From 800m to 175 Miles: Megan Smyth's Incredible Running Journey

DFW Running Talk: Megan Smyth
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Chris Detzel: [00:00:00] All right. Welcome to another DFW Running Talk. I am Chris Detzel. And today we have Megan Smythe on. Megan, how are you?

Megan Smyth: I'm great. Thanks. How are you?

Chris Detzel: I'm good. You know, you just got done running 175 miles in 42 hours at a really cool race. It's called the Summit Backyard Ultra. Is that right?

Megan Smyth: That's right.

Down in Marble Fall.

Chris Detzel: Well, we're going to get into that race later, 175 miles just in, you know, I say one day, but it took you 20 or 42 hours, which is kind of crazy anyways. So that just tells us what kind of runner you are already. But Megan, I would love to get to know you a little bit about, you know, your journey in running, how you got it started and those kinds of things.

And then I'll just kind of ask questions from there.

Megan Smyth: Perfect. Well, I kind of like to say that I've had two completely separate running lives. First started in middle school and went up through two plus years of college. Okay. And I was [00:01:00] primarily a track runner, believe it or not, who did cross country.

But my forte was actually the 800 meter. So, you know, I, I love the pain, but but I used to love it in really short bursts and think anything for a long time, just awful. And, but, you know, as often happens, I, ~ ~in college, I got a little injured. I got a little burnt out and I stopped running completely for.

Five plus years before I found an amazing social run group who still a lot of my best friends are from that group. And yeah, they kind of got me back into it in 2010.

Chris Detzel: We talk, you know, it's funny as on these podcasts, we talk a lot, a lot about the community and how much of an influence. That becomes right, you know, you get people kind of interested and you're, you sound like you've already been slightly interested, but five years took a time off, but then the community can help in that, I guess, right?

Megan Smyth: Absolutely. I think. It was, it was [00:02:00] tough after I stopped running. I just, I got really out of shape and because I was doing nothing. I mean, not only did I stop running, I was doing absolutely nothing, but I had never had to watch what I ate at all because I had always been running insane distance. I mean, maybe not insane distances, but insanely hard workouts and, you know, a lot of miles.

Chris Detzel: Insane compared to what you do today is kind of. You know. Right.

Megan Smyth: It's all relative. It's all

Chris Detzel: relative.

Megan Smyth: But, yeah, so, I mean, it was, it was really tough to get back into it because I got very out of shape, but also because to me it had always been a social activity. I had always been on a team. So, it had always been with people.

It had always been something that was with friends, in addition to being good for you. So, when it came to trying to do it by myself, I really struggled with motivated to get back out there.

Chris Detzel: Well, you didn't have a coach telling you what to do. You just, you know.

Megan Smyth: I would, no, I had nothing other than the knowledge that I really needed to [00:03:00] start moving again.

Yeah. Because things were getting bad. Yeah.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. Yeah.

Megan Smyth: And then, just. I think at the time, I didn't even realize that social runs were a thing. You know, I knew about running teams and, you know, serious running and club running, but I really didn't realize that there were just people who met up and did three to five miles.

On a Wednesday night. So let's back up

Chris Detzel: a little bit because I want to kind of get back. You went to college, were you running like, was it like a 5K or four miles or, you know, what was the, you said 800. So you were doing

Megan Smyth: fast stuff. I mean, I, I did run with the cross country team, but again, but really my focus was track, so I was still the 800 meter.

That's fast.

Chris Detzel: You know, that's a kind of a speed, I mean, as I think about it.

Megan Smyth: It definitely is. Especially now. I think anything under 5k now, I'm like,

Chris Detzel: Oh, that's way too fast.

Megan Smyth: I, I want no part in it. Like too much. I

Chris Detzel: find 5k is really difficult, you know, from a speed standpoint. I feel like it's a, it's like a sprint.

That's the worst distance, I think. I know.

Megan Smyth: It's such a [00:04:00] sprint, but it's a really long sprint. It's awful. I feel like a

Chris Detzel: half marathon is, I'll say easier, but I can deal with that because I can just get into a groove. You know, 5k, I'm like. Dying from wow, what?

Megan Smyth: Absolutely, that's that middle range is kind of just the worst, you know, it's like in my early life I was like, okay track, but but I really don't want to do anything more than 800 and then in my later life I'm like, oh ultras are nice because you know, you can go very slowly It's just you just have to do it for a really really long time.

And yeah, it's that that really a long time Is the worst. I think the hardest. I agree. It's one of the hardest. I agree.

Chris Detzel: All right, so 2010, you're like, okay, I need to start moving again. It's been several years. True.

Megan Smyth: Pure luck. I actually went with a friend unrelated to running to the Pocket Sandwich Theater, which used to be at Mockingbird.

Chris Detzel: Yeah, I know. I've been there.

Megan Smyth: It's awesome. Happened to be at a time that a big group of runners was meeting right outside of what was run on at the time. Yeah. [00:05:00] And it's now sleep feet. I thought, Oh, I wonder what these people are doing. I would really love to get back into it. So I looked on their website and saw that they had a Wednesday night social run.

Okay. So the next week I just showed up on a Wednesday, not knowing anyone and was immediately greeted by the Woman who was in charge of it at the time, Tracy Cooper, who bonded with me immediately because I knew who Mike Madonna was, and she was very frustrated that some of the other owners there didn't.

And everybody knows

Chris Detzel: who that he is. I mean, should, I mean, hello, hockey player, Dallas stars, the best. Anyways.

Megan Smyth: Yes. That was, so, so I was accepted since I knew Mike Modano and yeah, actually from then on I pretty much, I started running with them most Wednesdays and then they started kind of pulling me in like, Oh, you should, you should come to a Lake Loop.

You should come, you know, you should come to this. And eventually it became, you should, You should train with the actual classes that run out of run on. At [00:06:00] first I said, no, I did the morning running thing. I don't want to do it anymore. I am not a morning person. Naturally. I did that for college. I didn't, you know, and so, but eventually.

Still going back

Chris Detzel: to the college days, Megan. That's seems kind of a, you know, I don't want that.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. It was a bit of a breaking point in my running career, but I was convinced eventually, and I said, well, if I'm training for something, I'm I'm just going straight to the marathon. I'm not going to bother with half training because if I'm getting up early, No way

Chris Detzel: to do that.

If

Megan Smyth: I'm getting up, if I'm bothering to get up early to go to these classes, I'm just going to jump into marathon training. And in hindsight, that was probably not the best idea because the first several weeks, I would get to 10 miles for the long run and die. I mean, just collapse. I just could not get past 10 miles.

And that's kind of

Chris Detzel: where they start is 10 miles for a long run, right? Yeah.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. So basically the long run every week was killing me and I thought, how, why did I sign up for this? How am I ever going [00:07:00] to make it through a marathon? And then we got like, that was a really, that was 2011 and it was a really cold winter

Chris Detzel: and

Megan Smyth: there was ice one day and it made the group slow down just enough that I could finally actually.

Keep up with them at a slightly more normal pace, the pace they were typically supposed to be running, but we're not most days. And it was like a, you know, a, a switch just flipped and all of a sudden I ran 14 miles that day and felt okay. And from then on, it was, I mean, it was still hard. It was, it was hard building at mileage, but it was doable, but I didn't die on runs anymore.

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And I ran my first marathon in Oklahoma city that May.

Chris Detzel: That used to be a really popular race for, like, I, I've run Dallas Running Club for, since 2014, and that was a real popular race for people for the first several years when I was there, so. How'd you do?

Megan Smyth: I mean, better than expected.

Okay. It [00:08:00] ended up being a very cold and rainy day, which It's actually way more my forte than hot, I think, or at least, especially at the time. Hot

Chris Detzel: weapons are always really difficult.

Megan Smyth: Oh, so hard. So, and it was at one point when I looked two weeks out, which, you know, rookie mistake, never look two weeks out.

It was supposed to be a high of 90 that day. Nice. Get in your mental space quickly. Oh, yeah. I thought, I'm not going to make it. There's no way. We haven't even been running in those temperatures. And then a front came in, and instead it was delayed 30 minutes for lightning. It was like in the thirties. It hailed on people at the end of the, yeah.

Wow. Yeah, so complete switch. But yeah, I ended up with a 3 39, so that's my

Chris Detzel: best, that was my first marathon as well.

Megan Smyth: Oh really? That's so funny. Yes. Yeah. Hey, very solid. Very solid. First, it's a

Chris Detzel: very solid like marathon three. First I was

Megan Smyth: going for a 3 45, so that was faster than my goal even, and I was honestly shocked.

But finished it and thought, okay, you know what, that, that wasn't as bad as I thought. And I kind of

Chris Detzel: hooked a little bit now, you know, it's [00:09:00] like, okay, I

Megan Smyth: think it'd probably go faster, but it was kind of fun. So the very next day, pretty much, I signed up for the goofy at Disney with some friends the next January, but then I ended up doing another one that fall in Tulsa as well.

So yeah, from then on, I kind of

Chris Detzel: did three that year.

Megan Smyth: I did. Well, yeah. Then three in the first year. Yeah. That's great. So, you started running a marathon? I started.

Chris Detzel: Say again?

Megan Smyth: I said, yeah, then the start of my second running life, as I do. Yeah, started

Chris Detzel: your second running life and you haven't stopped, is that right?

Megan Smyth: Right. Yeah. Been pretty much running training marathons and end up ever since. So okay.

Chris Detzel: Fair enough. All right. So now you're a marathon runner. Did you, and you did three your first year. So as you kind of fast forward a little bit and I don't know how much you've run Boston, right? Which is always kind of

Megan Smyth: the pinnacle of,

Chris Detzel: you know,

Megan Smyth: marathoners.

Four times.

Chris Detzel: Okay. All right. And did you ever [00:10:00] have, did you ever do like the, try for the six stars or you just went to Boston? What's the, what was your thinking around all of that?

Megan Smyth: I have, I've done Chicago and New York, but I haven't done any of the international races yet. It's, I have kind of a long list of potential goals and that's, you know, that's maybe one of them, but not quite as high on my list as, as some other things.

So.

Chris Detzel: Yeah, and okay, so you've run Boston four times, and how did you like that, you know, the first time? Tell me a little bit before that, like, were you trying to get into Boston, you know, all that kind of stuff?

Megan Smyth: Honestly, so the first marathon I ran, that one in Oklahoma City, was technically a BQ, because at the time, the times were slower, and my time was 340, but it was only a BQ by a matter of seconds, so I didn't, you know, Actually get in, but at the time I wasn't even really aware that was not really on my radar for a first marathon.

But then the second one I ran that fall in Tulsa was faster. So by that time I'd been around runners enough to know like, Oh, this is the thing. We [00:11:00] should probably, we better do this. So I, so I did end up using. Well, actually I, then I think I ran one even a little faster than that the next year in Colorado.

So then I ended up using that and. So I got in and so my first Boston was 2013. Wow. Okay. Which obviously was the bombing year.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. Tell me about that because I, I have a friend at that time he, he was running Boston or somebody I was working, he was one of my customers, right? And he's like, yeah, I'm going to run Boston the first time.

And he told me the whole, and that was 2013 with the bombing and everything. And he said it was insane. And like he couldn't find his family for a while because they were supposed to be cheering. The phones are off and. All this crazy stuff. So

Megan Smyth: it was crazy. I got very lucky in that. I mean, I, I had been running it just for fun, so I was running it fairly slowly, but I had been in a high enough corral that I had finished a while before it happened.

But I had just found my husband maybe [00:12:00] two or three minutes before that in the family meeting area. So luckily we weren't trying to find each other. Still, we were together. When it happened and it just, it sounded like the loudest clap of thunder you've ever heard,

Chris Detzel: but

Megan Smyth: you would look, you looked up and the skies were blue, like purely blue, so you knew it wasn't thunder.

And at first I thought, okay, maybe a transformer blew, you know, you don't immediately go to terrorist attack, of course, but then when the second one went off and you started hearing sirens, you knew something really bad had happened. So my husband said, okay, I'm sorry. I know you just ran a marathon, but we need to get out of here.

Chris Detzel: Let's run.

Megan Smyth: Yeah, I mean, we just took off, but at that point, everyone on the street was still trying to figure out what happened because people right there hadn't, hadn't seen it. And it was actually Did it go right

Chris Detzel: to the hotel, or?

Megan Smyth: We did, so we were luckily staying a little ways away, just in this small place in the back bay, so ours It wasn't blocked off, it was unaffected really, so we were [00:13:00] able to go back and just pretty much spent the rest of the weekend hiding out in the hotel room, watching the television, figuring out what happened.

But the first person, do you know Martina Krivkor by chance? ~ ~She's a Dallas runner as well, but she was, she saw us on the street and she was the first one who said it was a bombing.

Chris Detzel: Wow.

Megan Smyth: And so at that point, I'm, I'm trying to tell my husband like, Hey, put something on Facebook so that anyone who sees it, you know, back in Dallas or in the world knows that we're okay.

And of course he at the time didn't even know how to tag someone on Facebook. So I'm trying to do that as we're walking back to the hotel, but it was crazy. And my mom actually, she worked at a high school at the time and my sister was living in Seoul, South Korea. And I guess someone came into my mom's office and said, Oh, I heard about the bombing.

Is your daughter okay? Okay. And my mom thought something had happened in Korea, like in South Korea with the North Koreans. She's fine. And so she starts saying, Oh, did something happen in, in Seoul? And she said, the person said, No, I'm talking about Boston. [00:14:00] So yeah, it was, I mean, very surreal. I think for everyone

Chris Detzel: there.

I can imagine. I mean, I, I knew a few people running it, of course, but just. Being there and just having to experience and luckily most people are okay, but there are a lot of people that weren't, you know, it

Megan Smyth: was, it was awful. I mean, once we figured out what happened, I, yeah, just thinking about, yeah, the, the people that were right there.

I mean, it was mostly the spectator, you know, the spectators were the ones that got the most injured and, and a few runners as well. And I mean, just horrible. And

Chris Detzel: that is pretty, I think

Megan Smyth: it was really, it spoke very well of the running community though, that everyone, I think. Yeah. So instead of being scared, everyone wanted to go back to Boston even more after that.

I knew so many people that said, well, now I have to run it again, or I have to make it for the first time to, to show my support. And I ~ ~mean, it really brought runners together even more than they already are, which it's, it's a pretty tight knit community to begin with.

Chris Detzel: It is. And [00:15:00] especially in Dallas, I mean, you, you're seeing it come more and more you see more and more runners, you know, I was talking about this the other day on a Christmas run, Mike.

There's more and more groups that are more separated, right? Like you have different, some in Ralat, some in Rockwall, Dallas, Fort Worth. I mean, they're just everywhere now, you know, back in, you know, 2014, 13, 12, whatever, they were just big groups in general, right? Like, or Run On would have a group or Luke's would have a group.

And so those are the ones that you would have to, now they're just everywhere. So, Oh yeah.

Megan Smyth: There's so many separate groups.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. I mean, I try to keep up with them, like 30 or 40 that I know of, and there's probably, I'm sure there's more in DFW. So it's funny that you mentioned that. So my wife Leah has been going to Boston ever since from 2014 until now.

Oh, okay. She's done like, she's done 11, I guess is the number, maybe, she didn't go 13 though. So maybe, I don't know the exact number, but I know she's at 11 ish, going back again. So That's amazing.

Megan Smyth: So she's on the, she got the 10 streak, so [00:16:00] she, Oh yeah. Yeah. She's already got the 10 streak. She got the auto in.

Yeah. Yeah. I have a, you know, Kieran, I have, Yeah. Yeah. Kieran is, has gotten his 10 plus streak. Well, funny,

Chris Detzel: they're both doing Boston and then going to London.

Megan Smyth: So insane. Yeah. I was like, I was doing that. I mean, I love it as someone who's a little bit of a, I think it's fine, but

Chris Detzel: all the punishment you've taken here shortly again, you've done four Bostons and so did you go to the next year or did you wait a little while?

Megan Smyth: I went, I, the funny thing is I actually hadn't run a qualifier for the next year just because, you know, I'd run, like I said, I was doing Boston just for fun and so I actually, I didn't go back in 14, but I went back in 15 and then I went back in 17. Yeah. ~ ~Yes. Because I'd run a fast time and I wanted to go.

But then after that, I, I really loved running a lot of different races. So I just kind of said, I'm just, I'm not going back to Boston for a while. I'll run different things in the spring. And also in [00:17:00] 16 is when I started really getting more into ultras as well. ~ ~Let's talk about that. So, did you, did you run?

For my 40th. Say it again. I went back to Boston this past year for my 40th. Okay. Got it. For your 40th

Chris Detzel: birthday?

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Wow. I'm turning

Chris Detzel: 50 this next year, so, you know, I'll have to do something special. I was thinking about, you know, ~ ~Actually running another marathon, it's been 10 years since I've run a marathon.

I mean, I've done some 50 Ks ish, you know, and I've done, you know, we like to go do these mountain runs, like the six day trip. There's those things, trans Rockies, we've, we've done a couple of two or three years ago.

Megan Smyth: Oh, I'm so sad that it's not going to be around anymore. Moab run last year. Their three days.

That was

Chris Detzel: fun.

Megan Smyth: It was really fun. It was gorgeous. But I never got to do trans Rockies. I'm sad.

Chris Detzel: Trans Rockies is, is a lot of fun, but it does feel, one, it felt a little cliquish, right, you know, and then, but it was fine. I mean, it was still a great experience. And my recommendation is that you go with somebody [00:18:00] if you're going to do something like that, that, so that you can have somebody to talk to.

Megan Smyth: That's what we did in the lab. We had a whole group, we had about six people from Dallas that went. And so it was a lot

Chris Detzel: easier that way. And look, I mean, it was, you know, in the woods, I mean, they take, you know, how it is, they take all your stuff, you know, but, You had to sleep in tents and all these things, and you could do a 25 miler that day, you know, up in the Colorado mountains, or, you know, maybe it's 18, or even the 13 in Leadville was extremely difficult.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Megan Smyth: Yeah, I've only done one race that you would really consider at altitude, and

Chris Detzel: Yeah.

Megan Smyth: That's no joke, especially coming from down here. It's it's rough.

Chris Detzel: So you got into trail running first I'm sure you just didn't maybe you did since you just did the marathon But did you get into the ultra first or did you do it a few trails and think oh my gosh I got to get into

Megan Smyth: so I had some friends that I met really through the marathon training that also did trails Okay, I kind of started getting me to come out on on whatever day of the weekend [00:19:00] we weren't doing a road run, they'd say, Oh, you know, come out, come to North North shore very, very often sometimes Cedar Ridge, but more North shore and, you know, just run on trails and then hang out and drink some beer, eat some snacks.

It was it was just a very fun, relaxed environment and group and yeah. And I just kind of fell in love with it. And a couple of them had done some ultras, so, you know, it was kind of one of those where gradually I thought, well. I mean, a 50K, that's only five miles more than a marathon, how bad could it be?

So I mean, I think Well, not too bad. I

Chris Detzel: kind of find the 50Ks can be a little bit easier than the marathons, you know, from a mental

Megan Smyth: I think so, especially on the trails, because you're not so worried about every single mile pace. You know, you're not constantly looking at your watch, like, did I hit a 7. 3?

Yeah, you're just going by feel a lot more, which is one of my favorite things about trails. They're just Yeah. [00:20:00] Yeah.

Chris Detzel: I mean, I like to go

Megan Smyth: fast if I can. You can't really compare course to course. They're all completely different, so you're not as worried about your exact time. It's it's nice. So yeah, my first 50k I did up in Tulsa, which is where I grew up and I did it so slowly.

I was so paranoid about it being an ultra and I did not want to go to that. So I took it so, so easy. I can't remember what my time was, but it was. ~ ~But I finished and it was fun. And so after that, I thought, okay, well, I could, I could do a 50

Chris Detzel: miler. So then you did your first 50 K when? ~ ~2015. Okay. No. So you are pretty early.

I mean, pretty early. You get into, I mean, five years or four years later. Four years. Yeah.

Megan Smyth: About four years after my first. Marathon.

Chris Detzel: It just wasn't enough. So 50k it is and then you thought, okay, well I could do a 50 miler, wouldn't you do that?

Megan Smyth: So Rocky in 2016 was my first 50 miler [00:21:00] and it went really well.

Chris Detzel: Yeah.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. I mean, I, I think I, I still had a lot to learn about nutrition that becomes so essential in an ultra. So definitely was one of those where some aid station workers rescued me when I was cramping up. You know, it was mile 38 or 42 or something and I was cramping up. So close,

Chris Detzel: but Have you

Megan Smyth: had any banana?

I'm like, I've not. It's like Try a banana. Try a banana. And then I was like, hey, bananas are good. I guess I should eat more of those. Try some

Chris Detzel: food.

Megan Smyth: Try some food, yes. Which is, I have since learned, that's my advice. Anyone who asks, oh, well, what would you, what's the one piece of advice you'd give for my first Ultra or for this longer thing?

Eat if you if you start to get it in your head and you're feeling depressed about it If your legs start cramping up if the music just isn't hitting right eat food It's almost always calories and 100 give it give it 20 minutes and you'll feel miraculously better

Chris Detzel: Are you so you did your 50 miler? Did you think of new obviously you [00:22:00] weren't thinking too much of nutrition that much?

I mean, did you and did you have rocky? It's all it's loops, you know having somebody there Maybe it was important, but it's not as important if it was a outback, or if it wasn't an outback, you know.

Megan Smyth: I mean, I had some friends there that would see me a couple places, but I think, for the most part, I just Thought, okay, there are aid stations.

I had done some shorter ultras as well. Some 30K, Kevin Carls and things like that. So, I mean, I knew about aid stations, I knew they had those are, but they're fun. But I mean, I knew kind of what to expect in terms of food. I think I just didn't really realize how much I needed to eat and how essential it was, you know, because in a road race, you can survive on gels.

And. Even in a 50K, you can largely survive on gels. Yeah. It's still, you eat a little solid food, but

Chris Detzel: You get tired of those. I know. Yeah,

Megan Smyth: you do. You get tired of them and it's not ideal, but, but you can get away with it for a 50K, especially a faster one. [00:23:00] But once you get to 50 mile, I think that's where it really switches to a completely different mindset and you really need to be eating some solid food.

And yeah, I think I, I learned a lot. And then I did the. A 50 miler again in the fall at Dino Valley. It was supposed to be a big cedar and that was the very first year that it switched to Dino Valley because they were having all those weird land dispute issues at Big Cedar. I think you talked to Libby about that.

Yeah, I did.

Chris Detzel: I did. Yeah, I was going to say, you know, that's one of Libby's races, right? Yeah.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Mm hmm. And so I said, okay, if this 50 miler goes well, I'm going to sign up for 100 miler. And I ended up winning it, for the women at least, at the Dino Valley one. That's awesome. I was like, okay, I guess that counts as going well.

So I So

Chris Detzel: wait, wait, wait. Let's back up. All right. Because I think this is important. Because you're very fast. I mean, you've gone to Boston and so that obviously over time translated to a little [00:24:00] bit of speed on the trails as well. You want it. So, I mean, there's some speed there. But when you think of nutrition ~ ~So let's talk about training for a 50 miler.

Did you, the first time you did it, what was that like? And then the second time you did it, what was that like?

Megan Smyth: The training?

Chris Detzel: Yeah.

Megan Smyth: As you kind of think

Chris Detzel: about like your mileage, did you do speed work or was it all, you know, I don't know, like.

Megan Smyth: So to be honest, when I started running ultras, I pretty much still just trained like I was training for a marathon, but just also added a trail day that, I mean, it was pretty much no different.

I would run with my marathon training group during the week and usually for the road long run as well. And then I would just add a day of trails and that was

Chris Detzel: like 12 miles or something or

Megan Smyth: yeah, it just would depend. I mean, sometimes, sometimes only eight or 10, sometimes all the way up to 20, just kind of depending on what the road run was.

But I really didn't run super high mileage at first, I think for even for most of my hundreds, I would be mostly running in the forties and fifties and peak [00:25:00] around 65, which is pretty low for an ultra, but I was still doing some speed work in there. I think in the last year and a half or so, especially what leading into the first backyard ultra I did, it was I decided it would be a good idea to try some higher mileage.

So, lately I've been more in the 60s and 70s and peaking in the 80s, which I don't think has served me well.

Chris Detzel: I mean, I would think so, you know, so that makes complete sense. I know for me, like, if I'm hitting just too many miles, when I say too many, it's, look, 40 is probably my max ish, you know, I can go hit a 50 maybe every now and then.

It's been a while, but I start getting injured, you know, like if I do, I can't do 250, 300 miles ever. You know, in a month, I just can't, you know, my body just doesn't allow it.

Megan Smyth: I, I think, I mean, some of it is luck. Some of it is just how many years I've been running at that decent mileage [00:26:00] range before I started to bump up to a higher mileage.

But I also think I'm, I'm good at listening to my body just after so many years of running. And if, you know, if something is bothering me, I'll, I'll try to switch it up or I'll just, I won't do as much speed that week or, you know, I'll back off a little bit. Well, speed will get to

Chris Detzel: you. The older you get, you know, that's when you start feeling it in your mid to late, maybe early forties.

But for me, it was more mid to late. ~ ~Yeah, my buddy's just like, you can do speed work, but not maybe once a week, you know what I mean? Like, ~ ~or, you know, something like that once a month I can run a race or whatever, but don't don't kill yourself.

Megan Smyth: I definitely don't overdo it on the races. Speed work, I think, I've decided I can get away with two days a week for the most part, like a, a track or a tempo on Tuesday and then either something Thursday or more often something built into the long run.

That's, and then I'll do maybe a day of hills also. Not myself, but [00:27:00] just, you know, some nice decent repeats either at Holy Hills or down.

Chris Detzel: Yeah, we, well, I go to Holy Hills as well. So. Oh,

Megan Smyth: yeah, that's a good, it's a good route. Yeah, Javier drags me along too quickly on that. Although he'll say that it's the opposite and I'm dragging him.

We agree to disagree on that.

Chris Detzel: That's funny. Now, you're, 50 miler that you won any stories that you kind of want to, you think about, you know, as you kind of were running it, like, I don't know, anything you want to highlight because like, for me, like, if I'm, I know I'm going to win it, I'm like, okay, I'm going to stay ahead or I've kind of stay with this person or I don't know.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. So that one was kind of funny. I mean, it was a small group, so, I mean, it was not a huge race, but. But there were at one point, three of us that were close together and two women, including myself and one guy, and then I think it was kind of one of those where at the, at the end of one loop, they were getting [00:28:00] more food or messing with their headlamps.

And I took off. ~ ~And then I just, I didn't see them for a really long time, so I knew that I was ahead, but I had no idea by how much, and that's, that was a pretty hard course. They've changed it. I think it's actually a little easier now than it was for that particular race. Well, actually, I don't think they even do the 50 miler anymore, but the course overall, I think doesn't have quite as many river crossings and craziness as when I did it.

They

Chris Detzel: had to change that from my understanding.

Megan Smyth: Mm hmm. But, yeah, it was a pretty tough course, so I was definitely slowing down. I mean, it was considerably slower than the Rocky 50 that I had done. Yeah, it's not as

Chris Detzel: flat.

Megan Smyth: In February, no, definitely not. So, but then it was kind of one of those where, at one point, I think I had maybe crossed over a river, and I heard somebody yelling, and I glanced back, and I could see.

The other woman and at that point, it's, it was one of those funny things where, you know, in, in your head, you're like, Oh, it's just, I'm so [00:29:00] tired. I've been out here a long, like, and then you get that shot of adrenaline. Oh my gosh, she's so close. And so the last like two miles, I just took off, just went straight through an aid station.

So Megan, you're saying you're pretty

Chris Detzel: competitive then.

Megan Smyth: Yes and no. I used to be incredibly competitive in my first track life.

Chris Detzel: Yeah,

Megan Smyth: yeah. I mean, it was, ~ ~well, I mean, how else do you get, almost to an unhealthy extent to competitive, but how else

Chris Detzel: do you get to run in college? Right, right. You have to be pretty competitive and obviously, you know, talented, but you know, to be able to run in college, I mean, that's just the reality, you know?

Yeah. If you're not competitive, then you're like, eh. Then you probably wouldn't be in college running, you know?

Megan Smyth: That is definitely true. But I think it's actually been really nice in the distance stuff is that for the most part, I mean, yes, I, I've won a few smaller races here and there and that's really fun and I love it.

Yeah. But most races I do, I'm not necessarily in it to win it. I'm never going to be fast enough to win [00:30:00] a decent size marathon or anything like that. So you're really much more so than in my younger years, I'm more concerned with myself and just. I'm getting a PR or doing the best I can for that day. And it's certainly more relaxing than just constantly feeling the need to win and the

Chris Detzel: sure

Megan Smyth: it's, you know, I mean, yes, it was really fun winning the 50 and, and it's been fun winning a couple others, but it's.

For the most part, that's not my concern. That's not

Chris Detzel: what you're necessarily in. But I mean, you, you have a lot of opportunity to win masters now, you know, I mean,

Megan Smyth: I don't know. There are so many fast runners. I know,

Chris Detzel: but, but trust me, like if you're pretty fast as a 40 year old, you know, you have a lot of opportunity to win even, even road races.

Right. So I've seen it. My wife wins up sometimes, you know, so I remember one time we were in this five K. There was a thousand women in it and she won the whole thing, like as a woman [00:31:00] was, you know, it's, she didn't just win a master. She won, she beat everybody. She was well, you know, it's just, I was like, there was a thousand other women.

Yeah, you know, and you won. You know, yeah.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Big field. That's amazing.

Chris Detzel: So point is, it's like you have opportunity to, to win some races in the future, you know, especially from a master's standpoint. Cause you're just fast. I mean, that's just the reality too. So do the 50 miler you want it. That's awesome.

And then you're like, Oh, I got to do a hundred miler.

Megan Smyth: Yes. Well, I already had my eye on Brazos Bend

Chris Detzel: in December.

Megan Smyth: So that was, the Dino Valley was about six weeks before. And so that's, I said, it's my test. If it goes well, I'll, I'll do the hundred.

Chris Detzel: Went pretty well.

Megan Smyth: Yeah, it went well. So I, yeah, signed up and that first hundred miler, I can't explain it, but it went.

Insanely Well, I, wow.

Chris Detzel: Nobody ever says that. That's awesome. I

Megan Smyth: know, I know. I was so lucky. I mean, I was telling my friends that, you know, it didn't really hurt [00:32:00] that much until I was nine miles from the finish, and they're like, nine miles. They made it 91 miles so bad.

Chris Detzel: I mean, you could do anything in nine miles

Megan Smyth: percentage wise, right?

Chris Detzel: Yes.

Megan Smyth: But I, I had a friend who paced there, which really helped too. And yeah, it, I just. I just kind of went out and just hit a nice, steady pace. It was the first run I ever did with music. Wow. Yeah. I didn't start with it at the beginning. I ran maybe 30 miles or so without it. And then I told myself, okay, as you know, as a reward, as something to you know, bump up my energy, I'll put music on and I was shocked at the difference it

Chris Detzel: made.

Megan Smyth: Oh yeah. I just, I got the music in and then all of a sudden I found myself down in the nines and I was like, Whoa, that's no, it's too much. Yeah. So that then I found the music really helped, but yeah, it just, it went really well. I ended up second, but, but by about four and a half hours, because I don't know if you know who Maggie Goodrell is, but she's

Chris Detzel: a very

Megan Smyth: elite [00:33:00] runner who was down there.

So. I was second woman by, by, by like an entire marathon.

Chris Detzel: But that's a hundred miles, like, I mean, whatever, you know, that's just, that's awesome. And can you talk about the support that you, did you, when I say support, did you have like a crew crewing you at all and you know what that means and things like that?

Megan Smyth: I did. So for that one, well, my, my husband has been at most of my long races, which is, I mean, he's, he's the best, he's really supportive and yeah, he's great. He's fantastic. And then I also actually at that one, my in laws live not too far from there. So I had, so my parents and my in laws were also out there for quite a bit of it.

They, they didn't stay. ~ ~My in laws didn't stay through the very end of the race because it didn't end until one or two in the morning, but but yeah, they were out there and cheering, which was really nice. And then one of my friends from Dallas. Went down to pace me and he paced the last 32 [00:34:00] miles, I think, which was, yeah, so, so very, very helpful and nice of him.

So I've done about half of them with pacers, about half of my hundreds with pacers and about half without. Have you done? ~ ~I've done six, 100 milers and then two backyards that were

Chris Detzel: over there. You know, I, just a quick story because my wife did she attempted her first 100 miler. At Rocky, somewhat, I don't, I don't remember what it was 15, 16, I don't know, somewhere over there and I said, I'll, I'll paste some of it, like the 20 mile loop or whatever that was.

And it was nighttime and, you know, she was walking after 60 or something. She's like, yeah, I'm, I'm done running. So we walked that loop and it literally took us seven hours and we didn't finish. But I remember you know, she did, I think 70, 70 something or whatever. And I think I, no, 75, I think, cause I, I walked 15 of it.

But I remember. ~ ~Being on my feet, [00:35:00] just me as a pacer ish, being on my feet for seven, or seven hours was just, and at night was really difficult for me because we walked the whole thing. And then I started trying to jog, like six hours in, and I was like, I'm sure glad you're not jogging because I don't think I could, you know, the

Megan Smyth: longer you walk, the harder it is to start jogging

Chris Detzel: again. I found it very difficult. And the other thing was, I realized I'm, I'm never going to pace her again because You know, one of the things she did was, like I was getting something out of the pack or whatever. She was, Hey, can you give me this thing?

I go, Yeah, just hold on a second. She goes, because you're my mule. You need to get me. ~ ~She's not usually that like that, but she was at that time. And I was like, hold on. I'm going to get.

Megan Smyth: Yeah, there's definitely some stress that hit you during those races. I think most people that have crude or, or pace just have to know that, ~ ~You have to have a little bit of thick skin.

The runner is usually, you know, often not in the best mindset later in the race when they're hurting. And that's [00:36:00] fine. And you have to just do everything they say with a grain of salt and, and try, try not to be a bully.

Chris Detzel: The other thing is, if I'm going to pay somebody, just don't be my wife, you know, just let's find somebody else to do it.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And my husband does run, but not to the extent that I do, you know, he's done one full and several halves and, but really at a, at a pace where he just wants to be, he, he did push it in the fall. He got under four hours and I trained him while I was pregnant and it was perfect. ~ ~I love that.

It was great. Oh my gosh. This is the last time we can really talk

Chris Detzel: was pregnant, so I could stay with him.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Because it was, it was really nice because it kept me running, but at a slower pace, which was just kind of perfect. And it was the last time we could really run together a lot since it's a lot harder with a kid to both get out there.

So

Chris Detzel: it's going to be a lot harder now, you know, cause you have, do you have just one or just one? Okay.

Megan Smyth: He's four and a half.

Chris Detzel: Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's [00:37:00] probably enough, right? I don't know. Yeah.

Megan Smyth: Oh no, I'm quite done. One is plenty. He's adorable, but he's plenty. Yeah. Bye. Bye. It is, it's harder to run together, but he's, but I mostly run just really early in the morning and get back, you know, when they usually haven't even been up too long.

And then he'll go do a few miles after I get back, but it's, it's actually great. He's enough of a runner that he really understands running and he wants to run with me sometimes and do social runs and he, and he, he doesn't understand sometimes why I do the insane things I do. But he's Yeah, that's, that's why we're on this

Chris Detzel: podcast is to try to figure out the mind of Megan, you know.

Megan Smyth: About running in general. Well, he's very good, but. He's not trying to do the same kind of mileage day in and day out as I am, because that would be really hard. I have no idea how we would both be doing 70 mile weeks. That would be

Chris Detzel: really difficult. Well, one of us is going to have to give, and you know, it's going to be, you know.

No, it's funny because I do believe that you know, when you're a runner like that and you put in those miles, like my wife, [00:38:00] she's always been a big, I mean, for 15 years, she's been uninjured and just focused in on, you know, running. Different things, you know, and, and she runs a lot of miles and, you know, I certainly understand.

I mean, I run not as many, but maybe 30 to 40 at times. And, you know having that spouse or partner that understands some of your training schedule, why you do things, maybe they don't understand why you do it, but you know, understand it. Right. You know what I mean? Yes. I think that's so important in a relationship.

It is. It's really. So it's good that you have a supportive person that can really. Help you through some of that when I was watching the kid or just like, yeah, see ya, you know And we've gone for four hours to run

Megan Smyth: him Sunday mornings I try to take Sundays off Most of the time so that you know I get Saturday mornings for my long runs and he gets Sunday morning to go either run or disc golf or go Yeah, whatever he wants to do on Sunday morning.

So

Chris Detzel: It's all about, you know, I don't know if compromise is the right word, but just negotiating and saying, you know, and agreeing to do that stuff from a [00:39:00] relationship. I love it. And I think that's important. Keeps you both happy, you know. So, so let's, let's fast forward. So now you've done six, well, now you have, but you've done a lot of, you did a few hundreds, certain marathons, and you know, you're an established runner now.

Yeah. This year you've done some cool things that I think we should talk about because we haven't really got into those yet. You, did you, you ran Boston in 2023 was your last one, right?

Megan Smyth: Boston?

Chris Detzel: Is that what you said or?

Megan Smyth: No, 24. Okay, so

Chris Detzel: this year. Yeah. Yeah,

Megan Smyth: this year. I thought I saw

Chris Detzel: a thing on your Facebook.

And how'd you do there? What was kind of the

Megan Smyth: Not as well as I wanted. Yeah. It was a warm year. Yeah, it was. Yeah. I really, I, I really did train hard for that one. And I was hoping to get a significant PR and I probably should have just adjusted expectations. Probably. Because it was such a warm day. But instead, I was stubborn and decided to go for it.

And it, it did not go particularly well. I mean, it was still fun. I had a wonderful weekend [00:40:00] and it wasn't a horrible time, but it just was certainly not what I was Looking for, but

Chris Detzel: Disappointment's part of running sometimes, you know.

Megan Smyth: Well, and that's the nice thing about already having other crazy stuff that I signed up for.

It was, it was like, okay, well, Boston didn't go that well, but now I have the Tahoe Rim 100 miler in July and that was my first mountainous one.

Chris Detzel: So, yeah, I want to talk about that. I saw that on there and you mentioned that it was really difficult, you know, because of what 18, 000 feet, was it a hundred miles or, okay.

Megan Smyth: It was a hundred miles. Yes.

Chris Detzel: Okay. Tell me about it. Yeah, your first mountain race.

Megan Smyth: Yeah, I mean, it was gorgeous. It was the prettiest race I've ever done by far. I mean, at times you could see wildflowers and multiple lakes, including Lake Tahoe and Mountain Peaks all at the same time. And I, it was phenomenal and it was really well organized.

Just, it was an awesome, awesome race. ~ ~However, at mile 40 and again at mile 70, You have to go, literally climb up a black diamond [00:41:00] ski slope and it is brutal. So I was just, I mean, through mile 40, I was cruising, you know, I'd been going up the hill, you know, hiking up the hills. Isn't it as

Chris Detzel: bad as everybody says?

Megan Smyth: Yeah. I was like, Oh man, that was a no problem. This is, this is great. And then all of a sudden I got to that hill and the altitude just hit me and I could barely move. And I had to just sit at the top at an aid station, but I, I made it to an aid station, but I had to just sit there for like 30 minutes and try to get some color back in my face, try to get a little food down.

I mean, it was, ~ ~it was tough. I went from mile 40 being like, this is the best to mile 42 going, I don't think I'm going to make it through this race. It was. From

Chris Detzel: 40 to 42, that's the, that's just two miles up basically, right? Yeah. Pretty much.

Megan Smyth: It's like two miles straight up. And it,

Chris Detzel: yeah,

Megan Smyth: it almost did me in, but I, you know, finally felt So you've never

Chris Detzel: done anything like that before then?

Megan Smyth: No. I mean, I've [00:42:00] done hilly. I've done hilly hundred milers, but nothing at altitude.

Chris Detzel: Got it. It's the altitude that kicked your butt.

Megan Smyth: It was the altitude. It really wasn't the climbing, actually. Even by the end, my I, you know, I could hike up pretty quickly. I could still run the downhills. My legs were fine from a lot of hill training I'd done here, but the altitude, I just,

Chris Detzel: I don't know.

Had to do a lot of people in. Yeah. I'm still

Megan Smyth: not entirely sure how to train for that, but yeah, I mean, I, I made it. Through Texas. I, I started, I started walk jogging and then eventually could run again. Then the second time I had to go up it, it was at night, which helped some, I think. It wasn't quite as hot, at least, so.

And you couldn't see the very top, so maybe mentally it was just like, okay, just. Well,

Chris Detzel: partly it's a mental game, I'm sure, you know.

Megan Smyth: But that one, that one was crazy because I, well, I'd been running, I found another guy from Texas, actually, who lives up in McKinney, and the two of us and then one other guy ended up running together through a lot of the night, which really helped, but then we [00:43:00] got to that Mile 72, and I was.

I'm just mentally just not ready to climb it. I just sat and I was eating and they left and Oh man.

Chris Detzel: I'm

Megan Smyth: telling my husband, like, I just, this almost killed me the first time. I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it up again. And a random guy heard me and said, Hey, you know, this might be a little weird, but I'm just, An extra pacer.

I came to pace a friend, but I was a backup and she doesn't actually need me, so I don't have anyone to pace. Do you want me to run with you the last 28 miles in this race? I was like, really? Yes, please. So, this random guy ended up pacing me the last 28 miles and honestly, I would have been a lot harder without him.

He was really good about that. He would say, how are your legs? I was like, oh, they're actually okay. Okay. Well then anytime we hit a downhill, I'm going to tell you to run, so it would be great. Slightly downhill. It's downhill. Just go, let's just go. Yeah. Yeah. That's the beauty

Chris Detzel: about trail running is [00:44:00] that mm-hmm

You know, you have people like that that will come out and help you get to Yeah. I mean, like you said, I, I know this guy. You probably know him, Steve Griffin. He'll do that. You know, I don't know if you know him well, but. I don't know him well.

Megan Smyth: I know who he is, but I don't know

Chris Detzel: him. He'll be in like Arkansas or whatever if he's not racing or running, which I don't know that he races anymore.

He just runs it. You know, he'll do a lot of pacing and then if somebody decides, you know, maybe they, they don't finish or whatever, somebody else needs help, he'll just go in and help them and pace them. That's

Megan Smyth: so nice. Yeah. Yeah. It's, trail racing is an awesome community. I mean, so is road running. Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, they both are, but.

Chris Detzel: You know, it's funny, I think it's kind of this myth in my opinion, or, you know, misunderstanding is, is that trail running is this most amazing thing in viz and it's different. It's definitely a different atmosphere, but road racing, you know, they're just snobs, blah, blah, blah, blah.

You know what I mean? Like, I'm like, no, no, no. It's I, I mean, I have, I'm around a lot of wonderful people in both the, [00:45:00] the, the, the, the road community and, and the trail community,

Megan Smyth: you know? Oh, definitely. I actually, I mean, I do most of my training with. ~ ~I mean, I mean, really, I'm most of the people I train with, I mean, sure, there are a few that also dabble in trails, but most of them are pretty purely roadrunners and they're, you know, they're some of my best friends.

Like running is such an awesome social release as well as, you know, as well as a, an exercise. So yeah, I, I certainly don't, ~ ~I don't think that roadrunners are, are necessarily always just, you know, Way too competitive and not as friendly. I don't find that at all. I love trail runners, but I think road runners.

Chris Detzel: Maybe that's what it is, is they think, you know road runners are more competitive than, I don't know, when I'm on a trail, I'm pretty, I'm just as competitive as I would be on a road.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. You know, but. I think there's a lot of overlap. I don't, yeah. Exactly. I knew both. I don't.

Chris Detzel: I do too. I mean, I haven't done as much trails over the last two years.

I've done a few, but so, but you do this 100 miler and then you decide, hey, look, [00:46:00] I need to do something even harder. And I don't know if it's harder, but. You do this, this backyard race, which you talk about, which loved, but you did 170 miles, 75 miles and you won the whole thing. How's that work

Megan Smyth: this year?

Yes. So this was actually my second time doing that exact same race. I did it a year before and I made it 162 and a half miles. So 39 hours. I don't know if, you know, do you know the backyard ultra format?

Chris Detzel: Sort of. Why don't you just tell us?

Megan Smyth: So you can only run, you run 4. 167 miles on the hour, every hour.

And it's an odd number because it adds up to exactly 100 miles in 24 hours. That's why it's such an odd count. ~ ~Yeah, no, no, it makes sense. It makes sense. So, it's, it's kind of Who puts on, who's, who puts on that race? So, there are a bunch of them now, actually. Yeah, who does? The original one, I mean, obviously there have been last person standing [00:47:00] style races for a long time.

But this very specific format with these rules was Created by Lazarus Lake, who is the same guy that does Barclays,

Chris Detzel: you

Megan Smyth: know, sadistic, sadistic guy. That's why it

Chris Detzel: is.

Megan Smyth: So the very first one was called Big's Backyard in Tennessee. From there, I mean, it just spread. And so now this format is popular around the world and yeah, it's, it's really cool.

They still do. So in even years, they do team championships. So they have 15 people from your country. Running in one spot. So 15 people would be running in Tennessee for the US, but then in Belgium, they would be running a race at the exact same time. And in Australia, they'd be running a race at the exact same time.

And in, you know, 60 other countries. And then

Chris Detzel: you,

Megan Smyth: you add up all of the yards, what they call them yard, but all of the loops from your team and the total wins the team championship. So it's kind of an individual race and a team [00:48:00] race at the same time. And then in the, and then in the odd years, they just have an individual championship there.

So you went to Tennessee to do this? No, no, no. I want to go to Tennessee. This is a very roundabout way of saying like it was created there and now they have the championships there. Okay. So the one I did in. Not like, not this year, but the year before, in 23, down in Marble Falls, which is put on by Summit, which it's run by this guy, Tucker Edwards, he's, he's awesome, he loves it you can tell, he's just a great guy but that year, it was a silver ticket, which means whoever won it got to go be on the U.

S. team. Got it. At the championships this year. Oh, so

Chris Detzel: close.

Megan Smyth: Epic, I know. So I made it, yeah, all the way, 162 and a half miles further than I'd ever gone. But at the end of that race, I was C shaped, Megan, as my friends like to say. My back cramped up and so I was like

Chris Detzel: this.

Megan Smyth: And had the ultra lean and could not stand up straight.

And I [00:49:00] ran like that for about five hours before I decided that was, that was about as much as my buddy could handle that day. Oh, your back hurt for a while. Yeah. It was awkward. It wasn't That's normal. Part of me thinks, I couldn't keep up going. Like, I wasn't that close to the cutoff, but in the end, I'm, it was probably best I just stopped because I didn't want to hurt myself and the, the two last guys ended up running for eight, 57 or 58 hours, I think.

Chris Detzel: So, two hundred and I mean, you probably, it wouldn't have been worth it anyways, you know? Right. I was

Megan Smyth: probably not going to make it that far in that race. So, yeah. So, I was fourth overall the year before. And then I went back this year and it was not a silver ticket race. So, well, no, well, no, there just aren't any right now.

There aren't any now because of the individual championship thing. Like it's only every other year that they have silver ticket races. Next year

Chris Detzel: it is.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. So next, yeah, I'm, I'm planning on it. So this year it was, yeah, not quite as [00:50:00] competitive a race, but all it takes is one other person to go really far.

And the last 12 hours, it was just. Me and another woman named Rachel, just 12 hours. It was only the two of us.

Chris Detzel: So, it's one of a kind. Women just last longer, you know, for the most part.

Megan Smyth: I mean, I think in this format, it's a lot more even for sure. I mean, that's why they don't have gender divisions in backyards.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. Like

Megan Smyth: you either win it or you, or you don't. It's just, yeah. But. So you

Chris Detzel: went a hundred and, so this other woman.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. I

Chris Detzel: mean, you just basically stop after she does, like you do one more loop and you're good.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. You, I mean, you can't, yeah. You're literally not allowed to have the race go any further.

Like you can only run one more loop than your assist runs, the, the assist is the second place. So, so she went out, we started hour 42 and she had been looking really strong. Yes. She was great. I mean, she was running faster than I was almost every loop. But just the beginning of that loop, she just stopped me and [00:51:00] said, Oh, I'm, I'm turning back.

I'm, I'm done. And I was honestly shocked, but she said, you know, great job. Just finish this loop and then it's yours. So I just, yeah, went off. She's like,

Chris Detzel: screw it,

Megan Smyth: I'm done. Yeah, she's like, I'm out. She was, yeah, she was very, very gracious. So sweet the whole time. But yeah, she just, I think it sounds like maybe she was having trouble regulating her temperature and Yeah.

Yeah. Who knows what's going to happen at that. Of course. But yeah, so, so then I just had one more to run and it was over. You got done and,

Chris Detzel: so how'd you feel after, I mean, like that's a lot of miles just in one sitting, you know.

Megan Smyth: It is. It is a lot of miles. I certainly, you know, your, your legs are tired and as you would expect, and your, your body's just off from being up that long, you know, it's kind of hard to get back on a cycle.

Although it happened faster than I expected this time, but. You know, it's kind of one of those, you go back to the hotel, yeah, it ended at 2 a. m. I think. But then you got to shower and your [00:52:00] friends are there. It's 2 o'clock.

Chris Detzel: I mean, you're going to bed at 4.

Megan Smyth: 30.

Chris Detzel: Oh my gosh, you didn't, you just went to take a shower and hung out with friends.

Megan Smyth: Briefly.

Chris Detzel: Because if it was me, I'd be like, okay, look, I'm going to bed and I'll see y'all tomorrow, maybe at breakfast. I don't know, you know.

Megan Smyth: I mean, yeah, then you know, we had the hotel later, so. I think we stayed in bed till noon. Okay. But, but I woke up at 10 30 or so. Right. I woke up after six hours.

You would think like, oh, you're gonna sleep forever, but no, your body's just, no, you don't.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. That's, it's, that's normal. So. Wow. Congratulations. That's pretty darn amazing. Yeah. I mean,

Megan Smyth: it was, it was fun. I think, you know, it's one of those. You don't know how far you could have gone. Like, I, I had it in my head that I was going to make it to 200.

Yeah. So, I really, I think, I think I could have gone over 48 hours. Now, beyond that, I don't know, but we'll hopefully see next year. Cause I, I, yeah, I'm really hopeful it'll be a silver ticket race again. I mean, if not this

Chris Detzel: year, but. Yeah, do you think you'll [00:53:00] train even more, like do more miles? Or will you just do something similar that you did this last time?

Megan Smyth: Probably pretty similar. Okay. I mean, I think my legs were. Shockingly good this time. I'm the first year I did it. I was getting, you know, massage gun all the time. My legs were just really tired pretty early on. And this time I just, honestly, until near the very end, I was like, don't even touch my legs, they're miraculously good, I don't know, I don't know why.

I don't know how, but they're not hurting. Just don't even touch them. So I

Chris Detzel: think

Megan Smyth: what I did just, yeah. I mean, I think just the, the year and a half of higher mileage, the cumulative mileage. Just really, really helped and I did do more speed work in long runs this session. I had, I had a friend who was training for CIM

Chris Detzel: and

Megan Smyth: we're really similar paces.

And so I would join him on most of his

Chris Detzel: speed stuff,

Megan Smyth: workouts during the long run. And I, you know, I, I had been doing some speed during the week, especially in the Boston training cycle, [00:54:00] but then not as much speed when I was training for Tahoe because, you I was more concerned with hills, which is like all the, all the elevation, just hills, hills, hills, but then switching over to the speed in the long runs before the backyard, which is fairly flat, I think really just.

Helped my muscles not get nearly as fatigued. Do you think some at all do something similar?

Chris Detzel: Do you think mixing it up like you do like road runs doing some speed then you go to? Some mountain runs and don't do speed and then you go back to this backyard thing to a little bit of speed But then also lots of miles, you know, do you think that kind of keeps it more interesting by doing that?

Changing it up like that?

Megan Smyth: I think so. I think it helps with injury prevention because you have that season in there that you're maybe running a little slower, but really building the strength on the hills and the trails a lot more, especially in the summer.

Chris Detzel: Yeah. You know, that

Megan Smyth: was a lot of summer training when you don't really want to be trying to do a ton of speed anyway because it's Dallas and it's 100 degrees and it's exhausting.[00:55:00]

It's hard in the summer. Yeah. So I think having the summer be more of a strength and and hill and elevation training and then going back to the speed. Yeah, it really was nice. So I'll be doing something similar this year. Actually, I have a, well, actually probably the race I'm, I'm signed up for a race.

That is the one I'm dreading the most, maybe out of any race I've ever done. I signed up for a 24 hour on a track race in February

Chris Detzel: on a track. Okay.

Megan Smyth: So, that will be interesting. You definitely might

Chris Detzel: need some speed on that, though.

Megan Smyth: Yeah. Oh, you do. Definitely. Wow. So, that's a weird combination of, you have to run really far and fair at a decent clip the whole time.

So, it's kind of a combination of all the things I've done, and we'll see how it comes together. See, you're just, you're just changing it up, you know? Yeah, I like to change it up. But then Do you

Chris Detzel: do 100 in

Megan Smyth: 24 hours? Oh, yeah. I mean I certainly hope so. I've done hundreds faster than that. Got it.

Chris Detzel: In [00:56:00]

Megan Smyth: the past.

So, I would, yeah. I mean, I, I would love to do at least 130. That's kind of the 130 miles? Minimum standard for the U. S. team. It wouldn't get me on the U. S. team because the U. S. team right now has people who have been running in the 150s,

Chris Detzel: which is crazy. But you kind of want to see where you're at. Yeah, but I kind of

Megan Smyth: want to see where I'm at, what I can do, but I would hope to get at least 130.

Okay. That'd be

Chris Detzel: fun to watch. Yeah. I'll have to get you back on the podcast. Talk about that.

Megan Smyth: Okay. Yeah. That's February 15th. And then, very, very exciting. I, after seven years, got into Western States.

Chris Detzel: No way. Congratulations. That's awesome. I'll be

Megan Smyth: in June. I'm so excited.

Chris Detzel: That is so awesome. Yeah.

Congratulations on that.

Megan Smyth: Thank you. And it's great timing, since I finally did a mountain. Race last year and I kind of have a better idea of what I'm getting myself into. You know, it makes me feel a little more confident about it. ~ ~It'll be similar this year. I'll do a fast race and then a, a hilly trail race in the summer again, and then the backyard in the fall.

So yeah, you've got, you've already, you're [00:57:00] already

Chris Detzel: booked up. I love it.

Megan Smyth: I am booked up for next year,

Chris Detzel: but

Megan Smyth: I think that's,

Chris Detzel: that's pretty much how that goes anyways. But. ~ ~Megan, thank you so much for coming on. I mean, we spent an entire hour actually talking about running. So that was pretty easy.

Megan Smyth: Yes. Anytime. I can always talk running.

Chris Detzel: All right. Well, thank you everyone for tuning in to another DFW Running Talk. I'm Chris Dutzell. Please rate and review us and this will be out soon. Thanks everyone. Thanks Megan.

Megan Smyth: Thank you.