This episode is like eavesdropping on some friends’s conversation– we welcome Sabrina Little and Sara Mahoney, two of Tina’s close friends. We have a great dynamic between Sara, a professor of exercise physiology and researcher of nutrition and ultra-endurance performance. We also have Sabrina who is a professional ultra runner for Hoka, a philosophy professor and a mom to a 6-month-old. We loved getting to learn about each how each of these worlds– one more scientific and one more philosophical– are intertwined with running.    In this episode we cover…  How Sabrina’s trade of reading things that people have read for hundreds of years helps her ask the questions about what it means to be human. These deep questions we often don’t pause to ask, unless we’re maybe on the trail or running. Sara shares about FKT’s (Fastest Known Times) and how they differentiate from Strava segments which are smaler sections. She says FKTs can be created more of an experience and with more formality. On mental toughness...Sabrina shares that she has researched and written about this topic.  “Oftentimes we hear these phrases like, ‘no pain, no gain,’ or ‘pain is weakness leaving the body.’ It’s indifferent to the kinds of pain that we're talking about. So if we're talking about injury, then no pain no gain is just imprudent, and it's poor stewardship of your body. If we're talking about pain in the way that people often describe discomfort, then that's a kind of edifying pain, but I guess it takes a bit of prudence or experience to know the difference.”  On knowing your limits…Sara shares, “You don't have to like you don't have to take everything so seriously. And be yeah like you know as you said, it's okay to do it on occasion for like an experience where you're finding your limits but you don't have to do it three times a week every week.” See running as a celebration, not as a test to see if you’re good enough or worthy enough.  We will always good days and bad days, but the important think is to keep working on it over time and move the needle closer to a place of self-love.  If you see others doing it, it tells your brain it’s possible you can do it too.    Resources: Sara Mahoney IG    Sabrina Little IG   Fastest Known Time Website     Thank you to Momentous, Athletic Greens, and Picky Bars for sponsoring this episode.   Being a tough year with additional stresses on top of an already overwhelming situation means sleep can often be lost...but it is the one thing that we know would help us. Being a former insomniac, I know the frustration going to bed early, yet being unable to switch your brain off can bring. These Momentous Elite Sleep capsules are fantastic and contain Melatonin, Magtein® (Magnesium L-threonate), and Wild Jujube Seed Extract which together will help reduce nighttime anxiety, gently fall asleep and improve circadian rhythm to achieve higher quality sleep.  Go here and use code TINA for 20% off.   Athletic Greens is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients. Just to help my immune system be stronger and greater! It is so simple to make and it tastes good as well. I used this for my prenatal and I am still using it while breastfeeding. Now you can get up to a YEAR supply of Vitamin D3 and K2 for free with your first purchase of  Athletic Greens through my podcast. Visit here to learn more!   I am thrilled to be sponsored by Picky Bars now! I have had a few people on the podcast who are from the Picky Bar Company and I am happy to say that their ideals are right in line with what Running for Real stands for. These bars are not only delicious but made of real food and are made for sport, imagine that…. It’s gluten, soy, gmo, and dairy free with even some vegan options.  Click here for 20% off AND you can also get an additional 20% off your order, if you purchase a Picky Club membership. A membership entitles you to hand pick your own Picky Bars products an