203 | Keira D'Amato, DJ K Rock and Banana's, Don't Call It A Comeback!

In this episode, the hosts welcome elite runner Keira D'Amato (11:29), who shares her inspiring journey in the world of running. From her first race to her transition from JV to Varsity, Keira discusses the competitive spirit that drives her and the importance of community support in sports. She reflects on the lessons learned throughout her experiences, emphasizing the significance of perseverance and maintaining a positive attitude. The conversation highlights the challenges and triumphs of being a runner, as well as the joy of finding one's passion in the sport. In this engaging conversation, Kira DeMato shares her journey from a passionate college runner to becoming a record-breaking marathoner and author. She discusses the importance of community support, the challenges of balancing motherhood with competitive running, and the unexpected twists in her career. Kira reflects on her writing process for her memoir, the lessons learned from her experiences, and the joy of running. The conversation also touches on the humorous aspects of life as a runner, including the significance of a 'bananas' code with her children during races.

During the Tros Eric and Six Star Erika catch up sharing running updates, killing a live stream and discuses Erika's drunk Strava post and much more.

Chapters

00:00 203 Intro
04:24 The Poland Spring Team and Redemption Stories
09:42 Excitement for the Guest Appearance
11:29 Keira D'Amato
42:06 The Process of Writing a Book
49:13 Reflections on Competition and Growth
51:05 Packing for Adventures: The Quirks of Travel
51:58 The Power of Music in Running
52:43 Finding Joy in the Journey of Running
53:39 The Connection Between Fun and Success
58:08 Mom Guilt and Running: The Bananas Analogy
01:03:36 Future Aspirations: Running Beyond Competition
01:09:28 The Car Accident Experience
01:11:26 Reflections on Racing and Career Changes
01:12:44 The Impact of a Life-Changing Event
01:14:49 A Family's Cinematic Adventure
01:18:54 Music and Motivation in Running
01:27:36 The Outro
01:32:12 Running Updates and Personal Stories
01:35:11 Tech Troubles and Parenting Challenges
01:38:14 Podcasting Adventures and Live Streaming Mishaps
01:41:10 Upcoming Events and Personal Goals
01:43:54 Community Engagement and Listener Interaction

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Email us at OnTheRunsPod@gmail.com

Don't Fear The Code Brown and Don't Forget To Stretch!

Transcript

Eric (00:54)
What's up everybody? Welcome to episode 203 of the On the Runs podcast. And what an amazing weekend we had in the Northeast. The sun was out and the guns were out for t-shirt weather outside. Runs felt like springtime and some of us were on the slopes still working on our goggle tans. We got an amazing episode for you today with an incredible guest. But before we get to any of that, I must say hello to my kick-ass Rockstar for co-host, six-star Erica. What's up?

Erika (01:23)
What's up? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, though. ⁓ Was this literally t-shirt weather for you? It was in like the 40s. That is still absolutely not t-shirt weather for me. Not even shorts. No. ⁓ no.

Eric (01:34)
It was definitely shorts weather, definitely shorts weather. T-shirts in the, in the sun. Yeah. Going

to take out the trash or something or walk into the mailbox. T-shirt weather. Put on a winter hat for me. You know, I skied today with Tommy and I just had a t-shirt underneath my jacket. Like that, that was awesome.

Erika (01:44)
You and I are so different.

Yeah.

still wearing a jacket so it's not just straight up t-shirt ⁓ airflow there we go uh-huh okay mm-hmm

Eric (01:56)
The jacket was like very zipped low, like quarter way down and had the air vents open. was not like, like you went running. It looked like you were

drunk by the way when I checked out your Strava. Your Strava map?

It looked like you didn't know where to go, like you were drunk, you were like, where am I going? Um, looked like a spider with 15 legs or something. So we got to talk about that. But yes, t-shirt weather. It was t-shirt weather for like the peak hours of the day. Yes.

Erika (02:15)
Adventure! ⁓

Isn't that crazy? Yeah, yeah,

Nice. I mean, I have to say I enjoyed the weather very much. These 40 degree January days are my jam, but I still needed long sleeves, the gloves, the earband. I still had to bundle up. I was outside for a long time over the weekend.

Eric (02:42)
Why?

You ran 15 miles. You didn't heat up at any point. And where did you run? Because I've never seen this before. You ran 15 miles and you never ran like in a straight line for more than half a mile.

Erika (02:51)
you

huh. All right. So basically I really wanted to check out my rail trail to see how it was thawing out. Cause it's not a maintained rail trail. And I was just kind of curious. So I was like, you know what? I might as well run the couple of miles there and see what it looks like. And then I'll just kind of wing it from there. So I started at my house and every single, like, I'll say most side roads that I came across, I just kind of like did it out and back.

and just did a little cul-de-sacs here and there. I just explored my neighborhoods and it got 15 miles and it was perfect. I have no complaints and it's going to make my heat map look really freaking cool.

coming back with a purpose. ⁓

Eric (03:40)
So here's your Strava activity. Lunch

run. You're not as cool as our guest today who has the best Strava, like, dad jokes on

Erika (03:49)
never,

so yes, yes she does. But I never change when it says lunch run. I'll just put something in like the comment part. Like I never update that. No, I know. It's just a long run. Yeah, dude.

Eric (03:56)
We didn't even do that here. But look at you. Look at this run. If you're on YouTube

right now, check it out.

Erika (04:04)
But hey, look at those

splits. And I actually had like 500 something feet of elevation, I thought. Like it was pretty legit.

Eric (04:09)
Look at you.

You could run a hilly race. You're training for hills right now. Keep it up. Yeah, that's quite the...

Erika (04:14)
I could. I am training for Hills. Maybe a certain

kind of Hills come April. Fingers crossed. We'll see. Sure. Yeah.

Eric (04:24)
Yeah. So, uh, let's talk about that. You submitted your name again, and this is a little bit of

a debate because you work so hard on your post. Talk about it.

Erika (04:36)
Okay. Team Poland spring is coming back with a force every year. They have something like 15 spots to offer to, to Instagram, at least within the new England area. And they get, they give you bibs, but they want to hear your running story. And I always have such a hard time. Like putting myself out there. Like, of course there's people who deserve it so much and who am I to take a spot away, but I want it too. I want it so badly. So I had to, I want.

Eric (05:03)
Redemption on 2018 when he ran in the rain, in

the snow, in the cold.

Erika (05:06)
I want that redemption so bad. trained so hard for that year. I raised so much money for a wonderful cause and I just didn't get to have the day I envisioned. But I mean, everybody's got a reason and who am I to say no? Like, who am I to take one over somebody else? But I would love a chance. Yes.

Eric (05:24)
Sure. So you're hoping you get picked. I'm not

gonna read your novel that you wrote, but I'm gonna read what I suggested you write, because I said there's no way of telling what you write is gonna work. Like it's just gonna...

Erika (05:29)
Everybody wrote a novel. It's your journey.

Poland

Spring, are you listening? This is my alternate entry right here.

Eric (05:40)
This

is what I think Erica should have wrote. And now people are telling me to submit just to see if it works. I'm on the fence right now. You guys got to tell me. I said, you should write. My name is Erica with a K. I like to run. I like it so much. I podcast about it every week. I like it so much it makes me thirsty. Thirsty for redemption in Boston and thirsty for a bottle of Poland spring. See you in Hoppington. So you did not use that. You submitted your novel. ⁓

Erika (05:47)
Just do it, man.

They asked for your

running journey though and I wanted to actually do it the right way. So we'll see.

Eric (06:15)
So

now I'm tempted to do it myself. Just to see if it works. See if I get it. But then you're gonna be mad at me if I get picked and you don't.

Erika (06:21)
Why not? Why not?

I will never be mad at you for that reason. Like I said, everybody deserves it. I have already run it. I don't need another chance. I would love one. just don't need it.

Eric (06:37)
You need it.

You deserve an epic day and that day will come.

Erika (06:41)
Why don't

you though? Come on. Like I said, everybody's got their reasons. And why not, man? Why not? What if?

Eric (06:44)
Well...

I might do it. I might do it. I know I've said before, I'm...

Alright, you want me to do it?

Erika (06:53)
Why not? Go for it. I promise you. All right. You're hearing this first on the pod. If Eric gets in and I do not, I will be the ringleader for mile 19.2 coming up this year. And I will bring, oh, I don't want to say this, but I will have a confetti cannon for you. There it is. I will confetti cannon. There we go.

Eric (06:55)
Okay, you can't get mad if I get in with that with that. I'm going to submit it tonight.

Whoa.

that would be fun and I'll have sparkles. I'll run a sparkles again on my head just

like New York. ⁓ man, we're manifesting this. I'm going to run Boston. After saying for years, I'm not doing it for the longest time, but I just want to see if like my silly little thing gets picked versus your novel. and nothing against your, a lot of people wrote like, put a lot into this. You put a lot into it last year. I just remember how bummed you were when you didn't get in.

Erika (07:25)
Yeah dude, why not?

you ⁓

Wow.

Eric (07:44)
And you kind

of, we kind of realized some people got in and they wrote like, I want to run because I love running.

Erika (07:49)
There were so many submissions. I would hate to be one of the people who has to choose. And I don't know what their method of choosing is, but that's on them. So I don't know. Fingers crossed for me. Fingers crossed for you if you enter. Fingers crossed for all of our friends. I mean, it would just be a really cool opportunity. So thank you, Pull and Spring, maybe.

Eric (08:07)
Hey, one thing shout out

to Poland Springs two years ago they hit it out of the park by picking pteroterodactyl. After

Erika (08:14)
hell yeah. And you

remember Denise got on the team like a few years back. Like we've had a lot of friends do it.

Eric (08:18)
Right. Right.

But Tara pterodactyl because of the whole two weeks before the Boston marathon, when she trained all year and when she raised all that money, it's like you have some back injury and you need back surgery. And she got back surgery like a week after boss. She basically limped the entire Boston marathon finished after everything was torn down, never got a medal. And then she got in with Poland spring the next year and had the best day of her life. So

Erika (08:33)
Mm-hmm.

Yup.

Eric (08:45)
Tara deserved it that year. She got it. Poland Springs knocked it out of the park and I hope they pick you.

Erika (08:46)
See, Tara is the perfect, yes, perfect example,

perfect example of all the deserving people who should have a chance. So if I get picked, awesome. If not, I will live.

Eric (09:00)
I wanna

keep building our cheer section, but maybe I just do it with you. Maybe we both get in, we'll see. But, that would be, you have to run with me. And I would have to train, that means less skiing.

Erika (09:03)
Yes.

That would be epic. ⁓ I'll run with you.

Hey, I already have my goal race for the spring. It's going to be cheap and I'm still going to run cheap no matter what. like you always say, Boston is going to be the, I'm drawing blanks. It's the party. It's the victory lap. Thank you. The brain's not working so much today. ⁓

Eric (09:21)
It's a party. It's a celebration. It's a victory lap. It's a victory lap. Absolutely. That's how you treat those world majors. And it's so awesome. You

go out there, you PR for cheap marathon. That will be an amazing day.

Erika (09:33)
Exactly.

Eric (09:34)
if not we'll be at mile 19.2 the big cheer section which will continue to grow beyond this year and every year and it was so much fun so and Priceline before peer pressure right so but we have an amazing an amazing episode today a few things first

Erika (09:42)
yeah.

you

Eric (09:50)
please don't forget to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to the YouTube channel. And also the questionnaire went out a couple of days ago. We're going to keep it live for the rest of this week and we're going to talk about it next week. But one thing, holy cow, we've had so many responses. The comment section was unbelievable guys. Keep it up. If you haven't checked out our survey yet, it's like 30 questions. We want to get a vibe for how you feel. And at the very end, there's a couple sections of like, what do want Eric to do more or less of?

What do want Erika to do more or less of? And also, who do you want to hear from on the pod this year? And one person wrote down our guest today and I thought that was so cool. So six star, who do we have on the podcast today?

Erika (10:27)
Nailed it.

If you can't tell, I am absolutely fangirling once again. You guys, we have Keira D'Amato on the podcast today. And this ought to just tell you right now, like I've had a little, like about a week to chill over this and I'm still not chill. I am not chill. So please ignore me being super awkward during this podcast and just revel in the... did you? you're great.

Eric (10:53)
Hey, I fixed a lot of it with my editing. yeah, I did

the best I could. Yeah. Yeah, I made you sound like you're cool. You're chill.

Erika (10:57)
I knew I loved you.

I am so not cool, you guys. I'm so not chill. But we really hope you enjoyed this episode that we have with Keira She's just absolutely amazing, as awesome as I knew she was three, four years ago. I was absolutely famous. So I can't control my shit. Anyways, please enjoy this episode with Keira. She's amazing. We love her. And you guys will too.

Eric (11:11)
It was bananas.

You'll learn that reference.

Eric (11:29)
Our next guest on the pod is one of the most elite women runners in the country, who's also one of the funnest. Besides running really fast and breaking records, she's a lover of Oreos, a badass mama too, a comic on Strava, and she can do it all while selling your home and spinning tracks as DJ K-Rock. One time she went running in a gorilla suit and she recently wrote a book about chasing happiness and her unconventional return to running and embracing the journey along the way. Needless to say, we are wicked excited to welcome Kira DeMato.

Erika (11:41)
you

Eric (11:56)
to the On the Runs podcast. What's up, Kira?

Keira (11:59)
Okay, that was the best intro. I don't even think I need to be here anymore. You've covered it all. That was awesome. Eric, you nailed it. Thank you.

Erika (12:05)
No, don't leave! No, don't leave!

Eric (12:06)
Well, don't leave.

I want to hear about DJ K-Rock.

Keira (12:10)
I know DJ K-Rock that was that was an era for me. That really was that was an era. I was like a DJ for close to 10 years.

Erika (12:20)
wow.

Eric (12:20)
Were

you doing like weddings or were you doing clubs? What were you doing? Was this like cassette tapes or CDs or were you spinning vinyl?

Keira (12:29)
Okay, it started as CDs. So I would bring, okay, it started slow, but I had like a, I think a six sticks CD player with huge speakers that I'd bring and tons of music. And then eventually I upgraded once like the MP3s and all songs went digital, I was able to upgrade and I used iTunes. So I'm not like a cool DJ, like spinning records or anything, but I started with CDs and then went digital.

Erika (12:47)
Mm. ⁓

Keira (12:58)
But

iTunes had an automatic fade that was a 12 second fade. So it sounded like I was mixing tracks, but I wasn't. I was not that cool. I know, yeah. 12 second fade on iTunes sound like a DJ, yeah.

Eric (13:05)
Nice.

Erika (13:07)
That's like a life hack. I love that. Doing my job.

Excellent.

Eric (13:13)
My dad was a DJ

throughout the eighties and nineties and he had like crates on crates on crates of CDs. He had these massive speakers, which we still have and we were going to use one day for our live shows later next year. But he would create all this stuff around in our suburban. And now a DJ just shows up with like a hard suitcase. They flip it open and they got this fancy soundboard and a laptop and that's it.

Erika (13:28)
you

Keira (13:39)
When I was able to upgrade to that suitcase, it all folds into itself. That was like a game changer. So that was, yeah, that was a big move. So you know, you know my journey, Eric. You know.

Eric (13:48)
I've seen it, well, I do my research, but I've seen it through my dad and

Erika (13:49)
He didn't even read the book! What the hell, man?

Eric (13:52)
I'm like, yeah, you carry it around, all your stuff, crate it around, big speakers and all that. That's no joke.

Keira (13:57)
Yeah.

Well, the funny thing for me is people were inviting me to come to all these awesome parties. Like I was never up in the club. I played into club a lot, the song but never up in the club. But like, I kept thinking I can't believe I'm being paid to do this. You're inviting me to this awesome party and I get to pick the music the whole time. Like this is incredible. Like and I'm getting paid and you're bringing me food and drinks and everything. Like that was awesome. Yeah, I will say

Erika (14:12)
You

When you put it that way, that's kind of the way to go. yeah, so

I'll play my music and I'll dance along the whole time. This is great.

Keira (14:30)
Exactly! I will say it is incredibly stressful though because it's like a minis people choice award every time you play a song. So you get feedback immediately when you play a song. And you can tell like, this is going really well or like the dance floor clears and you're like, I thought it would go over better than that. So that is a little stressful but ⁓ is that what they call it?

Eric (14:51)
It's a code brown.

That's what we like to call it. A Code Brown is like an oh crap moment. It's like, oh crap, this song didn't hit. Yeah. Yeah.

Keira (14:57)
Okay. Yeah. So yeah,

Erika (14:58)
Mm-hmm. Whoops.

Keira (15:01)
it have a code brown.

Eric (15:03)
just talking last week on the pod though. Did you watch MTV growing up? Were you a big MTV per- because you saw MTV's no longer.

Erika (15:03)
have fun.

Keira (15:11)
What? I didn't see this. Okay. Yes!

Erika (15:13)
He just broke the news to me today. I had no idea.

Eric (15:16)
New Year's Eve, when 12 o'clock hit, MTV ended with Radio Killed the, the, whatever that song is.

Erika (15:18)
Mm.

Video killed the radio.

Eric (15:24)
Yeah.

Keira (15:25)
Where there's video killed

Eric (15:25)
Video Killed the Radio.

Keira (15:26)
the radio star and then there was internet killed the video star. Do you guys remember that version? It all came true. I feel a little sentimental about that.

Eric (15:31)
Yeah. Well, it killed MTV. It's no more.

Erika (15:35)
Mm. RIP.

Eric (15:39)
I

know. We grew up like going home watching TRL and voting for the songs and...

Erika (15:41)
Yep.

you

Keira (15:45)
Great and watching the music video. Well and singled out. Do you remember that show? used to love that show. was probably way too young to watch that show. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Eric (15:48)
Yep. Yep.

Erika (15:49)
Yes, my God, Chris Hardwick. That's digging deep too, wow. ⁓ I'll shed a small tear for MTV. Yeah, the memories. Good high school memories.

Eric (15:55)
Yeah, that's good.

Yeah, I haven't watched it in years, so I guess I won't miss it, but you Anyways, how are you? Happy New Year!

Erika (16:09)
Mm, cheer.

Eric (16:11)
How are you doing? It's so nice to have you on the podcast.

Keira (16:14)
Thank you for having me. I'm doing really good. I am so excited. It's 2026. Like I think at the beginning of every year, it just feels fresh and new and exciting. And you come off of a long break and you're like ready to get back into the grind. And think that's my favorite part about life and running is when you're like in that grind mode. So yeah, so the kids are back in school, which is

Erika (16:27)
Mm hmm.

Keira (16:36)
nice. It was really nice having all that time off, but it's really really nice when they go to school too. So ⁓ yeah.

Erika (16:43)
It does take a while to get back into the routine, though, right? Like you were saying, you're like you had dinner a little too late and you're just where did the time go? Mm hmm.

Keira (16:50)
Right. Well, we started new

sports today too. then, you know, figuring out the new routine with all the new sports, but yeah, I'm really happy for 2026. 2025 was a tough year for me. So I'm just excited to be in a whole new year and just like so excited to see what this year holds. Okay. So my daughter right now is doing basketball for the first time and coming off of doing soccer and lacrosse. And she does like girls on the run too. But I really like

Erika (16:53)
⁓

Yes, clean slate.

Eric (17:07)
What sports are they playing?

Erika (17:16)
⁓

Keira (17:20)
I love that she's willing to try anything and everything. So even if like she hasn't done it, she wants like sign me up. I want to play and I love that about her. And then my son right now, it's a really cool trait and it's kind

Erika (17:28)
That's an awesome treat. ⁓

Keira (17:32)
of scary to be that way. So it takes like a lot of courage. I feel like to live that way. And then my son is doing tennis and he's also he likes the chess club and everything too, which is cool.

Erika (17:36)
Absolutely. ⁓

Good

for him. That's fantastic. I never learned how to play myself, but I know what kind of like a mental game it is So anybody who knows how to play it I I give kudos to

Keira (17:54)
Yeah, yeah, he's already like overtaken my abilities, which I thought that I could hold off for a couple more years, but no, that's that was not the case.

Eric (18:03)
Your daughter, if your daughter likes lacrosse, I bet you she'll be a good hockey player if she ever picked it up.

Keira (18:08)
I would love if she played hockey and she's like she's a competitor and she can be real aggressive so I feel like that and hockey would go really well. Eric, did you play hockey? Okay, smile for me. me see. Okay. You don't have the teeth to prove it. It's more like

Eric (18:11)
Yeah?

Erika (18:13)
Mm.

Eric (18:18)
yeah, I got the teeth to prove it too.

Well, there's a bunch of fake ones right now.

Erika (18:23)
You gotta pop the thing out. ⁓

Eric (18:28)
Exactly,

exactly. But that's awesome you mentioned your daughter's really competitive because I believe you're very competitive and we want to get to know you a little bit. Now listen, I've done my research. There's so much out there because you've been crushing it for years. Let's get to know you a little bit more. And we thought we would go back to what were you like as a kid growing up? Like what were you like when you were your daughter's age playing sports and stuff?

Keira (18:42)
Okay.

Okay, no surprise, super competitive. And I feel like I didn't know how to walk. Like when I was young growing up, I ran everywhere, like another surprise, surprise. But like through the house to get from my room to the kitchen, I would just run because you get there faster. So I feel like I was this girl that was like always on the go. I loved playing all the sports. I played soccer and basketball and swimming and tennis and just anything that I could compete in, like sign me up.

And I was the knucklehead. like love to laugh and joke around. Like I loved hanging out with friends. yeah, and I'm the oldest of five kids. So I think I, you know, I, am a self, ⁓ self-elected boss of the family, which no one voted for me. People

Erika (19:32)
I

Keira (19:36)
are still not voting for me to play that role, but somehow that's, that's what I do.

Erika (19:40)
That's perfect. man. Kira, before we really get into more of your running journey and just like how you got things started, I have to tell you a little story about this podcast. ⁓

I went back and listened. This is going to be episode like 200 something-ish. So we're way up there. And way back in 2022, we were just starting this journey. It was episode seven. And I had an episode called Erika Fangirls. And I was totally fangirling over you and hitting that American marathon record. And it was super cringy. But I figured I just had to share that because...

Eric (20:00)
203.

Keira (20:02)
Please!

⁓

Eric (20:17)
That's right.

Erika (20:25)
It's kind of going back to our roots, but I'm just so, so excited that you're here and that we get to have a little chat today.

Eric (20:29)
circle I guess yeah

Keira (20:32)
That is so

sweet. do what the next time I'm having like an off day, I'm going to go to episode six or seven, and I'm going to find it and I'm going to build my stuff up. Well, I'm really crazy. I'll go tonight so everything else will be. No, I love that. Thank you for saying that, Erika. That is really, really sweet. And it's funny because I

Eric (20:38)
⁓ Six, seven.

Erika (20:38)
no.

⁓ my god though, it's gonna be super cringy, Kira.

Eric (20:46)
Don't us. Don't judge us on episode seven. It was so different back then.

Erika (20:52)
Perfect.

Keira (20:59)
I know, feel like I'm still surprised hearing stuff like that. Like I, I don't know, like I've obviously been part of my journey and been very present, but I think the whole, like, I know what I've accomplished running wise, but I think it still surprises me. Just like, just hearing you say that is still a surprise and super flattering. So that really means a lot that you'd say that. So thank you.

Erika (21:07)
Mm-hmm.

man, it's just super cool when women are breaking down the barriers. mean, Dina Castor did it way back when and I mean, every time somebody else gets to get a little bit of an edge out there, it's just super exciting. And I am here for women breaking down those barriers even more, just getting faster, doing the damn thing, being a badass. I'm a hundred percent for it.

Keira (21:43)
Yeah, me too.

Eric (21:44)
Not only

Erika (21:45)
It gives me hope. I'm about to hit 40 this year and I'm trying, like I've been working with a coach and I'm trying to just see what I can do, see what my body is capable of and age is just a number, who cares?

Keira (21:57)
It is and why not? Like, what's the alternative? Just not see what we can do? I don't know. That doesn't seem as much fun. Like, why not go for it just see where that like, where that edge is or where that barrier what we're capable of. And I think what's so surprising is when you have the courage to see what you can do, like we are all capable of more than we'll ever imagine. And it is so cool having the courage to find that out. So I'll be rooting for you, Erika.

Erika (22:02)
Right. Exactly.

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Thank you. Thank you. Something like that. That's a limit I'm working on, just distance-wise.

Eric (22:24)
She's crushing it. She's what you did like four 100 milers this year last year, something like that. She's being, she's being humble. Yeah.

Keira (22:29)
Wow,

that's impressive. I love that. Let's go.

Eric (22:35)
And then you're PRing your marathon at the same time.

Erika (22:38)
That was a goal of mine for last year and I'm going to work towards getting a little bit faster this year, just seeing where it goes.

Eric (22:46)
She's crushing it. She really is. But I'm gonna stop her from making this about her. I love that you brought us back to episode seven. I forgot about that. But that was such a cool moment. And we

Erika (22:48)
But we're not here to talk about me. Yeah, stop it. I don't want to talk about me.

I didn't. It's so cringy. God,

Eric (22:58)
were

Erika (22:58)
it's so cringy.

Eric (22:59)
like trying to, yeah, it was because we were trying to find our identity. Like I think we had one guest, it was a friend, and we didn't know what we were doing. We're learning. We went to the University of YouTube to figure this out in 203 now. Now we got you, so full circle. But.

Erika (23:02)
Mm-hmm.

Eric (23:14)
We figured out that identity and we figured out what we want our podcast to be. And it's, it's a storytelling podcast and we love to hear some of those stories within the journey. And I want to go back, go back in that DeLorean and hit 88. But do you remember your first ever race? Like you ran cross country in high school. Do you remember like your first ever time towing the line and out there with all the other kids?

Erika (23:20)
Mm-hmm. .

Keira (23:26)
You

I remember this so vividly. So I had done like a 5k with my dad when I was in, I think seventh or eighth grade, probably eighth grade. And my dad was like, hey, we'll just run this turkey trap together. And I was like, okay, good. Cause like, this is really scary. The gun went off and he just took off.

Erika (23:46)
He left you behind.

Keira (23:58)
So I didn't see him again until we crossed the line and actually like he only beat me by about four seconds.

Erika (23:59)
⁓

Keira (24:05)
But so he ran I think 1958. I ran 2002. And so he beat me by four seconds. then but I was like, Dad, what was that? He's like, I'm sorry, I just heard the gun and I just went. But he also couldn't believe I was that close behind him. And that is the last time that he ever beat me or the last time we ever raced really. But anyways.

Erika (24:15)
Mm hmm.

Keira (24:28)
So my first real race, my freshman year at Oakton High School, I accidentally missed the tryout cross country.

Like, I guess there was like a, some sort of time trial that picked the varsity team. And I didn't know that was happening and I went to the beach instead. And so I come back and they put up the list of varsity in JV and I was on the JV list. And as a super competitive person, I was like,

What's the deal? Like I've been running with all the girls on varsity. I've been beating them in a lot of the workouts and actually most of them disliked me because I smiled too much, which is funny, but now they're

all my best friends. I was just actually texting all of them. We're planning a girl strip. So we got past it. I smile way too much. Okay. So I'm pissed that I'm on JV. I'm on the starting line and I'm like, just like, I'm going to go after this and show like I deserve to be varsity. And I went out and started running and I'm like, this

Erika (25:07)
Yay! Okay.

Keira (25:25)
is awful. This sucks. Like, why am I doing this? And so in the middle of the race, I was like, I'm

not a quitter, so I'm going to finish this. But I was like really praying that like a deer would come out of the woods and take me out. Or would you run by this like driving range? I was hoping someone would hit it really far and just hit me down. Like, I wanted an excuse to stop running, but I didn't want to like quit.

Erika (25:36)
Four!

Keira (25:53)
so i was like okay getting hit by a golf cart but i wasn't okay walking on i don't know

Erika (25:53)
Mm-hmm. Well, that takes it out of your hands. Like, if some

unknown thing happens to you, I can't do it. It wasn't my fault.

Keira (26:04)
You know, I

nobody saw that tree falling but you know, it hit me so I just couldn't keep going but I found myself in second place with like 400 ago and I was like, well now I've come this far I can see the finish line. I might as well win so I won my first ever race and I ended up beating the whole varsity girls team for my team and I would have like placed on like the varsity team that day um, but I crossed the line and I was like, wow actually

Erika (26:09)
Mm-hmm.

Wow.

Mm-hmm.

Keira (26:34)
That was awesome. Like, and I sort of realized then like that's what's running is all about. It's like doing something scary. It's what it really, really sucks. And you want to quit and you work through it. And so was like, okay, I think I got the hang of this. And it's funny because in the next race, the same exact like cyclic emotion, emotional roller coaster, I was like, this sucks. I don't want to do this. I'm gonna finish because I'm not a quitter. But this is terrible.

Erika (26:58)
That's like 99 %

Keira (26:58)
But yeah,

Erika (27:00)
of runs for me. Like they suck, they suck, but they feel great once you're finished. ⁓ perfect.

Keira (27:04)
Right. Once you're done. Yeah.

So that was, that was my first ever race. I never ran JV again.

Eric (27:10)
Did he get moved up to varsity the next race?

Erika (27:14)
I

love that you advocated though. You're like, I am better than this. Like I don't belong on this team. Like I'm going to work hard. I'm going to show you that I deserve this spot on Varsity.

Keira (27:20)
Right. And I learned an important lesson

too. Like you can't just miss practice, right? Like that's like, like I should have like, I earned that spot on JV. I wasn't at the important practice. So that was an important lesson for me to learn too, but.

Erika (27:28)
⁓

Gotcha.

Eric (27:37)
like about this sport and you've been running a long time and I even think you were very, you know, did a lot of track, long distance track in college and even high school. It's a sport where you determine where you place and how you place amongst your teammates. It's unlike, we'll stick with hockey here, like you could be a great left winger, but you might be playing second line when you should be on first line because maybe the coach's kid is on the team or something. Like the coach can't do that in this sport. If you're faster and you continually

and you continuously beat the other runners, you're going to be on that varsity team. Because I only think you get like seven on cross country.

Keira (28:14)
Yeah, it's so funny. It's just that my daughter's basketball practice, I got to talk of one of the other parents, we had this exact same conversation, how running is so black and white. Like you train, you work hard, and then you get a number at the end of the day. And that's like, that's your number for the day. Like there's no like objectiveness about that. And like I remember back when I played soccer, I could be having the game of my life and we'd be losing.

Erika (28:14)
Mm.

Keira (28:38)
be like man like i'm like crushing it today and we are losing what is going on so yeah that is the fun part about running but also then there's nowhere to hide

Eric (28:41)
Right.

Erika (28:42)
Mm-hmm. That's

true. It's a very solo sport, but I mean, sometimes you play off of your competitors. So if somebody is working really hard and you really want it, you're going to push yourself harder. it's very much a give and take, but yeah, solo at the same time.

Eric (29:03)
you strictly cross country in high school or did you eventually make your way to track? Like were you playing basketball in the winter and track in the spring or what were you doing?

Keira (29:11)
Yeah, so after cross country, so the only reason I joined the cross country team was to impress the soccer coach and soccer. The soccer, yeah, soccer in Virginia is in the spring, so I did cross country and then I debated between basketball and indoor track, but I did indoor track and then I had like a big like. I don't know to debate internal debate like do I do soccer that I've done my whole life? That's all I wanted to be was like a professional soccer.

Eric (29:18)
That's exactly why I ran cross country for hockey.

Keira (29:39)
player or do I keep with this running thing? And I decided to stick with running. I left soccer and the soccer coach at Oakden was kind of disappointed because I could run circles around everyone. he's like, you sure you don't want to just give running a little break and come over to the soccer team? I, yeah, I kind of found my love. But I think I also like I found my people and I found my community and I the girls that didn't like me because I smiled, they eventually really liked me and I just had found my people. So I think I was

just a lot happier with the runners.

Erika (30:10)
I can't believe anybody was mad at you for smiling. That's like what I try to do because it gets me through things. It's more helpful. ⁓ I

Eric (30:14)
Cause she makes it look easy.

Erika (30:18)
mean, that does kind of go hand in hand like maybe I'm not suffering as much as everybody else if I'm smiling.

Keira (30:23)
Well, and I didn't want to

really until that first race, I didn't really want to beat everyone. So I'd run behind them and I just be chatting it up and just like, Hey, can I and I was the freshman, right? Like, who is this freshman that's running with the juniors and the seniors? So I don't blame them. But, ⁓ you know, I warm down, you know, you track more, track more bees with honey.

Erika (30:32)
Mm-hmm.

There you go.

Eric (30:43)
Do you still

smile when you're in the pain cave? Sometimes.

Keira (30:46)
sometimes. Yeah.

Also the way that I breathe sometimes make it makes it look like I'm smiling. Really, I'm just like huffing for air. Yeah. Yeah.

Eric (30:50)
Yeah.

Erika (30:54)
It still counts.

Eric (30:57)
I don't, but

whenever someone like sees me then and says, you know, I ran New York last year and they're like, go Eric, instantly I'm out of that pain cave and I'm like smiling again, looking at them. I love that. That's what I love about the support community is they get me out of that pain, cave. But.

Erika (31:06)
Gives you something different to focus on.

Eric (31:13)
So you move on, you go to college, like this whole running thing is taken over. Your soccer coach is mad. Worst decision you could have ever made in your life. You could have gone far kid. But you actually went to college. You ran in college on scholarship. Like legit, you were like making head waves here and you were doing some serious, some serious running.

Keira (31:19)
You can.

Yeah, I went to college and all I wanted to be was a runner. So at that point, I was like fully 100 % heart soul like loss of toenails into running. And so I picked American University thinking that that would be where I could develop most as an athlete. The coach at the time was a two time Olympian and he also coached like a pro team also. So I thought I'd always have people to run with. I've

Erika (31:44)
Mm.

Keira (31:59)
be coached by someone who's been there, done that. yeah, so, I really, I really, my coach, Matt Sentuette, senior, I really loved him. He was an incredible coach, a tough love kind of coach, but like we really meshed really well.

Eric (32:11)
What was the whole running and studying ratio? Because we've had people on who've been big time D1 athletes, right? And it gets to them. Maybe school gets to them or maybe going up the next level in their sport really gets to them and they can't, they're not D1 level there. And then sometimes it really works for people. How did it work for you?

Erika (32:23)
Sometimes it's hard to juggle, right?

Keira (32:32)
I, I, it worked really well for me. I am ⁓ not a procrastinator and I feel like I'm very driven and very focused. When I sit down to do something, I can just knock it out and get it done. And so I think that really helped. I was also a math major. So I think that that like, you don't have to read like hundreds of pages every week. Like you're just like solving these equations and like I would put an equation in my head and go for a run and then try to solve it while I was running and come back and ⁓

Erika (32:46)
Hmm.

Keira (33:00)
Yeah, it worked really well. But I think also like, ⁓ think like I'm a pretty good student. Like I pick up on things quickly. Like I can really cram and do well on tests. And I think in general, pretty good test taker. So, but

Erika (33:13)
Mm.

Keira (33:15)
I enjoyed the balance. And for me, I love having multiple things to focus on because I think that that adds structure to like a really like busy schedule too. So having the team, knew these hours I was going to be training. So I needed to focus on these hours elsewhere.

Erika (33:31)
I just have to say, I am so impressed that you could solve legit math problems in your head, because I can't do the simplest runner's math when I'm in the middle of something.

Keira (33:31)
Yeah, I love it.

Okay, keep in mind that was

when I was 18 to 21. At this point, it doesn't work like that. Okay, so that was like a young fresh brain that was like just like a sponge. Like my brain does not work like that anymore,

Erika (33:45)
⁓ out the window.

It makes me feel a little better because I cannot do, I'll be like, all right, how many miles do I have left? And if I do it at this pace and just numbers are like floating, I'm like that meme of that lady who's just like, what, what's going on? Out of the head.

Keira (34:03)
I exactly what you're Yeah, I can't math when I run anymore. But

sometimes my son, he'll ride his bike when I'm going for a run. And he loves playing this game. It's called Password. And it started with just a five letter or number word that I have to guess. And then he'll tell me how many letters I have right. And then eventually it's moved on to nine to 11 letters and numbers. And I had to tell him the last time, I'm like, son, my brain cannot process this.

Erika (34:14)
Okay. ⁓ You

Keira (34:32)
Like, can we just chat or listen to music or something? yeah. In the springtime or like the early fall, he will. He loves climbing. This isn't, yeah, this isn't the time of year.

Erika (34:36)
Does he join you often for your runs?

Yeah, this isn't the time of year for that, huh? No.

Eric (34:46)
That's so much fun though. My daughter will ride her bike with me sometimes. I'll have to pick a rail trail. she runs with me. She just ran her first couple of 5Ks this year. So. Yeah. It's been.

Erika (34:55)
Okay.

Keira (34:54)
Okay, I love this.

There is something so intimate when you're running and I think that there's no devices, there's no chores, there's nothing else on your mind and you're looking forward. So I feel like you have some really deep, interesting conversations, especially with your kids when you're out in that environment. But hey, that's awesome, your daughter's running, that's really cool.

Eric (35:14)
we made it fun. this was like the biggest 5k in New Hampshire. And we're like, we made sure it was a good weather day and people were like, I signed her up two days before knowing it was good weather and knowing

Erika (35:24)
Mm-hmm.

Eric (35:25)
there was going to be great people there. And we're like, okay, it's hot. So you're to run through the sprinkler because everyone has a sprinkler. So you make it fun and you high five the people, you pet all the dogs you do. And she ran like a, for her first ever 5k, like I think 33 minutes for a nine year old who's

Keira (35:41)
That's awesome!

Erika (35:43)
Mm-hmm.

Eric (35:44)
Never

ran more than half a mile. Yeah. So

Keira (35:46)
That's awesome. That's really cool.

Erika (35:48)
you

Eric (35:49)
But anyways, at what point did like long distance come into play though, because you're running cross country and college that's like what a 10 K maybe less than that actually and track. might be doing the 1500 or something. At what point did distance become like, did you ever envision you'd become the world's, the American fastest ever, like half marathon, 10 mile or marathon runner? Like, did you think you'd be running after kids when you were doing all this running in high school and college?

Keira (36:15)
No, no, but I tell people when they ask me like why distance like I tell people I've always said I'm in around the shortest distance that I have a possibility of winning so like in high school I could like do the mile and Then in college I had to do like the 5k and I feel like where I'm at at life now it's like the marathon is my best chance but

Erika (36:26)
Hmm.

Keira (36:37)
⁓ Yeah, I never thought I would make it this far. In fact, like when I quit running in my 20s, like I really thought I was done with competitive running forever. And I just I have this visions, like I was eight months pregnant and I was sitting on a dock with one of those girls who thought I smiled too much. And she asked me like, Hey, Keira, do think you're ever gonna run again? And I was like, No, no, well, maybe like a local five case. She's like, No, no, no. I mean, like competitive, like elite running. Are you ever gonna like go after it again? And I was like, like, look at her and I'm like, I

Are you kidding me? No way. So like I had zero idea like round two was coming. Like I didn't plan for it. didn't like it's why the book is called Don't Call It a Comeback because it literally wasn't a comeback. I had no idea where I was going, but I kept on just wanting to do more and I liked the journey and the process and then I kept asking, well, what's next? Like what else can I do? So I kind of fell backwards into it. ⁓ I work really, really, really hard, but yeah, I had no idea where I was going.

Erika (37:13)
Mm-hmm.

Keira (37:36)
What's funny too is I was like, they asked me to read it and I was like, nope. I was like, you need like a professional audio book. Like you need a Julia Whalen or something, which I, but obviously that wasn't going to happen. But like, I'm not a

Erika (37:36)
I absolutely love that, Kira. I just, after reading your book a couple of times, so I tried to prep a little bit too. So I have your audio version, so was like you're talking to me. It was great. But yeah, she reads it,

Eric (37:48)
Do you speak in the audio version? it your voice? that's cool.

Erika (38:04)
you

Keira (38:05)
voice actor like no I don't know how to do this and they're like really like memoirs should be from the author and so they like I was and I really had a time with it yeah

Erika (38:13)
It made it more personal. And I really did feel like you were telling me your stories yourself, because you were. You really were. But yeah,

you definitely had the journey, ⁓ because you had the ankle injury ⁓ right out of your college career. And even having kids, it does take a whole, it's just hard to.

see the changes and where it's going to lead to, but you just had the motivation to, like you said, just step out the door, run a quarter mile, just see where it takes you, and just try to build on that.

Keira (38:51)
Yeah, and that literally I started with. don't even know if I made, I don't think I made it. 90 seconds definitely was not a quarter mile. So I started with maybe 200 meters, maybe, maybe 300. Yeah, and yeah, I had no idea. Although like I knew like every time I was done with my run, like I knew how good that made me feel. And I was like, feeling better mentally and physically. And so I just got really addicted to that. And it was really cool because like in my round one,

Erika (38:56)
There we go, but still baby steps.

Keira (39:19)
I think competitive Kira, all I cared about was how fast and like what place. And now like mom, Kira didn't care at all about that. Like I cared about where I was running or how I was feeling. And eventually I joined Strava and I was like hoping my mom would give me kudos, but those were the things that I like cared about. And hey, thank you for that, Eric. I really appreciate that. Sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense, I love, okay. Also on my Strava.

Erika (39:34)
you

Eric (39:37)
I give you kudos, by the way. I read what you write.

Erika (39:40)
you

Keira (39:49)
if you need to click on the comments. Like my jokes, I think are funny, but I think what is hilarious is what people will comment on my. People are really, really funny. ⁓ But yeah, just kind of it kind of grew. But ⁓ yeah, thank you for reading my book, Eric. I really appreciate that.

Eric (39:57)
OK.

Erika (39:57)
no way.

so

engaging. was really fun to because you tell the stories, but you also have life lessons behind them, like that you're just sharing your experience and hopefully it's going to help somebody out there who needs to start over again. like you said, don't call to come back because you never know what's going to happen. And yeah, just a journey.

Keira (40:26)
Yeah. And it's funny because when thinking about like after I broke the American record in the marathon, like people were saying you need to write a book, you need to write a book. And I like quickly dismissed it because I just kept telling people I didn't have my ending yet. Like I don't know where this book's going, you know. And I realized I was doing that because I was kind of scared and I didn't even know where to start. And then I like I felt like writing a memoir would feel like a little self indulgent. Like who am I to write a memoir?

Eric (40:41)
Mm-hmm.

Erika (40:42)
Uh-huh, uh-huh.

you

Keira (40:56)
And then but so I wanted it to be something helpful. But then also like, who am to write a self help book? so I tried to like, merge the like, trust me, like, I mean, I feel like I figured out some secrets are running. But I like, I hope it will help people with their life. But I don't want to tell people how to live. But ⁓ but I tried to find some way to kind of like combine those ideas. So teach the lessons that I learned, which most are lessons that we've all learned. But hopefully, it's like a good reminder of how to learn them again. And like,

Erika (41:20)
Mm-hmm.

Keira (41:25)
I don't know, as we all age, but then like through some just weird stories. And I've done a lot of weird things in my life. Okay.

Erika (41:32)
I totally appreciate that because a lot of it, like it's about you finding the joy again in running, making it fun. And some of the stories like Eric

brought up in the intro, you ran in a gorilla suit. Like you put it on to be funny and your coach was like, nope, you got to wear this now. And you're like, all right, let's go. Yeah.

Keira (41:49)
I'm not gonna back down. Like when you challenge

me to something when you're like, Kira, you won't I'm like, okay, well, buckle up. We're doing this. So

Erika (41:56)
I like that.

Eric (41:59)
want to

know about your book. And I know there's so many stories. Erika's going to give me her account so I can listen to the audio version, but we've had book writers on here before everyone from amateur to professional, someone who's written his own book about running and

Erika (42:00)
Yes, the book!

Mm-hmm.

Self-published

too. Mm-hmm.

Eric (42:15)
Exactly.

All the way to someone who's written like professional books, like does it for a living and happen to do it about a runner, an Olympic runner and the whole story and getting that journey. How was the process of writing this book? How did it start? Who is Evelyn? Like tell us everything. there ups and downs? How long did it take? Were there code rounds? Like tell us the book writing story.

Keira (42:36)
I

loved this journey. I had so much fun. I think I'm a person that in my life, I'm gonna keep moving forward. So I'm like, what's next? What's next? Moving forward, what's next? And I think this was such a beautiful way to reflect on my life in a way. ⁓ So Evelyn, she did a piece on me when I was on the cover of Runners World. She came out to Virginia for a weekend and followed me around and wrote this beautiful article.

And it was one of the first articles that I felt like really seen. Like there was a couple lines in there that I was like, ooh, she really, really got me. And like actually one was like I took her one day to go for this run. Actually we ran for a little bit and then she hopped on the bike and we were just talk, talk, talking. And it's like my favorite road in Richmond where like everyone goes and runs. And so like any given day you run there on like a Saturday or Sunday, you'll pass like 50 some people out there running.

Erika (43:09)
Mm. you

Keira (43:35)
And I love it because everyone's, hey, hey, how are you? And like a lot of people are like, go Kira, go Kira. And like every time someone would say that, would say, know, Evelyn, like I paid them to say that. Like I'm really not this cool. I just paid them a lot of money. But so in that article, what she wrote was, Kira loves going to this place and everyone's cheering for her. But it's clear she's not there for the cheers. She's there because she wants to be part of the community. And not just like, I was like, my gosh.

Erika (43:45)
Yeah.

Hmm.

Keira (44:03)
you see me like and I think it would be a natural assumption to think oh yeah she just loves being cheered for and it is nice

I will say that is nice but for her to just to see right through me of how much I like crave community around me was so anyways so while she was there I was like hey have you ever written a book and she's like well one and I was like well what if like we like tag-team this because I was always I was mostly a straight-a student but I was always like a B plus in English because I wrote the way that I

Erika (44:31)
Hmm.

Keira (44:33)
spoke and I was always graded down that that's not how you're supposed to write. So I knew I help or else this wouldn't be a very pleasurable read, but I also talked

to Evelyn and I said I do want it to be my voice and I do want to stick it to all those English teachers that told me don't write the way that you talk. I want this to feel like a conversation. I want this to feel like we're out on a long run and we're just chatting, you know, and going off on

Erika (44:55)
It definitely translated

that way. It was great. You got the little asides, like your little quotes. And so I felt like we were actually like talking. It was great.

Keira (45:04)
Yeah, and so yeah, so I would, so we kind of like broke down the chapters and I told her like what lessons learned and then I would fill in the stories and she would put it all down on paper and then I would read it and say, well, this isn't what I meant here or hey, let's use this or hey, that reminds me of time I've won like six radio contests, we should probably include that in somewhere in the book. We're like, one time I like, I went on this spree where I was winning

Erika (45:23)
Ha Ha

Eric (45:24)
What a radio contest?

Keira (45:29)
radio contests like it was my job. I don't know

what that says about me.

Erika (45:35)
This is your good at dialing because I could never get in through those things. They never picked up.

Keira (45:39)
I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know what that says. But I was I the only one dialing? That's what I started like question. Like, am I the only one actually pursuing this? But yeah, so. Okay, well. Oh, man, so I won a lot of concert tickets. I won like really cool like prize pack. I won tickets to this like, I don't know, it was called like some glam fest concert or whatever. I won like a CD like

Eric (45:45)
Ha!

Erika (45:48)
Hmm.

Eric (45:50)
was the coolest prize?

Erika (45:58)
Awesome. Okay.

Keira (46:09)
pack, I want some DVDs and stuff. So it wasn't really all that cool. One time I had to call my mom and pretend like I was in jail. And if she freaked out, then I'd win a prize. And I was like,

yeah, I'll do that. Don't go looking for it. But the funny thing is, I was so nervous to do this. It actually sounds like I was crying. But really, there was a shake in my voice because I was like, why am I doing this?

Eric (46:23)
Can you find this? Do you have this? ⁓ no!

Erika (46:36)
laughing so hard

Keira (46:39)
I don't know. So I've done a lot of weird things, but I don't even remember any of the prizes, so I don't even think it was about that. Yeah.

Erika (46:43)
That's fun. Just for the fun of it, why not? You enjoy

it. Psh.

Eric (46:50)
I like doing that, but I sidetracked you back to the book. So you're doing this really cool book with Evelyn and she's gonna help you because you're a B student in English, but you're an A student everywhere else.

And now, how do you go about writing about yourself? How did Evelyn help you with that process to say you need to just get it all out there, don't hold anything back? I'm assuming. I haven't read, but I will get Erika's login credentials to listen.

Erika (47:13)
Yeah.

Keira (47:17)
I feel like I put it all out there. So we started out, she came back out to Richmond for a weekend and we just talked like, well, I shouldn't say we talked, I talked at her for like

Erika (47:28)
Yeah.

Keira (47:30)
three days. And so that was like really good. She got a lot of stories, but she would just kind of ask a question and then I would just tell stories and tell stories and tell stories. And ⁓ then we kind of tried to like pick out which stories were either one, the most relevant or the most entertaining.

Erika (47:44)
⁓

Keira (47:46)
or that just like kind of defined me as a person and showed how I grew or how I learned something or like things

Erika (47:51)
you

Keira (47:53)
that I've failed at. And yeah, and then we kind of like went chapter by chapter. We really just wrote it in chronological order. But the funny thing about my book too, which I don't know how many people do it this way, is I didn't know the ending when I started writing the book. So when I started writing the book, I had broken the American record in the marathon.

and I had, I think made my first like world team, but I don't think I had broken the half marathon American record yet. And I hadn't raced in the 2024 Olympic trials. So a lot of that book, I was living as we were writing about it. And even like we had the book totally finished by the end of 2023. And we saved the last chapter for how the Olympic trials

Erika (48:41)
.

Keira (48:42)
in 2024 would go.

And so the ending of the book was totally dependent on how that race went for me. And spoiler alert, it did not go very well. And I almost got a heat stroke and I dropped out of the race. And that was a really, really tough race. It's probably the most disappointed I've ever been after a race. It took me the most to like build myself up. And I won't spoil it. It was in Orlando. But it was,

Erika (48:50)
Mm. that was Orlando, wasn't it? Ooh, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. I remember watching that.

Keira (49:11)
I feel like now

Like you see in the book, like how I wrap it all up, but I couldn't have asked for an even better ending because I feel like the way that it ends is like really putting all the other lessons in the book and like really applying them. So even though the race isn't how I wanted to turn out, I feel like it's makes it even like a more like human story that, you know, how I reflected and how I moved on from that race. And I really, I don't know. I'm proud of myself, I guess, yeah.

Erika (49:26)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I did find

a lot of your stories very relatable.

you have parts where you're talking about having imposter syndrome. And that is something that I deal with that most runners I know deal with. just having to juggle running with work with children, everybody's got something that they're dealing with. trying to squeeze in to your day, there's only so many hours you can work. And it does make you seem, well, you are human. And we know that. And you're just a more relatable person.

Keira (49:54)
Yeah.

Erika (50:14)
It was just a joy to read, to be honest. Get to see the other

Keira (50:17)
Yeah.

Erika (50:19)
side of things. You get your media side after you do a race, but you have your own personality and your sense of humor. And you're human. are.

Keira (50:29)
Yeah, and I maybe like probably overshared a little bit. now when I travel, well I've mentioned in the book that I always forget to pack underwear. Like I overpack, perpetually overpack, but I always forget underwear. So there's like an 89 % chance if I'm not in my home or within driving distance from my home, I'm going commando.

Eric (50:33)
That's good.

Erika (50:34)
There's no such thing in our books, so you're good.

Eric (50:37)
Spare no details as we say.

Erika (50:45)
you

You

Keira (50:57)
And now like, whenever I'm like packing or people see me at races, they're like, are you commando? And I'm like, this is something I probably shouldn't have said, but ⁓

Erika (51:04)
That may be

the one thing that I don't relate to because I'm bringing 35 pairs of underwear for a two-day trip. I take no chances.

Keira (51:12)
I

always forget. don't know. That's okay. Yeah, you gotta be prepared. Yeah, I don't know why I'm like that. But also it's like I won't like jokes permanently implant themselves on my brain. But the simple act of packing underwear when I travel is just like not there. Like I don't know why my brain stores some stuff and not other stuff. But

Eric (51:15)
Erika has a few accidents on occasion.

Erika (51:18)
But

what if I did, you know? Like,

Ugh.

Well, my brain is like 90 % like song lyrics and like, can't remember like directions to Eric's house. he lives 10 minutes down the street. the brain is a weird thing.

Keira (51:42)
Yeah.

a good one though. wish like I always

make up my own words for songs and I'm constantly like people being like no I don't think that's how it goes but

Erika (51:58)
I misheard song lyrics. Those can be funny too.

Eric (52:02)
You should try running with her as support crew during

an ultra and she's trying to remember a song that her dad loves and she can't. And for like four miles she's keep, she's singing the wrong lyrics and then finally it clicks. That was a fun time. Yeah. But she's trying to do it at two in the morning at the hamster wheel and it's just not working out.

Erika (52:09)
you

Layla! It was Layla!

Keira (52:15)
You should have heard

such a good Eric Clapton. This is

Erika (52:24)
Ultras are weird things, yeah.

Keira (52:26)
why we're a great ultra runner because like you can distract like that I feel like is the secret is you can distract your mind and fixate on something that is way more fun thinking about than left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.

Eric (52:30)
Right.

Erika (52:37)
Exactly. And you get to annoy your friends at the same time, so.

Eric (52:38)
It's true.

Keira (52:40)
Win-win.

Eric (52:43)
will

echo the relatability, but I more so just watch you from the social media side of things in Nostrava. But like as a mom of two, dad here of three, sports kids take priority a lot for all of us. then we have the fun things we do. And running's more serious for you because it's part of your job. But you also, you sell homes and you might come back out of retirement and DJ again one day. But you are...

Erika (52:59)
Mm-hmm.

Keira (53:08)
No.

Eric (53:10)
Relatable to a lot of runners I feel because we see that inside story of your everyday life and at the same time crushing it breaking world records American records just killing it But about your book Erika wrote some notes and because I don't know it I want to ask a couple questions One thing you said is the more fun you have it can improve your chances of success Tell me like was that was that something that happened or something you learned along the way and you you

Erika (53:12)
you you ⁓

Eric (53:37)
made work for yourself?

Keira (53:39)
Yeah, so this took me a really long time to figure out. So when I was running in high school and college, I did not know this. Like I thought working hard is hard, so it had to be serious and you had to be focused and you and I feel I was felt like a walking anomaly to that because that's not me.

So I felt like my round one, was trying to rein in my sparkle and just show up and be that hardworking person. Like I thought if I was telling jokes and I was laughing, maybe people would think that I didn't want it as much or I wasn't working as hard or I was slacking or something. So I felt like I reigned in the sparkle lot. And then round two, coming back as a mom, like this was my fun thing. you know, being a mom with young kids is really tough and you give a lot of yourself to that. So having a little thing in my day.

And I found that the more fun I was having, the more I wanted to do it. And the more I was doing it, the more success, like the faster I got and the more success I was having. like, I just was having the time of my life. And so I think when you're focused on the fun, I would show up to a race and sometimes I hit my goal or sometimes I wouldn't. But the days that I wouldn't, I'd be like, well, did I have fun? And I'd be like,

Erika (54:31)
Mm.

Keira (54:51)
Hell yeah, that was ⁓ awesome. I got to go out and race and test my limits and like, man, I hit that wall and it was terrible. But look, look at me living to tell the story. So I started realizing that for me, fun was connected to success. And when I focused on fun and my happiness and finding the joy and just authentically pursuing things that really excited me, I was

Erika (54:53)
Mm hmm.

Keira (55:16)
having more fun and way more success than I ever could imagine.

Erika (55:21)
That is such an important thing that I try to bring that into my life too. And it has changed how I thought about running because it used to just be kind of a slog. Like I know I should go out and do this, but I didn't really want to. But once I started having more fun, like it made all the difference.

Eric (55:22)
Right.

because she runs with me.

Erika (55:40)
yeah.

Keira (55:42)
To me, like when I came back in round two, when I was thinking about getting more serious with running, like I was really nervous to like train more serious because I still had this notion of round one Cura. And so I was like, well, but this is so much fun right now. I don't know if I really went for it, would it become less fun? So I made a list of what made running fun for me. And I share that in the book.

Erika (56:00)
Hmm.

Keira (56:03)
But one of those things is community and like having friends to run with and being silly and doing that. So yes, Eric, do think it is partly because I'm not going to give you all credit for Erika's happiness, but I do think part of her like enjoying running, I'm sure is having a buddy to do it with.

Eric (56:13)
Ha ha ha! ⁓

Erika (56:14)
Honestly, it does make all the difference, just because you kind of just get to shut off the brain, just shoot the shit. It really does.

Keira (56:26)
Mm-hmm.

Erika (56:28)
kind of take the stress out of it a little bit. Yeah, I can't get a word in, but I'm a great listener. Mm-hmm.

Eric (56:28)
She just listens to everything I say, because I talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. I was training for

Keira (56:34)
you

Eric (56:35)
Ironman. She was training for all the world majors. And we were just like aligned our long run days. Because we're college friends from over 20 years ago. And I moved far away. And then I come back. And it was just like we started all training for races and stuff. Not the same races, but we just figured out. We started a little fun club on Sunday mornings. And I talked a lot.

Keira (56:43)
Okay, I love this.

Erika (56:44)
We go way back.

Keira (56:58)
Do you want and every talker needs a listener like that was there was a girl I talked about. My best friend

Eric (57:00)
Yes.

Erika (57:01)
That's why we get along so well. ⁓

Keira (57:04)
in Richmond her name is Sarah Baw. I talk about her in the book and she is the best listener and I can play both roles like I can be a talker like I feel like I'm talking a lot right now but but she is like the best listener in the world and we made such a good and I kept asking her like I'm sorry I'm talking so much she's like no really like I'm enjoying this a lot so yeah so it's good.

Erika (57:25)
It is nice

to listen though. I don't mind not talking because I get to learn more about who I'm running with and they're wise. It's always nice to see why somebody likes doing something because I have my own reasons, everybody has theirs. It is nice to just unwind and like you said, community, that's super important. We got a pretty good one up here.

Keira (57:45)
Well, and you learn a lot more

listening than you do talking. So I got a point there for you, Erika.

Erika (57:50)
Mm-hmm.

Eric (57:53)
Eric has learned a lot then, that's for sure. Another book question, the last one for me, Erika I'm sure has plenty more, but I'm reading her notes here. She did her notes, it's amazing. I love it. Thank you, Erika.

Keira (57:54)
Hahaha!

Erika (58:02)
I'm just mad I

Eric (58:05)
I don't know if we're getting serious here, but I want to talk about bananas and running postpartum and dealing with mom guilt being a parent because you are a like a legit elite runner, but you're also a mom a badass mama, too So telling about bananas and how you run with being a mom

Keira (58:08)
Hmm.

Erika (58:08)
you

Code word bananas.

Keira (58:25)
Yeah, so when I was getting back into running, I felt a lot of mom guilt. And I felt really guilty that I was doing something for me that didn't benefit the family. I ⁓ know, I mean, I think that's just parent guilt in general, but I do think women tend to hold that on a little bit more. But ⁓

Erika (58:40)
Hmm.

Keira (58:45)
But you know, I'd go out for a little bit and I'd come back and I had this like dipstick that I would like not a real dipstick, but like that's a weird word to say dipstick. But

Erika (58:54)
It was a good analogy. I like it.

Keira (58:57)
I would use this dipstick to make sure like when I left and I came back, are my kids still happy, healthy, kind and loved? And so then I could go for like a one mile run and come back and be like, my kids world went on without me. They're okay. And you know, eventually that moved up to doing long runs at 20 miles and I'd come back in and be like, okay, my kids are fine.

like they're still happy, healthy, kind and loved. So I started taking them to races. And when like I would run around the neighborhood or they would come to a track or we'd go outside and like run around together, I would always stop and hug them and give them kisses. And so like the first race they came to, I just ran right by and I like waved and I was doing the I love you sign, but they like both started just bawling. And they were so confused why mom would run by.

Erika (59:31)
Mm.

Mm.

Keira (59:41)
and not say hi, not give them kisses and hugs like a jerk. And I realized then that I never explained to them what racing is, you know, and like they're new to this world and they had no idea why I was doing

Erika (59:52)
.

Keira (59:54)
this. So I came home and I'm like, okay, this is a good like teaching moment for everyone. And I explained to them why I'm doing this, like what my goal is. And like, I can't stop when I'm trying to see how fast I can get to the finish line. I can't stop and give out hugs and kisses. So we came up with this code word.

and I let them pick it and they picked bananas. And it meant, I love you, but I'm racing right now so I can't stop, but this is hugs and kisses and I love you and I'll see you at the finish line. So it was like everything rolled into one. So in races when they'd come, I'd run by and just yell, bananas, bananas. And then they knew, okay, mom's running, she can't stop and hug us, she's not being a jerk, but she's trying to get to the finish line as as she can. So that was

Erika (1:00:31)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Keira (1:00:34)
bananas. And I think that that like,

That word is so perfect because it summed up like how I felt about my life then. ⁓ It was, it felt like just bananas. So yeah, that was, that was perfect.

Erika (1:00:45)
So I know your kids are a little bit older now, but do you still use that word if they see you in a race?

Keira (1:00:51)
I a little bit but they forget it like I was talking about it recently and I was like bananas and they're like what I'm like you don't remember bananas so they like I think that's like in a far memory now but I think now they understand like they see me going out for runs they see me training they see me like going for workouts so I think that they are more present for the journey now so I think they understand a little bit more why and like what a race is all about so

Erika (1:01:04)
Gotcha. Gotcha. Now

that's still really special. That's a nice moment that you had with the kids.

Keira (1:01:23)
I should get a banana

tattoo. You know, you heard it here first. I'm gonna get a banana. Is that a weird tattoo? Do we think that's a Okay, where would I put said banana tattoo? I do, I have two other ones. I have one just like on my side, like kind of on my rib cage. And then I got one actually last year.

Eric (1:01:26)
Ooh.

Erika (1:01:27)
⁓

No, I've seen worse.

Eric (1:01:32)
think that's awesome.

Erika (1:01:36)
Where are the rest of yours? Do you have more?

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Keira (1:01:48)
Right on, ⁓ you can't really see, but it's like on my wrist. Like kind of it's some arrows like pointing to my watch. you see that? Yeah. I don't know.

Eric (1:01:53)
Do you want to be able to see it? Do you want to be able to see it to be reminded?

Erika (1:01:53)
feel like you gotta, if you're getting a... You gotta put it in the right

spot though. You can't just have a banana somewhere.

Keira (1:02:00)
Yeah, I don't know. Yeah,

Eric (1:02:01)
What about... I mean...

Keira (1:02:01)
bananas are a little tricky. Maybe I need to do bananas, plural.

Erika (1:02:07)
You

Eric (1:02:07)
What about

your calf? You know, you see a lot of people put an Ironman one on their calf or like a marathon, like a big thing, 26.2, like the back of your calf. I don't know if you want people asking you that at the beach, but.

Keira (1:02:15)
Okay.

Erika (1:02:16)
People are going to be chasing you and they're going to see your tattoo be like, what is this?

They can ask you at the finish line.

Keira (1:02:21)
Yeah.

Okay. if you saw some, okay, question, if you were in a race and you saw on someone's calf, a tattoo of bananas, would that motivate you to try to beat them harder? Or would you think, they're crazy. They're gonna let this lady win. Cause I don't want to motivate them to be like, I got to beat the banana girl. Right.

Eric (1:02:42)
Would it spell bananas or would it be a tattoo of an actual banana? Like a banana

with arms and legs running?

Keira (1:02:48)
⁓

Erika (1:02:48)
my god,

I'm thinking of the peanut butter jelly time banana or what is that a banana like?

Keira (1:02:52)
That

is a banana and that is the best banana. So I'm really glad you brought that up. There is no better banana than that. Maybe I do that one because I really do like that one.

Erika (1:02:58)
That's cute.

Eric (1:03:03)
If it was written out, I would almost think somewhere on an arm, right? I'm thinking Casey Neistat has a ton of ⁓ tattoos on his.

Keira (1:03:05)
⁓ Like right here.

Erika (1:03:11)
You could do it in the pretty

cursive writing and it just says bananas. And that's elegant. You could put that anywhere.

Keira (1:03:19)
my gosh, you guys, this is the best brainstorm. I am so excited about this. Okay, bananas, possibly on the arm. And that would be great because then when I flex and people are like, Ooh, that girl's bananas. I like that.

Erika (1:03:22)
Do it, do it, do it.

It's got multiple meanings. ⁓ depth. It's perfect.

Keira (1:03:35)
Yeah, OK.

Eric (1:03:36)
You know what it's

I do want to ask you one other question about running here and because you're so competitive and today you are too, which I think is amazing. And you, you go for races that you think you can win. So one day you're going to be the next Courtney Duhalter doing 200 milers, you know, cause you keep progressing up.

But actually what I really want to get at is I just ran the New York city marathon. And I remember Deslinden ran her first race as not a pro runner, but she ran like, Eric, what was her time for something with, I forget his name. was from the show, the Broadway show. I, ⁓ God, my sister's going to be so mad at me that I can't think of it. Was it Hamilton? The Hamilton show. Right. But do you see yourself one day?

Keira (1:04:08)
I can't remember who, I know who.

Erika (1:04:09)
I don't remember.

Keira (1:04:14)
Yeah, I think I think it was from Hamilton.

Erika (1:04:15)
I don't remember off the top of my head.

Keira (1:04:18)
I don't know.

Eric (1:04:21)
Not that you don't run for fun because you have so much fun, running non-competitively, but taking this running journey beyond after a pro life, like going and doing world majors and stuff and maybe building the, the Kira DeMato platform here, being somebody in the community still, you're no longer a pro or super competitive or winning or, or maybe you are, maybe you are setting records for like the 50 year old, 60 year old, 70, 80, 90s one day, but how do you see your running?

Erika (1:04:42)
I mean, Meb does that.

Eric (1:04:50)
future here as you continue to grow and evolve.

Keira (1:04:54)
I feel like if I have running in my life for the next 20, 30 years, like I'm winning. So yeah, I hope I will be in some way, or form, I think involved with running the rest of my life. So

Erika (1:05:00)
Absolutely. .

Eric (1:05:01)
Yeah.

Keira (1:05:08)
It's just like, woe, running is woven onto my soul. So even when I walked away from it for like eight years, like, I don't know, was just a runner who didn't run. So it's just, it's there and I will, yeah, I'll find a way to be involved. I don't know what that looks like, but hopefully my body will hold up and let me continue to run.

Erika (1:05:26)
Good. Good. I mean, that's the ultimate goal. If you truly enjoy what you're doing and running is just such a, like, it's ingrained in your soul. If you can stay healthy enough to just keep it up in the future, why not? It doesn't have to be fast. Just enjoying the sport, being a part of the community.

Keira (1:05:39)
Right.

Right. But I did just qualify for the 2028 trials. So, do you have a little sound for that?

Eric (1:05:47)
Not a big deal.

⁓ I'll just I'll do this one not a big deal

Erika (1:05:54)
Somewhere. There

Keira (1:05:56)
So

Erika (1:05:58)
we go.

Keira (1:05:59)
yeah, so you know, like I'm going to continue to go for it and just see what happens.

Erika (1:06:04)
As you should. I mean, you are in the prime. This is like pure Kira era. Let's go. You're in your Kira era. That's really hard to say.

Keira (1:06:15)
You

Eric (1:06:13)
Keep

Absolutely.

Keira (1:06:15)
know what's funny is a lot of people just called me Kira Kira era like that was some people pronounce my name like that I've heard everything so Kira era

Eric (1:06:23)
I that. I like that. That and bananas.

Erika (1:06:25)
to correct Eric.

Eric (1:06:27)
wait. I can't wait for the banana tattoo. You're not off the hook. We could talk to you for hours and anytime you want to jump on and burn the midnight oil with us, because this is a lot of fun, to be honest. It's 1030 right now. I love this. But we do have a couple final big questions. We always ask everyone. I change mine up every year. So everyone is going to get this question this year and you are going to set the tone.

Erika (1:06:28)
B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Keira (1:06:52)
Thank

Eric (1:06:53)
I want to know what

is your hot take for 2026? Give me a hot take. It can be funny. It can be serious. It can be personal. It can do something about sleeves. Erika gave me like a clue there to help you out if you needed it. Give me a hot take.

Keira (1:07:08)
Okay, I have a couple. I think honeydew should go extinct. I think that is the worst food on the planet. It's a filler food and it should not exist.

Eric (1:07:11)
Yes!

Keira (1:07:24)
Honeydew is the worst fruit in the fruit salad and I think people put it in there as a filler fruit and we do not need it in our lives.

Erika (1:07:33)
That is hysterical. I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't mind honeydew, but I don't go buying melons. I don't do that, but I understand.

Eric (1:07:34)
Love it.

Keira (1:07:35)
Okay.

I'm really proud of you

for admitting that after how hard I went after honeydew and I really respect that. I really respect that. Okay, also, I think mustard is the best condiment. Okay, no one's really arguing with that. So that's fine.

Erika (1:07:48)
gonna go like hide, no I'm just kidding.

you

Hmm

Eric (1:07:58)
and

Erika (1:08:01)
Yeah, that's legit. Pretzels? Yes. Hot dogs? Yes.

Eric (1:08:02)
It's not my go-to, but it's, like when you do like

a hot dog with everything, like I can't do just mustard.

Keira (1:08:08)
⁓ see I could. I'm okay with this.

Erika (1:08:10)
Do you like Chicago hot dogs the way they do that

with like celery salt and the peppers and the it's mostly mustard? Ooh, if you haven't tried one yet, go for it. They're delicious.

Keira (1:08:19)
I'll try anything once and probably twice actually. I think I'd really like

that.

Eric (1:08:24)
You're in Virginia. Well, you grew up in Richmond, but you're only a couple hours away from Martinsville. Have you ever heard of the Martinsville Hut Dog?

Keira (1:08:33)
No, actually, so I live in Utah right now. So I'm not, but no, where's Martinsville?

Eric (1:08:35)
Well, yes, yeah, yeah.

So Martinsville is like North of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. So I used to work in NASCAR. I used to change tires in NASCAR. It was the coolest few year. Do you have a podcast I'd love to go on? I'll go on your... I could...

Keira (1:08:45)
That's so cool. Why are we talking about this the whole time, Eric? Okay. I love race

cars.

Erika (1:08:54)
you

Keira (1:08:54)
I think this is so cool. And especially the people that change the tires really quickly. This is like the coolest of the cool of race cars. But okay, so that's

Eric (1:09:01)
It was a lot

of fun. I actually got run over at Martinsville and I broke my wrist, my fingers, tore ligaments, broken foot, concussion, all of it.

Erika (1:09:09)
He loves telling this story for that exact reaction. He loves it.

Keira (1:09:12)
Okay, which

wheel ran you over?

Eric (1:09:15)
My own driver, David Starr in the truck series. One week, one week before my first ever cup race, which was the pros, the top, the top, which I never got to do because I got hurt. The only positive of this because I'm from the Boston area is I'm a diehard Boston Bruins fan. And because I was all like bandaged up, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. I flew home for the parade, which was the day after my sister graduated from high school. I go, Hannah, look, I came home for your graduation. She goes, no.

Keira (1:09:18)
Okay, but like.

Erika (1:09:23)
Mm.

Keira (1:09:28)
You

Erika (1:09:45)
Hey.

Eric (1:09:45)
You came home for the Boston Bruins Parade.

Keira (1:09:48)
Okay, hold on more questions about when

you got hit by a car. What like what actual tire was it like the passenger side the drive like the driver's side? Oh, so you really got rammed.

Eric (1:09:57)
It was the front bumper.

I got ran. I, he said he pushed the brake and it went to the floor. So he hit me at about 20, 25 miles an hour. And I jumped on the hood, but I was the jack man. I carried the jack. I jacked the car up and I had that job jack is held in my left hand

and there's this handle. And so when I hit the hood, cause I jumped on the car, the front bumper hits, I jumped because I knew I was getting hit. Front bumper hits my foot. That's how my foot broke. I then get like,

Erika (1:10:20)
So scary. Okay.

Keira (1:10:25)
Good, good.

Eric (1:10:30)
quickly turned and the jack of my hand gets squeezed between the jack and the hood and my back hits the windshield. I dented. broke the braces in the windshield and I went up and over the top of the truck and landed on the back tailgate and it looked like I got stabbed like 10 times in my back because

Keira (1:10:37)
Yeah.

Eric (1:10:50)
I hit like the spoiler or something. And you want to know what I got right back up and I finished the pit stop.

Keira (1:10:58)
No you did not! Okay so you got up, you ran around the front and then jacked up the car

Eric (1:10:59)
Yes, I did.

Yeah, well, he actually came, he kept going and then he came back around, came down pit road the next the next time by and someone grabbed someone grabbed the jack and I'm like, Nope, there's my job. And then I went to the infield care center and I missed a couple months and it led to some good opportunities, but it also led to me eventually coming home and getting a real job with health insurance and

Erika (1:11:07)
Okay.

Keira (1:11:27)
This

is a wild story.

Erika (1:11:43)
See, these are new details I haven't even heard. So this is like, this is fun.

Keira (1:11:28)
back to when you got hit by the car. So you go over and then the driver decides, I'm just gonna keep going and I'll loop around next time.

Eric (1:11:31)
Yes.

He just kept going. I remember, I remember like watching him go and my Jack is bouncing down pit road.

Keira (1:11:45)
What?

Eric (1:11:47)
We have

a couple friends who listen and I could bring them on one time and they can like Ryan Painter like was watching me from somebody that Erika knows was watching me from two pit stalls in front and he gives a great perspective of this. Another guy was Steve Freymeyer like they give these great perspectives because the whole time it happened I blacked out but I heard everything. I could hear everything but I wasn't I closed my eyes or something.

Keira (1:12:07)
Wow.

Erika (1:12:10)
Mm.

Keira (1:12:10)
What did Mr. Starr say to you when

he was done with the race?

Eric (1:12:16)
It wasn't that good. He came by like, I'm so sorry, man. I'm so sorry. He's this Texas guy with a southern accent and He's like I pushed the breakdown. I tried to play it off cool. Like I'm okay. I knew I was messed up Yeah

Keira (1:12:23)
which does make it a little...

Yeah, dude,

feel like I'm so sorry is like what you say when like, I don't know you like accidentally like, this is flat tire like with their shoe. Yeah, when you hit someone with the car, I think they're my goodness. This is a wild story.

Eric (1:12:34)
They could have taken me out for dinner, bought me a few beers. Yeah.

Erika (1:12:43)
You have a point. Yeah.

Eric (1:12:44)
Yeah. I never saw him again after that actually because I

lost my job because I was hurt and they got another Jack man. But like I said, it led to other opportunities within NASCAR and I started working for Joe Gibbs, who you probably know who Joe Gibbs is being being from Virginia. Yeah. So that opened the door for me to work at Joe Gibbs Racing a couple of months later. So, yeah.

Keira (1:12:52)
Dude!

Joe Gibbs. Huge Joe Gibbs fan. Yes. Okay, that's really cool. That's really cool.

Joe's a good guy,

Eric (1:13:13)
Yeah, good guy. Really good. And man, what a light.

Keira (1:13:15)
Does he send you a Christmas card? I'm still stuck on this. So he like said sorry. Does he send you a Christmas card now? Are you kidding me?

Erika (1:13:19)
He should. The worst part, nobody got this on video. There's no video evidence of this.

Eric (1:13:23)
He doesn't even remember. Like he probably is like, yeah, I hit some guy one day.

Keira (1:13:29)
my god.

Eric (1:13:32)
We were running like dog shit. Yeah. We

Keira (1:13:34)
Okay.

Eric (1:13:34)
were running like 30th place. I had a friend who worked for the Speed Channel. I tried to find it. Because you know why? I had a big crush on Michelle Beatle at the time. You know who Michelle Beatle is? She worked for ESPN and she had this show every day and it would be the not top 10 and they would show all the like not like the bad highlights. I'm like, I'm gonna be on her show. I know. I know.

Keira (1:13:51)
Bye!

Yeah, you would have. If it was on tape, you would have.

Erika (1:14:00)
⁓ no.

Eric (1:14:00)
And it has

to be, there's so many cameras, I mean this was 2011? It has to be, I mean it was probably standard death, but... Yeah. I have the hood though, I do have the hood, it's in my dad's shed.

Keira (1:14:07)
Wow, this is a pretty wild thing.

Erika (1:14:12)
You

Keira (1:14:12)
Okay, that

is really cool. Okay, that does redeem it a little bit. And also, ⁓

Erika (1:14:16)
⁓ man.

Eric (1:14:16)
When I build my own podcast

studio, cause this is going to happen one day, the hood's going to be in there somewhere. Like that's where I'm going to put it. Yeah.

Keira (1:14:21)
That's really awesome. And I am sorry I just laughed

Erika (1:14:23)
This is so wild.

Keira (1:14:25)
so hard at this story, but this... my god.

Eric (1:14:27)
I love it. This is a storytelling podcast and I'll mind sharing them sometimes when someone's really into it. But I do like to make it

Erika (1:14:33)
It's

Eric (1:14:33)
about you.

Erika (1:14:33)
wild, it's so wild. Go for it.

Keira (1:14:35)
It's pretty wild.

Eric (1:14:36)
I actually, I know of a story of yours, I want to hear this, and then Erika can ask her question, but

Keira (1:14:40)
Yes.

Eric (1:14:41)
I sometimes do research and I find out stories and I don't tell Erika. But your mom was in a movie.

Keira (1:14:49)
my god.

Eric (1:14:50)
And there's this famous line, your ass is grass and I'm the lawnmower. And you even wear a t-shirt every Halloween about this movie. Tell me this story.

Keira (1:14:54)
Thank

my gosh, this is so funny. So I don't know, this was probably 15, 20 years ago maybe, but I have an uncle who was like, when Craigslist was like a really big thing and a little bit safer. So he came across this person that was his life dream to make this monster movie and he was looking for extras and he paid him $50 an hour to be an extra. And my uncle has like a really cool job like at the White House or something. Like he does like,

not, he's not political, but he does like IT and stuff. And so he was like, Yeah, that sounds awesome. I'll be an extra. And when he gets there, they were looking for a lead. And it was like an all American sheriff, like a woman all American, like, and he's like, yeah, my sister kind of like meets that. And so he calls my mom. And for the next like few months, every Saturday and Sunday, they meet to film this movie called the meat thing.

Erika (1:15:30)
Mm-hmm.

Keira (1:15:55)
and it's about this alien that comes down and like eats people. And so

my mom is like the take no prisoner sheriff and it is the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. And it's not like, it's not so bad that it's good. It's like so bad, it's terrible. Like it really is the worst movie. But like this was this guy's like lifelong dream to produce it. So I think he saved all his money and like,

Erika (1:16:02)
⁓ no!

Keira (1:16:23)
got a really nice camera and all these old fashioned cars and then made this movie. And so because like my mom is so embarrassed of it, actually, I think my mom really loves it. I think she was a star of this movie. So I think there is some secret part of this. She thinks it's like she's a very funny woman. So she gets the joke of how bad it is. But so I made the meat thing shirts and gave

Erika (1:16:41)
I love it.

Keira (1:16:43)
them out one Christmas. And now every year on Halloween, I wear this and

nobody knows what it means and no one even asks me on Halloween either. Like I feel like if I saw someone wearing a meet thing shirt I'd be like what's that about right? Why are you doing that?

Erika (1:16:57)
You would ask questions, yeah.

Keira (1:16:59)
But no one ever asked me so I just keep doing it and I send a picture of me every Halloween until like my family group chat and like people don't even laugh anymore because I've been doing it for so long but here's the thing I think with a long running joke it eventually will get to the point where it's funny again.

Erika (1:17:06)
⁓

Keira (1:17:16)
So I think in another five to ten years if I keep this up it eventually will be funny again.

Erika (1:17:22)
You were playing the long game. love that.

Keira (1:17:23)
I'm playing the longboard. Yep.

me.

Eric (1:17:27)
I do good there, Erika?

Erika (1:17:27)
Man, how do I top this? Yeah, absolutely, I had no idea. So it's M-E-A-T,

Eric (1:17:32)
She might

even have more heart takes, I don't know.

Erika (1:17:34)
meat thing, right?

Keira (1:17:37)
Me at meat. Yeah, because it likes, because really this alien that likes to eat the meat off of people and the meat that it usually targets are on a woman's like breast and buttocks. But ⁓ it was more attracted to men. So like desires men, but likes the meat off of women. It's a really

Erika (1:17:39)
⁓ my god.

Of course.

you

Keira (1:18:02)
The worst movie I've ever seen in my life, but like my mom's in it so like it's pretty cool

Eric (1:18:03)
you

Erika (1:18:07)
That's really fun though. Like that's,

that is such a cool story to tell. And I'm glad Eric does his research cause he, dug deep for that one.

Keira (1:18:12)
weird

it's a weird it's a weird thing but it's fine i just want i think one halloween for someone just to be like hey like why are wearing that shirt and be like well let me tell you grass is grass and i'm the lawnmower

Erika (1:18:19)
Like how do I even?

Buckle up. That line is like Chef's Kiss though. It's perfect.

Eric (1:18:32)
love that line. That line did it for me.

Keira (1:18:36)
Recently,

so we have a group family chat for Wardle too and the Wardle was grass. So again, I use that opportunity to bring up the movie and the quote and again, like no laughs, but that's okay.

Erika (1:18:47)
Damn. Yeah, five more years

Eric (1:18:48)
love

that you keep going with it though. Yeah, keep it up. Long game. Erika has a really hard question though.

Erika (1:18:48)
and it'll be good.

Keira (1:18:51)
it.

Thank you.

Erika (1:18:55)
So I don't even

know, I don't even know how to transition. Like that was, that was too awesome. But, but Kira, we have a Spotify playlist and at this point it's like a solid 24 hours long with all of our guests adding songs to it. But I would like to invite you to add a song to it. So I imagine like when you're racing, you can't have music, but do you listen to anything like on your normal runs training?

Keira (1:18:59)
with

Okay.

Yeah, I do. I'm either listening to an audio book or music on all my recovery runs. So workouts and long runs, I simulate like races, but otherwise, I listen to a lot of music and I am... Okay. I don't know if this is... You know how people have that trait that it's like a serial killer trait? Do you guys know what I'm talking about? Like people do something that's like, I don't know, just weird. Do you guys play this game? Like me and my friends, like we'll have this game where like if...

Erika (1:19:22)
Mm-hmm.

Yes.

What do you got for us?

you

Keira (1:19:48)
Like that's

a serial killer trait. Like when you do that, that's like, you guys, okay. So my, of my serial killer traits, I think one is that I put on socks first when I get dressed, which is probably weird. I've been told in locker rooms, but the second is that when you guys are getting your feet are cold and you don't want to be like standing on, I don't know. No, socks, try socks and tell me what you think. I think you're gonna enjoy it.

Erika (1:19:51)
I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Eric (1:19:52)
Okay, I know now, yeah, Yeah.

That's weird. Confirmed.

I gotta put underwear on first, I don't like sit and bare butt on like the cold bench.

Erika (1:20:15)
you

Eric (1:20:16)
I'm gonna do

this tomorrow and I'm gonna send you a DM and tell you how weird it was. I'm not gonna take content.

Keira (1:20:19)
No pictures necessary, but you can describe.

Okay, but my other thing is that when I like a song, I will play it on repeat. Like for like, like I can go for a 20 mile and listen to the same. You do that too. Okay, Erika, here we go.

Erika (1:20:35)
I do that. I do that. In the

car, because if I get like that, that euphoric feeling, like if it's a song that I really like, and I'm just like, my God, and I just get super excited and I have to listen to it like over and over. But it does like get old after a while.

Keira (1:20:51)
Okay, here's my question. Okay,

for me, it doesn't get old, but it does sound like the singers are getting tired of singing it. Do you hear that? Or is that just me? Like eventually I'm like, oh, they're really tired of singing this for me. Okay, maybe if get to like 100, 100 listens in a row, then you're like, these guys are real tired. But the song that I've been, so is this a running playlist?

Erika (1:21:06)
I don't know if I've ever noticed. I'll have to put something on repeat and give it another try.

you

mean, yes, but you can add whatever you want. It's all over the map.

Eric (1:21:22)
There's so much peop- Yeah, people have added songs that I'm like, yeah, I-

I'll be honest, I cannot listen to it while running, because I hit next so many times.

Keira (1:21:32)
The song that I last did my repeat challenge with ⁓ is All the deaths I owe by camp You guys heard this one? Okay, I there's something about this song that just like It gets me going and then it slows it down and then gets me going I think it's just it's such a great song and they have not gotten tired of singing it for me yet So I know that's why it's so like yeah, so that's ⁓

Erika (1:21:40)
Ooh, I do, I don't know this one.

There we go. I like when a song can make you feel the emotions. It

brings you up and then takes you back and like chill. And then wait, here we go.

Keira (1:22:01)
Yeah. Yes. Yes.

Eric (1:22:04)
Do you listen to a

song before a run to get you in the right state of mind? Say a serious race.

Keira (1:22:09)
Sometimes like when I'm like, yeah, yeah. So what I do, this is actually kind of funny that leading into like during a marathon build, I'll start a new playlist and then I'll add songs that I love to this during my playlist and I listened to it all during, so I'll listen to it on

like recovery days or I don't know, driving around, but like I associate this, all these songs with that marathon build. And then I'll listen to that in like the days leading into the marathon and marathon morning. So kind of like, it reminds me of like my build and my journey and how far I've come and like how many times I've listened to these like 25 songs this year because I've done so much running. So it just like puts me in a really good head space before, before. So now I'm like, since I just did a marathon, I'm like,

Erika (1:22:34)
⁓

⁓ I really like that you do that. It kind of gets you to remember how far you've come to get to that one point where you're going to go run this race and kick some ass. And it just brings back all those good memories and how much hard work you put in.

Keira (1:22:56)
back at square zero with a playlist. guess all the debts I owe, I'll go on that and start it, but I'll start a new one and then I'll build it up and then I'll get it for whatever my next marathon is.

Yeah, and it's funny because like for the Houston Marathon when I broke the American record, like I still remember I have songs that I associate with that build, which is just really cool.

Erika (1:23:30)
That's

awesome.

Eric (1:23:31)
Well,

if you ever need someone to create you a playlist, I'm going to pump the tires for Erika here because I've asked her to do it a few times for things. We did a live show. We've done a couple of live shows. I want like a playlist that goes 30 minutes for the show and one for after and also running. She does a top notch job like A plus. However,

Erika (1:23:49)
More than happy to make when

I just need to know your vibe. That's the one thing that I can go off of. You tell me what you're looking for.

Keira (1:23:56)
I

think I okay I one I definitely want to take you up on this and I want to get into the Erika vibe but two also when you just said pump the tires you know who else should have done that David Starr maybe you should have been pumping the brakes

Erika (1:24:00)
Mm-hmm. Mm.

Eric (1:24:07)
Yes.

Yes. I have one song though that I think you should try on repeat and this might be a serial killer trait.

Erika (1:24:13)
Beautiful.

Keira (1:24:19)
Okay, I'm so excited. Let's go. What is it?

Eric (1:24:22)
yeah, by Yellow.

Keira (1:24:25)
Okay, my yellow. don't.

Eric (1:24:27)
You ever

watch, you ever watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

Keira (1:24:30)
my gosh, this is such a good song.

Erika (1:24:35)
That's the one. I'm trying to think.

Eric (1:24:35)
I tried doing that on repeat so many times I want to hear how it goes. Are they ever tired of saying...

Keira (1:24:39)
Challenge accepted.

I will get to that point where I will tell you if they are not.

Eric (1:24:49)
This has been so much fun

beyond like this our first time recording six weeks. felt rusty at the very beginning, but like now we're just cruising. Thank you so much for your time. I just want to get that out of the way. Like this has been incredible. Your, your email said, your email said you have so many, Oh crap stories. And I kind of described what Oh crap means the code Brown. It's not necessarily a real code Brown, but it could be tripping over an alligator, which Susie Chan did. It was amazing.

Erika (1:25:01)
This was a total blast, especially once I like calm down a little bit.

Keira (1:25:03)
You ⁓

Eric (1:25:18)
any oh crap moment. I would love to have you back one day. We're going to be doing this for a long time. I would love to hear some of those unheard stories that you said. You have so many oh crap moments, but this has been, it's been a true pleasure because Erika brought it full circle when we talked to you back in and, and I saw those DMs. Cause when I DM'd you, I saw that I DM'd you back in like 20, 23 or something and saying, Hey, we talked about you on our podcast.

Erika (1:25:35)
It was fun to nerd out a little bit.

Eric (1:25:44)
You should check it out thinking we're cool. We're like single digits, not knowing what we're doing. Very cringe.

Keira (1:25:44)
you

Good, squeeze.

Erika (1:25:49)
Don't judge me for the cringiness.

I was so not comfortable in front of a mic and you can tell. Like, it's very, very bad.

Keira (1:25:55)
Oh, but look at you

go, Erika. Like, look how far you've come and like you kept doing it and like also like, I don't know, I think you need to like just celebrate every part because like you had the courage to start it and to show up and yeah and a fan girl about me that's so sweet. I think I'm gonna love it. I don't judge ever anyone so we'll be good.

Erika (1:25:59)
you

So yeah, just don't judge me too hard. ⁓ You're the best. You are amazing.

Eric (1:26:20)
Yeah, this

is

Erika (1:26:21)
I just want to say thank you, A, for reading your book to me, because I think it was wonderful. And I got to plug it. So everybody go buy Don't Call It a Comeback by Kira DeMato. It is a wonderful read. It teaches you lessons and it's fun stories, and you just get to learn a little bit more about Kira. So thank you for taking the time to write. I mean, it was a really, truly fun listen.

Keira (1:26:45)
Well, now I've got a challenge for everyone out there. Maybe they can listen to my book on repeat and tell me if I get tired of reading it. I'm just kidding. That's like the worst challenge ever. Thank you for having me on. I'm so sorry I was late tonight, but I really appreciate you guys. And I've had so much fun. Thank you.

Erika (1:26:54)
You

Eric (1:27:00)
perfect and that

Well, that was amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you for responding to my DM, trying to, you know, sliding into those DMs. Is that serial killer trait? I don't know. We'll find out. We won't find out. But hey, this was amazing. Thank you so much for doing this. I hope you come back one day and share some of those unheard stories, some of those, ⁓ crap moments. This was a blast, guys. I really hope you enjoyed it. Kira DeMato.

Keira (1:27:13)
No.

Erika (1:27:14)
you

Eric (1:27:29)
on the On Runs podcast. That was wicked awesome.

Erika (1:27:36)
Keira you absolute legend. You totally have made my day, my life. I don't know. It was so amazing that you could come on and talk to us. Still fangirling here. That's not going to go away. we just wish you the best of luck with whatever you got going on this year and in the future, basically during the rest of your round two. I think you are just absolutely amazing. And I hope everybody will pick up a copy of your book. Don't call it a comeback, because it is truly a great read.

with some amazing lessons and it's just really fun to learn more about you. So thank you again, Keira.

Eric (1:28:11)
I'm still waiting for you to send me your username and password so I can listen to the book on audio version. Because she actually ⁓ did the audio. Right, it was so cool. So we talked about that. We talked to her for so much and there's a few things that I edited out and we're gonna drop later because we're gonna talk about that after we talk about the survey, right? Because we do go awful on tangents and she was incredible because she would...

Erika (1:28:16)
I will make it happen.

She narrates it. Yeah, she narrates it herself.

Mm-hmm.

you

Eric (1:28:39)
hear something about us and want to know about us. She would turn the tables on us, right? You heard the NASCAR story. I kept that one in there. So that was like one where, you got, I love race cars. You got run over by a race car? I was like, yeah. So that happened a couple of times. I'm saving those clips. Maybe I'll put them on YouTube and also we'll talk about that next week when we talk about the questionnaire. So please do the questionnaire survey. Keira, I echo what Erika said. You were incredible. She's been sending me these videos.

of you in our group chat. Actually not the group chat because we kept this a secret from everybody, including the closest people to us. And right, we wanted to be the fun surprise, but you're sending me videos because you were there in Berlin in 2022 and she was on stage presenting or getting an award. What was going on in these videos?

Erika (1:29:15)
We wanted it to be a surprise.

Mm-hmm.

Well, they were just debuting like the heavy hitters of the marathon. So she was one of the top, the top women who were going to be out there for the elite field. And she was doing, they were calling it the hall of fame and it was right outside of the Brandenburg gate. It might've been like a day or two before the, the Berlin marathon. But I just remember, I'm like, I have to go. This is so cool because this was after I had had my fangirl moment on episode. Was it seven? think seven.

Eric (1:29:55)
Seven, I think.

Erika (1:29:57)
So

Eric (1:29:57)
It was six or seven.

Erika (1:29:59)
no, no, seven. So I was like, I have to go to this and yeah, I've been sending you some, pictures and some videos. And I mean, Keira was among so many great people, including Elliot Kipchoge. So I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see them. So it was, it was a really cool experience. And I know overall, like that race was not the best it could have been for her, but it was still really cool as like a back of the pack.

runner to see the elites and see what they were going to hopefully do that week.

Eric (1:30:28)
Right. Right. It always is. It's incredible. So,

⁓ some cool things. know a few things. One, she will come back on the pod. We already have this scheduled, but it's not going to be for a while guys. Not any time this year, but it is so fun and we hope to see her soon. We'll see if we do. ⁓ that'll be, that'll be even more epic and awesome. Anyways.

Erika (1:30:39)
We're saving it.

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Eric (1:30:52)
That was incredible. What a way to start the year with bare butt wipes and now So 2026 is off to a strong start. You have been running. I have not. I think it's time for a running updates. Let's try to do more running updates when we talk on the pod. So we talked about your drunk run already, right? You were all over the map.

Erika (1:31:10)
All right,

I feel like I need to do a disclaimer. I was not actually drunk. It's just the map looked crazy. I went on an adventure. No, I actually, I am very familiar with those neighborhoods, but I just have never run them before. So I was like, you know how there's, I am, but there's some people who will go out there and try to run every street in their city. And I don't think I'm going to get that far, but.

Eric (1:31:18)
You're lost. You look lost.

Right. You're building your heat map. That's what you're doing. You're building your heat map.

Erika (1:31:38)
It's just cool to get to explore and see, like check out the nice houses, right?

Eric (1:31:41)
Right, I hear ya.

for sure. Well, my running update is non-existent yet. I still have not run since Thanksgiving, but I'm going to begin this week. I've been hitting the gym. My foot feels great. And I saw it. You've been seeing I've been lifting weights for the first time in forever. I definitely am not as strong, but I told you my goal is now to lift more than runners and run more than lifters, right? So I'm going to get back out there this week, see weather pending and see what day I go to the gym with Justin.

Erika (1:31:46)
You

Are you?

That's important.

Yep, yep.

Eric (1:32:12)
I'm going to get out there. I can't wait. I'm going to do a story post when I'm out there. And one thing from that questionnaire, Erika, that they want you to do, in fact, more than me, is those story posts. So I hope next time you go on a run like that, you, you, you'd leave something for us all. Give us, give us a little bit. Give us a little. For realsies though.

Erika (1:32:20)
Mm-hmm.

Okay, I will try harder with that.

I have been trying with at least races because that's where the fun is at. Just me by myself, that, I don't know. If you guys think it's cool, I will work on it. I promise. Okay, okay.

Eric (1:32:44)
They do, they do, you'll learn. I

got a couple non-running stories now for ya. Alright, Tyler deleted every app on my phone. Yes. Yes.

Erika (1:32:49)
Yeah, go for it. I like that.

What happened? All right.

Don't they have like a kid safe, like lock that you can put on it?

Eric (1:33:04)
Well, I gave him my phone to use for something, like YouTube, whatever. He now knows how to download games. He knows how to search for games. These kids are smart, right? They're four years old. They're so smart.

Erika (1:33:07)
Okay. How did he delete it? He factory reset it? ⁓ no. You're gonna get a charge

on your phone for like, they're gonna buy stuff. You need to fix that fast.

Eric (1:33:19)
my god, you're right. So,

I say no games on dad's phone, no games. Like you have what you have. And sometimes I'm like, my god, where'd all these games pop up? Like 12 games or something. A screen pops up when he downloads a bunch of games that says you don't have any more space. Please, you know, delete an app. He hit the select all button.

Erika (1:33:38)
⁓ no!

no.

Eric (1:33:44)
So everything, besides email, Google, all the Google stuff's still there, everything else, Strava, banking, Delta, ⁓ Marriott, everything, ⁓ even some work apps, all gone! Calendar, Messenger, talk about like trying to remember all the passwords, Twitter, Facebook.

Erika (1:33:48)
Uh-huh.

huh.

Dude.

⁓ no.

Eric (1:34:08)
Instagram! I'm like, what's the password? And then they want to, because you know I have a new phone number from like a year and a half ago. My old phone number that I dropped, they are all like, we're going to text your number. I'm like, that's not my number!

Erika (1:34:15)
Yeah.

No. ⁓ that's so tough. ⁓ I feel for you.

Eric (1:34:26)
So then,

this is big though, this is big. I'm at the point where I need a new phone. This is a work phone. And instead of redoing everything, I was told like I need to get one because of an issue with the battery and everything. And so I submitted for a new phone at work. I put the submission in last week. Takes some time, I don't know how much time, maybe a week. By this point next week, I might have a new phone.

Erika (1:34:30)
What?

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Is it going to come with a new number?

Eric (1:34:54)
No, but it's going to be

a fruit phone.

Erika (1:34:59)
Sorry.

I have nothing against the fruit phone, but when you're going from an Android to a fruit phone, it's going to be like, wow. So that's going to be a fun adjustment for you.

Eric (1:35:11)
That is gonna be an adjustment.

Now what I learned though, when I dropped my personal phone and just stuck with one phone line, the work phone, it was a Google phone. And yeah, it's an Android system, but the Samsung was superior to a Google. They even told me, they told me I could get a Samsung, but it has to match the price point of the iPhone and Google phone they get me, because they're not giving me the fruit phone like the newest, latest, and greatest, right? I guess I'm getting a 16. I don't know where they're at right now. I don't know where they're at.

Erika (1:35:16)
Yeah.

yes, I am Samsung baby, Samsung.

⁓ Mm-hmm.

18 maybe.

Eric (1:35:40)
Yeah, maybe. so I decided like, okay, we'll do it because now I can really test it. It's like me when I run Chicago one day, I can really test it and then be like, yeah, fruit sucks or fruits okay. I do think one thing I'm going to love is the FaceTime thing. Like I'll FaceTime with Adeline all the time because she got a fruit phone for Christmas. I know. I'm like, and so she's FaceTiming Auntie Hanna all the time.

Erika (1:35:56)
Okay.

huh, all right.

You do realize Android does that too. It's not as popular. Yeah.

Eric (1:36:10)
Yes, but nobody uses it because we're just like we don't need it. We're cooler. We're better. Android

people back into a parking spot. Fruit phone people pull into a parking spot and they back out. That's the difference. I back in because, you know, naturally we're awesome. I'm not gonna say better. We're just awesomer. So that's a story. The second story I have is ⁓ Bakline. You know who Bakline is. I wear their t-shirt, right?

Erika (1:36:25)
Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, sure, Mm-hmm. Awesome. that's fun.

course I know who Bakline

is. Ali G is a big fan and model for Bakline. And also, like, her coaches are from Bakline.

Eric (1:36:40)
Right. They had a show. Right,

right. They had a presenter. So they started a podcast last year. It's going all right, I guess. It's the same thing I tell everyone. Like anyone can do a podcast, what are you going to talk about in episode 17. It'd taken a while to get to episode 17, but they'll figure it out. They're stuck at nine.

Erika (1:36:49)
Yup.

Yeah. Yeah. Hey,

they nailed the clothing thing. So that's really important. So yeah.

Eric (1:37:02)
They did. my God, the clothing is unbelievable. So

they had a, ⁓ they had a guest come talk in front of a crowd at their office in Brookline, ⁓ Brook, Brookline, Brooklyn, New York. And they sold out right away. So they thought, why don't we live stream this? So they contacted me, asked about live streaming on Riverside because they do the whole podcast on Riverside. And I talked them through it. I told them how to do it. Right.

Erika (1:37:09)
Mmm.

yeah.

Great.

Eric (1:37:27)
And this is all Ali. I'm giving her all everything I know. I forgot what night it was or whatever, but Ali just sends me a link one day. Hey, check this out. And she sends me the Riverside link to their studio. And I think she meant to send me like the YouTube link to the stream. So they're 50 something minutes into this live stream. I click the link. I click the link.

Erika (1:37:31)
Yup.

but you were-

And you were actually in the studio, weren't you?

Eric (1:37:53)
And it says like, enter studio. It skips all these other things like name and all that because they know it, Riverside knows who I am. And it has me as a host, which I don't know this because it's on my phone. I'm never on Riverside on my phone. So I go in the studio and I quickly realized I'm sitting on the floor, by the way, playing checkers with Tommy. And I just thought I was going to be watching. I quickly realized now everyone watching the live stream sees the two people sitting at back line with the backdrop. And then they just see my ugly mug.

Erika (1:37:56)
you

Yup.

Eric (1:38:23)
I panic and naturally I hit the red button that you think would be end call, like leave the room. No, I hit because it had me as a host. Stop recording. Yes.

Erika (1:38:32)
Uh-huh.

Eric (1:38:40)
I know! I know!

Erika (1:38:41)
God, dude.

This

is a great story. You didn't even tell me you had this story.

Eric (1:38:50)
So the next thing I'm texting

Ali and she's like, what the fuck just happened? I'm like, I ended your stream. And she goes, I think it's still live though. And I'm like, nope, I went to Backlens YouTube. It's over. And it ends with just like that image of me. And all you hear is Tommy echoing like, yeah. And this guy who like the two people, everyone in the room hears it and there's like this awkward silence and the guy talking goes, exactly. They had no clue what that yeah was. They just heard this loud four year old go, yeah.

Erika (1:39:14)
Uh-huh.

Okay, after this, I am so looking that up. This is hysterical. Taking it down. man.

Eric (1:39:25)
So, well, they might have removed it because when she hit record again seconds

later, it didn't go back to live, but they were gonna edit and piece the whole thing into one video. It might still be there. I know, well, I could probably find out. We could probably pull it out from Riverside, because it's still there in Riverside. Is it on the livestream? I don't know. We're not gonna go back and look at it, but yeah.

Erika (1:39:34)
⁓ put it together. ⁓ man. That would be a fantastic blooper. I can't. cannot. ⁓

Yeah. This is so funny to me. I'm crying a little bit. ⁓

Eric (1:39:52)
I thought everyone who likes to stick around for the end would enjoy that. But guys,

Erika (1:39:53)
man. Yeah.

Eric (1:39:55)
what an episode, what a week. The Patriots are going to start right now. It's Sunday night when we're recording. Erika, what's your Patriots prediction?

Erika (1:39:59)
Yep.

I'm hoping they win. Don't ask me scores. I don't really know anything about scores, but let's, let's go Pat. Sure.

Eric (1:40:07)
I think they'll blow it out. Last

time I watched a Patriots game, I think was the last time they were in the playoffs. I was there, it Brady's last game. I haven't watched the game all year.

Erika (1:40:16)
no way. That's the last time you watched? Well, I I went

last week, so I got to see a winning game. And I'm just hoping that they can keep the momentum.

Eric (1:40:24)
I haven't watched a Patriots game in like four years. A football game for that matter, unless it's on Thanksgiving or something, or you've watched so many. I will probably turn it on because I'll be editing and I'll just turn it on the TV. Like if I ever catch a game, it's the eight o'clock game. So, yeah. The one o'clock, four o'clocks, never, never. No.

Erika (1:40:27)
dang.

I have watched so much football this weekend.

Yeah.

yeah, well there you go. Yep, that'll be perfect timing. Yeah, I'm gonna go

downstairs after this. Brandon's already watching the game. I'm gonna put the Normatech boots on. I've had them on earlier today and they made my legs feel so amazing and they're still so tired and sore that I'm gonna put them on again for another like hour. I had them on for like an hour and 45 minutes earlier, I think. Yeah, it was nice. We do.

Eric (1:41:02)
There you go. And then Monday night, we got our big meeting. We got a big meeting. We're not recording

with anyone this Monday night. Yesterday, for everyone listening, we have a meeting. And we're going get, we're going official. We're going public. Thank you, Carolina, for helping us with all this. But it's going to be a great week, guys.

Erika (1:41:10)
We are learning valuable information.

Sure.

Dinner date!

Eric (1:41:23)
Any last notes from you? I started the pit, I know you didn't start the pit, episode one was good. I'm gonna go back and watch the entire first season, but any last closing out notes for you before we go?

Erika (1:41:33)
Well, I'm not looking at the show notes, which I did this week. So like you said, and I have a streak going now with my show notes, so I got to keep going. I know. If you break out the realsies, man, I can manage that, but Winter Warriors is going great. ⁓ I love that I'm making Tara happy. Yeah. Yeah. think we have like six people, perhaps? Six? Six.

Eric (1:41:40)
For realsies. If I say for realsies, you'll do it. So for realsies, let's get a story post this week.

we got a team too. We got kind of a big team. Thanks everyone for joining. I'm not on the team, but that's awesome.

Seven.

Erika (1:42:04)
But yeah, it's going really well and it's actually motivating me to go outside. The weather is helping. But I did 21 miles outside this weekend. I did what 15 on Saturday and then I did six today. And it was still a little on the chilly side. It was windy when I went outside, but I'm doing it for the team. I'm doing it. Gonna see what I can do.

Eric (1:42:23)
Listen today and tomorrow when

you're listening, Tuesday, Wednesday, it's going to be in the mid-40s. So get out there, enjoy. Like, this is nice. It's shorts weather. Shorts, for sure. T-shirt if you're like me.

Erika (1:42:29)
beautiful.

still can't get myself to wear shorts. The only time I would do it is if it was April and I'm running the cheap marathon and it was like 42 degrees out at the start and I just didn't want to wear pants anymore. So shorts it was.

Eric (1:42:47)
Well,

enjoy it while you have it right now because Friday, Saturday, Sunday, it's gonna be snow, it's gonna be at a high 33, so enjoy. Enjoy that cheap training, possibly Boston training. You're gonna crush it.

Erika (1:42:49)
Yes.

You're bursting my bubble, Boo.

Well, let's focus on

cheap. Let's focus on cheap because that's a definite. And guys, go like my post on like the comment that I put on the Poland Spring post because I don't know, can eat. And Eric's. I need all the help I can get because I really I don't know what they're looking for. I just want them to like me, pick me, choose me, love me. Maybe maybe we'll get lucky.

Eric (1:43:14)
Like mine too, when I post it.

some machine just picks it randomly watch it's just some machine yeah

everybody's using that last thing did you see Hanna's post like love me pick me choose me but for the all six world majors or was it all seven

Erika (1:43:40)
Hanna is the

perfect candidate for that. So she's applying, I think it's with Marathon Tours and Abbott, and they are going to pay for somebody to travel to all of the majors, all of them. And she gets like a travel, well, let your sister have it. I mean, you can go for the free Boston, but I don't care what you do. But good luck beating your sister's entry. That was an awesome video she put up.

Eric (1:43:44)
Mm-hmm.

Should I do that too?

She was texting me

and my brother all week, asking for a video, asking for this video. Alex, do you have a video of this? Eric, do you have one of us talking on the podcast? Eric, do you have one? She sent me the exact video from Instagram, like a screenshot. I need this video from New York. I'm like, what is she doing? And I know others have applied for this. I've seen their videos. Hanna knocked it out of the park with that video. If you get in or not, Hanna, if you don't get in, like, keep it up. You're freaking crushing it and your content game has been spot on. Like, you can...

Erika (1:44:12)
Mm-hmm.

Nice. Her editing skills. Chef's kiss. Yeah. ⁓

She good.

Eric (1:44:37)
When you go to

Tokyo, will you please do a on the runs Instagram takeover for the entire Tokyo trip? Please, please take everyone with you. We'll give you the login, the credentials. it'll be epic. It'll be awesome when you're in Tokyo.

Erika (1:44:41)
Yes, that would be awesome. And then.

If you do win Hanna I hope they do send you to all seven because then I will have a friend in Sydney when I go over the summertime. So I really hope this happens. I'm wishing you the best of luck. Go vote for Hanna. I don't know how that works, but just go do it. And yeah, send all your luck. Send your luck, you guys.

Eric (1:44:59)
yeah!

Find her video, like it, share

it, comment. Help the algorithm, I guess. Yeah, however it works. So, speaking of the algorithm and all don't forget to like, follow, subscribe, everything. Give this podcast a rating if you think it's worthy of one. Comment in Spotify, like on Instagram, share our stuff. Take the survey, please.

Erika (1:45:12)
Traction, traction. Yes. Get it out there.

Don't forget that questionnaire. Do the questionnaire. Patreon.

Eric (1:45:30)
please take the survey, the survey is so helpful. ⁓ We're really gonna get a good vibe of what you guys want and we're gonna talk about it next week on a separate episode just talking about the survey. We'll go, spare no details on everything you guys said and it's anonymous, which I love because some of you guys have really told me a few things and I'm like, okay, okay. Some of you guys have said some really nice, like a lot of you guys just pump Erika's tires and say, Eric, you suck, stop being mean to Erika. I can take it though, I can take it.

Erika (1:46:00)
Mm-hmm, I'm sensitive.

Eric (1:46:02)
Anyways, awesome week, great week, great guest. Keira, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It was phenomenal. Erika, take us home.

Erika (1:46:03)
But I love you guys.

Again, I'm so incredibly thankful for Keira and her time. She was wonderful and she's an incredible athlete, amazing. And seriously, good luck this year with everything you got going on. to all, bananas, go bananas. Yes. But to all of you listeners out there, thank you so much for being there for us. Thank you for listening and spending time with us. You know we love you.

Eric (1:46:23)
Bananas!

Don't fear the code brown.

Erika (1:46:36)
And don't forget to stretch.

Eric (1:47:40)
We just downloaded a bunch of new items for our soundboard and earlier I mentioned the whole DeLorean thing and I couldn't get to it quick enough because I need to replace it but I was going to play this one like we're going to hop in that DeLorean and hit 88. Well this baby hits 88 miles an hour. You're going to see some serious shit.

Keira (1:47:40)
It does help.

Erika (1:47:41)
you

.

He won't let me have it.

Keira (1:47:59)
This so good! This is really cool if you guys have a soundboard.

Eric (1:48:01)
We have a lot of fun. Yeah, we have a lot of fun. I need to replace it because I keep looking over here for it.

so Erika's favorite one is, you know, Wayne's World when they go back in time. And then a whole other story is she made me do eight fart noises and she we're not going to get.

Keira (1:48:12)
Yeah? Yeah?

Erika (1:48:15)
No, I

Keira (1:48:18)
really good one too.

Erika (1:48:24)
wanted like two and you put eight and some of them are really really vulgar even like I laugh at farts like who doesn't but

Keira (1:48:30)
Listen, I don't know what the truth is

here, but I'm on Erika's side. Like I feel like no girl would want more than two.

Erika (1:48:34)
Yeah.

I

Eric (1:48:37)
Well she got eight. I gave her the whole

Erika (1:48:39)
just

Eric (1:48:39)
board at page seven.

Erika (1:48:39)
wanted the little one that went like like the little cute fart, but like he put eight So I have variety, but I can't press the buttons

Keira (1:48:41)
Yeah, just a little. Okay. Okay.

Eric (1:48:42)
Yeah. I'll preview some later. I'll preview some later off, off air, ⁓

Keira (1:48:48)
Okay, thank you.

Eric (1:48:48)
or maybe on air, but put it in the blooper reel or something.

Keira (1:48:52)
Okay.

Eric (1:48:53)
BOOM

Erika (1:48:57)
don't know, I'm strong. It's still echoing! That's like a five second echo.