keep moving on. There's. What choice do you have? The time will pass anyways. Whatever you do during that time is on you.
Speaker 2:I think, right there, that's super powerful, because what you're basically saying is trying to fluff over those emotions never works right, because it's like whenever somebody says, don't think of a red truck, well, automatically your image comes to mind is a red truck. So if you say to yourself, oh, I'm not going to be sad, that doesn't tend to work. But letting yourself feel the feeling fully, wholly, 100%, but kind of putting a boundary or parameters around it, I love that. I tend to do it myself as well. I think I don't give myself. I give myself a little bit more than an hour, though, so it just depends on how big the feelings are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a really good one. Okay, so I love that your phrase and it's curl up or show up. I think that's something that's very powerful when folks are considering big changes, big obstacles, whether it's challenges that we kind of create for ourselves through signing up for big events, or big audacious goals, or challenges that are kind of given and bestowed to us. And again, you tackled both simultaneously, tackling both simultaneously. What are some of the suggestions or lessons that you learned that may be facing their own health obstacles regarding tackling endurance sports during the same time?
Speaker 3:Do what you can when you can in that moment, and that's going to look different every single day. Right after springtime surprise last year, whenever the Toy Story 10 miler race was I signed up with customized training with coach Chris Twiggs and I knew that I could do better. So this was before my diagnosis. I knew that I could perform better. I knew that I had much more potential in me. I just needed the guidance and someone there, maybe just encouraging me along, or that I knew that someone was checking behind me.
Speaker 3:To keep me a little bit honest, I had a tendency to blow off the long runs. I'm like, oh, I don't need a long run. That's stupid. What's a long run going to do? That's just a waste of time. Now, I love the long runs. That's fun, I love them. Now, I love the long runs, those, that's fun, I love them. But throughout the diagnosis I call it my team, the customized training group. I call my teammates, for lack of a better term and my coach has just been phenomenal. They've just been amazing and wonderful and I've got so many close friends with them.
Speaker 2:Now it can totally make a difference with training for sure to throw yourself into having that. I think a lot of folks think of having a community of runners and we kind of always think of it as more old school, traditional, where you meet with your local running club, and nowadays that isn't always the case. So creating your online virtual community is just as powerful, just as supportive, just as encouraging, and if you can combine it with some local people, great. And if you can't, then definitely lean into your community. Just as encouraging, and if you can combine it with some local people, great. And if you can't, then definitely lean into your community online as well. Yes, with that, stephanie. So I love that. It's gonna do what you can, knowing that it's gonna change from day to day. There's gonna be some days that feel better, some days that aren't gonna feel so great. So I'd love to know, on the days that you do feel great, maybe specifically in the days that you're actually tackling these races that you signed up for, what are some of?
Speaker 3:your favorite standout memories from Dopey or your run, disney or triathlons? It's been so long since I've done a triathlon, but my two favorite Dopey moments. My first Dopey was crossing the finish line. It was Dopey 2018. And I did that in preparation for Ironman Florida in November of 2018. And I didn't think I was going to finish. I knew that I probably would. I didn't give it the training that it deserves and I unfortunately have done two DOPI's not with the training that it deserves. The DOPI 23,. Life happened, you know, before the cancer diagnosis. But that was when I got let go from my job and then the other job, my dream job, that got taken from me and it was just. I just let life get in the way and I forgot about it. And then I was talking to my husband. I was like, yeah, you know the race coming up. He's like Stephanie, that's next week. I'm like, oh my God, is it really? I forgot who forgets about Doby.
Speaker 2:That can definitely happen. That can definitely happen. I think that because we sign up for it's like almost a year in advance for a lot of these races, be it a Disney race or some of the bigger races like the World Marathon, majors, whatever the case may be we sign up so far in advance that I think we start to get to the point of I'm going to train, it's going to be exciting, this training season is going to be fantastic, but it's also still a few months away and before you know it, you're actually in the thick of things. And specifically when we talk about DOPI, it's a busy time of year, so it's so easy for it to kind of take the back burner Right. But I'm sure that you have experienced now the difference between being a little bit under-trained versus feeling fantastic from being trained, and it is usually a night and day difference.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh this past Dopey was a lot more fun, yeah, and since I had a lot of my teammates on the course, every so mile or so I'd hear hey, steph, my neighbor caught up with me, oh yeah. So going back to Adobe 2018, crossing the finish line, I had two friends with me. They were on their honeymoon and they were ultra runners, and so just having them there supporting say you can do it, come on, let's just walk. It's fine and it was phenomenal. And so that's why I told my best friend. I said you're not going to do your first marathon by yourself. I will be there with you. I don't care where it is, you pick it. Marathon by yourself, I will be there with you, I don't care where it is, you pick it, you tell me I will be there, we will do it together. You're not to do it by yourself because I know that dark place that you can get to. So she's not going to do it by herself. She knows the rules.
Speaker 2:So I mean again, this is what it's all about. It's like we get I love this is why I love the running community is we get so much great encouragement and then we also have the opportunity to pay it forward, so that's always exciting as well. Now I'm curious. You've mentioned your littles and how a couple I think it's your nine-year-old now that gets to run some of the 5Ks with you. How has your family been a part of this journey with your endurance training? Does the entire family enjoy running, or is it more of your thing and your nine-year-old or?
Speaker 3:It's more my thing. When my husband was deployed to Afghanistan, he found Tower of Terror 10 miler in 2013. It was October 2013. And we were going to compete against each other. We were going to train. He was going to Afghanistan training. I was going to Afghanistan training. I was home in Savannah training and that was my actual first run Disney event and we're just going to train and we're not competitive at all and race to see who could do it better. Well, he beat me time wise. However, I could still walk after and I enjoyed life after and the after party at Hollywood Studios because it was at nighttime. It was a cool race and I could walk and exist the day after and he couldn't. So I think I won.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. That's the number one way that you know that you won Absolutely.
Speaker 3:So he has vowed never to run anything over a 10 miler. But then I'm like, well, what about that? He's like, no, so his thing is hockey and that's fine, and mine is running. And since we don't really have family in the area, I'm not really going to push the issue because he stays with the kids when I go out and do my races and stuff. So if we both ran we'd have to figure out kid's situation and who's going to run this race and who's going to do this race, and so I don't have to worry about it. I'm not going to push the issue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, as much as I love because we've interviewed quite a few different couples that run together I personally like being a little selfish with the specific hobby, not having to share it with anyone else in the household, and it's also a lot of my me time to think things through. So, again, making it work for you guys. Whatever, if your other half is definitely not into it, then consider that it's. There's some silver linings and some perks. There's always more race fun for you usually.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. And I don't take my nine year old out to train as much as I probably should, but he's so busy he's in baseball and hockey and swim team, so there's not a whole lot of time to really go and take them out to run. So I mean we just do the 5Ks and we do very easy intervals and making him a Jeff Galloway runner too.
Speaker 2:I love that Big fans of interval running around here, and Galloway himself and Chris Twiggs as well Phenomenal. So I'm curious with this is how did your family deal with your diagnosis and now your recovery and treatment process?
Speaker 3:Word to the wise don't get a book that says something about oh so now you have breast cancer and leave it on the counter where your eight-year-old can read, oops, completely faced. And so my apparently my eight-year-old went over to my husband like so, does mommy have breast cancer? And he said yes, and I said okay. And that's how my eight-year-old went over to my husband, like does mommy have breast cancer? And he said yes, and I said okay. And that's how my eight-year-old found out my husband has been phenomenal. You know, it didn't really phase him, he's just all right. Well, let's just do what we need to do to get it taken care of. Whatever we need to do, let's do it. And you know, since this is a presumed condition from my deployment, everything's been through the VA, which I cannot say enough good things about the Orlando VA because I'm here local, I'm right behind Magic Kingdom. The Orlando VA has been phenomenal. The care there I've received is just amazing. That's wonderful to hear, yeah.
Speaker 3:So when I was vacillating between my lumpectomy or mastectomy, I kept saying, asking my husband what do you think he's like? Well, it's your body, but do whatever you think is good and whatever you think is proper and good and right for you. I'm like I hear you, but what is your opinion? My opinion is you do whatever you want. I'm like Jesus. So finally, he said you know, I'm just, I'm really surprised, because you know, you've been training for this your entire life. What do you mean? Well, you always go headfirst into something and go to the most extreme, so the fact that you're even thinking about a lumpectomy surprises me. Instead of just going in and getting them all, you know he's a man of few words, getting them all chalked off. You've been training, going full stupid for this your entire life. This is your moment.
Speaker 2:He's down to, like you know, the brass tacks. Let's not utilize extraneous words unnecessarily. So, yeah, I understand that, I respect it. Plus, I think it gives you I would assume it gives you a really great feeling of knowing that he's stoic and he's got the plan down. He's going to support you, regardless of whatever it is that you do. Yes, so with that, it brings me to, of course, asking you I mean, stephanie, your journey has been absolutely incredible, from serving in the military to triathlons, dopey running, through your diagnosis of breast cancer. What are some of the greatest learning experiences that you've taken away from either your endurance running, or your endurance sports or life in general?
Speaker 3:your endurance running, or your endurance sports or life in general. I've always known that I'm stubborn, but this has really just shown how much grit and tenacity that I do have, because I don't know how to quit. I tried Ironman, florida, november 2018. And that was the year that the hurricane decimated Panama city. And so they moved it to Haines city within three weeks notice. Which logistic from my side in the army is medical logistics, operations and plans. And so they moved it to Haines City within three weeks notice. Which logistic from my side in the army is medical logistics, operations and plans. And so, from a logistics aspect, I was floored. That was amazing.
Speaker 3:But I missed the bike cutoff by 10 minutes because I trained, all my rides were on a trainer and I only gave did half of the required training because I had two miscarriages between or no, just one miscarriage, excuse me between Dobie 2018 and Ironman. And so, as soon as I was cleared to work out after the first miscarriage, I only had maybe like 15 weeks to train for the race, and so I did all of my race, all of my rides, all my trainer. Well, hayden City, florida, has hills, and I didn't know that I was not prepared, nor was I okay. So I missed the bike cutoff by 10 minutes and they let me start the run and I don't know why and I'm still a little irritated about that years later and they pulled me from the run on mile 18 of the course. So I've got a little bit of a vendetta to settle with Ironman Florida in that distance. So eventually, so that's down the road.
Speaker 2:Okay, so what I heard? My biggest takeaway which is actually one of my favorite words from positive psychology is grit, and it's where passion meets perseverance for long term goals, which, of course, brings me to the very next one. You are very clearly goal-focused, both with fun goals like a perfect run, disney season or that GPS art in the middle of the ocean, and some really intensely grueling that require a lot of grit type goals. So what are some of your dream races or athletic goals that you have for in the future? So what are some of your dream races or athletic goals that you have for in the future.
Speaker 3:So one of the surprising things when people hear breast cancer is I wasn't yet 40 when I got diagnosed, so I didn't even start my baseline mammograms. So I turned 40 this year. Happy birthday, thanks In October. Yay, so I've got my 10 year goals include doing my very first ultra 50k and a 50 miler Ironman, florida at some point, and all the world majors in a sub two half. Oh, okay, yeah, so you're going back to past dopey. I actually PR the marathon by an hour and one minute. That's including riding Everest, and so that goes to show you how great being trained is.
Speaker 3:That was cool. I mean, I was still in Darkplace during the route to Animal Kingdom. That's, my neighbor met up with me and he pulled me out of the Darkplace. We talked, we were going into Animal Kingdom, and said you know, I've never ridden a ride. And he said me either. And I said well, now that my sub five time goal is out the window, you want to? And he's like I don't know. I said yeah, I don't know either. Then the cast member said something like runners can go in a single rider lane, and we looked at each other and said let's do it.
Speaker 3:We rode Everest and one of the funny moments from that race is that I was cramping. I don't know why. I guess it's because it was kind of cold during the marathon and I live here in Florida, I'm not used to that and I was wearing shorts, and so my quad was just cramping so hard and so bad. And I texted my coach. I said I'm cramping, I don't know what's going on. And he texts back eat a banana. So I just utter a string of curse words. I'm like eat a banana? Well, of course I'm going to eat a banana. I already had a banana. Well, my third banana.
Speaker 3:I'm just so mad at him and then I text him later. I'm like, since my time goal is out the window, I'm just going to ride Everest. I said pictures, or it didn't happen. So I sent him a picture that took on Everest and you know, later I'm just laughing. I'm like, what did I expect my coach to do? He was still on the course, running, or he's you know done. What did I expect him to do? Well, good advice. Sure, it's like he thinks I'm so stupid, eat a banana.
Speaker 2:I think my favorite advice was pictures, or it didn't happen, that's the best one for sure. So, for 40 coming up this year, your big audacious goals before you turn 50, is that correct? So you want to run a 50K, a 50 miler? You want to do a sub two half and tackle all the world marathon majors? Yes, my goodness, we can't wait to follow all of this because that is so exciting. You're speaking my love languages. I love big, audacious goals and these are definitely them. Okay, finally, I just want to see if you have. You've given us so much wisdom, but is there anything that you'd like to leave the audience with before we officially end our brunch together?
Speaker 3:Well, I recently had a hysterectomy, on March 1st and I, on day three of recovery, I started walking. My surgeon told me I could walk Distance doesn't matter as long as I felt comfortable. And so I actually walked a hundred miles in the month of March. It was near the end of the month and I was like well, you know, I think I can get there, I think I can reach a hundred miles, I'm going to do it. So I do a lot of my training before the world wakes up.
Speaker 3:I call it stupid early o'clock and I hear a lot of people say my spouse doesn't support me and my spouse doesn't want me to do this and way too much time.
Speaker 3:And part of me says so. If you're waiting and waking up at nine o'clock in the morning and you're doing your run then and your spouse is left to be the sole parent and take care of everything while you're doing these runs and these long runs and you're not making any sacrifices, I don't blame them. I think that's kind of unfair. So, you know, I get up and there's some times where I've got boots on the ground at three o'clock in the morning. I start my long run at two, 30 or three o'clock in the morning I have everything done and I'm usually showered before the kids wake up at seven 30 in the morning. I've got everything done so it doesn't impact my husband. So when I am gone for a race weekend or, you know, run Disney or I travel up to Jacksonville for Donna or the Jeff Galloway weekend in Atlanta, I've already made all these sacrifices to where he doesn't feel that I'm being not selfish per se, right.
Speaker 2:But that he doesn't matter, it's completely taking away from the family. Yeah, absolutely so it does, and I actually had this conversation with an athlete just last week where her other half feels like her racing is going to impact their life together and she feels like she should be able to have this really incredibly passionate hobby that she has. And I'm like it's both, like it's going to have to be give and take, as you just suggested. It absolutely is going to be. You're going to have to, at some point, have runs that aren't going to interfere with the flow of family life, and there's also going to be times where it does feel a little bit more of a myopic focus on you and your achievements as you go tackle these races or these big goals. So it does have to be give and take. I love that you are mentioning, though, how you make it work in a way that still allows you to be present with the family and get in your runs to make it all possible for you.
Speaker 3:It's my me time before I say the chorus of mommy starts Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, you know. And then sometimes my husband has to be at work at 630 in the morning and he leaves the house at you know 530. And so sometimes I've got my run done and I'm back by 5.30 and we're high-fiving each other on the way out the door.
Speaker 2:So what I'm going to synopsis this with is that it's either curl up or show up, but the best way of doing it is to get those boots on the ground and keep moving forward.
Speaker 3:Where there's a will, there's a way, and I always hated that saying. And one of my nursing instructors, when I started my bachelor's in nursing, said and this was January 2013. So before Taylor Swift put it in her lyrics was if you plan to fail, you fail to plan. So I heard it in January 2013 first. I just wanted to put that out there.
Speaker 2:So I think that with that, friends, definitely you have heard the playbook from Stephanie on the difference of what it looks like to make that plan and to succeed. So thank you so much, stephanie, for sharing time with us here. Thank you so much for having me. I can't give enough gratitude to both Tyler and Stephanie for coming on and sharing their remarkable journeys with us all.
Speaker 2:Friends, I invite you to stay in touch with both of them via social media, really to connect with them, let them know how much their stories mean to you and, of course, to continue that RUNspiration. I wanna thank you for listening, for tuning in, and I want to remind you again that we are going to have quite a bit of fun in store, both for the summer virtual series and for Global Running Week. So please join in on the community page and be part of the excitement, because until next time, I want you to keep lacing up those shoes, hitting the pavement, enjoying every single stride. Remember, every step tells a story and we're here to share them all. Remember, every step tells a story and we're here to share them all.
Speaker 1:Happy running friends. Thank you for joining Time for Brunch. If today's conversation sparked your interest, be sure to join our supportive online community. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly newsletters to keep the inspiration flowing. It's packed with insights, stories and tips to fuel your journey of growth. Follow us, subscribe and stay connected Until next time. Keep smiling and fuel your journey of growth. Follow us, subscribe and stay connected Until next time. Keep smiling and let your journey shine.