Moms Off Script
Megg & Mere | Two Moms, One Podcast, Zero Manual | A Community for moms who don't always have it figured out and are writing the script as they go.
Moms Off Script
MOS E19: "I built this"
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Welcome to Moms Off Script, a podcast for moms who are just trying to figure it out. This week, Mere interviews Megg about her experience running not one, not two, but three marathons. Come along as Megg shares how she got into running and how her passion for running evolved once she became a mother.
CREDITS: Original content: Megg Abelein & Meredith Finch
Editing & Production: Megg Abelein & Meredith Finch
Set design, videography: Megg Abelein & Meredith Finch
Music: Matt Beebe
Photography: Michelle Montinieri
Graphic Design: Alexia Dulieu
I was so proud of myself because not only was I accomplishing this big thing, I also felt such a sense of community in that moment. But every time I saw somebody from like a mom friend or like knowing that I had another mom friend running with me and like my mom was there. Like it just there was such a sense of community with it.
SPEAKER_00Cheers.
SPEAKER_02Cheers.
SPEAKER_01Hey guys, I'm Meg, and I'm Meg, and welcome to another episode of Mob's OffScript. Tonight we are getting into the story of Meg and her running journey. This is something I hashtag cannot relate to because I'm not a runner, but we are gonna go deep into your running past and talk about all those things. I can't wait to get into hearing about how you got into running, what you're doing now, we're gonna talk about your marathon. But before we get into that, you know what I want to talk about?
SPEAKER_02Hold on. Before we want to talk about that, I just want to go on record to say I know you're not a runner, but let's all refer back to last week's episode.
SPEAKER_01That won't make me a runner. That will make me a reluctant, a reluctant that will make you my runner. It will make me your friend that I will do of out of my friendships with you, not out of a desire to run. You're so supportive. Fair, now you're unheld accountable to that. Okay, now can we talk about what I want to talk about? Yeah, let's talk about whatever you want to talk about. I want to talk about heat of drival.
SPEAKER_02Oh my gosh, because you finally watched it. Finally watched it. You're so far behind.
SPEAKER_01I know. I know I'm I know I'm late to the party, but I we went on my trip to Florida, I could watch it on the plane. So it was perfect because it was three hours there, three hours back, six episodes. You watched that on a plane. I did, but let me tell you what I did. I was in the middle seat, and my husband was on the window seat. So I kind of like angled and leaned on him so that the phone was more facing him. And then I had my foot up on next to me. So I was like, I had like a knee barrier.
SPEAKER_02It wasn't like the screen on the phone.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, I had it on my phone. God absolutely so I had a knee barrier on my right, and then I was kind of angled towards my husband on my left who was not watching it, he was watching the Olympics. So it was a very uh private setup, and it was effective. I don't think anyone other than my husband knew what I was watching, and I loved it. Capital L was so good. We know I'm a romanticy girly through and through. Yes. I love me, a smuddy book. Sign me up 10 out of 10 times. Have you read the books? No, I have not. Okay. I probably I may. I won't, I won't say I probably will because I loved the show, so I feel like I've got what I needed out of the story. I don't necessarily feel like sometimes I watch a show and I'm like, that was so great. I need more. I'm gonna go to the book and like get the full experience, but I felt like I got the full experience even from the show. Do you so you know the books are a series of? Yes, that there's like eight of them.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but with different stories. Correct. Yes.
SPEAKER_01I'm not ruling it out. I'm just saying I have I've had my show for now. Loved it. I sobbed, spoilers, spoilers. I sobbed my eyes out when Kip came down on the ice and kissed Scrat. Oh yeah. Oh my god. I just and like as soon as he started looking around the ice, he's like, hold up the cup, hands it off, he sees all the other families coming down, he's like looking around for the eye. I was like, he's gonna blow on the ice, gonna come down on the ice and they're gonna kiss. I'm like, I couldn't hold myself to sobbed my eyes out. And then the last episode with them at the cottage, I was just like, my heart was just exploding, and like all of it was so lovely. And then his interaction with his parents at the end, with him coming out and like their reactions and how supportive they were, and like confused and surprised, but then supportive. Like it just felt so real and so honest, and especially the interaction with him and his mom. Oh, yeah, was so good. He felt this need to be like, I'm sorry. And she was like, What are you talking about? And they just had this amazing moment. Yeah, your turn. What did you think? Well, you said it all. What was your favorite moment?
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, episode five is like the turning point, and I think that that scene that you described, the whole sequence of events, I think is emmy worthy. I think the episode itself is emmy-worthy, and I think like Connor's story's acting in the moment that comes after that scene is completely insane. I think my favorite, I mean, obviously, so so the line that I'm referring to is I'm coming to the my favorite scene of the entire season was when Ilya goes back to Russia and he's on the phone with Shane, and Shane doesn't know what this relationship is or where it's going, but he knows how he feels. But like it's just so conflicting and confusing for him. Even just his identity is confusing to him. I'm still processing all of it, but he loves Ilya and he wants to find a way to connect with him in this moment and ask him to speak in Russian, and everything that Ilya says is exactly what Shane needs to hear but doesn't know. And it's just this beautiful scene where, like, even as the person watching the show, everything connects. Yes. Um, because even watching the show, if you don't know, if you haven't read the book, right, like this could still be like a hookup situation. Like you don't know where it's going. And so it's this moment of clarity for Shane, for Ilya, for the viewer, for the audience. Episode five is is clearly the best episode. It's from a writing, acting, pivotal moments in a storyline. And then obviously the cottage episode is like one of the greatest episodes in television history.
SPEAKER_01Did you were you the one that told me that he learned Russian in like three weeks? Yeah. That's insane to me, especially considering that scene that you were just talking about. Like the emotion and the feel that he could put into that within language he had just learned, mind-blowing to me. The last thing I want to shout out is the Rose character who dates Shane for the period of time, and then like essentially, yeah, they sit down to interesting. But that's also in episode five. Yeah. That episode five, I completely agree with the best episode. And that whole dynamic of her like help understanding him before I think he even he really understood him and guiding him through it and just being like, of course, we're best friends now, and I love you. Yeah. And like that support, loved it. Loved it. All right, Meg, are you ready to get into marathon and running and all the things? Uh, I guess so. Let's do it. Because we've talked about in your history before about your athletic upbringing and the, you know, the family and all of that, and you've really found yourself dried in the water and with dining. When did you start running? How did that become a thing for you?
SPEAKER_02So I started running well into my 20s. You know, we've talked a little bit about how my fitness journey has ebbed and flowed. I have come back to my fitness in different areas of my life and kind of lost my fitness for lack of a better term, in some stages of life. And fortunately for me, the last time I got into running has really stuck with me. Um, and I've been able to do that for the last about 10 years or so. Um, I was a swimmer. So, as a swimmer, running was always like the punishment, right? So, like I never enjoyed running, I never got into it, never ran a race in my life until about 10 years ago. And so I do very vividly remember my first run ever. I was like upset because one of my friends I I lived in DC at the time and I was upset because one of my friends, a very close friend, had just moved away. And I feel like when friendships start to like fade, there's always there's often a conflict. Oh, yes, I feel like people are like frustrated that the friendship is ending for valid reasons, that they have to throw a conflict in the mix to make it more valid and all the things. And I was just like walking around the National Mall to like clear my head and decided instead of walking, I was going to start running. And I literally ran from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol and was like, that was fun. I feel really good. Also, at that same time, um, I was living, obviously I was living in DC, and um my aunt who lived in Annapolis, she was really into running, and I knew that. And I kind of like called her within that week or two and was like, okay, I did it. Like I went for a run. I was kind of hooked and started running with Liz a bunch. Liz is your aunt. Liz is my aunt, and I had a couple former athletes that I had been coached that still lived in the DC area that I had coached that also was trying to maintain fitness post-college, um, who I kind of started like a little run group with. So during my time in DC was really where I kick-started my running journey. One of the things I love about running and why I was able to really dive into it in DC was it allows you to really get a different point of view and like an aesthetic view of a city that you don't normally get while you're driving around or like sightseeing for lack of a better term. Um, I am someone who my entire life has loved maps, like driving. I love to drive because I like directions. Um, I don't really like direction in life, but I like directions on a map. Yeah. And so it gave me like a whole new appreciation for like infrastructure and like the layout of the land. Yeah. And being able to kind of like navigate east, west, north, south, right, left, and like see the city of DC in a way that I didn't get to experience it for the first two years that I lived there. Yeah. And so I was able to like fall in love with running as well as the place that I was living.
SPEAKER_01All I can picture is Captain America running around. Have you seen that in front of the movie? I've never seen Captain America. Dude. I am not a Marvel girly. She does a run in the same space you were just talking about. So I'm picturing you and him running side by side.
SPEAKER_02I'm honestly just hoping that Captain America is Marvel, so I don't sound like an idiot.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you. I would have corrected you, don't worry.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01No, but to your point around like getting to the the area and the landmarks, I know I said I'm not a runner. The very brief foray I had into running was when I was living in Brighton. And I felt the same way. That I was like, this is just a good way to see the area and like learn what's here. And you get a better appreciation than just driving down the street really quickly and like passing everything in a second when you're actually running and seeing the space.
SPEAKER_02So that's how it says to me. Yeah. And like as somebody who was training for longer distances, I had to map out runs. So like, oh, like this is cool. Like I can go this way and this way and that way, and like I can see like this new space, but I'm also familiar with this space. So when I hit this chunk of my run, like I'm gonna be in a familiar area, and like I don't know, it was just a very cool, cool way to see the city.
SPEAKER_01Were you training for anything in particular in that moment, or were you just starting to explore your love of running?
SPEAKER_02I was just exploring my love of running. That's thanks.
SPEAKER_01So at the beginning, you're just running because you feel like running and you're just kind of discovering this new thing that you like. When did a marathon even enter into your mindset, or was it not till way later?
SPEAKER_02It w I went full sun pretty quick. I don't remember the exact timeline. So my aunt, like I said, she was running. She basically asked me to sign up for a 10-mile run in late 2016. Okay. And I think that night that I was referring to before was early 2016. Had you ever run 10 miles before? No. Okay. It was it was the Annapolis 10 miler, so the A10 for the running community. And it's a very hilly race. And like the big thing in that race and like running in Annapolis is the Naval Academy Bridge, and you race, you go over the Naval Academy Bridge, and then you like do some loops and then you come back over it. So like the Naval Academy Bridge was like the big challenge. If you were running in Annapolis, like and you had to run a long time and it's got like a it's a hill. Yeah, it's a hill. Okay. Um, which most bridges most bridges obviously are, but um like two. I like you saying both bridges, I'm like, are they hills? I just turned on their flag.
unknownWhat?
SPEAKER_02Like long bridges? Actually, is that a real question?
SPEAKER_01I think we're running for a bridge, a really long bridge. I guess. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_02All right. I mean, they they start and then they have to go over up over the water, and then they have to go back to ground like okay. Yeah, I can make sure that now that you're saying that, that makes sense to me. Okay, great. Um carry on. Okay, but but anyway, back to the timeline. I'm now in August of 2016. Now I've been running for seven months, and I'm running a 10-mile race. That was so much fun. It was so challenging, but I did it. Did you run with your aunt? I ran it with my aunt. One of the things with me for running is like when I run with somebody, a lot of the time um, like we're both participating, not necessarily running side by side. Yes. Um, Liz and I did run the first couple miles together and then kind of took off to do our own thing. I've run a couple races where I have run side by side the whole time. Um, my friend Sierra, who we'll talk to in a few weeks. I actually ran um a 10 miler with in DC and um ran side by side, which was an incredible experience. That was a lot of fun. But I ran that 10-mile race, and then a few weeks later, my aunt texted me and she was like, I got cherry bibs for the marine corn marathon. Do you want to do it?
SPEAKER_01I don't know anything about marathons, but I feel like the marine corn marathon is probably not like a beginner marathon, if there is such a thing.
SPEAKER_02It is not. Um so I mean beginner, I mean, beginner marathon, like that's just it's a yeah. So I think what you're trying to say is like a small marathon versus a large marathon, right? So like at the Marine Corps marathon, you do have a pro professional um wave. And there are like there's a lot of people where like the Hartford marathon that I ran last year, like that was it was big for the local like city that we were in, um, but it wasn't like a world major. Not Marine Corps is not a world major. So I've run three very different kinds of marathons because I have run a world major. So she called me up and she was like, I have a cherry move for the Marine Corps marathon. Like, do you want to run it? And I literally was like uh yes. And I was like, How did you feel in that moment? Were you excited? Were you nervous? I was thrilled. I think is is the emotion that I can stick to it. It was kind of one of those, like, I was so nervous and excited, and like it was unlike any other challenge that I had been presented with in a way that like it was a choice. I didn't have to do it. It wasn't like adversity that I was facing that challenged me. Um, and it was it was a choice to do this crazy idea thing. And like I am not, like we talk about how I am a physically fit person or like I'm into fitness, but like um I was the leadership person, like I was the captain, I wasn't the best athlete, I wasn't the starter, I wasn't center lane, right? I wasn't the first or last diet, like I was the bench player. Yeah. And so for me to like want to do a marathon was a little bit surprising to people. So I knew there was some shock value to it, not just for myself, but like when I was ready to tell people that it was gonna be kind of one of those like wait, what? Yeah, so it was thrilling, I think is a really good word to put with it. And and like my aunt is like one of my closest people. And we just enjoy each other's company so much, and it was this thing that we could do together, to also spend time together and like challenge each other and like go on this journey with. She had run it before, she wanted to run it again. Okay. I think it was just this space for us to like explore our friendship and explore our running journey together.
SPEAKER_01I love that you were faced with this challenge and your instinct was yeah. Like, why not? Yeah, it took me a beat, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, everything, everything in me wanted to say no, and the word yes came out.
SPEAKER_01So you've got your first marathon in the books or like prep planned. Yeah. How did you go about preparing for that?
SPEAKER_02So I did a couple different things. I mean, the first big one was I signed up for a half marathon that was about six to seven weeks before the marathon. So it like fit in my training cycle. Okay. Um, and that was also in DC. So it ran about a third of the marathon course. So that was kind of just to do the preview. And the other thing was, like I said before, like I went full sun pretty quickly, but I had signed up for a marathon and I had never even run a half marathon. So right at the gate. So I felt like it was only like linear to run a half marathon first. And I was able to do that. So I set up a training block with a Hal Higdon training plan, which they are the best training plans out there. Like if you this is a person, this is a person who has written training training blocks, training plans, and he's got like novice all the way to like super advanced. And I still use his training blocks to this day. Um, I have expanded on them a little bit. But if you don't know where to start with running, his website's a great resource, and it just gives you an 18 to 20 week block, um, depending on what you what level you're at, whether it's novice, it's like novice one, novice two, novice three. Like, and you it's kind of like it's definitely not a choose your own adventure, but it's definitely a choose your own skill level and like fit in what what your lifestyle fits. Um, I did one of his training blocks, and I really kind of stuck to it. I had to really change my mindset about like getting up early and making sure I was getting getting the workouts in because I still had my job and I was like trying to balance like training for a marathon and like working a full-time job and working a part-time job on top of that. And this is before you were married, right? This is before I was married. Like I was single. You had a lot going on, but I had a lot going on, but I was single living in a city, enjoying my life. Like it wasn't like I didn't, I my only priority was my job at that point. Yeah. Yeah. It was just really like figuring out how to maintain a training block. And I think what helped me with that was putting it into perspective from my athletic background. Most marathon training blocks are anywhere between 16 and 20 weeks, depending on what level you're at. So I participated in a winter sport, which at the time in the NCAA was still weeks. So all winter sports are congruent. So you start and you end. So it's 19 weeks straight. Or like fall and spring.
SPEAKER_01So it was a season for you.
SPEAKER_02It was a season, right? So I like fall and spring sports like break it up. So you have like 13 and six or whatever. But but yeah, it was a full college season essentially. So I knew that I could commit to something for that amount of time. That's a good way to think about it. And it was just a matter of like doing that. Be like, I don't have somebody to hold me accountable besides myself, like besides myself or my aunt or like my friends that know I'm signing up for it. Yeah. And the running joke in the marathon community is really like you sign up for a marathon so you can tell people you're running a marathon. And I do, well, while that is very true, I do think there's like accountability and like truth to that in the sense of like, if I tell enough people, I gotta do it. Somebody someone in that group is gonna hold me accountable. I essentially had this mindset of like just keep running. Get as many runs in as you can. I was lifting here and there. One of my other strategies was to buddy up. I found people that could run similar paces with me that weren't necessarily training for the race, that would run three of my six miles with me, things like that. Um, people that I could, you know, convince to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and run with me.
SPEAKER_01Now you get to the actual marathon. How did the actual experience of running compare to your expectations?
SPEAKER_02Okay, so my first marathon was a ride. It was wild. Um, it was so much fun. Like overall, it was an absolute blast. I obviously had no idea what to expect because it was my first marathon. It was really hot. Oh no, we don't want that. It was hot.
SPEAKER_01So you want like 50 degrees. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um, it was very hot and very sunny, and I threw up at mile 15. Oh god. And then we just kept running. Oh my god. I threw up again at mile 17.
SPEAKER_01This is a high not cut up for running.
SPEAKER_02I made the huge mistake, and people go use the porta potties all the time, but I hadn't practiced using a porta potty, and it's hot, and I was wearing leggings. So I made the mistake of using the porta potty because I thought I had to go to the bathroom, which I did, but my pants I couldn't get them back up. I was sorty and delirious. I would never do that. So this is at mile like 18 or 19. And then around mile 20, um I would like to remind you that you said at the top that this was fun.
SPEAKER_01And you threw it twice and you got trouble getting your pants up.
SPEAKER_02I got stuck in the bathroom. Um let's carry on. I called my parents around mile 21, which was where the last check mark was. Okay. So a lot of races have a spot that you have to get to before a certain time, or you get picked up by the pace car. Okay. Or they have a pace car that like so the Marine Corps Marathon has a checkpoint. I don't remember if it's 21 or 22, but it's around one of the bridges that goes up and down. Um and I called my parents because I had passed the checkpoint. Okay. So you were like, and I just remember like I'm gonna finish. Being like, I'm gonna finish. I just need like I'm blacked out. Like I'm I'm literally blacked out right now. Like I need to talk to somebody. Um, I remember my dad asking me, like, what was the last Taylor Swift song you listened to? And then like just getting like chit chat out of my parents to like get me through that mile. I don't remember much of my like 22 to 24. And then I just remember that last like so it ends on a little climb. And I just remember the last little climb and crossing the finish line. And I was like, oh my god, I just ran a marathon.
SPEAKER_01That's it.
SPEAKER_02And I did it. Oh my god, what did you do after? My friends were in town. So Matt, who we'll hear about this in a couple weeks, he was in town and watching, and my friend Kim came to watch. Back then there were these little smart cars in DC that you could like Bluetooth into. And I drove us to a burger joint, and we ate burgers and had beer. I love it. And Liz was waiting for me at the finish line. There was a free bacon truck, so we got some bacon at the end. We were both pretty wiped, and she had what like an hour drive home. So we kind of just like split and did our thing. Like we celebrated for a little bit together. And then I went and grabbed a burger and a beer and went to bed.
SPEAKER_01After that first experience, were you like, I can't wait to do that again? Absolutely. You were like, I'm also yeah, absolutely not. I thought I was done running marathons. Foreshadowing. I was not. So that was your first marathon. You're like, I'm done with that. Cool. See you later. Walk me through your running experience up until you decided to have kids.
SPEAKER_02Did you run another marathon? I ran another marathon in that time. So I ran the cherry blossom that following spring. Okay. After the marathon. How long was that? So that's in April. So it was a couple of months later. No, I mean like distance. Oh, 10 miles. Got it. 10 miles. So I ran the cherry blossom 10 miler the next spring. So a few months later. And then Liz somehow convinced me to put my name in for the New York City Marathon Lottery. Oh God. Which I don't actually remember at the time what the percentage of acceptance was, but current percentage of acceptance for the New York City Marathon is 4% that go into the lottery. So you're like no chance. So like there's no chance I'm gonna get in. This is Liz's dream to run the New York City Marathon. We're not gonna get in. Like it's just not gonna happen. And also, like you don't go into the lottery as a group. You go into the lottery all as individuals. Um you're not gonna get it together. No, there's no way. Well, in big races like this with lotteries, the only way to know if you got in is if they charge a credit card. Oh my god. So we both wake up at 6 a.m. on lottery drawing morning and have a $400 um charge on our card.
SPEAKER_01Oh my gosh. I was gonna say one of the odds, but we know. So that's incredible. That's incredible. We both got in. Oh my gosh. So then what?
SPEAKER_02So then it was crazy. I mean, we just were like, okay, well, we're running another marathon back-to-back years, and we're doing it again together, and it's very exciting. Halfway through that training block, I moved up up here. So I moved to New England. Um, I continued training for that. About six weeks before the New York City marathon, my father passed away, which threw like obviously like a wrench in my life, but also but also derailed my marathon training a little bit. Yeah. But it did give me like a lot to focus on during that time of grief. Some anchor points. Yeah. And it was it was something to kind of hold on to um in a time that felt really challenging. And, you know, like I was I was really relying on my family a lot, but I also had this thing that I wanted to maintain and I wanted to make sure that I continued to push through. Yeah. And it didn't allow my grief to like overtake this in a way that was negative. I think that had my grief overtaken it, it would have been acceptable and totally understandable all the things. But I I had this thing that I needed to like prove to myself that I could continue to push and I could continue to grieve through this process. And the New York City Marathon to this day is my PR marathon. Oh my gosh. Um, the race itself was beautiful for me. Um, I it was a beautiful day. Um, every single picture you see of me running it, I have the biggest grin on my face. We're gonna need some of those pictures. It it was it was a magical day. I mean, it was obviously like there was a lot there um and a lot that I kind of had to work through once it was over. Yeah. I did also have that like similar feeling when it was over, like, I'm never gonna run a marathon again. Like I did it. I made it. I did this thing. Um, but yeah, I mean, it was to run my fastest marathon at a in a world major course six weeks or seven weeks after my dad passed away. It was just this crazy accomplishment that I'm like so grateful that I had the experience to do. And it gave me uh such an appreciation for my body and my ability to overcome challenges as well as like uh put myself through these challenging situations. And my body can do a lot, and I think that that led me to this place when I did finally settle down with my husband and decide to like have kids that like I trusted my body to do things like uh not just have a baby, but also try to have a baby six months later. You know what I mean? And like I think that there was a lot that I took from that race, not just that helped me with the grief and that helped me with learning about my body with running, but like just learn I learned a lot about who I was during that marathon. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so now at this point, you mentioned you moved to New England. You're with your husband. Yes. Are you married at this point? At which point? That when you ran New York. Oh, we hadn't met yet. Oh, you hadn't met yet. Okay, so you've run the new money.
SPEAKER_02I went on my first date with my husband. You want what more? What more? Please. I went on my first date with my husband seven days after running the New York City marathon.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so let's pick up right there. You meet your husband seven days after this marathon. Yes. We we know a little bit of the story there in terms of the fast track of you meeting. You fall in love, you get married, you know. We're sitting here. Yes, you move, you have your kids. What did running look like during those years? And then what did it look like once you picked it up again after your first was born?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I think, I mean, we've talked about this a lot over the course of the podcast. So I don't want to get too much into it. It was something for me to always like hang on to. So I continued to run through it all um up through COVID. It was really something that helped me during COVID. It was just a piece of me, right? Like it was, I had other races that I did. I did another couple half marathons here and there between that marathon and getting married in COVID. And it was just more like recreation, but like my daily fitness. After having kids, I mean, we talked about that idea of like finding myself and finding my physical body and who my hobbies and what I was planning to do postpartum. I ran that boilermaker race, which we've talked about. I really wanted to challenge myself. I ran a half marathon in early 2024. I had no inklings or desires to run another marathon at this point. That's what's the theme. I know. Um and so I'm training for this half marathon, and the New York City marathon lottery opens up. And this half marathon that I was training for, I was training for with my brother, who had just gotten into running. He was a Division I college athlete. I knew he would always get into running eventually, but this was this was his moment. He had to come to it at his own. Yes. So this was his moment. He was shining, he was training for half marathon with me, um, obviously at very different paces. We both were like, screw it, let's put our names in for the New York City lottery. We got my brother-in-law involved, we got a couple other of our family members involved. We all threw our names in for the New York City lottery, none of us got in. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Lightning can't strike twice.
SPEAKER_02No, but what it did for me and for my brother in that moment was say, oh crap. I want another marathon.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And he wanted to run his first marathon. So we together both decided to sign up for the Hartford Marathon, which was around the same time as New York. It was significantly cheaper. Um, there's a lot to say about smaller local races. Like I could give the whole podcast episode on like running like the different kinds of marathons. Um, but the small races are really cool. And Hartford by no means is is not small. I know there's a lot smaller races out there. It was a perfect size for what we were looking for. I just decided like I want to do this thing. And I had already really expressed to Alan that I was really focused on myself, and I think he saw what running brought to my life and in turn brought to our family's life because I was my I was a much better version of myself when I was doing these training walks. Um, and I was able to bring so much more into our home in a way that like my mental health was more stable, my energy level was more stable, I had structure in a way that necessarily you can't always have with toddlers or tiny humans running around or a new marriage that you're trying to navigate. I think he really recognized what it did for me and why I couldn't stop doing it. Yeah. And so I said, we're gonna sign up for this marathon. I'm gonna need your full support. Like, I'm going to need to be able to do these long runs and do these things. And you're going to have to pick up the slack so that I can pursue this. Yes. The deal was really like, I will do as much as I can to alleviate the slack. Like I will run at 4 a.m. if that means you're going to be like middle of the day, 10 times. Right. So, like, I'm I we really worked it out so that it felt equitable and fair on my end that I was able to do this thing that I needed for my life and my well-being. But I was also still contributing and participating in our family.
SPEAKER_01I love that there were two things happening there. One, Alan's recognition of not only was this good for you, but it was good for the entire family. Like you can show up as your best self for everyone when you were able to do this, and he was supportive of that. And then also there was like a logistics conversation. Yeah. Of like, how do we make this happen? Because when you're a parent, you can't just think, oh, I'm gonna go for a ride in the morning. Right? Like there is effort that has to go into making this happen, and that you both came to the table to figure out how to make that work. Right.
SPEAKER_02And and everything prior to the marathon stuff, like the other races that I had run since we had had kids, like definitely took logistical conversations. So we had had practice at that place. But the marathon training is so much more intense than even a half marathon at this point. And so, and also, like we've said before, I'm a slow runner. So, not that I don't think it's easier to train at any pace, like running a marathon is challenging. Training for a marathon is hard no matter what you do. But the downside of being a slow runner in this situation is that my long runs add up so much quicker, right? So, like, just for an example, and my brother is very fast. So, like my brother who can go out and run a 10-mile run in an hour, an hour and 20 minutes, like a 10-mile run for me is like a two and a half hour time block. Yeah. And so it's just that whole there's like a whole nother logistical piece to it because it's not like a quick workout. You've got to be like clamps. I mean, like I mean, I had Saturdays where I was like, okay, like I have a five-hour run today. Like, yeah. And then I think the other piece to that is I then had to be mom all day.
SPEAKER_01Yes, you couldn't just come home.
SPEAKER_02Because the logistical conversation was I have a long run. Like, you need to pick up the slack because I'm not physically here. Right. But when I'm physically present, like we're we're in normal life. Yes. Yes. Now, if I needed a break or if I needed a recovery. Well, like even like a recovery, like if I had a bad run, or if like I ran an 18-mile run and like needed to nap during nap time or needed like another outlet or whatever, like that was obviously like on the table and like the call, like worth the conversation. Yeah. But um, yeah, I mean, like I would finish an 18-mile run and I would come home and play mom. Or one of the things that I loved that we started to do was I would set a destination and say, like, okay, we're gonna go to the apple orchard. Like, I'll do my 17-mile run and loop it in a way that it ends in the apple orchard, and I'll text you at mile seven, like 15 and tell you that I'm you know 20 minutes out. Meet you there, meet you there. And that was actually really fun. I was gonna say, yeah, it's awesome. That was very fun.
SPEAKER_01I think we were a party to those a couple of times, either meeting at the park or the art or the ice cream shop or whatever it was. Yeah, that was always fun. Yes, because I'd like to roll up and I'd like to feel like a badass because I'd be like, Yeah, I just ran cabin 20 miles.
SPEAKER_02I just I just ran 20 miles here. Like, we live eight miles down the road. How did you run 20 miles? Why did you run 20 miles here?
SPEAKER_01Tell me about the actual marathon. Yeah, this one is the first one that you're run after having kids. Your kids were there. Yes. What was that experience like? It was really cool. What did it mean to like cross the marathon and have your kids waiting for you there?
SPEAKER_02I mean, it meant so much being able to show them that I can do hard things and that they can do hard things is really important to me. But I also think like showing myself that I can do those things and having them be a part of it is what's very important or very valuable to me. I am somebody who really believes in myself and I really believe that I'm an amazing, wonderful human being. I have trouble like finding that sometimes. At my core, I really trust and believe in who I am and I love who I am, but I think a lot of the times my surface level stuff, it's hard to like dig through and like get to that place. So to be able to cross the finish line with not only my husband and my kids there, but my brother was there and he had crossed the finish line and he hung out and waited for me. My mom came up and supported me through that. I had another friend that ran the race who waited there for me. That was huge. And then the other piece was we had just formed our big mom group and like we were like we were really in it at that point. Like we were like two or three years into this neighborhood mom group. And we had all kind of started to go on our own fitness journeys, um rediscovery, like because now all our kids were toddlers at this point. Yes, and so at least the older ones were, yeah, and so everyone in our little group had really been starting to find themselves in different areas of their life in different ways. And there were a bunch of you guys that showed up at different places of the course, yeah, which was so cool. I actually saw you twice, once on accident. Um and actually, I don't know if you noticed or if we've ever talked about this, but when I saw you on the course, I started sobbing. I was sobbing. We were like, I was so proud of myself because not only was I accomplishing this big thing, I also felt such a sense of community in that moment. But every time I saw a mom friend, knowing that I had another mom friend running with me, my mom was there. Like it just there was such a sense of community with it. And it was a sense of I I built this.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I did this.
SPEAKER_02Like I trained for this race. I have had these kids and built this relationship with my husband that has allowed both of us to do this thing today. I have been part of this structure that has built this community where these groups of women are supporting each other and bringing their kids out to watch another woman do this amazing thing. And there was such gratitude for that that day. My race itself was not what I wanted, which was really hard to work through because it was a whole mixed bag of emotion. The pride and the gratitude piece came through so much more for me. But the first thing I said to my husband when I've sat down in the car after all of the dust had settled was, I'm just so bummed about my race because now I have to run another marathon.
SPEAKER_01Wait, but for the record, this is the first time you finished a marathon and didn't say, I'm never running born again.
SPEAKER_02I it was the f it was the first comment out of my mouth once it said you're not saying run another one. And now I sit here today not knowing if I'm actually going to ever run a marathon, another one, because I have dealt with that, I've coped with and worked through what happened to me as far as like my injury and like talk about that a little bit, about what you're talking about there. Um I I mean I essentially like pushed through my training when I when I was not feeling great. Yeah. And I pushed a little bit too hard to a point where like I couldn't run the race that I knew I was capable of running. So like I do believe that I have a lot more like physical strength and I my I haven't hit my top speed in my running. Yeah. But I don't know that I ever will at this point because I never know. And I think that I will because I keep hitting stuff and I'm gonna keep trying. Yeah, I essentially had an injury that hindered my training a little bit. It I kind of went back and forth on whether I was even gonna start the race. So starting the race was like a huge accomplishment. And it was not my slowest marathon ever. It's not my fastest, and I definitely beat my seagull in event. So my A goal was like a specific time where if I miss that, like what's like I can like fall back on. I probably I don't even remember if that was like I think my B goal might have been like to finish at the time I finished at, but I didn't hit what I wanted to hit going into it. You had more to give. I had more to give, and I had more expectations after the first 10 weeks of my training block because I saw something in myself that I knew I could do, and then I kind of lost that through injury and through pushing because I was very excited about it. Yeah, yeah. No, I've I've worked through that piece and I have since run a bunch of more races, and I have a couple coming up. This this that's where I wanted to go next.
SPEAKER_01So you you ran that race. That was 2024. That was 2024, 2024. So what's on the docket for 26? Where are we at now? Yeah. What what what what are we looking forward to?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I ran a bunch of races like low-key in 2025. My goal was to run five races in 2024, and I didn't need that because I was raining, I decided to run a marathon instead. Yeah. Um, and so I kind of like settled back into that goal for 2025 of like just check off five races, whether you're happy with them, not whether you're happy with them, check off five races and have fun with them. Do it right. And so I did that in 2025, and now I'm just kind of like settling into 26. I had to cancel a 10K a couple weeks ago because of the weather in New York, and then I have a couple more half marathons, both in New York, coming up in the next couple months. And then I really don't have any races planned for summer or fall. I thought about entering the New York City lottery, which gives me which I didn't do, but just the fact that I'm thinking about it gives me this idea that like that marathon hope and dream. There's more on the horizon. There's more on the horizon. I do, I'm interested to see how things play out over the next couple of years as far as like my ability to work on logistics, yeah. Um, with the kids. I think that doing the the marathon when I did it at their age was very, very doable because you're not looking at sports, you're not looking at like all these other logistical things. Because they were what?
SPEAKER_01Two and they were two and three, or two and four.
SPEAKER_02I don't know how around that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I think two and three. Yeah. Yeah. So like I actually think the logistics for that was much easier to train, um, although they were littler. I feel like there's not as many things together. Yeah, yeah. You're like, I'm the most simple. So I'll have to navigate that and I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Because I want my kids to do sports. Yep, the bridge is an arc. Um, yeah, we'll we'll figure it out. So I'm hoping to continue on this runic journey. Another marathon is probably in my future, but if it's not, I will live with that. I have run my three marathons, and that's more three more than I'll ever run. I just know, I just know I can run sub 530, and I I want to do it.
SPEAKER_01If there's one thing I know about you, if you have a like, I'm gonna do this goal, I don't know when it's gonna happen, but it's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_02And I say, yeah, and I say sub-530, but to be very honest with you, part of what broke my heart during that marathon block for the Harvard marathon was I'm pretty sure my body is capable of going sub-5. I hope that I can find a way to work towards that. Maybe it's not until my kids are in college, but it's never too late. It's never too late.
SPEAKER_01All right, Megan, are you ready for the lightning round?
SPEAKER_02I am ready for the lightning round. It's a long one, but a good one. Okay. I got I got this. Strap in. I mean, don't say strap in. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Buckle up. All right, I'm buckled. Here it comes. Morning or evening runs? Morning. Long run or short spreads. Long. Music or podcast in your ears? Music. Pump up song when you need a boost. Ooh, anything Taylor Swift. 5K, 10K, half or marathon. Half. Running solo or in a group? Solo. Preferred way to recover on a rest day.
SPEAKER_02Uh recovery boots, hot cocoa, and a good movie. Favorite marathon memory. Seeing my family at um oh, in Brooklyn. They'll know what that means. They'll know where that was. See my family in Brooklyn at the New York City Marathon and seeing my mom at Central Hot Park same race.
SPEAKER_01Hardest race you ever ran.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, hardest race? Hardest, hardest. Oh, the heart for marathon just recently.
SPEAKER_01Favorite race you ever ran.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, tied between New York City Marathon and Cherry Blossom. Dream Marathon.
SPEAKER_01London. You're coming up to the finish line. What is the one thing you could see on the other side that would make you straight sprint to the finish?
SPEAKER_02Ooh, uh, my kids, my husband, my mom, and my dad. I love it.
SPEAKER_01Perfect. You nailed it.
SPEAKER_02Give me the socials. Socials. Moms off script at TikTok and Instagram. Follow us there. Um, we have some really funny behind-the-scenes footage of all the things that I make Meredith does me. Um, and you can reach us by email, uh, momsoffscript at gmail.com. There, we'd love to hear all of your running stories or your hobbies, whatever you guys are interested in.
SPEAKER_01We have runners that listen to this, so I want to hear from them.
SPEAKER_02All right, let's hear from you guys. Let me know about your marathon experiences or any other race experience. Um, love to chat with you guys. So send us your emails. You can also text us via the show notes here, and um, we would love to hear from you guys. So follow along and thank you guys so much for tuning in every week. We drop new episodes every Thursday. Every Thursday. Bye.
SPEAKER_00Month script is created and developed by Meg Adeline and Meredith Fent. This episode is edited and produced by Meredith.