The Outworker
The relationship with oneself is the most important to develop, but the easiest to neglect. These conversations will hopefully allow you to develop that relationship.
The Outworker
#020 - Becca Pizzi - Making History: 7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days
Becca Pizzi is a record-breaking endurance runner who conquered the World Marathon Challenge - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. She shares her remarkable story of overcoming a torn groin to make history and the belief that short term pain costs much less that long term regret. Becca also discusses her training with TB12, balancing motherhood and work with intense athletic pursuits, and the mental fortitude required to achieve seemingly impossible goals. Becca's journey from local runner to world-record holder is both inspiring and relatable, offering valuable insights for aspiring athletes and dreamers alike.
Timestamps:
00:00 Early Running Journey
02:27 Running Marathons in All 50 States
07:44 Running in Antarctica and Overcoming Challenges
12:10 Discovering New Limits and Setting Bigger Goals
15:53 The Power of Delusional Confidence and Support
18:30 Enjoying the Suffering and Always Striving for More
20:56 Dealing with Internal Pressure and Setting New Goals
23:03 Sleep, Patience, and Staying Present
26:19 Running in Miami and Leaving Family for Races
28:38 Running Marathons on All Seven Continents
31:58 Overcoming Challenges and Perseverance
35:19 The Power of Support and Teamwork
41:10 Breaking Barriers and Making History
47:13 Finding Passion and Making Time
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What’s up outworkers. Becca Pizzi is a record-breaking endurance runner who conquered the World Marathon Challenge - 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. She shares her remarkable story of overcoming a torn groin to make history and the belief that short term pain costs much less that long term regret. Becca also discusses her training with TB12, balancing motherhood and work with intense athletic pursuits, and the mental fortitude required to achieve seemingly impossible goals. Becca's journey from local runner to world-record holder is both inspiring and relatable, offering valuable insights for aspiring athletes and dreamers alike.
Tim (00:02.123)
That guy, welcome to the out worker.
Becca (00:03.96)
Thanks for having me.
Tim (00:05.907)
You started running at a very young age. How has your relationship with running evolved throughout the different stages of your
Becca (00:16.27)
So my dad is a runner and he took me to my first race when I was six years old in Belmont where I grew up and I loved it. And it's taken me around the world and it's just been an incredible journey. So it's paid for my college tuition and I just recently finished running a marathon in all 50 states. So getting to run all of the states was incredible experience. But going to states that I probably typically would have never gone to.
It's been really fun. I always wonder what my life would look like without running, but it's done so much for me that it's been incredible journey.
Tim (00:56.085)
Was that always the goal for you to be able to make running a massive part of your focus throughout your
Becca (01:01.958)
No, I grew up playing everything hockey, soccer, really every sport. But I always excelled in running and really, really enjoyed it. I loved crossing a finish line. And I remember growing up and beating the boys in high school. That's when I kind of knew that I was a pretty good runner when I was like beating the boys in middle school and then in high school. And but I, I really love the opportunities that it's given me, you know,
having the Boston Marathon right in our backyard. That was my first marathon and I feel like Boston community has been awesome with all the opportunities I've been given.
Tim (01:45.131)
How long did it take you to achieve the 50 marathons in 50 states?
Becca (01:49.774)
Um, 10 years, no, five years, really between five and 10 years of course COVID happened and I didn't get to run any marathons during COVID. And I would say 10 years ago, I was like, I started chipping away at different marathons running like two or three a year. And then I never liked to repeat a marathon because the world is so big and there's so many, so many marathons to choose from across the U S that I thought.
I'm not going to go back and run this one again. I'm going to do another one in another state. So really five years ago, started, I was doing like two or three a year, but five years ago I started running about 10 a year and just running as many states as I could. And I'm like, kind of, I remember getting to like 30, 32 and thinking like, I got this, I can do it. that's, and going to different, like Mount Washmore was incredible and going to different states was really awesome.
Tim (02:47.819)
another incredible feat that you have undertaken and accomplished the world marathon challenge. What was the moment when you realized you wanted to take that
Becca (03:00.238)
Actually, was all my friends sent me this article that came out and it was seven marathons, seven continents, and seven days. And my friends were like, Becca, you've run 50 marathons. You got this. You can do it. And I was like, oh, that's kind of crazy. I don't know. At the time, I had never run a marathon out of the country. And Antarctica sounded so intimidating. But I got to thinking about it. And I'm like, an American woman has never.
finish this race before they've tried, but they didn't finish. And if I have an opportunity to make history doing something that I absolutely love, I'm going to go for it. So that's exactly what happened. I wrote the race director and I'm like, Hey, this is Becca. I'm from Belmont. I've run many marathons. And he was like, just so you know, American female has never finished. I'm like, I know. I'm like, so he's like, all you literally have to do is cross -finish on you make history. And I was like, okay, but I'm really competitive and I really wanted to win it. And,
set the world record. so basically it took me like a year to train for it, running it all hours of the day, going to CrossFit, personal training, yoga, everything that I could do, running about a hundred miles per week. I wanted to make sure that I could really, I didn't want to like get to marathon four or five and quit. So I was like, I kind of over -prepared and I went to Montreal cause Boston wasn't quite cold enough.
to test my cold weather gear. So I went to Canada and I'd go run the river in Canada for like five hours and I'd come back and just make sure that it was all, everything was good, but hold on one second, I gotta shut off my robot.
Becca (04:43.586)
The back container. but yeah, and that's been, that's it. And so I got a coach and relied heavily on friends. My friends are like, we've never done this before, but we think we can help you with it. And so it's been fun. It's been really awesome. And crossing the finish line, my parents were live on, on Skype and they watched me finish and I got to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park. And it's been an incredible journey. It's been really fun.
Tim (05:13.277)
Is there anything that you did or were able to try to do to simulate the changing time zones?
Becca (05:20.686)
Mostly, so we crossed 16 time zones. So I remember waking up and being like, what day and time is it? I'm so confused. It kind of gets away from you, but running at all hours of the day, three in the morning, four in the morning, that really helped me a lot in midnight runs. just so that, because it wasn't like the race began every morning at 8 a .m. Once the gun goes off in Antarctica, you have 180 hours to finish.
It's go, go, go, and at all times, eat, sleep, fly, repeat.
Tim (05:55.571)
Is there anything now getting into the terrain of Antarctica? I know obviously running on a glacier that can be much different than running on a road. Is there anything that you were able to do from a terrain standpoint to try to simulate
Becca (06:09.89)
Well, most of everybody, some people ran in the Yak tracks and some people ran in the Solomon sneakers, but I didn't want any shin splints. I'm endorsed by Newton running. So I wanted to make sure that I was wearing the proper sneakers, the Newton running that really helped me. mostly the distraction of this place is so beautiful. I'm running on a glacier in Antarctica. You just kind of look around, you're like, wow, even though
really, really cold and really sunny. You just can't even, you feel so lucky to be there. And I guess what was really great is they put Antarctica first. It's the first race. So you kind of get it out of the way, but also you can't go out fast because it's so cold and you average about, you add 30 minutes onto your average marathon time for these kinds of races. So you cross, you kind of get to enjoy Antarctica. Cause I always said if there was another marathon first, I probably would blow it and go out too fast.
just out of excitement of, you you've worked so hard and you're trained and you're ready and you're fit. So you kind of cross the finish line in Antarctica and you're like, my God, I'm really tired. But it was really cool. It was like such an awesome experience. And the staff and the pilot, they're all watching the race and that's really special.
Tim (07:30.611)
Yeah, you've mentioned that the marathon in Antarctica was the hardest of all seven. How important do you think it was that you were able to get that hardest one done first?
Becca (07:40.332)
Just the elements alone and the safety elements of landing a plane on ice. The whole thing is so scary and intimidating that you're like, thank God that's over. I don't care what happens next. It doesn't matter the weather. At least I'll be on normal terrain again. And even running on pavement and running on, you know, so, cause you're running on a glacier, is, even though it's slippery and it's like ice, it's kind of like running on a beach.
where like that's kind of what it feels like is like running on the soft part of a beach where you're not really moving fast, but you're working really hard. The only thing is you cross the finish line and you're like, I'm exhausted. That was really, really hard, but you just recover and you move on to the next one. So you go on a chilly and the weather in Chile was like 50 degrees. It was perfect.
Tim (08:30.473)
Yeah, so get diving deeper into that. So you get that first marathon done. What's your process look like from both a recovery and logistical standpoint of going to Chile? Because obviously this is the first time that you complete a marathon where obviously you have satisfaction, but there's something that you need to achieve right after
Becca (08:41.603)
Yeah.
Becca (08:53.482)
Right. And that's just taking one continent at a time. you're like, people are like, how am going to run three or four or five? You don't think about like what you have left. You think about like, okay, new course. So what's the course and learning the course and learning where the hydration is and the stops are, and then learning the weather, because if it's really, really hot, you have to really back down your expectations and, and play, run it smart because
The goal is to finish, know, everybody in the world, everybody knows what you're doing, so you don't wanna embarrass yourself or do anything that could keep you from keep going. So the recovery is the most important. So I would get up every couple hours on the plane and walk the aisles and stretch. And even though I was so tired, I'm like, okay, on three, you're gonna get up and you're gonna walk, but that was really the hardest part. And then I had the compression boots. So those helped a lot. I kind of would sleep in those.
and with a motor and they're pumping circulation. And then I always ran in compression socks and shorts too. So that would help circulate too. But it really was just keeping your guard up the entire time. Cause any little error that you made, you know, you could, could cost you the whole from finishing.
Tim (10:08.351)
then in terms of diet and nutrition, do you have stuff packed with you or are getting stuff at airports or what was that
Becca (10:14.798)
Both. And I think that's why when I heard about the 777, I'm like, no way, because I like know what I like. I know what food works for me. And I knew that like chicken in Dubai would be different from chicken in Boston. And all of the foods would be way, way different. But that's part of it, you know, and that kind of like what it was like, you'd cross the finish line, then you kind of go back to the hotel, which we weren't sleeping at. We could shower and then I would order room service to my just get like burgers and anything that I could that would keep me going to the next.
depending upon how much, like one Madrid and Morocco, that flight was only an hour and a half. So those two back -to -back marathons were at 11 a .m. and then 11 p .m. So we really ran two marathons within 24 hours. So that was like, that was the bear getting through Madrid and Morocco. And then you had two left to go. So that's kind of how it worked.
Tim (11:08.939)
Like I've said, you started running at a very young age and this is something that you've done for your entire life. But obviously this is a big undertaking, something different. How did your relationship with your body change throughout the experience? Did you discover new limits or abilities that you hadn't realized before
Becca (11:30.444)
Yeah, and that's exactly kind of what happens. You cross the finish line and you're like, my God, I did it. But blood, sweat and tears go into it, you know? So you prepare your mind and body to finish no matter what. But you do, like I transform my entire body and mind to run and to learn how to run under all odds against you when you're tired, when you're hurt. I suffered a groin injury, I tore my groin, but I
I'm working with Tom Brady's company, TV12. And one of Tom Brady's messages was we didn't come this far to just come this far. And I was at Marathon Six and I was like, I absolutely have to finish this, even in pain, even in, which I never recommend. I'm like, no, never run through pain. But when world records on the line, you run through pain. So having the support from TV12 and Tom Brady, was just, it meant the world to me. And...
and they all went to the finish line in Miami, which was really exciting and really fun. But I think that's it. I went on to bigger things. I recently ran Kona Iron Man, which is probably something I would never ever have done had I not had the 777 opportunity. You just kinda are like, okay, I did that. What's next? You're always looking for the what's next and it has to be a pretty big goal for me. Like I love.
I love the ultimate tests of endurance and strength, in having crossing the finish line of the 777 and getting into the Guinness Book of World Records, it was like, I can do anything. But for me, I have to believe that I can do it. There's things that I don't want to do, but I tried a couple of ultra -marathons that was really fun. And eventually I run across America at some point when I'm ready. But
And now I'm training for the Nice Ironman, which is, you know, these are 112 mile bike rides with 2 .4 mile swim and then a marathon. So it really is just training about 20 hours per week. But I have the confidence of doing the 777 that's carried over for sure. Cause I'm like, okay, the Ironman's over in 11 hours. Like what I did was seven days, you know, so I can suck it up for 11 hours and run through pain and hell and.
Becca (13:50.776)
Cause I already been there mentally. once you, once you go there mentally and you learn how to persevere through it, through pain and through even the little stuff like missing my daughter, I missed her so much. was bringing me pain. was like sad and hard to be away from her, but I was like, I left her to go pursue this record. I'm going to get the record for sure. So, you know, and then my 50th state was Jackson Hole Miami, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
And my daughter ran through the finish line with me. I won the race in the marathon and I ran through the finish line with my daughter and my husband and my dad were holding the finish line tape. And it was so, so special, but to beat people that are faster than you, cause that's what I did. I beat people that are typically faster than me. You go, you kind of go through, you go through your mind like this is going to be worth it. I can do it. I got this. I know that feeling of what
feels to win, you know, so that's kind of how it works.
Tim (14:53.941)
Something interesting that I heard you say is that you said, probably have more faith in myself than I should. And I think with any type of very physical undertaking or some big goal or challenge you have, you have to have almost that delusional confidence in yourself. Where do you think that deep faith comes from for
Becca (15:16.878)
I'm glad that you asked that because it comes from my dad. I was raised by a Marine and I remember times when I would break a record or win a race and you know, he was always like, we can do better. How can you do better? How can you know it was never enough? So at no point in my life do I think I'm doing enough and being having been raised by a Marine, they're really tough on you. You know, they really are hard core people. And I think I am that way because I was raised by my dad.
He is my biggest fan and he named my book, Becca's Feet on Feet, which is a children's book. said, I have everything together except the title. And he was like, how about Becca's Feet on Feet? I'm like, yeah, that's awesome. So I'm grateful to have his support and we have a lot of fun. And we joke, like I say, I don't know how I'm gonna beat this girl. She was in Olympic trials, but we know I am, like I'm going for it. And I think I am delusional in my thoughts sometimes. And sometimes I set the bar too high.
There's that saying, shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars. And that's kind of like what I do. I shoot so high that sounds ridiculous, I hope that, but I haven't, I have like, I am not afraid to fight. I'm not afraid to throw down. I'm not afraid to, you know, like I, I'm not afraid to suffer. If anybody that knows me knows that I'm not afraid to suffer, I will, I'll put it out there. when I'm going through a week,
moment, I just kind of like fight through that moment and think you're going to be okay, know, whether it's a race or life or no matter what it is, like you got this, you're to be okay. And I always am, I always kind of come out on top. So, but I think, I mean, I also am even for like this Ironman, I'm putting in 20 hours a week of training. So when you go to the starting line, your confidence is like, you've
You've put in so much work that you almost tell yourself you're going to finish in the time that you want to. And then when things don't go your way, you kind of figure out, you take a goo or you just kind of think about how lucky you are to be doing what you're doing. And then, then you get back into it. But the struggle is real. It's running is a really, really hard sport. just is. you know, so you put it, but it's so rewarding.
Tim (17:31.413)
Do you enjoy the suffering?
Becca (17:33.038)
Yeah, I think I enjoy it little. I always, cause when I'm shaking my head like, oh my God, this sucks. This is really hard. This hurts. I always know that the finish line is going to be worth it. So I envisioned in my training, I can't tell you how many times I've envisioned over and over crossing the finish line and Iron Man saying, Becca Pizzi, you are an Iron Man. And that just kind of got me through some of like the 90, the 90.
degree days and the two mile swims and the hundred mile bike rides. And you just envision yourself successful and you'll get there. But I, like one of my sisters is like, I'm going to have a bad race today. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. Like, tell me why, tell me two good reasons why you're going to have a good race, you know? And then she always says like, well, you know what? I am trained and I feel healthy. I'm like, there you go. You're good. You know? So I don't, I'm really not a negative person. I really am pretty positive when, when it comes to like racing.
Tim (18:28.971)
know you spoke about Tom Brady earlier and that you've worked with TV 12 and I know one of his most famous lines also is, know, when somebody asked him, you know, what's your favorite Superbowl and he says the next one, do you find it challenging to be satisfied with what you've accomplished and always focused on there's something more that I have to
Becca (18:52.494)
Yeah. And I always feel like, how can I do it? I could have done that better. could, I'll hit my goals and I'm like, Oh, I could have done that better. And I don't, I don't really like that about myself. That's the one thing that I wish I could just be like, I had an awesome day. I had a great race. had it, but I'm always, but I think that's what's really fun too. then finding the next goal is always really challenging too, because now I'm kind of running out of, you know, I did the 50 States. I did the world majors. ran the seven continents and now the pressure to run across America is real.
You know, so, but I'm not totally ready yet. I'll do it. I'm not really ready yet. My daughter's gonna be a junior, so I'd be gone for three months and it's kind of like that stuff. But yeah, I think it's hard to be like, for athletes to be like, yeah, I really hit all my goals. I'm really happy. We're always looking for like, how can we do it better? That's why I ran the 777 again. was like, and during it, I'm like, I am never doing this again. And then when you do it, you're like,
how can I do that better? And that is kind of addicting part to it. But that's kind of like makes me who I am. Anybody knows I love endurance and big races and...
Tim (20:04.969)
You obviously go through very physically challenging times when you're doing a race. I think another big mental aspect of that, and I think a lot of high achievers also deal with this. How do you deal with the internal pressure that you put on yourself?
Becca (20:21.822)
I prepare myself and that's the thing, a lot of times people will be like, you're not out saving, a Wall Street Journal will do an article and people, there's a lot of hate out there and I'm like, yikes, know, what you don't, probably if you knew me, we'd be friends, you know, and that's what's really hard is to read. But I mean, I definitely use that as fuel to the fire. I'm like, hell no, when I read a bad comment or she's not gonna do well, she's not gonna finish, she's not gonna end. I'm like, watch
And that's what kind of like what you think. And you just never comment back and you never. But the pressure has been really real. If you have big goals, then a lot of pressure comes with that. But you put a whole team of people on you and to support you and help you and have your family by your side. And that helps out a lot. having the people to to back you and support your dreams means I mean, I family and friends and training partners. My daughter, every time I ask my daughter, what do think about that? She's
go for it, you can do it. And so I'm grateful to have the support. And then, you know, I just, I asked myself in my training, are you doing everything you can be doing right now to prepare? You know, and maybe that means like going to a few more runs or a couple more swims or a couple, you know, I try and make sure that I'm totally prepared, like mentally and physically to take on a feed.
Tim (21:42.261)
So getting back to the world marathon challenge, you would think that you probably weren't getting that much sleep, but I read that you would average five hours of sleep when you were prepping and then get seven hours sleeping on plane during the challenge. And sleep is definitely one of those things that has gained a lot more traction when it comes to proper recovery. Did you have a certain type of routine to make sure you were able to sleep on the plane?
Becca (22:11.778)
Well, what's funny is that I didn't think I would be able to sleep really well on a plane, but keep in mind that we just ran the marathon. So when you run a marathon, you're so fatigued and so tired that I was actually averaging more sleep on the plane than I was in my own bed, you know? So that's kind of what happens is you're so tired. And then the white noise from the plane, like it was just like peaceful and quiet
We had blankets and pillows and they laid flat down into beds, but I did try and get up and I didn't, when I would sleep all the way through the night, seven hours, the next morning I would just feel so stiff and it would take me five miles of every single marathon to really get up my legs going. And so that was hard. That was kind of like really, really hard to do that. But I always try to get up and walk throughout the night, but I definitely think.
And were all so tired. And then there were some people that didn't sleep at all. They're like, I only got two hours to sleep last night. I'm like, my God, that sucks. But I think everyone's so different.
Tim (23:14.827)
How did you manage the mental challenge of not getting ahead of yourself? Obviously when your body starts to feel it and you're like, I have more marathons down the line. How do you make sure that you're just focusing on the present moment and literally just putting one foot in front of the
Becca (23:33.422)
I think a race like the 777 takes an incredible amount of patience. Like, just be patient. You're waiting on so many things and so many aspects and so many different variables come in. So you just stay patient. And then when you're running, you're like, oh, thank God I'm running. This is what I know how to do. But when there's delays, and that's what happens is like I had a world record on the line and we'd be a four hour delay or a five hour delay. And I was like, this is really stressful.
but it's out of my hands. So I'm just going to stay patient and wait for everything to come together. But I always found, I always thought the running would be like the worst part of it, but that's what I, what I did best at. I was like, okay, do your thing. You're running, you're good. But it does, it does take the first five miles to really like get your legs going and in your mind. you're like, I don't want your mind plays crazy tricks on you in an event like this. Like I don't feel good. Everything hurts. I have so far to go, but you just regroup.
And like when life's not going well, you regroup and you take one mile at a time. I'm like, just worry about mile 17 or don't worry about how many, anything like, I couldn't count down how many miles I had, but I could count down how many more laps. So rather than saying like, oh, I still have 19 miles to go. would say, okay, three more laps, four more laps or four more out and back. So that's kind of how I broke it. You just break it up into the moment, but you really got to stay.
in the continent that you're in and the mile that you're in. So in order to not lose your mind.
Tim (25:05.163)
Yeah, I mean, I'm not a marathon runner. I'm not an endurance athlete, but when I do cardio, that's my exact mindset. If I'm doing a hard cardio session, it's like I have 31 minute sessions that I have to do here, not 30 minutes. And it just makes it much easier. How did it feel after running internationally, coming back to Miami and running in the States?
Becca (25:28.5)
It was like home course advantage. I'm like, my family's here. Like now everybody's in trouble. I have my whole family lining the course. I have pizza at the finish line. have Starbucks at the finish line. The Patriots were in the Superbowl in Miami. was wild. It was just, it was so, it was so fun. And I thought like, I'm going for it. And crossing the finish line, it was all recorded and live. And it was really, it was something, a day I will not ever, ever forget. So I really.
It made it all worth it, you know, and I could see the finish line from a out and I'm like, I'm coming. You know, it was really, it was really special. And to have my dad there, my mom and siblings and daughter, it was, it was just something I'll never ever forget. Cause they see it, they're like, damn, she deserves that. She worked really hard for it.
Tim (26:18.237)
Obviously you had the bigger goal down the line of completing the entire challenge, but was it difficult difficult at all having to leave your family and do more races?
Becca (26:27.886)
That's really the hardest part about it is like leaving every single time I leave, especially now that I've done so many international races, is leaving my daughter. But the good thing about that is I just got back from Easter Island Marathon and I'm like, how do you go down to Easter Island, beat the locals in a volcano marathon, to even think that you have a shot at that is crazy. But you're like, I didn't take a 20 hour flight.
leave my daughter for seven days for second place. I didn't. So I'm going to win this race and it's going to take a lot of patience and it's going to take a lot of like learning the course and staying ahead of the game. And oftentimes I figure out the competition, like who am I racing? And then I make a plan for myself, whether it's like run negative splits, which is running the second part of the race faster than the first part, or going out and catching a lead and hoping that nobody can follow.
So every single race I go into, try and figure out like what's gonna work, what's gonna make sense here. But between the altitude and running through a live volcano, was like, but I also felt very, very lucky to be there. But crossing the finish line with a, I think I had like a 12 minute lead. And I remember thinking having like two miles left and my husband saying, have a 12 minute lead, don't blow
I'm like, I'll try. But I also don't feel good. And like, what if I got to start tramping and start to walk, but you just, you stay dialed in and focused. But that was winning the Easter Island Marathon and beating the locals was probably like even bigger of a feat than the 777. you know, cause you have all odds against you. And I think that's exactly when you go into the 777, there's people that had never run in cold weather before, you know, they're from, you know, very warm parts of the world. And I'm like, okay.
Growing up in New England, you've run in it. All you have to do is prepare and race it, but it's the Easter Island races and the volcano marathons that those are like, those mean a lot to me.
Tim (28:27.263)
I love that mindset that you spoke about how there's more than just the running. Like if I'm going to leave my family and if I'm going to be paying the money and making this extra sacrifice, it really does push you forward. Then just focusing on the run. I find that really interesting.
Becca (28:43.79)
Yeah, and that's how it is. I call my daughter, when I call my, I cross the finish line and I call my daughter and I don't want to say, please second, I don't want to do it. I don't ever, cause second place is not as fun as like first. And so I'm like, I won, I did it. And she's like, mom! Like, you know, and oftentimes she sees me on, but I think of all these things. Like I think of like the 20 hour flight and the, you know, I don't want to cross the world and leave my child and do all these things for second place.
Tim (29:11.371)
Do you think you're more motivated by winning or by the pain of having to say you're in second place and making that
Becca (29:20.206)
I definitely mostly crossed my finish line is telling her I came in second place. And especially for the 777 where her entire school did homework based off of where I was. So she would go on the loud speaker and be like, my mom won the Antarctica marathon today. And it just kept building momentum. And then my mom won the Chile marathon. And like there were a couple of struggles in there where I was like, oh my God, I gotta pull it together. Cause I, the thought of her saying like, she plays second.
broke me, broke me. So I was like, stay ahead, stay ahead. So that does it. But the thought of disappointing her and in her mind, there's nothing, I just, she's so proud of me. She said, she texted me yesterday, mom, I'm your biggest fan out of the blue. Like just out of the blue, mom, I'm your biggest fan. I'm like, I love you so much. Thanks. Thanks for that. I need that sometimes. So, you know, I can do no wrong, but I know the face of I came in second, I know the face of I came in first and they're totally different.
Tim (30:17.717)
type of mindset that your dad instilled in you? you feel like that's being instilled in her as
Becca (30:25.038)
Yeah, except for some, she's definitely not as tough. Like there's races where she runs the hundred yards and she's like, mom, it's really, really hot out today. And I was like, your race is over in 11 seconds. Like if I said that to my dad, oh, dad, it's really hot out today. He'd be like, stop being a wimp. You know, and then, I can't say those things to her, but I can be like, your race is over in 11 seconds. You got this. Stay strong. I'm out there for three hours, like dying in 90 degree weather.
She doesn't really understand that perspective, but she is wicked fast and she whooped me in the 100. She like left me in the dust. So it's really fun to see her. And it's good that she's a sprinter and I'm a distance runner, because it's good that we have two totally different events.
Tim (31:07.211)
So after Miami, you go on to run in Madrid and then after that in Morocco. And then the marathon that I'm most interested about is Dubai. And two miles in, you tear your groin. Walk me through that entire experience.
Becca (31:21.559)
Mm -hmm.
So I'm like two miles in, I just got off the phone with my parents. I'm like, I'm good, I have two marathons to go, I feel good. I have enough of a lead that really like everything's gonna be okay. And then at mile two, it's like, it felt like it was like ripped out of the socket. It hurts so much. Like it was, I was in so much pain and I'm like, I can't believe this is happening. There's no, I was like laying on the ground, like I don't know what I'm gonna do. But I knew that I
I would finish and that's when the Tom Brady refrain came in. Like I didn't come this far to just come this far. I absolutely just cross the finish line. You'll have it forever. You'll have this thing. You'll have this forever. there was an airline stewardess who helped me. She, you know, I was like crying and she was like, this was after, after I had crossed the finish. I got up and finished Dubai and, and the race director was like, well, you've torn
You know, so, and I'm like, that's okay if I torn it, it's not a blood clot, so I'm safe to keep running. And he was like, yeah, but you're gonna be in a lot of pain. And I got this email from this doctor from Harvard and he's like, I've been following your journey. If you run with your toes facing in, it will take the pain off your groin and you'll be able to finish. So I was like, I got your email. I had like 2000 emails, people trying to help. And I just saw on the subject line, like Dr. Harvard University, can help. And I was like, so I did, I ran with my toes facing.
all the way in with the one marathon to go. And it really, really helped me. But the airline stewardess, I was like crying. I was like, I have one more to go. How am gonna, I can't walk. Like I can't even walk. I don't even know how I'm gonna run a marathon. And she's like, I know who you are. I've been following you. I know what you're doing. And so she put ice on it. And then when I fell asleep, she had switched out the ice. It was like incredible story. And then I looked up
Becca (33:13.87)
mile 22 in the marathon and she was there cheering for me like I knew you were going to finish. I wanted to come out and watch you and support you and when I crossed the finish line it was like all these people that came together to help me it was really really special and I remember the Associated Press was there and I remember when I had to switch I didn't want them to like send video of pictures of me running with my feet like looking like a duck because everyone would rip on me and my daughter would see it so
I would straighten my feet back out and I was like, if he didn't send me this, I don't think I could have run. I don't think I would have been able to finish the marathon. But having these people come together to support your goals and dreams, it really meant everything to me. So it was really special. It was really incredible. So I'll never, ever forget the support. And even like the Boston Red Sox, like reached out, hey, you want to out the first pitch? And I got to meet David Ortiz and I said,
And he was just so awesome. He's like, do you run all the time? I'm like, yeah. And I said, you should run the Boston Marathon for your foundation. He was like hysterically laughing. He's like, have you ever seen me run to first base? the people that I've met, like Jordan's furniture, I was in a commercial and it's been so incredibly fun.
Tim (34:27.851)
can spend four hours in a lot of pain or 40 years explaining to the world how I almost did it. In the grand scheme of things, do feel like tearing your groin made this much more special and an even better experience?
Becca (34:45.58)
Yeah, I think that it taught me how to persevere. When I crossed the finish line, and when I tell you, during, when I had the pain, so much pain, I couldn't even, it was so painful, I felt like somebody was stabbing my groin with a knife and just like just stab, stab, stab. And it was so, so painful. So when I crossed the finish line and I came home to my doctor, I'm like, what happened? And she's like, seven marathons on seven continents in seven days happened. Your body just gave out. It's like your car running.
on empty, just a rubber band elastic, it just breaks. then like, but I thought, and she's like, and I was like, so upset about it. And she's like, because it was to me, it was like, this was not supposed to happen. This is so embarrassing. I'm emailing my sponsors. like, I'm going to finish. It's going to get ugly. I'm going to finish. And they were like, you already made us so proud. I'm like, no, no, no, don't say any of that because I'm going to finish. Like you don't have to do another step. We're already so proud of
for trying and I was like, no, I'm finishing. I'm gonna finish. And then my doctor was like, this is gonna make an awesome story someday. And it's very true because like when you learn how to regroup and life doesn't go your way and you learn how to regroup and persevere through it, I feel that much tougher. If everything's smooth sailing and everything went off with no troubles, I would say, okay, maybe I didn't work hard enough or maybe I could have given a little more, but I left
all out on the course. When I say I left it all out, I had nothing. I mean, and I remember like going through the last 10 yards of the finish line, limping, like just limping, like this is all I have. I have nothing left. I, and I was so upset about the time, my time. was like, I just destroyed my time. It's not the time I wanted. It's not, but, then when looking back, like I finished two marathons on a torn groin. People
or out for months with a torn groin, with an injury. So I do feel like it made for a way better story, but it was really ugly at the
Tim (36:47.517)
Yeah, that's something I always say when it comes to stories is that one, think we all have some type of story that the world can benefit from hearing. also all of us at some point in our life are going to go through some type of challenging time in our life, whether it's us willingly putting ourselves into that challenge or something unwillingly happens like you tearing your groin. And what I always tell myself when I went through those challenges is
that makes for a better story when things don't go your way. If things are constantly going your way, if you just get to where you're trying to go on your timeline, that's a boring story. Nobody can benefit from that. It won't inspire anyone. But if you go through these challenges and you overcome them, that's when the story becomes that much more exciting and inspiring to other people. Did you have to get surgery
Becca (37:28.386)
Yeah. Right.
Tim (37:47.807)
What was the rehab process like?
Becca (37:48.96)
No, so the worst part about it is like my doctor was like, okay, you need time off. I'm like, nope, I'm not taking any time off. And she's like, no, like your body was so good to you. Like you have, you should have stopped and not been able to finish and you made history. You're forever gonna be in the Guinness Book of World Records and as a history maker, like you have to be fair to your body. And I was like, okay, I'll take a week off. But I didn't even take a week off. had a baby. I was like, this isn't, I don't wanna, so I was bored. then, then like New York, Nora O'Donnell,
would call and be like, you want to come out? And like Oprah Winfrey and like everybody was like, hey, come out. So I had a good, I got to go out to a lot of really cool places and see, but I still was limping. So I was, I was in a lot of pain. I don't even know how I would have run. I probably would have biked or something, but I never ever, ever take weeks off at a time ever. So, but I still like, I still remember the pain like it was yesterday. It was just so painful.
I don't want that to ever, I always think about like, if that happens in the run across America? Like, what if that happens? But now you know how to get through it once it's happened.
Tim (38:51.803)
you finished the seventh marathon in Australia.
Becca (38:56.424)
huh.
Tim (38:58.453)
What was it like crossing the finish line and knowing it was complete and didn't have to get on a plane to go somewhere else to run another one?
Becca (39:05.006)
That's funny because like I was supposed to go home that night and my parents and my daughter they're like stay you're in Australia stay and I was like okay maybe I'll stay and I'll go to the opera house and I'll go to the zoo and I but I also the thought of getting on a plane like I was like I can't do it I can't get on a plane but I was like Taylor do you want my daughter do you me home and she's like no mom that's okay
You can stay, you know, stay and go, you know, go see the kangaroos and go. But I was really grateful because sometimes she's like, no, come home. I miss you. But she was like, no, stay in Australia. and just had I have to say the Australians were the most incredible people. were like, come on, Becca, you got this. Do this for Taylor. know, the way that they came together and they were so fun, this was a huge event for them. They came out and cheered us and they had an Australian woman in the race. not only were they I mean, they were, of course, pulling
but they were really, really cheering for me. I don't know how they knew they came out. They were really supportive and, and the, were, they brought me gifts and every, they were so, so, so fun. So finishing in Australia, finishing in Miami would have been like, which the race actually does now would have been really cool, but finishing in Australia, it was really awesome
Tim (40:19.541)
What's the difference feel like just between finishing a race and you're accomplishing something for yourself, but also making history, especially for the United States?
Becca (40:30.146)
Well, that's the thing is like I was crying at the finish line and my first words were we did it. It wasn't like, I did, I did not do this alone. I would never even, I had so much help and support the kind of feel like Rocky going to fight. And that's the mentality is like, I cannot let my team down. I can not let my people down. And when I, that was, I didn't even like rehearse it. said, we did it. And I was crying and I was like, Holy shit, we made history. Like we made history doing what I love. And I felt.
very lucky, you know, and somebody handed me an American flag that was all wrapped up and like in the triangle and they were like handed to me and I got to like pull it out and just and I was blinded by the the Associated Press taking photos like I remember like shutting my eyes like wow this is really awesome and and and you know blood sweat and tears went into into this goal and it was definitely worth it and of course like I was saying it gets ugly but then you just regroup and figure out how to triumph and get through
Tim (41:26.869)
Was it weird or challenging at all reacclimating to everyday life when you got back home?
Becca (41:32.164)
my God, yeah, my town threw a parade for me, which I was really grateful for. And got to go to Bruce Springsteen where he sang Born to Run. It was all really, really fun stuff, but it was overwhelming. It was definitely overwhelming. But that's a part of it. I'm like, people want to hear about my dreams and goals and history. Yeah, okay, I'll say yes. So I said yes to everything. I was like, yeah, I'll definitely go to that or I definitely want to do that. And it really was.
The fact that so many people cared so much and were so willing to help me and learn about me. And of course, this was like a different, nobody really knew about the 777. So the Boston community totally rallied. They're like, we think you're awesome. We want to do what you're in Boston Marathon reached out, which was where I got my start running marathons and I got to join their programs. And it's been awesome. It's been really, really fun.
Tim (42:27.723)
Yeah, an incredible accomplishment that was defined by a lot of pain and challenges throughout it. And just two years later in 2018, you run the world marathon challenge again in six days, seven hours, 58 minutes and become the first woman ever to do it twice. And I know you spoke about how for your first prep you were working
different coaches and different friends. What was it like for this second prep to be working with TB12?
Becca (43:03.566)
Oh, they were the best, you know? And so the one promise with the TV 12 is that I couldn't go to the gym. They're like, have, so they called us and they said, we will pay your race entry fee, which was like $50 ,000. If we can train you, think that we can train you to run this race faster and stronger. And I was like, Oh, I didn't really know you guys knew about running. What do you know about running? And they were like, nothing, but we know everything about how the body works and how to build you strong. And we are confident with our help that you can run this race faster and stronger.
And I was like, well, if it works for Tom Brady, will definitely work for me. So I went into the Fox borough and trained about three days a week. And we did a ton of pliability stuff, which is like up against your own body. And it was a lot of elastic band stuff. And so it makes perfect sense because you can't over lift with pliability. You know, you're only lifting against your own body weight. So you really, really can't get hurt. And then we did a lot of deep tissue massages and I worked with them for
four months, really, really hard work. And I had more confidence. I have Tom Brady's people helping me. There's no way I can mess this up. There's just no chance. And Alex was like, Guerrero, he was so, he was like, is our honor to have TV 12 on your jersey. it just meant like a whole lot to me. Of course, Tom Brady reached out and he was really, really, really inspiring. And the pressure of having Tom Brady's help, you cannot come in second place.
having Tom Brady's help, you just can't, like it was not an option for me. So that was another level of like, I absolutely have to train harder and smarter to win this with their support. And of course they would be at the finish line, like waiting for me. so having, that was a really, really fun experience. So was super bummed out to hear that they closed the Foxboro.
location and the Boston location because it just works. I I sent so many marathoners over to TV 12 to train with them and I crossed the finish line of seven marathons, seven contents, seven days faster and without injury. So it works. It worked for
Tim (45:10.611)
Yeah, I was going to say that with that confidence, I would assume that there's probably a ton of pressure that you must have on yourself as well, where it's not just you running for yourself, but there's also this massive brand and the greatest football player ever to live behind you as
Becca (45:25.816)
Yeah, like, and of course comes with that was of course you want it. had Tom Brady's help. So like, there was no in between, I mean, yeah, I didn't want to like, that's, that was a lot of pressure. Like that was like really, really hard. But again, like you're like, you kind of get more confident than anything else. Like I have Tom Brady's help, but I absolutely, I'm going to win this.
Tim (45:34.015)
Yeah, Tom Brady is not known for losing. you don't want to wreck the brand there.
Tim (45:52.521)
You've certainly accomplished a lot and you're obviously a very dedicated, disciplined, hard worker. And I think the thing that gets lost within that is that people think you have to be some type of special or extraordinary person to achieve these types of goals. And something that I love that you said is that I'm every runner, a real person that faces the challenges of everyday life while making time
Becca (46:11.832)
Mm
Tim (46:21.695)
the sport that I'm so passionate about. What would you tell someone who thinks that they need to be some type of extraordinary person to achieve some type of extraordinary goal when a lot of the time, you know, maybe it's not doing seven, seven, seven or these incredible physical feats that are setting records, but running a marathon, doing these things that anyone can do. What would you tell somebody
things that they have to be some type of special person, but it really just comes down to the discipline and the work.
Becca (46:57.45)
I think that's why so many people rallied for me is like, my god, she's a mom. She has a full -time job. has just that I think that's where people are like I can relate to that girl, but it's hard for me People will tell me I want to do what you're doing I just don't have the time to train that to me is like such a slap in the face because I'm like, well Did you know I work a full -time job? Do you know that I'm a mom? Do know like it's hard to hear that because you're saying that like I have all this time on my hands, but you would do what
You would do what I was doing if you had the time. I always tell everybody, find whatever it is that you're passionate about. And you'll know like, I love doing this. I love, I enjoy this. This makes me happy. And if you find, if you're doing what you love, it doesn't feel like work. You're like, I get to do this. And then you find the time for whatever it is that you love, you'll find the time. So that's what it is. think, I think if you, whatever it is that you're passionate about.
find it, whether it's a sport or a musical instrument or whatever it is. And keep trying until you find what you like. You might go through many things like, that sucks, I don't like that. But then you try one thing and you're like, oh, that's cool. I really enjoy doing that. Then it doesn't feel like work and then you get to do it. And that's exactly how. But it is hard for me to when people are... My day starts at 430 in the morning, every single day. And I'm training 21 hours a week and have two full -time jobs and have my daughter who just got her license.
My life's like a puzzle. My life's like a puzzle and I fit in what I like to fit in and I love
Tim (48:35.531)
What do you think the biggest sacrifice you've had to make? Because certainly with that type of schedule you would have to make
Becca (48:41.688)
There's definitely a lot of no thank yous. Like I would love to go to Canobie Lake for the dip park for the day. I can't because I have eight hours of training, but there's no way that I can have both. There's no way that I can go to Canobie Lake, miss out on my eight hours of training and then feel confident enough. So it's a lot of no thank yous, even though I really, really want to do that. Even for example, I just gave up a trip of going to the North Pole next week because I'm training for Nice France.
And as much as I would love to go into the North Pole and take a free trip, $100 ,000 trip, it's not going to benefit my training. So it's a lot of no thank yous, which sucks. I mean, it sucks to say no. And especially like race directors reach out all the time, hey, I want you to run my race. I can't because it's not fitting in with me. Chances are I'm training for something all the time. But then that builds me confidence. Like I miss North Pole for this, I better run a good race or have a good training cycle or that's kind of how.
how I see it, but I think it's a lot of, but I go to everything of my daughters. Like every little thing she has, go to and I make time for my family and friends. And that means a lot of like back -to -back bricks workouts and training cycles. But I think finding, having not enough hours in the day for all my things that I want to be doing.
Tim (49:58.921)
Yeah. And I think that gets into the aspect of people saying, I don't have the time is, you know, it's easy to look at somebody and you just see the surface level of, okay, they did the race and they got the result and that's it. But nobody really sees it besides the person, the, the work and saying those no thank yous and the suffering. And it just goes to show, you know, how incredible it is to see somebody like you who
you're this very accomplished athlete, but you have this life outside of athletics. And like you said, that's what people can relate to where, you know, maybe you're not necessarily going to relate to a Tom Brady, who is this massive NFL star, but somebody like yourself, who, like I said, it has a full life, but also does these incredible accomplishments. It's, it's very inspiring and it's great to see. And I'm glad you said that you have to give a lot of no thank yous to things. I'm glad that the podcast,
didn't get a no thank you today, so.
Becca (51:00.242)
No, I love sharing my story. This is fun for me. love that people want to get to know me and that's what I enjoy. And if I can inspire like one person a day, like that's what I, then I feel like I've done my job at the end of the day.
Tim (51:13.865)
Becca, where can people go to find you and connect with you if they want?
Becca (51:17.742)
Mostly it's beckypeasy .com and I'm on Instagram, Facebook.
Tim (51:24.213)
We'll definitely have to keep track of you when the time comes when you run across America.
Becca (51:30.636)
Yeah, that would be really fun.
Tim (51:34.155)
Alright, that guy, appreciate you for taking the time.
Becca (51:36.332)
Yeah, of course. Nice to meet you.
