Episode 110: Amanda Luper - Seasons of Running Come

Episodes

May 30

Listener note: This episode includes discussion of losing patients while working in an ICU during COVID.

Amanda Luper ran her first marathon alone on the Monon while working in a COVID ICU. Four years later, running New York as a support runner for a friend changed why she runs.

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About this episode

Amanda Luper is a Cleveland native, a former UIndy hammer and shot put thrower, and an occupational therapist and certified brain injury specialist who spent 12 and a half years in ICUs before helping launch an occupational therapy assistant program in Indianapolis. She took up running on a treadmill after her first daughter was born, ran her first 10K in Muncie in 2019, and ran her first marathon solo on the Monon in 2020, the virtual Monumental, while treating COVID patients every day.

I had to talk Amanda into this episode because she thinks she's an average runner. In 2024 she ran Berlin, Chicago and New York in five weeks, falling and spraining her ankle at mile 15 in Chicago, then serving as support runner in New York for her friend Jason Noel, a brain tumor survivor. We talk about what she saw in the athletes with disabilities tent, burnout and taking time off, Disney's Dopey Challenge, zoo races with her girls, and her Des Linden-inspired mantra.

In this episode, we discuss

The Sloths, the back-of-the-pack crew Amanda runs with alongside Jennifer Conner and Jason Noel
Why comparison on Instagram and Strava made her feel like an average runner
Working security and guest services at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in college
Becoming an occupational therapist and certified brain injury specialist
Throwing shot put and winning the burly girl relay in high school
Starting to run on a treadmill after becoming a mom
A spur-of-the-moment virtual Indy Mini on Mother's Day 2020, SWAT team included
Training for her first marathon while treating COVID patients in the ICU
Running the virtual Monumental Marathon alone on the Monon with dates for fuel
Disney's Goofy and Dopey Challenges and her favorite costumes
Why making middle schoolers run a timed 5K for a grade worries her
Zoo 5Ks as a way to travel and get her kids into running
Falling at mile 15 of the Chicago Marathon and rehabbing in three weeks for New York
Supporting Jason Noel in New York and the athletes with disabilities tent
Burnout, taking three months off and her mantra borrowed from Des Linden

Chapters

00:00 · Intro
04:00 · The Sloths
07:00 · Comparison is the thief of joy
11:00 · Cleveland, UIndy and the Speedway
15:00 · Why occupational therapy
18:00 · Shot put and the burly girl relay
22:00 · Finding running after motherhood
27:00 · A Mother's Day virtual half marathon
30:00 · Training through COVID in the ICU
32:00 · A solo virtual marathon on the Monon
38:00 · Monumental, Disney and Dopey
50:00 · A 5K for a grade
52:00 · Zoo races with the family
56:00 · Berlin, Chicago and a fall at mile 15
1:03:00 · New York and athletes with disabilities
1:13:00 · Burnout, time off and what's next

Mentioned in this episode

Races: Full Mo 50K, OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge, Dopey Challenge, Carmel Marathon, Cleveland Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, Cleveland Zoo 5K, Detroit Zoo Run, Columbus Zoo 5K
Organizations and charities: Ainsley's Angels, Achilles International, American Brain Tumor Association, National Brain Tumor Society, New York Road Runners, University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Eskenazi Health, Sandy Boy Productions, Fit International
Other: Katie Moon, Des Linden, Sara Hall, Alexi Pappas, "Work Bitch" by Britney Spears, Thelma the Unicorn

Previous guests mentioned

Related episodes

Frequently asked

Who is Amanda Luper?

Amanda Luper is an Indianapolis-area occupational therapist and certified brain injury specialist who started running after becoming a mom. She ran her first marathon solo during the 2020 virtual Monumental and has since run about 10 marathons, including Berlin, Chicago and New York in five weeks in 2024.

Can you run the New York City Marathon as a support runner?

Amanda Luper ran the New York City Marathon as a support runner for her friend Jason Noel, a brain tumor survivor registered as an athlete with a disability. She explains that support runners get a medal and participant gear but are not listed in the official results.

What happened to Amanda Luper at the Chicago Marathon?

Around mile 15 of the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Amanda Luper slipped on a gel packet and badly sprained her ankle. She still finished in 4:27 alongside Jason Noel and rehabbed in three weeks to run New York.

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Transcript

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

This is a Sandy Boy Productions podcast.

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones. I'm your host, Ally Brettnacher, and if you run, you are a runner and every runner has a story. Each week I share one of those stories and we celebrate crossing, finish lines and achieving milestones together.

This week, I want to say good luck to everyone who is tackling our local ultra marathon, or one of, I should say, our local. Ultra marathons. The full mo, which is put on by Machin, Micha Track Club, MTC, and it spans the Monan Trail. So if you're local, you know the Monan Trail, it's a, you know, rail trail that was paved.

If you're not local, that's what it is. It's our, if. Local trail, and it's probably goes for about, I mean, at least 30 miles now at this point because of the race. But it starts up in Sheridan, ends downtown in the beautiful Bottleworks district right by the garage, and it's just a great foray into ultra running.

It's one that I am tempted to do at some point, but it takes place on Saturday, May 31st. And I'm hoping to spectate well, the day this comes out, I will be co-hosting a shakeout run with TJ from Michin Micha with Christy D and with Rachel Senders, my coach, and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody and then hopefully on Saturday.

My kid has a soccer game at 8:30 AM and the race starts at six. And so my plan for being, you know, at the Monan Center, I think has been foiled at this point. 'cause that's right around the time I would need to be there would be when the soccer game is taking place. So. My updated plan is to likely head to broad ripple pull.

So we'll see. Check my social media. If you're running and you just wanna know where a familiar face is gonna be. I'm @allytbrett_runs on Instagram. So anyway, good luck to everyone running. And then I also, with this episode in mind, want to plug Ainsley's Angels. You've likely heard me talk about it recently.

I ran the Indie Mini both this year and last year with Ainsley's Angels, where you push an angel writer in a chariot. And you do that for 13.1 miles. So I had a couple of friends supporting me doing that this year, and my friend Ashley and I did it for the first time last year. And then I thought, you know what, why not sign up for a full marathon with Ainsley's Angels?

So I'm doing the Marine Corps Marathon in October and I'm fundraising for them. So if. You hear about this cause and it's something you'd like to support. There will be a link in the show notes. There's also one in my bio on Instagram. Would greatly appreciate your support and if you don't wanna give money and you decide it's an experience you might want to get involved with, you can go to their website, ainsleys angels.org and sign up to get information about what races are happening near you.

And so this episode is a long time coming. You'll hear me give Amanda a Looper a hard time for putting this off for so long because she's just kind of felt like she wasn't anybody special. But I know that after you listen to this conversation. You'll understand why I disagree with her.

Amanda is just an incredible mom, friend, human. and I am really happy that I get to see her at local races 'cause she also uses the Running Coach that I do and we. Initially met on Instagram, but she coached with Lindsay Hein when we first met, and Lindsay was, if you don't know, she's episode 100 of this podcast because she's the founder of Sandy Boy Productions, which Finish Lines and Milestones is now a part of, and she's really.

The reason I'm doing this. So thank you again, Lindsay, for all of your support, and then thanks to Amanda for finally agreeing to do this. We talk about a ton, but one of the craziest things we talk about is how Amanda did Chicago, Berlin and New York. Last year, which is just crazy. So she said that New York changed everything and you'll hear about why.

And we will also then be talking about athletes with disabilities. There are a couple of previous guests on this podcast mentioned, so I will link their episodes in the show notes as well so that you can go get to know them. But thank you so much Amanda, for finally doing this, and I hope that you enjoy this conversation with my friend Amanda Luper.

Ally Brettnacher: Welcome Amanda Luper. Hello. are you the final member of the Sloths or is there one more?

Amanda Luper: I think I'm the final one

Ally Brettnacher: because it's the three of you.

The three of us. Okay. Tell us about that.

Amanda Luper: Well, we've kind of disbanded for a while. I feel like you have, we haven't, we haven't been running. It's been a, a shift. We've all had life things happening since New York City, but there was a group of us we ran with a group on Thursdays and we were the back of the pack slow people.

Ally Brettnacher: And I was like, we're like a bunch of sloths. I love it. And it just happened. And then you're at the Monumental Expo and you find a sloth jacket and I. I'm a goofball and I said, we need sloth jackets. And next thing you know, we're wearing sloth jackets and next thing you know, we're dressing up a slots for Disney.

Like it's just one thing after another. I love it. I love sloths. Yeah. I mean, who doesn't? Yeah. They're so cute and slow and slow, which you're really, I mean, let's be real. It's all relative, but yeah. I feel like I wouldn't, I wouldn't label you as a sloth lately. I've been as slothy as it gets. Yeah. Well, well deserved.

Yeah, well deserved. Yeah. So the other two people we're talking about that are part of the sloths have already been on this podcast they have. We have Jennifer Connor. Yep. And Jason No

IMG_9601: Yep.

Ally Brettnacher: So go listen to those episodes too. Yep. They're phenomenal people. They are great role models and supporters, and it's been great to get to know them.

Well, you and I met through our coach. Is that how we first met or do we, we met on the internet first before that. Oh my God. I feel like I met everyone on Instagram. I know. So I think we met on Instagram first. Yeah. And at the time you coached with Lindsay Hein. Yeah. When she lived here. Yes. And then she moved away.

Wah w. Yep. and now you coach with my coach, Rachel Senders, who's here local to Carmel. Mm-hmm. Yep. So yeah, I started with Lindsay, signed up for my first marathon. It went virtual in 2020, but I had already signed up with Lindsay, local. She had her podcast. It was great. and then when she moved to Raleigh, I really wanted a sense of community here.

And Rachel is a local runner, local running coach with a lot of local people behind her. Yeah. So I made the switch. oh my gosh. Let's see. I know, I'm trying to think of when that would've been. I don't know, 22. I don't remember. It was February of 23, 22, 23. I don't know. I was looking back at pictures to send you, and I'm not gonna lie, I was like, how was my PR in 23?

I thought it was last year. Like all the marathons. All the races. Life has just completely just meshed together. Yeah. I, if I didn't have a spreadsheet Yeah. To keep track of stuff. Yeah. I don't have, I wouldn't know. It's really nice. But now it's probably, you've done so much that it would be hard to go back and remember.

That's the problem. I have a horrible memory. I need to know. It's just, and if it's in the spreadsheet it happened. If it's not, then I had know had to go back to Instagram to figure out what my marathon PR was. That's funny. Yeah. Yeah. You need like a plaque or something. That's I have in my basement, a metal hanger that has all my prs, which helps me.

'cause otherwise I wouldn't remember. I'm not really great at that. I have that too. Yeah. I think it's exactly the same way you have. Okay. There you go. Do you have to look at that periodically? 'cause I don't remember. Yeah, you're like, I don't know. But it's there. And Okay. So you haven't wanted to come on this podcast?

I've asked you for a long time. It feels like a long time. I don't know how long it's been, but I'm like, you need to come on. And you said over a year, you said? I don't think so, ally. No, I almost last minute canceled on you because then I told you I got childcare. So you're like, well, I can't cancel now.

Yeah. No, I didn't wanna come on. Okay. So tell us about that. Why? Oh, I am as average of a runner as it gets. I am, uh, I disagree. I know. I don't have six stars. I haven't, neither, neither do I qualified for Boston. Neither. Neither have I. I know. Um, I don't know. I just don't see myself in that light. But I don't see myself in a lot of the lights that I'm put on, so yeah, it's just part of it.

Well, now you're here. I'm here. Hooray. So I feel like the reason I started this is because people are amazing. Mm-hmm. Who run. You're amazing. Oh, well thank you. You've done how many marathons? Oh my gosh. I was supposed to count that before I came out here, right? A lot. I think I'm at 10. Yeah. I think either Berlin coming up will be 10, or my last Disney was 10.

See, I'm there. You don't even know. You're like, I've done so many marathons that I've lost track. I've lost track. Does that sound average when you say it out loud? Come on. I think part of here's part of the problem when you surround yourself with people.

IMG_9601: Mm-hmm.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I've said this a million times. I like Instagram.

I've met all my friends on Instagram. But comparison is the thief of joy. And when you're surrounded by someone who's almost completed six stars twice, you're surrounded by a fricking unicorn who has beat brain cancer and is like just balls of the wall and just, I don't know if you, you heard Jason, but like when you're surrounded by that all the time, it's kind of hard to just reflect and go, I'm more than average running 10 marathons.

Right. But the community we have, I mean everyone you've had on here, it's extraordinary. Yeah, they're great. Yeah. It's hard. It's hard. I mean, I think people who are listening will just relate to that. People who have said no to me who are listening to this, it's like. You can't compare yourself to people.

There's always gonna be somebody who's faster. There's always gonna be somebody who's done more marathons. Yep. There's always gonna be, I mean, just you name it and it's so hard and that's why I've gotten better with my like, relationship with Instagram or even Strava. Right. When you're like looking at people's workouts.

I am not on Strava. I will not get on Strava. See, there you go. I only have two followers on my Garmin, one of which is a friend from Florida and I think maybe, yeah, the guy ran with, from my PR at Monumental. We hooked, like hooked up and connected and then ran together. I let him in, but no one else.

Yeah, you don't need, well, except your coach, does she get Oh yeah. Well, because of, and she needs to see it. Yeah, she does need to see it, but like, no one needs to know my heart rate when I run. No one needs to know if I didn't do something, like no one needs to know that. Yeah. It's personal to me. Right. And.

We already have the spotlight or the highlight reel on Instagram. I don't need anything else. Yeah. I think that's healthy. I have it and I use it, but I don't scrutinize it. Mm-hmm. For anybody else besides myself. I mean, I'm the hardest, I'm the biggest critic of myself. I don't need anybody else. I mean, and if other people wanna criticize, that's fine too, but I do it the most, so.

Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Now I'm a hard stop on. I also though, like, I'm a Facebook, Instagram. No. TikTok like technology to me. The more I add, I'm like, nah, tell me about it, dude. TikTok, I'm like trying to do TikTok and it's hard. It makes me feel very old. Oh, I work at a university now. Yeah. I'm around all the college students.

Oh, geez. Uhhuh. Yeah. TikTok won't do it. Yeah. You're like, I can't. Well, it's, and it's, it's truly addictive. You get on, I'm like, last night, okay, getting ready to go to bed. I'm like, well, I'll just, I'll just do five minutes of TikTok. Nope, doesn't work. Doesn't work that way. 'cause an hour later you're like, oh shit.

Yep. Why, but it's so entertaining. Anyway, we digress. Are you from this area originally? No. Where are you from? Cleveland, Ohio. born and raised in Cleveland. I'm actually a little, not hungover 'cause I had coffee last night. No alcohol, but went to the Pacer's Cavs game. Took my mom from Mother's Day. My, all my family still lives in Cleveland.

Came here for school. I went to University of Indianapolis. , Was going to, I wanted to be a physical therapist. Came out here to go to U in D, decided I did not wanna be a physical therapist. And then interesting. Got into their early acceptance three plus three program and then graduate my master's.

Undergrad and master's. The University of Indianapolis. Met my husband, , through, I worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Oh, I didn't know that. Huh? All throughout college. What'd you do there? Oh, so much. , So they had a college program where college students from U Indy would basically be security for the pagoda, which is where all of the upper echelon, like all the celebrities and all the family would go.

Yeah. And then, , my boss, they had a new guy come in and said, we actually wanna expand this program to all of the suites. So I became the supervisor and recruited college students for all of the suites. Okay. Then I ended up on their guest services team. So I was at one point helping hire the yellow shirts.

and did, at one point someone else quit or left and I helped with all the parking and camping. You name it, I did it. Whoa. Oh yeah. And I had some really cool, I don't tell us the stories. Okay. The one story that I just keep telling 'cause I really so forget that I'm. Almost 37. I still think, feel like I'm 20.

As there was one time a guy came up to me, and you have to remember, these are friends of people in Upper Echelon, like elitist, like yeah. this guy probably a little drunk, comes up to me and goes, Hey, do you wanna go to the pre-race party for Ed Carpenter? And I'm like, I've gotta be here at 2:00 AM The race is tomorrow.

I thought he was full of shit. And I'm like, no. And so he comes back up to me, he's like, what's your number? I was like, oh my God. Okay, fine, fine. He, he text me and was like, Hey, you're coming to this party with me. And I'm like, well, what the hell do I wear? I pulled out my gaudy Chanel sunglasses I bought off of Marketplace, the only sax Fifth Avenue holder top.

I had bleached blonde hair at the time. And so I was like, okay. So he goes, meet me at this house. And it was in, nor like North Indie. So you knew it wasn't like Yeah, right. Like a SH shack. Yeah. Yeah. So I show up. It was Greg Huber's house. Who owns all the auto automotive Tubular. Yeah. Hubler. Automotives.

Yeah. Chevrolet. I heard the ads. Yeah. Yeah. And his daughter, last name was Zeer. And I'm like, huh? Who pulls up to take us to this party, but Fuzzy Zeer, legendary golfer. So now I'm in the back of this truck with this guy I just met. I'm texting my family going, this guy named Fuzzy Sellers driving us to this party.

Oh my God. My dad's like. Do you know even know who that is? I go, no, no. Pull up into this mansion in Zionsville, Indiana. We get out Ed Carpenter's car there, we get pictures. Ruth, Chris is catered. I mean, so much fun. I dated that guy for a hot second. Oh, I was gonna say. Yeah, like hot second though. He wasn't the upper echelon.

Right. So you're like, he's just the, the guy dragging people to the party. It was, yeah. There was some issues there. Yeah. But anyway, fun college times. The speedway was great. One of my jobs was always to hold the elevator. When Mary Holman, George would say, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. And then they'd have to get the elevator to take her up to her suite.

So my boss at the time was best friends with my husband in high school. Okay. So we met, and he works here in Carmel. We ended up falling madly in love and now we've lived here and my, all my family's in Cleveland, so Yeah. That's so crazy. So, okay. Back up. So this was in College Times. Mm-hmm. And then at what point in this, we kind of sped by the fact that you're like, I wanna be a, , a pt and then I don't. Tell us a little bit about that journey. Yeah, like that path. I think what I have learned over the years too is everyone knows what physical therapy is. Everyone knows, if you talk about therapy, it's, oh, I have an injury. I'm gonna go to pt. Oh, I was in the hospital. I had pt, so I didn't really know ot. , My grandmother suffered a stroke, ended up, , living with us for a while.

, And so I was exposed to therapy and I wanted to help people. So I was like, I, pt, PT except anyone in the therapy world that knows me, knows that I am not cut out personality wise to be a physical therapist. I'm What, what makes you say that? Oh man. Everyone, this is so stereotypical. I am not protocolized.

I am not, um, is protocolized a word? I don't know. I've never heard that protocolized. It seems like it, it is. Now let's roll with it. Protocolized, not protocolized. , I don't like black and white. OTs are. Creative, they're outside of the box thinkers. , An OT for people who don't know what that means. So occupational therapy.

So my job, , so I went to occupational therapy school, , and I ended up for three month you do three month, two, three month rotation. So I spent three months in Nashville, Tennessee. Oh, at Vanderbilt. Cool. And on their trauma ICU and fell in love. So my job was to, and on the trauma unit, I mean we would get people from all over 'cause it's the regional trauma one.

So patients that have been in car accidents or one of the most memorable was a young kid that was on a golf cart and hit a brook mailbox and had a traumatic head injury. Wow. And , so my job is to get them back to. Daily living and sports and school and anything that you enjoy doing, like running.

Mm-hmm. Um, or your roles, like for me, being a mom, , back to doing all that. So I, it is the right career for me. I love, I'm a certified brain injury specialist. I have spent the last, I've been a therapist now for 12 and a half years Wow. In an ICU, , which is very gray. , It's not protocolized. You walk in, there's some protocols to follow, but it is very much flying by the cd, your pants.

You have to be flexible. Patients can crash anytime. , So I love it. And when you say crash, like Oh, like code? Code? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I've had some fun situations over. Yeah, I'm sure it's, yeah. There's a lot there. Yeah. So I actually transitioned out of full-time patient care. Recently in October, and now I'm helping start an occupational therapy assistant program here in Indianapolis.

So, cool. Congratulations. So thank you. So I'm in academia full-time, but I also am as needed at, , a level one trauma center downtown and up in Muncy. Which one? Downtown Eskenazi. Okay. On the burn unit? Yeah. Wow. Gosh. Yeah. Crazy stuff. Yeah. Well, I think it's so cool that back to Jason Noll, like you guys became friends Oh.

Because of what you do? Yeah. And I, we've talked about this before, how his wife, it's nice that you, you and Jennifer are run with him because you just never know. Well try running New York with him. Right. Okay. I had to keep him on track and let me tell you. Okay. We need to get there. Yeah. But, okay. So when did you.

First start running, like when did you find running? Were you, did you grow up playing sports and stuff in Cleveland or? Yeah, so I made varsity as a freshman for basketball. Oh, okay. , Played basketball dad. My dad was like, you need to stay in shape and get strong. 'cause I'm only five five. I was always listed at five eight on the program and so they put me as center.

I don't know anything. No, it doesn't seem like that's a good thing. But I was always guarding the six foot tall girls and so he's like, get in the weight room. So I ended up going on the track team and I actually walked on the track team at UIndy, but I threw hammer shot, put disc discus and weight throwing.

What? I know. This is so cool. I know. And fun fact, I went to high school with Katie Moon. She's an Olympic pole vaulter. I was like, what's the who? Uhhuh. Okay. So she got gold in 2021 or the 2020 and then just got silver in the pole vault.

And she was two years younger than me. So we both went to Olmsted Falls High School. That's so cool. Yeah. So when I, when I grew up watching track and field, I liked the field. , Also fun fact, I was like backup for the 100 and 200 in high school. And then my favorite part of growing up was we always had this last relay for our home meet and it was the burly girl relay.

What does that even mean? I've never heard of this. It's 'cause if, if you think about today's world, you probably shouldn't have a burly girl. Oh yeah. That sounds pretty offensive. You were a burly girl. I mean, my mom just called me one last night 'cause I was picking up weights and I was like, oh, this springs back memories.

Um, the trauma. So what they did is that at the end of the track meet. They would have the women and men shot putters. Staggered like a four by one, but instead of a baton you passed a shot put. Oh, that's funny. We won that fucker. Yeah. Every year we were the Burling girl champs every year. Because that's amazing.

We were fast. We weren't like Yeah, like but you like threw a shot put at each other, then run. I don't even know what a shot put. Looks like just a heavy ball. It's a ball look completely round. Okay. Think of Matilda. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Think about stretch ball. Yep. Got it. I've pictured it now, but it's the one you like Hold like up on your shoulder.

You'd hold this ball, like metal ball. How much does it weigh? I think it's eight pounds. Okay, that's interesting. Running with an eight pound ball. Run your 100. And I was always the last leg of, because I was fast. Yeah. I hated.

Hated running in basketball. I would get out of running. I've listened to your podcast a lot. I think it's hilarious that all of these distance runners were the ones that never won to run the mile in high school. Right. Because it's, I mean, I went to it. Yeah. I went, I hated running and I would never get the presidential award 'cause I went to the mile.

Yeah. So anyway, so no, I didn't run. I was, I liked lifting. Obviously in college, like a lot of us, we like to partake in a lot of partying, so non-athletic activities. So I was on the track team, so I did have some, but I probably didn't maximize my potential because I was parting too much. Yeah. Then I ended up getting married and having kids.

, And I met one of my best friends when I worked at Ball Hospital. She's a speech pathologist who loves, who's Ball Hospital, sorry? Muncy. Muncie, okay. Right next to Ball State. Okay. Oh, that makes sense. And worked there for 10 years. And one of my best friends, I had a three month old baby, my second baby, and she was visiting me down here.

We went to Babo and she looks at me. I will never forget this. So lemme back up a little bit. Before that, I had been kind of tapped by a friend who saw more potential in me. We always ate lunch together and he kind of made an offen offensive comment to me and I was like, how dare you say that? But the more I thought about it, I was like, actually he sees potential.

I had just had my first baby, she was actually, it was like 18 months after, like a year after. I didn't do anything outside of working, coming home. I gained a lot of weight after having a child, so he kind of nudged me. And at that point, after you go through motherhood and your body's different, I didn't feel comfortable going and going, I'm gonna go lift weights.

So what was easy was hopping on a treadmill by myself. No one would know the pace. I ran a mile, then I ran two miles and I was like, well, this is kind of weird 'cause I've never been a runner. Why am I running like a couple miles and I can actually do it because I've never done it before. So I got in pretty, I got in pretty good shape and then got pregnant with my second, um, right, of course.

Right. And then you start over, start all over. And I'm at lunch with a friend and she looks at me right in the face as I'm holding a three month old baby and says, you have a lot of work goals, but I think you need some personal goals. And I'll never forget looking at her, going, I mean, is this baby not a personal goal?

Like what she meant was I. Worked a lot and I was working over hours. I was putting my heart and soul into work and raising children. And I mean, probably being a wife in there somewhere That Right. That's, yeah. And that and that. What's your husband's name? Mike. Mike. Okay. And so she loved running the mini mini marathon, the Indy Mini.

And she goes, well, why don't you sign up? So this had to have been in like June. So I was thinking about Mini for the next year. Okay. So in the meantime, I was like, there's a race in Muncie that coincides with, they used to do a triathlon up there. Mm. But they would also, you could do a 10 K or a half. Okay.

A 5K, 10 K or half. And I, so that was in September and I was like, well, maybe I can do, , a 10 K. So I signed up for a 10 K in September. Okay. And this was like in June. And I'll never forget being on the Monan and I was like, oh my God, I just ran three miles from my house. I have to run three miles back.

Basically I just ran a 10 K, I can't believe I just did this. Like this is insane. So that kind of just started the snowball effect and I honestly probably picked the hardest 10 K because it's on the reservoir in Muncie and it is hilly. Hilly. Yeah. I didn't know any, like, what's really funny is if I look at the pictures I had didn't bring any water with me.

Right. I have my prescription sunglasses on. Oh, that's good. Look. Yeah. Like cotton T-shirt. Uh, no, Lululemon. I went and bought like nice leggings and stuff, but like I had no idea what I was doing. Yeah. And I think I ended up running it in like an hour and 10. My average pace was like a 10 30, which is amazing.

Which for a first 10 k.

IMG_9601: just

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: The race. I was just scared about the race. I mean, there was like 10 people sign up in front of me, but like, where do I stand? What do I do? And so from there I was like, well, if I can run a 10 k, I can run the mini. So I signed up, but this, that was in 2019, that race. Okay. So then you get into 2020.

And the thing was, I was like, well, surely if I could run a half marathon in May, I could surely run a marathon by November. So they had , the resolution price January 1st, 2020. And so I was like, well, why not? I'll sign up for the Indian monumental. That sounds logical, right? Like so you didn't do it the same year in 2019, right.

So you did the mini in 2019? No, I did a 10 K in 2019. Oh, okay. So, and then the next year I'm with you, the goal was to do the mini the half and then go, whoa, I'll, I'll just do a marathon and then, yeah. At that point, it's really funny. I had a journal and I was trying to be very intentional about, I took, I mean, Jess is one of my best friends.

We actually just spent the night together at the Westin and we did the mini, one of my best friends. But I was like, try to be intentional about personal goals. And I have a journal from 2019, or maybe it was like January, like 2020 that says, take more vacations, spend more time with the kids, check, check, check.

We've gone on running, has taken us all over. run a marathon. go on more dates. We're still working on that, but I had like all of these things. Yeah. And I'm like, looking back, it's really funny to think my goal was to run one marathon. it snowballed. So 2020 hits. Yeah. Ugh. And the mini goes virtual.

I have a really funny story about the mini virtual, so I again, super. I had no idea what I was doing, so I probably did too much mileage at first and didn't have a coach. So I'm just running, you know, I just run And you just run fast all the time and you're running. Yes. Been there hurt a little bit. So I didn't run the mini on the actual day 'cause it went virtual.

So I decided, I woke up on Mother's Day of 2020 and said, Hmm. It was like noon. I took a nap. Hmm. Today's the day I'm just gonna go run a half marathon. I did not take nutrition, I didn't have anything. I didn't plan on a route. So I'm like, I'm just gonna run 13 miles through caramel. Alright. Oh, this was really good.

Oh no. So I'm like, I had a goal plan. If I just go down Guilford and I go around, I'll hit the moan on and around.

IMG_9601: I

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: Are going down Guilford, the SWAT team is out at an apartment building and I have headphones in, so I'm just jogging along and I have my headphones in and there's all these police, I mean, there's guns drawn at this apartment building, idiot.

And I'm just trying to just go through 'em and they're like, turn around. I'm like, I'm idiot, I'm running. You're like, no, this is where I'm going. And they're like, no, you can't go this way. So I was like, okay, now where do I go? So I went around somewhere else, headwind terrible. So I'm just trudging along.

And then my favorite was, I was like, oh my gosh. 'cause again, I had never run 13 miles before I had to go to the bathroom. I was off the Monan, so I sprint into the Mexican restaurant that's on Rangeline. Yep, totally. Cancun. Yeah, Cancun. But it's 2020. You're not supposed to go in any restaurant. Oh, shoot.

And I'm like, gotta go to the bathroom. And I just sprint into the bathroom. I'm just like, okay. And I'm like, okay, bye. Thank you. Thank you. And so then I show up, I go back, I mean, it's raining. The weather is terrible. And I show up and my husband goes, so did you, did you do it? And I was like, sure. Did. Two hours and 37 minutes later.

Okay. And so what, at this point, you have a watch too, I'm assuming, so that you could keep Oh, apple Watch. Yeah. Oh, the Apple Watch? Yeah, apple Watch. Okay. Oh yeah, I had nothing. I mean, this was like as low key and just, I can't believe you didn't plan a route that gives me anxiety. I did the mini virtual in 2020, but I planned a route, I had a map for all my friends.

I was like, I'm running by your house and your house. And they all came out for me and it was great. I just decided when, after a nap. Today's the day. Today I'm gonna go, today's the day. See, my dumb ass did it on the day it was supposed to happen and the weather was so hot. Oh yeah, that's raining cold. I'm like, you know, the, the bonus of virtual is that you could pick whatever day you want.

Yeah. But I just didn't want to, I wanted to do it on the day and then there were other people out. It was kind of funny. But anyway, me, five years later would do it very differently. Right. Yeah. So then I was like, I probably need a coach. This was the sign I need a coach to get through a marathon. I had also decided, at some point in here that I was gonna be vegetarian.

Okay. Are you still vegetarian? pescatarian. Okay. Yeah, I had to add in, I, it's hard to get a lot of protein in. Right. and I just, there was a lot of stuff, but I decided I was gonna train for a marathon and I was gonna be a vegetarian. It's a very, very crazy thing during a global pandemic. During a global pandemic.

The other thing I didn't quite realize was how long the pandemic was gonna go. So you have to realize I'm an ICU therapist. Oh, Uhhuh. Right? So every day. Oh no, Uhhuh. So I was, at that time, I mean I was, I garbed up and stuff all day long, so, so what does that look like? Are you like in a hazmat suit?

Um, like that's what I picture. So in May, may of 2020, I was actually one of the first people at our hospital to test positive for COVID ID So I had COVID, which was very scary 'cause we didn't know what it was. So, right. That's pretty soon. Yeah. May talk about hazmat suits. I had to go down and get tested and I made, I mean, I looked like I was an alien.

They all had their, like suits on and, wow. No, everything was fine after that. But what was crazy was. There were so many unknowns at that time. So I was in the ICU or seeing COVID patients all day long for the first four months of COVID. Muncie didn't get hit as bad initially as indie, so it kind of traveled up north.

So I was getting news from d the downtown therapists going, I mean, we're getting slammed. We don't have all the protective equipment. IU did a good job of basically learning from all that, and then we had everything we needed. But I was in COVID rooms all day, every day, and I saw some terrible things. I mean, I can imagine people saying goodbye to their loved ones, like via FaceTime, shit like that.

Yeah. That's awful. Um, but it really did change, my first marathon. Because I was training through that. So if you think about it, I was training for monumental for a November race. So I started in June or July. Yeah, yeah. Um, it wasn't, it was really December then when I got like, actually it was right by the monumental time that the second wave came through.

but honestly my training, I would come home after work, so I didn't do early running back then. I would come home, the girls would go to bed, so I would run my six, seven miles at like six, seven o'clock at night. Wow. So I'd work, come home. I needed it. Right. Like what do you, I mean it was also freeing. I mean, I had goggles and gowns and all kinds of crazy stuff on.

So I'd go home and they'd go to bed and I'd run. there was one time in particular, it was a very bad situation. cause we lost patients during COVID and Yeah. I lost a young mom at that point and. Those 20 milers, you just kind of put your stuff, you just go. Yeah. and I still think that without running during that time, I'm not really sure how I would've survived.

so it, it's interesting 'cause I always say my running and my goals have always kind of coincided with like, the season of life I'm in. Yeah. so during my 2020, I did a virtual, I did it on the monan, I planned my route. That's good. Uhhuh. I started at the exact time that the race would start and I ran it by myself.

And uh, I'll just never forget, I'm sorry. Don't be sorry.

IMG_9601: be sorry.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I don't think I've talked about this in a while, but it was my husband and my kids and my mom and my best friend that just met me and I didn't have water stops, so I ran outta water. But during a really difficult time, I ended at the Monan, which is where I start all my runs. 'cause I live right there and I ran the route that basically was my solitude for months.

So I ran from the Monan Center up to like hundred 61st, back down Lindsay, my coach met me around 71st, maybe a little north of that. We have a video. I still have it on my phone at mile 22, which I didn't realize at that point. What a marathon. Even like you don't know now. I'm like, okay, the mile markers.

Okay, you need to know that. Okay. You slowed down at this point. Like yeah, I was in survival mode. Which was interesting 'cause that's how life was. Yeah. In survival mode. I do, I have pictures of my kids with signs that say, mommy, you're my hero. And that's super cute. So incredible. And they gave me my medal.

And did you ever wanna give up, like during your training, were there moments where you're like, this is too much? Or was it always your solitude and freedom? Because it's so much, I can't imagine going through what you were going through day to day, being a mom, trying to be a wife and training for a marathon.

I think I needed it. And honestly like, so my husband's job at the time, he was on call every three weeks. So I remember there was one day I was supposed to get 16 miles in and I actually put the double stroller in and was like, we gotta go to the park. Like, I think what's interesting is that when I look back to that, it was great 'cause I didn't know what I didn't know.

Yeah. I didn't know you wouldn't stress about the things maybe you would Now, I also, like I had never run a marathon. I had never run a major. I didn't know what a marathon actually looked like. So for me, this was like the mental fortitude and courage it takes to do something so uncomfortable with hardly any support says a lot about someone during a really hard time.

Mm-hmm. And so I always look back when I've been really pissed at myself, especially Berlin this past year, and I'm like, how the hell can you be mad? Like you reign a fricking marathon? It took me five hours and 16, 18 minutes. Again, I'm really bad with this stuff. Yeah. By myself. I had Lindsay's podcast going, I can't remember which one.

Maybe one was Katy Moon and one was Dez or something, but I had 'em lined up. So I was just listening to podcasts the whole way. I mean, what, what else do you do when there's literally, it's me and nature. It was like a training run. Yeah. But I had never run that far. And Oh, and also my nutrition, it was dates 'cause I was vegetarian.

Oh God. Did you poop yourself? No, but I was starving. Yeah. Well, yeah, I was thirsty, I was starving and, but at the same time, I also, one of the things, so like, wait, okay, let's talk about the dates. Did you have just like straight up, what kind of dates? Like, was it like a, like I picture like a big ass raisin or was it like you had little cubes of dates or like No, like the ones where had to spit the pits out.

Like I was just sucking And are they dry? The dry, are they always dry when you eat 'em? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I can picture that. I just had 'em in a baggy, I'm just a bag. Okay. Popping dates, like and again. Wow. That's funny. Sorry. I had to like visualize what was happening. I also had, I decided that for that marathon I dedicated miles to people or patients.

So when I was going mm-hmm. I had the people that help me who had been there and then the patients part of my job is helping people do things they never think they're gonna do. and they helped me realize I can do hard things. Yes. Mm-hmm. I had a patient when I was training this past year for Berlin.

Um, I'd worked with him for a while, he'd been in a car accident, and I forget what I said to him. I was like, oh, I got a training run this weekend. And my patients usually know if I'm training for something and he goes like, I really don't wanna do it. And he goes, well, what do you always tell me to do? He goes, you make me do hard things and so can you.

Yeah. And so I've been really lucky that, I mean, a lot of the reason I've been able to do what I'm able to do is because I see some really terrible things. Mm-hmm. I mean, young kids that are, have gunshot wounds to the head or motor vehicle accidents or mothers who were in an accident and just wanna get back to their kid.

Like, yeah, I just see things and if they can do the things I'm asking them to do that's uncomfortable and hard, why the hell can't I get out there? Right? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that's really, I mean, great motivation, even though the situation sucks. Yeah. Yeah. Geez, Amanda. Yeah. Yeah, so, so I decided after 2020 that I should probably run a marathon with people.

That's a good idea. Yeah. Yeah, that seems fair. And okay, so then when did that happen? I. Oh, so I back then was actually, I say back then, it was only five years ago, was smart and said, well, I shouldn't run a marathon every year. So what I did was then focus on a half. Yeah. So I ran the monumental half with the goal of a sub two and I ran a 1 56 that year.

And Lindsay coached me through that. And then the goal was to then run a full. Mm-hmm. And I ran monumental, which I wear my monumental proudly because I've ran it. I, again, I don't have all the dates and times, and I ran that again. I ran the marathon and I ran it in 4 32 or something like that.

Wow. but I was also in the change. I was changing jobs. During that time, so I kind of was alternating Disney entered. Oh yeah, the picture. in 2021, I registered for 2022 race. Okay. And did you register for the January one? Yeah, the January one and I wanted do the half. I'd heard about 'em, I'd heard that they're fun for me getting in was if I got in, my kids would get a vacation.

Right. Because we hadn't been vacationing. I had two young kids. It wasn't on the forefront of our mind. I didn't think financially we could swing it. So I was like, well, if I could do a race and take them, then we could double dip. Yeah. I remember being at work going, oh my God, I'm in, how did this happen?

And I got in the half and I sent my husband a text. I guess we're going to Disney. So our first trip was like three days, maybe three, four days. Did two parks. I ran the half. I just fricking snowballed. Um, I've now done goofy twice. Dopey tell the people what those are. So goofy is the half and the full. So once you run a full in November, which is always monumental, why not celebrate and just go to Disney and then run another one?

So after I ran, I was like, well, if I could do a half, then I could do the half in the full, especially if I'm doing a fall marathon. So after these all muddied together, so I was basically running a half in the fall, then I was taking some time off lifting, running a fall, like alternating. And then it has become where I basically run a full in the fall and then January becomes half in full.

And then I decided this past year that if, why not try my hand at dopey? So the 5K, 10 k, half in full in four days. Why not? I can tell you Disney is my kids love it. Wow. My 9-year-old just did the 5K with me. Oh. this past year it was 35 degrees at the start, it was a 2:00 AM wake up and she has her medal, her Pluto medal.

She didn't look like she had a ton of fun, but then she found out I just got her into the kids race at Disneyland. Oh. And she goes, well that's a rubber metal. I want the real medal. I wanna do the 5K with you. And I was like, well, it's sold out. You should have said something sooner. Right. So I think I've got her hooked a little bit.

We've done a couple five Ks together. That's, that's amazing. So that has also been fun. But Disney for me is the people and then taking my kids on vacation. Yeah. Uhhuh and the costumes. Oh, I love the costumes. Tell us about the costumes you've had. let's see. My first one ever was very simple. It was Daisy Duck.

So. Lulu Purple top. Some white shorts. I got a bow and like some compression. It was really cute. the second year, my first goofy I was mohu, which that year they let us on the carousel during the half. Oh, that's cool. So we basically running, I got to try the carousel as Mushu. And if people don't know who Mohu is Oh yeah, they should From Mulan.

Mulan. I love that. Love the dragon. I like to to obscure characters. what was I for the full that year? Oh, I was a toy story alien. Oh, that's a good one. And I met my friend Dave. He lives in Venice and he's become a really good friend. Him and his wife Gina and their son. So I met him. Venice in a pastry.

California, Venice. Here. Florida. Florida, Venice Beach. Got it. And that's where, so Disney, my first Disney marathon is where I met Ken. So Ken is a pacer that I met who also had suffered a traumatic brain injury and he full circle, I've met him in multiple different running spaces and then he actually came to Carmel and Pace, the Carmel three 30 group, I believe.

Okay. Last year in the marathon. What's his Instagram? I think I follow him. It. I am that Ken? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Yeah. So he's amazing. Yeah. So I met Ken at the Disney Pace group. Okay. I ran into the Cleveland Marathon, I run into him. And so we connected. And then actually when, recently in New York, I helped him paint his logo.

So Jason has a video of me helping Ken and he's shivering, and I've got body paint. I'm like painting Ken's. but Ken and I, I mean, again, he's reached out because I have connections here and because he has a traumatic brain injury, and some vision things, I am able to then connect him. And we've stayed in touch that way.

Yeah. So running has brought just all the people. Yeah. It's so amazing. Yeah. So my one favorite costume for Disney was I made a Lululemon dress, but it's, it's a small world. Okay. Um, it has like the face of the clock and the numbers Okay. For the ride. Yeah. And I did it because running truly is a small world and the community.

And that marathon I ran with Jeff Wood, so he's friends. I met him through Jennifer Connor, but he also uses Rachel as a coach. Oh, okay. So I was like, you wanna run the marathon together? We were both there. And so when you spend four hours with someone, we're like BFFs now. Yeah, right. You're like, he actually called me yesterday and was like, Hey.

I go, oh my gosh, is everything okay? He goes, yeah, I just need to use this phone call to get outta work. So he just called me so he could leave work early to pretend like it was a work call. That's really funny. So, I mean, these are the friends you meet, right? Yeah. Right. You're like, I'm here for you for that.

Yeah. I wanna go back to, well also I need to, I need to share that photo of you, the Genie. Was it The Genie one? Oh yeah, the Genie was most recently. Yeah, because that was really amazing. And then there's like a picture of you, it is just like so funny, the Genie. Yeah. So good as the Genie. I wanna go back to your first half marathon at Monumental, because it was your first in-person half, right?

Yeah. And so you've done your first two races like virtually, and then you show up. What was like the most surprising thing for you? Like you know, 'cause you could do the expo for the first time. You do, I mean, start line for the fir. Like all the things.

I think the craziest the, you know what, I haven't thought about that. And I think I've done so many races now that I don't remember those first feelings. it's kind of how I feel too actually. It's actually, which is sad because

IMG_9601: I, I mean

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I always love the ex, I love the Indy Monumental Expo. I love that you can just go to the convention center and I just, I love everything about the monumental I, maybe it's just because it's where I started my journey.

Mm-hmm. Um, I mean, I got hooked. I mean, obviously I got hooked. I also don't even remember the training leading up to it. I think that point in time is also very hazy. There was a lot of work going on. Yeah. I dunno, my kids were at heart age. Like

IMG_9601: I

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: have a, I can remember the picture and like, oh my gosh, I hit a sub too, but I don't remember the other, so the other funny part was, I do remember the training of, I did a lot of it on the treadmill.

I did a lot of it at night. But the thing is, is I again, was so naive that the, my coach would upload things, but I. I would just plug it into the, so if it, like the speed workout was warm up for a mile, I would do a mile and then I would just increase the treadmill and go. She didn't have any data, like it didn't load in.

Oh, she did everything by, okay. Did you did or do it or did you not do it? Like poor Lindsay's probably like, okay, this, I don't know how to help you, like, but I was doing the work. Yeah. And so I didn't have the technology that I utilize now. Yeah. And I would, I would go, a lot of my days was seven, eight o'clock at night, and I would go and get my speed workout in or my four miler and just.

Get it done. And then if my husband wasn't home, I would have to just figure it out and move things around 'cause of his on-call schedule and yeah. What does he do where he's on call? he's not on call anymore. Okay. He works for the water distribution here in Carmel. Oh, that's right. I think I did know that.

So when we were to, yeah, so they help do all the water main leaks and so now he's a manager for the water distribution, so he's not on call anymore. Okay. Well that's nice. Yeah, so between my work schedule and his work schedule, it was, you just basically got runs in when you could and Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing to me.

Yeah. So it's amazing to me that now, like I know you as the early runner, but that you used to train at like night and now I'm going back tonight a little bit. Okay. Because I don't need to get up that early, that early, which is, which is nice. At least I, 'cause I've been there, I've put in my time as an early morning runner as well.

And then now my season doesn't require me to do that and so then I don't, so it's hard. I'm still trying to figure out the motivation of 'cause. When you get up at five, you just get it done. Right. It's nice. Yeah. Now I'm like, oh man, it's really hot now. And yeah, so I'm, I'm in an adjustment period, but yeah.

Yeah, to figure out kind of where your sweet spot is. Yeah. Do you work remote a lot? No. I like being on campus. I can work remote if I need to, like if the kids are sick or something. Yeah. But no, but I have flexibility of like, it's not a clock in, clock out. Here are your patients. So if I don't have a meeting until nine, that's nice.

I can technically get my run in, get your run in a little later, but I haven't utilized that yet, so. Yeah. Yeah. Which is fine. Yeah. Yeah. I'm, it's figuring it out the seasons. Right, right. It is truly. Yeah. How old are your girls right now? Nine and six. Nine and six, okay. Yeah, so we have, we both have two girls, Uhhuh.

Mine's seven and four now. but the whole 5K together thing, I think Sydnee and I, my 7-year-old, I would love to train. There's some sort of Taylor Swift run Oh, this summer. So I'll share the information with you. Share it. Yeah. Because her kindergarten teacher sent it to me because she loves Taylor Swift.

She's like, I thought, you know, Taylor Swift running, you'd like this. And I'm like, okay. So Sydnee is now begging to do that. We do run walk. It works great. My goal is just to get her to enjoy activity. Right, exactly. Yeah. Can we talk about, did you see my thing about the Uhhuh thing? It's ridiculous. Yeah.

It's ridiculous. If there's a reason, none of us wanna do the mile in high in high school or, I mean, it's traumatic. There's a reason we didn't, I didn't like running until I was an adult Uhhuh. It's because it was punishment. And five Ks are too hard and five Ks are really hard. I'm sorry, but they're like, it's an accomplishment to do a 5K even as an adult.

Yeah, no. Yeah. Making kids do that. No, I don't. I don't like it. Like just let 'em move their, okay, so sorry. I'm gonna back up and tell people if they haven't seen my rant about this

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FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I'm gonna back up and tell people if they haven't seen my rant about this and this. I'm not trying to come after a specific school or person. I don't have every single detail, but I'm trying to figure out what other contexts could make this.

Okay. I, and I can't really determine how this would be. Okay. So there's a school, a middle school in our city that is public, that has kids run a 5K for a grade, and they have to do it in under 38 minutes. If they don't, every minute over 38 minutes, a point will be deducted from their score. And this is not optional.

If you're sick, you have to do it around the track by yourself. So it's just to me, I want kids to learn how to train for something, set goals, be healthy, move their body. And they're also saying, this is for mental health. I'm like, you're doing it backwards. Mm-hmm. Like you're giving kids an unhealthy relationship with running right off the bat.

And for kids who shine and who love it, great. That's cool. But like why does it have to be for a grade? I think the other thing too is, so my 9-year-old, she doesn't like running. We did track. And the thing is she loved the field events. Like yeah, there you go. And that's okay. And we also, I also, I was not forced into sports as a young kid.

It wasn't until I said I wanted to do something. Mm-hmm. Now there's a ton of different parenting perspectives. Yes. And but for me and for my child, forcing her to do something will make her completely not love it. Exactly. And I think that.

IMG_9601: I,

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: Again, though it's a 5K, five Ks are not easy five Ks. It is.

That's a long way. That is a long way for a long's a long kid way. Even if you're in eighth grade. That to me, that's still a a little good. It's a long way. Yeah. And I think. They should probably pull the school and see how many of the teachers have ever run a 5K before. Right, right. And then ask like, I think it's ridiculous, but Yeah.

Yeah. It's just very silly to me. I'm like, that's so intense. Yeah. That's so intense. Like, can we, let's back off that. There's gotta be another way to do that that doesn't make people feel horrible about themselves. Yeah. Yeah. Like, or give them anxiety like. Ugh. The idea that my poor theater kid, neighbor had to do that.

And then she finished with seconds to spare and she threw up and she said a lot of kids threw up too. That's terrible. And I was like, what the heck are we doing? No people. It's insane. No. Yeah. I wouldn't, so anyway, I could talk about that for longer, but We'll, digger, I'll just keep getting heated about it and I still need to, yeah.

Okay. Reign it in. So I love that you guys have done races together, you and your daughter. Yeah. what about your 6-year-old? Any interests? She just, the little fun kids runs. she's a spicy one. She will eventually second born man, she's spicy. I, one of my other favorite things to my parents live in Cleveland.

One of the things I did, again, seasons of life, I just needed some time away. We, I did zoo races. Oh, zoo, five Ks are one of my favorites. so I would find, we did, I did Detroit, I did Cleveland, I did the Columbus ones, one of my favorites. And so you pay the $40, but you get a zoo. Admission ticket with it.

So I, we would do girls weekends, me, my mom, my sister, and the girls, and find like an Embassy Suites or a Hilton home to mm-hmm. Do a weekend and then I would do the 5K in the morning. But then they get discounted tickets for like $10 to the zoo and you get in at like eight o'clock. And we have hands down, said they're so much fun.

So my littlest would do the kids run at the zoo races, which is just like the dash. Right. but I have some really fun, the Cleveland zoo's, another one of my favorites because then the zoo's not open yet, so you just run around the zoo and then you get to like explore the zoo for $10. So we did a couple of those.

So Detroit zoo's a really fun one, run through the zoo. Louisville has one. How do we not, I don't know how we don't have one. Okay. Like get on that. Tell somebody. I mean, and then all the, well, so they partner depends. So like, Cleveland's partners with Rainbow Babies and Children's, so they use the zoo as like.

The vessel of the court. Yeah, the venue, the yes venue, not vessel, but whatever. It's same thing. Um, but then the money goes towards a charity. no, we love 'em. My kids love 'em. Yeah, that sounds like such a wonderful idea. Yeah, I've never heard of that. Oh look 'em up. I tell everyone if you wanna get into running or just fun ways to do things.

Yeah. But first of all, Detroit's nice, but not one of the highlights of, but we found it was kind of like a midpoint for us. Their zoo is like topnotch and we explored, so we would do weekends, like long weekends and split the hotel and that's fun. We have a lot of fun memories. And the Columbus Zoo's also one of my favorites.

I love that. I like their course. Actually, my 5K PR is actually the Cleveland Zoo race. I think. That's so funny. Uhhuh and there's like a huge hill. I was gonna say, I was gonna ask you about the Uhhuh, 'cause I figure, I don't know how zoos are laid out. Uhhuh. Yeah. And I grew up going to that zoo, so I was like, oh my gosh, I gotta go up all the way to the gorillas and come back down.

Yeah. That's so funny. No, but they're fun. And then the kids have fun and that's been my way to get my kids into things or, I mean now, I mean, they're little bougie kids, but they're coming to Berlin with me, so they're, um, we're going, we're taking the loopers to from zoos to, Europe with my running.

Right. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They probably, they're like, we love that mom runs. Really? Yeah. And does Mike run at all? Has he ever? No. No, no. He's, but he's such a good cheerleader. It seems like he is the best one. Where's that shirt? Is it Sarah Marie running? Or who has it that says, oh, here to cheer and hold the beer?

Yeah, that's a good one. Mm-hmm. He, he surprised me at the Indie Min. I like get done and he calls me, he goes, where are you? And I'm like, I mean, I'm sitting here like, you mean it was just mean Girls weekend? What mean? Yeah. He goes, well, where are you sitting? And here he brought the girls down and Yeah. Oh, he is been super supportive.

And we did, Let's see. He's been to mostly all of 'em. And I mean, he knows, especially the monumental course, he knows where to go for monumental. He brings the girls in. Yeah. That's so special. Yeah. I remember you and I running together for the beginning of Carmel. Mm-hmm. Two years ago. Two years ago. Mm.

Was it two years ago or one year ago? I don't freaking know. I think it was two years ago. 'cause obviously this year didn't happen. But yeah, we ran with Todd's Pace group. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Todd Oliver, who founded the race, finally got to run it. That's right. And then he fell, and then he tripped over a cone and you were there to witness that.

I think that's, then you're like, you're like, okay, he's 24. It was last year. That's my pr. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It was excellent. And yeah, that was a fun day. But yeah, we ran probably, I don't know, maybe the first four miles or so together. Mm-hmm. That was cool. And then you just flew. Flew away and kicked ass. That was fast back then.

Whatever. So. Okay. I wanna dig in on New York in particular, because you told me that New York changed everything in your mind when it comes to running life. I don't know. Yeah. So tell me why. What's really funny is I'm not a highly emotional person and I don't know why I'm so emotional today. so New York's funny because looking back, this was never the plan.

I am not crazy enough. I'm crazy, but not crazy enough. So for those of you who don't know us, Irene, I, my wedding anniversary was last year, 10 year wedding anniversary. So we wanted to do a trip. So I went to Berlin with Fit International, got my bib, we did the race, we went to Munich, whole thing. So the plan was Berlin and Dopey.

That was the plan. Fall, marathon, Disney. Mm-hmm. The way it's always been. Then you have a friend who's like, well, you should raise money. And I could, like I, they have spots for the Chicago Marathon, so you should raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association. Well, how the hell do you tell a brain tumor survivor?

I'm not gonna help raise money. Raise money. Fine. I guess I'll run Chicago. Oh my gosh. How hard could like, I don't know, going on a nine day European vacation, coming home for a week and then running another marathon, be. Then, oh my God. So talk about the sloth, how they're bad influences is all I'm gonna say.

Because Jen Connor had gotten in, to New York, she was able to secure, a bib through a friend, whose dad was with NYPD. So she was going, and then Jason decided he was gonna jump on the crazy two marathon fall bandwagon and the National Brain Tumor Society was able to secure him a spot for fundraising for New York.

IMG_9601: So

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: So we're running along the monan, which, God, I don't my almighty, like all the things that have happened on the Monan and all the funny stories. But I decided to say out loud one day.

IMG_9601: because

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: Jason, I mean, I hope he doesn't mind me telling me this, but after you have surgery on your brain, you basically, and part of the reason he found out he had a tumor was seizures.

Yeah. So part of the reason we run with him is he has a seizure disorder and there is a chance that at any time he could just have a seizure. So. He has a seizure disorder. He's never run two back-to-back marathons. I'm having FOMO because two of my friends are running New York. I, yeah, yeah. And so I threw out into the universe I wonder what their support runner's policy is because he was also nervous of running two back, back-to-back marathons.

so he goes, Jason, if you know him, you put an idea in the universe that man will figure it out. So before I even like, feel like I'm showered into work, he's like, I've already filled out a, a request form. I reached out to New York Road Runners and I was like, well, hold on a minute. Oh my God. Like I'm doing Berlin.

You, yes, I'm doing Chicago with you. And I still have dopey like, hold on a second. So my mom, for as long as I can remember, her dream was always to go to New York. My parents don't travel. I've taken my mom on trips with us, we've done stuff together. But in the back of my mind too, I'm like, if I had the chance to run New York, mom could come with me.

So I asked my mom because at that point, kids days of school, our work schedule, like I also can't afford to take four people to New York after Berlin. And I mean, I mean, yeah, that's so much. OTs do not make that much money. I'm entire right now. Yeah. so I asked my mom, if I had the chance to get into New York, would you go with me?

Oh my gosh. She's like, hands down, it'd be the best trip of the low. Okay. So I was like, okay, well dang it. Now I'm doing New York. So Jason got the medical, and he finds out, he goes, actually, they will entertain it. but there's a caveat to this. So every race does this different, so. The way I understand New York is they have guides and support runners.

Mm. So guides would be for your visually impaired. they get the star, they get credit, but you don't have to pay to get in. But like they will be in the program, support runners, get a medal, get a poncho, get a participant shirt, run the race with their person, but they are not acknowledged in the program.

So the program meaning like the participant list. Okay. If you go back and like, like official time. Official time, yeah. Oh, that's very weird. And so you don't get a star, which I've never been on a six star journey. I think the places the world majors are are incredible. Yeah. But I am not, I'm not chasing stars.

Yeah. Like I am not. Well, you've got a few, well I have two, well, two I guess technically, and I'm double dip. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Jason comes back and goes, all right, we gotta figure this out. Because they said, I can have a support runner you have to know in like a week. I was like, well, what the hell do I do?

Do I take this opportunity? And like, obviously also helping a friend. like what do I do? So I was like, you know what, when am I ever gonna be like, what if I never get in? What if something happens? What if, like what ifs? Yeah. So I said, okay. So the thing I didn't realize is I had never been to New York.

I'd never been there. Oh my God. My mom had never been there. Wow. just all these firsts. The hard part about New York that started everything was in Chicago. We were on pace for a sub four together. I wanted to pace him to a sub four. I was in sub four shape. we were clipping along. Mile 15 came and there was a gel packet in the middle of the course.

And I hit hard, like you fell all the way down. I sprained my ankle, probably the worst, worst spr. And I, Jason says, I basically rolled over, um, like head first, my L 15. It was right in the, tents with all of the charity. So I was looking for our charity partner. Oh, yeah. Yeah. We finished it, we finished it in 4 27.

Really super proud. It was a huge PR for Jason, but I was in so much pain, like, so much pain. So I ended up having to rehab. I was in a boot for a week, and I'm like, holy crap. Like I'm not only wanting to take my mom to New York, but I'm also a support runner. Like this isn't about me, this race isn't about me.

Like basically showed up to Mike Stevens, shout out to Apollo Sports, like he rehabbed me in three weeks and I said, is it broken? He said, probably not. I said, great. I have three weeks to get to a start line.

IMG_9601: line.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I dunno what this is gonna look like, but I have three weeks. So we rehab it, I ran once or twice on it.

Wow. and showed up to New York. Oh my gosh. First of all, New York has to be my favorite places in the world. It's beyond amazing. Had a blast, but. Some of the things I didn't realize. I did know we would get on the bus with the athletes with disabilities. So he, after having a support runner, he had to fill I think two different things.

One, to claim an athlete with disability and then with that he could have a support runner. So you're on a bus with, when you think about an athlete with disability, and in my role as an occupational therapist, everyone thinks of a disability as in lower extremity amputees, visually impaired. There's so many reasons why someone could have a disability, and what's fascinating is.

IMG_9601: is.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: Jason and I have had this conversation because for a lot of people you would never even know he had a brain tumor. Ever. Yeah. He's totally normal. one of the things I specifically asked him with all of this is, are you okay because you're gonna be labeled an athlete with disability. I was actually thinking that in the back of my mind.

Like it doesn't, he doesn't seem like the kind of person that would like that label. no, but I think with come with brain tumor awareness comes the fact that there are disabilities with it. Yeah, yeah. and I think what was very interesting about, first of all, everyone could not figure out how I got into New York.

You wanna talk about Instagram? Oh, and everything. It's like, well, how did she get into New York? And what's interesting is I'm like, whether I freaking got in because I sold my kidney and I'm an influencer all of a sudden to pay my way in, what does it matter? Yes. The other hard part was I got slight feelings from some people.

And again, this is just, it's Instagram and it's, but he doesn't have a disability. He's not running all the time. He's running like no one would say it, but like there was something, and it might have been me just looking into it, but it was very interesting of, but he wasn't an athlete with disability in Chicago.

But the thing is, we were running Chicago together. He didn't need that designation there. Right, because you were already there, but like to get Yeah. And we were teamed like we were together. So it was really interesting and I think I'm hyperly sensitive to it because of my job. Mm. and I see society in a different way sometimes with my job.

And so, so we get there. So we What do you mean? What do you mean by that? I, I think in my job

IMG_9601: I

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: see people all the time that on the outside you'd never know there was something wrong, especially as a certified brain injury specialist. I've watched. So my big passion in life is post intensive care syndrome and patients after a critical illness who survive and everyone thinks they're fine, but deep down there's so many psychosocial issues and, people, you can do normal things.

But what would, if someone took running away from you, it would be debilitating to you. And there might be like an anxiety disability or a mental health, but Yeah. But Ally, you can do everything else you're supposed to be doing. Like we place things on people, right? So, so it was just interesting 'cause going into New York, I already had like, I could take what people think about me with a grain of salt.

But it was very interesting because in our space we're in, it was just who gets in where and how and when, and yeah. So we go, we hung out over the weekend. Um, Jason's family was there. My mom was with us. We had our dinner together, a pasta dinner beforehand. And so we get on the bus, which by the way, Jason got on the bus because I told him where and when to be.

He didn't even read the manual before he left. So

IMG_9601: Sherpa Amanda,

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I am. I was a support runner through and through from the start into the finish. Just, and Jason, I'm telling all our secrets, but this is, you told me to be on this podcast, so here we are. So here we are,

IMG_9601: but we

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: get on the bus and then we were in the athlete disabilities tent.

Holy shit. I mean this one lady, probably, I'm trying to think. There were so many amazing things. Well, one, I ran into Ken, which I just adore, Ken, and he's painted up and, Achilles International is huge. So a lot of them are Achilles runners. If you're not familiar with Achilles International, it is, for athletes with disabilities who then can be paired with support and guide runners.

We do not have a chapter here. That's one of my projects I'm working on. Yeah, we need talk about monumental too. Yes. Again, at some point. And, so a lot of all Achilles International, one of the ladies, I would bet her prosthetic came up to her hip and then she was missing part of an arm. Okay. So she was, like a bilateral amputee.

Upper and lower. It was running her first marathon. we were talking to a guy that, it was an adult with like an intellectual disability who didn't finish New York last year, and he was paired with his runner. Oh my gosh. And I was just like, what's your goal? He goes, just to finish.

We're blessed, very blessed to be able to do what we do. Yeah.

And

when you think of the world majors and you think about time goals, and you think about Boston and you think about like, my goal went from wanting to finish two. I wanna, I wanna compete with people I see on Instagram, or I wanna be the best, or do like, it humbled me because it grounded me back into why did I start running?

Yeah. why do you run in the first place? Why do any of us choose a hobby? Why did all of these people show up to New York City to put them through five to seven hours? The majority of renters. Yeah. like why do you do that? And to watch people who society basically tells them, you can't do this. Yeah.

You shouldn't be able to do this. Mm-hmm. To show up and go, no, I am gonna do this and I'm gonna have fun doing it. And I've been training like it was a whole different atmosphere. And I think having run Berlin before that, which I had a very big time goal, I missed it and I ripped myself apart for it to then Chicago and falling to who the fuck cares.

Like nobody in this tent cares what their time is. At the end of it, they're here to prove that anyone can run a marathon if you set your mind to it. It was just one of the most inspirational moments. And so then I run hands down one of my favorite marathons. I had a blast. Absolute blast. Jason struggled.

He's a little delirious. So I'm just running along. I was eating everything on the course. I was taking it all in. I loved the bridges. I just, the whole, I mean, New York City can show up and to complete three marathons in five weeks, all under five hours and thinking to back to 2020 where I ran by my, like, it was like a full circle moment.

Yeah. But I think for me, as an occupational therapist who helps patients in a hospital after they wake up and they've lost a limb or, their loved ones are like, oh my gosh, they have a brain injury. They're never gonna be able to do anything they do again, to being in a tent with everyone who defies that is one of the coolest things.

And. It re-grounded me in why I run. Yeah. And it re-grounded me in putting limits on people because we shouldn't put limits on anybody. Yeah. , So I'm very passionate. I reached out to monumental after I got home and they're working on some things that I'm hoping with my current position to make some connections and really works.

And I didn't run monumental last year 'cause I just needed some time off running. But I spectated and I saw one Achilles runner. I saw one other person with a guide, but we could do the exact same thing on a smaller scale in our backyard. Yeah. I wanna do so bad. And I, one of the local rehab centers has an amazing adaptive sports

IMG_9601: Mm.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: program for anyone who wants to do like.

Wheelchair racing or, I mean, they do all kinds of sports through Yeah. the rehab center. And I'm like, what a cool place to partner. Mm-hmm. For anybody that has to go through any diagnosis or disability to say, no, I can run and get paired with somebody who can help them. Yeah. I think one of I really enjoyed, and I'm probably gonna butcher her name, Alexis Alexi.

Peppa. Thank you. Yeah. I was thinking about her with the guide New York. Yes. So I ran into, I saw her on the New York City courts. Oh, that's so cool. and watching how she, again, has taken her journey as a professional runner mm-hmm. To then guide and it is just overall exciting. And honestly, Jason looked at me and said, there's no way I would've finished it without you.

And one of my favorite parts, shout out to pen and pastes because I wore my name. B, he heard my name for four hours. Yeah, because I was on his right side, so everyone was on this side. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I ate that up. I was like, it's the best. Oh my God. Oh my gosh. And finally he's like, can they shut up? I go, well, would you run fast?

Or we could get this over with faster. Yeah. And then you wouldn't have to hear them. Yeah. It was, I mean, back to back marathons are tough. And I think with every major it's when do I eat? When do I hydrate? Someone needs a little bit more, reminders to take water on the course. You not me, I'm just kidding.

so I really did support him and it was really fun. We have some really good pictures of him and I finishing, and what's really funny is he invited me to help him, but I think in the long run. Yeah. Yeah. It helped me just ground me and humble me. So, yeah. I relate to this so much, Amanda. It's. Like, you know, I had a PR in the marathon last year, the year before.

I had a PR in the half. And it is so much fun getting better and seeing your hard work pay off. It is so fun. But I just have started thinking like, I don't wanna burn out in my love of this sport. I don't wanna put so much pressure on myself that I don't enjoy it anymore. I just took three months off.

Right. Because there was a, oh yeah. There was a point where I'm finally getting back and I'm not even to where I am, but you get to a point where you hit the times because you're consistently going and you think if you keep going, the times will keep coming. Yeah. Coming. Yeah. And then they don't, and then you realize, okay, well I've been grinding now for two years.

I trained for two years. I didn't take, I mean I, when I say train. I was always on a plan. Yeah. Yeah. Whether it was full marathon trending and then tapering off. But I mean, my build, my off time was still 20 miles a week, four days of running. Mm-hmm. Someti. Mm-hmm. Up to 25 miles. Well, working full time. I do a lot of other things outside of work and running and my kids and my husband.

I also, like over the summer when you're training, we have a place at the lake. I, last year I was running at four or 5:00 AM and then I wasn't fun at the lake 'cause I was so exotic, like Yeah. Yeah.

IMG_9601: yeah.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: I have been so burned out that I felt so guilty. But what's very interesting is, Lindsay Welty actually asked me, she goes, how did it feel?

Taking time off I go. I felt freaking guilty, like, get my ass off Instagram. Because I'm like, oh my God. All these people are doing all these things all and they're still doing all the things. Yeah. I did not have it in me. I also, when you go back to back to back. You don't reflect, you don't have time to process, wait or celebrate.

You're just boom, boom, boom. And when people go, oh my gosh, you just ran all these marathons. I was like, well, I didn't hit my A goal in Berlin. I fell in fricking Chicago and New York. I mean, if you look me up, I really wasn't there. Like that was my attitude and it has taken me a while to get there. I think there's also been things going on.

I changed jobs. I was in this weird transition of do I leave patient care full time? Like there's been a lot of life identity things that, again, seasons of running come with seasons of life and, I've needed the time. And I honestly, I, the other day, like, I haven't ran this week, I felt like crap. And I'm like, oh my God, what's happening? Happening to me? Well, my, the mom I sat with at gymnastics on Wednesday goes, I don't feel good at all. I think I'm like, I probably was freaking sick. Like, and it's okay to take a little, like, I not gonna put my body through something.

So I have actually, listen, I ran a chill pace. I ran a sub two with Indy Mini. You know, I'm gonna be okay. Yeah. I'm gonna be okay. Am I gonna hit the goal I want in Berlin coming up? I mean, yeah, I'd like to pr do I think I have a PR in me? Yeah. Have I been putting forth probably what I think would lead up to it, but maybe my body has just in my mind really your mind too.

Just needs some time off. Yeah. but I think a lot of what you're talking about, I haven't really reflected on a lot of this for a long time. I don't, that's why you're, you're like, that's why I was. Yeah. Yeah. but no, I have felt so freaking guilty. And it's funny because I was bitching to a friend of mine.

I was like, I don't understand why I'm so burn out. I mean, yeah. I ran a lot. He goes, you do realize you also ran dopey, right? I was like, shit, no, I forgot about the 48 miles. Oh my God. In four days in January. Yeah. And then I beat myself up of like, I'm losing all this fitness. And I go, well, just two months ago you ran a marathon.

Yeah. I think you're gonna be okay. Yeah. Yeah. so I think, I mean, it's gr it's growth, right? Mm-hmm. And I think

IMG_9601: I think.

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: the growth mindset in running translates to a lot of other growth mindsets. Totally. I've needed a reflective, strong mindset to transition from something I was really fricking good at, to the courage to jump into something that.

I have no idea what I'm doing. I've never worked full-time in a higher education setting. I've never been a director of something, but someone saw something in me and here I am. Mm-hmm. But you have, I have to take the exact same mindset of running into this job.

IMG_9601: and I

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: think running has helped prepare me for what I'm doing.

Yeah. Yeah. I also went through a lot of really tough situations at work for a while, and I had to make a very hard shift. I did not wanna leave a job and I was just gonna stick it out, but mentally I couldn't do it. And honestly, I kept telling myself, if you can run and endure the pain of something, marathon training teaches you how to endure pain.

Yeah. That's, yeah. And be uncomfortable. You can surely move on from something that doesn't fit you anymore and you're gonna be okay. And I did. And I, if I wouldn't have made the move two years ago, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in now. But marathon training helped me and Mar running a mar. I mean, I say running a marathon, it's really the training, the getting up the hours, the right, right, right.

Freaking nutrition that you just don't want to eat anymore. Yeah. And like all of that, that prepares you for the hard times. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. So good. Yeah. I'm so happy for you. Oh, thanks. I also wanna mention, I wanna plug Ainsley's Angels again, because not only am I like not trying to like, you know, obsess over time, which I will still undoubtedly, but mm-hmm.

Giving, like, you talk about being in that Achilles tent, like mm-hmm. Ainsley's Angels. Mm-hmm. It's such a wide variety of people in those chariots. Mm-hmm. And.

IMG_9601: it was,

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: It's such a gratifying experience giving somebody that gift of a finish line. So now I'm obsessed as you might. I almost, no, I almost signed up and I'm like, oh my God, I haven't strength trained and I'm not sure I could push somebody.

Yeah, yeah. But I saw 'em at the expo and I'm on their list now. Good, good. Because next year they want 50 teams for the 50th indie many. Mm-hmm. And then I'm also pushing at Marine Corps, which I'm terrified because I didn't know it was a one-to-one ratio. I thought that I would have a partner, but it'll be fine.

Like, here's the thing, I'm gonna enjoy all the whole experience. Mm-hmm. And that really excites me and the person you're with. Yeah. They're happy to finish. I mean, and I'm just, without you, they wouldn't be able to finish. Right. Which is so cool. So anyway, plug again. I love it. 'cause I just love it so much.

It, yeah. Let me make sure we didn't forget anything that I wanted to.

IMG_9601: I

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: mean, we've talked about so many good things. I know. Yeah. I think it's time for the end of the podcast questions, which you sent me and I didn't even read 'em to know. That's fine that most people, most people don't. I did read your email.

I don't wanna, it's fine if you didn't. I mean that happens too. It's like whatever. With all the things going on, it's a lot. My God. And being a mom in May is not for the faint of heart. Can they just stop fricking spirit weeks? I mean, just all the things like, it's like teacher appreciation. I'm sorry. Does it matter if my kid wears a hat to school?

Like let's knock it off. I'm just glad that now she's old enough to like remember and remind me of those things my kids are, because I'm like, I don't know what's going on. I, it's so hard. Yeah. And thank God my mother-in-law works in the school too, so like Oh, nice. Between that and like my kid remembering, my mom watched my kids while we were in Berlin last year.

Mm. So she was on all the emails. She lives in Cleveland. She'd be like, did you remember that? It's Spirit week ago. Shut up, Pam. Yeah. Oh my gosh. That's your mom's name? Yeah, my mother-in-law's. Pam. I love it, Pam. I'm like, Pam, Pam, knock it off in Cleveland. But I'm glad you get the emails. I know Pam saves my life all the time.

Oh gosh. So, okay. They're easy question. Okay. I think. so the first one is, what is your favorite running song and or mantra?

Oh my gosh. Maybe it's not easy. I don't know, but I, I guess I ask it all the time, so, okay. I have a new favorite mantra. Don't be a bitch ass. That'll make a great tattoo. Do you know where that's from? No. so don't be a bitch ass. Okay. This is great. Des Linden. Oh, I love de Yeah. I was listening to her talk about her last Boston and her last professional race, and I am running, and I could not stop laughing.

She talked about how her mantra on the course is she has negative talk to herself, which I don't really agree with, but she's like, okay, de now don't be a bitch ass. And they talk about her. She talks, if you don't, you should listen to this. Really funny. She talks about how she passes Sarah Hall at Boston and Kara goes, well what did, did you say anything to her?

She's like, well, I don't think Sarah probably talks herself a lot better. I didn't go past her and go, Sarah, don't be a bitch ass. And like, so as I'm running, I was doing a speed workout and I was on my last rep. Dez

IMG_9601: and Des

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: just goes, don't be a bitch ass. And I'm like, I mean I can get on board with this. I love it.

I also cuss like a sailor half the time. Yeah. So same the whole time. I'm just like, okay. When things get hard, I'm just gonna think it. Dez going, don't be a bitch ass. Don't be a bitch ass. That's a good one. I really like it. I like the song Work Bitch by Britney Spears. It's on playlist. Yeah. So that is, you know, just like I have the craziest, I have a ongoing playlist that I've added to throughout the year, so it's really funny.

It's actually my first, no. Yeah. First caramel half I did. So it actually has built, which is fun because songs that, like I had a couple years ago to get me through, I'm like, oh, these are really terrible. But they take me back. Yes. Yeah. So I just add, I also have some descendants on there 'cause my kids like descend.

Yeah. I like

IMG_9601: gonna say

FLAMS - Amanda Luper - 5:27:25, 3: what Disney songs are on the list. Yeah. And then there's one, if you haven't ever seen the uh, movie, Thelma. No, on Netflix, the unicorn. Oh, I haven't. Oh. Oh, my kids would love that. Oh, it's super cute. Wish you they've seen it. It's about a little, it's about a little pony who then looks like a unicorn.

But in the end it's about who she is inside, not what she looks like. Oh, I like that. And so the song is um, something about Turn your light on. Let me see who you are. Okay. Like it's very sweet. That's so, I have a bunch of songs that run me, my kids, which, right. That's fun too. Depending on where I am in a marathon sometimes isn't a great thing.

So. Yeah. That's funny. I've done the same thing. I think my playlist is still called the New York City Marathon Playlist and I ran New York City in 2018. Oh. Keep adding to it. So like, so I just, I have indie mini ones, I have Vegas ones, I have a bunch of random ones, but a lot of them come from the same base of songs.

Mm-hmm. And then I have one for this podcast, which I need to keep updating, cause I forget, but has, and it'll remind me of the people who I've had on this podcast. Yeah. Like if I can remember and associate this songs. With, with the people. It's fun. I, I'm trying to think. I mean, I've got some good ones on there.

I just add to it some m and m. Yeah. Some all kinds of range. Always m&m. Yeah. Okay. And then second is next finish line or milestone. I mean, so I'm doing Berlin this coming year and then what's the date of Berlin this year? Uh, is it the 21st? Sure. I September we fly out. It's in September. September. Yeah. We fly out the 18th because it's right by October Fest.

Yeah. 'cause we went to Munich last time. Yeah. my goal is to pr and I have not had this conversation, so Rachel, if you're listening, this is what I've thought about the last three months that I've taken off. I think my plan is, so I turned 37 in November. I think I've decided that after Berlin, I'm taking time off marathons.

Yeah. I think my body, my brain just needs time. I think I love a good quick half. Mm-hmm. I would love to get speedy and then find a really good marathon monumental around the year I turn 40 and see what I can do for Boston. That's how I feel. Um, I just need time. I, I'll do Disney halves. I mean, halves are fun. Yes, halfs are great, but I think after Berlin, it's just time to step away for a little bit. And I don't want to not enjoy something. Yeah. I feel the same way. Yeah. 'cause it would suck to not enjoy something that you've loved for so long. Well, I'm not gonna lie. You are actually my inspiration for that little thought because you took some time off away from the marathon.

Oh, I did. Yeah. Thank you. And you came back really fricking strong in monumental and I'm like, you know what? There's nothing wrong with stepping away. It'll always be there. Yeah, it will. I may not be over there. Right. I know. I'm like, hopefully I can do it again. Um, yeah, so Berlin, I mean, I'm gonna throw my name in for the majors.

My mom just told me yesterday, she goes, if there's ever a marathon in London, I'd love to go with you. I was like, well, okay. There is one thanks lady. Like, yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I'll throw my name in Tokyo and London. I'll throw my name in if, if whatever the wind blows, you know, we'll see what happens. But I am not, I'll run monumental half for as long as I can.

And, but I think it's time just to take some time away and. Yeah. Enjoy it. Just enjoy it and enjoy my kit. Yes. Like they're really good ages right now. Yeah. That's so fun. The training. And so that's kind of the plan, but Rachel, sorry, you're just hearing about it. If you listen to all, take a break. Yeah. I lo uh, I, I wanna put in for the majors too.

I turned 40 next year. Okay. So I'm 30, I'll be 39 this July. And so then next year I have all these like plans in my head. Like we did nothing when my husband turned 40 or when we celebrate our, we didn't celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Really. I mean, we had dinner and we did Key West over spring break for a night, which was great, but I'm like, oh, should I just throw in all for all the things?

Here's the problem. My husband is reluctantly supportive. Mm. My running addiction kind of drives him nuts. I will. Which isn't great. I will. I will tell you though, hands down Berlin to Munich. Ugh. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I have the best pictures from October Fest. I love October Fest. Oh my God. We had so much fun.

I went to college, so he loved it. So it was the mix of I run, do my thing. Yeah. And then Munich was a cherry on top for him, right? Yeah. And we had a, a blast. Oh my god, I have so many. And I'm going out a couple that we met on that trip. We're actually going to their wedding in September to Denver. And so like, again, lifelong friends and Cool.

I love that. I cannot to celebrate them and yeah. That's hilarious. Yeah. I love that. I love that so much. I could talk to you all day. Okay. thank you for finally doing this. I know it's ama You are so amazing, Amanda. You inspire me a lot too, just so you know. Yeah. So thank you to everybody who's listened and happy running.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Thank you.

If you enjoyed this episode of the Finish Lines and Milestones Podcast from Sandy Boy Productions, please share rate review. I so appreciate your support and hope you listen again next week. I.

Ally Brettnacher

Episode 110: Amanda Luper - Seasons of Running Come

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