255: Embracing My Inner Athlete: A Conversation with Hildee Weiss

You can train for a race and still wonder if you’re allowed to call yourself a runner. That quiet doubt shows up in a lot of places, on long walks that feel endless, on crowded courses where you’re watching your footing, and especially when your watch tells a story you do not like. We get honest about those moments, then share practical ways to keep moving as Wine and Dine training hits week eight, including how to schedule back to back days without burning out and a simple run walk interval that can make long sessions feel mentally lighter.

Then we sit down with Hildee Weiss, author of Embracing My Inner Athlete, whose story will hit home for anyone who started later, felt self conscious, or carried that “I’m not an athlete” label for years. Hildee talks about the turning point that pushed her to prioritize herself, the early fears that kept her from running, and how one 5K can start a chain reaction of confidence. We also dig into imposter syndrome, why adults struggle to claim the word “athlete,” and how comparison can hijack training even when you’re doing the work.

One of the biggest takeaways is a mindset shift that sounds small but changes everything: moving from “I have to run” to “I get to run.” If you’re training for your first runDisney event, worried about pace, or just trying to find joy again, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to the podcast, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave us a review. What’s the best running advice you’ve ever received?

Hildee’s Links
Insatgram
Blog
Embracing My Inner Athlete Book

Rise and Run Links
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Rise and Run Podcast Instagram
Rise and Run Podcast Website and Shop
Rise and Run Patreon
Runningwithalysha Alysha’s Run Coaching (Mention Rise And Run and get $10 off)

Transcript

Brandy’s Running Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:45

A salute to all podcasts and mostly Rise and Run. Hi, good morning. Welcome to the Rise and Run Podcast. This is Brandy from Houston, but I'm calling you from Washington, D.C., where I'm getting my morning run in on the national mall because training doesn't stop. Even if you're on a work trip, you gotta get those miles in. Happy running, everyone. Can't wait to see you at Loopy Looper. Bye.

SPEAKER_07 1:08

There she is, the Queen of the Rise and Run podcast intros. Brandy with a salute to all podcasts, but mostly that great American podcast. Rise and

Host Welcome And Housekeeping

SPEAKER_07 1:21

Run. Hello, my friends. Welcome to episode 255 of the Rise and Run Podcast. So happy that you are with us again this week. I'm Bob and I'm here with Alicia. Hello. With John. Hey, how you doing? With Jack. Hiya. And with Greg.

SPEAKER_08 1:38

Hey, hey, hey.

SPEAKER_07 1:39

Good everybody back. Glad to see you. Tip up front here, friends. We are recording out of order this episode.

SPEAKER_06 1:48

And actually, because she gave us the intro this week, yes, Brandy, the reason why we're recording early is because it's my fault.

SPEAKER_07 1:58

Oh, I wasn't going to say anything. And it's but it's all good. Yeah, we work around, we work around schedules when we have to.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

And you know what's going to happen. Well, because we're out of order, and we're not recording that week. They'll drop the medals that week. Oh, golly.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Oh, yeah.

unknown 2:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 2:13

So yeah, so we're actually recording a week ahead of time, which I I bring it up because it's going to be very obvious by the time we get to the race report, we won't have any reports of races that were completed. But we'll do our best. We've got a guest this week, and speaking about our order, we talked to this guest a week ago. So we're right. But every now and then, friends, we'll get uh an unsolicited offer. Someone will say, Hey, I'd like to come on your podcast. Sometimes we use them, sometimes we don't. This time, Hildi Weiss wrote a book. But I think I really think, friends, that you're going to enjoy listening to Hildi. And I know that many of you are going to identify with Hildi. She's a woman who started running in her mid-30s and questions why she's out there. And I think you're going to enjoy the interview, so hang around for that.

SPEAKER_04 3:11

If you enjoy the Rise Around Podcast, please share us with your friends and introduce them to the Rise the Run family. We want to share in their Run Disney journey. Please remember to follow us on Facebook at Rise The Round Podcast, Instagram at RiseRound Pod, check out our YouTube channel, and visit our webpage at RiseRound Podcast.com. If you have a question, comment, race report, or want to introduce an upcoming episode, which we need, we only have one more, please call us at 727-266-2344 and leave us a recorded message.

SPEAKER_06 3:41

We would also like to thank our Patreons whose support help keep the Rise and Run Podcast rising and running. If you would like to join our awesome Patreon team, please be sure to check out Patreon.com slash rise and run podcast.

SPEAKER_05 3:56

And

Disney Travel And Party Season

SPEAKER_05 3:57

of course, what are we without magic bound travel?

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Love you right.

SPEAKER_05 4:06

But you guys, you know what? If you haven't booked a room yet for the race weekends, this is a fantastic time to do it. Make sure you do it soon because rooms will be going away for those weekends fast. But also, most importantly, we now can buy tickets to go to the Christmas parties. And of course, we've already had the tickets open for Halloween. So this is a really great time to go and contact Magic Bound Travel to get those tickets and get your room set up for some very magical Christmas like time. Because it's August and we're gonna celebrate early.

SPEAKER_06 4:38

I was a bit checking. I I didn't uh I wonder how many people out there enjoy uh celebrating both Christmas and Halloween, or the nightmare before Christmas, I guess you could say, in uh in the middle of August.

SPEAKER_05 4:49

I know, but you know what's crazy? Technically speaking, if you choose the right week, you could kind of do Christmas and Halloween in the same week at Disney. What a vacation! What an experience.

SPEAKER_06 5:00

I remember the the actually it was my first Run Disney race weekend. Uh the way that I I did my trip, you really could have done that. I I don't know if the dates line up 100%, but I I can still remember having a celebratory meal, a California Grill, going out watching the fireworks, and you know, it's early November, and it was the uh the very Merry Christmas party fireworks.

SPEAKER_07 5:23

Yeah, they they will not line up this year because the race is before Halloween.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_07 5:29

But it was it's been pretty common for us to run one day it's Halloween and then the next day it's Christmas.

SPEAKER_05 5:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 5:38

So it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_05 5:39

The dream.

SPEAKER_07 5:40

Pretty good.

SPEAKER_05 5:42

Could you imagine if wine and dine did like, okay, we'll do like the 5k on Halloween the next day, November 1st. You're gonna do a 10K Christmas run. Like a Halloween and a Christmas run. You can make some good like wine and dine themes out of that. Just imagine.

SPEAKER_06 6:00

I will say, probably one of my biggest Run Disney regrets is never doing the nighttime version of Wine and Dine.

SPEAKER_05 6:08

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 6:09

And remember how there was always extended time in Hollywood studios, and you got to see the Osborne fan spectacle of lights. Again, probably one of my biggest regrets in terms of Run Disney. Well, we all there's a topic we can discuss one week.

SPEAKER_07 6:25

We we all started the very next year. I say all. Greg, Alicia, and I all started the very next year. Uh 2015 was the year that they had to shorten the half because of lightning in the area. Oh, they splash and dash, yes. Yeah, I think there were two years in a row where they did something and 15 for sure. Everybody back into the the field house, and uh because the race started from ESPN, everybody had to get back into the field house. And then 2016, daytime only. Uh Jack, let me just wrap up with magicboundtravel.com is the website. Check them out. Thanks for your help with that, Jack.

Wine And Dine Training Week 8

SPEAKER_07 7:12

All right, friends, let's take a look, please, at the training schedule. Wine and dine. We are in training week eight. And if I can do some math on the fly, we have 70 days. We're 10 weeks away.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Wow.

SPEAKER_07 7:28

Yeah, I know. It's exciting. Uh, training week eight, start to double up now if you're doing the challenge. You go out to a one-mile walk, and then the next day, Friday, typically for the one mile walk, eight mile run, walk, run. So if you're following the Galloway schedule, you actually have three days in a row because you'll have your 30 to 45 minutes on Thursday, then a one mile walk on Friday, eight mile run, walk, run on Saturday. The question we always get is do I have to walk the one mile walk? You don't have to do anything. But it's advised. And those walks are going to get fairly long, and folks will run a little bit of them. I think I think the advice that goes out most frequently is do what you plan to do on race weekend. But the difference is on race weekend, once you finish that across that finish line, you're done. In our training schedule, once you finish your eight-miler, you just go right back to training the very next week. So I tend to walk them.

SPEAKER_06 8:43

Bob, two pieces of advice that I just wanted to instill upon the listening audience when it comes to these double ups. Uh, obviously, now this week we're talking about in retrospect to wine and dime, but obviously this can be applicable to all of the race weekends. Is the first thing is if you don't want to go three days in a row, obviously do your training run, you know, your typical weekday training run on Thursday. You could always take Friday as a rest day and then go back to back Saturday, Sunday. And obviously that's totally fine. And then you'll you'll get that recovery day on Monday, then for you know the following week. If that is better for your schedule, if you feel like you need that extra day to mentally prep yourself, absolutely go about that and adjust your training schedule accordingly. Um, the the second thing though that I was gonna mention, Bob, in terms of your comment of you know, do I have to walk or how do I need to handle it? I agree with you 1000%. Whatever you plan on doing for race weekend is how you should handle these simulations. But when the mileage does start creeping up and you don't want to be out there for as long, I know I I usually mention this almost every single year on the podcast, but for our new listeners, one suggestion uh that I can give that I do in my training sometimes is um we we mention this gentleman's name from time to time. His name is Kevin Gwyn. Uh, he heads up the uh the extra mile podcast. So if you ever need something to put into your listening rotation, go listen to that. Uh but in him working with Jeff over the years, he essentially got coined his own interval and we call it Gwinning. And that is 30 seconds of a light run or jog followed by two minutes of walking. And whenever I have done that, I always tend to have sub-balloon lady pace. Oh, sure. And and that, at least from a mental side of things, in terms of those really long walks, that has always helped me. It gets me home a little bit quicker. Obviously, it's not going to be as quick as if it were a run, but obviously, I don't start employing that thought process probably until I'm past like the 5k distance in terms of a walk. You know, usually, you know, three miles short. If you go at a pretty good clip, you're doing that in under an hour. So, you know, so that isn't as mentally taxing, but once you get beyond that, maybe try mixing that into your rotation in terms of these simulations. And it just might be really beneficial to you because I know John and I, the first time we ever did uh marathon weekend together, John, you and I Gwyn for what the last maybe 10k of the marathon, and that's what got us over the finish line. So um, you know, it's a great interval to use, especially if the monkey brain is really getting to you during those long distances. So, again, that's 30 seconds of a light jog followed by a two-minute walk. It worked very well that marathon weekend. Yes, it did.

SPEAKER_07 11:49

Yeah, this comes in to play more in marathon weekend training because absolutely, yeah. The longest you're going to go in your two days for wine and dine challenge training is probably six miles.

SPEAKER_06 12:00

Six miles, yeah. Yeah, six or six and a half.

SPEAKER_07 12:03

Yeah, I'm not sure. I I think I think it's six and then fourteen, I think, on the last, but hey, that's still a couple weeks away. Marathon weekend is 146 days away. What's that? 21 weeks. And again, I know the math doesn't work out because sometimes we go to Expo Day and sometimes we go to the 5K day. We're going to the 5K day. It is 21 weeks away. Uh training, we're in the uh back and forth, so you came off a longer training run last week, so you're back to three miles regardless of your long distance. Marathon, goofy, or dopey. We've been talking about a couple of other runs. I want to highlight, let me highlight one that I highlighted in the previous episode: the Rise and Run 5K in Kissimmee, Florida. That's still out there for you to join. You can join Team Rise and Run at that. I said it last week. Not really a destination event like Loopy or Space Coast or anything, but we got a lot of friends in the Orlando area.

SPEAKER_05 13:12

What day is that?

SPEAKER_07 13:14

It is, Jack, I've got it right here, uh, October 17th. It is the week before uh one and done. So that's out there. And of course, we have other races we talk about from time to time, but we'll get back to that next episode.

SPEAKER_08 13:30

Caution runners, change of topic ahead.

Best Running Advice We’ve Heard

SPEAKER_07 13:34

You know what I think this is a good time to do? I think it's a very good time to turn to the microphone and ask, what would Alicia do?

SPEAKER_04 13:50

Last week, um, I talked to you all about what your um favorite piece of life advice was, and we talked through that. But this week, I thought as we continue to increase the miles more and more, and things might be feeling more serious for our friends who are newer to running. Um, I'm wondering what is the best piece of running advice that you guys have received from somebody? And if you care to share who it's from, that's great too.

SPEAKER_05 14:17

This is kind of a as a joke, but also not as a joke. Someone gave this to me right before the Disneyland half marathon race. Uh, the first one I ever did in 2023, right? Yeah. And it was uh, where was it 2020? Whenever, whenever they came back. Um it was a year, we know that. Um, they had told me watch out for the road reflectors on the ground. Well, yeah, that's good advice.

SPEAKER_07 14:46

That's good advice.

SPEAKER_05 14:46

And then I remember that advice because I paid attention for the first 13 miles, and then I said I'm home free, and then got like nicked on the ground after mile 13 before the finish line. So you gotta watch they jump out and grab your ankle, and it's I know, but but out of all seriousness though, it's not just Disneyland, but there's it's like when you go training, you're trained on sidewalks and everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's like you don't think about that. But also, I remember wine and dine one year, I was with Mark, and I think she, this lady, we just heard her whack her head on the ground because she had tripped on one of the divots on the ground. Because if you're trying to pass somebody and you uh you just happen to not notice it, so keep an eye on the ground. Also enjoy what's in front of you, but keep an eye on your ground, on the ground. Use your peripherals, yeah. Yeah, just be careful footing. Yes, great advice and make sure you get to the finish line before celebrating.

SPEAKER_07 15:48

And we're not and we're not sadistic friends. We get to laugh about it because it Jack got banged up pretty good, but I'll have a scar in my knee and my feet. In the grand scheme of things, she ended up okay.

SPEAKER_06 16:00

I'll take it from two different perspectives. Uh, I'll just take it from running in general, and the advice came from social media, and I know I shared it a couple of weeks ago on the podcast, but since you asked Alicia, I'm gonna repeat it. And that is during the course of your training, always keep in the back of your head that your current pace is someone else's goal.

unknown 16:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 16:27

Because I I think back probably to the most disastrous training run I ever had. It was a 23 miler that I was doing right before Wine and Dine. That would have been 2024. And I have no idea why my head went to this place, but I started thinking about all the amazing people that I have met in the Rise and Run community and the customized training program and all the other amazing, you know, subsect Run Disney communities that there are. And you know, you get to know people so well, and you get to know about their goals and you know, and their dreams and their accomplishments. And I just started thinking about everybody. And you know, I was thinking about I remember that particular run, our our friend Jen. And I remember she had a goal of getting six hours at Chicago, and I knew that Jen and I ran somewhat similar paces, and I'm like, well, if Jen can get that, then I then I sure as hell can. And then I looked down to my watch and I realized that I wasn't doing that pace, and it just started this snowball effect of bad juju. And I, for the those next couple of miles, all I could think about was other people and other paces and other goals and not focusing on myself. And then that was really upsetting me. And I ended up sitting on the park bench and I called Coach Twiggs, and it was the first time I ever cried during a training run and you know, being a blubbering mess to to coach. But hearing that advice now, you know, that really does put things into perspective um for me in terms of you know, some days you're gonna have great runs and some days you're gonna have bad runs. And even on those bad runs, you know, even if your pace is you know off by 15 or 20 seconds or whatever, you know, always remember that there's someone out there that that's chasing that. And and what you're doing in that day is a okay, and you should be proud of that accomplishment. The other great piece of advice, and I guess this is more Run Disney-ish related. And I don't know if she's the one that came up with it, but the person that I always give credit to is the the Run Disney goat herself, Brittany Charbonneau. And that is when it comes to Run Disney races, PR and fun. I remember there have, I mean, not many, but there's there's been a handful of Run Disney races where maybe I took them a bit more seriously than I needed to take them. And I are where I was focused on too many other things or course crowding, or you know, my my favorite rant of there being no electrolytes on a on a 10-mile course or something like that. But you know, always take that step back, realize that you're you know you're running in the most magical place on earth, surrounded by amazing theme parks and friends in awesome costumes and great course entertainment, and just soak that all in and do your absolute best at PR and fun. And what's really neat is you know, while time goal PRs can be uh tough, getting a new PR and fun during a race isn't nearly as difficult and can bring a lot of joy to your life. You took one of mine, Greg. Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 19:46

I'm sorry, John. Okay, no, but okay, so another one is your mind quits before your body does. So your body's gonna your mind's gonna tell you you're done, you can't do it anymore. But wait, your mind tells you, yeah, you're done, you can't do it. But your body can still go for hunger. You gotta learn to tell your mind, like, shut up, I can still do this. I mean, whatever works for you, just try to go out there and say, okay, one more mile, ten more steps, let me run to that tree over there and see what happens, and find the next tree. Something to distract your mind from telling you you could you're quitting. That's one of the best pieces of advice that I've heard.

SPEAKER_07 20:30

I got a lot of great advice from uh Mr. John Franks Galloway. But the it's more more than I could relate, but you asked for a single best piece, the single best piece of advice I got from Jeff. 2019, before I ran Dopey for the first time, I saw him at the expo and I said, Jeff, any advice? And Jeff puts his hand on my shoulder, which is a pretty good reach for Jeff. He said, he said to me, Bob, walk the half. So you can run the 5k a little bit if you want, 10k a little bit, but walk the half and you'll be set up for the full. And of course he was right. Now, I I love the there's like an addition to this story. I did exactly what he said, with one exception, well, two exceptions. If we had a downhill, and there aren't a lot of downhills on the Disney course, there are some, but not many. I would jog a little bit on the downhill. But you know when I ran, gang.

SPEAKER_04 21:33

The photo pass.

SPEAKER_07 21:34

When the photo when the photographers were there, right. So between the photographers and the downhill, I would run a little bit. Uh, but what was funny about that, every downhill I would jog a little bit. I got back, I was staying at the uh Shades of Green Hotel, and the Shades of Green Hotel lobby, and I've told this story before, is on kind of like this two and a half floor, it's in the middle floor. And you go in. And and then there's a ramp down to one of the wings. So I walk into this place, then there's a ramp down. So I started running just out of reflex. But yeah, I'll never forget Jeff telling me, Bob, walk the half. Great advice.

SPEAKER_04 22:15

My advice also comes from Mr. Jeff Galloway. Um, and he has said it many times over the years that you can't go too slow on those long runs. Um, and that's something that I remind my clients. A lot of them I do have pace goals for, but especially when you're doing these new miles, it's brand new to you and your body needs time to adapt to that new distance. And so if you're walking some more or if it's a slower pace, it's a hundred percent okay, or if it's hot outside. Um, but all of this kind of stemmed because, like you were talking about, Greg, of thinking about meeting all of the people over the years. And I'm just so grateful for all of the pieces of advice. And as I was thinking about this question on my run, I was like, there were so many things. And I thought of Brittany Charbonneau and all of the people that we've met. Um, and so I thought it would be a great opportunity to share some of those best pieces of advices. And I think that our friends will learn something from it.

SPEAKER_08 23:14

Because that is what Alicia would do. Caution runner, the topic is about to change right now.

Meet Hilde Weiss And Her Story

SPEAKER_07 23:24

Friends, whether you're training for your first 5K or your tenth marathon, is one thing that a lot of us have in common. There was a time when we never imagined we'd become runners. Now, our guest this week knows that feeling well. Hilde Weiss didn't discover running until her mid-40s, but what started as an attempt to get healthier became a journey that transformed not only her fitness, but the way she saw herself. Hilde shares that story in her memoir entitled Embracing My Inner Athlete: a former couch potato mom discovers fitness, and life hasn't been the same since. That's a heck of a good title, Hilde.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

I like that.

unknown 24:06

Thank you.

SPEAKER_07 24:07

It's a book about challenging limited beliefs, finding confidence, and proving that it's never too late to discover the athlete that's been inside you all along. Hilde, welcome to the Rise and Run Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Thank you so much. It's great to be here.

SPEAKER_07 24:23

We are glad you're here. You know, your message, just even in that introduction, your message is one that I think is going to resonate with many of our friends who are listening this week. Uh now, as you told us in your book, and we said already, you didn't discover running until you're in your mid-40s. Back then, before you started, what was like for you? If we met you 10 years ago, who would we be talking with?

SPEAKER_01 24:50

Well, 10 years ago, I was already into this. So um I would say uh prior to July of 2014, I was and continue to be a wife and mother of five. Uh, I'm now a grandmother since that happened. But at that time when I really made that decision in 2014, I I had been my kids ranged an age between 12 and 19. And uh my house was quite a busy house, um, obviously with a preteen and four teenagers. And um, you know, being a hands-on mom, a supportive wife to my husband, uh being very active in the community, though I didn't have a uh a full-time job. I was a freelance writer and video producer, um, but I didn't have like a nine to five job. I didn't have a real hobby or a sport. Um, a lot of my friends belonged to gyms and they were working out, and I would often look at them and think, like, you know, why bother? You know, I I I just didn't see the that I didn't have that urge for myself really to, you know, to go to the Robux class or to to do the running. But you know, I always had this like wistful feeling when I would look out my window or drive by people running on the street, jogging, and kind of wish I could do that. Um, but again, at that time leading up to the decision that I made that summer, I was just very busy, you know, being the wife and mom. And I love that life, but I think that there was something missing. And I I didn't realize what it was until I had a conversation with my father-in-law, uh who's always, you know, very, very supportive of me. And um he said something to the fact of, you know, like you're so busy taking care of everyone else, but like, what are you doing for yourself? And it wasn't a criticism, I think it was really more of like out of love and concern, you know, that he saw me and just said, like, come on, you know, like you you need to make yourself a priority. And I shared with him that I had been thinking about starting to work out with a trainer, but at that time I had been nursing a bad hand injury, and I just didn't think that was the right time. And I probably would not have actually uh gone ahead and called, you know, our JCC to make that meeting with the trainer on my own. I think I really needed that nudge. So um I went ahead and and made that um appointment for the first meeting, met Jeff, my now trainer of 12 years. And in that first meeting, he asked me what was a goal that uh well, what was one thing that I would like to do if I could? And I said, Well, I always wanted to run, but I can't. And and I proceeded to mention all the reasons why I felt I shouldn't and couldn't. So it was a lot of it was vanity and also showing my lack of confidence, where I was afraid that I would trip and fall because I was quite the klutz. And I worried about hurting my hip or my knee. Um, I worried about how I would look to other people. You know, in those days I I hid behind my clothes and I wore a lot of, you know, baggy shirts and and you know, baggy slacks. And um I and I also kept on thinking about the character Phoebe on friends, who looked very, very silly running through Central Park when she went out with Rachel and how embarrassed Rachel was. And I just said, like, I'm gonna be flapping my hands around, and you know, I'm gonna like people are gonna look at me. So that was that was the beginning.

SPEAKER_07 28:48

Now that hand injury that came early in your running before you met Jeff, yes?

SPEAKER_01 28:54

It was like a month before. So what happened was that.

SPEAKER_07 28:57

I thought you had fallen or something.

SPEAKER_01 28:59

I did fall. I tripped. Um, I was taking a walk and I tripped on an insect, and when I was falling, I had this habit of using my hand to like stop my fall, which I thought we all do that. Yeah, well, it it and it it wound up messing up my hand quite badly. It didn't break, but I had like blood trauma, they call it. So I really couldn't use my hand then for about six months, and I went through occupational therapy, and I just thought I didn't even know if that was going to be the right timing to start working with the trainer if I was not gonna be able to use my hand. But when I had called the JCC about setting up the meeting after that conversation with my father-in-law, they said, Oh, you know, we have a great trainer, and he's like really like one of our best, and he's also very, very good at working around restrictions and entries. So um the first few months we worked around it. Um, but you know, in the very beginning, I couldn't hold a proper lunch. And I don't even remember now, unless I I guess I if I look at the book or look back at my um my my run keeper entries at the time where I could see like what was it that we were doing at the time. I just remember I could not hold a lunch. Um I wasn't able to do, you know, um, but um we were doing like half-hour uh workout sessions twice a week for the first few months. And then once I got the okay, you know, from my doctor to start using my hand, we increased the time to an hour. And so that we started in July of 2014 and in January of 2015, by then uh he was having me uh warm up sometimes on the treadmill for a bit as part of our workout, and that every few minutes he would have me doing like a one-minute jogging verse. And I didn't really know the the value of of that until he said, I think you should sign up for a 5k. Now, mind you, I had never even run a complete mile. You know, when I'm doing maybe three or four one-minute jogging, that does not equal a mile. And he's talking about a 5k, and I looked at him like, Are you out of your mind? Like, no way. And and he, you know, I he had me get on a treadmill soon after, and I did a 5k run on the treadmill, and I reluctantly signed up for that first 5k, and uh we did one 5k together outside um one day after he was done with work. We ran through the neighborhood, and that was the beginning of it all.

SPEAKER_07 31:46

As I recall that look in that phrase of you're kidding me, that comes up a lot, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 31:54

You want me to do what? That is that's yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 31:57

You want me to do what? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Yeah, that's that's the name. Uh there's there's been some other expressions, some of them a little more colorful.

SPEAKER_07 32:04

Here's here's one that's here's one that's near and dear to our hearts, and I want to know if this one ever came through. Did you ever think, why did I ever think this was a good idea?

SPEAKER_01 32:14

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_07 32:16

Hilly, you fit right in. I mean, your your story is uh is so uh we hear it among our friends so very often that I think that's why it's going to resonate here.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Well, I'm hoping that my my journey is not just about the running and you know, I start with the 5K's and the 10K's and the half marathons. It's more about me as a person where I started out when I first met Jeff, he said, even like at a first meeting, the way I walked in, he said, like I just emanated this lack of self-confidence. And that was something that I dealt with, I think, from the time I was in my teens. I had started putting on weight and I dealt with um battling my weight for for decades. And I just didn't have a great self-worth and I just didn't believe in that I could do things like running. So while it was a dream, I it wasn't on my radar. And had I not shared that with him at the first meeting, I don't think I'd be talking to any of you today. I don't think I would have written the book because that would have just continued to be that little secret dream of mine. And he says he saw potential in me at that time. And I think he even said, like he kind of rubbed his hands together and said, Oh, I'm gonna alter, you know, like he he saw, he saw this um, as I said, this potential that I didn't believe in myself, but he felt he would ultimately bring it out in me. And it took time. I mean, you know, that that first 5k was the beginning of it all, but doing the different races um and having me do them on my own um was part of the the journey as we call it, doing Spartan races and all that. It's just, you know, like so it's more the journey of of that person who was afraid to try and learning along the way to be open and willing.

SPEAKER_04 34:21

Hilde, do you find did you find there was a time when you stopped saying I run to start saying I'm now a runner?

SPEAKER_01 34:30

It's funny because I I think I I was interviewed maybe like two or three years into all this by Run Keeper. They were talking to like you know different um members. So they didn't, you know, like a piece about me. And I remember talking at the time how I had a hard time referring to myself as a runner. And I said, well, then again, you know, like if you run, you're a runner. So um, and I tell other people that, but it's very easy for me to be able to tell other people that, but not myself that. And it's more recently that I've been able to, I guess, call myself a runner or and even to call myself an athlete, because it's still I I've gotten a little bit better with the confidence, but I'm certainly, you know, like not there all the way. So um, you know, I say I I run, and I I will tell the next person that you know, if you run a mile, you're a runner. It doesn't matter what your pace is, it doesn't matter if it takes you 20 minutes to run that mile, or if it takes you seven minutes to run that mile, you're like you're a runner. And um, it doesn't matter if you're the front of the pack, back of the pack, middle of the pack, and you finish a race long after they've taken down the stands, you know, it it's part of that journey.

SPEAKER_03 35:54

In the title of your book, the word inner athlete appears. What does that phrase mean to you?

SPEAKER_01 36:00

I think it's about digging deep and sometimes having to tell myself, try this thing. Um, don't say no. Um, don't say you can't and it's too hard. Try it. So it could be something like uh where Jeff will tell me to do something in a workout, and I have a hard time getting myself, you know, in position to to do something. And uh he he might say after a while, okay, like maybe we should do something else. And I'll say to him, no, no, no, I like I want to try. Or, you know, the the the first Spartan race with climbing that incline wall, that's that's my greatest example of like this is not just the physical transformation that's occurred. I think so much of this has been the emotional and mental transformation where you know, here I started out nervous about sharing that goal, didn't think that it was anything that was in a possibility for me. And once I started, I forgot about all the reasons why I felt I couldn't. And I didn't think about what do I look like, or um, I still think about the tripping and falling. I just try to be more careful, but I wasn't, you know, I I I think that that kind of just it went out the window. So like when I'm running, I I don't think about that. Um so the inner athlete is really um sometimes that even that inner voice, and sometimes it's a battle and and telling myself when I think I can't, you know, come on, you know, like push a little harder.

SPEAKER_04 37:46

Hell the throughout the book you talk about trials and tribulations um throughout life, but you also talk about mantras that um you've used, and one that stuck with me because it's one that I love is I get to do this. And I think that goes along with what you're talking about. Do you think that that one is your favorite, or is there one that stuck with you the most throughout

Mindset Shifts And Imposter Syndrome

SPEAKER_04 38:06

the years of training?

SPEAKER_01 38:07

I I think that it has become um my main mantra. Um, somehow along the way, running became something that I considered as something you know I had to do. And I noticed that I started to say things like, Oh, I have to go for a run now, I have to do this kind of run. And I I didn't realize it in the moment. Uh, and then when I started to see in my running journal the way I was summarizing the run, it was more like a burden. And there was never a time where I I felt I wanted to quit and to give up running. Yet I had I realized I had to you know shift my mindset. And there were many, many times along the way where I had this like battle of my motivation, battle of my self-confidence. And um a few years back, I I saw the way I was writing in my journal. I would say, oh, I I did three miles, but it was really hard. My stomach was hurting and I wasn't feeling great when I went out to do it, and it was just so negative. And I made a point then, like I have to change how I talk about that run so that when I'm able to look back later on, it's not this like, you know, why did it even bother? So I would describe the route, I would describe what I was seeing, and I made it a lot more positive. So that helped, but also it was only a few years ago, uh two years ago, actually, the summer, where I was, I think, at my lowest point, and I just like lost all faith in myself and I lost that joy and that drive that I'd had running, especially in the beginning. And I had many conversations with Jeff about it. And he even said, like, maybe you should, you know, take a break, or you know, and but I was like, no, no, no, I I don't want to take a break, but like it's something that is not right. And I started to go out on runs and look more at like what I was seeing when I'm on the runs. Um, you know, like I I would look at the landscaping and make sure I would wave to people as I was passing them by and make it more of an experience. And more importantly, I stopped looking at my watch so much because that was a very big uh problem for me. Uh and I would often compare myself to how I ran when I first started, which surprisingly was, you know, faster than the way I run now. Uh and I realized like I can't I can't run, you know, in the eight to nine minute range these days. I'm I'm older and my bodies change and things are just different. But I could still have that love for the running. Uh, but I think that I was getting so caught up with the data on the watch and that was causing a problem. So, like the way I do it now is I might look at it a little bit, just like take a peek at it, but I'm not allowing it to tell me, okay, you know, you you did two miles, that's just fine. It might not have been four. I think that giving up that data really, really helped a lot. And it that so that's when it became the shift of going from I have to run to I get to run, because I started to see running more as a gift and opportunity. And when I go out for a run, whether it's a half hour or 45 minutes, I try to put everything else aside if I can and just focus on this being my time. And you know, whether I'm listening to a podcast or I'm listening to music, but also again, taking in what's around me. And when I finish that run, I will get back to whatever else is going on. But it it's really um it's my knee time.

SPEAKER_07 42:14

Hilde, I hear you expressing thoughts and ideas that I hear from so many of our friends. But let me ask you, because you you seem to have a good handle on this. Why do you think so many adults in particular struggle to call themselves athletes?

SPEAKER_01 42:31

Maybe they compare to uh, you know, the uh people that they see on TV or in in the competitions and view them as athletes. I know I did.

SPEAKER_07 42:45

Um, you know, I you know what I hear and I didn't mean to talk over it, but you know what I hear from our friends? I have imposter syndrome. I'm not really a runner, I don't belong here.

SPEAKER_01 42:55

Yeah, I'm an and I and I I feel that imposter side, especially now. Like, even though I've written a book, it's like it it's mind-boggling to me that on the suggestion of a friend to write down my experience, I went into this saying, you know, okay, I'll do it. It'll be it'll be a fun experience. But you know, if I could touch one person, that's great. I didn't necessarily see my story as being inspiring. You know, I'm I'm a wife and mom and now a grandmother. And you know, what's so special about me, you know, there's people around me doing, you know, great things. So I have that imposter syndrome, and I think that, you know, yeah, people are are reluctant. Um and I I just think that we all have to appreciate our own abilities and not compare ourselves to others and celebrate. What we are able to do. And that means that you know, if you started doing this in your 40s or 50s or 60s, good for you. You you took that step. And I want to be doing this in 10 years, 15 years, and it's going to look a whole lot different, I'm sure. And I'm probably going to be running a whole lot slower. Uh, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_07 44:25

Well, you're doing darn well.

SPEAKER_01 44:26

Thank you.

SPEAKER_07 44:27

You're doing well. You're proud of we're proud of you, and you and you really are expressing. I I I hope you're and I know you're expressing ideas that others are going to relate to. Now, we've mentioned the book, of course. We've been talking about the book off and on, but I specifically, this isn't your first book, but why did you decide to write this one?

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Well, I had been writing a blog um called You Want Me to Do What?

unknown 44:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

That I started in 2019. I think Jeff had suggested to be because you know, like I I'm a writer by trade, and um I started writing it, and you know, it wasn't a daily thing, just you know, here and there. And sometimes it was humorous. Um, sometimes it would just like share what I did in a workout. Sometimes it was very, very deep. So I I was writing that, and I also for several years now have been, you know, posting about my runs um on Instagram and ultimately also on Facebook. And I have a very good friend uh who has suggested that I put my fingers to the uh computer rather than uh pen to paper these days. And she said, You have a story to tell. People would really, you know, be inspired. And of course, you know, I question that. I don't know if it was necessarily special, but you know, she got me thinking about it. I said, look, it can't hurt. I'm I'm happy to, at least it'll it'll be a fun exercise to do. And I started the process in um September of 23. And I used the blog, I use Instagram posts, and I kind of went back in time to that point um that I start in the book about where I was 2014 and the conversation with my father-in-law and making that decision to prioritize myself and uh meeting Jeff. And then I each chapter was a year in the journey since. And I found it was really a whole lot of fun to go back in time and look up the races I had done on on, I think on Affinks um was one of the places where I was able to find things. And then I was like, oh, I remember that. And you know, like going through pictures, and I figured, look, you know what? I'll try to see if I can get it published, but I don't know if it will. I I had had you know experiences in the past with trying to get books published, and it's not an easy thing. Um, but I think I I went into this with not feeling so pressured that if it doesn't happen, it's okay. Because look, if my friend thinks it's inspiring, then I did my job. And if there's a few people that you know are followers of mine on Facebook and they tell me I'm inspiring, that's just as great as someone buying a copy of my book. So I wrote the manuscript. Uh I thought I was done in January of 2024. And then I went through a few months of, you know, looking to see if I should get an agent. Look, should I self-publish it? Should I, you know, and I was sending out queries to publishing companies. And in July of that year, I signed with Library Tales Publishing. And what I really liked about them is like they really felt um like they were investing in me and not just, you know, the book. And they were real excited about, you know, how you know we could reach people because this is hopefully a big audience. I mean, it it's it's for moms who need to hear that they need to do something for themselves. It's for the midlife athlete. It's for it's really for anyone who's like thinking of doing something. For me, it was running, but it's if they're thinking of doing something, um, but they're maybe a little hesitant and they think, you know, they may be too old, it may be too late. No, no, no. My message is it's not too late, and you're not too old, and nothing is truly impossible, but you gotta like at least take that step. And I had been so lacking in that self-confidence for myself until I took that step. And uh, I wound up adding the chapter 12, which was the last chapter. Uh um, it was I think I wrote it in the fall of uh 24 because that was the hardest chapter to write, but it was also the I think the most important chapter because I detailed I had had um surgery in January of that year. And going into it, I knew I wasn't gonna be able to run for a while. And I told myself, that's fine. And whenever they say it's okay, I'll get back into it. And once I got the okay, and also I followed Jeff's plan, which was beyond my doctor's okay, where I had to like ease myself into the running, I had a really hard time with it. Um, I would run and it, you know, I would tell myself I can't do anymore. I would, you know, maybe two miles instead of a three-mile run. I would say I was too tired or this is too hard. And that was where it it led to it becoming something that I I battled and I just like lost all confidence in myself. And Jeff said, maybe you should quit. I'm like, no, no, no. I I I don't want to. I like he was testing me. And I said, I don't want to quit, but like something is not right. I was afraid to run with the running groups I used to be a part of because I thought I was gonna be too slow. Jeff had a trail running group that he had in the summer, and he would always suggest I come along and and I would ask him about how it went and want to hear about it, but I was afraid to go because I thought I was gonna be way behind. And first of all, he he said, you know, come next week. So I did, and it wound up going wonderfully. Um, but he also said, you know, when you had that drive and that joy, that period of time, you were doing other things um with your cross-training, like spinning and swimming. And those were things that I had stopped doing. I think with COVID and the gym shut down, I wasn't doing it. And even when, you know, it was open again, I think I just didn't really like think about starting it up again. And after having a very deep conversation with him about um how he remembers me being so happy at that point, I said, Well, you know what? I'm I I'll go to spinning class. And I don't know why I stopped going. And I went the next day, and as they say, you know, getting back on the bike, it's true. I I was in that class and it was like I think it had been a good four or five years since I had been to a spinning class, and it was like that adrenaline rush and that joy. And ever since then, spinning is is part of my routine. I got a Peloton bike in my basement, and um, I sometimes go to you know spinning classes, and I love it, and it really complements the um strength training that I do with Jeff and the running and I and I walk. The swimming, I went back one time and it was fine. It's just that I like to move for now. I I'm I don't feel like I'm missing it. Uh, but if I ever feel like I need a little something, I know I I can do that again.

SPEAKER_07 52:10

I know that you have not done a race at Disney, but you've talked to a bunch of ideas that many of our friends

It’s Not Too Late To Start

SPEAKER_07 52:22

are thinking about. They're beginning runners. They think they're too slow, they're afraid they're not going to finish in the allotted time. Uh you've gone through some of these things, but talk to someone. I know you're not a Disney runner, but talk to someone who's doing their very first Disney event and they're afraid that they won't fit in. What would you tell them?

SPEAKER_01 52:46

I would tell them don't make it about a time or a pace. Do it for the pure experience. Don't make it about a competition. I know that when, and I'm not saying if for this, I'm saying when I have the opportunity to take part in a Disney race, I'm not gonna look at it as a race. I'm going to look at it as an experience because it's it's very, very different. And and I've had to also shift my mindset with that, and because I think it takes away that pressure and the competition. And I don't know that I can see myself you know in the costume and the two tube, but I see everyone else doing. And I think I think it's Brittany Charbonne. Is that her name?

SPEAKER_07 53:34

Britney Charbonneau, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:35

Yep, she went because I've listened to her on podcast and I know that she makes these like incredible costumes. I think that's her.

SPEAKER_07 53:41

Brittany tends to run in because she's a uh an elite athlete, she tends to run in simple costumes. But she runs in costume every race.

SPEAKER_01 53:52

Yes. No, but I've I've heard talk about sometimes she has a theme or something. So it's like, you know, it's it's fine if you want to make it as a race, but I think that especially if it's your first time, just go into it with an open attitude. And I know that that I would I would, you know, like wave to the people as you're passing by and do high fives, and um you know, to just take take take it all in because it I I'm telling you, like I I've listened to enough of the podcasts and seen the pictures, and there's that probably that same person that I was all those years watching the people on the street here running by. I think that I feel that way, it's like that that there's something yet to accomplish with that because um it it's it's a community. And it's wonderful when I've done races, you know, you're going through your neighborhood and you're seeing your neighbors and they're holding signs and they're cheering for you. And when I did the the Cleveland half marathon years ago and running, you know, down the flats and coming up and going through Ohio City, and people are standing on the street and they're cheering, and it it's it's wonderful, it's a gift. But I think that to be a part of you know that that Disney community, don't think about it too much. Just go ahead and do it.

SPEAKER_07 55:21

Hilda, you nailed it. You really did, and and we gotta see you there.

SPEAKER_11 55:25

I have to calendar.

SPEAKER_07 55:27

Okay. Hilde, great answers. That I'd like to stop there, but before we let you go, if you're willing, we have some lightning round questions, short answers. I'd like you to take on if you're up for it. You're up for it?

SPEAKER_01 55:46

I'm I'm gonna brace that inner athlete.

SPEAKER_07 55:48

Gotta girl. All right, John, take it away. Favorite race distance.

SPEAKER_01 55:53

That is a tough one, so thank you for starting with that. Favorite race difference distance. I guess it would be the 5k. Um, because I haven't really done that many 10Ks lately. My favorite running distance would be four miles. But 5k is for a race, it's nice. It's you know, that sweet spot. Um, I don't think you know, I I can give it my all and not feel like, oh gosh, I have another two, three, four miles left to do.

SPEAKER_07 56:27

You know where you find a lot of four mile races, Hilde? On the fourth of July. There's so many four on the fourth. All right. Okay. Your preference, trail racing or road racing?

SPEAKER_01 56:42

While I do love trail racing, um, I think my preference is is road.

SPEAKER_04 56:49

All right. So would you choose road racing or spartan racing?

SPEAKER_01 56:54

Oh my god, road racing. Okay. I mean, the fact the fact that I did one Spartan was like so out of my comfort zone. And Jeff said, but you never do one. And then I was like, I I did a second, and that's when I had all the scratches on me that I didn't have in the first one. And that's when as as you're going through the pit of fire, like I ran into the pit of fire because I was just like so tired. Yeah. And it just that wasn't as much fun. And I had to say now, like, forget about it. And he's like, You know, come on, you can't, you know. I'm like, no, no, really. Like, I I'm glad I did it. I never would have seen myself doing it, but like, no, no, no, no, no. No, the the the road is just that's that's that's fine.

SPEAKER_04 57:41

What is one running myth you would love to eliminate?

SPEAKER_01 57:46

Not all runners uh have knee replacements or hip replacements, they're just fine. Fair.

SPEAKER_07 57:52

Uh let's see, Hilde, if you could run with anyone, living or historical, who would that be?

SPEAKER_01 57:58

Maddie Majacoma from Peloton.

SPEAKER_07 58:03

Okay. I was gonna say you have to help me with that.

SPEAKER_01 58:05

Well, you know, I look, I I become a big, big fan of Peloton, so there's quite a few people that I really like, but I I I think that if I was running, Maddie would keep me laughing and um motivated to keep on going because you know we could be talking, and um if he's if he's listening to this, Maddie, and you tell me when I love it.

SPEAKER_03 58:32

Finish the sentence.

SPEAKER_01 58:34

Running has taught me that I'm stronger than I think.

SPEAKER_07 58:38

Oh, I like that. I like that. Now I would drop the mic, except I've got one more question for you, and I'd like you to help us with this one. Now imagine someone listening right now is 45, 55, 65 years old. They've never considered themselves an athlete, and they're wondering if maybe it's too late to get started. What would you say to that person?

SPEAKER_01 59:03

It is not too late, and if you are thinking of doing it, just try it. You know, whether it's a mile, whether it's going from one house to the next. Uh believe in yourself, be open to the possibilities because you don't know where it's going to take you.

SPEAKER_07 59:24

Very good. Thank you so much. Before you leave, please tell our friends how they can follow you on socials and how they can get a copy of your book.

SPEAKER_01 59:32

So I am Hilde Weiss on Facebook. On Instagram, I am mom of five six eight. So it's M-O-N-O-F-F-I-V-E 68. I'm on Strava is Hilde Weiss. My book, Embracing My Inner Athlete, is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, Library Tales Publishing, and other online booksellers. And I have my blog. I probably should include that. I always forget that. Uh so that's you want me to do what dots.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:06

You want me to do what dot blog.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:08

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:10

That's fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:11

It's on WordPress. And uh I I hope that uh whether it's the book or the blog, that you know something resonates.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:20

Yeah. Oh yeah. I really think it, I really think it has. I really think it will. And we are genuinely genuinely grateful to you. I promise you won't be disappointed when you we see one another at Disney World.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:33

Well, I I looked forward to meeting all of you some sometime soon.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:37

Caution runners, change of topic ahead.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:42

Did

Zoom Call Fundraiser And Community Updates

SPEAKER_07 1:00:43

you see yourself in any of the things Hildi had to say? Because I thought she did a very good job of talking about issues that first time and sometimes veteran Run Disney Runners face. Although not a Run Disney runner herself, but crosses some of the same issues, some of the same problems. Hilde, thanks for joining us. We and we enjoy speaking with you. Oh, let's take a look, kids. Let's look at what's coming up. Our next Zoom call will be not this Thursday, but next Thursday, August 20th. Uh, not long after that, we've got our fundraiser. There's still an opportunity to register for the trivia contest. $10 donation for an entry. Guys, I know we're a couple weeks out, but how are you doing on your fundraising? You're both pretty close, aren't you?

SPEAKER_06 1:01:38

I just made the uh just got over the halfway mark uh the other week. Uh I got a couple of donations in. So yeah, I'm hoping uh once we do the uh the trivia contest, I I'm hoping that I'll get at least three quarters of the way, but yeah, maybe we can come up with some fun ways that during the trivia contest can push us over the edge or something. Okay. So yeah, but I'm looking looking forward to it. I need to start writing the questions. Uh so I have to think of of more questions that all don't rely around Jack because I feel like that's where some of the greatest trivia questions come are from things that either Jack has done or Jack has said. So so, but uh no, we're really looking forward to that in uh yeah, in in uh a few short weeks here.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:23

So that'll be out there. John, how are you coming?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:25

I'm I'm pretty close. I'm about $200 away from a goal. So I should be I should be there hopefully, and hopefully I'm getting close, or maybe by the time I'm this trivia contest happens, I'll be there.

SPEAKER_07 1:02:40

Whatever. We hope you come, we hope you enjoy it. And the money donated are going it the monies donated are going to go to charity in some form or another. So it'll be for a good cause. Let's see. Uh fantasy football sign-up is still out there, but it's getting close to the end. Uh again, because we're recording a couple weeks early. I haven't established a cutoff date yet, but it will be coming around pretty soon. Uh next week on the podcast, Amanda from Once Upon a Marathon returns. She's going to discuss all the news from D23 and how that news

D23 Wishes And Predictions

SPEAKER_07 1:03:21

might impact Run Disney.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:23

Ooh, I gotta ask everybody because we got D23 on the horizon here. Uh parks panel late, late uh Saturday night on the 15th, hosted by one of my favorite people in the entire world, Neil Patrick Harris. So, Bob, it's gonna be legendary. Thank you. Um but let's go around the horn really, really quick. What is one thing that you think that they're either going to announce at the parks panel or something that you want them to announce at the parks panel?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:59

Bringing back dinosaurs.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:05

Opening dates for Monstropolis. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:09

I predict, because I've already heard rumors. Well, it's been very, very quiet on this for Disneyland. I predict that the Pandora expansion over at California Adventure is next, gone.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:22

Do you think they do you think they replace it with uh Zootopia?

SPEAKER_05 1:04:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:26

Yep. Uh I'm right there with you, Jack. John, any predictions from from you? I I hope they just helped it with the Star Cruiser. Oh, yeah, that'd be interesting. I heard they turned that into offices, though.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:38

It is offices. Oh, it is?

SPEAKER_03 1:04:40

Okay, then.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:41

I don't think we're gonna get those back.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:43

I was hoping for like some kind of more of an expansion for uh Galaxy's Edge.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:49

Okay. Yeah, I'm I'm hoping for Figment finally getting his uh his proper due and them finally refurbing that ride. And then my my long shot, just because I I read an essay uh about this on Twitter a few years ago, and I think it makes so much sense, is um remember a couple of years ago before COVID, the old Wonders of Life pavilion was going to be the play pavilion, you know, that that pavilion that sits between Guardians and Test Track. Right. It was this great expose about how they should put the health, you know, like not make it wonders of life again, but make it a uh pavilion about health, and then do a mix between inside out talking about mental health, and then using Big Hero Six and Bay Max about your physical health. Oh and I thought it was a brilliant idea, so that's what I would secretly want them to uh announce a twenty D twenty three. I doubt it's gonna happen, but we shall see.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:57

And revamp body wars into some kind of mental health problem. Experience.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:03

But think about you could do like cranium command 2.0 with like the inside out characters. It'd be great. I mean, I know apparently somebody stole a what was it, Buzzy, the animatronic that's in there. There's a whole documentary about it, apparently. But yeah, it would be a a nice uh fresh take on an old uh Epcot classic.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:22

I like that idea. I also can I put out one more prediction?

SPEAKER_06 1:06:26

Of course.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:28

I predict that a new gate will be announced, but I don't think it's going to be here in the US. I think Shanghai Disneyland's gonna get a second park. They already got approvals for for two potential new gates opening.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:43

So I did hear a theory that possibly an expansion of a new country in the back of Epcot. So I'm curious if that was something to happen because there are areas that they could expand. What country would you like to see?

SPEAKER_05 1:07:03

I remember they had um they had drawn out plans for Russia way back when when they were considering what countries to put in.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:10

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna be a good idea.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:11

I think there's three or four open areas technically, but I don't know if they can still with other construction that's gonna be.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:19

Oh yeah, well, I mean, in theory, you ride the skyliner and you can you can just see all the plots and everything. Yeah, uh, but no, Alicia, answer your question. I think they could go if you're gonna go country specific, I'm gonna say Brazil.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:35

Yeah, I'd go South.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:36

Yeah, that would be because there's lots of Brazilian tourists that that come to Disney every year, and then plus that would give Disney an excuse then to put in the Brazilian steakhouse restaurant and charge a hundred dollars a plate for all year and eat uh meat and get the meat sweats.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:51

I was thinking of South America, Brazil, or Argentina.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:54

Yeah, yeah, I think that would be a good one um to have kind of a different flair on things, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:02

Or the uh or the other continent, Australia, the land down under. And then Bluey finally gets a ride.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:09

Hey now, maybe not the idea.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:13

Well, and now please stand clear of the door.

Race Report And Weekend Lineup

SPEAKER_07 1:08:21

It's time for a race report. Race report sponsored by our friend Thomas Stokes, Stoke Metabolic Training, Stokes.fit slash rise and run coaching is Tom's website. Please check him out and tell him Rise and Run sent you. All right, friends. Race report, obviously, we do not have the results of the races. These are the races that are in our race report document on Facebook for this past week. And we start on Wednesday where the Hot Summer Nights 5K series in Rochester wrapped up. Race three of three. Matt signed up for that one on Friday, August 7th. It's and I like it, and it this is deliberate. This is not a typo. It says Ribbert as opposed to Robert. I know it's not a typo because there's a little frog at the end here. But uh Ribbert slash Robert will be doing the Williamsburg Bridge Marathon in New York.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:23

Now, I'm uh very interested to get Robert's race report on this because he was chatting about this while we were at Loopy Looper. And apparently, even though it says marathon, they do not tell the runners what the actual race distance is until the race begins. Wow. So it happens in the evening, so I guess that's how they're able to shut down a major bridge. And or or maybe not that you don't shut down the bridge, maybe you just do it along the like you know the walking paths or whatever. But I I found that to be very, very intriguing. So we'll be anxious to hear what the uh what the distance is. Sure will.

SPEAKER_07 1:10:01

Uh schedule for Saturday, New York Roadrunners, Percy Sutton Harlem 5K in New York, of course. Divya and Caitlin there. In Madison, Wisconsin, the Madison Mini Marathon, Tara and Carlos are signed up for that. Go to Sunday. There's a surf and sand 5K on Virginia Beach, Virginia. Rick and Beth will be there. Cool summer mornings, the ironically named race series in Claremont, Florida, race number three, a 5K. Mary Jo and Jody are there. And on Monday, Eileen's got a five-miler at Jones Beach, which is somewhere near the water. And that's it, friends. That's who we have on the race report for running this weekend. Friends,

Final Thoughts And Sign Off

SPEAKER_07 1:10:51

and if you run, you know you are our friend. Thanks for listening to this somewhat disjointed because we're recording it out of order. Episode 255 of the Rise and Run Podcast. We're glad that you're here. Hope you enjoyed that interview with Hilde. She was uh it was nice talking with her, and we hope we do hope to see her at a Disney race in the future. Good luck with your training. It's still hot, I know it is, but you can do it. Keep it up until we meet again. Happy running.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:30

The Rise and Run podcast discusses general information about Run Disney and is in no way affiliated with Run Disney or the Walt Disney Company. Any information or advice discussed on this podcast should not be considered medical advice. It should always consult with your healthcare provider or event organizers.

SPEAKER_09 1:11:53

We have a response for every heart.