(upbeat music) - Hello, everyone. My name is Ashley, our post-time back, and I am thrilled to announce my new podcast on the Hopecast Network, Locks of Locks, where I will be chatting with comedians, restaurant tours, and everyone in the entertainment industry about comedy, duh, pop culture, and of course, a little bit of food. You can follow lots of laughs on Instagram, @locksoflapspodcast, and lots of laughs will be available on Spotify, iTunes, anywhere you listen to podcasts. So, like, follow, subscribe, and I cannot wait to knowsh with you. (upbeat music) - This is the Hopecast Network. Stories and shows you actually wanna listen to. (upbeat music) - Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the Everyday Runner. I'm so excited, I have an amazing, who's gonna be now my friend. I can sense it, I can feel it. Brent Oaks on with us today to share his running story with us. So, Brent, thank you so much for joining me on the show. I appreciate it. How are you? - Yeah, well, thank you for having me. I'm doing great. As we're recording this, it's a Monday, and I'm taking the day off, so I couldn't be better. - Excellent, excellent. So, I feel like Mondays are like that weird day. Like, when I used to work, I used to be a general manager for food corporation, breadsticks and salad. I think I just gave it away with that. And I felt like Mondays were my weekends for years, because I would hustle all weekend long, and then Mondays would just be like, (sighs) - Very easy. - Yeah, I think the rest of the world, it's the total opposite, where if they're off on a Monday, it feels amazing, right? - Yeah, I waited tables for a little season of my life, so I know exactly what you're talking about. - So, how old were you when you worked in the food service industry? Obviously, this is not what the show is about, but I'm just super now curious. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, let's see. I would've been probably, it would've been early 20s. So, I've been 22, 23 or so. It was right after college. - I feel like that's the perfect age. My husband and I actually talked about it, 'cause our oldest is gonna be 16 soon, and she's already itching for a job, and I'm like, I don't want her in the food service industry yet. - No. - At all, but I feel like everybody should do it at least once in their life. - I would agree with that statement, because I used to laugh and make fun of people when they would complain about serving people food, and when I experienced it myself, everything changed for me. - Yeah, absolutely. And I can't help any time, like if we do experience poor service, I always am like, well, what if they're having a bad day? What if they found out some really bad news on the way to work, like somebody that they love is sick, or your kids didn't want them to leave, or like, I create this dialogue, where now I feel bad for the server, even though like-- - I do the exact same thing, because I remember that when I was serving, when I was waiting tables, it was definitely more bad days than good days. Like, I didn't want to be there most of the time. Like, that was miserable. And it was a weird time in my life. I was just out of college. I was kind of figuring out, you know, what I was going to do next. And I was like, waiting tables. That's just a natural cycle of life, right? - Yep, absolutely. Most people I think kind of fall into the food service industry. I was right out of high school. I didn't go to college right away. And I was like, well, I think I could make good money at this. And I like people, and I like talking to people, so I stumbled my way through it and turned it into a career for a period of time. But yeah, it's definitely eye-opening. It's an eye-opening experience. - So Brent, tell us, how did you get started running? Did you, have you always been a runner? Were you involved in sports as a kid and ran a lot? Or is this something that you found later on in life? - Yes. - Yes. (laughing) - All of the above, all of the above. Yeah, so I was very heavy in the sports my entire childhood. It was, I never viewed myself as a runner, but I always, I was the kid on the team. I wasn't the tallest, I wasn't the strongest. But I was always striving to be the best at whatever I was doing as a kid. So I had to have the best six pack at 12 years old. I had to be the fastest kid on the field. I had to, on my teams, when we're doing conditioning, I had to be the first one finished. Like I was just ultra competitive in that sense, where I just wanted to be on top. I wanted to be able to hold my chest out. And just like, hold that over people's heads. And then, you know, and then I found Jesus later. So I, I played baseball in college for three years. And it was just kind of that same ordeal. And then baseball was taken away from me. It wasn't something where it's like, oh, it's time to hang my shoes up. It was, it was taken away. And I went through a very dark time of my life in my 20. And I put on some weight. I got a lot bigger than I was, because I was in this mentality of, I spent my entire childhood being in the best shape I could possibly be. I was trying to be in better shape than adults wearing. I just was kind of like, I don't know, I was in this dark place for a long time. And I put on some weight and got married, had kids, complacency sets in for a little while. And then in 2019, I decided I was going to take my health back. And so I started running. This would have been early, early 2019. And so I started running and then I just remembered, I'm not a teenager anymore. So my knees were hurting and everything was just hurting. So I decided, forget running, I'm going to go into the weight room. And I found a place in the weight room for a little bit. And it was doing really well. And I wound up breaking my back. And, you know, yeah. - How, how, how did you break your back? - I got, I got sucked into the Mark Wahlberg plan, where you wake up at 2.30 in the morning, you do all these things, you go to the gym, you exercise, you meditate, you, yeah. All just all these things, - It's very disciplined, but it's a big jump from like average fitness or maybe not doing anything to that. It's a big jump on your body. - It was, and it was surprisingly, it was actually going very, very well for me. I was very locked in. I had lost a bunch of weight. I was feeling very good. I had released a lot of depression at the time. I was going through some things with an old job that I really enjoyed that didn't work out. And so I was just in a really good place. And then one morning at four o'clock in the morning, I was doing a deadlifts. And then it wasn't. So I had been going so well. - So did it happen in the middle of your debt? Like, could you feel it? Like something? - Immediately when it happened, immediately. So I had been going for so long and I had told myself starting out, I wasn't going to push. I wasn't going to be trying to do maxes or anything like that. And so I was like, I'll do heavy, but I'm just going to be able, I'm going to put myself in a place where I can maintain this for a while. And then one day I was just like, man, I've been going for so long and I've been feeling good. I've had no injuries. Let's just see what I can do. And I got nice and warmed up and I was good to go. And then I put 505, I think it was on the bar. I'm terrible at plate math. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Somewhere around 500 pounds on the bar. I'll never forget this one guy, this one kid walks past, he goes, "Man, that's a lot of weight." I was like, "Yeah, it's fine." And then I just turned around and I picked it up and I made the lift and I got it all the way up. And I was like, "This was great." I could probably do this two or three more times. Let me just set it down, I'll rest. So it was the moment when it was like, my body started to relax, so I could drop the weight. That was the moment that my spine collapsed. It was like the muscles in my back relaxed too fast and all that weight just like, asked my back and I had a straight back. And then when I went to the doctor, it looked like that on the X-rays. And my L4 and L5, luckily it wasn't too bad, but they crunched together enough to fracture each other. And I've been dealing slightly every now and then with like a bulging disc in my back. So it doesn't quite hold up. The doctors tell me I'll probably have surgery later in life, but I've been a boy. But that's how it happened. But it was about 14 months of rehab. I was going to the chiropractor three to five times a week. I was going to a spine specialist once a week and they were hooking me up to a whole bunch of things. And it was painful for a while. I was on a walker for six or eight weeks and then a cane for several months. And it was a long road back, but I found myself with a lot more weight. A lot more weight came back with all that because it couldn't move. And all those things eating and sitting around. - Yeah. - And up. So that was fun, you know? Fun time. - Wow. All right, so let's pedal back for a second. So first off, I need to know because I have kids that are involved in softball and baseball. - Right. - What position did you play in baseball? - My entire childhood, I played first base. And then I got to high school. And the varsity coaches son was my age and he played first base. So naturally they're like, well, you're left-handed. You're going to the outfield. - Yeah. - And I was like, well, never played outfield before, but I'll give it my best shot. And it turned out I was pretty decent at it. So I played center field for four years in high school and crushed it and went to the University of South Carolina and sat on the bench for three years because I just didn't care to be in school and I didn't do anything academically. And so, yeah, so I was an outfielder. - Wow. - Wow. So it's interesting. So my oldest is a pitcher and she can play the outfield, but like all of them, basically my point is we've told all of them, you need to learn multiple positions. - Right. - You've got to be prepared for anything. - If they go to the next level, they will tell you where you're going. It's not like, oh, you came here to play third base? No, you're going to play where I want you to play, where I see your potential. - Yeah. So like my oldest, there's only really one other pitcher in the high school right now. So she's kind of locked into that. I know there, I'm sure their goal I would imagine is just keep her healthy and ready to go for next season. And when we're in the season, but my second daughter, who's going to be a freshman, is a catcher. That's like her main position, she loves catching, but she can play third, she can play first, she can play the outfield. So we've just told her, reiterate, I will play anywhere you need me to be coach. Like this is where the, you see my catcher's bag, but I will play forever. - 'Cause if she loves playing catcher, that's like, she's a unicorn. - And she loves it. - Yeah, in baseball and softball, because there's not a lot of people that love that position. - Yeah, yeah, she loves it. She loves it. I mean, her get barreled by some runners before coming into home, even though they're not supposed to. And she's just a different breed. I feel like catchers are different breeds. - You have to be. I mean, just to, I mean, for the simple fact of putting that toe on your knees and you can feel it as a teenager, you have to be a different breed. - Yup, yup, absolutely, absolutely. So now you've been 14 months recovery with your back. I still am like, my heart bleeds for you with that, because last year I got hurt while running. I was training for a marathon, but mine was an instant. Like, I didn't know I had any type of a break. It was the next morning I tried to stand up, but wait on my leg and I couldn't. But that puts a big mental depression 'cause you can't move. And you can't, and I know in hindsight now, I appreciate movement so much more because of the time that I was wearing a walking boot in the times that I couldn't do the things that I wanted. But your back is a whole 'nother story 'cause you probably were in a brace and-- - So I, yeah, I had a brace that I wore almost 24/7. It was the only thing that would give me any type of relief and lying down. If I was in an upright position or standing, I was fine for a minute, but just the, just gravity was, it would just make things feel so much worse. - Yeah, yeah. - I thought, yeah, 14 months went by and then I was terrified, so lutely terrified to my soul to do anything physical. Even with my kids, I mean, just anything. I was scared to reach up to the top shelf because there would be times where I could feel like the nerves pinch. And I'd be like, here we go again, it's happening. Because there was in my PT, things were actually going really well around eight to 10 months. And then something happened that completely threw my back out of alignment again at all the work that we had done. Just completely like reverted. I can't remember if I was doing something or if it was, I just woke up that way. But I remember there was a major setback that everything was going great. About four, five, six months after this happened, I met Brad and then he can attest. I was in a cane for a long time. And then I was, I was great through the next summer and through summer of 2020, things were great. I was moving well and then something happened around October, September, somewhere around late summer, early fall, and it completely sent me back again. And so I just kind of had to restart. But luckily everything just kind of progressed naturally. Back to kind of where it was supposed to be, but it was just like such a heavy like mental block. Like, man, we're doing this again. - Yeah. - Exactly, again, I can't walk again. - Uh-huh. - And at the time I had two kids, I had a, it would have been about four and two at the time. So I'm just crying. - Oh, so you've got little ones running all around. - Yeah, so then that was like prime. I want to jump on daddy's back. Like, I want to punch him as he walks past me in the hallway type of stuff. And it just was like, I feel, and I still feel this way, still have this like, this feeling of like, I've almost like let my sons down through that time of their life because they miss out on that kind of stuff. And it definitely has shaped a little bit of our kind of relationship to this day on how we kind of interact. And they will, if I've got an entry going on, it's like they really pump the brakes. It's like, you know, we're, you know, that's a total red flag. Don't go there caution, you know, the kind of stuff with my, with dad. And, and so that, that, that kind of period of how that rehab was just, it's really shaped a lot of what. - You know, I would imagine with your boys, you know, seeing you go through that, even though they were really little and watching you progress to where you are now. And that's what I'm going to ask about next. You know, even though there's been really hards, like really hard days, I would think as a parent by your behavior, you've now shown them and they've now been able to watch you come from a really dark place and having setbacks and falling down and growing to where you are now. I'm sure it's, whether they're conscious about it or not, someday they'll look back and be inspired by dad, you know. - And I think about that a lot, like maybe they'll grow up one day and look back and say, you know, even though like his back was broken, he was trying. Yeah, that's a very, in the front of my mind, thought that I have a lot. - Yeah, yeah, I can see that, I can see that, you know. We have four, and my two older girls had a mom that was not focused on health and fitness. The first many, many years, right? And then we had Reagan, who's our third, and she was about six months old when I started focusing on my health and fitness journey. So she, Reagan, child number three, and Brecken, child number four, have only known an active mom. The older girls can remember a time that things were different. And it's interesting to see, you know, feel like it's interesting to see how the younger two prioritize movement a whole lot faster and a lot more motivated. Also their age, they're not teenagers, so that helps too. - Yeah. - We're the older two. I think they can respect now that they're, you know, almost 16 and they're 14 at times, you know, the challenges and the things that the momentum that was created, but they can remember both. - Yeah. - And my hope, again, like you, is that someday they'll look back and be like, wow, okay. When they face their fast, their challenging time, their test, their setback, they'll look back and be like, okay, I saw a mom go through it. I saw dad go through it. - Yeah. - And find a way to make it through too. - Yeah, that's cool. - So let me ask you this. Tell us where you are now. So you're in a different space, yes, too. - Yeah, so to connect the dots here, and I believe February of 2021, I was cleared by the doctors to do any and all physical activity. But like I said, I was absolutely terrified, so I did it. I just began this streak of just being scared and calling it being lazy. And so was it last year? So no, it was in 2021 in the summer. I saw something, or I saw someone who completed this event, and I was like, oh, that was cool. I wanna try something like that. So it was what most people would know as a 5K. And I hadn't known what a 5K was before. And I was like, I knew it was running, but I didn't know like it was just like-- - Was it tense, or what it actually was? - Yeah, I didn't know that people live and breathe for these things as well. And so I was like, oh man, well, maybe I'm gonna try and shoot to do one by the end of the summer. This was like May probably. And I was like, yeah, I'm gonna try and finish one. I'm gonna run, and I'm gonna practice, and I'm gonna try and finish one by the end of the summer. And so I go outside, and I'm like, you know what? I could probably, I could do three miles. I could knock this out. This would be no problem. And I get maybe a quarter of a mile away from my apartment, and I'm sucking air harder than I've ever sucked air in my entire life. - Yeah. - What am I doing? This is awful. But in my mind, I was like, well, I can't run three miles. So let's just finish this one. And I think I wound up going like maybe 0.7 or something. I didn't even finish the mile. I was so gassed, and I was like, well, you know what? I bet if I come out here, I'm gonna try harder tomorrow. I'll be able to run a little bit further. And so I kind of had that like training mentality. - I was just showing up and going a little bit further. - Exactly. I'm just gonna run at this speed, and I'm just gonna go a little bit further tomorrow in the next day, in the next day. And so that's what I did. And I started out like making small goals. It was like, okay, that second run, I know I didn't run a mile, but I was like, okay, my first goal, I got to finish a mile without stopping. That's it. And I was pretty heavy. I think when I started this running journey, I was about 255 to 260. And the biggest I've ever been to my entire life, and to put this into perspective after I finished college in the best shape of my life, I was about 180 pounds. So I've grown substantially since college. And so that's what I did for a little bit. And it was like day after day. And then I started recreating more small goals. It was like, okay, I ran to that house, but I'm gonna try and get to the house on the top of that hill before I stop the next time. And I'm just doing this completely, just where all I have no idea what I'm doing. And that's where I was. And then so finally, one day, I was starting to get a little bit bored. And I was like, I'm kind of hitting that point where I feel like I have nothing to strive for. I'm not going for anything. And like I was telling you before, like I was always motivated to be something in whatever I was doing. But I didn't have something that I was doing. So I wasn't feeling motivated. So I took the step without telling my wife that I signed myself up for a 5K that costs like $65. And at the time, it was like $65. What are you doing? And, you know, hindsight, you know, there's all kinds of way cheaper 5Ks out there. But so I was like, this one looks cool. I'm just going to do it. And so then that kind of remotivated me. And then I set a finished goal for the 5K. I was like, I'm going to, and you may laugh at this. I don't know, I laugh at it at all. No, no, never laugh. I laugh at it all the time because I look at where I am now and I think about like what I know, what I can do now, compared to what I was doing back then, I was like, I'm just going to try and finish. I want my time. I'm going to be under 60 minutes on my 5K time. And that's, and I kid you not. That's me in a running motion the whole time. At 250 pounds. And you think yourself? But no, that's a goal. Like that was where you were at. That was where you were in your season of life. And it's funny to me because I used to be this like mega athlete, right? And, you know, I could, I ran like a six minute mile when I was like 14. Like it was like, I was like peak physical fitness when I was a teenager. And then I'm like, okay, I'm going to run three miles in 60 minutes. - In an hour. - Yeah, I'm dying, right? And I did it. And I think I finished in like 52 minutes or something like that. So I was super pumped. I was like, oh, this is great. I want to do more of these. And then so like two or three weeks later, I signed myself up for another one. And I just continued down that path. And then my oldest son, who was five at the time, he was kind of catching on. And he was like, oh, this is great. This is really cool. And this is a story for another day, but he had a bunch of birth complications and the doctor said he'd never be a runner. So we'll write that off for another day. But he started to run with me. He wanted to do this next 5K with me. And he had like two weeks to train. So I was like, you're going to get out here. You're going to train with me every day. Day one, great. We run a mile, we walk a mile, we run a mile, right? And then day two, he gets out there, we're half a mile in and he's so bored. Like, I don't understand. I don't want to do this anymore, right? But I like any great dad would do it. I was like, you're still coming out tomorrow. I don't get bored or not, right? Yeah, we're committed. I've already paid for you to do this. So you're showing up. And so in two weeks, like I couldn't get him to go a fool two miles. So I was just like, hey, bro, I'll slow down a little bit, right? And slowing down for me was like, my goal was like 45 minutes. Now I'm back up to like 52 minutes, right? So I was like, I'll slow down a little bit. And we'll see where this goes, right? So we get there and it's a trail race. There's a place near where we live called the White US National White Water Center. And they have like 380 miles worth of trails all around. It's this huge, magnificent place. If you're ever in the Charlotte area. Yeah, check it out. So we show up for the race and he's super nervous. I'm super nervous because I'm like, I've got a five year old running a 5K with me. And it's a trail race too, right? And there's 6,000 people there. And so there's a ton of people. And so we get going and we get about maybe a half a mile in and I hadn't run it in front of me. And he turns around and gives me this look like, are you going to let me go? Or do I have to go this slow the whole time? And I was like, he didn't even say it worked me. And I was like, look, Rob, if you want to go, go for it. And he took off and I did not see him the rest of the race. That's amazing. I ran my best 5K 37 minutes that day. And he finished in 27 minutes at 5 years old. And I was absolutely blown away. I was getting nervous. I was so nervous. I was like, yeah, it's your pub. I hate to interrupt what you're doing now, but something very important I need to let you know about. When you purchase serious coffee beans, we want you to try to enjoy each brew for two reasons. Number one, because you're a part of something bigger, making a positive impact around the world. And number two, because we did not compromise on the quality of coffee, you're drinking some of the best coffee in the world. 100% of profits are donated to nonprofits that are fighting injustice facing humans around the world. Well, that's powerful. Generous is best known for especially coffee, but the heartbeat of generous is their hope to use for profit business for good. In 2024, generous is hoping to provide coffee to churches around the US to spread a message within congregations that churches care about people even down to the coffee they are serving and the people they enjoy. I apologize for that extremely long run on sentence. If you have interest in hearing more about generous coffee, please reach out to their founder, Ben Higgins, at binhiggins@journessmovement.com. Thank you and back to our scheduled podcast. - Okay, I know I just interrupted a great conversation, but my name is Brad and you may be listening to me or any of the other talent we have on this network at HopeCast. We wanna thank you for listening, but also we want you to like and subscribe to the show you're listening to. So when you're done listening, go on the iTunes or the Spotify and leave a great review if you like it and follow the show on Instagram and any other platforms that it's on. I think we're on TikTok, so follow us on TikTok. But make sure you leave us a review. We love good reviews here at the HopeCast Network. And now, I guess I'll let you get back to your show. - So like trying to speed up to catch, to fight. - Right, and that's why I was running so fast for me. I was trying to find him and where these trails are, there's legs everywhere, and you break offs everywhere. And I'm like, oh, he's lost in the woods or something. I'm coming around, the finish line is like 200 yards out in the open, everybody can see you. And I'm just like, oh, he's lost, I'm stressing. And I cross the finish line and he comes running up to me. And my wife was like, we were worried about you because he came in 10 minutes ago. And I was just, I was like, whoa. I was like, that's amazing. And one day when you learn that story. - That little sandbag, just like not training with you. And then just boom, take some. - He was bored and then he just like kicked it into this other gear. And one day, one day I'll tell you the story, his backstory, and it will change all of that for you. You'll really be blown away, I promise you. But I was just like so proud. And like, I was so happy. And then I was like, he was like, I wanna do it again. And that was a Saturday, we signed up for a 5K on Monday. And so we did one two days later. And he beat me again, I think I ran 37 minutes again. And he ran like 29. - Wow. - And then he was like, I wanna do it again. So I was like, okay, I'm kind of dying, but I'll do it again, right? And so we did one on Friday and we ran 35Ks a week. And to kind of bring it all back around like three months before, I was like, I just wanna run a mile without stopping. And then I just ran 35Ks a week. And I was like, this is way far beyond where I thought I was gonna be. - Yeah. - And then, so yeah, that was super cool. And then it got cold outside. And I learned that I don't like running in the cold. And remember, this is all, we're still in 2021 here. - Yeah. - And so spring comes around and then I just, running was in the back of my mind. We were in the process of building a house and everything. And so 2022 was a wash, nothing happened, no running at all. And in the January of this year, son comes up to me and he goes, I wanna run a 5K from over to the end of March. And I was like, well, I've put on some weight again. I need to start training, right? Because I'm like, oh, he doesn't need to train. He's just gonna show up and run 18 minute, five days. He's eight now. So that would have been hit for his eighth birthday. So I was like, well, let me get started. So I, first of February, I started running and I've been running ever since. And I, so I guess that you had on the show. From the time of recording this, it was two weeks ago, I think I launched. But Ray Hardy is somebody I work with. And he somehow tricked me into running a 200 mile relay with him, which is taking place next week from when we're doing this. And I have just been running all the things about running that is like, man, if I would have known this two years ago, I'd probably be doing ultras by now, right? - Yeah, well, like, you know, it's funny because when you were talking about how you started and you're saying, I wanna get to that mailbox, as you're telling that story, I'm visibly thinking back to that's exactly how I started. And I think that's how most people start is like, we're like, okay, I'm gonna be a runner. We throw sneakers on, we have no idea what we're doing. But we're like, I'm gonna run to that tree or I'm gonna run to that pole or I'm gonna run to that mailbox. And I think sometimes we need to bobble through those seasons of not knowing. So then when the time comes that we do start learning, we are like, I think. - It's totally a light bulb moment. It's so funny. It's so funny, recruited a friend into the cult of running this summer. And it was just like, and, you know, he's way smarter than I was. So he's asking good questions upfront, like, what kind of shoes should I get? What do I need to focus on when I'm training? I've never like run for distance ever in my life. And I'm like, giving him gold. Do you wanna focus on your, you know, you don't wanna focus on your VO2 Mac but you wanna focus on your heart, train your heart, focus on your breathing, do all this, do all that. Don't worry about the distance. Don't worry about if you're walking or running and all this stuff. Like these are the things you wanna focus on. And it's just like, he in just like three months is progressed to a point past of what I am capable of doing at this time. And I'm like, I just, I hate you so much. - There are just some people that no matter what, like I have so my friend, Danielle. I have two friends named Danielle. They're both married to men that are both from the UK. It's kind of weird. So one, I call one Danielle one Danny. And I joke around how Danielle is a sandbagger because she doesn't like to sign up for races anymore. She says, I get anxiety over going to the races and dealing with that stuff. So she doesn't do races anymore. But she'll run long runs with me all the time. Like she won't run all week and she'll be like, hey, what are you running this weekend? I'm like, oh, I'm gonna do either, you know, eight to 10. She's like, okay, and just shows up and runs it with me. And then the whole time she's like, I don't know how you train like this. You're just like running so much. And I'm like, well, you're just showing up randomly to run 10 miles. Like you're a sandbagger. I don't understand. - I guess those people exist and I hate it. - They do, they do. So since you, since you run with Ray, I need to know if you eat mustard as well. - No, absolutely not. - Have you tried it? - No, I just cannot stay in the taste of mustard. I don't know what it is. - I haven't tried it yet. - My mom is from Chicago. And my dad is from just outside of Cleveland. And they're big mustard people. But I was born in the South and like, mustard's not a big thing down here. It's, no, there's ketchup people, there's mustard people. And the South are ketchup people. And I just cannot just that like bitter sour taste of mustard. Some, it just does something that makes me cringe. I mean, I do the pickle juice. I'm a heavy pickle juice. - Pickle juice is great. - Pickle juice is great. You know what's funny is I think I've come to the realization that I'm not a mustard person. I'm not a ketchup person. I'm a Chick-fil-A sauce on everything person. Like my kids laugh at me. They're like, that's like, and I know it's not the healthiest. I don't care. It's so good. Chick-fil-A sauce brings me joy. So I buy it and I have it on my salad. I'll have it like a little on this, a little on that. I don't care. I love it. - And are you from, you're from Massachusetts? - I am. - Yeah. - I am. - And so like Austin. - Okay. So, and like Chick-fil-A is only relatively new to you guys up there, right? - Correct. - Correct. - I mean, it's been my entire childhood. - I was exposed to Chick-fil-A when I went. So my sister, who's from Massachusetts, had relocated to Houston. About nine years ago. And so when her, her husband, and her family moved to Houston, we went out to visit them. And they were like, you've got to try this place. Chick-fil-A, it's amazing. And I'm like, what? Like Chick-fil-A, like, is it like KFC? I don't understand. That wasn't a big KFC person. She's like, no, we have to go. And my nephews were obsessed. And they made this big trip. We got to go to Chick-fil-A. So now we have Chick-fil-A here, and it's great. - Yeah. It's like changing. And it baffles me beyond any point that people didn't have Chick-fil-A growing up because there was one in my town in my entire childhood. I think it moved in in the early 90s, early late 90s, something like that. And so I had it for as long as I can remember. And it blows my mind when people are like, just being introduced to Chick-fil-A. - Yeah. We didn't, we have in the town I grew up in, it's McDonald's, Burger King. We have a Dairy Queen, which was a big deal, but the Dairy Queen, when I was a kid, used to serve food. They don't serve food now. The one that I'm at just has ice cream. And like that was at McDonald's was like the big treat. The like-- - I went to New England when I was 18. And it was the first time I had been anywhere out of the South. And I experienced that food is not the same in the North as it is the South. I went to Wendy's for when it was the first lunch, the first lunch we had when we were in Connecticut, I think. And I had been into the burger of what I thought it was. And it was a totally different experience. And if you can't tell by now, I'm a foodist pleasure, kind of person. I'm a foodist fueled person. - I'm the same. I'm the same. - I've battled with my weight for a long time and-- - Yeah, no, I love to eat. I love to eat. The only thing that's transitioned with my eating is I can't have gluten or dairy anymore. - Got it. - That I had to next out in 2021. My stomach decided it didn't like it anymore. And had all the tests. I had the colonoscopy. I had the ultrasound. I had all the blood work, everything. And everything says I'm healthy. But when I eat either one of those things I am done for. - They don't feel like it. - Yeah. - So I don't have it. I don't have it anymore. - I am, my wife is a foodist fueled kind of person. And for her, it doesn't matter if it's burnt, if it tastes good, bad, if it's the wrong color. She's gonna eat it. And she's gonna make herself full off of it and she's content. And it makes me sick as a runner to see somebody like that. Because it's like, I wanna strive to have your diet, but I don't care to eat like that. I'm a like, it's gotta be seasoned well. It's gotta be sweet. It's gotta be savory. It's gotta be all the things. Or I'm not touching it. Just give it away from me. (laughing) And she makes fun of me all the time about that. - Who cooks in the house? Is it you or her? - We split, we split, but I love cooking. So I fight her tooth and nail to cook all the time. - That's great. - And I discovered cast iron six years ago. I've discovered like a black stone. We got a black stone recently. So I just love discovering new foods and trying new things that I've prepared. Because like, I know what I like and yeah, but I love cooking. I love it. - Do the kids like to eat the food that you like to eat or your kid's picky? - My oldest for sure. So I've got four as well. So my oldest for sure. He's down to try anything. My number two is, I don't know. He's the pickiest first time I've ever met my entire life. He doesn't like normal foods that every kid on the face of the earth loves. Like, sometimes it's a fight to get him to eat chicken nuggets. He hates macaroni and cheese. He hates spaghetti. I'm like, what's wrong with you? You love yogurt though. But you know, you like the fancy yogurt. Like, what is it, Oiko? - Yes. - And things like that. He doesn't like the yogurt. It's all that stuff. And he likes the fancy stuff. And we makes spaghetti. He's just got to do like buttering it. - Yeah. - Like it's. - Oh my goodness. Wow. - I'm fine. I'll eat yours. That's okay with me. - I love it. - I love it. - Well, I tell people all the time, I'm like, you know, it doesn't matter what we do in some regard. Our kids are going to be into, like our kids are so different. All four of them are completely different in so many ways when it comes to food, when it comes to personalities, when it comes to sports, when it comes to they're just so different. It doesn't matter how they're raised. They're just going to be their own person. And that happens with food too. So now I'm curious. I'm going to ask you my favorite question. - Okay. - 'Cause I love to ask this question. - Go for it. - And it doesn't have to be running related, but if you would like to share something run and related, that could be bonus points. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you maybe while running or maybe while you've been out and around or anything fitness-wise, most embarrassing? And nothing's off, depending on whatever you're ready for the internet to hear. - Okay, I knew this question was coming. Even before we talked earlier, because I know Brad and I follow the ones and twos. And so I know it's coming. So I've had to quit in the middle of a race. At first, I was like, someone's wrong. I've hurt myself, right? And then to make a long story short, I learned that as a runner, your body likes to flush itself out sometimes if you don't give it the proper fueling. And so I had to quit in the middle of a race one time and I was actually running for a friend of mine's company. And I was just like, "Hey, bro." I didn't finish under the amount of time, like the clock stopped 'cause I had to walk into the coffee shop, right? - Yeah. - I would assume we've all been there. - Yeah. - I'm just gonna assume that. I'm just gonna say we've all been there. - Yes. - But it was-- - I didn't say that. - It was like, it was so embarrassing. Like I didn't even like want to finish the race in the route, but it was like, like, you know, I'm already a slow runner, right? So I didn't want to finish the race route. And I know there's people still like, you know, some of the 5Ks, a lot of the 5Ks, there's walkers and everything. And they don't care about the times. But it's like, I had my bib on and I'm walking out of this coffee shop. And everybody's like, "What are you doing, bro?" Right? - Yes. - And I'm just like, you know, nothing to see here. But I don't have a lot of embarrassing moments. I don't put myself out there a lot. But that one was, I laugh about it now, but-- - So, Matt, I wonder what the coffee shop people thought when you were like showing up with your race bib, going in and figuring-- - When I walked in, I walked in and I was like, gasping. And I was like, "Hey, can I get some water? Can I just--" "Hey, man, I'm an Apple Watch guy." I was like, "Can I just buy a bottle of water, right?" I was like, the whole time I'm walking in, I'm like, I gotta think of something. I gotta say something because they're probably like, don't want me coming in here or whatever. I'm like, "Can I buy a bottle of water? I'll be right back. I'm gonna be right back." So I got it. I did the deed, I come out. I'm like, "Oh, thanks for the water, right?" You know, I pay for it with my Apple Watch really quick, and I was gone. I think I only took a couple of sips and I just threw in the trash can that was on the street. But I was just like, I was like, I can't actually stop and buy this bottle of water yet. You don't understand this, but I have to stay in motion or this is gonna be bad for everybody inside of this room. And I didn't know that was a thing. I just thought it was like, like it was just an experience that I was having, right? And then I started to learn about those types of things. And I was like, oh, and so that's normal. - Yeah, it happens sometimes, yeah. So it's funny, like I feel like ever since I started running and started running distances, I lost, what's the word? I stopped caring when I came to the bathroom stuff is when I just stopped caring completely. So now I'm at the point where I'm so comfortable with it. So I go meet my friends, the Danielle's for runs, typically on Sundays. And I have the habit to go to the same gas station right before 'cause I'm so concerned that I'm gonna be out in a route and I'm not gonna have anywhere to go. So I'd rather just like one final empty of anything. So I kid you not, I go into the same gas station all the time and I think they know why I'm walking in there. And I walk in, they're like, good morning. It's like, well, it's coming in at 5.30 on a Sunday. - There's a press roll on the back. - Yeah, I'm like, are we stocked up? We good to go, good to see you. All right, bye. But a lot of people, like you said, they don't realize stomach things and stuff like that can happen when you're running. And when you're putting the stress and toll on your body and pending on how you're fueling. And sometimes even if you're fueling, right? It might go haywire and you can't, you can't play for it. - Absolutely. It just dawned on me too earlier this year. I completely forgot about this. This was a couple months ago. I went to Nicaragua at the beginning of June for a week and then I came back really sick. And I was in the bathroom six to 10 times a day. At minimum, there was like a span. I was in the bathroom like 30 times over the weekend, one weekend and it just went on for weeks. And I was just, I was miserable. And I didn't want to go to the doctor. I'm not the kind of person that likes to go into the doctor. So I was like, I'm not going to the doctor. It'll pass. I'll be fine, right? So then I realized, I was like, maybe it's, maybe I'm just, I don't know what's going on. I've got some leftover antibiotics from something or another, I don't know. I don't even know if they're even still good. I was like, I'm going to take them. So I started taking them, but then I had a 6K through World Vision, World Vision, Global 6K. It's kind of like you have this two hour window or something like that and you show up and you put your time in. So it's not like a dedicated start time where everybody takes off because there's so many people there just like you show up when you show up and you put your time in and you go and all that. So that morning, I had to be there like seven or eight in the morning, but I woke up super early because I knew because I've been feeling so bad. I was like, I'm going to be in the bathroom at least once or twice before I go. And sure enough, it was three times before I left my house to drive 20 minutes across town to run this 6K. And I was like, oh, this is going to be so bad, right? I hadn't run in about a week because I was a new, if I was running, it was going to be even worse. And get there and I get checked in. And it was like this huge park that's right next to this huge church in town. And I was like, man, I got my bib, I'm ready to run. The clock is, I'm late at this point already. And I've already missed like half of my time to be able to run. So I was like, it's happening, it's happening. And so I went and I walked a couple hundred yards over to this church building. And I'm pulling on every door, every door. Single doors unlocked, nobody's there. Everybody's up at the event across the parking lot. And I was like, I was like, at this point, I'm uncomfortably crouching. Like this is not okay. And I don't really know where I am. I'm not familiar with the area, we just moved into town. And I was like, I don't know where the nearest gas station or grocery store or anything is, but I'm just gonna get in my truck and I'm gonna go. 'Cause I'd rather something happen inside my truck where nobody can see me or I would not wanna do this in front of everybody. There's a thousand people. And so when I get in my truck and I just like floor it out of the parking lot, I knew people were like staring like, what is wrong with that guy? And I found a gas station and wound up just not having fun at that gas station. And I was in there for way too long because I was just in so much pain. And then finally get back and I made it back just in time to get in the clock to run my race. And by that point, there was, there was probably a thousand runners, but by that point, there was like six of us. Everyone was like gone, everything was done. The whole event was pretty much over. And so that one was a tough one to bear, but in hindsight, I had E. coli. So I was struggling through that and I did not know it. And I wound up somehow passing it off to a friend of mine, probably because I was in the bathroom so much. And I wound up passing it on to a friend of mine who is going through E. coli treatment. So yeah, that's cool. - But that's wild. That can be fatal, right? - Yeah, yeah. That can be fatal. - So, but luckily, what my saving grace was was taking those antibiotics. So I didn't know what I was doing. I just got lucky. - Well, yeah. And you know, I think of there are times where I've been like, oh, I don't finish any antibiotic. I'm like, oh, something feels awful. - Right. - Use this and see what happens. Let's hope this helps. - That's exactly what it was, too. - So, tell us what you're working on now. What goals can we support you in? And where can people find you if they want to connect with you, Brent? 'Cause of course, I want to hear more stories about your son and what's going forward. So we're definitely gonna have to schedule this again. But tell us, where can people find you? How can we support you? - Yeah, absolutely. So I'm on Instagram at Brent.Okes. And Brad is hearing this for the first time right now as he's listening to this to edit. I am going to be contacting him to launch my podcast, which is gonna be called The Man Up Podcast. Yeah. Yeah, it's just all things man, life, culture, where we're just gonna talk about kind of current events from a man's perspective and just kind of relate that back to kind of mental health type things. And so you'll be able to find that soon, wherever on all the platforms where Brad posts where the Hope Cast network posts their podcast. And so I'll be calling you here soon, Brad. So yeah, that's when I got going on there as far as running goes next week. We take off for the Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon. I'm panicking about because I'm not ready. Look, they made a joke to me when I signed up for this. They were like, oh, we like to give the new guy the hardest leg of the race. I was like, yeah, sure, I've never backed down before. But thinking, of course, they're not gonna give this guy the hardest leg who's just started running, right? Well, they did. So how long are you running? Like what are your legs like that you'll be running? So I've got the longest distance to cover on the whole team. And I've got, my first one is somewhere around 4.6 miles, just before and a quarter, I believe. Yeah, yeah. My second leg is just under eight miles. My third leg is just under seven miles. And this is all happening in 24 hours. And I'm absolutely panicked about this, but it's just kind of like, well, here we go, you know, we'll see what happens. My only goal though is like, I just want to get to the end without getting hurt. Yeah. I'm gonna push myself, but I just, my goal is to not get hurt. I actually wish you-- And you have headlamps, you have vests, you have all that stuff. Yeah, actually, while I was waiting to do this, I was doing an unboxing from the Amazon package from some running equipment I got. I went this morning, I took the day off so I can get some stuff done for this race. I went and bought some new shoes. I've actually got them sitting beside me, but they are the, they're ons on cloud monsters, cloud monsters, it's the new ones. And I'm super into on right now because I saw what their new marathon shoes are what they look like. They are gonna be getting those. They look really cool. I don't know if you've seen them or not. You go check them out. I haven't seen them, I'm a Brooks girl, but I feel like all shoes are, what matters is people just love the shoes that they're in and they were asked for their body, so. I train in Brooks, but I was like, well, my training's not been going well and I need something with a little more cushion and the cloud monster juice. It seemed to be kind of my favorite. I've tried on a bunch of different ones and they have the most cushion that I've experienced, but the ones that are gonna be replacing the cloud monster juice and whatever their seasons were. They're like a 3D printed, kind of like one of those like sock sleeve kind of shoes. They look pretty good and else. So one day when I hit it big, I'll be able to afford those. - I know, they said running is a cheap sport. - Right, running is free, just go outside. - Yeah, you know, it's such a cheap hobby. - Right, right. Yeah, it's cheap for a short amount of time until you start feeling all the pains and the aches and then you learn. - Yeah, and then you learn all the things to remedy this, but it just takes a little money to do it. - Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah, so what that? - Awesome, well, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I appreciate it and we cannot wait for your podcast to launch and make sure everybody to follow you on Instagram. We're gonna put all your links below and we appreciate you so much. I appreciate you coming out with me, Brian. - Thanks Aaron, this was awesome. I really enjoyed doing this today. This was great. - Me too. Thank you so much, Brian. - Thanks Aaron. See ya. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
