Athletic Trainer Turned Marathon Mom: Amy Lyles on Bone Density, Peloton & PRs

DFW Running Talk: Amy Lyles
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Chris Detzel: [00:00:00] Welcome to DFW Running Talk. I'm Chris Deel, so let's get started.

All right. Welcome to another DFW Running Talk. I'm Chris Deel, and today's special guest is Amy Lyles. Amy, how are you?

Amy Lyles: Hi, good. How are you?

Chris Detzel: Doing well. So I interviewed and talked to Ray Nichols, a while back and saw him yesterday. As a matter of fact. He told me, you gotta really, you gotta interview Amy Lyles.

She's really awesome. And I was like, I don't even know. Like I, I think I've seen your name and things like that, here we are, and yeah, took his recommendation and I'm glad we're here today.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. Ray's the best, but yeah, he is, he's actually my neighbor, so we live like right around the corner from each other, so I see him all the time.

I used to, but haven't seen him in a while.

Chris Detzel: That's awesome. Look he's a great runner. He is. He's been a big influence in the community, I think. And you and I were talking a little bit before, I always call it the pre-show just so I get to know you slightly. And you mentioned that Melanie and Maddie.

Amy Lyles: Yep. We do. Maddie and I, we all know each other through Ray's track club. [00:01:00] And then it was actually funny, I worked for Plano West, so one morning before they closed the Plano West Track, I saw I had to be there really early for work because sports never stop. And it was during the summer and they were leaving the track and I was like, what a minute, whatcha are guys doing here?

I was getting the water for our football kids. It was like, people go to the track super early and I saw Ray, Maddie and Mel and they were like, yeah, why are you here? And that's, I guess was the very beginnings of Ray's Track Club. And I got added to the chat and then things just blew up from there.

And then I got really close with Melanie and. 2019 we did CIM, she was ahead of me. We did CIM together, but Melanie was way over there and I was back that way. And then Maddie, Melanie and I all have December babies together, so it's fun to keep track of babies and I always reach out to them for mom stuff, especially training 'cause they're both very elite.

So it's fun to talk to them and then talk, you can talk about marathon training and then all of a sudden change to, holy cow, my kid did not sleep at all last night. And it's just good to have that mom bond. And it,

Chris Detzel: It's something I always think [00:02:00] about is the community, right?

You've created a community of, other women mothers that you know, have babies the same time you did, basically. And you have a lot in common, and your runners. So I think that's really awesome.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, it's great. Do you talk

Chris Detzel: to.

Amy Lyles: I, for the most part, they, now that the babies are actually like earth side, so everybody's pretty busy.

But when I found out, yeah, Maddie was pregnant before she had made her big announcement, I actually found out I was pregnant the next day when after she had told me something weren't feeling right and I woke up to a text message 'cause I didn't feel good like trying to take a nap. And I woke up to the text message from Maddie, like of her ultrasound and I was like, oh my gosh, those, there's two babies in there.

And then the next day I was like, wait a minute, am I, my heart rate was acting funky. I had just ran a marathon, so I thought maybe you know, that post marathon virus and. I Googled like causes of heart rate and exhaustion. And the last thing was like pregnancy. Yeah. The next day after Maddie told me she was pregnant, I went and took a pregnancy test and I was like, oh, okay, cool.

Me too. [00:03:00] So I text Maddie and telling me like a picture of the pregnancy test and I was like, Hey LA joining the club. So they had their babies in June, July, and then my son was born in October, thankfully. Wow. I dunno how Maddy does it with three under two.

Chris Detzel: That's, look, it's all a journey, and it's, it'd be great when they grow up a little bit, but you also have to enjoy the time that you have with them because they grow up so fast.

Amy Lyles: Oh my gosh. Sorry. One of my children just popped up. Yeah, I yeah, it's crazy. I didn't think it, with the first one, I had no idea what I was doing. And so the second one, like now it just feels, I don't think I know what I'm doing, but it just feels like it goes by a lot faster.

Chris Detzel: Yeah, it does. And and when you get that second one, you really start getting really busy.

And I know that for me is, 'cause I have a couple of kids and, there's stages throughout and enjoy the stages when you can and, bring 'em around your running journey. And as a matter of fact, let's talk a little bit about that. So you're a runner and you've been, you've done several marathons, but I wanna get to know you a little bit about your journey and where you started and things like that.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, I was actually been trying to think about that. So I started running [00:04:00] in the seventh grade, so I was 12. I grew up in a very small little rural community Poca in New Mexico, so nobody ever really knows it. So I just say I grew up north of Santa Fe. By the casino. You ever go up north to Colorado?

I'm where all the casinos are uhhuh. But my mom actually made me start running in seventh grade where I grew up. Everybody loves basketball. And so I thought I was gonna be this hooper. I'm all of five, four foot nine at that point. Like I can't, no. So my my mom made me run cross country and I had no choice and I hated it in seventh grade, but I was good at running, like when I played basketball, my favorite part of practice was suicides because it was the only part I was good at and I was competitive.

So I liked the suicides, I played soccer. I was the fastest one down the field, but had no idea what to do with the ball because I got scared. So in eighth grade, in New Mexico, if you're fast enough, you can run varsity. So I got put on the varsity as an eighth grader and I kept telling my high school coach like, no, I don't want to go to state, cross country.

I just wanna be the alternate. I just wanna be the alternate. I don't actually [00:05:00] wanna run like I wanna go, but like I wanna be the eighth man, not the seventh. And yeah, I ended up, I was our third runner at State my eighth grade year and then we ended up, it was the last time my high school team, we used to have a really competitive cross country team.

And then, I don't really know, I think COVID, especially in that New Mexico took. COVID, like really serious. And that kind of just killed the sports a lot, especially cross country. They had to like really build. But we won state my eighth grade year and after that I was just hooked ever since.

Wait, I'm

Chris Detzel: confused. So you said in eighth grade or when you're in high school that you're running cross country and it used to be good then.

Amy Lyles: We're not COVID killed it.

Chris Detzel: So I feel like

Amy Lyles: Yeah, the program, oh yeah, no, I jumped Ed I gradu, that was in 2003. Okay. Yeah. No, we were really competitive. They're talking about

Chris Detzel: the program you have now with Yeah, the program cross country at your high school that, or that the school that you're at.

Got it.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. It's not pretty good. But no, we were really competitive when I was in high school and then it I don't know. It's really sad actually. Like before I graduated college and then moved to the DFWI was really [00:06:00] wanted to go back home and be the athletic, I'm an athletic trainer.

I'll talk about that in a second, but go back home and be the athletic trainer for my hometown. But now living in the DFWI don't think I could ever go back to my hometown. It's so small, which I love it. I love everything about it. I loved high school. It's just. I don't think I could, like my graduating high school class was like 130 people.

And then the school I work at now, my entire high school I think would fit in my freshman class.

Chris Detzel: Did you know, so I went to Little Elm High School and when I went we had literally, I. I think 918 people that were even in Little Elm. So you probably know where Little Elm is today and how big it is.

And I had 47 people in my graduating class. So it's grown that much now they have 70 or 80, I don't know, a thousand people. Big five a school. We were two A school then.

Amy Lyles: There's six A now. 'cause we they're six, we scrimmage them for football. 'cause I've been to that stadium a couple of times.

Chris Detzel: Okay. There's six A now yeah. Yeah.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. [00:07:00] So in high school I always found myself injured. And then my senior year of high school, I wanted to get all these cross country scholarships and I knew I wanted to run in college, but my senior year I fell off my parents' porch and I hurt my hip. And I still don't really know to this day what I did.

It was such a freak accident. It was so stupid. I missed this step and fell down like two or three on a concrete. And I, looking back, I don't know if I had like a labrum, I don't really know, but we didn't have an athletic trainer at my school, so I just like grinned and barred it and then missed my whole senior year of cross country.

So then in, I went, ended up running in college a small little D two school, Western New Mexico University. But I was not very good. I think I was just burnt out. I was out of shape from being injured. And to be honest, I think I wanted to party more than I did. Yeah, of course. Actually run 'cause I faster now than I actually was in college.

But in college is actually how I got introduced to athletic training, which I am now. So I do the medical for high school [00:08:00] sports. So my senior year of high school, like I wish somebody could have been there to help me, but I always thought it was physical therapy because we didn't have a physical therapist.

So I went to college, got a major in kinesiology, and then a minor in sports medicine. But my senior year of undergrad, I decided not to run cross country anymore. I just really did not enjoy it anymore. I didn't, I loved to run, but I did not like being a part of that team. I didn't like my coach.

We just didn't bond. I didn't like my teammates. I had more friends outside of it and it just, it was finally reached the point where I was like, I don't like this anymore. I don't get paid to do this. I'm not fast anymore. I'm hurt all the time. I just don't like it.

Chris Detzel: It sounds like you made the right decision, right?

Yeah,

Amy Lyles: I have to.

Chris Detzel: It's a small school. You probably weren't getting a scholarship for it and you were just doing it for

Amy Lyles: I did, but it was small well in New Mexico, I mean they have a really good program to keep high school kids in college. So it was the lottery. So I got the lottery scholarship which paid for your tuition.

And then I had the cross country [00:09:00] scholarship, which was small, but my senior year I was really close with the athletic director and the athletic trainers from taking those classes. So they told me like, Hey, why don't you just get your scholarship in the training room this year and we'll supplement it that way.

So I was still able to get money and that's actually when I decided no, I wanna be an athletic trainer. I actually really liked this aspect more than I liked the physical therapy aspect of it. So that's when I really got into athletic training. And then I graduated from undergrad in 2011 and then went and got my master's from Texas Tech in Athletic Training.

And then it's been. Yeah, I didn't run a ton in grad school, to be honest. 'cause grad school was hard. Obviously. And then it came down to sleep or running, so I ran when I could. But ooh, grad school hours and plus athletic training hours, like my hours are pretty wacky, 'cause sports are either before school or after school.

In the middle of the day. Games are any day of the week. And I'm there before the games start. I'm there till the games end. So in grad school, we had our full course load of eight to 12. We were in classes, and then we [00:10:00] would go to our clinical site and just work till that clinical site hours were done.

So so let's back up a little

Chris Detzel: bit outta curiosity. Did you, what was the longest run that you've ever run before, during kind of this time from seventh grade to where you are in grad school?

Amy Lyles: I did a half marathon in Leadville, not Leadville. Oh my gosh. In Los Alamos, New Mexico.

It was a heavy half, it was 2011. I did my first half marathon and that kicked my butt. I had no idea. And it was trail. I had trained on trails in Silver City, New Mexico, where I went to undergrad, which actually helped a ton in the Gila National Forest. It was beautiful. Loved it. And then I, yeah, I did my first half and right after I finished grad, right before I started grad school.

And then, yeah, that was interesting. And then just quit

Chris Detzel: running altogether.

Amy Lyles: Pretty much. Yeah, pretty much. And then, okay. I just wanted to see where you

Chris Detzel: were from a running standpoint there.

Amy Lyles: My last year of grad school I got back into running 'cause I was in a clinic where the hours were a lot more sustainable versus working Texas tech soccer [00:11:00] when they were in season or football season in Texas is a different beast for coaches and us.

So I, my senior, or sorry, my last year of grad school, I actually ran my first half marathon ever. That was very, but it was on the road. It was very interesting. It was actually the big DI don't know if you remember the Big

Chris Detzel: DI do. Yeah. That was my first marathon. Yeah,

Amy Lyles: it was the big D half, which obviously that Maloo is not around anymore.

That's one of my really good friends from grad school. We went and did it together. It was right after I had taken my boards test, so it was, I was exhausted and I just remember, I think we were in, you could still run through Highland Park at that time and just remember seeing somebody walking their Great Dane and just being like, gosh, I could ride that back to Fair Park.

I would be done. I'm so over this. Exactly. I'm so tired. I don't, I think I broke, I don't even know. I can't, I dunno if I looked up the results, I think I didn't even break. Two hours. It was just, oh, it kicked my butt. It was so hard. It was hot. Lubbock's dry and gross. But like Dallas [00:12:00] is also, April here can be a mess.

And then it can, yeah, it was, yeah. So that was my, so I did my first trail half in 2011, may of, or April of 2013 is when I did my first like road half. And then, yeah, that was, so I'm curious

Chris Detzel: when you think about, you're an experienced runner. We'll get into all that in a minute now. But back then, did you have like a training plan or a coach or what, I know you no.

Amy Lyles: No, you just sat down. I'm just

Chris Detzel: gonna run a half marathon

Amy Lyles: it no, that's lie. Okay. When I was in college and I trained for that first half, my professor at the time, I actually really need to get back in touch with him. Dr. Harris, he was a great dude. His wife was a professional cyclist. He's like an exercise fizz coach genius.

He helped me get back into it and gave me like a makeshift training program. And then in grad school I followed my friend's plan and we just, I think we ran 10 miles like once. And I was like, I didn't know anything about fueling. I didn't know anything about gels. I don't even think I. I don't know anything about anything like I do now.

I know we drank, so I took my boards test that Friday and then the race was on [00:13:00] Sunday. I know I drank on Friday after that test. Sorry mom, did you drink

Chris Detzel: a lot of wire or,

Amy Lyles: oh no. There's this place in Lubbock called Chimney's and they have the best frozen margaritas. So I know we finished that test at 11 o'clock and just went straight to chimney's and had a couple.

And then you think

Chris Detzel: they're still around or, oh

Amy Lyles: yeah. That place is very popular. There's actually one in Lubbock or no Fort Worth and they have, if you get the chance there, I think they're still around. It was good, but it's like right across the Texas main campus and yeah, so ran that first half marathon kick my butt.

I just was not in shape. And then after that it kickstarted my journey into marathoning. 'cause that fall of my first year out of grad school, I ran my first marathon in 2013 and got my butt kicked again and my back. Yeah. I know. That's a problem. I know. So dumb. That's actually like my first journey into figuring out why I get injured all the time.

But we were gonna do the half my best friend had gotten her PhD from UT San Antonio and she was like let's go run rock and roll San [00:14:00] Antonio. And I was like, okay, cool. Let's do it. And then I looked at the prices and was like, Mariah, she pool is only $10 more than the half. If we're gonna go that far, let's, we might as well just pull the trigger and run the fool and.

Oh, when I tell you it was hot that day, it was so hot. It was 2013, I think it was like 85 when we finished. And you know how freak Texas weather can be humid? It was awful. And I hit the windshield like a bug on a windshield at mile 20. It was a one run walking, like it was brutal. And I was just never ran a marathon.

I think I did one 20 mile run, just made it up. I, she had trained really hard for a marathon and then I just hopped into what she did, but just added on to the end and oh my gosh. Yeah, no, I die. Of course. Yes. Yeah. But then I ended up getting, so this is my transition into like when most people get hurt, they get like tendon issues, hamstring issues.

I get stress fractures and I don't really know why. That's because you're doing

Chris Detzel: too much at one time.

Amy Lyles: No we actually found out that [00:15:00] was my first like real stress fracture. I've had a few in high school, but that one I got one in my foot. And I just thought it was because I had done too much too soon.

And then it that, like you'll see in my little marathon journey, like I've just stress fracture after stress fracture. So then in what year was it fall of 20 20 17? No, I think it might have been 2018. 2019. I actually went to, I saw a doctor at the Carroll Clinic and I was like, what is happening?

I've had three major stress fractures in three, five years. Like big like tip fibula, which is not a non-weight bearing bone. My foot, my tibia, like why do these keep jumping around from spot to foot? So I got a referral to a bone density to get a bone density scan and I actually have like significant bone density issues.

Like I would basically be considered osteopenia, osteoporosis, but I'm. Pre menopause, so they won't actually consider me osteoporosis. But I've done, we don't know why and I've done a ton of research on it. Like I [00:16:00] think in some aspects of my life, I've never had like a true eating disorder, but I think I've lived in that reds zone without even realizing I wasn't eating enough for as much as I was training.

But I don't have the significant history of eating disorder. I've never had chemo. I went and saw a geneticist and went through my family history and they tested for what's it called, like brittle bone disease. Like I don't have any of that. So I'm in this weird area that there's not a ton of research on because most research, research on women is lacking in general, which I've found, especially elite.

I'm not an elite, but like athletic women. Especially with like breastfeeding and bone density issues, none of that. So I've done a ton of research, but yeah, I have really bad bone issues, so I have to like really adjust my running now. But I found that out in 2019 I think. Yeah, it was 2019. 'cause then I went and ran the New York City marathon and then I ran and ran CIM in December and then the VIN happened.

Chris Detzel: Did you start eating more or, 'cause it sounds like Matt, I'm just curious like

Amy Lyles: yeah. I eat well. I try to like, I don't do any meals [00:17:00] fasted, like any, runs, any kind of physical activity like fasted anymore. 'cause I used to do that, I wouldn't wake up with enough time to eat.

I'm just like, eh, I'm fine. And then I would go run 10 to 12 miles and I wouldn't eat. I feel like crazy now after like tons of research on that. Have you found that

Chris Detzel: helped?

Amy Lyles: Yes, I, my bone density has improved compared to what it was. It's still really not great which sucks. But I talked to one doctor and I'm hoping she's on the right path, is that there's not a ton of research and maybe I am considered normal just on the low end of normal, but since nobody really goes and gets a bone scan, unless you're, like you're in a case like mine or you have a significant other history that causes you to do that.

But yeah, it's been an interesting journey trying to figure out how to manage that. So I ran a marathon I ran. New York in 2019. And then I ran CIM in 2019 and like PRD at CIM and then had to take a giant break from, one COVID happened and then two I had a baby. And the baby, let's

Chris Detzel: back up.

So I'm curious 'cause I always ask people whether they like [00:18:00] it or not. What's your, what was your CIM time? As a pr then My

Amy Lyles: m time was a PR of 3 21 30. Okay. Something. I just looked that up earlier. Yeah. So my PR originally, I had ran it at grandma's in 2017 and it was a 3 22 and then I went to CIM and had what I thought at the time was like the best race day ever and like things could have went great, but I ran Houston, which I can talk about in a little bit.

That was like my dream day especially considering what I had came back from. Yeah, it was a 3 21 at CIM, which I loved CIMI think it was. Yeah. Such a cool experience. A lot of people love that. Yeah. Actually outside of the race itself, my best friend and I, she was supposed to run it with me, but she actually got pregnant.

She. Did the coolest offset thing just to save money, but we actually stayed at the hostel right outside of the Capitol building. It was saved a lot of money. Yes, it was so cheap. But thankfully we booked ahead enough that we didn't have to share a room with some randoms that we, because I wouldn't have liked that.

But the coolest thing about that was the breakfast the morning before, the day before the race, it was just runners from like [00:19:00] all over the country, all just sitting in this cool like dining area. Like just talking about running and where you're from. I think that might've been besides the pr, but that might've been my favorite part of that whole trip was just this let's just save money to go do this.

And then, yeah, we just met people from all over the world, all different goals. And then I made friends with this one girl we got on the bus together, we chatted the whole way up to the top. It was so cool. That was there. Did her Insta

Chris Detzel: or did you know? No,

Amy Lyles: I remember talking to her, but like I sh probably should have, 'cause we were both, we had both qualified for Boston at the time.

And then. The plan was to go and then COVID obviously happened, but yeah. That was so

Chris Detzel: on. On some of those runs. Did you find a community of people within Dallas to Yeah. To run with or what? How did that look like?

Amy Lyles: Yeah. For training through CIM, I would train with, it was what, I forgot what Pegasus was before it was Pegasus, but that's how I met like Fons and Nick Polito and all of that.

Jill actually I met Jill in Houston when she had her first like big break from Houston, or big breakout at Houston. But [00:20:00] yeah, and then I've met just a ton of other people throughout, run with the co-op and then, yeah, it's just all over the place.

Chris Detzel: Who's your favorite person to ever run with?

Amy Lyles: I have my favorites from each training block, but some of the people here are like, that's why whenever I get injured I'm always like, I'm lonely. I have no friends. 'cause you see your exactly at five o'clock in the morning, but we've actually made through RTC and like this little group of people that live by us we actually have this little Castle Hills running group.

So that's been fun. Like when I was training for Houston, it's like Ray, David, er, Dan Club, just like a small little group of us that would meet Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays by the house. And so that was nice. So those are probably my people now. Yeah, I was joking around. It was kind a

Chris Detzel: fun little,

Amy Lyles: yeah I can ask.

Chris Detzel: It sounds like you ran with a lot of different people, so you know, but I put you on the spot.

Amy Lyles: Alright. CM

Chris Detzel: and Yeah, it's like, what kind of question was that? My favorite person is

Amy Lyles: Ray or whatever. Actually [00:21:00] just kidding.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. I hope he hears that. You know what, I'm gonna just highlight that particular moment and Yeah.

Race. Send it over to him. So you run CIM, you get a pr, you're pretty happy. And then what happened after that?

Amy Lyles: The vid basically happened. COVID happened. The world shut down. So my trajectory into what the heck is going on. So my plan was always though, I was actually gonna, my husband and I told my husband like, no, I'm running the New York City marathon and I want to have a baby.

Like I want this one big marathon. 'cause I've been hurt again before that. Another stress fractures in plantar fasciitis got that really bad from standing so much with football games. Oh, that really was awful. 20. So I ran New York and then I was like maybe we should wait till CIM. 'cause I was on birth control and I don't wanna get off of birth control while trying to train for a marathon and screw up the hormones.

Ran CIM and then the plan was to have a baby and then. COVID happened and so I actually was running a ton during COVID 'cause there was nothing else to do. My school was closed, there was no sports. And I actually ended up getting a stress fracture [00:22:00] in my pubic bone. Yeah, it was awful. Then at the same, around the same time, I found out I was pregnant.

So I was like, what the heck? So I actually didn't really run. A ton while pregnant. Like I thought I'd let my pubic bone heal, and then throughout my entire pregnancy, my pubic bone would just, oh, it hurt so bad. But, I was pregnant, like I was large and in charge, like I can't, of course every pubic bone hurt, so I still tried to run while pregnant.

Yeah. But I was just like run, walking up until like I had my son. And then after that it took like the really long route of trying to, not hop into running too soon. I had done a ton of research about like pelvic floor health had seen a pelvic floor. Physical therapist tried to do everything I could to try and come back to normal, but things still didn't really feel right.

I just started forcing the run 'cause I was so impatient. 'cause I was like, what the heck? I know all these people that are having babies around the same time as me, they're already back running. They're doing everything like wonderful, like I'm gonna do it too. And then I remember it was the summer and my son was like six months post.

He was like six months old. And I went for this 12 mile run [00:23:00] and I knew things weren't right 'cause I couldn't go fast and I wanted to do a marathon that fall, but I was like, I can't. I can run, but it's still very uncomfortable. I would get this like what I call just like my ab pain, but it was basically like radiating pain from the.

A stress fracture. Went for a 12 mile run and then just was like, this sucks one, it was already starting to be this summer, he's six months. So it was like June. And then I went, I saw Logan Sherman and I told him what was going on and he actually adjusted my pubic bone, which was felt great. And then three, four hours later, I was like, you know what, this hurts.

And it's no fault to Logan, like he was just doing his job. Just something just still didn't feel right. So I and like finally sometimes I have to have a come to Jesus with myself where I'm like, okay, is this runner Amy talking? Or like athletic trainer Amy with the medical background no, you're hurt.

Like you've been hurting for six months, obviously you're hurt. Yeah. Yes. This is not, you still can't go fast. Your stride is awkward. Go to the doctor. So I went and thankfully for my job, I actually have a lot of connections with a lot of orthopedics. So I texted our [00:24:00] doctor friend at the time and was like, Hey, I am not okay.

Can we just go ahead and get an MRI like get something done. And I got my MRI back and I had a. Very significant stress fractures on like both sides of my pubic bone and it's called Wow. So I had the stress fractures and then osteo pubis, which is common in pregnant women and runners sometime from like the repeated stress to the pubic bone.

And then I had a tear in my adductor muscle that like connects to the pubic bone. So that sounds bad. Yeah, it was awful. That took me out for a year so I could not run for a whole year. It was such a pain in the butt. I did all the physical therapy, I did all the pelvic floor therapy and then I had actually at six months, I was like, it has to be better.

Tried to get run, walking again. The pain came right back. Got another MRI 'cause I was like I already met my deductible. Might as well go get an M MRI again. Oh yeah, got it. Got the MRI that December and it was still had the stress fracture. There was signs of healing, but I still had the stress fracture, so then I had to wait like another, chose to wait like another six months.

So that, that took me out [00:25:00] a year. I found a. Wonderful physical therapist. Her name is Dr. Erin Simon. I have to shout her out 'cause And Dr. Amelia, she's wonderful but I have, I'll send this to them. But I met Dr. Simon through Gate Happens. It's this online chiropractor community and they're legit.

'cause I had gotten plantar fasciitis really bad to the point where I was like Googling surgery to see if somebody would just cut it so it would get better and met with them. One of my friends also perks of being an athletic trainer, have a lot like, I'm like Megan, one of my really good friends, Megan.

I'm like, please tell me what's wrong with me. Fix me. I need you to fix runner Amy, not athletic trainer Amy. 'cause I don't know how to fix myself right now. So she referred me to Gate Happens who then referred me through Dr. Simon through that program. And then she was like one of the sole people who like really helped me get back to running.

So it came down to really learning how to breathe and control your core. 'cause if the core up top is unstable, the pubic bone and like it's all gonna be off whack. I had to go through like major like adductor training, glue training, all of learning how to jump and absorb, load, [00:26:00] do all of that.

But it took a full year to get back to running and like I had to start from I have a picture of it. 'cause I took it and I was like, all right, I am going to take a picture of this because this is a day that I'm going to look back and remember hey, okay, you started from zero, you can do this.

Like you're okay. So yeah, I started like the five minutes run, one minute run, one minute walk times five. And that was in June of 2023? No. Was it two? Somewhat recent? 2022 is when I started. Okay. Yeah. And then, alright.

Chris Detzel: Wow, that's insane. Yeah, it

Amy Lyles: was, it took a year. And then also that's, I have to, I'm a Peloton whore.

I love Peloton.

Chris Detzel: Oh, this you doing something a little different.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. And that's, so in that time, Laura Ray and Laura actually during the pandemic, Peloton offered three full months. Three three months to their three three, yeah. Trying to like, just to get people on their app. 'cause that's when Peloton blew up was during the pandemic when nobody could work out.

So through that I got hooked on Peloton 'cause I stole a bike. So Laura is

Chris Detzel: Ray's wife? Yes. So that's who you're talking about? Yeah. Okay. Yes. Just. Yeah. [00:27:00] So people know.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. Lauren Ray got me into Peloton. So we would do like yoga together or we would do core classes. And then I stole a bike. I say stole, I borrowed a bike from high school.

'cause I was like, there's nobody here and nobody's using it. So like I took a bunch of weights home, which are still at my house if my athletic director listens. And then I got a bike. So I would just follow along and started to like, just cycle a ton and just became obsessed with that community.

Because while running, when you're hurt there's just it's so isolating and it's can be so lonely because I always, my husband always makes fun of me and I'm like, I don't have any friends. And he's oh, shut up. Yes you do. You just don't see them because my social activity is five o'clock in the morning when I see you and we run for an hour and I.

Talk about all the things when you're hurt, it can just be like so lonely. And people, runners are inherently selfish, I like to say. And people, you're just, 'cause you're not actively training with somebody, it's easy to fall to the back burner. Peloton to me was just like this void that got filled.

I love it. I'm still very much a peloton horn. I did finally get a real bike. My mom [00:28:00] helped me buy it 'cause she was like, I'm tired of hearing you whine. How bad you wanna a peloton, let's just get it. You can pay me back and we'll do like a payment plan. And she was like, because out of anybody that's going to use the Peloton, it will be you.

And I was like, you're not wrong. So her name is Lola. That's my bike's name is Lola.

Chris Detzel: So you know with Lola, is Peloton the same, is it just as hardcore as it used to be or is it Oh yeah. Some of the trainers gone and how does that work? No,

Amy Lyles: it's still, I mean they've had some like fallbacks and some downfalls, but it's still very much hard.

There's quite a few friends like in the DFW that I've made through Peloton. Like I became really close with Jane. She loves Peloton too, so like you can take like classes with people. So that was my way of getting still. But there's some instructors that, honestly, I'm trying to go to New York in November to get into a class.

Some of my friends are running New York and I was like, I wanna go to Peloton. Like I'll cheer you on for the marathon, whatever. They actually

Chris Detzel: have real classes. Like you can go face to face or,

Amy Lyles: yes, they do. Okay. They don't have as many as they used to, but, I actually think they're a sponsor for the New York City Marathon.

So I'm gonna try to go to the runs. I'm gonna try to meet all of them. 'cause I think I might cry. There's some [00:29:00] instructors that, like one of them quit of, it was like my best friend died, which is dramatic, but she quit and I cried. I was like, oh my gosh, no. You don't even know me. But you helped me not ever fall into I'm giving up completely.

Oh, it was I've cried on that bike. I have so many mantras from that bike. I love it. But yeah. Sorry. So I had to It's good story.

Chris Detzel: I still have some questions around that.

Amy Lyles: Yeah.

Chris Detzel: Because I think, a lot of people fell into the Peloton, but it feels like it's died down a little bit.

You're saying it hasn't, so that's interesting.

Amy Lyles: No, it has definitely. When the gyms opened up, people started and they. I don't think they marketed, did their marketing very well. But there's still, I have quite a few friends who just got bikes, so I'm like, yes, welcome to the cold, but I'll hype anybody up to Peloton.

'Cause you can do anything besides but the bike, you can go on an outdoor walk. There's strength classes specifically for runners. There's yoga for runners, meditation if you can't sleep in the middle of the night, like they have just about everything on that little app. I don't know if they're gonna

Make it, but we'll see.

Their corporate

Chris Detzel: office is right here in Dallas, right off of Legacy, legacy West.

Amy Lyles: I've seen it, but I don't know if that's [00:30:00] their actual office. I don't know. 'cause I don't they have a

Chris Detzel: big office there. I've seen it.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. And me too.

Chris Detzel: I've seen like things available, like jobs and stuff that people send over, so maybe I

Amy Lyles: need to, I just need to be a Peloton heightman, like just sign me up and just let me meet the instructors.

That's all

Chris Detzel: I don't know what they have in Dallas. Yeah. Whether it's just a corporate office and then, they're. But that's interesting. I like that you did that because, a lot of times as runners it's hard. It's hard to make that shift to something different. I.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, it was, I've always thought I would be like a triathlon person, but one, I'm don't wanna buy a bike. And two, swimming is hard. Like every time I get hurt I'm like, I'm gonna swim. And then I'm like, no, this sucks. Wait, did you say don't wanna

Chris Detzel: buy a bike? You have a, you do Peloton all the time.

Amy Lyles: I know, but I can't commit to a road bike and I'm too afraid to fall, to be completely honest.

I'm clu, I fall, it's always a running joke of like, when I'll fall. Yeah, I agree. I think

Chris Detzel: that you might, you're very injury prone. It sounds so,

Amy Lyles: yeah,

Chris Detzel: probably cycling is awesome and fun, but it's just it's, it feels dangerous sometimes to me, get on the [00:31:00] road.

Yeah. I'm with you.

Amy Lyles: No.

And I've thought about it, like my little, my 4-year-old, we just got him a bike, so I'm like, I'm gonna bike with you. And then I'm like, yeah, I'm just gonna get a cheaper bike. And let's see if he's

Chris Detzel: yeah, just get a cheap bike and just ride with the kid,

Amy Lyles: but like with my crappy old lady bones that's how I supplement a ton of.

The cardio and the everything else is was through Peloton because okay. I thought it came to the it took a long time, to be honest. I should have probably put myself like to see a sports psychologist because when I found out how crappy my bone density was and then that year off of know something that I've been obsessed with since I was 12, and like having had that realization like, am I actually going to be able to run again?

There was a, I'm gonna be honest, that year was I might tear up really hard and just I had just, it was a long of time just was like, why am I not getting better? What is happening? And then especially as a new mom, there's so much pressure and I don't even think people realize they put that pressure on you, but you're gonna have a baby, you're gonna be so much faster.

Just wait. You'll be so much faster. Oh, you didn't run while you were [00:32:00] pregnant. What's wrong? Why didn't you do that? I did this, I had ran 10 miles a day. I was born like the baby. The baby was born, which is great for some people, but I. For a lot of people, like myself included, I just, I couldn't And it was like You tried.

Yeah. And I did, and it ended up screwed up. 'cause I learned that the hard way again. But yeah, it's a very, it was a weird conversation to have to myself. But I have I started running when I was 12. I heard of the Boston Marathon in the eighth grade from my high school coach who was running it.

I just had to realize, my dreams of doing this till I'm 80 are probably not very realistic anymore. I can't run. The 80, 90 mile weeks I tried, I got to 75, got a stress fracture and I just have to do what's right for me. And then just try to ignore all of the outside pressures.

'cause it's so easy. Like I love runners and I love the runners in the DFW, but like the pressure of everybody running a marathon is always oh, you're not running a marathon. What are you doing? You're not running 80 miles, you're not gonna get fast enough to run that pr. I'm like, okay, I have to like just tune it all out.

So it's been, I

Chris Detzel: feel like that we [00:33:00] put that pressure on ourselves. 'cause we're around that all the time. All the time. And we feel like maybe we should do that as well, right? Oh

Amy Lyles: yeah. And it's nobody else's. Like I don't blame any other people. Actually I learned this from a Peloton instructor, but it's actually a little Wayne quote.

I don't know if you listen to rap, but I love me some wheezy as baby. I have, yes, if real GS roll in silence, like lasagna. And it's basically just I live by that quote because it's just like you keep to yourself with the running, you do your own thing and you just gotta tune out the outside noise.

And I heard that from a Peloton instructor and I was like, that's not wrong. And I just have made the choice not to actively talk about my training and what I do to certain people, just so I cannot let those outside voices as much as they mean just get in my head. So that's my, I live by real G's role in silence, like lasagna.

Chris Detzel: Couple things. 'cause I wanna ask you a question about being pregnant and the things it's a good point because I think that whenever you think about. All those miles that people run, to me, like whenever I was [00:34:00] training for marathons, one I never really liked that.

I've run three or four marathons. I've done 50 Ks and several half marathons, 20 milers, et cetera. Lots of things like that. And one thing that I didn't like was the training for a marathon, because it was just too much and too long. 10 years ago, I decided, do you know what? I'm not running a marathon anymore.

My wife basically said, she goes, Chris, you get mad every time you're done with a 20 mile training or whatever, like, why you don't seem to like it? Why are you doing it? And I was like, because the reason I was doing it is 'cause I felt the pressure of the things that you were saying, you're running Back then I was running with Dallas Running Club and I was pacing the three, three hours and 20 minutes group, and I felt I had to run a marathon, like I'm pacing a fast group.

And or to me it was fasting. And she, she said that, and I was like, you, no, I don't have to run a marathon.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. That's. Thing too. When I get hurt and I hear of other people getting stress fractures is I always try to be that person's biggest support system. Or like anybody, time I hear somebody's hurt.

Like I always try to make it a point, I don't like Strava, but [00:35:00] I still go creep. I'm just, I get lonely. Sure. I'm like of people do Hey, I saw you're hurt. Can I do anything? Can, these are like, if I, especially if it's a stress fracture, just I'm like, Hey, don't forget to check your vitamin D take all of this stuff like, can help get you into a doctor and just help people.

'cause I know how that feels, but I, yeah, it's a. It's a lot like, and then, and like I said, that whole, it was an entire year and I was like, what is happening? But yeah, I did that first run. I took a picture of it and I was like, okay, this is it. Like I am going to run a marathon again as a mom. It's going to happen.

I don't care when it happens. And then I hired a coach, Neely Gracie. She's wonderful. And she helped me. It took me a while to start working with her again. Like I didn't work with her until I felt, I think I had gotten my long grown up. I think I could until I could run like 30, 45 minutes straight.

And then we started together. And then the plan was, I ran my first half marathon back post baby fall. No, I'm sorry. It was the big, no, what is it called? The one that's in April and Frisco that everybody just. [00:36:00]

Chris Detzel: Yeah. The half or,

Amy Lyles: yes, I did the half Toyota

Chris Detzel: one.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. No, the one that oh my gosh. I should know that.

And I did it in April of 2 20 23. 'cause then I was like, all right, I did that. Half came back, got to that and then it wasn't the cow

Chris Detzel: town, right? That's not No,

Amy Lyles: it was the one in Frisco in April.

Chris Detzel: Frisco. Yeah. People just did that one.

Amy Lyles: Yes. I know it was

Chris Detzel: Toyota something or another.

Amy Lyles: Anyways, it's, no, that's gonna bother me.

I have a picture of it on my phone. But yeah, I did that my, that was my first half back. Came back. Yeah. From that, got to that. And then I actually, I wanted to break, actually I wanted to finish and I think I finished with a 1 32. 1 31 30. It was like somewhere between 1 33 and 1 31. Like a high 1 31. I don't remember, but it was So that's really

Chris Detzel: fast.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. I was. I was really happy 'cause I was like, what the heck? And I just wanted to finish. You're back. Yeah. And that's what I kept telling myself. I don't like to say a comeback. I just said it was a new beginning and that was like [00:37:00] my mantra for it. It started from Yeah. And that's what I even had a playlist on Spotify called The New Beginning.

'cause I run with music when I'm not with people.

Chris Detzel: Yeah.

Amy Lyles: Awesome. I was so happy. My son and my husband were there, which was great because that's all I ever wanted, and then I just kept telling myself like, I don't, does your husband run or

Chris Detzel: anything? Or is it just you

Amy Lyles: He is gotten into five Ks, but he, I don't think he would consider himself a runner, but he'll go run like a mile or two, which I think is great.

But no, he's not like a,

Chris Detzel: you don't have to be a, I think that it's considered you as a runner. Nobody says this is what you have to do to be a runner, so yeah,

Amy Lyles: he is. But he is, we've done a few five Ks together, which is fun. We've pushed my oldest in the stroller once.

That was interesting. It was cold and rainy and he was like one, he had just turned one and he was like, what pissed the whole 5K. Thank goodness it was only a 5K. But yeah, I did that and then that June I decided, all right, I'm doing Houston 2024. Hell or high water, like I am doing it. I'm gonna qualify for Boston as a mom, I.

And

Chris Detzel: you had a coach?

Amy Lyles: Yes. [00:38:00] With Neely. Yeah. Okay. She, and we came up with a plan. She's wonderful. She basically, I, does she coach

Chris Detzel: here in Dallas?

Amy Lyles: No, she's in Colorado.

Chris Detzel: Okay, got it.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, she, I had met her, I got introduced for, to her for, through another friend who was working with her and I was like, that sounds right.

And she's the mom now. She's pregnant again actually with her third Olympic trial fall fire. I think she's gotten into the two, I don't know if she's broken two 30 up, two 30 marathon or like low two 30. And then she created a plan. She knew all about my bone history and my injury history and so we made a plan and yeah, I ended up running Houston and then I did a lot of races in between that in Houston and which kind of just showed like, oh my gosh, like I'm in shape.

And it's cool because everybody. I only really ran four, five days a week. And it was like Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. And then I started mixing in Sunday towards the end. But like Monday was

Chris Detzel: just some Peloton workouts too, or? Yeah,

Amy Lyles: so like Tuesdays and Thursdays were like hard Peloton, like it was in okay hour.

Good. They have these hit hills rides, so I would do an [00:39:00] hour of those hitting hills every day. And then I was lifting, lifting is actually, I didn't talk about that, but I lift a lot too. 'cause of the bone health, it's really good for bone density. So I lift two to three times a week, maybe more depending on the week.

But like on the days I would run hard, so like Wednesdays were like my speed work days. And then we would do like a workout in the long run on Saturdays. But yeah, on June, whatever day Houston Marathon opened up that fall or that summer, I was like, all right, that's it. And I text my friend 23 that

Chris Detzel: you ran it, or 24?

Amy Lyles: 24. June. January 24. Yeah. So I text my friend. Yeah, no, who is my wonderful training partner. She's awesome. That's another chick I'll give you her information for. She's amazing. Who is this? Annabel Meyer. So I text her and I was like, all right, we're doing it. Like no matter what we're going to finish.

And she was also, she's BQ plenty of time, so we both wanted to try to have the best race possible. But since I'm in Carrollton, Plano area and she's in Dallas, we really only could do like our long runs together. But every Saturday it was nice just to have her there and just, just have that [00:40:00] accountability.

But yeah. And then leading up to this, where'd y'all run?

Chris Detzel: Did you run at the lake or?

Amy Lyles: Yeah, we'd made it. She's real big with Pegasus and Fs. She was being trained by FS at the time and yeah, we would meet every Saturday. Yeah.

Chris Detzel: Got it.

Amy Lyles: Okay. And then, yeah, I ran the DRC half that November. Yeah. Because I did three big races, like back to leading up to Houston.

And I was like, oh my gosh. In the middle of the training box I was like, Neely, you're gonna kill me. And she was like no, I actually just really, you need to get used to racing and you need to start racing hard. Ugh. Okay. So I did the DRC half and then two weeks later I did the eight miler for the Turkey trot, the Dallas Turkey trot.

And then I did my half pr. I ran my half PR in at the Dallas half marathon, which I never actually, what's your I ran a 1 28 50 something.

Chris Detzel: That's awesome.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, I was so happy. 'cause that was my big pr I like, I hadn't broken one 30 yet and I was like, I know I can do this. Like I have the 5K speed and like the 200 turnaround, like to do this.

Like why can't I ever [00:41:00] do it? And I did. Finally, I ran a 1 28 and that was the year I was so mad. They, the course was measured wrong because of the construction. So like I was sprinting in for my whole life and I was doing the math. I was like, my last three miles were in the six thirties like. I'm pretty, I like to negative split races a lot.

So I was coming in and I was doing the math and I was like, what is happening? That's crazy. I didn't know that. Especially Gers Math. I'm like, what is wrong with me? Like I know. I'm not that dumb. Like I'm not good at math, but I know I'm not messing this up. And yeah, I came through the clock. It was like 1 29 54, 1 29.

I was like, I was so sad. 'cause I knew my splits were like a six 40 average. There's no way. And then they came back and they're like, no, here's the adjusted time. I was like, oh, finally I did it. But yeah.

Chris Detzel: That's awesome. Yeah, I remember that race I ran. I raced it too, and I think I got 1 35 that year.

But

Amy Lyles: yeah, there was a sprint for my life trying to get under. I just remember seeing that clock and being like, what is happening? And just yeah. I was so mad. Yeah.

Chris Detzel: 13.7 later. Yes.

Amy Lyles: I looked at the, whatever it was, I remember I was texting Javier Chola about it and I was like, dude, what is going on? [00:42:00] He's Amy, you're fine.

You broke it. And I was like, no, look at my splits. Like it should have been better. But yeah. Then they fixed it. Thankfully they fixed it.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. Yeah.

Amy Lyles: And then, yeah.

Chris Detzel: That's awesome, by the way. That's really great. To run that time at Dallas half is really good.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, I was very happy. And then, like I said, that whole training block, everything just felt right and fell into place.

And then yeah, I did, and that was in the middle of like marathon training. So I think like the next week I had my first 20 mile run, which is scary when you haven't ran one of those in a really long time. But I did two twenties and then, yeah. And then I, typical klutzy Amy, I was on a run with Dan Club and I fell, busted my arm in a pothole by an Andes.

I was New Year's Eve and then yeah, went into taper town, swollen and bruised, but, and then, yeah, we made it to the marathon Houston 2024, that January it was.

Chris Detzel: You weren't injured. You're just got hurt. That was it. Okay. That's good. No, I busted

Amy Lyles: my elbow. Yeah, I, it was so swollen. Thankfully, I was actually really scared, but honestly, every big training block I have, I fall like, so I'm like, oh [00:43:00] gosh.

I knew it was gonna happen eventually. I'm so clumsy, so annoying. I used to say I don't fall lot, I just give gravity. Like I'm just giving the ground a hug. So gravity works

Chris Detzel: but you keep on, that's the. Story to me is that, this woman just, she gets hurt, but she keeps focusing on trying to get better.

She does other things outside of running because she has to build that community. Not just the community, but yourself. Working out is important to you. It's a lifestyle, so you continue to push, and I love that.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. I'm annoyingly determined. But yeah, Houston, then I ran my PR by.

Like seven, sorry, I'm looking at my times. By seven minutes. So I ran a three 14 25. Yeah, it was awesome. It was the best day I could have asked for. Oh, it was a wreck. Getting to it was the worst morning before the race, but I, this will probably play in for later, and I'm sorry if this is TI, but I was supposed to start my period that day and I was like, ah, crap.

Like really? You run a marathon the first time in however many years and you're gonna start that day? Are you [00:44:00] kidding me? That'll play into the baby number two coming in a second. Yeah, I started that morning, you wake up at four 30, I'm trying to eat. My 4-year-old starts throwing up. I was like, what is happening?

We're all in the same bed. I'm like yeah. He just looks at me. He's I text Randy and Caitlin, my friends, and I'm like, I need you guys to talk me off of the ledge because I'm about to, I haven't run a marathon in how long? I didn't sleep great the night before. Just those, I just didn't really sleep.

Logan's throwing up. Yeah. I feel like I'm about to start my period any second. This is awful. And so they were like, you're fine, you're good. Just come because I make it happen. Went to their hotel room and 'cause Caitlin ran the first half of the marathon with me. So I went to their hotel room and they were like, you're good.

They just talked me down. And then we did the run Pegasus, like picture. I saw Annabel gave her a hug and then, oh my gosh, walking up to that race was like, honestly, I don't even know if I could have had to run the race, but just like making it to that starting line was just like everything to me.

Healthy, oh, the emotions walking up to that starting line were unreal. I kept telling people like, you're here. They were like telling me, I was [00:45:00] like, don't just leave me alone. Like I'm crying. Just stop. Please stop. Because I didn't wanna cry before. But yeah, that race was like, the fueling was great.

I worked with the nutritionist through Neely, through my coach, so I got to work with her and that got dialed in the fueling night more for that marathon than I, I felt like I was like the Pillsbury Doughboy walking up to that starting line 'cause she had me eat so much before.

Chris Detzel: Sounds like it worked.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, I took seven gels, like all the things, I was so hydrated. I stopped to pee twice, which was annoying. I don't know how people pee themselves while running. I just don't think I can do that. So I stopped to pee twice. I don't, no, like Randy told me like, just pee yourself. And I was like no. Like

Chris Detzel: how do you do that?

Amy Lyles: I like a can so I stopped to pee twice. But yeah, I it was a seven minute PR and then I negative split the back half by two and a half minutes. Yeah, I had a lot left in the tank. My last mile I broke seven, so that was even cooler. I ran like a six 50 something. So I clearly had

Chris Detzel: pretty impressive

Amy Lyles: a lot left.

Yeah, it was wild. 'cause I remember it was somewhere near two.

Chris Detzel: You got to rest a couple times 'cause you had to stop and pee. So [00:46:00] I

Amy Lyles: know. At the starting line I was like, do I have to pee or am I just nervous? And then finally at a mile and a half I was like, oh no, I have to pee. Like I'm gonna go pee.

I cannot hold this. But yeah. Yeah, for, it was right around TCUI told my friend Caly, who had ran most of it like. I was running like in the mid seven twenties. I'm just like, I just, I feel a little panicked, like I should be going faster, but I'm actually like, just, okay, where I'm at right now I feel, like I said, I don't wanna blow up.

I understand like PR or er, but it's I haven't run a marathon in five years. I just really want to finish. So I told her the plan was, I was like, all right, I'm gonna get to 16 and then I'm gonna start dialing it down. And then 16, that's a lake loop I can, that's 10 miles. It's just lake loop.

I know that like the back of my hand. And then it just started like. Clicking and I was like, what is happening? This is not very hard. Like I feel good. I had my little music blasting. Yeah. And then all of a sudden everything like, yeah, I, I don't even know what happened, but yeah, I just kept cruising along and things just kept.

Feeling better [00:47:00] and took another gel.

Chris Detzel: You changed everything. This, that's what happened, right? You got a coach, you got a nutritionist, or your coach was helping you with nutrition. You were running the miles, you were racing beforehand. You did a lot of things different than you ever have before.

So that's what clicked, yeah. And to me that, I don't know that you truly hit your potential, but you definitely hit, PR and an amazing, and had an amazing race, yeah. It was so That's amazing. So congratulations.

Amy Lyles: It was, thank you. Yeah. It was like I said, it was just like the best day.

My kid and my husband were there it was just, oh, I was so happy. Great. I'm glad I got the video. You can go back and watch a recording, but just like the elation, the relief, the oh my gosh, I just did it. I finally like just the relief of, I, I did this, like I haven't. Look at what you did.

Look at where you came from. You literally had to start all over again. I did it and I was just, I tend not to hype myself up too much. 'cause especially the people that you've had on this podcast, I'm like I'm on the better side of average. But that was my day and nobody could have taken away from it.

I was just so happy. [00:48:00] And then, yeah, it was I think that

Chris Detzel: comparing yourself is just, it's useless, because we are who we are, there's always somebody faster, there's always somebody slower, and so you did your best and you did some really great things that other people can take away easily.

Yeah,

Amy Lyles: no doubt. It was a wonderful I just am still so happy. But then, yeah, we took a couple weeks off and this is where did end up starting the period mid-race. Yeah. So I would like it to be known during the race.

Chris Detzel: You did?

Amy Lyles: Yes. I just remember I finished and I was like, oh, I gotta go. And then I, yeah, so finished the marathon, was talking to my coach and the goal was Boston, this past Boston.

So I guess April of 2025 we were gonna go. And then the plan was to have a very serious conversation with my husband about having another baby. I was on team baby number two. My husband's an only child, so like he was gonna take a little bit more convincing, but I think he was on the same page.

He just hadn't admitted it yet.

Chris Detzel: You'll talk them into it. I have a feeling.

Amy Lyles: Then about a month later, like I said, it was Super Bowl weekend. And I wasn't feeling great and I wear, I used to wear a [00:49:00] whoop, I dunno if you've ever heard the research about a whoop, but it, it was like the fitness tracker thing.

It was so cool. The technology of, it's really cool. It's just really expensive and I don't wanna pay for it right now. But it picked up that my heart rate had spiked and that my resting blood pressure was weird. I had a fever, not a fever, but like my body temperature was elevated and I just wasn't resting.

'cause my heart rate runners, our heart rates are normally like low forties, low fifties, like lower. And it was at 80 no matter what. Like I would just lay down and my would just be like, pound. I was like, what is wrong with me? Did I get a virus like. What is happening And my period after my son, I didn't get a period at all while breastfeeding, which I think paid part of it into the bone density and the energy deficiency stuff.

'cause breastfeeding sucks you everything. And my periods were always screwy, but I was like, I'm late, but it's only two days. This can't, this cannot be a thing. So then when Maddie sent me her picture, I was like, of her ultrasound. And I was like, there's no way maybe. I'm only two days late.

Maybe I had just have a virus after the marathon, like it has to be [00:50:00] a virus. And then all of a sudden, the next day I went to go check on one of my middle schools due an injury evaluation. And I was driving by a Tom Thumb and I was like, you know what? Pick it up. See it up. I'm gonna just go take a pregnancy test.

So let's see what happens. So I get back to work. I was talking to my really good friend, one of my coworkers and I'm like, Shelby, this is what's going on. And she just looks at me. She's shut up. And why are you still talking? Go take the pregnancy test. Okay. So I go, I pee the pregnancy test and I before I had even pulled my pants up after going to the bathroom, it was positive.

And I was like, wow there's no way. And I get up and I'm like, what? And she's show me. So I showed her and Yep. It was literally like, oh my goodness. It was almost to the month after that marathon. So I would like it known. 'cause I have a few people ask me, were you pregnant during the marathon?

I was not, but it literally happened. Apparently we celebrated. Wow. But yeah, congratulations.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. Yeah. You can have another baby.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, so then there was a little perfect February.

Chris Detzel: You knew that October.

Amy Lyles: Yep. It was wild. And I'm not the most religious person, but I [00:51:00] do think it was like the universe being like, all right, here's your wonderful magical marathon.

Now you're gonna have a baby. I was like, okay. So

Chris Detzel: It's perfect timing, right? Nothing's perfect. It, it's

Amy Lyles: gonna be a lot more sad for Boston, to be completely honest, because I was like, I worked really hard to go back there, and then, when everybody was registering, I was like, dang, that sucks.

I should be there. But then I, on Boston, the marathon day, I was like, you know what? I'm okay. Like I keep telling myself like, I've done it once. I did it again, running will always be there. But I wouldn't have this like wonderful tiny little human who like literally just fit perfectly into my life.

Like he, some people say zero to one is hard, like zero to one to two is harder than zero to one. But for me, like zero to one was horrible, but one to two, it's just like fit in. Perfect. Yeah.

Chris Detzel: That's interesting.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, I but the running though, again, I don't know what it is about my body.

I just, my body does not like growing humans. I didn't run at all really this pregnancy because I was trying to avoid the massive pubic bone injury. Yeah. I think I [00:52:00] stopped running like 10, 12 weeks. It was early. 'cause I started getting like, and I stand so much for work that it's just so much pressure on my pubic bone that I stopped running really early.

And then I still rode my peloton all the time, but I just modified as needed. Like I stayed was in hardcore. Yeah, it's, oh, it was all seated. I didn't come out of the saddle very much. I got more into the power zone rides. I don't know if you've heard of those, but those are actually really cool. And I lifted a lot, as much as I could, but no.

Yeah. And then somehow just really frustrating my people. One ended up jacked up again, so I don't know why, but I'm like the one, I don't, I haven't met any, I've met a few people 'cause I'm trying to like, just trying to find a community of what did you do for this? Did you have any of these issues?

But I ended up with osteo pubis again in my pubic bone. Got an MRI like six, seven weeks after he was born, maybe eight. 'cause we'd met our deductible since he was an October baby. And I was like I might as well get this MRI, it's 80 bucks and go get this looked at. So yeah, I, but this time it was, I don't know, it was a different kind of pain than it was the last time.

Yeah, I don't [00:53:00] know. For some people it's wonderful returning to running postpartum and pregnancy running is this beautiful thing and then there's others that it's just not sometimes. And sadly I fall into the knot, but I'm trying to do all the physical therapy, all the core stabilization, but a lot of it's just rest, which sucks.

So my son now is seven and a half months. I still haven't ran at all.

Chris Detzel: Really, I've

Amy Lyles: actually gone for a run, I haven't even tried because when I first had my son, I have a 4-year-old he was three at the time. I'm almost four. I have to chase him around. And so I couldn't even really do that and without getting sore and achy, but I can do that now.

And I just keep telling myself, I'm like, I am going back to Boston as a mom. I will be doing that. I know that, but I don't have to like hundred percent right now. And I, yeah. So I'm trying to think there's no

Chris Detzel: need to rush, yeah. You have, you're still young and you're still gonna be there, and you know you have the ability to do it.

Amy Lyles: Yeah. And I keep telling myself like, I did it once. I can do it again. I like, I know the problem is I feel like I'm getting older. It gonna be harder.[00:54:00]

Chris Detzel: I think that for you is you have the ability. I have no doubt. And what's gonna be really cool is whenever you step on that starting line of Boston for the first time, it's gonna be even more of a, an amazing experience than Houston was. Yeah. Because

Amy Lyles: you're

Chris Detzel: there, you made it, but

Amy Lyles: I am.

You have to do the work, Boston. I ran Boston in 2017 and it was very sweet then time. But I feel like this time it'll be time. Yeah. It'll be a lot. It'll just be different. And have both babies there. Although, lemme tell you, going to races with tiny humans is so hard. It was, ugh, my 4-year-old he was three.

No, he had just turned three. Oh my gosh. I made the mistake of telling him on the way to Houston Logan, we're gonna go get in the pool. The amount of times I heard about the pool before we even yeah. So I'll probably have involved there, but my in-laws, my parents, somebody will be going to watch them so I can marathon and then mom after.

'cause they're hard.

Chris Detzel: If you didn't listen to the podcast with the, I think there's four or five women that did Boston. Maddie mentions she [00:55:00] brought her kids to Boston. She goes, oh my God, I think I might do this alone.

Amy Lyles: Yes, that's, I know that's when we were in Houston. I, thankfully my husband went to dinner with and took my son to dinner with some other of our friends, and then I went to dinner with Dan, Randy, Caitlyn Ricardo, and got a break from them.

And it was like the perfect moment. I needed to just not mom for a second. 'cause yeah, the next morning he's throwing up the morning of my race. That's right. I was like, oh my God. But yeah. Yeah, it's been a, it's been an interesting journey. I wish I was like the other people, but I sometimes I try to be more vocal.

Hey, friendly reminder. If two other people that might be struggling, like you're, it's normal, it's okay to also be on this side of the spectrum where returning to running postpartum is hard and your body has grew this human, it's changed 12 different ways. Or even like c-sections. You have to heal, you have to recover.

I have the physical therapy, pelvic floor, physical therapist I worked with was wonderful. It just being like, no, you are normal. It's okay. Because I always just felt like, why can't I do this? And I know it's not good to compare yourself, but it's also I just [00:56:00] want to do that, but my body's just not there, which is okay.

Not

Chris Detzel: cooperative like that.

Amy Lyles: No, I wish, but no, and it's just, and I is just accepted and right now I'm just living in a state where that's not for me right now, but I know it will be soon. And I just, yeah, and

Chris Detzel: I've spoken to a lot of women recently about, that had babies postpartum, and you're right, sometimes some people just don't recover as well as others.

And it's a hard experience and you telling us that story about look, it's okay. We all have FOMO of, and I want to get back out there and run the three 14 and under. I wanna get back to Boston. I want to be with my friends again and all of that kind of stuff. And I think that you're a shining of a example of still you're still working hard, you're doing amazing things and I think that's key.

Maybe at the moment you can't do the things that you did, but it's okay. Find something else

Amy Lyles: when sometimes, like before when I had Logan, I feel like there was a lot of times I just forced it and I don't think that did me like, it's hard. My first [00:57:00] son. Was not a great sleeper at all.

He didn't sleep the night till the first year, and there would be times welcome to being a parent. I know three hours of broken sleep where I tried to force a run to happen or I tried to force and now I'm just okay, no, you need to sleep. Sleep is how you get better. The workout will always be there later.

I'm still very psychotic about doing my rehab to the point where it's like annoying. My husband gets so mad at me like, no, I have to do my rehab. Leave me alone. But yeah, it go

Chris Detzel: watch.

Amy Lyles: Yes, let me go do these poor exercises. But it's just, yeah, it's I'm trying to be more kind to myself this time around too, and just this is where you're at right now.

It'll be okay. You'll be fine. And then I just keep repeating that over and over. But hopefully I'm gonna try, I don't know, I'm still breastfeeding and I don't know, sometimes I like, it's a different, every day. Sometimes I'm like, I hate this. I hate pumping. I don't wanna do this anymore. But then other times.

I'm like yeah, it just goes. So I don't know when I'm actually gonna try to start. I feel a lot better than I did. Like I know I've made significant progress, but I know with the breastfeeding, I don't [00:58:00] really wanna rush back to running with my bone density issues because breastfeeding just takes everything.

But I'm hoping maybe I'm just gonna anticipate it taking another year again, because that's what happened last time. But I don't know. I think a lot of it will have to depend on breastfeeding again. But if you get on the Peloton app, let me know. I'll send you the link.

Chris Detzel: I will for sure. And Amy, this has been really amazing and I loved, and I'm glad Ray introduced us because Me too.

What a great journey and what a great experience. You've had some really great experiences, but you've also had some really hard experiences in dealing what moms deal with, and some of your own personal stuff too, right? It's not just being a mom, but you had problems before you're mom

Amy Lyles: in some other ways.

So I'm an athletic trainer, that's why I'm here. So

Chris Detzel: that's why you're there and you got the connections and I think that's good. Yeah. So the last thing I'll ask you is, did I miss anything that you just wish I would've asked or that you didn't get to say? I

Amy Lyles: don't know. I know I ramble 'cause I was nervous.

I'm not even gonna lie, but No, it's mostly you did great. I love that you're doing it. I love getting to hear my friends talking. I think it's so fun. I listened like after Ray had. And I [00:59:00] talked, I started just listening to everybody and I was like, this is so cool. Like I love jb, he's one of the nicest humans.

I can't say enough good things about Fons. Like Fons is great.

Chris Detzel: Yeah.

Amy Lyles: Yeah, it's been fun to listen to everybody's stories.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. And I'm enjoying it. And that's really the goal is to get the stories out, for the DFW area. Amy, thanks again for coming on. Please, everyone that is tuning in, if you haven't ready to review us, which I know a lot of you haven't, because I only have seven on each app.

Amy Lyles: No, I've listened to a lot so I'll go ahead and do that now.

Chris Detzel: So go rate and review us that it's helpful. Please, if you haven't have gone to the, for our newsletter, it's substack, so it's DFW running talk it.substack.com if you're interested in reading about some of these. Thanks everyone, and thanks Amy.

Amy Lyles: Thank you.