Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Erin Phifer (@erin.runs.a.marathon) about her first marathon training cycle, helping others embrace running as more than a phase, and the running memory where she felt like the runner she knew she was meant to be.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6IJpFIkf9Rc

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Erin Phifer:

Erin Phifer is an RRCA certified running coach and three-time marathoner. Erin began running in her 30s after avoiding physical activity and sports most of her life. At a charity event at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, Erin was inspired by the diversity and perseverance of the runners, and a week later, she signed up to run her own marathon, having never successfully run a mile without stopping. Through a lot of mistakes, a lot of doubt, and a lot of miserable runs, Erin has developed a lifelong love of the sport and an appreciation for every mile. Erin's goal is to encourage runners of all abilities to find joy in the miles and belonging in the running community.

• https://instagram.com/erin.runs.a.marathon
• https://www.notjustaphaserunning.com/

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Melissa Ullrich (@redmelissa525) about the importance of having fun as a runner and the marathon memory that was the pivot needed to remember how to be flexible, how to let go, and how to show yourself grace when life changes fast and unexpectedly.   

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hiGLulfDwGA

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Melissa Ullrich:

Melissa Ullrich is a USA T&F Certified Running Coach, RRCA Certified Running Coach, and a NASM Certified Personal Trainer (and a CPA by day!). Melissa is a 2x Ironman Finisher, 10+ time Boston Qualifier, and currently working to complete the 50 states marathon challenge. Melissa's goal is to show every person that they are an athlete and have yet to reach their limits.

•  https://instagram.com/redmelissa525

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Vanessa Junkin (@vanessajunkin) about what she’s learned from her 22 years of running, including building an all paces run club community, pacing half marathons, and chasing the goal of running a marathon in all 50 states.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qHqNbSvILcI

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Vanessa Junkin:

Vanessa Junkin is a longtime runner who shares her experiences on her blog, She Runs by the Seashore, and social media. She is the president of the Eastern Shore Running Club, based in Salisbury, Maryland, and leads two weekly group runs. Vanessa has run 20 marathons in 15 states and has paced 20 half marathons, helping runners meet their goals. When not running, Vanessa works in marketing and enjoys spending time with her fiance and two cats. To learn more, visit sherunsbytheseashore.com, @vanessajunkin on Instagram or She Runs by the Seashore on Facebook.

• https://www.sherunsbytheseashore.com
• https://instagram.com/vanessajunkin

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Coach Corky (@coachcorkyruns) about the freedom she feels when she runs, being a treadmill girly, embracing life’s pivots, and the NYC Marathon memory that felt like a homecoming full of vibes.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tgoYklupxk8

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Coach Corky:

Corky has been coaching and supporting runners since 2014, when she launched Coach Corky Runs. Her favorite distance to coach and race is the marathon, though she has extensive experience on the roads from the 5K through Ultra distances. While Corky coaches clients virtually anywhere in the USA, in person she's made a name for herself in the treadmill group fitness world. She was a full time coach at Mile High Run Club from 2015-2019, and joined Precision Run at Equinox in 2019, and is still currently coaching in person in NYC. She's also one of the Precision Run coaches on the Equinox+ app, guiding members through treadmill and outdoor programs. Corky is still competing, and while she loves to race, her favorite part of being a runner is truly the training.

• https://coachcorkyruns.com/
• https://instagram.com/coachcorkyruns

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Amy Skorich (@amysruns) about taking risks in life, living without regrets, the role of motherhood in her journey toward becoming her best self, and the memory that reminds us that running is something we can pass along to our kids.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dae4rBvSRy4

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Amy Skorich:

Amy Skorich grew up in Foxboro, MA and graduated from Boston University. She moved to NC in 2008 and calls Apex home.

She is an RRCA, VDOT, and C4 certified running coach and the owner of Run Your Way Coaching. She works with a variety of runners who differ in age and coaching goals. She also coaches Girls on the Run at her daughter's elementary school and founded the school's all-comers run club. She coaches girls' flag football for Rise in Apex and serves as the president of her daughter's elementary school's PTA. She is currently the long-term substitute for PE at her elementary school as well. To learn more about Coach Amy, follow her on Instagram @amysruns and @runyourwaycoaching.

• https://linktr.ee/runyourwaycoaching
• https://instagram.com/amysruns
• https://instagram.com/runyourwaycoaching

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Abigail Michelle (@abigailmichelle) about not giving up on yourself, redefining herself as a runner, and the memories that leave her inspired by the runners around her.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H3XfmiRckOk

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Abigail Michelle:

Abigail is a Global Change Manager at a Fortune 500 company, specializing in commercial real estate and investment management. Based in Chicago, she is also an agency actor and model. While she is not currently taking clients, she is a Road Runners Club of America-certified running coach and a trained Reiki Master. Abigail's personal running journey has evolved from chasing personal records to championing health advocacy, with a focus on redefining strength. To learn more, follow her on Instagram @abigailmichelle.

• https://instagram.com/abigailmichelle

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Becky Hernandez (@beckys408) about her journey from running two miles to running ultras and running as a solo sport to running to enhance community. Becky shares her marathon memory that is a reminder that, even when things don’t go to plan, we can also control our attitude and effort.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yt0Zw2ysHX0

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Becky Hernandez:

Running changed Becky Hernandez’s life — and now she helps others do the same. RRCA‑certified running coach, 300+ races including 59 marathons/ultramarathons and 104 half marathons, group fitness instructor, lululemon run ambassador, and believer in the power of community, consistency, and connection. Every runner’s journey matters. To learn more about Becky and connect, follow her on Instagram @beckys408 and @toolegitfitness.

• https://toolegitfitness.com
• https://instagram.com/beckys408
• https://instagram.com/toolegitfitness

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Bette Zirkelbach (@turtlebette) about the power of believing in oneself, authenticity in aging, quieting outside voices, and the memory that has helped her celebrate herself as a runner who is passionate about making the world a better place for every living being.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3rLEWl3VlNw

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Bette Zirkelbach, Conservation Executive & Endurance Athlete:

Bette Zirkelbach is the General Manager of the world renowned Turtle Hospital and a 25-year veteran of marine life conservation. A technical scuba diver and global spokesperson featured in national and international documentaries, Bette has dedicated her life to the belief that "compassion is contagious." Through her work with the One Health initiative and her "no excuses" training for her first 100-mile ultramarathon at age 60, she bridges the gap between environmental resilience and human grit. Whether she is rehabilitating endangered sea turtles or running across the Florida Keys, Bette’s mission is to inspire others to protect our oceans and prove that we can all do hard things. To learn more about Bette and her offerings follow her on Instagram @turtlebette

• https://Turtlehospital.org
• https://instagram.com/turtlebette

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Jessie Valencia (@jessie.cheeks) about the memories that remind her of the beauty of keeping running simple and celebrating running as an act of embracing what the body can do. Jessie also talks about running the NYC Marathon for Team For Kids and running for fun.

Please support this podcast with a rating,review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube:

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Jessie Valencia:

Since 2009, Jessie has specialized in youth development and endurance event production. A career highlight includes working on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. Simultaneously, Jessie has also helped produce endurance events throughout the country. In 2026, she is merging her expertise in youth development and event production by tackling the NYC Marathon—her first 26.2-mile race—to raise funds for Team for Kids. To help her reach her fundraising goal, visit https://jessierunsnyc.my.canva.site/

• https://jessierunsnyc.my.canva.site/
• https://instagram.com/jessie.cheeks

Welcome to season 6 of the Runner’s Round Table. This is the Beyond Pace season and features stories that capture each guest’s favorite running memory. In this episode Stephanie speaks with Jessica Reyes (@sugarruns) about the impact of injuries on her running, embracing a different WHY for running, the importance of community, and the power of having a beginner’s mindset when it comes to running.

Please support this podcast with a rating, review, or a share. Until next time, don’t forget to run happy, run strong, and run true to you.

To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HYLQk6LgM2E

About Stephanie Diaz:

Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).

• https://instagram.com/thecookierunner/
• https://thecookierunner.net

About Jessica Reyes:

Jessica is an RRCA certified running coach, NASM certified personal trainer with additional corrective exercise and pre/postnatal certifications. She is the founder and head coach of Team Sugar Runs, a female led run coaching team. She is also an avid runner herself who went from being rarely injured to often injured after having her son 5 years ago. Jessica's passion lies in helping injured runners or those returning to running build confidence and trust in themselves again through consistent mindset work.

• https://www.sugarruns.com/
• https://instagram.com/sugarruns
• https://instagram.com/teamsugarruns