Behind the Bluff
Uncover best practices to participate in life on your terms. Every week, hosts Jeff Ford and Kendra Till guide listeners with short conversations on trending wellness topics and share interviews with passionate wellness professionals, our private club leaders, and additional subject matter experts offering valuable tips. Each episode conclusion includes Healthy Momentum, five minutes of inspiration to help you reflect and live differently. Subscribe now and discover the keys to living your greatest active lifestyle.
Behind the Bluff
Commit to Yourself and Choose Your Trail | Roy Vasher
A mid-80s runner shares how a Waffle House conversation sparked a 31-year daily streak and a lifetime of health, joy, and community. We explore practical routines, race memories, and the mindset that turns consistency into purpose.
• daily routine that removes excuses
• the Waffle House spark and year-one streak
• running through illness, injury and travel
• mental clarity, problem solving and stress relief
• scenic routes and trail variety at Palmetto Bluff
• camaraderie in clubs, pub runs and relays
• Boston Marathon memories and qualifying at 50
• aging strong through simple, morning habits
• commit to yourself and choose your trail
• reflection on the inner few and checking in
Remember to be grateful for the days, the breath that we have, and soak in that time with your friends and family
Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. Today we have a very special episode because around here there is one individual who is a legend because you see him out on the paths and he runs with such consistency as part of his daily routine. Mr. Roy Vasher is in his mid 80s and he runs every single day. And not only is he well known amongst our Palmetto Bluff membership, but he's also part of the Palmetto Running Company Club, where I would say at just about every race, this guy gets the most roaring applause because he's always meddling and he is literally at most local events if you're in the running scene here in the low country. Anyways, I've been looking forward to this conversation for a while because Roy's story is all about showing up and finding purpose through running. So with that, Roy, welcome to the show.
SPEAKER_00:Well, thanks, uh Jeff. Uh appreciate the opportunity to share my story. It's uh looking forward to it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Uh you were highly recommended by multiple members to get on here. And I know that you and I connected early during uh my initial career here at Palmetto Bluff, where we started to participate together in a uh early morning running group.
SPEAKER_00:Right, right. You did uh gave me some uh tricks of a trade as far as uh increasing my speed and so on. Uh so I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, you're so welcome. And I know that you've included strength in your plan as well, uh just through through the time that we spent together.
SPEAKER_00:Right, right. You gave me like I think seven different uh strength routines I do uh three times a week, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday after my run, I go to the gym and and do the workout.
SPEAKER_01:Right. You define consistency. So let's go ahead and dive in. For those who see you running every day, how would you describe your daily routine and what keeps you going?
SPEAKER_00:Okay, well, uh first of all, I I get up usually around six uh o'clock in the morning and uh I you know drink a glass of electrolytes and uh my runner's high coffee. So I take both of those while I'm watching TV for about an hour. Um and then about between seven and seven thirty, depending on the weather and so on, uh I'll get out uh uh on the run. And uh, you know, usually uh I can do at least at least two miles a day. So uh the two-mile loop is around uh uh Lake Bales, is almost exactly two miles. Uh and then other days I may do three miles or four miles, depending on how I feel. Uh I try I try to do that uh during the week, and then on Saturday uh I run with the running group, as you said, the Palmoto Running Club. And we do uh, you know, like this Saturday I did five miles. Uh so it depends on the route and how I feel. But uh, you know, just getting out there every day. Uh, you know, I you as you said, I actually run every day. So I made a commitment about 31 years ago uh to myself, basically, that I'm gonna run every day. And so I keep that up no matter the weather, the you know, the heat, or last year we had the snowstorm and I ran into ice and uh I had to run over in the grass most of the time to keep from slipping and sliding, but uh uh it just keeps me going and uh you know it's it's not necessarily always enjoyable, but I I do it even if I am sick uh or so on. I've had covert a two or three times, I've run through that, and so no matter what how I feel, I get out there and run.
SPEAKER_01:No matter what's going on in your life, no matter the weather, you found consistency in getting at least two miles a day. What began that journey 31 years ago? What made you create that commitment to yourself?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it was kind of interesting. I I I I actually didn't run when I was young. I didn't run in school or anything like that. So I I guess in my mid-40s I had uh midlife crisis feeling. I was thinking, man, I I I'm not doing exercise. I play a little bit of golf, but that's not too much exercise, so to speak. Uh and uh I didn't really want to join a gym or anything like that. Uh so I said, well, maybe I could run because that's something I can do on my own. I don't have to uh, you know, uh show up for a team or anything like that. So I started running, but I was running uh, you know, three or four days a week, but then if it rained, I would take a day off. So, you know, when you don't run every day, you know, sometimes if you take two or three days off, it feels like you're starting over again. You know, you know, you're breathing and uh, you know, you're saying, man, this is tough, you know, it's not enjoyable. Uh so uh one one day, I think it was between Christmas and New Year's, I was at the Waffle House. Uh I hung out there using for coffee and uh some toast or something like that. And there was this older gentleman, uh, I was 49 at the time, and uh uh he must have been in his 60s, and he was sitting there and he somehow we got talked about running, and uh he said, you know, I made a commitment last January to run every day for a year, and here it is two more days, and I'll have my full year in, and I'm really excited about that. So that kind of inspired me. Uh, and I said, Well, that's a neat idea. So I made a New Year's resolution to run every day for a year, and I finished up the year, and I think, well, why not just try two years?
SPEAKER_01:You decided to keep going.
SPEAKER_00:Keep going, and you know, here I am 31 years later, uh, running every day. I've with the exception about six years ago, I had a a stress fracture in my knee and I had to take three months off, but it actually healed itself, so I'm back here every day.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. That's a remarkable just thought that comes across your brain through a conversation with someone else who made a commitment to themselves. You just stumbled into staying consistent with it every single day. So just so I understand this correctly, when you were 49, you decided to run every day and you haven't stopped for 31 years.
SPEAKER_00:Right. Wow. Except for that stress fracture situation. But uh, you know, and you know, I've had other injuries. I've had uh a hamstring and plantophlassitis, but I just run through it, you know, and I maybe run a little bit slower. As I said, I've had COVID two or three times and you know, get out there and run. Uh in fact, uh I've had some interesting situations, like we just got back from a trip to Italy, and we had to catch a flight at 6:30 in the morning, so I didn't really want to run five o'clock in the dark there in the streets of Italy. So we weren't gonna get home till uh 11 o'clock at night, and I was thinking, man, if uh you know my flight's delayed, I'm not gonna be able to get the run in. So we were in J JFK Airport for four hours, and I gave Audrey my clothes, went and changed uh clothes and ran up and down the airport terminal for two miles.
SPEAKER_01:Did anyone say anything to you?
SPEAKER_00:No, it's kind of interesting. Uh no one said you know, some you know, some security with dogs, you know, there and but no one said anything, no one stopped me, and uh, you know, people kind of looked, but didn't really look that strange about it. But uh it's amazing how long those terminals are because you run from one end to the other, it's about two miles. Uh so I got my run in even though uh it was kind of unusual circumstance.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I think unusual circumstances define us in our habits, and that's a testament to the run being so important to you. What do you enjoy most about running?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, it's it's kind of uh, you know, as I said, not every day it's enjoyable, but uh, you know, the feeling of accomplishment when I'm done running, I think, man, I did it again. You know, I checked off that box and uh I you know I fulfilled my uh you know my commitment to myself. Uh and uh also even though, as I said, when when you're sick, sometimes you get out there and you're breathing and you actually feel better uh you know after you've been out there a couple uh uh miles. So uh, you know, it just makes you feel better. And also, it's amazing how much you think about when you're running. I don't usually run with music. Sometimes I run uh you know with a uh TV on now, but in the earlier days I didn't run with anything, and your mind is solving problems like when I was working uh at Toyota, and I have some situation at work, and I start thinking about it, and a lot of times I solve the problem while I was running.
SPEAKER_01:You know, so by the end of the run, you have a solution to an everyday professional problem. Right, right.
SPEAKER_00:So uh and so I think it mentally, uh you know, not only physically it it makes you healthier, but I think uh mentally it's uh it relieves a lot of stress, uh it's relaxing. And you know, as we talk about running here in a beautiful place like Pomonda Bluff, uh it's just uh you know great uh feeling feeling to be alive, so to speak.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Uh as a fellow runner, Roy, I am totally picking up what you're putting down, the sense of achievement, feel better on days where I might be sick, and then the mental benefit of being out there for problem solving, just really acuity and energy for the rest of the day. And what better place to do it than the property of Palmetto Bluff? What do you like most about running at Palmetto Bluff?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, it's like I said, it's a beautiful place, and uh, I'll just share some of my uh different routes I I do. So some days yeah, I'll run up to the Moreland uh uh dock at sunrise and looking over the marsh and the sun coming up uh over the horizon is just you know just spectacular. I mean, yeah, you know, sometimes I'll stop there and take a moment and just uh enjoy the the moment. Uh so that's one you know uh situation where you know people that do run or some people walk may want to take advantage of uh you know, and and I'm sure the same thing can be said down at the village. Uh because that's a little bit longer run.
SPEAKER_01:Uh from where you're located, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But but some days uh as I said, my you know, minimal route is two miles around the lake, but then uh I enjoy exploring like uh when uh there's a new development like Moreland Forest now. Uh you know, they're putting the roads back in there, but it's closed. But so on Sundays, I know there's no construction traffic, so I'll run and explore the new roads uh around Moreland Forest or something like that. Um and of course uh we have the Buffalo Run. I've done that the last uh three years and again this year, and I actually it's kind of enjoyable because my daughter comes down with her friends and we have a five-person relay team. So I get a chance to run with my my daughter here, and uh uh both of my daughters uh are runners, so it's kind of in the family now. In fact, even my grandkids are are starting to run. Wow. Uh but uh the other thing is that running the trail, so uh, you know, if I'm running like I'm I do a half marathon like last year in Defusky, and I'll do one in January in Jekyll Island. So if I want to run a like a 10-mile run, I'll run down Moreland Road, go through May River Force, come around by the golf club, and that's about six miles. So I stop there and get some water and uh bathroom break, and then run back to Moreland, and that's uh nine and a half miles. I have to add a half mile to get my 10-mile routine in. So that's another example of a route uh, you know, that I run. Uh so part of that's on the trail back to Moreland, which is kind of scenic and beautiful back there. And you know, sometimes you see deer, you know, in the trail or other animals out there. Uh I haven't really seen any alligators that I've tried to run across.
SPEAKER_01:You've been lucky so far avoiding alligators. Right. Well, I I love the breakdown of the different routes that you're able to come up with on the on this property. And yeah, with the building and the the roads that keep developing here, it's gotta be fun to explore different spots on on property. Now, your family has gotten involved with your running, and the Buffalo Run is a great example. It's actually coming up here in a few weeks. What do you enjoy most about participating on a team through running?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's uh, you know, the camaraderie, uh, you know, like like Buffalo Run. I know you've got options. You can do the single 10K, or you can do a 30K or 50K. But uh the team, uh, you know, just cheering on each other and getting out there and having someone to root for uh during the the race. And then the uh the other thing uh you had mentioned earlier, I'm part of the Palmetto Running Club, and that's kind of fun because I look forward, you know, like every Saturday morning we meet at a different coffee shop at 7 o'clock, and there's you know, sometimes 30 people, sometimes 50 people there. And you, you know, it's just you know, seeing your friends and you know, something to look forward to, the cambrodery. And the other thing that's neat is during the summer months, they have a pub run at 6 o'clock in the evenings at a different uh pub around Hilton Head. Uh and I think last summer, their first pub run was at uh the bank in Hilton Head. This is a big venue. We had over a hundred people show up, and they're just amazing. You know, of course, then we have to run two or three miles, come back and have some beer and some chicken wings or pizza or whatever, and just hang out with with the with the group. So the camaraderie and uh you know just a sense of belonging to a group uh is important.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, it's rewarding. And as someone who's training by themselves the majority of time, runners typically do that. You do as well, it it sounds like having that outlet once a week, twice a week, it it just brings a different connection to the physical activity that you're participating in. So great example. Roy, you've had a lifetime of running here, and this is where I want to get a little more philosophical, if you will. What lessons do you hope others take from your example of this level of consistency with running?
SPEAKER_00:Well, well, I think the uh you know the lesson is commitment, you know, and like I said, the commitment is to yourself. So uh, you know, setting the goal uh and and you know, keeping at it whether, you know, not not everybody is going to run, for example, but some people like Haji, my wife walks. You know, she walks three or four miles several days a week. So that's uh her routine. Uh I noticed there's a lot of my friends, you know, show up at the workout classes here, you know, and they take classes several times a week. So whatever it is, your your thing, uh you know, make a commitment. And you know, the thing is consistency, no matter what uh how you feel or what your weather is or whatever, you know, just follow through. And it's amazing the sense of accomplishment when you when you do that, you know, when you you can't kind of uh just you know you know make sure you have a disciplined schedule and you kind of work it in. The other thing is that I typically try to run, as I said, first thing in the morning because there's no other you know obstacles. Like a lot of times if you wait and run in the evening, you know, maybe someone says, let's go out for dinner or something like that, and you have a few drinks. Well, you're not gonna feel like running at nine o'clock after you've had a couple glasses of wine. So it's uh easier to you know miss uh the routine. So it's it's try to pick the time of the day that you have no other conflicts and you know, schedule your routine, whether it's a workout class or whether it's walking or running, and just you know, follow through on a day-to-day basis.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, to twofold there. Doesn't have to be running, it can be fitness class, it can be walk, whatever it is, define it, stay committed to it, and then get it done earlier in the morning before your day can get away from you. Right, right. I I know that all too well. Uh everyone out there does as well. So just that's those are sound lessons that regardless of where you are on your journey, you you can take from Roy's experience here. Roy, I want to circle back. We we spoke a little bit about the Buffalo Run, which is an iconic race here at Palmetto Bluff on the trails. I'd love to hear from you. What are one or two other races that you've participated in that have deep memories for you?
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Yeah, that's a good question. Uh, you know, I've run about I think 16 marathons and dozens of half marathons. Uh, but my uh, you know, obviously Boston is very famous, and I've run that twice. In fact, I ran it in in 1994, and in 96 was the 100th anniversary. So that was really exciting to be able to run the 100th anniversary of Boston. And of course, you have to qualify for Boston. So my first marathon was uh Columbus, and I uh just turned 50, and uh it was in the fall. And uh, you know, of course, you're always nervous running your first race because you don't know whether you can finish. You know, you hear about uh the uh you know the wall at 18 miles or 18, 20 miles, and man, am I gonna be able to stick to it? So I started out in you know, the first mile, the pace was like seven minutes, ten seconds. Man, you know, that's too fast. I can't, you know, keep up. And it was like 7, 12, and I kept going and going. And uh, you know, I got to the last three miles, and I think I just, you know, I'd see a traffic light or something, water stop, and I'm just gonna make it up to that, and I make it and I pick another target, and so just kind of mentally, you know, focusing on the next target. But I actually finished it in three hours and thirteen minutes. Wow.
SPEAKER_01:So you held the pace the entire race, your very first marathon.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, 722 pace. So I qu obviously I qualified for Boston because my qualifying time would have been 330. So I beat that by you know several minutes. What was that feeling like? Well, it was just exhilarating. I was just uh so happy and so surprised that I was be able to keep pace and like I said, finished race you know without stopping. That was always my goal. Is can I finish a marathon without walking?
SPEAKER_01:You went in so humble, surprised yourself, and ended up being a BQ qualifier at 50 years old, your very first marathon. Right. That's pretty special.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And then I ran uh the next spring I ran Boston, uh, and I actually ran that in three hours and twenty one minutes. So that was pretty good for Boston.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, first time for listeners out there who don't know much about the Boston Marathon. There's a hill called Heartbreak Hill, and it hits you right after you've been going downhill the entire race.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_01:Not an easy course.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's about uh I think 19, 20 miles into the race, so you're obviously pretty tired anyway, and you've got about a I think it's almost like a mile or mile and a quarter, you know, and it kind of fish backs up. I mean, you get up to a plateau and then uh you look around the corner, you got another uphill. So you you kind of uh r breaks your midlay because you think you're up the hill and then you got another one. And it keeps going up on you. Yeah. But I remember actually it was kind of interesting. That race uh after I got up there, some lady was handing out uh ice cubes on a string on like a rope. Ice cubes on a string. Three of them. Tell me more. Yeah, and uh so she handed me that and I took it, and you know, I was like sucking on wand, and then the other ones I put on my back, my neck, my forehead, it was cooling me off and that. So it was really a neat idea because I could hold on to the little string with the ice cubes and uh you know, for several times before it for it melted.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, I had never heard of ice cubes on a string. Yeah, I'm gonna have to incorporate that in my next running event. What was Boston like for you, the entire experience of it?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it was uh you know super uh exciting. And in fact, uh, you know, my first Boston, you know, my my wife Audrey, my two daughters, Jody and Neely, flew up to to be there with me. And uh, you know, so it was kind of exciting to be at the finish. Uh and uh, you know, of course they they give you a glass of Samuel Adams beer at the end instead of water, they give you beer. But uh the other thing actually, I almost forgot about that. I actually had a business trip to England the next day. So after the Boston Marathon at seven o'clock that night, I caught a flight to London, and uh, you know, I got in London like eight o'clock the next morning, and uh, you know, uh I had to run again because it was the next day. So I got the whole thing. How do you get your two miles in? I uh my I got the hotel and I ran uh my two miles, and then I had changed clothes and my had to get to the business meeting at uh tour the plant uh at lunch. So I got there at lunch, and then uh the person in charge of the meeting said, Well, since we just had lunch, you know, rather than sitting down and talking, why don't we take a plant tour? So we had to walk around the plants up and down stairs and that after I had just been on an overnight flight running from Boston.
SPEAKER_01:Did anyone say anything about your your uh gate on that day?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I I think I was one of the slower ones on the walk around the plants. So it was kind of interesting. But uh that that was a kind of a uh unusual circ circumstance.
SPEAKER_01:Uh it's you getting the race in, staying on your uh professional uh events that you have going at the same time with the business and just plugging away.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. And the other thing's actually on the flight over, I'm in, you know, flying in corporate uh so I was in business class and I'm kind of feeling proud of my had my medal on. Oh yeah. Uh and the sort of flight attendant comes over, she's oh, I see you run bosses. Yeah, I'm you know, you know, finished it. And she's well, you know, there was a couple on here yesterday. They had ran the London marathon the day before. They flew to Boston and was running to Boston, so she kind of put me in my place.
SPEAKER_01:Put you in your place with that. That is a tradition when you fly back from running Boston, you get the mer the metal around your neck, and you can clearly see who's run the race, whether it's from their gate or the the metal signaling that they have. Well, besides Boston, do you have one other race story that's memorable in your heart?
SPEAKER_00:Well, the uh you know the other race uh story is not necessarily a marathon, but uh in Kentucky they have something called the bourbon chase, uh 200-mile relay race. It's a 12-person relay team, and you run 24 hours a day, so it takes about 31 hours to finish. And you run from you know various bourbon distilleries. So uh fortunately, if you're gonna run, you don't take a sip of the bourbon. But if you're if you're you know not gonna run for three or four hours, you can sample the bourbon. But it's kind of an exciting race because you run out there in the dark at four o'clock in the morning and you hear the dogs barking, or you may see a deer run in front of you, and so on. But it's uh all through the back rows of Kentucky, and it's uh 200 miles. So each uh participant runs three segments. So you run maybe a six-mile segment, and then maybe a seven mile or nine mile. So over the period of 30 hours, you're running a total of about 18 to 20 miles.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, though those long distance relays are so much fun. I participated in the Blue Ridge relay, just a bunch of friends, and it's you're driving these vans around on these roads that they sometimes don't seem like roads with how dark it is out, and you're just trading people in and out. Who did you have on your team? Family members, friends?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's actually uh the my friend of mine is an attorney for a law firm in Kentucky, so they they their firm sponsored the team, so they would ask me. They didn't have enough uh lawyers that wanted to run, uh, so they would always ask me to run. Then uh a couple years they had uh shortage, so not only did I run, but my two daughters run and my son-in-law's run. So it was like uh five of us on the team were a family of ashers, so that was kind of exciting. Yeah, that's that's phenomenal, Roy.
SPEAKER_01:What I love most about running nowadays, as someone who's done a quite a few marathons as well, is doing races with people who I'm connected to and having those memory dividends from those races as you've described. So sounds like your very first marathon, great positive uh surprise with the finish Boston Marathon, and then the Kentucky Bourbon Trail 200 mile relay, those are kind of the top three so far. Right, right, right. And I say so far, Roy, because you are aging. And I bring that word up because for some of us, we can be uncomfortable knowing that we're getting older, but as someone who's kept the consistency, kept the commit and commitment to yourself, I'd love for you to speak to that person who may be aging as well, and they're trying to stay healthy and active into their 70s, 80s, and beyond. What advice would you have for that individual?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I I think like I said, uh, you know, you know, continue with exercise. Uh, and you know, one thing uh, you know, the exercise, fortunately, uh, you know, because I do have the burning the calories, so to speak, I don't have to worry so much about what I'm eating uh and even drinking. So uh, you know, I keep the weight down and keep in shape. Uh but I think it it kind of keeps you healthy. In fact, my doctor, you know, she like always comments, oh, is my runner? She was you're you're in such a good shape, you know, and so on. Uh but uh the other thing is that my mother uh uh I've looked up to she lived to be 106. No way, I didn't know that about your family history. She was really, you know, worked hard her life. In fact, she worked uh my brother's small restaurant until she was 92 as a short-order cook. Unbelievable. And then she didn't lived by herself until she was 99, and she fell and broke her hip. So she had her hip replaced at age 99, lived another seven years, uh uh, you know, and her had her mental faculties right to the end. She could remember phone numbers and birth dates and so on. So uh that that kind of always uh inspires me to say, well, can I outlive my mother? You know, and still be healthy. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Roy, I think uh there's always applause for you at races. I think folks are mystified by what you've been able to do and and keep keep doing. Have you ever had any crazy comments? Or what I'm kind of asking is what's the craziest thing anyone's ever said to you about just you, your commitment and your consistency with the running?
SPEAKER_00:Uh well, I think some people you know think I'm crazy. You know, so how do you how do you get out there and do it every day and you know, don't you want to just take a day off or you know, time off? So uh, you know, it's it's you know, the other things that the the races uh uh you know, fortunately uh in my age group, uh a lot of times I'm only only one in age group, so I win by default. But uh last week it was a tunnels of the tower race, and uh actually it was eight eight people in my age group, and I was about halfway through the races, a 5K race. So it's this older gentleman comes up beside me, he says, Hey Roy, he says, I didn't I didn't know the gentleman, but he knew me because probably the races. Yeah. And he says, uh, when were you born? And I said, Well, you know, July of 1943. He says, Well, I was born in June of 43, so I'm older than you are. And he he was coming up beside me. He said, Well, you know, you might as well keep on going because you're gonna beat me. He says, No, no, I've seen your times. He says, I'm not gonna be able to keep up with your pace. So fortunately, I didn't win. He came in third.
SPEAKER_01:So well, what a moment. Like being in the race and having that conversation with someone who's in your age group. I think no matter how old we are, it's always fun to come across someone in your age group and just uh push each other and inspire one another to finish. Well, before we wrap up, Roy, I'd I'd love to give you the floor one last time. If you had one solidary piece of advice you'd like to share with anyone who wants to stay active. And energize and move through the different seasons of life in a healthy way, what would that one piece of advice be?
SPEAKER_00:Make a commitment to yourself. You don't have to commit to anyone else, but but it's a personal commitment and feeling that obligation to follow through. And like I said, uh, you know, if I if I ever had to miss a day, I I would really feel you know, you know, depressed, so to speak. So it's kind of like it keeps me going, uh, motivated to to keep up the consistency and uh to get out there and do whatever it is. I said it doesn't have to be running, it can be walking or a fitness class or swimming or whatever, but uh doing that routine and doing it in in your own time schedule. So I said early in the morning where you have no other competing uh you know situations, uh I think is the best advice I can give people.
SPEAKER_01:Well said. Roy, final question. What does wellness mean to you?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think uh wellness means feeling good, you know. It's kind of like uh you know being fit, but uh also being able to uh you know have have being able to have energy and you know be able to uh look forward to the day and you know feeling good when you get up in the morning and and good when you go to bed at night. So it's kind of and also being able to keep in shape uh mentally and uh physically.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks for sharing and Roy and thanks for allowing us to discuss your age. I really appreciate that. Uh I I have to say, your discipline, the energy you you bring to the community every single day, it inspires all of us. And for everyone listening, Roy is that reminder today that consistency doesn't have to be perfect. Consistency can also be achieved when you're under the weather, something's off in your life. It it just has to be yours. I think Roy put it best where he said, find your time, find what you want to do, because those little daily choices, they add up. And in Roy's case, uh it has shaped a shaped a lifetime of wellness for him. Uh so thanks so much, Roy. Appreciate you spending the time with us today.
SPEAKER_00:Well, you're welcome, Jeff. It's been my pleasure.
SPEAKER_01:So much fun. Listeners, that brings us to the end of our main segment. Feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. Well, since we spoke so much with Roy about running, I had to gear this week's reflection with running as an analogy for life. And so for today, I wanted to start with a couple questions. Have you ever been running so fast that you failed to stop and noticed something that was off right in front of you? A situation you could have possibly impacted much sooner, but you didn't sprint towards it. There are times in life when we neglect things that should have been on our radar. And the worst of times is when you fail to check in with the inner few. The rider dies in your life. If you're anything like me, you you often make a false assumption that everything is good with the people you're closest to. You might take for granted everything they bring to the table until a situation wakes you up, literally, at 4 a.m. You see, the people we love the most are often the same people we acknowledge the least. The people we love the most are often the same people that we acknowledge the least. And maybe that's just where I stand, maybe that's not true for you, but I do know at the bottom of my heart, deep to my core, that all of us would do anything for our inner few because we felt the difference when they're running beside us. The inner few are the people in our lives that we can't imagine what life looks like on the trail without them. And frankly, we don't want to be on a trail without them. But the real challenge comes when you have to admit to yourself that regardless of the outcome, regardless of the decision, all you want is what's best for your inner few. And even if it means that they'll no longer be running right beside you, you can't be selfish because we are all called to run on different trails at different times. It happens. The decision making typically comes down to what trail do you want to be on? Let me rephrase that. What trail are you meant to be on? So for today, I want us to take three steps. And they might impact you uniquely in different ways. First, check in with your interview today. One text or call is simple as a question. How are you? But in parentheses, but really, how are you really? Secondly, let's move forward after today's episode free of assumptions. Don't assume. Ask consistently with your interview. Go one layer deeper with a simple, honest question that gets to the core of how they're doing. And then finally, for those of you out there who have decisions to make in your life, choose your trail with intention. Take one minute to ask yourself, what trail am I meant to be on right now? I truly believe these simple steps will help you build real momentum in your life. Stay present, stay connected, and choose your trail with purpose. I guarantee I'll see you out there. That brings us to the end of this week's episode. I want to thank you for taking the time to listen this week and would like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Remember to be grateful for the days, the breath that we have, and soak in that time with your friends and family. It's it's just such a special time of year. And until next week, remember to actively participate in life on your terms.
