Courage Over Comfort; An Interview with The Flippins
Name: Mitchell and Stefanie Flippin
Instagram Handle: @mitchellflippin @stefanieannflippin
Day job:
Mitchell: Physician, co-owner of Flippin Foot & Ankle
Stefanie: Physician, co-owner of Flippin Foot & Ankle
Interview:
AER: You guys have a super cool/awesome/bad-ass ultra-running couple thing going on. What would be some of your words of advice to other couples who want to train together?
Flippins: Thanks! I think the keys to training and running together as a couple are patience and positivity. It's really easy to get frustrated, especially during long training runs or ultras, but reminding yourself how fortunate you are to share an experience like that with your partner & remaining encouraging of each other can really make a difference. We have pulled each other through many ultras this way!
AER: Question for Mitchell – Do you channel any running qualities from Stefanie and apply them to your training/racing?
Mitchell: Of course, or at least I try. I'm always amazed with her unwavering dedication to achieving her goals. I crewed and paced Stefanie during the San Diego 100, and to see that resilience and laser-like focus firsthand, even when deep in the pain cave, was inspiring and something to admire.
AER: Stefanie – same question!
Stef: Mitchell is one of the most resilient, mentally strong people & runners I know. Even through fatigue & pain, he remains so persistent. I paced him for the last 20 miles of his most recent 100 miler & he was encouraging ME to stay strong through the night, even giving me our better headlamp & carrying my jacket. When things get tough for me in a road race, I definitely think of Mitchell's mental fortitude & how he always stays on it.
AER: You keep us all entertained with all of your post run beer photos on instagram – favorite post run beer? If you have a few based on location, feel free to share (asking for a friend.
Flippins: We love post run beers! Stef is a fan of sours, saisons, & ciders - she loves Colorado Cider Co's Grasshop-ah & Evergreen Brewery's strawberry lemon peach smoothie sour (yes, that's a thing). I'm (Mitchell) a huge fan of a nice cold New England IPA, or a good Red Ale or amber. One of my favorites is the Elk Meadow IPA at Evergreen Brewery.
AER: Across the back of your hat it reads “Courage Over Comfort”. Can you tell us a little bit about this saying and what it means to you?
Stef: I have to give credit to Brene Brown for the full quote of: "You can choose courage or comfort. But you can't have both." I have lived in a comfortable place with running & training for a long time & decided to start chasing down bigger goals last year. It's been such a helpful mantra for me - a reminder that if we really want something, we have to be willing to do things we've never done before.
AER: Do you find a balance to your day with running? If so, how? Definitely!
Stef: I often run at lunch between patients. It helps break up the day & I always feel like I come back more relaxed and kind. It also helps battle that afternoon slump!
AER: Tell us something that people don’t know about you or would be surprised to hear?
Mitchell: My patients would probably be surprised that I have full back and a full sleeve tattoo. Stef was a collegiate cheerleader!
AER: What big events do you have coming up? This can be life, running, or both!
Mitchell: I'm currently training for Tahoe 200 (my first 200!) & will be running Bighorn 100, Silver Rush 50, and Ouray 100 in preparation. Stef is going after a breakthrough marathon & OTQ standard at Indy Monumental this fall in the elite field - with some shorter races along the way.
Jun 1, 2019