For those who don't know, this is my third year of creating our racing team's end of year video; that means going through 365 days of photos and picking the best to represent that year.

For Chris, I had to go back through 7 full years of photos to truly try and encapsulate just a fraction of my time knowing him. We recorded first and then I went on a photo scavenger hunt that made one thing clear. While opening the store for Chris was an absolute life changing event, meeting him was a life changing event for me.

He and I talked about so much; how we met, kids club, C25K, relationships with vendors, Fast Track, COVID, supporting small businesses, and boiled everything down to one word: community.

But when I look back at 7 years of photos, I realize we have only scratched the surface . I just hope it doesn't take nearly a year to get him to come back on the pod. Enjoy!

Sometimes I don't know how to properly introduce a show because I'm just so entertained by my guests.

This one is definitely that. What was born out of casual conversation at the 4 on the 4th turned into such a fun discussion of what happens when two people early on in a relationship discover they don't exactly have the same definition of runner and how they make it work.

And Becky has the best full blown dialogue that goes through every runner's mind. Don't you tell me you can't relate!

That's right! We have the founder of The Flying Pig Project on the show today to discuss what's happening with the project and her fitness journey.

It really is amazing how much we have in common.

And if you think I was able to do anything of this with a straight face, you just don't know me, do ya!

Can you imagine you're training for an event like a Half-Ironman?

Can you imagine it's your first and Mother Nature deals you a real feel temperature of 105?

Yes sir, folks. IronMan 70.3 came rolling into Rockford for the first time just about two weeks ago and Kristin shares her experiences on the pod.

We talked about all sorts of things including some Ironman rules that are a bit crazy. The whole thing about having your shoulders covered at all times; who knew Ironman was such a modest sport!

While in the end she did finish, she missed the final time cut off by a lousy 10 minutes. I can't wait to see her crush it next year!

I don’t care what time it is! When Marty says the next episode is ready to go, it’s ready to go!
Welcome back @ncihock to the podcast as we helped @ilaanya pop the podcast cherry!
This one’s another hilarious fuel swap episode and a shout out to @againarunner for donating this episode’s mystery fuel!
We talk hydration epiphanies and chemical sweeteners. But I’ll tell y’all; three ladies doing a fuel episode? The first person to tell me how many times we use the word swallow; well, you should win a prize!
This “Start Lines and Swag Bags” episode will be available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube! As always, thank you so much for supporting the flying pig project and be sure to embrace the crazy to unlock a world of possibilities!
#theflyingpigproject #startlinesandswagbags #fasttrackracingteam #smallbusiness #runnerswhopod #supportsmallbusiness

Guess who's back!

Here comes Justin and this time we are talking about a topic no one can say they haven't felt; PAIN.

We talk about what pain you could work through and what should stop you in your tracks. While we do highlight that everyone has different pain tolerances, Justin and I also talk about my favorite people; the over-reactors and under-reactors. Which category do you fall in?

Your biggest takeaway should be to buy a little journal keep track of your aches and pains. Your PT will love you for it!

Thank you all for supporting the flying pig project and "Start Lines and Swag Bags". As always, embrace the crazy to unlock a world of possibilities.

Very excited to have Sabrina back on the show; this time in the role as Coach! She is joined by two of her athletes, Leah and Jake. Sabrina worked with them both, not only through the first marathons, but through other things as well including injuries, mental challenges, and, well, life.

This is another well timed episode with 18 week training programs starting now! Does everyone need a coach? No. Does everyone have access to a coach? Also, no. But, I bet if I talked to most of the runners I know, at some point in their journey, a coach was either consulted or used.

It's most definitely a personal decision and, upon reviewing the entire episode for the transcript, may have been influenced to take a second go-around with a coach for my current attempt at returning to running. Hmmmm.... I wonder who I'm going to be writing my training plans.......

Worth the wait, this one was!

From cotton sweatpants to his first marathon is just about a year and a half, Byron has quite the story to tell. He deserved every second of his 50+ minutes of fame

.You can't help but feel what Byron felt that day Carmel was cancelled. We discussed that weekend and the one two weeks later when he finally became a marathoner.

Does this sound a little like a Fast Track Infomercial at times? Well, yes, but I consider it more a testament to finding the right community for you. He came knowing no one, but he found his group with Fast Track.

Embrace the crazy to unlock a world of possibilities and find yours.