1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,680 You're listening to episode 240 of the Marathon Running Podcast. 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,960 In this episode, we're going to hear a transformational story. 3 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,160 This is the Marathon Running Podcast by Letty and Ryan from 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,920 Week at the Runs. Join us in our running community 5 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,600 for weekly content that is motivational, educational, and 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,600 inspirational, and that the Marathon Running Podcast take 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,640 you from the starting line to the finish line and beyond. 8 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,520 Hey, runners, and welcome to episode 240. 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,920 My name is Letty, and normally I'm accompanied by my husband 10 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:44,840 Ryan, who was not available today. 11 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,120 But rest assured you're in good hands with me. 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,960 Still, I'm going to try to provide you with the best 13 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,240 product possible, and that is usually fairly easy when we have 14 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,240 these transformational stories. In today's story, we're going to 15 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,200 hear from Josh, who has asthma. But before you hop off the 16 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,760 podcast because you think I don't have asthma, stay on and 17 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,000 listen to this story because this story is not just about 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,400 asthma. It's about overcoming obstacles. 19 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,360 And I've tried to do these episodes usually towards the end 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,000 of the year because I know that a lot of us, including myself, 21 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,960 love having New Year's resolutions and it helps to 22 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:21,680 reflect on the year and think about what we can do better for 23 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,640 next year. So that's going to be today's 24 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,760 episode. But before we push play on 25 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,960 today's interview, a little bit of housekeeping. 26 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:31,240 All right. So first of all, if you guys 27 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:35,200 have not done your shopping yet or if you're still needing some 28 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,480 gifts very quickly for this Christmas, you can go to our 29 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,640 latest YouTube video. We are at running podcast on 30 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,040 YouTube. I just last week published our 31 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,040 episode on gift for runners and there's going to be a ton of 32 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,240 discount codes and I will link that in our show notes. 33 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,440 And with that, let me talk about the next thing. 34 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:59,600 We got you guys discounts on a lot of brands and we've listed 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,560 those brands on our domain that we purchased run swag.com. 36 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,840 Basically there are brands listed, I think at this point 37 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,840 it's about 15 to 20 of them that will give our listeners 38 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,960 discounts 15%, Twenty percent, 30% whatever. 39 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,520 And we are doing that because we really appreciate you guys 40 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,720 tuning in every week and helping us grow this podcast. 41 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:27,000 We don't get anything for almost any of the codes that we give 42 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,200 you guys discount with. In fact, some of the brands were 43 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,240 wanting to offer us affiliate links, which means that we get 44 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,520 Commission and we said let's not do that, let's pass that 45 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,000 discount on to our listeners and most of them complied. 46 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:45,160 If you see brands on there that just have affiliate links and it 47 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,200 doesn't say a discount next to it, then that means that full 48 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:52,360 transparency, we do get a small Commission on whatever products 49 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,480 you guys purchase, but rest assured, we are trying to flip 50 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,760 it around and pass that discount on to you guys in instead. 51 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,960 So be patient with us as we continue populating this list. 52 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,920 And again, thank you guys for doing this. 53 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:10,560 We really appreciate it. All right, so with that, I don't 54 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:12,400 have anything else new at this point. 55 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,520 I'm super excited about Josh's transformational story. 56 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,600 Little background, Josh contacted me because he has his 57 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,280 story that he wanted to share and it sounded amazing. 58 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,560 So I said yes, of course, let's talk, especially because for 59 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,640 those of you guys that have heard previous episodes, you 60 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:30,120 know that I have a lung deficiency. 61 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,200 I'm a carrier of the A1 disease, which means that I'm lacking 62 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,040 some enzymes. Long story short, like I said, 63 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,080 we all have our struggles. And with that, I'm now going to 64 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:46,560 play my conversation with Josh. All right, so I'm here with Josh 65 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,200 Rayom. Josh, thank you so much for 66 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,160 joining me today. Thank you so much for having me. 67 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,600 Yeah, absolutely. And I'm really excited to hear 68 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:59,280 about your journey and how everything can be a story of a 69 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,400 somewhat of an inspiration, especially now that we're 70 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,760 getting towards the end of the year and a lot of us need that 71 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,920 extra inspiration. So maybe we can start by talking 72 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,800 a little bit about you, who you are and how you started running 73 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,560 in 2020. Definitely free front down on 74 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,040 me. I'm, I'm Josh Rayom. 75 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:22,560 I I'm 34 years old. I'm, I'm originally from Nova 76 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:26,880 Scotia, Canada, but I had moved to Alberta and then later 77 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,680 Ontario, which is where I am now, about four hours north of 78 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,600 Toronto in a town called Sudbury, 180,000 people. 79 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:36,240 Mind you, I am actually a little north of that, a town of about 80 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,480 2000 people, but I tell people I'm from Sudbury. 81 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,800 I started running in June of 2020. 82 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,120 Now as a severe asthmatic, I have had severe asthma since 83 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,040 birth. So running was always something 84 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,800 that was kind of scary for me. I was always told that I had to 85 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,320 stay away from running, don't run, don't do sports, don't do 86 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,360 this, don't do that. So it was really scary. 87 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,840 It was a really big step for me. But one day, June of 2020, I 88 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:04,800 stepped on the scale not too long after my wedding and I was 89 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,720 278 lbs. And it was scary. 90 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,080 It wasn't just, you know, my diet that needed to change. 91 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:15,280 I needed a complete lifestyle change and I needed to not be 92 00:05:15,280 --> 00:05:17,680 scared of something that has been essentially had been 93 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,880 haunting me my whole life, which was my asthma. 94 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:24,600 Since birth, I'd spent somewhere between 3:00 to 4:00 to five 95 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:29,520 months in the hospital per year due due to my asthma as 96 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,080 masturbations, sometimes worse than others. 97 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,840 Sometimes I'd be in the hospital for up to 3-4 weeks at a time, 98 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:41,920 with a lot of ICUACU visits in there as well, ambulance trips, 99 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,920 helicopter rides. Now fortunately in Canada we do 100 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,640 have free healthcare so the cost was certainly a lot less than it 101 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:53,000 might be for some. But regardless, we lived in 102 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,160 poverty growing up and it was difficult to deal with with 103 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,640 these asthmas aspirations, especially with my mom being a 104 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:02,360 single mother. So moving up again to June of 105 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,680 2020, stepping on that scale, weighing 278 lbs, I knew that I 106 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,040 kind of had to leave my past in the past and had to try 107 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,160 something new. Now, over the years, I had 108 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,120 learned a little bit more about my lungs. 109 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,240 I had learned that I did have certain triggers, not just 110 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:21,000 exercise, but I had allergies, you know, allergic to smoke, to 111 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,600 dust mites, to animals. And I learned that if I can 112 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:25,880 mitigate those, then I could, you know, breathe a little bit 113 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,560 better. Maybe not the best, but maybe 114 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,200 breathe good enough to do something scary. 115 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,680 So in June, I decided to go for my first run. 116 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:39,200 Bought a pair of Revolution 5 Nike running shoes, maybe 117 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,400 something I wouldn't have purchased today, but they did 118 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,880 the trick. Went to the track and I made it 119 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,440 100 meters. I stopped, took my inhaler, did 120 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,520 it again, took my inhaler and I sort of gave up. 121 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:52,720 I went home, but I came back the next day. 122 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,680 Next day made it 200 meters and then 300 meters and 400 meters. 123 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,760 And as I continued doing this and dieting while I, you know, 124 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,920 ran my first 5K, within what seemed like a matter of a month 125 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:07,080 or two, my weight started dropping. 126 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:11,800 Eventually I ran 1/2 marathon at that same track until I gained 127 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,480 up the confidence to run on the road and have people see me. 128 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,440 And then flash forward to October of 2023. 129 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,840 I ran my first marathon representing Asthma Canada, 130 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,560 which for me was huge. It was a huge milestone and, and 131 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,320 you know, they reached out to me after, after seeing my 132 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,640 Instagram. So my Instagram I created as 133 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,760 kind of an accountability journal for myself. 134 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,320 I think what a lot of people do in the, in the running industry, 135 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,280 but I had a little bit of A twist on mine. 136 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:43,560 So mine was telling people and showing people that, you know, 137 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,720 you can be a severe asthmatic and it's challenging, but 138 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,960 running will actually condition your lungs for the better. 139 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,960 Because had had I known this sooner, had I been told this 140 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,320 sooner, I probably would have done it a lot sooner. 141 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,040 I started being able to go for hikes, to go to the mall, to 142 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,280 live my life without taking my inhaler with me. 143 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,360 And I attribute it right away to what I call lung conditioning. 144 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,760 So it was helping my lungs get stronger and stronger every time 145 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,800 I go for a run. And it was just so big for me. 146 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:18,640 So sharing that word to other Asthmas asthmatics out there was 147 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,160 huge. So as McKenna had reached out to 148 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:25,600 me and they asked me if I would run the October Toronto 149 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,800 Waterfront Marathon for them in 2023. 150 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,080 And I didn't have much training at that point. 151 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:33,559 I, I kind of had been on the couch for a little bit, but I 152 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:34,520 said, you know what, let's do it. 153 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:37,880 I, I think it's for the right 'cause and, and I went out to 154 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:42,679 Toronto and I ran the marathon in five hours and 23 minutes. 155 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,680 I certainly didn't break any records on that one. 156 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,680 But regardless, I had gotten a lot of publicity from that. 157 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,200 I had gotten a lot of talks where I'd go when I'd talk to, 158 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,840 you know, even physicians and I would tell them my story. 159 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,840 I would tell them about how lung conditioning has helped me live 160 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,800 a better life so that they can then pass it on to their 161 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,360 patients and maybe have a different outlook on medicine. 162 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,960 Flash forward seven months to May of 2024. 163 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:18,280 This past May, I ran my second marathon, £100 less, and I ran 164 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,120 it in three hours and 58 minutes. 165 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,560 So I shaved about an hour and a half off my marathon in seven 166 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:25,760 months. And it, it, it's been unreal. 167 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,080 It's been such a, such a wild ride for me. 168 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:30,560 So yeah, that that's my story in a nutshell. 169 00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:33,120 And, and I still feel like my story is pretty young and it's 170 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,000 still continuing. So we'll we'll see where it 171 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:39,440 takes me. Wow, huge congratulations on so 172 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,440 many different things. I mean, especially the PR, but 173 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,520 you know, within that huge goal and your continuous goal, there 174 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:49,960 are so many victories in there. And I kind of want to let me 175 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,320 backtrack just a little bit. I know that time has times have 176 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,440 changed and Unite kind of talked about how much has changed 177 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:58,880 within the last 20 years as as of research. 178 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,680 So I want to talk about you being told to stay away from 179 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:06,240 running and then you mentioned running was a trigger. 180 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,880 How much of that has changed through knowledge and lung 181 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,480 conditioning, right? Because obviously, especially 182 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,400 living in the United States, we want to keep people out of 183 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,400 hospitals because of money issues. 184 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:24,240 But also I'm sure every country wants to have people not go to 185 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,440 the hospital. And then there's that fine line 186 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,480 of, OK, if somebody does something to improve, it might 187 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:31,720 help, but it might also end them up in the hospital. 188 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:33,320 So maybe talk about that a little bit. 189 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,040 Yeah, there definitely is a fine line, right? 190 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:37,840 You don't want to be at that point where you are putting 191 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,440 yourself in the hospital because it's not just a burden on on, 192 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,200 you know, the money that you do or you don't have, but it's a 193 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,120 burden on the healthcare industry as well, in which I 194 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,640 like to call, you know, kind of like a revolving door in the 195 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,560 hospital just to come out and go back in. 196 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:54,520 Finding that fine line was tough. 197 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:58,080 I still find sometimes it does continue to be tough. 198 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,560 But I think it's important that when you do go out there for 199 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:03,680 your first run, especially not knowing what would happen, 200 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:06,440 especially when you are told that you shouldn't run, it's 201 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:08,080 important to create rules for yourself. 202 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,280 And that's what I did after that first run at the track I 203 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,600 created, I created golden rules for myself. 204 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,800 I had really 2 rules. First rule was I go for a run, I 205 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,120 need to take my inhaler. Well, I'm not going to let 206 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,800 myself do it twice without leaving. 207 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,480 And that turned into my golden rule where if I need to take my 208 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,720 inhaler more than once, then I would end for the day and I 209 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,240 would come back tomorrow because tomorrow is a better day. 210 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:34,400 Now, fortunately with exercise, I did notice something that it, 211 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,160 it might trigger my asthma at that current time. 212 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,600 It might make him bad. It might make it bad at that 213 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:44,680 moment, you know, until I calm down, take my inhaler or my, my 214 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:48,800 nebulizer, which is my mask. But after that it, it wouldn't 215 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:50,440 really linger. It wouldn't stay around. 216 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:52,640 It was just kind of a temporary exacerbation. 217 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,400 So if I can make it past that moment, which, you know, I had 218 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,920 been doing for 30 years at that point that I was typically, I 219 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,920 was typically OK. It wasn't something like 220 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,240 allergies that would, you know, stick, stick in my lungs, stick 221 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,760 in my system and then caused me to go in the in the hospital. 222 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,320 It was something that was just currently triggering it that 223 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:15,120 could, you know, be mitigated by taking my inhaler. 224 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,720 OK, perfect. So you had these golden rules 225 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:24,360 and talk to us a little bit about what made you do this, 226 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:26,160 right? I mean, obviously we know it's 227 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,040 the scale, but we know there's always like a deeper why? 228 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,200 And you realizing that you need to have a whole lifestyle 229 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,520 change. What was the motivator to get up 230 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,280 these days? And even when you had to take 231 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:39,920 your inhaler twice to get up again and do it the next day. 232 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,920 So to start, I really had no idea what my motivator was. 233 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,920 To this day, I don't know if it was. 234 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:48,640 I mean, I could tell you my weight was a massive factor on 235 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,760 it, but I had never really thought about running. 236 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,520 It never really been something that I had even thought about. 237 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,800 So I don't know. And if in that time I had seen, 238 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,880 you know, maybe an Instagram post or something and I just 239 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,640 felt fueled to do it or I've seen so I see someone running on 240 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:05,960 the side of the road and I felt like, hey, I could do that too. 241 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,160 I'm not not really too not really too sure what, what, what 242 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,200 started that. Now, what continues or what has 243 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,960 me continue to do it today is because, well, I might have a 244 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,040 bad day. I might have two bad days or a 245 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:21,840 bad week. You know, as we mentioned before 246 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,720 we hit record, I had pneumonia for, you know, 2-3 weeks and I 247 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:27,600 couldn't run at all. Actually, it's been about a 248 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,080 month because of that. So I might have a bad day or 249 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:35,600 two, but overall, the difference that it has made for me keeps me 250 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,480 extremely overwhelmed with positivity. 251 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,400 And enough so that I, that I'm not, I'm not scared anymore. 252 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,720 I, I see the overwhelming benefits in it that that keeps 253 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,160 me just going out there and do it again. 254 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:53,120 When I do slow down, when I do take breaks and I find getting 255 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,320 back into running it, it becomes hard again on my lungs, maybe 256 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,680 not to the point where it was in June of 2020, but it becomes 257 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:02,560 difficult to the point where I have to fight a little bit to 258 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:04,680 get back to it. So what I've learned is 259 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:08,760 consistency is key and you know, being consistent and you're 260 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:10,680 running too without injury, because when you're injured, 261 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,920 you're not running well, that can be pretty detrimental to 262 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,080 lung conditioning as well. And it could put a little bit of 263 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:18,880 a gap on it. So finding other things to keep 264 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,440 you busy to keep you going, like Zone 2 elliptical, for example. 265 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,400 I'm a big fan of that low impact on my legs and it keeps my my 266 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:31,160 lungs moving and keeps my heart going, you know, Stairmaster, 267 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,160 things like that. OK. 268 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,160 And just on a side note, I'm kind of curious, have you ever 269 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:42,400 gotten your VO2 Max taken or some kind of standard test so 270 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:46,600 you can see how you compare to a runner without any asthma? 271 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,120 That, that's actually something I'm looking into. 272 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,280 I would love to do it. I have to go to the city to get 273 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:53,880 it done. We don't have that around here. 274 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,640 Now, I do have my watch, you know, my Garmin watch just like 275 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,040 everybody else. It kind of gives me a kind of a 276 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:05,160 spit ball of what my VO2 Max is. When I did start, it was it must 277 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,040 have been like 40 and currently it's about 52. 278 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:10,640 So much better than it was. But I don't know. 279 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:12,840 I've never done the actual test. I'd love to, yeah. 280 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:14,800 Yeah, that'd be interesting to see, right? 281 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,080 Because I mean, Garmin only knows so much. 282 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:19,320 There's no button that you can tell Garmin, hey, I have a cold 283 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,920 right now, or hey, I'm pregnant or hey, whatever is going on. 284 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,880 So that would probably change a lot of things, including, you 285 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,440 know, some people just have higher heartbeats and it all 286 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,320 affected. But I was just curious, talk to 287 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,080 me a little bit about your family and your family's 288 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,120 feelings about you going out there running when they know 289 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:42,480 that that triggers something. And they're also being again, 290 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:45,160 that fine line of being overweight, wanting to be 291 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:48,520 healthy to prolong your life, but then having asthma and 292 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,920 exercise which you've been told to stay away from. 293 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,200 Definitely. So my my family saw me suffer my 294 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,000 entire childhood, teen hood and early adulthood. 295 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,320 Thanks for challenging for them as well, right. 296 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:02,840 The you know, I, I was one of four and then we had our mom, 297 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,440 you know, single mother and they were at home while my mom was in 298 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,320 the hospital with me. So they had seen really the 299 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,960 detriment that it had on me. Now, when I got into running, 300 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,440 you know, I had a lot of pushback for my mom especially. 301 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,440 So my mom is an asthmatic herself. 302 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,520 She knows what it's like, she knows what triggers it and she's 303 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:22,760 been there every step of the way. 304 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,480 So she had a lot of pushback, unfortunately, my will to keep 305 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,400 going and, and you know what, mom, I'm an adult. 306 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:29,960 I can make my own decisions. I'm safe. 307 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,360 I know what I'm doing that that pushed me forward. 308 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:38,520 My wife, when I got into running, my wife had some issues 309 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,760 with it. Of course, thankfully, we do, we 310 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:43,400 do. I, I did have ways that I could 311 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,480 kind of sway her and make her more comfortable, and that's by 312 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,760 running around the house. I don't run very far, especially 313 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,000 if my asthma is bad, I'll stay around the area. 314 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:56,480 I do share my location as well on my phone and and my my Garmin 315 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,160 so she can view me at all times and and see if anything happens. 316 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,280 I think at this point she trusts me. 317 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,800 But there was a time when she was a little bit nervous for 318 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:07,839 sure and she would come driving around to find me. 319 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:11,040 That was before we had kids. Little bit more difficult to go 320 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:13,200 for a ride, you know, at 9:00 at night now. 321 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,880 But there was there, there was a bit of a worry there. 322 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,800 It's certainly a lot, lot better now. 323 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,119 And, and I think now that they've seen me and, and see 324 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,960 what I'm capable of doing and that I practice what I preach, 325 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,040 they're able to put a little bit more trust in me. 326 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:30,840 You know, that's perfect. And they've also probably seen 327 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:35,000 how you excel in other areas of life, including the weight loss. 328 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,120 So maybe let's dive into that a little bit because obviously, 329 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:40,760 you know, you're scared because of the asthma, but you see the 330 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:42,920 weight coming off. So obviously your body is not 331 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,440 working as hard, carrying less weight, and then there's a ton 332 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,680 of other benefits with that. So maybe talk about that a 333 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,720 little bit, including if you did anything else such as you talked 334 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,080 about complete lifestyle change, diet and all that. 335 00:17:56,360 --> 00:17:59,280 Yeah, yeah, at my wedding, certainly not the way I 336 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,000 envisioned it. And this is really when I, I got 337 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:02,960 a kick in the butt to, to do something about it. 338 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,320 But I looked back at my, my wedding photos. 339 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:08,880 So I got married in in August of 2019. 340 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:12,200 And I remember after that day just kind of looking back at my 341 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:13,960 photos. I, it's not how I envisioned my 342 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,080 wedding going. I, I, you know, I had a hard 343 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:19,320 time finding a vest that fit me and I didn't like that it, it 344 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,960 pulled me down in the gutters and I knew I had to do something 345 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,840 about it. I started intermittent fasting. 346 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:27,800 That was big for me. I've always had big success with 347 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:32,320 intermittent fasting or one meal a day, which was a little bit 348 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,160 more challenging. Now I did find through 349 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,440 intermittent fasting to go down to one meal a day, you know, 11 350 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:41,960 good healthy, nutritious meal was, was relatively easy for me. 351 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,760 So that combined with, with running or light cardio to start 352 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,920 actually, I, I saw the weight kind of just shut off. 353 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:56,120 I had lost, I want to say 50 lbs originally. 354 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:00,200 And then 2022 rolled around. We had our twin girls, Lily and 355 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,480 Lennon. And then, you know, I was just 356 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:04,080 so excited. I stopped running a little bit, 357 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,640 hung out with them a bit more and my weight went up a little 358 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:09,280 bit more again. So then I had to kind of re lose 359 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,280 that weight and then find something more permanent than 360 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,440 just, you know, intermittent fasting or one meal a day. 361 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,640 It, it had to be more of a lifestyle change, as you 362 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:20,840 mentioned, as opposed to just a diet. 363 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,760 I, I've been vegetarian now for the last few years. 364 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,320 Sometimes I, you know, cheat a little bit, especially around 365 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:35,360 the holidays, I will admit. But I, I found being vegetarian 366 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:39,440 keeps me away from things like burgers or steaks, you know, 367 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,000 things like that. When, when I stepped on that 368 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,640 scale, weighing 278 lbs, Well, around that time I was also 369 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,560 diagnosed with fatty liver. So that was another big kind of 370 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,560 kick to get myself in shape and to to shed the weight. 371 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,880 OK, OK, well first I love the names for your daughters. 372 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,040 That's those are really, really cute names. 373 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,760 But let's talk a little bit about the intermittent fasting 374 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,000 because obviously we know it works and there's been studies 375 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:08,760 showing that restricting. Could potentially be better than 376 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,440 the frequent grazer, which you know, there's pros and cons 377 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:13,840 arguments. We're not going to talk about 378 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,560 that, but talk to me about that and marathon training. 379 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:18,800 Do you ever still do that when you're marathon training? 380 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:22,080 Because we know we need, we have different nutrition needs and 381 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,040 how do you deal with that? Because we see a lot of people 382 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,960 that start training for a marathon, your appetite goes out 383 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,160 the roof and then it's really hard to maintain that diet. 384 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:33,720 I, I continue it right through my marathon training. 385 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,320 I feel, I feel, you know, a little bit sluggish for sure. 386 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,480 And I'm, I'm hungry, I want to eat more, but I've, I've kind 387 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:45,320 of, you know, I've, I've tempted myself a little bit too much by 388 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,400 eating more during marathon training. 389 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,400 And I feel like I kind of go over that fine line. 390 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:53,360 So for me, I just try to maintain that consistency that 391 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:56,600 right now it's more, I'm not in marathon training mode at the 392 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:02,160 moment, but I still eat probably 1500 calories a day. 393 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:04,960 Like I don't eat a lot. It works for me. 394 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,280 I have enough energy. Some days I, I need a little bit 395 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,280 more, you know, than than the other days. 396 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,120 But yeah, for the most part, I try to stick to, you know, if I 397 00:21:13,120 --> 00:21:15,080 am intermittent fasting at the time, I'll try to stick through 398 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:17,280 to that throughout my marathon training. 399 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,720 I know that we do need, you know, the carbs we do need, you 400 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,440 know, this and that to, to get the best out of our training, to 401 00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,960 really fuel ourselves for it. And I feel like when I'm, you 402 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,840 know, at that point where I'm training for my Boston Marathon 403 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,800 qualifying time, I'm probably going to, you know, really fuel 404 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,160 up and, and, and take those regards. 405 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,480 But for the time being, you know, shaving an hour and a half 406 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:43,280 off my first and 2nd marathon time while, you know, on this 407 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:47,600 diet, I, I feel like I still have some excelling to do whilst 408 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,200 I'm still intermittent fasting or still, you know, dieting to 409 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:53,080 the, to the level that I am now. And I think when I fine tune 410 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,040 things a little bit later on it, it'll change. 411 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:59,320 But but for now it it works. Yes, yes, it sounds like it. 1 412 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,000 1/2 hours is huge for any second marathon. 413 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,920 So let's talk about you being disciplined a little bit, 414 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,200 because I can sense that there's a lot of that with you, a lot of 415 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:13,800 mental grit, mental strength. So maybe we can talk a little 416 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:19,000 bit about how people listening to this that may even have 417 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,080 completely different problems can learn to be more strong 418 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,800 mentally and be disciplined when it comes to their training. 419 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:28,480 Yeah, definitely. Good point. 420 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,160 It's I, I did have days where I'd wake up and, and I didn't 421 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,920 feel very, you know, excited to get out there. 422 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,880 What always kept me going, especially this time of year 423 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,800 with winter time. And I was on, I was on another 424 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:42,880 podcast recently and I talked about this and maybe it made me 425 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:46,640 sound a little, I don't know, like God Mode or something. 426 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,720 I, but I, I enjoy getting out there, not wanting to get out 427 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:54,880 there, but getting out there and seeing everybody else in their 428 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,280 windows of their houses, sitting there watching TV. 429 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:02,240 It keeps me going because I feel like I am, you know, I have all 430 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,360 these things that could be holding me back, but they're 431 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:08,400 not. And I feel that I just, I, I 432 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,640 feel like that kind of inspires myself to just keep pushing to 433 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,000 keep doing things that are difficult that put me out of my 434 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,600 comfort zone. I'm a strong believer that, you 435 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:21,560 know, maybe in today's era, in 2024, we are, you know, we, we 436 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:23,680 seek up comfort maybe a little bit too much. 437 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,240 Everything in our lives is a little bit too comfortable. 438 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,760 So if I can slip out of that once or twice a day in whether 439 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,120 it's cold plunging or it's going for a run in the morning, which 440 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:37,960 I I still absolutely hate, but I feel amazing about afterwards. 441 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,960 I try to do it when I can because it is it is a mental 442 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:44,320 challenge and it is it is fulfilling. 443 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:48,320 Maybe not at the time, but certainly afterwards when I 444 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,720 started realizing, you know, the power of kind of battling your 445 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:58,360 own, I guess mentality and, and pushing the envelope a little 446 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:00,280 bit. I, I started actually 447 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:02,280 motivational speaking. So I started going to high 448 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,320 schools and elementary schools and speaking to kids and tell 449 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,200 them about my history. Hey, this is my past. 450 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,920 This is what I lived through. And today, you know, this is me. 451 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,920 This is kind of what I look forward to. 452 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:14,880 And This is why I'm here talking to you today to let you know 453 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:20,040 that everything is possible. So I, I, I, I talk about 454 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,280 perseverance in my motivational speaking. 455 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,600 I talk about resilience. I talk about overcoming 456 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:26,560 obstacles. And at the end of the day, if 457 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:30,200 I'm not doing that myself, I feel like maybe I'm just blowing 458 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,440 smoke and that that as well gets me out there. 459 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:34,960 And, and I certainly don't regret it. 460 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:37,120 I listen to a lot of podcasts while I run. 461 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:40,400 That keeps me going. If I ever don't feel like 462 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,840 getting out in the morning or going out at the end of the day, 463 00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,400 I sit there for a minute and I look at my Instagram and I just 464 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,480 see everybody else, everybody else running and getting new, 465 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,240 getting new PRS, and that keeps me. 466 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:55,400 That keeps me driven as well. So Josh is basically just a 467 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,360 person that likes to suffer. I'm just getting in all 468 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:01,480 seriousness. So I, I love this and that you 469 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,440 seem to have really big goals for yourself and that you're not 470 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:07,280 stopping them. And granted, you're only 34, so 471 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,720 there's so much more that you'll learn in the long run with 472 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:12,600 running. We know that, you know, once 473 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:14,840 you've been running for 10 years, you're like barely 474 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,760 peaking. So maybe talk to us about your 475 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,880 short term goals for this year and then also kind of maybe long 476 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:25,000 term goals as well. Oh yeah, absolutely. 477 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,240 Yeah. Running lives short term goals. 478 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:33,360 So I'm, I'm aiming for a sub 25K, which for me is big. 479 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,520 I'm at about 21 minutes now and I know I could push it. 480 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:43,040 I know I could probably get it. My 10 KPR is a 42 or 43 minutes. 481 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:47,440 So I'd like to get that, you know, about 40 minutes or so. 482 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,760 And I'd like to run my next marathon. 483 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:56,080 I'm kind of aiming for three 3340, having run my last in 358. 484 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,200 So those are my short term running goals, short term goals. 485 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:02,160 Otherwise, I, I do have a speaking business. 486 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:05,040 So getting out there and talking more to, you know, healthcare 487 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,760 practitioners, the healthcare industry really about my story 488 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,080 is kind of what I've been working on over the last year. 489 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:14,960 And I started a podcast as well. So kind of excelling through 490 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,840 that and kind of seeing where that can take me, you know, in 491 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:20,600 the short term and as well in the long term. 492 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:25,360 And then, you know, long term goals well for for running it, 493 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:27,440 it is my overall goal. I think like a lot of runners to 494 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,720 qualify for Boston. So that that's kind of what I'm 495 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,640 aiming at, you know, 30-4 years now. 496 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,560 I know they they made it a little bit more challenging for 497 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,240 you to qualify. I think this this past year or 498 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,720 maybe coming into next year, but but I do hope within the next, 499 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,440 we'll say 2 years, I can run a Boston qualifying time, whether 500 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:49,200 they allow, you know, let me into the race or not because I 501 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:51,320 know it's challenging. Even if you do run that time, 502 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,160 especially for a male, because of all the applicants, 503 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,800 especially since COVID, even if I could just run that time and I 504 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:00,000 knew that I qualified, I'm happy with that. 505 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,360 And then I always told myself that after I run Boston or after 506 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:07,320 I qualified for Boston, I'm going to write a book. 507 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,720 So my goal is to to write a book about while persevering really, 508 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,960 but maybe sprinkle a little a little bit in about my my story 509 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,120 as well. I love this and hopefully we'll 510 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,360 be there to follow your journey along. 511 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:22,880 Thank you so much for sharing all this. 512 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,000 And I want to ask you one more question. 513 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,160 What are your top 2 tips for everyone listening? 514 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,160 Because this episode is going to air closer towards New Year's 515 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:33,920 Eve where we make all these goals. 516 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:37,800 What can people do to be the the best version of themselves when 517 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:43,160 it comes to running in 2025? Tip #1 set yourself up for 518 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:48,080 success, get what you need prior to the new year so you can hit 519 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:50,920 the ground running in the new year, especially if you're new 520 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:55,680 to running. And #2 you know, never let 521 00:27:55,680 --> 00:28:00,720 yourself, never let yourself feel like you're not capable of 522 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:02,600 doing something because sometimes you're going to feel 523 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:04,040 that way. That's just how it goes. 524 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,880 These last 3-4 weeks when I've been sick, I feel like I'm not 525 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,600 going to run a qualifying time anytime in my life. 526 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:13,320 But I know that it's just currently what's going on. 527 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:18,480 So never let yourself, never let yourself feel like you're not 528 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:20,120 capable of doing something difficult. 529 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,160 I love these. Thank you so much Josh for your 530 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,640 time and good luck with everything. 531 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,520 I hope you're healing up and then we can follow you on 532 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:30,040 Instagram. Please let us know how we can 533 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:32,520 find you best. Absolutely. 534 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,640 So you can find me on Instagram at the Asthma Runner and as well 535 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:38,200 I, I do have a podcast that I've started. 536 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,520 It's called Beyond the wheeze. I have an Instagram account for 537 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,040 that as well. But just drop me a follow on 538 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:47,120 Instagram at The Asthma Runner and you can find all the links 539 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,040 in my bio. Perfect. 540 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:52,000 Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. 541 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:59,120 Thank you Josh for hopping on and sharing your story. 542 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:04,120 We absolutely appreciate it and you listeners, let me know what 543 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,920 your thoughts are. Let me know what you guys 544 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,360 struggles are and if you got inspired by this episode. 545 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,760 We all have the ability to work on ourselves on a daily basis 546 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:19,080 and that's a great mindset to have as we go towards 2025. 547 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaking of 2025 and events that are happening, if you guys live 548 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,360 in the Boston area, I briefly want to tell you about the 549 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:34,080 Boston Run Show that takes place on March 1st to 2nd and it is 550 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:37,880 basically a outdoor convention for runners. 551 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:42,440 You can go there and have about 200 brands that will offer 552 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,000 everything, latest stuff on the market. 553 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,280 You have Innovate, Puma, Adidas, Hyperized Runner, You have 554 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:54,200 Backline 2, Beyond Running Mate, Ultra Guter, Garmin, Houma, 555 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,880 Saucony, Airtex, Marathon Sports and so many more. 556 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:02,440 At that show you'll also find 30 plus inspirational world class 557 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:07,240 speakers including Des Linden and Alas Lake, Conrad Anchor, 558 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:11,200 Dylan Bowman, Marty Fuller, Dave Mcgilvery and many many more. 559 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,360 You have expert workshops that talk about trail running 560 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:17,440 techniques, skate analysis, outdoor survival skills, and 561 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,720 yoga. And if you have basically an 562 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,080 adventure for everyone, including family members that 563 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:25,600 are not running because you'll be enjoying a Rockwall, you'll 564 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,880 have other sorts of workshops and live demos happening. 565 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,720 You can sign up and get tickets to the show by going to the 566 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:39,800 Boston runshow.com and enter MRP for a free ticket to that show. 567 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,120 So I'll be there. I'll be hosting exit interviews. 568 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:45,240 I'm super excited to see you guys there. 569 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,000 In addition, if you're still looking for a marathon, consider 570 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:53,000 the LA Marathon, which is the marathon I will be running as 571 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,760 well. The LA Marathon has a huge place 572 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:59,480 in my heart because it was the first marathon that I ever ran 573 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:02,920 and fell in love with running. It takes place on March 16th, 574 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,680 2025. And if you would like a discount 575 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:10,640 code for 10%, my discount code as an ambassador for the LA 576 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:15,360 Marathon is 2025 Letty 10 and I can send that to you or you can 577 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:19,080 find that in our show notes for this week and hopefully I'll get 578 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:21,720 to see you there. All right, so that's it for you 579 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,920 guys for this week. Stay tuned for next week. 580 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,000 We'll have another amazing episode like we always do. 581 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,760 And it's going to be the end of the year episode. 582 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:34,360 So expect something epic, something inspiring again, maybe 583 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:39,200 some tips for 2025. And with that, have a great week 584 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:45,400 of running. Thanks for tuning in. 585 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,520 For more information and marathon running news, please 586 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:52,360 head to www.marathonrunningpodcast.com 587 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:54,160 and we'll be back next week.