Episode 1: Ally Brettnacher - The Intro Episode

Episodes

Apr 7

Listener note: This episode includes discussion of disordered eating and a life-threatening birth complication.

The very first episode, recorded in my craft room closet with my dog Doug nearby. Here's who I am, how running wove into my life, and what this show is all about.

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About this episode

In this first episode of Finish Lines & Milestones, I introduce myself: mom of two, owner of Athlete Bouquets, Beyond Monumental board member, and a runner who has finished a full or half marathon every year since 2009. I've run 48 half marathons and seven full marathons, including the 2018 New York City Marathon postpartum.

I share my story from growing up in Colorado and Indiana, to finding my running addiction at Miami of Ohio, to meeting my husband Zach and running the Chicago Marathon together. I also talk about nearly dying from severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome when my first daughter was born, leaving software sales during the pandemic, and starting Athlete Bouquets on Etsy.

In this episode, we discuss

What to expect from the show: weekly Friday episodes with everyday runners
My family, my golden doodle Doug, and life in Carmel, Indiana
Serving on the board of Beyond Monumental, owner of the Monumental Marathon
Leaving my part-time outfitter job at Fleet Feet to focus on the business and the show
Growing up in Colorado with parents who ran a software business
Running track my freshman year at Westfield High School
Finding a running addiction at Miami of Ohio and running for the wrong reasons
Struggling with food and body image in college and how that changed as a mom
The Orr Fellowship and how I met Zach
My first half marathons, the Indy Mini and Geist Half, and pre-race traditions with my dad
Running my first full in 2010 with my dad and the 2011 Chicago Marathon with Zach
Nearly dying from severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome when Sydney was born
Going back to work, pandemic burnout, and quitting while pregnant with Sloane
How a running shoe bouquet on Instagram led to Athlete Bouquets
My mantras: "You get to do this" and "Run the mile you're in"

Chapters

00:00 · Intro
01:00 · What to expect from the show
03:00 · Who I am today
05:00 · Growing up in Colorado and Indiana
08:00 · High school sports and track
09:00 · Miami of Ohio
12:00 · My running addiction and food struggles
15:00 · Meeting Zach and my first half marathons
17:00 · Chicago Marathon and a career in software sales
19:00 · Sydney's birth and HELLP syndrome
22:00 · Pandemic burnout and leaving my job
24:00 · Starting Athlete Bouquets
26:00 · My race history
27:00 · Mantras and milestones

Mentioned in this episode

Races: Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Indy Half Marathon, Indianapolis Monumental 5K, Indy Mini-Marathon, Geist Half Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, Fargo Marathon
Organizations and charities: Beyond Monumental, Athlete Bouquets, Fleet Feet, Orr Fellowship, Miami University, ExactTarget, Salesforce
Other: Etsy, Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Previous guests mentioned

Related episodes

Frequently asked

Who hosts the Finish Lines & Milestones podcast?

Finish Lines & Milestones is hosted by Ally Brettnacher, a runner and mom of two from Carmel, Indiana who founded Athlete Bouquets and serves on the board of Beyond Monumental.

How did Athlete Bouquets start?

Ally Brettnacher started Athlete Bouquets on Etsy after seeing a bouquet inside a running shoe on Instagram and realizing she couldn't buy a race-day gift like that, so she began making her own. The name comes from her initials.

How many races has Ally Brettnacher run?

At the time of the first episode in 2023, Ally Brettnacher had run 48 half marathons and seven full marathons, and had finished a full or half marathon every year since 2009.

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Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically, so it may contain errors.

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones with Ally Brettnacher incredible stories and tales of triumphs with everyday people achieving their goals in fitness. This podcast brought to you by Athlete Bouquets. Celebrate finish lines and milestones of the people that you love by visiting athlete bouquets.com.

Hello and welcome to the. Very first episode of Finish Lines and Milestones. I'm your host, Ally Brettnacher, and it has taken me like five times to record this first episode. Man, this has gotta be the hardest one, right, because I've never done this before. I feel very inadequate, but I've been wanting to do this for so long and it's finally time, so thanks for joining me, especially you mom.

Um, here's what to expect from today, and then also kind of what I'm planning for this show in the future. So today I wanna give a quick podcast intro and then introduce myself, give you more context about who I am and kind of what you can expect from me throughout this show. So first, what you can expect from this podcast is weekly episodes, hopefully Fridays is what I'm thinking.

That way you can queue it up for your long run on Saturdays. And then I will be interviewing a lot of my friends, family, people I've met on Instagram, people I've worked with, people who are just everyday people like you and me who inspire me. And hopefully will then inspire you. So whether that's talking about fitness during pregnancy or postpartum, you know, as moms, whether it's first time marathoners, people who have run a ton of marathons somehow while still climbing the corporate ladder, or still with a nine to five people who run for other people or for a cause.

I dunno, there's just so many different kinds of stories I think you can expect to hear. Every week targeting about, I don't know, 30 to 45 minutes an episode. I'm sure some will be shorter, some longer, and certainly some more awkward than others because I am so awkward and it feels good to say that. I think it makes me feel less awkward just to admit that fact.

Right up front, I'm gonna tell you a little bit about who I am today, and then I'll kind of give you my story. What I've found in trying to do this a couple of times is that obviously this does not need to be perfect, which I understand. But I keep forgetting somebody or something every time I do this.

So I'm hoping third time's a charm or whatever time this is. I am sitting in my closet of my, uh, craft room, which you may have seen photos of on Instagram, and I've got my dog Doug here with me, so no doubt. There's gonna be barking at some point. My husband's probably gonna come in here, who knows? Or slam the door beneath us.

But I am hoping to just come as I am every single week. So that's what you can expect from me. It's not gonna be the most professional podcast you've ever listened to. But thank you to my friend Rachel, for that amazing introduction. So today I am the owner of Athlete Bouquets. So perhaps that's how you found me and are listening to this.

I am a mom of two. I have two daughters, Sydney, who will be six at the end of July, and Sloan, who is two at the end of this month. April, I mentioned Doug, he's a golden doodle, he's nine years old and was our first baby. And then Zach, who, uh, I've been married to for now, it'll be nine years in May. And is really the reason I get to do this.

So I appreciate him so much. I don't know if I'll listen to this. We'll see. I'm gonna drag him onto this at some point. We'll see, uh, when that will be. I am also on the board of Beyond Monumental, which is the organization who owns the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, which takes place in October this year.

They also own the indie half and the monumental mile, which is also now the Indianapolis monumental 5K. That's in a Saturday in June, I think the 12th. Forgive me, I will include all of that in the show notes so that you can go register for those events and come run 'em with me. So I am also the oldest of three girls.

That's important. I like to be first place. I'm very competitive to my poor, two younger sister, uh, who had to deal with that growing up. And am I missing anything else? This is where I keep messing up. I just, uh, I just left Fleet Feed. I was working there for about a year as a part-time outfitter, which I absolutely loved learning about all things running way more than I ever wanted to know about running shoes.

Um, left to spend more time on athlete bouquets and on this show so that I can actually stay consistent. And come out with new content every week. So I've got a list. If any of what I said earlier resonates with you, or you think that's you or somebody that you know, please send me a note. I would love to continue this list and grow it as much as I can to tell as many stories as I can, uh, in the future.

So, um, I think now it's time for me just to launch in and tell you more about me, which this is the hardest part. I really should have had somebody come and interview me, it would've been easier because it feels really strange just talking to myself in a closet. So I'm gonna consider this very therapeutic for myself and in hope that that is somehow inspiring to someone else.

So, as I mentioned, I'm the oldest of three girls. I am coming to you from Carmel, Indiana. Which is a suburb of Indianapolis, um, which is about three hours south of Chicago. If you're not familiar with the, the Midwest, I was born in Colorado. My parents are originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but they moved out to Colorado, had me and my sister, and then my youngest sister was born when they came back to Indiana.

But while in Colorado, my mom started a software business. My dad ultimately quit his job and joined her, and they ran a successful software business for 20 years and sold it when I was in high school. I tell you that because it really sets the foundation for the very privileged. And blessed childhood that I had.

So a lot of my childhood, you know, like I said, they sold it in high school. So most of my childhood, my parents were working. I do remember them working certainly, but as I look back, it's kind of crazy now being a parent myself, thinking about how they made it seem so easy. I never. I never realized how difficult that was.

I'm sure that was, uh, as a kid, they really gave me and my two sisters a wonderful childhood. My dad was my soccer coach. A lot of times. I remember my mom toting me around all over the place to practices and who knows what else. And we traveled around the country in RVs and had wonderful vacations growing up.

Really truly lucky. So lucky I started working when I was 15 and I think that's really due to them instilling, well, they probably made me first of all, but they did instill that work ethic in me really early. So as soon as I was able to work, I started working. My first job was at a restaurant, then I worked retail and uh, I grew up playing soccer.

As I mentioned, my dad was my coach sometimes. A lot of the times he coached my sisters too. I went to Catholic school. Starting in fifth grade. So I went to public school. Until then, this new Catholic school opened called St. Maria Gretty. So for anybody local who's listening fun fact about me is I was the first graduating class.

I was part of what, 18 people who, I can't remember if that was the combined number of seventh and eighth graders or if it was just. Was just eighth grade. Anyway, it was very, very small. So you get the idea. And then I went to Westfield High School public school for for high school, go Shamrocks, and I graduated in oh four.

In high school I did play a lot of sports because our school now Westfield's pretty big, but back then it was small enough where I could play any sport I wanted. I had some athletic ability, so I could do, I could do that. Um, not gifted by any means though, but I, I ran track my freshman year. That was really my introduction into the sport of running.

I ran the 100, the 200 and did the high jump. I don't think I ran anything longer than a 200. Um, I must say that, you know, growing up playing soccer, I never really loved. Like running long distance. I enjoyed the sprinting part of it a lot more. Now it's kind of flipped, which is so funny. So I also played basketball.

I played soccer, I played tennis. All the while though, in high school I was not a very kind teenager to my parents, especially to my mother. Which it now terrifies me having two teenage daughters. What I'm in for, um, certainly if anyone has 6-year-old girl or girls at that age, like I already see glimpses of it, but I was not the greatest teenager.

I didn't really care about school in high school, so I'm lucky. I was smart enough to get good grades and um, or decent grades. And I went to Miami of Ohio for undergrad. So. I am from Indiana, so a lot of my friends in high school went to IU Purdue. I just wanted to go somewhere different, and at the time, Miami really was not on the radar like it is now.

Here in this area it's about two hours away, which is the perfect distance in my opinion. So it was far enough away where. You know, it's not like, Hey, drop in for an afternoon kind of a thing, but you could. Um, but it was, you know, it was close enough. So I really enjoyed my time at Miami. When I filled out my freshman year questionnaire, I remember wanting it to just sound like I was super into fitness and sports.

Um, I was not a college athlete, but one of the reasons I actually wanted to go to Miami, and this sounds silly now, but um, I did make the, most of it was the rec center there, so I'm pretty sure it was. Like either brand new or damn near close to being brand new when I toured campus and at this facility was unbelievable.

So, um, I did end up getting housed right close to the rec center. It was probably a half a mile away I think, and so I could just jog over there whenever I wanted. Whenever I wasn't drinking beer or being an idiot, which I was, but I did get really lucky with a freshman year roommate who was amazing.

Mesan was her name. Um, we became fast friends. I did rush. Um, Miami of Ohio is known as j Crew U. So very preppy. I don't know if that phrase still exists, but that's how it was described when I was there. And they're also very Greek heavy, so I did attempt to rush. Which is just funny to me now. And so embarrassing thinking about the girl who went through that, because I knew nothing at all about sororities.

No one in my family had ever been Greek, so I had no idea what I was in for. I already didn't really fit in 'cause I was not preppy at all. And I remember wearing these new balance shoes, like I can still picture them. They were gray with like silver or white ends on them, like not cool really at all. But I wore them 'cause I wanted to be comfortable because Rush was.

A super long day, like you're on your feet all day talking to tons of people and I just wanted to be comfortable damnit. Um, I was on the leading edge of that because now that's like what I live for. But in college that was definitely not cool at all. And so I was so embarrassed. I thinking about it, I remember a couple girls at least asked me about my shoes.

Like, what are you like, oh, why are you wearing those? And I'm like, oh. 'cause they're really comfy. Duh. So I didn't end up rushing. I should have maybe stuck to it and finished the process to kind of see what happened, but I just, after, I think it was just after the first round, like I just was like, this is not for me.

So I didn't end up going Greek, but I did certainly find my people on campus and some of them were Greek, some weren't. And I had a wonderful time at Miami. I did party a lot similar to how I was in high school. And I also worked out a lot. So college is where I actually found my love, not love, my addiction, my running addiction.

Uh, I will call it that because it wasn't something that I enjoyed. It was something almost I did as a punishment for myself. I would go to the rec center, not every morning probably, but a lot of mornings, and I would run three miles on the treadmill if you know me. I love the treadmill. It's kind of weird, but I do.

And then I'll go to Pilates and then I'll get back on the treadmill. And I developed a talent of being able to read textbooks on the treadmill. So a lot of my homework reading was done while running, but I did it to stay thin, which was not really the reason you should do that. I mean, being healthy I think is kind of where I'm at now with it and just being strong enough to.

Hang out with my kids, but at the time in college, I really used it to try to fight the freshman 15, and so I would just run myself into the ground. I would run outside some too, but I wasn't doing any marathons, half marathons at this time in my life. I was just kind of running to to stick with it and to run off all of the drinking I was doing.

And at Miami, I don't know if anybody listening will know this, but. There was a food, a sandwich, if you could call it that, called the Clinton. And it was, I kid you not a grilled cheese sandwich with a piece of pizza in the middle and it was fucking delicious. Like after a night of drinking. And in Ohio you could go to the bars at 18.

So we did. And you would go to the dining hall and they had these Clintons and they also had Oreo shakes. And so, my God, no wonder I had to run so much. But it's like I did it for really the wrong reasons. I was not healthy at all. Uh, at least in the beginning years towards the end of college, I kind of realized that I had issues and I feel like my relationship with running got better.

But I always had trouble with food, especially like going to this college where everybody is seemingly perfect looking. It was, it was hard. I had, you know, I ate a lot of salad. I kept track in a journal like, like every calorie I ate, which is ridiculous thinking of now. But, uh, I think it's kind of therapeutic for me to admit that I had an issue in college with food and I would be lying if I said I still didn't struggle sometimes with my body or with food.

But I have a much healthier relationship, especially as a mom now, where I appreciate so much what my body has been capable of and has done for me. So yeah, so college is where I found my running addiction. And then. From college, I went to, uh, do a two year program back in Indianapolis, which I never thought I would do.

Um, I thought I'd go to Chicago or somewhere else, but I had an opportunity to be part of this program that my parents were a part of called the OR Fellowship. So if you're local, maybe you know about, or, uh, it was a two year program at. Typically a small company startup, kind of like mine was a family business that had been around for a while, but it was still small.

And um, it's where I met my husband. So we were actually, we never worked together, but Zach was hired to replace me when I left at the end of my two year program. And so we met. Um, we met before I, I was with somebody at the time and oddly enough, him and I broke up the day I ran a a half marathon because he didn't give a shit and I was like, just done with him.

Anyway, so Zach and I really quickly started dating after that, and then he agreed to run a Chicago marathon with me. So I actually ran my first. My first half marathon was the mini marathon, which is one of the largest half marathons in the world. Uh, it's here in Indianapolis. Part of it you run around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is where the 500 happens, and it's two and a half miles on blacktop and it's like on an incline.

And it's, you know, arguably it's the cool part of the race, but it's also really tough, especially when you've done it a bunch of times. But I did the mini and then also ran the geist. Half marathon in 2009. But I remember, so my mom actually is the one who got my family into running. 'cause she used to run the mini and then she wasn't able to run anymore and my dad had started running too.

And so now I think, I don't know if she regrets it, but now she has like given my dad and I, the itch that has not yet been scratched clearly. 'cause we both still run. But my dad and I used to, we would go to his friend's house. Before the mini and we'd all get together and like they'd apply all their, like Vaseline and bandaids on their nipples.

And it was hilarious. I just remember that. 'cause it was all these, you know, old dudes, at least from my perspective. And we go around the mini and then we'd meet up after and it was just so fun. We did that for years. And so it just kind of became, uh, a tradition. And so that's where my racing kind of started.

And so I use that term lightly 'cause I don't, I don't race. To win anything, but I'm just, I mean, at first it was just racing to, to finish and there were times where I had time goals and, and now I'm re-approaching that, but I did my first full in, in on 10, 10 20 10. That's really easy to remember. My dad, uh, and I did it together.

He, I think we separated half and I can't remember if it was his first. Or not? I don't think it was because I think he like roped me into it after he'd already done one. And then in 2011, Zach and I ran together after Zach and I had started dating. He had only ever run three miles, I think. And he agreed to run the Chicago Marathon with me, which, you know, as anybody who's trained for a marathon knows it takes a lot of time.

And so it was pretty smart on his part. Um, it is really what made me realize he was. He was the one because he spent all this time with me running and it was really one of the best summers we had. It was so fun. And the marathon, I remember him carrying me through like, not literally, but um, the end. He'll probably tell you that he beat me, but he also will tell you that he's won and done.

So we shall see. Let's see if we can convince him when we get him on to run another marathon. Maybe if I challenge him, that'll get him interested. Um, but, uh, so yeah, so right after college, after, after my OR program was over, I did a, a short stint doing international economic development in Brazil, which is nuts.

And then I ended up in software sales, which is really where I spent most of my career. So I started at ExactTarget, which is email marketing. They now are part of salesforce.com. So when we got acquired. You know, it was just a much bigger company than when I had started there. So really I found my passion for working at startups, so small technology companies.

I think every single one I worked for, it was all marketing technology. And I just love the challenge of figuring out a way to help somebody with something new, like this new innovative technology that could help them in some way. So I did that for a long time. I was working in software sales when I became a mom, and that was in 2017.

So this is part of my story that I think most people now know who know me, but people who are strangers or like new to me completely, certainly wouldn't. But I had a really. Rough go of bringing Sydney into the world. So she was born a month early and I had severe preeclampsia help syndrome and basically nearly died giving birth to her.

My O-B-G-Y-N says it was the worst case she's seen in her career. You know, now it's easier to talk about 'cause it's further away, but it's still kind of hard to face the that fact. And ultimately, I think in that moment, the way I looked at life did change whether I wanna. Face that or, or not, you know, going back to work after that experience was, was hard.

I, I felt like I needed to, like, of course I'm gonna be a working mom. My mom was a working mom and she built a business. And so like, that's what society expects me to do. So I'm gonna go back to work and I'm gonna continue and I'm gonna be, you know, better than ever. And so, um, the company I worked for at the time, I was the first.

First one to go out on maternity leave. So, uh, I was lucky that they, uh, that they gave me 14 weeks. They were very gracious and. I think you know what we came up with paved a, a decent path for the women to follow me. That's a whole nother topic, maternity leave, my God. But when I went back to work, I really didn't talk to anybody about my experience because it's kind of like, how do you bring, you know, how do you even talk about that?

Especially in the workplace. I think even since then, the workplace has become such a much more open and vulnerable place. It was starting to be that way, but not quite as much as it is now. I think. So I didn't really talk about it, so it was hard. I just kind of launched right back into work. And I remember the first call I was on after coming back, my manager looks at me, he is like, it's like riding a bike.

You got it. Like he was, you know, like, wow, you've, it's just fine, you know? And so I just kind of felt like that was it. I hopped right back on and, you know, kind of kept going. And I think if I look back now, I think, gosh, the reason I went back to work was just because. That's what I felt was expected. Not necessarily because truly deep down, that's what I was wanting to be doing.

Now I knew, and I still know to this day, I'm not wired to be a stay at home mom because I do feel that that is the hardest job that exists. Anybody who's a parent and who is not a stay at home mom probably can nod their head to that, like looking outside, looking in. I have so much respect for that part of the population, but I knew that that wasn't for me.

And so where was, you know, then what else would I be doing? So I kind of just went back and then, then I changed companies because I had an opportunity to work with my dad finally. My dad was now in a day-to-day role, again at a software business, also selling marketing technology. And so I felt like, oh, the stars have aligned.

Finally I can work with my dad. So I went and worked there, and then the pandemic hit. So it's 2020 now. Nobody wants what we're selling towards the end of that year. Things kind of started coming back. Definitely not to normal, but like you could at least have a conversation with somebody, whereas when it first started, people are just, you know, trying to keep their lights on and figure out what the heck's going on.

And I just, I remember those times like Zach and I. Passing Sydney back and forth deciding, you know, whose job's more important right now, right? Who's gotta hold the kid during the conference call? And it was just such a shit show. Um, but we really powered through it. Well, I mean, all things considered. But by the end of that year, I was on, I was on a call I'd prepared for, and I remember this so vividly, you know, sitting there with my camera on smiling, you know, sharing my passion.

And all these people are just like. Camera's off, probably not listening. Didn't ask questions, didn't answer questions I asked. It was literally like talking to a wall, much like I'm doing now in my closet, but at least I know my mom's listening. Um, so I just remember thinking, you know, being on that call, like, what the hell am I doing?

Why am I doing this? And that was actually a question that Zach had asked me when I was unhappy previously. He's like, why? So why are you doing this Then? Like, why are you working? And I think I fought him for a while on this because, you know, he grew up with a mom that was a stay at home mom. So much different than my upbringing.

And so, you know, I felt like he wanted me to be a stay at home mom, and I just was resisting that. And so somehow we found this middle ground where it was like, okay, I was pregnant at the time with Sloan, and so it's December of 2020 and she's due in May, early May. And so it was like, okay. I can quit and I'll just figure out what to do after baby.

So that's what happened. You know, the COVID burnout was real. I was done. I left. And anybody who knows me knows that I cannot sit still. I am a chronic over scheduler, so I usually just com continue to fill my plate until something's gotta give, or basically until Zach, my voice of reason is like, what are you doing?

This is too much. I'm like, no, it's fine. No, it's too much. So I finally. It's been tough, but I've started letting his voice be the voice of reason for me. So I was trying to take a break leading up to Sloan being born and I was scrolling through Instagram and much like I do, and I saw this bouquet of flowers that was inside of a, a running shoe and it was a gift for a runner and it had like goo energy, you know, gels in it.

And I thought, oh, that's so cute. I wonder if, I wonder if that's something you could buy for somebody like. An edible arrangement, but for like all the stuff you would need for a race, and I couldn't find anything like that. So I started buying stuff on Amazon. I'm like, I'm gonna make. I'm gonna make something.

And I did. And some of the first prototypes are hilarious to look back 'cause I put like all this glitter stuff in it and made 'em like what I thought looked pretty, which looking back I'm like, I don't know about that. But my friend Jenny was a good sounding board for me on like, hey, less, pretty, more stuff.

I'm like, okay, that makes sense. So Athlete Bouquets was born and the name of the company is my initials, uh, Ally Brettnacher Athlete Bouquets ab, and I started on Etsy. And fast forward now I've been, this will be my third year in business, thousands of orders. I do a lot of bouquets, and if you haven't seen them check out my website or my Instagram, I, I get to make runners happy for.

Uh, not what I'll call my living, because certainly I'm not making a living doing this, but I am having a hell of a lot of fun. So that whole journey here I am now continuing to try to grow this business, starting this show in hopes of just telling other inspiring stories about people who are, who, who's running, has kind of weaved its way in and out of their lives.

Here I am now, I've run, like from a running standpoint, I've done. 48 half marathons. The mini marathon this year will be my 49th, and then I'm going to Fargo in May to run my 50th half in my 50th state. Visited not running. So maybe someday I'll do a race in every state we shall see. But I'm hitting up North Dakota, so that'll be checked off the list.

Um. And then I've run seven full marathons. The most recent being the monumental, uh, last November, which was my first full marathon after having two babies. So my first race postpartum with Sydney was the New York City Marathon in 2018. So. I have run a full or a half every single year since 2009. So I've done a lot.

We have a nice community here in Indianapolis, I feel like because there are a nice chunk of races throughout the year, and I tend to do as many of them as I'm able. So here I am just trying to fill my life with things that I enjoy doing. And you know, I think it goes without saying like, I feel so lucky to be able to do this.

So. That kind of leads me into the end of the podcast. So here's what I'm thinking, one being, what's your favorite? Mantra when it comes to working out or running. So mine kind of in line with what I just said is you get to do this like you are, you are able, not just physically able. 'cause I do think about that a lot when I run that I'm physically able to run.

But being able to just do what I'm doing now with Athlete bouquets and with now finish lines and milestones, I feel really lucky so that I have now put on a sticker and sweat towel. And then also run the Mile you're in as my other, my other one. So I actually put that on my race shirt for the marathon last year.

But I think it's an important, not just for running, but also for life. You know, life is so seasonal and I think I get really anxious and overwhelmed when I think about life because it's so short and there's so many things I wanna do and am I doing enough? And it just, you know, I kind of start to spiral when I think about that.

And so, running the mile you're in, I think for me. Is a great mantra. Just all, all across the board. So those are my two. And then for the other question that I'd like to ask every guest is, you know, what is your, I'm trying to decide if I should do, you know, what is your proudest finish line or milestone and or what is your next, you know, your upcoming finish line and milestone?

Because what I wanna do is. Gives 'em the opportunity to tout something they're proud of, but also cheer them on at the next big thing that's coming. So, um, I've already mentioned my postpartum marathon. That's probably the best, you know, in terms of finish line or milestone for me in upcoming, you know, I mentioned my upcoming race in Fargo.

I'd like to PR that at least a postpartum pr. So we'll see. And then milestones, you know, I'm about to have a 2-year-old and then I'm about to send my kid to kindergarten this year, so that's a really big one. So thank you again to my friends and family who've encouraged me to do this. Thank you to everybody who's listened.

I know there's at least a few of you, so I appreciate your support so much, and hopefully we can continue to grow a community of inspirational and supportive people because that's what it's all about. We're all in this together, and for my, my first official episode with a guest, I am forcing my best friend to be my Guinea pig.

Her name is Dr. Alyssa Stickley, and I've run down a mountain with her. And I can't wait to tell you the story about how we met. I'll have her tell the story and hopefully you'll join me. Then. I really don't know how to have like an official sign off of the podcast, but whenever I send out an order and I sign my handwritten note, I always sign it.

Happy running. So I'm just gonna say you'll be listening to this on a Friday, so tomorrow. So have a great weekend. And happy running.

Ally Brettnacher