This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:06] Stephen Hanna: Hi, I'm Steven and I'm Brett, and we are the Broadway Husbands.

[0:10] Bret Shuford: We're just your all-American married couple making the living in the arts and pursuing a growing family.

[0:14] Stephen Hanna: On the Broadway Husbands podcast, we offer advice from our ordinary lives under extraordinary circumstances.

[0:20] Bret Shuford: We are living proof that you can love who you love and love what you do.

[0:23] Stephen Hanna: Make sure you subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss our weekly episodes.

[0:27] Bret Shuford: And if you really love us, make sure you leave a review on whatever podcast platform you listen to us on.

[0:32] Stephen Hanna: Take a screenshot and tag us on Instagram at Broadway Husbands.

[0:36] Bret Shuford: And don't forget to follow the Broadway Podcast Network.

[0:41] Stephen Hanna: You can see all the episodes of BPN by going to BPN.fm forward slash husbands.

[0:48] Bret Shuford: Oh yeah.

[0:49] Stephen Hanna: Okay, so this week, uh, this is Bret.

[0:54] Bret Shuford: I got to run a half marathon for the Woodlands half marathon. Actually, it was today, the day that we're recording it. So my legs are a little bit like spaghetti at the moment, but I hadn't run a race in 10 years.

[1:12] Stephen Hanna: Wow.

[1:13] Bret Shuford: So let's go back in time.

[1:15] Stephen Hanna: Oh, okay.

[1:16] Bret Shuford: When was the first time you started running long distance? What was your idea? Like, what was your inspiration and how did that come about? Because I mean, I of course I know, but I would like to know what clicked inside you where you were like, you know what? I'm gonna enter, because the first race you entered, I believe was a marathon. So tell me about your decision making and what sparked that idea for you.

[1:46] Bret Shuford: I was doing The Little Mermaid on Broadway, and Katie Basile had run or was had been training for a half marathon. Um, and she was in the ensemble, and I was super impressed by her ambition and training. And she did it through an organization called Team and Training that raises money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. So she was a charity thing, and she I can't remember where she went to run it. But then I found out that they actually have a Walt Disney World Marathon.

[2:20] Stephen Hanna: And I was like, And as soon as you heard that, you were like, whoa, that's for me.

[2:24] Bret Shuford: Well, at the time, Little Mermaid was slated to close.

[2:27] Stephen Hanna: Okay.

[2:28] Bret Shuford: And with the show closing, I was like, I need to go to Disney World. I mean, that's always my impulse. When was that? Wait, when was when did Little Mermaid?

[2:35] Stephen Hanna: I think it closed in September of 2009.

[2:39] Bret Shuford: That's right. Okay. September of 2009. Yes. And the race for Walt Disney World is in January.

[2:44] Stephen Hanna: Okay.

[2:46] Bret Shuford: So I signed on that summer to start training for the January Walt Disney World Marathon through Team and Training in New York City.

[2:55] Stephen Hanna: And that was like the first one you were like, I'm gonna run a marathon.

[2:55] Bret Shuford: I'm gonna run a marathon at Walt Disney World. And for those people who like really don't know what a marathon is, how long is a marathon?

[3:06] Stephen Hanna: 26.2 miles.

[3:08] Bret Shuford: Wow. And like had you run at all before this? And you were like, yeah, that sounds like something I want to do.

[3:17] Stephen Hanna: Yeah.

[3:17] Bret Shuford: Okay. So go ahead. I mean, ultimately, you know me. I'm an overachiever, and I can be impulsive on decisions. And so I was like, I need a project. The show's closing. I don't know what my future's gonna be. I don't know what I'm gonna do for work.

[3:34] Stephen Hanna: Okay.

[3:35] Bret Shuford: And if I don't have something to sort of goal, I'm very goal-oriented. If I don't have something to sort of push myself towards, then I get a little bit antsy, right?

[3:46] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[3:46] Bret Shuford: So I was like, this would be an interesting project. Maybe now is the time to run. I mean, talking to Katie backstage, you know, in the wings, she's like, I never run, you know. I was like, oh, okay, cool. And by raising the money for charity, the whole thing was paid for. So I got to go to Disney World, and you know, it was paid for. So not having a job that made it super easy for me to get to like take a little vacation. And you know, the other thing I learned is you get these really cute medals, and I was like, I love things.

[4:18] Stephen Hanna: So we'll get to that.

[4:19] Bret Shuford: We'll get to that. So what? So that first time you trained, what was the first step that you took? Was you found a team in training?

[4:30] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, so there's Team and Training has, you know, different running groups that meet, right? So on Wednesdays would be like cross-training nights, and we were doing Wednesday matinees, so I would go from the matinee to do the running.

[4:46] Bret Shuford: Okay, and we would meet in Central Park, and they had coaches, and the coaches would they were kind of volunteer coaches, but all almost all of the coaches that work there had a business that was related to running, like a physical fitness business.

[4:58] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[4:59] Bret Shuford: So they were trying to do that. So there was like a great way to like, oh, you're having like a fashion it is like come to my clinic clinic. But they were great coaches. And um, excuse me. I'm drinking a LaCroix. This is not sponsored by LaCroix, but one day we hope that's a good one.

[5:16] Stephen Hanna: LaCroix wants to sponsor this podcast, we would be happy to have their sponsorship.

[5:22] Bret Shuford: But when you drink LaCroix, sometimes the bubbles make you burp.

[5:26] Stephen Hanna: Yes, it's very true.

[5:28] Bret Shuford: It's very true. So anyway, I would Wednesday nights we would meet. And what I loved about that was, you know, they would be like we would do HIIT training.

[5:37] Stephen Hanna: Okay.

[5:37] Bret Shuford: Or we would do sprints to try to build up your speed and your pace. And they would look at your stride and give you adjustments to help make sure your form was good.

[5:47] Stephen Hanna: That's good.

[5:48] Bret Shuford: And there would be um other people there from all over the city that I would never have met, lawyers and doctors and you know, advertising people, and like people I would never have met.

[6:00] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[6:01] Bret Shuford: So I loved that. It was but you also did training, I remember for it. I if I remember correctly, in this time period, you would also train on like Saturday mornings.

[6:11] Stephen Hanna: So yeah, so Wednesday nights was the was the like training, cross-training, and then Saturday mornings would be like the long distance running.

[6:20] Bret Shuford: Got it.

[6:20] Stephen Hanna: Okay. And a lot of times in New York City has an organization called Roadrunners.

[6:25] Bret Shuford: Oh right.

[6:25] Stephen Hanna: And Roadrunners hosts races almost every weekend on usually on Saturday mornings, sometimes Sunday mornings, five milers, five K's, 10K's, sometimes, and then they're also the people who produce or sponsor or create um the New York City marathon weekend.

[6:45] Bret Shuford: Okay.

[6:45] Stephen Hanna: So Roadrunners would host these races, and so we would go as Team and Training people, and we would run these races together, and it was like a really cool community thing.

[6:54] Bret Shuford: And what I loved about that was I saw New York City like I'd never seen it. You know, you would see the seasons change because you're out in the city, right? You're running through Central Park.

[7:05] Stephen Hanna: Wow.

[7:06] Bret Shuford: So going from fall into winter and then winter into spring, and you would see the leaves change, which I if I was just on the subway and never.

[7:15] Stephen Hanna: So you would never see it, right?

[7:16] Bret Shuford: I know. And also it's I remember you always telling me about how you're running around on the river, and so you're running across bridges, and yeah, we ran like to the Jersey to the Palisades Park. We did like a 16 mile or together, you know, it was cool. And then and then it also felt like you were helping make a difference because leukemia lymphoma was like is is it is it really a terrible, terrible illnesses, and to help to know that we were raising money to help people who were suffering from that was like a really cool feeling as well.

[7:47] Stephen Hanna: And so yeah, that is that's a great great thing. What before you run a marathon? Do you ever actually run 26.2 miles before? What is the most miles you run before you run the marathon?

[8:02] Bret Shuford: I feel like the most miles I did was like 22 miles. I may be wrong, but the full marathon, it was like you know, like the last maybe I did 20 miles, and I think that the last six miles is like really your first time doing that is really on the race day.

[8:21] Stephen Hanna: Wow.

[8:21] Bret Shuford: Okay, so you've trained, you you've run, but not 26.2 miles. Well, you remember when I was training 26.4, 26.2.2. Sorry, remember when we went to like Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving and I did like a 16 mile.

[8:37] Stephen Hanna: That's right.

[8:39] Bret Shuford: I did 16 miles, and it was free, and it was freezing.

[8:42] Stephen Hanna: I do remember that, yeah.

[8:43] Bret Shuford: Oh through South Park, yes, by myself.

[8:47] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, so you get to Disney and you're freaking out because you're in Disney World, it's my happy place, yeah, and you're freaking out. How do you like were you able to go on attractions or anything before you did the marathon? Or were you just like, I'm here to run this marathon? I can't have any fun until after the marathon. What did you do?

[9:07] Bret Shuford: No, I think because we got in, I you because it's all kind of paid for through the through the team and training. So you get in on like Friday, the race was like Saturday morning.

[9:18] Stephen Hanna: Oh, okay.

[9:18] Bret Shuford: So you just get there and you go. But you get there was a race, like only there was race only admission to Hollywood Studios to celebrate.

[9:29] Stephen Hanna: After?

[9:29] Bret Shuford: After that.

[9:30] Stephen Hanna: Oh, that's great.

[9:31] Bret Shuford: So, but I do remember Andrew Samanski came to watch me cross the finish line.

[9:36] Stephen Hanna: That's right, because I couldn't be there.

[9:38] Bret Shuford: So this was in 2000 January 2010.

[9:42] Stephen Hanna: Good.

[9:42] Bret Shuford: Yeah.

[9:43] Stephen Hanna: So I was working.

[9:44] Bret Shuford: Yep.

[9:45] Stephen Hanna: Uh huh.

[9:45] Bret Shuford: And I um, and then Andrew came and met me, and I remember I think I took an ice bath after running, and then we immediately went to the parks.

[9:54] Stephen Hanna: That's fun.

[9:56] Bret Shuford: Crazy though.

[9:57] Stephen Hanna: Yeah.

[9:57] Bret Shuford: Like my legs like needed recovery time. And then you just like went to the room. But I just want to give a shout out to this too. Like, I did the race in a really like like two hours and 45 minutes or something.

[10:09] Stephen Hanna: Really?

[10:09] Bret Shuford: Do you remember?

[10:10] Stephen Hanna: No, three hours and free minutes. Sorry.

[10:11] Bret Shuford: Wow. Do you remember that? It was like a sub-four-hour race.

[10:15] Stephen Hanna: Wow.

[10:15] Bret Shuford: And I was so proud of myself.

[10:18] Stephen Hanna: Yeah.

[10:19] Bret Shuford: Because I'd never run that before. Um, and I was really lucky this guy, Kevin, ran the same pace as me, so we kind of helped each other through it and kind of ran through it.

[10:32] Stephen Hanna: So, you know, what's cool about the Disney World Marathon too, a huge plug for Run Disney. I don't know what they're doing with the races at this point, but everything was like virtual this last year. But the fun thing with that marathon is it's Florida, so it's really flat.

[10:47] Bret Shuford: Cause hills, there were a couple hills today at the Woodlands that almost killed me.

[10:53] Stephen Hanna: Um the hills are so hard.

[10:56] Bret Shuford: Uh-huh. Like when you're like today, it was like mile nine.

[10:58] Stephen Hanna: Oh no.

[10:59] Bret Shuford: So you're just like, you're so close to almost like being done, and you're like, no, I'm going uphill. Um God, I hate running in general, but then running uphill.

[11:10] Stephen Hanna: Oh.

[11:11] Bret Shuford: But Disney World, everything was flat, right? And you run through the parks, so they would have characters out, and you would run through the castles, and you run through like and so you know, I was just in heaven.

[11:26] Stephen Hanna: So you finish your first marathon, you do a very good time, you feel really good about it. So instantly are you like, I'm gonna do my next one? Like, what was your wow?

[11:37] Bret Shuford: I mean, because you just like I just did that and I made great time.

[11:40] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, so I was like, I gotta do this again.

[11:43] Bret Shuford: Yeah. I was like, but I don't know if I can do a full because the full is so much training, and it hurts, you know, your body is just like um, but I did cry.

[11:54] Bret Shuford: I want to say that when you cross the finish line, because you do things like even today, like that last mile, I was like breathing loudly, like making sounds to just push myself to get to that last through that last mile. And if you think about a full marathon, it's and you haven't really run. I think it's I swear I think it's like the last six miles. You get to those last like two or three miles, and it's just like pushing yourself to your limits. So when I crossed that finish line, I remember I cried. Um so so then you were hooked, and then what how many other marathons or half marathons did you do after that first marathon in Disney? Um we did that, so I did that marathon, and then I re immediately registered for the San Diego rock and roll half marathon.

[12:42] Stephen Hanna: Oh yes.

[12:43] Bret Shuford: And um And you did that with a a a friend that you met in the team in training. Um a lawyer that I never went to.

[12:51] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, she was at our wedding.

[12:52] Bret Shuford: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, Christy, shout out to Christy and love her, and I miss her. Um she has like three kids now.

[13:00] Stephen Hanna: Really?

[13:01] Bret Shuford: Wow. Anyway, uh she was great. We we, you know, I had dinner with her family. She was from San Diego. The San Diego rock and roll half was really cool because they had bands everywhere because it's rock and roll, right? So there were bands on every mile, like almost every third mile.

[13:18] Stephen Hanna: Cool.

[13:18] Bret Shuford: So that's the nice thing when you're running long distance is to have some sort of distraction like that. Because you're, you know.

[13:25] Stephen Hanna: Well, like what is it like what are when you're running like that length of time, are you just kind of like what are you saying to yourself? Are you saying things like right, left, go? Like sometimes when I dance, things that are really hard, and like, you know, I just say things like breathe, go, go, go, breathe, go, right, left, right. You know, it's not like I actually have time to think.

[13:46] Bret Shuford: So do you have sometimes my brain what I I think it's I I was thinking really hard today when I was running about the comparison of running a long distance race and being an artist and being like an actor and the the business because it is the same stuff, right? You gotta push yourself.

[14:06] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, you got you know, you'll start to compare yourself because people are passing you and they're going really fast, or they have like there are a couple guys there with no shirts on with these like amazing bodies, and I'm like, oh god, you know, like you start to think about that, you're like, or you start to think, Am I hungry? Am I gonna have to use the bathroom? Like, I'm literally thinking about like I'm checking in with my body a lot. Okay, what's going on with my bladder, what's going on with my bowels, what's how's my legs feeling? And I'm thinking about like all of that, like okay, because I want to plan ahead if there's a porta potty if I need it, or if there's water, because they have Gatorade and water stations, right? Do I want a Gatorade? Do I want water? Do I not want anything? You know, you're kind of thinking through like what am I gonna need so that I can be as efficient as possible.

[14:52] Bret Shuford: Right. So, but it sounds like it's like all of your thoughts are based on being really present and checking in.

[14:59] Stephen Hanna: It's not like you're kind of the number one thing that I have to remind myself when I'm running is don't focus on your feet, focus on your arms.

[15:08] Bret Shuford: Ooh.

[15:08] Stephen Hanna: So I have to focus on the swing in my arms, and when I do that, I fly, right? But when I start to think about my legs, is when I feel the weight and the pain or the like muscle, like right, you'll start to feel and notice. Oh, my Achilles is really sore or tight, or my hamstrings are getting tight, whatever. Right, you'll start to notice those things. But when you think about your arms, it's like just one thing in it, just left, right, left, right? It's like sobriety, yeah. It's like one day at a time, one day at a time, just keep going, no matter what.

[15:43] Bret Shuford: Um so you do the rock and roll half marathon, and then you did oh, and I registered for the Disneyland half, and you did it in California, and we took a whole family trip, and we took a whole family trip, and that was the first time I was able to be there when you crossed the finish line, which was really exciting and really fun.

[16:02] Stephen Hanna: Was it exciting?

[16:03] Bret Shuford: Yeah. I don't remember how you felt about it.

[16:06] Stephen Hanna: Oh my god. Tell me what it was like when you saw me cross the finish.

[16:09] Bret Shuford: I was super proud of you, you know. I mean, I've never liked running. And especially at that point, there was a period of time after this point where you ran these marathons and half marathons that I would start taking fitness classes where I did actually run. But up until this point, I mean, I never ran. I hated running. Um I hated it. So for me to watch you do that, I was like super impressed and super proud.

[16:35] Bret Shuford: Wait, we skipped something. Do you remember? I I got this is kind of how I operate. When I like something, I kind of go all the way. And so for Christmas, you like bought. Is that why you married me? Because you liked me, so you went all the way.

[16:45] Stephen Hanna: Exactly.

[16:49] Bret Shuford: No, maybe it was my birthday. You got me a Garmin watch for running.

[16:52] Stephen Hanna: Yes, totally. That's like a GPS watch that can track your pacing and stuff.

[16:57] Bret Shuford: Mm-hmm. And then um, I was like, like I said, mermaid clothes, I needed a job, and there was a company called City Running Tours, and so I signed up and got my sightseeing license and became a city running tour guide.

[17:14] Stephen Hanna: That's right, which was like people would come to city and for work and wouldn't have a lot of time to sightsee, so they would get a city running guide and we would get their workout in, and I would be their guide.

[17:27] Bret Shuford: And so I you know, I ran so much.

[17:31] Stephen Hanna: You did.

[17:32] Bret Shuford: Because I was doing that, and I feel like I I did another running thing, and then some girl reached out to me and asked me to try to like help her run. She was trying to get in shape for her wedding.

[17:44] Stephen Hanna: Oh, right.

[17:45] Bret Shuford: Her name was Alice. You did a lot of various running gigs. You were a running gigster. And then I think one of the coolest things you did back in that time period was you ran this race called the Ragnar Relay.

[17:58] Stephen Hanna: Yes.

[17:59] Bret Shuford: And you ran like 30 miles or something, like off and on, and it was over a 24-hour period. Tell us what the Ragnar relay is.

[18:06] Stephen Hanna: Oh my god. I can't even remember the distance now because it's far. But it was a relay race where you get a team of people together. Somebody just reached out. A bunch of lunatics, get in a van, and people start running. That's what it is. But we did an ultra team.

[18:24] Bret Shuford: So usually with the Ragnar Relay, you have like 12 people, and they run this. And for this race, it was like started in like Poughkeepsie and ended in New York City. And Poughkeepsie is like an hour and a half, maybe two hours north, like out of Manhattan. Like and like it's far. This was hilarious. On a train. It was an ultra marathon team. So instead of 12 people, there were six of us. Crazier than the so we would each take turns doing basically a half marathon.

[18:54] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[18:54] Bret Shuford: But they they started at one point, they never stopped. So they were like in this van. So you get out of the van, you run 13 miles, the van of people then meets you at the end of that mile, and then somebody else tags out, and you get in that another person starts running, and you just do this over and over again. Until you get to the room. It took us 24 hours.

[19:17] Stephen Hanna: Crazy.

[19:22] Bret Shuford: And we and they started get this. I booked a commercial that day.

[19:28] Stephen Hanna: Oh and it shot that it was like a Bud Light commercial that shot that day.

[19:33] Bret Shuford: And then I got like in a on a train and like or a bus or something, and met them after the commercial.

[19:42] Stephen Hanna: Oh, right.

[19:42] Bret Shuford: And that's when you started to finish running.

[19:45] Stephen Hanna: Oh my god.

[19:47] Bret Shuford: So needless to say, it was so fun though. We've done a lot of fun running adventures. And so then when was the last time before today was your last what was your last race?

[19:57] Stephen Hanna: I don't remember on my last specific race.

[20:01] Bret Shuford: It might have been, I mean, I ran some of those New York weekend races.

[20:05] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[20:05] Bret Shuford: And then I decided I was gonna train for the New York City Marathon.

[20:09] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[20:10] Bret Shuford: I was like, okay, I'm ready to do another full marathon. And at that time, I was such a running crazy person that I was like signing up for races left and right. I did like a night race with my parents, my dad here, and my brothers called the Tupacabra Run.

[20:25] Stephen Hanna: Oh, yeah.

[20:25] Bret Shuford: And it was like a 5k, but it was on like in the woods, yes, on a trail, and you had to wear a headlamp, you couldn't see anything, and people there were tree stumps and roots and holes, and people were just fall, it's falling over themselves left and right. And I remember I rolled my ankle.

[20:46] Stephen Hanna: I remember this, yeah.

[20:46] Bret Shuford: And um it was so stupid, and anyway, so that I never recovered from that ankle roll, and then I was starting to train for the New York City marathon, and I was running in like a 16 mile on the East River, and I got to like mile, maybe I was doing like an 18 mile, and I got to mile like 14, and I started feeling like somebody was jabbing my heel with an ice pick, and I limped all the way home, and I was limping for like three days.

[21:22] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, and I went to the doctor, and I had um uh bone spurs in my heel that were like it looked like a unicorn was growing out of my heel.

[21:34] Bret Shuford: Oh no, that's not where you want unicorn implant or fasciitis, yeah, which hurts, which really and it was so bad, super inflamed. Um so then you decided to So I was like, there's no way I'm gonna train for this, right?

[21:48] Stephen Hanna: I remember.

[21:48] Bret Shuford: And so I had already paid for the registration, which was like $300 to register for that race.

[21:53] Stephen Hanna: Oh my god.

[21:55] Bret Shuford: And I just I I renewed it and renewed it, I think for about two or three years. I renewed it, and then I just finally was like stupid. I'm just not renewing this, and so I never ran the nearest.

[22:07] Stephen Hanna: But when you say renew it, this is like a husband question. That means that you weren't paying $300 over.

[22:13] Bret Shuford: I was just extending.

[22:13] Stephen Hanna: Okay, because I hope I didn't miss that on our statements.

[22:18] Bret Shuford: Um good, good, good, good. It was a one-time fee, and then you just could extend it.

[22:24] Stephen Hanna: Okay, so what was it about like this time period that just made you decide to try running again?

[22:31] Bret Shuford: And how did you well at the Planter Fashion I just was feeling better?

[22:35] Stephen Hanna: Okay.

[22:36] Bret Shuford: We moved to Texas, you know, now since August, and I was like, I was just not been feeling great about like being in shape. Uh-huh. And I thought, you know, I I need a goal, a physical goal. I need something that, like, and probably what I would have chosen was like a yoga challenge, you know, like uh 30-day yoga challenge or something, which I would really love to do, but I don't love doing yoga at home. I like being in a class in a studio, and I'm not gonna do that right now because of the pandemic. But I met this coach, Tolita, and shout out to Tolita Lutolo. Um, I'll put a link here for for she's amazing. And I just said I need a new goal. And she she was an Olympic runner, um, short distance, but she um so she trained you.

[23:30] Bret Shuford: So she trained me. And you signed up for her training group, and it was a group, right? It was a group thing. We met three days a week. She got me um kind of on a better diet, and she got so I've been more plant-based since I started working with her.

[23:44] Bret Shuford: I mean, I think instantly you lost like 16 pounds, right? You lost a lot of weight.

[23:48] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[23:49] Bret Shuford: And so then I started training, and that's how I got in shape for this. And it went really well. Like most of it was pretty smooth sailing. You did have some moments of like feet hurting again, and yeah, like I sort of if I start to think about my legs, I started to go, oh god, oh god, it just gets heavy, right? It feels like bricks, yeah, yeah, on your feet. So there were a couple moments, like miles seven again, walking up those hills, and I got would get to the top. And usually I remember back at team in training when you get to the top of the hill is like when you want to go faster and you wanna go kind of slow going up and then like take off when you get to the top. But I would get to the top and be like, oh my feet hurts.

[24:29] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[24:30] Bret Shuford: Um, but it's also I think partly just not being, you know, I'm at a new age.

[24:36] Stephen Hanna: Yeah.

[24:36] Bret Shuford: To be in my 40s.

[24:37] Stephen Hanna: You're only 30 now.

[24:39] Bret Shuford: Yeah, right. You're 30 now. To be in my 40s, the recovery is a lot. The even in training for the last three months, you know, I had some, you know, peronial tendinitis that I had to work through. The plantar fasciitis would start to flare up a little bit. There's something going on in my piriformis. I have to roll, you know, rolling out constantly, icing constantly. But I did it, and I'm super proud of it. And I just think it's important that I have a I need a physical goal. Otherwise, I'll just like literally sit on the computer, um, which I do for work, and never like get out there and do it. And it just felt really good to run.

[25:20] Stephen Hanna: Good.

[25:23] Bret Shuford: It did make me, I did feel kind of lonely out there today because I remembered today, and I hadn't thought about this, just how great it was to have a running team because you would see people on the course or you would run with somebody who was at the same pace. And today I literally there were a couple moments where I was like, I didn't have anybody in the sidelines. I'm sorry. And I couldn't be there, and I felt so terrible. And I didn't have anybody running with me. So I remember I kind of got to the finish line. It felt a little anticlimactic, but I did it for me.

[25:58] Stephen Hanna: That's awesome. I'm so proud of you.

[26:00] Bret Shuford: Thank you. I'm so happy for you, and I'm so proud of you because it takes a lot of um severance and discipline to do things like this.

[26:09] Stephen Hanna: Thank you. So I'm just super proud of you. I'm gonna give a shout out to our assistant Laura Cable.

[26:15] Bret Shuford: Yeah.

[26:16] Stephen Hanna: Who by the way, our friend Laura Cable has been helping us with this podcast for months now, and she's an amazing runner.

[26:26] Bret Shuford: Is she?

[26:26] Stephen Hanna: Oh my gosh. She runs like everything. I mean, her body is sick, so that doesn't she runs like every day. She's a beast. So I want to give a shout-out to my running friend Laura Cable back in New York, who um you all should follow because I'll not only because she's like a little angel on this earth, but she's super talented and super funny. Um so thank you, Laura, for helping us with this. I want you to know I was thinking about you while I was on that course.

[26:52] Bret Shuford: Well, so you finished the half marathon today. You got your medal. Are you signing up for another one anytime soon?

[27:00] Stephen Hanna: I don't know.

[27:01] Bret Shuford: That sounds like a no to me.

[27:02] Stephen Hanna: I don't know that I need to. I it felt great. I honestly think my next I again, I think I want to find a yoga challenge. I'm serious. I need to get a chance to do that.

[27:11] Bret Shuford: I bet there's a studio you could go to that probably feels sort of safe.

[27:15] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, I bet there is. I'm sure there is like to do like a 30 or 60 or 90 day like yoga challenge. Because I feel like my body will my body responds to yoga really well. Stretching, but I'll get really flexible.

[27:25] Bret Shuford: Breathing, stretching. I like it when you're flexible.

[27:30] Stephen Hanna: I alright. Well, I just want to say I'm super proud of you, and I love you and I think it's awesome. And you know, if running is something that interests you, I mean it really doesn't interest me. But if it's something that interests you or you want to like cynical shoot bread a DM or like you know, find a way that you can start training because it's a great way to get in shape and lose weight and feel really good about life.

[28:00] Bret Shuford: Yeah, shoot me a DM because I can recommend some resources that I found helpful. Um, you know, and just remember, like I saw people walking, you know. You running a half marathon, just completing it is is a great goal. It doesn't have to be like beat your own personal record or you know, it can just be the act of doing it.

[28:21] Stephen Hanna: Nice.

[28:22] Bret Shuford: Yeah. Alright. Alright. Now we're gonna move on to a segment we call Spotlight on Love.

[28:29] Stephen Hanna: Oh yeah.

[28:30] Bret Shuford: Okay, so today is from an anonymous person. The question is, I've been ghosted twice during the pandemic, and it's traumatized me. I met a guy on an app and he called me daily. We even FaceTimed. When I was home with COVID, he would keep me company and talk to me about our house and family and where we would live. Then one day, just never answered the phone. I thought he was dead. Then after three days, he called and said, Hey, it's not gonna work. That was it. Two weeks later, another guy did the same thing. How do I keep hope for finding someone who's trustworthy? Should I stop using apps to date people?

[29:16] Stephen Hanna: Hmm.

[29:17] Bret Shuford: Huh. Well, that that is crazy. And that is like super ghosty and flowing. I've actually heard other people talking about this happening to them.

[29:28] Stephen Hanna: Lisa?

[29:29] Bret Shuford: Yeah. Yeah. And so I feel like I totally think part of it is this people are trying to get away with shit because of COVID. Like, because of what's happening in the pandemic, they feel like, well, I can do this and chat, and you know, married men trying to escape their reality and um, but then not actually following through or whatever. But the thing that that I feel like just reading this kind of stumps me is or or would have been a red flag to me is that you just met this person on an app and he's calling you daily.

[30:05] Stephen Hanna: Right.

[30:06] Bret Shuford: Like that to me is a red flag. Like you you don't that's fast.

[30:12] Stephen Hanna: Yeah.

[30:13] Bret Shuford: And I I don't know how many weeks you guys were like having these phone calls, but you want to start off a little bit slower. So my my thing is not but when you met me, you were like texting and wanting to call me all the time.

[30:25] Stephen Hanna: I know, I'm just kidding.

[30:26] Bret Shuford: I'm kidding. And we weren't planning our future.

[30:31] Stephen Hanna: I know.

[30:32] Bret Shuford: Yes, no, I'm totally joking. We would see each other like maybe once a week.

[30:36] Stephen Hanna: I know.

[30:36] Bret Shuford: I know, I know, but I'm just saying the point is I don't think the apps are the problem. I think you need to set really clear boundaries of what you're willing to do early on. Like, don't get to the everyday place until like three months.

[30:51] Stephen Hanna: Yeah, so I guess like my version of Brett's answer is like stay guarded, put your guard up, right? Like it's it I would just say like don't be so trustworthy so quickly. A week to start, you should be dating like once a week for the first three months and then explore because if they're doing it daily, there's there's gonna be burnout. It's like doing anything if you if you start, you know, you want to start slow and steady, and um the burnout is not necessarily these burnt out on you, it's that there's just burnout um because the excitement and the adrenaline of starting a new relationship, and then what happens is at some point when you start dating somebody, you know, at some point you're gonna see the human.

You're not gonna see the fantasy, the thing that you see, you're gonna start, you know, everybody farts. Everybody, like that's not true, right? You know, once you once you're in bed with somebody and they fart and you can't forgive it, and you can't you're right. That's that to me is like the true sign of whether or not you can tolerate somebody, right?

[32:04] Stephen Hanna: Well, I mean, so how do I keep hope for finding someone who's trustworthy?

[32:10] Bret Shuford: Well, I think you just have to keep hope, right? Because trustworthy people are out there, and everyone has someone out there that's meant for them, and you know, you just gotta keep going and like just keep trusting, maybe not don't trust people, but trust in the fact that there is someone out there for you, and it might not be the next person that you meet, but there is somebody that is gonna um be trustworthy, so just keep trusting that that's gonna happen.

[32:39] Stephen Hanna: Um, and should I stop using apps to date people?

[32:42] Bret Shuford: I mean, my answer to that is a quick I don't think you should stop using them because currently I think it's still probably a really good way to meet people. I think that you just need to set really clear boundaries on your profile or like your description of what you're looking for, so that instantly people know like you're not you don't want like dick pics sent to you or whatever, you know, whatever, right? But I honestly think that you you cannot put your happiness on the other end of a relationship. So knowing that like letting go of this need to uh have someone trustworthy to feel safe in the world is not is not necessarily gonna help you. You need to know that you can be safe with yourself and that you that you know the thing that you want this person to give you, you need to figure out how to give yourself so that this person when they give it to you, it's just the cherry on top, it's not the whole Sunday.

[33:45] Stephen Hanna: And also maybe like, especially now that the world is slowly, slowly, slowly gonna start opening up. I'm sure this whole year is just gonna be about you know restarting everything. I mean, maybe it's like, you know, uh once a week you check in on the apps, right? And then you start you folk, you know, you maybe you just set clear boundaries on how much time you spend on this dating app and what those expectations are, right? So it's not like but to me, the red flag is if the guy's like, hey, we talked tonight for three hours, let's talk again tomorrow. Ding ding ding ding, red flag.

[34:20] Bret Shuford: Red flag. Run, run, run, run, run.

[34:24] Stephen Hanna: If it's like we talked for three hours tonight and it was lovely, let's talk again next week. Ugh, you're not gonna want to do that, but it's like that sounds like something Brett would say earlier. That's how you preserve the mystery and the joy and the fun. You sprinkle it out, you don't just dump it all on the ground.

[34:44] Bret Shuford: But dumping it is feels really good though.

[34:46] Stephen Hanna: Yes.

[34:47] Bret Shuford: No, I mean like like your love.

[34:50] Stephen Hanna: That's what I'm saying.

[34:51] Bret Shuford: No, I know what you've been what anyway. All right, anyways, I hope that was helpful. Um we want to thank you all for listening to the Broadway Husbands podcast. Don't forget to subscribe, and it would really help us out. I mean, really help us out. If you would leave us a review on whatever podcast platform you listen to us on, don't forget to check out Broadway Life Apparel and our new designs that are released every month. BroadwayLifeApparel.com.com. And on this podcast, we encourage you to love who you love and love what you do.