Erica Kennedy - "Find the joy in running"

In this conversation, Erica shares how she began running in her late twenties during an abusive marriage as a way to escape and regain strength, and how running stayed with her after leaving.

Encouraged by her now-husband Joey, she skipped shorter races and ran a first half marathon, later completing more halves and many 5Ks/10Ks, with a goal to try a full marathon to see if she wants to continue beyond 13.1.

She explains how her Instagram (started July 2025) gained traction, leading to a friendship with Laura Green and the creation of their “Probably Fine” podcast, named after their habit of downplaying running ailments.

Erica discusses lessons like the importance of fueling, her preferred foods and race-day celebrations, favorite local races, playlists, gear and shoe preferences, patellar tendonitis recovery tied to back stiffness, and advice to slow down and make running your own journey.

Erica Kennedy - https://www.instagram.com/heyericak/.


Races Mentioned
Boston Marathon
Christie Clinic Race
Mahomet Half-Marathon
Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon

Shout Outs
Joey Kennedy
Laura Green
Probably Fine podcast
Alice
Grey Gaillard
Kristen Rather
Anna

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Hi Runner Story family. This is Alison Gilliard with Runner Story, where every story needs to be heard. And making sure that your incredible stories get heard this month are our friends from Rocket City Marathon. Guys, you should totally come around with us in December. We are so excited. I am letting everyone know I signed up for the hat trick. So excited. I am super nervous. Cannot wait for training. And it's gonna be such a great experience. To run uncomfortable will be my first time ever. It's gonna be a great weekend, podcast style, all the things. So that being said, we have some friends from Rocket City Marathon with a special message for all of us. Take it away, guys.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

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SPEAKER_02 1:32

All right, brace yourself, guys, because we had the Erica Kennedy on the podcast. What a special shout out to Stefan who had interviewed Laura and did such an outstanding job and then connected us with Erica. And I absolutely love Erica. I actually started following her a while ago and thought her content was hilarious. She really says what every runner is thinking. Honestly, it's hilarious. Authentic, genuine, full of joy. I mean, you cannot help but love Erica. She's also the co-host with Laura Green, who has been on the podcast of the Probably Fine Podcast. Guys, if you're not listening to that, you should go check it out. You're gonna laugh a lot. It's so funny. You guys are gonna enjoy this. One of the biggest takeaways from Erica's story is find the joy in running. There's gonna be seasons, especially like if you live in the south where it's hot, if you live in the north where you get lots of snow, and you just don't want to get out there and it just feels mundane. Find the joy in it. And as Erica says, yeah, she's a runner, but she's also a mom. She's a friend, she's a wife, she has so many different hops. She's a co-host of a really great podcast. So take all of that with grace and realize that running is a gift and it's something that we get to do and that find the joy in it. And make this your journey. Make it yours and make it your story. No one else can can cross the finish line like you cross the finish line. And that's something that Erica just continues to hammer in with us because you're gonna go through injuries. You're gonna go through me and I'm not a runner, or you're gonna hit that mental wall or that physical wall. And you just keep going, one step at a time, one moment at a time, and you just found the joy running. Erica, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for who you are in the running community. Keep it up, my friend. I just adore you. It was such a great time. You guys are really in for a treat. And if you're like me, you might have to take a break and go to the bathroom because you're laughing so hard. Like it's just that great. Erica's just absolutely amazing. And guys, definitely go check out Probably Fun Podcast as well. You guys will love it. With that being said, lace up those running shoes, get ready, get set, and go red with my friend Erica and her red story. Well, thanks, Erica, for being here. So stinking excited. Me too. First of all, let me just say I love your running content. You are hilarious. If people are not following you, they should because you, my friends, I feel like whenever you and Laura decide to like, hey, we want to become stand-up comedians, you will sell out tickets. Like nobody's been this. Oh my God. I don't know about that. Hilarious. Please, people go and follow Erica. You guys are funny. Also follow your podcast, which is it's so funny. Because it's called Probably Fine Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Yeah, probably fine.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

So obviously, there's a story there too, which I'm very excited about. So let's jump in. What like how did we get here? How does your run story begin? And then how did you come up with probably fine podcasts? Like, how did all this happen?

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Oh man. Okay. So the beginning of my running story, which I've talked about a lot of times, actually, I just put a question box up in my Instagram stories today. And that was a couple of the questions. How did you get started running? I was in my late 20s and I was in an abusive marriage. And it was really the only thing I did that didn't he didn't question it. It didn't upset him. It was just whatever, if she's gone for a couple hours, like whatever. And so it became an escape for me. I liked the fact that it was something that I could do that would get me out of the house. And then I realized, like, hey, if you get your stamina up, you could be gone for hours. And so it just turned into this place where I felt very proud of myself. I felt very strong. I felt very powerful in a situation where I felt very weak and out of control and not powerful. So that's where it started. But then once I got out of that relationship, running just stayed with me. So that's how I've been running for all this time. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

So obviously you ran for clarity and for you. So then how did you decide I'm gonna sign up for a race? Because you've done some racing, my friend. You've been out there. So how does one go from that safety? Because I could see how that would be a little scary going into the unknown in the racing world. Like because racing can be a little overwhelming for all of us. And if we all remember when we first started running, we were all like, what do we do? What do I wear? I don't know anybody. So how did you how did you get out of that? Because that had to be uncomfortable at first.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

It was really uncomfortable. I I doubted my ability, honestly. But I was like, at that time in my life, I was probably putting in 35, 40 miles a week. I don't know why I was nervous to sign up for a half marathon, but it really wasn't until I started dating my now husband who pushed me to be like, girl, you've been running for how long? You're so good at it. Sign up for that race. So it was really my husband Joey who was like, just do it. I believe and you can do it. And I'm like, okay. So I ran my first yeah, I ran my first marathon. I think we had been dating for maybe a little over a year. And yeah, he pushed me to do it, and I did it. And then I ran four additional half marathons after that. Countless 5Ks, countless 10Ks. Have not gotten to the marathon world yet, but I really want to do that this year for sure. Wait, so I want to backtrack.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

So your first race was 13.1 miles. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

I skipped all I skipped everything and just went straight for the half. Yeah. I was pulling in, I was doing half marathons as like my Saturday runs, you know? So it was like, what am I jacking around for? Just go straight, just go straight for it.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

You that is amazing. I also love how I mean you talk about your run story, but also how that just paralleled your love life in such a drastic way because where running was now like a safety, you know, used to be like your safety time and and you. Now it's been something that was shared.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Right. Yeah. Yeah. I even got Joey out there a couple times. Not for a half, but he's done a couple 5Ks with me. But yeah. Yeah. He's my greatest run supporter for sure.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Oh, I love that. That's amazing. Aw. So now let's talk about how did we get to probably find podcasts? How did this come to the story?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

So I've only had my Instagram account, it hasn't even been a year yet. I started my Instagram account in July of 2025. So we're almost at a year. And once my page started gaining traction really fast, which it has, people kept telling me, Your humor and your page reminds me so much of Laura Green. And I didn't know who she was. I didn't know who she was. I knew nothing about content creators in the running world. So I was just like, okay. And the more that I heard it, the more I was like, well, let me go to her page and see who the heck this girl is. I go to her page and she's already following me. And I'm like, oh okay. So then I hit follow back. I'm scrolling through her videos and I am just cackling, absolutely cackling. And so one day she inboxes me out of the blue and she's like, Hey, I started following you. You are so funny. The beginning stages of your page reminds me so much of how my page started. Like I started this page very randomly. It blew up really fast. And she said she didn't really have any guidance, didn't know what to do. And a lot of people that she reached out to were gatekeeping. And so she didn't ever want to be a gatekeeper in the run content creation world. So she reached out to me to be like, hey, if you're struggling or confused, you don't know what to do, let's Zoom call and I can walk you through everything and how you can monetize this page. And I'm like, oh my God, yes, please. So we Zoom called for, I don't know, it was like an hour and a half. And we just laughed and cackled. And anytime I had a question that would come up about somebody reaching out to me, and I'm like, is this legit? Is this for real? Like, I would just text Laura and be like, hey, can you help me through this? And so yeah, it turned into, hey, I'm just gonna help you. To we started texting to texting even more. And then over, I believe it was Thanksgiving break, Laura reached out to me and was like, I have this crazy idea. And I'm like, okay, what? She's like, we should start a podcast. And I'm like, what? She's like, yeah, I just she felt like she was in a creative rut. She said, I'm just in a creative rut. I feel like I need to do something different. And I've been wanting to do a podcast for a really long time. And I think you and I would be great at it. And I said, All right, let's go. Let's do it. So we came up with probably fine in a couple days. We were texting each other. What about this name? What about that name? What about this? And Laura was like, you know what? Let's think about a phrase that you and I always say all the time when we're texting. And so I threw out a couple things and then she did, and she was like, What about probably fine? And I'm like, oh my God, every single time her and I talk, like me and my Patellar tendonitis, I've been dealing with, is yeah, my knee is getting better, but I'm I'm gonna go for a run anyway. It's probably gonna be fine. And then she's like, My hamstring has been acting up, and I'm gonna run Boston anyway. It's probably gonna be fine. And so we came up with probably fine because we were always finishing all of our ailments and problems and worries with yeah, it sucks right now, but it's probably gonna be fine. So that's how Probably Fine came to be. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 11:26

And it's a true, genuine running self. It is, you know what? It's probably fine. It's probably gonna be fine, yeah. That is awesome. Oh, and again, if people are not listening to you guys, I will say be close to a bathroom because you're gonna have to go pee from laughing so much. You're just gonna be like, what did they just say?

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Like it is very unhinged. I we record once a week, and by the time I get a chance to listen to the episode, because Laura edits it, and then I'm the person that needs to listen to the episode and figure out which pieces of the episode I'm gonna clip together for social media. So by the time I get around to listening to I'm laughing because I forgot what we said. So I'll be listening back and I'm laughing at us. Like, I'm not even there. I'm like, why am I laughing so hard? I wasn't there. Laura didn't say that, or I didn't just say that. But yeah, I make my own self-laugh on my own podcast. Isn't that wild? I think that's fantastic. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Yeah. So let's talk about. There clearly have been some lessons that you've learned from running from this podcast. Do you mind sharing some of those?

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Oh my goodness, yes. I feel like one of my craziest, I don't know if I want to say crazy, but I guess mind-blowing is that most of my running career, I was not fueling. I would run and I it's weird to me that I ran almost all of my half marathons without fuel. And I feel like that is absolutely terrible. I feel like I could probably have ran a lot faster in my races. And there's so many times I'm like, God, I feel like garbage. I feel like garbage. Well, it was probably because I wasn't fueling. And I feel like a lot of people don't do that. And that is one of the things that I have learned over the years is you gotta fuel. What? What is with this fasted mess? So that is one of my top things is that you gotta eat. Whether that's when you're not running or when you are running, you gotta eat. And I don't know what young Erica was thinking. She was fasted, but she is not fasted in 2026. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

So speaking of fuel, okay, so it's you know morning of the race. What does that look like for you? How do you fuel for that?

SPEAKER_01 13:44

I like to have a good old, big old plate of pasta the night before. And then when I wake up in the morning, I love an ego waffle. Oh, okay, Lego milk waffle. Oh, yes, an egg o waffle lightly toasted with a peanut butter and some honey. Ooh, mm-hmm. It just really gets me right. It really does. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

And then your long run. So let's say it's a half that you're going to go run, or as you've also been talking about, 26.2 will happen one day. Ooh. Yeah. 26 and 26, baby. How do you fuel now? Like along those long runs. What does fueling look like to you?

SPEAKER_01 14:23

So now it's if I'm running, it's usually before work. So I'm getting up super duper early, and I really enjoy a honey stinger waffle. I will eat one of those before I go on a run. Or I make these energy balls. They are like, I know everyone's heard of them. It's like oatmeal, peanut butter, maybe some chia seeds, maple syrup, and some dark chocolate chips. And you just mix that all together, put it in the fridge, let it get cold, and then make it into little balls. I pop those, like three or four of those before a run, get me real, especially when um it's quick and it's before work, and I don't have time to sit and make an ego and you do all that. Those little energy balls, oh my gosh, so good, so quick, and it really does help.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

So I have a really good friend of mine. She's like a soul sister in Louisiana, and anytime she comes to visit, she always brings energy balls because I don't know. And that's just like my love language right there.

SPEAKER_01 15:18

So good. And you can make so many different variations. Like I've seen people put raisins or cranberry, dried cranberries. You can make so many variations of those. Oh, they are just so good. And oh, I can eat that and then not have to probably do something if it's a long run, not have to eat again, probably for like another two miles, and then I'll start fueling. But those little energy balls, oh yeah, love them.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Now, for your, as you just said, so you eat in the morning, then you go for your long run, you're a few miles into it. Do you take anything with you?

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Oh, yeah. I will take any kind of chews. Okay. I don't really prefer the honey stinger waffles because those are hard to carry with you. Yeah. Yeah. But I will do any of the chews. So goob but chews. I think Honeystinger makes chews. Everybody makes chews. I'll do the chews. And I'm not a fan of gels. I just can't get with the texture. Sure. I've tried, it's disgusting. But there is a brand that is honey. And I think actually that's their name. Have you heard of them? Honey, it's H N H N Y is on their packet. It's basically honey with electrolytes. And I love honey. And that's another thing I love to carry with me is honey on a run because oh, I just love honey. But yeah, it's honey with electrolytes, and it does taste a little bit sweet, but it also has a weird aftertaste because they add the extra electrolytes to it. But that's a good one. The texture to me is not as bad as like a gel. Sure. And it's also sweet like honey. So those are my top. Definitely choose or honey. Girl, I'm all about the honey.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

All about the honey. I love so good. So my family will make fun of me. My son, he does it with me, but anytime we have pizza night, I'm putting honey on my pizza. Who? Oh, is this so good? Because you have like this. What kind of pizza? Don't judge me, Erica. But I mean, I do think I just feel like there's like a judgment coming around. Like feel like okay. Like a good cheese pizza, it's really good on. And then you do like a grilled chicken pineapple with a honey pizza. Okay, I can see that. That's really good too. So I do like a good honey pizza.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

Okay, I can see it with the pineapple and all that. Now, you you lost me at plain cheese, but to each his own.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

It's just the sweet and savory. It's a really good, I did it as a kid, and it's kind of like one of those things where you're like, I can put honey on like chicken tenders, I can put honey on abiscoats. Oh yeah. Oh my land is so good. So I'm with you. Fresh honey, local honey. Chef's kiss.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

I might have to give that a whirl just to see. Because I do love the sweet and savory.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Now listen, if you just if you don't like it, do not do not call me out on Instagram page.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

Yeah, yeah. I will try it. And if you never hear from me, then you know it wasn't. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Getting back to like our questions, because I love this already. How we're just going down all these rabbit holes. It's absolutely 10 out of 10. I love it. Do you have a favorite race that you just you're like, this is my race?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Like race distance or actual race?

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Actual race, yeah. Do you have a favorite race?

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Um, there's I do. There's one right here local to me. It's the Christie Clinic race. It's every April, it's the last weekend of every April. The only downside to it is you're training for it all winter. So that kind of sucks in Illinois. But it is hands down my favorite race. It's very flat, it's very fast, it's well attended as far as people cheering you on. And it's right here. Like, I know the course. I'm not stressed about getting to the start line. It goes through my neighborhood, so my husband and kids don't even have to leave unless they want to see me cross the finish line. But normally I'm like, no, just stay home. And the race goes by my house at mile six. So in a half marathon, right when you're like, my God, I'm so tired and I still got seven more miles to go. I get to see my husband and my kids, and they stand right at the corner in my neighborhood. So I just I have a special place in my heart for that race. I try to run it every year. I did not run it this year because of my patellar tendon. But usually I try to do some form of it. If I'm doing the 5K, the 10K, the half, I definitely sign up for it. And I've been too chicken to do a full marathon most of my life. But hopefully I do one this year, and then I can be geared up to do my own full marathon right here in my own town. So Christie Clinic, if anyone lives in Illinois, it's really big and very well attended. And I just think it's the greatest race. I love running it.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

It's so special too when you're like, not only that, but if it runs by your house and you're like, man, I have to go to the bathroom, you can just run inside. I gotta go bathroom, right? That's it right there. That's golden. Yes, right. Now, the flip side of that. Do you have a race where you're like, ooh, I want to go back and try again? Or you're like, I never want to step foot on that race again.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Ooh. I don't know about never want to step foot, but there is one here local-ish to me. And the reason why I don't like it is because it's mainly out in the country and it's all on black top, and there is zero shade. The entire half marathon is full sun, and it's always mid-August when this race is. Oh, and that one is just so tough, and it's hilly, and just it's a lot, but you really gotta push yourself and train for it. And I've ran it a few times, but people are asking me this year, are we gonna see you at that race? And I'm like, uh, if I'm gonna do it, I gotta start training now. And I almost died last week running in this heat and humidity. And I'm just like, do I really wanna I don't know, but yeah, that it that's the one where I'm not rushing back to go do it because it's a really tough one, but it's also local to me and easy to get to, so it's like may as well. But yeah, if anyone wants to know, it's the Muhammad, there's a 5k, 10k, and I think a half, but yeah, it's a tough one.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Yeah, I totally understand the heat and humidity being in South Alabama. It's we're already like, it's not even the hottest of the hot, yeah. And we're all just like you gotta carry stowels and oh yeah, and you gotta change, you gotta bring a change of clothes with you just to get back in your car. You just nasty, you just you sweat so much and you smell just terrible. And you're just like, I just like your sweat, your sweat has correct. Uh you just feel nasty, and you're like, I just want to go home. Yeah. Yes, you know, it's it's it's brutal. So I get that, I get that. Let's say that you're getting ready for race day. Do you set out flat Erica? Like, how does how do you prep for race day?

SPEAKER_01 22:09

Ooh, I'm not a prep for race day type girl. Like, am I setting out my clothes the night before?

unknown 22:15

No.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

General idea of what I'm gonna wear, but like setting it out, and I am usually running out of the door. Like I said, most of the races I run are local to me. So I'm not concerned about how I'm gonna get there. I ain't concerned about parking. I'm not concerned about how do I get to the start line. I know where all that stuff is at. So I am literally jumping out of bed. If the race starts at seven, I'm getting up out of the bed at six. And I am putting on some clothes and I am headed to the start line and usually getting to the start line within 10 minutes of the race starting. So that probably should change if I start getting into races that are not local to me. Maybe I should have more of a race prep, but as of now, I do not. So do not listen to me.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

I think I'm not judging. I just I'm like, okay, yeah, girl, let's go. Okay. So you cross the finish line. What is what does that look like? How do you celebrate? What's next?

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Cold beer. Okay. Okay. Cold beer. Cold beer. Love me a cold beer. And if they are not serving cold beer, I love to go and get pancakes. There's nothing better than getting three pancakes stacked high, butter, maple syrup, side of scrambled eggs with hash browns with gravy on top. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Tear it up. Tear it up. I don't leave a crumb on my plate after a race if we go get pancakes. Okay. Gotta do it. Beer pancakes. Beer pancakes. Maybe both. I don't know. But yeah. You might be onto something there. Yeah. But a nice cold beer after you finish a race. Have you ever had a cold beer after a race? I'm usually dying and I want water. So, but I mean you you you go for it, girl. Oh, so good. I can taste it now. Like I just, it's something that is embedded in my brain. How a nice cold beer tastes after a race. Oh, nothing like that.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Okay. And then add the pancakes and you're sad. And then add the pancakes. Okay, Erica, I gotta know. What is your favorite running item? You will not go out the door without this item.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Ooh, favorite running item that I won't go out of the door with. Probably my running belt. But anyway, it doesn't bounce. It's super stretchy, and you can fit a spy belt. A crap. Yeah, okay. Yes. Spy belt. Yes, spy belt, spy belt, spell. But yes, so stretchy. I have fit so many things in there. I got pepper spray, keys, my headphones, my cell phone, gels, chews. Like I will stuff that thing to the brim. I love a spy belt. If anyone is like, what can I get you? Get me another color in a spy belt. So for sure. 100% hands down, rain or shine, I've got my spy, my spy belt on.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

Let's talk shoes because that's one of the things that I love watching. Not only that, I am super jealous because you've got a great colorful shoe collection. Let me just say. So I do. What has been your favorite? I don't even know if I should say one pair of shoes. What's been your favorite shoe rotation? I guess I should say.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Oh my goodness. So let me tell you, first of all, up until I started this page, I need people to know you do not need multiple pairs of shoes. I have been running since I was in my late 20s. I am now 43. Up until I started this page, I only had one pair of shoes, and that was completely fine. I did speed runs in them, tempo runs in them, slow runs, fast runs, long runs, all the runs in one pair of shoes. Now that I've started this page and I get shoes gifted to me, I am overwhelmed. Okay. I started giving shoes to my mom. We wear the same size, and I've started giving her shoes. So I need people to understand that you see these influencers and they've got 46 pairs of shoes. It's not necessary. I would be happy as a clam with just one pair of shoe. One pair's one pair of shoes. I don't need all of that. But now that I have been gifted these shoes and I have plenty of shoes to choose from, my absolute favorite shoe is the ASICs gel nimbus. That is my favorite shoe. It is so cushiony, especially coming off of a knee injury, and I need all the cushion I can get. I think out of all the shoes that I have, that one is the most cushiony and the one that I reach for the most. Second reached for shoe, the super blast, which I think is those really colorful ones. You might have seen me. I love the super blast threes. Third favorite shoe, ASIC Nova Blast 5. Those are good too. So those are the three. I have other ones, but those are the three that I am mixing and matching all week long with my runs. So 100% in ASICs girly, which when I started my running journey, that's all I wore. So to come back full circle now and be back in ASICs feels very natural to me for sure. But those are my three favorites.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

I love that. I also have to say, hearing you say that, I was like, ooh, I've ran in the Nimbus. Ooh, I've ran in the Nivea Blas. I haven't had this super yet. I don't know, Erica, what size are you?

SPEAKER_01 27:13

A six and a half. No one is meeting. Every time someone's like, wait a minute, wait, you got all them shoes. What size? I'm like, I guarantee you are not that size. I guarantee it. And that is not to throw shade at anyone. I just have been told all my life, your size. What? Yeah. Oh. Six, six and a half.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

There you go. I will say I do like having my A6 in the rotation. You know. However, I am one of those, as my husband is the editor of this podcast, he's probably gonna be like, finally, someone told her she'll only need one pair of shoes. And I'm like, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

I know I shouldn't have said that because now people who listen are gonna be like, Oh, really? So my wife buying all these shoes is not necessarily.

SPEAKER_02 27:53

Listen, this is my truth. This was my defense. It's hot and it's the road, the pavement here in the south is very, very hot. So it eats up our shoes. So that makes sense. I'm just like, I need a long run shoe, and then that way, like I can rotate so I get a little bit more lifespan out of the shoe. Yeah. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

So it's an investment. It's an investment.

SPEAKER_02 28:19

Erica, what has been like when you think about running, and you think about either this memory or this moment, and it either makes you just laugh hysterically or it just makes you smile from ear to ear, and you're like, that's what I think about running. Do you have one of those memories?

SPEAKER_01 28:34

Ooh, that makes me smile. Oh, I don't know. I think the memory that makes me look back and smile and love running so much was when I finished my first half marathon for sure. It was just, it was something that I had told myself I couldn't do, especially when I first started running. It's like when I first started running, I started running around this lake near my house. And the lake had perfectly spaced light posts around the lake. So when it got dark outside, you could see I couldn't even run from one light post to the next without literally being in hospice. So by the time I got to that half marathon, it blew my mind that I was capable of doing something like that and training myself to be able to do something like that. So I just feel like that first half marathon is definitely like my proudest moment. And it really just grew my love for running. And don't even get me started when I finally run a full marathon. I'm probably gonna be a giant bag of sobbing and snot and drool coming out of my mouth because I'm gonna be so emotional. But yes, it's just the joy of I feel like running is something that I see a return on my investment very quickly. It's like you train and within a couple weeks you're like, oh my gosh, that that didn't feel so bad, or I got a little quicker, or because I like instant gratification. I don't want something that's gonna take all day for me to see some results. And I feel like running is pretty instant within a couple weeks. You see yourself getting better. So yeah, definitely my first half marathon gives me all the feel-good vibes for sure.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

I love that. Oh, that's ah, that's amazing. It's funny because I still find myself, I and I think it's because of this podcast and getting to hear people say quite often, but we get to do this, you know, and it's like such an honor that we get to do this. That I hear that in the back of my head, like as I'm running, and I'm like, don't take this moment for granted because at any moment it could be taken from you, you know, like it could be good. So I still I will cross the finish line and I just will start crying and I'm like, I'm fine. Oh, yeah. And it's just that gratitude. And it's like what you said, you get to see, you get to feel the journey of like I've put in this time. And I think that's the beauty of running is that you know, the person next to you, they might have just been given like the worst news or the best news of that day. And yet they came, they put in the time, and sometimes the hardest day is showing up on race day to put in the work and to go run because you could have been doing something else, or life is life is hard and messy. And so just to have that moment. And so I love that for you. I love that you think about that. And I'm excited for you for your first marathon. Yeah, girl cry. Do all the time.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

Oh my god. Oh my gosh. Whenever that happens, but I'm so excited. I was telling people today, someone asked me, like, what race do you sign up for? I'm not signed up for any race, but when I am, there will be signs. You guys will not get me to shut up about whatever marathon I am signed up for. So everyone's like, oh hey, let us know. Oh, you'll know. You'll know what that race is.

SPEAKER_02 31:45

Oh, that's exciting. Oh, that's so exciting. Okay, so you mentioned headphones. So you listen to music when you run? I do.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

Sometimes podcast, but I am I'm a true crime podcast gal. And I have spooked myself running, listening to true crime, and so I've backed away from that. Yeah, yeah. I have literally been on runs where I have been scared the entire time because I'm listening to some crazy true crime something or another. But yes, I try to back away from the true crime, but definitely 100% music, or sometimes I will just be out there raw dogging it with my thoughts and the birds chirping. But yeah, definitely music for sure. And I have playlists for different feelings. Do tell. Okay. If I'm feeling like, you know what, this needs to be a speedy run, I've got a playlist for that. If this is just like chill vibes, I've got a playlist for that. Sometimes I am feeling very 90s, 2000s RB. I've got a playlist for that. I have a playlist for almost every feeling. So I like to go into my phone and be like, what are you feeling today? Are you feeling fast? Okay, let's do this. Are you feeling nostalgic? Let's do 2000s RB. So I think it helps for sure. Okay. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 32:55

That's pretty cool, actually. Okay, so you've mentioned several times that you're dealing with patellatinitis. So, what is recovery looking like for you? Do you have a favorite recovery tool?

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Oh my gosh. Yeah, so I've been dealing with this stupid knee pain for almost I know. So this came on right around Mother's Day of last year. And usually my husband gets me new running shoes every Mother's Day. And it's so sweet. And up until then, I just wore whatever that man bought me. No research, nothing. Is it a cute shoe? Is it pretty? Is it trendy? Yes, she will wear it. There was no thought on cushion, there was nothing. I just wanted it to be cute. So he gets me a new pair of running shoes. I start running in them, and I started having pain at the top of my foot. And so I'm like, okay, that's interesting. Maybe I'm tying my shoes too tight, whatever. So I loosened up the laces, and then all of a sudden I started having pain in my knee, and this just escalated to almost needing a chair lift to get up and down my steps. And so I'm doing all this research, finding out this patellar tendinitis. Of course, naturally, I blame the shoe, but it was not the shoe. But yeah, so I ran through it all summer. Ran through patellar tendonitis. I would just hit them runs. I was doing like six, seven, eight miles, and then would be at home, could hardly move. I would be waking up in the middle of the night because my knee was hurting so bad. So after it just getting worse, I decided to do physical therapy. And that helped up to a certain point, but I was still in a lot of pain. So I finished that physical therapy. I went to sports med to make sure something else wasn't going on. So they did all the x-rays and whatnot. Nothing going on there. So I was like, all right, I'm just gonna try another physical therapist. So I go to another physical therapist and we find out it's not my knee, it's not a weak glute, it's not weak hips, it's my back this entire time. I have no mobility in that thing. My back, I don't know what she is doing, but she ain't doing her job. She's not backing you up. She is not backing me up at all. So we found out through massage and different workouts, there's like certain workouts I can't even do because my back is so stiff. And so, of course, your injury is never your injury, it's never your knee, it's always something else. Once we started working on my back, I cannot tell you light years better within weeks. Yeah. So it's a lot of this, like what my favorite things to do, it's just a lot of the stretching. It feels so good. It's the stretching and the back strength training. And then I got into Pilates. So one of my friends, her name is Alice, she has a Pilates app. It's called Four Runners, F-O-R Runners. It's an app store in the Apple store. And she is a runner and she's a Pilates instructor, and she has meshed the two together in an app. And it's just all Pilates, but for runners. And let me tell you, the core work, the back, the mobility, it has been saving me. So yeah, those are my favorite things. I do Alice's workouts on her app several times a week, and then I see my PT once a week, plus the exercises that he gives me to do, meshing that all together, the knee is feeling really good. She's not 100%. I would say a one or two out of 10 in pain so far, but compared to eight to ten out of ten, we are making progress.

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Yeah. And it goes back to what you're saying. Now you can be encouraged because you're like, things are getting better versus not getting better at all.

SPEAKER_01 36:35

Yeah. And that's why I haven't done a single race in a year because I couldn't. I literally couldn't go past one to two miles without being in so much pain. And yeah, now that I'm better, I have confidence in doing a training for a full marathon or doing any kind of races because now my pain is so much more manageable and I can see a clear path forward that I'm getting better. So yeah. Wow, what a journey.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

That's crazy. I know. Yeah. Yeah. You gotta runners and their injuries. But you know what? It's probably gonna be fine. It's probably gonna be fine. It's probably fine. Erica, what is the piece of advice you give to somebody who wants to start running, or if they're in your situation and they're coming back from an injury, what is something that you would tell them?

SPEAKER_01 37:23

Stop trying to go so gosh darn fast. I don't understand what it is with new people or people who have taken time off from running. They are trying to PR every race, every run. They go out every single day, and you're trying to PR what you did yesterday. Stop doing that. That's why you hate it. That's why you're like, oh, when am I ever gonna start enjoying running? Because you're not, because you're going too fast. Slow down. Slow down. There is a time and a place for going fast, and most of our runs should be pretty easy. You gotta run slow to run fast, and it doesn't make sense, but that's what it is. And so that is my advice to everyone is to just slow down. You have to slow down and just trying to go fast all the time. You're gonna injure yourself, you're gonna hate it, you're gonna be like, why am I doing this? And you're gonna give up. Slow is best, and it's really hard to do. I have to tell myself that all the time. Slow down. But yeah, that is what I always tell everyone who asks me about running. Just go slow. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

It also, I love how you brought it back to slow is gonna get you there. It's gonna get you there fast. You know, like you're you're gonna get fast. You just don't understand how it's working. I know I've read the book on it too, and I'm like, I still don't understand. But okay.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

You gotta build up that aerobic base. You gotta time on beat, you know, it's gonna help you in the long run.

SPEAKER_02 38:44

I just have the philosophy I'm gonna get there when I get there. It's gonna be fine. So yeah, yeah, yeah. It's gonna be fine. Yeah, it's probably gonna be fine. It's probably gonna be fine. I love that. Yes. So you've mentioned possibly a marathon this year.

unknown 38:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:59

If anyone follows you on social media, you have also toyed around with the word ultra marathon. No. So let's talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

I made fun of them. I did not say I was gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02 39:14

So, what are goals looking like for 2026 and beyond? Like, what are we looking at with your run story? How do you want it to continue?

SPEAKER_01 39:23

I would love to get into full marathons, honestly. I need to get one under my belt because I have seen so many people be like, I ran one, hated it, we'll never do it again. I need to know that information. I need to know if I run one, am I gonna hate it and just be like, you know what? I'm a half marathon girly. And I am totally fine with my journey stopping at half marathons, but I need to know. Do I love this? If so, yes, let's keep doing it. If not, 13.1 is my jam, but I won't know until I try. So once I get that full marathon under my belt, we will see where this goes. I'm now ultra marathons, that sounds like every horrible thing that I have ever heard in my life. But you know what? I never thought I would run a fool. Every time I ran a half, I was like, oh god, no. Now I'm like, well, well. So I see the slippery slope into the fool to the or the half to the fool. I see the slippery slope. But an ultra? I'm not seeing that slope. I'm not seeing it. You're like, not a slippery slope there.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

Yeah. Mm-mm. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:27

Mm-mm. What are we talking? Ultras are like what? Anything past 26.2? So if I do 26.3, does that count as me being an ultra marathoner? If so, yes. If you're like, you know what, after I cross the fish line my marathon, I'm just gonna go out a little bit more. Go a little bit further and then call myself an ultra marathoner.

SPEAKER_02 40:44

I've never thought about that. Interesting. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:48

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. All right. Yeah. I might have to do that. Just keep my watch running until 26.3 and then call myself an ultra marathoner. Put marathoner times one ultra marathoner times one on in my body. Like, I was a one and done. I was a one and done.

SPEAKER_02 41:05

Did both of them in the same day. Yes. They're gonna give you a medal and you're gonna be like, listen, I'll be right back to collect that. I'm gonna just need a moment. Exactly. Right. That's a great idea. I totally support that idea. I think you should do it.

unknown 41:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we'll see. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 41:27

When things get frustrated during a run, do you have a mantra that is there a saying that you tell yourself to keep going?

SPEAKER_01 41:34

Not necessarily, but I do tell myself you gotta get home. That's you gotta get home. So it doesn't matter how bad this sucks. You gotta get home. What are you gonna do? Call your husband and tell him to pick you up. He's not even out of bed yet. You have to get home. You gotta get home. Yeah. That's why when it when it's a tough run or a long run, I like to make sure I put myself far enough out that I have no choice. I have to get home. I can't be looping past the house. Can't. Because once I see my house, it's a wrap mentally for me. I'm just gonna go home. So I need to be far enough away for all of my long runs that it's like, all right, you gotta get home. So that is what I tell myself. You have to. I love that. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

I'll tell you this funny story. You'll appreciate this. So South Mississippi run, and it's I don't know if you know much about the South, but we kind of get like sometimes we kind of get the weather mixed into one day, like one moment. Like it's just like, what are we doing? It's very hormonal in the South, okay? So Mississippi Gulf Coast, you know, we're running the half. And me and another friend also did this, but at different times, everybody had been checking the weather because it sometimes rains and it will try downpour. So we're all looking at the weather, none. Like clear skies, beautiful. We're like, this is gonna be the perfect race day. I actually was like, man, I might PR this half. I'm okay. Like I'm going into this.

SPEAKER_01 42:53

Wait, what year was what month was it?

SPEAKER_02 42:56

Yeah. So what is it like summer, summer spring? So December. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, okay. So you get cooler weather? Don't, don't, yeah. Just because I say December. Okay. Because it's still hot in South. We're not like you where we get snow or like cool breezes. Oh, okay, okay. So and it's by the beach. And I I do use that term loosely because it's not really okay so you get to go hang out and stuff like that. Okay. So anyway, so we're running, and I mean, it gets hot, and I'm like, what is happening? Then it starts raining, and you're like, oh, okay, not bad. Then it just starts pouring, and you're like, okay. Then from mile seven to mile 10, it's nothing but a headwind. And I was like, I looked at my watch and I'm literally run, I'm trying to run, but my pace is like, why are we power hiking? Like it was just so at mile 10. And my husband does not come to this race because it's usually like a girl's weekend, is what we we do it as. So there's a bunch of girlfriends that get together and we just all go hang out and stuff. So I messaged him and I'm like, Gray, I'm done. I was like, my 10, I'm done. And he's like, Well, Allison, I can't come get you. And I was like, But I don't think you understand. I'm done. Like, I'm over this. And I'm like, I've never hated a run so much. And I've done this race before several times. Like, it's been great. It's fine. And I just it was just miserable. Three miles of nothing but a headwind. And he was like, Allison, you have to finish because you don't have a ride home. I can't come get you. And I was like, fine. And he was like trying to be so supportive. And he's like, You can do hard things. You've done harder things. And I was like, This is stupid. I didn't know why I'm out here. So we go and it was awful. And we had a friend that was running the full. And I literally I finished with another friend, and I'm like, she goes, she tells me, she's like, hey, I called my dad to come get me. Cause I was like, I just was miserable. She didn't. She finished, but we both made that phone call. We're both like, this was horrible. Our friend that was running the full, I was like, I guarantee you, when Kristen comes across that finish line, she's gonna say, I'm never doing another full. Comes across the finish line, looks at us, and she's like, I quit. I'm done. I'm never running another 20s. It was every my running career is over. And we've all said that. And our friend Anna, who made the other phone call at mile 10, she's like, I have PTSD from that run. Like it was so dramatic with weather wise. Oh my god. So I totally get how you're like, no, if I see my house, no, I'm done. It's a wrap. Because had I seen my house, yeah, I'm done.

SPEAKER_01 45:20

It's a wrap. Forget the metal I'm done. Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm done. Yeah. I can't loop around my house. Can't do it. I have to start my run with, okay, I am doing X amount of miles. So that's what I have to do. Because people will ask, like, how on earth do you keep yourself motivated to run that long? It's like when I start my run, which I feel like most runners do, is like, okay, I'm running eight miles today. And that's it. So my mindset when I'm running four miles is much different than when I'm running eight. And yeah, I just think you gotta get, but when that weather gets oh, there's nothing worse than running a race that you have trained for and planned for to get weather that you did not experience on your training runs. That's happened to me too.

SPEAKER_02 46:00

And it messes with you mentally because you're a lot, like I said, you're looking down and you're like, I'm getting everything I've got. So then I'm just like, we're walking. It might as well be because like it was just especially going into it and you're like, I'm in a PR to devast to just devastation. Welcome to the south. Yeah. I love that. Now you're gonna have to come run a race in the south.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

Mm-hmm. Girl, I don't know. I we went on vacation last summer. We went to Sanibel, Florida, which is the South Florida. I went there and I packed all my running clothes for the week. We stayed for a week. And I'm like, okay, we're there for seven days. When I'm back home, I run five days a week. So I brought five out. Girl, I made it two, two, two days. And I said, This Florida running is not for me. So if you are a listener that lives in South Florida, honey, I don't know how you do it because I died 16 different times trying to run in South Florida. I just felt like I was inhaling. Like when you are baking something in the oven, and then you open up that oven door and you inhale, that's what it felt like. And I am an Illinois girl since I was five. I do not understand that heat. It's beyond anything I can even wrap my brain around, honestly. And then don't even get me started on the bugs. Yeah. Oh, I got ate up by those gnosiums. Oh my god. It was my entire runs every morning, was just I was slapping myself because there's just bugs on me everywhere, and I have bites every it was terrible. And so then the second day, it was like, okay, the first day that was really hot. Okay, we're gonna give it a go the next day. And then I get attacked by gnosiums, and then I come across this huge sign that's like beware of alligators. And I'm like, you know what? I think we're just done. We're done. We are done here for the week. I gave it a good try. Florida running is not for me. So if I ever go back on vacation to Florida, I am not packing running clothes. It'll just be a week off for me. I'm not even doing it. I'm not because then I tried to do the beach and all that, but we all know that's just completely awful. So yeah, I was just like, nah, we're good. We're good. Me and Florida are done. So you probably won't catch me running a Florida race.

SPEAKER_02 48:14

Never say never, but Oh, you guys in the South really got it bad. Depending on where you go, we've got a couple of hidden gems.

SPEAKER_01 48:22

Yeah. Yeah, but then everyone tells me, like, how are you running in Illinois in December? And I'm just like, I don't know. You just get used to it. So I know you absolutely get used to it.

SPEAKER_02 48:32

That's that's fair. So what is your favorite link to run? Whether it's race day or training run. Do you have a favorite link?

SPEAKER_01 48:40

I think my favorite race distance is probably the 5K or the 10K. 5K isn't because it's short. I think 5K is a very hard race to run because if you are trying to PR, you really gotta push it for three straight miles. And that's really difficult. What I like about the 5K is seeing so many people accomplish this huge goal because there's so many beginners in the 5K. And just seeing how happy they are to be there and they're pushing themselves, and they all got their cute little shirts. This is my first 5k. It is so, I just love it. I love seeing the beginners and how happy they are to cross that finish line and do something that they probably did a couch to 5K and how excited they are. And yeah, I just enjoy the 5K. I would say it's the atmosphere more than the race that I like. But the 10K for myself, I love the 10K because I love the mental gymnastics that I do when I am trying to PR a 10K. It's like you gotta go fast, but not too fast, because then you're not gonna PR. You don't want to six miles balls to the wall. Like you really gotta pace it perfectly. And the mental gymnastics of trying to perfectly pace a 10K keeps my mind off the fact that I'm running six miles because I'm trying to do all this logistics in my head to get the right timing to get the time that I want to get. And then next thing I know, I've crossed the finish line, and it's like, wow, that went by really fast because I was literally agonizing over my minutes per mile this entire time. So for me personally, the 10K atmosphere 5k.

SPEAKER_02 50:11

I just all I can think about is if I did that, what my face would look like during, you know, when they're trying to take pictures and be like, wow, you're really thinking hard. And I was like, I was trying to do math. Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:21

Have you ever seen that meme of the woman that's got all those math equations and she's looking like into the yeah, that's me. I'm like, okay, if I just go 915 now, 849 the next one, 935 at mile three, slow it down a little bit, minus one, carry the four. I might be able to hear.

SPEAKER_02 50:43

Oh, that they were mine would be like, You looked so perplexed the entire time. And I'd be like, I was trying to do math. I was doing math. Yeah, I was doing math. That's awesome. I love that too. I love how you said the 5k for the atmosphere. That's pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

I love it. I yeah, I love the atmosphere. And it brings me back to when I first started running and how excited I was when I completed my first three miles without stopping. We all know what that felt like. It was nothing greater to see yourself like, wow, I just ran three miles nonstop. Yeah, I just I love seeing it. I love new runners, honestly. I love people that are getting into running, and especially on my page, there's always someone's like, I'm new to running. And I'm like, oh, you just sit down. Do you have time to chat? Do you have time to chat? I know we just met, but now me and you are about to chat. Do not be in my inbox saying I'm a new runner. Just don't. Don't. I mean you're gonna be best friends by the end of the day.

SPEAKER_02 51:40

It's also sweet too, breaking that up, is how many people are like, Well, I mean, I want to run, but I run walk. And I'm like, Yeah, you're a runner. And they're like, no. And I'm like, I swear. Like, it's true. You run. It doesn't matter how far, how well how long it takes you, you're running.

SPEAKER_01 51:57

Yes. People are like, Oh, I I'm not, I don't got my swimsuit body. Do you have a body? Do you have a swimsuit? Are you putting that body in a swimsuit that you have your swimsuit body ready? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:06

Oh, that's good. I like that. Erko, when you're when you're not podcasting, when you're not running, what do you like to do? What fuels your soul?

SPEAKER_01 52:16

Oh, you know what? It is a girls' night. I literally just had one last Friday, and when I tell you, there is no greater feeling than now this doesn't happen often, but getting ready with your girlfriends and then having a girl's night is it really just oh you don't got your husband around, you don't got your kids around, you've got your favorite tunes playing, all of your girlfriends are in one area, everyone's getting ready. There's makeup, extensions, lashes, thongs, spanks, tight dresses, heels, perfume smells in the air, and we're all getting ready. That is the greater time to me than the actual wherever we're going. It is the getting ready. So getting ready to go out with my girlfriends really fuels me. I just did it last Friday. We all message each other. You know how it is these days. It's like we had we have to put this together back in February to do it in June. And it's like, let's go to dinner. So we all got cute and dressed up, and we met each other for a happy hour, and then we had a good dinner at a nice little fancy restaurant, and then we ate and we had some drinks on the patio outside, and it's just I leave my girlfriend time and I just feel like my cup is full. So 100% being with my girlfriends. That's it. And getting dressed and being cute with the girls. That's what fills me up for sure.

SPEAKER_02 53:33

That's so fun. Erica, this has been amazing. I'm so thankful for you and thankful for what you're doing on social media. Do you have any final words of wisdom to share with everybody?

SPEAKER_01 53:43

I just want everybody to find the joy in running. I get a lot of inboxes of people just being like, I'm not enjoying this anymore, or I don't like it, or I just started and I just I hate it. But it truly, once you figure out what your why is for it, and then once you figure out just how to do it to make it enjoyable, like I was saying, don't be out there going fast. Make this your journey. Don't look at other people on social media and be like, oh, this girl is so fast, or she's so this, or she's got 15 pairs of shoes, or all of her outfits match. This is your journey. And I think that's when you start to enjoy it. Is when you realize this is about you, it's not about anyone else. You're just competing with yourself. I think that's when I genuinely started to love running. And so that's my piece of advice. Just make it your journey. Don't worry about everyone else. This is about you. Make it all about you. And we love doing that, right? We all love making something about ourselves. That shouldn't be hard at all.

SPEAKER_02 54:38

Erca, this has been amazing. Again, if people are not listening to Probably Find Podcast, they should again make sure that you are near a bathroom so you can I seriously have to go to the bathroom. I'm like, they are so funny, so so funny.

SPEAKER_01 54:53

And I we have zero plan when we get on there. We have a running Google sheet that is called Probably Find Yapping Points that we are supposed to be adding to every week to stay on track. And we have not built that thing out since we started. We hit record, and whatever is happening is what is happening. We have no rhyme or it's but it's so funny.

SPEAKER_02 55:15

Like it's and then that's how you would talk to friends, though. Like, and that's I think that's the beauty of it, what you guys are doing, you and Laura, and it's just so fun. And I will say, I was super jealous that I didn't get to interview Laura, that Stefan had to step in through to scheduling, and then when he's Yeah, and then she did tell me she did this podcast. Yeah, Stefan reached out and he was like, Hey, Erica said to be on. I was like, hot dog, I'm entering her. So, like I was so excited. Absolutely amazing. People should definitely follow you. You are such just a genuine, authentic person, and this has just been the most fun. So, no what no matter where you're at in your running journey, please go follow Erica. It's a blast. Like, it's fun to watch, and just again, all the things that you do and what you and Laura are bringing to the running community is just absolutely priceless. So, thank you guys for what you're doing. Oh, thank you. Thank you. What a gym. Well, I told you guys we're gonna love Erica. I told you we're in Latfula, I told you that you were gonna find all the things. And I do want to put a moment here, Greg. You just completely ignore what Erica said that you only need one pair of shoes. I told Erica that I'm like, why are you gonna bring that up? It was great, absolutely great, Erica. I just adore you. Just an all-around great human, and I cannot wait to see what else you and probably fine podcasts do and your run story, how you continue to grow, my friend. I'm so excited for you. Such a huge fan, and this was such an honor to be entrusted with your story. So I absolutely love it, and just cheering you on. Keep going, my friend. Keep going. Making sure that this podcast is heard and making sure that blogs get posted and our website gets updated is Goyard Tech Services. Guys, if you need somebody to build a website, redo a website, dream a website for you, he is your guy. He understands that your online presence speaks for who you are or what your business is or it tells the story of what somebody's looking at. And so Gileard Tech Services is where it's at. Make sure you get up with him. He does such an outstanding job. Thank you to our friends from Rocket City Marathon for believing in this podcast. We cannot wait to see you guys in December. We are gearing up for training, and honestly, it's been a little mental for me because I've been going through this injury and I've been looking at my calendar knowing that August 1st is coming for training for Rocket City. But I think if anything, it's helped me motivate to get stronger to rehab. Shout out to my girl Kristen at Therapy South in Sarah Land. Kristen Brother is amazing, just all around, great human, and knows what she's doing. She's a runner, so she's been helping me. And we're getting better every day. Every day we're getting a little bit stronger, every day we're getting a little bit better. And the goal is August 1st. Whatever that looks like for training, we're gonna get it done. And that's all because we have somebody like Kristen in the corner to help all of us runners. So make sure you find a good PT as well. Again, can't wait to see you at Rocket City Marathon. Make sure you sign up. Make sure you come run with us. We'd love that. Make sure if you're coming to Rocket City Marathon, we'd love to see your podcast alley. It will be absolutely amazing. We are pumped for this. So it's gonna be a blast. So thank you to Rocket City Marathon for believing this podcast, for believing in all of us and believing and making a finish line more than a finish line. So I'm so pumped. Thank you to our Patreon family members. We love you, we adore you, we're incredibly grateful for you. We thank you for believing in this podcast. Guys, if you want to join, we'd love to have you. We such a great group of people, and we're incredibly grateful to every single person who believes in us and believes in this podcast and says, hey, we want to help keep it going. And so we just thank you for that. Thank you to Stefan and Scott. You guys do such a great job of booking and you guys dream big and you asked Erica on the podcast and he said yes. And so it's just been such an honor to have you guys on the team. Incredibly grateful. Shout out to you guys. If you haven't read Dave's latest blog, you should. It's such a great one. He puts them out almost weekly and does such a great job of different experiences, different shoe reviews. Guys, he's your go-to. He is the shoe man, and sometimes I'll send him messages and I'm like, what do you think about this? Or what do you think about this? And he's like, Well, try this. So Dave does such a great job. And absolutely adore that man's good. Make sure you go and read Dave's latest vlog. Thank you to everybody who shares, comments, likes. That's how the stories get out there. That's all we want is for people to hear your stories because they're that impactful. They mean the world and they can inspire. They truly change who I am. They make me a better person. So I can only imagine what it's like for somebody new to running and to think, wow, I can do this. And that's what we want. We want everybody to know that there's a place for you, for your story in the running world. So you cross that finish line, how you cross that finish line. Until next time, guys, go run your story, because every story needs to be