2X Badwater Champ Ashley Paulson and The World Marathon Challenge

Live better and longer with the Fitness Show, hosted by fitness expert, author, and TV personality Fitz Kohler. She'll tell you why diets are dumb, supplements are snake oil, and the truth about how you can earn a lean, hard, pain-free, and athletic body. Now for our favorite bossy blonde, Fitz Kohler. Well, hi team. I'm Fitz Kohler, your very noisy race announcer. From fitness.com and welcome to the fitness show. Today, we've got another doozy. We love adventure, right?

We love athletics and athletes and this chick who I'm bringing on today. Again, she's a repeat guest is the queen of athletic adventure. She's Ashley Paulson. She was my guest back in September of 23. If you have not listened to that show, you have to go back. She tells the tale of her dramatic two-time Badwater Championship, where it was brought with conspiracies about her cheating.

And then she had this, oh, incredible redemption tale where she came back and slaughtered absolutely everybody who ran the race the second time. And she's incredible. Ashley Paulson, she's a joy. She's no stranger to distance running. not only the Badwater races, which are 135 miles, but she's run a couple of 200-mile races this year and 250-milers, and today we're going to talk about her doing the World Marathon Challenge, which is seven marathons on seven continents in seven days,

which is a pretty big deal. That's right. Can you imagine? I mean, some people just, they spend months training for one marathon, which is a very big deal. I know I've trained for one marathon. And when I finished that one marathon right here in the United States, I felt like I was a pretty big deal. That's right. Highly accomplished and a lot to celebrate. But she said, nah, one's not enough. I'm going to go do seven marathons in seven continents in seven days,

which is crazy. How does that happen? She's going to tell us all about it. So welcome back, Ashley Paulson. How are you doing? I'm so good. How are you? I'm so great. I really enjoy you so much, Ashley. It's nice having somebody to root for. Thank you so much. I appreciate the cheers and the love. Seriously, I feel the support. So thank you. Thank you. Never stop. I need it. Yeah. Yeah. You're incredible. Thank you also for agreeing to be back on my show. You have so much to share.

Oh, my God. I was actually talking to my husband. I was like, I was on our show. It wasn't too long ago. I'm like, it actually was forever ago. But yeah, it's so long. So I'm so happy to be back. When was it? I think it's been about a year. Was it? Okay. Was it after Badwater? It was after Badwater. Okay. Okay. I can't remember. I just was like, oh, yay. So happy to be here. So thank you for having me. I know you've got plenty of options. So to choose me means a lot.

Golly, you've done so much and we can get to all the things, but I want to talk about your world marathon challenge.

Okay oh my gosh I still can't did that really happen was that real life it's crazy it's been two weeks almost since we were done explain to the listeners who have no idea what the world marathon challenge is what it is okay this is something that I get all like how in the world do you travel from continent to continent in seven days so it's seven marathons in seven continents in just seven days and so there's a chartered plane that takes all of the athletes so

that's the biggest thing is it's not like we're just going through to the merits or to the airport trying to catch a flight from delta obviously there's going to be all sorts of delays with that this one it is there specifically for the athletes that are doing this challenge and there was definitely a lot of delays and stuff with it but we were able to still hit all seven continents in that seven-day period and get that marathon done. So it was really amazing. We're on a private plane.

The seats all recline. You feel like you're a royalty. It was so crazy to just be like, oh, I get whatever I want. And you just, they didn't even like have you sit your seat up when you land, like, you know, like they're probably supposed to. Those are two times we're like, wait, are we on the ground? And I'm laying flat. Anyway, it was just so fancy. It was amazing. So that's was, that's the challenge. The biggest thing you start in Antarctica.

Now, Antarctica, what? Yes, you have a marathon there. Okay. Pause for a second. So just for all the people who are out there who are thinking, oh my God, I've never even done a 5k and you're agreeing to do not just one marathon. And some of us do one marathon and that's a big deal. You do You won, you train your whole life for it. You get there, you cross the finish, you live on it forever. So you run how many marathons?

And we'll be right back. Did you know that wearing compression gear can improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and speed recovery? It can also enhance your performance and diminish the suffering after an incredible run or workout. That's why I want you to check out my favorite compression gear, Leo Reve. The streamlined designs look sharp, feel great, and come in gorgeous colors like magenta sky, arctic white, graphite, and turn purple.

They've got a sizey women's collection and a ginormous collection for men. From ankle length and capri tights to compression tanks and tees, arm sleeves, and more. It'll make the perfect holiday gift for your favorite athlete or New Year's gift for yourself. And my favorite part? It's all designed and made in America. Visit leoreve.com and do some serious shopping that's l-e-o-r-e-v-e-r.com soothe your body and structured support while looking and feeling your best,

We're back. You run how many marathons? Let's see. Like sanctioned marathons, like not just the distance. Now with the seven, I'm at 126, 126 marathons. So it's not like I just jumped into it, like not ready. I've, my body knows this distance. My body has done this a lot. So definitely staying for it. And a marathon to you is child play. And I know you wouldn't disrespect the marathon by saying that, but you're ultra.

So, so tell everybody about your, your biggest distances, your biggest accomplishments as far as ultra running. Oh, thank you. Okay. I actually just this year did my first 250. And so that was a very wild experience to go from a hundred miler to the 200, 250. I did two of those this year. And so my body knows the distance. It was actually, they were both very, I was sick on both of them. So it's hard for me to like, be like, I loved it.

You know, it was because I was sick. So I didn't know what I was capable of. So in my mind, I'm like, I'm not ready to do another 200 because I didn't like walking. But if I was healthy, would I be actually running more than I would have? So that was really hard for me to be like, I loved it. You know what I mean? So yeah, first one, I was really sick going into it. And like for five days, I had been just over the toilet, all of this stuff for five days.

And then I decided to still do it because I'm not the smartest person out there. I probably should have pulled the plug right before and been like, you know, it's not what in the cards, but you did all that training. You put in all of that effort. It's hard to actually be like, I'm not going to do it and make that smart decision. But I flat out know I'm. Should not have done that because it sunk me into a big hole this spring without like, you know, being an athlete is hard.

I think the hardest thing sometimes is to be smart about making those decisions. And that's one of the hardest things isn't just to keep going. It's to be like, no, I need to pull the plug and stop. And so, yeah, so I was able to do both of those. And I've done several 100 milers in the last couple of years. My background is more like long course triathlons, so like that Ironman distance.

That's really what tapped me into the ultra world, feeling pretty strong, getting that strong base going from mat to 100 miler. Didn't seem like much of a difference on my body. So I've been doing it for a lot of years with high models. So feel blessed that my body's been strong throughout. And would you consider winning Badwater two times and obliterating the records there and beating the men, is that your cherry on top? Is that your biggest accomplishment?

I think it has been so far. That one, for sure. Last year, being able to actually beat the boys and get such a solid chunk off of my previous record was huge for me. I was in amazing shape for that and worked really hard for that one. So definitely one that I'm excited to share with people, but then you, at the same time, you don't want to feel like you're bragging, but it was really an exciting day.

If I did that, I would brag forever, especially because you dealt with pretty high drama after your first. And if people don't know, they accused Ashley of cheating. She kind of came out of nowhere and they just, I remember reading articles and even though I had already known you and love you from our connection at LA Marathon, we didn't connect you to the person they were accused of cheating. And so I was reading all those articles thinking, I don't know this person.

Did she cheat? I mean, I was I was doing all the research and then, you know, the race director thankfully came out very vehemently protecting you and saying, no, there's no evidence that she cheated. But the fact that you took all of that after working so hard and winning fair and square, having the drama, and then you came back, doubled down and beat the hell out of absolutely everybody. While all eyes were peeled on you the whole time, I just thought it was magnificent.

What a what a story of redemption and really victory in your face. Yeah, definitely one of those that I was just like, oh, because I was, I was nervous to do the event. I knew what I had done the year before and I had not cheated. I knew that, like, I didn't necessarily need to go out and like show people, but I'm like, what if I do have a really bad day? And then it's going to be like, I told you so. And that was my biggest fear going into Badwater last year was like, I told you so.

And for the fact that everything lined up like so great yes I had some like challenges of course it was hard absolutely but to be able to go in and be able to like not just do better than I did the last year but like so much better was just like such a relief too for not just me but for everyone that. That was defending my name the year before. And just like you, there was so many people that they didn't know who I was.

I mean, you knew who I was, but like in your mind, you're like, well, did she? People can't help it. They can't help it be like, why would I be reading this if there wasn't some sort of truth to it? Why would somebody just make this up? And so automatically people are like, well, yeah, I guess you cheated because nobody's just going to make that up. But it was, it was just somewhere out of the blue, the fact that I'm a girl and I was able to like smash these records on the hill climbs.

That's what blew people's mind from the year before. And they're like, there's no way. There's no way she could have done it. So clearly she jumped in a car or had a doppelganger or all of the things that you read about that they accused me of cheating. So it was a good day. Yeah. Domination was the way to shut people up. Did you have people apologized to you. I did. I did actually.

And so there was some big names that were, they were coming after me in the ultra world and, and it was, it was hurtful. It caused me to cry plenty of times just because I knew I didn't do it. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. And yeah, there was some good apologies for sure. But then of course there's still some that they'll never going to believe it and that's okay.

I'm not going to twist somebody's arm or try to show everybody my data again, again, and again, when they, they've clearly made up their mind and you can't have everyone's love and support. And also I'll just appreciate those that the support of the people that I have. So just cherish that. I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, my, my stance is if 50% of the people like me, that's fine. I just can't be. And that's a big number, but could you imagine that 20 years ago?

I don't know how old you are, but like, I can't remember my twenties. I was like, why doesn't everybody like me? Why, why can't I? And then you try to like change little things and, or I would anyway, sorry, I'm speaking in place of I, and you know, it's okay. I'm not for everybody. I'm not. And that's okay. But you know, they're in my mind. I'm like, it's their loss. I'm pretty fun. I'm fun to be around.

That's right. That's right. Yeah. I remember when I started taking fitness, I was about 15 and my style is loud and boisterous and high energy. And not everybody wants that. They want to come and kind of chill out and exercise. I get it. So then that was when I was probably 15 when I learned that, okay, if you can get 50%. That's a great age. Yeah. 15? No. Yeah. So what caused that? Like what hit it? Just kind of like, you know what?

Realizing, because that's a young age, that's a really insecure age for me. So that's amazing to be found early. I certainly did have insecurities, but I don't know. I think fitness was just, I was meant for it and it was meant for me. And I was able to have some really good epiphanies because I still cared about the people who didn't want to take my particular class. I was like, okay, go do a class. It's not this, it's your workout. It's not about me. It's about you.

So if you want to go with someone who's a little older or quieter or whatever, go do that.

Go do that. I want to root for you still so I'm rooting for everybody even if they hate my guts yep I love that that's what we just got to keep on doing just shine our bright our light and don't let anybody dull it because who we are is I hope I never change in that area I want to just continue being loud and crazy that's me and that's you too so not everyone else out so I was telling my son about you before we got on together and I was I was I was bragging about you and I just said.

She runs so far in the whole freaking time. She's got her knees up high. She's bouncing across these mountains. And she's got this big freaking smile. And it's just got to make some people hate her guts. Because how do you get to mile 112? It's going to be like, this is the best time ever. But I just love cheering for you. I love watching your posts. And if anybody's not following Ashley on Instagram, you got to, it's ashkicken, A-S-H kick-N.

And you're just so fun and you're delightful and fun to watch you enjoy these seemingly torturous endurance events. Definitely. I mean, the smile, sometimes there is gratitude, not because it's like, it's not because it doesn't hurt because I'm uncomfortable, but it's also one of those things that I'm so grateful to be able to do. And it's not going to make it any better if I'm not having that smile on my face. So you might as well put that smile on your face.

Really, it does trick your mind. It's proof it to trick your mind if you put that smile on your face. And so that's always been my thing, like smile, you'll run faster or, you know, anything with a smile, life is just better that way. So thank you for noticing. Yeah, no, I agree wholeheartedly. I am a joy addict. And when I see it in other people, it really, it pleases me. I wish everybody felt that. Same, same thing. Okay, so folks, if you'd like to, go back in the Fitz in the Show episodes.

Is it about a year ago I had you on my show? It was after my second Badwater, right? Yeah. Okay. So yeah, I think you had me on like earlier on, so like even last August. Because it was pretty soon after Badwater. Okay. So folks go listen to that. That's another great episode. And Ashley gets really into the nitty gritty weeds on her bad water races and other marathons. But let's talk about your world marathon challenge.

And so you're on the fancy plane, you have anything you want and everything you need because holy hell, what an undertaking. And now let me ask you, you've run much further than seven marathons in one sitting. So when you were signing up for this, was it intimidating? or were you thinking, yeah, I got that, no big deal? I think there's never a no big deal ever, even when I'm signing up for one marathon because I know how many things can happen. And I always have different goals.

Sometimes it is as a training run. Other times it's like as a time goal. And so those are the things that I always want to keep myself a little nervous of my goal. I want to be a little scared being like, as I'm going in. And so, yes, there was definitely those nerves because I'm like, hey, physically, sure something can happen, but I'm pretty sure I can do this distance. I know I could do this distance, but what can make it more scary?

And that's having a time goal and the unknown of like the flying and the altitude that we're doing, the time changes. And how is that going to affect my marathon? So there was never a time that I was like, I got this, I got this. And it's Antarctica. What are you going to expect there? Are you going to get wind? Are you going to get all of that is going to play a role on how you finish that day.

So I kind of did have a time goal on all of those marathons except for Antarctica, because that one was so much of an unknown. And I'd read so many things like the fastest woman there had ever had run like a 340 something. And I was like, okay, that's the fastest ever. So I've got to like set my expectations like reasonably for that. But also, I'm like, what's the fastest for all seven? I'd love to see if I can do that. And so I put that goal out in front of me like, hey.

I want to make sure it's attainable, but scary. And that was scary for me, trying to go after the record for the fastest of all seven for a female in all seven days. So that was my goal. That was the goal. That goal was a 3.23 average or something like that. So I was like, it's totally doable, but is it because of the travel? How am I going to wake up and feel super heavy or jet lag, all of the things. So definitely was scared. With that one, without going after a record, you know?

Okay. So here's another question I and many other people have. It's got to be really expensive. I've heard numbers. You know, some people have the cash in their bank. Some people get sponsors, some people fundraise. So what did that look like for you? That was something I actually reached out to the company I work for, iFit. I reached out for them and I was like, listen, I've got this great idea.

And I thought that it was going to be shut down like so fast and I was like this is my goal this is what I want to get but along the way I could just be you know advertising and I'll wear your logo trying to like make it as big as I could because it is a big number it's a big chunk of money to run and mainly because of Antarctica getting to Antarctica alone is about $25,000 per person running or not yes yes so if you just want to go to Antarctica.

That flight, just the flight, is like $25,000 to get a plane right out there. And so that puts in a big chunk, and then along with all of the other flights, chartering the plane. So it's like 50, 60 grand. I can't remember what it is in, because they are a different currency. Yeah. And iFit said, yes, they're like, within like a day. And I legit got the email and I go out screaming in my kitchen. I'm like, I didn't freaking go across the world.

Like, this is something I wanted to do for so many years and do what I love on every continent. And so I actually was just like, I'm not going to believe it until it actually happens because it's huge. And then they ended up paying the fee. And I'm like, this is really happening.

I can really do this. so definitely people that did pay out of their pocket and it's no big deal people doing it for charity and trying to fundraise and so so many walks of life in those like 50 athletes that were there you know from just insanely like oh my gosh is this your jet rich. To just the person that's actually never even ran a marathon really which is wild they did their very first marathon and then they did a back-to-back-to-back more.

So there was an 18-year-old boy there. He earned every penny of that trip for that trip. He earned it. He saved up for years and he invested. I don't even know everything about his story, but I was like, holy crap, you're 18 and this is your dedication and what you're going to spend money on. Can I set you up with my 17-year-old daughter? Good idea. Oh, I was just thinking that kid's going to be CEO one day. That kid's going to be millionaire, billionaire status for sure.

If he can do that type of mindset and to be able to, it wasn't like his family's crazy wealthy or he was, he just, he saved and he worked his butt off to get there and he did it. He was able to finish all seven. Okay. So since iFit was so nice to take care of you, give them a 30 second commercial. Tell us about how cool iFit is. Let's see. Let's see, make sure my hair's good. No, I'm just kidding.

So I fit what it is. That's my job. It is actually, I am one of the trainers that's on your pro form, your Nordic track, your free motion, and I'm guiding you through workouts. We go all over the world and we're able to do like POV style workouts. We also have studio, but that's what we're really known for. So say you're coming with me, you turn on Mount Fuji, you want to come join me in Mount Fuji.

You're going to see Mount Fuji. there's an athlete that's following me as I'm going up Mount Fuji and I'm guiding you through a workout, but you're also seeing it and you're feeling the change. As I get higher, so did your treadmill. As I pick up my pace, so did your treadmill. So it's kind of like one of those things that you feel like you're there and I want you to feel like we're friends. But I'm the only one talking, of course.

Right. But yeah, it's one of those things that's been a game changer for a lot of people that want to travel and can't or that just would love to have like the guesswork taken out. And so we're able to guide them through the workouts. There's all sorts of trainings on there, 5Ks up to a marathon. Or if you just want like, you're one and done.

And so that's what I do for a living. It's pretty incredible to be able to travel the world and to bring it back to people's home and they're able to sweat and move, whether it's on the bike or treadmill or a rower. Well, I love it. And one of the things that drives me crazy is when people call it the treadmill, because I think, oh my gosh, it's the perfect excuse buster. You can do it indoors. You don't have to worry about the weather,

whether it's safe. It's there when your baby can nap at your side. It's everything. I own a treadmill. It's my favorite piece of equipment and to have you run along with people's makes it anything but a dreadmill. So yay. Yay. Yay. That's no, I love it. Cause that's, I actually did. I used to be one of those people. I, I was not a fan. I'm like, you're not really a runner if you're on the treadmill until it was actually almost forced on me. And, and I was like, what have I been missing out on?

I can just like set my pace and forget it. Or I could just put on a movie or I can have all my fuel here. I can have that perfect incline that I need. So I actually utilize a treadmill, not just because it's my job. I use it so much in my training and I feel that's been an amazing, incredible tool that's helped me get to where I am for sure. Absolutely. I actually used a treadmill to train for Boston because I ended up with heat exhaustion training June in Florida.

I did the October and then I thought I'm not, I'm just not doing that again. I'm not putting myself at risk for exhaustion or worse heat stroke. So I got on the treadmill. I watched Outer Banks. You can binge watch things and you don't even feel, sorry, feel as guilty because you're just like, I was getting my sweat on the whole time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So good. So good. Okay. So your first stop is Antarctica. Tell us about that.

Okay. So I was so nervous for it because Because I am a sun girl. I love the heat. I, and I, I feel like my body shuts down in the cold. So I was really nervous for it. And of course, reading all of the things like, okay, you sweat there. It's not just like, you're going to get cold. It's like, you sweat, you die. And I'm all like. You sweat your diet? Like, you know, obviously people are making it like really dramatic.

But you don't know what to expect because once you start sweating and then if you turn one way and you've got this wind coming at you, it's going to freeze. And then you're going to freeze and I'm going to freaking die. So that one was probably the most nerve wracking, but also the most exciting because it was so much of the unknown. And when we landed, when we landed and we got not that plane, it was three degrees Fahrenheit.

So which sounds wild, right? But that's actually a nice warm day in Antarctica. We landed in Wolfing, Antarctica. And people think it's just like labs and like all this stuff there. But they actually just had, they have a lot of tents set up around there. And they had little, I wish it was igloos because that would have been really, really cool to like record going into an igloo. But it wasn't. But yeah, stepped off the plane three degrees and just crisp, clear day. So clear.

Very little wind. And so we got so blessed in that. They had just churned up. What they do is churn up the runway, their road, their ice path. And they churn that up so that we are able to run on it without slipping. But they're like, do not run off of where we have churned up. You'll see each side, it looks like just like a white road. But then on each side, it's like a beautiful blue glass. It's insane. They're like, you step on that, you're going to slip.

And then you're going to end up back in the airplane. And you're done with your race. because you're going to slide so fast. So they made it very clear where to go and where not to go. And so it was a very clear path where we were and a clear day. I actually wore my road shoes to run it. Yeah, I was thinking I'd have to have like crampons. I brought three different pairs of shoes just for Antarctica because I didn't know. And...

You know, as, as I should have, because he even said, like, if there's something that moves in, you're going to want to have your trail shoes. But he did in our email, the race stretcher said, most people can run it in their road shoes if we get a good day. And we got a really good day. And I just wore my road shoes, no spikes or anything. So. And did you have a full 26.2 mile path or was it loops?

It was loose so originally we had a two looped course but the we had our race meeting the race briefing as just any race does typically with like a big race they'll do that and it was like 4 p.m and we're meeting in south africa going over all the things and they're like and guess what we thought we all had another day and a half before we were flying out they're like guess what we've got a storm moving in so everyone be here at 5 a.m because we're

taking off and we're running tomorrow instead we're all like wait what even though we're ready it was you know having an extra 24 hours we thought we had and mentally everyone's like whoa whoa whoa but so that kind of threw in a little bit of a curve for everyone so he had to adjust every single course i felt so bad for the race director because gosh you know how races are they're insane and so recreating every single course so that he could still make it

in that seven days and different continents. Oh my gosh, I couldn't even imagine. So it ended up being a four loop course that we did. So able to run around this little... Area like there was some turns and stuff in there but it all looked the same just white.

Yeah like you see off in the distance like big old mountains with like raggedy ridges and it was gorgeous so I coming from me this is a big deal that I really actually loved Antarctica I loved it I imagine windy it I would have been screaming a different tune that's for sure I'm glad you had a perfect day. Did you see any wildlife? No, just a lot of wild runners. Okay.

All right. Well, thumbs down on that. And then, so I'm guessing there's not a big race announcer at the start line doing the big hoopla. Is it a, is it a horn and a, how, how does the start and finish line go for these races? Yeah, it's the race director. He just kind of lines up and does a countdown pretty quick because we only, we've, we've obviously got to be on a tight schedule and And it's a quick turnaround.

We had from the time we landed, from the time that we took off, we had to be off of Antarctica within eight hours. So get off the airplane. Everyone kind of do their potty and set things up. And then he's like, line up. Let's go. Because some people were, they were planning on taking every bit of time that they could to get these done. Because, you know, every race has people that want to run it really hard. And there are just others that are like, hey, I'm going to walk this and get

it done. And so, yeah, we, they needed every moment that they could. So he lined us up and he's like, and you're off. And we're like, whoa, okay, here we go. Here we go. We're starting. Okay. So you definitely different. What was your time? Did you beat the three hour and 40 minute record in Antarctica? I did actually, I actually was able to break the record and be the first female there. So I now hold the world record for Antarctica for the fastest marathon, which I was really excited about.

It was something that I just had, it's funny because I hold the record for Badwater, the hottest race, and now I hold it for like the coldest place. But now I need it for the 100 miler instead of just the marathon. But I thought that was a kind of a fun thing. I'm like, oh, I can do both, you know. You put your mind to something and you can get both. And so I did a three hours and 18 minutes in Antarctica.

So you destroyed the record, which is incredible, Ashley. And I'd like to remind everybody, one of your proudest accomplishments I see lately is being a grandmother. Yes, I've got my little grandbaby, Kova. She's my little, just a little chunk. So it's fun to be a grandma. Yeah, and you're the queen of... No excuses. All the people who hit 40 and are like, I'm too old. Screw that. Go to Antarctica and break a world record for America. For real.

For real. You want it bad enough, you can make it happen. And you just have to stay consistent. It's not like I'm anything special. I mean, I just am consistent. And I've got wild goals. But consistency would, like, if people can just stick with something, they'd be amazed what they can do as well. I wasn't born like this. It's just showing up. Time again. Yeah, I agree. I tell people some because they're like, you can do this. I'm like, there's no marvel in me. I didn't get bit by a spider.

I just have some decisions to make and I've followed through. And yeah, so you are very special. You are. No, thank you. I feel special, but I'm meaning I wasn't like born this way. I love how you put it. There's no marvel in me.

That's so cute yeah it's true consistency is going to trump like talent any day of the week so yeah you want it you go for it determination okay so you finish up and you're you're one of the quickies so you get on the plane is it leisurely are you cramping up are you feeling good ready to get to second location? So we actually went into just like a little heated tent area for a few hours. We all needed to board the plane pretty much at the same time, even though they kept the engine running.

So all the athletes I'd finished, we'd all trinkle in and get our food and they did have massage. I didn't do any of like the massage because the line was just crazy long by the time I thought like, oh, you should do that. And then I just was like, I'm fine. I'm fine. But I felt really good. I ran at a very comfortable pace that I didn't feel like, okay, I'm going to be sore for this or I'm going to like, I overdid it today just to get that record.

Or I felt really, really comfortable and confident to go into the next day feeling pretty fresh. So I We were able to get in the plane after about seven and a half hours, we start loading in and yeah, just off to the next place. Off to South Africa is where we, our next location was. That was a five hour flight. So not super bad, but you know, not like super short either, but getting off, getting up, getting ready for South Africa.

I didn't feel any tightness or anything, or even like really fatigued, just more excitement of like, okay, we're going from really hot. I mean, from really cold to really hot now and so excited that I was like, oh, yay, back into short shorts and a tank top. So did you sleep on the plane? Oh, yes, definitely.

Okay. This is one that I actually slept on the way out there, out to Antarctica, and then on the way back, I was able to fall asleep a little bit as well because we had to get up at such a wild time to even get on the plane heading out. We were all pretty tired. All right. So tell us about South Africa. So South Africa was like, I was really looking forward to that one because my husband, Maddie, was there. He flew out with me to South Africa and that's where the race briefing was.

And so we just kept the same hotel. Then, of course, Antarctica, then right back to the same location. So he was there waiting. And, of course, he was just so excited to hear how Antarctica was and see all the footage and stuff. And so that one was a six loop course. Everything was loops. Okay. which I love loops. Some people think they're going to go crazy with loops, but for me, it means I get to see people more. More people, the better for me.

So yeah, so that was a six loop course out there just along the ocean, the little walk area and gorgeous, a super gorgeous course and flat. There was no hills in any of the races. I don't think maybe just a little bumpy. The gist of our hill work. Yeah. So flat, flat and, uh, not much wind, just nice and perfect weather. I thought for running. So not too hot, not too cold. And then I got to see Maddie there every few loops. So that one was really fun one. It was a kind of cool.

Cause there was a group of women that were about my same speed that were all running. And, you know, they came in with me like at Antarctica. One was like just a few minutes back.

The other one was a few minutes behind her so like pretty same speed which was you know really cool and so they all smashed the record too you know which is amazing that i think they had four four of the females break the previous record which is really fun to see like all these strong women go out there and this one we're like hey it's race number two we have got so many more to go let's not do anything crazy and we were so close

within each other the day before we're like let's just stick together on this? And we decided that pretty much right away. And we're like, hey, are you down? Are you down? Because like, what's another minute or two off of that time? And so like, we legit, we're just running. And I'd like, I was a chapstick girl. I had it in my brother, like, hey, chapstick and pass it around the line. And then they bring it back. And then another person would go grab water and pass it along.

So like, if we all were going to get sick, we were all going to get sick. We could not have to be a germphobe on that at all. So we were able to do that, all five women and then two men, we all stayed together pretty much the entire time. Like if somebody needed to go to the bathroom, we'd pull it back to like a nine minute pace so that they can go to the bathroom and cash right back up to us. And then we pick it up again.

It was really cool to see like, like these are elite women and very, we're all competitive, but just being like out there, just rooting for each other and be like, no, I don't need to win this today. I don't need to see this specific time, but together we can run stronger. So together, let's do this thing. And we all finished holding hands and just crossing up.

It was really, really special. If you haven't seen those videos, if you haven't been following or whatever, there's so many on my, actually more on my TikTok. I didn't post a lot on my Instagram because, yeah, it was hard to post so much. But really cool pictures of, I mean, Olympic athletes that, you know, that have gold medals and stuff. And they're finishing with just little old me that just wants to stay together because we can chat and have fun.

And we had such a better experience, I think, being together than, you know, 30 seconds between each other. So a couple of questions. What was the breakdown of male to female for the 50 athletes? It was pretty equal. There was, I think, 20 women, 22, and then 30 women. 29, 30 men, I believe. There's like 50 of us total. So there's quite a bit of women. It was great. And then by the time you were at race number two, had everybody completed both marathons?

Some people did pull down to the half marathon because they do have a half marathon option. And they're like, yeah, this isn't going to happen. So they pulled down to the half. So it was great that they had that option. I did not know there was a half marathon option, which is still awesome, way more doable. Exactly. And that's where, like, there was, I think, two people that signed up for that originally that was like, I just really want to go around the world and, like, not hurt so bad.

They're like, could I have done it? Sure. But I want to, like, not hurt so bad. So they decided to do that right away. And then others that were like, seven of these marathons, that's going to be too much. And I wouldn't be having fun anymore or end up injured or all of those things. So, yeah, they had the half marathon option as well, which I thought was really cool. Okay. And the last question is, you mentioned some of the other athletes. Is anyone notable that most folks would know of?

Oh, let's see. I don't know if you know Jenny Simpson. She is an Olympic athlete, like for the mile and half mile, I believe. And she actually just retired in New York. It was only her second marathon. So two weeks before she announces, I'm done running. I'm done. And the world race actually reached out to her. They're like, we know you just said you retired. That's hilarious.

But come run with us. And she's like okay so she she was able to be out there and so just totally last minute okay i think she had like two or three days notice to get to to cape town and she decided to do it so it was really fun because she's she was just a joy to be around and and then all of her accomplishments it's just like wow insane and let's see bex gentry she's actually a peloton instructor a lot of people that do peloton

she's their their favorite runner which was really fun to have a little bit of rivalry between our brands because iFate and Peloton they're rivals but Bex and I are like we're just friends like we don't need to be competing against each other even though our business, are, but it was fun to have like, you know, the, the Peloton people cheering for her and the, the Ivy people cheering for me.

So let's see. And then of note, any other women, Shireen, she's Olympic athlete, but for another country and the other one, actually, she's just Hillary. She's the one that actually won the whole thing. She's just kind of came out of nowhere and smashed it. So really what's Hillary's last name?

I love you. I love you. I can't remember your last name though that's okay i do that i do that all the time ashley trust me i'm like and what about men were there any any notable guys yes okay the one that he was just tearing up his name is will and he's not a sponsored athlete or anything he's just from ireland he's actually a smoker and he went out and smacked antarctica's record he did like a 230 something.

Crazy insane and then David what's his last name I feel bad that I don't know last names I'm sorry but he's actually the one that won it last year and sorry I should have got last names for you that's okay you know I do I do that all the time sometimes when you meet so many people it just becomes exactly that soup in your head so trust me and you know what's so interesting I do ballroom dancing now my instructor smokes like a chimney i love him so much but between dance

breaks between clients he's out there smoking stuff ready i don't know but hey i mean i was like wild he used to, do your thing but and he's rocking his running thing so it's like wow if he'd stop and he got better from that holy mackerel i mean he did a 230 something in antarctica. Superhuman, superhuman. Smashed the record, smashed it. So he was really, really incredible. So those were like the no other pro men out there.

Okay. Okay. So you leave South Africa. How are you feeling when you leave? And how do you feel when you land in the next place? Where are you going? Okay. So I get done with South Africa, yes.

And I'm, you know, hugging Maddie, my husband. and he tells me that the race director told him that if he wanted to come out and help for the rest of them he could so he was just gonna fly out to miami and so now he was kind of just like a volunteer but he's like a thousand percent are you kidding me because they had so many curveballs thrown at him with it jumping up a day they're like we could actually really use your help so it's

such a gift to be able to have maddie come with me the rest of the way and matt is just like Some people can't race with their husband at them as a sport crew because they see you hurt or whatever. Your significant other might have a heart effect on you and be like, they can't see their significant other hurt. But Maddie's seen me hurt quite a bit, and he's a great supporter. So that was a little special. The next place we went off to was Perth, Australia.

So Australia is somewhere I've always wanted to go. So it was a dream to be able to go and do what I love. and Perth was gorgeous. So great. Have you ever been out to Australia? I have not. Okay. First time for me too. So I'm just like, nobody needed a name there. They just need, I just called everybody mate. It was great. Mate? Okay. And so that one, once again, was a six loop course, I think. No, that was actually more. That was 12. Wow. Yeah. So a lot of out and backs.

But we were along this walkway and then the river beside us. And there's like beautiful bridges, like, and not just bridges that are like pretty cool. They've got like lights, like colorful, like almost like Christmas lights streaming through them. It was insane. Each way you went was just gorgeous, but it was really, really windy. And so. Was this nighttime or morning? When, what time of day was it?

We started, we were late, running late. Everything was running late or, you know, that was, I think we started around like six.

So it got dark pretty fast but it was pretty well lit so we didn't need like headlamps or anything it was pretty well lit and by the time we were done it was just like the the bridges were unreal like and that's once again there's some videos on my instagram on that just like the gorgeous bridges like streaming through their lights i'm like oh i love bridges so and yeah we got a windy day so like okay mother nature's coming down to play one way she's pushing you and

one way she's trying to hold you back with all of her might. So that one was really fun. There was a huge group of like iFit members that showed up, which was fun. They had like a little iFit flag. And so it's fun to just be like, oh, there's people that are watching and not just on live stream, but they showed up and drove a lot of hours to come support. So it really meant a lot that they were there. And then I was able to see him so much too, because it was so many laps.

Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.

It was it was pretty it was pretty fun and the girls the four of us actually decided to stick together once again because the wind was so strong we're like hey if we stay in a cluster, and just kind of draft off of each other so we alternated each lap so we'd get a lap down like an out and back and and then the next person would switch and take the lead out and back so that each one of us is trying to like break the wind we knew that every other lap it was going to be a harder one.

And, but then we got a little bit of a break checking in. So it was teamwork once again, like I get chills thinking about it because it was so much fun. And just what, that's what it's about. The spirit of running is just wanting everyone to succeed, wanting everyone to finish and have a better time.

And you know, the thing you can go, you can go alone fast, but you know, if you, you how does that saying go alone you can go fast but together we can go far or something like that right or all the way or whatever something like that something like that i'm botching it i'm botching these things. It was so true because I feel like we all would have been a little bit slower on that race because we wouldn't have had each other's energy.

But, and then it would have taken more energy because we're pushing against Mother Nature the whole time. And so that one, I think we finished in like a 302 or something like that. And so we were just kind of getting faster. Second one was a 315 and third was a 302. And yeah, it just stuck together hand in hand as we crossed that finish line.

Just like trying to be like you know support each other stop all this like backstabbing with women and it's pretty it's pretty sad to some of the people you hear okay so i'm glad i'm glad you brought that up because i get mean girled on the regular i've been mean girled by so many in the running industry have you been right yeah yeah yeah i'm no stranger to getting mean girls what about you oh i'm no stranger i be they just they're like oh she's so fake she's so this because I'm happy.

And I'm like, this is actually who I am. Right, right. But then to my face, it's like, oh my gosh, Ashley. And I'm like, no, let's just know. Yeah. I'd rather have you on that other 50% and just know my people, know my people and be true too. And that's how these girls felt right away that they were just genuinely like supporting and cheering for us. And it's just like, there's no point. For one, we're in race three. Let's stick together. We saw four more of these bad boys to go.

So it was amazing. It was really good. I love that. You know, it's funny in a race, really like one person wins type thing, but I always feel in the real world and in business, we can all win. There's a place for everybody type thing. And yeah, sometimes it's.

Host hostility hostility i don't know why and that and like a little bit of jealousy i feel instead of being happy for somebody's successes they kind of feel that little like jealousy and then they have to turn it to make them be like oh well she's she's fake so it doesn't matter that she went because she's fake or you know stuff like that it's like a little bit of jealousy that sneaks in unfortunately and it's it's great to be excited for somebody's successes

and to admire them. But like, just like, let's just not with the jealousy. There's hard work. There's so much that could go into this set. Just cheer each other on and be kind. I agree wholeheartedly.

It's funny. Sometimes I have quite a few female race directors and what I found is when they're nice and they're legitimately supportive and collaborative and stuff, I end up thinking, wow, like my epic races in Michigan and my Donna race director and and Gasparilla Race Director, sometimes I think, wow, she's really nice to me. How fortunate.

And then I think, oh my gosh, how screwed up that I am so grateful because she, I mean, A, they are wonderful, incredible women, but I'm surprised that they're so nice sometimes. Cause I think, oh, you're a woman. You're supposed to be cranky with me. So yeah. Yeah. I'm sorry. I wish I were the only one getting it. I'm, I'm sorry you do too, but it's unfortunate, but Hey, we got each other. And so you just cling on to the ones that support each other and, and hold that tight.

Yeah. And then love everybody as much as you can. And if they're going to be helpful to you, they're, they're going to be pretty, I don't know. I don't know. I, hopefully if somebody talks bad about me, the others might raise an eyebrow and think, really, Fitzgold is pretty nice, you know? And that's what, what I can only hope is that somebody's going to be like, wait, why, why would you say that? Like, don't, don't talk like that.

Cause that's something I would hope to do for somebody else if I hear that stuff. So got to keep looking out.

Absolutely okay so you finished marathon number three and epic time and how are you feeling and how do you feel going into the next race feeling pretty good my stomach has been cooperative with all three of these races I've known like like if I get GI issues I get GI issues but it was actually the other girls not me I was like blown away that was my biggest favorite thing is in Antarctica what if I need to go to the bathroom like you can't you

know you can't and so so far My stomach's been really good. My legs have felt really good. There was a little bit of just like tiredness, but not anything that I'm like, okay, I feel like I've been pretty smart about my paces and my fueling. I had all of my fueling set per race beforehand. So I didn't have to think about it like, okay, I need one gel for this. I need this at this time. I had it all set up before going into it. I packed that at home in its own little baggie.

Like, hey, this is for race one. This is for race two. So I could just kind of grab that bag and forget anything else, not be like, I'm going to, what did I miss for this race? That made it just kind of like easy, not have to think about all of that and just get it done before I left. And so I feel like my fueling, all my calories were really good. My energy levels were good. Sure, I'm feeling a little tired. Our sleep schedule was skiwampus, but I knew that going into it.

I'm like, hey, if I get sleep, it's a bonus. I couldn't go into being like, hey, this night we're traveling for 12 hours. I want eight hours of sleep during that time. You don't know how you're going to fly. And so I just kind of went into it knowing that sleep was going to be minimal. And it's just a bonus when it happens. So feeling really good, feeling really strong and feeling like I can go do it again.

Well, especially if being someone who runs 250 miles in a row, you're no stranger to sleepless running. So I'd benefit you, right? I feel like it did for sure. Like that was my biggest question, I think was like the jet lag. How did you deal with jet lag? I'm like, you just don't think about it. You don't think about what time I've ran every hour of every day, like through races. And so it's not like I can only run in the morning or I can only run in the afternoon.

My body knows all hours of running. So I felt like that helped me quite a bit adjust to everything. And we will be right back. Are you looking for the perfect gift for a loved one battling cancer? The Cancer Comeback series by Fitz Kohler offers hope, inspiration, and practical guidance. With Your Healthy Cancer Comeback, My Noisy Cancer Comeback, and The Healthy Cancer Comeback Journal. These books are a lifeline for all patients and survivors.

Right now, you can order autographed copies at a special discount. Show your support and help a loved one go from sick to strong. Visit Fitzness.com today. That's F-I-T-Z-N-E-S-S.com. Fitzness.com. We're back. Wasn't it the very wise, wise Taylor Swift who once said, jet lag is a choice. Ah, actually, I don't even know that song, but is it? That's great. Yeah. She flew from Tokyo to the Superbowl to see her boyfriend play. And someone asked, and she said, jet lag is a choice. Now, mind you,

she probably is in the nicest personal aircraft on planet Earth. Maybe, maybe not quite. You were Taylor Swift in it, but yeah, I traveled a lot. I love that.

Cause it is, it's just like, what is time? It's just, you just kind of make it make it and this is when we're running and go with it so okay it's go time you go so you get to number four what where where is number four where you run it so we switched it up because of the days we were supposed to do asia first but we ended up going to europe first istanbul europe i don't know why because they're just across the way from each other because we stayed in istanbul but they

needed to do they switched it up and and that one it was a night race and so they recommended having a headlamp and stuff and then the next one was a morning race because we needed to get those in like crunch time so those were the the tightest of the marathons so we start running we start getting ready for that run it's like nine o'clock and we get off the bus and we're like crap we need to get this going and the buses take off and it's raining outside it's cold it's already

dark and I go to the bathroom real quick because They were going to start in like five minutes. Run to the bathroom and then I get out and Matt's like, Kate, where's your bag? And I'm like, you had my bag. You had my bag. And he's like, no, I gave you your bag. And I'm like, no, my bag. I mean, I'm here in Birkenstocks. I'm like, no, I need my bag. I'm like, I can use any type of nutrition out there. I can adjust, but I do not want to run in Birkenstocks. I will. Mind you, I will.

I'm going to get this done. But there was Ashley in panic mode, 100%. I was panicking like, crap, the buses were gone. And so I'm running from tent to tent being like, did anybody see this bag? And going to the race director, he's like, we're starting in five minutes. And I'm like, well, crap, this sucks. But what do you do? This is my bad. This isn't on him. He did end up calling the buses back. And he didn't push the race back for me. But there were some other logistics things.

So luckily, he's like, okay, we've got a little bit of time. And I'm like, oh, okay. So the buses come back. And I get on the bus. And I'm digging through every, like, searching through every seat and asking the bus driver. And he doesn't speak English. But he's like, no bag, no bag. There was no bag. My bag was not on there. And so I had my camera guy, because I had a camera guy from iFit come out.

I had him go back and like show me me getting off the bus. I'm like, did I have my bag when I got off the bus? I mean, it was only like a two-minute time difference between I went to the bathroom and Matt saying it. So he shows me and he's like, okay, you did not have your bag getting off. It's got to be on the bus. But we just looked on the bus and it was not there. And I'm like, I really love my shoes. So I... I mean, I'm still smiling, but you can feel the stress.

Like I, you could, my eyes probably were just crying. I wasn't crying, but like, I'm like, okay, we need to buy this bag. You know, that frozen look of like, holy freak, this is my fault. What did I just mess up my whole experience because I did not grab my bag. And luckily one of the other women was like, we had a few of them that were digging through their bags to try to find me an extra pair of shoes. He was like, I'm a size nine for my running.

And one had a size eight and one had a size like 10. And I was like, it's better than Birkenstocks. Yeah. It's better than Birkenstocks. So I'm putting them on. And this has been about 45 minutes. And they kept pushing the start back. Luckily, not for me either. This was not because they were trying to cater to me. And I'm sweating bullets as it's raining and freezing, but I'm freaking out. And so I'm putting these size, I think they're size 10 shoes on my feet. I'm like, oh, well, whatever.

And Matt comes over like 45 minutes later. He's like, we found your bag. The bus driver had put it like underneath the, it anyway. So luckily they found it and I was able to front of my shoes. They didn't even start that race until like two hours after, but praise be because I was able to find my shoes and be able to run that marathon in my shoes. So that one was my, my adrenaline was a little crazy.

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I could see that being awful. That's actually my nightmare that I have growing up with no shoes or sports bra. That's if I'm running, those are the things I miss. If I'm announcing, I don't have my music or something like that. So it's like something, you know, like, no, I don't have my music and your shoes kind of matter. I've had nightmares like that too, that I show up and not have shoes or I've got the same, you know, shoe on each foot. I'm like, oh, I can't do that anyway.

The nightmare was, we got it taken care of, luckily. And how was the race? That race was, oh my gosh. Okay, talk about loops. They, we went along the river that connected Asia and Europe. So on each side, one side was Europe, one side is Asia. And the fishermen are out at night. And this is their bread and butter. This is like what's going to feed their family. They are not going to move. And they did not. So we've got like the fishermen, like their poles.

And it was, I think that one was 20, 21 loops as well. Like it was, so maybe, oh my gosh, I got to go look back. I'll show you maybe that was only 12. Because this one we were all like, whoa, 21?

We're getting like a kilometer, you know, each. and that one was really dark and rainy and slick and we had to go up the little ramps and down them so there was some people that were kind of getting hurt on some of those things unfortunately because those little ramps are wicked and nobody got hooked so nobody got a hook and uh hooked to the face and that one was it was really fun we were sticking together for the most part until about halfway bex and

shireen kind of slowed down a little bit they needed to go to the bathroom and And I was just cold. I was like, me and Hillary just kept running. And at about mile 24, I believe it was, it had is just after midnight. And it happened to me be my 24th anniversary at midnight. And my husband was there and he comes running out surprising me. He knew he knows he's going to see me a lot. He comes running out. Oh, my gosh. In a unicorn speedo, just screaming like it's raining, it's pouring,

it's freezing cold. He's like, happy anniversary. And, you know, just doing his little silly self and I couldn't help. I had to just go give him a big hug and a big kiss. And hillary like turns and she's like i thought you guys were having your moment so she just kept going which was great so and that was totally worth it give him a nice big hug and kiss and you know tell him like that i'm grateful he stuck with my crazy self for 24 freaking years.

And so hillary ended up winning that one taking that one solo and then me and bex bex wasn't too far behind me at that point so i just kind of slowed down and i was like let's just finish it together again so her and i finished that one together just like maybe like a minute or two after Hillary. So it was really, it was fun just because it was my anniversary and I was able to find my shoes. So always, there's always some highlights in those.

That's right. Big stories. Now, what is the overall feeling of most of the athletes? Are there people that are just suffering at this point? Definitely.

Yes. There's definitely some athletes that were hurting. They actually, the front of the plane, they think there was something in one of like their sandwiches or something because they all got like food poisoning or something like there was like maybe not all of them but like 10 of them were just like puking not just from working out but like they were it was pretty bad and just it was a death march for them so I felt super bad

one guy he's like I haven't had any calories like that one is the one he was puking before but like so the next day he's like it's been like 40 hours since I've had any calories down I was like oh my gosh but he's still doing it he's still out there moving and that's just like the mindset you decide to do something you stick with it regardless of the pain the uncomfort, and he's like I know I'll be fine I just don't like how I'm feeling right now and.

I believe this is where, like, there was a lady out there. Her name was Bex as well. She's out there in a firefighter suit, like, complete getup out there. Like, there's an extra 45, 50 pounds on her. Yeah. She did every single one of them. Wow. Wow. Every single one of them, she had that on there. And just, like, watching her walk and, like, you could see, she had showed me right before this race, race for, like, her back.

And it was just chafed. And she's like, would you have anything for this? I'm like, I was thinking a little chafing, you know, I'm like, yeah, we can put some KT tape over it or something. I was like, oh, girl, we need like KT tape for your whole entire back. That little whatever is behind them, like it just had rubbed her just so raw. I mean, you can imagine from going from Antarctica to like the crazy humidity of South Africa.

And, you know, and we're here on race four and her back is just bloody.

And so just watching these athletes like so inspiring watching them just carry on like, i get being fast is is it's hard work but i look at people that are out there for six seven hours still and i'm like oh that would be so much more on your feet it's so much more like and she's carrying all this weight like oh my gosh so every time every time we'd be cheering for her like she was just kind of in her zone but we just go backs go backs and try to like.

Lift lighten her load by lifting her spirits a little bit even though we couldn't take that weight from her you know so watching her go through all that was like incredible so incredible wow absolutely gritty gritty the best word for it is grit straight up grit so cool so cool okay So you move to number five. It's in Asia. Yes. And you have to do it very soon after you cross the finish line in Istanbul. Correct.

So we got just a few hours of sleep and then showed up the next morning for that one. And I'm perfect day, clear sky, cooler temps that, you know, it's ideal to run in and felt my body. I was like, it's going to be really tired. And it was, but not, I wasn't sore. I didn't feel sore anywhere. I was not feeling any types of pain in my body.

And so feeling really happy for that. like okay almost like the last time that we spent was better than having like that whole 18 hour flight and then going to run a marathon i was like oh okay so we show up to the start line and this is race five and and for one i could see there's no rain there's no none of these little ups and downs of those little um ledges that we had to fight but from the day before or potholes or fishermen

the fishermen were so nice but man it was like we were like trying to dodge there, So yeah, race five, I started off pretty strong. I couldn't believe how many stray cats there are out there. Oh my gosh, there's kitty cats everywhere. Exactly where were you? You said Asia. Yeah, it was in Istanbul. Wait, I thought you were in Istanbul at night. Istanbul actually is in Asia and Europe. That's why we're able to just split it.

I know. I know you learn something new every day. I did not know this either until I signed up for this race. So was that only one marathon? Was it six marathons in seven days? No, because we did Istanbul, Asia side. Oh my gosh. Day five. And then we did Europe side day four. So we were technically in the same country, but different continents. I don't know how that works.

All right. but I'm just trusting them that they knew what they were doing and that we were on completely different sites of like or on different continents but across the river I'm like hey there's Asia or like there you know so you just you're giving us a geography lesson too thank you Ashley well you're welcome I'm just gonna put my glasses on because I feel so smart okay yeah so yeah Istanbul, we got for both.

Okay. Now, I do recall seeing, I believe on Instagram, that you were kind of sore at some point. Was it after race five where you seemed a little stiff and you got the massage or was that six? That was six. Okay. So no massages up to this point, which is not good, but I was feeling good. And I feel like there was other athletes that like, back, I'm like, oh my gosh, take it. You know, like. Sure. Her little, her back. Bex, not Bex. Gentry, the other Bex. I don't know her last name. Firefighter.

Firefighter. There we go. Firefighter. You know, so I didn't feel the need for it. I probably should have looking back, but... I get carried away when there's food around. I just forget about them. Oh my gosh. No pain. No pain up to this point. Do you, people would probably like to know this since you run so much. Do you eat excessively on race day? I eat a lot like during too. So like my fueling is, it's not just like before. It's a lot during. I have a couple hundred calories per hour.

I try to keep in at least, well, like 160 to 180, depending on the heat. And to keep that continual like throughout that I'm not like depleting, depleting. And then I'm just keeping that little drip light and going through my body. And I feel like over the last, you know, few decades of running crazy stuff like this, especially the last decade, that's what's really kept me injury free is my feeling.

Because once you get tired, because your body starts to getting depleted, you start running a little bit more sloppy. It's not just about keeping your tummy happy. you start to run sloppier because you're not fueled properly or hydrated properly. And so I feel like that's been one thing that I've really done well at the last like decade is by fueling. Smart. It can't be like 100%, but you know, pretty good. And is there anything particular you like to enjoy after a big race?

Oh man, if it's a hot race, I just want a smoothie. I don't even want food. Like give me a smoothie, but a cold race, I can have anything. Like pizza, I think we had pasta and some pizza and stuff, which I actually don't have typically right before a race. And that was right before race two, but it tasted so good. I was not going to be like, no. So I kind of taste things up. And I love rice and potatoes. I will download. I had those every single day, rice and potatoes, starchy carbs.

Okay. My body composition is 67% potato. Very proud. But I love it. You got to have them. You got to mostly potato. Okay. So how was the Asia side of Istanbul? It was really good. That one, like I said, I was feeling so strong and one of like, we kind of were together with all the girls for a little while. And within like a few miles, just kind of like, I ended up starting to run with some guy, not meeting to, but like, we kind of like got ahead.

And then all of a sudden I see one of them, just one of the girls supposed to take off. And I was like, oh, wow, she's holding a strong pace. Like, let's go. You know, I'm feeling good. So I tried to keep up with her, but she's like busting like 620s. I was like, just kidding. I'm not going to be doing that. I'm not going to be doing that right now. It was getting uncomfortable. And yes, uncomfortable is part of it, but I still got a few more races. And,

So, Matt was out there. He's like, don't worry, don't worry. He's like, she won't be able to hold it. I'm like, I don't care if she does. I just want to maintain what I can. And so, I ended up passing her after 15 miles or so. And then I was able to actually break three hours in that race, which was real exciting. So, I did like a, I think it was a 357. And I felt so good. It was hard. But it wasn't like, oh my gosh, I'm going to be dead tomorrow hard.

But I felt good. I was like, whoo, you know, like when I finished, I'm like, first thing I said, I was like, oh, it was hard. And probably the stupidest thing I've done because I still have two more bags. But it felt so good just to run at. Like that's usually my pace that I run at with my heart rate being around 130, 135. So it's not like I figured it was going to wreck me. And yeah, still no bathroom breaks. Mind you, this is huge for me.

Okay. Progressive. Yeah. I'm not going to like, I'm going to pat my back here because I'm like, whatever i'm eating it's it's working because usually i'm the i'm the queen of bathroom breaks so five down and that one was the fastest one yet so and felt so good it was so nice once again to have maddie there just feel to go right right to him and you know give him a big hug and and have his support and his love so that was that was a stand bowl those two races back

to back super quick both of them felt really good really strong and i didn't feel like i'd over exceeded anything at this point. I love it. Now, tell everybody what kind of medals you get after each race. Oh my gosh. So every medal has like the continent on it. I mean, Antarctica, of course, has a cute little penguin, Australia, kangaroo. So cute. So cute. So every continent, you're getting a medal.

And so now I'm like on medal five, which is really fun. I mean, who doesn't love a little plane, right? And knowing there's a few more to go and then, there is a ginormous medal for the world's marathon. So you get like all of the little segments on each one, but it's like a platter size medal. Once you've completed all of them, I'm like, oh my gosh, this thing's going to break my back. And will you hang that somewhere or is that one going to get shoved in a drawer like every other medal?

Did I tell you this? No. Okay. Okay.

Some people do hang them and I am one to put them in a drawer and I feel guilty when I say that because some people are just like oh you just take it for granted I'm like no I just I don't I just there's certain things that I'm not going to just display but this these medals because you get seven for each continent and then you get the big one and then you also get another one for being in I can't even remember what it's called the the great world race thing like

completion so you get a total of nine medals and this is the one that my husband was like you are not putting this in a drawer you this is not going in a drawer you are displaying this like either out in our gym or whatever I have a few medals that I display and like special ones and this is definitely one that is gonna need nine places because it was really really cool so like I've got one that I did my my daughter's very first marathon I kept that medal and

that was displayed in my garage and when I got the Olympic trials that one is displayed yeah so there's just certain ones that, yeah, because I run a lot of races. Yeah. Do you ever go out and wear your Badwater buckle on jeans type thing? No, you should do that. Don't tell Chris Coffman. He'd probably be sad. He'd be really sad. Kate, I'm in spandex. 99.9% of my life. But you got to put them on jeans someday and wear it.

If I wear jeans, I'll do that for you. Please. I don't remember the last time I wore jeans. Get it done one day. Okay, for you. I'll be like, okay, I got my belt buckle. I'm so redneck. This is all I want in life are boots and belt buckles. And I don't know. Yes, I know. Do you, have you done a hundred milers? No. No, don't say it like that. I just have, I have a belt buckle with like an eagle and an American flag. Something like that. I didn't earn it at all. I went to the boot barn and I

got it. There you go. That's, there you go. I know. I, I feel bad, but I, those are special too. They are special. I just have not warn them. Hmm. I'm encouraging it. So that's almost like, okay, you finished marathon number five. How are you feeling? And what's next? Okay. So feeling really good and off to the plane to head to Columbia. And so Columbia, South America, we're, we're off. It's a long flight and he's like 18 hours. And that's the one that we didn't

even feel them land. Cause they have to land to refuel and then go up. So we land, we felt them land, but that's not what they didn't even tell us to like sit our seats up or anything. They're just like, and refuel. I'm like, did we just hit something in the air? And I'm like, oh my gosh, we're on the ground. So it's crazy how nice it is to fly when I'm, I mean, I'm laying back.

I've got like my compression boots on my legs and I've got like her bringing me whatever food I want and, you know, little stewardess. And so The trouble was not bad. I didn't feel like it affected having all of that altitude and stuff. Maybe it did, and I just didn't know. I was just on cloud nine the whole time that I'm just like, we're all feeling weird and a little slap happy that too much caffeine, too much carbs.

So who knows the feelings that we were feeling, but that was a really long flight out there. And I was sitting next to Beck's Gentry. We called them row mates. We were roommates. There was a few in the row. So she was my roommate. And Matt was like two seats back, two rows back, because obviously he got the last minute little thing. And the race director's like, we just want to keep this camaraderie with these women because it's great.

So don't ask her to sit by you, which was totally fine. He didn't care. He's just like, I got to go around the world. Are you freaking kidding me? Yeah. I get my wife. I get my wife every night. So I landing in Columbia. No, it was actually probably an hour before we landed. I get up to go to the bathroom and go brush my teeth, and I stand up. And I could not put any weight on my right side. There's just a soothing pain. And I was like, what in the world?

Like, can I work something out? What happened here? And I'm using the chairs to kind of like walk back to the bathroom. And I stop at Matt's row. And I'm like, I'm like, babe, I can't put weight on my right leg. And he's like, what? Because I haven't been injured, like I said, in a lot of years, since 2008. ate with overuse. So, and it's not like I fell, it's not like I felt anything nagging, like something growing, like, oh, this could, you know, lead to something.

There was no, nothing, no pain. Yes. Like I felt tired, but never like anything painful during these, the last five marathons. So I head to the bathroom. I'm like, Hey, it's just going to kind of loosen up. And it was just getting worse and worse. The pain was just shooting anytime I'd step on my right side at all in my hip area. And so I do start to like, wow, how am I going to run two more marathons like this? I've got two more.

And was I stupid yesterday to go do that sub three, always questioning things. But looking at it, I didn't feel like I was pushing physically that anaerobic or anything, like getting my form out of control or anything. So I don't regret hitting that sub three because I don't feel like that's what it was. I think it was a cumulative of this whole year. I don't even know because this

year has been a whole lot. Um, And so we land and I asked the massage therapist to like, we've still got a few more hours till the race and they're seeing me walk and they're like, what in the world? I'm like, I know. Like, like, are your muscles sore? I'm like, it's not even my muscle. Like, I don't know what it is, but it's just zinging pain. And, and so one of the guys started to work on me. He's like in the lobby.

Everyone had a hotel room. Cause after that one, we could go to a hotel room and shower. And we had like six hours of a hotel room, not to sleep overnight, but just to shower and stuff. So everyone goes up to the hotel room. I stayed out in the lobby and he starts working on my hip and he's just like doing all sorts of crazy things with it. Cause there was zero weight that I could put on it. Matt had to help me get into the hotel room or the hotel lobby.

It was, I needed a crutch a thousand percent, like nothing. And then this other guy came down and worked on me. He's actually a racer and he works on biomechanic. Like that's his area. He's like, let me help too. So both of them were working on my body and like doing these weird stretches, wrapping my leg around my head and, you know, okay, not so much that, but crazy and probably for about an hour total.

I mean, bless the guy like that was racing and he still was doing that for me as an athlete. Like he had his own race to worry about that he was, he was doing very well. He was hitting an average about like a 320 marker. So he's doing really well for the men. So it's not like he was like, okay, I'm just going to go walk it. He really had a race that he needed to go and try to crush, too. And that just was so meaningful to me, too, that he was selfless.

Selfless. Exactly. Exactly. That's a perfect word for selfless of him to just... Be willing to do that instead of doing his own stretches or getting his nutrition taken care of. And he's like, listen, I was like, you don't need to do this. And he's like, listen, I know I don't need to do it. He's like, but I know your husband because he built a relationship with my husband out on the course because my husband was like just helping everyone.

He wasn't just helping me out on the course. He was helping everybody. He's like, I know your husband would not ask me to do this if you didn't really need it. And after about an hour, I stood up and I start limping. And I was like, I don't need to be limping. Oh my gosh, the pain is gone. And I was just scared because I knew how bad it hurt. And I was like, it's, I'm totally fine. And I was like, it's a miracle. It's a freaking miracle.

And so that one was a hot day. It was about 101 degrees outside. We didn't get started till about 10 o'clock. And it was like, yeah, I think it was like 100 and some, and then the humidity. And so all of the girls were like, hey, we, yesterday, we crushed that race. Let's slow this one down and let's all stay together. We've got one more after this. Let's just stay together. And I was like, beautiful, let's do it. Like we all decided that nobody was going to break off.

And even for bathrooms, we slow and we knew it was hot. I love the heat. So I wasn't scared about it because I just was like, oh, this was my area. But I also love the girls more. So I felt great.

We did that one. That was our slowest one. It was a 330 pace but we were helping other athletes getting other athletes water getting out other athletes white ice because they were just going white they were just they were not used to the heat in fact the guy that had been winning every single race he had done them all within like that 330 mark to 340 so he's on race six on par for another 240 marathon another one six in a row And he started just

like Going completely Like he wouldn't even respond to us As we'd go And we're like Ooh, this is bad And He ended up He had one lap left So like Less than two miles And he. Completely called it he's like i'm done yeah and he's like smashing the record smashing he's like they're like just walk it just walk he's like no i'm done like whoa that's dramatic.

Yeah so he i i don't think i think he did go to the hospital but then came back pretty quickly but and he's he's fine but yeah he didn't even he's just like i'm not even gonna walk it i'm i'm done i don't want to do it i was like oh oh my gosh okay because my mentality i'd be like i don't care i'm crawling right and that's the thing is like i love it when athletes can just call it and know when to call it i'm so stubborn and i just i'm like i don't want to but it

was really hard to see some athletes especially once again bex out there with her fire equipment on and i'm like she is dying so we're all just every time they get in her ice skating or whatever she could to get wet but then it's going to make her equipment heavy too heavier so it's like a you know double-edged sword there so that when we stayed together once again going oh man that was my first time i know you guys don't need to hear potty but we're runners that was my first time needing

to go to the bathroom and that was like kind of one of the most comical bathroom stops ever in the history of ever because all of the girls needed to like we were all just like okay okay well the three of us and so me bex gentry and shireen i don't know if they're gonna care they won't care because they won't care we were all like we gotta go now and there's nowhere to go like it's something so we just kind of like go on the

ramp but it's still completely open and then hillary she's out there just like making sure no it's like look away look that way you know like making sure she's. Guiding everyone on where to look we're just like this is awful but we're just laughing about it we're just like oh my gosh well. We're friends for life now, aren't we? So like all three of us just like, this is humiliating.

But then we just go on our way. All three of us finished at like three hours and 30 minutes, hand in hand once again. So that was very sick, hot, hot, hot. And it was a miracle that my hip did not hurt during, I did take some ibuprofen before, so I'm sure that helped for sure. And I don't usually take ibuprofen. So like that was, I was like, okay, like I felt really good. So I feel like I could have done that one like faster, but it was so much better with the girls. So. Wow.

You got to pee publicly in a group, which is pretty exciting. So exciting. I mean, and together and we are now just potty friends. That's it. I remember the first time I peed in a bush with my best friend, I was like, oh, I feel like we're closer now. So. Yeah. How about we be closer a little bit, right? Yeah. Good times. Good times. Good times.

Exactly. Exactly. No, we just laugh about it. you're six down six down we've got a few hours in columbia because that night we were gonna they wanted to do like a group dinner because they knew once miami hit everyone was going to kind of scatter so they're like we really wanted to do a group dinner here and then we'll head to miami because it was a short flight to miami from columbia so we had dinner plans at seven with a group but between then we had quite a few hours and me

bex hillary and shireen were in the same room. And so we all showered all that stuff. And they're like, hey, let's go out. And I could start feeling my hip again. I was like, I think I'm just going to rest. And instead of going out, my body, all the muscles felt good, but just I could feel my hip again. So I'm like, I'm going to just lay. And maybe that was a bad idea. I don't know. And so I fell asleep for about two hours as they were off, like getting lunch

and all that stuff. But then I woke up and my hip was, just locked again. It was wild that it didn't even hurt during race six. So crazy. So I'm like, Kate, that's okay. We've got these guys here. They're going to work their voodoo on me again. I'll be fine. I've got one more to go. I can do one more. And so I'm going down to like dinner, like with me and my peg leg, you know, I'm like, I can't walk. I look like I've got a stick up my butt.

But Maddie was my little crutch once again, helping me out.

And Maddie stayed out during that race and just made sure like he stayed out to the last finisher was out there he was just you know he became best friends with everybody and so it was really it was really fun having him there for so many reasons not just to help me and be there for me but he supported so many other athletes out there and just to hear what they had to say about him was really fun I'm like he's mine he's mine okay I do love I do love seeing you guys are so so

still very much in love and supportive of. And I can imagine you weren't the only person walking funny after marathon number six. Yes, there was definitely some people that like, I couldn't believe people's toes and stuff. I'll see toes and stuff like that on like ultras, but oh man, I was like, oh my gosh, I've seen like their blisters and their toenails. And I'm like, I don't have, like, I never have problems with that. Like even for ultras, like I'll get, I've gotten a few blisters.

I think I got two blisters at my 250, but miles. And so seeing people's feet after road running, I was like, oh, I feel so bad. That looks so painful. So painful. And just muscle pains and they're cramping and, but seeing their determination to, to finish this out after them, some people getting food poisoning and, you know. You know, runners runs, all of those fun things that we deal with and still being like, we're we're going to do this thing. We're going to get them all done.

It may not look pretty, but we're going to get them done. So it was really inspiring to see all walks of life doing all sorts of paces for all sorts of reasons. And everyone's reason was completely different than the others. So it was really, really cool. So I imagine, right off the top of my head, I'm thinking about some of my listeners who are, A, would do this just for the bling. They could probably afford it.

They travel, They go all do all this stuff. I have a good feeling I have some of my audience members that will want to look this up and jump in perhaps because with the half marathon option, that really makes it accessible to more people. And I'll tell you, it does not change the price because the price is traveling, basically. So it's not like, oh, a half marathon. I'm going to get like a bit of... I'm just going to tell you right now, straight up. Pretty funny. It is about the travel. So yeah.

But yeah, look it up. It was serious. I would do it every single year. There was plenty of people that were like one and done. And I'm like, it was so much fun. So unique. And just the people that it brought together, the friendships that were created, the bonds, like lifelong friends for sure. And to be able to do that once a year and build like a little, your community, just a little bit more like-minded people that have the same idea of partying, like I would, sign me up, but I mean, I fit,

I fit, sign me up. I'm just going to say, maybe I fit listening. Hopefully they, hopefully they listen, they come in. I know, I know. Like every year we can make this part of my contract, right? Sure. Done. You know what? I fit, you probably need a high quality announcer to do this thing too. Don't these athletes deserve the respect of a professional voice at the start and finish time? I'm with you at the start and the finish. And it's loops. So they get you multiple

times. Talk about the energy. That's it. That's the perfect. Hit it. I'll be there. Okay. All right. Yes. Done. Okay. So we missed day seven. You leave the fancy dinner in Columbia. You fly to Miami, Florida. Tell us about that. So Miami was not near as far as Columbia.

We get there and yeah my hip was it's she's mad she's angry so even at the airport while we're waiting for specific things I have the massage therapist just like digging in and trying to do what he did the day before and they can see that it's just excruciating pain and I feel like I've got a high tolerance of pain I feel like I can I can deal with things pretty well and verified.

But not like the weight on it like i had to have something or i'd have my suitcase in it and use that as a cane and use it as a crutch and just look like like you know i was wrecked from i mean i had just done six marathons but i don't feel like i nobody else was walking like i was nobody else there was they were they were all like had their little tweaks and stuff but it was completely different than anything i've ever experienced pain-wise so they're like don't worry we'll get you we'll get

you and Sanchez the same guy the racer he he said he'd work on me again and so I'm like hey we're gonna have another miracle I believe in America I'm just like come on come on and they could not alleviate the pain for the life of them they probably were working on me for over an hour and then right up until the start like five minutes before Sanchez like he is he's the racer and he's right up with me and he's doing certain drills with me to try to help loosen it, try to help.

Like he's like squatting behind me, digging into my psoas as I come up thinking it's something, anything he could do to help relieve it. And it was just.

Gone it was so angry at me still waddling still just not knowing how I was gonna do it but I wasn't not gonna do it I'd come so far and I wanted to do all seven so bad and I'm like even if I need to like hobble it I'm gonna hobble it I mean I would have done it in my burks at at race four what's a little hip pain on race seven but as that gun went off or the gun the announcer says go like it was it was really painful right from the beginning like the run never looked

smooth in that run it was a complete like hobble hobble and um the girls we had decided to like before were like hey let's stay together and I said listen I do not want you to stay with me if I'm walking like this you guys need to run these races like you're here to run you can run And I appreciate it. I love it. But I want you to run it. Like, do what your body can do. And it was really sweet of them to be like, no, we're going to stay together.

But I didn't know what I was going to be able to do. I honestly did not know how I was going to get through it. And so they kind of took off. I think they took off around a 720 pace. And I think I was doing like a 920 my first two miles. And I'm not dogging on a 920 pace. I just know that I'm not.

But it was a pain. foot my heart rate was skyrocket not because of like heat or overexertion but just from being tense you know running like so tense and have you ever ran like in like agony it's gonna elevate your heart rate no for sure it was just i'm like you know people like it's the heat i'm like i promise it's not the heat that's doing it but sure let's get ice let's do whatever but it's it was straight up agony i kept

my glasses on because there was a lot of tears happening and and just I was able to build up my pace for about maybe 13, 14 miles, and it was... Kind of, I wouldn't say numb, but better. So I think I built up to like a 7.20, 7.15 for a little bit. And then it just, it was just so, so much. And I still ended up running pretty, like a solid marathon. It was a 3.30 marathon. The same pace we did the day before, but a lot more pain and a lot less like

fun, like, cause I didn't have my girls at all. It was just me solo. But Maddie was out there just looking at me, just being like, honey, you know, pain, this is just a different pain. You can do this for three hours. Like just never saying you need to quit. And I love that about him because he knows, and he has, there's been times that he's like, there's been a race actually this way. He does know when to call it for me, but he knew I was not going to do that.

And he didn't want that for me. He knew I'd hate that forever. And he's like, you know, pain now we just got to like take this on in a different way.

You've had, you know, cramps, you've had muscle pain blisters whatever foot pain he's like this is just in a different area and tap into it and get through it and so it's really sweet he's so good with words he's so good it almost is too good because i get emotional out there and i'm like just stop but don't stop and my sister came out and surprised me and she ran some of it with me which was so nice because she's what was my running inspiration she's the one that got me started in

this crazy world of running and so she ran a few loops which you're really you're allowed to have you're allowed to have people come out and run anything they want which I love about the races they're they're so laid back they stick to all the rules but like like in what they need to stick to but it's like you know you want somebody to run with you a little bit let them run with you like you want music have some music and so she was able to run a few laps with me which was really special

and to have her there and yeah I finished hurting like crazy, but so excited to have done it and to have fulfilled a dream that I had for so many years of running on every continent and doing what I love and then doing it in. Support, the love of everybody. And I didn't win the overall event, but I won in so many other ways. Just like you said, with winning, there's always ways to win. I went home with an Antarctica record. That's something to hold on to.

I went home still getting the goal of breaking the previous record. I was still able to break that goal.

My average anyway was a 314, like 20 or something and so the previous one was a 323 and so I was able to break that there was just two other people that broke it first which is amazing so I went in giving it everything I gave it my heart I gave it my hip but uh it was what a journey what an adventure and it's like anybody listening is thinking about doing something like amazing there's some cool races out there but this is hands down like the coolest experience I've ever had and don't

think you're just more likely to get injured because there's so many people that did it that did not get injured they're totally out running still I have not been able to run since but I've had over yes yes I've had so many decades of no injuries I haven't been injured since 2008 so I will take this one and be grateful for everything my body's done over the last like you know 10 plus years without injury and doing high mile stuff.

You just got to be smart about it. And my body decided to just tell me to slow down. And so we're listening. We're listening and I'm swimming and biking. Well, there you go. There's alternatives and they'll get you back to running. Now, did everybody who started the challenge finish it with at least seven days and seven continents of at least half marathons?

No there was I think there was a few but Will the one that was like winning them all he didn't even run he didn't run the last one at all so I know I was like I know and he seemed to be like he seemed to be okay with it which I love that he was at peace with it because I know for me personally I would be like I have to do at least a half marathon or walk it or something but he was there like at the the at the you know where every time we'd go under the arch he was

there cheering for us and everything he's not like he was like off in his room being like poor me i didn't finish yesterday he was just there supporting us and he just hadn't he's like i got no desire to go run today i was like okay so it's crazy how we are all ticking but he he did not do it so anybody else, i i know Thank you. I think two other people did not finish, but there was even a girl that she got, what is that? Raynaud's? Or what is it that when your liver starts to shut?

Oh, I'm not going to come up with the word. I know. Anyway, she did have to go to the hospital after race six. Okay. And get her liver like checked and flushed and hydration and stuff because we were in Columbia. And so we postponed the flight for her to get to Miami.

And even before Miami she went to the hospital before at Miami because they said she was like just on the verge of like having her liver shut down she got like pumped with like saline she came out and still walked it and finished it good for her I was like good night like holy crap no excuses guys no excuses I could deal with a sore hip right right right well you know what's so interesting is we are a stubborn group us runners so running in pain it's like we gotta do it anyways,

I very much respect people who do not start a race. You know, if they've had the flu or whatever's going on and they just decide it's not in my best interest, I think it's, it's very mature. It's very difficult to do that. So yeah, I know expect it so much. And I build, I remember I tore my hamstring warming up for a fight back when I was kickboxing and I heard a pop and I just wasn't sure. And I thought, oh, I really wanted to kick people in the head.

You know, I wanted to fight and I pulled the plug before we started and I had no idea the extent of the damage. Thank God I pulled the plug, but it was one of the most difficult decisions I made, but it was the right decision. So sometimes it's the right decision and good for those who make that decision. Good for you for knowing that your pain would be temporary. Yeah. And that's one thing that I do respect those people that can just call it too.

Cause I'm like, I've been sick at plenty recently. I'm like, I'm still going to do it. I'm just stubborn. But also I think the stubbornness is one of the reasons I'm where I am, but yeah, you just, you need to pick your battles and I've become a smarter athlete, but still not the smartest clearly as you know, I'm here waddling away, but it'll get better. It'll be good. It'll be good to go in no time. And I'm grateful that I can still move. I could still swim and bike.

And those are, I love doing both. And I can lift, you know, next time you see me, I'm going to be like jacked in the upper body. Yeah. Right. Well, strength training is a fountain of youth, right? So it is, it is. And I need to do more of it. So this is just my body's way of being like, Hey, you've been talking about doing more strength training for a long time. We're going to make you do that. Oh yeah. You're going to benefit from this period off.

That's it's going to be, It's going to serve you so well. Hey, I've got two things, two, two important questions to ask you before we wrap this up. So thank you for sharing your adventure. I was so excited watching and I thought I got to bring her back on the show. Thank you for saying that you did. I'm so glad you did. You're, you're such a delight. So I'm at the end of each show.

I've been giving a communication tip because I find some people have a hard time relaying information coherently, concisely what would be a communication tip that you would like to share with our audience. A communication tip what do you what do you mean by this so my last guest said, be honest I like that very much and then I am able to for example not talk with food in their mouth so there's a variety of ways you could go with that okay

that's what I was like wait Where are we going with this? But I do like both of those. My biggest tip then, be patient. Be patient. Things don't happen overnight. Be patient. I love it. Okay, be patient. Thank you. And then song of the week. So someone's going to add your favorite song or whatever song you're recommending to their strength training, Pilates, pickleball, running, whatever they're going to do. What should they add to their playlist?

It's Christmas time. It's Christmas time. They're going to hate me. And I'm a punk rock girl. So I've been like blasting like this simple plan Christmas album.

Um and oh my gosh it's so fun is there one song punk rock you need a little christmas love, open up simple plan their christmas stuff it's so much fun okay well i love that we certainly haven't had that before no one's recommended yes and i'm sure nobody's gonna download it but you know a few of those little girls with the punk rock heart you know just you know for me i'm like a little punk rock and christmas fix you know what somebody is going to download that and then And they're going

to message you and they're going to message me and say, hey, I did it. Yes. Yes. They're going to have a great workout and just go run. Run to it for me because I can't run. I probably won't be able to run this month. So run to it for me. Just plans Christmas. I love it. I love it. And I love you. I love you. Thank you so much for having me and just like letting me be a part of this. You are such a light to the world. We need more, more of this. So thank you. Where can people find you, Ashley?

Okay. I am on Instagram. It's Ashkicken. And I am so new So don't laugh at me To TikTok I don't even really know How it works yet But it's ashkicken1 On TikTok Okay Was there already An ashkicken there And you had to be Number one. I just found this out last week. My husband told me, he's like, you actually are Ash Kicken as well. And I just had no idea I had that one. But then I built it over the seven, the Ash Kicken one. So I just need to go cancel one. And anyway, I'm special, you guys.

Social media world, let me just run. Let me just run. But yeah, that's where actually a lot of the things for the 777 is, is on TikTok. Because my daughter would get the media and she knows TikTok better. So she would load it to TikTok and not Instagram. So there's a lot of fun stuff on TikTok about the seven. Well, good. Make good use of your little humans and their talents. It's a smart mom. We don't use Instagram anymore. We are TikTok. No.

All right, girl. All you got to do right now is with gusto, tell my audience to get to work. All right, people. Let's do this. Get to work. I love you. Love you. Love you. See you later. Bye. Hi, this is Rudy Novotny. the voice of America's marathons. We all love how much running has benefited every aspect of our lives, so much so that most of us only wish we'd started sooner. Wouldn't it be wonderful to gift the opportunity to children of today?

Well, you can. The Morning Mile is a before-school walking and running program that gives children a chance to start each day in an active way while enjoying fun, music, and friends. That's every child, every day. It's also supported by a wonderful system of rewards which keeps students highly motivated and frequently congratulated. Created by our favorite fitness expert, Fitz Kohler.

Morning Milers across the country have run over 2 million miles and are having greater success with academics, behavior, and sports because of it. The Morning Mile is free to the child, free to the school, and is inexpensively funded by businesses or generous individuals. Help more kids get moving in the morning by visiting MorningMile.com. Champion the program at your favorite school or find out more about sponsorship opportunities. That's MorningMile.com. Long may you run.