Episode 47: Interview with Laura Scaduto; Writer, Baker, Camp Runabout Counselor
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Welcome to Chasing Life podcast, where we talk about fitness, running, career, and life tips to inspire you to live your best life. I'm your host, Sarah Kane, and I hope you enjoy today's episode. Welcome to another episode of Chasing Life. Today's guest is Laura Scuduto. Welcome, Laura. Hi, Sarah. Thanks for having me. Oh, you're welcome. So we have a lot to talk about today, and I'm really excited to cover like the half a dozen topics. It's a marathon conversation. Yes.

But let's get started with you just sharing a little bit about yourself. Yeah. So thank you again for having me. When I was thinking about trying to describe myself, I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. So I will just pepper them at you. I'm a personal trainer by trade. I am

a runabout camp counselor, and I'm sure Sarah and I will touch on that today. I'm a writer, I'm a cat lover, I'm a baker, I'm a violinist, and I'm an Italian language enthusiast. Have at it. Wow, where do I begin with that? Let's start with the writer. What do you write and how long have you been writing for?

Yeah, so I have a bit of a mixed background. I went to school for exercise science and journalism, so I have two passions of journalism.

sport, fitness, and now an obsession with running. And the writing side has morphed into becoming a copywriter. I've worked in the beauty industry. I've worked in the running industry. And now I write in the baking industry. So I have a bit of every word you would ever need

So you mentioned you enjoy baking too. So did you get into baking after you started writing about it or before and just kind of merged your two loves? You know, I did like to bake before and I had started baking Instagram and

Kind of got into bread baking when the Great British Baking Show came out. I am on the bandwagon. So yeah, but I had an amazing opportunity when a copywriting position came up at a baking company and it was just a match made in heaven. And now I can't stop baking, which means I need to do a lot more running. Right. There's always that joke of it's a good thing I run. Otherwise I'd be like 50 pounds heavier. Yeah.

Yep. Yep. Definitely. Like the thing is like, since I've started baking, I wake up thinking about recipes, which has never happened to me before. And now that I'm smelling the, you know, the pumpkin smell in stores, I'm like pumpkin pie, pumpkin cupcakes filled with cream cheese. Like, you know, it's, it's a, it's a problem. So what is your favorite thing to bake? So my go-to recipe is a no need crusty white bread.

It's super easy because by letting the dough rest, it ferments on its own and builds the gluten.

I know I'm going to start sounding pretty dorky here, but it's a super easy recipe and the bread is delicious and you could use it for grilled cheese, which is my favorite lunchtime treat. Toast in the morning, if you like a jelly peanut butter. Oh my gosh. Any, any, everything and anything like butter with, I put prosciutto on it. Oh my gosh. Like fresh out of the oven. I'm getting hungry. I haven't even eaten dinner yet. Yeah.

Well, we'll have to get that recipe from you so that we can share it with the listeners if you don't mind. Of course. Yeah, I will totally send it to you and you can post it. Yeah, sounds great. So let's go back to your personal training background. How did you decide to pursue that in your education field? And what's your career been like since then?

Yeah, so I started studying exercise science when I was in college. I've always kind of been fascinated with the human body and how it relates to exercise. And, you know, the courses that I took, like biomechanics and kinesiology, all just really fascinated me. And

When we were when I was graduating, we had to pick some type of certification. So you could do strength and conditioning certification, a personal training cert, and there might have been two others.

And I really like people. I like working with people. It brings out a side of me that I never really knew until I started being a spin instructor. But yeah, so I started personal training. And after college, I actually moved to Ireland and worked as a personal trainer and got to work with all types of athletes from Gaelic football players to like dancers. And it was just amazing. And I became...

like really involved in personal training. And that's actually when I got back from Ireland and I moved to DC where I lived for six years, I, you know, was training at a few gyms training on my own. And when this will tie into Kim runabout, when our fearless leader, Bill was living in the area, he was in Virginia. He

He posted a fitness writer, like a blog or an editor, fitness editor for runhaven.com. And then I just felt like, you know, you have those moments in your career where you're like, aha, this is like stars aligning. I can write about fitness and I can be a writer, you know, like I can put fitness and writing together. And that's how I ended up meeting Bill. Like,

five years. Oh my gosh, more than five years. It was 2013. Gosh, it's a long time. So it's

Yeah, I just, you know, right now I'm not training anybody but myself. I have become super busy with my day job writing and all my other millions of hobbies that I told you about. But yeah, it'll always be a part of me. And that's something that I get out of the running community, you know, training alongside people, hearing about other people's training, swapping tips. And, you know, that's why I love your podcast. And I

Love talking to like-minded people. Yeah, that's definitely one of the benefits of my podcast is just being able to like talk about all running and fitness without the other person, like wanting to get out of the conversation ASAP. So moving to Ireland, that sounds really interesting. How long were you there for and how did you find that opportunity? You know, I think I had one of those moments in college after two years of

where I just started panicking and thinking like, you know, what, is this my dream? Like, am I doing the right thing? And I think I wanted to take some time off of college and I wanted to just go as far away as I could.

So I have really awesome supportive parents and they could see the wheels turning and spinning and my, you know, ear smoking. And they said to me, you know, why don't you go away for the summer, take some time to think about it, get a job and, you know, we support you, but please come back. Yeah.

And I said, okay, deal. So I looked at a map. I remember it was finals week and I had one of those giant atlases in the library and I just looked at it and I go, okay, where do they speak English? And, and I looked over the, over the pond. I was like, you know what? I think there's leprechauns in Ireland and I think I should go there.

And oddly enough, I had an uncle. I still have an uncle. My uncle has a job that has two locations, one in New England and one in Cork, Ireland. So it was kind of a win-win. I had a family member there in case anything went wrong. And I got to go live the summer of wonderfulness. Fast forward, I met a guy in Ireland, right?

Then I ended up after college moving to Ireland with him where he's from. And yeah, so another three years there and yeah,

A lot of potatoes, a lot of rolling hills and training. And it was fantastic. Yeah. That sounds really neat and actually similar. So I studied abroad in college too, with the same mindset of where did they speak English? And spent six weeks there for a summer too. But yeah, it's cool. I was able to travel on weekends to like France and Scotland and England.

Amsterdam and it was definitely a lot easier to get around in London when I could understand the language. I actually I studied abroad officially in Australia. Oh cool. In between that so yeah same English speaking vibe I know. Yeah yeah. Less things to worry about I guess. Absolutely yeah and going from when I was in France for a weekend and I always say they speak French and I didn't know like

anything about, you know, going on public transportation and not having kind of a clue what they were saying. And then going back to London, I was like, okay, I understand things now. Like, I just, I don't know languages. And so that made me, makes me sound like a dumb American, but. Did you ever find the different dialects in London and England, like to be difficult?

I didn't. I ended up, so I did an internship when I was there. And so I worked in a hospital and even that, like my supervisor was from New Zealand. And so having his accent compared to a London accent, I had diverse people that I was working with in that office. And they were just so fascinated with Americans too. I don't know. Did you find that in Ireland? Yeah.

Yeah, I think oddly enough, I know it's a podcast, but I have an olive complexion. I'm half Italian. So I think the skin was a shocking factor. Yeah.

To a lot of Irish people. Right, because they're very fair skinned, yes. Very fair skinned, yes. Well, we could probably talk about traveling for a while, but what I'd love to hear about is your running story, running background, and what you're currently training for. Yes, that's a fabulous question. So if you met me now, you would probably think that I am a runner and I've always been a runner for how much I love it and can talk about it.

and all of my running t-shirts and gear. But I actually started as a swimmer. When I was young, we had a swim club near our house and they decided to start a swim team called the Hummelstown Flamingos. So I actually started the swim team. My sister joined with me and it's very funny because my parents would say I was always a brat and never wanted to go to swim lessons. So becoming a little swimmer was quite shocking.

So I actually started swimming. And then when I went to college, I joined a cycling team. And if you can see where these pieces are going, I did my first triathlon. Someone asked me to do a

sprint triathlon and be part of their team. They needed a swimmer. I find that is the, the keystone to a tri team because nobody seems to ever want to swim. So I did it and with our team and we placed, which was fascinating to me. And I was from that day, absolutely hooked and

on triathlon. And so I knew that this, uh, this last little part called running was something that I was going to have to figure out how to do. So actually I started doing my own sprint triathlons and, you know, showed up at that first race on a mountain bike.

in, you know, yard shoes and got a lot of really weird looks. I think we've all been there at the very beginning, you know, was very nervous having like small panic attacks with my face in the water and, you know, but I pushed through and I ended up becoming a really strong triathlete. And even after college, I kept competing. I did qualified for USA triathlon in Ohio and Cleveland and

and did that. And, you know, the first time I ever run a ran a half Sarah was in a half Ironman where I had to run a half marathon at the end. And it was one of those things where I was like, you know what? I'm fit enough. I don't want to train for it. I'm just going to do it. And I think the most I'd ever run was like seven miles, maybe, but the adrenaline of that day, you know, um, if when I did my first half iron, I, I crushed it. And then the addiction got worse.

And then I decided I needed to start running marathons because I had to do full Ironman. I mean, it's just like a life goal.

But I think the next part you will relate with, because I still have not done a full Ironman because I got injured. And I think the last few years, even getting past that injury, I really started listening and appreciating my body. And I don't think I'm ready for the Ironman yet, but it's a seed I've planted in that garden of the future, if you will. There

There's so many things I can relate to as your story. First, I was also a swimmer in high school. So I'm learning all these things about you that I'm like, yep, me too. Second, I was recruited on a triathlon team a few years ago because they needed a swimmer.

Yeah, that is like the piece of the triathlon that is the heart. Well, I mean, they're all hard in their own ways, but it's a lot different skill set than riding a bike or running. And so I definitely could relate to that. And I had a panic attack the first time I was in an open water swim to the high school swim team. I

I, you know, I've done thousands of different, so different. And like, I was probably, I showed up in a bathing suit, not a wetsuit. I had like no clue what was going on. Didn't know, like I got recruited by my boss and cause he wanted to do it. And I was like, sure I can swim. I haven't swam in like four years, but so I had to kind of get back into swimming shape.

Because this is the only thing I noticed about swimming versus running. Running, you can breathe all the time. Swimming, your face is in the water.

You can't breathe all the time. Yeah. And you can't see all the time either. There's so many factors, especially in open water. It's not like you can look down and see like a black line at the bottom of a pool. Like you can. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So a whole new bunch of obstacles. Yes. So, so many things I can, can relate to that one. So you mentioned that you

had this goal of a marathon. So, so can you tell us about that?

Yeah. So this would be, I'm training the mystery marathons there. It's quite sad. Unfortunately, the Burlington marathon was canceled because they didn't have enough medical staff to cover the whole 26.2 course, which given the, you know, climate and circumstances that are happening right now, I completely understand, but I felt that bottom of my heart go, Oh man, I've been training all summer for this race. So I,

I am putting feelers out to find another marathon and maybe I'm thinking maybe the LA marathon in the beginning of November. Cause I feel like I'll be ready for it. So yeah, I am, I'm floating around. I'm still training with the same passion for a marathon, but I don't actually have a date. So yeah, it's a, it's an interesting time. Yeah. That would be awesome.

kind of frustrating now the burlington marathon i know this because my boston qualifying time at one point i thought was going to be the burlington may 2022 race

- Oh, okay, yeah. - It's usually held Memorial Day weekend, but because of COVID, it was delayed in 2021 to the fall of 2021, right? So you were training for that race. - Yep. - Okay, yeah, that's disappointing, but also kind of funny that we're both talking about Burlington. - Yeah, yeah. I mean, we have the option of doing a virtual race, but I really pull a lot of enthusiasm for those last six miles, if you'd be honest.

from the crowds and the running community. So I know for myself that I really want to do a group marathon. So, you know, and if it doesn't happen, it's all good. I live in Florida. So, you know, January there's races here. So I, you know, can bottle up that energy and save it for another day. So speaking of living in Florida too, how has it been training in the heat there? Because you're originally from the Northeast, right?

So that's a lot different weather and terrain than Florida. Can you talk about what it's been like? You've been down there about a year now. So like what you've learned or any tips that you can share?

Yes. So I want to be super positive because Florida is absolutely beautiful. And I am so lucky to run by the ocean and see manatee. I saw three manatee on my run this morning and beautiful birds. So I will then say I live on the freaking sun.

And yeah, there's a lot of changes. I think from everything about hydration and planning those kinds of things, like, you know, you have to get up really early. That's my number one tip. The 5 a.m. alarm clock is now my best friend. I say that grudgingly, but you know, if I, I find that if I'm out after eight o'clock, I'm just not doing my body any services. So getting up early and electrolytes, oh my gosh, electrolytes.

I carry Pedialyte in one side of my running belt and water in the other. And then I do refill my water as I go. But when I was in my early 20s, I probably could have mustered through it and had the energy. But now I just really try to listen because migraines are a new thing for me. And if I don't listen, I spend my whole weekend in a dark apartment,

and I miss the beautiful beach. And strength training, I'll say because I don't have any hills. I went home for the summer and family lives in New Hampshire. And the first day I did hills, my quads cramped up like I couldn't even believe. So since then I've learned

lots of box steps, lots of glutes strength, everything that I can possibly do to recreate and build up that strength in my legs again, because, you know, the race I was planning for was a very hilly Burlington, you know, marathon is very hilly finding new ways to train. It's, you know, it's great as an athlete, we get to have new challenges and find ways to

cope with them and embrace them, if you will. So it's been really great. You know, I did a half this morning and

I feel fine now because I did all of those things. And the jump in the salt water afterwards, you know, washes away all the stress. Yeah, that's definitely a really great point to share about strengthening your legs in different ways, like doing the box jumps and the strength training to supplement your

flat running all the time because there is a strength component to running up hills. And so I think that's a really great tip that you shared there for anybody who lives in more flat terrain, maybe lucky or not so lucky, however they want to see it. I get lots of hills where I live, so I try to avoid them. You're lucky.

I do a lot of band walk. Yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah. Those are really great for strengthening your glutes and getting that lateral movements too. You mentioned in our conversation before we hit record here was that you like to run on the beach. What have you learned training there? Do you use that as a way to kind of supplement the flat running? I know a lot of runners around here who I've met that

I feel like you either love it or you hate it. Some people say, oh, it's really bad for you. I don't believe it's bad for you. My, my calves get really, really strong. So I don't do it a lot just because I am focused on race training. Now, I don't know how much running on the beach will help, but I find it to be very, you know, therapeutic and it's great for my calves. I like to run on the wet sands, like those cute little birds that like skitter and

to the waves and back, I find it really hard. And I somehow like that. And I like feeling

the wet sand under my feet, it's really relaxing. And I think there's always a little slight incline one way you're going. So I figure if you go out and back, it all equals out in the end of the day, but you just have to watch out for those, uh, sharp seashells. Yeah. That's a good, do you run in shoes or barefoot? Oh, barefoot. Yeah, totally. There's some days that I'll run, there's a flat packed sand up towards the boardwalk and

And some days I'll bounce back and forth from the boardwalk to the pack sand wearing my running shoes. And it's nice. It's nice to watch the sunrise from that perspective too. It's beautiful. And now the sun rises at like 730, 745. So usually ending my run by then. And it's really nice to just, you know, dunk yourself and watch the sun. That would be a really nice reward. Now that it's fall in the Northeast, I...

I get up when it's dark, but by the time I finish a workout or a run, it starts to get the sunrise now. So it's definitely a nice reward for getting up early to be able to see nature's beauty like that. Yes. And right now the tour season is winding down. So I really appreciate those mornings a little bit more for the tranquility and you feel like the sunrise is all for you. That's a really nice imagery there.

Yeah, it's really nice. To change topics a little bit, but still running related, earlier in the episode, you mentioned how you got connected, at least with Camp Runabout. Can you share kind of how that expanded from you taking a job writing to being a grown-up camp counselor? Oh my gosh, Sarah. Like, I seriously, I don't want to burst the eardrums of your listeners, but I want to scream because I get so excited about Camp Runabout. Yeah.

Yeah. So, oh my goodness, there's so much to say. So yeah, I got connected with Bill, who is the fearless leader of Camp Runabout. And, you know, after Runhaven closed, Bill is a very ingenious, inventive person. And I knew from the moment that Runhaven, the online blog running community that he created is when that ended, I knew that he was going to have something else.

He's super passionate about running. He has a really amazing background. You should anybody listening, look him up, Bill Reif Snyder. So Bill called me up one day. I remember I was vacationing in Maine with my parents and he said, I've got this idea.

I think I want to make a camp for runners. You know, I think we could pull from our community that we had before and there's nobody else out there doing this. So what do you think? Like, would you like to be a counselor at this camp and help me out? And, you know, I didn't even know anything. I was like, okay, what's a running camp? Okay. Yes. Whatever it is, I'll do it. I'm in. So Phil started camp runabout in 2017. And basically, um,

What it is, is it's a summer camp for runners. And I know you've mentioned this before because you're our advocate here. It's a little running and a lot of fun. So in no way do you actually have to be a runner to go to this camp.

You can do anything and everything that the summer camp offers. It's all inclusive and we run it out of summer camps for kids. So the camp is already set up with these amazing activities.

from climbing courses, dodgeball, basketball courts, tennis courts, arts and crafts, archery, swimming, fishing sometimes, like anything you could ever imagine like a kid's summer camp to be. But for adults, and it's 21 and over, so we have...

alcohol supplied at bonfires at the evening gatherings it's just so fun and like sarah you've been there and i know you like could probably give your two cents too but it's just such a special place where you can come and speak to like-minded people around a bonfire with s'mores

you know, get up and go on a beautiful trail run if you want, you know, or sleep in, go to a boot camp session with Sarge, make friendship bracelets. It's just a little oasis. You kind of, I don't know if you felt the same way, but every time I go, even though like we're running around, running all the activities as a counselor, I feel like I'm in this really cool bubble where

where I forget about my job or like my stresses, anything going on in the outside world. And I am just like in camp and we are there to have fun. Yes, I can definitely add to that. I went to my first camp and probably listeners are sick of hearing me talk about this, but I feel like you bring up an important point that it's going and meeting other like-minded people

And to me, like, I didn't know what I was missing until I went there. And it was like a really serendipitous moment that I even heard about the camp because it's only about an hour and a half away from where I live. And I heard a random, I was at like a craft night at a local like paint and sip place. And I heard someone talking about it. Okay.

And I looked it up when I got home and, and I happened to, I think I got a bonus from work and I was like, I'm going to use this bonus and go to this camp alone. And it was like one of the best decisions I ever made. And I felt exactly the same way that you mentioned that I felt like I was in a bubble and I got to forget about like everything going on in my life. Like I left that camping, like, okay, I'm ready. Like quit my job. How can I do this for a living? Yeah.

I feel like that every single time. Yeah. And I was like, so then I reached out to Bill and that's why I've been like a little bit more involved or trying to help him with some marketing stuff or because I was just like, I want to be a part of this. How can I like help you guys grow? And because I just love the experience. It was just amazing to meet new friends from all over the country and, you know, just be around people who,

love talking about running or fitness or just, and the experience of like trying new things. Like one of the camps that I went to, I got to go on a trapeze, like where could I ever do that? Like, it's just amazing. And so, and like some of the ropes courses, like having that kind of like overcoming some fear of height. So those types of things, I feel like

you'll really add to a vacation experience and you definitely get that at an adult. Yeah. And I mean, my heart just swells. It's so corny, but like you said, you know, there's mostly women average age around 43. And I see so many people overcome things. I saw somebody paddleboard for the first time. I saw somebody do karaoke for the first time and it,

you know, ropes course and they come and they share their stories at lunch or, you know, you hear them on the bus the next morning when you're going to the run and they're just like, I can't believe I did this. Like, I, I never thought I would do that. Like I was so scared, but I did it. And you know, even if they didn't come with friends, they have all these people there like saying, you got this, you can do it. You know, it's such a supportive community. And

I don't know if it's like sleep deprivation or just pure like happiness and pride, but I always on the last day, I'm find myself just crying like on the bus to the airport or like, because it's just, it's such an awesome group of people. And I feel like I make true genuine friends every single time I leave. And I just hope that like, I really hope they come back. I just, I want everybody to come back so we can make more memories together. It's, you know,

you know it's so cool and that's how I met Megan and Aaron who are also the other camp counselors and you know lifelong friends right there yeah and Megan and Aaron this is how much I love camp run about is like you're the fourth guest I've had that has been that I've met at camp but

And the last time I saw you guys in person was two years ago. So that just kind of goes to show that we've stayed connected as a network, even with camps being unfortunately canceled again this fall for me. I had the June camp. Yeah, I'm so sorry.

But hopefully next year it'll be like worth the wait. I like knock on wood. Yeah, I know. Right. Can this COVID thing go away, please? Because I just want to hang out with all my camp runabout friends. Yep. Me too. Pretty much forever. So that's why I just invite you all on my podcast.

Anytime. I can fill up all your podcast time with Camp Runabout. Cheers. I love talking about it and so do you. And hopefully people can understand the energy and the reason why we love talking about it. But we'll kind of wrap up this talk by me asking you, what is your favorite memory or moment that you've had with Camp Runabout? Now, you've been doing this for a couple of years now, so you've had a camp runabout. Oh my gosh, Sarah. You know, I think...

There's a lot of highlight moments when, you know, we have these awesome themed parties. We've had grease themes and disco themes. And I think I have these moments where we have my arms around everybody at the end of the night and we're singing something like country road and, and,

I have these moments of just like, I feel really happy to be with all these people, but I think to top that moment, I think it was our last camp when we got up at the, on the last day to do our awards. And we have these really fun awards that we kind of make up along the way. So you don't really know what they're going to be, but if something really special happens, we might just make an award for it and give it to you at the end. But yeah,

We got up at the end and, you know, we had our whole staff there. So like five of us and Bill thanked everybody for the camp and I loved, there's just this moment when I was looking out and I saw all the campers there and I had my arms around my counselors and we worked so hard on that during the camp to make sure everybody had fun.

And we thanked everybody for coming and they stood up and they all just like gave a standing ovation. And I, you know, I'm a huge staff, but it just felt so good. I felt so warm inside. And after a crazy year that we've all means more than a year now that we've all been through and like canceling camp and, you know, so many personal struggles and a lot of

During that time to all come there together safely, a break in COVID world before the second wave came, it was just, I needed it and I could see it in a lot of people's eyes. And, you know, I had a lot of people thank me and thank the staff separately for helping

pulling it off you know so this last year put a little cherry on top for me it was really special I got chills even just kind of picturing that so I can't even imagine what it must have been like to be in that room and experience it yeah and I just you know we had a an awesome we switched camps this year we went to Camp Timber Tops and the staff was you know just made it that more magical you know in a really tough time where we had to wear masks indoors and then like

you know, in certain places and cleanliness was like a priority for us. And they, they just, it was a match made in heaven, that camp. And we're going there again, June 9th through 12th and September 8th through 11th next year, 2022. It's, it just, it's all seemed to work out. So, you know,

fingers toes everything possibly crossed that we will see everybody again next year it'll be fun yeah I can't wait like I'm starting to count down again for like a third year in a row right I've already you know like registered for now I mean my registration just keeps rolling over so I'm like I have to apologize we're like we're really trying you know yeah

do to do it all safely. But, but, but now you, you probably have a karaoke song, like perfected by now, right there. I'm ready. You know, and when you mentioned karaoke earlier about people like doing karaoke for the first time, I was one of them. Oh, you were? Yeah. That was like,

So I'm like really cheesy and that I have a bucket list and this is because I'm like very introverted. So unless I like write it down and challenge myself to do something, I'm just going to sit and like, like not do it. So years ago I wrote singing karaoke because to me, like being in front of other people and like singing a song, like that's a, like a,

big thing to me. That was like really scary, especially because like when I was in college, I used to hate public speaking. And now of course I host a podcast, but you know, just, just supposed to show like how you grow. But yes, I sang not only with new friends that I met at camp, but also an individual song. I rocked Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. Thank you very much. Yeah. I've been, I've been trying to think of a, my next song to follow my, for my encore performance. Yeah.

Yes. So have you kept in touch with all your bunkmates?

I do. Yeah, we have a group text. So we check in with each other. Yeah, it's really fun. And like immediately after camp. So we all met in the camp of 2019 and we just were like blowing each other's phones up for like a couple months after we've kind of like settled down and check in with each other every like couple of weeks now. But yeah, we still have a group text going on with everybody. Yeah, that's awesome. I'd love to hear that. Yeah. So it's really fun.

So besides Camp Runabout being one of your obsessions, you have another item that you're obsessed with or loving right now. Okay. Originally I was going to say baking and I have over here, I have pumpkin batter because I'm making pumpkin bread. I have a

dough rising for pizza for dinner tonight. So I hate to fall back on baking again, but yeah, it's become like, I don't want to say unhealthy, but it's definitely become an obsession. Yeah, I admit I'm not a very good baker. I mean, I keep things like super simple. So I got my meal prep. I make like almost...

Your meal prep is so inspiring, by the way. Thank you. Yeah, that's, I mean, I've been doing that for, I don't know, like almost four years now. So it's become more of a habit than anything else. But yeah, the baking, my baking experience is I have forgotten like baking soda and brownies before work.

Like I just, I had baking fails, so I just stayed away from it. Yeah. It's been a work in progress. I'm now getting a little bit better, but yeah, like I told you, I wake up and I think about it. And so, yeah, I would definitely still say it's baking. I haven't jumped on the sourdough train yet though, because that's a little intimidating to me. And I don't, I can't imagine feeding it every like, you know, you have to feed it and you have to take care of it.

That's a little much. Too much commitment there. No, but I should send you some flowers that you can dip your toe in this. I'm always up for a challenge, so I can give it a try. Okay. I feel like we could talk for hours about running and life in general, but I

want to wrap it up so that you can get to your pizza and ask you what does chasing life mean to you? Okay. So for me, chasing life really means to push yourself.

And I found that to be really true in running, but also in different parts of my life. For me, it's anything from applying for a job that you don't think you're qualified for, which is a really big thing for me. I tend to self-deprecate a little bit and I'm not a really good advocate. I'm getting better at

And, you know, pushing yourself to try something that scares you, like you said, you've done before. I did my first ocean swim two weekends ago with the group and

terrified doesn't begin to describe what I was feeling, seeing giant fish and jellyfish around me. So chasing life to me means pushing yourself. I really feel like that's what life is about. Yeah. I love that. I love hearing everyone's different answers. So thank you for sharing your perspective. Yeah, no problem. I think it also keeps me young. I think it's a good thing. Like, you know, I think as you get older, sometimes

the fear can take over and you think like, oh, I can't, I can't do that. Like, there's no way I could try skydiving. It's like, you know, crazy, but you know, you can do anything. You can do anything. Yes. Yeah. You certainly can. I always remember this from the movie of we bought a zoo. You just need that 20 seconds of courage. Yeah.

Yes. Thank you so much for your time today, Laura. I hope our listeners enjoyed our conversation as much as I did. Do you have any final thoughts that you want to share with us? Oh, thank you so much, Sarah. I had, like you said, such a great time. You were such an inspiration. I love the podcast. I just invite anybody who wants to come to Tri Camp Runabout.

out to check us out camp runabout.com and reach out to Sarah if you want to get a promo code and I hope to see you guys there. I can't wait to see you again in person next year. Me too. Thank you, Sarah. And good luck on your upcoming marathon, whatever you decide that to be. Thank you. Good luck with your training too. Thanks. This episode was recorded almost two months before

publishing it. So I wanted to provide an update on what Laura decided to do. At this time, she's currently maintaining her fitness and is hoping for a spring marathon. She's definitely signed up for Burlington next year. But in the meantime, she's also on the waiting list for the Miami marathon. Keep running those miles, Laura, and I hope for a marathon race for you soon.

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, please share it on social media. Tag me at SarahChasingLife or at Chasing Life Podcast. If you haven't already, please be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast. That helps me to reach more listeners.