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E3.14: A Run Through It, Guest Phyllis Stanley
Phyllis Stanley is an ultra runner based out of the Pacific Northwest (PNW), prime country for glorious mountain trails. She and her two boys live in a small town called Montesano which is about 43 miles west of Olympia, Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountains along with the Cascades Mountains.
Phyllis was born and raised in Arizona on the Navajo Nation just outside of small reservation town called Kayenta. It was a complete rural setting without typical American household amenities like running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity. Growing up, there was no shortage of work or chores, daily and year round, because her family owned a huge herd of cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Phyllis’ parents practiced traditional Navajo spiritual customs, so her days always began with early morning runs to the east to greet the holy spirits before sunrise. Rain, sleet, or hail, as a family, they always ran together (unless you were in bed with the flu, of course!). Every summer Phyllis, her parents and siblings also planted a big field of corn, but not your average sized garden plot, it was an acre corn field! They also planted and harvested variety of squash, melons and other vegetables. Early in 1986, Phyllis’ dad passed away in an automobile accident. Her mom did her best to continue but had to downsize because it was too much to manage.
After losing many very dear loved ones, trail running became a way to help Phyllis grieve. Phyllis lost her mom in 2012, followed by an older sister two years later, to cancer. Then in 2018, Phyllis lost her brother JB after a bout with stomach cancer in 2018. Losing her brother turned her world upside down because he was an inspirational person in her life. Phyllis dove into trail running as a way to cope with onsetting depression and it became only thing that was helpful in processing her grief. Phyllis completed her first 50 miler on July 27, 2019, exactly a year to the day that her brother passed away. It was the White River 50 which takes place in the shadow of Mount Rainier (think lots of elevation gain). Phyllis was crewed by her late fiancè (along with her two sons), Luis, who passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer last year, Oct 2020 - just two weeks shy of his 43rd birthday.
Of the last few years, Phyllis says, “It's been a trying time but also survive-able thanks to ultra running. It's definitely given me a new perspective and appreciation for loving with a full heart because we just don't know when is our last day on this planet.”
****To follow the Phyllis visit her on Instagram: @phyllis.stanley (https://www.instagram.com/phyllis.stanley/) ***
****Host, Coach Pilar Arthur-Snead, https://linktr.ee/mindfulrunner **** Leave me a message at https://anchor.fm/pilar-arthur-snead/message***
***Please Like and Subscribe to The Last Tenth Podcast on You Tube: https://bit.ly/37foa2f ***Listen toThe Last Tenth Podcast on:
Anchor.fm (https://anchor.fm/pilar-arthur-snead), Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3lXB5ek), Please be sure to leave your positive feedback and 5 star review on Apple Podcasts! Google Podcasts (https://bit.ly/3oqGUTo), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/37Oowgm) and so much more! ***
****THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!! *****If you like what you've heard on the show, please consider contributing to or sponsoring the show. A portion of the sponsorship dollars and donation proceeds will benefit Achilles International. So consider a monthly donation of $1.00, $5.00 or even $10.00.
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By Pilar Arthur-Snead
4.9
1515 ratings
Phyllis Stanley is an ultra runner based out of the Pacific Northwest (PNW), prime country for glorious mountain trails. She and her two boys live in a small town called Montesano which is about 43 miles west of Olympia, Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountains along with the Cascades Mountains.
Phyllis was born and raised in Arizona on the Navajo Nation just outside of small reservation town called Kayenta. It was a complete rural setting without typical American household amenities like running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity. Growing up, there was no shortage of work or chores, daily and year round, because her family owned a huge herd of cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Phyllis’ parents practiced traditional Navajo spiritual customs, so her days always began with early morning runs to the east to greet the holy spirits before sunrise. Rain, sleet, or hail, as a family, they always ran together (unless you were in bed with the flu, of course!). Every summer Phyllis, her parents and siblings also planted a big field of corn, but not your average sized garden plot, it was an acre corn field! They also planted and harvested variety of squash, melons and other vegetables. Early in 1986, Phyllis’ dad passed away in an automobile accident. Her mom did her best to continue but had to downsize because it was too much to manage.
After losing many very dear loved ones, trail running became a way to help Phyllis grieve. Phyllis lost her mom in 2012, followed by an older sister two years later, to cancer. Then in 2018, Phyllis lost her brother JB after a bout with stomach cancer in 2018. Losing her brother turned her world upside down because he was an inspirational person in her life. Phyllis dove into trail running as a way to cope with onsetting depression and it became only thing that was helpful in processing her grief. Phyllis completed her first 50 miler on July 27, 2019, exactly a year to the day that her brother passed away. It was the White River 50 which takes place in the shadow of Mount Rainier (think lots of elevation gain). Phyllis was crewed by her late fiancè (along with her two sons), Luis, who passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer last year, Oct 2020 - just two weeks shy of his 43rd birthday.
Of the last few years, Phyllis says, “It's been a trying time but also survive-able thanks to ultra running. It's definitely given me a new perspective and appreciation for loving with a full heart because we just don't know when is our last day on this planet.”
****To follow the Phyllis visit her on Instagram: @phyllis.stanley (https://www.instagram.com/phyllis.stanley/) ***
****Host, Coach Pilar Arthur-Snead, https://linktr.ee/mindfulrunner **** Leave me a message at https://anchor.fm/pilar-arthur-snead/message***
***Please Like and Subscribe to The Last Tenth Podcast on You Tube: https://bit.ly/37foa2f ***Listen toThe Last Tenth Podcast on:
Anchor.fm (https://anchor.fm/pilar-arthur-snead), Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3lXB5ek), Please be sure to leave your positive feedback and 5 star review on Apple Podcasts! Google Podcasts (https://bit.ly/3oqGUTo), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/37Oowgm) and so much more! ***
****THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!! *****If you like what you've heard on the show, please consider contributing to or sponsoring the show. A portion of the sponsorship dollars and donation proceeds will benefit Achilles International. So consider a monthly donation of $1.00, $5.00 or even $10.00.