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James Moore
Episode 16 • 19th April 2024 • Run Build Grow • Andrew Ware
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Welcome to Run Build Grow hosted by Andrew Ware. Thank you for joining as we explore the communal spirit of running.

In this episode we welcomeJames Moore. James is a local runner to the Hampton Roads area, who ran his 5th Boston Marathon this past Monday. Boston may not be in the cards for all runners, but setting goals is something we can all relate to. James went into this marathon journey with the audacious goal to qualify for Boston and he did so. Listen as we unpack how he got to Boston and what it was like the 5th time he ran the race. We talk beyond Boston and look at the importance of community for hitting goals and doing hard things.

Check out James: @365daysofjames on Instagram

Help Support the RunninRev and Run Build Grow Podcast go to: RunninRev or Run Build Grow website

Follow the pod on Instagram: @communityrunpod

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Support this Podcaston Buy Me A Coffee : Leave a tip if you enjoyed this episode or become a monthly supporter of the RunninRev Run Club.

(C)Andrew Ware 2024

Music License:

I’m Nazar Rybak, as the author of 'Keep Running' www.melodyloops.com/tracks/keep-running/, grants Melody Loops and it's licensees, including Andrew Ware, permission to use this Music.

This Music may be used in commercial and personal projects and in monetized videos (such as Youtube or Vimeo) without paying additional fees or royalties to author. The Music must be used in accordance with the Melody Loops End User License Agreement https://www.melodyloops.com/support/full-license/

License #: 8126583717

Transcripts

Andrew:

Welcome to run, build, grow the podcast that laces up its running

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shoes and dives deep into the heartbeat

of the communal spirit of running.

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I'm your host, Andrew aware, and I'm

thrilled to take you on this exhilarating

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journey where we explore stories that

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outs in each and every episode.

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But in today's episode, in

this episode, coming off the

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Boston marathon from Monday.

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I had to get James Moore on the podcast.

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James is a local runner here in

Hampton roads where I am from.

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And James.

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Puts all of his effort into every run.

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And I love it.

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I love everything he does.

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I love everything he is about, but

he is more than just someone who

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ran the Boston marathon, because for

many of us that may seem beyond us.

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James is a down to earth community

leader here in Hampton roads.

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And it is not just him going to

Boston representing Hampton roads,

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but he is taking the stories and the

journeys of all these other folks.

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With him as he goes, and we go in

depth about what his Boston journey

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was like, what it was like for him to

qualify for Boston for the first time.

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What it was like this time for him

to run his fifth Boston marathon.

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And also give us a little bit of

depth of what it looks like to

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set goals, what it looks like to

engage with goals in a community.

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And so we dive in and.

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And look at that from this

communal base perspective.

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And so let's jump in and let's

hear this story from James Moore.

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All right, welcome in everybody.

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I am excited to be doing somewhat of

a race recap, but also kind of another

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journey to I'm joined today by James

Moore down here from The 757 who just

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two days ago ran Boston ran the marathon,

participated in all the festivities.

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So I'm so happy to have James on.

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James, how are you doing today?

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Definitely.

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James: Andrew.

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Thank you for having me.

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Andrew: Definitely

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For those listeners who are aware, you

know, this is one of three, now the

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third person who's run Boston this year.

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You'll remember I talked with

Thomas Hicks back early on.

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He talked about His journey to

Boston, I talked to Mike Couch

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right before y'all remember Shamrock

about his journey to Boston.

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So now we're gonna get somewhat

a little bit, this is not James,

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this was not James's first Boston.

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I don't really think it'll be his last

based on how he's running but it'll

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be really nice to catch up and to see,

you know, everything that goes into

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this journey, but also just how the

race unfolded and went out for you.

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But as listeners know, James,

we cannot get too far into

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the conversation before I ask.

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James, what is your community and

what makes your community awesome?

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James: My community, I really think

I defined it in a couple of ways.

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One, I've got my friends

that I run with regularly.

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I have a real core group of guys

that I train with, run with them.

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I don't know, sometimes five or six days

a week and they help keep me motivated.

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They help keep me accountable

and they're all fast they're

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pretty much all faster than me.

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So they help keep me focused

on keeping my fitness up.

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But then at the broader sense, and I was

thinking about this when I was in Boston.

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One of the things I love about

Boston is I get up there and

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there's so many people up there.

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All for the same race, obviously.

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And I just, I feel like I belong there,

like going to the expo and just seeing

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everyone who's so excited to be out there

and be taking part in this, you know, just

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tremendous race, this great experience.

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That is also my community.

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Like I really feel like.

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I'm at home you know, at Boston

or really any race, but Boston or

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big races like that, it just, it

just magnifies it so much for me.

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Andrew: And, you know, folks from Hampton

Roads are going to be very familiar with

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you seeing you just at all sorts of races.

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And seeing you around as a leader in the

run community, but, you know, from the

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forefront, being out at these big races

and really highlighting this journey, you

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know, we look and we see And especially

when we talk about Boston, you know,

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we look at someone like Thomas, who

we've already had on, and he talks about

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qualifying and, and getting into Boston

and, you know, running that standard

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and then, you know, we have Mike's

story of, you know, trying, attempting,

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not quite making it, but then getting

a bib especially for, you know, some

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of him and his, his Navy sub guys.

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But what does it mean as you travel to

some of these races, as you're taking

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this Hampton Roads community with you,

every aspect of it, and you want, you

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know, do you almost feel like you become

representative of what you're coming

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from and then what you're going towards?

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James: Yeah.

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Like I, I definitely feel a sense of

pride about being from the seven, five,

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seven when I'm there, like, you know,

the group of us who were up there, Just

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this week all got together for a photo

did a shakeout run before the race

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and it is kind of exciting to be there

to represent your local like running

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community or your local run club.

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You know, I was up there my real

small crew the east running club.

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I had my east singlet on you

know, to hear people yelling east

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cause they could read it on there.

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You know, it's exciting.

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It's, it, it makes it special for you.

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Andrew: Yeah, and I think that, you

know, listeners are going to be familiar

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with this, with this idea of what

it takes to go to Boston, of what it

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takes to part, to be a part of Boston.

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And while for a lot of folks, it

may feel unattainable it's when we

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talk about the community aspect of

something like the Boston Marathon, or.

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You know, for those who are hitting

time standards for some of the other

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World Marathon majors or for those who

are hitting Olympic trials qualifiers.

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You know, it can feel daunting because

for the majority of a community, it's,

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it's a race, and it's probably something

that we're never going to get to

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experience, you know, we're not going

to get to run Boston for, you know,

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whether we don't hit the qualifying

standard or some of the charity standards

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are, you know, way too far away.

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And I know at least for me in the era

that I'm in, supporting folks to help

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them get to Boston or achieve these goals.

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So, I want to explore what

has gotten you to Boston.

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How many times have you run

the Boston Marathon now?

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James: This was my fifth time, and

It took me a while to get there.

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When I decided that I really wanted

to try to get into Boston, because for

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the longest time, I ran very casually.

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I didn't know how to train properly,

I think is what it came down to.

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So I had run a couple of marathons

in my late 20s, and they were slow.

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I didn't train well, I was walking a lot,

but as I got a little bit older, I said,

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I really want to make a go for this.

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I want to see if I can put in the

work and get myself into Boston.

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And the first marathon where I

committed to doing it, I missed the

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qualifying time by eight minutes.

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But I thought, "Hey,

this is a huge PR for me.

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I can shave off eight minutes.

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That's not a problem."

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then I spent pretty much the next

two years and seven additional

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marathons trying to get that BQ time.

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So it was really my eighth marathon.

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Where Boston was the goal that I

finally actually got the BQ and got in.

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And a big part of what helped me

was the local running community.

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Early in my journey, I used to do all

of my running solo, and at some point

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I was like, I've got to get out there.

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I've got to meet some people.

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I just, I can't run 40, 50 miles

a week by myself all the time.

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So I finally found a couple of different

groups I could go run with and it

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made a tremendous difference for me.

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Like, you know, it's just the training

miles go a lot easier if you're not

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out there alone the entire time.

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Andrew: And so, what are you

saying to folks who want to

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be a part of that journey?

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And, and they name maybe, right

now, Boston is not a thing for me.

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I'm known to joke and jest that

I feel like runners do way too

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much of the work when it comes to

qualifying for Boston, and at some

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time, we need to let the qualifying

standards do a little bit of the work.

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So I'm just going to age

into qualifying for Boston.

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You have folks who may look at the

standards and say, Hey, if I can just

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hold like a three 20 for the next, like

20 or 30 years, then I can get in when

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I'm like 50 or 60 or something like that.

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You know, for men, for women, it's

different standards, but you have

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these folks who they may look at some

of these majors and they may say,

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I'm never going to qualify for that.

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And for them, that's fine, but maybe

they want to be a part of community

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that helps to support other runners

who are qualifying for these events.

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So what have been the

times in your journey?

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What have been some, some stories, some

experiences that you have had of people

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who either have qualified for Boston

and have come along your journey, people

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who have not qualified for Boston,

but it's still been like a source of

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encouragement for you and guiding you

along or just anybody in the community.

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You know, I'd love for our listeners to

hear, you know, what does that look like?

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To help to support someone, to help

to be there for someone, to lift them

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up in, in going after this endeavor.

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James: I've been fortunate to.

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Meet and you know, I guess join a

community of folks some who had previously

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done Boston like Drew Midland who I'm sure

everybody knows used to be from the area.

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He was one of the first people I Met

when I really tried to start running

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with a group I met with Him through

the running etc brew crew and you

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know talking to him and some of the

other folks there about hey You know,

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this is what i'm trying to do him.

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Just giving me some like advice saying,

okay, like, you know Maybe here's some

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things that you should try because he

was a lot more experienced runner than I

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was And then even for folks who weren't

necessarily on that same journey to

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get in just kind of being open about

Hey, here's what I'm trying to do.

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I found nothing but encouragement

from the running community, and

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that's something I try to offer back.

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I'm always excited if someone says,

Hey, I'm going for this time, whether

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it be to try to get into Boston

or just like, I want to set a PR.

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Great I want to hear that, I'm

excited for anyone who's out there.

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And I think that's the best thing we

can do for each other is to, You know,

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really support everyone's efforts

because we're all doing the same thing.

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Sure, our goals might be different,

like we're in different places in

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our lives, different ages, whatever,

different abilities, but that's what

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I love about running is that, I feel

like I'm out there challenging myself.

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Now, sure, I want to beat a lot of

other people on race day, but It's most

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important to me that I'm doing the best

I can and I want to Encourage other

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people to do the same thing and feel the

same way and it's not all about boston.

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I love that.

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I want to continue to do that race, you

know, if i'm able to qualify i'm going

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to keep doing it That's why i've done

it five times But I think every race

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no matter how big or small Has That

same feel to me like I love racing.

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I race a lot because it's fun, and

that's when I, when I get the most

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from the community, like, we're

all out there to do the same thing.

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We're all out there pushing ourselves for

whatever the distance is, no matter how

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big, no small, or no matter how small.

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It's, it's the best day.

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It's always the best day.

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Andrew: And so for someone who's sitting

there and maybe they're, they're mulling

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around kind of that first marathon and

you know, they start looking towards those

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leaders in the community, those people who

have done it, those people who are setting

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the example, you know, what kind of maybe

advice are you giving them as they're

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setting off on this journey as they're

looking towards whether it's a Boston

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qualifier or even just, for the sake

of anything, they just want to complete

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a marathon or a half marathon or a 5k.

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What's that bit of wisdom and advice

that you're taking from this journey that

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you've been on from this understanding

of your journey and offering to

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those around you in community.

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James: Yeah, I would say find people that

you like to run with, find people that

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are going to be supportive of you, and I

think most of the running community will

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be yeah, don't, don't feel like you're out

there alone because that makes it hard.

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It makes it feel more daunting that

it is that you're going to find people

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that are on a similar journey or also

training for a marathon, meet up with

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those folks, train with them when you can.

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You know, do also do some solo miles

because when you get out there on

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race day, you are alone or you'll be

alone mentally for at least part of

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it, but find a good group of folks.

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We have so many great run clubs

and organizations in the area.

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Just go out, show up.

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If you don't know anyone, it's fine.

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People are welcoming.

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I didn't know anyone at a bunch

of run clubs and I just started

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showing up to them and like, I've

made a lot of really good friends.

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People that I didn't know six, seven years

ago, you know, now I count amongst my best

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friends because I met them through running

and we just started hanging out on runs.

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Andrew: And that becomes

the big thing because I love

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your sense of acknowledging,

everyone has their own goals and

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everybody's doing their own thing.

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And.

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Even to compare yourself to other people,

you know, if I'm sitting here where I am

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and I'm trying to compare myself to James

Moore, I'm gonna be disappointed because

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I'm not in the kind of shape you are.

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I'm not here qualifying for Boston.

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I'm not doing all these things.

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But I think when, We sit and exist

in that area of where we are,

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of what our capabilities are.

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You know, I think that that definitely

helps to build up community and

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then for folks to come around and

to support us in those endeavors.

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To go back to that first, to

the first time you qualified for

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Boston, what was that spark for you?

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What made you want to, to push,

to try and make that achievement?

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even just running the marathon

in general, like, What about

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you was driven to that distance?

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And then what about you

was driven to that race?

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James: I think originally the

distance was, I just wanted to

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prove to myself that I could do it.

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You know, I, I, I'm a competitive person.

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Like I, I knew people who had

run marathons, like when I first

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got into running and I was like,

you know, My friends that have

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done this, I could do a marathon.

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And then the first time I've like, as I

said, you know, I didn't train well for

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it and it really humbled me, but then I

took it a lot more seriously and said,

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okay, well, let's see what I can do.

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If I really commit to this,

let's just see what's possible.

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Cause I didn't grow up running.

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I hated running as a

teenager in early twenties.

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But.

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At some point, it just kind of clicked

for me where I said, okay, not only

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am I proving to myself that I can rise

to a pretty significant challenge but

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I grew to love it along the way and

Boston was kind of the same thing.

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I had set a goal for myself after I ran.

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Two marathons early on in my running

career and then stopped because after each

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one, I said, I'm not gonna do this again.

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It hurts too much.

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I'm out here too long, but I

really enjoyed half marathons.

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So I said, , I can keep doing

that because I can run a half.

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I recover.

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Okay, I don't feel miserable.

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But then I started to get that itch

again to say, okay, you know, how

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fast could you be in a marathon?

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So I challenged myself.

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I said, okay, let's, let's really

train for a half, see what we can do.

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And I set myself a time goal and

said, okay, if I go under this time

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goal, I'm committing to try to train

to get into Boston, and I ran, it

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was the Norfolk Harbor in 2015.

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And I set the goal for myself and I

ended up beating it by like five minutes.

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I really surprised myself

and I said, okay, well.

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You know, now you've got to go for it.

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You've got to try to get that

time and then spent the next

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two years chasing it, basically.

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Andrew: And there's a lot of sort of,

you can almost consider it normalcy in

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that because a lot of folks we relate to

going after goals and setting them and,

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I know for me, my running is a lot better

when I have a goal and whether that goal

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is to qualify for a race like Boston or.

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That goal is to, you know, break five

hours in the marathon or two hours in

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the half marathon or, to finish a 5k.

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And you see that drive and that

motivation to keep on moving

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yourself forward, to keep challenging

yourself and getting those variety

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of different ways within you.

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And so then you jump in and

you achieve those goals, right?

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I next want to ask the question.

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It's like, what does that look like?

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That first time you qualify, you

hit that Boston qualifier, right?

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And for listeners be aware, there's

a difference between, you know,

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running a Boston qualifier and

then actually getting into Boston.

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Just because of the way the race works.

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But, you know, the first time you ran

that Boston qualifier, you know, what

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was going through your mind next?

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James: Honestly, for me, the first time

I ran a qualifying time was, is this

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going to be fast enough to get me in?

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Like I instantly went to knowing that,

Oh, depending on how many people make

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the qualifying time, there will be

a cutoff, and my first qualifier.

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I was only 32 seconds, I think,

under the standard, and I knew,

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I was like, that is probably not

going to be enough to get me in.

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So, I chased it again.

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I ran another marathon just

before the cutoff that same year.

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The cutoff that year ended up being

like 3 minutes, so I didn't make it.

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So, then it just became You know, that

much more of a a focus for me to say,

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okay, well, how can I not only hit

my standard, but how can I get, say,

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five minutes under that standard to.

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Basically guarantee me me getting in

so I just kind of rise to the next

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challenge, but at the same time, like,

I couldn't have been more excited to

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meet the standard the first time to

know, like, okay, I'm going to apply

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to get into Boston, maybe I'll get

in, maybe I won't, but like, I've

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met the standard I set for myself.

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Andrew: Yeah, and I think that becomes

important because in a few ways, Boston

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is kind of a two tiered enjoyment system

where you celebrate the fact that you hit

336

:

the qualifier, but then, you have to wait.

337

:

I mean, for listeners, the short of it is

they only have, 20, 000 spots dedicated

338

:

to runners via the qualification they

set the standards, but obviously they

339

:

have upwards of 30, 40, 000 people who are

submitting entries to get in, and so they

340

:

can't let them all in, and so what ends

up happening is there becomes like a time

341

:

that is cut off under the standard for

what it ends up taking to get accepted.

342

:

And I will direct you at other

podcasts that kind of go through the

343

:

fairness and, everything with that.

344

:

I'm not here to discuss that, but

to note the way that your goals

345

:

kind of developed from there, right?

346

:

It went from, hitting the qualifying

standard, and there was celebration

347

:

and there was joy in that.

348

:

And then there became a new goal

of, okay this is the next step.

349

:

Step in this process because I

think as runners, we often can get

350

:

someplace where we hit a goal and

then there's just this stagnation

351

:

because we don't know what comes next.

352

:

And unfortunately, a lot of running

goals aren't set up like a Boston

353

:

goal or like an Olympic trials goal.

354

:

Right.

355

:

We we're not.

356

:

It's not professional running.

357

:

And so we don't have the next

great race that we can do or

358

:

the next magic number to get to.

359

:

And so, I think it's important even as

we look at, say, you're qualifying for

360

:

Boston, then your entry into Boston,

you've now run Boston five times and

361

:

you talk about still having hopes

and desires to continue to run it.

362

:

What have become your goals now

that Boston isn't the goal that it

363

:

used to be probably for you anymore.

364

:

There's probably other goals

that exist within that and Boston

365

:

becomes the icing on the cake.

366

:

How do you as someone who may have

hit this point where all right, I've

367

:

achieved what I've wanted to achieve.

368

:

How do you then move on to that next goal?

369

:

James: That has been a challenge for me.

370

:

That's a good question because

like you say, there's a, I

371

:

don't want to say it's a letdown.

372

:

I don't know the right

word to describe it.

373

:

But once you kind of get that

challenge and, you've had this goal

374

:

out there for so long and you meet

it and you're like, okay, now what?

375

:

Like you just, you enter this

phase where I've been so focused

376

:

on attaining this one goal.

377

:

What do I do now?

378

:

And I still struggle with that sometimes.

379

:

The way I deal with it is I

just sign up for a lot of races.

380

:

And I just keep saying, okay, well,

let's just see, can I set a PR this year?

381

:

, I'm now entered into the phase of my

life where it's more around age group

382

:

PRs than overall PRs, because I'm

probably not going to touch some of the

383

:

times that I was running 10 years ago.

384

:

But I just love to race.

385

:

So that's kind of the, the way

I challenge myself now is to.

386

:

You know, Boston was my

third marathon this spring.

387

:

I ran one city paced the Shamrock

Full, and then ran Boston.

388

:

I had done the same thing two years ago.

389

:

Kind of ran all three races

really well two years ago.

390

:

This year was a little

more challenging for me.

391

:

But, I've got more marathons coming up.

392

:

So I'm, I'm going to look

to see what I can do.

393

:

And I want to get in and run,

run something short maybe too.

394

:

Andrew: Yeah, I might have

something for you in November.

395

:

I'll bring you out for it.

396

:

But it's so interesting to hear

because, ultimately, there's always

397

:

that peak of what we want to achieve.

398

:

And the hardest thing for us to

do is when we hit that peak to not

399

:

feel like we have to come back down.

400

:

And as I look towards what I'm hoping

to achieve this fall, it's one of

401

:

those things where I've readapted

my mindset so that I kind of get an

402

:

instill in myself right up front.

403

:

How do I kind of come up?

404

:

and hit a level, at the end of

the summer without doing a race

405

:

and then try and peak again.

406

:

And I wonder what that would look

like in our goal making, even just

407

:

considering, What is it that I want

to achieve in this phase of my life?

408

:

And, as we achieve those goals, what

it looks like to then adapt them, to

409

:

make them more, to make them better.

410

:

And to even be okay with,

my goal is not time related.

411

:

Maybe my goal is I wanna run every day

for a month, or I wanna run these six

412

:

marathons this year, and what kind of

shape is it gonna take for me to be

413

:

able to run six marathons in a year?

414

:

And that's a, that's a, that's a,

that's a big and a tall order there.

415

:

And so we, we start to look at that.

416

:

So, as you're looking at, you know, what

the rest of your year looks like and the

417

:

rest of these marathons, what then does

that mean for your training and staying

418

:

motivated day to day to continue to train?

419

:

James: I feel like I'm constantly

training but it's by design.

420

:

I, I would rather stay in good shape

or as close to good shape as I can.

421

:

I don't like to take a lot of downtime,

even coming out of races, I'll take

422

:

a few days off and I want to get back

out there because I would rather just

423

:

constantly, like, kinda always be

ready to feel like I'm in race shape.

424

:

And, to help me get through that mentally,

because it's a slog sometimes, for sure.

425

:

To feel like you're always running

long on the weekends, if the

426

:

marathon's the goal for example.

427

:

That's where I really rely on like the

running community, having people to

428

:

run with just helping me get through

the miles, helping me get through speed

429

:

work, if I'm out out of track, if I

have to do, you know, specialized or

430

:

specific training, I really count on.

431

:

Having other people around to

help pull me through it or push me

432

:

through some of these workouts or

drag me through 20 Milers when I

433

:

don't feel like being out there.

434

:

The easy days are always okay to get

through by myself But when i'm doing

435

:

hard work, i'd rather be with other

people who are putting in hard work, too.

436

:

Andrew: I mean, that puts it right back

on the community of how the community is

437

:

gathering around and how the community is

supporting, this work that you're doing.

438

:

And again, it hearkens back to

everybody's journey is different and

439

:

how we then come together to support

one another on each of our journeys.

440

:

And so, you talk about just being in this

constant shape and not that we're saying

441

:

that anybody needs to do it this way, it

needs to do it the James Moore way because

442

:

friends, James Moore is one of a kind.

443

:

But, I think it shows the step in

the progressions of answering the

444

:

questions of what do I want to do?

445

:

And then being comfortable

of working with what is both

446

:

comfortable for me to get there?

447

:

And then what do I need

around me to get there?

448

:

And, to see around the community that

there are those who are supporting

449

:

you in staying trained and because

it is something that you're driven

450

:

to do, you want to be there.

451

:

So you want to be ready for that

next marathon or that next race,

452

:

whatever that next race is.

453

:

it's that joy and hearing that it

starts with just your love for racing.

454

:

And I think there's a lot of people

who love racing, whether it's for the

455

:

experience and the joy of running with

just the crowds and all the people around.

456

:

Whether it's you like to

race for medals and t shirts.

457

:

But, you think about what it takes

to hit those goals and and then

458

:

building the community around you to

help to ensure that you get there.

459

:

And so, let's go back to Monday.

460

:

And it's your, 5th, Boston and, you're

in the city, beautiful city and marathon

461

:

Monday is One of the best things.

462

:

And even if you're someone who's

not, anywhere near the Boston

463

:

qualifying time, I think there's so

much appreciation that you can get

464

:

from seeing this race and viewing it.

465

:

So what are your feelings as you're

picking up your bib, you're wandering

466

:

around Boston Saturday and Sunday,

or even just, you know, standing

467

:

on the starting line in Hopkinton.

468

:

What's going through your mind?

469

:

What are you processing?

470

:

What are you feeling?

471

:

James: Each time I get up there early the

first couple of days, it's just kind of

472

:

soaking it all in like there's just an

energy in the city the weekend of the race

473

:

like going to the expo picking up the bib.

474

:

You're surrounded by thousands of other

people who were just buzzing to be there.

475

:

I really just try to, to soak it all in.

476

:

I past couple of years, I've gone out and

watched the 5k that they have on Saturday

477

:

you get to see it's, and it's similar

to the marathon in that they have, a

478

:

pro field with some crazy fast people.

479

:

And then there's for the 5k 10,

000 runners more like me out

480

:

there, just being out there to

run and be part of the weekend.

481

:

I get to Hopkinton.

482

:

Okay.

483

:

I try to keep my emotions in

check because I'm excited.

484

:

I've got a lot of adrenaline going, but

I also know that you've got to keep

485

:

some of this under control because you

still have three plus hours ahead of you.

486

:

Don't burn yourself out

getting too hyped just yet.

487

:

It's a challenge But there's

electricity in the air.

488

:

Like this year was exciting

because I was standing in the

489

:

corral with two of my friends.

490

:

We happened to be in the same corral and

just chatting with them, waiting to get

491

:

started, you know, helps keep the nerves

at bay a little bit and it also feels

492

:

really good to know that I'm about to

share in this experience, not only with,

493

:

the friends that I know, but like the

30, 000 other runners that I'm sure if

494

:

I knew them personally, I'd be friends

with a big number of them because we're

495

:

all out there chasing the same dream.

496

:

Andrew: I think that becomes part of

the conversation as well, because a lot

497

:

of folks When they are looking out in

the running community, races can feel

498

:

somewhat daunting because it can tend to

be people that we don't know really well.

499

:

And so, I love that start

line corral because you never

500

:

know who you're going to meet.

501

:

You never know the conversations

you're going to have.

502

:

You never know the friends that

you're going to journey 26.

503

:

2 miles with.

504

:

So, as you get started and as you

start making your way from Hopkinson to

505

:

Boston what is the mood among the crowd?

506

:

Maybe even some of the stories,

some of the communities that

507

:

you're passing through that

you're experiencing there as well.

508

:

James: The crowd there is amazing.

509

:

Both the, the folks cheering

and the folks running, just

510

:

everyone is incredibly excited.

511

:

And one of the things I just

love about the course in Boston

512

:

is, Hopkinton is pretty rural.

513

:

It's a small town.

514

:

I think I saw somewhere that they

only have 13, 000 people live

515

:

there year round, but on Marathon

Monday, they bring in 30, 000.

516

:

So the town triples, quadruples

in size for Marathon Monday.

517

:

And you do run through a lot of smaller

communities on the way in, but the,

518

:

the people really come out to cheer.

519

:

And I have spots that I

specifically look for along the way.

520

:

I have visual landmarks now that I've

run it a few times, things that I

521

:

just, I know I want to see because

maybe I saw it the first time I ran

522

:

it and it's something made me smile.

523

:

Like there's a guy that dresses

up like Santa Claus around

524

:

like eight and a half miles in.

525

:

And he's at the top of this little hill.

526

:

And now I know every year when I'm

climbing the sill, I'm like, I'm

527

:

going to get to the top of this

and I'm going to see Santa Claus.

528

:

And he's there every time I've run it.

529

:

Like, I don't know who he is.

530

:

I.

531

:

How popular he is, but I know

to look for him now every time.

532

:

I'm sure anyone who has talked

about Boston has probably

533

:

mentioned Wellesley college.

534

:

It's my favorite mile on the

course because you hear it

535

:

about a half mile away, you're

just, it starts as a dull roar.

536

:

And as you get closer, it's just, it's.

537

:

It's so loud.

538

:

You know, like the, the college

students just are out there

539

:

screaming their heads off for you.

540

:

And this year I spent.

541

:

Probably a solid half mile

just running with my right arm

542

:

extended, just high fiving.

543

:

And it may have been my fastest

mile during the entire race.

544

:

And in some past years, it definitely

has been because there's just,

545

:

you get so much energy from that.

546

:

Yeah.

547

:

at each of the hills, particularly at

Heartbreak Hill, the fans come out in

548

:

line and are screaming for you to run

up this hill, even though you're, Beat

549

:

up feeling miserable, I don't want to

stop and walk because, first of all, I

550

:

don't want to walk in front of a bunch

of people while I'm trying to run a

551

:

marathon, but I also don't want to let the

crowd down when they're out here trying

552

:

to cheer us through a tough stretch.

553

:

Andrew: And so not even just through

Boston, but we've experienced this big

554

:

boom down here in Hampton roads with

shamrock and, some of our other big races.

555

:

And I know coming from Richmond you

talk about crowd support, and that

556

:

is just another nature of community

that I don't think we often think

557

:

about as much unless we're out there.

558

:

I'd love it for you to continue

to speak to a little bit more.

559

:

How much of a difference does it make

when you have that support of those

560

:

who line the roads, who are there

cheering, who are there supporting?

561

:

What kind of boosts are

you getting from that?

562

:

And then even like when you're

on the sidelines, because I've

563

:

been at a couple of races.

564

:

Where you've been either you finish

and you've come back and you've

565

:

started cheering or you've just

taken up cheering for that race.

566

:

How big of a boost is that for you?

567

:

And then even how big of a joy

is it for then you to be on

568

:

the other side of that as well?

569

:

James: The boost is incredible.

570

:

I know for me, it makes a big difference.

571

:

I've run a lot of big races and

I've run some small races and

572

:

just having someone out there

cheering, clapping, making noise.

573

:

It definitely helps.

574

:

It helps drive me through it.

575

:

It helps put me in a place

where I remember like, Oh, I'm

576

:

lucky that I get to do this.

577

:

I need to really remember

to enjoy this moment.

578

:

And that's what I try to remember

when I come out and cheer.

579

:

It's something I always say I want to

do more of, but then I end up racing so

580

:

much that I'm usually in the race rather

than cheering it, but I do try to come

581

:

out and, and cheer for that same reason.

582

:

You know, whether it be to help people

just like keep the energy high or,

583

:

cheer along someone who look like they

might be struggling in the race because

584

:

I've benefited from that as well.

585

:

And I just want to do the same thing

for everyone else because I, I know

586

:

how much it means to me to have people

out there supporting, their friends and

587

:

family or just anyone in the race at

all, it makes a huge difference to me.

588

:

And hopefully being able to offer that

same thing to other folks in their races.

589

:

Andrew: I think you can see from,

like, just the creativeness that

590

:

goes into, say, a race like

Boston for all the people cheering.

591

:

And for those of you listening,

you can go and you can look at just

592

:

all of these different examples of

cheer zones along the Boston course,

593

:

along the New York course, along

just about any course that there is.

594

:

so much.

595

:

And, and that it goes to show, what

is going into a lot of these races and

596

:

what it means to participate in these

races that these people are coming out

597

:

and especially for a day like Boston

if you're an elite, you're starting

598

:

to like non 30, non 40, if you're a

qualifying runner, you might get in

599

:

around 10, 10, 30 start but I mean, my

couch he didn't start until almost 11 30.

600

:

And he's still talking about, all the

folks that were on the course the cheer

601

:

zones, the hype and everything like that.

602

:

And, and there's that aspect of community

too, that unites around a lot of these

603

:

races to ensure, because just being in the

race, just making it to the starting line

604

:

and attempting to make it to the finish.

605

:

I think the part of the

community that expresses is that.

606

:

You know that in and of itself is

a great accomplishment and we're

607

:

here to show up to help and to give

you the energy to reach the finish.

608

:

So, going back to Monday knowing

just the conditions that it were,

609

:

you know, it was, it was a hot day.

610

:

It was, it was over 70 degrees.

611

:

It was sunny.

612

:

I don't think I heard a lot of people

talking about clouds in the sky.

613

:

There's not a lot of tree coverage.

614

:

So you're, slogging down, you're coming

through Brookline and you're coming into

615

:

Boston and getting ready to pass Fenway

into the final miles for, that right

616

:

on Hereford and that left on Boylston,

617

:

James: Mm hmm.

618

:

Andrew: At that point in time, what are

you using from those depths, from those

619

:

supports, from those tiers, from back home

in Virginia to up there in Massachusetts,

620

:

what are you using to get through those

last just, man, those are difficult miles.

621

:

James: Yeah, this year, I got into

survival mode pretty early in the race.

622

:

So you know, the mindset completely

changed for me, but in those last couple

623

:

of miles, it was just staying thankful

For the opportunity to be out there

624

:

thankful for everyone out there cheering.

625

:

For like the friends and family who

have supported me help ran training

626

:

miles with me like my wife and son who

have supported this dream for me to

627

:

keep constantly racing and keep going

back to boston and to just soak it

628

:

all in to realize this is a special

experience and it wasn't my day out there.

629

:

It wasn't the race I had drawn up

prior to going into it, but I probably

630

:

finished smiling more than I had in

some of my prior, better Boston's

631

:

just because I was so mindful of it.

632

:

When my mindset changed, I remembered,

like sure, you can be disappointed

633

:

you didn't get the time you wanted,

but you should be thankful and happy

634

:

for everything you're experiencing,

you know, such an amazing day.

635

:

Yeah, it's hot, but, it could have been

cold and rainy, and I probably would have

636

:

been just as miserable so it's a little

easier to smile when it's sunny at least.

637

:

Andrew: At least it wasn't, 2018 out there

and you had to slog through the cold rain.

638

:

Whether it's a story from Boston or

someplace else, I think a lot of people

639

:

have that story of gutting it out to

the finish and and what that means

640

:

and to know for those people that it's

everything that got you to that point

641

:

that hopefully is starting to feed in

and hopefully starting to build up, to

642

:

get you through to that finish line.

643

:

I think it becomes a great example of

you hit that starting line and there's

644

:

so many folks along the course who

are cheering your willingness, your

645

:

desire to be on that starting line and

they're cheering it on because they

646

:

want you to see the finish line too.

647

:

They don't want it to

end at the starting line.

648

:

And then that becomes motivation and

drive to continue to move forward.

649

:

So James, like, I mean,

great conversation.

650

:

I want to hit these end of

podcast questions as we close

651

:

our time together today.

652

:

I feel like this one we've talked about

this a lot, so I don't know if this is

653

:

actually going to be the answer, but.

654

:

James, what is your

favorite distance to race?

655

:

James: Yes.

656

:

My favorite distance is the marathon.

657

:

Andrew: Alright, so what is your favorite

thing to eat either post run or post race?

658

:

What's your favorite food, snack, meal?

659

:

What do you, like, you finish

it and what do you want to do?

660

:

What's the first thing you want to eat?

661

:

James: Probably pizza and beer.

662

:

Andrew: Okay.

663

:

I don't know if you've seen the video.

664

:

Have you seen the video of Emma Bates

getting the beer after she crosses

665

:

the finish line and just down it?

666

:

Yep.

667

:

James: Yep.

668

:

I can't turn around that quickly.

669

:

I need a little time after a

marathon, but I was impressed.

670

:

Yeah.

671

:

She literally started drinking

right after finishing.

672

:

Andrew: So, what is something

or someone recently that has

673

:

motivated you on the run?

674

:

James: Oh, that's a good one.

675

:

Gosh, I feel like I'm constantly

motivated on a run trying to

676

:

think of something specific.

677

:

Actually, there was when I hit

Heartbreak Hill on Monday, I caught

678

:

up with a wheelchair athlete.

679

:

Well, I'm sorry a duo athlete,

someone pushing and watching him

680

:

push this wheelchair up Heartbreak

Hill kind of reminded me.

681

:

I'm like, okay, you're hurting,

but at least You know, you're

682

:

just pushing yourself out here.

683

:

Like no matter how bad I'm hurting

out here, someone else has a

684

:

tougher challenge than I do.

685

:

Andrew: Man, I mean, I know just watching

all of those duos and everything, I

686

:

mean, there's so much motivation in that.

687

:

So last question I want you

to, or not even a question.

688

:

Last thing, as we wrap up the

podcast James, I'd love you to

689

:

give our listeners a reason to

join their local run club or group.

690

:

James: Wow.

691

:

It, it makes everything

about running better.

692

:

Know, you're, you're, you will

meet people that you love.

693

:

You'll meet people who

share the same goals as you.

694

:

You're meet people that you want

to support and people that are

695

:

going to want to support you.

696

:

There is no downside to joining

a local run organization.

697

:

I, and I would say join as many as

you can get out there and run with

698

:

a bunch of different run groups.

699

:

They're all great.

700

:

Andrew: Great advice.

701

:

Love it.

702

:

It's awesome.

703

:

James, thank you so much for joining.

704

:

This has been an awesome conversation.

705

:

James: Thanks, Andrew.

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