The Best Running Gear While Running In The Dark With Allison Tully, Co-Founder of the InfinitiLoop by Peak Performance Equipment - EPISODE 76

Allison Tully, Co-Founder of Peak Performance Equipment and the InfinitiLoop explains the beginning of the product  

It was the summer of 2018. My running buddies and I yawned as we strapped on our daily o'dark:30 run when one of our friends threw her tangled reflective gear to the ground, shouting, "FORGET IT! I'll run without anything!" We stood staring at the $150 worth of equipment, one piece held together by duct tape, another tied with twisty ties to keep it snug (yet it still flew all over the place), when I thought, "There has to be a better way." After having colleagues, friends, friends of friends, and so along try out the belt and provide feedback of all sorts, Allison and her husband came out with the final version of the InfinitiLoop,w which I wear on my early morning and evening runs myself!

Instead of looking like a Christmas Tree with all of the heavy gear and lights while you're out on your run, you can pick up the Peak Performance InfinitiLoop instead! The Loop illuminates the path ahead of you, making you visible to cars and other pedestrians around you, keeping you safe and away from the bad guys, and fits super lightly on your hips. It's super cute! Some key attributes of the belt are below:

Consolidation of Headlamp and LED illumination, all on one belt, no fuss

Bright 300 Lumen max output, dual-setting 360° wrap-around LED band

Light 3.8oz; you'll barely know it's there

Rechargeable Powered with integrated 1500 mAh Li-ion battery with micro-USB charge port

All-Weather Built to withstand whatever Mother Nature throws at you

See & Be Seen Illuminate the path ahead, eliminating visual glare and neck strain, and alerting you to objects in your way, making sure you're seen from all directions

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more about mindset and mental toughness for runners, please share your thoughts in the comments under the show notes. You can also email me at hello@runwithallicoaching.us with your ideas! I love hearing from you.  

Don't forget to head to Apple Podcasts here to support the show and tap on the "+Follow" button! Your support allows me to understand better what you enjoy and dislike and find the time and resources needed to push every new episode LIVE!

Thank you for listening to this week's episode! Please enjoy your unique discount code. You will receive 20% off the InfinitiLoop using code: 'RunWithAlli20' today!

Allison Tully's & Peak Performance Equipment Contact Info

w: www.peakperformanceequipment.com
IG: @peakperformancesp
FB: facebook.com/PeakperformanceSP

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 1:17

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Run with Ally Live. It is May 10th, and I cannot believe we are already almost in the middle of May. Can you, Allison?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

No, I'm actually completely surprised the time flies. And I say that every month, but it seems to be flying definitely for May.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Yeah, it's flying for me too. But you know, warm weather is underway, so I'm excited about that. I'm sure you are too.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Oh yeah. It's been a cold, dreary spring over here on the East Coast. So I'm I'm happy seeing that it's 70s and sunny out now.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

Yes. Yes. Um, and you, everyone listening, you might have heard a glimpse of our special guest on the show today. But before we formally introduce her, I want to tell you about the podcast. For those of you new and for those of you returning, you already know if you're not subscribed to the show yet, please hit the follow plus button in Apple Podcasts. Uh so Run With Ally Live, I bring together individuals from conversations discussing where running has taken them through different walks of life. Uh the show seeks to empower other aspiring runners and running aficionados looking to leap their fitness through stories told by the show's special guests. Too many runners lack the confidence to make personal breakthroughs. Imposter syndrome, poor training, and other setbacks prevent any runner from being on being the best runner they could be. Excuse me. So here we bring together the best guests around to help you confide in your running. Without further ado, I bring to you the CEO of Peak Performance, a phenomenal new running brand who uh created an amazing Infinity Loop, which is a very high-tech piece of gear and great for night running, early morning running, especially for us women who are running in the dark and just trying to stay safe and train for a marathon and have fun out there. So, Allison, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

Thank you so much, Allie. So glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Yeah, I'm so happy to have you here. Um, thank you. And I know I briefly introduced Peak Performance and the Infinity Loop, but I would love you to tell us more about yourself, the brand, and how Infinity Loop could benefit runners. I know that's like a threefold question right there.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

But yeah. I can definitely uh tackle it all. So yeah, so my name is Allison Tully. Um I'm down here in Virginia, right outside the Washington, DC area. Um, and a little background about me. I've been running probably for about 15 years or so now. Um, I was a competitive um athlete growing up, um, played college across for all of about one year, because I then it stopped being fun. And my dad always told me when it stopped being fun, stop doing it. Um, but I needed to do something to stay active. And he had been running, so I was like, well, maybe I'll try this running thing. Um, and ended up finding out that I was kind of okay at it. Uh so that progressed into, you know, half marathons, marathons, ultra marathons, triathlons. Um, and I'm actually uh training for my first Iron Man right now. Um, so that's another uh hill to uh clapper and everything. Um, but in my running, one of the things that, you know, I I learned was, you know, safety is key. Um, and I've had, you know, people I knew growing up uh who not even in running, just crossing the street, would get hit by a car or hurt. Um unfortunately, some of them um didn't make it, which is isn't fun. And, you know, I would always run a lot of times super early in the morning, like at three or four in the morning, uh, just because I had to run and then commute to work. And it was, it was dark out and not always in well-populated areas. And I would wear my headlamp, I would have other lights on my wrist and a yellow reflective vest. And I didn't want to spend too much money at the time because I was a newlywed and we just bought a new house. So I would find like a $10 simple thing to put on and everything, and I had all this stuff on, and my husband would always laugh and say, You look like a Christmas tree. And I was like, perfect, that's what I'm going for. Because you know, we live right off of a highway and people are coming on and off there really quickly. And, you know, there's some close calls, and uh drivers aren't always looking for people, they're inherently thinking, car, car, car. Um, and after a while, as I was running and I was getting faster, I was starting to get really annoyed with all the extra gear I was wearing. But I also didn't want to get hit by cars. You know, I wanted them to see me. I wanted to see them and everything like that. Um, and over time, you know, I still wore this stuff. And then when we moved to a new area um a few years ago, I started running with another group of friends, and we would still get up early in the morning. They too would wear all their um safety gear. And oftentimes they were starting to run into the same frustrations that I would, like too much gear, it's all tangled, it's heavy. We are running faster. There were some days we weren't running faster, but you still don't want to feel bogged down. You like just getting out there, run, feel free, but not feel like you have, like, you know, a rucksack on your back, you know, running with you. And one morning we're getting ready, and one of my friends is trying to put on one of her pieces of gear, and it's tangled, it's twisted, and she had twisty ties on it to try to get it on. And she finally just took it, just threw it on the ground and said, Oh, I'm done with this, whatever, I'll just use your lights. Let's go. She's also dressed in all black, like it was a winter run, so it was the black tights, black top, and everything. And um, I actually don't think she was wearing a headlamp either, but she had nothing and she just takes off and starts going towards the main road. We had all started uh in a parking lot at a uh local um Starbucks, and we're like quick run after her because no one's gonna be able to see her. But as we started running, I was like, well, yeah, why don't we just consolidate everything into one thing? Because I don't like wearing a headlamp, but I I call it like, well, it's not a necessary evil, it just would give me headaches and kind of like running with a handheld water bottle. I don't like running with that, but I do because I need to stay hydrated. And we're running, and I was kind of like watching all my friends and seeing all their gear, and I was like, yeah, why don't why don't we just combine everything so that it isn't frustrating to wear, it isn't annoying to wear, you don't realize you're wearing it, hopefully. Um, and it's just a simple click, put it on and go instead of having to put on all these different things. Like I had some of my friends were actually wearing like two sets of headlamps and then one around their chest, and then like these um uh the handheld lights and everything, and some of them got these arm lights, which are all great, don't get me wrong, but why don't we just combine it into one thing that isn't annoying to wear? So that's why I I came home and my husband uh he was up and he asked, uh, how is my run? I was like, I've got an idea, but I need you to tell me if it's actually gonna work. And so I pitched it to him and he was like, Yeah, I actually think they can work. So he started uh getting to designing my idea, and that's where we are today.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Yeah, you know, I was just that's amazing. Thank you for sharing all that. And I love the story just behind how this the idea behind the infinity loop came about. It's actually, I think about the Christmas tree and lighting, you know, letting yourself up at like for you for getting up, by the way, at 3, 4 a.m. But the things some people have to do, and you know, that's like me in the summer, it gets so hot. I'm doing tempo runs at 4 a.m. And yeah, because it's the only time where it's like bearable. Yeah, um and you know, um, just running a tempo run with like all this stuff on, it's just not gonna bode well. So when you came home and you you know, I I know you developed a prototype, or he you and him developed a prototype and you were pitching this to manufacturers. Like, can you talk a little bit about like that process and what it was like just for some of the listeners on here to, you know, for you to understand that um, you know, nothing is linear, nothing's perfect. And you know, the guests on here, they all put in like very, very hard work um because they're passionate about what they're doing. And so, Allison, I would love for you to just share a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 9:37

Absolutely. Um, I definitely went into the process having done a lot of research of like, you know, when you have this idea, what in the world do you do next? Um, fortunately, with my husband um being an engineer, he knew some of the steps with like, hey, you need a, you know, a proof of concept, a prototype. So he and another friend, um, and they're still playing around with it down in our basement where our like workstation is, they have a 3D printer and they were, you know, doing all the CAD designs on the computer and doing all the 3D printing. And while they were doing that, in the meantime, I was approaching different manufacturers with the drawings and the CAD drawings, and then we were getting the actual prototypes and proof of concepts out to like effectively send to them and say, haha, make this. Um, definitely not as easy as you know you would think, where you would just be like, hi, manufacturer, please go make this for me. And they're like, Yes, absolutely, random person who's not backed by a giant corporation will make this for you. You know, so sometimes, you know, you're not always gonna get that, you know, call, that email or the knock on the door answered. And I originally said, I absolutely want this made in the US, go USA. Um, but I the manufacturers I reached out to, there weren't too many actually, which I was surprised. And you know, I'm I'm on Google just saying late manufacturers, like Googling that, but you know, I didn't hear back from anyone. And yeah, I didn't take it as a personal offense at all. Again, it's just I'm some random person not backed by a corporation, just saying, hey, I want to ask about this. Is that going to be a big income thing for them? Probably not. Um, so then we started reaching out to some of the people who would be like in an event help group or something. Um, but it was cost prohibitive. It might have been, you know, great because they have the connections with manufacturers and they know how to prototype and process, but you know, we were getting, you know, pretty steep estimates for creating the prototype. And we were like, well, no, no, no, we have the prototype. It's we don't need to do that. And they're like, no, no, we'd have to redo it. And I was like, okay, this is this isn't gonna work. So I eventually um just said, okay, you know, what why not? And I reached out overseas and I ended up um reaching out to manufacturers in China right when the uh the uh shipping crisis started happening and all the ships were getting blockaded um at the ports. But while they were busy trying to work around all that stuff, they were receptive to, hey, I would like to build something. Here are our sketches, here's our prototype, here's our design, can you help? Um I actually had like really good, or still do, really good working relationships with these guys because so they initially came back and said, you know, because like we're just starting out, their recommendations were what if we use some of the products we already had? And I was like, eh, I really want to use like what we did. Um, and so they worked with us and everything. And we actually ideally I wanted one manufacturer just to help with the um with the the streamline of getting the product to us. And if there are any shipping interruptions or production issues, I only had to deal with one group, not two or three or four or five. Um, but the quality of different components of the Infinity Loop was better, like with the front lap with one group and the LED with another group. And I said, Oh, the heck with it. You know what? Let's just work with both of these guys. Um so we initially did, well, that got a little bit forward. We initially narrowed down on four producers for the LED band, uh, three producers and four different versions of the front lamp. Um, paid to have all those made, sent to us, and I actually sent it out to um some friends of mine who I knew uh would test it, but we also didn't want like friends, just friends to test it because they're all gonna be like, ah, this is great, this is awesome. Like, no, we actually want the bad feedback. Tell us what's wrong with this. Um, so we sent it out to multiple people and then friends of friends of friends that none of us knew, so they could tell us their true feelings. Um, they tested it, gave us the feedback of what they loved, hated, wished they had. We went back to the drawing board with those things, then went back to the manufacturers, factored those in who could actually make the adjustments that we needed. And that's how we narrowed in on the the two different manufacturers, the one for the lamp, one for the LED. Um, so that when it came in, you know, we're putting these things together as orders go out. Um, but that's that's how we got there. And it actually got to be a lot easier. It was kind of like breaking through that barrier once we reached out to the manufacturers in China um and had some introductions.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

Yeah, definitely. And, you know, I think that's incredible that you just like the loopholes you just jumped through to make this all work. And I think your product's excellent. I've obviously, you know, ran with it several times. And I I'm excited to run more with it when I become more of a morning person, this marathon buildup. Yeah. Um, but you know, speaking to the distance runners on here who are who have that imposter syndrome, who, you know, have those setbacks of getting out the door because it might be too dark outside. And, you know, you might be scared to run in the dark and be weighed down while doing it. Um, how can the infinity loop like benefit you know those newer runners to marathon running when they have to, you know, go out on those two-hour long runs and you know feel safe?

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Yeah. That that is one of those things that unfortunately we live in a day and age where we're hearing a lot more about, you know, people who are being attacked or you know, followed. And I've unfortunately um have had that um happen to me. I had someone follow me. Uh that wasn't fun. And I actually had a I'll call them a good Samaritan. Someone grab me and you know, hide me and everything. And, you know, that was even in broad daylight in a very nice neighborhood, like not far from our house. Like you wouldn't expect that. Um, also, too, staying safe, like when you're running um, you know, across an intersection or something, even if you have the right of way, you know, cars don't always see you. It's not like they're trying to do it on purpose. It's again, um uh psychologically their heads predisposed to look for cars, not a cyclist, not a motorcycle, not a person. Um, so what can we do to be like, hey, if we're out there running for enjoyment or fitness or we have a goal, what can we do to make sure we're safe without feeling that we're almost having to bubble wrap ourselves and then we can't truly enjoy it? Um, and I think the light, it kind of gives you a little bit of a confidence in there, saying, like, hey, I can see in front of me and not trip and fall on something that I can't see. And unfortunately, like I'm an incredibly clumsy runner. So if there's something I shouldn't trip on, I still will. And I have all the scars to prove it. But also to the LED light. Um, you know, you can have it as a solid state. I actually run with it with blinking, so it like really shoots out at somebody's eye so that they can see it sooner. And you just have that kind of like comfort, like, I'll be okay. I've got this on, I can see, someone else can see me, I can just run and not have to worry. Um, two, it's like if someone can see you, it's those kind of things help detract from like someone who might try to like jump out at you or something like that. Um, in our area, a couple of our friends in our group are friends with the Loudin County Sheriff, and he said, like those things that can um make you seen to traffic in other people will also detract perpetrators or something from trying to get you. And unfortunately, we're in an area where, you know, every few weeks you do hear about someone on the trail, someone jumping out at them or something. And now that might be just someone jumping out to do a joke, but you never know. It could be someone jumping out to do, you know, like harm you or try to like steal your wallet. Um, and so the more that you're seeing, the more that someone is gonna be deterred from trying to, you know, do anything to hurt you. Um, but then I think one of the most important things too is, you know, it's sometimes worrisome when you get out there on the roads and you have traffic around there and you have cars whizzing around you. If you know that they're gonna be able to see you sooner and be able to slow down sooner and faster, it's gonna be mutually beneficial. No driver ever wants to hit a pedestrian, no pedestrian ever wants to get hit by a driver. So it gives you that comfort, that peace of mind that, hey, I'm doing everything I can. If something happens, I'm not gonna say, you know what, I really should have worn that vest or these lights or anything like that. You can say, I did everything I could to run safely, and then you can get out the door and not have to worry. So, especially in those mornings when it's like pitch black, maybe there aren't too many street lights. How can you still go out there and run? Or at the end of the day, if you're bobbed down all day working like me tonight, I'm my run is gonna be at night. I'm not gonna say, Oh, I can't run outside now. It's beautiful, but it's pitch black. I can't see anything, no one's gonna see me. I don't want to get hit. No, I can just throw on my infinity loop and go. And I know that I'll be able to see, people can see me, and I can go out and get home safely and not have to worry about, you know, my husband getting a knock on the door from our local police officer or something like that, because that's that's awful. We have um a couple of our friends, unfortunately, have had friends who've, you know, they they've got hit uh by cars by running or cycling and stuff. And you know, even in our neighborhood, like little kids, and that's another thing that we actually use the infinity loop for, um, you know, they'll dart out into the street. So, what can you do to make sure that if you're out there and someone's not going to be able to see you right away, what what's going to alert them quicker so you feel safer to go running at any time of day or night? And even if you go out and the sun's out, the end of your run might be near sunset or after sunset and it's dusk. So I'll do that too. That's what I kind of like about the infinity loop. It's light enough so that if I'm doing a longer run and I'm like, okay, sun's out, but I'm not gonna be back for like an hour and a half or two hours, and by then it's gonna be sunset. Do I want to log all this gear with me? Absolutely not. No. Well, wait, I can do loops around and come back to the car and like put on all this gear or just go out with my infinity loop and when it starts, you know, getting dark out, turn it on. Conversely, if I'm running in the morning, it's dark out when I start, but it won't be towards the end of it. And as I get to the end of the run and the sun's up, I just turn it off and I keep running. It's not bothering me, it's not weighing me down, and I still feel as safe as I did when I started the run to when I finish the run.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

I love that, you know, and that's an excellent point. Just being seen is so important, especially, you know, to like for newer runners going out and experiencing their first runs at night. Many of us have nine to five jobs, and that's the only time, you know, whether you're a working mom or someone just in a nine to five, you can only get your run in when it's night and it's getting dark. And it's also super lightweight. So when Allison um was talking about that, Allison, I love that that point you made. It's just you don't have to lug around so much gear, even if it might not be like pitch black when you first leave for your run. I love that point because at least you know, you have that confidence and just that reassurance that you have something to be seen and also to see the road, the trail, whatever it is, wherever you're running in front of you. Um and yeah, to make others alert that, you know, like, hey, I'm running here, it's dark, but I'm still here. See me. Um, you know, and it's not blinding to other people, I feel like, like the LED especially, you know. Um and I I personally think it's super cute. I think it's a super cute way to, you know, kind of like safely light yourself up and it's not heavy. Those two things are what attract uh what attract like me uh honestly, like me to the belt aside from the safety aspect.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

Uh and you know, because I hate clunky stuff like you. I don't, you know, on top of goos and anything else you need to take on a long run, like the less is better.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

It is it's so much better when it's you just feel kind of like almost weightless when you're running. I know my dad always told me that, you know, he was an ice hockey, well, he still is an ice hockey player, but he played in college and he was a goalie. So he had to carry all this gear and helmet and his mask and everything like that, of course, because you know, a puck in the face is not fun. Um, but he was like, I love running because I just throw on my shoes and go. And then over the years I bought him a garment because I was like, Dad, you need to record your mileage because he and I are both like numbers, uh, numbers people and stuff. And we like seeing that data. So he's like, okay, so now I get my shoes and my garment, and then I run. Um, but that's it. I that's I wanted it to be, that's it. You know, even in the summer when I'm running, I have a handheld water bottle, but over time I've made it smaller because I, yes, I need more water, but I don't want to have this heavy thing in my hand, and I'm always switching it back and forth. But we'll make our running roots like smaller loops so we can fill up somewhere. And that doesn't allow us to like go on some far-off route because then we'll be like um out of water. Uh, same thing, even if I have a pack on, like I'm only filling it halfway because it really, well, it weighs me down. I don't like it, it bothers me, it distracts me. And once my head isn't focused on it, I can't get into the run. I can't get in that groove. I mean, even if I'm frustrated, um, like I'm not having a good temple run or something, I have sunglasses on, I'll just take those off and toss them aside and hopefully find them if I pick them up later. Um, just I I just don't want to feel like I have. All this extra stuff on me that I don't need. Um, and that's a good point too, as you mentioned too, with like tempo runs or any type of speed work, you you don't want to be weighed down because you're pushing yourself faster and farther and everything. But I used to just be like, all right, if I'm doing tempo or speed work, it's always on the track or always on a treadmill because I didn't want to be sprinting up and down a road with all this gear on and just being frustrated and like psyching myself out of the run. Um now I'm like, I do my speed and tempo works out on the open road with the thought of, hey, okay, like I'm racing on the road, so I'm not gonna be racing on the treadmill. I still go to the track for some of my speed work too, because you know, I don't want to be climbing a hill trying to do like quarter mile repeats and stuff. But being able to have the ability to make, you know, or the options to run wherever I want, not being held back because I've got too much gear for it, um, is great. And then you don't have to sacrifice the gear that will keep you safe on your run. Um, and you get to go wherever the wherever the heck you want.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

So yeah, yeah. And you know, I love that too because I'm a roadrun for sure. Thank you. And I used to do my tempos on the track. I still do sometimes. Oh, yeah, same here. Yeah. But yeah, um, you know, a large reason why I actually did that was because I was scared to go dark and not like into the almost like unknown like this. I like it sounds weird, but you know, just when it's dark, it's scary. So she's important, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Well, and like, you know, too about the track. Like, I still go the track, even if I have like a long tempo. Someone asked me once, what was my longest track run? I said like 14 or 16 miles. I'm like, How'd you do that? I'm like, it's a soft track, I ran in circles, and I felt safe. It didn't bother me. But, you know, we lived in an area, it was a nice area, but some of the areas around us weren't as great. And even running to this high school, you know, I usually did my daily runs of is like a mile and a half, two miles to the high school, whatever distance around the track, and then back. So if it was six miles, I did two miles around the track. If I did 10 miles, you know, it was I would do that there because it was safer. Um, there were more homes around it, and then often there were a lot of other runners there. And by a lot, I mean like two or three others, versus me running up like a road that's not the safest in the world. And even if it had lights, it's kind of like through some sketchy areas. So I'm like, well, I'm going to the track, you know. If nothing else, um, there'll be a couple other runners there. And then also if nothing else, if anything goes wrong, I'm closer to my home than if I was like five miles out. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

Safety and numbers.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Yeah, no, safety and numbers. I mean, that's you know, and I think you like kind of wrapped up all of your favorite things about the loop in there. Yeah, because there's just so much to be appreciative of, and safety comes first. I know it's like there's truth to cliches, but like it does, it does.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Yeah, very true, very true.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

So yeah, and you know, so I mean, I uh thank you for just being so thorough and just sharing so much and such a connective period of time. Um, and I'm excited to just, you know, experience more of the loop and yeah, maybe you know, share it with athletes listening to the show and some of my athletes that I coach and just the running community because I think it's really great. Um, and there's nothing like it.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

That's awesome. I'm I'm glad to hear that. And I was just gonna add one more thing about the safety thing with it. Yeah, when we lived in this old area, I actually used to run, it's a great product. Um it was a handheld like pepper spray, and it had you know the wrap around the wrist, and I would run with that. But you know, after a while you're like, oh, this is on my hands. I actually now velcro wrap it around the loop and I like just tuck it into the side of my pants or shorts so it's there. I can rip it off at knock on wood, haven't had to use it yet or anything. But that's one of the other things too. You can still take other things to protect yourself if something bad were to happen, but you're kind of like blocking all things to say, hey, you know, someone I know, like I have maps of where I'm running, and my husband knows like which route I'm doing. Um, so he's aware if I'm you know gone, where could I be? Um, if there's a bad guy out there, I should be okay. Um, and I can see anything around me, and then people can see stuff around me too, all at the infinity loop. So having um unfortunately been you know hit by a car twice and have had some you know shady characters like kind of you know follow, it's like you know what it's very important, not only for females, but males too. Like stay stay illuminated so you can really feel like you can get out there and run at any time of day or night while feeling safe and knowing that you're gonna be able to come back home to your friend family and friends.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Yes, that's because they love you and they they'll miss you if you know exactly something happened. Yeah. Um, yeah, I just I love that. And just yeah, having the confidence to go out and do it and enjoy the process.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

Enjoy the process indeed.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

Yeah. Um, so Allison, is there anything that you'd like to leave um us with in terms of like a running tip or just something fun that you just want to say um to wrap up the episode today?

SPEAKER_00 29:06

I think one of the things that I would tell everyone, and like we both said, you know, it's cliche, but it's cliche for a reason because there's something behind that. No matter what you're running, you you ran. You know, I I had an old friend of mine, she wanted to run a mile for the first time, and we ran, and she goes, Oh, I ran a mile, but it was X pace, so it wasn't really a mile. And I looked at her and I said, But you still ran. Like, don't worry about your paces or distance or anything. If you just get out and run, even the you know, run for 30 seconds and then walk and run for another 30 seconds, you still ran. And when I started running, you know, I was a goalie in lacrosse, I didn't have to run. Half the reason why I love playing goalie. And when I was getting ready for college, like we had to run, and I was like, oh, I don't know how to run. You know, I would run from my my parents' home to the stop sign, sit there for three minutes, and then run another two blocks. Now I sign up for 50-mile run because I'm like, that's cool too. Everyone starts from somewhere. Don't knock yourself for where you think you should be for running. Just get out there and run. You find so much freedom in it, uh, fresh air in it, and it's a good escape for you. So don't let that fun, good escape be something that you're beating yourself up for. Whether you ran for 10 feet, 10 miles, 100 miles, you ran and enjoy that for the smile on your face because not everyone can, but you can.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Wow, that was very inspirational. Um and honestly, I mean, yes, I love that you said all those things because that all of them couldn't be more true. I think comparison's the thief of joy and just thinking that you're not good enough, if that even exists. Yeah. What is that? Like what you know, like, yes, people, you know, actually, that's some one of the things I tell myself on those hard tempo runs, like you. Like when you said you threw your glasses off. Yeah. Um, I'm like, I get to do this. Not everyone can if I'm just you know hauling butt down a road. Um, so yeah, I really love those takeaways. Thank you so much for sharing them. They're super relatable.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Thank you, Ali. I'm glad. I'm glad to hear that.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

Yes. Um, and you know, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I know you are working so many hours, so it really means a lot to me um and the listeners on here and to everyone listening. Allison's uh information is gonna be in the show notes. So you'll be able to reach out to her and uh be cognizant of her time, please and respect it. And you know, for those of you that are new on the show, just a friendly reminder again, please subscribe on whatever platform you choose to listen on. And an Apple Podcast, please press the follow the plus button. I will see you next week with a new special guest. Thank you so much. Thank you again, Allison, and have a great day.