Episode 73: Carrie Bradshaw - Her Hips Don't Lie

Episodes

Sep 13

Carrie Bradshaw was a 3:09 marathoner until hip dysplasia stole her running at 40. Now, with two new hips and Meb Keflezighi as her coach, she's training for Boston.

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About this episode

Yes, her name really is Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie lives in Houston and once took her marathon time from 4:21 to 3:09, qualifying for Boston five times. At 40 she was diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia, and after months of pain, doctors who told her she would never run again, and a Halloween night when she couldn't even finish trick-or-treating, she had both hips replaced less than five months apart, at age 41.

We talk about her viral airport security video, the doctor who finally said yes to running, and the emotional day she handed him her medal from the Santa Hustle Half Marathon. Carrie also tells me about life in Australia, her Sweat in the City fitness business, eloping to Bora Bora, and her plans to run the Houston Marathon and Boston as an athlete coached by Meb Keflezighi.

In this episode, we discuss

Setting off the airport metal detector in a video that reached almost 25 million views
Being a real-life Carrie Bradshaw and telling her husband Ben early on
How she applied to be coached by Olympian Meb Keflezighi
Discovering we both ran the 2015 Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half
Tearing her ACL at 12 and playing soccer without one
Living in Brisbane for three years and starting Sweat in the City boot camps
Eloping to Bora Bora and a trash-the-dress photo shoot
Buying her wedding dress in sweaty running clothes
Running her first marathon in Houston with her mom in soccer shorts and Nike Shox
Going from a 4:21 marathon to 3:09 after her husband doubted her Boston goal
Getting diagnosed with congenital hip dysplasia at 40
Deciding on surgery after a painful Halloween night in a skeleton onesie
Having both hips replaced less than five months apart
Advocating for herself until she found a surgeon who believed she could run again
Gifting her surgeon her Santa Hustle Half medal and training for the Houston Marathon and Boston

Chapters

Intro
The airport video with 25 million views
Yes, her name is really Carrie Bradshaw
Working with Meb Keflezighi
The 2015 Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half
Soccer, a torn ACL and growing up in Houston
Living in Australia and Sweat in the City
Eloping to Bora Bora
First marathons in soccer shorts
From 4:21 to a 3:09 marathon
Diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 40
The Halloween night that decided it
Two hip replacements five months apart
Finding a doctor who said yes to running
The Santa Hustle Half and a medal for her surgeon
Mantras, Shakira and the road to Houston and Boston

Where to find Carrie

Instagram: Bionic Runner Babe

Mentioned in this episode

Races: Houston Marathon, Boston Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon, Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas, New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Sydney Marathon, Sydney Half Marathon, Santa Hustle Half Marathon (Galveston), Ragnar Michigan, CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon
Organizations and charities: Lululemon, Abbott World Marathon Majors
Other: Meb Keflezighi, Sex and the City, Priscilla of Boston, Peloton, Nike Shox, Umbro, "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira, "Titanium" by David Guetta

Previous guests mentioned

Related episodes

Frequently asked

Who is Carrie Bradshaw the runner?

Carrie Bradshaw is a Houston runner known on Instagram as Bionic Runner Babe who returned to running after having both hips replaced at 41 because of congenital hip dysplasia.

Can you run a marathon after a hip replacement?

Carrie Bradshaw found a surgeon who cleared her to run after two hip replacements, ran the Santa Hustle Half Marathon about eight months after her second surgery, and is training for the Houston Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

Who coaches Carrie Bradshaw?

Carrie Bradshaw is coached by Olympic silver medalist and Boston and New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi.

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Transcript

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

Welcome to Finish Lines and Milestones with Allie Brettnacker. 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 73. This is Allie Brettnacker. And if you're new here, this is a podcast about runner stories. And when I stumbled across this story on Instagram, I knew I had to have Carrie on. And her name is Carrie Bradshaw, which makes it that much better. But Carrie was nice enough to come on the podcast and tell me her incredible story about how she became Bionic Runner Babe.

That's her Instagram. So she is now the proud owner of two new hips and she's 43 years old, so very, very young to have double hip replacement. And she's currently getting back at it and training for the Houston Marathon in January and Boston come next April. She is an athlete of MEB Koflovsky, and if you don't know MEB, he is an Olympian, a champion at Boston and New York. He's incredible, and the fact that she works with him blows my mind. This is an opportunity to shout out another one of his athletes who actually lives in Carmel, IN, where I live, Margo Volterra, who just had a big operation herself this week.

So Margo, if you're listening, I hope you are recovering well. Margo will be on the podcast sometime this year too. But this conversation with Carrie was an absolute blast. It felt like we'd known each other outside of just messaging back and forth on Instagram. And so I know you're really going to enjoy this time with Carrie. Hey, Ali, it's going good. Thank you so much for having. Me. Well, I'm so glad that we met over the Internet. I found you when your coach, MEB Koflevsky shared a reel that you made. How recent was that? I can't remember when. It was, it was in July, right before Hurricane Barrelhead.

We were going to Florida to visit my mom, and we were at the Houston airport going to Florida. Yeah. And I on a whim. Because it was. The first time I had been in the airport since I, you know, had my 2 hip replacements and I had heard that sometimes you can set off the alarm. Some people say they don't set them off, but that's a whole other thing. And I was like, hey Ben, my husband. Hey, will you take a quick video and and see like if the case it goes? Off it was on a whim. So then as we're getting on the plane, you know, before it takes off, I just posted it with a little fun caption and played a song and all of a sudden we get to Florida and it's like starts going crazy.

And then over the next few weeks, it's like up to almost 25 million views it went. So crazy. PSA Security wise. Oh, and I did set. Off the alarms, it was really I was. Really excited. That's a whole nother story. People are like, it doesn't set off the alarms. You're like, well, I just, I mean, I don't know what else you want me to do. I just walked through it and set it off so I'm not lying about it. Oh my God, yeah. I mean, so many people were supportive and funny and relating. Other people were like, Oh my hips, my knees do other. Other people were like, no, this is a lie.

I'm like, no. You're right. I just, you know, made this all up for Internet fame. It's so funny. Yes, it was crazy. They thought because and then I was like, sometimes people would be like mine, don't set it off. And I'm like, I'm really sorry. Maybe you should try the Houston airport, right? You know, I hope, I said. I hope you get to set it off one day, too. Let me know. So it's so funny though, what sets it off and what doesn't because I have like certain pairs of shoes that I never travel with because I never know like if they're gonna set off the alarm or not.

And then I also have like this sounds so silly, but I have a bun maker like for my hair that's like a slap bracelet that like you wrap it up and it makes it like a ballerina bun. So, but it's metal. And so I've had situations where I've gone through security and it sets it off and they make me take it out and then my hair looks absolutely insane. And so I've stopped traveling with that as well. So anyway, I digress, but I. Won't. I? Won't. Will you? Will you send me your butt? Yeah. Because I want to. It's so fun. It's OK. It's like.

Like I feel like a big poofy ball. Like you got like a big hair. Big, big. Or you could like be like tight so that it's kind of small. Depends on how much hair. I have so much hair, but yeah. I want to. Oh, I want, I want the, Yeah. Stays while you run too. And I'll wear that too. OK, I'm going to write that down, so don't forget to see you bun. Yes, it's linking. To your audience because other people and so it makes your bun either small or. It. Makes your bun be a little bit bigger, yeah. So it's like you want to look like you're kind of put together, but.

Exactly which I need pretty much 90% of the time. Actually, maybe. Probably 99. I'm more like to what I was just going to say. That, yeah, I was like, wait, what am I talking about all the time? Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So oh, well, I'm, I'm glad that Mev then brought us together because I just saw that he shared your reel and I was like, oh, this looks interesting. So then I like went down a rabbit hole as we do and looked at your story and was like, Oh my gosh, I'm just going to, I'm just going to message her and see if she'll come on my podcast.

And then I saw your name, which was a whole nother thing because I was like, wait, Carrie Bradshaw, is that real? And it is. Yes, that is so. I love it that you reached out. I love it when people reach out to me and I love it that Bev posted it. That made me feel super cool. But yeah, I remember when you reached out to me. It's like, yeah, I'll go on your podcast and the whole main thing. Yeah. Carrie Bradshaw. Yeah, it is real. It's I'm not a Madam either. And so my maiden name, I'm Carrie. My maiden name is to Sony, Italian Carrie to Sony.

And I married Ben Bradshaw. So fun story is that before we got married, when we were in the early dating phases. I. Told. Him. That after a couple glasses of. Wine that if he did you know that if we ever got married, my name would be Carrie Bradshaw and he did not run away. That's. Good. And so, yeah, yeah, that's funny. He stayed. No, we have fun with it. Will you be my Carrie Bradshaw? Like, I don't know. Yeah, and Mr. Big. You should. Have been fun that. Would have been great. I think, you know, we should redo the proposal like a 25 year anniversary and like do something with Jerry Bradshaw big.

Yeah, exactly. That's a good idea. So yeah, Carrie Bradshaw. So that is my name. That is my name. And you, so many people like you, appreciate it and love it and ask me, you know, think that's so cool. But you'd be surprised. Sometimes when I'm like, Oh yeah, Carrie Bradshaw, you know, like Sex and the City, Some people don't know. Reference And I think a lot of younger people, a lot of younger people how? Old are you? If I was 38, I just shit. I forget to what? What year is it? Yeah, I'm 3838. OK, I'm 43. So we're kind of in the same, the same like, you know, age zone, age zone.

And so yeah, but the younger people don't seem to know it about it as. Much like, yeah, like Sex and the City. And they just like stare blankly at you and you're like OK or not. And I'm like. Never mind. Yeah, yeah. But most people, most people love it. And I love. It when they love it and then. They're like, I'm sorry, I bet you get that all the time. And I'm like. I do and I love it. Like could be a lot worse. You could have the last name Brettnacher. So, you know, whatever. Yeah. I, I right after my husband and I got married, I, the first, one of the first work calls that I was on as Ali Bretnacher, I was on a meeting and the guy's like, oh, man, I hope that when you get married, you change your last name.

And I was like, well, Sir, I just got married and I really love him. And it is my new last name. So thank you so much for that. Yeah. Oh my God, I bet he felt so. I don't. Know yeah, it was before video calls. I like that name. OK, OK. No, I like. That name? What was your name? My maiden name was Hill. HILL. So like. OK. Oh so you went from like only having 4? Letters to having how many? Like 25? Which 25? Yeah, my first grader can now spell it, so that's good. But yeah, it's it was, it took a while. So anyway, yeah.

How did how did you end up working with MEB as your coach? So I had worked with a couple other coaches. Well, obviously I'm just so for those of you who. Who are listening, who don't know? I had two hip replacements and have gone through the last couple of years of pain, surgery, setbacks and now I'm training again and I was looking for a new coach in May or June and I happened to see or hear that MEB. Chooses or he, he works with just a few athletes now he's kind of started, you know, going into the coaching space. And so I kind of looked into it.

I'm like. That's awesome. Med coaches, people, How cool would that? Be so I had to like write an e-mail and kind of apply. I don't know. I mean, and they interviewed me. They had we had like an interview on Zoom or whatever. And I told my story and I was lucky and he liked me and he said, I think, you know, you've overcome adversity. I think this would be a good fit. Super nice. He has like he has an assistant named Aaron who I love, who's great, I love him. And yeah, we ended up starting, we started working together in like I would say June.

And, you know, he knows that I'm going to be running a marathon hopefully in January, and then I'm going to Boston in April. And I think it's just so cool that he meb, you know, like the Babe Ruth of Boston gets to be by my side and support me to like that special marathon, that special bond to not only him, but to me as well. I think it's a really cool experience. So yeah, now we talk every week. And he's helping. Yeah, for anybody who doesn't know who Meb is, Meb has won the Boston Marathon, won the New York City Marathon, he's a silver medalist at the Olympics.

Like he's just incredible. I once got a high 5 from MEB. That's all I've got. But it was a, it was a Rock'n'roll Chicago race and it was towards the end of the race and he's literally just standing there. There's like nobody else around him. He's just like a spectator just holding his. And he's got a bib that says MEB. And I look at him and I'm just like, Oh my God. And I just gave him a high 5. And that was, that was what I needed to get to the end. It was nice. Oh what, what mile were? You, I have no idea, it's been so long, but it was probably like around there, like it was close enough to the finish.

Oh. What? Year. Was it because I did the Chicago Rock'n'roll like? Oh shoot, I'd have to. I would have to look at my spreadsheet. Mine was 2015. I'm wondering if we were there at the same time. It was really warm. She had. An ear infection the night before and I like literally like 1:00 AM went to the CVS to get it was crazy. It was not my, it was not my day. I wonder, I wonder if we were there. Was it a while ago it? Was a while ago. It was, I think before, had to have been before kids. OK, let me see. It was Chicago Rock'n'roll Chicago Half, 2015.

Oh my God, we were there. That's. The only. Time I've ever my mom. 'S 60th Oh my God, we were there. At 65. And I know he, I know that I was, I had just gotten pregnant, just found out I was pregnant. And so I had to, it was like a big thing. I had to make sure it was OK to run it. And I went really slow and all that. And I remember it was really warm and my mom's 60th birthday. So she ran, was it the 10K? And I ran the half. And I remember MEB was pacing the 1:30 group. And I was like, oh, if I wouldn't have been, you know, if I wasn't pregnant, I could have been paced right back then when I was faster.

And I know, and I remember they got, oh, what a missed opportunity. And then funny how things worked out. And now I like talk to him. Every week and he's hard. It's so cool. But we were there at the same time. Ally, that is awesome. And there was, you know, surely we, it was hot past each other somewhere, you know, in the, it was. I remember, I just remember being happy that I got it done because again, I had, I had this ear pain that just came out of nowhere the night before. And I was with a friend and she was so sweet to like, not let me go to the CVS by myself because it was like one or two in the morning.

And I was like, I need to be able to sleep at least a little bit before running this half marathon. So yeah. Oh my gosh, yeah. That's was it. Were you in pain? Were you in pain during? The yeah, no, with your ear. It was better the next day, thank God. But yeah, so I had fun. I did it. And that's the only time I've done that one. Not really on purpose, but I was just my friend lived up there. And so I just went up and did it. And maybe, maybe someday. They still have that right, don't they? I think so. I'm, I've been kind of, I think so.

They have a lot of rock and rolls. Like I know Nashville, San Diego, Chicago. Vegas, because I go to Vegas for Dallas. Vegas. I've done the Vegas one, done Dallas. Yeah. I, I don't know if they've added any. I'm probably I know I'm missing. It's hard to keep track which ones are. Right. But those are those are oh. OK, Yeah. Because. I ran the Phoenix Bowl OK, in Phoenix full marathon. But yeah, they have Phoenix. They have, yeah. They're all I love. It it's they're fun. I've how many? I don't know how many of those I've done. You've just done 1 I think. Just two, I think.

I don't think I've done any of their rock'n'roll. OK, Vegas. The Vegas? The Vegas ones, Yeah, Yep. Awesome at night an interesting. I don't know. Have you ever done night races? Right. Well, I think. The Vegas one like two or three times years ago and. It, it's, it is weird. Like it like you're like, what am I supposed to eat today? This is weird. Like it's night time. You finish and it's dark, but it's it's that's part of the experience, I guess. My husband and I did it. Yeah. I I mean I like. It but it's just different. It's not ideal for if you're trying to probably PR, but.

It's a. Fun race and you get to go, you know, running up and down the strip or running up and down. You know that was cool at the. Same time, let's go back, let's go back to Carrie growing up. So you grew up in Houston, is that correct? So yeah, I I just say yes. When I was 5I grew. I was born in Omaha, NE. Which is really weird because just I'll get back to it, but like we, I just listened to one of your previous guests, Jason, talk about that. He was at the Omaha, NE. Airport when he had that seizure. So I was like, oh, this is crazy.

But I was born there and my parents relocated for their jobs to Houston. They're oil and gas. So we moved here when I was in Kent when I was 5 in kindergarten. And I basically I, so I mean, yeah, I'm from Houston and I went to College in Austin at UT and then yeah, so I. Basically lived in Houston my whole. Life I did live, we did move to. Australia for three years, yeah, that was crazy, you know. Pretty much. That was crazy too, but yeah, basically. In in Houston college, Austin and then Australia and back. Yeah, so where, where in your life did running come into play?

Were you a soccer player when you were younger? I was a competitive, yes, that was my sport. I was a competitive soccer player, like travelled all over the country with my. Team yeah, played in high school, but yeah, that was my life. I actually hated running. I mean I, I I was a fast. I used to be really fast so I went forward and did short distances but I like the mile and like I would never want to be a midfielder. I hated long distance running and that was local punishment. But yeah, I was a soccer player, but. And I was on the. Track like we were.

It was a very, like I said, competitive team. We did nationals, regionals, but I score my ACL when I was 12, when I was young, going on 13, and I just never really. I kept playing after that after I went through some recovery and rehab, but I was never at the same level. I just was never the same after that injury. My confidence went down and I never was able to get my knee reconstructed. So I have no ACL in my knee still because I was, I was, yeah. So back then the doctor, because I was so young, I would like, he said my growth plates were moving.

Usually they do like a big reconstruction for the ACL, but at that point in my life, I was my growth plates were still moving, he said. And I don't know if this is still how they handle these situations, but back then he said that he couldn't operate and do the reconstruction because it could interfere with my growth. And so I just never got. I went to PT and wore. One of those big like RoboCop braces. You know, knee braces and kept playing, but like I still play it. I played varsity and I mean, I was good, but I wasn't like at the same level. And it was just hard to being a teenager and like feeling like you lost that, you know, to lose that part of your identity and which it's kind of ironic or how life came full circle later when I lost my identity by with.

The hips. Whole hip thing, you know, and getting my running taken away. Yeah, I was a soccer. Player. Yeah, and so did you. I was the same way, by the way. I hated running. I was a soccer player. I did run track my freshman year. High school. I went to a smaller school so I could basically, like try any sport I wanted to. And so I ran track my freshman year. I wish I would have kept up with it. I wish I would have tried cross country because now, you know, being a runner you're like, I wonder. But but I didn't. And I hated running and I was actually a midfielder.

Ironically, I was left mid, but I I didn't mind running after something like a ball, but I didn't want to run a mile or two to warm up. Yeah, Yeah. Did you any athletics in in college? No, I, I, if that wouldn't have happened, I'm pretty sure I that was the path I was going to be on. But like I said, I just never, I never was the same and I didn't really want, you know, I didn't really want to. I didn't wasn't really interested in trying to pursue that after everything. After high school, I was kind of done with. It and I did start running in high school casually just like as a fun, I didn't do races, but just like you know, run like an easy 5 or 6 miles.

I started doing that. My mom was a runner. So I just started doing that, you know, a few days a week. Just stay in shape and release some strength, release some strengths. But I wasn't like tracking my we didn't have garments or anything. I didn't care about that. I just listen headphones like the Sony headphones that you had with that. Fan. Yep. That was my verdict. Yep, it was fun in my soccer shorts. I would wear my Bros. Or Adidas? Yeah, no, yeah, Adidas ones. Took the stripes of big old long soccer shorts and like the big old T-shirts I would run in that and my yeah, the gear was crazy.

Bro, it's probably Umbro. I said Umbro and I'm 'cause I'm in. Umbro. Umbro. Umbro. Umbro for sure. No Umbro. That's what I had. Yes, I loved Umbro. Yeah, I just picture our uniform. I have those too. Yeah, but then yes, Umbro's awesome. And, and you know, they still sell Umbro. My son, I got him, I got him a pair of Umbro shorts. Oh, that's fun. That is so fun. Yeah. Yeah. I love that my, my, my oldest who's in first grade, she's 7. She's a soccer player at least starting to be, you know, kind of get, get used to it. And the area of the country we live in Carmel, IN, which is a suburb of Indianapolis.

It's very, very competitive in terms of sports. So it's very intense. How is that for you and your kids in Houston? Oh, oh, I have so many stories. Absolutely. It's crazy. I mean my my little boy does a Baseball League when he was like last year when he was 7. The some of the parents are absolutely the moms absolutely insane. Yes to say exactly. We could probably swap stories and have so many laughs. I mean, it is in our team because they take it so seriously, like fighting at age 7 in the pressure and it's like they're yelling and getting so upset when a 7 year old doesn't make the right play.

I'm like, they're seven. Like what? Yeah, So they yes, it is very. Intense. So maybe it's just like. And but I try not to. You think that way? I try not. To like, you know? Put pressure on my son about that. Yeah, it stresses. It just stresses me out. Like it gives me anxiety. I think just like, 'cause I'm just like, can we just. Can it just be for fun please? Like I don't feel like I need to. Can they just? Be kids for a little bit. Yeah, be kids, just have fun. Like, let's, let's not freak out, you know? Yeah. Yeah, I want to say like, oh, I have a.

Story I remember one boy on my sons team in the spring. This is just a funny story. He, I guess, didn't do as well as his mom thought he should have at the seven-year old peewee game and. He was the one in Girl Scout cookies after the race, and his mom said he didn't deserve or earn the Girl Scout cookies because he didn't touch the ball well enough. So yeah, that's what I was working with. So anyway. So was Australia before kids. Yes. Yes. So I was, I was, I was a teacher. I met Ben in my late 20s. He was in between jobs. He does engineering, oil and gas.

And this crazy opportunity came up where he was offered a position in Australia and we were dating at the time. It was serious, but we weren't married yet. And we took the leap and went and I mean. I was like. It was a no brainer to me. But it was like kind of scary. And my mom was like, you're not even married, Joe. Like what's? Going on, I mean, it was, it was a risk. But I felt like in my heart, my gut, it was the right choice, this great opportunity. And it was. I don't regret it at all. It was awesome. But yeah, so we were there for three years.

And he worked in, like, he would have to go to this place called a country called Papa New Guinea, where there were, like, cannibals. He would do. He was on a project there. So he'd be gone like six weeks at a time and then come back for two weeks. So we were able to travel a lot during those rotational jobs because he'd get 2 weeks back at home and we'd go somewhere and kind of explore. We didn't have kids. So we, it, we took advantage of that opportunity. I mean, it was hard being apart and I was in the other side of the world. And it was before like all the phone, phone stuff was popular.

We used Skype. We used Skype. But yeah, so we were there for three years. It was awesome. We got to travel around that part of the world, but it was, I miss it. I really miss it now. I'm sorry. Did you say cannibals? Yeah, sorry. I like, would you like, like we're just and there's cannibals there and then you're, like, talking. I was like, excuse me? Is that what you said? Yeah. You're. Yes, I think you're you're hilarious. Oh, yeah. I was going to skip over the call. Yeah. So there were cannibals there. He was on the out of here. He had to bring like a little.

Knife that he would hide in his little room like it was like he was like in a prison cell, like a kind of like a a crappy girl room like and like he's in this little room for six weeks at a time. Or sometimes it was 8 weeks and. He would work all day and he said that. They lived on site with the locals, but like, they're, they're a bunch of tribes. They're doing this big LNG project for Exxon, but they, he would be on this like site that was secure and they would have to hire locals to help us in the village. They would hear stories like.

This is like they're these tribes I. I would have to get him to tell you a story. He would he I should share one on. Instagram, like he would tell me, like they'd hear from the locals. Oh yeah. Like somebody got in a fight or somebody made somebody bad, so they went and cut their head off. They would people like that's crazy. Like just like, yeah, like, OK, so he had a little knife because in case they broke into the he had his little knife ready in case they broke into the compound where they were. OK. Yeah. So he did that. I mean, he has picture, he has pictures with the tribal guys.

Yeah, that is. That's wild to think about like that. That's. Right. Yeah, cannibals. Like that that exists and that that's they eat each other. Yeah, I just can't quite. Yeah, it's a whole another world, Papa. New Guinea, I think a picture. Yeah, Papa New Guinea. Where in where in the world is that? It's like on the. Other side of the world near a little, I think. I want to say it's. North of Australia. It's a little New Guinea, Papa. New Guinea. We'll have to look it up. Put a little. Yeah, it was a few hour flight in Australia and they had a big project there in the middle of nowhere where you know.

And they they had to hire locals to come in. And it's not by Indonesia. Well, it's kind of by Indonesia if you like. I mean it's all relative I guess. Every. Everything was pretty kind of close to there, all those different like Bali, Thailand, Southeast Asia and New Zealand, Papua New Guinea. I never went to Papua New Guinea. I really. Wasn't interested. I just got the pictures. The pictures. Were enough. I don't want to get eaten. I'm good. I'm OK. I'll go to Thailand. I went to Thailand and Australia, it's been over a decade now with my dad and my sister. So I love that part of the world.

I would love to. My daughter's name is Sydney, Me too. And her name's kind of Sydney after Sydney, Australia, sort of. I mean, my husband went there for work before she was born and loved it there. And so just ended up naming her that. And ironically, one of my best running friends who was episode 3 of this podcast is going to be running the Sydney Marathon like the day after this comes out, so. Yes, it's going to be this. Yes, I, so, I, so I ran the Sydney half when we lived there. We lived in Brisbane. I ran the Sydney half Marathon. I did the a lot of house.

Over there I ran the Sydney half and I've heard now they're going to make it 1 of the. That's what they're saying. I, I, it's kind of like make, make Sydney a major. And you keep seeing the buzz, but I'm like, OK, so like, when does that happen? So she, my friend, I don't know, has done all six of the Abbott World majors. And so I think she'll get grandfathered in this year if they make it a major like within the next year or something like that. OK, I don't Yeah, I I that's a whole nother world, that kind of. I feel like became really popular and blew up in the last few years when I've been kind of in a cave with like.

Being injured. But what back to your Australia? Where did you guys leave Australia and where did you go to? Thailand, so we went to Thailand 1st and so we went to Bangkok, Thailand and Kosamoy. We got scuba certified for this trip, so I got to scuba dive in Thailand, which was just like incredible, and then in Australia as well. And so we went to Sydney and then we went to Cannes up on like the Northeast. Cannes Yeah, they have. They don't pronounce the right. It's a. Carnies or something like if you look at the word. But yeah, Cannes. I know word, but it's Cannes or Melba.

I know I wasn't going to try to say that. So yeah. Do you scuba dive? That's. Awesome. So you got you just I did it. My husband's a big scuba diver. I did it. When we went. To OK, I'm saying it, we went there to the, you know, Great Barrier Reef, right And we did a trip there and I did scuba dive there and they gave me like a certification. I. Totally get. Yeah, I don't. It wasn't like this long. Yes, yeah. And I did it. But like. I am more. I would do it again, but I'm not like gung ho. It kind of scares me being that far underwater, but my husband loves.

It, yeah, it's but of both, especially now that I'm a mom, I'm trying to decide, have I gone scuba diving since I've been a mom? I don't think I have actually, because it is just a little, it is a little scary being down like 100 feet underwater. It's deep. And you can't just like float up to the top. You've got to be careful. And yeah. So it, it was an incredible experience being able to do that on the Great Barrier Reef. I remember we were on a boat and they're like, OK, you're just going to jump off while it's moving and just like swim down.

And I was like, OK, here, my dad's like, all right, well, here we go. It's just wild, but it's cool. That you and your dad got to do. That that you and your dad got to do. That it was really fun. You should find some. Pictures of that one in Thailand and then send them to me and I'll I'll see if Ben and I can find the ones from when we were. Oh yeah, see if we like. You know when we were. Scuba diving got to be similar places. I mean, I don't know. What year? What year did you go? Do you remember? We might have been.

Not carry tested my memory. In like 2000. 11. I know. No, I'm just. Saying so, we were there. Me too. I'm. Going I'm like trying to think out loud 2011 12. 13 you can. You, I don't want to put you on the spot. Oh, here we go, 2006. OK, you. I'm sorry. So more than a decade, more than almost almost two decades ago. Almost 20. Almost. 20 years. Yeah, I found. This picture, Oh my. Gosh, there's me and my sister and my dad. Awesome. That's so funny. That's so cool. That and that was before you met. Is that before? You met your husband. Obviously, yeah, that was before I graduated.

That's. So cool that you got. To college, Yeah. Oh, that is. And so you have a You said you have a sister and a. Brother, so I'm the oldest of three. Girls OK, OK, OK, OK and y'all, that's so cool that you guys got to have that experience. Yeah, it was siblings, Carrie. Yes, I have a younger brother. So I'm 43. He's 41. His name's Mike. And I have 1/2 sister Emily. She's 27. She's younger. My parents split up when I was a kid. And so he, my dad remarried and they had a daughter when I was like, OK, so there's a huge age gap there.

But yeah, so my brother's in Houston and she lives in Iowa. You're OK. Nice half sister. Yeah. The half sister. Yeah, man. Yeah, well, gosh, thinking about that 20 years, almost 20 years ago is kind of wild to think about. I can't. My mind is now blown. That's how I know. I wanted to make sure before we. Right, I know. Sorry, before we stop talking about Australia, I got to hear about sweat in the city. Tell us about sweat in the city. OK, I feel like I need to bring it back. OK, so. Did you see the business card that I posted? That my friend made she oh it's on Instagram.

I got special business cards made you need to find. This. My friend Jill, she is an amazing, what is it called, like graphic designer and she made my business card. So it's the background. So OK, so in Australia I decided I've always been into running and fitness obviously. And I was like, you know what I really want to get? It's always been on my bucket list to get certified for to teach fitness classes or help people or be a personal trainer. And so I did it when we were in Brisbane. I signed up for a program and I got certified or licensed to be a fitness instructor or personal trainer.

So instead of going with like a local gym, I was like, you know what, I'm going to start my own business and I'm going with in playoff of my name. It came to me one day and. I was like. We're going to call it Sweat in the City with Carrie Bradshaw. So I got my business cards made they're they're rad can't use them anymore because it had all has all my old information, but. I'll have to. You'll have to look. I'll send it to you. But yeah, so I ran, I ran these like fitness classes slash boot camps for other expat group, another expat group that I had met for some of the Co workers at Ben's business and then some random people that I met throughout the community.

So I would. The expat group was my biggest, a lot of Americans and people from other countries coming in for these oil and gas jobs. So yeah, I would do these boot camps a few times a week and they were just basically like circuit workouts. And then I would even run I or I did a couple of run clubs with like Lulu, the local Lulu Lemon LED those. But I'm not a certified, I'm not a certified run coach, but I would. You know, lead those and basically, yeah, do the boot camps like fun strength training and the parks and everything are so beautiful in Australia.

So we would art like we would get to work out and do these camp these little like, you know, fitness sessions at the for example, at this beautiful park by our old apartment there and it like overlooks the the river and like the story bridge. It's just gorgeous. I. Want to go? Anyway, But yeah, that was a sweat in the city. Sweat in the city it. Was awesome. I love that. That was so amazing. Starting a business is hard. Starting a business in another country like. Right. You know, I, I just, I, I know I need to get, I need to. Get myself a little pat on the back like.

Going through all the. Formalities of setting that up and all that, you know, the, the, you know, like the logistics. Of it all. I did it because they taught us how to do it in the class as well in the course. But yeah, I did it and got everything like legal, legalized and had fun with it while we were there. And that's kind of what kept me busy. And and then like I would go teach or like I said, leave the run clubs or teach for Lululemon. Like have they'd have me come into certain stores and work, you know, help the community out kind of all.

And yeah. It was. Fun and I got to meet a lot of people. So yeah, that was cool. And it worked well because, like I said, Ben was traveling 6 to 8 weeks at a time. So this was my thing that kept me busy and it was social and it was. You know I was helping. People and it get. Brought in a little money and it was fun. But then when he would be home if we went out of town, it was flexible because I'd be like, all right, Ben's coming home in a couple weeks. So during that week or two, that week when we're going out of town and we travel to Thailand or whatever, New Zealand, I'm not going to have it.

It was fun. It worked well with our schedule. Yeah, that's so cool. It was fun, I know I kind. Of feel like it needs to make a comment. I mean, I'm thinking about. In. Houston, that time, that time in the world, like 2011, there's not really, there's not really boutique fitness like we know it now, like it didn't really exist at all. It there were some but wasn't as popular. We're now, I feel like there's yeah, so many. Oh yeah, it's, it's overwhelming. It's like decision right paralysis. You can't. There's too many classes. I get overwhelmed. I just. Yeah, I that's my group. I just.

I'll just go for a run and like I can't, I can't handle. All these options, I know that's it's nice. I have my my coach will program Peloton for me. So like today is a strength day for me. So I'll just go do a strength class and she'll just like just pick. I'm like, you got to tell me like what to do so that I don't get on there and like, yeah, have the paralysis by analysis being like, OK, what do I want to do? There's like hundreds of options. It's like. Oh my God, yes. It gives me anxiety. I don't even, we have a Peloton right here.

I haven't even used it in like many, many months. It's embarrassing because they overwhelmed me. I need someone like that to just be like, this is what you're doing. You're on a plan. Because then I'll start getting sucked into like, OK, what kind of music do I want? Which? Instructor. How many minutes? You know it's. Overwhelmed I just she'll be like do it do a Hidden Hills class like one of the spin classes and I'll be like OK, so then I just go on and sort by like OK, 45 minutes Hidden Hills and then I'll like won't even Scroll down. I'll just like choose from the 8 that are there.

That's what I try to do so that. That's good. That's. Yeah, keep it simple. Don't overthink it. That's too much. So well, that's really neat that you lived in Australia. So then he did his job, I'm assuming, then just bring him back to Houston. Was it a set contract, amount of time you were gonna be there or how did that work? Well, this so this. Project He was working in the office in Brisbane probably. And we also lived in Perth for a little bit in Singapore, but those were like short. We went to Singapore as well. Those were short, shorter like 6. Months and like two months we our home base was Brisbane, but he so he would go to the he.

Worked in Perth for a while in Singapore, but yeah, the Papua. New Guinea was the big project with Exxon. So I actually moved home a little bit before him in early, late 2013, early 2014. And he had to finish up a couple months of the rotation project. But I I was able to get us settled in our new place and he ended up getting a job with one of their the companies that they worked with on the joint venture and he OK. And then? Oh, that was when we were in Australia. So we got engaged in Australia and then we this, we ended up kind of eloping and going to Bora Bora for our wedding.

Yeah. And and we don't know regrets like we didn't have anybody there but. Oh oh. You're gonna like. This one. So we went to Bora Bora. It was like big. Coolest. Thing, I mean, people, right? You know, our families probably weren't too happy about it because it was just us. But we got this amazing trip. We stayed in one of those bungalows. Over the water, like in what's that couples retreat or whatever it is beautiful Saint Regis. It was like the premier vacation. We peeked and on vacations, but I got married there and then. What was I going to say? Yeah. So we went there, got married and then we actually had to come back to Australia and legalize it in town hall in Australia because the way the all the legal stuff worked.

But my point was I was getting back to it is we did one of those trash to dress photo. Shoots. In the Bora Bardi. Oh my, I thought. I said this clearly didn't scroll back far enough. So I but I and you know, our anniversary is now this month, a couple weeks on September 29th. So I'll. Post them again. I'll post the pictures again. Yeah, so we were the crazy, and it was before. It was really popular. He was in his suit. I was in my white dress and we did a whole photo shoot of jumping in the water there with people were watching probably being like, what is?

What's happening? Just imagine like hanging out in the morning, like drinking your coffee and you see a guy in a suit, like swimming around in the water and the girl in the wedding dress. So we did this photo shoot called Trash the Dress, and people were like, Oh my God, Carrie, do you regret that with your dress? I'm like, no, it's still in the bag. I don't even know what it looks like. And we had to let it dry from the ocean water. But I I don't care. Like the pictures were work like, Oh my gosh, I will send you those pictures. So that was one of the cool.

That was one of the bucket listings we did. Yeah. Did you? Where did you find your dress in Brisbane? Did you just shop her? No. So this is. Funny. So this is another thing you asked me questions. This is a funny story you like too. So I came home to run the New York City Marathon. In 2011 and I was here for he was working, you know, his rotational job. I came home for probably six weeks and I went on a run one day in Houston. It was like probably in November, December and there's this nice area where have you heard of Priscilla of Boston?

It's a wedding, a high end wedding dress brand, a high. It's like a high end boutique. I. Don't know. I don't know. But it's a good one. They, they were going out of business, so I just stopped it in my sweaty running clothes by myself and they happened to have this dress. They told me it wasn't my size, but they're like, go try it on. It was the one off the rack. It's probably I, I. Don't know, I'm just throwing something out there. Probably $10,000, maybe more. I got it for two. 100 but it needed I had to pay for it to get cleaned and altered and that was probably $1000.

But what I thought, I'm going to say 2000, it's still going to be like. Whoa. No, it was prob. I need to look it up. I don't want to. I want to say it was like 10 or 50. It's a designer brand. It's called Priscilla of Boston. We need to look that one up. They went out of business but I happened to get they had a few left and it was so I my. Sweaty running clothes. I tried it on, it was a little bit. Big. And I was like. All right, it needs to be clean. So I went to this really good Taylor or wedding dress Taylor and she made it all, made it look good, tailored it to my body and.

Yeah, $200. Maybe it was 2. 50 whatever, whatever. Amazing. But yeah, I want to say it was like, I want to say it was probably like a $10,000 or more dress off if that, if it wasn't like. On the rack. Well, you know, that's probably, I'm trying to think about what it cost to run New York City, like $275 probably for an entry. So it's like the same amount as your registration for a marathon. Actually, the dress was probably less than the marathon. But but before the operations, Yes, but I went. In sweaty like didn't have the whole like emotional like my mom's there with my best friend they did.

They did come to the alterations. Appointment but like. I'm like, I think I got my dress and I'm all sweaty, you know, at the fancy Priscilla Boston shop. And that's cool. That was it. That's. Really cool. Yeah. So that's I. Have one of my friends who's actually she's doing the Ragnar with me next weekend and she. She got married just shortly before we did. I forget the distance, maybe six months. I just found my wedding dress. I go to her wedding. It's in her backyard or somebody's backyard, her family. It was beautiful. She comes walking down the aisle. She's wearing the same wedding dress that I just got for my wedding.

How many months? Wait, how many months? Six months like I had just gotten my dress. I forget how long did I. Did you not know she had the same dress? No idea. So she's walking down the aisle and I'm like, OK, well, my husband's with me. He's, you know, my fiance at the time. And I'm thinking, well, I can't tell him because I he doesn't. I want him to know what the dress looks like. So I just keep it to myself because I'm not going to tell her either, you know. Hey, by the way, I have the same dress. Like, I don't know. I just didn't say anything.

And she looked amazing. So I thought, well, that's a good. That's good. I like my dress. Her looks good. Yeah, But she trashed her dress that night. There was a swimming pool and after the reception, like when it was winding down, she jumped in the pool in her dress and it was so cool. It was so much fun. It's so fun, I love. It so I can't wait to see those pictures. How many months? Yeah, yeah. How many months later did you get married? I don't know. When did she find out I want? To say it was like 6 I think I told her after her wedding.

Like when they got back, I was like, hey, by the way, I have the same dress and it was like slight, like we made slight differences, like, you know, whatever. But I just couldn't believe the first wedding I went to after getting my dress, my friend was wearing the exact same dress. I mean, like, what are the odds? I mean, there's like a million wedding dresses, right? It's almost like it was. It was. It was. Kind of like I just looked at her and she looked incredible. And I'm like, well, there we go. Like that's, that's amazing. That's what I'm gonna look like. That's that's great.

So. Yeah. She's. A good friend of mine we, you know, with kids and everything, we aren't as close but, but we've run races together and she, we lived together for a time in our 20s and now we're doing a Ragnar together. It'll be the most time we've spent together in years, which I'm really looking forward to. But it was just, yeah, it was wild, just wild. So. That's all. Wait, so you're you're doing Ragnar next week? And how many girls are you with so? Yes, there are two vans. It's a team of 12 women. So our, our team is women only. They have, you know, you can have mixed teams or you can do 1 van if you want to do like, I forget what they call it, like the ultra version of it where you're running like 6 legs instead of three legs.

But it's, it's a couple 100 miles. I think it's less than 300 miles from Traverse City, MI down to Muskegon. So all kind of on the shoreline of Lake MI ish. So it should be quite the bonding. Experience so 12 girls and then how many times will you run? Through 8018 ish miles for me personally. So it's like 7 miles, 6 miles, 3 miles or something like that in terms of the the mileage. So it's not it's a lot and especially since you don't really sleep much. So yeah. That's that's on my bucket. List, I want to do one of those one year, 1, you know, one year.

The sleep part scares me a little. Bit, but it's worth it. Especially since just recovering, I had the flu for a week and now I'm recovering from that and I'm just like, please, Lord, let me, you know, recover enough so that I don't like get sick again because I'm not sleeping so. Yes, 'cause your immune system. I'm just like chugging, chugging vitamin C and trying to sleep as much as possible, so yes. Well, that'll be exciting. I can't wait to see pictures. Yeah. I'm going to try my best to document it and I don't know what that looks like. I'm a terrible Blogger, but I try to blog and I try to take as much video as I can.

But you know, it's like a lot of work to put put all that stuff together. But. Right it is. It is type good. But we'll see. We shall see. Just do like. We'll see. I'll just bring my microphone to my computer and we'll just, I'll just interview everybody as we go. Yes. Or just do like little ten such clips here and there don't make it. Remember the It's like the decision pit for Alice. It's like. Just keep it basic and and it don't overthink it, just make it a few. Little one, Yeah. So, so yeah, be a little clip. So when when did you do your first race and what was your first race?

Was it 1/2? Was it a full? How did you get into more races? You know, like I said, my mom was a marathon runner in high school. I didn't run races. I just, I played. I just did it for fun and played soccer in college. The same thing. I. Want to say I did like a 5K with a friend in college. I don't even she asked me to do it and I like I was not competitive and I still wasn't even competitive when I ran my first marathons. My mom was like she had run marathons 2003, I was in college and she was like, do you want to run the human?

We should do. The marathon I was like what, 20? I was probably 20 at the time, 22, No 2121. And I was like, can I do that? Anyway, she had some loose plan with the long run, kind of like a schedule and we would. Run some of the long run. Together. Or it was fun. It was an experience, But yeah, so we went and did that and it was 2003. And. I showed up in, I mean, I didn't know how to train. I did probably, I didn't do it right, but I show up in my soccer shorts, my big baggy soccer shorts. And I think it was probably like some men's T-shirt, not T-shirt.

I actually think it might have been a little bit better than cotton, but nothing was terrible. It was like really bulky and then like you remember those Nike shocks that like were really cool looking. But they are not good running shoes. They were like those springs, they remember those shoes and they would have like the big old springs on the bottom. I think. Yeah, I think I'm, I'm I, I can remember. I can start to picture him. Yep. Well, they they were definitely not weird shoes for running, probably along marathon, right? But I thought. They were. Cool. Look. At the of the shocks like they were cool.

I thought they were cool looking. And they were kind of like in, but I definitely they were not good running shoes for me and they probably. Weren't bad for marathons. They still gone. They. Still sell these? Yeah, I mean, they had those little bouncy things. They were really. I thought they were so cool. Yeah, I thought those were like so I had. So many colors. So I ran into anyway, yeah, it was like really hard. Like I said, didn't fuel, didn't even know about I might have taken a gel and some Gatorade, didn't know about all how to do all that. But we both finished.

I think my time was like 4 hours and 21 minutes, which is fine, but I didn't I was hurting so bad. I was like, this is at mile 20s. Yeah, I was like, I I'm never doing this again. This is so hard. But then I remember my mom and I it. Was a cool. Experience for us, my mom and I going home that Sunday and like we couldn't walk like we're like cracking up, like walking up the stairs because we're like holding on and like we, it was, it was, it was cool and like. I was. I thought it was just the coolest. Thing to say I ran a marathon didn't know what I was doing but we ran this I was in very sore for a long time so yeah that kind of started it did another one for fun the same the same one in Houston the following year my friends kind of all came out from college and we made sweatshirts and it was fun like I said I ran it for fun I think every time it was like.

This is not the same 4 hours, 20 or 430. And then so yeah, that was kind of it. I never really trained. Like I would run for fun and do rate races and like half marathons and my mom and I would do a lot together. But when Ben met me in 2009, I kind of got him in some races, but I didn't really ever push myself. I just was like, I don't. Care about my? Time I just want to run for fun I go. Slow. It wasn't until we got to Australia when he was like Carrie, like, why don't you try? This podcast brought to you by Athlete Bouquets.

Celebrate those that you love crossing their own personal finish lines and milestones by visiting athletebouquets.com. Personalized gifts for those in your life doing incredible things. Athletebouquets.com. It wasn't until we got to Australia when he was like Kerry, like, why don't you try, you know, why don't you push yourself? I'm like, well, I don't really want to hurt. I really just want to relax. Well, so I kind of got this competitive buggy. Somebody was like, why don't you see if you can do your 10K in like under 50 minutes? So that was. How it all started and my competitive. Side from growing up. Came out and so then I'm like became obsessed with it.

I'm like, oh, I kind of want to do this. I kind of want to see what I can do. And so I came up after a couple races. I was like half marathons. I brought my time down, you know, more and more. I was like, and then I ran New York in 2011 and got it down to like four O 5 or four O 7. And but like he was running half marathons like in the one 40s eight or something like that. And I was like. I told him I still wasn't like super fast, but I was like I'm going to qualify for Boston and Ben's like I think the time was like 333 thirty and he's like you have like a four O 7 marathon.

Now you have to shave off like, you know, whatever that is 37 minutes. What would no wait? 35 probably. Yeah, like, yeah, 37 minutes. He's like, let's slow, slow your roll, Carrie. He's like I did. You're. You're in over your head, man. Like what? I don't know, you're delusional. Well, guess what? I'm the type of person when I get focused and I'm like, no, I haven't. I'm like I'm all in. I'm going for it. And within like I started training properly, like working harder, doing some speed work, racing. I got down when I finally ran my next marathon, which was the one to qualify for Boston.

I got a 327 and eventually worked my way down to three O 7. So from 4:21 to three O 9 to three O 9. Yeah. And so Ben, Ben says now like he's like, I will never doubt you again when you say like, you're going to do something like you. Well, blew me away. So it's kind of like. Our joke now with coming back from. Hippo Places. I'm like, no, I am going to do these marathons. I mean, God willing, and I hope it works out. But he was like, just tell me when we're going. You know, like he he thinks if I want to do it.

So yeah. So first marathons and races. I didn't, I had fun just to take it seriously. Wore the soccer shorts and then started getting that it that getting into it when we were in Australia and just like slowly worked myself, you know, worked my way down time. I'm sort of similar, like my first Chicago is the marathon I've done the most. So I've done Chicago four times and my first two were like 5 hours, like right around 5 hours. And then and then I did one that was like 418. And then my PR was the year we got married and it was just under 4 hours, like 357 high.

And that's awesome. So that's where my PR stands now. I've done a couple marathons post children kind of to prove like, OK, I can still do this. So I did New York in 2018 and then I did the Monumental, which is our local marathon in 2022. And, and so now I'm like, I'm, I've said that I want to qualify for Boston. So I'm kind of in the same boat where I'm like working my way to get my time down and I want to see what all this training in the last couple years with a coach and like doing things the right way. I want to see how that translates in the marathon I've done.

I've gotten my half marathon PR last year for the first time in like 7 years so I'm excited to. So what? Where are you time wise like? So my half marathon PR is 14413. So OK, you're there. Yeah. So then my, my, my coach, like after, right after the half is like looking at my VO, my V dot. Like that's the app that she uses. And and she's like, look what that translates to in the marathon. She's like, I'm just saying, and I forget what it is, but it's like it's a in the range of like a Boston qualifier. Yeah, you're, you're in. Yeah, you're there.

You're in the ballpark. And you have Yeah, you have time to train. So you're doing the race, you said. Early November and I'm not. I want APR, which I think I can just crush because my PR is just under 4. So I don't know that Boston I I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to qualify right. And so I'm I'm just going to see what kind of just train up into that point, see what I can do on race day and then go from there. Yes, but you know. And it's a good base to have. And yeah, it's a good base to have.

And then you can slowly chip away. I went from, like you said, 421 all the way down to 309. Like you can do it. You just like chip away a little bit at a time. You don't have to do it all at once. And now that you're training, you know, properly, like I started to. And you, the main thing is you have that. Goal and you're like you're like, I really want to do this like it's like you know you're excited and that you will. Yes, you just you don't know what timing. Is but you also like right on that, yes, you know, I'm 38 so you know, close to 40, right where I get the extra time is also something that I'm like, OK, I don't want to kill myself trying to do it when if I just continue, you know, my persistent training, you know, I'll I'll have a little bit of a buffer, so we should.

Yeah, what? What is it I? Think right now if you're 40. Is it what, three? You just have to break 340. I I don't know what it is it you're 40. I forget. Yeah. I need to look it up. I want to say. It's 3:35 or 3:40, but then again, you have to. Do it by like. Do the buffer you. Have to do that by like 5 minutes now because you're like, who knows, right? You know, for anybody. Right. Is it? Yeah, Wasn't it like over 5 minutes last? Year or something like that was crazy so. Yeah. Oh, and that's going on right now. Yeah.

Yeah. So I mean, I don't who knows, but yeah, like you said, don't get. There you can do it. You can do it. You. Yeah. And then yeah. So you're and you're already up 60 miles, you said? So we shall, we shall see. So I want to talk about, I want to talk about your hips. We've mentioned it a couple times. And then if we have time, I want to hear just more race stories. You've done a lot of races but but OK. At what point did you realize there was something wrong? When did you start experiencing pain in your hips? Well, my whole life, I was born with something called congenital hip dysplasia.

Never knew. Played soccer, ran marathons. I didn't know. I mean, I had, I had symptoms but didn't know they were related to these hips. So what congenital hip dysplasia is it's a condition that most people are born, you know, born with. I want to say I saw a stat like one out of 1000 babies are born with it. I don't, I don't maybe don't quote me on that. Basically, my hips didn't form properly at birth. The socket does not cover the ball of the. Hip. And over time, doctors check the babies for it. But it went out, you know, undetected for years. And if that happens, it's the number one cause of early arthritis in young adults.

So I was having some. Pain leading up to my. Diagnosis but kind of just thought it was normal. I would it wasn't like I can it was painful but and it got what was progressing. But at age 40. I'm 43 now at age. 40 was when shipping the fan. I was out on a run and I had already been feeling some pain. Like it would get to the point sometimes when I would run just like four or five miles, it would be pinching in my hip flexor and when I would get home, I would have to limp around. And it did that also when I after I had babies that it started really coming on the hip pain.

But so at 40, I was running and my hip completely just like locked up. I can't explain it. That's, that's the way I describe it. It locked up. It felt like it was broken, something in my hip. I had to limp home and eventually I ended up going get done it. I went, I ended up finding a really good doctor in Houston, one of many that I saw and he they did an MRI and all that and they were like, Kerry, you have hip dysplasia. Well, I had no idea what hip dysplasia was. And anyway, so at that point they didn't see a lot of arthritis or much arthritis on my MRI, which ended up being incorrect.

So I'll get to that. So they put me on. Yeah, so they missed it and and so they're like you have hip. Dysplasia. You also have labral. Tear blah blah blah. Let's put you in PT and for a few months. And see how that goes, because maybe you can, you won't. You won't be an issue so. I did that. I did everything I could. They released me from PT. I'm like, I'm still having this deep pain. I got a steroid injection. I started something called PRT injections, which were quick, $2000.00 for an injection. It was crazy and it did give me some relief. Yeah, that was painful too, but it did give me.

Some. Relief and then I started the anti inflammatories. At this point, I had already met with several doctors and I was just like, it's it, would it? It's just. That same pain would. Come up even if I was just walking. A couple. Blocks with my family, like to a restaurant or like every time I would drop my son off at school I would walk. In, you know, maybe like a. Quarter of a mile and always on the way back it would lock up, so it was just getting in the way of my day. To day. Life. But yeah, I found out at age 40 that I had this hip dysplasia and that's when the whole process began.

Like how? What am I going to do? Am I going to? There were different options presented to me. Most people said wait as long as you can to get your hip replaced and. It was tough because I didn't. I find, yeah, I didn't have anybody because I was so young. I didn't. I couldn't find anybody like me because I really wanted to still be around. So awful. Did you stop? Running like from the time you started seeing doctors because you said it was getting in the way, your day-to-day life. Could you run it all right? Oh yeah, I mean. There were times I couldn't even work around the block.

My mom was in town once. But I mean I would try sometimes like. Especially after the PR when I had some relief, but but, and I would before the PRPI would try again. You know, I was in denial. And within a few minutes it would just like this locking up like grinding feeling in my bones like something is seriously wrong. But they weren't. They weren't sure. They were telling me that they couldn't see any arthritis and they were confused. The doctor that I saw the first one said he was. Passing around all my imaging to like other reputable surgeons. They were all trying to study it out.

Study it and figure out what's going on with this girl. We don't know why she's still. Having this pain and that night it would keep me up like shooting paints down my leg and my back. So Fast forward, he referred me to. Another specialist and that guy. Referred, you know, and then. I ended up meeting with a couple more, one was out of state. Until eventually I'm I researched and found doctor stocks who is like my. My Angel in this. Whole story and he, I met with him several, it was like a 2 month wait list. I met with doctor stocks a few months later and he that's kind of where we started talking and he got the ball rolling with, you know, a plan and he was very low pressure.

He said, Carrie, why don't you? In the summer of 2022. So this had been a wait, no summer. Of 2000, yeah, Summer of 2022, because I was diagnosed in 2021. Summer of 2022, he was like, we can do a hip replacement. And I said, well, do you think well, because the other doctor said. I wouldn't be. Able to run, they're like, no way. And he was the only one who gave me his blessing that he felt confident enough. That I would be able to run again. So I'm kind of going like I'm kind of kind of veering off in different directions. But yeah, I was diagnosed in 21, when I was 40, had the severe pain and I kind of was trying everything I could to avoid surgery.

Different doctors were telling me to avoid it, that I'm too young, wait, try to wait it out five to 10 years. It was really confusing and I was depressed. It was the and. I couldn't run and. My husband said he remembers me like calling him at work, just like sobbing. I don't remember that, but I. Probably did, but yeah. And then I finally found this Doctor Who was like, yeah, let's do it. And I wasn't ready at that point. So we're in 2002 thousand 22 now. And he's like, you know what, Carrie? Why don't you just book? A hip replacement. This this fall, I book up fast.

Why don't you just get that on the schedule and if you're not comfortable and that time comes, just cancel it like you're not going to get. Penalized like. Because someone also take your spot. Just get it on the books. Right. Right. There's like, yeah. And so I was like, all right, like not really thinking I would go through with it. It was in the summer and yeah, I had it on the calendar. I'm like, I don't think I'm really going to do this. But then a week before my. Surgery on November 7th. And this is what we'll get to about Halloween. I'm ready for that.

I was still kind. I had. I was doing. PRP during all this and I was getting. Relief. So I'm like. Oh well, maybe they're a miracle will happen. And it'll just, you know, you think. Denial. I'm like maybe some miracle's going to happen and and it's just going to go away and I'll be fine and I don't need to have a hip replacement because what 40 year old wants a hip? It sounds crazy, right? It does. So OK, Fast forward, I went on vacation. I'm like, all right, PR PS helping with a little bit. It's giving me a little bit of relief, but it was still.

Painful. So Fast forward how my. Surgery was scheduled for November 7th. Fast forward to Halloween and my family and I went trick or treating. That night my son and husband are crazy about Halloween. They were both dressed up as Michael Myers and he, my son is 6 years old. Six years old at that time. So super. Yeah, super. Super appropriate. I was kind of worried about getting a call from a teacher or the principal, but we didn't. And like my little daughter, Poppy's A. Firefighter and then we. Got Michael Myers, senior and junior walking around and I'm in my skeleton onesie just being cozy and I couldn't.

So we're trick or treating and within 5 or 10 minutes it does that thing. My hip. And it's like I can't even go trick or treating with my family like I was limping around for the next 15 just trying to. Suck it up for the. Next 15 or 20 minutes and finally I had to be like, I got to go home. I can't do this guys. I'm in so much pain. I was limping around and at that point it was like I felt. Like it was a sign from God. Like I walked home alone. Left Michael Myers, junior and senior out. There. With the little firefighter, walked home in my skeleton outfit and was like, you know, just down.

I was like, all right, I mean, I have, I guess I'm doing the surgery in a week. This was my sign. Like I can't even go trick or treat like this. I don't know. Why that specific? Event was the sign I needed, but it was. And so at that point, I was like, I guess we're doing this in a week. You know, I got to get a Walker. I got to figure this. Out. I got to go to some class teaching me about hip replacements. And yeah, you had to go to a class. Like in person. Class story. Oh yeah, OK, because of. The Yeah, you.

Have to take a course before Wow. Yeah, because, well, you Can you imagine all. The people that I would be with exactly that I was picturing I'm. Picturing like Carrie and then there's like a bunch of 80 year olds. Eight years, that's how it was. Though when I went to pre op. I went to the waiting room and there were all there. Were. Like people with like canes and like old grandmas and grandpas and or like our parents and here I am and I'm just like, Oh my God, what am I doing? I was so scared. But yeah, had a little course online to go through the.

Procedure and how to do recovery and the precautions, just to kind of give you an idea of what you're up to. So yeah. That was like the point where we're doing this, yes. We're doing this, Yeah, yeah. And then? And then? So then you know, you've mentioned a couple times hips plural. So it's not just you have one hip replacement. How did how did you go from doing 1 to then doing the other? OK. Yeah. So when I was diagnosed with congenital. It was bilateral congenital hip dysplasia where the hip, my hips didn't form correctly. The left hip was the first one to go. That was my.

Bad one, the right one was OK. The left one was the bad 1, so we did the left one first and the right one still has dyslasia. And but my doctor and I, when we were, you know, had many conversations about all of this. We thought I had a few years. We 4. Five maybe years. Before I would need my right one replaced because the dyslasia wasn't as bad on that hip. But after my first surgery in November, during my recovery, I guess my right hip was having to pick up and compensate because my left hip was, you know, broken essentially. They had to like saw off my femur.

You know, my leg was basically broken in so many ways. I mean, it was crazy, but my head to, I still could walk. I had to walk on it but like I had to use my right? Hip to you. Know that was the one picking up the slack. So within a couple months after my surgery, maybe less, it started acting out my right one. It started crying out for help and we thought I had longer, so about two. Months in, three months out, still, you still have precautions. At that point I'm like and I'm going. For walks and I can feel just feel it getting worse.

It's clicking, it's shooting pains. I it wasn't to the. Point It wasn't as far gone yet as the left was when I went under. It went under surgery, but I knew what I was in for so I was pro. I was like, you know what, I'm not just going to wait this out another year or two and be. Miserable like I I'm, I'm gonna, I'm doing it like we've. Already it's let's just knock it out. And so I had a conversation with my doctor. We did an MRI. He said, yeah, there's it. There's a lot. Going on in there, could I wait it out and suck it up for another?

Year and get by, sure, but at that point I had seen now that my recovery. Was going pretty smoothly with my other one and I just didn't want to live in that purgatory again. Purgatory. That's a good way to. Put it so we booked. It. Yeah, it. Was purgatory, so we I had already was recovering well from the. Left. One, so we made we, we, we just had a conversation and got the MRI done and scheduled it for April 3rd, which was less than five months after the first one. So go. Back in for that one, yeah, and. That was over a year ago, April 23.

Yeah. And so yeah, the whole thing, we had to do it all over again, which I'm so glad it's over with rather than just like, imagine living. Like right now being like all. Right. Any year, at any time, it can go on the right one. I'm glad they're done. So, yeah, so now they're I'm bionic, yeah. Then the right one bionic and the right one actually had had a harder recovery with the second one. The tendon, apparently this is common after hip surgeries. The tendon, the hip flexor tendon, the head nurse guy told me it got quote UN quote pissed off and that happens from hip surgeries and it tightened and I had tendonitis like it was excruciating to get out of bed and stuff and I was crying.

I actually thought something was wrong and called me like emergency helpline. My husband had to carry me, so the the right one had was my troubled one after surgery. But I mean, I can manage it now. I still have some a little bit of lingering hip flexor tightness, but I'm able to manage it with some, you know, PT cells. But yeah, so got it done in April. And it's been like well over a year now. Or what is 1617 months and they're done set an off metal. Detectors the airport, yeah, yes, yes, so. During the time that you couldn't run Carrie like. I can imagine, like, I've been injured before.

I've had to, you know, I had a stress fracture years ago and couldn't run for a while. And so I swam and it's like, what did you do? How did you, Yeah, not get super depressed? I mean, were you just depressed? And I mean I got. Yes, I mean, like I said, my husband remembers me calling him at work just sometimes like defeated I It's funny how our minds like, protect us. In a way, I just got like, it's like I felt like I was a shell of myself. I was a mom. I felt like I was just going through. The motions of life. You know, couldn't really like enjoy day-to-day, everyday moments like and being in pain, like just carrying my kids.

I couldn't carry my kids around. They were younger. I can't Care now, they're too big. But when they were younger, I couldn't. Walking to the park, walking every. Day the thing about limping in my car, it just became like the norm where I felt like I I this is my life now and it was so hard because running used to be such a huge was a huge part of my life and being an athlete I did ride the bike some but I mean it wasn't the same there's. No. Races and training, you mean? It was fun. But yeah, I, I, I, it was hard. I mean, I I was hard also watching people get to still live that life that I had been, that I didn't get away from me.

Yeah. And I didn't know at this point if there was ever hope because so many doctors were like, OK, get. I was like, all right, well, let's do the hip replacement. And they're like, well, you. Can't run. That's like you can't run on a hip replacement. And then I didn't know. I didn't. Know I I didn't have any hope. I didn't even it's like, OK, do I stay in pain? Or and get this hip replacement, but then what? I'm still screwed. Like I still it's still not the best ideal outcome because I probably can't run again. It was like I felt like it was this.

Yeah, there were. There was no. Good. Option. Yeah, it's so hard. Until I felt, until I met Doctor. Sox And he gave me that hope gifted him. Your race. Medal from the rate the first time you were able to complete a race after your hip replacement talk about how you ended up finding your way back to running like how did that start OK so I. Researched a bunch of. Doctors talked to them, a lot of them, like I said to said wait as long as you can. I don't think this is good. Don't run. So I, I found doctor stocks in Houston and Houston has a lot of reputable surgeons.

And I, I, I asked him, I called his assistant and I said, hey, because I wasn't giving up on this. I'm like, there has got to be a way. I, I want to, I want to find I I was like, I'm determined. Like I don't, I don't feel like this is I I want to see if I'm not just going to accept. No as an answer, basically. I'm going to. I want to do. All my research. So I called and spoke to his surgical assistant. They put him on the phone with me and I said here's my situation, you know, wasn't expecting him to give me the green light, but I was like, I am a competitive runner.

I want to get back to it. Am I able to run after hip replacement and he went to talk to doctor, stocks got back. To me, he said. Yeah, he has no problem with it. I was like, are you kidding me? And. I was like Oh my God. So I then made the. IT was like a 2 month wait. We talked about it. That's when he told me to go ahead and book it. We met a couple other times before my first surgery and yeah, he he was like, I mean, there's no guarantees, but I don't have a problem with it. And he there's detail.

I don't, I won't go out, you know, into the weeds about it. But he was able to back it up and he felt very confident that the new prosthetic parts are so good that he thinks that. They they just don't. Have enough research on how long these hits will last. So he gave me his blessing. We didn't know how recovery was going to go. Nothing's guaranteed. I didn't know, you know, I mean, I, we, I don't, he said. He's only had, he's done over 6000 and I think. He said he had three people run half marathons and only like a few run halves, and nobody's ever run Boston.

So yeah, I start after my second hip replacement. You know, I had my plan with. PT, you have restrictions like you have your first six weeks, you have precautions like you can't bend more than 90°, you have to sleep on your back. You can't. There's lots of because. You're getting a lot of stuff. It can go out of socket. So then. After 12 weeks you go back to for your follow up and at that point he says OK, you're on round three now you can start walk running gently. So I was on a plan to start doing that my. PT and him. Put me on a plan and then at six months you're kind of given the bigger green light, the brighter green light.

And he said, OK, you can start training. So I started training. About. A year ago I started running more. That's about it. Was about a year ago. And I actually ran my first 10K in September but that's not the medal I gifted him. I just ran the 10K to see if I could run 6 miles with a friend. It wasn't fast or. Anything but it was like wow, this is the furthest I've run. Ran a couple other 10 KS. Last fall. Just training. I wanted to run the Houston Marathon in January this past January. On a whim in December. So hopefully I'm not moving right now.

On I started training I guess in OK September, October was running some pancakes. I was like wow, every run was like this celebration like this is so cool. On a whim in December. I think I had. Done like 19 or 10 mile long run slow training for Houston in January and on a whim in December there was this half marathon called the Santa Hustle in Galveston which is about an hour away and I signed up the day before. I was like, I skipped my long run today. I'm just I'm going to sign up for this and I told my husband I'm signing up, then I'm going to do it.

If I can't finish the 13 miles, I'll just do 10 mile long ride and walk in the three miles. So we drove up. There to Galveston early in the. Morning, Drove down to Galveston and I did the Santa Hustle Half marathon finished. It was hard. I was so tired. But I did it and it was like, I was so emotional. That I finished my first half marathon and it was like a it was on a whim, so I ended up giving him I was so. Excited. It was before Houston. And I, because my first one was supposed to be Houston, I gave him that Santa.

Hustle medal from my first half marathon. We actually had to do a media segment together the following week. So the timing was awesome and I told them, hey, don't tell them, but I have this medal that I'm going to give him and so. They did. It they put it on the. News. On the they have a media clip. Of me handing it to him, it was. Emotional like I had tears in my eyes and I gave him a hug and gave him my. Medal. And he did. Too. And he's just, he's so supportive and positive and he's been like my miracle and Angel through all of this.

It blows my mind. Yeah, like. Being an app, like in all the stories I hear about people who've dealt with health issues one way or another, it's like you have to be your own advocate and not take and not take no for an answer and do your own research. Because it just blows my mind that you could have taken all those no's and just been like, well, shoot, I guess I'm not running. I guess this is it, right? Right. Absolutely. And like the the 3rd doctor I went to, he was like, if you were my wife or my sister, Terry, just can you wait it out five to 10 years?

I'm like, what a horrible way. Like this is even more depressing, right? And then you. Can't run. It's like, so I need to be in pain because basically they're saying his thing was he didn't know at the time. Like he's you're, he's like you're a little bit. Too. Young to get a hip replacement because they say they can. They they're not sure if they only last 20 to 30 years. You're going to probably have to have a revision. But you're too old to get the dysplasia. Major surgery, which is another big surgery, but that's for younger patients who don't have. Arthritis already. So I, yeah, people were saying no.

And I was like, I'm going to just keep looking. And because yeah, and, and I found yeah, I'm so glad I advocated for myself. I'm so glad I did my research. I spent so many late nights, like under the covers, like scouring the Internet, like at midnight, looking for hope and looking for someone like me, really. And I couldn't find any marathon runners like me who ran on hip replace. So Doctor Stocks unlocked that window, unlocked that door for me, buddy. Else, are you still the only one? I found somebody who's done half marathon, but I don't. Know anybody that's done a full except some men, but I I I was I've been.

Researching, but no, I haven't found anybody with double hip replacements who's run a marathon. Now I there may be somebody out there, but no one that I found that's done a marathon or qualified done so maybe there. Is some but I. Couldn't find anybody. With this story, it's just I, I'm. Like well, how do you get in like the? Certainly you got to get in the Guinness Book of World Records, the furthest distance run by by a woman with two hip, hip replacements. You know, Boston. Yeah, whatever. It is, yeah. I I don't know, there may be some. Men, I'm not sure. But yeah, I I don't know.

And it's what's the best part about all this? And we can talk about it more as we go, but so many people now, you know, that's. What I really needed and wanted and was searching for someone to provide me that hope because there was so much unknown going into this surgery. Even on Halloween when I decided I was going to do it, I mean, I was so scared. I was like, I don't know what I'm in for. But now that I've gone through it and I've been sort of sharing my, you know, journey and all, all my milestones and the good and the bad and the ugly on my Instagram, I've probably had 20 to 30 people around the world reach out to me for help, support people.

That have had the hip replacement. And. Are going through recovery and having problems people who have dysplasia that. Aren't sure what to. Do people that yeah, like young, old people whose doctors have said you can't even somebody messaged me the other. Day this poor girl and she was like I had my hip or hips replaced and my doctor said I can't even lay. On the beach or lay on the ground? I'm like, do you mean during the first six? Weeks like when you're when when you have your precautions or do you mean? Forever. And she said that he told her he couldn't even she couldn't sit.

In a bathtub. Or lay on the ground. I'm like, I'm not. Real. I'm not your doctor and I'm I'm, I'm not a doctor and I'm not your doctor. But that is crazy, I said. I'm laying down. Right now. People, I think there's just not. Enough research. In my, you know, people aren't staying on top of it. And like my doctor. My doctor. Stock. You know, Doctor. Stock said like he's just not seeing a problem with. Hip replacements, I mean, no guarantees. And I think a lot of doctors maybe don't are misinformed or they haven't studied the latest research. I mean, I'll be the Guinea pig, yeah.

Yeah. So anyway, that's how I. Got running. And. You know, was able he was he was the one that gave me the green light and and I trusted I trusted him. Oh, and I and I. Went back to one of the doctors because I was still trying to decide am I doing this and I wanted to go tell him what Doctor Stocks said. The other doctor was great too. He was the one that said wait, and I told him I'm like, well, I just saw Doctor. Stocks and he said go, you can do it. He goes, well, that's bossy, you know, He was, he was.

Hilarious, but he. Actually came back, I told him I got him replaced and he said, you know what Carrie? I now I agree you can run because I have a patient who's like a swimmer or an athlete and she's doing stuff on her hip replacements. Now he was like, I have I, I agree with your doctor. So he came back and now he's on board with what my doctor said. But a lot of doctors are not. And you know, honestly, most people probably this is what my husband Ben was telling me the other day and one of my guy friends who I talked to him this week.

Is it Carrie? Most people. Just would have been like I give up. Like getting hip replacements running over like I'm not, like I have an excuse now I don't have to do it. Yeah. But it's not really an option for me. I understand I've I've been. Bitten enough by the bug that if it were taken away from me, I would do everything in my power to find my way back to it. Yeah. I mean, it's just. It's that big of a part of my life, right? Or at least. Owe your. You owe yourself. The shot of finding out and learning. As much as you can and giving yourself, you know, interviewing doctors, doing your research to do everything you can.

And if someone gives. You the green. Light and you're you're feeling well and like I'm going to do this for myself and you know to inspire other people, you know who may be going through this absolutely, but it's. Interesting. It gives me more. Motivation. Now I'm like, I'm going to do this for me. I'm going to prove it to myself. Oh my gosh. Yes, yes, you are. Oh my gosh, I'm so, I'm so excited. I've gotten a chance to get to know you better, Carrie, because now I get to be a big fan and cheerleader and I'm just, I'm excited to see what you can do because I know you can do it.

Like your husband said, I will never doubt you like whatever Carrie gets when Carrie. Gets it in her mind, she's going to do something. She's going to do it. I want to I want to bring up. Though as a like a little side note, when you wrote me about your like so the part where you said. He wrote. We wrote. You know, we've been messaging. And he said, Carrie, so you decided. That you were going to get a hip replacement when you were dressed up with a skeleton that. Was awesome, I saw that. And I was like that. Is just the best. That was my favorite, like I never thought.

About it like that. And I'm like, yeah, I was a skeleton. That night when I decided I'm doing you like looking down in your outfit and you see the hilarious. You see the hip bones and you're like, well, hip. Bones. Like it's time, yes. Yes. So funny. Yeah. So. So yeah, I'm not like as far as like a three. O nine, I'm not anywhere near that right now, but working with Med has been so cool and obviously super special, but we're building up slowly and I know you're probably get that's probably your next question as I'm I'm. Right now, the plan and I'm kind of taking it week by week because these hips, I don't know what, I don't want to jinx anything.

And have. Unrealistic expectations. I'm hoping I can run the Houston Marathon in January as my next milestone, but it's a big one. I'll probably run some races leading up to that, like smaller ones, but I am, I am hoping that I can, my hips can handle it and that, you know, they can last that long. But I'm taking it a week at a time. I did 16. That was a huge 116. I called it Sweet 16. We had a little sweet, sweet. We had a Sweet 16 celebration after I did 16-16. Yeah. So every. Time What's? Cool now. Is like, I feel like I'm like, it's the second.

Chapter of my Running life and every It's like your first marathon or you're when you just start, everything is like exciting now everything is a celebration. Oh my God. I ran 1/2 marathon. Oh my God I did. Or 6 miles. Oh my God, I did 3 miles and now it's like every long run now is like such a huge deal to me and it's fun. That's a silver lining for sure. It's like. Everything's APR. It's APR on my hips, these hips for these hips. I'm I feel like, I feel. Like Boston, you know how they have different? Categories men, women, everything. I think they need to have a bionic category for registration.

I think they finally if you're. Like Paralympic stuff. So it's like, yeah, why? Not bionic, have a bionic. I think they should have AI. Think I think they should. That would be. So funny, a bionic category like, you know, if you get, if you're a bionic, you get like a little bit of special treatment with what at sometimes maybe you don't need, right? What qualifies as bionic? What is that? Does it mean you have like a just if you had a? Venal. Joint. A bet OK. Yeah, I think that. We'll have to look it up, but I from. What I've been told or heard I think if you have.

Like a hip replacement. Or a knee replacement. Or a shoulder. Yeah. Metal in your body. Yeah. That's interesting. That's an interesting thought, I. What got me thinking too this is random but like this back of the skeleton. Side note. So I saw that your husband Ben was on a waiting list for like years for your giant skeleton. I I feel like you need to. Spray. Paint the giant skeleton's hip bones to be a different color. OK to say. OK, so. That is so funny that you said. That. So like I said, Theo and Ben, Michael Myers, junior and senior, they are like it's out of control.

Like it's become part of our annual budget, like for Halloween anyway. Like what they spend on all these animatronics, you know, the animatronics like. They are. We don't even have room for all these. It is. Crazy. OK, I like it, but I. Like it because it makes them happy, but I'm not like a super big Halloween person. It's fun for them, but. Yeah, they were on a. 3. Year wait He was on a three-year wait list at Home Depot, has the original and if I. Finally got it, but he was telling me the other day Ben was we should do a picture. His name's Gus with the skeleton.

The 12 foot skeleton is Gus. We going to get a picture of Gus and like somehow show people. Where the hip bone is. And what can show how your femur was sawed off? There you go. We could do like a how it like an interactive video. So because you know, I was even confused like what's the hip bone? Where is? This going into your femur like I I think it we could show. Like what they do and cut? Off and put back. Yeah, you got to do like a. Video and be like. Here you go. This is what happened to me. Like that'd be really fun.

Or we do the hip replacement. We do a hip replacement. Gus needs 2 hip, 2 new hips. Yep, metal hips, yeah, but I I think we will do a. Visual just so people. Can see like where what was the yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool. Yeah, he said. That, he said. That's so funny. That's. That's a good idea. All right, well, I can't believe we've been talking for almost an hour and a half now. Do you realize how much that, like, time just flies by? It definitely flew by. I want to ask you the. End of the podcast questions now. So I have two and we've already alluded to one, but the first one is what is your favorite mantra and or song for running?

OK, I was thinking about this. I have. I love music, I love songs but little mantras I don't have like 1 go to they sometimes. Change. I was just thinking like, right now my mantras are like. I. Get to do this. When I'm running and like say I. Say I'm not having. A good run like today I was even really tired. I've had this is fun. I get to do this. I feel alive, you know. You know even. During the hard work you. Feel alive, you feel. I think I'm this is fun. I get to do. This. I'm so lucky. I feel alive. Those are my main ones.

And then you have like and like I'm assuming when I run the races. I'll be like when it's. Tough you got this. One step at a time. Say you know all the typical. Ones. But my main thing right now for me is focusing on the gratitude I have and like. Something's stolen. When something's stolen from you and you get it back, like, it changes your whole perspective. So yeah, I feel alive. This is fun. I get to do this. I'm so lucky. Songs, I mean. Hips don't. I mean, I thought of that. Earlier because I was like, OK I. Want to make I was like, I want to make Carrie a mug.

What would I put on? I was like, oh, I'm going to put like hips and then I'm going to do Shakira lyrics yes or that. Remember that. One that one hip hop song like Hip Hop Hooray, here we go. I don't. Know I like Shakira. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All that. Stuff, I mean, I have other songs. I love music and I love the 90s. And like early 2000s music, but. Yeah, that's I guess the hips don't lie one and then. There's also one called Titanium by David. Guetta, that's a good one. Go try the same song. I don't like all the inspirational. Yeah, there's a lot of fun inspirational ones, but.

I honestly I like the. The Snoop Dogg and the fun ones to run to. But as far as like hips don't, I think hips don't lie. Probably is to go to yes. That's that's perfect. OK. And then your next finish line or milestone, we kind of already talked about going into Houston in January, right, Houston in. Boston. Yeah. So Houston, that's the. Plan right now I'm. Technically signed up for the half. For Houston, because I don't want to jinx it, but I can change it. I'm planning on changing it in November or December to the full. I'm going to see how these long runs go.

That's my plan. That's my hope is that. I'm. Going to run the Houston Marathon in January, scheduled for Boston in April with Nebs going to get me there the way I got in. So I've run Boston once and I've qualified, I think I've told you five times. I was actually supposed to run it in 2018 for the second time. I qualified after my son Theo was born. A year, nine months after he was born, I was in, got in, you know, through the registration. Paid everything and then I found out I was pregnant on Christmas Eve. After I'd done it, so I was like, all right.

Didn't. Get to go to and that was. Before they had the deferral. To pregnancy. Think about that. So I. Yes, I didn't. Get to defer. So then the whole hip thing happened for years, you know, Fast forward, here we are. So I had to give just to explain to the audience. I had to. The hip company heard about my story, the prosthetic company and they. Had seen some of the media. Clips and they reached out to me and asked me to give a like Ted Talk speech at their national sales meeting in April and I was like Oh my God, I actually told him I.

Think I'd rather. Get AI mean I have to like speak. In front of 500. People, I was like, Oh my God, it was 12 minutes of me up there. I. Was like this is so scary but anyway. I gave it and somebody, some people. There with the hip prosthetic company, somebody volunteers and does work with Boston and he approached me and said the prosthetic company actually has access to a bib for me. So I'm very fortunate that that I'm able to get a bib through the whole hip thing from the big prosthetic company, the medical community and I can represent them, maybe raise some money and awareness about arthritis and hip replacements and make them proud.

Now I'm thinking. Now I'm thinking. Carrie, you need to like, get some skeleton short running shorts, OK, Some hip bones. On there, yes. I don't know. Think about it. Or the Tin Man. They get that. WE. 40 Yeah, I'm like. Oh my God, we should. If you come out to Boston, we. Should like have a pit stop where you guys like. Foil my with the WE 40. It's so amazing. So whoa. I hope we get to be there at the same time. I hope. We get to meet each other in Boston when you qualify. You are. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do that. Yeah. I. You know your mom has been the runner in your life.

My mom started the running in our family, but my dad is is more of the runner now and he's done. He's done Boston a few times, maybe 3. But anyway, he wants to run. I don't know if he'll do Boston again, but he wants to run at least one more marathon. He's almost 70. But I'm like, my dream would be like, I would love to be there. Like when he's there, I'm like, OK, you turn 70, I'll turn 40. And then we'll both go, yeah, that would be a miracle. But you know, that's so cool your. Dad sounds awesome. Your dad sounds. So awesome. My mom can't run anymore.

She had her back. My mom just had a back. Just had one in December. My mom did. No, that's yeah. She it's been a whole thing, but yeah, she. She used to run and then, oh gosh, then she couldn't run anymore and she's still very active. But yeah, then had a hip. Hip or a hip fusion, A back fusion. Yeah, crazy. That's that's even more intense than a hip. Replacement. Yeah, that's serious. And she's in it. She's recovering right now. Just finally. It's been almost a year. And she finally played golf for the first time. OK. Oh, good. Yeah, I remember. My. That was a.

Really painful like surgery uncovered major. It's hard, so same. Thing. Yeah, my mom. Can't. Yeah, she comes out and she would be like when, when we went to Boston the first time, She's super organized in Type A and she hired a driver to take her and Ben around. And like, she had spreadsheets and maps, which she saw. They saw me at four places at the Boston Marathon. They coordinated. With the driver. Like you want. She should be hired for logistics. It's a business idea, people. Yeah, type. A like she knows. How to navigate the had? Maps out and tell the driver where to go and they saw that's so amazing so she oh we're going.

To do we're she already? Got the reserve the driver for April. Wow. So anyway, Carrie. Thank. You so much for doing this. It's so much fun. I hope. Yeah. I hope we get to meet in person at some point. Hopefully in Boston. That's even better. Yes. No. You know, I love chatting with you and yeah. Maybe we can do a follow up. Oh, that'd be so fun in April. Or May. Yes, yeah. All right. Well, OK. Well, you go have a good day. And I'll think I'll you send me. I'll. I'll have to send. You the trash address and yes, yes, please. All right. Well, thank you and thanks everybody who.

Listened and happy running. Thanks so much. Hey if you like this. Episode be sure to share. Rate and review and you can find me on Instagram at Ally T Brett under Score Runs.

Ally Brettnacher