Over the Next Hill Fitness
Welcome! We all know, as we age, it’s harder to put ourselves first and get in enough fitness, flexibility, and nutrition. Maybe you’re new to formatted exercise, maybe we need to push to the next level or set some goals. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to run a 5K, a marathon, or even an ULTRA marathon. This podcast is designed to get you moving and headed towards those goals. You’ll have opportunities for general coaching during each episode or you may contact me for personal coaching afterward. Are you ready to get over this next hill in life? Let’s get started.
Over the Next Hill Fitness
S2 Ep 13 Overcoming Limits: Tracee Beebe’s Path to Ultrarunning Excellence
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At 45, Tracee Beebe laced up her running shoes for the first time, defying age and past injuries to embark on an extraordinary trail running journey. Hear her recount the initial struggles and breakthroughs that led her to not just participate, but excel in rigorous Ragnar relay races across Texas. Tracee’s transformation—marked by weight loss, proper fueling, and a renewed fitness regimen—serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and self-belief.
You’ll gain incredible insights as Tracee shares the mental and physical resilience required for ultrarunning, especially for older women. Dive into the grueling reality of 50-mile and 100-mile races, and learn how Tracee’s mental fortitude, shaped by life experiences, has empowered her to conquer these challenges. Discover the complexities of fueling an endurance athlete's body, tackling dietary restrictions, and the intricate trial-and-error process to find the right balance in nutrition.
Join us as we explore the athlete mindset that has propelled Tracee towards her ambitious goals. Learn the importance of proper nutrition, hydration, and rest, along with adaptable warm-up and recovery routines crucial for long-term health. Tracy’s journey from running 10Ks to eyeing future challenges like the Moab 240 is not just inspiring but a powerful reminder of our limitless potential. Find out how meticulous tracking of nutrition and performance can lead to achieving the unimaginable, and why treating yourself like an athlete is key to tapping into this potential.
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Welcome back to Over the Next Hill Fitness Podcast. I'm Carla Coffey, your coach and host for today's program. I want to thank everybody, of course, for following, sharing and rating the program. If you haven't hit that follow button, please do that. If you haven't rated it, please go into whatever platform you're listening on and give me a rating of five stars. I appreciate that. To whatever platform you're listening on and give me a rating of five stars. I appreciate that. If you need a running or other fitness coach, look me up coffeycrewcoaching. com. This episode was sponsored by coffeycrewcoaching. com, so thanks for those of you who are doing coaching with me. You can reach out to me, carla@ coffeycrewcoaching. com. You can find me on Instagram, facebook and all the things. There are some links in the podcast notes if you're interested in any of the products that are giving us a discount, and there's also now a button where you can like text me directly. I don't think I can answer you there, but if you have questions or you want to be on the podcast, leave me an email if it allows you to, and I can get back to you. I believe there's still a buy me a cup of coffee button in the show notes, so if you want to support the show in that way. I appreciate that, and I'm just looking at some of my other notes that don't make any sense, so I'm going to skip those. Apparently, they did when I wrote them. So let's talk about today's episode. I interviewed Tracee Beebe. You guys, it's like a real live Stephen King interview. She had some things happen to her that it's unbelievable that it really happened to her. So you definitely need to hear this podcast. So let's get into that and listen to Tracee Tracy.
Speaker 2Beebe, Welcome to the show Tracee.
Speaker 1It's so great to have you here, hi. Thank you so much. I decided to be a part of this. It's gonna be fun. Well, it'll be fun for me. I don't know how it'll be for you, but so I want to get your running journey. So talk to me about how you got started running.
Speaker 2Oh gosh, so I didn't come into running. I'm 55, 55 years old which is a weird number for me to even say but I didn't come into running until, um, I was 45. So and it was, um, not something I ever thought I could do. I actually got teased in, you know, it was like in my teens and twenties for running like a horse, because I was a horse girl. So it's like I would gallop instead of run and so I never. It was just never something I thought I would ever do.
Speaker 2And I don't know, at some point and just suddenly I'm like I think I'm going to start running and I'm like started just doing road running and I didn't do any kind of racing. I think I did one, like you know, little local 5k here and there, and then I stopped running for a few years. I I busted up my knee pretty bad and it just wasn't. I didn't really have the bug. And then we moved to Texas. I discovered trail running and trail racing and night races and just became completely addicted.
Speaker 2Um, but I was still very much a like I'm doing 5ks.
Speaker 2I had, you know I was a little heavier and you know I was a little worried about my knees and I had, um, you know, just a lot of limiting beliefs around what I could do as a runner.
Speaker 2So I'd I'd always start the racing season off doing 5Ks trail racing, mind you, up some pretty tough trails, but still only 5Ks. And then I'd be like, okay, at the end of the year or the end of the season, when I'm really in shape, I'll hit that 10K. And so I did that for like three years and this is my fourth year and I also have done Ragnar a couple of times. Like the hardest thing that I've ever done as far as running is a Ragnar trail race, which is a if you know anything about Ragnar, it's a relay race in the trail. Where you do, you have a group of eight people and everybody has to do like a three mile, a five mile and a seven mile loop and it's like 24 hours of of camping and running and sleep, trying to sleep and, um, and like the first couple of times I did it, it was uh, it tried to kill me and like wept and I'm like what have I?
Speaker 1what have I done?
Speaker 2I regretted every choice I ever made you know like running in the middle of the night with zero sleep. You know like running in the middle of the night with zero sleep. And then I started doing some quite a bit of um. I got really serious about my fitness and learning to fuel and dropping some extra weight, um, which was which made a big difference for me. I know there's a lot of people that run heavier and that you know I, their body can handle it. That's great, that's fine, but for me it was, it was just a lot harder, um. So I dropped some weight and I just started learning how to treat myself like an athlete and learning how to treat um. You know, if I don't have time for stretching, when I don't have time for running, and if I don't, you know, I make sure that I eating right enough to feel my body and have the right kind of things. And that was a. That's still. I'm still kind of unpacking that, to be honest.
Speaker 2But something clicked last year and all of a sudden I shaved off like 90 minutes from my my Ragnar time and my 10ks were faster and I'm like, okay, I guess I know I'm a runner now finally, whatever, eight years into it, and and so this year I decided I'm gonna start pushing it. And I got, I'm like, I did my first half K, half sorry half marathon trail a month ago. It trained really hard for it and I was like super ready for it. And uh, I ended up going off track and did 14.3 miles instead of 13.1. So that, so I'm like, hey, maybe I can even do some longer ones. And so my goal now is actually, uh, I want to do 50 miles next year, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2I want to be. I want to be like an old ultra runner.
Speaker 1Heck yeah. So I want to just back up just a little bit. How did you bust your knee up? What happened?
Speaker 2Oh gosh, this is a story. All right, it is probably not a story that you were expecting to hear. I travel solo quite a bit and I was in Mexico and I was on an island and I rented a scooter like a moped scooter, right and was like heading out towards the jungle on this like four lane highway and a steering column locked up and I was heading into traffic and so I had to cross this like grass medium, um, and so I had to. I just I decided I had to lay the bike down, uh, so that I didn't go into traffic. And when I did, my knee folded the wrong direction and I tore, set toward my ligaments in seven places, um, but I was on this Island.
Speaker 2The only way off this Island was, uh, on a ferry and I had a big backpack and I could have like called for help and like helicoptered off the Island or something like that, and I didn't want to do that, I didn't want to waste the money, um. So I got taken to the hospital and they did an MRI and, um, they're like, yeah, this isn't good and you probably need surgery. And I'm like, no, I'm not going to do that. And uh, and then I relied on the help of strangers who did not necessarily have my best interest at heart, and I was sort of uh, held against my will for like a week with no internet and my leg propped up and very, very, very swollen and uh, and she kept feeding me like these special herbs and the reasoning? The reasoning was she's like, well, you're a writer, like I swear this was real, you're a writer, and so now you have to stay here and I'll take care of you and you can write my life story for me. And I'm like, well, I'm really in a lot of pain and that's not really how it works. And she's like it's okay, I'll get you. What drugs do you need? What medicines do you need? I'll get you medicine.
Speaker 2Then she was an older Italian expat living in this jungle and like there was no. I mean, I could have like crawled to the highway and like waved down a taxi. Anyway, finally somebody else was passing through and I said can you please get me a taxi? So she walked like the two miles to the to the main road, got me a taxi and like snuck out in the middle of the night she helped me like get a. It's not even a real wheelchair. It's like a wheelbarrow onto the ferry and like sent me on my way and yeah, and so then it was like that's like a Stephen.
Speaker 2King story Yep, yep, it's, basically it's misery in the jungle.
Speaker 2Yep, yep, and like I'm not making that up, it is a real thing. That happened to me. Wow and like, and yes, okay, I say I was only sort of held against my will because had I, you know, I, I, I, I had, I felt better, had I I didn't speak the language, you know, I didn't, I didn't, uh, I didn't have much money, didn't really have internet connection, didn't have cell service, in the middle of the jungle, um, so it really was just like the sense of like vulnerability and this like, uh, didn't, like, shouldn't have trusted these people, um, and there was a lot of like, like how to work through that. More than the injury itself was like kind of this emotional baggage that kind of came from this weird experience where I wasn't, wasn't actually in danger, but really felt like it was very close to being in danger. So that's been it. So, as a writer, I turned that into a very scary movie, Changed it, so it's not quite like the Stephen King version, but it was a good catharsis for me.
Speaker 1Wow, so I didn't do surgery.
Speaker 2I didn't do surgery and I didn't have medical. I didn't do, I didn't do surgery, I uh, and I didn't um, I didn't have medical insurance at the time actually, and so I, um, I was doing my, I did my own PT, learned how to use um uh KT tape and taped it and um swam as much as I could and kind of baby it along, and now I'm running half marathons in the hills without any pain.
Speaker 1That's awesome, and you're going to do a 50 miler? Yes, I am.
Speaker 2So for those of you listening who are using these little aches and pains and a hangnail as a you know your sympathy getter, you got nothing and that I mean honestly that's the nothing Get out there, right, and I mean honestly, that's the when I'm out there and you're like whatever on mile 10, you're like, oh, every bone in my body hurts. I'm like, doesn't hurt as bad as that. You survived that. I think you'll survive this.
Speaker 1Keep going One foot in front of the other. Wow, that's an incredible story is unbelievable.
Speaker 2All right, well, I guess we can end it there. What else is there to say yeah?
Speaker 1man. So you started with these ragnars. I've never done a ragnar, but I've heard of them. Um, and so now, what's making you decide you want to try a 50 miler? Wouldn't after a half marathon typically be like a marathon, and then a 50?
Speaker 2Well, you know, the thing is like I'll do a marathon, I think at the end of the year, but I know I can do a marathon right. Like I know, if I can do a half marathon, I can do a marathon. It might have to walk some of it and I might, you know, I know how to train for it, I know how to, you know, prep for it and all that. Like, I know that there's nothing in my head that says quitting would be an option on that and I and actually to me, if I'm honest with myself, it doesn't matter the distance. I could. I could go run a 200 miler and I know myself well enough that I will finish whatever it takes even if it means walking a lot or crawling or
Mental Fortitude in Ultrarunning
Speaker 2whatever Right, like I'm not, it is. I'm not the kind of person I. I I'm knock on wood, never going to DNR, that's just not in my makeup. Um, but 50 miler um sounds hard enough to feel like a real challenge. Um, and it's like a um you know, when you get to those longer distances it really is far more about the mental game than anything else and to me that's um like that's exciting, that kind of um mental challenge and where you just have to it, really just relying on every everything you've learned about yourself as a human being to get you that next mile, Absolutely, and I feel like just this little bit that I know you um you want it bad enough that, no matter what I mean, you could hurt your leg again and you're going to finish regardless.
Speaker 1And some people don't have that. Some people, you know, they just don't. And I think um us older women, we know what we want and we will go and get it.
Speaker 2Yeah, isn't that interesting too, right, like, as older women, we're facing different challenges out there. Like, if I were 25 years old, physically it would be a lot easier, but would I have the mental fortitude to do it? I doubt it, honestly, as as as much of a am I allowed to say this badass as I was in my twenties Uh, I don't think you know that, that I would have that mental fortitude of like you know that that I would have that mental fortitude of like this, this is hard, this is really, really hard and there's no real reward.
Speaker 1So why am I doing this?
Speaker 2Um, but as an older adult now, as older woman, having lived through challenges and being held against my will in the jungle and and all of those things Like, I know what it takes to like to keep going when it doesn't feel easy, and I know that we and I know the reward that that brings. Um, you know that goes beyond the, the, the metal or the buckle or the, whatever right it is it's all about. I did a thing that I didn't know I could do and I did a thing that 99% of people my age or demographic or whatever wouldn't even attempt and like to me. Like that. I got chills actually saying that like that is as big a trophy as I could even ever want. Like to me, that's it. That's. That's like that is as big a trophy as I could even ever want. Like to me, that's it. That's. That's why that's what would get me across the line.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah, that mental fortitude I mean because I know for me, like I ran, I went from a marathon to 100 miler, so I didn't do any of the steps either. And then last year, two years ago, I can't remember now I did a 50 miler Right, so I did it backwards. But you're right. It's that mental fortitude of in the accomplishment for me, right Knowing, wow, I did this thing. It doesn't matter, like you said, the buckle, the metal, metal, whatever, none of that matters, it's knowing that you can do that.
Speaker 2Yeah, something about it makes you just feel like you know I'm pretty unstoppable as a right woman it's and there's, it's just so empowering and and what's what's kind of fascinating about it, right, is that there's a breaking point, no matter the distance, honestly, there's a point where you're like you know, I could quit right now and it would probably feel better for a minute than what I'm going through right now or whatever, and and and realize just what you are capable of. It feels bigger than that race, it feels bigger than that distance or whatever it is, because it looks like like you said, unstoppable, invincible, almost right, like it's like oh, I did this crazy, ridiculous, impossible thing, I can do anything. There's like, oh, I did this crazy, ridiculous, impossible thing, I can do anything. There's like literally nothing in this world I couldn't accomplish, and I kind of like that. That's a cool place to live from, absolutely.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's that whole mental thing. Like you said, it has really not that much to do about the physical Right, you know and that physical pain is going to be whether you run one mile or 100 miles. Sometimes you know the little aches and whatever, and I'm thirsty, you know who cares right yeah, but yeah, but did you die?
Speaker 2is one of my favorite favorite, my favorite favorite quotes. It's like it hurts, I'm tired and it's scary and it's dark and I'm a woman and I'm like alone with the monsters and okay, cool, let's keep going, because you didn't die, yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, absolutely Great, great. So tell me, you said that you're just starting to kind of unpack your fueling. What are you finding that's working and not working? What kind of trials have you had with that?
Speaker 2the hardest of any of it for me to learn. I didn't have a great relationship with food anyway. I have had some chronic illness issues. I had chronic Lyme disease that tried to kill me and I have a mast cell activation disorder that makes it my body think that it's allergic to like everything. Um and so for a few years it like just food was just overwhelming for me, because if I, it was like if I eat it, it'll make me fat, if I eat it, it'll make me sick. If I eat it, you know it's, it's too, it's whatever, it's unhealthy or it's not organic, it's like.
Speaker 2And then on top of that now I'm trying to like fuel my body as an athlete. Is it enough carbs? Is it too much carbs? And and I remember my first, at least my first year, and we're talking 5ks, right, I'm like carb load, carb load, carb load. I know I've heard him talk about carb load. So I'm just gonna eat all the bananas and all the look and get out there, and my first mile and a half. I'm like carb load, carb load, carb load. I know I've heard him talk about carb loads. I'm just going to eat all the bananas and all the get out there and my first mile and a half I'm like I am going to throw up and my stomach hurts and I am sweating. There is something not working here at all. So then I started understanding, okay, there's a science to this, it's not just eat all the carbs, right.
Athlete Mindset and Recovery Strategies
Speaker 2But again, still trying to like figure out what that looked like took a pretty long time for me, because I think a lot of the research out there is, like for the 30 year old man, yes, uh, right, or the, or the, the lifelong athlete or whatever it is it's not for this particular body. And so that I think under when I find I even talked with nutritionists and they're like here's our cookie cutter plan. Go, um, give me your $200. And, and, and and. I would try it. And I'm like, okay, but that's not for me.
Speaker 2This body that has these strengths and these weaknesses and this metabolism, and this particular day and this particular month and this particular race and this particular season, like dialing all that in felt super overwhelming for a long time and then, just recently, just kind of started, um, feeling like I have a handle on it, and I know that there's still more to learn, but I, I, so I did my half marathon, uh, last month, and I think I nailed it like I think for me I figured exactly the right formula, at least for that race, and it might be different this weekend's race, but yeah, so I think it's so individualized. If there's one piece of advice that I wish someone had given me years ago about how to fuel, piece of advice that I wish someone had given me years ago about how to fuel is that it is. It is for the individual, is for what works for you, and you're the only one who can figure out what that is, and it really, I mean for me anyway, it really was trial and error.
Speaker 1And what's interesting about that is that might change next year, right, what's working for you now might not work for you later. I have found that I've switched my feeling up so many times. But the one thing that you mentioned that I always will say and I refer to like some people refer to them as clients I always refer to the people that I help as my athletes, because we're athletes and if we fuel like athletes, athletes, you can take one thing from this athlete, something else from that one and make your own what works for you. But you do have to always tell my husband this is the temple. I'm treating my body as a temple, right, because I'm expecting a lot out of it.
Speaker 1You know, and I think that the thing, and then you have to make those adjustments along the way, like I used to be able to eat this and it just isn't working for me and you try something else. You can't get stuck in one thing.
Speaker 2You can't get stuck in it and you're just like this this program that is supposed to work for everybody isn't working, or this isn't working this time, and and it really you have to become so intuitive and listen to your body. And what you just said about being an athlete I think the biggest turning point for me was I have a fitness coach that I work with for weightlifting and cross-training and he one time, on a call, called me an athlete, and it was the first time in my whole life that I'd heard that and it was such an eye-opener for me. And again I got chills because it was like an identity shift. And when I heard him someone I respected, of course refer to me as an athlete, then I started referring to me as an athlete. Then I was, then I started referring to myself as an athlete and then I started treating myself like an athlete and that has made all the difference in the world, for sure.
Speaker 2And I I think whether you're running a mile or a hundred miles, or you're a swimmer or you're, you know, swimming for 20 minutes and then doing the Zumba class, you're an athlete if you're moving your body, and on purpose. And so you know, treat yourself like one. Don't treat yourself like a garbage dump. Don't treat, don't, don't uh. Get enough sleep because you make sure you're getting enough sleep, because athletes need the sleep, and make sure you're drinking enough. Oh, the water, Learning to drink enough water. And I'm a big hydrant and I live in Texas where we have to always have a gallon of water on us at all times because it's just the heat and the humidity I have to track. I had to get to the. I had to be one of those people who, like, got the measuring thing on the giant, ridiculous jug of water so I could make sure that I was getting enough water for for the as an athlete.
Speaker 1For sure that made a big difference yeah, for sure, I know um along with you the first time, uh, because I had hired a coach to do my iron man and my hundred miler. Um, even though I'm a coach, you know you're, if you want to succeed, because I treat myself way different than I treat my athletes, right, this is the first one that called me an athlete and, like you, I was like hello, is this me? Are you talking?
Speaker 1so I agree, but you're right and we have to treat ourselves as such in all areas whether we're you know, our food, our alcohol, our water, our sleep, everything you have to, and it's, you know, yeah, maybe you are a weekend warrior. So then on those weekends, you know, do it right if you're gonna do it right.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it's and and or don't, and then, and then, and then. And. Don't expect, you know, don't expect your body to to don't be that. You know, don't expect your body to perform to the level that it could otherwise. And don't whine when you come up with some significant injuries because you didn't treat yourself like an athlete and understand that you're probably going to need twice as much recovery because you didn't prep and you didn't treat yourself like an athlete going in and and all that, like if you're going to be a weekend warrior, or or even even, let's say, you don't race and you just love running for the fun of it.
Speaker 2You have you. You have a choice treat yourself like an athlete that you're expecting yourself to be or don't, and then lower your expectations absolutely Don't complain about that.
Speaker 1So you've been running for 10 years now.
Speaker 2Well, again I took off a decent chunk in the middle. So all total it's probably five, six years maybe.
Speaker 1So how has your warmups and your recoveries changed throughout these years? What's that been like?
Optimizing Recovery and Fueling Strategy
Speaker 2Yeah, Well, I think you know there's there's two parts to that because, uh, as someone who did struggle with chronic illness for so long, my recovery time from just like spending the day walking around shopping for for some for a long time was like, if I spent, you know, a day moving my body even a little bit, um, I'd have to take like two weeks to kind of recover from that. So then as I started running, I I had this uh mental block around um, well, if I'm gonna, if I have a, I'm gonna do a 5k race, then I need to spend, I need to make sure I have two weeks after that to recover and, um, it's, I'm going to have to rest and and and that was something I accepted, and. But I got stuck there for a long time because I had been, you know, I had been dealing with that for so long and then, as a and then when I started running, adding that to it, was like I didn't shift into this new paradigm as a runner for a very long time. So it was like this weird crossover that's kind of hard for me to explain. It's like, yes, I was running and yes, I was also still battling the illness, and then, even when I was physically over the illness, I was still mentally a sick person and that's who I saw myself as, and so I babied myself in a lot of ways. And then, yeah, that's a complex thing but, to answer your question, it kind of like my recovery time was longer than it should have been for a while, I think, but maybe that's judgy and doesn't matter. And then when I was heavier than I want to be and I still didn't know the fueling thing, recovery took a long time and now I'm kind of a superhero and bounce back super fast After that.
Speaker 2After that, that half marathon I did oh, yeah, of course you know, yeah, I've come a long way, but it's gonna take me a couple weeks to recover and and like I will say I was tired or that I expected for a while afterwards, but I wasn't very sore and I did some really good self care stuff. Like right after the race I did, I got some hydrotherapy stuff and and just like kind of um, spoiled myself a little bit for, uh, after that, which was fun, kind of made a whole, a whole weekend of it in that sense, that which was fun Kind of made a whole a whole weekend of it in that sense, um, but what I've noticed is, now that I know how to fuel, now that I know how to taper, now that I know how to train um properly for my body, um, the recovery is pretty quick, Um, and and I and I'm really have gotten a lot better about listening to my body, um, in that, um, I recognize when I need to rest versus when I think I should rest, versus when I'm just being a baby and need to get my ass back in the gym. You know, there's there's like sometimes we, we make excuses because it's hard and and whether it's hitting, you know, lacing up the shoes or getting into the gym. There's days when you know the motivation is just not there and you still have to do it. There's days when you know the motivation is just not there and you still have to do it. But there are times when, no, I'm legitimately tired and it's okay to to take it easy.
Speaker 2Today, um, and recognizing the difference has taken some, you know, some maturation like it. It was a learning curve, for sure, um, and and trusting myself on both sides of that, trusting myself not to push myself too hard and trusting myself, um to know um, no, it's okay, get back in the gym Now you're you're tired, you're, you think you're tired or you think you don't want to do it, but you really didn't. You're going to feel a lot better once you get in there and like, so, yeah, like trusting myself to kind of know the difference and really listen to what my body needs, it. It there's so much that comes into that. Um, you know again, the eating and the resting and the, the, the, the fitness regime and the workouts we're doing. Listening to our body and knowing what we need in any particular moment is, I think, super important and that, I think, is one of the benefits of being, you know, an older athlete.
Speaker 1Yeah, we're so much smarter with ourselves, I think, because I didn't used to do a warm-up and now I know I need to do a dynamic warm up before I run or it's. I'm going to feel pretty crappy, you know, and the same thing with the recovery afterwards if I'm not foam rolling after, you know, I'm going to feel that, you know, and it just makes such a difference. But we make excuses. Oh, I don't have time. We do make excuses. I really I don't have time.
Speaker 2Yeah, I really had to, like I kind of like made like this, like Tracy, knock it off, and like I made a rule, like a really strict rule with myself not that long ago. If I don't have time to stretch on, either on both sides.
Speaker 2I don't have time to run. So figure it out. And if that means you know, getting up half an hour earlier, or it means stretching instead of running that day, or it means you know whatever, taking a, not watching as much TV, or whatever it is like making some changes so that I do have time to do both, and like once I made that like conscious, drew that conscious sand line in the sand. Now, now it's easy. Like now I hardly have to think about it, now it's just a part of the whole routine.
Speaker 1Yeah yeah, you're less likely to get injured if you can keep those up. And I know some of my athletes really balk at that and they're like what do you mean? I have to warm up and foam roll after and I'm like you, just it's part of your program and if you don't have time to do the whole run, do what you can, but lead time. I would much rather you know that and so far you know, knock on wood, there's been no injuries and that's the purpose of that.
Speaker 1And if you can abide by that for your body, and as you get older you almost don't have an option.
Speaker 2Right? No, absolutely. You are setting yourself up for not just failure but catastrophic failure if you don't make those kind of efforts, catastrophic earlier. If you don't make those kind of efforts, it's just part of you. Wouldn't drive your car without changing the oil every 60 to whatever 30,000 miles, whatever it is right. You wouldn't drive your car without oil in the engine. You cannot expect your body to perform in any kind of way safely for very long. You can drive that car without oil for a certain amount of miles, right, but eventually it will blow up in a big bad way and it will eventually catch up with you at any age, but especially once we're over that hill.
Speaker 1Yes, that's the name of the podcast. Yes, I love it actually.
Speaker 2When I figured out what you, what your, what it was, I was like that's very clever my husband recommended I put the next in there, so it wasn't just over the hill.
Speaker 1So I said, yeah, let's go with that. Yeah, I like it, but yeah, you know it. So I use the car analogy a lot with my athletes. It's you wouldn't try to drive your car without fuel. Why are you trying to run miles without fuel?
Speaker 2I understand.
Speaker 1You can run out and do a bust out of 5K, maybe even a 10K, without you know, maybe anything more than breakfast. But you have to train your stomach to take in something during these longer runs. I mean, you don't have to, I take that back. You don't have to, I take that back, you don't have to. But if you want better results, you know you have to fuel that race car. And that's why they have pit stops on race tracks, you know so they can get in there and fuel back up and get back out there, because they're running out of fuel and we do too.
Speaker 2And that mid-run fueling was definitely something I had no idea about until fairly recently. And then, like figuring out what that looked like for me, you know, as I was, oh it's. Is it every every two miles or is it every one? You know, every hour, is it every 45 minutes? Or and like everybody says 45 minutes, but I don't think that's quite working for me.
Speaker 2And like, again, figuring out what works for me, um and like, and and figuring out the right kind of things for me, um, for those mid run fuels, uh, again, such a huge learning curve. And it's like the more clearer that, the clearer that gets, the stronger I feel, the more capable I feel as I get those, as I start dialing that in even tighter and tighter. And I'm just tweaking it Again with some flexibility, because I know that, you know, the humidity is going to be different this weekend, so my fuel needs are going to be different this weekend. Or I didn't sleep very well during the week, and so my fuel needs are going to be different this weekend, or I didn't sleep very well during the week, and so my fuel needs are going to be different this weekend. All that, so you having a plan. I live my life this way have a plan, a very strict and clear and solid plan that you can be totally flexible about.
Preparing for Ultra Trail Running
Speaker 1I love that. Getting it on a bumper sticker, yeah right, I'm getting that on a bumper sticker, yeah right, no-transcript.
Speaker 2Oh, it'll be um April of next year, so almost almost a whole year.
Speaker 2Yeah, um, I'm going to do, I'm going to, I probably I could probably do it this year, um, but I feel like it's, I think there's some mental work I need to still do. I think that there's it's. I think there's some mental work I need to still do. I think that there's um to do to do it safely, um, and there's still, you know, the whole feeling thing. I think there's just a little bit more to learn um before I put myself out there.
Speaker 2And the other thing that I'm struggling a little bit with is I don't have a crew, like I don't have um someone out there to meet me at mile 10 or to pace me or to like help me switch out my shoes or or whatever. So I kind of have to figure out how, and I and that's how, uh, I want to do it this way because it's part of the challenge for me, um, but I need to figure out how I'm going to do that Like, what's that going to look like? And it's maybe less important on a 50 miler than it is on a 100 or 200. But it's still a thing and there's still some just logistics that I need to get clearer on and feel stronger about Um, and since I since I, until this last month, uh, had never run longer than a 10 K um, you know there's it's a whole different ball game now.
Speaker 2So now, now I'm back in school about it, right, like just trying to figure out okay, how's that going to look and how am I going to function with that, and what do I need to do to prep for that? You know, in different ways, so I that's why I set my goal for that for next year as opposed to doing it at the end of this year. Also, it's just too hot. It's just too hot in Texas to try to do 50 miles until the spring, like April is like the prime time, because it's not too cold and it's not too wet and it's not time. I want to give myself as much of a chance of enjoying it as possible.
Speaker 1We kind of say that a little bit about Wisconsin. You have like that perfect window of about a week of great weather Ours is not, is not in April. Ours is like yesterday and maybe happen to be in post storm.
Speaker 2So you have a lot to learn yet then for this next year, yeah, yes, well, and I think I mean that's part of the fun of it, right, and that's why. That's why I'm not sticking with the 10k's, like I figured that out.
Speaker 2Okay, that's on to the not sticking with the 10 Ks, like I figured that out, okay, that's onto the next thing. And the half, the half marathon was like a good jump up, but the marathon after the half marathon, like I said at the top of the show, is like that's not enough of a jump to make it enough of a challenge for me. Like, okay, I figured that out, I nailed that half marathon. I went an extra mile and point something Okay, cool, that out. I nailed that half marathon. I went an extra mile and point something, okay, cool.
Speaker 1So now I want something that's hard enough that I need to learn how to do it sure, and then after your 50 mile you can go back and run the half, I mean the full marathon right, right, then I'll just run fulls like every weekend.
Speaker 2That was easy. So and actually I really like now, now what I like? It's funny because, like, when I did the half, the half felt I knew I could do it, because I'm just gonna do it. Like if I sign up, I'm gonna do it obviously, but it was enough of a leap from only doing tens and and fives. Um, that it was a challenge. But then, once I did it, i'm'm like oh yeah, the 50 mile. And but oh no, oh no, as I was training and I was getting stronger, it's like oh yeah, 50 miles. I'm going to do 50 miles next year because this, I've got this part figured out, so we'll do the 50. But then when I complete, when I did the half and felt so good afterwards I'm like where's the nearest 200. I'm ready for, like, I want to run for like eight days straight. Let's go.
Speaker 1Yeah, we should sign up to do the Moab 240 together. Yes, okay.
Speaker 2That would be awesome, let's do it.
Speaker 1That's in my sights. I really would like to do that.
Speaker 2I've heard some really good things about that race. I think it would be super fun yeah.
Speaker 1I do too. That's my latest thing on my bucket list. I had everything checked off except for to becoming a ninja warrior. That's still on the bucket list.
Speaker 2I just added this one on there.
Speaker 1I'll do this one next. So during this training, for the next, what is it going to be? 10 months, 11 months? Do you think you'll take notes, like so that you know this is working, this is not working, and things like?
Speaker 2that. Yeah, one thing that I started doing as I was heading into that half was I started logging everything. I hadn't been. I mean, I used my running app and it tracks my miles and stuff like that, but I didn't wasn't tracking like, this is what I ate, and this is how I felt, and this is how I felt afterwards and this is how I felt going into the next week and this is the next run.
Speaker 2Um, and these were the training runs I did, and this is, you know, information really became, you know, valuable in trying to figure out what I needed to do and how to fuel. I had to. I had to track it better. Like you know, I had to really log, not just like what I was eating, but again like how I was feeling afterwards. And you know, I did this, these, uh, these workouts in the gym, and this is how I felt on the run afterwards. And and just really tracking a lot of that. And also, adding to it, this is how I felt emotionally, like I loved being out there, hearing the birds and the wildflowers are amazing, and like, um, bring that into this.
Speaker 2This, my running log. Uh, was a really important part of it for me because one, it kept it fun and kept the perspective on it. And two, that brought in the gratitude Like for me. People ask me like why, and I think only other runners really get it. For me it's just such a celebration of what my body is capable of and, especially because I did spend a couple years in a wheelchair from being sick and then had that crash with my knee and you know, thought I might always have a limp and always be in pain. Like being able to do those kinds of things, um is just a way to celebrate the fact that I can. And so bringing that gratitude into the to my running log and my running journal, um was really special and I think, I think, a great practice that I wish I'd started earlier, actually didn't even think about it, um, but highly recommend?
Believing in Limitless Potential
Speaker 1Yeah, absolutely, I know some of my races that I've done. You know it was such a quick weekend. You fly out. I would always, if I have to fly, I try to do two races right For the airfare. So I would do back to back marathon Saturday, sunday, fly home. Couldn't tell you how the race on some of them. You know, like crater Lake, yeah, that was pretty memorable. It's a beautiful place. It smelled like smoke because they'd had fires in the area. You know things like that. But for a lot of my races because and I didn't journal them and I think, oh, I really missed out on a lot for that.
Speaker 2So good for you, you're going to, you're going to enjoy that Right, well, and I think like, yeah, it's true, we get, and we get so, um, focused on.
Speaker 2You know, there's something so interesting about you have a big picture of you know, the prep and the training and the tapering and then the, the long, the whole race.
Speaker 2But when you're out there and it just gets, everything gets just down to a pinpoint of next foot, next step, um, and that's part of why we do it right, like we just it blocks out all the noise and we just get to be really focused in a way that there's hardly anything else in life where you can really be like that. We're just it's, it's so meditative, um, but you're also kind of, once you cross that finish line, it's like it's done, yeah, right, and so if, if it yeah, we've got the metal cool, we posted on the Instagram and yay, and then you're on to the next thing, and you're on to the next thing and you're the next thing. I'm like, okay, how did I? What am I going to eat today? And? But by doing that journaling again, not only could I track the physical responses and the way my body was responding to all of it, I could just kind of relive it from a place of gratitude, and I think that gratitude really carries me through to the next challenge.
Speaker 1Yeah, for sure, yep. So listen up there, folks Get your journals out.
Speaker 2A little more appreciation.
Speaker 1Yep. Do you have any other words of wisdom or tips or tricks or anything else that you'd like the listeners to know about you or your running your next journey after the 50 mile? Anything?
Speaker 2um, I think, I mean, I think we've covered, you know, the most important parts of like, just if you don't have time to stretch and you don't have time to run and and make sure that you're, you're taking care of your particular body and treating yourself like an athlete. Um, I think, especially for, especially for women of a certain age, check yourself on your limiting beliefs. What do you believe about yourself right now? And is it true, if, if, if you cause this? I, I did. You know, I really believe that like the 10 K was a max for me and like I was running fives and I'd do that one 10 K at the end of the year and it'd be hard and I'd be like, yay, I did it and um, um.
Speaker 2But that is obviously not true. And had I had um, had I been had awareness around the fact that that was a limiting belief as opposed to an actual physical limitation, then I probably would have be farther along in my journey than you know. It wouldn't have taken me whatever eight years or however long that I actually looked at it, how long it would be to be running these longer distances and to feel like an athlete. Um, so I think that like, and that just goes for everything in life. You know, like, what are, what do you believe about yourself in anything that you're, you're, you're wanting to try, and what is it you think other people believe about you that you're owning. That isn't true. And are those things in fact true? And is there something? Is there a way beyond that? Can you look at it in a way that shows you what you are actually capable of? Because it truly is limitless.
Speaker 1Yeah, I love that. I'm getting that on a bumper sticker too. You know, we do hold ourselves back mentally, I think, more so than physically. For sure, most of the things are Absolutely.
Speaker 2And I think, especially like again, as, because we're older and if you've come into running later in life or you, you know you're trying a new, a new thing at all, um, you think that there's a cap, or or maybe you don't even know that you think that there's a cap and you, but you know that this movement or this particular distance or this whatever is hard, that doesn't mean it's as far as you can go, like, okay, yeah, it's hard, that's why we're doing it.
Speaker 2If it were easy, then we wouldn't even be out here, and if and if, if we wanted to be at the finish line, we just drive to the finish line. It's not even about finish line, right, it's about the all of it, that journey of, of the, of long before the race, and then the race itself, um, and and, and they are just. It really is just like so much the potential that's the word I'm looking for, the potential we are, we are capable of so much more than that's the word I'm looking for, the potential we are, we are capable of so much more than we even think possible, and that that, uh, finish line is always moving, it should that's what I'm trying to say about the journey, that that finish line is always moving, that, that goal.
Speaker 2That's why it's like, okay, I did the tens and now I'm now I'm gonna try a half, and well, that's pretty, that's doable. I did that. It wasn't easy. Yeah, it was kind of easy in the end, you know. So let's try this next thing, and let's try this next thing, and yeah it just. You just got to believe that anything is possible. You just got to figure out. You got to find the recipe, find the coach that works for you, find the fueling plan that works for you, find the coach that works for you, find the fueling plan that works for you, find the running plan that works, find the music that works for you, find the earbuds that work for you, and and and you'll just keep getting stronger and faster and and really just believe in your invincibility yeah, and you have to want it.
Speaker 1You know, it's like when you're going in a race and you know maybe you're playing, that someone passed you, you pass them. You do that off and on for the last you know two miles of a race and then, all of a sudden, from wherever they got their energy, they passed you and got to the finish line. They wanted it more than you.
Speaker 1I'll never forget when, I was trying to qualify for Boston and the coach I had was a different coach than the Ironman, but he said when you want it, bad enough, you'll qualify. And I was like, dang it, I want it. You know who are you to tell me? You don't know me, but he was right, I didn't want it. I mean, I think I thought I wanted it, but it wasn't until I was like, I really want this, I need to move my butt faster. Right, right.
Speaker 2Because when you want it enough, then there are no excuses left, exactly Because you will do whatever it takes. You will spend the money, you will spend the time, you will set the boundaries around what you're doing with who and like. Your life becomes focused on the thing that you want and you, you, you make it happen. But it really does come down to like, do you?
Speaker 1want it bad enough.
Speaker 2Cause you do. You're right, you think you do. Well, yeah, I'm out here, aren't I? I bought the shoes. Okay, you're not making me fast, but do you want? Okay, you're not making me faster, but do you want right? Right, but do you want it enough? Yeah, what are you willing to give up and gain? Because the things you're going to gain are so much bigger than the things you're going to give up.
Speaker 1Yeah, absolutely, my tempo run I did the other day. I had a number right that I wanted to try to hold for the tempo and it was an uncomfortable run. I hit that number, but you know how you get that little burn in your stomach when you're running super hard, you know, and I'm like, ooh, I might throw up when I'm done with this. But you have to, you know, you have to have no excuses, you have to want it bad enough and you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable sometimes.
Speaker 2Yes, you do. Oh see, that's the other bumper sticker we need, right yeah.
Speaker 1You know, one of the workouts that I have for my athletes it's called no Excuses, Because sometimes they'll say, oh, I don't have the time. It's like literally a 10-minute go for it workout and it's titled no Excuses, excuses. Right, you can find 10 minutes. You know 10 minutes somewhere don't. And you know there's 10 minutes while you're waiting in the window for the kids to get off the bus or get on the bus or whatever, yep, you got. Turn the tv off for 10 minutes. You got this, you know so yeah, yep there's no excuses and you need to get.
Speaker 1You gotta want it and you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That's really what it all boils down to.
Speaker 2Exactly. Yeah, I love that one Get comfortable being uncomfortable, and I think that's a big part of why we do it at all Honestly, it's like recognizing that we can be uncomfortable and be okay at the same time. Like you said, I didn't die Right, I was very uncomfortable on.
Speaker 1We can be uncomfortable and be okay at the same time. Like you said, I didn't die Right, I was very uncomfortable on my temple run. I didn't die.
Speaker 2But I didn't die.
Speaker 1It's been such a pleasure talking to you today, tracy, such words.
Speaker 2Thank you so much.
Speaker 1And hopefully we'll get to catch back up after your 15-miler.
Speaker 2Yes, sounds good and we've got to talk about the after your 15 miler. Yes, sounds good and we will talk we have to talk about that, we're going to put that on the. We're going to put that on agenda.
Speaker 1Well, thanks again and I'll talk soon. Bye-bye.
Speaker 2Happy running everybody.
Speaker 1All right, friends. Well, I hope you enjoyed that program. Again, don't forget to follow, rate and share it Again. Don't forget to follow, rate and share it. If you know someone that their story just needs to get out there, or maybe that's you. Look me up on all of the socials threads Instagram, facebook. You can email me directly, carla at CoffeeCrewCoachingcom, and we'll get you on the show, or your friend or whoever. So thanks again for listening and have a great day.
