In A Skirt Podcast

Kristen is a woman of many hats and many talents. Runner, triathlete, musician. She even quilts! When I spoke to her, I couldn’t help but think, “This woman is a creator.” She creates beautiful words and beautiful things. Kristen is also an unconventional runner. She made the choice last year to take a pretty bold move to better her health. This move was a permanent feeding tube. Sometimes there are odd looks when she’s out and about running and this visible tube is…well, visible. But like Kristen said, “hiding is exhausting…live your life.” I love those words. I love that idea. You can take what makes you different and bury it and hide in your home. But what kind of life is that? Or you can walk outside, chin up, and live your life. Links:   Kristen on Instagram   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

A few weeks ago, I met Jim at Standpipe Coffee House in Lufkin to chat with him about his amazing life. Jim was born with spina bifida in 1955 in Lufkin. He spent most of the first 14 years of his life in a hospital and has had more than 100 surgeries. The best way to describe Jim is that he’s a fighter. He has spent his life fighting for himself and fighting to clear up misconceptions that people with disabilities are weak. He’s had just about every job you can think of, including disc jockey and booking agent for bands. He’s also been a personal trainer since 2002 and has certifications in strength training and dumbbell training and is a certified life coach.   Links:   Mission Tejas Trail Run   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

For today’s recovery episode, I am doing something a little different and I am so excited about it! I am spotlighting a student athlete who I find inspiring. This athlete’s name is Evelyn Sanchez. I have been friends with Evelyn’s mom for years and have been following Evelyn’s athletic journey on Facebook. I find her to be so encouraging that I had to share her words with all of you!  If you know an inspiring student athlete who I should spotlight, send me a message or email.   Links:   Mission Tejas Trail Run Texas State Forest Festival   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

It’s cross country season, and this episode is about two cross country coaches. A few years ago, my son brought home a flyer from school about a kids’ cross country club. He said he wanted to sign up. We were at a new school and signing up for something was a big deal for him. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so excited he wanted to do something so I signed him up right away. I soon found out that this club was something our school’s cross country coaches did for younger kids. It was open to children in kinder through 6th grade. It was a no-pressure, carefree, fun way to get kids outside and running. When I started this podcast, I wanted to celebrate the unconventional athlete, but I also wanted to celebrate those who work to get everyone outside and running. Coaches Josh and Amy Stewart do that. They take their free time to meet kids in grades kinder through 6th grade once a week and teach them how to love running. They don’t care if the kids walk. They don’t care what the kids’ times are. They don’t even care if parents run with their kids. So now, once a week during the fall, you’ll find kids AND parents hanging out at the school, walking and running. In other words, Josh and Amy Stewart have built a community around this. And when I say this is a no-pressure group, which I believe is the BEST way to get kids running, I really mean no pressure. My second son ran with this group two years and he never felt pressured to run fast...or to even run most of the time. He just had fun being outside with other kids. So right before the start of this school year, I sat down with the Stewarts to talk to them about this club...and also to find out what it’s like to be a married couple doing the same thing at the same school! See if you can hear the dog’s squeaky toy! We had to chase down the Stewarts’ dog to get her toy from her during the interview!   Links:   Mission Tejas Trail Run Texas State Forest Festival   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

Weak core Supinator Ankle roll   These are all things I learned about myself from a run analysis.  But I’m glad I learned these things, because now I can run smarter; run healthier. I’ve said it before: I want to be in it for the long run. I want to be a 96-year old lady running 5Ks.  So, to run smarter, I decided to find out some things about how I run…   Links:   Regional Physical Therapy Website Regional Physical Therapy on Facebook Mission Tejas Trail Run Texas State Forest Festival   Follow In A Skirt Podcast:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter      

Colin started running just three years ago. I always love to hear stories about people who decided to start running when they were in their 30s or older. It gives me examples to use when someone tells me they think it’s too late in life for them to become a runner! Colin ran his first marathon before he even knew what the words “tempo” and “intervals” mean.  Colin lives in Ireland, and what is so fun about this episode is that although he lives across the ocean from me, we have so much in common and so much to talk about. See…this is running…a community you can join regardless of where you live and regardless of whether you’ve been running since 1976 or 2016.  Although Colin has only been running for three years, he’s progressed quickly and has some fast PRs. He’s also a father of four and starts his runs early in the morning (at a time some would still call “the middle of the night”) so he can be back home when his kids start their day.  Colin also explains how running has helped him with atrial fibrillation, he has a goal of breaking three hours in the marathon, and he has a goal of running a marathon in every European country.  Some interesting takeaways from this conversation are that I have no clue how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and “BBQ” doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere.  Also, my husband thought my accent became increasingly more “Texan” the longer I talked to Colin. Like I needed a competing accent or something.

If you show up to the start line, you’re already beating most of the world.   Links: Mission Tejas Trail Run Texas State Forest Festival Regional Physical Therapy Website Regional Physical Therapy on Facebook   Follow In A Skirt: In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

Lisa is a Pilates instructor and the owner of her own studio, PURE Pilates. She’s also a registered nurse and mother of four.  I learned so much from Lisa during our conversation, including what Pilates is, why we should squat more, how to take advantage of what Lisa calls “squapportunities,” how to move intuitively, and how we can learn a lot about fitness and wellness from our dogs!  Lisa is also a skirt girl, hence her fun Instagram name—Pilates in a Pencil Skirt.  This is one of my favorite conversations so far. Lisa is easy to talk to and full of great advice. I’m convinced I need Pilates in my life now. And all you runners out there…I know you’re just as inflexible and tense as I am, so you need Pilates, too! And this episode ends with great news: although Lisa lives too far away for many of us to join her classes in person, she is going to be offering Pilates virtually soon! Stay posted for more information about that when it becomes available. Episode links:   Joseph Pilates Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda Daniella Fashion Pilates in a Pencil Skirt on Instagram   Follow In A Skirt Podcast:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter   Episode Sponsor:   Regional Physical Therapy, Lufkin, Texas   Upcoming Events:   Texas State Forest Festival LumberJacked 5K and Fun Run Mission Tejas Trail Run

Episode 20 – Running is Better with Friends Don’t be shy. Join the club.   Links:   Mission Tejas Trail Run Texas State Forest Festival Regional Physical Therapy Website Regional Physical Therapy on Facebook   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter   Trail Racing Over Texas:   Facebook Instagram Website

I always wonder what other runners eat. Why? Well, because I’m usually hungry.   Runners need lots of calories…and extra carbs…and more protein…so I like to ask other runners about their diets.   Aaron Davis’ running journey is similar to mine. I feel like we are kind of in the same “place” when it comes to why we run, our experience level, and what we hope to accomplish…so that’s why I was interested to hear about his diet. Aaron eats a completely plant-based diet. I wanted to know why he chose that diet and the effect it has had on his health and running.   Full disclosure here: Aaron is not a nutritionist. He’s not a doctor. Neither am I. We are just two runners talking about running and food and what works for each of us. Anytime you want to make drastic changes to your diet, then you should get a professional involved. And maybe I’ll have a nutritionist on the show one day, but for this episode, I just wanted to talk to someone who loves to run and ask him why he—and perhaps so many other athletes—are turning to vegan diets.   I hope you enjoy my conversation with Aaron. Also, stay tuned to the end of this episode because I have some exciting information about the upcoming Mission Tejas Trail Race that I don’t want you to miss.   Episode links:   No Meat Athlete The Happy Pear Vega Rich Roll Uncommon People Podcast Billy Yang Adam Shaw Podcast Ravi Zacharias Podcast   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter   Trail Racing Over Texas:   Facebook Instagram Website

If you haven’t listened to Episode 8yet, you really need to! Claudia and her coach Kait were my Episode 8 guests. They talked about Claudia’s amazing fitness journey. In that episode, Claudia said she was planning to run a Spartan race.  Now that Claudia has completed the Spartan race, I invited her back to tell me all about it.  Claudia, you are amazing, encouraging, and inspiring!   Show notes:  Episode 8 of In A Skirt Podcast (Claudia Cook and Kait Cook) Start your Spartan journey Joe De Sena interview on Runner’s World   Follow In A Skirt:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

Terry Hamlin is a lifelong runner. In fact, he started running before running was cool. In his 20s, he got to rub elbows with some of the greatest American runners ever.  In this episode, we talk about his love of the sport, starting a running club, helping create one of the most popular road races in the country, the loss of his left leg, raising money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project, coaching numerous people to the Olympic Trials, the science behind running, and his soon-to-be-released book, “Building a Better Runner.”  Who’s going to join me in Charleston next Spring for the Cooper River Bridge Run?   Links:   Terry Hamlin on Instagram Charleston Running Club Charleston Running Club on Instagram Cooper River Bridge Run Building a Better Runner (book) Freedom Innovations Wounded Warrior Project   Follow In A Skirt Podcast:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter

Episode 16 — Chana Rachel Weinberg  Chana is a fashion designer in Israel. She is also a runner and a lover of art, colors, and nature. A few years ago, all of this combined with her religious lifestyle and she started Chanabana, a modest activewear and lifestyle company. Her clothing is fashionable, functional, comfortable, and beautifully vibrant.  In this episode, we explore what “modesty” means, her world travels, how alive running makes us feel, and her love for fashion.   Links:   Chanabana on Instagram Chanabana on Facebook Chanabana website Leonid Afremov   Follow In A Skirt Podcast:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter          

Episode 15 -- A Sweet Breakup   “I don't like you, but I love you Seems that I'm always thinking of you Oh, oh, oh, you treat me badly I love you madly, you really got a hold on me...”   The old song by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles became my personal saga about sugar.   But unlike Smokey, I decided to split now.   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter  

Episode 14 – Deborah Barton  “A force of nature” – that’s what Deborah’s friends call her.  As soon as I walked into Deborah’s house last month, I knew I’d like her. Pictures, books, relics of past travels…her house showed how she lives her life and how I long to live mine.  The hour or so I spent with Deborah proved my initial assumptions were correct. She is 71 years old; a psychologist who has recently retired. She used to run, tried swimming, and then picked up cycling when she was 54. She averages a couple of hundred miles a week on the bike.  In this episode, she tells me about her cross-country trips on the back of a bike, the beauty she has found in back roads and friendly strangers, why she continues to ride despite being hit by a car (three different times), what motivates her to compete in the National Senior Games, and her definition of a quality life.  We also found out we share a love for Cheetos and she told me about the coffee parties she has each Saturday morning.  You’re going to love Deborah.   Links:   National Senior Games College Station’s Deborah Barton Dominates Texas Senior Games Aggie Cyclists on Trek Across Country   Follow In A Skirt Podcast:   In A Skirt Website In A Skirt on Facebook In A Skirt on Instagram In A Skirt on Twitter