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Drew Hunter on his pursuit of the Olympics in Los Angeles, Family balance, coaching Hammer and Axe, personal growth, changing sponsors after 10years, triumphs and challenges of the sport, what it means to be a professional runnerOn today’s episode of Just In Stride, we’re joined by Drew Hunter, a record-breaking distance runner, co-founder of Tinman Elite, and coach at Hammer and Axe Training. From his historic high school performances to his professional career, Drew has continuously pushed the limits of what’s possible in distance running. Beyond his achievements on the track, Drew is also balancing life as a husband and father while pursuing his biggest goal yet—making the next Olympic team. Recently, he made a significant career move by signing with a new sponsor, marking an exciting new chapter in both his athletic and personal journey. In this episode, Drew shares his thoughts on this transition, how he approaches coaching and training, and what it takes to juggle elite competition with family life. His story is a testament to dedication, adaptability, and the ever-evolving pursuit of excellence.
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On today’s episode of Just In Stride, we’re joined by Drew Hunter, a record-breaking distance runner, co-founder of Tinman Elite, and coach at Hammer and Axe Training. From his historic high school performances to his professional career, Drew has continuously pushed the limits of what’s possible in distance running.
Beyond his achievements on the track, Drew is also balancing life as a husband and father while pursuing his biggest goal yet—making the next Olympic team. Recently, he made a significant career move by signing with a new sponsor, marking an exciting new chapter in both his athletic and personal journey.
In this episode, Drew shares his thoughts on this transition, how he approaches coaching and training, and what it takes to juggle elite competition with family life. His story is a testament to dedication, adaptability, and the ever-evolving pursuit of excellence.
Hammer & Axe Training (@hammerandaxetraining) • Instagram photos and videos
Drew Hunter (@drewhunter00) • Instagram photos and videos
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Offer from Xact Nutrition: This episode is presented by our friends at Xact Nutrition and they are offering you 15% OFF your order when you use the code JUSTINSTRIDE. So head to xactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today! Now shipping in Canada and the U.S.
Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
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Transcript
Introduction to Justin Stride Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello and welcome to the Justin Stride Podcast. I'm your host, Justin Pugliese. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place.
Justin's Running Journey and Goals
00:00:12
Speaker
On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential.
00:00:18
Speaker
Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover.
Joining the Podcast Community
00:00:27
Speaker
Everyone has a story and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together, we'll have some fun. So follow along on Instagram at JustinStridePod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired.
00:00:47
Speaker
Come along for the ride with Just In Stride.
Sponsorship by Exact Nutrition
00:00:50
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way for you to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session.
00:00:59
Speaker
I can't leave the house without a few fruit bars in my pocket and they never make it back home. Exact is offering you 50% off your order when you use the code Just In Stride. So head to exactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today.
00:01:13
Speaker
Ready to crush your next goal?
Justin's Coaching Philosophy
00:01:15
Speaker
with 15 years of experience across endurance sports, from 5Ks to ultras, over 10 marathons with a personal best of two hours, 45 minutes, including Boston, New York City, and Berlin, plus two Ironmans, I know what it takes to achieve real results.
00:01:32
Speaker
But training for a race is about more than just logging miles. It's about training smarter, and that's where a coach makes all the difference. As your coach, I'll create a personalized week-by-week plan tailored to fit your unique goals, lifestyle, and schedule.
00:01:47
Speaker
You'll also get guidance on race day strategy, nutrition, pre-race routines, and the insider tips that can transform your performance. With a coach, you're not guessing through training.
00:01:59
Speaker
You're following a proven, customized roadmap with support every step of the way. So if you're ready to train smarter and reach new levels, email me at justin at justinstridepod.com and let's make those goals happen.
Introducing Drew Hunter
00:02:13
Speaker
On today's episode of Just In Stride, we're joined by Drew Hunter, a record-breaking distance runner, co-founder of Tin Men Elite, and coach of Hammer and Axe Training. From his historical high school performances to his professional career, Drew continuously pushes the limits of what's possible in distance running.
00:02:33
Speaker
Beyond his achievements on the track, Drew is also balancing life as a husband and father while pursuing his biggest goal yet, making the next Olympic team. Recently, he made a significant career move by signing with a new sponsor, marking an exciting new chapter in both his athletic and personal
Drew's Sponsorship Transition
00:02:51
Speaker
journey.
00:02:51
Speaker
In this episode, Drew shares his thoughts on this transition, how he approaches coaching and training, and what it takes to juggle elite competition with family life.
00:03:02
Speaker
His story is a testament to dedication, adaptability, and the ever evolving pursuit of excellence.
Expectations for Professional Runners
00:03:10
Speaker
Hey Drew, welcome to the Justin Stride podcast.
00:03:13
Speaker
Hey, thanks for having me. Excited to be here. Yeah, thrilled to have you on. um Get to know you a little bit better. I saw your your latest, one of your latest reels announcing that you're signed on with ASICS. How does that feel like committing to a brand like that for the next four years?
00:03:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's been amazing. Asics is a dream company to work for and I've already just felt like a part of the family and um the products have been awesome. Like I hadn't worn another shoe for almost a decade.
00:03:43
Speaker
um I'd been, you know, with my previous company for that long. And so, ah yeah, it's been a really smooth transition. I'm getting racing season started pretty soon. So I'm excited to, yeah, like test out the spikes and um it's going to be, it's going to fun journey.
00:03:59
Speaker
So what is it like, like what goes into to that as a like as a pro athlete ah deciding, do you have a lot of choices of who you want to go with? Are people kind of knocking on your door? Is it ah but you yourself kind of reaching out and and trying to figure out who's the best fit for you?
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah. Um, it looks different for everyone. Um, i have an agent, so I had an agent that sort of started the process with some shoe companies, um, this past fall.
00:04:29
Speaker
Um, i after the Olympic trials, uh, was pretty confident I was going to get re-signed by Adidas, my old company. um I had a good, my best year ever. I ran PRs in the 1500, the five k the 10K. was fourth at the trials in the 10K right behind some very good athletes and felt like,
00:04:49
Speaker
you know I'm still relatively young. I'm 27. So I feel like I've got a lot of running left in my legs. And I felt like, yeah, i would you know Adidas would be excited to re-sign me. And when the time came around with contract negotiations, um I was offered a contract from Adidas and it was not...
00:05:08
Speaker
even close to what I thought I deserved. um But we have to be, so you know, sort of careful as athletes. You don't, um a lot of times you don't know what your worth is. And a lot of times, you know, a lot of it has to do with timing and budget and, you know, what the brands are actually looking for. So I sort of had to go down that rabbit hole to um actually figure out how much I was worth. And So my agent started to shop me around a bit and um very early on, ASICs put up a really good offer that I was really happy with and felt like was um in the ballpark of what I wanted to run for. i have um two daughters and my wife quit her career to support my running. And so for me,
00:05:48
Speaker
I could not keep running unless I could support my family through it. um And so that was really important in my decision making process. um But it also made things pretty cut and dry for my agent. Like he was sort of just like, all right, like what number we need get to? And I told him that figure and, um you know, he sort of said, these companies are willing to play. These companies are out.
00:06:09
Speaker
And so it was sort of just, you know, um a few month process figuring that out, going back and forth on contract negotiations and, know, Ultimately, I signed with Asics and I couldn't be happier. I'm you know flying over to to Tokyo in May and going to do a race there. and I've never been there and I'm excited about that. Their gear has been incredible. um The team has been amazing. I've already met with you know their their shoe development team and a lot of you know the people doing community activations in their brand. and so I really feel like it's going to be a home for me for the next four years, obviously, but hopefully even longer after that with marathons and post-running.
00:06:46
Speaker
So that must, that must've been like kind of foreign to you though. Cause you were with a brand for like 10 years. Yeah. That must've been very different where you were 10 years ago 17.
00:06:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. yeah So yeah, it was very different. Yeah. and you know, I didn't know what to expect because I'd just been with a brand. I hadn't had to been shopped around or anything like that. And, um, yeah, I've just been sort of a three stripe person for, you know, a long time. And then, um,
00:07:14
Speaker
But yeah, like at the end of the day, like I said, my priorities were my family first and taking care of my family. and um I couldn't have done that on my Adidas salary that they offered me. And so um i had to go out and look for something new. And Asics is just a great company. And I'm um very excited, very excited to like represent them. And I feel like I have um a lot that I can do for them, even just outside of running, like obviously performance is the focus, but um ah you know built ah I built a team. I ah you know have worked, we created a shoe with our old company. Like I feel like we've done, I've done a lot of, I've had a lot of hands in different
00:07:51
Speaker
you know, running baskets. And I feel like I can, you know, really sort of help them and and, and, you know, be a valuable asset to them the the next few years and hopefully for many years after that. Yeah. So can you get into that a little bit? Cause I think it's interesting. and I don't get to have that conversation lot, but kind of what goes into beyond ah just the running and performance, what, what is the expectation as a, as a professional runner? What's the job?
00:08:17
Speaker
Yeah. And that's a, that's a great question because I feel like a lot of brands don't actually tell you what they want outside of running. um And that's something that I actually would like to help bring awareness to and have that conversation with, you know, like I was talking to another pro athlete at the track the other day and they were like, I saw your newsletter and you talked a lot about like how you wish brands said that they wouldn't.
00:08:39
Speaker
you know, we're upfront about what they wanted with you. And she's like, I've never related to something more. Like, I never know. Like, do you want me to do these races? do you want me to do these races? Do you want me to do more social media stuff? Like, do you want me to like, you know, be a model for you guys? Like what? And she's like, I just don't actually know what you guys want. And I think it would be awesome if more brands were sort of upfront with you.
00:09:01
Speaker
um you know you have the guys winning gold medals brands want you to shut up and run and run really fast and get the gold medals but for someone like me like ah time on a clock is important but at the end of the day i really want to have an impact on the sport and to push the sport forward on and off the track and so i really want to you know not just run i want to you know be involved in community things i want to you know help with product design i want to give feedback on product design i want to you know have some sort of impact on your global brand like i want to you know do things that like uh other brands aren't doing and i want to be in those meetings and have those conversations and i think like that's that's me that's not everyone there are other athletes that want to sleep all day go train twice a day and that's fine that's that's great too you know i'm
00:09:51
Speaker
I'm not just looking at this as a four-year stretch. I'm looking at this as a career for the rest of my life. Like I want to be involved in running. And I look at Asics a six as ah great brand for me to, you know, work for once I'm done running and have impact on them.
00:10:04
Speaker
So it's, for me, it's really, really long-term.
Drew's Early Running Influences
00:10:07
Speaker
Yeah, this is something that I do get to talk to quite a few athletes about it is ah the identity is the running, right? And then what do you do after the running?
00:10:17
Speaker
Because yeah you're talking about, I got to support my family. And and I think that's where the priority is at, you know? Yeah. You get to do that through a physical activity or through a sport, which is amazing.
00:10:29
Speaker
ah But then once you can't do that through the actual practice, act of running itself, how do you accomplish those things? You know? Yeah. I think that's a good like look ahead to, to your future too. Right. So.
00:10:44
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. I've, I've, I've like, I've had running, I've been involved in all aspects of running. Like I was on a youth team when I grew up, my parents coached a youth team. I, you know, like I was a part of a high school team. I built a professional running team. I, you know, worked with big shoe brands. I've worked with smaller companies,
00:11:04
Speaker
I feel like I've developed so many skills and I also just think I know running better than most people. And I know like what the sport needs. I know what things work. I know what things maybe don't work. What's it, what fans are looking for. And so I feel like I could have a really big impact obviously on the oval while I'm racing, but also like once I'm done.
00:11:26
Speaker
Right, for sure. Let's go back to the beginning because you were mentioning some things about your youth and kind of, you know, how you grew up, where you grew up um and how you fell in in love with the sport.
High School Achievements and Recognition
00:11:40
Speaker
Yeah, i um so my parents were big runners growing up. Um, they never really sort of like pushed running, you know, like I did all the other sports, uh, and for me that was important because I didn't enjoy running when I first started getting into it.
00:11:58
Speaker
Um, but I, uh, you know, I sort of took the time to like find, you know, catch the running bug on my own. And then my high school, first year of high school, my freshman year, I went out for the cross country team and,
00:12:13
Speaker
I, me, more than anything, I just figured I was good at something. And I actually didn't even know if I loved running yet, but I love being good at something. And i just kept getting better and better. And then my sophomore year, I ran at national meets and my junior year, I won national meets. And I sort of had this just addiction to like the success and the addiction to like getting better and working hard towards something. And then I sort of started to see like things naturally happen,
00:12:40
Speaker
in my life, like I had opportunities that I never would have had if I hadn't had running, you know, scholarships and um contract opportunities and just meeting amazing, awesome people. I mean, my senior year of high school, I got to go to the ESPYs, like never in a million, like I'm a very normal guy, like never in a million years would I ever think I'd be at the ESPYs, but I won Gatorade National Cross Country Runner of the Year and just small little things like that really sort of wowed me and sort of said like, this can be life changing for me. And that's sort of where I caught the running bug. And I was like, I'm not looking back after this.
00:13:12
Speaker
he So, so your parents, they, they were kind of taking a more like well-rounded approach, like try all the things and and just not because we're runners, you have to be a runner kind of thing.
00:13:24
Speaker
Um, with, I know you're from a big family, right? i read that. Did, did they also take on running or did they, You know, everyone found their own thing. Like I have a brother ran in college. i have some other siblings that ran in high school, but I'd say me and my brother, my younger brother, Jacob, were the only ones that were very serious about running, um at least from the start.
00:13:47
Speaker
um But everyone... um, I'd say like touched running at some point, like they, you know, ran a youth season or ran a season high school, something like that. Um, and, uh, yeah, that's, that's sort of, um, you know, like what, yeah, like I would say is like, my parents did a great job is like, you never had to run. Um, you know, everyone else in my family has other interests that they're poured there as much time and energy as I have into my own running now.
00:14:13
Speaker
and Okay, nice. And did you, was it just the opportunities that you saw that, that allowed you to see a future in the sport? Did did you realize your own potential? or was there somebody that was, you know, a coach mentor, somebody, maybe was your parents that said, Hey, you're really talented. Maybe you should pursue this.
00:14:33
Speaker
Yeah, what's important is I pursued it all on my own. I don't mean like I didn't get help. I have amazing mentors and my parents and you know people I look up to and inspiration at every turn in my running career.
00:14:46
Speaker
But I always was the one saying yes and saying, I want to train hard. I want to, you know, wake up and run before school when other people aren't willing to do that. um but that came from me internally and deep down, that wasn't someone saying like, you need to do this to get a scholarship. I just fell in love with the process and let, you know, success came from me just letting that process unfold. Um, and sort of just like me exploring how good I could be. I was just always sort of like at play with running and, um,
00:15:17
Speaker
wanted to explore like, wow, can I break four minutes in the mile? Oh, can I break 14 minutes in the 5k? You know, all these different goals. And um I just sort of would show up every day with an eager ah mindset to train. And, you know, through training hard, I knew that I could, you know, accomplish some really cool stuff.
00:15:34
Speaker
And what were you studying at the time? Did you, can you, did you kind of have like a backup plan just in case or? Well, when I was in high school, i you know, committed to going to college at first before I signed a pro deal. And I was, you know, I, I i didn't know at the time, but I was somewhat interested in you know, integrative physiology or something like, you know, human sports related. Um, and then uh,
00:16:01
Speaker
you know If I were to do it again, I'd probably do something more econ related, business related. I sort of like that sort of stuff now more. And that did you always have like a good relationship with the sport? I know sometimes you know growing up, you have maybe other priorities too. You want to you know socialize. you you know There's other things happening, of course, in life.
00:16:23
Speaker
Would you say it was like it's always been a positive relationship? Yeah. Um, not always. I mean, it's had its ebbs and flows. Like I've had some, um, I've definitely had some sort of like identity crisis stuff with running where like everyone looks at me as like the runner. And, um, I think like I have kids and i'm married now and that's taken a lot of that burden off because my daughters do not give two shits if I'm a good runner. Like they only want me to be a good dad. And so,
00:16:52
Speaker
I don't care as much about that stuff. um But I do think a lot of people who found success get in this dangerous sort of like situation where their identity is so ingrained into what they do.
00:17:06
Speaker
And I definitely have experienced that throughout my running career where if I was running well, life was great. And if I was injured or not running well, my life sucked. And now I don't feel as if that would be the same because I have a lot more balance and I have a lot more things um outside of running that I actually care about more, um like my family and
Balancing Running with Family Life
00:17:28
Speaker
like my children. And so um that's really been a nice switch up for me.
00:17:33
Speaker
it it was ah Is the professional running life everything you thought it would be? Yeah. I mean, I'd say it's not as glamorous as people probably think like it's, you know, I mean, I have a black eye right now. So, from fon ice so um, you know, it's, it's, it's really cool.
00:17:50
Speaker
Um, you don't get this opportunity again in your life. It's now or never, you're not coming back to this when you're 40 or 50. Um, you could probably do that in a lot of other careers. yeah Um, but this is it. And so I think it's a great career to really try to live in the moment with, um,
00:18:07
Speaker
I have some amazing memories. I've got to travel. I've got to spend time in Europe. I get to hang out with my best friends all the time and train hard and pursue goals that I've created. And, um, that's really special.
00:18:18
Speaker
Um, but it's also, it's just like any other job. It has days that suck. And it has days where you're like, I don't really want to show up to work, but I got to go do this tempo run. Um, and I think, you know, um, you just got to learn to, you know, take it in stride and, um, treat every day as if, you know, um,
00:18:36
Speaker
It's, you know, like a job and it's very important and it's, you know, it is, it is nice so that this is a job for me, but it's also my passion. um But I also understand there's a lot of other things that I could pour my time and energy into. um But this is it, you know, I'm young and I have, you know, a really ah great opportunity to run fast right now. And I won't get that back when I'm later. ah I'll just be jogging around. okay Yeah.
00:19:02
Speaker
Doing ultras and stuff. exactly Yeah. Do you, do you feel that pressure a little bit that there's this window and that it has to happen now? No, because I just know there's a lot more excitement down the road in my life that I'll look forward to. I just am like, I'm just trying to be present. Like I've just enjoyed trying to practice and working hard with my teammates. And, um, I know that if I do that week in and week out, month in and month out, like I'll show up and be ready to go on race day. And that's sort of how i look at things now.
00:19:32
Speaker
And ah what would you say is has been like the biggest challenge in your running? um Well, talked a little bit about that identity stuff. I'd say, but injury setbacks are definitely um tough. i don't think that – I don't think I handled injuries as well as I would have liked to when I was younger. Like I was very sort of like – i I just sort of let it ruin a lot of other things outside my life. Like I really would really just be down on myself. And um I don't think I was a good teammate when I was injured. i think, you know, like I was very selfish and sort of like just only thinking of my own running and, um and I sort of regret some of that stuff. And so I definitely would say that was some low points in my running career. I wish I could get back.
00:20:20
Speaker
um But I also very much like, know that I learned so much from those moments. So it's like very important for me to have that experience and have that that perspective. Um, but I'd say some of the bad injuries I've had have been some low points in my running career.
00:20:35
Speaker
Like, what would you say, like attributed to those, um, those injuries and, and looking back, could they have been prevented? Would you say overuse, you know, just training through stuff. Um,
00:20:50
Speaker
I think a lot of not listening to my body, like, you know, the body's great. It gives you warning signs probably before, you know, the the ship has sailed. And I would sort of just,
00:21:02
Speaker
ignore those and keep on trucking. and I think like, for me, like ah it's very, I don't know if it's just me being older and more mature, but now like, if I have something, I'll push a workout a day. Hey, let's just run easy today and move the workout to tomorrow versus in the past. I probably would have been like so stubborn and been like, Nope, we're sticking to the Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, long run schedule. And you know, I'm going to be a religious zealot about this and not change anything. And Now I think, you know, I would be a lot more open-minded to moving things and being flexible and just going with the flow.
00:21:34
Speaker
um Just ah not not making a big deal of things that don't need to be made a big deal. Yeah, right? Because ah there's always tomorrow. You can always push things a little bit. Is this something that you're also teaching
Coaching Flexibility and Adaptation
00:21:47
Speaker
your athletes? Is this like some advice that you're able to give people that maybe aren't at your level but are trying to pursue dreams of their own?
00:21:55
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah, i just right before this got off the call with two of the athletes I coach and um one of the girls I coach was bouncing back from sickness. And I was just like, hey, like we had a hard track workout on the schedule.
00:22:07
Speaker
Let's change this to an effort based fart lick. Like the last thing I want you to do is coming off of a flu, try to hit track splits that I know your body is not ready for and you're mentally not ready for. And then if you don't hit the splits, you're going to be down in the dumps and upset.
00:22:22
Speaker
Let's just go out on the beautiful trails and run a fart lick and get in the right effort and not overcomplicate things. And um then we'll recoup. And Friday, if we want to hit a hard track workout, we can do it then.
00:22:33
Speaker
um So I'd say like, yeah, i definitely try to, um you know, practice what I preach. And I'm a lot more flexible. And especially with people I coach, it's like, You know, you want their running experience to be positive and something that they're excited to do. And a lot of times, like if someone's not excited to work hard, then the last thing you should have them do is show up and, um, you know, run themselves into the ground.
00:22:56
Speaker
What kind of athletes are you coaching at all levels or all levels? Yeah. Like I've coached marathoners, you know, three hour marathoners, high school kids. Um, I'm coaching a guy right now who's actually just trying to get back into shape. Like he's, um, he took like basically almost five or six years completely off of running and just wants to get back into it. So I work with, uh, all different types of people. Um, and yeah, it's really fun because it's makes me think a little bit less about my own running and some other people's running.
00:23:25
Speaker
And that's been that's through your your your club, right? Tin Man Elite? is that Yes. Hamernax Training is yes the name of the coaching organization that me and Reed started. And ah yeah, and that's that we do like ah we have training plans. We have one on one coaching. We've done mentorship stuff like we have a running camp every year. So that's really fun.
00:23:48
Speaker
So cool. How'd you meet Reed? Like I've got to talk to him couple of years ago now, but yeah how'd you guys link up? Yeah, Reed, I met him at a U.S. championship um very briefly, just walked past him, said, hey, good race, give him high five. Then um I knew him through a mutual friend, Joe Klecker.
00:24:09
Speaker
They were high school teammates, and Reed really wanted to move to Boulder, Colorado after he graduated college. And so Joe sort of introduced us and said, hey, Drew's trying to move out here. Reed, you're trying to move out here. You guys should live together.
00:24:22
Speaker
um And then, yeah, we became roommates in 2018. Sorry, fall 2017. sorry the fall of twenty seventeen And then... heading into 2018, we sort of trained together for the first time and he finished 18 or he finished fifth at USA championships. And I had a great year too. And, um, we sort of started, you know, just, uh, yeah. And I went on a run with him this morning. So many years later, we're still very good friends and we are, you know, still in each other's lives. And it's been, it's been a great friendship journey.
00:24:55
Speaker
So cool. And you guys, you guys are in Boulder, right? Longmont, Colorado, technically. Yes. Right outside of Boulder. And have you, have how long have you lived there for and how do you like living out there? And and I know it's a great training ground for athletes and um yeah some other of the best places to train.
00:25:13
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. So I've lived in Boulder for now almost seven years. and lived in longmont for two years and yeah i absolutely love it i mean i have crushed gravel trail 200 meters from my house that goes for miles and it's beautiful like it's trail i get to run all the time summers here are incredible the winters here have been not great the last few years just very snowy and icy but you know um i can't complain because once the summer hits i feel like i'm living in a paradise so um Yeah, it's been great. And I feel I've traveled a lot.
00:25:49
Speaker
I've seen a lot of other training places. I feel like Boulder is probably one of the best in the world, um um if not the best. So I'm obviously biased. I've set up my life here. But um yeah, it's a great spot.
00:26:01
Speaker
Where else have you been to train and and can compare it to? Yeah, I've trained in Flagstaff, Arizona. um I've done a training trip to Phoenix, Arizona in the winter.
00:26:16
Speaker
I've stayed in Leuven, Belgium um over the summer for training camps. I grew up in Virginia, so I've trained there as well. Um, and just like a lot of other places all over the world, just for like little stints, um, trained in Finland for a little bit, uh, just some random places like that. And, um, yeah, i love Boulder.
00:26:35
Speaker
It's the best. I have to make a trip down there. It looks pretty, ah pretty awesome. Yeah, it's great. Um, and so you're, are you still focused, like you're focused more like the mile and like mid distance, they call it, is there plans to, to push on longer distance stuff?
Strategic Olympic Goals
00:26:55
Speaker
Yeah, i right now I'm focused a lot on the 5K and 10K, actually. That's sort of my focus. um I'm going to do some shorter road races in the next few years. That's a big focus for me. Like I'm doing a 10-miler in the spring, doing boder Boulder, Boulder doing a 5K road race in Japan um in May. So I'm moving to longer distances, definitely not marathon, but um you know I'd love to run a half marathon next year. but Um, just some things like that would be really, uh, special. And I think, you know, exciting for me to be a part of.
00:27:27
Speaker
Yeah. And, and, and part of the you know, this, this pursuit for the, for the Olympic dream also, where do you see yourself landing for that? Yeah, I'm all in through l LA, um, 2028 and the focus would be the 5k and 10k and hopefully, you know, making a team in one of those events. And that's what I'm looking forward to and really sort of, you know, shooting a lot of my, um, you know, putting a lot of my, uh, bigger goals into, you know, four years down the road from now. Um, I have a lot of things I want to do along the way, but really once l LA comes around, I want to be ready to go and be one of the best athletes in the world over and 10k.
00:28:04
Speaker
Yeah, like how does that how does that work like strategically when youre when you're thinking about a goal that's so far ahead? Because most people are signing up for races that are this year and it's always in the calendar year. But when you're like reaching for something like the Olympics, if you have the, because some people I guess are in it and then they're two years in and they realize, hey, I'm kind of in a good spot. Maybe I can go for it.
00:28:27
Speaker
But you're kind of like, you're approaching it from from way far out. So are you kind of taking it Are you approaching it that way also where you're going to like peak in year like right before when you need to?
Daily Training Routine
00:28:41
Speaker
Day by day. Yeah, that's the only way I can approach it. I really try to focus on the process. There's a lot of things I'm working on this year in training that will help me in 2028. And so that's sort of how I have to look at things is not, oh, I need to have this perfect three-year buildup. Really, I need to accomplish a lot of things this year, and then that will give me more confidence for 2026 and then 2027 and then 2028.
00:29:05
Speaker
So, um, that's really, what's important for me, um, is those things. And, um, like I said, like I have sort of big training goals every year, things I want to work on. And then I have, um, you know, big race goals as well. And, um, I really feel like I'm in a spot right now where if I take care of business day in and day out in three years, three and a half years, when I need to be at the Olympic trials, I'll be in a great spot.
00:29:31
Speaker
Yeah. And what, so what is, what are all, where what does it require like on a daily basis, not just the running, but all the other things, where are you prioritizing, you know, rest, recovery, fueling, all this stuff?
00:29:46
Speaker
Yeah, running is the most important. um Weight training I do. you know I'll have a lift later today, do that twice a week. Recovery is important. i have two kids now, so getting less sleep than I probably ever have, but also have you know a lot more purpose in my running. So I feel like that sort of offsets some of the lack of sleep that I get now. Um, but yeah, I just, you know, I work, my mom's my coach and, uh, she is, you know, in charge of all that stuff. And she really, um, you know, make sure that my running is my priority and my rest and everything else outside of that is kind of,
00:30:23
Speaker
um Just noise. Like I, you know, if I'm running good, smart workouts for a long period of time, I'm resting as much as I possibly can. And, um, you know, properly fueling, eating healthy, all that sort of stuff.
00:30:38
Speaker
Great spiritual aspect of my life, you know, um have good friendships, good community, all those things make a big difference. I don't really have any fancy gadgets or foam rollers or anything like that, that I feel like makes a big deal makes a big difference. Like um if I'm on the starting line and I'm happy, um excited to explore my limits and in a good, in good shape, then anything's possible.
00:31:05
Speaker
who Yeah, so it sounds like you have like very good balance all all around. And everyone's part of this this ecosystem that's supporting the goals that you're trying to achieve, right? so So that's super nice. But you don't have any infrared like ah treadmills in the house? or Nothing crazy. We'll see. i My wife and i were talking about getting like a sauna or something, but mainly just for us, just like...
00:31:32
Speaker
we put the kids down and we go, you know, outside in the sauna and just be able to talk to each other and get off the phones and things like that. Have you found a recipe that works like with the kids and everything? Like, like you got to be a dad, like you said, and they don't have really time to wait for, for you to,
00:31:48
Speaker
to do your thing. So have you found like that, that's that schedule that works for you? Yeah, I mean, my wife is amazing. And you know, um i train in the mornings, and I come home and I'm with the kids, I put my oldest daughter to bed every night and every for every nap. And Um, I'm there for most things, but like when my wife knows I need extra rest or I have a race on the calendar, like she steps up and, you know, we'll, uh, take another shift or do something like that. And we have a good balance. My parents are really close by to us and they help a lot. And so, um, you know, really just trying to, uh, you know, have some sort of, um, you know, recovery when I need it, but also not,
00:32:29
Speaker
making it a big deal i feel like some athletes are like if i don't get the perfect sleep or my nap every day like everything's gonna go to shit and i'm just sort of like no like as long as you're happy and you're doing your best like that's all you can really prioritize yeah you get it done right are you doing like a lot of your training you mentioned your teammates quite often but do you do train always in a team or are you training more solo how how is that looking Most of the time with the team.
00:32:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes solo. Like last week I had a day that didn't line up with the team and um I was solo in my long run. And um but most of the time it's with a team.
00:33:08
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. So, and are you all striving for the same stuff or is it just kind of you do the workouts together and you all have different goals? Uh, yeah, we do a lot of the similar training, you know, Reed is running marathons. Joey, who I train with a lot is running the steeple chase, but 90% of the training is the same. You know, we're putting in the hard long runs, the mileage, the threshold work, the Hills. And then, you know, Reed may do an extra mile or two at the end of a workout because he's a marathoner and Joey may go over hurdles sometimes in practice because he's a steeple chaser, but yeah.
00:33:41
Speaker
Running is running and work is work. It's pretty similar for all of us and our goals to just be as fit as possible. um And that's pretty easy to do is just put in you know a lot of hard work for a lot of weeks and months.
00:33:53
Speaker
Yeah. How do you how do you keep the the mental side of things ah sharp, you know, because like you say you say it so naturally, like it's it's an easy like it's not an easy thing, but you got to put in the work, you got to put in the work. So how do you stay in like that, that mental state, like to be able to get up and do what it takes to to get it done?
00:34:12
Speaker
um I love what I do. So it's, it's easy for me, you know, like if I didn't like what I was doing, I wouldn't be doing it. So, um you know, I have days that are hard, but ultimately like my goals motivate me a lot and I love waking up and training hard and, um you know, seeing that ah the fruits of that. And so um mentally, like I just have sort of like a schedule and I stick to it and I'm very routine based person. And so um that makes things really easy for me.
00:34:40
Speaker
And what what are your favorite types of workouts? Oh man, I really like hill repeats. I think those are great. Um, in the fall, we do a lot of those. Um, I really like sort of, uh, harder track workouts, like 400s, 600s you know, 5k pace, 3k pace, mile pace, things like that.
00:35:00
Speaker
I really do well at those. ah love 300s. Um, I don't like long runs. I struggle with those. and so Um, so yeah, I'd say a mix of all that. Is there, is there one workout in particular that's like a good indicator for where you are like fitness wise or like that you suggest to your athletes?
00:35:19
Speaker
Oh, that's a good, that's a good question. Um, there's never one workout, but a workout that we have done in the past for figuring out good sort of like where I'm at for the mile and 1500 is we do, we warm up, we do a hard 800 faster than mile pace, but not all out. Um,
00:35:40
Speaker
Then after that 800, we do take huge rest, like 10 minutes. um Then do like a few threshold 1Ks, like four to five by threshold 1K with a minute rest.
00:35:51
Speaker
Put the spikes back on after the last threshold 1K and then run a few three hundreds at 1500 pace. um I did that last summer and I ran 150 on 800. fifty on the eight hundred The K's were right around three to three Oh five in the three hundreds were like 42s, 43s.
00:36:08
Speaker
And days later I ran three 33 in the 1500, which was like about on par with what the workout did. So that's always a good indicator workout for me, um, for the 1500. and Okay, nice.
00:36:19
Speaker
That's, ah yeah, it so sounds like a heavy one for sure.
Being Coached by Family
00:36:22
Speaker
Yeah, it's not it's not easy. That first 800, you're feeling the the pain after that one. Yeah. and i So you're a coach your coach though, right?
00:36:30
Speaker
Yeah. You're coached by somebody. And have you been coached by them for a long time or how does how does that look? My mom's my coach. So yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. i i I've been working with her now for three and a half years. Okay.
00:36:45
Speaker
Yeah. So she's a pro professional coach herself. Yeah, she coaches our our team. Amazing. Amazing. um And is it it's ah always a good relationship? How is that like?
00:36:56
Speaker
No, sometimes it sucks. um Yeah, we fight and we bicker. We're like, a yeah, yeah we're we we have our days. But, um you know, that's I'd say a so like – That's just what comes with the territory. But at the end of the day, like i always know she wants what's best for me because she's not only a coach, she's my mom. And, you know, she's always looking out for me and my mental health and um how I'm doing outside of running as well.
00:37:21
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. And is dad still ah still at it or? Yes. My dad is our assistant coach. Okay. Amazing. That's so good. i mean, miss yeah, that's a, that's really great. I mean, to have everybody in there, like you get to hang out, see them
Advice to Younger Self
00:37:37
Speaker
often. And yeah, that's a, that's, that's special stuff.
00:37:40
Speaker
Looking back. um What could you tell like a younger version of yourself? um Good question. I would say, ah Don't get as stressed out about that the stuff, the little things. like It just doesn't matter as much.
00:37:57
Speaker
I feel like there's like probably like three or four like really consequence consequential decisions you make in your life. and Running is not going to be one of those. Like if you missed a workout day or if you had a bad race, like it's not the end of the world. And I wish I could tell a younger drew not to freak out and stress out as much, um, and just have fun and just really focus on your teammates and, um, being integrated with them as much as you possibly can.
00:38:22
Speaker
um because I feel like that's something i you know, um, wish I had more memories of is just being a part of the high school team and falling in love with running and that process. You feel you took it seriously at that stage? maybe little Oh, yeah. I was a hard-o, man.
00:38:37
Speaker
i was i was I was a hard-o. And that's ah it got me to a very good level, but I don't think it's sustainable for an entire running career. I think you need to know when to chill out. So do you channel that in a different way now?
00:38:50
Speaker
like is it Is it in your compete? Is it in your like workouts? But then you're able to kind of wrap it up and say... okay julie Yeah, I feel like I can leave it at practice a lot more. I feel like I used to live it all the time. But now it's like, you know, when I'm training and racing, like, yeah, I want to win, you know, and I'm competitive, but I don't i need to make this more than anything. Like yeah at the end of the day, it's just running around in a circle.
00:39:14
Speaker
And we put meaning to it. And it is meaningful because we... provide meaning and there's a lot of expression that comes through running, but it's not the end of the world. And there's a lot of other things outside of running that are very important. And, um, so do not stress about a bad workout, a bad race or anything like that.
00:39:34
Speaker
You feel like you're doing that better now? Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. That's so good. I think I can relate to that a little bit. Like when I, not through running, but through golf, oddly enough, like I always wanted to play so well and a bad shot would just like, I'd lose it.
00:39:48
Speaker
And now, and now it just like, I go and I play and I enjoy it. And even if I hit a bad shot. It's whatever. Yeah. Whatever. Cause you're there to just have a good time. You're not, a you know, well, yeah. I tell myself I'm not a professional. like so yeah you're professional So it's a bit different, but yeah. Yeah.
00:40:04
Speaker
It's a, it's a tough sport, you know, it's a, You got to love the the long game, right? It's not about, it it is day to day, it's not about today. It's like the string of all the days.
00:40:16
Speaker
Of course. Yeah. Together. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? oh ever gotten? po I don't know. That's a a tough one. um i I'm trying to think.
00:40:33
Speaker
Um,
00:40:36
Speaker
My dad used to tell me all the time growing up when I would like be stupid little shit, he would say, just do the right thing. And i always remember him instinctually knowing what that was all the time.
00:40:50
Speaker
Like my dad is a very good person and very moral person. And, um, I feel like I sometimes whenever I'm weighing decisions, I sort of like just reflect on that a lot. And I think that's good advice um is like, just do the right thing. Do the ethical thing.
00:41:06
Speaker
Don't try to cheat. Don't try to, you know, take a shortcut if you can. um And so I think that's pretty good advice and something I try to live by, come up short all the time.
00:41:16
Speaker
But I try to remind myself to do that as much as I can. who And what's a, what's some a ah good advice you, you can give to others, um, whether it's your athletes or, um, you know, maybe somebody entering the sport or trying to get up to the the next, the next level themselves.
00:41:35
Speaker
Yeah, I, it depends on where i would give different advice based on a different type of runner. Um, I actually just gave a talk to a group of high school kids and, um,
00:41:47
Speaker
you know i had sort of like five big things that i feel like were really important for a high school kid um and uh one of those pieces of advice was to integrate yourself with your team as much as you possibly can and be involved in your teammates and their successes and rooting for their successes as much as you can.
00:42:09
Speaker
i think sometimes we, we get envious or jealous, or we bring sort of like animosity to the people around us in our sport because it's naturally a competitive thing.
00:42:20
Speaker
But I think like, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats and I think everyone can find success together. And I think that's something that I would reiterate to younger athletes a lot is like, Hey, like your teammates, like you guys can all get better together and do not be looking at each other and pointing fingers and, you know, being jealous and envious. And I think like that, um,
00:42:41
Speaker
can foster a really good relationship with running, but I also think it will help you in business later in life with relationships later down the line. Like you don't have to make everything about you and you don't have to make everything about like someone's coming after you or your success or anything like that. Like it can be, we can work hard together. Yeah. It's, it's easier said than done this, you know, what you're talking about. Like I, cause I just thinking about like something that maybe I'm going through or whatever, but like where,
00:43:13
Speaker
Like you can be a good person, but like sometimes it just, I don't know, maybe it just wears on you a little bit or. yeah Oh, it's not hard. Like what I'm saying is not, it's not the easy thing to do. It's the hard thing to do, but that means it's probably the right thing to do. So do the right thing.
00:43:30
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's ah yeah. It's interesting. You kind of got to stop yourself too, you know, cause you can kind of. do these, the same ah behavioral things over and over. It's, it's hard to change behavior, you know, it's, uh, Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
00:43:45
Speaker
Uh, it's not the easiest thing, but if you can catch yourself and and make the correction, you got to be mindful about that too. Right. About, uh, but everything. So, um,
00:43:57
Speaker
Yeah, it's crazy. So what what's your favorite like recovery, like meals and and like pregame food and stuff like that? um I'm pretty boring just before a race. Like, you know, i'll get some pasta the night before, go to a local Italian place or something like that.
00:44:13
Speaker
Yeah. um i day of a race. I just like to keep things normal and light. I'll have sandwich, some chips, banana, sip on some electrolyte stuff. I'm sponsored by precision. So I use their stuff right now.
00:44:29
Speaker
Um, uh, yeah, just like very normal runner things. Nothing crazy. I wish I had some sort of secret sauce or something, but there is no secret sauce. Do you have any tricks for like fueling anything like that? Any tips or tricks for, for people like,
00:44:46
Speaker
Yeah, make sure you fuel a lot. i've I've run into some issues in the past about being under fueled and it can very much affect bone health and mental health and performance. And so make sure you're eating enough and make sure you're eating enough, you know, quickly after workouts and evolve and as often as you possibly can. And um do not focus on weight or anything like that. Like make sure you're eating enough calories and um try to eat healthy things, but also don't be afraid to have some ice cream. I have ice cream like a bunch and like, I don't ever skip out on sweets or anything like that. Like sometimes that's what the body needs.
00:45:22
Speaker
It's, it's, uh, it's crazy. Cause I think a lot of people think they're eating a lot, but it's still not enough. You know, do you, do you like, do you have a ah recommendation or some kind of like a visual for what that could look like in terms of like quantities or,
00:45:38
Speaker
I don't count calories, so it's hard for me, but I would say you should never be skipping a meal. That's a very easy metric. is like Some people, you know especially with runners who double, they'll be like, oh, I don't want a big lunch because I have another run in two hours or something like that. But you can train your gut to handle a lot more food. And so I would say get just start eating foods that you can you know run well on and um do not overthink it, but definitely do not skip meals.
00:46:06
Speaker
And during a race, what are you, how are you, do you have a certain number that you're trying to get in or? I don't feel during races. Oh, not like not for, you won't feel for a 10K, I guess for, yeah.
00:46:19
Speaker
If you're trying to run sub 27. Yeah. None of the races I run, I'm feeling for. You'll to have have Reed back on and ask him what he does. Sorry.
00:46:29
Speaker
But maybe for your long run, are you trying to like, crimes some Yeah, I'll bring like a gel and I'll have like a gel 45 minutes into my long run. um And then i yeah like I'll sip on like some precisions, like they have like some like um hydration and electrolyte mix that I use all the time. And I'll sip on that a few times throughout the long run.
00:46:50
Speaker
where do you think What do you think your biggest strengths and your biggest weaknesses are as ah as a runner?
Strengths and Mental Focus in Competition
00:46:57
Speaker
Strengths are probably my ability to push. I can dig pretty deep.
00:47:04
Speaker
Weaknesses are um maybe mental concentration for long long ah races, like you know being able to shut off the mind for – like a long period of time is something I'm trying to work on.
00:47:18
Speaker
Um, and I'd say that's a weakness at the moment. Where, where does the mind go? It goes to this hurts and I want to stop. hu So I need to work on that.
00:47:29
Speaker
Yeah. No, no, the, the no quit, uh, the no, no quit attitude. Like, is there something that you're like working on now actively to, to help, help with that or, Yeah, just in workouts when I have that feeling, I just try to center myself.
00:47:44
Speaker
um I do this thing with my fingers where I like touch each finger to remind myself to like be present in a moment. And a lot of times like the bad patch will pass. um But if you start thinking too far into the future in a race, that's when things get ugly. So if you're starting to think like,
00:47:59
Speaker
oh man, I've got three miles to go. That's not what you want to be. You want to be in the mile you're in and run that mile and worry about the future once you're there. So um that's sort of what I've been trying to do in practice. And um yeah, that's my big focus for me. wait when you're When you're taking on like a like a new athlete, what are like the the starting points for you? Like what where do you need? Like how do you know where to take the athlete based on what they're telling you?
00:48:29
Speaker
Just training history. Like I'll look at what they've done in the past. I've looked, you know, like if they've had bad injuries or, there's something that they're struggling with. Um, but really always start with a strength component. Most people are just not in good enough shape.
00:48:43
Speaker
Um, you know, they just need to get stronger. So a lot of threshold work, a lot of long runs. Um, and then we can sort of start to so throw in some speed.
Training Philosophy and Long-Term Goals
00:48:51
Speaker
I really like Arthur Liddiard's training style, just a lot of, you know, easy running strides, things like that. And then we can sort of start to do harder run of roles. not I'm not big on hard track workouts right away for any of my athletes. Like I think, you know, we got to build a grid, big foundation first and then we can sort of go from there.
00:49:10
Speaker
What's a, what are the, some of the biggest questions you get from, from new, new runners? just like how can I improve? What am I missing in my training? You know, what sort of things do you feel like I can do tomorrow that would help me be better?
00:49:27
Speaker
get a lot of questions about shoes actually, shoes to run in. I get a lot of questions about, you know, training habits.
00:49:37
Speaker
Like a lot of people just need to nail down a really good run routine and they'd be like golden. They're running at different parts of the day. They don't have any organization. They don't have, you know, discipline to get out first thing in the morning, get it done. And so a lot of those questions sort of come up pretty early.
00:49:55
Speaker
Yeah. what What do you think for most people, what do you think a good recipe for success would be? um ah training plan that you can replicate week after week, month after month, year after year with little to no setbacks is a recipe for someone who's going to get better throughout their career. If you have a training plan that's really hard and you can only do it for a few weeks and then you get sick or injured or burnt out, that's not going to work well. And if you have a training plan that is,
00:50:26
Speaker
um thinking long-term and thinking taking into a account, you know, a lot of different variables, speed, strength, hills, um track work, long runs, a mix of all those things is really important to make a well-rounded athlete. And so I try to have, I try to touch everything.
00:50:45
Speaker
Like variation, right? Like, so it doesn't get stale and you're like working different muscles, different, yeah different aerobic, you know, you know, areas and different speeds and all that stuff is going to, is really going help. I'm curious about the shoes though, because this is like a, you know, it's still a hot topic for a lot of runners. Like I think most people want to run in like carbon shoes.
00:51:11
Speaker
and In my opinion, I don't think, Like I've run in non-carbon shoes in marathon and I've done fine, but what' what what's your kind of take on this and where would you like, what do what what do you kind of tell people?
00:51:26
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, they're expensive. So first thing I tell people is save them for when they really you need them most. yeah If you're wealthy and you can afford to wear them for workouts all the time. Great. I wear them for workouts. um If you're just a hobby jogger, save them for your marathon, save them for your half marathon.
00:51:41
Speaker
um Train in regular trainers. um There's no doubt they help with performance. They definitely help. you pound the pavement a little bit more than you can in the past with not as many consequences. So, um, there's no doubt that they're very, very good for that, but they also, you know, um they're not this magic bullet. You still need to put in the miles. You still need to put in the work and it's important to find like a good training program that you can, you know, um, train hard in, but you know, you could use the super shoes on race day. And, um, that, that seems to work well for most athletes.
00:52:13
Speaker
Yeah, you need the engine, right? Of course. if you If you got the Ferrari body, but the the Civic engine, it's not going to work. Exactly. So the shoes are just the the bonus. so You mentioned like talking at school. Is this something you're doing more regularly now, doing talks in front of groups? I want to be. Yeah, I'd love to be. yeah um i'm I'm working on like a website right now.
00:52:38
Speaker
um And sort of one of the options I want to have is... you know, people that want to fly me out to places or talk to their run clubs or be, you know, be a speaker at an event. Like I love doing that stuff and I'm happy to do that stuff.
00:52:50
Speaker
um And so i that would be really awesome if I could do more of that stuff in the future. And I think that'd be valuable for ASICS. It'd be valuable for me and um just my own running career.
Legacy and Impact on the Sport
00:53:02
Speaker
And um like I said, I really want to leave the sport with a, you know, better than I found it.
00:53:07
Speaker
And so, um The only way to do that is give back as much as I possibly can. Yeah, I was going to say, like how do you want to be remembered when it's all said and done? i just I would like people to...
00:53:20
Speaker
A, just look at me as like a kind person and, you know, someone that helped them. But I also really want to, for people to say like, oh, Drew, you had a positive impact on the sport. And that can mean anything. That can mean different things for other people, for some people. And, um you know, for other people, it could be something completely different. You know, for some people it's,
00:53:39
Speaker
They saw me run fast and that was really meaningful for other people. I show up to a community event for them and got to shake their hand. And that was like really big, you know, other, you know, kids, it's me giving a Jersey to someone and they wear that Jersey, you know, I practice all the time. And so, um, as long as I had an impact and felt like I left the sport better than I found it, I can retire happy.
00:54:00
Speaker
And what's a what would you like people to take away from your your talks when you when you give them? You know you go in and you you talk to them for so many minutes. but How ah would they like to remember that talk?
00:54:12
Speaker
I have no agenda. So someone can take away something completely different than the kid next to them. you know I had a kid come up to me after my last talk that I gave and he said, Thank you so much for giving that talk. I never had thought about stuff like that.
00:54:27
Speaker
And I'm a sophomore in high school and I have two more years after this. And I'm going to apply a lot of the things that you talked about to my training and to my racing. And I think like I'll have a ah lot better of experience. And I was like, that's awesome.
00:54:38
Speaker
Like, that's why I'm here. And that's why I gave this talk. And I hope I can, you know, have more of an impact and and do things like that. Yeah, it's like you never know who's watching, right?
00:54:49
Speaker
And like like you said about somebody might be inspired by your speed, somebody might be inspired by ah handshake or a high five. or And I think it's more that stuff, you know, to know like i always ask myself the questions about like pro athletes like,
00:55:06
Speaker
Yeah, wonder, he seems really nice. Like, I go wonder if he's actually really nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know? um But, like, you guys are so much more accessible to to the youth and everything than, let's say, a hockey player or a football player or these other types of athletes. So I think...
00:55:22
Speaker
you can make that kind of impact and cause you're way more accessible than other pro athletes, you know? Yeah. We're just normal dudes. Um, so, which is cool. you know that's our superpower is, uh, we're not untouchable. We're just regular dudes and people can say, Oh, they're fast, but also like, I can be just like drew, you know? And, um, that's sort of where, uh, I think, you know, we've been able to have an impact is because of that stuff.
00:55:47
Speaker
you know i when we When I first met Reid, actually, he was CIM, and he came in see some of his athletes race. And yeah we knew he was flying in, but that we were all in bed, but he was going to come crash on the couch.
00:56:03
Speaker
So we only saw him the next morning, which was pretty funny. it shows what kind of guy he is, you know. Yeah. So anyways, it was pretty, he's not above it. That's for sure. He's a pretty good intro. Yeah, exactly.
00:56:16
Speaker
Um, what would you say running's brought to your life? I know it's been a big part of it for such a long time. Yeah, it's brought me some of my closest friends. Um, it's brought me,
00:56:27
Speaker
um a better understanding of myself. It's brought me a lot of super high highs, but some lows too. But it's taught me how to navigate those lows. And um I think it's also just given me confidence to I got so much confidence from running that I was able to apply that to other aspects of my life. And I don't know if I would have had that same experience if I hadn't have found running. So yeah, I'll forever be grateful for that um because that's been incredibly transformative for me. Just being able to show up to a starting line, work my butt off, know I can beat everybody, go out there, do it.
00:57:06
Speaker
And now, you know, i can apply that to other things. Yeah, for sure. And that's it's that's with so many things, you know, ah the sport teaches us something that we can apply to our everyday lives. And I think that's really great. Where can people find out more about you, Drew, and and everything you're doing?
00:57:24
Speaker
Yeah, um you can find me on social media. I'm really working on drewhunter.com right now and building that out. um But I have a newsletter um that i i you can find on all my social channels. um I'll do a lot of longer pieces on that. um And so, yeah, you can find me there. DrewHunter00 is my Instagram handle, and um I post a lot on there as well.
00:57:46
Speaker
And what are you talking about in your newsletters? All different things. I talked about signing my ASICS contract. I talk about training. I talk about, you know, being a dad, um, balance my race schedule, just a bunch of different topics.
00:57:59
Speaker
Okay, nice. So we'll have to check that out. Well, I want to thank you very much, Drew, for taking the time today from your family, from your training, from everything you're doing. And I really wish you all the best of luck, not just today or tomorrow, but over the next four years. And I can't wait to follow along on your Olympic journey.
00:58:18
Speaker
Yep. Thank you so much, Justin, for having me. Yeah, no problem. Take care. Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did.
00:58:31
Speaker
Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback, we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram at justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates.
00:58:47
Speaker
Of course, this show wouldn't be possible without a solid team behind me. With logo and design by Vanessa Pugliese, as well as audio, music, and editing by Forrest McKay, a huge thank you goes out to both of them.
00:58:59
Speaker
Guest outreach, social media, writing, and advertising are handled by me, your host, Justin Pugliese. Finally, we'd like to thank you, our listeners, for coming along for the ride with Justin Stride.