I'm stoked to share Diane Neubauer's inspirational story! Diane just ROCKED a 2:45 at the McKirdy Micro Marathon, destroying her previous PR of 3:07 by an astonishing 22 minutes—just 13 months after having her 2nd son, Noah.

Diane was living on a military base in Germany with her Air Force husband, Andrew, and their newborn baby, Luke, and was struggling with postpartum depression/anxiety. A chance invite to a 7-mile race from a mother-based running group (Stroller Warriors) changed everything! She nursed Luke before and after the race and it was the first time Diane felt she could breathe in so long! In her own words, "finding running again in motherhood has saved me."

We discussed:

-Growing up in a competitive, athletic, military family

-The influence her dad had on her (former marathon coach at West Point, ran Boston (with a PR of 2:51)

-High school/college running

-Key coaches/mentors—Erin Flynn, Joe Dare, James McKirdy

-Community—Girls On the Run, Stroller Warriors, helping other mother-runners, coaching high school cross-country, & giving back

-Race day mantras, fueling, goal-setting, chasing your dreams—OTQ

Connecting with James McKirdy via a referral from Coach Joe Dare brought them together. For the past 13 months, they’ve pushed hard, with a focus on remaining healthy as the #1 priority.

"Having a coach who believes in your dreams has been life changing. He was able to bike me in for the marathon and that is something I will cherish forever."

Working together for 23 miles with teammate Michael Perley helped them both achieve their goals and 1st place finish for Diane!

The power of community and the role running plays in helping us find the best version of ourselves truly resonates in this episode. Hope you all enjoy this convo as much as we did!

If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.

Connect With Diane:

Instagram: @diane_neubauer_

Connect With Ron:

Personal Instagram: @ronrunsnyc

Podcast Instagram: @runchats_with_ronrunsnyc

Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats

Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com

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