Peach Podcast
Two guys and an occasional guest breaking open topics on: Purpose, Energy, Attitude, Commitment and Health through shared experiences.
Peach Podcast
S2EP07: Embracing the Ultra-Running Philosophy with Ralph Purugganan!
This episode we invite you to connect with our guest Ralph Purugganan and his incredible transformation from a casual runner to an ultra runner, revealing the depth of resilience inherent in long-distance running. With humor and profound insights, Ralph discusses his experiences facing mental and physical challenges, emphasizing the importance of community and connection found in ultra running.
• Ralph’s humorous first half marathon experience
• Transition from traditional sports to running
• Discovering the beauty of trail running and its community
• The challenges faced during the San Diego 100
• Insights on overcoming mental blocks and enduring pain
• Philosophical reflections on running and life’s adversities
• The supportive role of Hillsburg Running Company in the community
• Encouragement to embrace one’s potential and start their journey
Follow Ralph @ralphirun and his store @healdsburgrunningcompany
Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the Peach Podcast. Just a couple of dudes and an occasional guest breaking open topics from everyday life on purpose, energy, attitude, commitment and health. So if you're ready, listen in as we live, to learn from our losses, gain from our gratitude and laugh as we level up. Always remember, if you ever feel stuck, all you got to do is just start. Come on, let's go. Hey, welcome back to peach podcast with doug and daryl. This week we have an awesome guest. All the way from Hillsburg, california.
Speaker 1:We got my boy, ralph. Man, you know what I'm just going to say. Man, there's a little bit of bromance, ralph, I don't know if you know that, but I got my eye on you, ralph. I got my eye on you, man. You sold me some shoes. But the way you did it, man, you seduced me, ralph. You seduced me. You took me through several pair of shoes. You had me running up and down the street and you know I had some toe pain and some arch support stuff going on and, uh, you know the width of my shoe and, man, by the time we got down to the right shoe and then you gave me this little laces trick and all this other stuff. I was like I was. I I'm telling you, I felt like I was running in a Range Rover man with just the optimal suspension and just loving life, bro. So thank you for that, because my feet are happy. They are happy when I go out there and run.
Speaker 1:I've had to miss the last week because I've been dealing with the cold and the flu and all that stuff, but I'm looking forward to getting back to it. I need you to hook up my boy Daryl with the fitting as well at some point. But, ralph, I don't want to screw it up. So how do you say your last name real quick Peruganen, peruganen. Okay, I was going to say Huruganan, but you know what I'm saying, cause I'm from the Island. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean that that's not wrong either. I feel like, maybe growing up in the States, maybe I am saying it wrong.
Speaker 1:So it's all good, man, it's all good. So I just call you Ralph, man, because that's the easy one to say. Um, but Ralph, thank you so much for being on the show today. Uh, I told Daryl a lot about you. The crazy thing, ralph, is you and I we've hung out for a shoe fitting and uh from that, and then you kind of shared with me about running and then you kind of dropped that you had done a hundred miler and I'm just like what. And then you dropped your training to qualify for the Boston marathon. So I'm gonna throw that out there as well. And I heard that I'm like man, this boy is like serious.
Speaker 1:Then we started connecting my, my brother, joe, down at Hillsburg, uh, uh, world Gym down there was doing an event, and so you and I were kind of collaborating to get your company, the Hillsburg Running Company, down there to set up a booth and put some merch and stuff down there and connect with people. But it was cool, ralph, because I got to know you a little bit and the last time I was down there we sat down and, you know, went to go have coffee for about you know, 30 minutes and 90 minutes later, man, we're just like you know, went to go have coffee for about you know 30 minutes and 90 minutes later, man, we're just like you know, I got to know a lot more about Ralph man. I've just felt this deep respect for you, brother, and just saw this different part of you, this deep part of you, this loving part of you, this insightful part of you, this real part of you Like, you're a cool dude, ralph, and just made me more excited to have you on the show and I shared a lot not everything with Daryl, but I shared a lot just about who you are as a man and stuff and what you do and your passion, how you connect with community, and so thank you so much for being here on us. So Daryl got so curious and Daryl, he's a workhorse man, he don't play, he likes to get all prepared and stuff. So daryl's got a little detective in him.
Speaker 1:Daryl, why don't you tell ralph a little bit about what you know about ralph? And then, ralph, you need to validate, you need to fact check this. I need to know if some of this is real, because some of the things he was saying I'm like what, what, what? Ralph didn't tell me that yet, but uh, so I'm excited for the guests to get to know ralph uh, even even more so than than you and I know each other now, ralph. So, darrell, what did you find out about Ralph?
Speaker 3:Well, first of all, welcome Ralph to the show. It's great. You know, doug generally complains about everything, so the fact you could take one thing away from him you know his foot pain and all that that's good. But yeah, we want to get to know a little bit about you, right? So just doing some research and everything else, I'm super excited. So why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? And I'll throw in a few nuggets and everything else there. But I got to ask you I hear you're a musician, as well, correct, a musician.
Speaker 2:I mean, I like to dabble, I like to play.
Speaker 3:All right, all right, what's your instrument?
Speaker 2:What's what's your instrument.
Speaker 2:What's your instrument? I play guitar. Ok, I do play guitar and and you have definitely done your research. No, well, I appreciate you guys having me. This is my first time being a guest on a podcast and it sounds like you do your due diligence. Daryl and Doug, you know the times that we've been able to hang out and talk. Uh, I feel like this is what it's come to. Is me being a guest and you invited me basically into your home on this podcast. So doing my research, uh, I've become a fan, is what I've done is I've become a fan of peach podcast. Peach Podcast, listening to all your guests, listening to you two go back and forth, and so I just appreciate being here. But, yes, daryl, you want to start. I mean, we could talk about the running and all those things, but you want to start.
Speaker 3:No, I talk Ralph growing up.
Speaker 2:The musical background no, no no, Just give us a little bit about you growing up and everything else how you got into running and then we'll jump into it and I'll sprinkle a bit of our research investigation throughout the show. Actually a Filipino last name, but my family is originally from Guam but I grew up here in Sonoma County, in Santa Rosa. So when you're from the islands you know if you grew up on the States they call you stateside and so I'm a stateside Guamanian, or the natives would say they're, you know, chamorro. So there's a lot of differences between someone you know that was raised on Guam versus someone from Guam being raised in the States, here. But I grew up with a big family and you know it was being one of the younger ones in the family a lot of cousins, you know my dad has seven siblings and we all grew up. Six out of the seven of my dad's siblings live here in Sonoma County and we all grew up together with cousins. So we were battling when it came to playing sports with older, you know, cousins. So a lot of soccer, a lot of baseball, a lot of basketball, playing in the backyard, playing in the streets, you know in the streets, you know under the light posts, so was able to enjoy, you know, growing up in the area with a lot of the people that I loved and then, at the same time, growing up in, you know, northern California, a lot of the culture from you know I would say American culture too was the influence and the friends that I had met, the people I lived with growing up. So there was a great community aspect up here in Sonoma County that I didn't know was pretty rare in a way, or not just rare but special. So when I did get older and venture out, you know, you start looking at these communities and you go, wow, I did, I really did grow up in a beautiful place and so it took me about 12 years of living in different places before I give back to that community. That raised me, and coming back up to this area after 12 years was something I needed to find, something to do that I think would be a part of that would allow me to give back to the community. And that's where I stumbled upon a running store, healdsburg Running Company.
Speaker 2:Being an athlete growing up, it was interesting the contrast of like a team sport. Or, for example, I grew up in like the N1 kind of basketball era. I don't know if you remember N1 basketball and the idea of N1 basketball was like making the other person look bad, right. And so you know. So you're breaking ankles, you're crossing people over, you know, trying to put breaking ankles, you're crossing people over, you know, trying to put the ball through your shirt, spinning around and and you have the guy look the other way, right. And so I think of sports, sometimes ball sports, as a way of that. Right, you're trying to show the other guy up, you're trying to. You know it's win or lose.
Speaker 2:And I would say it wasn't until later on, as an adult, that I actually found running and running changed my perspective of sports as far as, like you know, it's not about making the other person look bad. Actually, these people are cheering you on when you're passing them, versus anything else. So getting into the running aspect didn't come till later growing up. But I would say just being coming from a big family allowed me to hone in on like who I was and you know, and find my way. Right, when you have a bunch of cousins at the table, you got to make sure yourself is heard, or that you know, or you don't eat if you know, make sure you get your, your, your piece, right.
Speaker 2:But yeah, growing up in that competitive aspect was definitely something that shaped me as a kid.
Speaker 1:So did you do any of your, any of your cousins and stuff? Are they still local and do they run as well?
Speaker 2:You know I have. I have a couple cousins that are, that are athletes. You know, definitely they're all pretty much athletes a lot of soccer players, basketball players. I've got a couple cousins that run and it was actually my sister and one of my best friends who was my cousin. My sister Rolanda and my cousin Alita were the first ones to get me to run a half marathon. They had been training and running for a half marathon and they challenged me and said, hey, we're doing this half marathon. They had been training and running for a half marathon and they challenged me and said, hey, we're doing this half marathon, you down to go in and try yourself. And I'm like, if you can do it, yeah, I can. Of course I'll take this challenge.
Speaker 2:And I remember I did everything wrong. I had no idea what it was to run a half marathon. I just thought I'm an athlete, I could go do this. It was a Marin half marathon and I remember showing up in a Hanes cotton t-shirt, a pair of soccer shorts and I must have had I either had some like hand-me-down Brooks shoes or like a pair of like indoor soccer shoes, like Pumas or something like that and I remember yeah right.
Speaker 2:And so I'm sitting on this bus at six in the morning with my sister and my cousin and a couple of friends that wanted to do this as well, and it's 6 am and I'm just got the boogers in my eyes like wiping them out and everybody's like chirping away, talking, all excited. I'm like who are these people Like? Just, they're so awake right now. I just rolled out of bed not really knowing what I'm doing right now, and I'm like everyone's so talkative and chatty and I'm like, ok, I need to wake up here or else something's going to. You know, I might miss something. We start the race and I start warming up and I'm like, okay, this is, it's cold, I think I could do this Next thing. You know, right, the cameras are out there, right, there's always cameras at the races taking photos. So, mile two and three, I'm jumping up at the camera, just like you know, doing jumps and spinning around, like all you know. I'm all awake and fun now.
Speaker 1:Oh shit, that's funny.
Speaker 2:Little did I know. I had about 12 more miles ahead of me, oh man.
Speaker 1:Who is this fool out here right now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, who is this guy? So I start taking off. I'm like I'm feeling good Time to go. I started taking off. I'm like I'm feeling good Time to go, I started taking off and next thing, you know, the road turns into a trail and I had no idea this was a trail run that we were about to do. And so we just start climbing and I just remember feeling good and just starting to pass all these people. I'm like, oh, this is great, like we're running on a trail. Now we're running uphill, time to go. I'm like, oh, this is great, like we're running on a trail. Now we're running uphill, time to go. And I remember my cousin being like, oh, you want to take off, you want to do it? Go ahead, go have some fun.
Speaker 2:And I would say that lasted for about six miles. And so, about mile seven or eight, I just start feeling my legs get tired and then I'm like, oh geez, I've got ways to go. I need to keep going. Mile 11, I just hit a wall and that wall just floored me. And next thing, you know, I'm like I have to walk. And then I'm like, but I can still walk and I'm jogging.
Speaker 2:I remember, at the aid stations, people looking at me like, are you okay? I must have turned white. I must have become white as a ghost. Right people looking at me like are you okay? Because I must have turned white, I must have become white as a ghost. And so those last 2.1 miles I was just working my way. I actually remember looking down the finish line and people are cheering along the side. I'm like I got this. I just got a few more yards to go, big banners everywhere and I see the finish line and I'm just like I got to get to that finish line. I crossed the finish line and I dropped down and I'm like panting and a guy comes over and taps me on the shoulder and he's like the finish line's up there.
Speaker 2:You're not at the finish line yet and I'm like look up, I'm like, oh shoot, that wasn't the finish line, like I need to get going. So I run those extra you know 50 feet to the finish line and then collapse and I'm like what did I just do out there, like what am I doing? But yeah, there's my first ever real running experience.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:Trying to run a half marathon. Never experienced chafing until that day. I mean, wearing that Hanes cotton t-shirt was the wrong thing to do. And then I couldn't eat for like an hour. I went to breakfast, had this big old breakfast, ordered everything, didn't even touch it, not one bite. I was a mess, let's just say it took me a while to get back into running after that one. But definitely, you know, I would say my family definitely is a big influence on getting me to that start line and stepping me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways.
Speaker 2:I do have to say thanks to my brother-in-law, my cousin Alita, for getting me out there.
Speaker 3:That's an awesome story For a lot of people. On our podcast you might know about Iron Cowboy. Iron Cowboy is a little different, but he basically just went out and did his first marathon, right, just randomly, right, yeah, and then had to go to a basketball game that night and he thought he was a stud athlete and at the end of the game he couldn't get up from the seat.
Speaker 1:He did a 5K, a 5K and couldn't do it. That's what? Because he wasn't a runner at all yeah, so, uh, destroyed.
Speaker 3:So now, when I hear that you were jamming all the way through mile seven or eight, you must have had some skills, so obviously you got obviously yeah, obviously you had some of the things there, but uh, but that's great.
Speaker 3:So when I we're doing some research, I know that you've done a lot, so we definitely want to get into it. But overall, on Ultra Running Magazine, as early as 2016, you were doing 50Ks, 50 milers, and usually I pull up people's things and I see their times and these times, doug, are like six hours, 10 hours. You know what I mean. I'm like, well, what is that? That's not a you know, that's like an all day type thing. So talk to me about, you know, kind of going from like hadn't done one into 2016. You're doing 50 milers and 50 Ks very consistently.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean I would say yeah After. I mean, just even starting from that point, after that first half marathon, I thought that was it. Like you know, running to me was fun for training, for sports and stuff. But that first half marathon experience I was like I'm good, I don't need to run anymore. I think half marathon is a fun distance. If I can dial that in, I'd be great happy. And that was because I was. I guess I was running more road and I guess to me the road running just wasn't. You know, it was fun but that was what I could do. Or if you get me on a treadmill, I mean half hour on a treadmill, I'm good. I don't know, for those people that can run half marathons, marathons on a treadmill, more power to you. Uh, cause that's definitely a mental game. Um, it wasn't until I got into trail running that made me go, oh, I could do this, oh I love this, like I could be out here all day doing this.
Speaker 2:I mean, there was a, I would say, about a 10, 10 year gap, I would say, between that half first half marathon and maybe one other one after that, um, to wanting to do, you know, 50 Ks. I actually remember training, my first ultra was a 50 miler, lake Sonoma 50. The only reason why I wanted to do a marathon was to train for that 50 miler. So I signed up for the 50 miler and hadn't even run past a half marathon. So I found a marathon that I was like, oh, this can fall right into good gap as a good training run to do that. And then during the Lake Sonoma 50 miler, I that's when I ran for my first 50k. And so I, you know, passed mile 32 and I was like, all right, there's my first 50,. You know, past mile 32. And I was like, all right, there's my first 50, 50 K. But now I got 18 more to go.
Speaker 2:Um, but it was the trails, it was the idea of not having to run everything, because sometimes, with all these Hills, it's almost more efficient not to right. So I didn't feel that pressure of always having to run. Um, sometimes on the road, right on the side of the road, you feel this pressure Like if you're walking, then it's like man, what am I doing walking? I'm supposed to be running on the side of the road here, but on the trails, you know, power hiking is actually a thing that people practice, you know, to be efficient and to run on trails and just being out in nature. Yeah, you know, when you're out in nature, it changes, you know, your feel I'm not. I don't have cars, you know, have it, I have to look out for. Um, the trails are, you know, are are all out there where I don't have to worry about those kinds of things.
Speaker 2:Um, and then, lastly, it's the community of people. You hang out with people that make 18 mile runs. Look like nothing. You go, what is that about they, you know? And then they go out the next day and do another 18 miler. So the ultra running community is what I found, and these people made it look attainable. I mean, you're out there and they're like, oh, we're going to go for a 20 miler today, you want to join us today, and then the next day we're going to go out and do 15. You want to do 15? And I'm like who? Who's doing this?
Speaker 1:So there's a there's a different mindset you're saying between, like a a half marathoner community and a 50 miler community, like there, there is a distinct different mindset going on there. Is that what you're kind of saying?
Speaker 2:I would say there's definitely a different style of running when it comes to even trail running and also ultra running.
Speaker 2:A lot of times, when you think of the road, you know, I think of people constantly looking at their watches what's my pace, what's my? You know what am I running, what's you know what's my time? And then you ask somebody that runs trails what their pace is and you're like, well, it could be a 15 minute mile this moment and I could be running seven minute miles downhill in another moment. So those measurements get thrown off because of the elevation gain. Um, but I would say the running community in general, like they're a special community as well, just off to the side, and then you get your. You know smaller sides of trail running, you know, versus road running, and there is a difference in the community, I feel like, of these trail runners and ultra runners. Uh, some may call them dirt bag runners. You know some, you know the camping and you know just out there running barefooted. You know those were some of the ways you would look at trail runners in the past. Right, yeah, but I feel like there's definitely a blend now more of that and, um, you know, like you said, I've switched gears from trail running and wanting to qualify for Boston. So now I am that guy looking at my watch, going what's my pace? What am I? You know, because my, my training has to be focused differently versus spending six hours on a trail, right? So it's a fun experiment, playing with the styles of running, and I feel like that's what I like to philosophize about, you know, like my philosophy into running versus the trail and the road, and and styles of running, you know, am I, am I a barefoot runner? Am I a heel striker? And all these ideas of running.
Speaker 2:And my theory has come to where it's like you know, just what is your running style, and your running style almost has to change a lot depending on what you're doing, you know, depending on the terrain, depending on if it's rocky, if it's wet or muddy, like you, you have to be able to adapt your running style, and so I do like to not be just one categorized as one. Um, I have to be able to play with my running style a little bit and uh, in, in, in a lot of ways it's almost a form of dancing, and so I think that's why I enjoy trail running too, because there's almost a little bit of a rhythm or dance that you can play with. When you're, let's say, running down a hill or climbing a hill, there's a certain rhythm that plays for me. When I'm running, that I'm like oh, this is the game. You know, this is a dance. My footwork and that's where I enjoyed the game was on the trail of playing with the footwork. We call it trail surfing.
Speaker 3:So the brand is the Trail Surfer.
Speaker 2:And if you think about running down a hill and you're kind of like weaving in and out of rocks and having to hit these turns, so the idea is just you're just flowing with the trail and if you catch yourself not thinking, that's where that trail surfing comes into play, where you just get into a zone and you could just ride these like waves, you know, and so, um, I think that's what definitely attracted me to to ultra running was being on the trail, and back then there wasn't a lot of 5k races on trail or or half marathons on trail. I think you're seeing more of that now, but the opportunity to get on trails is, I always recommend for people, just because it's a different game.
Speaker 1:I was going to say it's funny. You say that because Daryl was just telling me he ran last weekend with our buddy, Eric Okay, Eric Okay, and uh, there's right next to the, the paved path, there is a trail path that kind of weaves in and out into the paved path, Um, and it's a pretty, it's a cool trail. But Daryl was saying that they ran the trail and he and the way he was describing it it would sound like he was a kid out there having a good time and just enjoying just a different environment and the terrain of it all. So, and then you just talked about this whole trail surfing thing. Man, I'm like damn, I got to reinvest in some trail shoes.
Speaker 3:man, that sounds fun, that sounds fun, the interesting thing, cause I want to kind of get into your story from 2016 to there. So we did our long run and, uh, one of the person we dropped off at the parking lot and then we had a couple more miles to go and Eric said let's go on the trail. And we ran on the trail and it was fun, like Doug said. But you know what, I didn't think I, I didn't look at my watch. Um, I wasn't really tired because my whole mind was looking at where my foot was going. So afterward we kind of talked about we did two, three miles and we did that. It was like it felt so different, right, you know what I mean? Like every I was just looking, looking, looking, looking and this was a pretty flat trail, right. So it's not that big of a deal, but it was odd how it was so different and my mind wasn't preoccupied now that you said it, now that you said it with my watch or anything I was just kind of looking at what's my next footstep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I mean even a lot of times people say that you have better running posture. When you're on a trail, For example, like running up the hill right Hill repeats is a pretty common workout. The way your foot hits the hill right, your mid to forefoot, with that slope of the hill, promotes better running posture as you're kind of going on an incline. Or even if you run on a treadmill and you set the treadmill at an incline, you're going to hit that mid to forefoot first. So it kind of promotes this better, natural, better running posture.
Speaker 2:And then I like to say the downhill is where you get to work on your cadence. You know if you can ever find a hill, the downhill allows you to speed up your cadence because you get to work on your cadence. You know if you can ever find a hill, the downhill allows you to speed up your cadence because you got to keep up with, you know that downhill. So to quicken your cadence, I like to run downhill for that because it's quicker turnover and so there is some research about that. Your running posture, you know, tends to be you're a little more conscious of your steps, so you're not taking as wide, as big of steps, so you have to bring in your stride a little bit. So a lot of um you know has come from, I feel like the trail running concept, the uh, the posture and the research of promoting good posture to prevent injuries and things like that. So, um, I'm glad you gave it a shot, I'm glad you were out there. You know, running along the path.
Speaker 3:So let's, let's fast forward. So, by the way, Doug, that little Lake Sonoma 50 only took him 10 hours and 20 minutes. Can you believe that? It's like your first one? You're like, yeah, let me just go do that. By the way, you did well. You finished in the upper half of that, your first race out there, and then you kind of fast forward to the next year and you were cranking. So talk to me. June 9th 2017, you just decided to do 100 miler. So talk to me about the step up between like 50K, 50 mile, and what was that mental thing that says I'm going to try to do 100 miles?
Speaker 2:I think a lot of things in life is momentum. Right, you get your momentum to start building and so when you are in shape for you know, you finish a 50 miler and you're riding high and you're in and you're feeling good and in shape, you go all right. Well, if I'm in shape for this 50 miler, what can I do to? You know, to challenge myself even more, and a lot of times that's how people would spread out their years. So, having a 50 miler, it's like, hey, maybe I'll try 100K or maybe, you know, I can just use this momentum to take me to another distance. So 100K and 100 miler, and you look at those and you look at the calendar and you put those events out in front of you and you go, oh, do I have time to recover? Do I have time to continue building off of? You know the condition I'm in now and can I hit this mark of you know, stepping on the line for 100 miler, healthy and ready to go. And I think it was just the next challenge. It was, you know, I think the goal was to see where in these ultra distances was my distance and where was my sweet spot Right. So I had to at least give the 100 miler attempt. The other thing is, you know, you end up having to run through the night. I had done a couple night runs and like night events and I loved running at night and I was like, well, let's see, you know, let's see what would happen if I just got to run through the night. So the challenge was out there, Like I said, just hanging out with the community of people that do these things, do these 100 milers, I'm like, ok, I didn't think I was crazy, but maybe there's a little bit of crazy in me to do this. And so, yeah, it was the San Diego 100 that I ended up picking as my first 100 miler, that I ended up picking as my first 100 miler. So beautiful you know trail system east of San Diego Lake, cuyamaca area. It just so happened to fall, you know, right in a good time where I was recovering and building from that 50 miler. And, man, I never forget this race because there are some beautiful moments that happened and then some of the lowest of lows that I had ever experienced. But, yeah, it's, you know, being able to geters, um, no, you know, using aid stations only and um, and just to go test myself Right, and um, and I it's.
Speaker 2:It's kind of funny talking about the first half marathon experience and then going out and doing your first hundred miler and I felt like they were the same race in a lot of ways, you know, because it's just because that 100 miler I felt so good starting out. Same thing, I was like just excited to be out there and got into a zone. And I just got into a zone quickly and I just started moving. And you know, my first half marathon, I was just zipping through and I'm going I'm feeling good, like if I could keep this up for 100 miles and you know I could I could break 20 hours or something. And you know, and that's how I man, I'm feeling good still, like, and you know, and people can track you as you're doing these things. So I had family and friends texting me like wow, you're crushing it, like keep it going. And I'm like, yeah, and then, and then I had a couple of people going like are you sure you're not running too fast? Like you might want to slow down? And uh, and I'm like, am I? I'm feeling good, I'm going to keep going.
Speaker 2:That mile 25 was humbling it. Just all of a sudden, I was moving too fast and it the heat started to kick in and it got to me and I, just I started cramping. I started feeling cramps and I'm going like, oh, what, what's that? That's not good, like that, that's too early. That's too early to be cramping right now.
Speaker 2:Um, and so I started feeling the calf cramp, started feeling the quad camp and and next, you know my, my foot cramps and it just buckled me right in the middle of the trail and it buckled me and I and I dropped, I fell down to my knees and I looked around me like who kicked me or what rock did I trip over? Nobody was around me, thank God, because then nobody saw me fall. But man, that one cramp in my foot just buckled me and I was on the ground at mile 25 going. I was doing so good, what is happening right now? And I had to walk.
Speaker 2:I ended up walking and jogging those next 25 miles, and so you know what took me maybe four hours for the first 25 miles, must have taken me about eight hours for the next 25 miles, and I was just in grueling pain, going like am I even going to finish this thing? I'm not even halfway through and I'm already feeling like this. But I just remember somebody telling me like hey, just get to the night. You know, whatever you do, you've got plenty of time. Just get through the night. And when I got to, you know mile 50, the sun was going down. I was changing my clothes, getting ready for night running and throughout the night I just started feeling better. Maybe it was walking for eight hours from mile 25 to 50 is what my recovery was.
Speaker 2:It was definitely like something in me, just like had more energy. And I remember, you know, meeting a gentleman that was running too, and so we ran through the night together and we're just kind of keeping each other company and I felt good. I actually felt good from that on. And, as you see other runners out there, you're, like, you know, checking on other people too. Like hey, how are you doing, how are you feeling?
Speaker 2:I remember running by in the middle of the night and a guy was just standing there looking off to the side of the trail and I'm like what's going on? He's just his headlamp is just facing like the off the trail. And I'm going is just facing like the off the trail. And I'm going, I'm pulling up and I look over and his runner is like in the bushes, crawled up into like the little fetus ball, um, just, you know, balled up, and I'm like, are you okay? He's like, yeah, this is my runner. He's just taking a little break right now, um, just on the side. I'm like, okay, well, make sure he doesn't take a break too long, like, make sure he gets up and keeps moving. But I just remember seeing somebody on the side of the trail just taking a nap. That's crazy. And I'm like, okay, I got to keep going, because if I do that I'm not getting back up.
Speaker 2:And I'm running through the night and the sun's coming up and it just so happened to be sunrise. It was this segment and it was called like Sunrise Hill and so it just so happened I'm hitting it right when the sun is coming up and you're looking out into this beautiful countryside, sitting up on a mountain. Mile 90 comes around and I'm just feeling like a new person and this is like almost you know, 8 in the morning the next morning plus. And I ran those last 10 miles like it was my first 10 miles. It was insane how my body felt and how it just went through all these stages. Insane how my body felt and how it just went through all these stages. But you know, but just getting through it, I think my mind, my mind was basically telling my body like this guy's not stopping.
Speaker 1:We've tried to throw camps in his way.
Speaker 2:We've dropped, you know, we've dropped them. He's run through the night, this guy's not stopping, we'll just let him go. And that's how I felt. I felt like my mind was telling my body like, nope, I'm going to finish this thing one way or another. And so at one point my body just gave up and was like, all right, just let this man run, like just let him get it over with.
Speaker 1:That's an amazing story and a testament of just of life. You know like when you go through hard shit, sometimes you want to give up, you want to stop, but if you just keep going, and sometimes keeping it going, you're dragging your ass and it hurts and it sucks and you're like how am I going to do this? What an amazing story, ralph. I love that story because at the end you do adapt, like our mind and our bodies adapt somehow and you know just, it's a great reminder to just persist, keep going, embrace the pain. There's purpose in it and the fact that you got to finish the way you started feeling like that that's amazing, bro.
Speaker 2:What an amazing story and it wasn't always like that. For me, you know, it was like you said is like this idea of being out there kind of on your own. Obviously there's other people out there with you, but you spend a lot. It took me 28 hours or something like that. So I spend a lot of time in my head and by myself and there were definitely times where you were digging deep and you're thinking, you know, of. You know, you're thinking of your past, you're thinking of your present and you know, and you have to dig and you pull out these demons right, and you have to face those demons, because no one else is, you know, is running for you, for you, and so, like you said, in that way it's like there's, you know, there's this trail therapy that happens, and I think that's maybe what you know.
Speaker 2:What pulled me to the ultra running was this idea that you got to face yourself, no matter what you're going through. And and I feel like in the past I've gone, you know I ran from myself. You know I literally was running from myself and there were demons that I was having to fight, you know personal life things that I was going through, that I had to. I felt like running. I couldn't escape it, you know. And when you're out there and you're in the heat and your body's cramping up, you could give up, but you don't want to because you don't, you know. But then you just got to face those demons head on. You start to realize like, oh, I could win this, like I could, you know, I could win myself over myself. And you start playing those games. Right, and I think that's what I did. That whole time was just started playing games with myself, running, having to self-talk myself through a lot of these situations, wow.
Speaker 3:Well, ralph, yeah, hard to believe that next time I'm out and I only got 10 minutes more to you know on my run I'll be thinking about you only having 75 more miles, man hey.
Speaker 2:I got to ask you a couple.
Speaker 3:I know I got to ask you a couple questions in general. So before growing up, these people had run marathons. Okay, those are the. That was the standard. Oh my gosh, marathon, that's crazy. I can't believe people do that Right now. People started doing 50 and a hundred in this ultra community. Like some people think these people are crazy, but it's amazing how we've gone from 26.2 to people doing 100 milers and the human potential it just. I mean, talk about that because, like it's hard to wrap your head around 28 hours and, by the way, ralph and I'd like you just to hit on it You're not running on flat ground, you're running up and down mountains and hills and everything else. But what are your thoughts on people that go? I thought the people that ran the marathons were crazy. Like, what do you think about us expanding our human potential? And it might not be our physical as much as it is our mental.
Speaker 2:So we're looking at, you know, the marathon distance being that was. You know that was a quintessential like distance running, right? You know that was a quintessential like distance running, right? I had no idea ultra running existed until I, you know, started meeting people or stepped into the world of running. But you've seen it and you're seeing it. You know how much running has grown in general as a sport.
Speaker 2:I just wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I just wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and so many people are running and qualifying that they had to move the times up. So at my age group it was a 3.20. Now they moved it up five minutes, 3.15, because so many people are signing up and qualifying for this race, right? So just the sport in general has grown. And then pushing the limit is growing, right, pushing these distances. More people are running 100 milers, ultra runs, and that sport in trail running has grown. And that sport in trail running has grown. And you see all these specialties, not just in running. But you know CrossFit has grown. You know lifting these activities, these, you know these multi-day races, spartan races, right, right, right, ocr stuff, like these events are popping up and people are gravitating towards them and I feel like we are becoming more aware of our bodies.
Speaker 2:What, what health you know should be. Look, I think there's the awareness is out there, right, yeah. And, and testing, you know, ironmans, right, triathlons, like people are constantly testing themselves, and we see it in society. Now that we're, we're looking for something that makes us feel alive. Right, it's this idea of you know whether we're at our desk job or you know what we're doing on a daily basis when it comes to work, but outside of work, we want to feel alive and I think that's kind of what people are looking towards. What is that thing that makes them feel alive? And you're seeing us, you know, basically torture ourselves, and you know, and, um, and I guess, nothing like suffering to make you feel most alive, right? Um, and I, you see that in the sport for sure, right, hey, uh, ralph, just one thing.
Speaker 3:Uh, I'll. I'll break it back to cycling. Um, do you think there? You mentioned a lot of things there ultra, um, spartan gravel racing is becoming huge in the cycling. There's an event called I don't know if you've heard it it's called Outbound right and they've got a 200 and a legendary 350 mile version of this right and these people are literally riding for 24 hours. So it is. It's just amazing how we're pushing ourselves. I see a lot of these ultra things I don't think it's just in running and it's a lot of these things and it's amazing to where people are able to go and, like you said, it's a very, very interesting time.
Speaker 2:Well, and one thing I've noticed too, especially in ultra races, is you, you step, you toe the line with these people and you look around and there is every body shape out there.
Speaker 2:I mean, when you think of like, maybe you know fast half marathon running or marathon running, you know you, you can kind of look around and say, oh, these people are fit to run. You know the Boston marathon kind of thing, people are fit to run. You know the Boston Marathon kind of thing. You step into ultra running and you see that these people are willing to be out there for hours on end and so if it's hiking for a 50K, then they're going to go out and hike it. If it's jog and walk for you know a 50 miler, then they want to be out there. And that's one thing about ultra running that I've seen is that you've got every body shape out there and you know when, for example, you give somebody a 36 hour limit to run, you know 100 miles.
Speaker 2:If you broke that down, you know you could. What 18 minute miles or so, like you know you could. What 18 minute miles or so. Like someone could say I can do an 18 minute mile Right. And so when you. When you divide that, when you spread that out, it's like and then the next question, though, is are you willing to be out there for 36? Right and so, and, but then, and then you get some of these people that are running that same thing in 15 hours, 14 hours plus, and you go OK, that's a different level, right, but let me tell you, the person that's crossing that finish line at hour 30 or 36 is getting almost more praise, if not just as much praise, as the person that's crossing that finish line, you know, in first place, and so there's definitely a uniqueness in the sport in that way where you know you your the last people coming across the finish line are getting praise just as much as the first place person.
Speaker 1:Yes, I noticed that in the running community. The running community's got some solid people, man. There's just a great energy there. It's what I've fallen in love with as well. Even when you're out running by yourself, you're just connected and you might see another runner or something, or somebody gives you a little honk on the horn. You know they're a runner. There's just this deep connection, man. But, ralph, real quick, so you've. You shared a lot about where your, your background, your running experiences, and thank you so much. But you're you're part owner of a Hillsburg running company in Hillsburg, california. Tell us a little bit about a Hillsburg running company. What's so special about it? It's got a special vibe, man, when you show Darrell, I got to take you there. There, when you show up, there's just this energy and this flow that's there. And what's so special about it and what do you appreciate about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I mean, let me tell you, I started out as just some random guy that stumbled upon a new running store that had opened in Healdsburg. So I had just moved back into Sonoma County in 2014. And I'm actually at my buddy's barber shop, two doors down the Plaza Barber hanging out and I'm trying to figure out like what my next step in life is. I've you know, I'm in my mid 30s. I moved back home on my parents couch, just probably on one of my lowest points in my life, just going like what am I going to do with myself? You know was not happy with what I was doing before. Actually, I'll tell you, I was the most I had ever weighed in my life. I was out of shape. I come out of my buddy's barbershop and I look up and I'm like oh, hillsburg Running Company Like Hillsburg's never had a running store before. Let me go check this place out and I, you know, I look in. The door's open. There's two gentlemen sitting on the couch, skip Brand and a gentleman named Faisal, and they go. Well, we're not technically open yet, but come on in. The doors are open and I just look in. I'm like this looks interesting and I ended up talking to these guys for about an hour and I just told them, hey, I'm new in the area. I kind of like what you guys are doing here. I don't have a job right now, like I got some opportunities, but this looks fun. Skip says to me hey, why don't you come back tomorrow? And you know we're doing the grand opening tomorrow. Why don't you come back tomorrow? And if we're busy, hey, maybe we could use some help. Uh, so I come back that next day. They're doing the cutting of the ribbon, right, the cutting of the shoelace. And he slaps a hat, an HRC hat, on my head and goes get in this picture. Right here we're about to take a photo. So I get in there, get in this picture.
Speaker 2:And you know, for two weeks I just showed up to this place like, hey, you want me to do something? What can we do? Are we doing some marketing? Like you know, I hear you want to put on events like run events. Do you need some help with that? And for two weeks I just kept coming back to the shop.
Speaker 2:After that first year I ended up taking over as the GM and then, about eight years later, I ended up partnering in and being a part owner of the shop. So let me tell you that the place definitely had a hold on me and it was this idea of building these fun runs and, you know, working with other local businesses and getting people out and active and promoting health. That way we wanted to turn Healdsburg into Healthsburg, you know, taking advantage of the wine country and working with wineries and tasting rooms and finishing runs. So this idea, like I said, of like hey, what this community? That raised me, you know, coming back around, this could be my place to where I could give back to this community.
Speaker 2:And so the idea of events promoting, you know, the health through activity, working with kids, local schools, like this, all just for me, kind of just made me be like hey, I want to hang out here.
Speaker 2:And I felt I feel like a lot of other people felt that way too and still feel that way where we are constantly we do a minimum of three runs a week, with an average about like 30 plus people that come out and join us, you know. And so it is a testament to our 10 years as a shop. Promoting this idea of hey, running can change lives and it's definitely changed mine, you know, right in those front, that front bench at the store that's still there, meeting some amazing people, some of my best friends in the community, and working with some great businesses too. I mean wellness fairs with World's Gym, you know doing, run events out of tasting rooms and running the vineyards, like that's the kind of stuff that really got me excited early on when we were talking about, hey, this is what HRC could become, um, and so, yeah, very, you know, very honored to be a part of that, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys have. You have a unique store and you also and I think it's a unique store because it just what you said you guys provide a unique experience that you don't just get at most running stores. It's really awesome. Go ahead, darrell, you were going to say something.
Speaker 3:No, just looking, and Doug told me about HRC so I looked it up and everything. Oh my goodness, it looks so cool One of the best ones that you guys do that run yoga, wine and Fox and they've got a great video of all these people running out. I think you and your wife put it on and it sounded like five people there's look like there's about 50 people running out of this place, all energetic for a great evening and everything else seems super cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I said, I think that's the part that got me the most. You know I've. You know I have experience in the past and you know, managing retail businesses, restaurants and things like that, and actually one of the things when I moved back into Sonoma County was I'm never going to work another day of retail in my life. I'm done working in the service industry. And here I am, you know, like 10 years later. But it's different, though you know there's something different and more, you know, gratifying that comes from it and these connections that I get to have with people, these relationships that I've grown and being of service, you know, I think that's the other part is early on in my career, I had somebody you know once tell me like, hey, you can actually make your personality a skill, you know, and at a time when you know you don't really believe in yourself that much, you just you need somebody to to just kind of get your back and say, hey, like you've got potential, you can turn just this natural person that you are and use it for good and in a skillful way. And you know, and that's kind of where I think this has taken me, is being able to, you know, have something that feels like you know, when you come in, that it could feel like a home away from home, or that you feel like you're welcomed and not being judged.
Speaker 2:And you know, in the past I would step into running stores and you know, sometimes it was that you know, hey, do you even run bro? Like, are you a runner? Like what's your, you know what's your mile times with? You know, and I think in my head was like, well, if this is going to be a running store, we want it to feel like anybody can walk in here. And you know, you don't have to be a runner. And I think that's what we emphasize a lot is hey, if you want to join our group, you don't even have to run, you just come and walk with us. Bring the dog, bring the kids if you want to push them in strollers. So that concept just trying to make it accessible to anybody I think is definitely part of our success.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you guys do that very well. Man, just did I tip my hat to you big time, big time. I think that's about all we got right now. Uh, ralph, you, you spent a lot of time with us. I know your family's just came home and you know it's time time to reconnect with them. But, as as always, we end with a uh, with a little quote card. Daryl, do I have permission to get into the quote card or do you have any more questions?
Speaker 3:No quote card and I got one thing for Ralph at the end.
Speaker 1:Okay. So I'm going to say the quote and then, since we have a guest, the guest gets a chance to answer or respond to the quote. So when I say the quote, I want you guys to think of a moment in your life that this quote applies to and maybe share a little bit about it. Here's the quote Everything you thought was drowning, you actually taught you how to swim. I'll say it one more time Everything you thought was drowning, you actually taught you how to swim. What comes to mind when you hear that quote?
Speaker 2:Man, you want me to go first, daryl Yep, you go first. You know, I think, of the struggle. You know times when I've struggled or felt low, and you know where I've dug myself a hole, you know. And then you know, and then when you're in that hole, you know, it's like where's the light coming from? Hole, you know, it's like where's the light coming from. You know, and then you have to look up and you go oh, I got to get up there.
Speaker 2:And so I think of the idea of you know, when you're drowning, the only way to go is up if you want to survive. And so taking that struggle and learning from it is what's going to dig you out of that hole and or or or allow you to swim. So I I take that as like, if you can learn from where you are drowning and and be able to take that, then it'll actually allow you, allow you to float and survive, right? So, um, even in your lowest of moments, there's some positivity in there that you can pull from and it can make you better on the other side.
Speaker 1:Good stuff, ralph. Okay, daryl, come on Big D. What you got for me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I remember back to some work items. I remember going through some big work transformation journeys that we were on and we were in the middle of one and pretty much the wheels actually the wheels were off you know the bus, right, we had no brakes, we weren't steering, and we're in the middle of it and I remember my boss said to me we'll get through this, we'll get through this and we got to persevere and we're going to get through this. And then the next time you're on something and something hard comes out, you you've already got through this. You're going to look back and say, oh yeah, this is no big deal, I've already done. I've already done it once. Right, I've already. I've already gone through going down the freeway with no wheels, no steering, no brakes and everything else, and I survived, right, and it's like Ralph said it's. It's like ralph said.
Speaker 3:It's a little bit of plateau sometimes when you're you're drowning, you don't see anything and all you're trying to do is get air to survive. And then you get to the next plateau and you, you have a next big hurdle come and you you get to lean back on those things. You're like, well, no, I've already been through that, I already know how to get through this or that. So I think a little bit of it's a survival and the plateaus, and as long as you can keep that positive attitude and keep going, I think that's it. So I agree.
Speaker 3:And, um, you know, we talked about it, uh, last week. I think we draw from a lot of our experiences, but you got to stay positive because you know, if you don't, you might you know those people you know that tell you about oh, I almost drowned or I almost did this and it's a negative and it's an anchor on them, right? I see other people use it as a positive, Right. So I think, as long as you can use it as a positive, like you said, it'll teach you to swim.
Speaker 2:Well, I also think, daryl, to piggyback that, I think that idea of like you've already been there before, you know I like to play this game with myself and something could be used for the half marathon too is you know, you start running and let's say, you're on mile 10, right, and you go oh, I've got a 5k to go, and you think I've run a 5k before right, I can run this one.
Speaker 2:You know that idea of yeah, right, it's like I only got a 5k to go. I've done a 5k, I could do this 5k, right, and so that mentality, like you said, of pulling from the past something that you've done already yeah, definitely resonates.
Speaker 3:Yes, Well, Ralph, looking up, I think you just had a big birthday not too long ago. 50 is the new 40. Right.
Speaker 1:So congratulations.
Speaker 3:So super excited about that and uh, I loved uh seeing skip on some videos and if you remember the video I'm gonna reference, he was inviting everybody your your birthday party and he held up a picture of squirrel nutter butt uh, nutter butter squirrels nut butter. That's right there, yeah and doug had to bring up chafing in the last episode.
Speaker 3:I don't know what he's doing and he held it up and he says, as you all know, you know this is what we use to help lubes us up, but ralph is the lube that keeps us all together in hrc I was busting up. I was busting up.
Speaker 2:I'm like man, I can't get away from you guys, runners and chafing, and it's a part of it well the other ongoing joke that you're gonna see is that, daryl, it's, it's actually my birthday, like once a month at least. Oh my gosh, if you, if you want, if you need a fact check something, that's definitely the one to fact check because uh, because that's an ongoing joke. It's actually a really good marketing ploy that has been happening so, and I'm always open to gifts, so you'll see that I'm probably like 157 at this point, because I do. I celebrate a birthday at least once a month from this.
Speaker 1:HRC Instagram.
Speaker 2:Oh man that is hilarious, that is too good.
Speaker 3:That's so cool man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I don't mind going back to 40. That sounds good to me, yeah yeah, yeah, hey you guys.
Speaker 1:This has been an awesome episode. Ralph, again, thank you, daryl man, you were so prepared this time, brother, thank you, as always actually, but thank, thank you, thank you, and Ralph, you're, you're a deep man, you're a beautiful soul. I appreciate you coming on and spending time with Peach Podcast. We love you, man. I know our listeners are going to love you and we just going to do what we do and sign out like we sign out and I'm going to say God bless and peace out, peach out, we're out. Outro Music.