Hello, friends. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Distance Junkie, the official Chase the Summit podcast. For those of you tuning in from the Chase the Summit channel, this is not the regular GPS watch review or anything like that. This is a conversation with someone I'm very excited about.
Dave:Today, I'll be talking to Andy Glaze. And if you don't know who Andy is, I'd be surprised because if you're a runner or outdoorsy person and you're on TikTok, you've probably seen his face before. Andy has grown a huge social media platform with his running content, and he covers all the things from the highs and lows of trail and ultra running, his running streak, and his background being a firefighter. I became aware of Andy's videos about a year ago. I found them both humorous and motivating.
Dave:Ever since then, I'm hooked and I've been watching them all the time. So I was excited to sit down with Andy, talk all things ultra running, trail running, and social media, and his backstory, which really resonated with me personally. Before we get all the way into this conversation though, don't forget to check out the show notes down below where I'll have all of Andy's social media profiles listed along with his upcoming book that he has coming out in the near future. And one final thing before we get to the conversation, our internet connection between me and Andy during this conversation wasn't awesome. I'm still working the kinks out with having guests on the podcast, and unfortunately, his video feed is pretty garbled.
Dave:Fortunately, the audio quality is still good, but the video isn't awesome. So sorry about that. It'll get better in the next episode. Without further ado, this is Andy Glaze. All right, man.
Dave:Well, thanks for coming on. I I, appreciate you carving some time out of your busy schedule. I I can only imagine, I wanna talk all about this. So I have four kids. I know you what do you have?
Dave:Three three kids?
Andy Glaze:Three. Yeah. Three kids. Yeah. I was gonna say they might be coming home at some point, like, right now.
Andy Glaze:So, they know that I'm doing a podcast, but, you know, they're kids. So, you know Yeah. Just just prepare.
Dave:Yeah. No. I I actually just moved mine. I'm in the office in our house, like in the attic, and my kid's bedroom is below me. So if they scream, it comes through the floor into this microphone, and it's not good for for, audio quality.
Dave:So I I just moved them into the living room.
Andy Glaze:Right. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I I feel your pain.
Andy Glaze:I feel your pain.
Dave:So this is this is a good segue into the first topic. I need to I need to ask you all about this. So this I wanna talk about your run streak. And are you I know this has been I know this has been beaten to death in so many podcasts that you've been on. Andy has run a 100 plus miles a week for nearly three hundred weeks.
Dave:Is that correct, Andy?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. This is week two ninety seven.
Dave:Oh, man. You're getting close to that that 300 mark.
Andy Glaze:I know. I know. Well, and then it's and then it's like three twelve is, six years. So, yeah, it's a lot of weeks. Who would have thought that it would be this this long?
Andy Glaze:Not me.
Dave:Yeah. So I have so many questions if you'll if you'll entertain them. The first one as a dad, as an ultra runner myself, you know, I try to find the little windows of time to train. Right? How do you squeeze a 100 miles into a week with a job with kids?
Dave:Like, what where do you where do you sprinkle in the time for training?
Andy Glaze:Well, I mean, one, I have a very supportive wife. So we'll just we'll start with with the supportive wife. All my kids are in school. So, like, obviously, while they're in school, I have plenty of time to to train, and I can run at my job. So not a ton, but I can I can get miles in there because I I work forty eight hour shift?
Andy Glaze:So I can normally, like, get a couple miles in early morning and a couple miles in in the evening, and it all adds up. So I I try to sprinkle it in in the morning time and then in the in the late evening time is is kind of and and I and I found, you know, running twice a day makes makes it easier, you know, instead of trying to go out and get, like, 15 miles all at once. I mean, you know, which to do a 100 miles in a week, you have to do about about 15 miles a day. You can do eight and seven or five and ten or whatever. It it's it's not as done.
Andy Glaze:I mean, it's still hard. Still hard to find the time, but, you know, it it it's a little bit easier when when you break. And then just I've done it for so long. It's kind of second nature to to be able to do it. It was, you know, the hard part is when life gets in the way, you know, or like you do something like, oh, I'm gonna go to a concert tonight or I'm gonna, you know, my kids have some presentation or something, and then it's like, well, now I gotta do 30 miles the next day.
Andy Glaze:That's when it starts to to get hard or, you know, or if you get sick or things like that. It's not a traditional run streak. Traditional run streaks, you run every single day. Mine's just over a 100 miles a week. So if I get sick, if if I get injured or something like that, you know, I always think to myself, well, at the end of the day, I can run a 100 miles in one day if if I really needed to.
Andy Glaze:So I could technically take six days off and still get it done. It'd just be a really long Sunday.
Dave:Yeah. But, I mean, you're a you've got a pretty physical job. Right? You're a firefighter. So I
Andy Glaze:do. I I mean, it's not as yeah. I mean, it's not as fit I'm a chief now, so I I've promoted up other ranks where it's not as physical as it used to be. But I definitely was a lot more physical, you know, a couple years ago for sure.
Dave:Yeah. I was gonna say, like, if you do end up missing, you know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, can you, you know, at work run 30 miles and then still do your job correctly?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I mean, I think the most I've ever run at work was like, I've run like a marathon, but it's hard it's it's hard to do that. You know? It's not it's not something I wanna do because I I essentially just run tiny little loops around the fire station because I have to stay really close. And beyond it being monotonous, it's just so hard on the body because it's just lots of turns and, you know, you're running on concrete.
Dave:Yeah.
Andy Glaze:So and I and I and I have to hold a radio and a pager and two phones and, you know, all this stuff. So it's not I mean, running is enjoyable, but that's not the most enjoyable running that I that I do for sure.
Dave:Right. Yeah. Well, that's good training. Like, throw it in your hydration vest and and, you know, simulate the the Moab two forty setup except it's like a CB radio and, like, all kinds of
Andy Glaze:stuff. Yeah. Yeah. The the extra weight is helpful. Yeah.
Dave:I'm I I've heard the story of why the streak started. It was like COVID. You didn't have much else going on. Right? So you resorted just to running.
Dave:We didn't have races back then. My races were canceled. It was awful. I did not start a running streak, however. My question though is, like, what motivates you to keep the streak going?
Dave:Is it just like it became the new normal?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I mean, I I it's fun for me. You know? I'm having a good time. I mean, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it.
Andy Glaze:At the at the end the day, it's like my brain works that way where it likes to have like a goal, it likes to break goals down into like small segments. So, you know, every week I have the goal of running a 100 miles no matter if I have a race that week or if I have, you know, something else going on. And and sometimes when I have a lot of stuff going on, it it makes it more interesting to me because I'm like, alright. How am I going to manage all these things going on in life with having to run a 100 miles, which, you know, I get really geeky and, you know, finding time wherever I can. And I find it it's just enjoyable for my brain.
Andy Glaze:So and that, you know, I have a pretty intense PTSD from my work, so it helps with that. It's kind of like, you know, taking my daily dose of keeping the brain quiet. So I just, you know, keep keep feeding the brain miles so that I don't, you know, have episodes of, you know, intense anxiety or depression or whatnot.
Dave:Yeah. Yeah. I can only imagine. Now, how do you avoid injury? I mean, you've been doing it so long.
Dave:How old are you?
Andy Glaze:Right. Yeah. I'm 47.
Dave:Okay. I mean, you're still in it. Think,
Andy Glaze:yeah, I think, you know, one I've been running for like a long, like over two decades. So I have a good base. And I think, I reached a point in life where I don't really do things I don't like anymore. So I don't like to run fast as far as like speed workout and stuff. And so I just stopped doing it.
Andy Glaze:You know? Like, all these coaches are like, oh, you gotta incorporate speed work. And my experience with speed work is you always get hurt doing speed work. So I just stopped doing it, and the amount of injuries I get, like, basically went to zero. Yeah.
Andy Glaze:I don't run as fast as I used to, but it's it's a it's a perfect trade off for me. I'd rather not be injured and, you know, be a mid packer than, you know, always have some sort of nagging injury and then occasionally win a race.
Dave:Yeah.
Andy Glaze:And, I mean, I have a pretty intense protocol as well. You know, it's it can't just be running zone two all the time, you know, cold plunge, sauna, you know, I take all sorts of supplements. My, you know, I eat a high calorie diet, which I think is you're gonna run a lot, you know, you gotta eat a lot of calories because you gotta make sure your your body stays strong. And you know, if you don't feed it a lot of calories and your bones get weak and and things like that. So, yeah, I I and I have red light therapy.
Andy Glaze:I mean, I have, like, a ton of things I do, but and who it's like all those, like, science things where it's like, is it working? Is it not? Hard to say, but I don't get injured. Most most of my injuries come from trauma. So falls, mostly falls.
Andy Glaze:I fall a lot. You know? So, but you know, that's the nature of trail running, right? It's like you trip and fall a lot. So I've gotten really good at falling and not getting injured, but, you know, occasionally you do hurt something.
Andy Glaze:So, And then like you said, our physical job, in the last six years, there's been a couple of times at work where I was fighting a fire and a wall fell on me or something like that. And it's like, I've definitely had a few firefighting related injuries. But as far as overused stuff, I I guess, I don't know, lucky or all the things combined, and I haven't haven't gotten anything like that. So but, yeah, it's like, people always ask me that. It's like, you know, how do you not get injured?
Andy Glaze:It's like, well, how do you even answer that question? Like, you know, it's like it's like someone saying like, well, how are you not dead? You know? It's like, well, I don't know. I just keep living.
Andy Glaze:You know? I haven't died yet. So I
Dave:I don't I feel like I ask because, you know, like, I feel like I don't do like you said, I don't run fast. Like, occasionally, I'll I'll try to throw down, a quick five k or something just to sprinkle it in. But if I ramp up my volume like that, I feel like I'm prone for, like, a foot, ankle, Achilles, you know, something is gonna blow up. And I I just it's amazing that you've kept the streak alive for so long without having a major, you know, failure. Even like Yeah.
Dave:Mean, I've had couple
Andy Glaze:of close calls.
Dave:Even like a fever, like coming down I to
Andy Glaze:mean, I've had it all. COVID, all the things. It's like I just somehow just you know, force myself to keep going, you know. But there's definitely a couple sicknesses where I would like go out and I would get like 10 miles, and then I would go sleep for like six hours straight just and then wake up and go get like another five and then go sleep for another eight hours. So, yeah, I always tell people don't don't do what I do.
Andy Glaze:I'm stupid. And I'm not like a, you know, I'm not trying to coach people. I'm not trying to tell people what to do. And, know, I'm just doing I'm on my own journey and somehow it's, you know, people recognize me for it, but it's definitely not life advice and it's definitely not coaching advice.
Dave:We got ahead of ourselves a little bit. We jumped right into the run streak because selfishly that's what I find so fascinating about you. But I also I I was tuning into a podcast you were on with, Sally McRae. You you were talking about your backstory with, you know, I don't wanna you don't have to regurgitate the whole thing because you've already said it on her podcast. So listener, if you're curious, go check that episode out.
Dave:It's really awesome. But you talk about, you know, your upbringing. There was a bit of a troubled past. You got sent away. You went to an outdoor program.
Dave:Right? That was pretty rough. Yeah. I believe it was boiled boiled peanuts and bananas or something. I forget the exact diet.
Andy Glaze:Boiled peanuts and raisins.
Dave:Oh, God. Yeah. I'm not going to rehash that. But on a personal level, your story really spoke to me. I had a pretty rough teenage life.
Dave:I ended up my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away when I was in my late teens, 17 years old. And that sent me down, you know, a dark spiral of substance abuse and hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Andy Glaze:But
Dave:your story, it sounded a lot like mine. Mine is I didn't go to the suffering camp that you went to or go to boarding school or anything like that. I definitely made a lot of mistakes. But what I'm trying to get to here is, in trail and ultra running, like, tell me if I'm wrong. It seems like everybody has a story.
Dave:Like, there's this across the board, there's like the everybody's got a skeleton in their closet some dark time they they were in, and then they found trail running and, like, turned their life around. Has that been your experience? Like, you're out in the trail chatting with people?
Andy Glaze:I'm I mean, a lot of people. I I definitely, because it's becoming more popular now, I think we're starting to get a lot of people that are just showing up because they just wanna challenge. But, you know, I I've been doing ultras for over a decade and and definitely in the first, you know, five or six years, it was a lot of people in recovery or just, you know, had a troubled past that found this thing, and it really spoke to them. And I I would I would agree that a large portion of ultra runners do have have some past trauma, and it it definitely, you know, I mean, running in general is what got me away from all the depression and, you know, like bad living. So I totally understand why that is.
Andy Glaze:Know if you are in a dark place and you find running, it's a really good thing that you pour all your energy into and you get rewarded in a similar way that drugs do. They make you feel good and they make you feel bad and they make you feel good again. And like on some level that's running, right? Kind Like of in an opposite way where you feel bad while you're doing it, then you feel good afterwards, whereas drugs are you feel good while you're doing it, then you feel bad after you do it. But, you know, I think it speaks to the type of brain that that we all are.
Dave:It's almost like we're there's a segment of people who almost replace that bad thing with the good thing, which is running to sort of fill that void, occupy the mind. And, of course, when you're out there doing it, especially at a 100 mile or something for thirty hours, you're it's hard to think about anything else. So I think it's an interesting I don't know. I'd love to see a statistic, like a study done on that because it seems like such a prominent thing in the sport, which, you know, it's a good thing. People are finding something to Yeah.
Dave:To get themselves away from the bad stuff.
Andy Glaze:Well, mean, and and substances rewire your brain on some level. Right? So you gotta find a different way to rewire your brain in a different way so you're looking for that positive feedback loop without the drugs or alcohol or whatever it is, you know? So I think I think it's good. Obviously, think it's good, but it it's definitely helped me.
Andy Glaze:It's helped me a lot with PTSD too, because like you said, when you're out there running a 100 miles, you get that that sensation in your brain where everything kinda quiets down, and it's really hard for me to reach that in just normal life. I have a very active brain. So when I'm out there suffering and people watch my videos and they're like, oh, he's really going through it. Those are like the best moments for me because the brain has really quieted down and I'm just focused on surviving.
Dave:Right.
Andy Glaze:So I may I may look terrible, but I assure you that I'm very happy.
Dave:Oh, no. I I just look terrible always if I'm in a 100 mile.
Andy Glaze:Well, it it definitely does that to you too. You know? I mean, it's it's it's a hard thing to do. It's not easy.
Dave:I I wanna pivot a bit, you know, since the channel you're you're on right now is is so heavily focused in the gear. Right? Yeah. I I think you're a great guinea pig with the sheer amount of mileage you put down for gear that works and doesn't work. First, what kind of watch are you wearing?
Andy Glaze:I'm I'm I'm a Garmin. This is the Phoenix eight solar. So I I've I've been on the Phoenix series, I think, since it started. So I know that they have a what is it? The Endura.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. Now it's supposed to have a little bit better battery life, but I've just don't know. I've always been with the Phoenix, and I just stuck with it. I think I like to do a little mountaineering here and there too. So I I I like the features more than just the battery life, you know?
Andy Glaze:And and I found the battery life is is pretty pretty good no matter what. Are So you I can remember having to run, like, every 25 miles after we charge the watch. You know? So now yeah. You know, I'm like, this is amazing that I can go a whole 100 miles without charging it.
Andy Glaze:You know?
Dave:Yeah. It's crazy how far we've come because I remember, you know, I haven't been running as long as you have, but I probably ran a 50 miler in, like, 2017. And even in that short amount of time, at a 50 miler, I would need to clip it to my my vest and find a wire to connect it to the battery pack. Like, know, that was like a thing you had to think about. And now I think just almost every watch over a couple $100 can make it through a 100 miler now, which is kind of crazy.
Dave:It's like a whole different world.
Andy Glaze:I had one of the first the first Garmins and you used to have to sit it outside in your front yard for forty five minutes so they could connect to satellites. So you'd sit it out there, and and by the time it connected, the battery was already almost dead, you know? So I mean, I I I have it's it's come a long ways. It's come a long ways, and I love it. So I I I love gear, and I love testing gear.
Andy Glaze:I don't I have a couple little sponsorships that I've been working with recently, but in general, like, I just like trying as much as I possibly can. And then when I find something that works, I stick with it. But, yeah, I mean, when you run as many miles as I do, it's fun to just test stuff out. And I'm never scared to just try something new. If it doesn't work, then I just move on, you know?
Andy Glaze:Are But you I'm not like
Dave:Are you are you the type of guy who's kind of like a a watch nerd? Like, you're researching them, you're diving through the menus, or are you the type of guy who's like, take it out of the box, put it on my wrist, go for a run, forget about it?
Andy Glaze:I mean, I I don't know how I don't get that deep into it, but I definitely have my specific settings that I really like. So I it's more or less like when I get a new watch, which is like every year whenever they come out the new one, I set it all up exactly how I want it, and then I don't do another thing with it forever because I know everything that I want it to do. But I know it can do a lot more. Like, I don't I don't have this thing connected to my phone. I'm not getting text messages and all that stuff.
Andy Glaze:I know it has that capability, but I don't I don't necessarily want my watch telling me that I'm getting a text message or a comment on Instagram or something like that. So Yeah. But but when I'm out, like, doing outdoor stuff, I I know how to use the watch pretty pretty dang well to navigate and get me out of any, like, pickle that I I get myself into.
Dave:What what other tech are you carrying when you're doing, like, a 200 plus mile race? I'm assuming headphones, probably what you're wearing right now.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I I really I really like the Aftershocks. I've used them for a long time and and they've and they've come a long ways too. I just for me, running, I like to be able to use my ears.
Andy Glaze:So I like the bone shock, like, sort of or bone conducting technology. Just so, you know, if a bear's near me or a car or whatever, I can still hear it. So I am I am slightly obsessed with with that technology. I mean, Aftershocks were just, like, I think kind of the first ones to do it, but I if if another brand came along that was better, I would use it. That's fine.
Andy Glaze:I I put on a old pair of Aftershocks the other day, and it was it sounded so terrible. And I and I I was like, I can't believe I used to listen to music and stuff through these. These are terrible. But, you know, at the time, they were the top tech. And now as the new ones keep coming out, it keeps sounding better and better.
Andy Glaze:But you you forget how terrible it used to be back in the day. But
Dave:Have you tried the, have you tried the new Oakley Vanguard glasses with the built in camera and the headphones?
Andy Glaze:No. I want to. I sent them a message and was like, hey. Can you send me a pair of those? And they didn't respond to me.
Andy Glaze:So, you know, I I must not be big enough to to to get a a a comment back from from Meta or whatever.
Dave:They're they're pretty wild. Yeah. They're cool. I feel like they'd be right up your alley with, like, content creation and music built into one thing, and you get that, like, weird POV. Like, when you're going through the finish line, you'd have that, you know, right on your head, which is kinda cool.
Dave:Different perspective.
Andy Glaze:No. I mean and I think, you know, I I wear Oakleys already and I like the way they look and, you know, all that sort of stuff. So I've definitely I've definitely thought about it for, you know, content creation and and all that, but not yet. I'm working on it though. You know?
Andy Glaze:You know? Sometimes I I think, like, you know, hey. I'm running all these miles. Send me your glasses so I can test them out. But, you know, brands are so hard to get ahold of nowadays.
Dave:Can you tell me about this, tantrums vest that I've been seeing more and more of? I I saw you wear it at Mo was it Moab? You were oh, no. No. Javelina.
Andy Glaze:No. I I yeah. Javelina. Well, I mean, so there's just like I met this guy at UTMB one year. He was running it, and he was just telling me that he was developing a new vest.
Andy Glaze:And I just sort of, like, kept in touch with him. And then he he ended up moving to Pasadena, which is, like, kinda near me. I mean, it's not super close, but, like, you know, within an hour or so depending on LA traffic. And, yeah, he's just developed this, like, pretty awesome vest. It's more of like a racing vest, though, you know, because it's it's it's definitely doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, but it, like, fits really, really well.
Andy Glaze:And, yeah, I hit him up and I was like, hey. You know, I'm doing javelina. Javelina is an interesting race because you have an aid station basically every five miles. So, you don't really need to carry anything other than water and food. So I was like, hey.
Andy Glaze:Let me test out your vest because I don't really need to I don't need, like, a 12 liter vest for, you know, javelina. So, yeah, I wore it. The only thing is is there wasn't a phone pocket. So he's he's found in his research that a phone should be down on your waist or your legs or something like that for, you know he's looking at it like all this scientific, you know, weight distribution and all this stuff. Whereas I'm looking at it as, you know, I'm a content creator and I need my phone right here so I can pull it out.
Andy Glaze:So Yeah. But, yeah, I think a lot of pros that are fast and don't worry about their phones and stuff like that have been wearing them. And then he's developing a, like, an 11 liter one that obviously you can use for, like, a 100 miler and and whatnot. You know, if you're a pro, you can get away with a six liter pack for a 100 miler because you're moving so quick that Yeah. You don't really need to carry that much stuff.
Andy Glaze:So but me, you know, I I carry the kitchen sink with me and, you know, continue to, you know, continue to grind on.
Dave:Yeah. Yeah. No. Me too.
Andy Glaze:I mean It was it was comfortable. It was real comfortable. So and, you know, I like I like supporting small business. At the end of the day, it's like, like I like the small guy. You know?
Dave:Do you do you carry an action camera too? Is everything on your phone?
Andy Glaze:I mean, I normally start the races with my Insta three sixty, the x five, because I like that drone view. So like, when I make my my videos, normally, I start the video with the drone view, and I finish the video with the drone view. And so that can come a lot of ways depending on where the race is and how sometimes I have to carry it the whole race. Sometimes I can put it in a drop bag and then pick it back up later. You know, if it's a loop course like javelina, I just grabbed it as I was finishing and turned it on.
Andy Glaze:So but, yeah, I normally have an Insta three sixty on me. I like that. I was, like, one of the first people to start using that that camera and making videos, and and then it, like, blew up. And now I can't make I I used to be able to, like, make all this content with it, but then it's, like, now it's oversaturated. Now everyone's making content like that.
Andy Glaze:So then I I stopped making content with it because one one it's like if you're an early adopter, you get, like, you know, more views and stuff. And then then once everyone starts doing it, then you you just want in the crowd against then you have to find some other angle and always be adapting and coming out something new.
Dave:I feel like what ruined it for Insta360 was the, you know, the you know, the tiny world effect. Like, in the app, you can, like, make the globe and you're running, you know, or you're throwing a human on there. And everybody did that when those first came out. It became like, it almost makes me I I can't even watch it. Like, if you if you do that in your video, I'm like, okay.
Dave:I'm out. I can't.
Andy Glaze:I've never done it. I don't I don't like that. I mean, for me, I just really like it's just like that that drone effect. You know? I would go run, like, a really cool single track, and it's just, like, such a cool cool view of running the single track.
Andy Glaze:I'm always trying to buy the new new camera, new new, like, whatever, just just to see what it's like.
Dave:It's an investment for your for your business. So you're allowed. Yeah.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. Exactly.
Dave:When it comes to racing, you've run some incredible races in your time. You've got what? UTMB, Cocadona, the Arizona Monster, several others, and multiple finishes at a lot of these. Is there a race or a moment in a race that stands out for you as, like, the pinnacle of your running career or, like, the the most fun you ever had?
Andy Glaze:My my first 100 mile finish always, like, stands out pretty strongly just because, one, I got sub 24 at Angeles Crest, which is a very, very hard mountain 100. And I trained really, really hard for that race. Harder than I've probably ever trained for anything in my life. And it was my first 100, so I gotta go through the whole roller coasters of feeling great, then feeling terrible, then feeling great again, then wanting to quit, then not quitting, then feeling great again, and really experienced that for the first time. And then just the just the amazing overflow of emotions as you cross the finish line.
Andy Glaze:Like, I really wanted a sub 24, and I, you know, I got it, and it was just was just a really good good feeling. So I I think that's probably I even though it's my first 100 and I've done I don't even know how many cents, I always, you know, go back to that moment because it was just so so amazing.
Dave:There is something about the first I DNF'd my first attempt at the Vermont one hundred. It was like over a 100 degrees out that day and I ended up with rhabdo and I was like, it was gross. Bad things were happening. So I pulled the plug. But then when I finally finished at a couple of months later, I ran another race here in New England.
Dave:And, yeah, what a trip, man. Like, that moment of crossing the finish line, getting that buckle and, like, all the planning that went into it, all the training. It's really an amazing feeling. Yeah.
Andy Glaze:Well, I mean, you know, the the race is great and all, but it's really the journey to get there that's the rewarding part. You know? I mean, so many hours and, you know, just miles and miles of just suffering and hard work and everything goes into it. So that finish line is just the, like, the pinnacle of it all.
Dave:What piece of advice do you have for an aspiring ultra runner that wants to sign up for their first, let's say, a 100 miler? Is there something you wish you knew before you got into this whole mess? Pacing or or even a mindset thing that that you've found later after doing so many of these races?
Andy Glaze:You should probably crew and pace, like, a 100 miler because that'll give you, like, really good insight into what's about to go down. You normally pace towards the end of the race, so you get to see that what mile 80 looks like. I always talk about mile 80, but mile 80 is is is real real interesting. And to be able to see that and you're gonna feel fresh and good because you're just pacing, but to see what your runner is going through, and then to start visualizing that happening to you, it's a good thing to do. And then also, like, by crewing, you'll start to understand what you're gonna need when you come into aid stations because you're gonna be providing it for your runner.
Andy Glaze:And then just really focus a lot of energy and effort on your hydration and your nutrition plan. And think about what are you gonna eat if you're nauseous? Like what, you know, how are you gonna get calories in if you feel like you're gonna throw up? And do a lot of testing on foods and things like that on smaller races. And and when you're running a 50 k or a 50 miler or a 100 k, really focus on what you're gonna eat.
Andy Glaze:Because, know, I always say, like, a car with no fuel does not drive. Right? So if you think of yourself as a car and you don't eat, you're not gonna, like, continue forward. So and especially in those 100 mile races or anything further, like, you really have to eat a lot. And when you stop eating, that's when you really start to feel terrible.
Andy Glaze:And you're gonna start going like, why do I feel so bad? Why do I have no energy? Why? And it's like, well, you're probably behind on your calories and you need to eat more. And it's hard to eat.
Andy Glaze:It's hard to eat when you're out, you know, when you're 80 miles in and your stomach starts to go bad or whatever's going on. Hydration and nutrition plans. And everyone wants like, oh, what do you do Andy? And it's like, well, it doesn't matter what I do because I don't know what you like. Like, when you're at your worst point, what are you gonna crave?
Andy Glaze:You know, I might crave a quesadilla. You might crave, you know, soup. You know, I I I don't know what what it is, but you have to find that, and you have to, like, make sure it's available to you. Even if it's like, I've been in races where, you know, I didn't have any I I normally race without support, and I was just drinking Coke because I couldn't physically eat anything, but I knew that Coke had sugar and it had caffeine in it. And I just literally finished the last 20 miles just drinking Coke at every aid station and filling my bottles with Coke.
Andy Glaze:So you know, which is like it's like chief tailwind. Right? And it got me through because at least it had calories. But
Dave:What is what is the reason you you are mainly crew free? You you you had a crew at, what was it, Moab, but other than that, you haven't?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. It makes it a lot harder. So for one, I I mean, you know, and since I'm not competitive where I'm, like, worried about what place I get, I like to put myself into, like, a really, really hard position and then have to figure out how to get out of it. It's a lot harder to be by yourself, especially in the middle of the night when it's dark, you know, and you're just out in the middle of the mountains or wherever you are to continue to move forward. And then it's also very hard to sort of plan what you have to do at aid stations and how to take care of yourself because there's nobody reminding you.
Andy Glaze:There's nobody like, hey, make sure you do this. Hey, hey, you got you got this checklist and, you know, you have to really be self sufficient. You know, as a firefighter, have to be pretty self sufficient. You have to be able to, like, make a lot of dynamic decisions and things change and you have to to know what to do. So I I like that aspect of it.
Andy Glaze:It challenges me a little bit more. And then also, like, if you race internationally, most international races don't allow pacers. So when you start to race internationally, you're like, well, I gotta get used to this idea of being out here by myself. And then also when you race internationally, a lot of times nobody speaks English. So it's not like you can, like, talk to people.
Andy Glaze:You're like out, you know, with a with a bunch of other foreigners. So I think at the at the the very core, it's just that it's harder. It's harder if you do it by yourself.
Dave:Do you ever do so when you had the crew at Moab, did you feel so this is my personal take on crew. I like having a crew. It certainly helps quite a bit, but I have, like, a constant fear of guilt. Not fear, but, like, a constant guilty feeling when I'm out there. Because, like, last time I had a crew was my wife and my brother-in-law.
Dave:And the whole time, I'm, like, I'm behind pace. They're gonna be up till 02:00 in the morning. And that gets to me, you know, like, you have to be in a good headspace when you're at mile 75 or whatever. And that started it started to wear on me to the point where I was like, I kinda wish I was just solo here so I could be, like, grinding on my own and not worrying about other people's feelings or whether or not they ate or slept and, you know, there's more dynamics, especially when it's your wife or someone you love and you're worried about their, you know, situation instead of just you. Okay.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I I I don't make my my wife does not, like, do it anymore. She in the beginning, she she definitely would come to a couple of them. But for me, I I'm very efficient in aid stations. I don't like to spend a lot of time in aid stations.
Andy Glaze:I'd rather walk out of the aid station with a bunch of food in my hand, shoving it in my mouth as I walk away, and then sitting at the aid station and eating. You know? And so I the guilt is like, how long have they been waiting? Right? Like, six hours to to see me?
Andy Glaze:I show up and they see me for ninety seconds. You know? I mean, that's where that's where the guilt is for me. But in a but in a 240 mile race, when when when I do two hundreds, it's I I have a different vibe when I come into aid stations. I I come into the aid station.
Andy Glaze:I sit down. I redo my feet. I eat a couple, like, large cal like, big old burgers or whatever. Like, I try to throw, like, a couple thousand calories down. So it's a it's a slightly different vibe when when I'm doing the really long ones.
Andy Glaze:But in a 100 mile race, I just yeah. I I felt guilty that, you know, why you like, I have Lina. My wife came. She saw me start, and then she went to the spa and, you know, hung out at the hotel and, like, then came for the finish. You know?
Andy Glaze:Because it's like, I come in and I, like, shove a bunch of calories in my mouth and refuel my waters and all this stuff, and then I'm out. So she was like, no reason for her to sit around all day to see me for ninety seconds.
Dave:Yeah. Yeah. That's a good point. Last time my wife crewed me after after I finished, I was in a pretty bad play. I had an Achilles problem, and probably for the half marathon she paced me, I was complaining from mile 80 to a 100 just like, my ankle hurts.
Dave:I can't run. I hate this. Why am I doing know, I was kind of in that spot, and she was not So having by the end of the race, was like, do not ask me to do that ever again. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Dave:I think I've lost my only pacer. But I wanna jump to those 200 mile races for a minute. You're kind of the like the 200 mile advocate guy on on social media. I feel like you you highlight them in a way that a lot of people don't get to see. You know, you hear about them.
Dave:Our VIP does a great job of their social media presence, their live streaming, and everything. But a lot of your content is around those super long races, which I find super fascinating. And I think it elevates, you know, the attention to those races as well. And it it begs the question, like, where is this going? Is a 100 miles gonna be the new 50 k and is 200 miles gonna be the new 100 mile?
Dave:You know what I mean? Like, where's the limit here in in five years? Are are there gonna be 500 mile races in The US?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, the nice thing about a 100 mile race, right, is it's just a day or two. Whereas when you start to get in these longer races, it's so many so many days, and then it's also, like, so expensive. So I think on some level, there's always gonna be that, like, ceiling where to break into the, like, 2 hundreds. It's it's a real investment.
Andy Glaze:Not only with time, but, like, a lot of money. You can get away with a 100 mile or, you know, with a lot less time and money invested. But, you know, there's a there's a lot of guys are I I I I appreciate the compliment, but there's a lot of guys making really good content on the 200 mile races and definitely longer than I have. But I do have a very specific, way that I, you know, film, which is very, lo fi and just, you know, what I'm experiencing in the moment. And you definitely see the lows and the highs and the lows.
Andy Glaze:And I I when I started filming and doing this stuff, I just thought that was important to document because I didn't see a lot of that. I saw a lot of, like, landscapes, and I saw a lot of, you know, how things worked, but I didn't see the roller coaster of emotion that you feel while you're, you know, running these races. So I hope that when people watch them, they're like, well, maybe this is what I'll experience. You know? Yeah.
Andy Glaze:Well, I mean And I and I think it is. You know? They'll they'll feel a lot of the weird stuff that I'm going through.
Dave:I think, you know, there there's a lot like you said, there's a lot of people putting out content on this. And, like, Jeff Pelletier, I know you you know him. He does some Yeah. His his videos are, like, Netflix documentaries about, you know, these races. But it's like, you know, they're they both have their place.
Dave:His they're they're beautiful beautifully filmed. He's an incredible athlete himself. But like, what I get from yours is this like raw first person point of view that you don't often see. And that's what I really like about your your content. It feels it feels real.
Dave:You know what I mean? It's like you hit record on the camera, you're 200 miles in. And you get that sense of like, oh, this kind of sucks right now. And then by the end, you're like, oh, he's smiling and happy. And it's Yeah.
Dave:I know. There's a place for it
Andy Glaze:all. There's no filter, right, when you're, like, 200 miles into a race or 80 miles into a race or anything. So it's just kind of interesting because I never know what I'm even gonna say. I don't plan anything. It's just I just literally hit record, and then I just start talking.
Andy Glaze:And wherever, you know, wherever it goes, it goes. And so for me, I like I I I go back and rewatch them too because I'm I you don't always remember everything that happened in these races because they're so long and, so much happens. So I I feel like someday I'm not gonna be able to do this, and it'll be kind of cool to go back and rewatch all these videos of me doing this insane stuff. And, you know, even my kids. Right?
Andy Glaze:Like, when they're my age and I'm dead, they can be like they can watch their dad losing their his mind out in the middle of the Moab, you know, Moab Desert or whatnot.
Dave:I do wanna ask about your content in social media in general, but I so the other day, I jumped on the treadmill for a while, and I was, like, just binging a bunch of your shorts or your TikTok reel, whatever you call I'm too old to even Yeah. Use the nomenclature properly. But I'm watching them. And I found myself in a lot of situations being like, I wish I knew the whole story. Have you ever thought about doing like longer, like long form stuff, like a full documentary of your race, or are you just diehard to the short form stuff?
Andy Glaze:Well no. I mean, so on TikTok and on YouTube, but mostly on TikTok, I post I mean, it's it's long form in the sense that I do ten minute videos. So most of my races, there'll be a ten minute video. And on TikTok, it does really, really well. Like, I mean, I think my Moab video is at, like, maybe, like, six and a half million with, you know, with five hundred five hundred thousand likes, stuff like that.
Andy Glaze:And then I have some, like, my Arizona monster video, the 300 miler, I think is sitting at, like, 1,200,000 likes. So on TikTok, it does really well. On YouTube, I mostly just put it on YouTube because I have a lot of older followers that don't have TikTok. So but, again, I'm filming it in, you know, phone mode, so it's hard for me to put it onto YouTube. But, again, I don't have normally, I'm by myself, so I don't have, like, a camera crew.
Andy Glaze:A lot of my friends that go out and they make these beautiful movies, Sally's a great example. You know, she has a a crew out there that's, like, filming her.
Dave:You know?
Andy Glaze:And and I or, like, my buddy Eli, same thing. He's got, like, a crew out there filming him. I don't have that. So that I got a lot more interesting footage at Moab this year because I had pacers with me. So I don't know if you saw, like, where I got like, the tree I got stuck in a tree, and I, you know, I couldn't get my jorts, and the tree was going up my jorts.
Andy Glaze:I couldn't get out. I would never have been able to get that footage had I not had a pacer with me. You know? So then I was like, after Moab, I'm like, well, maybe I should have people now because I can get better content. You know?
Andy Glaze:And I've I've started to, like, think about it like that. Like, you know, at least if I have a pacer, like, they can film the funny moments or, like, there's another moment where, like, my buddy's filming. He's like, let's check-in on Glaze. And I'm, like, so out of it that I think he's, like, FaceTiming someone. And I'm like, who's that?
Andy Glaze:And it was me. It was literally it was like, you know, I was looking at myself, but I I couldn't figure out who it was. So, you know, I wouldn't have been able to capture that or he captured it had I not had somebody with me, you know, because I would have just been out there grinding by myself in the, you know, in the pain cave. And there's, like, you know, a lot of races where it gets so hard at night, whether it's because of the weather or just conditions, and I just won't film because I'm just I'm so locked in on I have to get through this. So I I definitely have thought like, maybe maybe this is something I should start looking at just just for documentation purposes alone.
Dave:I mean, it's a good reason to have a pacer right there just to have a second set of hands to hold the camera while you're out there.
Andy Glaze:Right. Yeah. Exactly. And, you know, and they're all fresh and swingy and, you know, know what's going on. Although my one pacer that was filming, he did a 120 miles with me at Moab.
Andy Glaze:So, yeah, he was, yeah, he was a beast. He was out there. He got me through some hard times, but he got himself a 120 miles.
Dave:They need a, pacer buckle for that situation.
Andy Glaze:I know. I should admit. I I've thought about making him like a little one, you know, that says, like, Moab pacer.
Dave:Oh, it's amazing.
Andy Glaze:Like the the half Moab, you know, instead of like, you know, like a half marathon, the half Moab.
Dave:Well, that's it goes back to your point about pacing and crewing. He probably got a great exposure to the course. He probably knows all about it now. I mean, for the most part, from running 120 miles of it. That's amazing.
Dave:I I wanna ask about social media. How what what made you your firefighter I mean, the stigma of a firefighter from my perspective is like tough guy, macho man, not super not I I don't imagine meeting firefighters who are are also vlogging or creating a social media profile or let alone a TikTok. What drove you to hitting record for the first time?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I mean, it it definitely definitely got made fun of a little bit in the beginning. I mean, you have to have thick skin if you're a fireman because they everyone makes fun of anything you do. You know? You get a haircut, they're gonna make fun of you.
Andy Glaze:You don't get a haircut, they're gonna make fun of you. You know? You get fun of what's you're like, what what did you eat? You get made fun of. You know?
Andy Glaze:So you you have to have kind of thick skin. I've always loved, like, photo and video. Like, video was not a bit like, a huge thing when I was growing up because we didn't have, like, a lot of access to it, but I I have always loved taking pictures. And when Instagram was, you know, young, I was I would every run, I would go out and I would make sure I would get one cool picture of myself running on whatever trail I was running, and I would post it and I was obsessed with it. And then when it started to be this whole video thing, I'd already been kinda making videos.
Andy Glaze:Like, I had one of the first GoPros and all that stuff, but I had no way to edit it. You know, it was like, you can go back on my YouTube. I don't encourage it, but I have some terrible, like, sorta like my first 50 miler and stuff like that where I have these terribly edited videos. Because I just didn't have a way to edit them, so I would just take the whole clip and put it together and then make this, you know, awkward. You know, when when the camera gets turned on, there's like that weird mic flare in the beginning, and all all the things are still in there.
Andy Glaze:When they started being able to make the video just on your phone, and it was just so easy to edit and everything, I just leaned into it and embraced it and and went that lo fi route, you know, where everyone else was making, like, really beautiful movies on, like, YouTube. I I just hung out with Billy Yang, and when I was first running, I used to love Billy Yang movies. You know, they were so beautiful, and I I loved watching them. I just went the other route, and it just it worked for me. And then, you know, anything you do in life where it works, you just kinda lean into it and see where it goes.
Andy Glaze:And, obviously, I've gotten better and better and, you know, you adapt and, you know, and make changes and stuff. But it is kinda weird because I'm so old. You know? And I'm, like, I'm huge on TikTok, and most people on TikTok are, like, 14 years old. So, you know, and I'm like they call me, like, the ultra dad.
Andy Glaze:You know? I'm like the old guy, you know? Which is cool. Like, I embrace it. Like, you know, a lot of the younger influencers, they they, you know, they're they call me dad and all this stuff because I literally could be their dad.
Andy Glaze:But, yeah. And, you know, like anything just lean into it, you know, it's it's it's it's fine. I'll be the ultra dad.
Dave:Yeah. No. I I feel you on that. I I think it's great to to hear that story. I, you know, I had a mechanical engineering job at a robotics company.
Dave:Great career, good retirement plan, all that junk. And I leaned into this really hard to the point where it became my job. That, you know, explaining that to my dad. Like, I'm not I'm a leave Right. I'm a leave this job to go make YouTube videos.
Dave:It's a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people, but it's I think it's it's good validation for people out there that might you know, they might wanna create something or feel creative or or make videos that you can do it at, you know, I'm 41, you're 47, you said. It's still happening. Yeah. We're both doing it. So it's
Andy Glaze:Well, think if
Dave:watching, do it.
Andy Glaze:Just just like just like with running. Right? You have to just you can't give up, and you gotta just keep grinding. You know? I've I've made a reel every single day for I don't even know how many years, honestly.
Andy Glaze:Like, it's gotta be, like, three or four years. Every day I've made a reel. And some of them are terrible, but I just keep making content. And, you know, sometimes they hit a million, and sometimes they hit, you know, a couple 100,000, and sometimes they don't do anything. You know?
Andy Glaze:And you just can't you can't get frustrated, and you just gotta slowly build. I see people that will go from, like, no followers to, like, 200,000 followers in, a week. And I'm like, I mean, that's amazing, but, you know, it took me years and years and years of just slowly building a couple 100, you know, a week or whatever to get where I am today. But I have a really awesome community that follows me and is, like, super engaged because of that. Because it wasn't I wasn't a flash bang in a pan.
Andy Glaze:You know? I was a very slow build, and people have been along for the journey for years and years and years. So, yeah, I just think you just gotta be consistent. You can't get frustrated with failure. I mean, all the all the same things in life, all the same things in, you know, ultra running.
Dave:You gotta like doing it too. That's the big part.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I love making movies. I love, like, videos. I I I love the whole thing. So I'm all into I you know, I'm getting closer to retirement and it's like, I'm gonna retire from being a firefighter, but, I'm definitely gonna keep doing this, you know?
Andy Glaze:And it's, like, kinda cool to think that I this can be my my retirement plan, You know? And and then, like, I can just have more time to race and have more time to do things. Right now, it's hard because I have that firefighter schedule. So I get invited to a lot of things and a lot of opportunities, and it's like, I can't I don't have enough time off work to to do everything, but I'm getting closer every day.
Dave:What did your kids think of you becoming a TikTok influencer? Was that like it was an eye roll or was it like, wow, that's super cool, dad.
Andy Glaze:It's like kind of an arc. Like, at first, they thought it was cool, then they were horrified, and now I think they think it's cool again. So it's it it really depends on, you know, if they're getting made fun of at school. You know? But, like, right now, I think it's more that their friends think it's cool.
Andy Glaze:So if their friends think it's cool, then then it's cool. But if they're getting made fun of, then, you know, they don't they don't necessarily like it. So it's definitely hard for them. You know? I mean, I I imagine because I I do have a a significant amount of followers and, you know, a lot of young young kids too just because of TikTok.
Andy Glaze:So, and I put everything you know, I don't put a lot of their, like, stuff about them on on social media, but occasionally I do. And then, you know, they're like, I can't believe you posted that picture, dad. You know? Like, I'm like, they're like, everybody screenshotted that and, like, they're showing me. And, like, I'm like, well, sorry.
Andy Glaze:It is what
Dave:it is. I'm curious about the, the video making process. I found this with myself. I've got a few race videos on the channel. Do you ever feel like the the the field to need to create content takes away from your race experience at all?
Dave:Like, do you always feel like you have to take out your phone and record that moment or else you don't have content after you ever leave the phone in your pocket and don't take it out just to try to embrace the actual race experience? Like, how do you feel on all that?
Andy Glaze:I mean, I've always enjoyed, documenting, so it's never felt like forced or anything like that. I mean, like I said, I was filming my ultras back in the day when I couldn't even edit them. And I've just always enjoyed taking pictures and videos and everything. So I I don't feel like it's forced, and I don't there like I said, if I'm really in the suffer, like, suffer like area, I will a lot of times won't record because I'm just so locked in on getting through it. You know?
Andy Glaze:I also film at times when I don't even remember that I filmed, and I it's just I don't know. I I don't know what about it. Like, I will literally just, like, say to myself, oh, you should probably probably tell people what's going on right now because it's kinda interesting. You know? And if I hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't have remembered that it happened.
Dave:I also feel like it's in a weird way, it's a little bit helpful in those dark moments to almost pretend like you have someone to talk to. Like my little selfie stick. Yeah. I'll be like, alright, man. It's been rough and I'm feeling sick.
Dave:But like, you get to vent and almost feel like someone's listening to you.
Andy Glaze:I I I do like, at this point, because I I do have so many followers and stuff, I do kind of feel like I'm talking to my friends. I post to my stories in real time during the race. If I if, you know, if I have sell signal, so people kind of will follow along. And then what I do is I take those stories, and I mold them into one long movie. You know?
Andy Glaze:So real realistically, the long movies are just all my stories, like, you know, glued together basically, you know, with a little bit of editing. But so, and yeah, it's kinda like I'm like I'm checking in. Hey. This is what's going on. You know?
Andy Glaze:You're out somewhere for, like, three or four days. You know? And then also for me as well, because my wife doesn't come to my races very often, it's I'm checking in with her too because she really wants to know what's going on, how I'm feeling, what my mental state is. She worries a lot. And so if I can be posting and let you know, tell them what's going on, then that makes her feel calmer.
Andy Glaze:You know? Yeah. So there's there's probably an element of that too where, like, yeah, letting all my, you know, my fans and friends know what's going on, but also I'm letting my wife know that I'm not dead or, like, you know, that I'm still still moving. So
Dave:For the people who watch you, are you if if I were to meet you in person after watching a bunch of your your videos, would you say you are the person in your videos, or is there some sort of, like, persona you put on when you hit record a little bit?
Andy Glaze:No. I'm I mean, I think you can talk to a lot of people because I I'm very chatty out on the trail. I love to talk. So, which is why I love doing podcasts so much because I I I can talk forever. And, yeah, I'll talk your ear out out there and, you know, I mean, maybe I'm a little bit, little I don't know, rough and tumble out there, you know, because we're out, you know, getting doing some hard things.
Andy Glaze:The nice thing about my social media for me is that there's no act. You know, I just what I show you on social media is just who I am, and anybody that knows me will tell you, no. That's that's Andy. That's just how I am. I mean, at work, I'm a little bit different because I'm like the boss, so I have to have a slightly different persona.
Andy Glaze:But in general, if you meet me at a race or anything like that, what you see on social media or or on a podcast is is really just who I am. So I you know? And I love my I love my fans. I love people. I love talking to people.
Andy Glaze:I also love it when I meet people that have no idea who I am because that's always like, that's always great too because I won't tell them and I'll just we'll just talk and then like, I'll get a message like six months later, like, I have no idea that you, this or that or made these movies. I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, it was, you know, whatever. But I like to get to know people out on the trails, and I like to share miles with people, and I like to hear their stories. A, it makes the time go by quicker, but two, it's just it's really I mean, as an adult, it's hard to meet other adults. Right?
Andy Glaze:I mean, how do you I don't drink. I don't go to bars. You know? So where are you meeting people? I I, you know, I don't know.
Andy Glaze:I mean, you I meet people at races. So half of my, you know, people I follow and that I'm friends with on social media and that I follow their adventures. I just met them at a race and we suffered together, and we have a cool story where, you know, we were trapped on side of a mountain and it was pouring rain or whatever, you know, and that's just how I know them. And you kind of form this like kind of cool bond, you know?
Dave:I'm curious on the social media front. You mentioned that your platform could become your retirement plan. Right? So I have to assume you're taking sponsorships, like it's a form of monetization now for you to you've got merch. I see it on your head.
Dave:It's a pretty sick hat, actually. I kinda want one.
Andy Glaze:So I just kinda started to do that, like, in the last couple months. I haven't monetized at all. And then I wrote a book. Like, this this year I wrote a book, and that was awesome. Like, I wrote this book, and I'm like, okay.
Andy Glaze:Cool. And then I started to, like, figure out how expensive it is to publish a book, which, you know, you could obviously do it a very inexpensive way, but, you know, you could also do it a very expensive way if you wanna, like, really make a splash and, you know, I kinda wanna make a splash. So I was like, well, I I gotta kinda get some money for this. You know? And so I I took a couple small little deals just to help me pay for the book, but then that opened my my my eyes open like, well, I could probably like there's a lot of products that I already use that I could probably, you know, do something.
Andy Glaze:So, you know, I'm open to that, but I don't like I'm not, like, actively pursuing anything.
Dave:It's a day yeah.
Andy Glaze:I definitely could monitor
Dave:It's a dangerous thing. Like, I I feel like I'm I'm there too. Like, I don't like I I've done sponsorships on the YouTube channel, but I'm like super particular about who or what I work with because I wanna make sure, like you said, it's like a thing you can actually endorse and stand behind and you've been using it for a long time. Like, I don't wanna be like, hey. Buy this, you know, hair dryer robotic vacuum or something.
Dave:You know? That's all too common these days.
Andy Glaze:I took a cool one with, like it was like Strava, HOKA, and UTMB. And it's like, I've been on Strava for, like, eleven years. I've run-in HOKA for, like, I don't know, ten years, and I've done UTMB six times. So I was like I felt like that was a that was something I could get behind. And then I took one with feature socks because I've run-in feature socks for, like, twenty years.
Andy Glaze:So, you know, things like that. But, I mean, I I make enough money at work where I don't necessarily need to, like, do that. But for for retirement for me, I'm more looking at, like, public speaking and stuff like that, like going and talking about, you know, motivation and consistency and discipline and and and that, and then, you know, writing books. Because I I really enjoyed writing my book, and then I have a lot more that I can they they they cut 93,000 words down to, like, 50,000 words. So I basically have another book already written that I just have to, like, go back and, like, you know, like a part two or, like, you know, expand on.
Dave:Can you tell me more about your book? Is this just like a is it like a biography through your life, or is it more focused on running?
Andy Glaze:No, it's more an autobiography of like, kinda like what you had talked about in the beginning. You know, started it's kinda started my teenage years where I'm really struggling. And interesting enough, like, you know, I think kinda like my downfall started because my dad got diagnosed with cancer, and they gave him, like, six months to live. And that just he didn't end up dying, but it was like that, you know, him coming to us, hey, I have six months to live, and just the spiral of being, you know, 13, 14 years old, not knowing how to deal with your emotions and just turning to drugs and, you know, all that sort of stuff. So, that sort of into college and, you know, I I I wouldn't say I had, like, a rough twenties, but, like, I definitely wasn't, like, a productive member of society who was working out or, you know, still doing a fair amount of drugs and alcohol and whatnot and then sort of the arc of getting to where I am now.
Andy Glaze:I kinda it's kinda broken down into, like, the low points, the middle point, and then, like, where I'm at now, which I would consider, like, a high point. So
Dave:Very cool. Yeah. What's the what when is the TBD to when's the date on that gonna be available?
Andy Glaze:So so it's still I I think we're I'm gonna try to release it during the Arizona monster, like, around that time, which is the March. I had yeah. It was supposed to come out this December. I had a little interesting situation with the person that was representing me that turned out to be not I'll just say not such a good situation and and kinda almost derailed the whole project, lost a bunch of money, learned a bunch of important lessons about business and stuff like that. So, it kinda set me back a couple months.
Andy Glaze:So right now, I'm I'm hoping I can get, like, presales going in, like, December and then, you know, March release. It's been a very, like, big learning curve for me. And then also just, like, I'm like, man, it's so much easier just to run and make content than to, like, get into business because everybody's trying to steal from you and dick you over and all this stuff, and it it it's it's hard. So Yeah. So the hard hard life lessons.
Dave:Yeah. Have you this is totally off topic, but, like, in the business front, have you considered bringing on help, like, for editing or anything like that, or are just, like, committed to be a one man No.
Andy Glaze:No. I No. No. I mean oh, you're talking about editing for my my videos?
Dave:Yeah. Or just taking it a half off. You know what I mean? Like, taking over one aspect of what you do.
Andy Glaze:I thought about getting, like I'm friends with you know, Kara and Nate on they they have, like, a big channel on YouTube.
Dave:Channel. Right?
Andy Glaze:So I'm yeah. And and Nate's gotten really into ultras. We did UTMB together this year in Moab and shared a bunch of miles, and I've hung out with them and and spoke to them a lot. And I definitely, like, thought about it. I think more or less I need, like I just need, like, an assistant.
Andy Glaze:You know? Just on a very basic level, like, I get a million podcast re requests. Right? And it's like, how do I manage that? You know?
Andy Glaze:If I could just, like, send them to somebody and be like, hey. Can you schedule this for me? Here's my calendar. Like, you know, hey. I'm going here.
Andy Glaze:Can you you know, that that would be probably helpful. But I like having my fingers on the editing and all that stuff. But then at the same time, I watch, like, other people's videos, and I'm like, man, that's edited so well. It looks so good. I love it.
Andy Glaze:You know? So I I don't know. I again, I'm not making any money off the videos, so to pay somebody to do something that I can do for free. But maybe in the future. I mean, I I don't know.
Dave:And my wife tries to help out with with some of my stuff up. You know, she'll do like a rough cut or lately, she's been so I'm not good at TikTok. So she's like, I'll cut up a video and I'll make a little TikTok and you'll put it and you'll have a presence over there too. And I'm like, it's a great idea. But then when she does it, I'm like, well, that crop is a little funny and like the text doesn't line up.
Dave:She's like, well, are you gonna let me do it or not? You know what I mean? Like, it's like, I feel you. Like, I like to be involved, especially when I'm I feel like it's me. Like, this is my thing.
Dave:So it should be me that is doing the editing because that's half of it.
Andy Glaze:Right. Yeah. I I mean, my wife, she's like a little micro influencer, I help her a lot. And then, you know, she'll we'll collab on videos, and I'll, like, I'll watch the like, she'll be like, alright. Here's the video.
Andy Glaze:And I'll be like, the font's too small. I hate it. I think it should say this. I start like she's like, this is my video. You know?
Andy Glaze:And I'm like, okay. Okay. But it's like, yeah. Same thing. I'll also start, like, breaking down everything, you know, about the video.
Andy Glaze:But, you know, I I do things a specific way, and I think, you know, people like the way I do it. And and if they don't like it, it won't do well, and then I'll adjust to some other style. You know?
Dave:Yeah.
Andy Glaze:If you watch the arc of my videos, it's I've changed so much throughout the years. And I'm always you know, it's like, I used to make these videos like, what are my haters saying? And they did really well, and then everyone started making those videos. So then I changed to something else. You know?
Andy Glaze:And and it's not that I don't like the what are my haters saying videos, but everyone else started making them. And so then I just, like, abandoned them and did something else. So I
Dave:think They keep it
Andy Glaze:fresh. This game yeah. You always gotta be making different stuff.
Dave:Or maybe you're just running
Andy Glaze:Then adjusting on what?
Dave:Maybe you're just running out of haters, Andy. That might be the case.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. The bigger you get, man, the more haters you get. I mean, it's it's insane. I I got a hater the other day on Strava. I was like, holy moly.
Andy Glaze:I can't yeah. I I it's like it was like, I might be the first hater that I've ever had on Strava, but yeah, I was like, have I made it now where people are coming on my Strava and, you know, like, this is a really slow walk or something like that. I'm like, okay, bro, like, whatever. That's exactly
Dave:why I started everything I put on Strap is private first. And I only make it public if it's like if it's a cool thing. Like, if I do a, like, a race or a cool adventure run or something like that. But if I'm just doing, like, my training stuff locally, I'm like, yeah. Let's keep that private.
Dave:And that way I avoid the comments.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I'm at I'm at 80,000 followers on Strava. I never thought that would be a thing. I know I'm like
Dave:That's like an all time high. I mean, what is, like, Elliot Kipchoge have on Strava? You're probably up there. That's wild.
Andy Glaze:They're like, I you know, Strava started as a cycling app, so I think some of the pro cyclists have quite a quite a few followers. But, I mean, it's definitely for just a, you know, a mid pack old guy, you know, it's pretty pretty good to to have 80,000 followers on Strava. So I'll take it.
Dave:Alright, dude. Well, we've been rolling for, like, over an hour, but I have one final thing I want to ask you about. Right? The run streak. We're jumping we're jumping back to the run streak because I need I to saw I think it was today or yesterday you put out a short or reel saying, here's my plan for the next several weeks.
Dave:And it was like a progression. Like, what can you can you just give me your your plan quote, unquote that you put in that?
Andy Glaze:Yeah. So I mean, my my three hundredth week in a row is the December. So I decided that I'm gonna run 300 miles that week, which I've never have done a 300 mile week. I run a 300 mile race, but it was, like, over you know, like, it started on a Friday and ended on a Thursday or or whatever it was. So it was technically in two different weeks.
Andy Glaze:So so I figured I would start this week, I'm doing a 140 miles. Next week, I'm gonna do one seventy. The next week, I'm gonna do 200, and then I'll do 300. So it's a slow it's a slow taper build up to the 300. So
Dave:I don't know, man. Four weeks jumping from, like, doubling your mileage in four call that a slow taper, I guess, but that's, it's a lot of miles.
Andy Glaze:I mean, last month, I ran 600 miles. So if this month I run 800, it's not that big, but it's it's gonna hurt because I still have to work throughout that whole month. And like like we talked about, I can't run a ton of miles. So on the 300 mile week, you know, I have a couple 55 mile days, and then I I'm gonna end it with a 75 mile run on Sunday. So but I'm gonna try to, like, engage the community.
Andy Glaze:I'm putting out the the courses, like, ahead of time and, you know, try to get as many people to join. I did this, like, for my birthday this year. I ran 75 miles. And just the night before, I was like, hey. If you guys wanna join me, this is what I'm doing.
Andy Glaze:And by the end of the run, I had, like, 40 people. It was like a Forrest Gump moment, and we were all running down this trail, and we ended at the ocean. And it was so cool. Like, we all took a group picture, and it was fun. So I I think, like, we could probably get some, like, pretty good engagement.
Andy Glaze:A lot of people coming out and running a couple miles. Like, people would just be waiting. They jump in, run, like, three or four miles, and then jump out. You know? And couple people did yeah.
Andy Glaze:You know, some people did 10 miles and so I had one guy do 30 miles, and he had never run an ultra before. He just showed up and ran 30 miles with a JanSport on. He had a JanSport backpack and two, like, plastic water bottles, like Costco water bottles in his in his backpack and just and ran 30 miles for the first time. You know?
Dave:That's amazing.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. It was it was cool. So I I don't know. I you know, I'll get a hangout. It would be like kinda like a my own little unofficial, like, you know, race and we can all celebrate together.
Andy Glaze:So
Dave:That's awesome.
Andy Glaze:Yeah. I wish
Dave:was more local. I'd love to join you on that, but unfortunately, I'm on the opposite side of the country.
Andy Glaze:I know. I you know, I've thought about doing, like, a little virtual a lot of people have, like, messaged me that they're gonna virtually run with me. So, you know, maybe we can get some sort of hashtag or something where everybody virtually runs and, you know, we all share some miles together. All about building that community. You know?
Andy Glaze:I I always say smile or you're doing it wrong. You know?
Dave:Oh, no. No. My favorite line of yours, this is what we'll end it with, is your mom can run a five k.
Andy Glaze:That's right. Your mom can run a five k.
Dave:And that's all we've got for this episode of distance junkie. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you did enjoy it, please make sure to hit that thumbs up button and subscribe down below. Check out the podcast on your favorite platform like Apple and Spotify and leave me a review over there. And as always, don't forget to check out Andy Glaze's profiles on TikTok and Instagram.
Dave:Smile or you're doing it wrong. I love it. I hope you enjoyed the episode, and make sure to comment down below and let me know what you thought of this podcast. I'd love to hear from you and any future guests you have on your wish list for this podcast. I'd like to hear that too.
Dave:Okay, friends. I gotta go. Hope you enjoyed it. Bye.