Beyond The Crops

152. Summer Bucket Lists, Running Wins & Making Space for What Matters

Mary Pat Sass + Jena Ochsner

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0:00 | 41:52

In this episode of Beyond the Crops, Jena and Mary Pat catch up on all things summer — from marathon training and recovery wins to building intentional family bucket lists for the season ahead.

MP shares an encouraging update on her healing journey and Jena celebrates a huge milestone in her half-marathon training with her first pain-free eight-mile run, and together they dive into the realities of race prep, heart rate training, recovery, and learning to trust their bodies.

The conversation shifts into summer mode as they talk through family bucket lists, homeschooling freedom, fishing trips, library adventures, zoos, kayaking, gardening, county fairs, and all the little moments they want to prioritize before the season slips away.

This episode is your reminder that summer doesn’t have to be packed full to be meaningful. Sometimes the best plans are the ones that leave room to breathe.

In this episode, we cover:
• MP's chiropractic update and possible root causes of dizziness
• Jena's pain-free 8-mile training breakthrough
• Half-marathon prep, heart rate training, and running mindset
• Summer bucket list ideas for farm families
• Homeschooling, libraries, and hands-on science fun
• Zoo trips, fishing, kayaking, and family adventure days
• Gardening, preserving sweet corn, and freeze-drying food
• Funny farm-life mishaps with dogs and rendering lard
• Prioritizing date nights and connection in busy seasons
• Why simple summer memories often matter most

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Thank you to the sponsor of this episode, Fieldview. Both Jena and MP have used Fieldview on their farms for the past several years and it's been an integral data and decision making tool for their operations. 

Check them out here