Mile 20 Mindset Episode 36 - Featuring Andrea Aguilar

Title: From Couch to 26.2: Andrea Aguilar's Inspiring Marathon Journey

Introduction:  
In the latest episode of the Mile 20 Mindset podcast, host Allen Maldonado sits down with Andrea Aguilar, a runner whose journey from novice to marathoner is both inspiring and relatable. With a passion for community and fitness, Andrea shares her experiences, challenges, and triumphs that come with embracing the running lifestyle.

The Beginning of a Running Journey:  
Andrea’s running journey began in Austin, Texas, after moving from Houston for university. Feeling the need to connect with others and establish a community, she turned to running as a way to meet like-minded individuals. "I just started doing that. Let me go to run clubs," she recalls, emphasizing how essential that sense of community became in her life. Through running, Andrea not only found friends but also discovered a new rhythm and routine that integrated fitness into her daily life.

Progressing from Fun Runs to Marathons:  
As Andrea became more involved in running clubs, she was inspired by the stories and achievements of fellow runners. Meeting people who trained for half marathons and marathons made her rethink her own capabilities. "Once you meet people that have been running consistently... your definition of what you could do... also changes," she noted. This shift in mindset led her to consider the possibility of tackling a marathon, despite initially starting with just a few miles.

The Decision to Run a Marathon:  
In September 2023, the seed was planted when a friend mentioned the upcoming Austin Marathon scheduled for February. "Should I sign up for it?" she pondered, ultimately deciding to take the plunge. Andrea recalls, "I just kind of went for it." Her determination to face this challenge head-on was fueled by the excitement and fear of the unknown.

Training for the Marathon:  
Training for a marathon is no small feat, especially for someone who had only recently begun their running journey. For Andrea, consistency became the cornerstone of her training philosophy. "You have to make it part of your routine and integrate it into your life," she advised. Morning runs became her norm, often accompanied by coffee to fuel her early starts. However, she also learned to embrace the solitude that comes with marathon training. "The hardest part is spending so much time alone sometimes," she reflected, recognizing that this solitude helped her grow stronger mentally.

Race Day Experience:  
When race day finally arrived, Andrea described the experience as surreal. "I couldn't sleep... it felt like the night before a field trip," she said, capturing the essence of pre-race jitters. The atmosphere was electric as she picked up her bib and saw fellow runners buzzing with excitement. "It didn’t feel real until I just saw everyone lining up," she shared, highlighting the camaraderie among participants.

As the race began, Andrea felt a rush of adrenaline and anxiety. "You just want to lay it all out there... it's like the performance aspect that... when you start running, you feel it," she explained. The energy from the crowd and other runners propelled her forward, marking the beginning of her marathon adventure.

Key Takeaways:  
Andrea Aguilar's journey from an unsure newcomer to a confident marathoner serves as a testament to the power of community, determination, and self-belief. By embracing the challenges of training and recognizing the importance of consistency, she transformed her initial fears into a fulfilling running experience. For anyone contemplating their own marathon journey, Andrea's story is a reminder that with dedication and the right mindset, incredible achievements are within reach.

Tags for SEO:  
Running, Marathon Training, Couch to Marathon, Fitness Journey, Community Running, Race Day Experience, Inspirational Runner, Running Podcast, Running Motivation, Austin Marathon.

Transcript

0:05

Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your boy Alan Mal Donado, and here we are with another episode of Mal20 Mindset. This is a running podcast for elite runners, novice runners, and those that love supporting the runners in their lives. I got an incredible runner, an incredible guest, uh Andrea Aguilar. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much, Alan. Oh my gosh. How are you doing? How are you doing today? Yeah, no, I'm like, I'm so happy. Thanks for having me on. I feel like I love talking about running. I love the concept of this podcast and just like so much to go over. It's yes. All right. Well, let's let's get into it. Let's dive right into it. Um, how did your running journey begin? Was it for physical? Was it for mental? Was it for just mental clarity? What what got you into running and where did you start? Yeah, no, I mean, like for context, I so I'm from Houston, um, but I went to Austin for university. So I did community college here. And getting to Austin, like I didn't know anyone. I was looking for like a community. Like, I don't know. I just, I was like, I'm missing something. Like, I need something that like it just it br it'll bring me people, it'll bring me consistency. And so I think a lot of Austin's culture is just around like fitness and like running. So kind of just started doing that. I was like, okay, let me just start running, let me go to run clubs, let me like try and just meet people. And so honestly, like running for me was just kind of a way to like connect with other people and meet more people my age or like semi- my age. Right, right. So yeah, that I feel like that's just where it started. And then I feel like it's just carried into like every other aspect of my life. I love it. All right, but let's let's let's let's talk about it. As far as you start this run club, you you you move to a new city, you you you're finding your way through that. How did you get to a marathon? Like was it was it like 5K's? Like you did this run club and people were talking about it. How did you finally get to the to the moment where you're like, hmm, I want to do 26.2. Well, I think a big part of it was like I was going, so I was going to run clubs and I was meeting so many people. And I feel like when you meet people who run, I think like what your definition of running means changes so much. Like for me, I was lucky to get like get like two or three miles in. You know, I was just running and like hoping to keep up. Like I was run, I was literally going to these run clubs and I was like, if I can just do the three miles, like that's gonna be like the most ideal situation for me. And so I feel like once you meet people that like, you know, I've been running consistently and especially people that run for a while or like even compete in races, I think like your own definition of what you could do or maybe what it means to be a runner also changes. Like, yeah, I remember I just met people who were like training for half marathons, or they were, you know, they've been running their entire life, and run club is just something that they like to do. And so I don't know. I think I just kind of realized like, you know what? Like these people are my age. I, you know, a lot of them have been running for a while, a lot of them haven't, and they're still, you know, picking up every day, training for something. And so, you know, it's just nice also to have a goal within running because you know, you run and you're like, okay, like what am I really doing this for? Right, right, right, right. Listen, you gotta have a why, man. The stronger your why, the stronger the race, man. That is definitely um true. So you start running, you get in this sort of excitement and community that comes with with running with a run club. Um you decide to do this marathon. When did when did what what conversation led to that and which marathon did you did you decide to do? Yeah, no, I in September of 2023, I was talking to like one of my friends. I'm in at a run club, and she was like, oh, like, you know, this February, there, you know, there's an Austin marathon, like, you know, and it's really close to where you live. Like, so I don't know. I just kind of planted that seed in my head and I was like, should I sign up for it? Like, should I do it? Is it like can I even can I even do it? Like, can I train in this much time? And so I just kind of went for it. Like I signed up. I think that's most things in life. Like, if you don't pull the trigger when you're already kind of leaning towards doing it, then I feel like I wouldn't have done it if I didn't like purchase it. So did you run any like two 10k 5Ks or 10ks prior? Or you just went straight marathon? I just went straight marathon. Oh wow, you wow. You wow! Okay, okay. So you went, oh, all right, all right. So wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. So can you give me a can you give me a time frame as far as you move to Austin? You're getting this, you go from like, hey, I'm just gonna do three. Like, I'm just gonna do three. I'm just gonna do three, and I'm good with that. So now you're talking about, uh, I'm gonna go ahead and go for 26.2. Oh, like what was the time frame? Was it like how long from from you saying three miles to marathon? Yeah, no, so I I moved during the summer, so like end of May, and then I had kind of that summer transition period of moving, being like, what am I gonna do with all this time? I need to meet people to, you know, running. And then that was like in September where I was like, okay, like I've been running for a couple months, you know. I wouldn't have been running a full year by the marathon, so I was like, that's kind of crazy, like it feels super fast. Wow. But that is just something that I think motivated me to want to do it even more. I was like, you know what? Like, I'm really new to this, like this would be a crazy goal, but you know. No, that's that's incredible. Just to go from from from couch to marathon in a year is is is man, it speaks to your discipline and you just showing up for yourself. Now, let's talk about the marathon training. Because yes, you signed up for this. Yes, you've been running, and uh from from what you're telling me, you didn't even get a 5K or a 10K in. And it's like, all right, I'm going for the marathon. Talk to me about training. What was what was training like now that you finally decided to do this marathon? Yeah, no, training, I think, and like what I even describe it as is just like you have to make it part of your routine and integrate it in your life so well for it to be as consistent. Like, I think when I was thinking about a marathon, I just thought consistency. I was like, you know what? Like, it doesn't matter when I get this run-in, it doesn't matter how I get this run-in, but I need to, you know, stay consistent with it. It's so easy to start something and then be like, mm-hmm, like never mind. Like, and you know, I was like, the worst case scenario for me would be to get to that start line and just be like, I could have done more, you know, like I right, right, right, right. This day, like, you know, just no regrets. I think it's just what I wanted. Just really try to, I'm I'm like a morning runner. So if it was like waking up early, you know, I was on coffee after coffee, but I was doing it. Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. So what was what was the hardest part about training for you? Please please, please give a give a listener that is, you know, inquiring about their marathon journey. What was the hardest part for you in regards to training? I think the hardest part is spending so much time alone sometimes. Like when you're running and you're training, you know, sometimes maybe the people that you're friends with that also run aren't on the same training block, you know, like a lot of my friends were doing the marathon, but a lot of them weren't. And so getting really comfortable with just being by yourself and comfortable with showing up regardless if other people show up. I think that was something that took a lot of getting used to. Cause, you know, with run club, you show up and the people are the, you know, it's like the reason that you go, you're like, okay, cool. Like when uh my community fill, like, but I think with marathon training, there's just so much time in just time running that you spend alone. And so just getting really comfortable with just waking up and being like, you know what, like today I'm just gonna do this for me. Like, I'm not doing this to show up for anyone else besides myself. Yeah, no, I think that's it's so important. I I I I speak about it all the time as far as just the internal conversations that you get to have when you're running, especially in those alone runs. Um, so you get the training, you're you're you're you're a year from from a move to starting the run club to now you're at this marathon. Let's please give me a description of the day of the race, along with you picking up the bib, as this is all gotta be a brand. This again, like you said, you I don't you you didn't refer to you doing like a 5k, 10k. You went straight for the big boy and sort of the experience of marathon day or weekend. Please share with me how it was for you during your first marathon. Like, what was it like picking up your bib, race day, et cetera? Yeah, I was just like, I don't think I actually processed it until I was of the race. Like, I think everything leading up to a marathon, you know, it's like you're getting your runs in and it and it feels very real. And then when you're picking up your bib and you're like seeing everyone else who's also running, and you're just kind of like, really? Like, is this going like is this happening? Like, why are these people so excited? Like it's crazy because you you think about it and you see it's like everyone's taking pictures and everyone's like, and I was kind of like a little scared. Like, I was like, is no one all scared? Like, I'm so excited, but also there's always that, like, I think there's always gonna be maybe like a sense of fear or just worry in the back of your head that, like, you know, maybe what if I can't do this? Like, and I think a lot of it too is like with a first marathon, I think it really is asking yourself, like, can I do this? Like, can I cross that finish line? And I think for my first race, that was even like more of a question. Like, I was like, I haven't crossed any finish lines. Like, how did I be able to cross this one, you know? Like, so that was like something that I was like, I don't even know if these other people have raced before. Maybe it's their millionth marathon, and I'm just kind of like, you know, I'm just I'm just doo-doo doo-doo doo. This one just kind of I'm winging this one. Okay, so take us to race day as far as you seeing the crowds, the corrals, everybody sort of waming waking up or super early, and even though it's early, everybody is even more excited today. Um, talk to me about that feeling as far as prepping and getting ready for the start of the race. Yeah, I just I think I woke up that morning. I couldn't sleep. I don't know if more people say this, but the night before a marathon just feels like the night before you go on a field trip when you're in like elementary school, you know? Yep, yep. You're like, I you're laying out your clothes, you're looking around, you're like, should I even can I even sleep right now? Like I'm but I'm scared, you know. So um the morning of I I woke up like super early. I think it like the start was at like 7 a.m. and I woke up at like 4 30 just instinctively, and I was like, I need to like, you know, and so um I ate a little bit, I I drank some coffee and I was like, okay, like let's let's do this. And I think a lot of you was like, I didn't even like kind of the same way. Like I was getting ready, I was heading out and I was getting there, and it didn't really feel real until I just saw everyone lining up. I saw everyone getting into the corrals and people's families with the signs, and like, you know, it's one of those things where you're like, I signed up for this, I paid for this, I trained for this for months, but somehow it's like it really does take you to the start to really be like, okay, like I'm gonna do this. Like this, this is so real. So, so all right. So you get into your corrals, you you you see, you're inching towards the start line, the gun goes off, and you're in your first couple of steps of this marathon. What are the thoughts going through your head? A year ago you wasn't even a runner, and now here you are running a marathon. What were what were the thoughts that were through your head going through your head, those first few steps going in? You know, I think there's a lot of excitement. There's like a lot of buildup because once you start, you're like, okay, like you just want to, you know, kind of lay it all out there. Like I think a lot of, we know, the training portion is just really like the prep. And then the marathon is like, okay, like let's see what you can do. It's like the performance aspect that like just when you start running, like I remember I I think I went out like super quickly, and then like just a little bit after you start to settle in. Um but I think yeah, I was just so excited. I was just so ready to to start running. And you know, and the thing about a marathon too is like everyone's feeling that same way around you. So I could just like there's so much energy when you're when you're starting a race, and especially just throughout it. Like, I think that was something that I just to this day still remember like first marathon. Everyone's so anxious but happy but nervous that like you feel it. Yeah, oh yeah, it's like energy. One second, I'll know one second. Uh I didn't want to interrupt you. Um, sorry about that. All right, so so yeah, so we we're we're into the race. You you got the excitement, um, and your first your first few steps, you got these these thoughts running through your head. The fanfare is there. Um you're doing this thing that seemed probably impossible a year ago. Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Let's get to the part of all the that every marathona goes through at some point where the wall happens. The Mal 20 mindset. Which Mal was that? And what were the thoughts that came to your head during that time? Yeah, no, I remember like so clearly. I think my like my wall was at mile 16. And it was specifically because I was running, and you know, you you're you'd been running for hours, like my legs were starting to like kind of feel it. I was like, okay, like keeping a good pace. And then I just see someone holding a sign that said, you have 10 miles left. And I just remember feeling like so defeated in a way. Like I was like, really? Like, I, you know, once you get to that point, I feel like 26 miles is already, it just already sounds scary, but I think like 10 miles left really like brought me back to when I was training, and like, you know, 10 miles was like a long run, you know. So I was like, I saw that and I I feel like I just I felt so heavy. And I think like from kind of those like 16 through 18, like mile 16 through 18, it was like, okay, like let me just like it was really, really hard to to get that really look at it like uh, oh, there's only 10 miles left, you know. Right, right, right, right, right, right. So you you 16 to 18 seems like okay, you fought through that. So by the time you got to 20, you started to get to stride, you started to feel yourself again. So tech, let's talk about when you finally cross the finish line. How did it feel? And what were the emotions that you were feeling? So, like I remember just every, like, I think everyone around me just felt like like if if someone was holding like a a specific like run form, because you've you finish off with some people and then you see them cross as well. Like, I just like the relaxed, like it almost feels like when you're holding your breath and you just like let it out completely, it's like everyone just, you know, there's like this like positive, but like just relax energy. It's like you're done. You're seeing everyone just like just holding up their medals, and then getting my medal handed to me was insane because I think like the biggest question that I had from starting the race was like, can I cross this finish line? Wow. And so crossing that finish line was literally just like the biggest example to myself that I think like once you start training for a marathon and once you decide to do a marathon, it's just like a promise to yourself. And so being able to fulfill on that promise was just huge to me because you know, there's so many things that can go wrong. I think, you know, with injury and like even just like light happens a lot, and you never know, and you it's really hard to plan around that stuff. So being able to just show up and be like, you know what? Like I made a promise to myself at the like months ago, and somehow I've just kept it to where I've I've completed it. Like it's done and it's over, and it was like a huge relief almost. So, so my next question is how do you think it has affected you post run as far as how has this marathon changed you as a person, whether it's business, personal, etc. You completing this thing, you proving to yourself that you can do hard things. How is how has that changed you to who you are today? Yeah, I think before, even before running, I think I was kind of I was unsure about a lot of my capabilities. Like I, you know, you tell yourself, like, maybe I can do this, maybe I can do that. Like I wasn't, but I was never like a straight, like, I don't know. I was just never really straight about my abilities. I think since that marathon, as like changes to my life, I think I've fallen in love with running. I think it if it really only made it, it was like the fuel to the fire. Like I really just it helped me build so much of my own like personal growth in terms of like my discipline, in terms of like what I want out of life. I mean, I think within even like career opportunities, I've just been so motivated because you know, once you have the confidence of like, I just decided one day that I was gonna run 26 miles and I did it. Like, what's in that you did? You know, once you get to that point of like, I really can't fulfill such a big promise to myself, like you ask yourself, like, what else can I do? And so for me, that's really been the biggest question since then. And like, um, that was in like February of 2024, and now almost two years later, yeah, I guess almost two years later, um, I've run five other marathons since then. So I'm at six marathons. Yes, come on, yes, I love it. I and it always it starts off that way because a lot of times it especially that first one, you're like, you know, I'm gonna do one and that's it. And then next thing you know, you're on your sixth. So, so yeah, you you are you are definitely speaking to the choir. Um my next question is my next question is is there's there's a person right now that's probably listening, that is on the fence, are more uh considering running their first marathon. What would be your biggest tip to them? I think just like anything in life, you're you're gonna have an aspiration to do it. You might have like a little bit of like, mm, should I do this? Like a little bit of uncertainty. Kind of like what I did in the beginning. I think something that helped me a lot was just going for it, just off the bat. Like if you feel like if you wake up one day and you're like, I kind of want to do this, like I think I kind of want to do this, I say like from that moment on, like sign up. Like set set yourself that standard from day one, because I really do think that that helps build you into like a race ready version of yourself from an early point. Because I think, you know, it's really easy to teeter back and forth. And I know a lot of people who want to do a race, but they're like, if I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna sign up right before it just to see if I can. And like, you know, but I think starting from the very, like the very beginning, like making a promise to yourself and then setting out to do it is so powerful. And I so suggest anyone that's considering a race to do that. Beautiful. Beautiful, beautifully, beautifully said. Um, all right. So we're gonna go to the the the sort of the last segment of the pie, which is the knees out speed questions. Um this is for my running crew, the knees out. Coalition. We we have a phrase, get your knees out, and that's sort of our you know, our battle cry. So in this particular section, knees out means yes, and knees in means no. These are sort of one-word questions, but please elaborate if you feel so. All right. So the first question is while training, did you ever think about quitting, but you still showed up for yourself? You said knees out was yes. Okay, all right, all right, all right, listen. Everybody, listen, I gotta, I still gotta get my run today. Um, so so I'm having that conversation right now. But um the next question is do you believe everyone has at least one marathon? Yeah, knees out, knees out. Yes, yeah. I know I'm like, I'm all over the place. No, no, no, listen. I I this every I throw everybody off. It's all right, it's all right. We we this is all a fun. All right, my next question is and this is where it's a little tricky. This is sort of a trick question. Is the marathon more mental or physical? You know, I I have a hot take. I am what's the hot takes? A marathon, I really, really think anyone can do a marathon. It's all mental. Like, I think you know, there's there's like some physical things that might affect your training differently than someone else, and that's why it's so important to one cater to yourself before any influencer or anyone that you see first, you know, when it's shoes, whether it's nutrition, like really, really personalize those things. But as far as running 26.2 miles and having the ability to do that, I think anyone can do that. And I really do think it it's just it's a mental game with yourself at the end of the day. Beautiful, beautiful. All right, my next question is since you've ran six, you've ran six marathons. I'm gonna up this up a little bit. Would you ever run an ultra? Yes. Okay, okay, okay, okay, and why? And why? I think an ultra, it's it's interesting because in a lot of ways I hear that it's so different from a marathon because you know it's basically twice the distance, right? So it really just becomes a challenge of like I guess distance. Like, because I know I know people that like can race marathons, but I think racing an ultra is like crazy. And like, so a lot of the times it it really just brings you back to that question of like, can I cross this finish line? Right. So um, but I I hopefully within like a couple years, maybe that's kind of the goal is to, you know, once almost almost like almost to prove to myself, like, you know what, like I've done 26.2, like what's to say I can't do 50 miles or even a hundred. And so I'm I'm excited to for I'm I'm planning to run an ultra as well. And what I'm excited to experience is the nature. Because I I I love I love the marathon crowd. Please, I that this is this is why I run marathons, is for the crowd. This the energy, the, the, the sense of humanity that you receive on that day is is very rare. So uh I love that about marathons. And I would I I will never stop running marathons, more or less. But when it comes to the ultras and being in nature, that just seems a little enticing just to be out in nature that long. That's how that's how I see it. Rather than the mouse or seeing the 50, I just like, all right, I get to be out in the mountains all day. Let's go. Um so I'm I'm with you on that. So lastly, my last question is do you believe running can change a person beyond the mouths? Absolutely. I think if if you ever questioned your sense of drive, or if you know, you you kind of have had a point in your life when when you doubt a lot of the things that you're doing or the decisions that you're making, I think a marathon or even just running in general is gonna give you that ability to just kind of stop for a second and learn to prioritize not only the race, but also a lot of time for yourself and to think about the things that you want. I think a marathon, I mean, and I've seen it just happen to me. It's like translated into so many parts of my own life. Besides running, whether it comes to friendships, relationships, school, like there's always gonna be those like transitionary kind of like details that I think really can enhance your life. And I think it just, I don't know, if anything, it's just like a couple hours a week that like you don't really have to like do anything but just run and maybe like think about what you want out of that day. That's how is how I look at it. Like if anything, it's just a it's just a little bit of time for yourself that maybe you wouldn't have given yourself otherwise. Agree. I agree. I running is is is my personal time and and I don't think there's there's it's functional meditation for me because it's it's uh it's when I have these internal conversations that I I can I can't have doing anything else. Maybe maybe painting, but running functional meditation is is such a real thing when it comes to that runner's high that we all get. And before we end the pod, I would love I would love to ask this question in regards to you ran six marathons now. And and with each each race, there's always something. Every race is there's there's there's different stuff that you have to sort of endure and overcome. Out of those six, which what would be sort of, I guess, the funniest thing or craziest thing that has happened during those six marathons? Oof. I have there's there's there's been a lot. Um well actually my so in last September I ran the Boulder Marathon, and it was my fourth marathon. And I I don't know, it was like because I'm I'm in Texas, and so I was like looking at okay, like it was just me and my friend um who went to Boulder because I was we were gonna spend the weekend, I was gonna run the race, it was gonna be really fun. Yeah. So the night before the race, we decided to get dinner, and crazy enough, the entire street that we were on just gets at like 8 p.m. It gets completely shut down. They're not letting anyone leave. Um, there's like a bunch of like police tape. Like there's just like they're basically halting everyone from leaving the restaurants that we were at. And so I was at that restaurant until 2 a.m. of the day before my marathon. The day, but the day or the night before. The day of, basically. So I So wait, wait, wait. So you're telling me you were at the restaurant when you should be asleep and getting ready for the so the morning of you you at you at the restaurant being detained by the police. Yeah. They literally, and I don't know what was happening, but they fully just shut down the entire area. They kept everyone in the stores. And I remember like around 2 a.m. they let us out. And I don't even I don't even think I found out what happened because that morning I was just like so panicked, and I was like, we need to get back. Like, how am I gonna run this? Like, I haven't gotten any sleep. Like the starting time was 6 a.m. Wow. And so it was like crazy. I was able to get like two-ish hours before the race, and then before I had to like wake up and just kind of like get everything ready, pack, like all of that. But that was definitely something that is insane. Oh, yeah, that's yeah, no, that would have yeah, I don't I don't know how I would have responded to the police telling me I can't leave the day before a marathon. Like I would have, hey man, uh, I got a marathon tomorrow. I don't understand y'all got lost, but help me out. Like that would that would have been crazy. Well, wow. All right, that's that's uh so how'd you do? How'd you do is the next question. I did I super well. I I think I have a PR that race. You said did you PR that race? Yes. Thanks to the police and the detainment to 2 a.m. You went in with a with a whole different type of energy. Oh, that's that's hilarious. Well, listen, um Andrea, you have been a great guest. Thank you for sharing your stories. Everyone out there, please follow and subscribe. Peace, y'all.