Episode 44: Dania Whittey - Team Lungstrong

Episodes

Feb 23

Dania Whittey was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 38. She started running on an Orangetheory treadmill and went on to run marathons while raising money to find a cure.

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About this episode

Dania Whittey, known on Instagram as Chick with CF, grew up in San Diego, spent about 12 years in Colorado, and now lives in Fishers, Indiana. After a year of tests for chronic pancreatitis, a genetic counselor told her at 38 that she has cystic fibrosis, a disease she thought only affected little kids. Today she is a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ambassador and leads Team Lungstrong for the Great Strides walk.

We talk about her diagnosis and what daily life with CF looks like, how a fast runner on the next treadmill at Orangetheory got her running, and finishing her first marathon on a stress fracture she did not know she had. Dania also shares how CF has shaped her as a mom, why her faith matters so much, and why 2024 is her redemption year with Chicago and her first ultra on the calendar.

In this episode, we discuss

How we met through Coach Katie, an Orangetheory coach and Athlete Bouquets customer
Moving from San Diego to Colorado to Fishers, Indiana
Being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 38 after a year of tests for chronic pancreatitis
How CF affects the lungs, gut, pancreas and mental health
Getting her daughters tested and the guilt of passing on a recessive gene
Rising CF life expectancy and the hope for a cure in her lifetime
Daily precautions against infection and learning to ask for help
Using Orangetheory and running as airway clearance instead of a compression vest
Starting to run on the treadmill next to Mitch Mosby during an Orangetheory challenge
Running her first Monumental half in 2:11 with only Orangetheory training
Finishing her first marathon on an undiagnosed stress fracture
A PR in the wind at the 2022 Monumental Marathon
What her daughters have learned from watching her live with CF
Her faith, her infinity cross tattoo and being angry at God for a year
Great Strides, Team Lungstrong and my tips for her first Chicago Marathon

Chapters

Intro
Meeting through Coach Katie and Orangetheory
From San Diego to Colorado to Indiana
A cystic fibrosis diagnosis at 38
Life expectancy and daily life with CF
Orangetheory as airway clearance
How running started
The Mini, the Monumental and a lost 2023
First marathon on a stress fracture
CF and motherhood
Races on the 2024 calendar
Chicago Marathon advice and running coaches
Faith and a tattoo reminder
Great Strides and Team Lungstrong
Mantra and next finish line

Where to find Dania

Instagram: Chick with CF

Mentioned in this episode

Races: Great Strides Indianapolis, CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Indy Mini-Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Winter Trail Frosty, Sam Costa Half Marathon, Full Mo 50K, Carmel Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon, No More 5K
Organizations and charities: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Orangetheory Fitness, Purdue University, Victory Field
Other: "I Lived" by OneRepublic, Life360, KT Tape, Peloton

Previous guests mentioned

Related episodes

Frequently asked

Who is Chick with CF?

Chick with CF is Dania Whittey, a runner from Fishers, Indiana who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 38 and runs marathons while raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation as Team Lungstrong.

Can you run a marathon with cystic fibrosis?

Dania Whittey has cystic fibrosis and has run two marathons, including a PR at the windy 2022 Monumental, and she says running and Orangetheory workouts work better for her airway clearance than the shaking compression vest.

How did Dania Whittey start running?

Dania Whittey started running at Orangetheory in Fishers when a fast runner on the next treadmill motivated her to switch from power walking to running, and a few months later she ran the Monumental half marathon in 2:11.

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Transcript

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

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones with Ally Brettnacher. Incredible stories and tales of triumphs with everyday people achieving their goals and fitness. This podcast brought to you by Athlete Bouquets. Celebrate finish lines and milestones of the people that you love by visiting athletebouquets.com. Hello and welcome to episode 44. This is Ally Brettnacher and episode 44. That's a hard 8 for anyone else who may gamble. I'm actually getting ready to go to Las Vegas might actually be in the air right now as you listen to this episode. I'm going for the rock'n'roll half marathon and I've done it before. It's been 2 years since I did it for the first time and it was not a great race for me.

So I'm heading back for redemption and to see you 2 in the sphere. I don't know which one I'm more excited about, to be honest. My dad and my aunt will be there. My dad and his cousin and some of their family do this race every year. And so I'm. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be so much fun. We play a lot of craps, so it'll be my 55th hard 10 half marathon. So hopefully I can execute the race plan that my coach, Rachel Senders has given me. It'll actually be the PR if I do, in fact, so I've put in the work.

We'll see how it goes. It's an evening race, so you run the strip at night and so that makes it a little tricky. But the weather's looking pretty good, so I'm feeling pretty good about it. A couple other. Things Before we launch into the episode for today, I am so excited about an opportunity to help support a friend of mine, Eileen. Poor she was on episode 17 of this podcast. It's actually the most listened to podcast, and it's been listened to 311 times, which if you listen to Alex Baker's episode, it's a very special number all tying together for this meaningful event. So we will be running the No More 5K to help end domestic and sexual violence.

We can do that virtually. So I'll have a link to register in the show notes here. But we're going to if your local to Carmel or Indianapolis run together on March 6th which is during no more week. So we will be running at 5:30. We're meeting on the Monon in front of Sun King in Midtown. So check out that link to register and support this this cause and support Eileen and hopefully just get together and see each other in person would be so nice. And then moving on to April, you'll hear me talk about this leading up to this event for sure. But the Carmel Marathon is on April 13th Saturday and I am sponsoring this year.

So I will actually be at the Expo on the 12th and we'll have bouquets, mugs, stickers for sale. And again would just love to meet people that I haven't met before. So please come say hi. And then another April event on April 28th at Victory Field will be a walk to support cystic fibrosis, which brings us to today's episode with Danya Witty. So what's really funny is that I did my research, as I often do before interviewing Danya, and I called her out towards the end of the episode for being CF Star of the Year for Indiana. And she says no, no, no, I'm. I'm not that well, come to find out an award.

She is in fact now already received. As you listen to this, she got the award the night before this came out. She is the star of the year for 2023 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. So we had a nice laugh about that, how I broke the news to her that she didn't know and that really nobody was necessarily supposed to know until the event honoring her and others for their work in the fight to find a cure for CF. So, so funny. And during this episode with Danya, we talk about how we met through Coach Katie, who is an Orangetheory coach and a customer of Athlete Bouquets.

Danya has actually received a couple from me, which makes my heart so happy. We talk about how Danya ended up in Indiana after living in California and Colorado. We talk of all about cystic fibrosis, her diagnosis, what it's like to live with CF. We talked about how she started running thanks to Orangetheory and Mitch Mosby. We talked about how she trained for her first marathon, having CF, and she ran a marathon with a stress fracture and CF. She didn't know she had the stress fracture. We also talked about how having cystic fibrosis has impacted her as a mom. And we talked a little bit about the Chicago Marathon, which is one of the races that Danya has on the calendar for this year.

We'll talk a little bit about run coaching and about her faith in God and kind of what that was like in dealing with her diagnosis. And at the end and as I already mentioned, we talked about how best to support Danya. So I mentioned the Great Strides event at the end of April. She is Team Lung Strong. I now have an awesome bracelet made by our friend Sarah Farney. I will include in the show notes here the link to help support Danya and continue to help her as she fights for a cure. This episode was so much fun to record and I know that you will enjoy this conversation with Danya.

Danya, that's me. You did it. Tanya with the DI. Got it? Yes, I got it. Thank you so much for hauling ass all the way from Fishers to be with me today. It was. It was close. Almost didn't make it. But we're here. We do, yes. I got this. Yeah, I can do this. I can do hard things. It's. Gonna be fun. Now I'm just gonna be, I know we're gonna wanna just keep chatting and we have, let's see, we have about an hour, which is good. We can do a few minutes beyond if I'm like cutting it close. We can do this, just don't take the route I took to get home.

Oh, it helps if I hit record too on this video. Excellent. Did it last time. Last episode I completely forgot to just hit the start button. No, but on the video it's This is the most important part. That's right, as long as I don't mess that up. As long as they can hear. Us Knock on wood, I have not, like, failed to record a whole interview yet. It's not going to happen today because I'll cry. We but we both will. The way it started so far, Oh my God. Oh, OK. So you are Chick with CF on Instagram? Yes, ma'am. And I sort of know you through coach Katie, right, who I met through my business athlete days.

She's probably, if not my best customer, one of like. I swear, every marathon season she's so sweet and buys bouquets for her friends running. Yes, I have a few so and I love them. And when anybody in my family tries to use those mugs, I'm like, no, no, no. You didn't earn that my. Husband does that and I'm like do. You. My mom. You. Can't. You can't use my New York 26 point. You didn't do that, you. Didn't do that. I the Chicago one because you've done that. Well, my husband hasn't done any of them, so I'm like absolutely no. Yeah, it's like do not touch.

That so I earned that the hard way. Yeah, yeah. You did not. Yeah. That's that's great. That's so funny. I feel the same way when he uses mine. I'm like, dude, we have 800 mugs. Exactly. Why do you have to touch any of them that have anything to do with my blood, sweat and tears to earn them? Yes. Oh, my gosh, exactly. Yeah. So that's so fun. I love that so much. Yes. And now we're finally meeting in person. Yes. And so coach Katie, she is an orangetheory coach. And I had gone to one. I went to one class now and I didn't. I loved it, absolutely loved it.

But I just. I know that I I just can't. It's like one of those things where I spend so much, I like have my peloton membership and then all the other things I do related to running and I'm self motivated enough to just work out on my own. Oh, see, I'm, I am not. Well, I wouldn't say I'm not motivated. I'm just, I'd be like, oh, maybe I'll do a little bit of this or I'll do a little bit of that. I would rather somebody just yell at me and tell me what to do so that I can kind of tune out and have an hour to myself.

Yeah, and tell me you can do better than that. Or hand me a heavier weight. Or tell me you can go faster. Just keep giving me those challenges and making me angry. But it's fine. We're always friends afterwards. Yeah, I well, I absolutely loved it. It's. Amazing Treadmills are incredible. It's the only workout that I've ever stuck with from the time I started spend I think 8 years now over 8 years. I've never done that in my life. That's longer than some of my past relationships, I mean. Yeah, eight years is no joke. Yeah. And that's over a well over 1000 now or just over.

Yeah, I'm over 1000. I think I'm almost at 1250. Last year kind of slowed me down because last year was a bad year, but. Yeah, wow, that's that's a lot of classes, yes. And so you go to the Fishers location then. Are there multiple in? Fishers. Yeah. Well, there's a one in nickel plate. OK. I go to that one sometimes. Sometimes I go to Noblesville. I've been to Carmel a few times. But my main my home is Fishers, guys. OK, Yeah. Are you from this area originally? No, I grew up in San Diego. Oh, so did your husband drag you here or school or what brought you to Indiana?

He's from Colorado. What are you doing here? We we got married and then we moved to Colorado. I had always wanted to live there, and turns out I married a guy that grew up there, so that made it easy. And we were just tired of the hustle and bustle in California and the cost of living. We were going to have children and needed to get some place where I could actually stay home and be with my kids. So got to Colorado, stayed there for about 12 years, and then that started to kind of turn into a little California. I have some family in Illinois and Indiana, and we came to visit one summer when both of the girls were little and we're like, huh, we could do this, just it was nice because it was a slower pace.

There's something to be said for raising your children in the Midwest. It just, it just worked. It was the right time. And if we were going to do it, we had to do it before. My older one was going to start high school because I would never do that to anybody. It wasn't the smoothest move because our kids, even the dogs, reacted. But you know, that's fine, but we love it. Everybody always says, why would you move to Indiana? You were in Colorado and in California. What are you doing here? And I'm like, you're right, it's horrible. Don't come out here. Yeah, stay. Stay where you are.

Stay in your lane. But I love it. I love all the openness. I know there's a lot of building now, so there's not as much, but it's still so much better than where we came from. Yeah, I and I say that what are you doing here? I love Indiana as well. I am from here though. Originally, although I was born in Aurora, Co but my parents, my parents were out there for, I don't know, maybe 8 to 10 years and then moved back once. They had me and my sister, right? And then my younger sister was. Was to raise kids. To raise kids, yeah. And they had.

Family here and it made a lot of sense and right. Yeah, yeah, I I love Indy because cost of living is great and you can go anywhere from here. Exactly. We've had so many little Rd. trips of places I've never been. I've been all over the place, you know, around Colorado, West Coast, whatnot. But I had never been to Michigan. That was one of the big ones, and I love Michigan. How was I missing out on that? Yeah. And it's like right there. Yeah, it's like a couple of hours north. And then, and it's not the ocean, I don't have to worry about sharks or salt there.

Exactly. I'm pretty sure they have shirts up there that say that. I have one. Oh. Dear That's so great. 'Cause I grew up around the ocean, so I was like, OK, this works. For me, I don't have to worry about. Sharks. I have to worry about something bumping into me when I'm in the water and wondering, is that a dolphin or a shark? Yeah. Oh man. Well, that's cool that you came here after just visiting some family and yeah, ended up here. The time was right. Yeah. So obviously I mentioned earlier, check with CF. Yes. So, cystic fibrosis. That's me. Yeah, that's. You and I feel embarrassed and like, ignorant when it comes to cystic fibrosis.

I actually don't know what it I mean. You're the first person that I've met. Do not. Or maybe I? Feel that way? Because when I got my diagnosis, all I knew about it was I was like, now wait a second, You mean like the disease that the little kids like, you hit their back. You know, you pound on their back to loosen things up and they're like, yeah, that's what you have. I got diagnosed as an adult. You are born with it. And I had health issues here and there growing up. But there is no record of anybody on my mom's side of the family or my dad's side of the family ever being diagnosed with CF or even anybody that I can remember that seemed like they might even have it.

I am the only child. So it turns out my parents just you know you have a one in four chance with every pregnancy if both parents have the recessive gene. One recessive gene on each side. OK, so with every pregnancy you have a one in four chance of having a child that has full blown CF and here I am. Wow. Is that something that they I is that's something that you would know Like I'm just thinking they don't give you typically a profile that would say or would they would a doctor say, hey you might you have a higher chance than normal or? Because of my age, back when I was born it wasn't really a thing, in fact in the 70s when I was born, going to be 52 this year.

So one of their campaigns was having signs on buses and it just said, have you kissed your baby today? Because our skin is extra salty. So they would say if you kissed your baby and it tasted salty, then there was a chance that they could have it and then that's when you would go and go to the doctor and get tested. Wow. Yeah. So clearly your parents didn't, like, lick your skin or kiss you all that off. And, you know, hey, let's. There was no physical touch. They just put me in my crib and left me. No, I I mean, maybe mine isn't as salty as the normal person.

Or, I don't know, We grew up in San Diego's. A lot of chips and salsa. Who? Where you're just like, hey, you're sweating a little bit. I don't know. I probably wouldn't. I mean, yeah, I I don't know. But again, there is no no reason to ever think of it. But now I look back from memories that I have and I'm like, oh, OK, that makes sense now. What caused you to end up being diagnosed? Like what were the symptoms? I I presented with pancreatitis. Oh, that's right. CF doesn't just affect your lungs, it affects your guts, pancreas especially. It can affect your joints. It can affect your mental health.

Big time. It it's it's not pretty. It just effects so much more than what people think. I had pancreatitis. I did not fit into the box. I wasn't an older man. I was not an alcoholic. And when they came into the room, the nurse was very Now we're not going to judge you, but we really need you to be honest with us so we know how to best treat you. And I was like, no IIA drink every once in a while. I am not an alcoholic. So for a year they tested me. Everything that you can imagine. It was not enjoyable. I I am not a fan of going to the doctor's office now so but if you ever need to know about all kinds of tests all over the place on your body, just ask me.

I can probably tell you all about it. But after a year my doctor finally said, do you want to do some genetic testing to see if we can figure out what this is? Because we could not figure out why I ended up with chronic pancreatitis, which is excruciating. It's one of the most painful things. I do not wish it on your worst enemy. So I said well, yes, because at the time my children were young and I thought, what if they have whatever I have? I would rather find out now versus they go through their adult life and get settled and have kids and get married and then boom, they have it.

So we did genetic testing. And after, I don't know, a couple weeks, the genetic counselor called me and she had her therapy voice, the very calm, oh boy. So I was like, oh, boy, here we go. And she's like, so we got your results back and you have cystic fibrosis. And I remember that call. I can remember how I felt. I can remember where I was in the house. I can remember just kind of sitting there quietly and ask and then just respond with wait, you mean like, what little kids, the disease little kids get where you pound on their back to loosen stuff up in their lungs?

She said yes. And then I was like, oh, OK. I said, does this mean I'm going to die? Because, I mean, all I ever knew was these little kids usually did not live for very long. That's how it used to be back in the day. So I was so confused because I was 38. I have this bracelet here that has the date that I got my diagnosis as a reminder always. It didn't make sense my I wasn't processing very well so I just told her. OK. Well, thanks have. A great day. And I on the phone and then she followed up with an e-mail. She's like, I had a little more to tell you.

You need to go and meet with somebody at the CF clinic. And this was in Colorado. So I was like, OK, I'll make that appointment. You might want to take your family with you. And in my mind, I'm thinking, Oh my God, I'm going to die. My kids aren't going to have a mom. Of course, I started going to doctor Google. And then I knew for sure I was going to die. Like any minute. I was just going to drop dead. So I think I was in denial for quite a bit. We went to the hospital and when they came in and started asking me questions, my kids came up in the conversation and that's when it just hit me like a ton of bricks.

And I just lost it because I was terrified. I didn't even really care about me, like what I might go through. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to be there for my kids, for my husband. What if I have this and my kids end up having it And I didn't know so we couldn't have done some sort of testing earlier on? That was that day Gives me chills. I haven't thought about that for a while, but we got the girls tested because I wanted to be sure they do not have it. Neither one of them have it, but they are carriers so they each have one recessive gene.

So when it's time to get married and have babies, if that's what they want to do, then it would probably be a good idea for their husband to also be tested to see if they have that chance of having a child with CF. Do I have some guilt about that? I totally do. Is it in my control? No. But you don't ever want your kids to have to worry about anything. Yeah. So we're just going to wait and see what happens with that. But it's been a ride, let me tell you. 38, Yeah. And So what is the average lifespan of somebody with CF? Well, just since I've been diagnosed, it's gotten better and better.

I'm not on borrowed time anymore. I don't feel like because now it's finally older than what I am. I'll be 52 this year and right now the median age is 56 and it keeps getting better and better. They are finding that there are more people than used to be. Used to be about 30,000 in the US now it's about 40,000. The reason being is because people are living longer and more adults are getting diagnosed later in life. So it's good, but bad, but still good. Do you know? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, so now I'm like, all right, I got to get a lot of stuff done before 56.

I don't feel like I feel like I'll probably live to be in my 80s, unless something horrible, some infection, gets me that just antibiotics aren't going to help it. But that's one of the reasons why I do orangetheory, why I run. That's my way of kind of having a little bit of control with the whole situation 'cause there isn't a lot that you can control. Right. How old were your girls when you were diagnosed? If I was 38. Sorry, that's the math. That's a lot of math thing. My older daughter would have been eight and my younger daughter was almost three. So my older daughter to this day who will be 22 next month, which that's weird to me as well, that I have a 22 year old.

Wow, yeah. She clearly remembers being in the back seat of the car and me talking, saying I needed to talk to her because I wanted her in the car so that I'd have her confined and build a focus, you know, pay attention what mommy was saying. And she to this day will tell that story. She remembers me talking to her and remembers how she felt. And it's kind of stuck with her. She's graduating this semester in the spring from Purdue, and her major is genetics because of what she's dealt with most of her life with seeing me having a genetic disease, the little one. She's a junior in high school now.

She doesn't remember much when she was tiny. Tiny. I think the first time that it really hit her that she understood was when she was in first grade and I had to be hospitalized. I think that's when it really clicked that, oh, mommy's sick. I don't tend to. It's, I don't make it like a a main thing in our in our home or in our life. I try not to. If it does become a main thing, it's because things are really, really bad. But my daily, you know, struggles or challenges or pain or any of that stuff, nobody would ever know cuz what's the point?

It's it's I don't remember what it felt like to not feel that way. So you just go with the what? Is what is that like? I have to be very careful. Like when COVID came around and everybody was freaking out about wearing masks and and being careful around sick people and what that's my life. So that wasn't a big change for me. If I go to the hospital, even just for a checkup, I have to wear a mask. I am very aware if somebody is around me and sick, I'm kind of watching out of the corner of my eye or I just won't go in that area.

If somebody's hacking and coughing in an elevator or something, no, I am a hand cleaner person at all times. I have them everywhere. My kids, when they were little, they'd I'd pick them up from school and immediately they'd stick their hands out to get some hand cleaner and they get home and they would change and usually take a shower because there's so much cootie funk at especially the elementary school level, that we didn't want to take any chances. There are some days where I have good energy. There are some days where my body's just like, no, you got to stop. Which has been a struggle for me too, because I am very a type.

So I was always that person that was go, go, go. I didn't want to ask for help unless I really needed it. I just would get it done. I have had to learn how to ask for help. I've had to learn that it's OK to take a nap or just to sit on the couch and relax. Still not easy. But if I want to keep on going, I I have to listen to my body and it, I have to tell myself, doesn't mean you're weak. It's just it's ridiculous that I'm this age and I have to talk myself out of it, but it is what it is.

But especially like when I'm running or Orangetheory, there are some days like Katie has been my coach for several races now. So mate, coaching is is, yeah. Sarah and Tracy are coaching me for my first ultra, because why not? Because why not? Last year it was a bad year. I was sick almost the entire year. Plus I got COVID twice within like 6 months so that last year there were no races. There was hardly any OTFI was. I felt like the girl in the bubble for part of the year. So now that I'm back, this is my redemption year. Why not just do an ultra to start things off as my big one?

Yeah, why not? Shoot, that's amazing. So. But I'm so excited. Yeah, I want to talk more about that. But first, how did you how did running start? Orange Theory. I was never a runner, ever. I was not very. I mean, I was an athlete as far as I would. It wasn't like in high school or anything. I would do sports, but I was a little too competitive, so sometimes it. That's me too. So I'm like like I. Get a little too aggressive. So when we moved out here, I wanted, you know, because we were new to Indiana and even though I had some family out here, I wanted to get to know people.

And so I thought, well, orange theory perfect. Plus, it'll help me with my lungs. It's the best airway clearance there is. I don't have to use the vest anymore, which is horrible because it always made me feel sick because it's just the vest. It's this compression vest that you put on and it shakes you and it like it's like the IT mimics being somebody pounding on your back and your chest. And I don't like it. My body has never liked it. It makes me feel very nauseous. But we have found for me in particular, and shocker, they're finding for more adults that working out doing things such as orangetheory works better.

Like everybody knows, occasionally I run out the back door because I have to get some things up. I have had Katie pound on my back when I'm on the tread before because I can feel something is stuck in my chest and she'll just come over and just beat me up on my back to get it to move while I'm running on the treadmill. And I'm sure other members that don't know me are like, why is she like beating her up while she's running? What kind of challenge is that? Interesting motivational. Test. But it works and I don't want to have to stop if I don't have to.

And usually when she does it because she'll get in, you can't. It's not something that's gentle. You have to like pound on me, she does great. Wow. But yeah, I. What I'm just trying to like picture that too. Me riding on the treadmill, On the treadmill. Yeah, like between the treadmills to. Like, well, usually if I can, I'll always try to get on the end so I don't get as hot. But she'll just hop up there and I'll be like waving her to come over and I'll be like, I need you to pound on my back. So, so then. Does something come up and then you, like, have to spit it out, or do you swallow it?

Sorry, I don't know what. No, I mean, you spit. It's mucus. OK. It's disgusting. Your lungs are full of mucus. Your pancreas, Everything there is can be full of mucus. That's why like my girls are a true miracle, because a lot of people with CF struggle with infertility. It's gross. There is nothing pretty about CF between your gut being a mess and then hacking stuff up. If you can spit it out, it's preferable, But there are occasions where you can't and it's nasty. So do you like on the tread, do you have like a copper like somewhere that you're? No. If I really have to, I will run out the back door and just spit out the grass.

So she like, pounds on your back. It doesn't mean that it's going to like come up it. Might. No, no, no. It just means that it's kind of moved, so it's not hurting and it's not blocking something. On it. Got it. Yeah, but Orangetheory, I started and I will never forget. We, I don't know it been open for maybe a couple months and we had our first dry tray. So it's where you row eight, 8000 miles on the rower you do? Meters. You said Miles. That's hilarious. That's just 8000 miles. Just 8. Thousand Yeah, 'cause I'm a runner and that's how we do things on the weight floor.

You do several body weight exercises. I don't even remember the amount, but it's a lot. And then you do a 5K on the treadmill. So I decided, why not? Let's try it. Let's see what happens. And I get to the treadmill, which is the last part. And I will never forget there was a guy to my right, his name is Mitch Mosby and he was just flying. And I'm next to him power walking and I'm kind of getting irritated because I'm power walking and he is just flying and almost done and I'm thinking I'm going to be up here forever. So watching him motivated me.

Let's just start running and see what happens. And if I die, I die or I fly off the treadmill or, you know, I can always go back to walking. So I went ahead and speed it up and started running. And I finished it running and I was like, oh, it didn't kill me. I think I could like this. So then I started running every time I would go. And then I decided that was in August. I decided let's do monumental half, let's do this. So couple months later I was doing that. I had no run coach. The only training I had was Orangetheory and back then I would go like five days a week, four to five days a week.

That was the only training I had and I was like, whatever happens, happens, that was one of the most amazing races I've ever done as far as how I felt physically and mentally. I think partly because I didn't know what to expect, so I just went with it. I had no goals other than just don't die and finish and I ended up running it I think in two hours and 11 minutes, which, you know I'll take that. Katie ran with me. This and this shows you how far back this is. She's too fast now so there's no way we could run a races together now.

But back in those days, I remember we were getting ready to run and she said, you know, I may not be running with you the whole time. Are you? You know, you're cool and I'm like, no, do your thing. And we ended up running the whole thing. And back in those days, I actually helped her PR that half. Awesome. That's a one. And only that she's way faster now, so it would never happen again. So I think that kind of motivated me too, 'cause there was my coach that I kind of surprised. Yeah. So then I thought, why not do it again? So I did it again the next year.

And then I tried them many. The first one was I have it in my notes because I knew I'd forget this. I think it was 2016. OK. Yeah, 2016. And then my first marathon was 2021. OK, 2016, so then after 2016 and then you did it again the next? Year. The next year. When did you do the Mini for the first time? I think I might have done it the same year. The second year, I honestly don't remember and the only reason I did the Mini was because I'm in Indiana and I had to do it once. And I'm going to be honest, I did not enjoy the Mini, mainly because there's a lot of people that are not doing it for the sake of running and the race.

They're doing it to say they did the Indy Minnie and to take pictures and they don't get out of the way. And it made me very angry. Yeah. 'Cause it clearly says move over and there were people right in the middle and I get it. But I was like I'm trying to PR get get out the. Way. If you know you're going to start by walking, like why are you? Why are? You. Why are you up front? Yeah, So it was frustrating. It was very frustrating. Monumental, near and dear to my heart. I love the half, I love the full. I love the atmosphere. It's been some crazy races there.

I've been in snow, sleet, rain, wind. Yeah. Wait, what was the wind Was 21? No 22. 22. Yeah, because that's when I did the full for the first time at Monumental. I mean the that wind, like, I literally would just put my head down and like power through it because some of those wind gusts were crazy. But I ended up peeing. That was my second marathon and PR ING even with all that. So I was like, OK, we're going to, I was all playing on 2023, we're going to do more of these. I'm going to do Chicago, I'm going to do all this. And then boom, like, I don't know, January, February, I started not feeling quite right.

And then it just got worse from there. So I gave up 2023. So now here I am. I'm like, I'm going to try the lottery for Chicago. If I get in, great, it's meant to be. If I don't, then it's just not meant to be. This year. Well, almost all my friends did not get in. You got in. But I got in. So I was like, oh, no, I got in. I'm like, oh, so I'm doing that too. And then a bunch of little things sprinkled in there, like like this weekend I'm doing the Winter Trail Frosty. Where's that? It's in. I forgot what Park?

Asked Sarah. Oh, it's Is it like around here? OK, OK. I've never heard of it. I. Think it's in Ritchie Woods? I honestly don't remember. I usually just show up and yeah, right. You're like, what's the address I'll be? There, but the main reason I do that one is because it's winter trail frosty, so all the swags is WTF. That's fun. That's a great idea. So is it 1/2 or what's the race? I am doing it's a half marathon or 1/4 and I'm doing quarter. Why did I? How long has it been around? I've never heard of it. I I did it last year too, huh?

See. I always get FOMO. When I see this little bit of race. That's like close by and I'm like. Do it next year. Do it next year, I was. Trying to think what's this weekend, but I'm going to Vegas to run. A house? Yeah, I was going to say you're going to be busy, so and it'll be a little tiny bit warmer there possibly. Yeah, right. Yeah. What's this weird today? Weather I. Midwest got to love. It. That's right. That's how Colorado was, too. You got to keep all the layers in your car. How is that for you with CF and all like the up and down of the weather and temperature, Does that impact you at all or is that?

Definitely, but you just roll with it. What are you going to do? Yeah, yeah. I mean live in San Diego where the weather's the same all the time I guess, but. Boring. Boring. Yeah. And there's a lot of people there. I grew up with no seasons and I love seasons. I love fall like I love fall. I love everything about it. I just wish they would last a little bit longer. Right, yes, agreed. So tell us about training that like training for a marathon for the first time. That was hard. That's harder than the actual race. I knew that it was going to take a lot of time because I have followed my other friends that have done marathons and I knew what I was getting into, but I didn't know what I was getting into, if that makes sense.

Katie knew that coaching me was going to be a little bit different than coaching your typical person because of all my health things. The first one I ended up I think like in the beginning because my body is kind of getting used to all this stuff that I'm doing. I usually end up getting a cold or something. But the first marathon, the main thing was we thought that I had an Achilles injury. Like towards the end of training I was horrified because one of the meds you take when you get a lung infection can cause your Achilles to start weakening over time. So I was like, oh boy, here we go.

This is great. It's going to like snap and but everything's fine with the Achilles. But I did end up having a stress fracture in my foot and found out after I ran the ran the first marathon. So I ran it with the stress fracture I had like literally a whole roll of KT tape and compression sock. I I mean it. It didn't feel great by the end but it did it. But it's just the time commitment. Like you have to be serious and want want this because you cannot fake a full you can fake 1/2. I've done it, but you can't fake a fool I can't even imagine.

And the mental part of it, I mean, there were days where I was like, what am I doing? This is horrible. I can't do this. What was I thinking? Blah blah, blah. And then there were days where I was like, I want to run faster. I don't ever want to stop. I want to just keep going. This is the most perfect run ever. I'm usually smiling almost the entire time I'm running the actual race because I I think part of me is just like, I can't believe I'm doing this. But I also feel like, how lucky am I to do this? Because there are so many people with CF that if they could do it, they would possibly, but there are so many that can't be that active.

So I'm like, OK, well, we'll kind of tell CF where to stick it and I'm going to do this and it may not be pretty. It's not going to be the best time ever, but I will cross that finish line. I will crawl, I will roll at whatever I whatever I have to do, I will cross that finish line. And whenever I'm kind of starting to get that doubt, you know, the last about 6 miles or so that feel like forever, I start thinking of all the people who are fighting, who are waiting for a double lung transplant, who are just finding out that their baby, the newborn baby has it, who are no longer with us because we didn't have the advances back then that we have now.

So how selfish of me to feel sorry for myself and just not get it done right. So I'm pushing. I am doing everything I can. The saying is, you know, CF, we want it instead of cystic fibrosis, we want it to stand for cure found. So I will fight until my dying day because I'm so hopeful we're there's been so many advances in the last 10 years. That's why the life expectancy has gotten better. The medications are better. I want there to be a cure in my lifetime. I don't care if I'm in my 80s. It may not help me at that point, but all these littles I don't want them to have to deal with that.

And if just the little tiny bit that I can do can help us get that much closer, then hey, it's all worth it. I'll just keep on torturing myself with running in Orangetheory. Wow. You know, for anybody who's listening to this on a run, if they were like hurting or thinking anything at all, like, I don't think I can do this workout. Well, suck it up, buttercup. That's right, suck it up, buttercup. My kids know that saying really, really well. I mean, they have to be in bad shape for me to go, oh, I'm so sorry if they're just complaining about something hurting, like, I don't have the energy.

I'll just be like, really? Yeah. Yeah. And then they'll usually get up and they're like and get going. Yeah. How do you think it's impacted you as a mom, like teaching them about persistence and mental health and? Man, I actually my 17 year old, I sat down with her yesterday and I knew I was coming to do this and I knew you might be asking me some questions about the mom side of it. And I sat down and I said how has me having CF, how has that affected you? Like now I mean because I see some things, I assume some things, but like how does it, how do you really feel about it?

And she's like, that's kind of hard to explain. But she finds she, you know, after kind of going back and forth with something, She's like, the easiest way I can say it is that I've looked up to you my entire life, Oh my gosh, it was ugly cry. And then she's like, why are you crying? I said because I just having this disease and it happening, you know, our lives. We were already like having a routine, you know, we had the kids. We were doing all the things my our lives were taking the path that I was going to take. And then to be diagnosed.

Everything comes to a screeching halt and there's a lot of attention on me. It's a financial strain for sure. So it's a mental strain making, you know, my husband, He's been an amazing caregiver. My parents, you know, when my parents, sometimes I'll joke around and say, well, you did this to me. And my dad will laugh along with me and my mom's like, oh, I. Don't. Like that I like you. You sense of humor is number one. You have to laugh when you can because otherwise, I mean I can't dwell on it. Does this suck? Oh my gosh, yes, it sucks. Was I pissed when I first found it?

Like for a year I was mad at God even. I was like, how could you do this to me? I have kids, we have plans. How could you do this to me? I was mad but got over it. You know how to process. It only took me a year to process, so you know, I'm slow. But she, she has learned. And it's not always because I can't even always do that, not to sweat the small stuff. She is like me. And I remember this. Even as a little girl, she would hurt herself or do something where I would think she hurt herself. So I would just kind of like not, you know, you kind of wait and see what's going to happen.

She'd put her hand out and say I'm OK, it's OK, I'm OK, And she'd be fine for my younger one. If she is sick or hurt, she's like me. Like it has to be bad for me to even know something is hurting her. Like, for her to say, I do not feel good, I need to stay home from school. My older one, she has learned, she man, she has learned to push through. She's actually on the spectrum. It's called pervasive developmental disorder. So she doesn't fit into all the categories, just some of them. So she's had to deal with that through her life. And I've always told her so you just have to do things differently.

Things are hard. You just push on through And there were times where she's like, well, you know I don't want it's hard why this, why that? And I'm like, we don't always get to decide, but how you choose to handle it is what is going to determine how your life turns out. So again, she's getting ready to to graduate from college with a degree and a 5000 minors that she's like, oh, I just need to take one more class and I can get a minor in this and then why not go for it? I hope that I have influenced them in a positive way, but at the same time, like I said, I feel I have that mom guilt like because of all of this they have possibly missed out on a lot of things because me being in the hospital or them just worrying.

And no, we can't do this now because Mom's sick or I'm so tired I can't go or Oh no, we have a whole pile of hospital bills again. So now we got to hold off on that. Just I think that guilt will always be there. But they have both told me no, that's that's not what it's about. I hope that they will carry it through to adulthood and being moms if they choose to be moms and living their lives and pushing on through. But I also have taught them that it's OK to say this sucks and to not like it and to not be like, oh yay.

But again, how you choose to push on through is going to determine how your life goes. I choose to live my life and I almost feel, and I've said this before, I feel like in some ways that I'm kind of lucky to have CF and so many people will look at me like I'm crazy when I say that. But I think it has forced my very a type self to kind of relax a little bit on some things. Not always I'm always I'm still a work in progress. Let's be real. But I appreciate things more. I try not to sweat the small stuff as much.

I try to live my life like I'm constantly pushing myself. Because why not, Let's see how far I can push this. Because like I said, I have to have some sort of control in the situation. So I don't feel like I'm doing that much. Like to teach them. I mean, I try, but now that they're older and they have expressed their feelings to me, I guess they were paying attention and they were watching, which is another reason why I have to keep on pushing because they're always watching, even now as they get older. Yeah. Have they run with you at all? Done. Any races? My older one is a hell no to the running.

She is like I'll take a walk with you. She might do a 5K with me. We'll see that, you know, baby steps. My younger one, we did a few 5 KS together and then when she got old enough to realize this is not enjoyable for me, she's like, no more. Like she would rather die than go for a run. Like yesterday I had to do a run. She's like, I'll take a walk with you and then I'll go home and you can do your thing. She decided to do Olympic weightlifting instead, so she's a weight girl and typically they all hate running. Right. Yeah, they just like to lift big things, heavy things.

So I'm like, you know, whatever rocks your boat, 'cause if you would have told me at their ages that I would be doing what I do now, running wise, there is. I would have laughed. I would have been like, not going to happen. There is no way. And now, like, I just keep wanting to do more. It's like it's such a high and then it pushes you to challenge yourself more and more and more. You just can't stop. Yeah, yeah, I feel that. Every year it's more and more and I feel because I missed so much last year that I really need to push this year.

So again, why not? Yeah, yeah. Like, I just signed up for Sam Costa too. Because why not? I haven't done that one ever. I haven't either, and I'm interested. So do it. Yeah, I I want to. All the cool kids are doing it. What weekend is it again? Sorry Angelica, I forgot already. I think it's the last weekend and I just signed up and I already forgot. So what does that tell you, right? Whatever it is, I'm going to be there. Yeah, I I I'm interested in doing that one. Especially because for Carmel, I don't think I'm going to run this year because I'm going to sponsor those athlete Bouquets, which I've never done before.

So I'm interested. Oh, that'll be huge. It'll be fun. And then I might, may or may not be an MC, So that's the first. I think you. I think you may. Yeah, I said yes. Because whenever I'm terrified of something, I'll. Just be like. That's why you have. To do this and then just figure it out, like doing this, like talking, speaking on a microphone, right, one-on-one, even though people listen to it, it's like, well, I'm kind of hiding behind the microphone. Whereas like when you're on a microphone in front of, yeah. But everybody won't be like just. Staring at it also, no one cares at all.

Well, I will care. I'll be there running. Yeah, but you'll do great. You're natural. But so I'm excited, but also kind of bummed because I'm like, I want to you'll have. FOMO you'll have. FOMO you'll. Have so much FOMO and. FOMO is just for running. Because like, there's so many races in the school. So I'm like, you know, I'm doing the Mini, maybe Sam Costa, what else guys used to be now they're in the fall. So yeah, So we'll see. Are you? Going to do monumental. Yeah, in some capacity. I might do the half. We'll see, because that's so close to Chicago. Or I might just be a really good cheerleader.

Yeah, spectating is also so rewarding. Oh, I do like spectating. If I'm not running, I'm there to scream and yell my head off for you like I've gone to Chicago twice to cheer on all my friends, and that's like a marathon in itself. It is hard work. It is especially in Chicago. It is craziness, but I love it so much and it really helps with the FOMO. Yeah, it does, because at least you're participating. And it's just such a good buzz when you're there. Oh, I love it. Oh, I can't wait. Yeah, so I've done Chicago four times. That's my it's the one I've done the most.

I've done 7 fulls so Chicago by and far. What's your advice for me for the Chicago? Oh gosh, just to enjoy, enjoy it all because there's so many spectators. Yes, so. It's craziness. Yeah. And so you've been once you kind of get. That. Oh yeah. And so just, you know, enjoy that part of it. There's a small, very small hill at the end which feels. Like at the end. Yeah, so you've got to go up and over. It's nice to know that it's there. Yes, thank you turning. I may have heard that before, but I think I just. Put it out well, and it's not even a hill, It's a bridge.

But it feels, yeah, it's like a bump. And I forget the name of the street. I should know that. But it's it's a bump of a hill, but it feels like a mountain because you're like, it's like, right? It's like you literally go over that hill and then you have like 400 meters or so. Do they still have where you come to meet your people and you have to walk down the stairs? Is that still a thing 'cause I remember thinking that is a dirty trick. I don't remember going downstairs. So maybe they changed it. I did my first was in 2010. Oh. Oh, so 10/10/10.

I remember. And so, yeah, so I I don't you go to at Millennium Park. I'm so bad. Yeah, that's the name. I thought I was going to mess it up for some reason. You're perfect, Millennium Park. But yeah, so you just kind of hobble your way through the end. And then I just sat. I remember sitting by the fountain with my dad. And questioning your life's. Choices like, wow. Well, that was before, you know, you can appreciate now having a running coach. Yeah, coaches. Right. Did you not get coached for that? Not for a very long time. I just started being coached. What? What did I start 2020-2021?

So I'm like brand new to doing it the right. Way. Doesn't it make such a big difference? I think it helps mentally when you're having a yuck day or you're thinking, Oh my God, I can't do this, I'm broken. Yeah. It's like, no, I wouldn't give you anything you can't handle. Exactly. And then you're like, fine, right? OK. I guess I'll go, you know. And they're always right. Which is great. Which is great, but at the same time, yeah. Right. I know I want to be right. But it's good when they're right about things like yes you can PR. And you're like, I don't know.

And then you do and you're. Like and that's why I like. Coach. And I'm not. Yeah, exactly. Right. Totally, totally. So I wanted to touch on how we do on time. I wanted to touch on a couple other things. I want to talk about what you're doing next, but we'll have we have time for that at the end of the podcast questions. But I want to talk about your faith a little bit. OK, because yeah, like initially you're like, what in the heck? Why, God, why me? Why this? Like, how does that play a role in your life today? I like, I said, I was very angry with him for like a year.

I was like, why would why if you're really there, why would you do this to me and to my family? How could you do that now? Because I had a year to process. I don't. I never lost my faith. I was just mad. And honestly, I cannot imagine going through all the ups and downs of the CF life without having faith. You have to have something positive in there. You have to feel like somebody's got your back. And I talked to him a lot. I talked to him for my girls when I was sick last year. We talked a lot and I was like, OK, maybe I wasn't behaving, so maybe you're helping me slow down a little bit and you know, but you this is a bit dramatic.

You didn't have to do this much. But I honestly, I cannot imagine going through anything like that without having your faith. I 'cause you already go to dark places. You feel when you're sick, You feel very isolated because when you're sick, it's you. It's not good for you to be out and about because your immune system is already shot. And you and I, I go to dark places. It's not good, but as long as it doesn't last, I'm all right. Which it doesn't. But that's one of the reasons why. Obviously my family and friends help with that, but he is the main thing that I hold on to because without that there would be it would be bad.

It's important, it's huge and I wish that more people would understand that. I get I had no other people going through this kind of stuff that are also mad at him and I'm like, that's fine, but he's still there. So in my mind, I'm like, if you're mad at him, at least you still believe in. Him, right? So that you know but you have to have something to hold on that's just between it does it's not your friends it's not your family it's just like in your soul. And I honestly feel like I was this was supposed to happen because I have a really big mouth and I and I if I really am passionate about something I will push.

I will not stop tell my dying day. I advocate as much as I can. I've met so many people through this, that family members of somebody that they just found out their kid had CF or their niece or nephew. What They will come up and talk to me and I feel like, OK, that's why I'm here, to let them know it's going to be OK, their baby or their kid. Whoever is going to have a chance to have a full life and have a family and to live their life and enjoy their life and be part of all the important things. It is not a death sentence really anymore.

I mean things can still go wrong and unfortunately there are still people who are passing, but the numbers have gone down, the the living has gone up, the passing has gone down. So we just got to keep on keeping on and pushing to make that number dwindle even more. But yeah, how could you get through this stuff without God? And tell me about your tattoo too, to kind of go along with that. It's an Infinity cross. It was first one I ever, ever got, and I needed to be somewhere where I could see it to remind me So. And I got this after I started running too.

And it was like kind of to help, kind of bring me back like, OK, this is, this is what you need to focus on. If you're in a dark place, just this right here and you'll be good. And for anyone listening, it's on her for like kind of like what? The pit of your arm, not the. Arm inner arm. Elbow. Inner elbow? Yeah, the arm, not the armpit. That's not the actual pit. Oh dear. That we are. Yeah. I have, so I have my husband's name and my daughter, my older daughter. So this is her handwriting. Absolutely. This is my husband's handwriting. And then when Sloan, my younger daughter is old enough to write, to write it and when I like, I'm like, I like that then I'll put that on there.

I. Love that, But that's just your reminder. Right. It's like this is you know to your point when you're running you can kind of see and when I do temporary tattoos, I'll put put them on there. I. Love those. I'm going to have to get some of those when I do that. Ultra. Oh yeah. Yeah, and actually a friend of mine, Ashley Haynes, she wore it for 100 Mile Race and it stayed in the rain. In the rain. Oh, wow. Like. That is a testament to the quality. I'm all about that. Sometimes I'll get a sharpie and I'll write little things on my hands or whatever.

I'll write things for my kids. I mean, just whatever it takes to get you through, right? Amen. So I was going to also ask about so how, how to best support you and the overall 'cause you last year. I want to make sure, Oh yeah, CF Star of the year 2023, What does that? Mean I don't know that I was Star of the Year. I am getting an award this week. I mean, I was up there. I I fought hard. But there were a couple other people that raised more than me. So now I'm even more determined. I had a bad year. So this year I'm an ambassador.

I'm an ambassador. I'm on their task force. I'm raising funds. Our team's name is long, strong and I'm getting an award this week. I have no idea what it's for. They just let me know show up so. I don't know where I found this information, but I found it on the Internet somewhere. I don't know. The Internet is always correct so. Hey, if they want to call me a star, that would be. As a type AI can be. Like. I mean, I like. To be called a star. I I could be a star. CF star, purple star. We are doing great strides. That's what I'm currently raising money for.

I mean I'll go to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that will be on, it's earlier this year, it's going to be on April 28th. 28th, OK. And it's just, it's called great strides. It's just a walk. It's at Victory Field and you can people bring their dogs, their kids, their grandparents, whoever, because we're just walking. It's you were walking around the park a few times. It's more just to bring awareness to support other CF Ers and that's the one thing too. It always has to be outside because we can't be close to each other. That is for real. This award ceremony that I'm going to this week, there are two other people who were invited that also have CF.

So they had to reach out to me and say, OK, this is the situation. If you're not comfortable, we can do it virtually with you somehow or but if you're there, we will seat you. You know apart from each other. Why? Why is that? Because there are a lot of bacterias that, for example, you're healthy, your lungs are healthy. If you got it in your lungs, your body would just be like, no, fight it off, you're fine. CF ers if we get it because we have that thick sticky mucus in our lungs, it holds on to everything. So there are specific bacterias that we could give to each other without even knowing, just by being like being this close.

No, it's just not worth. Taking the chance if you wear masks I. Still wouldn't, because those kind of infections scar up your lungs more. Some of them are very resistant to antibiotics and it's just I don't even want to chance it. I'm going. But I said as long as we're all, and I'm sure the other two probably feel the same, we're not going to be. We can blow kisses to each other across the room, but we can't get close. It's just not. It's not worth. Right, No. And again, it's my redemption here. I I can't mess around this year. No you can't. Because the training feels it feels so good to be running again.

I can't even oh. Are you? Have you already run or worked out today? No, not today. It is gorgeous. Yeah, I did yesterday and it was amazing today. I don't know if I'll get a workout outside, but I'm probably going to go to Orange Theory tonight. Well, and tomorrow it's supposed to be really nice here as well. Right. And then Thursday we have rain. Which is fine. Whatever it's been. It's like what I I changed. Literally. I changed my outfit three times today. I went outside in my long pants and my long sleeve shirt and I was like in my ear warmer gloves. I walk outside, I'm like oh God, it's like 50° right?

So and then so I went back in and I like looked at the temperature, but it just feels. Right, with the sun out, it makes all the difference. So I might be cold for the first, you know, 5 or 10 minutes. But as start, as soon as I start chugging it off like OK, it's the best feeling. Just give me all the sun. I don't even care how cold it is. Yeah, I just need the sun. I. Feel the same. Way my friend Ashley dragged me out. What? Right after we had the snow the next. I saw that online. I'm like. Thank you for getting me outside.

It was. Really. But it was beautiful. And we were both not even cold at all. I just wore all my gear. I felt fine. So I'm like, OK, I need to stop being such a wuss. Yes, suck it up, you. Do that's right. Exactly, man. OK, so I hate to do this, but I'm going to end you or I'm going to end with our end of the podcast questions. So Speaking of suck it up Buttercup Favorite running mantras or songs? The Suck It Up Buttercup is always one of my things, but one of my favorite songs is I Lived. By one. Oh yeah, that's a good one.

Listen to the words. It'll get you in the fields, so if you need to remember why you're doing what you're doing and to suck it up, buttercup. That's a good one. OK. Add that to the playlist and then so your next finish line or milestone, you mentioned the Ultra earlier. On which you're going. To do the full mount I want to do I I I want to do it at some point. Then why don't you? Life with the little kids and my husband's right. Like, I just we're in a season right now. That makes it. Oh, I. Feel that? Yes, yes. The little you are in a season, But it is just a season.

Yeah, but right now, you your time is needed in different ways. Like my kids are older. They need me. But you know, one's in college, the other one's driving around doing her own thing, and they just follow me on Life 360 when I'm running to make sure that I'm still moving. Yeah, there you go. But yeah, I can't imagine it's a. Huge time commitment. And then you know if I get it in during the day, which I have the flexibility to do, I'm, I'm exhausted. And so it's just like I want to be present and there during this time. So it's I go back and.

Forth and it goes fast. So be there, be present for them and enjoy every minute because everybody says it goes fast. But man, like I have a 17 and almost 22 year. How? Yeah. It it happens, so just soak it in. Enjoy it all. If you have to be part of it so that you don't have as much FOMO, just be there and cheer. Right, exactly. There's always opportunities to volunteer. Just show up and start yelling. Yep, I love it. I love doing that. And yeah, so the FOMO and then Chicago. Chicago. I actually was considering volunteering for Chicago if I didn't get in, which I didn't.

A guy who I met in North Dakota when I did a race last year, he was on this podcast and then we were talking about how he runs like the first aid station. He's like the captain of the first aid station at Chicago. And so he's like, you should come up this year. I'm like, I should do that. I did it for the Monumental kids movement. Filling water is. I mean, you're like, I just was a machine. Not even. You just don't get to breathe. You just so in a way. It's hard. Almost harder than just running and enjoying the race. You're like, man, this is.

Who knew? This is harder than I thought it would be. Yeah. So Oh well, I'm going to be cheering you on for this redemption year and for anybody who wants to support you and your fundraising efforts for great strides. I will put a link to that when I share this on Instagram, but also in the show notes so that people can can support you. Thank you. Thank you for my bracelet, my long strong bracelet. It's so cute. Sarah made that. Of course she did, Yeah. I love that she's so talented. Yeah. All the little things she does, I like. I don't even understand. Yeah, that's awesome.

It's so much nicer. Just say, hey, can you make this for me? And then mowers, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for doing. This thank you. I really had fun, even though it was crazy to get. Yeah, we made it. Here I feel so much better now. That's done. All good. Oh well, everybody have a great weekend and happy running. Yes, thank you. Suck it up, buttercup. It up buttercup and I got locked out of the computer and it's 2:30 on the back. Look at that.

Ally Brettnacher