Sept. 5, 2023
A Second Chance at Life: Tom & Deb Stokes Riveting Story of Love, Fitness and Organ Donation, EP 225
Picture this: a couple who left their jobs to pursue a life of fitness and travel, are running marathons in every state, and faced life-threatening health challenges. Welcome to the extraordinary life of Tom and Deb Stokes. Join us for a heartwarming and inspiring episode as we delve into their journey of love, athleticism, and resilience. The Stokes share the importance of setting goals, the role their athletic backgrounds played in overcoming health challenges, and how they balanced life, fitness, and a marriage.
Their story took an unexpected turn when Tom required a liver transplant. But this couple approaches everything as a team, turning adversity into opportunities for growth. You will be riveted as they recount how they maintained balance, continued pursuing fitness goals and transformed health challenges into inspiring victories. They firmly believe in the power of organ donation, not only for its life-saving impact but also for the second chance it offers.
Discover key insights from Tom and Deb's extraordinary journey. Their shared passion for fitness, intertwined with their relationship, is a testament to the power of support, perseverance, and love. This episode is more than just an inspiring tale of a couple's journey, it's a powerful reminder of the impact organ donation can have, and an insight into maintaining balance in relationships while pursuing individual goals. Get ready to be inspired, learn, and perhaps even reassess your own life goals.
Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.
Chapters
00:01 - Couples Mojo
10:14 - Couple Overcomes Health Challenges Through Fitness
18:07 - Goal Setting, Overcoming Obstacles, Organ Donation
30:05 - Takeaways From an Inspiring Couple
Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:01.423 --> 00:00:06.227
Welcome to the award-winning Champions Mojo hosted by two world record holding athletes.
00:00:06.227 --> 00:00:09.910
Be inspired as you listen to conversations with champions.
00:00:09.910 --> 00:00:13.769
Now your hosts Kelly Palace and Maria Parker.
00:00:15.823 --> 00:00:19.568
Hello friends, Welcome to the Champions Mojo podcast.
00:00:19.568 --> 00:00:22.748
As usual, I am co-hosting with Maria Parker.
00:00:22.748 --> 00:00:23.269
Hey, Maria.
00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:24.885
Hey Kelly, it's great to be here.
00:00:24.885 --> 00:00:26.926
I'm so excited about our interview today.
00:00:27.841 --> 00:00:41.411
And what a special treat today we have not one guest but two guests, because we're launching a themed episode which we're going to intersperse in our episodes now and then.
00:00:41.411 --> 00:00:44.247
That is the couples mojo.
00:00:44.247 --> 00:00:56.048
We're introducing and going to be talking with our friends, tom and Deb Stokes, who are both elite masters, athletes, champions in multiple sports.
00:00:56.048 --> 00:01:04.876
Maria and I, of course, met them through our master swimming program, so we know they're both swimmers, but it is not their best stroke.
00:01:04.876 --> 00:01:11.707
But certainly anyone who dons the cap and goggles, as I say, really understands the sport.
00:01:11.707 --> 00:01:15.528
So first let's say welcome to the show, tom and Deb.
00:01:16.230 --> 00:01:17.081
Welcome, thank you.
00:01:17.081 --> 00:01:19.230
Thanks very much for the invitation.
00:01:20.075 --> 00:01:20.620
Yes, yes.
00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:30.719
So you guys have been inspiring Maria and I, and we thought we got to talk to these people because they are traveling all over the US doing races.
00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:35.459
Every time we look up from swim practice, you guys are traveling somewhere.
00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:38.120
I know, tom, you are a transplants recipient.
00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:39.906
You've been to the World Transplant Games.
00:01:39.906 --> 00:01:44.450
Deb, you're constantly hiking these amazing hikes and running.
00:01:44.450 --> 00:01:49.046
You guys have a lot of things that you're doing and you're doing them together.
00:01:49.046 --> 00:01:59.447
So, as somebody who does have a spouse that works out with me and Maria is the same we want to explore how did this spin?
00:01:59.447 --> 00:02:02.028
And let's start with how you guys met.
00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:15.780
We worked together in a mid-sized hospital down in Brighton Beach, florida, and we worked in the same department and the room where I worked was just right next to the walkthrough between the locker rooms and the operating rooms.
00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:22.086
So on an almost daily basis I got the seer coming into work and we just started up the conversation.
00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:26.764
Were you both athletes, then Were you both working out.
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:30.188
We were both runners of the sort.
00:02:30.188 --> 00:02:32.326
Deb had been running for a while.
00:02:32.326 --> 00:02:45.510
I'd been running on and off for quite a few years, but more off than on, and once we started to get together and going out and off a lot of our early dates for running somewhere, we'd meet and go for a run and enjoy our evening that way.
00:02:45.980 --> 00:02:46.969
Whose idea was that?
00:02:46.969 --> 00:02:48.020
To meet and go for a run?
00:02:49.365 --> 00:02:50.748
I don't know, probably the most of us.
00:02:50.748 --> 00:02:53.568
I was a very casual runner.
00:02:53.568 --> 00:03:03.931
I ran a couple of miles here and there I had maybe run a fun run 5K, but never really tried to race a 5K up to that point.
00:03:03.931 --> 00:03:07.429
So my first 5K was with him, nice.
00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:09.145
Let's back up a little bit.
00:03:09.145 --> 00:03:11.639
What are you both doing in the hospital at that point?
00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:12.866
Are you both nurses?
00:03:12.866 --> 00:03:15.139
Or give us a little background on your careers.
00:03:16.424 --> 00:03:30.879
So I was an OR nurse I then and this was back in 1999, so I'd been a nurse for a little like 11 years at that point, and what you were 20 years on by then.
00:03:31.081 --> 00:03:34.306
So it's a little bit longer than 20, but I worked in the recovery room.
00:03:34.306 --> 00:03:49.472
But the recovery room also had responsibility for pre-opping, or prepping patients for the surgery, getting them from wherever they happened to be, and I guess I had 7, 4, 9, yeah, about 25 years in at that time.
00:03:49.939 --> 00:04:02.329
So I would sometimes pick up my patient from him and then often I would deliver my patient to him in the recovery room too, because he did both jobs and I was in the OR.
00:04:04.040 --> 00:04:06.449
So what a nice way to meet.
00:04:06.449 --> 00:04:10.699
And so we established before we started recording that you guys had been married 20 years.
00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:15.451
Obviously, most relationships start off kind of exciting and new.
00:04:15.451 --> 00:04:20.552
What was the first real obstacle that you guys faced as a couple?
00:04:21.961 --> 00:04:41.007
I'd say one of the very first things that we bumped into was we had wanted to take some time off, like a leave of absence, to go and do some travel, a travel assignment someplace, spend a summer outside of Florida, and the manager that we had at the time just refused to let us go.
00:04:41.007 --> 00:04:56.392
So we had the option of either taking and putting our travel plans on hold or we could resign and go traveling, and we chose plan B we quit together and we rode off into the sunset together.
00:04:59.867 --> 00:05:01.071
Where was your first assignment.
00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:02.345
Yeah, Salt Lake City.
00:05:02.805 --> 00:05:03.047
Okay.
00:05:03.721 --> 00:05:14.053
So my family was all out west in Utah and he had never seen Utah, so we went out there for four months.
00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:22.468
I had figured that if we were going to work as a team and we'd seem to be pretty enthusiastic, like you say, in the early days, that's the way it is.
00:05:22.468 --> 00:05:25.507
But I needed to get to meet her family.
00:05:25.507 --> 00:05:38.771
My kids lived in Lake Worth, just right next to Boynton Beach, so David already had a chance to meet them, but I didn't know any of her kids and I thought that would be a good place to go be close to her children.
00:05:38.771 --> 00:05:43.711
And also, let me explore a little bit of someplace I'd never been before.
00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:47.709
So athletics is a huge part of your relationship now.
00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:51.170
Was it always that way, or did you just move more and more in that direction?
00:05:52.161 --> 00:06:01.785
Actually, that year, before we started traveling, I went into work one day and had this silly grin on his face and we were running what?
00:06:01.785 --> 00:06:03.230
Four miles at a time.
00:06:03.230 --> 00:06:08.805
I walked in there and I could tell he had something, so I said what?
00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:20.550
And he said I signed up for the Jacksonville Marathon because this was like the end of the year it was in December and he said I had a goal to run a full marathon in my 50th year.
00:06:20.550 --> 00:06:22.625
And that was his 50th year.
00:06:22.625 --> 00:06:25.889
And he said a goal, you got to do it.
00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:30.728
I said you're crazy, that's 26.2 miles.
00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:35.401
So she had right now not the last time I've heard her say that.
00:06:36.690 --> 00:06:39.059
You're crazy, yeah, yeah.
00:06:39.059 --> 00:06:40.663
So how did it work out, what happened?
00:06:41.466 --> 00:06:42.470
I went to Jacksonville.
00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:57.723
I ran the marathon in a rainy, cool day in December and I finished it in three hours and 59 minutes 57 minutes like that still his PR still like PR all the way here yeah that's amazing.
00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:00.937
First marathon under four hours is amazing, especially with so little training.
00:07:00.937 --> 00:07:01.699
That's fabulous.
00:07:02.562 --> 00:07:06.216
And so, deb, were you asked to do it with him?
00:07:06.216 --> 00:07:07.899
Were you inspired to do it with him?
00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:09.302
Was it always just?
00:07:10.451 --> 00:07:11.875
I was what he wanted to do.
00:07:11.875 --> 00:07:17.574
Okay, I was not anywhere near Creeper to that.
00:07:18.295 --> 00:07:35.860
I don't think I had even done 5k, that point I wasn't ready so let's fast forward a little bit, because you guys are starting off running three or four miles, and now we know that, tom, you are attempting to run a marathon in every state.
00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:43.504
So I know a couple of weeks ago you did two marathons back to back when you traveled this some northwestern states.
00:07:43.504 --> 00:07:46.920
Deb, what is the longest run that you've done up to this point?
00:07:47.711 --> 00:07:57.341
so we went to Utah for the first travel assignment and he signed up for another marathon and Really I had no desire to run that far.
00:07:57.341 --> 00:08:08.480
But when I went to the finish line I was trying to guess when he'd be along, and so I had the opportunity to watch Many runners come across that finish line.
00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:18.163
Some of them came across with a smile, some of them were carrying their baby, some of them were crying, some were vomiting.
00:08:18.163 --> 00:08:22.076
I think it just really Got to my heart.
00:08:22.076 --> 00:08:25.182
I'm like, yes, I have to experience that.
00:08:25.182 --> 00:08:35.809
So after that I started training for a marathon and we went back to South Florida for the winter and that's where I started training and running long.
00:08:35.809 --> 00:08:53.562
So for a while I was doing hats and he was doing foals, and then, when it came to April of 2001, I did my first full marathon in Nashville Country Music Marathon and we did a succession of five in a year.
00:08:54.171 --> 00:08:57.946
Have you guys ever added up how many you've done between you up to this point?
00:08:58.688 --> 00:09:00.173
Oh yeah, I did a.
00:09:00.173 --> 00:09:02.938
Now I'm trying to do, including my foals.
00:09:02.938 --> 00:09:04.984
I'm doing half marathons in every state.
00:09:05.850 --> 00:09:14.883
The last marathon we did in that era was in October 2003, and that was deranged Colorado, and then we didn't do any marathons at all.
00:09:14.883 --> 00:09:16.590
It's just too much life happening.
00:09:16.590 --> 00:09:22.033
I started doing marathons again in November of 18.
00:09:23.030 --> 00:09:23.855
Why did you restart?
00:09:24.851 --> 00:09:30.821
Sometimes you just blurt things out and, like my daughter would say, your mouth whites a check that your body can't cash.
00:09:30.821 --> 00:09:34.740
We were doing a cycling event and we're at a rest stop.
00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:50.182
A lady that we met there was a five coach and we're chatting and talking about my transplant and all that and I said the following I want to do a century ride, a marathon, all the transplant games in Salt Lake City and a half-iron triathlon.
00:09:50.182 --> 00:09:55.720
And she was pretty well impressed and I wiped was that was another one of those.
00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:56.461
What are you crazy?
00:09:57.172 --> 00:09:58.416
And it just came out.
00:09:58.416 --> 00:09:59.298
It just came out.
00:09:59.298 --> 00:10:04.462
You're a little, you're a little high from the first part of the ride and you thought I can do anything.
00:10:04.462 --> 00:10:05.450
I want to do these four things.
00:10:06.432 --> 00:10:11.462
I got my transplant in July of 2017 and that was a survival year.
00:10:12.191 --> 00:10:14.456
Can we back up and talk about that a little bit?
00:10:14.456 --> 00:10:16.158
Diagnosis disease.
00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:28.832
Oh sure, back in the late 1980s, early 1990s maybe, I got infected with hepatitis C, most likely through a workplace and Accident of some sort.
00:10:29.635 --> 00:10:37.830
So I went to my family doctor and he referred me to an infectious disease doctor who put me on the available treatment at the time.
00:10:38.732 --> 00:11:13.465
A lot of things happened but ultimately I ended up being off treatment and I didn't have any symptoms, never did have any symptoms early on, but the course of events for hepatitis C is you get the hepatitis virus and then you recover from it and then you go out your life and 10, 20, 30, 40 years down the line you start having problems in your liver and in this case, which was pretty typical, you get a sclerotic liver, a damaged, scarred liver from the hepatitis off the metal, sequelae into cancer and so on.
00:11:14.331 --> 00:11:34.856
We moved back to Florida in 2004, so that depth, to go to grad school and I went to see a Gastroenterologist here in town because I was an old guy and I needed my old guys first colonoscopy type of thing, and I filled out the medical history and when he came in to talk to me he didn't want to talk about anything but the hep C.
00:11:34.856 --> 00:11:37.491
So we tested.
00:11:37.491 --> 00:11:38.595
I was still positive.
00:11:38.595 --> 00:11:39.739
He put me on treatment.
00:11:39.739 --> 00:12:03.278
We got a complete cure, but the damage was done and that was in 2004 and things just went along pretty normal Once a year, every year, he had me get an ultrasound or a CAT scan or something of the abdomen, and in 2015, april 15, the ultrasound showed some what they call eclogenic masses and and I went back to see him right till my other transplant into discussion.
00:12:04.019 --> 00:12:17.475
Wow, you guys as a couple, you're cruising along, you're having this amazing Life and you get diagnosed needing a transplant and we know that From there obviously was very successful.
00:12:17.475 --> 00:12:23.580
How did that affect your relationship and how did you guys get through it as a couple?
00:12:24.504 --> 00:12:28.535
I don't recall a full lot of Cussing and discussing over the whole thing.
00:12:28.535 --> 00:12:30.821
It was something that we just got to play.
00:12:30.821 --> 00:12:32.124
This you got to do, we got to do.
00:12:33.030 --> 00:12:34.875
There wasn't even a lot of trepidation.
00:12:34.875 --> 00:12:43.961
We've been in the business for many years then we knew it's a procedure that's done hundreds of times a year.
00:12:43.961 --> 00:12:47.240
So we weren't very afraid.
00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:49.529
We just knew it had to be done.
00:12:50.292 --> 00:12:55.489
There's a saying in the computer industry that you put garbage in, you get garbage out as far as programming and stuff.
00:12:55.489 --> 00:13:02.413
And the same thing holds true for surgery and surgical recovery.
00:13:02.413 --> 00:13:14.019
As you put a bad body or an unhealthy body or a poorly conditioned body into surgery through anesthesia, through the recovery process, then your recovery itself is going to be much more difficult.
00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:20.610
And so at that point we had been running, we had not done anything long.
00:13:20.610 --> 00:13:26.570
We're doing five K's and maybe some 10 K's of on the local scene, and I just started training more.
00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:31.232
I had retired so I had time on my hands to Train more than I had.
00:13:31.232 --> 00:13:41.469
But after quite a increase in my mileage running I started thinking what else can I do here to really make me a better candidate for a successful outcome?
00:13:41.469 --> 00:13:44.952
And I added on If you're oh, what else is there?
00:13:44.952 --> 00:13:46.618
I don't know, let's try triathlon.
00:13:47.158 --> 00:13:57.941
So where a lot of people would just Maybe be depressed and start eating cupcakes You've decided to Go after and let's get in really great shape.
00:13:57.941 --> 00:14:02.731
Where do you think you got that mindset and did you adapt it as well, deb?
00:14:02.731 --> 00:14:04.500
Did you just start training with them?
00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:05.868
And this was a couple things.
00:14:06.671 --> 00:14:17.700
Yeah, I know I can't keep up with him, but when you're with someone who's working out all the time, there's an accountability factor because you're together.
00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:21.195
If he's doing it, I want to do it, so I did.
00:14:21.195 --> 00:14:23.160
I stepped up my training too.
00:14:23.931 --> 00:14:38.669
There was never a time that I thought that I was going to die because of this, but the thing that I worried about the most was that I was not going to be able to recover to our really active lifestyle.
00:14:38.669 --> 00:14:42.090
I didn't want to even take a chance on losing that lifestyle.
00:14:42.090 --> 00:14:54.922
It was just too important because these are things that we had grown into together and it just made absolute sense to me to get in the best shape for both my own health and healthy outcome, and also to keep up the high quality of our relationship.
00:14:54.922 --> 00:14:57.504
I think we would have been okay if it had been different.
00:14:57.504 --> 00:15:00.418
We would have found a way, but I'm really glad we didn't have to.
00:15:01.312 --> 00:15:05.649
I think many people love the idea of working out with our spouse.
00:15:05.649 --> 00:15:06.913
I know Kelly does and I do.
00:15:06.913 --> 00:15:17.139
But what would be your advice to maybe somebody who's getting together their relationship is new to have this kind of accountability and fitness and stay active.
00:15:17.571 --> 00:15:18.553
There's probably a few things.
00:15:18.553 --> 00:15:23.230
One thing I think that's really important is don't try and coach your partner.
00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:30.823
I don't tell her that she's swinging her arms wrong or that her foot strike is wrong.
00:15:30.823 --> 00:15:35.649
Even if I thought it, I wouldn't tell it to her, because why would I do that?
00:15:35.649 --> 00:15:38.440
She's out enjoying herself and she's doing a good job anyway.
00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:42.821
And to start picking at little things, do this better, do that better.
00:15:42.821 --> 00:15:47.520
I just see that as a vital part of the recipe for disaster.
00:15:48.230 --> 00:15:50.068
That is a great piece of advice.
00:15:50.892 --> 00:15:57.344
I think it's important to have balance in the working out relationship.
00:15:57.344 --> 00:16:01.438
We work out together, we go to the pool together.
00:16:01.438 --> 00:16:03.753
Sometimes we share a lane, sometimes we don't.
00:16:03.753 --> 00:16:06.660
We run together, but not always.
00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:20.678
We both need our solitary time and our solitary run, and maybe I'll go run with a group of ladies sometimes, sometimes he'll go on a day that I'm working, I run with some people or go to the pool.
00:16:20.678 --> 00:16:38.143
I think what works for us is that there's a balance between we get to work out together sometimes and sometimes we work out individually and I think that's important, because balance is important in all aspects of life.
00:16:39.110 --> 00:16:49.177
It's my chance to do what I want to do with my goals and it's her chance to do it she would like to do with her goals without impeding the other, even our cycles.
00:16:49.177 --> 00:16:55.620
A lot of times we'll start off together and we'll go to a certain point where she'll turn off and go and do her thing and I'll just keep going and do my thing.
00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:59.441
We might start together but we rarely finish together unless we're out doing an event.
00:17:00.191 --> 00:17:06.930
Do you decide to do events together, or is one of you going to do an event, the other going to support, or are you both doing the same events?
00:17:06.930 --> 00:17:08.698
How does that work in your relationship?
00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:11.277
I think, the biggest majority of our events.
00:17:11.277 --> 00:17:13.453
One of us will say hey, what are you thinking about this?
00:17:13.453 --> 00:17:19.292
It could be a race in the state fair of Nebraska, for example, coming up.
00:17:19.292 --> 00:17:24.919
So one of us will throw something like that up and the other one will either ignore it altogether or buy into it.
00:17:26.090 --> 00:17:27.356
Like that ignored altogether.
00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.897
Throw it out there and you don't get a response.
00:17:30.211 --> 00:17:35.038
I think that's the way Mark and I do it a lot, and so that makes sense.
00:17:35.038 --> 00:17:44.584
So one of the things we want to touch on is you guys are such an inspiration because we didn't introduce you as your ages.
00:17:44.584 --> 00:17:47.900
But, tom, you said you ran your first marathon at 50.
00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:55.825
So now you're 74, and that's 24 years at this high level.
00:17:55.825 --> 00:17:59.108
And, deb, you're younger, I'm 67.
00:17:59.108 --> 00:18:01.835
67, which I know.
00:18:01.835 --> 00:18:07.353
I did a 5K with you a few weekends ago and you kicked my butt and I'm in a younger age group.
00:18:07.353 --> 00:18:10.842
So what are your goals right now?
00:18:10.842 --> 00:18:22.451
Because I think it is so inspiring separate from the good question Maria just asked, which is how do you set goals, but I know, tom, you have a big goal and we'd like to hear what that is.
00:18:22.451 --> 00:18:27.542
And Deb, what are your goals for, your, say, next athletic endeavor?
00:18:28.371 --> 00:18:35.473
It's a lofty goal, but I'm doing half-marathons and he's doing full-marathons in all 50 states, wow.
00:18:35.473 --> 00:18:38.942
So I think I'm at 18 halves.
00:18:39.789 --> 00:18:41.134
I think I've got 16 now.
00:18:41.134 --> 00:18:50.883
The goal that I set, deb said, is all 50 states, but I want to do it by the time I'm 80 and that requires six a year every year between now and then.
00:18:51.631 --> 00:18:52.695
That's so awesome yeah.
00:18:53.391 --> 00:18:53.972
It's going to be great.
00:18:53.972 --> 00:19:02.219
And another goal that I have, another kind of long-term goal, is I would like to still be running and maybe even competing when I hit 100.
00:19:02.219 --> 00:19:03.020
That's the plan.
00:19:04.452 --> 00:19:15.803
That's terrific, that's amazing, and I know we read that you set a record in the unit after your transplant for a number of laps walks or whatever right.
00:19:15.803 --> 00:19:19.553
So you went into it fit, and apparently you kept that.
00:19:20.075 --> 00:19:22.721
Yes, absolutely, Absolutely Sure Deb.
00:19:24.125 --> 00:19:33.829
Guys, we love to talk about overcoming obstacles and we would love to hear your biggest obstacle, tom, and then Deb yours.
00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:39.470
But, tom, if it wasn't your transplant, what was the biggest obstacle that you've overcome in your life?
00:19:40.287 --> 00:19:46.397
Well, that's a hard one to talk the transplant I've put myself in some pretty crummy situations back in my youth.
00:19:46.397 --> 00:19:53.016
But even that, nothing comes close to the amount of mental effort and physical effort as the transplant did.
00:19:53.904 --> 00:19:59.017
What did you learn from athletics that you were able to apply to your transplant journey?
00:19:59.786 --> 00:20:09.148
Well, I think the athletics allowed me a much more successful surgery, a much less problematic procedure.
00:20:09.148 --> 00:20:21.656
I think already having reasonably good muscle tone and a pretty finely tuned cardiovascular system, I think made the recovery process a lot easier.
00:20:22.445 --> 00:20:30.351
Deb, we want to get to your biggest obstacle, but this has to beg the question of couples who are competitive against each other.
00:20:30.351 --> 00:20:34.295
That is a big challenge when it comes to being couples.
00:20:34.295 --> 00:20:36.612
How have you guys dealt with that competitive?
00:20:36.612 --> 00:20:42.396
We do love to beat our spouses, Whether you're big, tall, male, female.
00:20:42.396 --> 00:20:43.421
I know it's that way with.
00:20:43.421 --> 00:20:45.368
Maria and Jim and I know it's that way with Mark and I.
00:20:47.548 --> 00:20:49.795
I'll take the lead on this and say that is not the way we operate.
00:20:49.795 --> 00:20:52.413
We don't compete, not against one another.
00:20:52.413 --> 00:20:55.071
We'll compete against our friends and other folks in our community.
00:20:56.646 --> 00:20:57.570
But not being sad.
00:20:57.570 --> 00:20:59.912
You're only saying that because you always win.
00:20:59.912 --> 00:21:06.234
I can tell you that I beat him at the Virginia Beach half marathon.
00:21:08.617 --> 00:21:09.619
You know when you won.
00:21:09.619 --> 00:21:11.570
I'll never forget this.
00:21:13.268 --> 00:21:14.732
Okay, you just answered the question.
00:21:16.048 --> 00:21:16.872
You did beautifully.
00:21:17.984 --> 00:21:20.573
Which is it's always very competitive.
00:21:20.573 --> 00:21:23.713
I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
00:21:23.713 --> 00:21:29.795
It kind of gives you a little leg up as long as you're happy for your spouse when they do well.
00:21:30.586 --> 00:21:31.450
Deb, how about you?
00:21:31.450 --> 00:21:36.587
What has been your biggest obstacle since we knew about Tom's transplant and we asked him about it?
00:21:36.587 --> 00:21:53.438
I will tell you that you've already been mentioned on our show, when Maria and I talked about you and Tom being tough and that you actually were doing an obstacle course event and at some point in that you broke your leg.
00:21:53.438 --> 00:21:56.973
I don't know if that was your biggest obstacle, but you've had some.
00:21:58.105 --> 00:21:59.490
Breaking my leg was an obstacle.
00:21:59.490 --> 00:22:04.135
It was horrible and it took me out of running for three months.
00:22:04.135 --> 00:22:08.154
I still haven't regained the paces that I was at before.
00:22:08.154 --> 00:22:14.336
But I think the biggest obstacle I've had to overcome is grad school.
00:22:14.336 --> 00:22:26.250
We moved back here in 2004 until, for two and a half years, I had an apartment in Miami and I commuted to Miami to grad school.
00:22:26.250 --> 00:22:29.127
I had to quit my job.
00:22:29.127 --> 00:22:33.854
It's total immersion in a ceci school.
00:22:33.854 --> 00:22:34.856
I was driving a lot.
00:22:34.856 --> 00:22:36.009
I was studying a lot.
00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:39.352
Tom supported me.
00:22:39.352 --> 00:22:40.750
He was my champion.
00:00:01.423 --> 00:00:06.227
00:00:06.227 --> 00:00:09.910
00:00:09.910 --> 00:00:13.769
00:00:15.823 --> 00:00:19.568
00:00:19.568 --> 00:00:22.748
00:00:22.748 --> 00:00:23.269
00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:24.885
00:00:24.885 --> 00:00:26.926
00:00:27.841 --> 00:00:41.411
00:00:41.411 --> 00:00:44.247
00:00:44.247 --> 00:00:56.048
00:00:56.048 --> 00:01:04.876
00:01:04.876 --> 00:01:11.707
00:01:11.707 --> 00:01:15.528
00:01:16.230 --> 00:01:17.081
00:01:17.081 --> 00:01:19.230
00:01:20.075 --> 00:01:20.620
00:01:20.620 --> 00:01:30.719
00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:35.459
00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:38.120
00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:39.906
00:01:39.906 --> 00:01:44.450
00:01:44.450 --> 00:01:49.046
00:01:49.046 --> 00:01:59.447
00:01:59.447 --> 00:02:02.028
00:02:02.760 --> 00:02:15.780
00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:22.086
00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:26.764
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:30.188
00:02:30.188 --> 00:02:32.326
00:02:32.326 --> 00:02:45.510
00:02:45.980 --> 00:02:46.969
00:02:46.969 --> 00:02:48.020
00:02:49.365 --> 00:02:50.748
00:02:50.748 --> 00:02:53.568
00:02:53.568 --> 00:03:03.931
00:03:03.931 --> 00:03:07.429
00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:09.145
00:03:09.145 --> 00:03:11.639
00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:12.866
00:03:12.866 --> 00:03:15.139
00:03:16.424 --> 00:03:30.879
00:03:31.081 --> 00:03:34.306
00:03:34.306 --> 00:03:49.472
00:03:49.939 --> 00:04:02.329
00:04:04.040 --> 00:04:06.449
00:04:06.449 --> 00:04:10.699
00:04:10.699 --> 00:04:15.451
00:04:15.451 --> 00:04:20.552
00:04:21.961 --> 00:04:41.007
00:04:41.007 --> 00:04:56.392
00:04:59.867 --> 00:05:01.071
00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:02.345
00:05:02.805 --> 00:05:03.047
00:05:03.721 --> 00:05:14.053
00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:22.468
00:05:22.468 --> 00:05:25.507
00:05:25.507 --> 00:05:38.771
00:05:38.771 --> 00:05:43.711
00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:47.709
00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:51.170
00:05:52.161 --> 00:06:01.785
00:06:01.785 --> 00:06:03.230
00:06:03.230 --> 00:06:08.805
00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:20.550
00:06:20.550 --> 00:06:22.625
00:06:22.625 --> 00:06:25.889
00:06:25.889 --> 00:06:30.728
00:06:31.790 --> 00:06:35.401
00:06:36.690 --> 00:06:39.059
00:06:39.059 --> 00:06:40.663
00:06:41.466 --> 00:06:42.470
00:06:42.470 --> 00:06:57.723
00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:00.937
00:07:00.937 --> 00:07:01.699
00:07:02.562 --> 00:07:06.216
00:07:06.216 --> 00:07:07.899
00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:09.302
00:07:10.451 --> 00:07:11.875
00:07:11.875 --> 00:07:17.574
00:07:18.295 --> 00:07:35.860
00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:43.504
00:07:43.504 --> 00:07:46.920
00:07:47.711 --> 00:07:57.341
00:07:57.341 --> 00:08:08.480
00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:18.163
00:08:18.163 --> 00:08:22.076
00:08:22.076 --> 00:08:25.182
00:08:25.182 --> 00:08:35.809
00:08:35.809 --> 00:08:53.562
00:08:54.171 --> 00:08:57.946
00:08:58.688 --> 00:09:00.173
00:09:00.173 --> 00:09:02.938
00:09:02.938 --> 00:09:04.984
00:09:05.850 --> 00:09:14.883
00:09:14.883 --> 00:09:16.590
00:09:16.590 --> 00:09:22.033
00:09:23.030 --> 00:09:23.855
00:09:24.851 --> 00:09:30.821
00:09:30.821 --> 00:09:34.740
00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:50.182
00:09:50.182 --> 00:09:55.720
00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:56.461
00:09:57.172 --> 00:09:58.416
00:09:58.416 --> 00:09:59.298
00:09:59.298 --> 00:10:04.462
00:10:04.462 --> 00:10:05.450
00:10:06.432 --> 00:10:11.462
00:10:12.191 --> 00:10:14.456
00:10:14.456 --> 00:10:16.158
00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:28.832
00:10:29.635 --> 00:10:37.830
00:10:38.732 --> 00:11:13.465
00:11:14.331 --> 00:11:34.856
00:11:34.856 --> 00:11:37.491
00:11:37.491 --> 00:11:38.595
00:11:38.595 --> 00:11:39.739
00:11:39.739 --> 00:12:03.278
00:12:04.019 --> 00:12:17.475
00:12:17.475 --> 00:12:23.580
00:12:24.504 --> 00:12:28.535
00:12:28.535 --> 00:12:30.821
00:12:30.821 --> 00:12:32.124
00:12:33.030 --> 00:12:34.875
00:12:34.875 --> 00:12:43.961
00:12:43.961 --> 00:12:47.240
00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:49.529
00:12:50.292 --> 00:12:55.489
00:12:55.489 --> 00:13:02.413
00:13:02.413 --> 00:13:14.019
00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:20.610
00:13:20.610 --> 00:13:26.570
00:13:26.570 --> 00:13:31.232
00:13:31.232 --> 00:13:41.469
00:13:41.469 --> 00:13:44.952
00:13:44.952 --> 00:13:46.618
00:13:47.158 --> 00:13:57.941
00:13:57.941 --> 00:14:02.731
00:14:02.731 --> 00:14:04.500
00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:05.868
00:14:06.671 --> 00:14:17.700
00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:21.195
00:14:21.195 --> 00:14:23.160
00:14:23.931 --> 00:14:38.669
00:14:38.669 --> 00:14:42.090
00:14:42.090 --> 00:14:54.922
00:14:54.922 --> 00:14:57.504
00:14:57.504 --> 00:15:00.418
00:15:01.312 --> 00:15:05.649
00:15:05.649 --> 00:15:06.913
00:15:06.913 --> 00:15:17.139
00:15:17.571 --> 00:15:18.553
00:15:18.553 --> 00:15:23.230
00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:30.823
00:15:30.823 --> 00:15:35.649
00:15:35.649 --> 00:15:38.440
00:15:38.440 --> 00:15:42.821
00:15:42.821 --> 00:15:47.520
00:15:48.230 --> 00:15:50.068
00:15:50.892 --> 00:15:57.344
00:15:57.344 --> 00:16:01.438
00:16:01.438 --> 00:16:03.753
00:16:03.753 --> 00:16:06.660
00:16:06.660 --> 00:16:20.678
00:16:20.678 --> 00:16:38.143
00:16:39.110 --> 00:16:49.177
00:16:49.177 --> 00:16:55.620
00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:59.441
00:17:00.191 --> 00:17:06.930
00:17:06.930 --> 00:17:08.698
00:17:09.490 --> 00:17:11.277
00:17:11.277 --> 00:17:13.453
00:17:13.453 --> 00:17:19.292
00:17:19.292 --> 00:17:24.919
00:17:26.090 --> 00:17:27.356
00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.897
00:17:30.211 --> 00:17:35.038
00:17:35.038 --> 00:17:44.584
00:17:44.584 --> 00:17:47.900
00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:55.825
00:17:55.825 --> 00:17:59.108
00:17:59.108 --> 00:18:01.835
00:18:01.835 --> 00:18:07.353
00:18:07.353 --> 00:18:10.842
00:18:10.842 --> 00:18:22.451
00:18:22.451 --> 00:18:27.542
00:18:28.371 --> 00:18:35.473
00:18:35.473 --> 00:18:38.942
00:18:39.789 --> 00:18:41.134
00:18:41.134 --> 00:18:50.883
00:18:51.631 --> 00:18:52.695
00:18:53.391 --> 00:18:53.972
00:18:53.972 --> 00:19:02.219
00:19:02.219 --> 00:19:03.020
00:19:04.452 --> 00:19:15.803
00:19:15.803 --> 00:19:19.553
00:19:20.075 --> 00:19:22.721
00:19:24.125 --> 00:19:33.829
00:19:33.829 --> 00:19:39.470
00:19:40.287 --> 00:19:46.397
00:19:46.397 --> 00:19:53.016
00:19:53.904 --> 00:19:59.017
00:19:59.786 --> 00:20:09.148
00:20:09.148 --> 00:20:21.656
00:20:22.445 --> 00:20:30.351
00:20:30.351 --> 00:20:34.295
00:20:34.295 --> 00:20:36.612
00:20:36.612 --> 00:20:42.396
00:20:42.396 --> 00:20:43.421
00:20:43.421 --> 00:20:45.368
00:20:47.548 --> 00:20:49.795
00:20:49.795 --> 00:20:52.413
00:20:52.413 --> 00:20:55.071
00:20:56.646 --> 00:20:57.570
00:20:57.570 --> 00:20:59.912
00:20:59.912 --> 00:21:06.234
00:21:08.617 --> 00:21:09.619
00:21:09.619 --> 00:21:11.570
00:21:13.268 --> 00:21:14.732
00:21:16.048 --> 00:21:16.872
00:21:17.984 --> 00:21:20.573
00:21:20.573 --> 00:21:23.713
00:21:23.713 --> 00:21:29.795
00:21:30.586 --> 00:21:31.450
00:21:31.450 --> 00:21:36.587
00:21:36.587 --> 00:21:53.438
00:21:53.438 --> 00:21:56.973
00:21:58.105 --> 00:21:59.490
00:21:59.490 --> 00:22:04.135
00:22:04.135 --> 00:22:08.154
00:22:08.154 --> 00:22:14.336
00:22:14.336 --> 00:22:26.250
00:22:26.250 --> 00:22:29.127
00:22:29.127 --> 00:22:33.854
00:22:33.854 --> 00:22:34.856
00:22:34.856 --> 00:22:36.009
00:22:36.009 --> 00:22:39.352
00:22:39.352 --> 00:22:40.750