The Lucie Beatrix Podcast
Lucie Beatrix interviews inspiring humans of all walks on life that share her love for running fast and far, creating interesting stuff, and changing the world for the better.
The Lucie Beatrix Podcast
From Times Square Billboard to The Speed Project: Miss Outside (Yvonne Zapata) Does It All
Fresh off completing The Speed Project solo—a grueling journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas—Yvonne Zapata (aka Miss Outside) takes us deep into the physical and mental challenges of ultrarunning.
From battling an infected toe that doctors warned could end her race to navigating pitch-black mountain paths with no cell service, Yvonne's determination shines through every obstacle. Her five-person crew became her lifeline, managing everything from bandage changes to midnight trail navigation and all the snacks.
The journey becomes even more remarkable knowing that just months earlier, Yvonne was hit by a car outside her home, tearing ligaments and tendons that sidelined her for weeks. This forced break prompted soul-searching about her identity beyond running: "Who am I if I'm not Miss Outside?"
As a special education teacher who was once non-verbal as a child, Yvonne brings unique perspective to her running journey. She's conquered five of six World Marathon Majors, appeared on billboards in Times Square, and found joy in everything from Disney-themed races to pacing fellow runners through New York streets.
Throughout our conversation, Yvonne reveals the deeper purpose behind her running: representing her Puerto Rican heritage, creating space for women and non-binary athletes in ultra-running, and reminding us of the privilege of movement itself. "I'm running for people that cannot run," she shares, highlighting how easily we forget why we started running in the first place.
Follow Yvonne @missoutsideeeee on Instagram and join her as she takes on Chicago and New York marathons this fall, with many more ultra adventures surely on the horizon.
This is the Lucy Beatrix podcast. I'm a fashion model turned athlete, and on this show I interview people who find joy and creativity and freedom in running. Today we were talking to someone a lot of people know in the New York City running community and that is Miss Outside, also known as Yvonne Zabata. And Yvonne is a triathlete turned marathoner, turned marathoner, and she is fresh off of running the speed project, which is a race from los angeles to las vegas, and she ran this solo. So welcome to the show thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:I'm excited to be here um, yeah, it's a little overdue. We were planning to do this a few months ago, but things, things happened. But it's actually worked out perfectly because you're fresh off of the Speed Project. It's literally what a week ago that you finished, yeah, a week ago. Yeah, that's so crazy. So for people who don't know, who are not in the running community, what is the Speed Project?
Speaker 2:So, the Speed Project is a race from LA to Las Vegas. It's about 300, 340 miles and you're going through different obstacles, different roads. You're seeing basically LA going into the mountains, to the desert.
Speaker 1:Then you hit the Las Vegas sign. Yeah, like, wow. So I, I did the speech project a couple of years ago, but I did the relay version, which I thought was pretty intense. I thought I was going to die. It was like so crazy. But that's where it was five people, three girls, two guys, or three guys, two girls, and we take turns, which you did. This too. You did the relay last year. Yes, in 2024, right, yeah, I did the relay last year.
Speaker 2:I did it with Bodega Baddies. It was a group I created with women and non-binary where we're different groups either in Queens, brooklyn, manhattan, the Bronx. We just basically collided and collaborated and we just ran it. I crewed this time and then this year, of course, I ran it solo. But it was such a beautiful experience and I was like I want to come back to just run this solo. Yeah, because I want to see it from like a solo perspective. Like what is it like to just running by yourself all these miles instead of making sure you have somebody either in the suv or the rv to tag them saying hey, you're it, you have to do this amount of miles?
Speaker 1:and then we'll meet you at the other segment so when you so you did it with the group last year and you guys, you didn't, you had a crew or you didn't have a crew yeah, we did had a crew because you had a crew. And then this one, when you did it by yourself, your crew was yeah, I had five people my crew.
Speaker 2:So I had um ricky, I had anna, I had adiel and I had selena, had whitney, I had like five people from different run clubs, such as like we run uptown, define who are basically, the crew is basically the people in charge of getting you whatever you need when you're not running.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, like the time in between. So how, how do you even go about? Like I've thought about wanting to do this, but I'm just like I don't even know like where to start. How do you decide like okay, I'm gonna do this, and then like put together all the logistics of, like a rental car or like what do you have to do? Like what's all the preparation to get ready for running this beat project?
Speaker 2:so the first thing, is you sign up and then, after you sign up, you have to figure out who's going to be in your crew, and then ask them and ask them like hey can you join me for this journey for a week, because it takes about a week to do this journey and you'll be making sure I'm okay. You're basically being my mom or my dad during that entire race. Like you're the parent, I'm the child. Just make sure I'm okay and in one piece going to las vegas yeah and when I asked people, there was people saying, um, no, I have work.
Speaker 2:And then you know work and conflicts involved where they have to take care of their families, and someone's like, hey, I'll do it, let me know. The days I'm in fully want to support you in your journey. So I picked five people and I was like very like hesitant on who to pick because like they're gonna see the raw me, oh yeah, of crying, whining, complaining, yeah, or you know, happy, sad emotional like going through different stages where no one else could see that besides them yeah.
Speaker 2:So when I picked my crew, I was very thankful and blessed to know that these people like are gonna be there for you.
Speaker 1:So um, so anyway. So you choose your crew. You get that locked down. Now how do you go about? Like the car? Is it one car that's driving while you're running?
Speaker 2:so it's one car. Either you pick a suv, a jeep like a wrangler, or either you pick an RV. So I picked the RV. I didn't have no SUV, no Jeep or anything, because it was just only me. And it was like, ok, I guess I'm just me, I don't need like another Jeep or vehicle behind me, right Making sure. But boy, I was wrong. I was like, ok, I should have gotten a Jeep, yeah.
Speaker 1:I was like, okay, I should have gotten a jeep yeah, throughout the journey, and it was to go along with the rv yeah, as like a sprinter van type of.
Speaker 2:So yeah, it was supposed to like tailgate me behind me, okay, while like there's like sketchy moments or like sketchy um segments, because there was one part where it was like going into the mountains and it's just pitch black and I was so scared to go alone. Yeah, because like rattlesnakes or yeah, wolves or something I don't know, and I heard there was a coyotes, I was just freaking out and I was not trying to show it, that was freaking out, but I was very like, okay, I don't know what's gonna happen, right?
Speaker 1:but I'm scared. So were you alone running through that like?
Speaker 2:through that area. So no, I wasn't. It was either my friend Ariel or either Ana or somebody from my crew that will make sure I'm OK and they will have, like, their lights and I'll have my lights. But sometimes I'll be so scared and they will know I'm scared because the way I'm talking they're like oh, you're scared.
Speaker 1:And I'm like yeah, yeah, so scared. Well, obviously, so when you're going through those situations, so like you're running, you're going, you just have to get to the next point to meet the RV, like a checkpoint, almost like, okay, the RV is going to be 10 miles away and I just have to get to that point.
Speaker 2:So the person that was in charge of the RV was Ricky and he was like hey, this segment is six to seven miles. You're going to go through here. Just make sure you make a left right, a left right, whichever, and then you'll meet us at the end. And I was like, okay, that's no problem, but it's pitch black. Yeah, I don't know where I'm going and sometimes there's no service. Yeah, exactly, so I was scared so how did you break up?
Speaker 1:so it took about a week, right from start to finish the 300 and something miles. You know what the total mileage was so I did about 240.
Speaker 2:I had to skip power line. Okay, because of my toe.
Speaker 1:I want to get into that later on right like the power line, is like the cheat or like the shortcut it's the shortcut, but it was just.
Speaker 2:Oh my god. I did not know like I was gonna do this one day, but it just happened. I'm happy that I finished it and say I did it. I will definitely go back and do it again because it was such a like a eyeball like experience for me to just go out there and do it and represent not only like myself, but my community yeah, it was just.
Speaker 1:Oh, my god. So you do, you have a. You have 240 miles that you've broken up over the course of seven days which I don't know what the math is, of how? Many miles a day yeah, but how do you? How do you break it up? Like you, you have these like 10 mile chunks and then you take a rest, or like, how does day-to-day look when you're doing it?
Speaker 2:so my day-to-day was planning to do 10 miles each segment and sometimes you know there's a hiccup on the road where it's like, okay, let's change the whole plan, we can't have you do this. But it was mostly do 10 miles, segment me and set the rv, eat something, grab something, change if you have to go back outside. It was like you gotta keep yeah, you have to just keep going in a direction, yeah, and sometimes I would stop and I would just be like, oh my god, I gotta go back out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I don't want to go back out there. How long would you rest for, like when you're taking your break of changing and whatever? What was the longest period of like downtime in between the segments?
Speaker 2:so it was about like an hour 30 minutes. I just needed to eat the entire time.
Speaker 1:Did you ever?
Speaker 2:sometimes no, it would depend on how I feel. I was like hey, like I need something, and sometimes my crew would text me what do you want to eat? I have, we have this, this.
Speaker 2:This is that, and I was like okay, I want chicken nuggets, give me my sweet potatoes and I need my pepsi right now, and they will meet me and then they will like, run towards me. They'll be like here, take it, and I'll just take it, like I was. Just, I had to feel myself and I had to remind myself like, even if it's a long race and I'm not hungry, I have to put something in my stomach.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you kind of just have to be putting in calories as much as you possibly can the entire way. Um, so, when you like, what would you say was the the bottom, or like the lowest point of that entire process of like you know, like you didn't know if you could keep going, or like you know what was like the lowest, low of that entire journey.
Speaker 2:So it was more of like I got blisters and I had an affected pinky toe where it encompassed my entire pinky. It looked like a tomato and my friend whitney had to pop it and she's. This was like the third or fourth day, I don't know what day, because everything was just a blur after day two yeah because I was very delulue the entire time, like I didn't know where I was yeah people were like where are you, like everyone's facetiming calling me?
Speaker 2:I'm like I don't know. Yeah, I'm just trying to get there. I'm just trying to get there. Look at my, go find my iphone. Because a lot of people were just like tracking me with on my iphone. I was like just find my iphone, then you'll figure out where I'm at. Yeah, yeah, but it was just so scary because I had an infected pinky toe how?
Speaker 1:how much of the race were you in by the point that that happened?
Speaker 2:so I was about to hit 150 miles and I was like, oh my god, I never had an infected pinky so you still have 100 miles to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I got on yeah, oh my gosh, and I didn't know that was happening to me, so we went to urgent care really quick. It's a segment there. There's just everywhere, like you know stores, gas stations, in and out. I had to in and out so many times over over the period, like they got me in and out burgers. That was the best thing ever, during that whole trip, yeah.
Speaker 2:But I went into the urgent care and they were like hey, like you got an infected pinky toe and I was like wow, they were like we don't know if you should continue, we don't know if you should keep going. I was like even walking. They were like no, like.
Speaker 2:We don't know if you should keep walking, like our best suggestion is to keep walking and just just stop what you're doing. And I was like I don't want to keep going. I do want to keep going. Sorry, I want to keep going, but I just don't want to keep going. I do want to keep going, sorry, I want to keep going, but I just don't want to stop.
Speaker 2:I'm very big a believer of not stopping, because I'm spending so much money to be here Speed Project is so much money. You're spending so much on an RV, the gas, people's time, people's time. Like you know, people are taking like no PTO for this. I was having no PTO for this entire race, so I was like you know what f it? We're here, let's continue. Yeah, whatever happens, we're just gonna get to that finish line and that's my goal. And then we had to like literally backtrack and sit down of saying what's our next game plan and how we're gonna get you safely in one piece. Yeah, to las vegas, yeah. And I was just like you know what? If we have to skip power line, because power line is a 40 mile um segment where there's no support, you're by yourself out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's not trail, it's like rocks, yeah I like, yeah, when I did it, I I wasn't on the power line segment, it was like overnight and like that was the one that I did, like the death valley segment, but I didn't do power line and I heard the horror, like when, when my teammates came back from it, they were just like this is this was the most traumatic experience of all time because it was just so crazy, but so you were skipping that I was skipping.
Speaker 2:That makes sense. And I said, hey, like you know, I have an infected toe, I need somebody with me. I need to bet embedded my entire toe where I had to put, like you know, alcohol, clean it every segment, so every segment. After that I had to go back in the RV to just clean it really quick, wrap it, put new socks and get back out there again and again, and again. I kept changing my socks every segment so okay, how many like?
Speaker 1:okay the RV. Did you have a shower on your RV? Yes, but no one showered, everybody hated me so it was a week of no showering for you and anyone else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they were not used to it at all they were like part of it, I guess, and we took sink baths, so we would stop at like a gas station, like at night, and we'll do like wipeys or like a sink bath and I'm like oh my god, yeah, we, it was just so, it was hysterical yeah, and like we'll brush our teeth, I will have a water bottle, yeah, and we'll have a toothbrush.
Speaker 2:And then we would just toothbrush out like outside the rv and like we'll brush our teeth, I will have a water bottle, yeah, and we'll have a toothbrush. And then we would just toothbrush out like outside the rv and like if we had to go pee or anything or take number one or two yeah, it was the woods I was like how it is how it is. Have fun like we had our white bees.
Speaker 1:We had everything like yeah, welcome to the speed project welcome.
Speaker 2:And then a lot my moon was facing so many, so many ways of throughout the trip I was like, okay, I guess this is it.
Speaker 1:Like yeah it really teaches you, like, how much you can get by on less. Like you're like, oh, wow, I spent a whole week like with nothing but myself, like running and like you know, or like just you know, the bare minimum of survival, and then, when you finally did take a shower, what was that like?
Speaker 2:oh, my god. I cried because I had a room with my crew. I was like, oh my god, it's here. And I cried so much in that shower because it's like me thinking of like how many people that are out here that are homeless, that don't have the opportunity to take a shower, that don't have the opportunity to eat, and it's like you have that eye experience of like, oh my god, like there's people that are struggling that don't have nothing. Yeah, and this is showing me like so much of what we should be grateful for, because it's like we take everything for advantage and we don't say, oh my god, like you know, at least we have a home, at least we get to shower that's true.
Speaker 1:I think that that's a really interesting takeaway from the speed project of the idea that, like it, teaches you how privileged we are in our normal day-to-day life.
Speaker 1:Like I can relate to that feeling of just like thinking, like, wow, like there are so many people who who do just have to live like this, like they don't have the opportunity to just take a shower or something. So it gives you a lot of perspective on, like what you actually need or like how much like luxuries we have in our everyday life. But so when you were preparing for the speed project, like training wise, how do you train for, uh, an ultra marathon?
Speaker 2:like that I just did a lot of mileage it was mostly like long miles making sure my body is just getting equipped to standing up. So I was standing up for a period, long time, to just get you know like okay, we're gonna stand up for this amount of hours. If I need to walk, I'll take a long walk, or either I would just do my own mileage.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I will have to not go to community runs, just to do my own long runs yeah and it sucked because it's like I had to learn how to stop for like five seconds and then keep going because Cause you know, in the street project. You're stopping for a period of time and then you got to go back out there and keep going and going and it was just me doing long mileage like every single week. I did like 50, about 50 to 60 miles a week.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But it was just, it was, so it was a lot on my body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, getting your time on feet down. Your time on feet down, um, so so what was the? Do you have any memories or anything about, like the death valley portion? Was it ever really hot? Like? How did the um elements like affect you during the speed project?
Speaker 2:so day one day two it was hot, it was very brutal, where the sun was just beaming, and I was so used to running in the cold. We had a cold winter in new york, yeah it's still winter now. It's still winter now, so it's like I couldn't really like process me running in the heat all all at once, right away, for like several days.
Speaker 2:Yeah and I couldn't really like. I just I was like oh my god, I'm running in the heat. I did not train for this heat. I trained in the cold, brutal cold, low five degrees like. The highest was like 40, 50, but it was just so hot and then the couple other days it got nicer. It was more like okay, this is more spring, this is more demure, more cutesy yeah, and I'm like this is what I like.
Speaker 1:I could do this. Yeah, I could do it.
Speaker 2:I had an infected toe and sometimes I would walk like if it's hot.
Speaker 1:I would just walk, because that's smart too, because it keeps you at least going versus running and then burning yourself out and you have to stop and I was trying to burn myself out the first two days and I was like I can't do this to myself if you're going to sustain.
Speaker 1:It's like you have to kind of pull it back. That's a huge thing, I think, with doing the speed project alone. I'm guessing, because I obviously haven't done it but like just just the endurance of it, of just like, what can I do? What pace can I just keep holding? And for a lot of that it might just be walking, but just getting you in that direction and moving forward some way, versus just standing still.
Speaker 2:It was just. It was an experience that I will definitely do again. I would love to do again, but that freaking. The whole entire weather was just bipolar. Like, I'm like what's going to happen? I was like, oh, it's going to be hot, oh, be hot. Oh, it's gonna rain. Oh, like, thank god, we didn't have no rain. Last year when I did a relay, it was snow.
Speaker 1:Oh, my gosh, it was snowing. I remember that it was like snowing. That was the weirdest. That never happens.
Speaker 2:It was snow and it was cold, it was raining, it was hail and I had totally, completely different weather where it was hot, it was breezy and there was times where it was just cold. But it was cold during the morning, early morning, because my day started at around 3 am. The day.
Speaker 2:The first day of the speed project was from santa monica, started at 3 in the morning it started at 4 am but like the rest of the week where I was running, I started at 3 am on the dot so I woke up at 2 30 am, got myself together. My crew will make me my breakfast, get my clothes on. Sometimes I would take my time. They were like yvonne, get your butt up.
Speaker 2:You have about like 10 minutes to get outside because I was just so over it and I'm like, oh my god yeah and I was telling them I can't wait to be in my bed, I can't wait, like I was just like they saw me complain so much, like I never like done this before. So it was my first ultra and have never done the ultra period right, yeah before ever. So it was just like, oh my god, like I can't believe I'm experiencing something that I never thought I would say I will not do, but now I'm doing it now, and it was just eye-opening like it was so cool to just say oh, this is how my body feels after a much miles yeah
Speaker 2:and sometimes, like I will have, like people saying, oh my god, you're doing amazing, we're seeing you live, because I had a live every time to keep everyone updated, because there's no tracker to right to see how you're doing, it's either you're alerted. Them say, hey, I'm at this mile, I'm feeling great, we're in somewhere and we're gonna keep going. But I was. I didn't know where I was. After day three I was just like I need to get to this finish line somehow, some way yeah and just finish, but it was, as so much that happened, like I got chased by dogs so what?
Speaker 1:so tell me, like, um, what was the most? What? Which point do you feel like was the most dangerous? Because I know for myself, like my mom was terrified when I did. She's like, oh my god, like where are you? Like what, if something bad happens, like that, like an animal bites you, what would you say is the most dangerous? That you felt like where you're, like I don't know if I can keep going like this, like my life is on the line, or if you ever got to that point so it was when it was a lot of times.
Speaker 2:But the first time was when we went through the woods, the mountains, and my friend he was like you have to go in there. And I'm like in there and it was just pitch black and there's like no path. There was no, there was a path, like it was a huge, big, huge path, but it looks so dangerous. And they said no trucks or no vehicles about beyond this point. And I'm like, oh my god, I can't believe I have to go through this and you, but you had your friend with you. I had my friend audio with do you have like a headlamp? Or I had a headlamp. He had like a huge, like light, like a little light, um thing, whatever. And we just kept going and he kept trying to play with me. He was like, hey, look, look over there, his eyes. I'm like don't tell me. He's like, yeah, I see eyes.
Speaker 2:I'm like do not tell me that, because I just did not want to look over there look anywhere but there was one point where we were almost fell off a cliff and there was like this one tiny like section where it got smaller the road, and my friend ricky's like I don't think I can keep going because if I keep going it's not gonna break. So my friend adiel, he ran down, he's like you know what, let me run down. And it was a huge downhill and if you go, if you keep going, you may have to make a sharp left. And if you do not make that sharp left while you're driving and there's a cliff right there, you're, you're dead you're fucked and stuff, but it was just scary it was so scary and I was like, oh my god, like thank god.
Speaker 2:We looked before we even got down and they asked me do you still want to do this segment? I said, yes, I still want to do this segment. I'm still here. I want to keep going. Why don't you guys back up and just meet us at the other side of this other segment when it's over?
Speaker 2:So, that's what they did, and I asked somebody else to come with me besides Adiel. So my best friend, ana, went with me and we just started like just we were just talking, like we were having like a regular conversation, acting like if we're in Central Park. But it was more like I needed them to talk to me. It was 3 am and we just we heard things and things moving. But I was just like come on, let's keep going, let's keep going. And there was no service. We were so scared because some points.
Speaker 1:If something happens, what do you do? You can't call anyone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't call anybody and they don't have. You remember, it's find my iPhone, so they how can they really know where I'm at and how far I am from the end of that segment? Right? So that was just so scary. And another scary part was when me and my friend me and her were running before we hit the mountains and it was just pitch black and there was no service and she tried to get satellite somewhere so we can call our friends because we were like, how long this segment? He said it was 10 miles, it's past 10 miles, yeah, and I was just so scared because I thought I lost them. But then when I found flashlights and I saw them, I ran to them crying like, oh my god, it's you guys and it was just you were.
Speaker 1:It's like you just don't know. I totally know that feeling where you're just kind of like looking like you're okay they said 10 miles and it's like you're looking for the meeting checkpoint thing or like the rv and you're not seeing it. You're like, well, how much longer do I have to go? And every step that's past that point. Yeah, it's just like a panic yeah but so then when you got to that part, that's like when you can start to see the outline of Vegas, or like you know, you're getting kind of close what was that, like it was more like oh my god, I'm finally almost there, I can't wait, I just want to finish.
Speaker 2:like my goal was just to finish. I did not care who was in front of me, back me, I just want to be done. Because I was just so over it and I was very Delulu where I was just like, okay, I don't know how many miles, but this is how we're going to get there and we're going to keep going and I just kept going. I just like you know, I had like firm belief Get yourself to the sign. Yeah, just get myself to the sign.
Speaker 2:yeah, just get myself to the sign, however, which way I can't do right now, but it's just my foot. I was on a lot of antibiotics and painkillers throughout that whole entire race where I couldn't even feel my toe I couldn't, but if I felt it, I was like guys, we need to stop for a second.
Speaker 1:I need to take my meds right now yeah, just to get to that, and I took my stuff that you got from the urgent care when they checked it out.
Speaker 2:They had to. They told me that I had to because it was infected and my whole skin came out. My whole nail came out, so my toe looks like a naked mole rat right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, where it looks disgusting, it's a badge of honor. Yeah, it's like you got to run the sweet powder but you lost your toe. Yes, in the process. And it's like if I was to go through power line. I think I don't know how it will be. I think that was a really strategically smart move to have skipped that, especially because you're alone. I think if you're on a relay team, it's like other people can break it up and whatever.
Speaker 2:But if you're alone.
Speaker 1:That's just like a lot and it's just so technically hard. It was so hard, but so technically hard. It was so hard, but so like, real quick. There's something to be said about your style.
Speaker 1:Like you're a very stylish runner, you're very into like the swag and like like, if you look at your instagram, I was just like looking at all your pictures and I was like, okay, there's just like a big vibe here. What kind of gear did you dress yourself in? Or like is there any um brands or apparel like what? Like, what's your favorite running apparel?
Speaker 2:so it was planet noosa. Um, they're in berlin, they're like copenhagen. They sent me a bunch of cute like stuff and I was just like I'm gonna wear this, oh cool. And then lululemon provided me gear on, provided me gear.
Speaker 1:It was just I very stylish what were your shoes that you were wearing so?
Speaker 2:I was wearing the on um trail and hoka trail so I love we're wearing trail shoes.
Speaker 1:How much of it were you actually on like the shoulder of a road? Because I remember when I did it there were like periods where we're like on, like road. Were you on road at all?
Speaker 2:I had to be on road because it was just no sidewalk or nothing, and sometimes I was end up in a highway where I was on the freeway. Yeah, yeah I kind of remember that was scary yeah because there's like these fast trucks going by you. That's terrifying you don't know if they see you. If they see you because one hit, you're dead.
Speaker 1:Yes, I know that's the scariest part no one understands that nobody understands. I remember the exact same feeling where I was just like this is so scary because I'm like afraid of semi is just gonna hit me, while I'm running like a little curve, but I also feel like there are so many teams doing it that I do think that, like I don't, I would hope that, like they're seeing all these other runners and stuff, but how many people did the speed project?
Speaker 2:solo, um, about 40 something, I believe it was a lot of women and non-binary, which was great to see. I feel like we needed more women and non-binary on that pacific start line because you know, when people see solo, they just think immediately men running it, not women and non-binary. So just seeing that alone was just amazing. And then, um, the speed project provided a program and it was for women and non-binary. It was the radical equality program, where they provided like information, training, anything that you need, like it was just a whole program to kind of facilitate more women and non-binary runners.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. So now, knowing what you know now from this experience doing it by yourself, you said you want to do it again.
Speaker 2:I would definitely do it. What would? You do differently, knowing what you know now it was more of making sure I have to look at the route to know what segments do I need to have support with me because I was like, okay, this is the route, let's study it okay. And then there were some routes where we will go in with the rv and we'll have cliffs.
Speaker 1:I'm like back it up, back it up.
Speaker 2:They were like you want to keep going. You want to keep going. I'm like, yeah, back it up.
Speaker 1:You guys gotta meet me on the other side. We had to just take a quick game plan yeah, so how did you do the original route like this this time that you did it like who made the route the first time?
Speaker 2:so I basically stole maps from different crews, different leaders, okay, yeah, and I would see like their master, mike strava, and I'm like, okay, I'm saving this, I'm saving this good way to do it. Yeah, that's interesting because I kind of was wondering that I'm like how okay, I'm saving this, I'm saving this.
Speaker 1:That's a really good way to do it. Yeah, that's interesting Cause I kind of was wondering that I'm like how do people know where to go? But so you kind of just looked into, you did your own research and found a route. So now, if you did it again, you would change, knowing when you would map out the segments and make sure you had support.
Speaker 2:What other stuff like. Would you do anything to prevent getting?
Speaker 1:some kind of a toe infection.
Speaker 2:Just make sure I have blister tape or blister band-aids with me. I had k-tape and I believe that's what happened, like the friction of my sneaker with my sock and then with that. That's what caused my infection and now I know like, okay, next time, yeah, let's get you blister band-aids so you could be knowing what the hell you're doing. Yeah and stuff.
Speaker 1:So it was just you, did you run into any kind of like uh, stomach problems, like no, wow okay, that's amazing because, like for me, I remember I just like my stomach was horrible. It was like just a nightmare, but so that says a lot yeah, what do you think is the like what helped you not have any kind of issues because that's a huge thing with ultra marathons is like gastrointestinal problems and stuff. So what helped you not have any problems with?
Speaker 2:that it was more just eating the right amount of times. Like my friend Whitney, she's like you need potassium. She gave me a banana. You need this right now. Gave me a water. You need this. Give me pasta. She's like you got to eat.
Speaker 1:You got to fuel yourself so it was Whitney's role, like the fueling yeah, she was making sure I fueled everything and she was on point with it, like let's eat this right now, you need to eat this.
Speaker 2:And then, when I had my vest, she packed me like gummy bears, candy worms, sandwiches, water. And every time she was like a teacher. If you come back and you finish your test, you're like let's see what's wrong and we'll see what's right. So she looked at my vest. She's like you did not even eat this, why are you not eating this? And she's like you, you see this, this is still full. Why we're not eating? Why we're not drinking this? And I'm like oh, I'm not.
Speaker 2:She's like I don't care if you're full or not, you need to drink this right now and it was more fueling myself and I'm happy that I had no stomach pains, no, like bathroom problems or anything like if I had to go, like I will go during my segment and I'll find a tree somewhere or something, or, if not, the entire highway would see my moon. But it was just more like okay, I'm fine. And I kept going and I was eating so much like yeah, I think I lost weight, I gained weight. I don't know what I was feeling, but I was just eating so much Like.
Speaker 1:I have to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I ate so much sandwiches. I had so much seltzer water, pepsi. I had candy, I had macaroni and cheese the cup ones. I had a cup of noodles. I had chicken nuggets, I had tocino rolls. Tocino rolls were my favorite, they were out that whole trip. It was more like I would just microwave them and I would just eat it.
Speaker 1:Like it was so good. So those are that's good tips about like just like feeling by eating, like being on a good schedule, eating a lot and, yeah, it sounds like also just having the person who's like they're making sure that you're eating, that's huge Cause. It just keeps you kind of like cause when you're doing it, you're not like it's hard to like remember to do all the steps that you need to be doing, but having other people kind of keep you on the right track.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So, since you've been back and you finished the race, what has been the reception Like how? What kind of feedback have you gotten? I noticed I saw on your Instagram like you had like some kind of party or something, or like people are celebrating. Has it been like fun to enjoy, like the whole thing, and yeah, it's been fun to enjoy.
Speaker 2:It's been fun to be able to get the support that I get from a lot of people. Sometimes people won't say like you know, you didn't finish, that's on you, because I didn't finish the whole entire thing, where I just only did 240 miles, where they didn't see it as their eyes of me as a finisher.
Speaker 2:But I was like f the noise yeah, yeah, let's continue to celebrate us yeah, yeah so I continue to celebrate me and you know I've been around positive beautiful people like positive beautiful people around me like they took me out. I've been going out. I don't ever go out like that like I used to, even I'm young, but like I don't go out like like I used to like in my late like teens I used to be like, okay, let's go outside, let's do this, and I'm like it's amazing, people have been throwing me like parties. Yeah, people have been taking me out to drink, to eat, to like come over when they can like I had some people come over to my house the other time.
Speaker 2:It was great and like there's people that have been sending me messages, facetiming me and the one thing that asked me, how do I feel? And I was like what do you mean? Like, mentally, I'm like I'm still in the desert.
Speaker 1:I'm not here, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm not mentally, I'm not here yet, like it still hasn't processed, because once I finished this race, I had to go straight to work so I didn't go straight and so, yeah, it's probably worth mentioning.
Speaker 1:So you work in special education and, um, so you're a teacher. Yeah, I'm a teacher. Um, so your schedule like that's who you're you are day to day like your work life, is that? Um? So it is interesting to think you have like this other alter ego where you're like running in the marathon or ultra marathon in the desert and then you're coming right back to work. How many days did you have after you finished until so? I?
Speaker 2:took a week off without no pay and then I had like one personal day and I used that on monday when I came back and then I slept the whole entire day.
Speaker 2:Once I came back home I just slept. When I got back to work, everybody's like oh my god, how are you? We heard that you ran. Congratulations, oh my god. And my kids looked at me like if they haven't seen me in years. They looked at me like oh, you're back. And some of them are non-verbal so they were just like oh, yvonne, like they have to say my first name. Sometimes I'd be like yay, yvonne. I was like yay me. And sometimes they hug me like they were happy to see me. Some of the kids in that school they were like we heard you ran, how are you feeling? But sometimes they would see me like going downstairs because I was like I look like a crippled person where I'm just trying to walk because I was still hurting, but they were just so happy to see me.
Speaker 2:I got so much love from my boss and, like the administrators and like the teachers, it was so amazing to just receive that love when I got back to work.
Speaker 1:I think it's pretty awesome to think that your students and your peers at the school, that people can look at you and see you in the school context and then just be like, wow, this person is doing really big things, yeah, and it's not every day, like that's a really unusual thing because, like people know people who run marathons yeah, but to go do something like that is like a whole other level.
Speaker 1:So I think it's probably pretty inspiring for those people to see what's possible to like have that kind of a life outside of the education setting. But speaking of regular marathons, which is only 26.2 miles compared to the speed project, you're also a pretty established marathoner because you've run seven marathons right. And how many of those were world majors.
Speaker 2:So it was five out of the six, so you're going for your six star. I'm going to my six star. I have to do Boston again. I didn't get my time. I got cut off by two minutes. I'm going to go back to. Boston when I have the time and the energy. Is this part of that whole time?
Speaker 1:qualifier, thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've heard a lot about this. So you have to go back to do it, to get the. Okay, I beautiful, I like the, I love the atmosphere of just being around different crews, but not like it was just weird. But I would love to go back to just do it and actually get a finishing time and get my star, because I didn't get my star that time.
Speaker 1:So yeah, real quick, if anyone listening who doesn't really know like there's this thing of like there's all these world major marathons and six of them in all the cities or whatever in like know, paris, london, tokyo, uh, chicago and then boston. But boston has like a rule you have to finish it under a certain time.
Speaker 1:And it's controversial because it's kind of like, whatever you finish, like, that's it's, it's, that's the way that it should be. But like that, that race definitely has its like, their, their old school ways. But so, that said you, you have completed five out of the six. And what is the last one that you're?
Speaker 2:tokyo, tokyo, yeah, so that's the last one you have to do yeah, the last one I have to do, so I'm gonna probably do it some way. Somehow get a bib. I've been trying every year. They always reject me. I don't know if tokyo likes me it's a hard one to get into. It's so hard but I would love to go to tokyo. Take like at least a month there to just explore be able to go to disneyland over there yeah, okay, so let's let's talk about the disney marathon yes you do the disney marathon.
Speaker 1:That's some of the ones that you've done. I've noticed on your instagram that you had some disney races yes so what's your relationship with disney?
Speaker 2:so I've been going to dis since I was five years old. It's like my home. My dad always took me and my sisters there every year. Ever since my fifth birthday I've been going every year. Like it's like my comfort, like my comfort place where you do not worry about what's happening on the outside real world. You're just there, living your best life and just having an amazing time. And I feel like with Disney, like it holds a childhood with me where it's just me and my dad. That's how we bonded so much and me and him have the same birthday. So I just bond with him through Disney and now he works there now so I just go there for free and I just go and just spend time with him and like all I have to do is just pay for my flight and I get to just be there and just have the best time. And sometimes this is a toxic runner trait of me I'm like, ok, let's see what time I can go to Disney but also run a race, exactly.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I do Sometimes. I look and I sign up and I tell my dad hey, I guess I'm doing another Disney race. He's like OK, I guess I got to wake up at 2 am Because the other disney race. He's like okay, I guess I gotta wake up at 2 am because the wake-up time is brutal.
Speaker 1:You have to wake up at 2 am. What is the story with that? So they try to do the race really early in the day so that they can open the park?
Speaker 2:yeah, okay so you get up by like 2 am, get to the parking lot at the epcot parking lot at like three something. The race starts at 4 am. You finish by like 8 am. You're done, yeah, but you're just so tired because the next day you have to do like a 10k or a half. Oh yeah, because there's like a challenge of all the races in a row, so I don't be challenged.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a friend named bruce who's obsessed with all this? Oh my god, I think I know him, you do, I think I think I see him on instagram, that's funny because I, um, because I always see his races, like I'm like I fought, kind of follow like along of all that, but, um, that's so funny. So you, so you have this relationship with disney that now you've turned it into like you're an outlet to do these races. Um, how many disney races?
Speaker 2:have you run? I ran the springtime surprise challenge last year, I ran the princess one. This year, I ran just the marathon this year and then I've done like a couple, like I'm still trying I want to do the wine and dine that's in november, trying to get it. I'm running new york, new york city marathon this year. So I got in and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this announcement I'm running new york city marathon this year and stuff. So um yeah do you want to say the other race you're running after the new york city marathon, oh, or before, before chicago?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'm running, I'm running.
Speaker 1:Chicago, New York, and then maybe this Wine and Dine Disney marathon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm trying to see if I can get, trying to see how I can get, so it's called Wine and Dine and is it a full?
Speaker 2:marathon. It's a 5K, 10k and a half, but it's a full challenge. But what I love about it is the medals because they're so creative with, like each Disney movie. So the. So the springtime surprise last year it was the akuna matata one where they had um simba running and then there was the liloa stitch, the 626 um ohana challenge, which was the whole entire springtime surprise challenge. They had like the 5k, they had like the princess one which is the mulan 5k 10k was like the aladdin princess jasmine then, 13.1 was aurora.
Speaker 2:then of course the whole thing was the sleep, was the sleeping beauty and snow white challenge. So it was amazing to just collect those medals, because I love disney, yeah. So I just hang them up and I'm like, oh, I can't believe I did that and the merch is amazing yeah, it's not expensive, but it's amazing.
Speaker 2:I love the merch. I just love going to like these races because it's like you're going. You're running through all these like amusement parks in disney, you hear the music and you're just like having the best time in your life. It's like you're a little kid and the costumes are amazing. I don't know if you've seen the costumes I have, but people have gone all out, so I went all out for disney. Princess, were you dressed?
Speaker 1:as it is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was dressed up as princess mia from princess diaries. I had the glasses, the tiara and I had the long you know gloves and I had all white because you know that was an og movie, and that's what you're running in.
Speaker 2:yeah, so I had an og, like that's the og movie that I grew up watching with my sister, so I was like I need to be princess Mia. Then, for um the half, I was princess Ariel. This is when I had my red hair back then and I was just had the fish. I had the little fish stars and I had like the purple top with the you know um green pants or the green shorts, and I loved it.
Speaker 2:And it was great and I took pictures everywhere. I was like I'm taking my time. This is no PR race.
Speaker 1:This is amazing. I think that's a very. That kind of a race is very conducive to just having fun and not be like so in your head, competitive about it like, it's just like enjoying the vibes and the community because everybody else doing that race is like on the same page of, just like we're here for the fun of it, like dressing in a certain way.
Speaker 1:But speaking of community, what? How would you describe the new york city community of running and like where you fit into that, like which team you run with which groups, all of the that good stuff.
Speaker 2:So I, when I started running in 2019, I started with boogie down bronx runners and I was with team rwb and I was just do and I was just running triathlons. Like that was before. Running came into every everything else. It was just triathlons. I was a triathlete first before a runner and I'll go with Boogie down to the track on Thursdays and Lenny was there and he always raffled off Yankee tickets and I would always win.
Speaker 1:I don't know why.
Speaker 2:Awesome so every time random every time I went there I had manifested I'm like I'm gonna win these tickets because I love the Yankees and I will always win, but I love their vibe. Like their vibe was just always about community and bringing people together and, no matter what pace, like you still belong there. So then that's when I started to run with them more. Then I'm like, ok, there's more running crews, just the Bronx, let's start going out somewhere. So I started myself just going to different groups and just being there and they were like, who are you? I was like, oh, my name is Yvonne. Like it was not Miss Outside, it was just Yvonne and I just started like showing up, just showing love. And then one day it was like the Washington Heights 5k that's my favorite race.
Speaker 1:I've heard really good things about that race and I always pr that race.
Speaker 2:I'm, oh it's amazing race.
Speaker 1:It's a hard course, but it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:And then I kept saying we outside on the megaphone and everybody was like outside, outside, okay. And then that's when the next day my friend she was like hi, miss outside, how are you, since you're always outside, and I was like miss outside, that sounds like a ring to it. So I kept calling myself miss outside. And then that's when everyone started calling me miss outside. So then it just started growing more and more.
Speaker 1:Miss outside. It's miss outside, yeah, it's outside.
Speaker 2:And right, yes, five, five, five and I just started just running with people in different boroughs. Like I moved to Brooklyn in 2022 and I was moving in with my current boyfriend I have now and I was just like, oh my God, like I don't know any run crews. And then that's when people were telling me go to GFTC. So I went to GFTC with Jerry, ran with him. Then I started to know more about communities where I was like OK, go to other communities. Then I got to learn about what make moves with tammy, such an amazing group.
Speaker 2:That's the group I run with now okay they are, but they are located in bushwick, best eye okay around there, and we run from urban asanas. It's an all black owned woman um what you call it yoga studio cool.
Speaker 1:So you've kind of bounced around the different teams and then you're also a run leader or pacer for the no name.
Speaker 2:Yeah so for no name. So I run with no name during the summer. I pace either 12, 13, sexy pace.
Speaker 1:We're a party people in the back and I just vibe and I just see how everyone there are people who are marathon training, so it's kind of like the long run pacer for for that that's.
Speaker 1:That's really awesome so yeah, it's kind of like the long run pacer for, for that that's, that's really awesome. So, yeah, you're kind of like all around the different running communities and, funnily enough, uh, the way that we met is because, uh, we, I did a photo shoot a couple of years ago Um, I think it was like February of 2023.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:And you were on set when I got there and I could hear you talking to the makeup artist or something and I was like who is this person? But what we were shooting was the billboard in Times Square that we were both on. Oh my God, that was so cool, kind of a life changing experience for both of us. Oh my God. So describe that experience in general, like what was that?
Speaker 2:like you know from the start to finish, like doing the shoot and then seeing yourself come in do a photo shoot to represent women for all women's history month international women's month and I was like, oh my God, okay, this is so cool, I'm down to do it. So that's when we did the photo shoot I felt like such a movie star, because the way they did my makeup, the way they asked me what I wanted to drink, the way they just put clothes on me, I was like I never got a chance to do this. This is so cool. And then, you know, we met during the photo shoot and it was just so cool to have you and I believe, um, soraya, soraya, there and we just we all had like such I remember in the moment I didn't like I knew it was ultimately supposed to be a billboard on times square, yeah, but I was like what is that actually going to be exactly?
Speaker 1:and then, when it was international women's day, I wasn't actually physically in new york but my friend was and took the picture of the billboard. Oh my god and then I saw your, your picture and I was just like oh my god. So what was it like when you were standing in times square on the main billboard seeing yourself?
Speaker 2:it was such like. It was so unbelievably real, like I didn't know that this was gonna happen to me, because I'm always in times square with my dad. My dad always takes me to times square. My dad used to work at the crown plaza hotel on 42nd street before I shut down, wow, and I'll always hang out there.
Speaker 2:So now, from hanging out with my family there every saturday to now going to times square and seeing yourself on a big, huge billboard was just eye-opening, because I did not know that it was gonna happen around this time. And it's just everyone started hitting me saying, oh my god, congrats. Like it was, just like I couldn't picture myself, because women that look like me like we're not usually up on there, like we're usually like somewhere else, but it's just to see that and to represent myself. And like I had my puerto rican necklace on. So I decided not to take that off during the photo shoot, because that's how I identify myself as a Puerto Rican Latino woman. And there was another girl I believe her name is Nora and she was like I know that you were Puerto Rican because I saw that necklace.
Speaker 2:Wow and she was also Puerto Rican.
Speaker 1:Wow and.
Speaker 2:I was like that's amazing. I got to see her and she was also like on the billboard too amazing. I got to see her and she was also like on the billboard too Cool. And I don't know if she did it like another time or another way, but she was on that billboard too. Wow, and I met her whole family and like we just connected and it was just so beautiful.
Speaker 1:It's pretty awesome to think that you got to be on a billboard in Times Square as yourself, as a runner, and just like completely you not just like you know someone modeling for something. It was like you're there as yourself for what you've done and who you are in the running community. So, that's pretty cool. I feel like that was like such a special experience and there are only a few people on the planet that we all got to experience that on the same day for international women's day.
Speaker 1:But um, what other kinds of running uh related like photo shoot, branding, campaign type things have you done? Because I know I saw something about like the new york marathon at one point yes, new york city marathon, I've done it.
Speaker 2:It was crazy because I always told jerry like I want to do this, I want to do this, I want to do this. I really want to be a part of the new york city marathon campaign. I kept manifesting.
Speaker 2:I'm very big on manifestation of knowing what's going to happen to me. I kept writing down this is going to happen to me one day. It's gonna happen, just so, whatever. Then I spoke to a lady named jen, and she was. She found me on instagram. She's like hey, you have been heard a lot from a lot of the community and I want you to be a part of this photo shoot for new york city marathon. I just I had to drop my phone and I was just like, oh my god, it's happening, and I was just so excited. Then, when we got on the call, it was other friends from the community that I have run with, so it was much more special and I was just like Because you get to share it with other people.
Speaker 2:Yes. So I was just like, oh my God, I can't wait till this come out. I didn't tell nobody until it came out and I was like, okay, it's gonna drop. Everybody would just start freaking out saying you didn't tell us that you were doing this. And I was like, yeah, I wanted to keep it a secret, make it big, and it was just so amazing to just be able to be a part of that, and, you know, representing not only myself but the other communities, because when everyone sees me, they see me I miss outside representing all the crews.
Speaker 2:So me just seeing myself on like different platforms of like the expo sometimes on a bus, a train, like I would see my face everywhere on a newspaper, like that was so cool, it's amazing. Like everybody was like, oh, like, even like people from outside the country like, oh, you're on that billboard. I was like yes, yes, and they would take pictures of me and they were like, oh my god, so cool, congrats, hope you framed this and stuff. And I was like thank you. And I had a friend that took some parts of the expo, like the huge, like picture of me there and she was like hey, I have a present for you. This is from the expo and I'm like where I'm gonna hang this?
Speaker 2:in my house and she was, like you can hang this by the windows, but I still have it in my storage unit right now, but it's a huge picture of just me standing and that was so cool, like that's really. But I got to keep that and I was like, oh my god, like that's so cool. I don't know how I might have a mansion one day, let's see yeah, so I'm just gonna it's.
Speaker 2:It was a I it was, it was I don't know how to describe it was just so amazing it's gotta feel pretty validating that.
Speaker 1:It's just like everything coming full circle of, like when you think of something like amazing that could happen to you. That it actually does. That's pretty cool, especially because you're like planting the seeds, like if you're um, you know, if you're doing the work, like you're going and running and like being out there, I think that, like naturally, these things are going to show up, these opportunities and stuff will come your way. What kind of things are you kind of like manifesting now that you like want to see happen, that you hope happen? I?
Speaker 2:want to do more ultra marathons. I feel like the ultra marathoning kicked in now, where I caught the bug after now that you know you can do it, you're like yeah, I'm like okay let's see what 50 miler or 100 miler that I could do one day and I could just run it like outside of new york, because you know, when you're doing the speed project, you're not only going through different obstacles but you're seeing the whole landscape of it and it's so beautiful.
Speaker 2:Like the amount of photos I took in TSP were just the views, and it was not just me, it was just the views. And it's so like I'm like New York or nowhere, like you can never get this back in New York. Like sometimes I'll take a picture. I'll be like oh guys, look, that's central park and it would just be sand. And then there were times where I would just like picture myself like wow, like I'm waking up to this. I'm running through this. This is not central park, this is not prospect park, this is not mccarrion park where you're doing track. This is like the middle of nowhere where it's so beautiful and I feel like we take advantage of, like what we see around us when we're racing outside of New York.
Speaker 2:And it was just so cool to just experience that, where you know you're running and you're seeing so many beautiful things and you're seeing the sunset and the sunrise, like I got to see the stars. I got to see so much to see the stars amazing, I got to see so much and like I had to take a moment and where it's like I'm happy and I'm grateful to be alive because around, like what July, I got hit by a car that's right yeah.
Speaker 2:I got hit by a car in July so I was not running. So I took that moment to myself saying, wow, like I didn't run for like four to six weeks right, and now I'm running so, back up, this is something that I definitely talked about.
Speaker 1:So you were basically training for something. What were you training?
Speaker 2:for when you got hit. I was training for Chicago Marathon, every woman's marathon. I wanted to do it and then, all of a sudden, I got hit in front of my house. Of course You're just crossing the road or something. Yeah, crossing the road and got hit, and the guy he hit me and it was just, it was a blur, I couldn't get up, I couldn't get up to walk, so you go down on the ground. Yeah, I was just. I went down the ground, I couldn't put any weight, it was hurting, and they were like yeah, you tore your ligaments, your tendons. You are out for about eight to nine weeks.
Speaker 1:Wow, and I cried so you had to skip the races, like you're not. You're not running any races. And after that, um, and what was broken?
Speaker 2:um nothing broke. Thank god.
Speaker 2:It was mostly like ligaments, tendons were just torn really hard and heal yeah, it was very hard to heal and I was just crying because I love racing, I love marathons and I love doing what I do. Like I feel like that's like the best thing that anyone could ask for, and it's like for me to not do what I love is just me trying to figure out what. Who am I besides running? And it was so hard to sit and dwell with that for the past few weeks.
Speaker 2:I had to learn so much of like if I had no running, if I took out running, besides me being missed outside, who am I as an individual? And I got to learn like, okay, I like to do this, I like to bake, I like to color, I like to draw, I like to hang out with my friends. But who am I like deeper into? Like what can I do besides just run and work out? Because I was just losing my mind, not running or doing anything. Like I will go to like different races and I not run, and just like it was amazing to see cheering people on. But it hurt inside because it's like wow, like I wish it was this meet this year.
Speaker 1:Like running yeah and doing what I love to do, but it sucked so maybe that down downtime, though, when you couldn't run because of the getting hit by a card, taught you who you can be when you're not running. But then it also might have fostered a very deep appreciation for when you do return to running. When you did return to running that you could like appreciate it even more yeah I know what it feels like to not have this, so now I'm gonna go run from santa monica to las vegas.
Speaker 2:That was my that was like my biggest like comeback. I'm like I want to run this, I want to challenge myself to something that I never thought I would do, because everybody's like run an ultra. One day and I said no, I would never right. And all of a sudden, okay, I'm running solo. And when I announced that, everyone was freaking out they're like, oh my god, you're doing it. And I always said I would never do anything above 100 miles or 26.2.
Speaker 2:And now I did the speed project and now like now you've got that bug where you want to do more, but I want to do more who are some of the um?
Speaker 1:either they're runners or non um. Who are the, the heroes that you look up to, of people that you aspire to be like or like you know um? Guiding lights, mentors, people like that?
Speaker 2:usually it would be my mom. My mom has always been a big impact in my life where I saw her run throughout my years when I was younger, where she had done marathons, she had done triathlons, ironmans and like she got me into doing that. And then like other leaders like Coffee, of course, he always like try to teach me. Like you know it's you versus you or you know you being here is so important, like keep going. And like other leaders, like my friend Tammy, like she impacted me so much of. Like you know you want your woman. You are Latina.
Speaker 1:You need.
Speaker 2:We need to show more of that. We need to show more people that we matter and we represent here. And you know there's a lot like my boyfriend. He's been a big impact in my life because he's the person that says just keep going, just keep doing what you have to do, don't stop. And, like you know, I have really good friends and family that have been there for me since day one. It's like I'm very grateful for that.
Speaker 1:So your family's overall really supportive and excited about all this stuff. Did anyone kind of say are you are you sure about running the speed project Like this? Seems like a really dangerous thing.
Speaker 2:My mom was just like what's? Don't tell me, it's this race that you did last year, but with a relay. And I was like, yeah, she's like. She's like, okay, I don't know how you're gonna do this, but you're gonna do it, you'll get there. And I was telling people they were like whoa.
Speaker 1:I was like yeah, they were like this is really big, like you're doing this LA to Vegas, and they're kind of yeah, they're like oh my god.
Speaker 2:And like they were asking do I need help anything? I was like I'll figure it out, I'm just learning as the way I go. And I was just training and people were saying like you're everywhere and I'm like, yeah, I've just been running, like my whole training block has just been running. I was training for like what 25 weeks of just straight running every day. Wow, like running in the dark, running in the morning, running at night, running during, like when it's raining sometimes yeah, like in the blizzard all conditions, all elements.
Speaker 1:So um you on the radar now. You've got um chicago coming up in the in the early fall, then the new york marathon, then potentially the wine and dine disney. What other races and exciting things you have that you're looking forward to this year? Um? I'm doing the mini 10k, the main thing is my favorite the women's mini 10k. That's amazing.
Speaker 2:I love that one and then I'm trying to do like, more, like run, try and do more halves. I think halves are my favorite yeah, especially after doing so much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like that probably is a very appealing distance yeah, and I'm doing high rocks in june cool, oh, that's like the, the weight train, like yeah. Yeah, I don't know too much about it, but are you doing it alone?
Speaker 2:or I'm doing with a friend. She invited me and I was like, okay, I guess we're doing it like we're gonna have fun she was like what's your goal time? I'm like I just want to finish, yeah, like I don't care about what place we're in, just let's do this, because it was my first time like lifting, like that, and it's her first time. But she's been killing it and I've been like, okay, we're gonna do this, yeah, we're gonna do something new yeah, something new.
Speaker 2:And you know I want to do more races of just like leaning more into community and like just having to do fun runs, like like I was telling you before just waking up and actually just doing a five miler just for fun and not just for training, right, yeah, and I want to do that until like june comes, and then that's when I start training and then no name comes and you know, trying to get people to the start line, the finish line of new york city marathon, because it's great to be a pacer where you get to see people's journeys and then watch and like then when you walk because you're going to run the race as well.
Speaker 1:It's just so much fun. Do you think some of the people that you train with are going to run with you in the race, like that pace group?
Speaker 2:yeah, I hope so. I want them to I would be like oh, if you guys want to run with me, this is the. This is the route I'm taking that's so fun and that's the sexy pace crew.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like this, the like you know, more.
Speaker 2:More about like the fun of it versus yeah, like crazy and I would just probably drink around the whole entire new york city, because there, it's fun. New york city marathon is so much fun like this is my third time doing it, but it's just so much fun. I remember 2022, when it was brutally hot, and I remember that, oh, I was sweating at mile one.
Speaker 1:You ran the one. That was really hot, oh man I.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh my god, and they were like take it easy, it's hot.
Speaker 1:And I was sweating yeah, so much brutal year.
Speaker 2:Hopefully it's not like that this year I pray, I'm like, oh no, I don't want. I want to be like nice, like a nice cutesy, like little. Yeah, nothing crazy 40 degrees, like you know, tank top weather but kind of cold. I just want to experience everything again, Like I feel like ever since, everything that has happened to me last year. I want to just enjoy just racing and not worry about my time because I'm so focused on my time.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I'm like, ok, I got to beat this, I got to beat that. And I'm like, okay, like what? What's your why? Why do you really run? And I had to sit down with myself and ask myself what's my why in running and why I love to run, why I love to be here and be around the community. And I feel like some people just will worry about like races where we don't know why, we forget why we run what is what is your, why?
Speaker 2:my why is my community, my family, my friends? And I feel like I'm doing this for, like the women that are so scared to say no, for the kids that are so scared to say no, because I was a special ed kid where I was non-verbal. I was non-verbal for three years when I was younger and I was so scared to say no when I'm so scared to say yes, like I had people choose for me how to say yes or no, and I I'm like you know what. It's time to put your foot down, learn how to you know experience new things where others don't get to see and, you know, take in everything.
Speaker 2:And it's like when I run, like I'm running for my health and I'm running for people that cannot run and now that have no legs or no like body parts, like you know. And I see the achilles and I respect the achilles people so much running I've been like go achilles, you're killing it. And now I get to figure out like, oh, my god, like I was not running for a short period of time, we're just walking on one leg and I had to put non-bare weight on my right leg. So now I get to experience that I say, oh my god, like I'm running for me and I'm running for my community. I just want people to see that of what running is really all about.
Speaker 2:It's about community and it's about bringing people together and why we're here, cause, you know, we always tend to forget why we're doing this in the first place. The medals are nice, the times are nice, the year is nice and everything, but we have to remember why we're here and why we are running, because we tend to forget that, we tend to forget why we're running. And I feel like running has impacted my life so much where it brought me to meeting new people like you, like different people within the community, where people have not only touched my heart in such a beautiful way but like have been, like saying, like I believe in you, like you could do this, like you know the, you know the mileage, and like people have just been like there for me, and it's like I created beautiful friendships and relationships where, you know, I now have people that I call my soul sisters or my brothers, or like they're like my mom and my dad.
Speaker 1:So it's like seeing that and to keep going and to experience that is just a blessing that's amazing, I yeah, I think everything in there that's kind of like sums up exactly what you're all about with the running journey and, um, it speaks to someone like me because, you know, for someone who hasn't really been racing that much, I think it's so important to remember our why and like, why we choose to run and how there are people who aren't able to run and that we get to run as a like you know, just a powerful statement of like and that we get to run as a like you know, just a powerful statement of like. We get to do this. This is a choice that we're making. Um, so if you'd like to go ahead and um, tell everyone where to find you if they want to connect with you on social media, um, what's?
Speaker 2:your instagram.
Speaker 2:Okay, so my social media is miss outside with five e's, not six e's we have a hiccup, but five e's follow me, get to connect with me, see my journey. I've been posting non-stop about the speed project. If you want to see more of the speed project, go to miss outside solo. It's still on instagram. We still have videos and lives that we did not so long ago like literally a week. I can't believe it's been a week. But yeah, if you guys want to connect with me, don't be afraid to hit me up. I'm a loving person. I love free hugs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Yvonne is definitely a very fun person to follow on Instagram. I highly recommend giving her a follow. And yeah, until next time. Just be fast, Just win.