Finish Lines and Milestones

SandyBoy Productions
  • 4.7 (43)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Every runner has a story. Finish Lines and Milestones is a podcast that celebrates the everyday runner. If you run, you’re a runner. Join host, Ally Brettnacher, every week as she shares these runner stories.

  1. Episode 166: Peter Merante - Gritty, Not Pretty

    5d ago

    Episode 166: Peter Merante - Gritty, Not Pretty

    Peter Merante ⁠and I first officially met in person at the 2025 Carmel Marathon Expo. Since then, I've run into him on the Monon Trail, at local races, and at ⁠Athletic Annex⁠, where he's worked for three-plus years. During this episode, sponsored by ⁠Goodr⁠ and ⁠HUUG⁠, we talk about: Growing up in Cold Spring, New York — a Hudson Valley town of 3,500 people right across the Hudson River from West PointBeing born in Japan and how his Japanese mother made every effort to acclimate to American life — and why he took Japanese in college as a way of honoring herHow he discovered running about 20 years ago, dropped 40-plus pounds doing it, and eventually worked his way through Couch to 5K on an original iPodHis one and only marathon — Monumental 2013, just under five hours⁠Back on My Feet⁠ — a national nonprofit that uses movement to help people experiencing homelessness become independent and self-sufficient — and his years volunteering with the Indianapolis chapter at Wheeler Mission and Progress HouseThe equalizing power of running side by side — and the heartbreak of losing members along the wayRunning the Selma to Montgomery route (~40 miles from the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the state capital in Alabama)Hood to Coast and a Colorado Ragnar — both fundraisers for Back on My Feet — including a 2 AM leg that had him briefly convinced a train was a UFO, and a van-decorating situation that required polishing compound and a coin-op car wash31 half marathons, five relays, one full, and one eight-hour endurance raceThree-plus years at ⁠Athletic Annex⁠ in Fishers and a deep dive into running shoe foam technology (ATPU, PEBA, dual-density, etc.)His dream of a "Parks and Rec"-style run specialty TV showJune being Men's Mental Health Month — and his experience with individual therapy, couples therapy, and ADHD testing (including a surprise: he's Mensa eligible)Being an internal processor and what identifying that has meant for his relationshipsHis mantra: Gritty, Not Pretty — and the song he wants removed from all race playlistsHis next finish line: the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon, an entry he won in a social media contestPrevious Guests Mentioned ⁠⁠Maury Plambeck⁠⁠ - Episode 105⁠⁠Jim Patton⁠⁠ - Episode 71⁠⁠Timmy Howard⁠⁠ - Episode 54⁠⁠Wes Doty⁠⁠ - Episode 79⁠⁠Jason Noel⁠⁠ - Episode 62⁠⁠Jennifer Conner⁠⁠ - Episode 57⁠⁠Lindsey Hein⁠⁠ - Episode 100⁠⁠Eileen Poore⁠⁠ - Episode 17Sponsor Details ⁠Goodr⁠ - Use ALLYB for $10 off⁠HUUG⁠ - Use ALLYB for 15% offOther Links Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠This is a ⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠ podcast.

    1h 11m
  2. Episode 165: Tammy Mills - Chin Up, Crown On

    Jun 19

    Episode 165: Tammy Mills - Chin Up, Crown On

    Tammy Mills⁠ and I finally met in real life for this interview. Her journey from never being allowed to play sports as a kid to running the New York City Marathon when she turned 60 is one I know you will find inspiring. During this episode, sponsored by ⁠Noogs⁠ and ⁠Batch⁠, we talk about: How she found her coach, Christi Dee, after attempting to train for the New York City Marathon using multiple training appsGrowing up in Selma, Indiana and never being allowed to play sports as a kidFinding running in her 30s while getting sober, and running the Indy Mini with Ken Long's training programHer infamous "Jump the Gun" story — and the lady with the purse who passed herTruly finding running in her 50s after realizing she couldn't keep up with her kids at a Tamika Catchings basketball campRunning from mailbox to mailbox until she fell in love with movementHer first marathon at Indianapolis Monumental in 2016 — buying new shoes the day before and swearing she'd never run another oneRunning five marathons total, including the Kentucky Derby Marathon and Shamrock MarathonHer ultramarathon debut at The Full Mo, finishing despite a serious foot cramping injuryBecoming a Peloton devotee through Robin Arzon and the Swagger Society communityRunning the New York City Marathon with Kathrine Switzer's 261 Fearless team for her 60th birthdayHer mantra, "you don't know what you can't do," and how it carried her through training and the race itselfHer path to becoming a United Methodist pastor, getting defrocked after coming out, and eventually being "re-frocked" and serving a church in Michigan CityMeeting her wife Nancy, their fight to legally adopt their children as a same-sex couple in Indiana, and celebrating Pride Month together as a family32 years of sobriety and how running and gratitude have transformed her lifeHer love of building Lego and her Instagram account, mills365legoHeading back to New York City Marathon this fall, running for ⁠Tell Every Amazing Lady⁠ (ovarian cancer research)Previous Guests Mentioned ⁠⁠Whitney Heins⁠⁠ - Episode 163⁠⁠Mike Vollmer⁠⁠ - Episode 156⁠⁠Christi Dee⁠⁠ - Episode 3⁠⁠Mary Pittman⁠⁠ - Episode 10Sponsor Details ⁠Noogs⁠ - Use ALLYB for 15% off⁠Batch⁠ - Use FINISH for 30% offOther Links ⁠Support Tammy's Tell Every Amazing Lady NYC Marathon fundraiser⁠Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠This is a ⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠ podcast.

    1h 28m
  3. Episode 164: Zach Burton - World's Fastest Caterpillar 🐛

    Jun 12

    Episode 164: Zach Burton - World's Fastest Caterpillar 🐛

    ⁠Zach Burton⁠ and I have been crossing paths in the Indy running community for a while now, most recently at the ⁠Full Mo 50K⁠, where he ran for the second year in a row. During this episode, sponsored by ⁠Goodr⁠ and ⁠Noogs⁠, we talk about: Running the Full Mo two years in a row — the second time on basically no training 🤣How ultras flip the script on marathon pressure ("who cares what the time is, can you just run the mileage?")Growing up in Pike Township, playing baseball, and hating golf until he didn'tWalking on to the Anderson University cross country team while commuting an hour each way and working nights in radioHis rise at WZPL from weekend fill-in to music director and afternoon drive — as a 20-year-oldThe Two Faces for Radio pandemic podcast and interviewing artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, and Avril LavigneHow boredom + a random Instagram video led to Googling whether there was a world record for running a half marathon in a caterpillar costume (there was)The Guinness World Record process: three-month pre-approval, costume design sign-off, a GoPro-wielding cameraman running all 13.1, and a 3.5-month wait for the certificate 📜Running the Indy Mini as a five-person caterpillar in 1:30 and getting smoked by the elites anywayMeeting his wife in middle school ("the old-fashioned way — online") and proposing to her center stage at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during a Jingle Jam concert with Lizzo headlining 💍Blue Bell Cookie Two-Step ice cream, which he describes as "diabetes in a cup and the greatest thing ever"Previous Guests Mentioned ⁠⁠TJ Dailey⁠⁠ - Episode 68⁠⁠Mike Cole⁠⁠ - Episode 88⁠⁠Larry Coblentz⁠⁠ - Episode 9Sponsor Details ⁠Goodr⁠ - Use ALLYB for $10 off your first order⁠Noogs⁠ - Use ALLYB15 for 15% off your orderOther Links Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠This is a ⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠ podcast.

    1h 5m
  4. Episode 163: Whitney Heins - The Mother Runners

    Jun 5

    Episode 163: Whitney Heins - The Mother Runners

    Whitney Heins is the founder of The Mother Runners, host of The Mother Runners podcast, and a UESCA-certified running coach based in Knoxville, Tennessee. I was recently a guest on Whitney's podcast, and I've been looking forward to having her on here ever since. During this episode, sponsored by HUUG and Batch, we talk about: Pivoting from the Carmel Marathon to the Kentucky Derby Marathon after Carmel was postponed six weeks Running through Churchill Downs and why she does NOT recommend the Kentucky Derby Marathon if you're chasing a PRHow her dad — who was told he'd never walk again after being wounded in Vietnam — ran the Marine Corps Marathon every year and is the reason she became a runnerRunning her first marathon as a senior in college, a 3:29, on a Hal Higdon plan targeting 3:30, powered entirely by not knowing any better 😂Running Boston a couple of times, including the year her husband qualified, charged through the finish line screaming, and ended up in the medical tentThe injury cycle she spent years stuck in — torn hamstrings, a labral tear, and the hard realization that her training wasn't the right fit for her bodyMisplacing her self-worth on race times and the mental work it took to untangle thatFinding her current coach Nick Kostava at Running Explained and finally stacking two healthy marathon cycles back to backStarting The Mother Runners blog in 2019 because she couldn't find answers online that were written by people who had actually lived mom runner lifeBecoming a running coach because there weren't enough mom coaches who truly understood what mom life looked likeWhat it was really like to be a one-woman-band TV journalist — covering manhunts alone in heels, interviewing governors, and walking into a trailer with 18 Chihuahuas and mounds of poop Why she barely scrolls Instagram and has a golden retriever account called Four Golden Life Her dad, now turning 80, who picked up Krav Maga at 71 and is absolutely crushing itWhat's next: a speed cycle this summer and the CNO Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in the fall — which means we will finally get to meet in real life!Sponsor Details HUUG – Use code ALLYB for 15% off your orderBatch – Use code FINISH for 30% off your first order (good on subscriptions too!)Previous Guests Mentioned Jessica & Johnathan Jones – Episode 159Eileen Poore – Episode 17Other Links The Mother Runners podcastFollow Whitney on Instagram @themotherrunnersFollow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runsSubscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletterThis is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.

    1h 10m
  5. JUNE: CATCHING UP WITH COACH from Rachel Michelle Running

    Jun 3

    JUNE: CATCHING UP WITH COACH from Rachel Michelle Running

    JUNE CATCHING UP WITH COACH We recap my first ultramarathon — the Full Mo 50K! The first Wednesday of every month(ish) this year I'm going to bring you a conversation between me and my running coach, Rachel Sinders, of Rachel Michelle Running. We'll talk about my training and running journey while celebrating other members of Team RMR. You don't have to work with Rachel to enjoy these conversations, but if you're looking for a running coach - look no further! Thank you, Rachel, for supporting me and my podcast. Previous Guests Mentioned Christi Dee – Episode 3Whitney Bevins – Episode 4Rachel Sinders – Episode 8Larry Coblentz – Episode 9Renae Saager – Episode 14Eileen Poore – Episode 17Lindsey Welty – Episode 25Sara Farney – Episode 30Trena Roudebush – Episode 31Jennifer Nei – Episode 33Tracie Hunter – Episode 36Ashley Haynes – Episode 38Jay Druba – Episode 46Timmy Howard – Episode 54Vince Auten – Episode 56Jennifer Conner – Episode 57Shea Aquilano – Episode 60Jason Noel – Episode 62Brittany Koether – Episode 63TJ Dailey – Episode 68Cam Balser – Episode 75Margo Baltera – Episode 78Stephanie Woods – Episode 86Alan Errichiello – Episode 111Johanna Kitchell – Episode 114Logan Turner – Episode 123Jon Kuhn – Episode 128Gareth Wilford – Episode 131Mark Hill (my dad!) – Episode 132Gretchen Hercamp – Episode 147Carly Trulock Quinn – Episode 149Angela Kumar – Episode 151Tammy Mirante – Episode 154Other Links Boston Cop Slide (you have to see this 😂)Follow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runsSubscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletterThis is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.

    1h 13m
  6. Episode 162: Karen Kirkpatrick - Lupus Warrior Princess

    May 29

    Episode 162: Karen Kirkpatrick - Lupus Warrior Princess

    ⁠Karen Kirkpatrick⁠ and I met originally on Instagram, but we've since met in person for this interview and for a run. During this episode, sponsored by ⁠Goodr⁠, we talk about: Her Flying Pig Half Marathon recap — the hills, the soreness, the soreness going up and down stairs at work, and nearly PR'ing (seven minutes off!)Being a self-proclaimed "one and done" racer — she's done 28 halfs and almost never repeats a raceThe Disney Princess Half Marathon she did five times when she lived in Fort Myers, Florida — and how she's done nearly every RunDisney race on the calendarRegistering for the Disney World Marathon from her laptop during a teaching conference and nearly screaming out loud when she got inGrowing up in Columbus, Ohio, going to Bowling Green State University for photography and then education, and — surprise — playing ice hockey for the BGSU women's club team (she learned to skate to join)Her diagnosis journey: five doctors told her it was in her head before the sixth (a woman) took her hands and said "I don't think you're crazy"What it's like to live with lupus — the fatigue, the joint pain, the butterfly rash, the lesions, the immune compromise, and how it affects her every day at schoolSelena Gomez as a public face of lupus and why her story resonatesHer mom being the reason she started running — watching her mom do half marathons for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society in her 60s (with a knee replacement) was the nudge Karen neededHer very first half marathon at Columbus in 2014Finding ⁠Carmel Runners Club⁠ through a ⁠Run(317)⁠ event in 2019 and the community she's found there⁠The Rally app⁠ and how messages from her great-niece Evelyn and other family members carried her through the Flying PigTraining for her Disney World Marathon on the Monon — using the Jeff Galloway run/walk methodGetting her Mickey marathon finisher ears — the thing she cared about more than anything elseHer five dogs (Oreo, Morgan, Zelda, Milo, and Zoe) and one Flerken cat (Blondie from Captain Marvel, obviously)Flying Pig being her 28th half — and why she chose itDoctors now telling her she needs to stop at 10K distances, and what her final three races will beBeing tested for multiple sclerosis on top of lupus — tremors, dizziness, balance issues, and what the next steps look like medicallySWTHZ as part of her recovery — infrared sauna + 20-minute cold plunges (yes, 20)Her next two finish lines: the Indy Marathon at Fort Ben in October (for the veterans) and the Columbus Half Marathon to close it all out — with her mom hopefully waiting at the finish line to put her final medal on herPrevious Guests Mentioned ⁠Alex Baker⁠ - Episode 6⁠Abby Anderson⁠ - Episode 133Rachel Sinders - Episode 8Sponsor Details ⁠Goodr⁠ - Use code ALLYB for $10 off your first order⁠Amazfit⁠ - Use code ALLYB for 10% offOther Links Follow Karen on Instagram ⁠@lupuswarriorprincess⁠Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠This is a ⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠ podcast.

    1h 23m
  7. RACE RECAP: The 2026 500 Festival Indianapolis Mini-Marathon

    May 26

    RACE RECAP: The 2026 500 Festival Indianapolis Mini-Marathon

    This is a special episode of Finish Lines & Milestones where I recap all the details of my ⁠2026 500 Festival Indianapolis Mini-Marathon ⁠experience with Ainsley's Angels. You can also read and see pictures on my blog ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ and other highlights are on my Instagram ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Other Links Follow me on Instagram @allytbrett_runsSubscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter This is a SandyBoy Productions podcast.

    33 min
  8. Episode 161: Chikage Windler - Chasing Tornadoes and Marathon PRs

    May 22

    Episode 161: Chikage Windler - Chasing Tornadoes and Marathon PRs

    ⁠Chikage Windler⁠ and I were connected by mutual friend Rob Rueff. Previously based out of Indy, Chikage is now an award-winning TV meteorologist based in Austin, Texas. During this episode, sponsored by ⁠HUUG⁠ and ⁠Batch⁠, we talk about: Running the canals in Indianapolis on her lunch breaks when she worked at WTHR from 2011–2013How she got into running after moving to Austin — starting with a jogging stroller and a newborn, and showing up to the Cap 10K dressed as the sun 🌞Her 18 marathons to date, most of them in Texas, and the "marathon she loves to hate" — the Austin MarathonFinally cracking the sub-four barrier at the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge on her sixteenth try 🎉Being the Austin Marathon charity chaser in 2017 — running the race from the very back for Camp KesemWhat it's like being a meteorologist who also runs races — knowing too much about the forecast, consulting with race directors, and the Cap 10K this past April where she tracked storms overnight then ran the race on zero sleepHer go-to weather app recommendation (RadarScope) and why your phone's generic weather app isn't cutting itThe collarbone she broke getting out of her car after a 13-mile training run, the surgery that followed, and the 200+ miles she walked in a single month because she couldn't runFalling at a trail race on New Year's, falling at mile 25 of the Oklahoma City Marathon, and somehow still worrying about blood on her shoes 👟Her 80-year-old mom running her first half marathon in 35 years at OKC — and hitting a 15:32 pace right in the middle of her goal windowHer breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 — keeping it almost entirely private while continuing to work on-air every day, and how running was the one thing that made her feel like herself againRunning a 5K with a mandatory dozen donuts mid-race (and the strategy of smashing them into four stacks 🍩)Her mantra: "I love hills" (borrowed from friend Bill Schroeder — she does not actually love hills)What's ahead: her first Spartan race, the Moonlight Margarita Run, and the Chicago Marathon in October 🌬️Sponsor Details ⁠HUUG⁠ - Use ALLYB for 15% off⁠Batch⁠ - Use FINISH for 30% off sitewideOther Links Follow Chikage on Instagram ⁠@chikageweather⁠Follow me on Instagram ⁠@allytbrett_runs⁠⁠Subscribe to Finish Lines & Milestones weekly newsletter⁠This is a ⁠SandyBoy Productions⁠ podcast.

    1h 15m
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4.7
out of 5
43 Ratings

About

Every runner has a story. Finish Lines and Milestones is a podcast that celebrates the everyday runner. If you run, you’re a runner. Join host, Ally Brettnacher, every week as she shares these runner stories.

Information

  • Creator
    SandyBoy Productions
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    178
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © SandyBoy Productions
  • Show Website
    Finish Lines and Milestones

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