Run The Weekend Project PT.1
Justin (JB)
Alright, what's your name, sir?
JB. How are you?
I'm good. How are you?
I'm good.
No running tonight?
No running. I came to support because I want to see runners do wild things.
Okay. What do you got going on lately?
So you want to know a lot of detail about me. The doctor's really in.
The doctor's really in.
Okay. Well I have events going on that are going to bring people closer to wellness. So I like doing that.
Put yourself on.
Put myself on. Okay. So I'm going to put the community on. Purerush community. So we have something going on. We’re bringing runners to the track this time. And that's going to happen at UCF tomorrow with the UCF Track Team. We're also going to do some other thing to bring the community together in a low, relaxed environment, let them connect in a bit of ways. So we'll do that. I can't give you too much information on that. Maybe the next blog. Check the next episode in November.
Okay. Okay, when did you start putting on these events?
Really, they started being put on maybe in the early summer of 2025, but we started to build the community in March in 2024. So we've done a transition and it's aligned with more holistic wellness. You know, so that's what it is.
What have you learned about the community?
Sometimes you can do two things. You can give the community what they're used to or you can introduce them to something they haven't experienced yet. So I believe that you need a blend of both to push things forward.
What does your own running journey look like right now?
It looks like your running journey, except I do a lot less running. You get what I'm saying?
When are you going to start running again?
Hopefully tomorrow will be the start of something small. My groin injury has put me back almost a year, but I haven't been able to get past the mental challenge of going hard again because I don't want to ever regress. But I'll start again. I have some shoes in the car for the event that I haven't used. I just looked at. So hopefully that can enact me. I ran all my life and then I ran in college. I never looked at it as a hobby. So I haven't transitioned mentally to see it as a hobby yet. But I'll get there.
Do you want it to be a hobby?
That's a good question. You know what? In the November episode, maybe I'll have some more answers for that one. But right now, I don't know.
Any closing thoughts?
That's a good question, Doctor. Do you have any advice for me? Am I okay?
I think you're okay. I think you're doing good shit. I just think you need to start running again.
Yes, okay. What advice would you give somebody who wants to start running Doctor? Like, is there a certain type of distance that they should go to start? Day one, what should they do?
Hm. Day one, just decide you're going to run a few minutes or whatever. And then each day increase it a little bit. And then just see what you enjoy. Definitely learn proper form and nutrition. But in the beginning, it's not that deep, you just have to start. It definitely gets more intricate and complicated, for sure, but in the beginning all you got to do is hit the pavement
I like it. I recommend this doctor. Five stars on Google.
https://www.purerushclub.com/
Kat
What is your name, ma'am?
Kat
Did you race tonight or did you just do the warm up?
I did, The warm-up run was two miles. And then I did the race.
How was that?
I loved it. It was a lot. I wasn’t expecting, Well I guess I didn't read it correctly and I wasn't expecting that we were going to do another mile. So with that first two mile run, I was going way too fast.
Well also technically we’re not really meant to be running with meatloaf. So it really is survival of the fittest. You did good
Are you training for anything right now?
No. Just trying to be healthier. I actually started running in August. I've been an athlete my whole life. I just kind of fell off and I'm getting old. So I =don't want to be in pain. I just want to get healthier.
What sports did you play?
Soccer, track, cross-country. I did basketball, volleyball.
You gave me a soccer vibe
Soccer. That was my go-to.
Why don't you play still?
I tore my ACL three times and then I had surgery
Oh god. I’m sorry. Totally understand walking on the side of caution.
Yea, I'm also active duty military. So yeah, that's another reason why I work out. To stay fit. I mean, we have to, right? We have one life, so you gotta make sure you make the most of it.
Exactly. So You've been running since August. Have you been kind of just hanging out with people here? Do you run alone? What’s been your vibe
Yeah, I was here with my cousin, my girlfriend, and a friend. So I have a friend whose an active runner. She invited us over here. I think we're going to continue doing this. It's a lot of fun.
I think I met them earlier! How long have you been active duty for?
Active duty, so I'm in the Navy. I'm actually stationed in Jacksonville. 17 years active duty. I've been in Florida since 2023. I'm actually transferring. I have to move to Virginia next year because it’s a three-year rotation.
Well, first of all, thank you for your service. How does running, your fitness and your life, how does that all tie in? How do you make it all work?
Well, I mean, we have to run at work, right? When you reach a certain rank, like, from E6 to E7, you go through an initiation process. We have to lead those guys to basically work at our level. So basically we’re training our replacements. And so fitness is a huge part of that. And so how can I lead people if I can't run or work out or be fit, right? So setting the example. That's why I'm pushing myself to be fit. Am I right?
No, you're right. Setting the example for other people. You gotta be healthy for yourself and it helps to practice what you preach.
Anything else we should know about you?
I'm a mom. I'm a mommy.
Mamacita
Haha, I have an eight-year-old. His name's Jax. Jax. He's a lot of fun. He's a cool kid
Any closing thoughts?
Just to try to be better every day.
Frank The Tank
Alright sir, what's your name?
I am Frank. Frank the Tank.
No running tonight?
No running tonight.
How come?
I'm a little injured.
Wait what?
I think I have a hernia.
Frank I’m sorry, how are you managing that?
I've been crying a lot. I've been real sad. I've been binge eating, depression. Yeah, that's been it. So my groin hurts. And I thought it would just heal on its own, but it hasn't.
Okay. How are you? In all seriousness, how are you managing that?
I mean, really, I'm just really sad. I've been trying to work out other stuff, since I can't run, I've been trying to do more calisthenics. Try to focus on stretching the parts that I can and stuff. But it's been really hard to deal with because I haven't really ran in like two months. And it's driving me fucking crazy.
I feel like for you especially it's kind of a big part of your identity.
Yeah, yeah. It's a big change from like 60 miles a week to no miles a week. I guess. I do it for the fun part of it, you know, but it does suck.
what was your running looking like beforehand?
Oh, a lot, you know, we're training for the ultra. So it was, you know, trying to go for 100 mile weeks,10 miles every day. Just trying to put some work in those legs.
Why do you like Ultras so much?
I think I'm obsessed with knowing what breaks me. I think I want to know what is the most that I can do, you know, whether it's running or walking. I wanted to know, if I was to line up somewhere and then just go as far as I can, where could it take me. So I started little by little and then I found David Goggins. He said he ran 100 miles.
I didn't know people could do that. And I was like, let's see what I can do. And after that, I just got obsessed with it. I'm literally in love with knowing what breaks me. That's why whenever I have any race and I stop, it's because I know my limit, you know?
And that's the beauty of running. Like, if my limit is one mile, five miles. It doesn't matter. It's not a team sport, you know? So that's why I enjoy it so much.
What do you think running is going to look like when you're back?
It's going to be really intense because I feel like I'm missing on two months and now I got to make that up. So yeah, just more training, harder.
You shouldn't feel like you have to make it up because you're doing so much else. You're enjoying life, you're doing your thing. You'll be able to pick back up.
I don't know. I feel like I was at such a good place, but you know, I gotta be realistic with my body. I don't get paid for this.
Is there anything you're hoping to do as soon as you're back?
Hit those 100 miles. I need that 100 miles. That's what I need. That's my goal. Yeah, I need 100 miles. I mean, I won't do the race that I was supposed to do next month, but as soon as I'm back, I'm going to try my hardest to find one that I can accomplish.
Hell yeah. Alright, any final words?
I love you. And you owe me coffee.
Terri
Alright ma'am, what's your name?
Terri
Awesome. How was your run tonight?
It was great. It was lots of fun. I wound up doing the meatloaf thing and it went pretty well.
Clearly it went well since you got a medal. How long have you been running for you? You training for anything right now?
Yeah. Well, I have a 5K tomorrow, another Halloween one.
Well, so the thing is, I'm not a real runner.
My friend, Erica, she's pretty popular in the running area. So I know her and I know she does some running clubs and stuff, but I'm actually a pickleball instructor and I teach for the city of Maitland and the city of Casselberry. So Wednesdays now, I don't have any classes. So I went over to the Ivanhoe run club. And then she asked me to join her on Thursday, and then I signed up for a 5K which I thought was tonight…But it turns out it's tomorrow. I found out when I went to pick up the run bib. So then I signed up for this meatloaf thing, literally like 12 o'clock today.
Well, you're definitely a real runner so don’t get it twisted. How long have you been running for? How long have you been working with Erica for?
Well, honestly I don't really run a lot because I just work out. But this week I ended up running a 5k every day
Well, you're obviously really good because you were second place at whatever we did tonight.
Well. I didn't push hard because the last quarter mile I didn't realize we were that close to the end. And then when I turned on the gas, you know, when you're finishing, I was just like, I could have put on the gas more but it was too late.
Does it make you want to get into running more?
I don't know. I think the first half mile, I was telling Erica the other day, like doing three miles or whatever, the first half mile, you're like.. this is not fun. And then once you get to the first real mile, you're like, ok, this isn’t so bad. And I don't know if it's because you always do the one and a half mile out and back or whatever, the turnaround point, you're like, yeah, this is fine.
And then at the turnaround point, I feel like other people are fading back. Yeah. But because I work out, I have enough endurance or whatever to just keep going. And then I wind up passing people when it's a big group. I keep pace.
Does it tie into pickleball at all, running?
Well, I feel like with pickleball, there's short bursts of explosive movements because you have to have dynamic movements and you have to have lateral movements.
So when we did the warm-up today, we did high knees and butt kicks and sideways shuffles. I've noticed my hamstrings are kind of tight and I must not be using those on the regular in pickleball or my regular movements. My quads are really strong. And I feel like I've definitely noticed something with my calves and my hamstrings with the distance running that I normally don't engage with as much.
So I'm very quad-centric. I'm quad and glutes. So the hamstrings I've noticed this week I need to be working. Yeah. That's probably the difference.
Well, hopefully you keep running more.
We’re actually doing an event next Thursday.
I teach for the city of Maitland. I do group classes from 5:30 to 6:30. But I invited Erica next Thursday to join my regular class at Maitland and do like a little fun run and pickle ball. So at 6 o'clock, she's going to warm up her runner people. They're going to run a two-mile jiggle, as she calls it. And then at 6:30 to 7:30, we're going to play in with some of my normal students. If they're runners and they've never played pickleball before, I'm just going to show them, this is what we do.
And then some of my existing students will help and it'll be fun, you know, playing pickle with some people that know and some people that don't. Kind of like how it is with run clubs. You know, people are at their own pace. Some people are marathon runners like Erica just flying through the air. Some people are walkers.
That's awesome because I feel like those are two things that are really, really popular right now. So to be able to combine them and find that community who like likes both. You end up getting everyone to try something new.
Well, that's why I've started to do run clubs a little bit because I want to get more in the wellness community. I feel like there's a lot of crossover events where there's running and yoga, now everybody has a DJ and we're just kind of running and hanging out. So it feels like wellness is a social activity instead of just going to a bar. And I kind of like that.
I feel like if people are out there and they're moving and it's not for the purpose of drinking that’s always cool. Yeah.
You're the sum of the five people that you spend your time with. So I want to be around people that find exercise and athletic activities fun. I mean, I love tacos and margaritas and a good time.
But I can also have a good time with and support sober activities. So that's why I started coming out to more things and run clubs are pretty welcoming. They can be pretty entry level, right. Everybody can walk. So I don't even run 5Ks and I went Wednesday and kept like decent pace with the people. Just because I work out.
Any closing thoughts?
Have fun and play pickleball.
https://www.instagram.com/pickleballfansonly/
10/24
Run The Weekend Project is an Orlando based running festival founded by David Lawrence
https://www.instagram.com/runtheweekendproject/