This is an epic and entertaining interview with my friend and coach, Kimberly Aubuchon.

She is an artist, personal trainer, running coach and all-around badass.

I hope you enjoy our interview.

I had a bit of a COVID scare last week. I purposely stayed off of social media until I knew the results,

On Saturday night, I found out I tested negative.

While most were supportive and upbeat, I had a handful of folks with unsolicited advice: I should be tested again because it was likely a false negative. Wow, way to throw cold water on you after an agonizing wait.

And while I know the advice came from a place of sincerity, that particular moment was not the time to hear this kind of news.

Eventually, I killed the post.

My unsolicited advice: think of how the other person will receive that news. Imagine you tell people you're cancer-free (not the most accurate analogy) and people pile on saying, "It's probably wrong and will come back."

A lesson for us all.

On July 11, I. celebrated the first anniversary of this podcast. It was a crazy idea but seems to resonate with people.

COVID-19 concerns caused me to call off my plan to run at Muleshoe Bend this weekend. Instead, I will do it virtually.

Speaking of virtual races, The Flying Chanclas continue to be competitive in the Trans-Texas Virtual Run. We're battling with a couple of teams for fourth or fifth place out of over 190 teams.

Photo: from 2016 (I think). We were celebrating Orly's birthday with hill repeats.

This week, I ramped up the mileage -- probably a little too much -- for a good reason.

My team, The Flying Chanclas, is virtually running across all 879 miles across Texas. I formed the team as sort of a lark -- something to do during the dog days and beyond. We started on July 1 and of this recording, we are in a dead heat for 4th-5th place out of 183 teams in the 5-person relay.

I had no idea we would be competitive but seeing that we shot up sort of quickly has emboldened my teammates and me. We will see. It's a long way to WallyWorld, Clark.

Nonetheless, I am stoked to have some motivation to get out of my rut. 

Trail running is all about the stories and adventures. My "bubble" friend, Maria, and I made one on a Saturday slog uphill to what seemed like heaven. (Not really, but it was a spectacularly steep climb).

Excited to start the Trans-Texas Virtual Race this week. But I am concerned about upcoming events later in the summer and fall because Texas has turned into a hotbed for COVID-19 infections and deaths.

It once again messed with my head, but I am planning to soldier on, regardless. That's all we can do.

I ran my second virtual race on Saturday. It was a struggle because I haven't gone that far since February.  But, I toughed it out, mentally, along with the company of my friend, Maria, for a few miles.

I'm getting better at running on tired feet and working on my mental game.

I signed up for a virtual race across Texas with four others, starting July 1.

Feeling great about being motivated, yet concerned that we might be locked down again, killing that feeling.

Stay tuned.

Photo from Saturday, at my car, Roo, which I used as an aid station.

After months of lethargy and turgid running, I eked out 17.5  miles in four days. I know it's not record-setting, but it's a start. It felt good to run four  days in a row. May shoot for a couple more days and then rest up before my virtual Sugar Badger half on Saturday. 

Also, shuffle over to Apple podcasts and give this thing a rating and leave a review. It won't hurt. I promise.

If you're feeling generous, consider being a sponsor. Use the anchor link to do so. If not, no biggie, but I'd like to buy some real equipment at some point, so I don't have to sit in my bedroom closet with my iPhone. LOL.

The photo is Maria  and me at Land Heritage Institute on Saturday. I had to use her photo because I left my phone in the car. Durr.

This ultrarunner couple has navigated a couple of nights in jail (for quarantine), "sneaked" into national parks and have had a variety of adventures, including having  the windows broken out at their hotel in  Chicago (apologies because I said it was Dallas) during protests. They're professional runners traveling the globe with their super-cute dog, Smokey. They're living the dream -- experiencing adventures and  running crazy distances. This is a special episode.

Cassandra's Instagram, Matt's Instagram

Part 4 of our master's series.  We meet Donald  Flynn, a San Antonio-based runner who took up running to get out of going to gym class. He abandoned the sport for decades and picked it back up 5 years ago at the age of 60. He has finished three 100-milers and has his sights set on at least one more this year. He has some great stories to tell including when he "geezered" a young  guy.

I  returned to running, a bit, this week. So far, so good. Had a social distance ride with my friend, Maria and got to have lunch with my very good friends, the Montalvos on Memorial Day. Yes, we social distanced.

Things feel a little closer to normal, but to be honest, as the US inches toward 100,000 deaths, I made a grim observation: as of April 24, we had 51,000 deaths. Thirty days later, we almost doubled that number.

Stay safe and manage your risk.